Long haul flight & WDW with 22 month old

[topsy]

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for some advice for a 10-14 day trip I'm planning next April (2018) with my DH and DD (22 months at time of travel). We're from the U.K. And will be taking a 9 hour flight to get to Florida.

I'm a long time Disney lover, have been to WDW more times than I can count, heck I was even a cast member back in 2009 but I have never been with a toddler and have never been away as just or little family of three.

My DH isn't huge on Disney and never grew up with it as a child. I've sold him on the actual holiday part (we've got accommodation sorted with some lovely local friends) but he's still hesitant about the flight.

I'd be hugely grateful if anyone can answer some of my questions below or offer some general advice/tips about how to do WDW with a 22 month old!

I should add she will have her own seat on the plane as (luckily) I have lots of air miles to spend!

Thank you

1. Anyone who's done a long haul flight with a toddler, what was it like, what did you do to entertain them, how were they behaved, were they old enough to understand limitations of staying in their seat etc.

2. How did you plan your days? Full schedules or winging it?

3. Did your toddler still need naps and if so did they manage it in a stroller or would you recommend going back to the room/villa?

4. How do kids meals work? Can she have a free meal as she'll be under 3 or will she have to eat off of our plates?

5. Car seats - did you take one or rent one at the car rental place? We are renting a car but won't be using a car seat on the plane so thinking we'll rent one? Is it safe to do this?

6. We have the option of buying a 2 week park hopper form the U.K. Or our lovely CM friends have offered to take us in on their days off for free. Which would you do? The flexibility of buying a ticket is attractive but the cost saving of going with our friends is obviously great too. Will we really need to be in the parks that much with such a young child or would we be better off spending only 4-5 of our 10 day trip in the parks and the rest of the time doing other things? (Side note: we have family in celebration who are keen to show us around some areas/attractions we've not visited before).

 

[KrazeeK120]

Hi there!!

We took our son last month and he was 18 months old at the time. I would imagine an 18 month old and a 22 month old have similar needs! We drove, so I won't be able to help with all of your questions, but I'll do what I can.

My son still takes a (very) long nap every afternoon. Stroller naps worked best for us at Disney. We went back to the resort one day and it was a disaster. He refused to lay down, kept trying to reach out of the crib and grab the TV, etc. He was just way too excited. In the stroller, he was already sitting down, and just fell asleep when he was tired.

We stayed club level, so we had a lot of meals in the lounge. But we always got him his own meal when we ate in the parks. He eats a lot...he's 33.25 inches and over 30 lbs. The kid's meals often include fruit, applesauce, yogurt, etc...stuff he really likes that don't come with the adult meals. At that age, though, it's really up to you. If your family can manage with your child eating off of your plate, you're more than welcome to do that. We did 2 character meals, too. Kids under 3 aren't charged at buffet/AYCTE places and they have full access to all of the food. They even gave us milk for him for free at both places.

We did a mix of pre-planning and spontaneous. I had a general idea of what I wanted to do. We ended up changing the order of a few things and doing some rides twice when we had additional time. It's hard to have too rigid of a schedule when you have a toddler.

As far as car seats, I'd feel more comfortable bringing my own. I think they can be gate checked for free. But maybe someone with actual experience can chime in!

I think 4-5 park days is adequate for a toddler. We did 2 days MK, 1.5 days Epcot, and 1 day AK. We probably won't visit DHS until our son is older and the Star Wars land is open. We did the 4.5 days all consecutively. Our son was a trooper, but if we'd had the luxury of more time, I would have spaced things out more. We are considering doing a non-Disney Florida trip in a few years, actually, to see other "stuff."

I hope you have a wonderful first family trip! There is nothing more magical than experiencing Disney through the eyes of your child!

 

[juxtapose]

My son is 22 months now so I will answer from him now, we went to Disney when he was 16 months but he is a lot different now.

1. My son does not know how to stay in his seat lol, some 22 month olds will be a lot better than him but he is high energy and loves people so he always wants to see what other people are doing. He does like tablets and TV shows now though so will sit and watch those for a bit. He also likes to color/draw and use stickers.

2. When we was 16 months we got there at rope drop or shortly after but left every day before 6pm and a few days by 3-4pm.

3. My son still desperately needs his nap. We did stroller naps when we went to the park but we had 2 non-park days on purpose so the kids could get good naps in the room. Both kids slept around 12 hours at night while at WDW when they do not sleep that long normally.

4. If you eat at a buffet, she will be able to eat free. If it is a normal restaurant you will need to purchase a kid's meal or she can eat off your plates (we did both).

5. Carseat: We have rented one before. Their quality can vary Imo but I would rent one. I've heard too many bad stories about them getting destroyed, even when gate checked, and wouldn't want to worry about getting a new one last minute when I got here.

