Disney World - Palos Hills,IL

We stayed at the Wilderness Resort this past October and it was great - very kid friendly, lots to do and within the park so theme parks are a short bus or boat ride away. I would not travel to Disney in April, the lines will be long. In October there were no lines - we walked straight on to all the rides. If going again I would probably wait until early November as it was still quite hot in October.

We went at the end of May. We came home right before the start of Memorial Day weekend, and it was the best. Not crowded at all and the weather was perfect.

We took our kids to Disney World this past Jan. (ages 2 1/2 and 4 1/2) and they had a BLAST! We also went to Disneyland when the kids were 6 months and 2 1/2. Would do it again in a heartbeat! They kids had a great time on BOTH trips. Your kids are NOT too young.

Bring a double stroller! We brought a JEEP side-by-side so the kids could hop in and out of it by themselves. There is stroller "parking" everywhere so it was NO problem! Plus, we packed lunches and were able to leave the backpack on the stroller instead of carrying it with us. I printed and laminated a sign that said the stroller belonged to the ______ Family so it was easier to find. And our stroller could also recline if need be. Both our kids rode in it EVERYWHERE! It was great.

Definitely stay on Disney property if possible. The closer to the parks you are, the better. We stayed at a condo and had to drive to the parks..... But it was only a 5 minute drive and it worked well for us! On our "off" day, we had the pools and hot tubs all to ourselves! Plus, we bought our food at Walmart and made our own! So we saved a lot of money by not needing to purchase food from restaurants or the parks.

You most likely won't be spending a ton of time at your hotel unless you are building that in. We would hit the parks when they opened and stayed till 6, 7 or 8 pm. Go back to the condo. Eat supper. Go to bed! Everyone was tired by that time. No need to have a ton of stuff to do when not at the parks! We planned our last day to be our "off" day to rest. We swam, had a nice lunch, and then the kids napped for a few hours! They were beat after spending 3 days at parks! They each had a bag with toys, books, etc. and that kept them busy when we had a little downtime at the condo, airport, etc.

We went on our Disney trips in December and January. BOTH were good months to go. April should be okay as long as you are NOT going during any school breaks!

Check out the book, "The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World". I read it and the tips helped a lot!

IF you are just looking for a good fun vacation. Take ANY cruise! Our kids have been on 2 and they had a great time. Royal Caribbean to the Bahamas (our family fav! baby was 9 months old on this one) and Carnival to Mexico (kids were 2 1/2 and 6 months this time.) The Carnival definitely seemed like a "party" ship. We found our Royal Caribbean Bahamas cruise to be more family friendly........ So you could just check out a "regular" cruise!

Save yourself a ton of money and wait until both are old enough to enjoy it. We just returned from Disney where we saw a whole lot of cranky toddlers and exhausted parents.
It doesn't take much to send an overstimulated kid into whiny crying mode because they just can't deal...
The first time we took our kids they were in 4th and 6th grade - and they LOVED it! They were old enough to walk, ride most of the rides, and enjoy the magic that Disney World is. We took them to Disney this year as 15 and 18yr olds and they loved it just as much. And this time we could let them go off together to explore...
So save your money. Oh and don't forger, that's just my opinion, mind you.
YMMV
LBC

We live about 3.5 hours south of Orlando and our family has been there a hundred times probably (starting at ages 7 & 4).

With kids your children's ages, they will probably mostly enjoy the pool! So, no matter where you choose to stay, I would focus on the pool area (make sure it's nice and preferably has a toddler area).

Despite wanting to for years, we have never stayed at the Nick Hotel! I had a mom friend who loved going there. I agree with another mom here that it could be a little "too much" if it is crowded. If not, it could be great and you might not even need to go to the parks. They have "cool" room configurations too, from what I've heard. And no, it is not on Disney property (which I actually prefer if we have a car there - it's much cheaper and quicker to eat "outside the World" imho.)

Check this site's crowd calendar: http://touringplans.com/walt-disney-world/crowd-calendar (you would need to subscribe for April levels unless you're willing to wait another month - the subscription is cheap). I absolutely LOVE Len Testa and his book "The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World" (same website as above). Their book saves a tremendous amount of time and money, and is filled with fantastic tips. The web site is great too.

Re: the Disney Cruise - we went in March a couple of years ago. To my surprise, it was one of the most RELAXING vacations we have ever had as a family. We all loved it and would go again (at 16 & 13)! One caveat: check the ages for the kid's clubs - I'm thinking one of yours would be too young so you would need to secure an onboard baby sitter if you and your husband wanted to go to dinner alone.

