Sunday, January 27, 2008

Do I Really Leave for Disney World in 6 Days?

I am starting to panic a little over my little Disney counter over there that is telling me how little time I have to do so many things!

But the excitment of our trip WAY out weighs the panic of all the things that need to be done yet! We are SO EXCITED!!! We've been talking about this trip for so long, I can't believe that we are less than a week away from it.

To give you a little history, my family (as in me, my sister and my parents) are crazy over Disney World. We went for the first time when I was in 7th grade and have been many times since then. We love it. We go a little overboard with our trip planning every time. I actually made a notebook for this trip, with tabs for each day of the week that contains all the information that we will need for that day's activities.

However, we have never been to DW with a toddler. We are even more excited than we've ever been because of that. But a little apprehensive too. I've heard nightmares about DW with babies and toddlers. I've also heard amazingly magical stories with small children also. I'm going to pray for the latter.

So, if any of y'all have ever gone to Disney World with a toddler and has any advice for me, I would GLADLY accept it and appreciate it.

Another reason we are more excited than ever about this trip is because Heath's mom and sisters are going with us, as well as my parents. Heath's mom and sisters have never been to DW before, so I can't wait to see how much they are going to love it. There is a total of 8 of us going!!! SO FUN! And we are all staying in a 4 bedroom condo for the entire week! It's going to be fabulous!

Well, I'm going to continue with my packing list. I'll keep you updated.

Love,

15 comments:

Jackie said...

Ya'll are going to have so much fun! I love DW!! We are going to try to plan a trip in the next year or so (my hubby friend and his wife are moving to Orlando soon,so we'll go visit/ do DW at the same time!)
I will have to get some advice from you about DW w/ a toddler- it'll make think interesting either way! I am sure your little angel will love it! She loved Houston!!
Relax and start packing now!
Love ya!
BTW- wonder how many pics you'll have from there, just considering the number that came from a Houston trip!! :)

Holly said...

As a matter of fact, I went to Disneyland, while 6 months pregnant, with our son Noah, who was 17 months old. Chris was at a conference most of the week there in Anaheim. So I had a stroller with a water bottle for me and Noah's favorite juice smoothie. Also, I bought this little toy gadget there. We still have it. It's black with four red rubber string-like things at the top. You push a button and these four rubber things spin and each one lights up. If your daughter touches it while it's spinning, it will not hurt her at all. It's a mesmerizing toy! I will try and find the name of it. It bought hours of fun for Noah, who could be cranky.

Praying for an awesome time!!

Mindy said...

You are going to have loads of fun!
I don't know if you are planning on just taking a stroller or not, but the best thing we did when we took our girls (they were 4 and 2 at the time) was rent a stroller. You can rent one for the entire week and then when you go into each park, you just pick one up and drop it off when you leave.
That saves you from having to lug yours around with you on the buses.
That is the best advice I can offer.
We are going in december of this year. By then, our kids will be 7,5,3 (almost 4) and like 3 1/2 months old. It may be hectic but we are looking forward to it!
Blessings!
Mindy

Anonymous said...

Hi Janelle, The Winn family has been to DW many times, too. It is one of Bob's and my favorite vacations spots. When Michelle had just turned 3 we went for the first time and we had a great experience. I can still remember watching her watch all of the magic with wonder written all over her little face. I'm sure Ella will love it.
Have fun!
Jackie

Anonymous said...

Rent the stroller from Disney. Get a backpack instead of usual diaper bag (don't know what you carry) or whatever is big and can double as a purse as well. Keep lots of snacks packed. The entertainment is the park so they really don't need toys.

Sunni at The Flying Mum said...

I can't believe your trip is so close! We missed you last night!

Kevin and Christie said...

Yeah! That is exciting...I hope that you have a great trip. I will be excited to hear how it all goes...I can't wait until Jude gets big enough to go! It will be neat to see it for the first time through Ella's eyes!

MamaCass said...

Okay I am a little jealous but I hope you guys have a great time. It sounds like so much fun! I can understand your anxiety about taking a toddler to Disney World but I am sure Ella will do great. She is going to have a blast!

Lolly said...

Oh how exciting. You will have so much fun! It is always fun to go to your favorite place and share it with someone who has never been. And to top it off, all of those people will be watching Ella's every move and focused on her reactions. She will be the princess. Other than taking a stroller, my advice is to enjoy the weather and have fun.

Lisa @ The Preacher's Wife said...

I totally 'amen' renting the Disney stroller. I also carried a backpack with snack because the park is so outrageously expensive when you just need a little bite to tide you over.

We want to take our kids again but we're thinkin' we'll wait until everyone is big enough to ride all the rides.

I hope you have a blast..Your counter today says three days so not much longer!!

Lisa

Liz Ferguson said...

We have never been to DW, but I would love to take our kiddos someday. When Anna was 5 she saw a commercial for DW and gasped, "Oh mom, I want to go there. It's where all my dreams can come true!" :)

I can't wait to read all about it when you get back, and of couse see tons of fun pictures. I hope you guys have a wonderful time!

Angela said...

I read your blog from time to time from Amanda's blog. I live in Orlando. My advice:
Rent a stroller, bring your food and drinks for snacks, use Disney transportation as much as possible. You can park at Downtown Disney for free and take the bus everywhere. Go to the parks in the morning and go back to your room for nap time. Then back to the parks (when most people are starting to leave). Baby swap is a feature on most rides. The line for Mickey can be really long be sure Ella won't freak out when she gets up there. Bring toys for the room but leave them there and bring one entertainer toy for the lines, like the light up fan thing someone else talked about. The weather is really nice today it was 72. Cool in the morning warm in the afternoon. But this weekend it is going to be in the 80's. Since you've been here before you know other secrets of DW. Have fun while your here, safe travels.

Heather said...

We took both boys in Nov of 06. Ryan was almost 2 (a month shy) and Pace was 6 months. They both did great. Ryan even napped in the stroller. We got fast passes as much as we could! Jeremy's parents took the boys back to the room at night for us and gave us date nights in the park .. fun times! Hope you guys have fun!

Lindsee Lou said...

You are going to have SO MUCH fun. Can't wait to hear all about it upon your return! And of course, see all the pictures! :)

Jenny said...

I would agree with everyone on the stroller and the backpack. We took our first family trip with a 5 year old, 3 year old and I was preg. with our youngest. We loved it and had a blast, we focused alot of time on the characters autographs and used the same books everytime we went back!

Have a great time!