Disney, Day 6 (Wrap-up)

Confused? Check out Disney, Day 1

LAST HURRAH
Despite the clouds hovering and 11am check-out looming, we decided to give the pool one quick visit.

They have free life-vests in kid sizes and lifeguards walking the perimeter -- reminders of how kid-friendly Disney tries to be.

The Art of Animation (AofA) family suite was a perfect fit for us this time. We could put the boys to bed in the bedroom and stay up past 8 ourselves! They found wrestling irresistible in the big bed until I rolled up a blanket to create a line down the middle of the bed. They asked me to recreate this line each night. They also had their own bathroom, so there was no reason for them to leave their domain (or for us to invade it) after bedtime. :)

Meanwhile Josh and I had the kitchenette, sofabed, TV, and our own full bathroom. If Isaac had been with us, he would've been in the pack-n-play in the boys' bathroom (it fits), but thankfully that wasn't necessary. And since we didn't have to come back for diaper blow-outs or naps or wrangle a double stroller, the bus/car/tram and lack of washer/dryer were not a problem (vs last year). I'd still recommend the Bay Lake Tower if you can swing it (especially if you have a baby with you!), but since this year it was double the price, we went with AofA.

THAT OTHER GUY
So why didn't we need a pack-n-play? Where was that other kid of ours? With Gigi Stewart! Living. it. up.

When I sent her pics of the boys on a ride, she sent me pics of Isaac tootling around the kitchen on his trike. When I sent pics of late-night fireworks, she told us he was sound asleep. I loved the updates -- and especially knowing how much happier he was with grandma's full attention and a predictable routine than he could have been dragging around a bunch of theme parks. #winwin And never fear, I'm sure he'll get his turn someday. #DisneyDiehards

IN TRANSIT
It's a whole new world when you don't have a baby/toddler on your lap. I have a seen the future, and it is EASIER. When our flight was delayed on the way home, the boys got to play a little longer. THEY GOT TO PLAY A LITTLE LONGER. That's it. No stress about the shortage of baby food or expiring of milk or lack of nap or impending tantrum. It was amazing.

On the flight itself, they only used half the toys/books I'd brought because they were busy choosing their in-flight drinks, turning their cups/lids/straws into good guys, bad guys, and spaceships, and then making Pinocchio noses out of rolled up stickers... #boysarefun

(Aside: The one thing I try to always bring on flights is dum-dum lollipops, and I did pull those out before our descent on 2 of the 4 flights when they were starting to get cranky and their ears were hurting.)

The whole experience made it a little bit easier to see our baby growing up way too fast.

We are so glad we went, and we look forward to doing it again -- hopefully when Isaac is 4 (if Josh doesn't contrive a reason to go sooner - perhaps to see the American Adventure?).

BEST AGE
Speaking of 4, there are lots of opinions about the best age for kids to visit Disney, and they're probably all right for the family expressing them. Here's mine. We have taken boys at ages 6mo, 9mo, 2.5yrs, 3.5yrs, 4.5yrs, 5.5yrs, and 6.5yrs. My favorite age so far is 4.5yrs, because he...

1. Understood where we were going enough to get excited about it.
2. Was potty-trained enough to "hold it." 
3. Didn't need naps and could stay up till 9pmET.
4. Didn't need special equipment (pack-n-plays, high chairs, diapers, or bottles) beyond an umbrella stroller.
5. Could eat or drink anything on his own from regular cups and plates. 
6. Was tall enough to ride whatever he wanted (40"+).
7. Was mature enough not to get scared by everything. 
8. Still felt the unabashed joy and magic of meeting his favorite characters and seeing them "come to life."

We still all had a great time when the boys were 2.5-6.5 (and 2.5 is nice 'cause they get into the park for free!), and Isaac was pretty easy hangin' in my Ergo at 6mo, but if I were just to pick one age in early childhood, it would be 4. My toughest was definitely when we took a sensitive 9mo-old without an Ergo and stayed too far from the MK, but even then, at least he was free.

Well that about wraps it up! At least, until next time. :)