doing disney baby bunching style

Reporting live from Disney World for Spring Break 2010, I'm noticing a TON of Baby Bunchers (and even a fair number of uber-Bunchers who have Bunched more than once).  I was, in fact, surprised by the number of Bunchers I've seen until I remembered that my own kids were 1 1/2 and 3 the first time we came and we've been every other year since then.

I've found that the notion of taking toddlers to Disney elicits very polarized reactions among mom friends.  Most moms either seem to feel that there is no easier place to take a pack of babies than the happiest place on earth OR they feel they would rather endure having hot irons poked into their eyes than doing Disney with tiny children.

I personally feel that Disney can be quite enjoyable, even when your Bunch is tiny, if you plan appropriately and have appropriate expectations.  With your Bunch in tow, you will not ride Space Mountain 45 times in a row and then hit Pleasure Island till 4 am, even if you have grandparents along to assist you.  If you only have one shot in your lifetime to go to Disney, then I for sure recommend waiting until the kids are a little older.  But one of the perks to going when they are young is that kids under 3 are free, and at $80 a ticket, per day, that's a significant cost savings if you can stomach dragging your double stroller from Tomorrowland to Adventureland. 

Every time we go, I learn something new about doing Disney with very wee ones.  I'll share a few nuggets of wisdom here and also hope that any other seasoned Disney travelers will chime in with theirs.

When we go to Disney, depending on whether we have grandparents with us or not we stay in one of two places:  either an off-property extended stay hotel with a kitchen suite and 2 bedrooms, or one of the super affordable, kid-friendly Disney Value Resorts. Each has their own perks. 

The extended stay suite has plenty of room, free (nice) continental breakfast, and a complimentary nightly happy hour (a really nice perk to help bridge the gap from an exhausting afternoon to an exhausting evening for bedraggled moms and dads).  We like to stay in ones along Lake Buena Vista Boulevard, which are just a few minutes drive from Downtown Disney and the parks - very convenient. Most of them run shuttles to the park as well.

When staying on-property, we stay at one of the Disney Value Resort hotels, and at $89 a night the last time we went, I predict we will stay in one of these until we win the lottery and move over to the Grand Floridian. I will say that they are definitely budget rooms. The towels (which you use for the pool and the shower) are thin and postage-stamped sized. The beds are not the most comfortable. The parking is halfway across the universe from some of the rooms in the mega complex (although we were far from our car but close to the pool!). But these drawbacks are all offset by the pluses. My favorite things about the Disney All Star Resort we stayed in:

• In true Disney fashion, spotlessly clean with hyper-friendly/helpful staff.
• Massive pools with vigilant lifeguards! Seriously, in three summers of swimming with my kids I can't remember the last time I saw a lifeguard that was actually GUARDING my kids! These Disney guys are on it. Don't forget your swim diapers/plastic pants - they are required.
• Food court with wide variety of kid-friendly foods (and healthy options as well).
• For $12 or something like that, you can purchase an insulated Disney mug that you can refill unlimited times during your visit (only at the hotel) with soft drinks, lemonade, hot chocolate, coffee, and icees (my kids' personal faves). Plus, if you keep it with you at the parks you can fill it up at water fountains rather than lug around 15 bottles of water.
• On-site video arcade. My kids are still young enough that they don't care if you have quarters to actually make it GO. They will fake speed-race each other for hours.
• Free shuttle that leaves every 20 minutes to/from all the parks and Downtown Disney. SUPER convenient. We had planned to drive to the parks so we could be on our own timetable, but a friend said the shuttle was easy as pie and it was!
• On certain days of the weeks, certain parks open early or stay open late ONLY for people staying on Disney properties. This alone made it worth the stay at this hotel. On the Magic Kingdom extended hours day, we went to the park, came home for a nap when the kids melted down, went back at 6 pm and closed the place down at 11!

OK so now onto some other handy dandy tips we have learned:

