Taken DC 2 + 4 to Disneyland Paris and they’re being nightmares

[Cheepcheepcheep]

Probably should have NC but sod it.

For Christmas we booked for DH, me, and DC 2 + 4 to go to Disneyland Paris. We don’t have stacks of spare cash and really prioritised this as they’re both in love with all things Disney. They’ve been talking about it all of Jan.

It’s been a bit of a disaster of a trip…

Arrived on the ferry lunchtime Monday, the kids were so good and loved the ferry. A smooth drive to an Airbnb near the park. Due to a few logistical issues with getting into the Airbnb they were late to bed (by an hour, adjusting for the time changes) but god. They were up for a further 2 hours, awful but put it down to holiday and over excitement.

Today, wake up, super excited for Disney. We get to the park and within 10m 2yo has a meltdown. Not unusual, I’ve had some concerns about ND but he was inconsolable. Then 4yo has one too. Very unusual for her. Screaming, crying, corpsing “I want to go home I don’t want to be here”. No amount of lovely chatting about Disney castle and meeting Mickey and Minnie could help. So we admitted defeat after all of 30m and went back to the Airbnb, have been here all day bar a quick trip to the supermarket for dinner (had planned to eat at the park).

They’re now “in bed” (8pm here) with a view to them sleeping nicely ready for an attempt to go back to the park tomorrow but up and down and shouting. They have their moments (which 4yo and 2yo don’t, potential ND issues aside) but I feel so defeated that we didn’t even manage to do anything, we literally walked two screaming kids up to the castle and back again. No rides, shows or even a meet with characters.

For the record I’m not a Disney adult, far from it. Frankly if they told me they wanted to go do a cultural city break I’d be delighted. I’m just gutted we’ve spent the best part of £1k (when costs are very tight) on something I know they’d love but tantrums and screaming have me on the RER in tears. DH and I being snappy with each other (albeit with appropriate apologies when it’s calmer) because we’re just so deflated and yelled out by the two kids.

4yo was apologetic about tantrum and appears to be trying to be better. 2yo doesn’t have a huge amount of language but accepts he needed to be kinder today.

Am I over optimistic? I’ve never bought into instagram parenting and accept there may be lows but god, I’d like to be one of the parents we saw today with kids of the same age who weren’t screaming so hard they had to leave.

Hiding in the Airbnb bedroom drinking a glass of wine while DH tries to settle them…

Probably just too young for Disneyland, strange as that seems. It's full on and basically just too much. They won't remember it, and are too young to appreciate it.

Glad you had a great day today as a family. As difficult as it was you have already grown so much as a parent and today got to have lovely memories which you will remember and retell for them. The story of this holiday has a chapter to it which you will laugh about as you tell it in years to come x

They're too young and they won't even remember it in a few years

I’m sorry, I just wanted to clarify this from last night. He was hitting and kicking and we talk a lot about kind hands and kind feet, when we say he knows he needed to be ‘kinder’ I mean he knows he wasn’t using kind hands and kind feet when he hurt us. Completely understand why it read like that and sorry for sounding like I was saying his tantrum was an unkind act, of course it wasn’t. Mea culpa, posting when stressed I didn’t express myself well.

I would be upset, but ai would also say they are way to young to actually enjoy a holiday.
We learnt to only book holidays that were easy for us . We only book rooms that have separate living and sleeping as otherwise you are stuck in the dark when they want to sleep. We book hotels with creches and prefer all inclusive or proper self catering as likely hood is the kids will not want to eat at the same time and not like many things on the menu.
I think disney land at age 2 is not worth it as they won't remember much of it.
Having said that you can make your current trip better. Draw a line under your old plans and now plan out the rest of the trip knowing what you now know about how much they can take. Maybe do two hours in the morning, lunch then back to the room to chill. Then out again in the afternoon to early eve.

So glad you've had a great day OP. Honestly I think 90% of the time, challenging toddler and preschooler behaviour can be put down to tiredness, hunger or overwhelm, and you had at least two in that mix going on! It was always gonna be tough with those ages but you made the best of it and it's fantastic that they enjoyed the second day.

