Originally Posted By justusdogs Hi! We are a family of 5 (kids 8yr,6yr, &5mos) heading to Disney next month for the first time. I've found these boards to be quite helpful! I have a million questions but would be grateful to have just a few answered. 1 We are to arrive in the evening, & as we have tickets for 1 less day than we are staying, I'd rather not use them on our first night. We are staying at an All Stars resort. Is there a good fireworks viewing spot outside the parks that we could go to? 2 We will be using the Disney "crib" in the hotel. Has anyone used one?--Are they clean & in good condition or should we bring our own pack n play? 3 I've heard that infants can go on some of the rides. Is there a certain type of carrier they are required to be in?...I usually have him in a sling. Thanks so much for any answers to these specific questions or any advice in general. Cassie
Originally Posted By frdeb1999 I don't know anything about the cribs or infants. But with kids that small I would honestly go to the Poly and sit on the dock area or on the beach to watch the fireworks. I have heard mixed revues on this. But we have done it numerous times and I think it's wonderful. You can also see the water parade from here too. Hope you have a wonderful time!!
Originally Posted By Autopia Deb Don't use your tickets the first night. Take the bus (or rent a car and drive) to Downtown Disney, check out some of the things there and have dinner. You don't need a special carrier to take the baby on the rides, the baby can lap sit. Be sure to use baby change for the big rides, the cast member at the ride can help you out with that. You may want to get ear protection for the baby, many attractions are quite loud. Don't know about the cribs myself. But I'd look into an umbrella stroller if baby is big enough for one. It's cheeper than renting and folds up quickly and easily (a must for using the bus system). Have fun!
Originally Posted By HeyHatch I'm a newbie to WDW, too. I'm bringing a 13 month old. What's the Baby Change mentioned in the posting above? Just the baby changing stations?
Originally Posted By bloona Hi, Welcome to you both, the youngest Ive taken my children is 2 years, so I cant help with other questions sorry, but the baby change(parent swap)is where you all queue together for a ride, then one parent rides, whilst the other one waits with the child, as soon as the first persons ride is over, that person takes over looking after the child, whilst the second person rides, without having to queue again. We used it a few times at Universal, where it wasnt wonderful to be honest. I felt as if I was the first person who had ever asked to do it often. And was left waiting about for ages with rides with pre shows. But I imagine Disney will do it better. Have a brilliant time Annette (from Yorkshire, UK)
Originally Posted By trekkeruss <<We are staying at an All Stars resort. Is there a good fireworks viewing spot outside the parks that we could go to?>> AS has been mentioned, you could go to the beach at the Polynesian Resort and watch the MK fireworks from there. You can get an even better view from the top of the Contemporary Resort, but you'll be on a platform on the roof and you must stand; it isn't as comfortable as sitting/laying on the beach at the Poly. The other recommendation to just go to Downtown Disney is also good. Fun shops, and you might eat at the Rainforest Café, which seems to be quite popular with families.
Originally Posted By Autopia Deb Bloona, I used baby change at Disneyland when DS was little. It worked quite well and no CMs treated us like we were putting them out. I'm going out on a limb here and assuming the experience would be similar at WDW. Bummer it didn't work as well at Universal, but not surprising.
Originally Posted By Autopia Deb OH, the older kids will LOVE the Leggo store at Down Town Disney if you choose to go there your first night. I had to drag my then 7 y/o away on our first trip.
Originally Posted By vbdad55 it's been a looong time but we used the crib's there ( playpen ) - and bed rails over the years - beats the heck out of packing them. as far as kids riding - my youngest ( now 12 ) - was 3 months old when I made a side trip there as I was in Orlando on business -- and this stirs quite the debates here if you haven't been around for a while -- but as far as rides -- really Small World is the closest thing I recommend. Attractions are easier - and truly spent more time walking around ( taking turns with DW and Grandma who as with us ) and taking turns riding rides with my 10 year old who was also with us then- It was a very relaxing visit for us as we spent as we rushed nowhere and really stopped to smell the roses so to speak - now with the older kids you won't get as much of a chance of that.
Originally Posted By Disneymom443 Like others have said, I would go to DTD, and just enjoy the shops and the things that are fre. I've never used the cribs from Disney , but have heard that they are nice. If you have a problem with one they will change it out for you. With an infant I would go the poly's doc and enjoy the fireworks that way. The attractions that you are alowed to have your baby you do just hold them in your lap. So for you the sling would be the best. I hope you enjoy you 1st time and WDW and are able to go may more times.
