I hate that people came by yesterday only to find that Some Kind of Bug had rendered me useless for the entire weekend and that I had nothing to say.
You're in luck! As of last night I started to feel better, but not in time to write anything good. (Oh, wait. I guess that means you're still out of luck.)
But I DO have a Very Important Two-part Question to pose, in all seriousness. I will take all answers to heart:
1) Have you ever taken your 18-month-old to Disney World, with older siblings? and
2) If yes, would your Future Self go back and tell your Former Self that pulling your toenails out with pliers would have been a more enjoyable experience?
We are tentatively planning our first trip to DisneyWorld with the kids in January, SO I'VE GOT TO GET HOPPING ON THE PLAN-MAKING. So far all I've done is make my mental Pros and Cons list:
PROS OF GOING TO DISNEYWORLD IN JANUARY
- The Spring Break crowds and prices won't be out in force yet.
- The Christmas vacationers will have returned to their homes.
- The lines will be short(er).
- The weather won't feel like the seventh circle of Hell.
- My sister and parents will fly down to join us.
- Nathaniel will be the only one in public school and therefore the only one to have to make up work.
- Nathaniel will be 7 years old and Nick will be 5, so they would both still get that "first-time magical experience" with sense of wonder intact.
CONS OF GOING TO DISNEYWORLD IN JANUARY
- It will still be Plenty Hot.
- Jake will be 19 months old.
- Related: He will still desperately need naps. He will have to be carried or will require a stroller. He will need to go to bed before 8 p.m. He will not be able to ride most of the rides. I might die.
SO, what say you, my faithful readers? COME ON. EARN THAT TARGET GIFT CARD, PEOPLE.
16 comments:
well I can understand your hesitancy here! We took our 12mth old to QLD for a holiday (winter, so still nice weather but not a popular time to go there in Australia) when I was preggas with my 2nd bub (#5mths). Anyways, I guess being preggas didn't help, but gee I found it hard work. I did not find it a holiday at all. But it appears you are talking about one event/day, not a holiday, so I say go for it! I would imagine it will exhaust you (please don't be preggas!!!) but hey, that's just motherhood (or fatherhood I imagine!). Having smaller lines is a big bonus, but I don't think you'll be on many rides anways. You can leave anytime you want, bubs can always sleep in prams/strollers, I so go for it! You live once...
I don't have an opinion but am plenty curious about what others have to say. I have a 22 month old and a 6 year old and would LOVE to take a trip to Disney while my little boy would still love the magic of it all but don't know when would be a good time for my little girl to go as well. Decisions, decisions, decisions.
Okay - I don't have children but nieces and nephews should count!
This year, I went with my oldest sister and her family to Disneyland. Emma was 4. Brody was 14 months. Total, there were four adults and 2 kids.
We had SUCH a blast. When Alison, Mark (her husband) and Emma went on rides, my friend and I would stay with Brody. Then we'd all switch throughout the two days we were there. And surprisingly, on a lot of the gentle rides they let Brody go on. Alison or I would hold him through. He enjoyed the Jungle Cruise the most (we rode around in a boat). Although, it was close with the Buzz Lightyear ride. He LOVED the pretty lights.
Brody still needed a nap, so the first day my friend and I took him so the other three could ride all the rides they wanted. Then the second day they took him to nap and we got to ride. If your parents and sister are willing to help out, I think you guys would have a GREAT time!
Food for thought! :)
I'd love to know what others say about this. We have a 6 year old, 4 year old, 3 year old, and a 2 year old. I've been thinking about mounting an expedition there with my own crew. My daughter would love it.
We took our then-17-month-old and nearly-4-year-old at Thanksgiving one year and had a great time. I'd say, yes, it's fine to take a little one - and I would do it again. There are plenty of things for the much-younger crowd. Having family along is certainly helpful (we vacationed with cousins and their older kids). Rent the double stroller if you don't take your own (and if you don't regularly use a double, trust me on this and rent the double). You can pay ahead on a few days' worth of stroller rental - then you just hand in a ticket each day to get a stroller. It saves a little time, and I'm pretty sure that it saves a little money. You can also take in your own snacks if that's helpful (we did since we have food allergies). Your youngest will be so tired he'll sleep anywhere - and your 5-year-old may sneak in a rest, too (again - double stroller). My little girl is SUCH a light sleeper, but napped on-the-go at Disney. We took a mini version of her favorite blanket and a special new (small) stuffed animal (think beanie baby) and that did the trick.
January is a great time to go - we went once (before we had kids), and there were NO lines. The shows are a great way to get a 'rest' in - even if it's not a nap, it's just some good down time.
I'm sure there's more to share, but that's what I can think of right now. You are going to have a great time!
Take them! You'll be surprised how many rides he will be able to ride. Pretty much everything but roller coasters and thrill rides which even Nicholas might not want to ride. The crowds and weather will be fabulous. When we went last Sept./Oct. the crowds were not very bad at all and it made the trip much more enjoyable. There are plenty of places for him to nap in the parks while you or Grayson take the older boys on rides. The stroller really isn't as much hassle as you think. I have lots of planning info and would be happy to help you plan if you want me to. Last fall, I planned and researched a lot!!!!!
