Is it worth it to go to Disney World with a 17 month old baby?

[dawnwes]

Disney is not for my kids, it is for me.....I remind them often that it is MY vacation and they are just lucky to be allowed to come along!

I would go in a heartbeat.

My older two sons started at Disney before they could walk, when we lived close to a Disney park.

[disneysteve]

Disney is not for my kids, it is for me.....I remind them often that it is MY vacation and they are just lucky to be allowed to come along!

Love it! I agree. Disney is an adult vacation that masquerades as a family locale. We've often commented that it would be so much better if not for all the kids running around.

My wife and I started going to Disney World years before we had a kid, even a couple of years before we were married, and we are looking forward to the days when we will be able to go again just the two of us. It is a perfect couples vacation.

[dawnwes]

YUP!

We used to live 45 min. from Disneyland. We had annual passes ($99 SoCal passes) before kids as well.

I would even go alone if I had a business meeting down in that area.

Dawn

Love it! I agree. Disney is an adult vacation that masquerades as a family locale. We've often commented that it would be so much better if not for all the kids running around.

My wife and I started going to Disney World years before we had a kid, even a couple of years before we were married, and we are looking forward to the days when we will be able to go again just the two of us. It is a perfect couples vacation.

[LuckyRobin]

We took our daughter to Disneyland when she was 2 3/4 and she had a good time. She did not like the really dark rides (especially Pirates, but that may have been the skeletons), but that was it. She loved the parades and the characters and the food. She liked the shows like Billy Hill and the Hill Billys and the musical performances, and the little musicals. There was so much to just look at.

My biggest suggestions are to rent (or bring) a stroller, go back to the hotel for naps and swimming, and bring your child's favorite stuffed animal or blankey. The stuffed animal or blankey gives them a touchstone if they start to get overwhelmed. Just keep track of it. We put our daughter's stuffed dog on a leash we tied to her wrist or the stroller.

[Like2Plan]

My trip would be at the end of March. Should be very nice temperature, from what I looked up.

The Festival goes From: March 7, 2012 To: May 20, 2012 so you will still have a chance to see it.

[cschin4]

If you view it as family time or a vacation mainly for you and DH, then i think it is "worth" it. If you expect your child to have memories of this, he won't. But, it would be a great chance for you to have a nice time with your spouse, have some memories with each other and also a great chance to scope things out for a future trip. So i think you should go.

[Nika]

My husband's training got approved!

And we decided to go. My mom thinks it is a terrible idea to "uproot" and stress the baby like that. She is actively lobbying against it.

Anyway, so many logistical issues to research now. I've never travelled with the baby. Do we rent a car seat? Do we pay to bring ours? Will it be charged as checked bag? Should we bring a stroller or rent one... Feeding baby in a healthy way while there.

We can go for up to 8 days. I wonder if it is best to go for a long time like that (get baby situated, longer time between the flights, get him used to the new routine, new sleeping place).

I will probably not be buying tickets for all the days I'm there. Not sure what is the best thing here. Which parts of the park are best for a baby this small.

I don't even know how hotel cribs look like. Should I bring my own sheet? what about baby laundry?

Keeping it from getting too expensive would be great (it was the rest we are going to begin with) but with all these things that involve taking care of the baby take priority.

[MonkeyMama]

Enjoy!

As for your mom, seriously? I suppose it depends on baby's temperment. We took our 12-month-old to Hawaii and they have both been to D-Land and D-World very young. To be fair, we took my 12-month-old (or so) on a trip to visit family and I remember it being a VERY stressful trip. Maybe because it was our first time traveleing. I don't know, I just remember dh and I fighting like crazy (was unusual). Maybe tiring with messed up sleep schedules and such. Baby had a blast though. That's one bad trip and several GREAT ones with 1, 2 and 3-year-olds. I'd say my kids travel very well - you won't really know for sure until you try.

