The Denny Disney Adventure of 2013

We're back, we survived, and I'll be the first to admit, Operation Walt Disney World (WDW) was a success. We loved it. All of us.

Since I was more nervous than excited beforehand, I thought I'd start with a post about why we attempted it now. Since EVERY friend I've talked to has asked for details (seems they're all planning trips to WDW), I'll include where we stayed and what we thought of it -- also because I'm pretty sure I'll be using this info again in a few years... If you have no plans to go, or if all your kids are 6+, feel free to skip the boring parts.

How It All Began

A year ago, I asked Josh how he'd like to celebrate tenure (calm down - he doesn't have it yet), and he knew immediately: Take the boys to Disney. To which I replied, What's your second choice?

We'd done Disney with a baby (see here and here), and it was not easy. I was stressed too much of that trip and not eager to do it again. But with time and negotiation, I caught some of my sweet man's enthusiasm:

• Noah (5) is the perfect age for the Star Wars and pirate rides (plus everything else).
• Aaron (3) is the perfect age for the Magic Kingdom (Toy Story, Winnie the Pooh, Peter Pan, Dumbo, etc, etc, etc).
• Isaac (6mo) is easier now than he will be for a couple more years because he's not mobile, not opinionated, and not easily scared.
• For the next few months, it would be relatively easy for my parents to join us.

So we worked out a deal...

The Deal

We would go back to Disney World this year IF we could afford to:

1. Fly there/back. With a baby nursing every 3 hours, a newly-potty-trained 3-year-old who could call for a pit stop at any moment, and 3 boys who do NOT sleep in the car, driving would require an extra night in a different hotel each way and would NOT start us on the right foot (and would cost us about $900+).

2. Stay in a 1-bedroom, so we wouldn't all keep each other awake all night.

3. At the Bay Lake Tower (BLT), where you can walk in/out of the Magic Kingdom with a stroller and no shuttles.

Booking

These were no small potatoes, so I went on the hunt for discounts, checking WDW and SWA's websites obsessively for the right room/fare to come available. If you're planning a trip, here's what I learned about WDW's discounts:

• WDW is the only broker who sells and discounts their rooms.
• The best time to book a discount room is the day the discount is announced. They reserve a block of rooms for each discount (like reward seats on airlines). Once that block is full, there may be similar rooms available, but not at the discount.
• You can cancel a room reservation with no penalties until the week of your trip, so lots of people hold or reserve rooms then later cancel (hence the fluctuations in availability).
• Disney will transfer your bags between rooms if you stay at more than one in-park resort.
• Crowds are lowest during a few scattered weeks in Sept, Dec, Jan, April, and May (see here for more detail),
• You can buy a Disney Vacation Club member's points to stay cheaper, but there's more risk involved.
• The dining plans used to be a good deal but aren't anymore (more on food in a later post).

We settled on January because Isaac would be more portable, Noah wouldn't be in kindergarten yet, and my parents could join us for the first 2 days. It was too late to get a discount BLT 1-bedroom for 4 nights, so we stayed at the Art of Animation (AoA) resort the first night and then switched (yes, I was willing to compromise).

The Resorts

Art of Animation

• ROOM: New 1-bedroom with kitchenette and 2 full baths sleeps 6 (barely) plus baby. PRO: We were able to fit Isaac's pack-n-play in the master bath. CON: You can't leave the 2 full beds in the main room open if you want to walk around or eat at a table.
• THEME: Boys liked the Cars theme, but next time I'd choose a Nemo suite because it's closer to the front (+ buses) and has a much better pool, though it may not be as quiet.
• FOOD: There's not good take-out food, so you have to bring your own to use the kitchenette.
• TRANSPORT: Needed stroller to walk from rooms to buses but then had to fold up stroller on bus (i.e. transfer everything under stroller to bags and repack on arrival at park, plus move kids). This was key as it was hard to do alone (so Josh and I couldn't leave at different times, which meant we all stayed for Isaac's naps or he missed them and melted in the park). Buses usually made 1 other stop between AoA and the parks = 30min between AoA and Hollywood Studios or Epcot (it's closest neighbors). More to Magic Kingdom. This was a killer for me.
• BOTTOM LINE: Not easy with a baby, but would be fun with kids 3+. It's like a really fun-themed basic hotel but with the advantages of staying in the park.
• FYI - The toilets here and in the parks are super loud, which led to lots of problems for us and a certain 3-yr-old. This was better at BLT.

Bay Lake Tower

• ROOM: New 1-bedroom with full kitchen and 2 full baths sleeps 5 plus baby. We fit Isaac in the master water closet, using bathroom as sound buffer. We left the queen sofabed open all the time and had plenty of space. In-room washer and dryer (SO great b/c I didn't stress over spills/accidents/blowouts, running out of clean clothes, or bringing home tons dirty). Nice big chair for nursing. Toddler high chair and pack-n-play in every suite. And great kitchen seating.
• THEME: New, contemporary, and elegant, which appealed more to Josh and I. Still, the boys preferred it because of cool amenities: the monorail, 5th-floor walkway, rooftop viewing area, a better pool*, big-screen outdoor movies, and a bonfire with unlimited marshmallows.
• FOOD: Besides the pool bar/food, you can walk a few hundred feet to the Contemporary convenience store (with food basics) and restaurants. I brought food for breakfasts and lunches but could have supplemented with the convenience store (milk, etc) and never left the park.
• TRANSPORT: We only went to Magic Kingdom from the BLT, and it was a joy. A 10-minute walk. Right past all the buses. No folding up strollers. We could go in/out separately. No wait. If we were tired, we took the monorail home (still no folding strollers and little wait). BEST FEATURE BY FAR.
• BOTTOM LINE: Lovely, fun, easy, restful, perfect for us, but no theming. This hands-down made my vacation, which meant everyone else had more fun.
• FYI - I just checked and rates for spring look much higher--nearly double--our 35% off the January rate, so season really matters here. If you're willing to risk it, you can get a deeper discount by renting a Disney Vacation Club member's points to stay at BLT.