Amy
You should most definitely go! We went for the first time last year (october) with an 18 month old, a just turned 4 year old, and a 5 year old. We had an absolute great time! We took an extra set of hands with us (one of the grandmas) so that helped out tremendously. My 5 year old (who was almost 6) was the only one who could ride all of the rides (and there were a few he couldn't ride) and after we took him on his first roller coaster (Mt.Everest), he didn't want to ride those big rides anymore! All of the other rides, we all were able to enjoy. True, my husband and I would have loved to ride some of the more exciting stuff but honestly once we were there and we got to see how much the kids were enjoying themselves, we didn't even care about the stuff we were missing (like Tower of Terror, Space Mtn, etc.). My little one was 18 months at the time and we took her stroller instead of renting one (too expensive for me - they had doubled in price from what I had thought they would be to rent so...) We took a small backpack for her (diapers and sippies and blankies) and a regular size backpack for snacks and drinks. We kept her supplied with sippies and snacks and she did amazingly well. And, let me just say, that she is not the most easy to please child. She is very much a girl - moody and a bit temperamental - but she did very well. I was worried about the whole nap thing, too, and had planned to go back to the hotel mid day, etc., but we never had to do that. She would be so tired, she would fall right asleep in her stroller and she would take a couple of mini naps during the day. At night, the kids would all completely konk out from exhaustion. We had planned to go to a fireworks show every night but ended up going to one maybe 2 - we were just too tired to go back out. We went to all four parks, too. And, let me just add this - it's not like a relaxing type vacation but it is so worth it. 3 out of 5 of us even had a stomach virus while there and we still had a good time, so that is saying ALOT! The best part about taking your little one is - he is free! We are even going back again this year so that we can go one more time while our little one is still free!
I could go on and on but I won't...if you want any advice or suggestions on how we did it or what we did, feel free to email...
I took my 2 year old daughter to Disneyland. Granted, it is smaller in scope that Disney World, but I would do it again. Of course, she is my easy child. We stayed in a hotel 5 minutes walking from the entrance (but still very reasonable price!).We had the grandparents with us so it worked out really nice because we took turns each day with who went back to the hotel with her to nap. We utilized our umbrella stroller...which was perfect because when she got tired she just jumped in. We did stay up later for the parades...but she sat in her stroller with her blanket in awe. Now, we didn't have other kids...but with all the extra adults, I'd say go for it!
Hmmm...we used to live in FL, and we also had Disney passes. So....I *LOVE* going to Disney! We used to regularly take our two 2 year olds. January can actually get quite cold, but it's most often very pleasant. Usually if it is still what some consider hot, it isn't bad because there's no humidity in the winter. Now, all that said, I would most likely try to wait one year before going if I could. Your little one will get more out of it and have more staying power at 2.5 than at 1.5 (3.5 is even better!) I think you'll still have fun if you go this coming January,but would have even more fun the following January! JMHO :-)
I would say go for it... Our boys were older, but I talked to lots of families while we were there that were happy that they went ahead and did it with a little one. Rent a stroller there (I would get a double... Our 5 year old twins rode in a stroller quite a bit while we were there because it is exhausting!!! The 5yo and 19 month old can ride in the seats, and the 7 yo can ride on the foot rests when he gets too exhausted.) and just try to enjoy it all... I don't think that you would ever be sorry that you did!
Go - go- go!! You will not regret it. And if you want a longer thinking, call me :) we've been every year except once since I was pregnant with Will - and that was only because we were building a house. We leave in 11 days!!
I am totally LOVING all of the helpful comments on this post! Please keep them coming!
We took our almost 5 year old and 20 month old last year and we had a great time! With the kids being as young as they are, you aren't going to be doing too many rides that Jake would miss out on. I honestly think we spent most of our time just looking at things (characters, plays, parades, etc.). We rented the ridiculously expensive double stroller (only b/c we stayed on the property and didn't want to deal with taking our big stroller on the buses) and Kara caught little naps here and there and was really okay. We were all so tired, that an 8:00 bedtime wasn't a big deal. It rained the one night we were thinking to stay up for fireworks, but other nights we ate an earlier dinner, rested/napped, then went to do something before bed. We also only did Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom - didn't want to have too much planned. It will also be great to have some family there - I would imagine that if Jake needs to go to bed early and you want to stay with the family, someone else might volunteer to head back with him. We went with my parents and they were super helpful. Even when my son didn't want to do something (like see the princesses), my dad did something with him so my husband and I could both see Kara. The thing that we kept telling ourselves as we planned the trip, is that this was not going to be the only time we did Disney, so we didn't have to over-schedule ourselves. We really made sure we hit what they liked, and a few other things that we thought were neat. If you do end up going, you should ask people for advice before making plans. Another blog I read did that and I wrote down a ton of notes that were helpful. Have fun! Kim in MI
Go! You will not regret it! We have gone a few times now. The last time w/ 2 kids and my youngest was 20 monthes. He hates loud noises and rides but still did fine. He just loved to watch everything. He was even sick and we spent 24 hours in the hospital. Would still go back. I saw someone suggest a stroller from there? They have changed strollers and the new doubles are VERY small and do not recline. We rented one the 1st day and after that brought our own. It is a little bit of a hassle on the tram and stuff but worth it for them to nap. Unless he can sleep well upright? You can bring in food/water. Lots of prep work ahead of time helps. We have gone in Jan, Arpil and June. I am not sure if there is a "off" time. We went late April and thought we would miss Spring Break and it was packed w/ Class Trips??? Jan was the best but the weather was a little chilly. You will have a great time whenever you go.
Ginger
PS-Another suggestion someone gave me (after we went). Go to the Disney Store ahead of time and buy some "stuff". The Parks are expensive. That way you can pull out a new toy and they might not even know. If you know what characters they like, you might even be able to find something on sale. You can drop some major cash there.
Ginger
I still nees to take time and set up an accout. :)
Okay, so I thought about all the reasons not to go. It may be hotter than blue blazes, crowds of stinky people, cranky kids and fussy babies. You may end up holding Jake all day everyday. He may or may not get a nap. You may pull your hair out. But with all that said, I still say go. Tomorrow isn't a promise. Go while you can. We never know when jobs will be lost, or the unknown happen. Go and enjoy your family. I don't think you will regret it.
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