One thing, I've *never* had a good carseat rental experience. Enough so that we decided to avoid traveling until kids were older. Bring the car seat! (Cheaper, anyway). If you need a stroller, cheaper just to bring it.

Any hotel I stayed in had *pack n plays* for cribs, and sheets.

[thekid]

I can't comment on Disney, as I've never been, but we took our then 14 month old to Portugal this past summer and she loved it. Rented a car to drive around. She took her regular naps, eat well, really had a blast with the sights and outings. She was actually easier than at home.

I guess it depends on the baby, but we are very routine oriented and were quite worried about it. Ended up being more than fine.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

I have travelled a lot with my daughter before age two. 5 trips to hawaii from the east coast, CA a couple of times, Canada a couple of times, and internationally once (horrible) and some of these trips just me and her. Jet lag sucks but you suck it up. I'm still mulling WDW, but it looks more like we're going to Disneyland in April. Sure she probably won't remember it but it'll be for us, friend's wedding, seeing family, and just hanging for a couple of weeks.

Have fun! I wish we were doing WDW.

[disneysteve]

Anyway, so many logistical issues to research now. I've never travelled with the baby. Do we rent a car seat? Do we pay to bring ours? Will it be charged as checked bag? Should we bring a stroller or rent one... Feeding baby in a healthy way while there.

We can go for up to 8 days. I wonder if it is best to go for a long time like that (get baby situated, longer time between the flights, get him used to the new routine, new sleeping place).

I will probably not be buying tickets for all the days I'm there. Not sure what is the best thing here. Which parts of the park are best for a baby this small.

I don't even know how hotel cribs look like. Should I bring my own sheet? what about baby laundry?

Keeping it from getting too expensive would be great (it was the rest we are going to begin with) but with all these things that involve taking care of the baby take priority.

Sorry for not replying sooner. Now that you are definitely going (just ignore your mother), I would again refer you to wdwinfo.com and disboards.com (part of the same site). That's the place to research and to ask all of your questions. It is a discussion board like this one populated by many, many, many friendly and knowledgeable people.

[kjr0419]

Absolutely!

Our daughter was 3 months the first time she went to disneyland and 14 months the first time we took her to Disney World. She absolutely LOVED WDW. I think some of this has to do with your child's personality but she loved meeting all the characters and is very adventurous so she enjoyed many of the rides. I know a lot of people say don't waste your money they won't remember any of it, but in the moment it is a truly magical experience to see their little faces light up. She is now three and looks at the pictures and tells us about when she met Mickey and Minnie. The key is take it slow, don't try to jam everything in. Follow your child's lead and absolutely take a break in the middle of the day to go back to the hotel to nap. I also recommend one day where you just hang around the hotel by the pool. We had so much fun and her dad and I will treasure that first visit.

[Nika]

DH bought us tickets on base: 4-Day Disney's Armed Forces Salute w/ Park Hopper and FUN (what do they mean by "fun"?

They were $160 something, almost $170 per person. Good deal?

[Like2Plan]

DH bought us tickets on base: 4-Day Disney's Armed Forces Salute w/ Park Hopper and FUN (what do they mean by "fun"?

They were $160 something, almost $170 per person. Good deal?

Sounds like he got the hoppers with the water park option. They are a good deal especially if you are planning to go to the water parks. They do have block out dates of 1-12 April 2012.

"$138 4-Day Park Hopper Tickets for Members of the U.S. Military
Walt Disney World Resort is saluting U.S. military personnel by offering 4-Day Military Promotional Tickets for just $138 each, now through September 30, 2012. For just $27 more, both the Park Hopper and Water Parks, Fun & More option may be added."
Link to Disney Salute to the Military

[Like2Plan]

If you are not planning to go to the water parks, it might have been better to just get the 4day hopper Salute to the Military tickets. (But, maybe that wasn't an option when your DH made his purchase).

Here is a link to a lengthly explanation of ticket options at Allears.net

and alink to a ticket discounter (Maple Leaf Tickets) for comparision