Off to Disney

[rictus58]

So a complete Disney World novice here but the wife and kids will want to go soon. We have two girls one just turned 4 and the other will turn 1 in February. The earliest we would go is this fall while the older one is still not in school. I dont really worry about the older one it is the younger one who will be about 20 months at the time. I have no idea how the park works all i know is that it is huge with many different areas that can be spread out far apart. Anyway I need suggestions that would be good for the 20 month old like good places to see and stay with a young one like that. We have a pretty decent budget so dont let that stop you from making any recomnedations.

IF money isn't an object, you can stay at one of the DVC (disney vacation club) resorts. They feature a full kitchen in the 1 bedroom and larger. Which is great when you're traveling with family. 90% of the other rooms are essentially a studio with 2 beds. There are places online where you can rent them from current owners (which I am). DVC is disney's timeshare. The pools at DVC resorts are fantastic.
I'd easily recommend a hotel along the monorail line if you won't have a car (Grand floridian, Polynesian, or Contemporary).
If you stay elsewhere, I'd get a rental car. I've gotten them from priceline for $11/day on my two most recent trips there. Disney offers buses for anywhere on property you want to go. But they are a hassle. Especially if you stay at a value resort, and ESPECIALLY at park closing. It's a cattle call and the buses are jammed pack with stinky sweaty new yorkers.
As to answer what to see/do? Magic Kingdom for sure with the young girls. They just opened their new fantasy land expansion. Which means more princess stuff. I'd honestly skip Hollywood studios. It's more "boy" friendly. but if you get park hoppers, it won't cost you anything to go and check it out. They do have some neat shows there.

See my post above about the Safari in the animal kingdom. It's really neat and totally worth it.

There's a restaurant in Epcot in the Norway pavilion which does a princess breakfast daily. Many of the princesses come to the table and greet the girls. Last time I went it was Aurora, Cinderela, Belle, Ariel, Snow White...once they did have Alice in Wonderland...which didn't make sense to me. If you are looking at booking a character meal, disney allows reservations up to 180 days in advance. For restaurants like Cinderella's Royal Table (restautant inside the Castle), you must try the morning on the 180th day precisely at 8am if you want to get a table.

[The Evil Genius]

If your are going to Disneyland, I would definitely recommend the park hopper. California Adventures has really improved in the past 5 years - (I think Soaring over California was already one of the best rides in either park anyways), but now they have a Cars Land.

Also, this time of season you can get a lot of rooms at good offseason rates at the Disney Hotels. I've stayed at the Paradise Pier, and you get a few extra perks for staying at them (other than being a short walk from the private entrance to Disneyland). You get early admission plus a few cut to the front of the line passes. Additionally, anything you buy at the park can be delivered to your room.

[Larry]

I would assume that the baby will basically be almost a piece of luggage. Somebody you just carry around with you, while you three do other things.

One thing that I really think you'll need is at least one stroller. (Probably the guy with the two year old will want one, too. You might even want one for the four year old.)

Disney can wear out little kids. You see a lot of adults pushing a stroller with a sleeping kid. Mostly in the afternoon/evenings, but basically all the time. Every one of those people is someone who would be carrying the kid around, if they didn't have the stroller.

(The stroller can also be a convenient way to carry all of the logistical things that you need to carry, with a small kid. Diapers, clothes, juice boxes, favorite toy, and all the other things that you have to have, for a kid.)

They rent strollers at the parks. And they don't cost much. I think they're like $10 or less, a day. But, at least on peak times, they do run out of them. And, you can't take them from one park to another, or to your hotel.

I've been told that you can rent a stroller at one park, and then, if you go to a different park, take your receipt, and they won't charge you a second time for the same day, at the other park. (But, they DO occasionally run out of strollers.)

Yes, they do have double strollers.

If you're staying in a Disney hotel, then you might find that, in the afternoon, going back to the hotel, let the toddler nap, and take the 4 year old to the pool (and/or nap) might be a good way to "recharge the batteries".

If you're in a Disney hotel, then it's like a half hour to get from a park to your hotel, then however long you decide to stay at the hotel, then a half hour to get back to whichever park.

I'd strongly recommend that you make reservations (I think they open them up six months in advance) for Chef Mickey's. I'd recommend breakfast. It's an all you can eat buffet. (They have chef specialties for the grown ups, and kid food. Try the Mickey Mouse waffles.) You can seriously eat a really big breakfast there. You'll be full till the afternoon. And the Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald, and Pluto will come around to your table for autographs and photos. After you eat, Magic Kingdom is just a monorail or a walk away.

Is it just going to be the four of you? Or will there be more, in your group?

