Trip Report(2/1-2/10)-very long,sorry

[Pan]

I'm suffering from post- Disney blues right now, but I thought this would be therapeutic to tell all about our trip. We were there for 10 days. It was awesome. A lot of work with 3 young children(ages 5,3,and 1) and definately not relaxing but was such a great time.

Just a few general things up front for anyone traveling soon. The small crowds that were there Sept thru Jan became a thing of the past. No more 10 min waits for rides. AK was loaded on a monday-all but the last Tarzan show was sold out. MK was a zoo on Feb 8/9. Hour long waits for Pooh, Peter Pan, Space Mountain.FP's gone in late pm in Fantasyland.

We stayed at the Port Orleans-Riverside. It was great. Stayed in building 27. It and Bldg 18 are terrific choices in Aligator Bayou. No Parking lot views, close to facilities and no more than 5 min walk to the bus. The manor houses are now open. Bus service was very efficient. No boat to Downtown Disney is the only noticeable cutback.

We got in on Jan 31. Tiffany Towncar was terrific, and Mears Shuttle which we did last time is no comparison.

Feb1-MK Beautiful day.84 deg. Headed right for Fantasyland and did in this order Dumbo, Peter Pan, TeaCups, Tomorrowland Speedway, AstroOrbitor, Pooh with a FP, the Carousel, Small World, and Buzz with a FP in the am. Lunch was at the Plaza Terrace which has to be our favorite counter service place to eat. Good food, and a beautiful view sitting outside when it's warm out. Never very crowded either. Took a break back at the hotel for naps(which my 5 and 3 yo wouldn't take) so went in the pool instead. Back to Epcot at nite for dinner in Japan At Teppinyaka which is our favorite and saw Tapestry of Nations parade which was very cool. Our 3yo burst into tears when the chef threw a shrimp tail on her plate, which was a bummer. She was just a bit on edge. Dessert was in France at an outdoor table near Boulangerie Patisserie. I love Epcot.

Feb 2- Kids needed to sleep in so I snuck out by myself to MGM and rode ToT, and RnR Coaster 3 times. Didn't get back until 11am-my wife was ed. Went back to MK that pm and saw Belle in Storybook Garden and the show in front of the castle which is actually very entertaining. The characters come down in the audience after the show and the kids got to meet Mickeyand Minnie.

Feb 3- MGM Muppetvision, Beauty and Beast, Hunchback. The line for Bear was huge!!! and couldn't get in so saved for another day. The big hat IS cool. After "naps", again that the kids wouldn't take, went out to Epcot. Had my obligatory pint with fish n chips at the Rose and Crown. And yes MarkyMark heard the stunning 4-nil result there. However, big meltdown by the kids and me and the wife. We headed for the bus with the kids losing it, my wife ready to kill me because of the "schedule" I had planned, and me thinking this whole trip was a big mistake. Long talk that nite with the realization that if the kids won't nap we can't do 2 parks in one day. We would just go to one park, the 1 yo could take naps in the stroller, and we would stay until the girls pooped out. This worked much better the rest of the stay. Usually stayed at the parks until 6 or 6:30 had them in bed by 7:30 or 8. It meant canceling our dinner reservations in France and not seeing Illuminations- but we'll do those next time when they are older.

Feb 4- AK Loved the Lion King Show, Tarzan. Not as impresed by the Safari ride as last time. Dinoland actually very well done. Don't be so hard on it until you see it in person. The Boneyard was the kids favorite.

Feb 5- Back to MK. Rode Aladdin. I know it's just a carnival ride, but this was actually a lot of fun. Much more sophisticated than Dumbo with the ability to rock your carpet back and forth. And soaring above Adventureland is cool. Saw Lion King(i'll miss it), and yes Grizzly, we saw the Bears. The kids loved it. Also got on Pirates. Tom Sawyer Island was a big hit with the kids.

Feb 6-Epcot Universe of Energy, Foodrocks. The kids favorite part of the day was being a "junior chef" in the Land pavillion. My wife was in a good mood and let me ride TestTrack- got out of the long FP line, and went in the singles line which moved much faster. Walked all over World Showcase. The acrobats in China were great, and met a ton of characters.

Feb 7 Only day of rain. Went out to MGM. Saw Bear and Millionaire. Our 3 yo was coming down sick. A good day to go back to the hotel after lunch and take the rest of the day off. Early bedtime that nite.

