Argh! Trying to talk DH into 4 days vs 3

[Pesky]

DH hasn't been to DLR in probably close to 20 years. I haven't been in 10. Because of the boards and my own research, I know the park is bigger and has more to do than before. And there are things that we will want to do with the kids that we would never have done on our own that are time sucks like BBB, character meals and heck, naps! DH even admits that DS does not process these massive new experiences as quickly as DD and may need some time to process or there could be a meltdown. Which is why I explained it is better to do 4 full days between the 2 parks and DTD and move at our leisure rather than rush and have a bunch of meltdowns. I'd like to be able to sit and feed the ducks or birds with the kids, let the kids explore Tom Sawyer's Island and see the animals at BTR, play around in Paradise Pier, have a chance to look at the decorations and explore the nooks and crannies of the park a bit (DD is going to love SW's grotto for example). With only 3 days, there would be some hard choices and we would be forced to give up some things like WoC, F!, parades, BBB, character M&Gs and so on. I also think there would be more pressure to keep moving.

There is a lot of info about WDW out there. In fact, after seeing a special on the Hidden Parks of WDW, DH has suggested shortening the potential family cruise and tacking on days to that trip in 2015, knowing that we will go to WDW in 2016. woohoo: and who are you and what have you done with my husband?) So yes, he can be taught! But how do I show him and try to educate him on what DLR is going to be like with small kids? Heck, even what DLR is like today versus the smaller DLR he is remembering pre DCA. TIA!

 

[mmlover74]

For Carsland alone, you will need to tack on the extra day. Instead of a character meal during your park day, could you do it the day you arrive or the breakfast after checking out of the hotel. That helps us out...and will your son be doing the BBB or what will we do during that time? I don't have a daughter s we don't have to go to BBB.

We were there for 3 days and we saw F! and WOC, but did not make it to any of the parades for the first time ever.

My son knows it is people in costumes for the meet and greets, but towards the end of the trip he wanted their autographs becasue others were doing it. We only waited in one line to see Mickey because it is a must for me in every trip.

How old are your kids and will they be able to handle WOC and F!? My son is 6 and we made sure he napped if he was going to have a late night at the parks.

 

[LisainCalifornia]

When do you plan on going? That makes a big difference.

When my kids were little we just took things slow, yet only went for 2-3 days a time. I didn't worry about "doing everything"--just because I knew it wasn't a priority for them. It was all about having a nice family time together. I think when they were little 4 days would have been a little much for them.

Now that my kids are all older, 4 days is still our max. We tried 5 last summer and it sort of burned us out.

 

[sbakersub]

We are at DLR right now, and just finished the 2nd day of 4 on our parkhoppers. This is my first time with a 3 year old along, and although he is a champ (no crying or balking at all on Space Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain Railway today!) it takes a LOT longer with a younger child. Two reasons: we feel compelled to do the "kiddie" rides like Flik's Fun Fair and Fantasyland things we would otherwise skip, and it just takes him a lot longer to walk and gaze at things (no stroller, just a dad that gives him piggy back rides a lot!). He's not much interested in seeing the characters yet, so at least we're avoiding that time suck. We're at the gates early, using fast passes as much as we can, but are opting for naps mid-day, which keeps him and us all from a total zombie state but takes at least 3 hours out of the day including walking time to/from the parks. Bottom line: with 4 days and the parkhoppers, we will hit all the main attractions and almost all of the kid-focused ones as well, but we still won't get to do all shows and parades I'd like to do. And CarsLand isn't even open yet!

 

[tanyaewa]

It's only a few dollars diff between 3 and 4 isn't it? It makes more sense to add just a few$$ and get a more leisurely experience IMO.

 

[SpaceMan5]

This dad says that you really should opt for the 4 days pass. Been there, done that with the little ones and you will not regret the extra day.

 

[lisachrystine]

I am a DL vet - from SoCal used to have APs, etc. We went with our three kids for the first time this past December (we're in CO now). I wanted two days. One park each day, I thought, how much more would we need. My mom talked me into three. We should have done 4 or 5. There is a surprising amount we had to skip. Like you said, it took the kids longer to process. Things I never would have done on my own (DH and I went w/o kids the Aug before for one day) took up a ton of time. Naps took more time out of our day than I expected. It was just an overall longer process than it used to be. Biggest regret is that we only ended up with a half day in DCA at the end (because I, like many others here, was less than impressed when it went in, so didn't think to leave much time).