[hp703]

IF money isn't an object, you can stay at one of the DVC (disney vacation club) resorts. They feature a full kitchen in the 1 bedroom and larger. Which is great when you're traveling with family. 90% of the other rooms are essentially a studio with 2 beds. There are places online where you can rent them from current owners (which I am). DVC is disney's timeshare. The pools at DVC resorts are fantastic.

I will vouch for the DVC, I went last Summer with my brother and sister-in-law (She's a HUGE Disney nut). We stayed over at the Boardwalk section and it was amazing. You had a slew of restaurants and bars directly next to where you were staying and had Ferry transport to all the parks (Except Animal Kingdom..and I think Magic). Walking distance to Epcot

[Kilmer17]

To add on regarding Chef Mickeys, a trick we use is we have an early snack type breakfast in the hotel room, then get to the MK park at rope drop, knock out a few headliners, and then have the latest breakfast reservation at Chef Mickeys. It makes it more of a brunch, then back to the MK about the same time most other people are out of lines and in restaurants.

[rictus58]

The strollers are now $15/day $31 for a double stroller. When we went in August last year, we just bought a cheap umbrella one to take with us and left it there.

[rictus58]

I will vouch for the DVC, I went last Summer with my brother and sister-in-law (She's a HUGE Disney nut). We stayed over at the Boardwalk section and it was amazing. You had a slew of restaurants and bars directly next to where you were staying and had Ferry transport to all the parks (Except Animal Kingdom..and I think Magic). Walking distance to Epcot

The Boardwalk is my wife's favorite resort. We stayed at the Beach club villas 2 years ago across the lake. Their pool what beyond good. The bottom of the pool is all sand. And it was enourmous.

[Warpath11]

I would assume that the baby will basically be almost a piece of luggage. Somebody you just carry around with you, while you three do other things.
Is it just going to be the four of you? Or will there be more, in your group?

In essance, yes, the little one will be a piece of luggage I was really against going with her being so young but this will be the last year we can go in an "off-season" meaning school year for most families. Ideally, if it were up to me, we would go in the fall/spring when the little one is 3.5 and the older one is 6.5 but alas that conflicts with school for the older one. Anywho thank you all for the replies so far I think in terms of a place to stay we would like one that has a great pool area/water park becuase both of the girls really like water play so the time not spent at the park we would like to have that option. Also do any places have nannies/babysitters available in case my wife and I would like to get a dinner without the two kids?

Also, it will be only the 4 of us on this trip as things stand right now and a stroller we'll just got some cheapy there and leave it when we head out just as Rictus did

[rictus58]

Also do any places have nannies/babysitters available in case my wife and I would like to get a dinner without the two kids?

Yes. A couple of Hotels do. BUT they require them to be 3 and older AND potty trained.
from allears.net

What if my child is too young for one of the clubs? Or what if I'd prefer to have a babysitter come to our room?

Disney recommends:

Kid's Nite Out
1-800-696-8105 (press 0 for reservations)

Kid's Nite Out Caregivers are at least 18, are insured and bonded, have hands-on training and childcare experience, including child/infant CPR and basic first aid. They will provide one-on-one in-room childcare in a Walt Disney World Resort room, and will provide a variety of activities, including reading, coloring, or games. A sitter can also be hired to accompany children to area attractions or act as father's/mother's helper. Kid's Nite Out also plans and works children's parties, camps, and children's theme conventions.

Hours: Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at all Walt Disney World Resorts

Rates: One child = $16 per hour plus $2.50 per additional child. There is a four-hour minimum.

There is also a $10 transportation fee.

*Reservations that begin after 8:59 p.m. require an additional $2 per hour premium. Cancellations require a 24-hour advance notice. Advance reservations are required. Holidays and special events require an additional premium. Rates are subject to change.

I can recommend Victoria And Alberts for a dinner with the wife. It runs roughly $400 after tax/tip. But good god. I've never had a better meal.

as far as pools. The best pool is at the Yacht and Beach Club. The animal Kingdom lodge has a fantastic pool also as does Coronado Springs.

[Larry]

To me, the most magical Disney hotel is Wilderness Lodge. It's not on the monorail, but it's on the same lake as the Magic Kingdom, so there's a boat that runs back and forth. To me, that boat ride is a really nice transition between the bustle of the parks and the near-silence of the hotel. I also know that they have rooms that have, I think, a king bed, and a pair of bunk beds. The lower bunk even has curtains, so it can be closed off.

