Infants, Toddlers, and Parents, Oh my! My First PTR: Nov 2016 UPDATED 4/14

[Shannon R]

Hello Everyone!

Welcome to my first ever pre-trip report, actually, make that my first trip report ever! I am new to the DIS boards, but have been a Disney World lover ever since I can remember!

I am SO excited to go back to my second home, along with the rest of my family, so lets get started...

Who are we? I guess I should introduce myself first..

I'm Shannon, this will be my 10th Disney trip - it is my absolute favorite place in the world, and I am so happy that I get to share that love with my husband and our children now. Speaking of, I am married with 3 children, who you will meet soon I stay home with them while my hubby works his behind off for us.

Next up is my husband, Serge (this was the best picture I could find), he had only been to WDW once when we first met, but I have officially converted him and he loves it just as much as I do now ok maybe not that much, but you get the idea! He works very hard so that he can give our children and me as many Disney trips as possible and I love him forever for that What, aren't Disney trips the way to every girl's heart??

This is our oldest DS, Connor, he will be 4 in July and definitely keeps us on our toes. This will be his second trip, we went in 2014 when he was only 2. He talks about Disney just as much as I do. Seriously. Every day he wakes up talking about Disney world, so I think that means so far I have a job well done He is so excited for this trip and I love that he will understand a little more than last time, although he still talks about that trip.

This is our second DS, Brody, he is 2 (but will be close to 3 during our trip) and this will also be his second trip, he was 10 months during our last trip so this time around should be much different. He loves Mickey Mouse and I can't wait for him to meet the mouse in person! Hopefully he likes the characters as much as he did during our last trip - unlike his older brother who couldn't get further away from them

And this is our third DS (yes, three boys), Carson, he is 9 months and just the most perfect baby, seriously an innocent little angel compared to his older brothers He pretty much loves everyone and everything, so I think he'll love Disney just as much as the rest of his family, it should be the perfect FIRST trip for him- can't wait!!

My parents and my brother will also be joining us on this trip, but I don't have any current photos on my computer to share. My parents went along on our last Disney vacation, they love Disney and like tagging along with us and our children.

When? We are planning to travel November 12-19 (those dates are flexible pending possible discounts being released). We originally chose Dec 3-10, however, it was the same week as pop warner and I just didn't want to deal with that particular crowd. I know people say that it doesn't have a huge impact, but Ive read some pretty negative things, and just wanted to steer clear. So we switched. We have never been during the Christmas season and wanted to make sure that we would be able to see some of the decorations. Disney and Christmas are my two favorites, so I can't wait to experience them both at the same time!!

Where? We are staying at the Caribbean Beach Resort, and this will be our second stay at that resort. We usually always stay value or moderate, it's just what works for our family. We stayed at CBR during our 2014 trip (we loved it) and we regretted not spending more time at the resort and utilizing all it has to offer, so we are heading back! The last time we were there the rooms weren't renovated, so I can't wait to see the updates!!

So our planning begins, we have a lot of details to figure out, Im so excited but also driving myself crazy with all of the details! Cant wait to share everything here and to get some feedback/suggestions!! ​

 

[tehniqi]

Eagerly watching! I'm planning a mini trip for next January with an almost 3 year old!

 

[Shannon R]

Eagerly watching! I'm planning a mini trip for next January with an almost 3 year old!

Thanks for joining in!! Traveling to wdw with little ones is so much fun, and even better with a plan so I'm hoping this PTR inspires me to get organized!

 

[jmccoy18]

Hi! I found your PTR! I'm looking forward to following, as we are also hoping to stay at CBR and will have a 5yr old and a 2 yr old on our next trip! I'm so excited for you that your trip is only 7 months away!!!!!

 

[ariane37]

I miss going when my kids were as young as yours! Mine are now 10 & 14, still fun but different We're actually going in Nov. also but arriving the day you leave. Looking forward to planning along with you!

