Best Resort for trip w/ 11 month old

[CherylA]

We are planning a trip for when our baby is 11 months old. We have no other children. What is the best resort for the logistics of traveling with a child of this age. I'm thinking monorail access might be nice and I love the Poly. Can you really just load the baby in a stroller in the room and push it onto the monorail? Or perhaps would a home away from home be better so we can watch TV after the baby goes to sleep. Any thoughts from those who have done this?

Thanks!
Cheryl

 

[littleducksmom]

cheryl,

we have stayed mainly onsite in the past, but next week we are going to wdw with our 13 month old and staying offsite. cancelled reservation at csr, mainly because we needed more room, so our baby could rest better( he will not sleep if we are in the room with him). we are staying at a brand new country inn and suites at calypso cay (just opened in sept 2001). it is 3 miles from wdw. we will have a king suite, therefor we can put the baby to bed and still stay up. they also have a very nice free breakfast. with a baby you cant beat a brand new place that should have very clean floors, bathrooms, etc. and the breakfast buffet will help in the mornings as far as not having to prepare breakfast for the baby. and the best thing of all is the rate......$54/night.
the only bummer is being offsite.

debbie

 

[Gillian]

We chose the yacht club for a trip with our 12 month old because there is a lot going on in that area. We thought he would like to walk on the boardwalk (in a stroller) & people watch & play in the swimming pools/SAB.

We picked YC over BC because of the balcony. Most YC rooms have them & I thought it would be nice for us to relax outside while the baby fell asleep.

We've also stayed offsite at condos & those are nice, but you really don't need 2 rooms with an infant. Once ours fell asleep we could watch TV or whatever & he was fine.

 

[gannonmbpk]

Last year we took our 11 month old and we stayed at the Polynesian. The most awesome thing is that with the monorail to Mk and Epcot there is no stroller folding like you have to do when you get on and off the busses. If your child falls asleep in the parks all you have to do is just push the stroller onto the monorail and away you go. This is also great if you need to bail out and go back to the hotel for a rest and or pool break. All the longhouses have elevators and it just makes your vacation just a little bit easier.

Good Luck

Matt
-------------------------------
PO-R '01
Poly '00
Disneyland '97
CBR '92

 

[CherylA]

I'm pregnant now so I have to baby to go by. I'm wondering if you went back to the room during the day for the baby to take naps or if he/she just slept in the stroller in the parks? If you did go back for naps did he/she have trouble falling asleep with you in the room? I wondering if it will be a problem not having a door to shut the baby off from us while it sleeps. If the baby can see us will it want to sleep? These are my concerns. I'd rather stay at the Poly but I want to do what is going to be most convenient and low stress.

Thanks,
Cheryl

 

[gannonmbpk]

Cheryl

If you want low stress and convienience then the Poly is the place to stay. We tend to be early risers so we would go to the parks early every day and would return around noon for a nap and a swim. The rooms at the Poly are very large so we asked for a crib for our daughter who at that time was 11mos. the cast members placed the crib beteen the bathroom wall and the 1st bed and it was never in the way. We also have another child wh was 5 at the time so when the 11 month old napped we kept him busy or encouraged him to nap also. The reason that staying at a monorail resort worked for us is that the 11 mo old would fall asleep in the park or on the way back to the poly in the monorail and we would only have to move her once to the crib or to the daybed. We stayed at the Rapa Nui longhouse which is equal distance between the Ceremonial house and the TTC/ Epcot monorail station. We were close to the quiet pool and we had more than enough room for the 5 of us( we also brought my mother for easy babysitting) Definately plan a nap during the dayand either get reservations for chef mickeys or the cinderella breakfast

Good luck
Matt
--------------------------
PO-R '01
Poly '00
Disneyland '97
CBR '92

 

[CherylA]

Thanks Matt. I appreciate all your tips. Anyone else out there with comments about where to stay with an 11 month old?

Cheryl

 

[susy]

Hi Cheryl ! We are just back form the World with our 4 yo DS. It was his first time. I kind of regret not taking him earlier (especially since we only live 3 hrs away). He was a pretty fussy baby, but I think he would have been fine. I catered to him too much and now that all my friends are on their second child, I see how much happier these babies that have had "no choice , but to go with the flow" are! If you can afford it, I would definitely stay at the Poly, GF, or CR. It's so worth it with a little one! I would get up very early (all babies do anyway) and hit MK. Then when baby is getting tired, start heading back to the resort. By the time you've strolled all the way to your room, he might be asleep. I would then park the stroller and just let him sleep, if moving him would wake him up. You and your DH can then nap or take turns walking around the resort or swimming (that will be a great break for you guys!) Epcot was wonderful in the evening with our 4 yo. Have a relaxing dinner (Garden Grill was the best) and then take in the parade. TOD is beautiful!!! Relax! You will have the best time and YES, stay on the monorail!!!!

 

[CherylA]

The Polynesian sounds like the best choice if I can afford it. I'll have to keep my eyes open for discounts and start saving!

Thanks again,
Cheryl

 

[addieh]

We are planning a trip for when our baby is 11 months old. We have no other children.

Hi!! We are going to Disney with our 11 month old, and also have no other children. We will be there Feb. 09-15. WE are trying to make things really easy, and still be able to enjoy our trip. Let me know if you have alredy gone, and have some good advice, or are still planning to go.



Andrea

 

[CherylA]

Hi Andrea,

I would be going in May of 03 with our 11 month old. I am pregnant now and we're trying to plan our next trip. From the talks I've had with people I'm considering maybe Dec of 02 instead when our baby will be 6 months. I've been told they sleep more and are a little easier to handle at that age. I would love to hear some feedback from you when you return from your trip on how it was. I guess a lot will depend on the personality of the child. Have a wonderful time. I look forward to some pointers, I'm sure you'll learn a lot!


Cheryl

 

[Jennifoofoo]

We went to Disney World in November with our DS who turned one on the trip. We stayed at the YC and we loved it. It had great access to Epcot, MGM and the Boardwalk. The only time we needed to take the bus was either to MK or DD. It wasn't too bad. What we liked about the YC was that we had a lot of evening choices of either Epcot or the Boardwalk restaurants or even YC/BC restaurants since the other parks closed early. The size of the room was great. We were able to fit a full sized crib and a pack in play in the room. We even left the stroller up! We would take him back to the room to nap or he would fall asleep in the stroller. I recommend that you bring your own, one that reclines fully! At night, we would just watch tv after he had fallen asleep.

 

[MinnieGi]

Just wanted to tell you we had a blast with our 14 month old DD. Definetly stay at a monorail resort - you can't beat pushing the stroller onto the monorail. We stayed at WL and you can also just push your stroller onto the boat to MK but do have to fold the stroller for visits to other parks. Next visit we will also probably go to a monorail hotel.

Just my opinion - but I think I'd rather take an 11 month old to the parks than a 6 month old. At 11 months they are eating mostly table foods and have fewer nursing or bottle sessions. They can also handle more of the visual stimulation that will assault them at the parks. At 11 months old baby can interact more with characters and people around her. I'm sure you'll have a good time either way - however I just felt at 11 months I had more free time from the "baby" necessities.

Also we found naps and bedtime to be no problem. She was so tired from all the activity that she would crash immediately in bed and sleep soundly till morning. In the morning DD would wake up and start banging on her stroller to tell us she was ready for more fun!!!! Definetly bring you own comfy reclining stroller - this let DD take a little nap if she needed in the parks. Believe me, at home my DD is NOT a napper - but she had little problem sleeping b/c of all the activity.

We found it to be a very enjoyable trip! Have fun planning.

Gi