Feb 8 8:30 am breakfast at Cinderella's Royal Table. Even though our 3 yo threw up on the bus there, they still had a great time metting Cinderella, Belle, Snow White(my personal favorite), and Mary Poppins. Did our favorite rides in Fantasyland, Country Bear again (it was packed, Grizzly!!!!) Mickey's Toon Town that am as well. By this time the kids had met so many characters I think they were getting kind of bored with it which was a bummer. The 1 yo was the most excited meeting Mickey for the third time. Tom Sawyer Island again that afternoon.

Feb 9 Our last day. Back to MK did all our favorites again Dumbo, Speedway, TeaCups, AstroOrbitor, Aladdin, Pirates. FP on Jungle Cruise. Never got on Space Mountain or Splash, but after my solo MGM outing didn't want to push my luck with the wife. We'll be able to do that next trip when the kids will be old enough to ride with me. That will probably be a lot more fun anyway. We did take a break at the hotel, and came back in pm to see the fireworks. All the kids made it including the 1 yo, and it was a beautiful end to our stay. Rode Buzz for the 6th time definately my favorite ride. Saw Mickey and Minnie's house one last time. Took one last spin with my 5 and 1 yo on the Rockets at nite. Squeezed in one more ride on Small World (4 times while there) when my 5yo whispered that she is sad to be leaving. I told her I was sad too, and lied that we would be coming back again soon.

I'm sorry this was so long. But it WAS therapeutic. I love Disney. Thanks for letting me share my thoughts here.

 

[RogueHabit]

Great report Pan, we're taking a 6 year old and a 1 yesr old this year. Have been with just our boy when he was 2 1/2, 3 1/2 & 4 1/2 but this is the first time with 1 so young.

We have already learnt that it's sometimes easier to let the youngun's catch a nap in the stroller, but then we have always been offsite until this trip so afternoon naps were never a real option.

Anyway, thanks for the report, I know that Disney Blues feeling well. Just have to start planning another trip now, won't ya!

 

[General Grizz]

I am glad you enjoyed your stay!

 

[Spaceship Earth]

Young Kids?

I was just wondering, why do you and other people take kids so young on such large vacations? I would wait until they could at least remember it. Or until they are large enough to ride some larger rides. I mean why spend all the money for soemthing that the kid is'nt going to remeber. I know this is a fact because I went in 3rd grade and I barely remeber what we did. I'm pretty sure you want to ride some of the bigger rides too, but you can't because you've got young kids. I'm not saying it was a bad thing to do, but I guess my question is, Why do you take kids to Disney World at such a young age? :hammer:

 

[2much2do]

Here's why we took our then 19 month old to the parks two years ago. We took him, cuz we didn't go for him, we went for US! DH and I LOVE Disney, and we love to go there, kids or no kids. We went to Disney and brought the baby because we couldn't leave the baby with a sitter for two week, LOL! We are going again in May, and we will have my son, who is now 4 years old, and my 11 month old little girl. It is a wonderful joy to watch their eyes get big when they first see the castle. I enjoyed taking pictures of our son while being carried by Cinderella, Belle,
Mickey, etc. at the character breakfasts. We also took my then eight year old sister with us. Old enough to remember you might think? NOT! She is 10 now and going back with us in May, and she remember very, very, little. It wasn't her first time then, either. We go every couple years. I guess that's the thing. Disney isn't, or shouldn't be a once in your lifetime thing. You should go several times with your kids. It doesn't have to be expensive. GEt a deal, drive down, stay with family, blow your income tax rebate, whatever. But take them often!!!!!

 

[Wishingtree]

I agree with 2much. Both of my kids were at WDW before they were 2 years old. Watching their reactions to characters or things they see is worth going. The oldest is now 8 and the youngest 6. They are both hooked and have been there 5 times. They also get a laugh everytime they look at pictures of videos of themselves.

As for rides, Disney has a policy of child swapping on rides for parents with kids too young to go on some rides. While one parent rides the other parent waits til the first is done, then the second is allowed to get on without waiting in line again. CM's at the rides direct you around.

Jim

 

[Pioneer Hall]

Re: Young Kids?

Originally posted by Spaceship Earth
I was just wondering, why do you and other people take kids so young on such large vacations? I would wait until they could at least remember it. Or until they are large enough to ride some larger rides. I mean why spend all the money for soemthing that the kid is'nt going to remeber. I know this is a fact because I went in 3rd grade and I barely remeber what we did. I'm pretty sure you want to ride some of the bigger rides too, but you can't because you've got young kids. I'm not saying it was a bad thing to do, but I guess my question is, Why do you take kids to Disney World at such a young age? :hammer:

Kids do remember certain things when they are really young, and even if they don't remember exact events they can enjoy what is going on. We went with our friends this August and they had a 16 month old baby and he had a great time. When he saw Tigger and Mickey he was so happy. So even though he won't remember it he was still happy at the time.

