Feberin
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 6, 2014
I had a four year old and almost two year old for our last trip. At least for us taking the toddler didn't slow us down much at all. There wasn't a single ride my four-year-old wanted to go on that she couldn't also ride. And there were only a few rides he was tall enough to ride that she hadn't reached the height restriction but my son scares easily and had no interest in riding them anyways.
She napped in the stroller or in an Ergo carrier on my back. At the hotel she slept in her pack and play. We had a little issue getting both kids to bed the first night but afterwards they were so exhausted that they collapsed immediately.
There were a few times when having her was a bit of an inconvenience. She didn't do well with most shows and got bored and wiggly quickly. I actually had to walk out with her for Turtle Talk with Crush since she was refusing to sit down. She also didn't do well in the Sci Fi café because we ate in a car she had a booster seat instead of a high chair so she could move around. She took full advantage of it and it was a rough meal. If it was a long bus ride she would also get a little wiggly. Also when we did playgrounds (Honey, I Shrunk the Kids and Boneyard) somebody had to keep close tabs on her at all times while my four year old could have more freedom.
However the good moments really outweighed the times it was difficult. She fell in love with Minnie on the trip and now talks about going back to see Minnie again. Also there were probably as many times it was difficult having my four year old with us since he got scared before going on just about every ride the first time. And he also had way more interest in dictating our day like wanting to go on a ride with an hour long wait or going on something in an entirely different park while my daughter was pretty happy to do whatever we wanted to do next. My four-year-old also refused to smile for 90% of our family photos while my daughter hammed it up.
We didn't have the dinning plan but I don't think we ever bought my daughter her own meal. She either shared with my husband and I or the two kids shared. The portions were plenty big enough and they snacked throughout the day to help avoid the cranky hungry child issue. I've heard some places will include a drink for an under two for free or I would bet they would give you a cup of water in the same cup the other kids receive.
All that said I don't think it would make you a bad mother if you choose not to bring her. We never considered it because we don't have anyone who would happily choose to spend a week babysitting and it was way cheaper to take her then hire a babysitter. Also every child is different. My daughter is a pretty easy going kid while my older child is the challenging one. However we had a blast with both kids at Disney and definitely want to return again.
She napped in the stroller or in an Ergo carrier on my back. At the hotel she slept in her pack and play. We had a little issue getting both kids to bed the first night but afterwards they were so exhausted that they collapsed immediately.
There were a few times when having her was a bit of an inconvenience. She didn't do well with most shows and got bored and wiggly quickly. I actually had to walk out with her for Turtle Talk with Crush since she was refusing to sit down. She also didn't do well in the Sci Fi café because we ate in a car she had a booster seat instead of a high chair so she could move around. She took full advantage of it and it was a rough meal. If it was a long bus ride she would also get a little wiggly. Also when we did playgrounds (Honey, I Shrunk the Kids and Boneyard) somebody had to keep close tabs on her at all times while my four year old could have more freedom.
However the good moments really outweighed the times it was difficult. She fell in love with Minnie on the trip and now talks about going back to see Minnie again. Also there were probably as many times it was difficult having my four year old with us since he got scared before going on just about every ride the first time. And he also had way more interest in dictating our day like wanting to go on a ride with an hour long wait or going on something in an entirely different park while my daughter was pretty happy to do whatever we wanted to do next. My four-year-old also refused to smile for 90% of our family photos while my daughter hammed it up.
We didn't have the dinning plan but I don't think we ever bought my daughter her own meal. She either shared with my husband and I or the two kids shared. The portions were plenty big enough and they snacked throughout the day to help avoid the cranky hungry child issue. I've heard some places will include a drink for an under two for free or I would bet they would give you a cup of water in the same cup the other kids receive.
All that said I don't think it would make you a bad mother if you choose not to bring her. We never considered it because we don't have anyone who would happily choose to spend a week babysitting and it was way cheaper to take her then hire a babysitter. Also every child is different. My daughter is a pretty easy going kid while my older child is the challenging one. However we had a blast with both kids at Disney and definitely want to return again.