Regarding April in the parks - one thing I would watch out for is GRAD NIGHT. They go on throughout April and are highly annoying because they close the parks early. They also guarantee a bunch of teens running all over Orlando. You can check the calendars for these to avoid them. The upside to April is that the weather is bit more reliable - i.e., you have a decent shot for warm, but not hot, weather (though Orlando weather changes like the wind). You also bypass most of the Spring Break crowd.

Good luck - I'm praying that your family has a wonderful vacation! Just do your research, and don't expect too much out of the little ones, and you guys will do fine.

Our son will be almost 2 when we go in March. We are renting a house. We went to aruba in august and rented a house and it was the best. private pool, backyard to play, crib in their own bedroom, etc, etc. However, if you plan on going the hotel route, my sister is going with her family next week and they are staying in saratoga springs. Have fun! We are so excited

We go to Florida everyyear in Feburary, we don't stay in hotels because in-laws have a place near daytona so can'y help you there.
Our kids are 7, 5, 4, and 2 for the past 2 years we have taken the older 2 to disney. The 2 younger ones would get tired and cranky and we would spend a ton of money and they won't remember it. Just some food for thought as I noticed your children are young.

I agree with Ladybug...wait until the kids are older. My son is 2 1/2 and there is NO WAY I would consider spending that money because he won't remember it. My SIL and BIL just took my niece in October for her 6th birthday and they needed a stroller for her because it was too much walking.

If you still choose to go, I definitely recommend staying at one of the Disney hotels because they shuttle you from park to park. SIL and BIL stayed at the Toy Story themed hotel and had a great time.

Also, they said they meal plans were totally worth it! They got 3 meals and 2 snacks, plus unlimited sodas. It was expensive but much cheaper than paying for the food each time they ate.

It looks like that hotel is not a 'disney property'. What a lot of people do is stay on property (at a hotel near their fav theme park - but they are all pretty close together). Then take the free shuttle to your park....come home at noon (when it's hottest) for a nap and play at the pool...and then go back again in the late afternoon/evening. We went with my daughter this year and only came back to the hotel to sleep and swim in the evenings. Does your hotel offer a free shuttle to the resort that operates several times an hour? Also, with the disney resorts you can get the dining plan that will save you a lot of money (unless you bring your own lunch and then eat off property for other meals).

The cruise is $$$ but a friend went on one and said it was great.

We went in October and it still got plenty hot. I would think April would be good but avoid 'spring break' times if you want shorter lines.

Bring a stroller. My six year old used it and we also kept a little cooler in it for drinks, etc.

Some families went for a week and only got a 4 or 5 day park pass and spent some days just hanging at the resort and the pools at each resort.

If you want to do something other than disney, staying off property will be cheaper (since you can eat at less expensive restaurants, etc) and you will be more mobile for other resorts.

hth!!!

Hi -
Ok so we went to the Nickelodeon Hotel a little over a year ago. NEVER AGAIN! lol - it was absolutley 100% craziness. It is a true KIDS hotel. I think the parents just drop off their kids and go hang out at the bar or something! OMG at the pool, the kids out number the adults 1 to 10. Kids are acting like they have no supervision. The pool was JAM packed with kids. They looked like little sardines stuffed in there (and the pool is huge). Maybe we just went during a super busy time. But it was NOT enjoyable for me. My daughter loved it of course - but she would have just as much fun at another hotel that had a cool pool. Thank god it was free for us (we went with her girlscout troop) all the moms felt the same as me. Glad we went once and she was able to experience it - but I will not go back and pay money for that madness.

I really think that you should look into staying on Disney property with kids that young. From the Nick you will have to worry about transportation to and from the Disney themeparks. IF you stay on Property this will be MUCH easier. And no way will he get bored with an on property hotel so don't worry. If it is in your budget I recommend the Polynesian. The best for kids IMO. A close second is the Beach Club-the most AMAZING pool!! And it has a zero entry part that is all sand and is kind of like the ocean. Perfect for small kids. April-MAy is good but stay away from Easter. You will have 100% more fun in Disney if you go when it is not crowded,

Does anyone know the price of a stroller rental at Disney World?