 

[Pan]

Re: Young Kids?

Originally posted by Spaceship Earth
I was just wondering, why do you and other people take kids so young on such large vacations? I would wait until they could at least remember it. Or until they are large enough to ride some larger rides. I mean why spend all the money for soemthing that the kid is'nt going to remeber. I know this is a fact because I went in 3rd grade and I barely remeber what we did. I'm pretty sure you want to ride some of the bigger rides too, but you can't because you've got young kids. I'm not saying it was a bad thing to do, but I guess my question is, Why do you take kids to Disney World at such a young age? :hammer:

Well, there are a lot of reasons. First it's great to get out of the winter for a week when you live in Minnesota, and also my wife and I love Disney.

As far as the kids, they had a great time. Our mornings were awesome. They would just start to ________ out late in the day and then we would go back to the hotel. As far as not remembering, why do you take a 2 or 3 year old to the park or the zoo since they won't remember all the details when they are an adult? I think most of us have vague memories from the age of 3.These are all life experiences for kids that I believe are enjoyable and valuable.

In addition, watching our little ones meet the characters is priceless. At 3, a child does not realize that these are people in a costume, but thinks they are really meeting Mickey or Cinderella. This was the case for our oldest 2 years ago. Now that she is 5, she knows that they aren't real. She still enjoyed it but it wasn't the same. Even our 1 yo had fun meeting Pooh and Mickey. He would wave, squeal, and try to grab their nose. He played with MrSmee for a minute laughing the whole time. I've got this on video. What a priceless memory that can never be duplicated.

Also, it's not fair to our oldest to wait until all the kids are "old enough". She would miss out on a lot doing this.

I think however, as we were reminded on our trip, that you have to be flexible and tailor the itinerary for the kids enjoyment. I thought I had done that, but had to adjust a few days into the trip. Once we did, it went very smoothly. Stopping to meet characters, watching parades, and shows, playing in fountains, etc. They got 11 to 12 hours of sleep at night. I think our trip was too long for them and 6 or 7 days probably would have been plenty in the parks. Next time we'll rent a car and drive over to the beach for a few days for a change of pace.

As far as riding the roller coasters, I've been on them all before, and will have a chance to go on again. It was a bit selfish to run off like I did to MGM , and my wife needed to remind me that we were there primarily for the kids enjoyment.

Nothing wrong with bringing the kids. Just need to think through it all carefully.

 

[Pan]

I can't believe ________,(or should I have said doo-doo)just got censored:lol:

 

[Spaceship Earth]

Ok, you told me i guess.

Ok, I guess you all gave me some good answers. i guess it would be kind of neat for a kid to see that type of stuff. And i guess it's not so bad if you go again when there older. And i guess if your happy with being there, that's good too. I was wrong, you all were right. My bad this time.:zipit:

 

[Disneynutcase]

I jumped onto this tread late so excuse my rant here, but...

I hate it when people say that you shouldn't take young kids to Disney parks! What are you, some kind of moron? These parks are more than just Mountains and thrill rides. You obviously must be confusing these parks with Six Flags!

I went to Disneyland for the first time when I was three--loved it AND had some memory of it because I bugged the crap out of my parents until they were kind enough to take me again--helped that we had relatives in L.A.. Do I specifically remember the trip? Kind of--remember the castle, remember how big Goofy was and that he kept squeaking my Donald hat, remember the Mickey Mouse pancakes. Not bad for 34 year old memories...

Both of my daughters have been going to Disney since they were little. And my youngest, who is turning four during our upcoming trip to WDW, has been a contstant nudge when it comes to going again AND has been doing so since she was 20 months old! We're going again in April and every day she asks, "how many more days?" followed by "aw, gee! I wish we were going tomorrow." All kids love the characters, parades, the live shows, Dumbo, the Tea Cups, Small World, Country Bears, singing Food, Muppets, Bear In The Big Blue House and his PHD friends, Simba, Timon, Pumbaa, and zoo-type animals.

Point being, Walt first invisioned these parks for Families--not immature thrill-ride seekers! Read a bio. Walt loved taking his girls to parks when they were young and built Disneyland to make something different from the boardwalk and chintzy local amusement park offerings that were on hand at the time.

Again it's the difference between a Six Flags (great coaster parks, by the way!) and Disney!