Originally Posted By jodiefra I think you'll be amazed at how many things you can take the baby on. Even the transportation will be fun for your other kids (monorail, train, etc.) and those are easy for the baby assuming you can fold your stroller fairly easily. Also don't miss the TTA in Tomorrowland -- it's sort of a hidden treasure if you ask me -- it's like the old People Movers and takes you on a pretty slow tour of Tomorrowland. Plus there's rarely a line and it's a nice way to sit and relax for a while. I agree with the caution about loud attractions. There are lots of those and it will all depend on the baby's tolerance. When mine was that age he slept through most anything! We had great luck with the parent switch pass thing and in fact you can usually take another person with you, so your husband and one of the other kids could ride then you and the other kid could ride while you take turns watching the baby. I have no idea about the crib because I was always paranoid and brought the pack-n-play. I would say that a decent easy-to-fold stroller is a must (even with the sling -- you WILL get tired!), and be sure it has a pocket. We always packed diapers, wipes, etc. in a clear plastic bag and left it in the stroller pocket. Security appreciated the see-through factor, and we never worried about leaving it unattended because if someone really wanted a ziploc full of diapers, that was their problem! Finally be sure to check out the baby stations. They are a great place to relax, cool off, feed the baby, plus they also sell all sorts of supplies. It's very quiet in there because only babies and mom or dad are allowed past the waiting area. Have a GREAT time!!!
Originally Posted By Texas Disney Fan It's been a while since I've stayed with a baby at a WDW hotel, lately we rent homes. But, if I remember correctly, I think the crib they provided was a pack and play. The good thing staying onsite is that when the baby needs a nap, one of you can hop on the bus and go back to the hotel while the older kids get to do things suited to them. My kids are 12, 4, and 3 so it gets challenging trying to do things they all can do together. Luckily my 12 yr. old is a young 12 and she still likes Small World, Peter Pan, etc. Just be prepared to be flexible. When my youngest was 6 mths we took her and she did great. Try to do indoor rides during the heat of the day (like Small World, Carousel of Progress, Buzz Lightyear, Country Bear Jamboree at the Magic Kingdom. EPCOT's future world is great because most of the attractions are in pavillions so you are in an air-conditined space that has several things going on. If the baby falls asleep just find a comfy spot and meet up with the family later (I had to sit in a restaurant in Tomorrowland holding my little one while the others did rides then I called them to meet up-hopefully you have cell phones or walkie talkies) It's also nice (depending on how much time you have) to go back to the hotel during the day and play in the pool. The kids get refreshed and are ready for round 2 at the parks. The baby could sleep at that time as well. Animal Kingdom is a hot park to go to. They are trying to change that by enclosing the Fesitval of the Lion King (a must see) and the new Nemo musical (it was good) but for the most part everything is outside. I would not take the baby into It's Tough to be a Bug, that gets loud and dark and people scream. A good family atraction at MGM is Muppet Vision 3-D, very well done. The Great Movie Ride you could take the baby, there is one part where you are riding through the movie set of Alien and that gets a little scary for the young ones, so keep that in mind. The baby might be fine, but the 6 yr. old might be scared. I hope this helps. Just keep in mind WDW is extremely used to dealing with babies and they are very helpful. If a child gets scared (my oldest for the longest time got scared waiting in line for Pirates of the Caribbean because it is dark, and we had to exit at the last minute) So have fun, be flexible, and enjoy yourself. Making a child stay all day at the park wears on you and them and nobody ends up having fun. A small hour or two break works wonders for kids.
Originally Posted By Labuda "A small hour or two break works wonders for kids" Heck, I always take a 3-4 hour midday break. hehe Does WONDERS!
Originally Posted By sun-n-fun I agree, a few hours in the mid afternoon does wonders for ME (guess it helps the kids too- hehehe)
Originally Posted By justusdogs Hi again All, & thanks for the advice! Hopefully it will come in handy for others with babies that read thru this. As for us, we are back from our Disney trip! ...Yes, crib was a pack n play, & in good shape but baby ended up sleeping in the bed between hubby & me. The first night we did swimming at the resort & dinner at the food court & then relaxed in the room. We were all wiped out from 11.5hrs in the car & that let us have an early start for our first day at the MK. The whole trip went way better than I thought; yes, Disney is very baby friendly. He went on many rides, especially at the MK, & where he couldn't go the baby swap worked great, allowing our other 2 kids to go on rides twice when they wanted to. Although we had planned to do the "return to the room for the afternoon thing," that just didn't happen. It would've meant a ton more walking(not to mention boarding the monorail/boat/tram etc with the stroller that many more times!) & we found a bench & some ice cream refreshed us well. For the baby I brought a bottle of water & a wet washcloth everyday to wipe him down with & let him suck on as he lay in the stroller. I had the sling so when he needed to nap he'd just nurse to sleep & hang out there. It really, really worked great, but I'm glad we had "trained" for this as a family by walking a couple miles each night in the weeks ahead of our trip. Well much more I could say but i'll save it for another time. Thanks again!