 

[cgh]

We went last year for the first time as a family. Last year, DH thought we'd spend a couple hours a day in the park, and we had 3 day hoppers. We skipped a bunch (and did naps). This year, I expressed the thought of not being able to do everything and DH suggested extending the trip. We now have 6 day hoppers. Our son is 3.

Our days worked like this: 7:30-11:30 in the park, back to hotel for nap, return 4-7. Depending on the age of your kids, there are things that are huge time crunches- Tom Sawyers Island, Toon town, etc. As a family, we never did Pirates, haunted mansion etc. We never went to Paradise Pier. We saw playhouse disney, but not Crush.

With 3 days and a young child who needs to sleep you need to thoroughly plan and prioritize what you want to do and be able to go with the flow.

 

[kailuagirl]

I also agree you need that extra day. Maybe get him reading some of the posts here and different sticky's and that might get him excited for another day. It really isn't much difference in cost between the 2, so I'd go ahead and add that extra day, it's so worth it! I never thought my DH would be into Disney, our DD is 4 now and we've been 3x, and he is just as excited to go back as us, and he is the one always saying stay as long as we can at Disneyland. Have fun and good luck!!

 

[bakerudall]

He needs more video evidence!

You mentioned watching the Hidden WDW video. There is one on Disneyland as well (if you have Netflix, it's on instantview). Have you ordered your 2012 planning DVD, yet? That one rushes through all the lands and makes you want to see everything. I wish there was a promotional video that covered every attraction in the park, but no. You can also randomly show him youtube videos of cool attractions so he'll keep adding stuff to his to-do list.

 

[Pesky]

How old are your kids and will they be able to handle WOC and F!? My son is 6 and we made sure he napped if he was going to have a late night at the parks.

DS will be 4.5 and DD will be 6.5 when we hit the parks

When do you plan on going? That makes a big difference.

Planning on the week before Christmas week/break. So starting about the 16the of December.

Thanks for all the insight, guys! Glad to see I'm not off my rocker. What DH is having an issue with is the extra hotel night more than anything. If we can convince the ILs to stay off property, might be easier but that will depend on whether FIL comes with or not. ::: sigh :::

 

[Escape2Disney]

DS will be 4.5 and DD will be 6.5 when we hit the parks



Planning on the week before Christmas week/break. So starting about the 16the of December.

Thanks for all the insight, guys! Glad to see I'm not off my rocker. What DH is having an issue with is the extra hotel night more than anything. If we can convince the ILs to stay off property, might be easier but that will depend on whether FIL comes with or not. ::: sigh :::

From what I understand, it'll be quite busy during that time. We're going the week before you and going for 6 days. There are no small children in our group, but I am disabled with a service dog. We tend to move around at a similar pace and experience what young children typically do. 6 days allows for mid-day breaks and seeing all of the little special touches in the parks. For a busy season, I'd say 4 days minimum if you plan to take any sort of mid-day breaks.

 

[chrissiecutie]

Ok...You say it's been 20 years since he's been and 10 years for you. Yowza! That's a long time and as you know, lots has changed.

I suggest making a list of all the things that have been added in the last 20 years and then talking with DH to see if those attractions are of interest to you either of you. For example, all of ToonTown would be new to him (I believe...) so that's a WHOLE EXTRA LAND to factor in when deciding on your touring plans. Not to mention the fact that you have a WHOLE NEW WORLD (DCA) to explore.

I think it's safe to say that most families plan on 2 days for each park, especially in the busy season. I can tell you that we took DS for his 1st trip in August when he was 3. It was HOT, super crowded and it felt like we moved at a snails pace. We had 4 days and still missed alot of stuff.


My advice is to have a goal for each day that everyone can agree on. This is where your list comes in handy! Something like- today we get up early for MM, hit Fantasyland & ride Dumbo & Peter Pan & then see how the day goes. Or- today we arrive mid day, visit the characters at ToonTown and then line up early for F!. I think this "goal" works well for those with small kids because it allows for alot of flexability & you still see/do something on your priority list.

 

[engo]

You will be going at a busy time. Have you checked out the Christmas thread?

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2612827

There are so much to do at both parks, even more during the time you plan to go. Imagine the look on the kids faces finding Santa and his reindeers at Disneyland! What about the parades, the shows, F!, WoC, Fireworks, all of which you kids won't want to miss! To me, 3 vs. 4 comes down to how much you'd like to accomplish and managing your stress level.