First in your plan. Nickolodion is not part of disney world. So if your staying there you will need transportation to and from Disney. Nick is at Universal. Fun park but no where near as good as Disneyworld at least in our families opinion. We always stay at the all star hotels at disney. lots cheaper than the others and there is transportation back and forth to all parks. My kids loved riding the monorails and fairy's back and forth to the parks. Last time we went we stayed at the pop century resort at Disney world. depending on when your looking at in april you may hit spring break so be careful of that as the parks are bursting with people. may is wonderful time of year for the trip. we are actually planning a family trip in december of 2011. all family members from grandparents, aunts and uncles to great grandchildren are going. It is going to be a blast.

I don't know anything about the Nickolodean resort. If you stay outside of Disney, make sure they provide frequent transporation to the parks. If they don't your better off staying at a disney property.

April is a really BAD time to go. You're much better off waiting until May.

We have stayed at the Nick resort and loved it! My daughter had a Spongebob room with 2 beds and a tv and hubby and I had our own room. There is a small kitchen and living area as well. We went December of 09 and it wasn't busy there at all. They have 2 different pool areas with slides and sliming and the pools were heated. They had plenty of activities going on as well as a movie theatre and kids spa. We did the Character breakfast and my daughter got to dance with Patrick. The hotel does have transportation to and from all of the parks though we just drove.
We have also done Disney and stayed at the Polynesian resort which is one of 3 resorts on the monorail line. It was very nice and they had 2 different pool areas as well as a luau. We will be going back to Disney for Christmas of 2011 and will be staying at the Polynesian as well as making a "side" trip to the Nick hotel for a couple of days.
Please let me know if you have any other questions

My DD is 3 and we are doing WDW as well as a 3 day Disney cruise next month, so I guess we'll find out how it goes. I think the big thing is to have realistic expectations. If your kids are nappers, they will still need to take a nap - if you try to go, go, go, they will end up overtired, hungry, and then are more prone to have a meltdown. If you do any of the Disney parks, make it a point to have some downtime in the middle of the day - even if they are not taking naps, at least everyone can relax. Kids at that age can also freak out and not want to see or take pics with the characters because they are scared. Don't force them. There will be ride and attractions that your kids will be too small to go on but you can get Fast Pass for the rest to try to keep the line waiting to a minimum.

We went to WDW 10 years ago when my stepsons were 6 and 7 and rented a condo for the week. It was the best thing we could have done - much cheaper, saved money on eating, more space to spread out. We are doing the same thing this time around (except for when we are on the cruise, of course). We were less than a 10 minute drive from the parks. The Nickelodeon Resort is NOT part of Disney.

We are going to be on the new ship, the Disney Dream, and it looks like it should be awesome for our 3 year old - she loves to swim so just a pool alone should keep her happy but they also have special play rooms with Toy Story and Finding Nemo themes. There are chat forums on-line that are just about Disney and you can probably find a lot of good feedback from other people on there about the parks, the cruise, etc.

Average high temps in Feb are around 74, looks like March and April it's around 78. If you try to go at a time when there are no school vacations, hopefully it will be a little less insane.

Finally, when DH and I were discussing doing a Disney trip with our daughter at 3 years old, I brought up the same thing that a lot of people will say - she probably won't remember it (though she does seem to remember a lot of things really well and there will be plenty of pictures). DH's reply? "But we will!". Plus, it's not like we can't go back again in 4 or 5 years.

I have been to Disney quite a few times now (we own a Disney timeshare), and my suggestion is to not stay at the Nickelodeon property. If you are going to Disney, go to Disney. Stay on their property. It is much nicer to be able to take the monorail, bus, or boat than to have to drive your car in every day (plus parking costs quite a bit of money). Disney hotels are absolutely amazing and have TONS to do...PM me with what you are looking for, and guaranteed, there is a perfect hotel for you.

As to your son being bored...no way! You may think that you will need lots of activities, but if you are at the parks all day, he will be so tired that he will want to sleep when he gets the chance!

April is a good time to go down, but I would stay away from the Easter weeks (week prior and after)...they get really busy!

For the few moms that say to wait, if you have the money, I say go! My son was 2.5 the first time we went and he had SO much fun! I loved seeing his reaction to everything! We went again when he was 3.5, and he still remembers SO much from the trip, and is planning what he wants to ride this year!

As for the Disney cruise...personally, I would wait on that one because of the cost and the fact that they probably will enjoy it more when they are older.

If you have any other questions, please PM me...we go pretty much every year (sometimes more than once), so I have a fairly good "lay of the land". Have fun!