6. I think 4-5 days would be plenty with a toddler, we did 5 days and both my younger kids were getting done.

 

[Lvsdisney]

1. Longest we did was 6 hours when DS was 18 months. We were "lucky" and had layovers, so that gave him time to run around and get energy out. I know on top of the flight you'll also be dealing with the time change which will probably affect your days vs how others have experienced Disney with a toddler. For the plane, I would purchase a tablet and download favorite movies/tv shows on it. I love our Kindle Fires. They have a kids app that only allows them to access their apps and videos, they cant access internet or buy more apps without your password to get out of it. (They usually do a sale around Christmas, keep an eye out!) The other toy that was used A LOT during long trips was the Leap Pad by Leap Frog. It's not very expensive over here ($20) so not sure what it was cost by you, but it is wonderful. I would bring LOTS of snacks! Chewy snacks are good for takeoff/landing. Gummy bears, fruit snacks, things like that. And juice too. You should be allowed to take liquids through security because she is a small child, but if not, buy whatever you can before you take off, and bring a cup/sippy she'll drink out of. Not sure what she'll like to do during the day for free time, my little ones didn't really have a great attention span at 22 months. You know the saying, hope for the best, but plan for the worst. Most likely she won't nap, she'll be too excited about what's going on. If she does, consider it a blessing.

2. Due to FP+, we pretty much had to plan our days ahead of time. I knew what parks and rides we were going on 60 days before we left!


3. DD was both 18 months and 2.5 years when we went and we always went back to the room for nap time. I like to have lunch in the park and then head back for nap/rest and then go back to the parks around/after dinner and stay til after fireworks. When it gets closer, you'll know what your kid can and cant do. Neither one of mine napped in the stroller. Yours might. YOU may want a break anyway. I would plan for breaks, but if you don't need them great!

4. She's free til she's 3! She can eat off your plate and she does not cost to get into the park!

5. We take DME and stay on property so we have no need for a carseat. You may want it on the plane for such a long ride so she'll be comfortable. It's personal preference. You will need it (or rent one) if your renting a car and/or staying off property.

6. Last year, due to snow, we got stuck in Disney a few days and my kids were tired and cranky, so we didnt really utilize the parks. Again, it's up to you. I would price out the difference between each pass and see what makes sense for you. Sometimes, when you have that many days, it's a negligible difference and maybe it'd be worth it so you don't have to depend on friends/family to show you around. Plus then you could take it slower each day and not have to jam pack everything, which would make it a little more enjoyable.

Have fun!!

 

[PurpleEars]

We travelled quite a bit with my son so I will try to answer your questions:

1. We travelled with my son to Boston when he was 23 months old. We had long travel days (probably close to 6 hours flying time) with one connection. He was fine the way there, but was an absolute terror on the way home. We originally booked a flight mid-day but got rescheduled to the evening. We could not get him to nap prior to going to the airport on the travel day. He tried to nap on the plane but there were too many disruptions. He was so cranky and out of sorts, which was made harder by a rather bumpy flight. He just wanted to walk up and down the aisle but the seat belt sign was on for most of the flight, and he could not understand why he could not walk around.

Having said that, that was the only bad flight with my son. We bring quiet toys (like finger puppets, soft books, soft balls) and we break the normal rules on screen time (we put Duck Tales on the laptop). Snacks, extra changes of clothes (for everyone) and extra diapers are a must.

2. I don't think I would do a full schedule with a 22-month old. We took my son to Disneyland when he was 26 months old and we found that we really needed the break. He gets over stimulated and over tired otherwise.

3. My son, who is 32 months now, still naps most days. He can still nap in the stroller if needed.

4. As far as I know, children can eat off an adult's plate until they are 3.

5. I would bring your car seat, especially when she will have a seat on the plane. Some car seats are approved to be used on the plane (which by all accounts is worth the hassle), if not, you can just check it.

6. You know your child best and know what type of schedule would work best for her. I found myself doing shorter days with my son but we still go in the parks every day. If you think she can do longer days, then it is reasonable to cut back on the park days and have rest day.

Good luck with your planning. Whatever you do, it will be so much fun to see Disney from your child's eyes!

 

[maxiesmom]

One thing I can think of for the flight is that if you are going to have your little one watch any videos, buy kid sized headphones and get her used to them ahead of time. Everyone else on the plane will thank you!

 

[topsy]

Thank you all for your replies, it's really helpful to hear your thoughts. I think the hardest thing at the moment is not knowing what our DD will be like when she's 22 months old (she's just turned one so it's a fair way off yet!). At the moment she is a VERY active child and is really curious so loves to move around and open cupboards etc. all the time. She isn't at all interested in the TV yet but I'm hoping this changes by 22 months so I can give her an IPad loaded with cartoons!

One question I forgot to ask is whether it would be completely ridiculous to try to see some of the fireworks & nighttime shows? I LOVE Fantasmic and can't miss it on a trip to WDW! My DD loves music, lights, bubbles etc. but I'm not yet sure about fireworks. I don't know whether it would be a bit much for her.

 

[KrazeeK120]

One question I forgot to ask is whether it would be completely ridiculous to try to see some of the fireworks & nighttime shows? I LOVE Fantasmic and can't miss it on a trip to WDW! My DD loves music, lights, bubbles etc. but I'm not yet sure about fireworks. I don't know whether it would be a bit much for her.

That probably depends on the kid. We kept bedtime the same as at home. I think there's a good chance my son would have done fine staying up late once or twice (he generally does fine with schedule changes), but I'm one of those risk-adverse, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" kind of people. I didn't want to take a chance of having a day (or more) of our trip ruined because his schedule was so off. I actually went to MK and saw the last Wishes show by myself on 5/11. I met some lovely people while waiting for the show to start and it was a wonderful experience. I saw lots of toddlers there though! So, it's really up to you and how you think it will work for your family.