Here now with toddlers & extended family-things I've learned

aristocatz

DIS Veteran
Joined
Feb 22, 2009
Back in WDW for our first time in 4 years & this time with 2 toddlers (4 years ago, just one baby), DH, & my parents. This is our youngest daughter's first trip.

Staying at AKV in a 2 BR Savannah View (our first time in a DVC & first time renting points).

We just arrived yesterday & have been to DAK & MK so far.

Thoughts so far:
1) Renting DVC points is most definitely the way to go if you are traveling with extended family. We were nervous at first, having never done it before, but I would definitely do it again! It is way cheaper than booking 2 rooms, we still completely have a sense of privacy between parties & there is ample space, AND we get to stay in a deluxe resort!!

2) AKV is an amazing resort!! I know its far from most of the parks, but it is the best themed, rooms are so luxurious, & come on-giraffes and zebras outside your balcony?? Amazing!! Also, so glad we have a Savannah view-100% worth the money. It is also very relaxing, being at WDW, but not on top of WDW all the time. AKV is a very nice break after a long day at the parks.

3) Mara is an awesome CS. I highly recommend the Mara Chicken Salad-yum!

4) Magic Bands are so much easier than they used to be. Using them for FP+ was a breeze, and using them for DDP & room key has been flawless so far.

5) I completely regret not setting aside our first day to do nothing. Yesterday,we woke up at 3am on arrival day, got on a plane, traveled to AkV, ate lunch, & headed right to DAK. My kids were completely exhausted and over-stimulated by the end of the day. Next trip we will arrive & relax in our hotel for the first day.

6) We love DAK!!!! I regret only setting aside a 1/2 day for it. Crowds were not bad yesterday.

7) If you have toddlers, do a ton of research on which attractions are appropriate for their age and personalities, and which ones to avoid. Some attractions might seem like great choices because they are geared toward toddlers, but they are horrible choices if you have a toddler who has never experienced anything like WDW. & be extra cautious of which attraction you introduce them to first. "It's Tough to Be a Bug" was an epic fail for my 5 year old & almost 3 year old yesterday. Both were absolutely terrified & we had to take them out early. I could hear cries and mortified screams from several other toddlers around me as well. I had forgotten what the show was like, but it is just a horrible choice for a certain personality of toddlers (like mine). At MK today, my almost 3 year old was surprisingly terrified by many Fantasyland rides today-something I just did not expect-Winnie the Pooh cue line was way too loud and overstimulating for her. Peter Pan was scary to her. Little Mermaid-she was scared of Ursula. She LOVED It's a Small World (very safe choice), as well as Country Bears Jamboree.

8) Crystal Palace is, hands down, the best character meal for little ones. The characters were so sweet with my girls, very adaptable to their initial shyness, and both of my kids warmed up to them very easily. This was definitely the highlight of their trip so far (& mine-my heart melted watching Pooh & Friends interact with them!). Crystal Palace food was amazing as well-great salads, yummy creamy artichoke pasta, yummy butternut squash soup, carved meats, & these yummy honey pot desserts.

That's all for now! Will add more as our trip progresses!
 
Back in WDW for our first time in 4 years & this time with 2 toddlers (4 years ago, just one baby), DH, & my parents. This is our youngest daughter's first trip.

Staying at AKV in a 2 BR Savannah View (our first time in a DVC & first time renting points).

We just arrived yesterday & have been to DAK & MK so far.

Thoughts so far:
1) Renting DVC points is most definitely the way to go if you are traveling with extended family. We were nervous at first, having never done it before, but I would definitely do it again! It is way cheaper than booking 2 rooms, we still completely have a sense of privacy between parties & there is ample space, AND we get to stay in a deluxe resort!!

2) AKV is an amazing resort!! I know its far from most of the parks, but it is the best themed, rooms are so luxurious, & come on-giraffes and zebras outside your balcony?? Amazing!! Also, so glad we have a Savannah view-100% worth the money. It is also very relaxing, being at WDW, but not on top of WDW all the time. AKV is a very nice break after a long day at the parks.

3) Mara is an awesome CS. I highly recommend the Mara Chicken Salad-yum!

4) Magic Bands are so much easier than they used to be. Using them for FP+ was a breeze, and using them for DDP & room key has been flawless so far.

5) I completely regret not setting aside our first day to do nothing. Yesterday,we woke up at 3am on arrival day, got on a plane, traveled to AkV, ate lunch, & headed right to DAK. My kids were completely exhausted and over-stimulated by the end of the day. Next trip we will arrive & relax in our hotel for the first day.

6) We love DAK!!!! I regret only setting aside a 1/2 day for it. Crowds were not bad yesterday.

7) If you have toddlers, do a ton of research on which attractions are appropriate for their age and personalities, and which ones to avoid. Some attractions might seem like great choices because they are geared toward toddlers, but they are horrible choices if you have a toddler who has never experienced anything like WDW. & be extra cautious of which attraction you introduce them to first. "It's Tough to Be a Bug" was an epic fail for my 5 year old & almost 3 year old yesterday. Both were absolutely terrified & we had to take them out early. I could hear cries and mortified screams from several other toddlers around me as well. I had forgotten what the show was like, but it is just a horrible choice for a certain personality of toddlers (like mine). At MK today, my almost 3 year old was surprisingly terrified by many Fantasyland rides today-something I just did not expect-Winnie the Pooh cue line was way too loud and overstimulating for her. Peter Pan was scary to her. Little Mermaid-she was scared of Ursula. She LOVED It's a Small World (very safe choice), as well as Country Bears Jamboree.

