Disney World with twin (almost) 3 year olds

So we're starting to plan a trip to Disney at the end of this year, and our boys will be about two months shy of 3 by then. Are we crazy? :crazy: Please relay any positive experiences any of you guys have had traveling to Disney with twin toddlers. Where you stayed, what attractions were their favorite, what you would do differently if you could, and just general tips for someone thinking they are losing their mind for even considering this little venture. Thanks!

 

Not insane! We took the twins at 11.5 months and 18 months to WDW, and at 2yo and 28 months to Disneyland. And we're going back to WDW next month! Honestly, my kids LOVE it, and they talk about the last two trips all the time. Nothing is cuter than hearing "Small World" or "Yo Ho, Yo Ho" being sung by two 2.5 year olds. I just wish we lived closer to one of the two so we could go more often.

1) Keep your daily schedule as best you can. We still nap in the afternoon, so we would typically get to the parks at opening (8-9am), play, eat lunch around 11:30 and then head back for a 1 pm nap. Then we would be at the parks from 3:30-6:30 in the afternoon, before heading back for a 7:30/8 bedtime. I know it seems like you don't have a lot of time, but it's plenty for them, and overtired kids lead to awful kids.

2) They don't know what they're missing, so stick to things with little to no waits. Shows are good, or some of the lesser attractions. They will be just as happy at the Tiki Birds as they would at Peter Pan. You can take turns riding the big people ride by using Fast Pass while the other parent is feeding a snack or supervising on a playground. That being said, my kids liked every ride we took them on, from Small World to Haunted Mansion. The Carousel was a big hit too.

3) Staying on-site is AWESOME, since all transportation is covered (to/from airport and then from the hotels to all the parks). But, it comes at a cost. All Star Music has nice sized family suites that aren't too pricey. Renting points from a Disney Vacation Club owner can save some money too on nice rooms with kitchens. On the other hand, off-site gives you loads more space for a lot less money. You just have to deal with the car rental. We're renting a house this time (~130/night for 4 bedrooms with a pool) vs. when we paid $230/night renting DVC points for a 1 bedroom.

4) allears.net, mousesavers.com and disboards.com are all great resources.

 

Also, this is a GREAT video to help "set the mood" and introduce the characters. http://www.amazon.com/Sing-Along-Songs-Disneyland-Fun/dp/B0009X75W4/ref=pd_sim_v_6

 

No, of course not, just be flexible and prepared for everything to take longer. We have travelled a ton everywhere and as long as you're flexible and prepared, it will be OK. Have fun!

 

We went when they were a month shy of three in January. The great thing is that they are free. Free admission. Free food. We stayed at the Wilderness Lodge and did a dining plan. You can't buy the dining plan for under three. They eat free at buffets, and they bring them Mickey plates so you can share your food everywhere else. The only thing we paid for for them was drinks--and they were free half the time too.

We had the most fun at Magic Kingdom and Epcot. There is surprisingly little for three year olds at Hollywood Studios, but that is where all the Pixar characters are. We did a lot of character meet and greets there. Book character meals for the most part--soo much better than standing in line! Half the time you stand in lone and they take a break when you get there or the photographer leaves or something. If you are standing in line, Epcot has the best meet and greet--one line for Mickey and all his friends.

We loved Epcot in general--lots of rides for them in future world then they got to chill in their strollers in world showcase and take in the sights.

My kids were done with naps by that time, so we went against normal advice and didn't take a break in the afternoon. We tried to just be more mellow for a couple hours--shopping with them in strollers or something. Get to parks early. It makes a staggering difference in your day. We would get there at opening but not stay til closing.

Stay on site.

We did two umbrella strollers with the stroller link thing--so they could be together or apart. Apart was great for the gates and for stores. Together was good for most else. Very versatile, and they were tiny, cheap strollers.

My kids LOVED all the dumbo type rides--Dumbo, Aladdin, Triceratops Spin. Also loved Small World. Be prepared for wariness about dark indoor rides--especially their first few. Also they may or may not like characters--Anna loved them. Jack, not so much. He just liked the face characters like the princesses. The thing that they loved that surprised me was the Goofy Barnstormer roller coaster. It's fast, but they were tall enough and each had a blast (just make sure to ride with them).They hated all 3D shows-Mickey's Philharmagic and the like.

We had a blast--lots of good meals--even fancy ones. No tantrums. Great in the car. It couldn't have been better.

 

Oh, what I would do differently. I'd plan an "off" day in the middle. We did four parks in four days, and I really wanted a day in the middle to check out the hotel, downtown Disney, etc. I'd also do less time at Animal Kingdom and Hollywood and more time at Magic Kingdom.

 

We took 4 kids for the first time (and last!) this winter (10, 7, 3 and 3) and stayed off site. We did each park and then picked the parks we liked best to repeat. We ended up doing epcot the most. I would skip the passes that let you do multiple parks in one day since that would be too. Personally, my kids really liked the resort, as much as if not more than the parks. We stayed at Wyndam Bonnet Creek and didn't rent a car but used a shuttle from the airport and the resorts transportation to the parks. That worked well.

We ate ice cream in the park and brought all our meals and snack. Bring strollers!