And having my eldest now at age 8 and suddenly into spooky stuff and the mountains, I finally get a riding buddy, an actual reason to go back on the faster stuff, and a new set of eyes to see everything through--that's the fun part for parents.

Even when my eldest was too little, my wife and I would switch pass an attraction or two that we were really hot to go on. In CA, gotta do the Indy ride! In Florida, gotta do ToT and R&RC. The mountains on both coasts we've been on and subsequently took a nice break from. Is six years of going without a sacrifice? Hardly. I kind of get a kick that I now go on rides that I was tending to skip--things my young girls love. And that's the beauty of the Disney park design.

But hey, if all you're talking about is a once in a lifetime trip, then I'm with ya. If it's a one-timer, then it's probably better to take the family when everyone is at an age to be up for all the rides, then make sure you have the time available at the parks to do all the rides. That's about the only way you can get me to agree with this lame logic.

Sorry to slam, but it chafes my buns to know that some people, despite their own love for Disney parks, simply don't get them and/or remain ignorant to why Walt built them in the first place.

End of rant...

 

[Debbie]

We learned early on that when you take little ones, not to expect a whole lot. We had to remind ourselves that we were on Vacation and out of lifes' rat race for a week. My seven year old first went when he was 13 months old. And it was OK. Then we took him when he was 18 months old and he was a blast. My husband and I did parent swap if we HAD to ride something Jr. couldn't go on. Now that we have two way radios, my husband can go do his thing and I can take the boys and do our thing. It doesn't bother me to miss a ride or two and My husband doesn't have to be up my butt 24/7. Next time you go Pan, take off and do your thing, and then let your wife go and have time to herself. And meet back in a few hours. It works for us and as I said before, we didn't expect to accomplish anything else but to chill out and enjoy our vacation.

 

[mej]

Disney has something for everyone - no matter how old or young, and no matter how many times you visit. Both our kids were there at 18 months old - we have the memories of them pulling out Tigger's fur or squealing with delight at the Dumbo ride. The parks are not the problem - flying from Northern Ireland is the downside!

 

[Scooter]

I see no reason to badmouth people on this board when they are only stating their oppinoins about a subject.

Spaceship Earth had what he/she thought were some good points about bringing babies to Disney World.

Calling people morons, immature thrill ride seekers, ignorant and telling them that their logic is lame is pretty harsh don't you think?

I am also one of those "Ignorant, immature, lame logic people" who think babies shouldn't be in Disney World.

I think it's pretty selfish to drag a baby around Central Florida in 90 degree heat just so YOU can enjoy the Magic of Disney.

I've seen these little babies asleep in those hot plastic double wide strollers with beads of sweat on their little noses while their Mommy and Daddy munched on on a nice cool Mickey Ice cream bar.

If you waited until your baby got old enough to appreciate and remember the Magic, you could save your money and stay at a nicer Resort when you went.

I waited and took my kids when they were 5, 7, and 10 years old. I didn't have to push them around all day in the hot sun, They walked around on their own and now they have clear, wonderful memories of Disney World.

 

[The Mom]

I think each family has to make their own decision as to when their children are "old" enough for WDW. My daughter went when she was almost 2, but ONLY because her 15 year old cousin was visiting us. However, after I discovered how much she enjoyed it, we went back every 2-3 months for the next 9 years. We took a short break when she was 10, but went back when her little brother was 1 year old. Had I waited until he was 5 or 6, she could have driven us down! I've been to a tourist attraction...not Disney, thank God...where a mother was strolling a baby who still hadn't lost his/her cord stump!!! Now that's TOO YOUNG!!!

 

[monorail256]

hmm i dont really see a problem with taking a baby down in the "value season". as you probably know we just got back ourselves and my sister took her 4 month old. and eventhough she wont be able to remember it, she was so happy when she got on the magic carpets of alladin... now i dont think i'd take my 4 month old down when i go to disney (i'd leave her with grandma that year :lol: ) but I would take her/him down for their first year when they are 3 years old.. cus i have been to disneyworld every year (sometimes twice or three times) and I still remember my first time at Disney when I was 3. I was scared to death of the Haunted Mansion and catastrophy canyon... i also met Mickey Mouse... i dont really care if you take your babies down or not, thats your opinion, just give them a nap...

 

[MattsCath]

Just please make the little ones wear hats and keep them protected by shade...

I'm not a parent but will be some day and I worry about those little kids!

 

[JonnyK]

ooo.. Cool Stories. Sound like you've had a great time.