8) Crystal Palace is, hands down, the best character meal for little ones. The characters were so sweet with my girls, very adaptable to their initial shyness, and both of my kids warmed up to them very easily. This was definitely the highlight of their trip so far (& mine-my heart melted watching Pooh & Friends interact with them!). Crystal Palace food was amazing as well-great salads, yummy creamy artichoke pasta, yummy butternut squash soup, carved meats, & these yummy honey pot desserts.

That's all for now! Will add more as our trip progresses!
Glad you're having a great trip! I agree with a lot of your points, such as the need for down days, the quality of AKL, the Mara and Crystal Palace, and the variability of personalities in relation to the enjoyment of rides.
 
Thanks for sharing your experiences. I look forward to more. I'm glad you enjoying AKV. We love it there. We had the same type of experiences with our not quite 3yo grandsons and their big brother (4 1/2), three years ago. We are taking them again in February and hoping for a different outcome... :rotfl2:
 
Day 3-Epcot...

9) Child Swap is an awesome perk for the grown ups who want to go on Soarin'-the new movie is amazing!

10) If you go to Club Cool right when they open, they hand out samples of frozen coke and slushies-yum!

11) Beware: The cue for Turtle Talk has no air conditioning (or hopefully it was just broken today)-it was just stifling & unpleasant in there.

12) Frozen Ride IS all it is hyped up to be! It may have been the best 5 minutes of my 5 year old's life! My only regret is not going on it first thing in the morning, in addition to our FP, so my daughter could experience it twice.

13) Akershus is a pretty awesome princess experience. Dressing your kids up in princess costumes really adds to the fun (we bought cute & really cheap ones in TJ Maxx after Halloween). The character interaction is brief (they will only each come around one time), but their interaction with the kids & their patience is phenomenal-they were completely in character. For the grown ups, the food was delicious. Appetizer buffet was pretty big with lots of great choices. The pork shank entree was the best meal of my trip so far. We will definitely return here.

14) As a former child of the 1980's, who went on countless trips to WDW, I am disappointed to see that many of the tame, educational attractions are gone from Epcot. World of Motion Ride, Horizons, the old adorable & not overstimulating Figment, the old Food Rocks show were all great family friendly choices for little ones.

15) Epcot seems like the place to be for easy to access, spontaneous character meet & greets.

16) It really is worth it to go back to your hotel after lunch & enjoy the resort & pool. We were so glad we did this today-our kids (& us!) really benefited from the break.

17) Grown ups-please take the time to plan a date night in Epcot. Even if its just for a few drinks-there's so much great entertainment, shopping, exploring, people watching.

OK, that's all for now!
 
Day 3-Epcot...


15) Epcot seems like the place to be for easy to access, spontaneous character meet & greets.


I have always felt that way. I've stumbled onto more characters there than anywhere else...the best being Tigger and Pooh in Christopher Robin's bedroom in England, we just kept going through the stores not even knowing they were there. AND THERE WAS NO LINE
 


Back in WDW for our first time in 4 years & this time with 2 toddlers (4 years ago, just one baby), DH, & my parents. This is our youngest daughter's first trip.

Staying at AKV in a 2 BR Savannah View (our first time in a DVC & first time renting points).

We just arrived yesterday & have been to DAK & MK so far.

Thoughts so far:
1) Renting DVC points is most definitely the way to go if you are traveling with extended family. We were nervous at first, having never done it before, but I would definitely do it again! It is way cheaper than booking 2 rooms, we still completely have a sense of privacy between parties & there is ample space, AND we get to stay in a deluxe resort!!

2) AKV is an amazing resort!! I know its far from most of the parks, but it is the best themed, rooms are so luxurious, & come on-giraffes and zebras outside your balcony?? Amazing!! Also, so glad we have a Savannah view-100% worth the money. It is also very relaxing, being at WDW, but not on top of WDW all the time. AKV is a very nice break after a long day at the parks.

3) Mara is an awesome CS. I highly recommend the Mara Chicken Salad-yum!

4) Magic Bands are so much easier than they used to be. Using them for FP+ was a breeze, and using them for DDP & room key has been flawless so far.

5) I completely regret not setting aside our first day to do nothing. Yesterday,we woke up at 3am on arrival day, got on a plane, traveled to AkV, ate lunch, & headed right to DAK. My kids were completely exhausted and over-stimulated by the end of the day. Next trip we will arrive & relax in our hotel for the first day.

6) We love DAK!!!! I regret only setting aside a 1/2 day for it. Crowds were not bad yesterday.

7) If you have toddlers, do a ton of research on which attractions are appropriate for their age and personalities, and which ones to avoid. Some attractions might seem like great choices because they are geared toward toddlers, but they are horrible choices if you have a toddler who has never experienced anything like WDW. & be extra cautious of which attraction you introduce them to first. "It's Tough to Be a Bug" was an epic fail for my 5 year old & almost 3 year old yesterday. Both were absolutely terrified & we had to take them out early. I could hear cries and mortified screams from several other toddlers around me as well. I had forgotten what the show was like, but it is just a horrible choice for a certain personality of toddlers (like mine). At MK today, my almost 3 year old was surprisingly terrified by many Fantasyland rides today-something I just did not expect-Winnie the Pooh cue line was way too loud and overstimulating for her. Peter Pan was scary to her. Little Mermaid-she was scared of Ursula. She LOVED It's a Small World (very safe choice), as well as Country Bears Jamboree.

8) Crystal Palace is, hands down, the best character meal for little ones. The characters were so sweet with my girls, very adaptable to their initial shyness, and both of my kids warmed up to them very easily. This was definitely the highlight of their trip so far (& mine-my heart melted watching Pooh & Friends interact with them!). Crystal Palace food was amazing as well-great salads, yummy creamy artichoke pasta, yummy butternut squash soup, carved meats, & these yummy honey pot desserts.

That's all for now! Will add more as our trip progresses!
Thank you so much. All this info really helps.
 

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