 

I think its great ! I've been taking mine to Disney World every year since they were 10 months old.
We usually stay on site .. I like the value resorts.
Depending on the weather there are lots of things to do during "down" time. Mine just like to hang out at the resort and swim or play in the play area. Then hit the parks later. But we're going when its warm. If you go at the end of the year .. it could be fairly cool out. I know that this past year it was exceptionally cold.
Bring your stroller .. the price to rent one is outrageous. Its also nice to have for storage and to hang your bags on.
My biggest advice is try not to over plan ... leave some time to just enjoy the whole experience. It can get real stressful to try to be at certain places at certain times (like for dinner/breakfast reservations). I have a few reservations for our next trip .. but mostly we're just playing it by ear.
When the boys were younger they LOVED Magic Kingdom and EPCOT the most. They also loved the safari ride at Animal Kingdom. Also The Great American Movie Ride and Playhouse Disney in Hollywood Studios.
I would also recommend packing favorite snacks from home instead of trying to buy them at the parks/resort. Its much cheaper. I usually pack along Goldfish crackers, little boxes of cereal, fruit snacks .. thing that will occupy them in line or if they get fussy.

 

We had a great time with our twins who were 3.5 at the time. We went just a few months ago. We stayed in a villa (Disney's Wilderness Villas) which was nice bc we could cook and had a fridge and they had their own room. We also have a baby and I put her in the PNP in the walk-in closet! Poor thing ... but it was a really BiG closet

My best advice is to be well prepared (we went through Garden Grocer and got groceries delivered before we even got there) and plan for times of rest and make plans but be relaxed about it ... like have a good idea of what you want to do but don't sweat it if you have to cancel a reservation or skip a park or ride. Also, plan your day around when YOUR kids are happiest. Lots of people told us to get to the parks even before they open so you can get right in before the crowd and I did that for the first two days then I learned that MY kids are MUCH happier if they can slllllide into the day and once we started just hanging in the hotel for a bit in our PJs in the mornings then go to the parks a little later they were much happier. Also, I thought Magic Kingdom would be the best park and planned several days there ... well, the girls didn't really like Magic Kingdom bc it was so loud and crazy ... Animal Kingdom and Epcot and Universal Studios were MUCH more thier speed. For younger ones, stay away from the scarier rides ... my girls HATED Mickey's Philharmagic and Snow White. They loved most of Animal Kingdom ... do NOT miss the Festival of the Lion King ... the Kilimanjaro Jungle Safari was awesome ... they did love the area around Minnie and Mickey's house in Magic Kingdom. Hmmm ... I know this is super choppy ... and hard to follow ...

Let's see. I kept a lot of "treats" handy ... mini-boxes of Nerds and Lollipops for the trains and ferry boat rides. Absolutely take a stroller ... conserve their energy. Really, it was a bit hard to get them out of the hotel room some mornings (really had to convince them to not fuss about leaving the room) but once we got out they were so good. In fact, really, my one-year old was terrible so my husband kept her in the room most of the time and I took the twins out solo most of the time and it was really do-able.

I think you will have a great time. Just try not to be stressed about it. There will be good times and bad times ... just like always =)

 

We took our girls in early November and they turned 3 at the end of December, and we went with another family with twin girls the very same age.
It was GREAT!!!!!!
We stayed at The Polynesain (ick, don't stay there).
We left the hotel by 10am every morning and came back around 8pm every evening.
The other family napped their girls in their stroller but a couple of days they did come back to the room to nap but my girls did not nap AT ALL.
I think because everything was so new and so exciting they were just wide eyed the whole time.

We did one park each day. We were on the meal plan (kids under three are FREE!!)

We bought NO souveiners there, I went to the Disney store before we left, bought some things, packed them and gave them to the girls at different times on the trip and they had no ide nor could have cared less that that they were not bought there. (oh, we DID buy mickey mouse ears w/ their names on them there)
I also bought all 4 of us mickey t-shirts at the Disney Store and presented them the morning we were leaving, it was a lot of fun!

There is NOTHING I would do differently, we did not plan our every move and I liked it that way. We went woth the flow of the kids, when they were fussy we stopped for a snack or saw a show, when they were high energy we went on rides, we did not make it a point to ride every single ride because my thinking was it was the first time at Disney but not the last.

The monarail was a perfect form of transportation.

Here is what I would say in a nut shell.
Get to the airport early, you will be a little stressed out and not having to rush will save a lot of heart-ache. bring snacks and toys which you won't have to pull out too soon cuz everything is so new to the kids it is all entertainment enough.

Be flexible. Don't get uptight if you can't see something this time, you will be back again, they're only just about 3 years old.

See at least one parade.

Try to have at least one character meal.
MAKE YOUR RESERVATIONS WAAAAY IN ADVANCE, they fill up quickly, if you don't keep the ressie it's ok but at least have the ressie!

Have fun and STAY IN THE MOMENT, there is nothing like seeing Disney through the eyes of your littles! I cried big time the first time they saw Mickey! (and Mickey was so sweet, he totally wrapped his arms around me as I seriously weeped. I'm guessing Mickey must be a parent and totally "got it")

Have a great time!!

 

Thanks to all for the advice and reassurance on going to Disney with almost 3 years old twins I'm glad to know that the experience didn't drive anyone completely insane or spark any major regrets. I have been to Disney World more times than I can count, but this will be the first time I will see the parks through their eyes and not just mine. I'm really looking forward to the trip...the trip planning not so much I'm glad I posed the question here with you guys. Your insights have helped encourage me and I've gained new perspective on gearing up for this adventure with my little ones. Thanks!