Oh, and I have 4 boys (2 are my stepsons) so I'm with you on that

 

[Shannon R]

Hi! I found your PTR! I'm looking forward to following, as we are also hoping to stay at CBR and will have a 5yr old and a 2 yr old on our next trip! I'm so excited for you that your trip is only 7 months away!!!!!

Welcome!! You will love CBR! It is definitely our favorite, mainly because of how great it is for families with children!

I miss going when my kids were as young as yours! Mine are now 10 & 14, still fun but different We're actually going in Nov. also but arriving the day you leave. Looking forward to planning along with you!

Oh, and I have 4 boys (2 are my stepsons) so I'm with you on that

Welcome!! Have you been in November prior to this? We have never gone during that time and Im wondering about weather, christmas decor, etc! Im sure your boys keep you on your toes just as much as mine do too

 

[VailRaven]

Hey Fellow Raven Fans! I'm from Towson but live in Colorado now.
Good luck with the planning! We're heading to the world in September. Myself (DH), DW, DD5, DD2.5. Can't wait!

 

[ariane37]

Welcome!! Have you been in November prior to this? We have never gone during that time and Im wondering about weather, christmas decor, etc! Im sure your boys keep you on your toes just as much as mine do too

This will actually be our 3rd Nov. trip Waaaaaaay back in 2007, when our youngest were 5 & 2, we went in early Nov. around Veterans Day. Back then it wasn't busy at all and the weather was perfect! No rain, temps in high 80's some days. Then last year we went during Thanksgiving. Definitely about the busiest trip we've taken, but the weather was still very nice and we had a great time. Days ranged from mid-70's to high 80's; nights from high 60's to mid-50's.
You will LOVE the Christmas décor! More will be up towards the end of your trip than the beginning, but they do start putting up the decorations in parks and DS like the day after all the fall/Halloween décor comes down which after the last MNSSHP on Nov. 1st or 2nd. It's possible a couple of the deluxe resorts will also be decorated before you leave; if you find out they are, you should try fitting some time in to visit them - especially if the life-size gingerbread house at the Grand Floridian happens to be up!

I have some pictures of the Christmas décor in my Nov. TR if you want to just take a glance sometime, and I'll probably end up putting a picture or two in my PTR for this year

 

[Shannon R]

Hey Fellow Raven Fans! I'm from Towson but live in Colorado now.
Good luck with the planning! We're heading to the world in September. Myself (DH), DW, DD5, DD2.5. Can't wait!

Welcome!! We are big time Ravens and O's fans, very cool to run into a fellow Marylander on here! September is one of my favorite months to visit Disney, you'll have so much fun with your little ones - my oldest was around 2.5 during his first trip!

This will actually be our 3rd Nov. trip

Oh wow, you're a seasoned Nov traveller then!

Back then it wasn't busy at all and the weather was perfect!

Ya know, it's funny because I feel like there really isn't a non-busy week to visit Disney anymore. My family and I had a trip planned a few days after 9/11, we still went and the parks were absolutely dead, zero crowds. But, every trip since then has been busy. I don't mind, I prepare myself ahead of time for crowds even if its supposed to be a "down" week.

I have some pictures of the Christmas décor in my Nov. TR if you want to just take a glance sometime

Ill take a look!! I have been back tracking to 2015 and stalking photos on instagram during the week we will be there to see if I can get an idea of what will and will not be decorated around the parks lol! It seems as if most of the parks will be decorated, along with the big christmas tree in MK, so hopefully there will be a decent amount of decorations.

 

[Shannon R]

Driving or Flying??

So with the date looming for Southwest to open flights during the month of November, my husband and I have been discussing recently whether or not we are going to drive or fly, and we are stumped I think I would really prefer to fly because, well, 3 kids ages 4 and under, and I think that explains that, lol! Just for fun, Ill throw in a car pic...

This is an ideal car ride.. sleeping babies! (Sidenote: Im stopped at a red light)

We live in Maryland and it usually takes us about 13-14 hours to get to Disney, and that is with leaving extremely early in the morning. During our 2014 trip, we drove, we only had 2 children then (2.5 and 9 months) and to be honest the drive down was painless. Our kids are great in the car, especially with the DVD player, so it wasn't that bad. The drive back? Absolute, complete HELL! LOL! The boys and I all got colds in Disney and we were miserable on the long drive home.

