Our best friends just returned from their first trip to Walt Disney World. We had been telling them for years that they needed to go, and they finally got the opportunity this year. Their daughter and son are five and three years old respectively. Ahead of their trip, we attempted to try and share lots of great pointers since we have experience traveling to both Disney World and Disneyland with kids. Apparently our recommendations fell on deaf ears because as soon as we got back, their biggest complaint was exactly what we recommended before they left.
The Disney parks can be a bit overwhelming, especially for first time visitors. Even with a day at each of the four parks, the amount of activities, shows, parades, rides, and entertainment can be daunting. When my wife and I went for our honeymoon, it was our first time at the park in years (for me it had been over a decade). So we obviously wanted to see and do as much as we could while there. Even as an adult, the complexity of the amount of things at Disney parks is exhausting. Now factor in kids.
Last year we managed to squeeze in a trip to both Disneyland and Disney World at the beginning and end of the year. Our oldest son was just days shy of his first birthday for Disneyland, and 19 months when we went to Disney World. Taking a stroller was pretty much mandatory just due to the age of our son. We quickly learned though that a stroller would become invaluable.
Both trips we took the big stroller, not the small umbrella types. Why not since we could easily gate check them for no additional charge? During our times at the Disney Parks, our son could easily sleep if we reclined the back of the stroller. The shade cover helped keep the sun away. All of the kid necessities could easily be stored on board. The stroller helped save additional space along the parade routes. Anytime we rode one of the rides, we simply parked the stroller in one of the designated areas and left all of our belongings (minus the camera and valuables), and nobody messed with our stuff (other than a possible realignment of all the strollers by a Cast Member).
See, taking a stroller is one of the essentials for a trip to Disney, or any large park for that matter. Kids only have so much energy. Children need breaks no matter how old, and at Disney they can quickly be overwhelmed. This was exactly what our friends failed to plan accordingly, or even take measures to correct.
Our friends biggest complaint was having to carry their kids around the parks. That can obviously get old really fast. Even if your kids are older, but can still fit in a stroller, bring one anyways! What baffles me even more about our friends, is that instead of going and renting a double stroller from Disney, which would have only cost $31/day (they were only at the parks for two days), they suffered through their remaining first time at Disney.
Therein lies my second piece of advice. If you are on vacation, sometimes you just need to relax and spend money. If you spent all of your time prior to leaving trying to save every penny, then spend a little bit of your savings on the trip. Why come back from a relaxing vacation complaining, when if you had easily spent a little bit of money, you could have made the trip way more enjoyable? The last thing I want to hear is someone who went to the Happiest Place on Earth, where they strive to do everything possible to make your trip enjoyable, and you had a miserable time because you either 1) failed to plan (or listen to our advice), or 2) were to cheap to correct a bad situation.