Now, Polynesian also has a boat to MK, and/or a monorail, you can take either. And it has the feature that you can watch the fireworks over MK from there. (If you pay for a "Magic Kingdom view" room, you can watch from your room. If you don't have one of those rooms, then you can walk to the hotel's beach, and watch from there.) And, if you get reservations at Chef Mickey's, then the Contemporary hotel is just a monorail ride away.

My then-five-year-old nephew said that his favorite part of his 8-day trip to Disney was the swimming pool at Polynesian. The one at Wilderness Lodge is almost as good.

For real seclusion, (and lots of room), I'm a big fan of the Cabins at Fort Wilderness.

Fort Wilderness is Disney's RV campground. They have a whole bunch of RV parking spaces, in the woods. "The Cabins" are double-wide trailers which they've permanently built into some of the camp sites, and done up as log cabins.

For slightly less than a single room at places like Wilderness Lodge or Polynesian, you get a bedroom with a king bed, a bunk bed, and a TV; a living room with a second TV, couch, DVD player, and a fold-down queen bed; a full kitchen with a full sized fridge, a full oven and stove, and dishwasher. (Only one bathroom, though.) They have a really large deck, with a grill you can use.

The campground is REALLY quiet. (There isn't anybody on the other side of the wall, or in the floor above you.) They have lots of activities you can do, there. (Pony rides, horseback rides, canoe rentals. An outdoor theater where you can cook s'mores over a campfire while a Disney employee leads everybody in singing Disney songs, and then watch Disney cartoons under the stars.)

Drawbacks: The campground is really spread out. There's the entrance, then miles of roads linking the campsites, and at the other end, the boat dock, marina, and restaurants. And Disney really doesn't want people driving around the campground. They want you to drive your car to your cabin, park it there, and leave it there for the rest of your trip.

They run Disney buses within the campground. A bus (there's actually, I think, three bus routes) will run from the entrance (which is where the buses come to take you to/from the parks), past your campsite, to the restaurants/boat dock, and back. So, to get from your room, to anywhere, takes two bus rides. One bus takes you to the main bus stop. (Or to the boat dock, if you're going to MK.) So, it takes a bit longer to/from your room.

You can cut down on this, somewhat, by renting a golf cart. You can leave your cabin, hop in the golf cart, drive past all the people waiting for the bus, drive to the boat dock/bus stop), and go from there. It eliminates one of the bus rides. I think they're $20 a day.

---------- Post added January-16th-2013 at 04:11 PM ----------

Yeah, I strongly suspect that buying a stroller is the way to go. I mean, they cost what, three day's rent? And you eliminate the "sold out" problem, and the "can't take it to another park / to hotel" problem.

[Warpath11]

Yes. A couple of Hotels do. BUT they require them to be 3 and older AND potty trained.
from allears.net

I can recommend Victoria And Alberts for a dinner with the wife. It runs roughly $400 after tax/tip. But good god. I've never had a better meal.

That is strange about the children having to be 3 and older, well I guess that rules out any possibility for my wife and I to spend some alone time. I just kind of looked up the Boardwalk and looks pretty nice same with the Polynesian seems like one is closer to Epcot while the other Magic Kingdom (again not sure what the real difference between all these places are but Magic Kingdom sounds better for my girls..i have to look into it some more).

edit: Just read this...there is a chance LOL

In-Room Babysitting
Independent childcare provider Kid’s Nite Out offers one-to-one babysitting in the comfort of your Walt Disney World Resort hotel room. Arts and crafts, reading and playing games are among the fun-filled activities for children 6 months to 12 years of age.

[rictus58]

Honestly, If disney recommends them, I'd probably trust them to be in my room alone with the kids. I never had to use them as my kids were old enough for the kids clubs. Your kids might ultimately be more comfortable in their own room with a babysitter than in a strange place with a babysitter.

[Kilmer17]

Just give Larry a call. Im sure he'll be happy to watch them for you.

[rictus58]

Just give Larry a call. Im sure he'll be happy to watch them for you.

He might end up making them play the role of The Borg to his Capt. Pickard though.

[Warpath11]

Honestly, If disney recommends them, I'd probably trust them to be in my room alone with the kids. I never had to use them as my kids were old enough for the kids clubs. Your kids might ultimately be more comfortable in their own room with a babysitter than in a strange place with a babysitter.

I'm sure our older daughter will be fine at the kids club it is the younger one that might have problems there (we would try it both ways) but its good to know an in-room option exists if needed.

---------- Post added January-16th-2013 at 04:25 PM ----------

Just give Larry a call. Im sure he'll be happy to watch them for you.

LOL Im all for it! Not sure how my wife would respond to a stranger from a Redskins message board as the babysitter, but for a dinner alone Im sure she would oblige