So it seems pretty cut and dry, we should just fly, right? Not so much, at least, its not that easy. The cost for all of us to fly is around $650 AT THE MINIMUM, and that's with my youngest sitting on one of our laps. This is what I got for driving...

$100 in gas to drive, plus lets say another $100 in misc costs (food and whatever). That is a HUGE savings, which means more money for Disney? I don't know, Im still stumped. Then we will have a car with us.. What does everyone think? What is your personal preference for your families? I need some input so I can make a decision and get the bast rates possible if we decide to fly. ​

 

[lynnirene]

Just found your report! Your kids are adorable

Flying is so expensive... It's a tough call though, since that's quite a drive! I don't really have any good advice for you, but hopefully it will work out for you either way!

 

[jmccoy18]

When we lived in Georgia, we drove, no question. It was only an 8hr drive. Now that we live in Nebraska, that would be a 24hr drive (but we would do it in 2 days, so that would equal 4 travel days... yuck!) Flying really is the only option if we want to use most of our time at Disney and not on the road. I have been saving up my Delta Skymiles for our trip next year. Even if I end up not having enough for all of us to fly free, at least it should cover 2 of us, which is better than nothing.

I think you also need to consider if you will need car seats while you are at Disney. We use Disney transportation when we are down there, so we don't need our car seats, but if you plan on renting a car or traveling outside the parks then you might need them.

 

[crewsn]

Hi! Joining in. Hopefully I can keep up. I love reading trip reports and pre-trip reports, but sometimes can't keep up the best due to kids myself. Saw yours though as we always travel the week before Thanksgiving.

Our past two trips we have flown. We are in Central VA area so not too far down from you, but I couldn't imagine driving down and back with my boys. (Currently they are 5.5 and almost 3. Past trips they were: 4 and 18m then 5 and 2.5). Like you said going down I think would be fine, but we are usually exhausted (in a good way) coming home so I couldn't imagine the long drive back. It is a big cost savings though. Lots of Mickey bars or drinks

This year we are about to take a trip for 2 weeks in Florida. My husband has a conference in Orlando so we are joining him for 4 days there then after the conference traveling down to the beach for another week. We are driving since we will need a car. Hoping all goes well, but since we can take a longer pace getting back I think we will be fine and it will be a relaxing trip.

We plan to go back again in November and are flying since it will just be a Disney trip.

 

[ariane37]

The cost for all of us to fly is around $650 AT THE MINIMUM,

Um ok, if I could fly my family down to Fla. for anywhere NEAR $650, we'd be going ALL THE TIME!!! No really, I know $650 is nothing to laugh at. But that's closer to what it costs when just DH and I fly down w/o the boys; I remember the 4 of us flying for $900 RT in 2012 and we were high-fiving each other for days after booking that. And since then we're happy if we get $1200.

Still, I hear you on the drive back "hell" you mention. You know my boys are older and I still cringe when we have to drive long distances. I drove with them to Ga. last Oct. to visit my sister; 15 hours but we did 6.5 one day and the rest the next day. I was ready to leave my youngest at a rest stop because he wouldn't stop whining So for the convenience and to make sure you still want to actually spend time with your family when you get to Florida, maybe........fly?

But extra Disney spending $$ is so tempting

 

[hokieinpa]

I'm following along! Sounds like a fun trip!

I have 3 boys as well - 6, 4, and almost 3. Life is crazy but they are fun!

CBR looks like a great resort. It's on my list to try next. I'm sure your boys will love the pool and kids splash area!

As far as driving versus flying...we fly. I live in PA and the drive is about 16-17 hours for us. We fly Southwest and can usually get all 5 of us on a flight for $1200 or less. I've never regretted not having a car but from other TRs I've read, it can be nice to have especially at CBR where it's quite spread out.