• Always go to Disney in the middle of January, which is when we went last time. There is NO ONE there. The longest we waited for a ride was 10 minutes. Seriously.  This time (the first week in March) lines were a little longer, but since our spring break was earlier than most, we still only waited 20 minutes at most attractions.
• Unless your child is in junior high, always bring a stroller. Last time, ours were almost 4 and 2 1/2 and we debated only bringing one because usually both of them want to walk (or run!). We ended up throwing in a second cheapie umbrella stroller at the last minute and we used the both all the time - especially getting around the massive hotel grounds! Since we brought inexpensive ones, we didn't worry about leaving them parked for hours at the park while we did rides or having them get wet in a short downpour that occurred while we were there.  This time, we only brought the one (for the Caboose, who wasn't born yet last time) and we regretted it - I wished we'd had another for the big boys (now 4 1/2 and 6) to trade off for.
• Speaking of strollers, if you have two singles and enough adults to push them, they are easier to maneuver through the crowds than one double. 
• Plan ahead and pack rain slickers, sunblock, and hats for everyone and shove them in your backpack. The weather turned on a dime and we were caught in a downpour, but I busted out our handy-dandy rain slickers and we kept on trekking. They sell them at the parks for a fee, of course, but if you can remember - bring your own!
• Ditto with snacks/lunch for the kids (don't forget the hand sanitizer!). We packed fruit leather, goldfish, and PB&J for the kids, which allowed us to feed them when they were hungry (during peak lunch line hours) and buy us some time to eat later, during off-peak hours. Less time wasted waiting in line.
• Don't forget your camera. If, for example, your husband packed the camera but for some absolutely ridiculous and inexplicable reason left the camera BATTERY in the hotel room, it will cost you $19 to buy a disposable camera. No joke.
• One thing we learned new this time about the Magic Kingdom is that you can hop on the railroad at the Main Street entrance and it will take you all the way back to Toontown at the back of the park, saving a lot of walking.
• If the kids are melting down, go back to the hotel and rest. This is when your extended hours pass from your Disney property comes in handy!
• There is an infant ride/wait feature, which we didn't use since the lines weren't long. This means, for example, that Mom can ride Space Mountain while Dad waits in a special area with baby and then they can switch without waiting in line twice. I'm not sure what the "infant" age limit is on that, but kind of a cool feature.
• For rides with super long waits, get Fast Passes,which will allow you to get in a shorter, expedited line at a later time.  Ask how it works at the park - it's a lifesaver when it comes to managing your line wait time.
• Any other questions you might possibly have will certainly be answered online by the Walt Disney World's Mom Panel.
• Finally, do NOT ride Stitch's Great Escape at the Magic Kingdom. In this 4-D experience Stitch will belch a hot dog on you and it is absolutely sickening. Our 4 year old, who adores Stitch, is scarred for life.

Comments

[Ali]

WOw!! Thanks SO much for taking the time to post all of this!! We've never been to Disney World but we're really wanting to go. I never though I'd be able to go with our kids so little but now I have a new found confindence! :)

[Mamameah]

Ohhh, lucky you!!!

We mostly get glares when we tell people we are going... Yes my kids are young and yes they will probably forget 99% of the trip HOWEVER it's a place where we can all have FUN on a vacation in a WARM place and no one gets bored. (although I'd kill to lay on a beach for a week if we had childcare!)

We first chose Disney because our youngest was 8 months, I was desperate for a warm vacation and we were too afraid to travel to Mexico or any other hot place for fear of the kids needing medical care. Plus, what would we do with 2 toddlers on a beach other than chase them and dig sand out of their mouth? This year was our 3rd trip and the first time we needed medical care...for both kids... Our son was cared for in Disney by Mickey Mouses own nurse (that's what she told him anyway, ha ha). They were great! With a fever of 104.8, the only magic we needed was medicine!

Just an FYI for what it's worth...we have been staying in Windsor Hills each time we go and it's an amazing gated community very close to the main gate of the park, about a 5 minute drive. The family we rent from are www.romancingthemouse.com (check out the reason they started out!)and the rate on their houses is fantastic for Sat to Sat rentals compared to what you get in a hotel especially if you travel with anyone else (grandparents, friends,etc). The last house we stayed in was a 6 bedroom and each room has it's own full bathroom and very comfortable beds. We split it with another family last year and it cost us each $600 US for the week (per family!!!). It also comes with a playpen, highchair and stroller. There is a private pool & hot tub covered with a lanai and there is a security fence that blocks the pool from the patio to keep the kids out. The pool heat is even free with these guys which is something you have to pay for with other rentals (which we found out this year when we had to rent elsewhere because we booked too late!). So once the kids are in bed, we got to enjoy the hot tub ALONE! The community itself has a giant park with a playstructure, swings, giant chess board etc and there is an outdoor community pool with a waterslide (for big kids only).

One last thing before I hog all the comment space :o ..."The Unofficial Guide to Disney" was given to us by a friend our first year and it's a fantastic reference guide for the parks. It even has a touring guide mapped out for families with young kids for Magic Kingdom. Loads of other great tips too.

Feel free to delete this if I'm hogging too much space :) I get excited about Disney :)

[Renee]

THANKS! that's some awesome info. we plan on going in a couple years (the kids are 4, 3 & 1 right now). But I can't imagine going during the summer. We're definitely not into the 2 hr waits for stuff (esp when they are so young). This was great to read from a mom who knows what it's really like :D i hope you had a great time.

[carey]

We just did Disneyland (last weekend) with our trio with NO strollers!! It was awesome! Our twins are 23 months and our oldest is only 4.5 months older - we alternated using Ergos for two and letting one walk. It worked out so great - really kept the trip on the kid's agenda (not ours) and really let us experience Disney in a whole new way!! My best Disney advice is to not cover the whole park when you have little ones - it's just too much for one day. Let your kids guide you, after all - it's for them, right?? :)

[Justice Fergie]

Hi Cara!

So glad I saw this post. We are headed to Disney in 2 weeks (with the rest of the planet) and I am TERRIFIED. I have been reading all the tips that I can find. We're going to have THREE kiddies with us, so I need all the advice I can get. Glad you're having fun!

PS
the camera battery comment made me LOL.

[VICKY20Bowman]

Every one remembers that our life seems to be not cheap, but some people need cash for various things and not every one earns enough cash. Thus to get good loans and just collateral loan will be a right way out.

[בניית בריכות שחייה]

It melts kids, back to the hotel and rest. This is when your time of extensive are the property of Disney comes in handy.