NHG Disney World Trip

[susieq]

Has anyone done Disney World with young children?  DSs will be 4.5 and 2.  DH thinks we should wait another year.  My MM side says to do it now when DS is 2 and free!  I dont think he will remember that much more of the trip next year vs this.  We will be in FL with my parents and brother and they want to go to Disney. 

Any suggestions on where to stay?  How long of a Disney trip is too long for that age children?

[stephm0188]

We've been, several times. There are pros and cons to waiting or going now, but the biggest perk is that your youngest will be free.

We stay on site for a week.

[julygal]

I'm a FL resident, so we go every January. We typically stay for 2 days/1 night. Our longest trip has been 6 days/5 nights, but we didn't do a park every day and spent time enjoying the resort's pools. We started taking our oldest when she was 22 months old. My 3rd kid took her first trip when she was just 4 months old. The experience is different at that age than for the older kids, but they still have so much fun! Our last trip our kids were 6, 3.5, and 18 months. They had a blast.

Magic Kingdom: Fantasyland is a lot of fun at this age, especially the Storybook Circus portion with Dumbo playground/ride and the splash pad. They also like some of Adventure land. We don't spend much time in Frontier land, but Tom Sawyer's Island can be fun if you don't mind a cramped boat ride over and back. The parades are great.

Animal Kingdom: It's a zoo with Disney characters, so my youngest LOVED it. The Lion King Show was a huge hit for my kids this last trip. They also loved Kilimanjaro safari ride, the petting zoo at Rafiki's Planet Watch, and just walking the animal trails.

Hollywood Studios: Great if your kids like to sit and watch shows. Disney Jr show is lots of fun. There is one kids ride with a Toy Story theme that they love, but the lines are ridiculous so go to it right away to either get in line before it gets long or to get a fast pass (those run out fast). The car stunt show is fun, but we find the kids like it better with ear plugs, as there are explosions and fire.

Epcot: We like to meet the characters here. Imagination ride is good, Nemo ride with aquarium is perfect and a favorite, Test Track has a show room with cars that my kids like to climb in and look at while the adults hit up the ride, and my kids enjoy walking around the World showcase and seeing the different types of buildings.

We like to stay at moderate resorts when staying on property. Any of the Downtown Disney resorts are good too. We've also really liked the Blue Heron Beach Resort, which is off property and isn't fancy but a good deal for a 2 bedroom suite.

[ktzmoh]

We took the kids to Disneyland last year in Nov when Kate was almost 2 and Jackson was 5. We went mainly for Jackson, thinking Kate would just be along for the ride. But I actually think she had a better time than Jackson did. She went nuts at the Character breakfast, she LOVED the kid rides (she's kind of a thrill seeker) and she just was awestruck the entire time. It was totally magical and I am so glad we decided to go even though we thought she was a little young for it. Plus, although she was apparently big enough to have a complete blast, she was still too young to throw huge fits about not getting to buy all the things. KWIM?

No advice on where to stay because we were at the CA version, but they let us bring lots of juice boxes and snacks in , which really helped keep the food cost down.

[jhawks482]

We are headed there soon, and my DD is 2.5 and my son is 4.5. We were invited by my SIL to come with them and stay at their time share- otherwise, I don't know if I would have chosen to go right now while the kids are so young. Regardless, I'm super pumped and the kids are too. We are staying 7 days, and doing disney parks on 2 days, and Sea World one day. I don't know if the kids (or me, lol) could handle much more than that, being on the go for SOO many hours. I doubt my DD will remember, but we sure will and we will have lots of pictures!

[sierramist03]

I'm so jealous I wanna go I've never been before

[auntie]

IME, 7 is about the magic age for a WDW vacation of any duration. It requires some stamina and self regulation.

WDW hotels are all about location, location, location. Given thay you have really LOs, you'll want to be near the Magic Kingdom- ideally on the monorail. You'll pay dearly for this, but time is money in the happiest place on earth.

I wouldn't stay cheaper than a moderate hotel- they tend to be full of class trips and teen sports teams. My favorite places to stay are in the Boardwalk area- Epcot's backdoor and Disney Studios are a short stroll or boat ride away.

[sratsey]

As some posters have mentioned, there are pros and cons. DS has been there 3 times. Once when he was a week shy of his 3rd birthday, then just before he turned 5 and most recently at 8. DD was 9 months and 4.
When my son was 3 it was nothing short of magical for him. He was only big enough to go on the rides in the Dr. Seuss area which is more of the kid stuff but he was a Star Wars freak at the time so just SEEING the stuff was amazing for him. At 5 he was able to go on most rides and even though he walked in with this attitude that "these are all people in costumes", after he came off the Star Wars ride, he was freaking out because he was convinced we were on another planet and his father and baby sister were left on earth since she was too little to come on the ride. LMAO. At 8, the "magic" was no longer there, but it was an awesome time in terms of fun because he's big enough to go on everything now.
For DD, 9 months is moot. She sat in the stroller the whole time, but at 4 it was the same kind of magic. Unlike my son though, she hates to walk. He walked the entire park and stayed up for fireworks. She walks a foot, ends up on my husbands shoulders and fell asleep by 7...on his shoulders. But there is something truly amazing when you watch a 4 year old, starry eyed, because she's convinced she's meeting THE REAL Cinderella. You don't get that with older kids. IMO, somewhere between 3.5 and 4.5 is perfect as a first trip. There will be enough sights and sounds to keep a 2 year old occupied in a stroller.
We did Hollywood Studios with my son the first two times and Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios this past December. Didn't bother with the princesses when my son went, but it was a must see when DD was old enough to care. Hollywood Studios was right up DS's alley because he was (and still is) a Pixar fiend and ALL the Pixar movie characters are there for Meet and Greet. The Lighting McQueen car is always a hit as well as The Incredibles. A character breakfast was fun for DD. Book early.