Glad you had a better day @Cheepcheepcheep
Apologies if I missed when you're going back, but if you're on park tomorrow go on an adventure to find the dragon under the castle!

@Cheepcheepcheep ahh okay I totally get it. Sorry for jumping on you with that, too.

Oh poor you OP! They’re prob just a bit too little.
ours were 6&8 and loved it but TBH we’re still exhausted and probably won’t remember half of it!

Glad you managed to salvage the trip. Mine were 15 months and 4 when we first went, we went again the following 2 summers so it can’t have been too bad! It was summer though, I wouldn’t go in winter as I hate the cold. We did a Florida trip when they were 6 and 9 and again at 18 and 15! All disney’d out now until any grandkids! I agree about lowering expectations, and not having too rigid a plan with young kids

Sounds like a great day lots done. The parades are lovely.
It sounds like they were tired from the travel day yesterday.

Glad it went better today. Don't be put off holidays in future with ND kids, in some ways going back to the same place is a lot easier after they've done it once. My youngest was diagnosed at 6 and eldest at 18, so when I took them to Disney I wasn't aware - they were about the same ages as yours but we'd done alton towers twice by then and it didn't phase them (neither of them really have meltdowns and youngest is very laid back). I actually hated it myself but more from the practicalities of finding toilets with decent changing facilities, the delays in parades, train not being operative on the morning, characters being grumpy etc. I found it very French to be honest and not very supportive of kids in general, though this was nearly 20 years ago! We did florida about six years on (they were 11 and 9) and that was great - we got ride access passes due to the youngest not being able to queue for anything over 10 minutes and those really help. We also divide up and do 1 to 1 should there be disagreements. But generally we told them the plan in advance and they went along with it. They are very sensory seeking so I think that helps with theme parks, so I'm probably lucky that way.

For non theme park holidays we do a lot of activities, as long as they have stuff to do they are fine. Though it always helps to show them in advance, With a proviso things might not be exactly the same! It's worked for us anyway.

Airlines and holiday companies are generally helpful when they are aware - I. E. It helps to get on a plane first for example and we'd ask for rooms that were quieter.

I'm still going to theme parks regularly but now they go on all the rides and I sit with the bags!

Those are the worst ages to go on that kind of holiday I guess. It's really overwhelming.

I waited until my youngest was 8 before going and she had a bit of a meltdown at DLP on the first day. But we had lots of fun on the other days once she settled in.

Fingers crossed everything improves for you all tomorrow. I'd go in super slow. Maybe do the train first? It goes calmly around the whole site, lots of nature etc. Lots to see.

They are too young for Disney.
we took my (now 12) 5 year old for her 5th birthday, she liked 3 rides over and over, the hotel breakfast and the shops by the time we were going home she was into it. But it was overwhelming for her, which is why her little sister (4) has not been yet.

Glad you had a better day @Cheepcheepcheep

I agree 2 and 4 is probably just too young for Disneyland Paris. It’s a chaotic, crowded, overstimulating environment with a lot of walking. At that age the best holidays we did were all inclusive resort-based holidays where we just spent a week by the pool and let them play all day with no expectations of going out or being anywhere at a fixed time.

If it makes you feel better we tried a holiday when ours were really little of a boutique UK hotel. It was the worst experience. We arrived after a long drive. Walked about to lovely farmers market, kids wouldnt eat, went on the beach, tantrums and sand everywhere and buggy got stuck. Went for dinner, I drank some wine, kids kicked off in the restaurant. Went to the room at 6.30pm, kids fell asleep, then woke up at 9pm, took ages to get them off again. By that time I had a migraine from the day, had no headache tablets so downed calpol from the bottle. Finally got to sleep. The kids woke up at 5.30am and nothing was open, stuck in a tiny but beautiful boutique hotel room. We gave up and were driving home by 6am. We learnt a lot from that trip.

Speaking from experience, I don't think theme park is for young kids, they got tired very quick and become cranky. We brought our kids when they were small to Legoland, they were mad about legs, the eldest was 8 and loved it the youngest was 4 and only managed 1 hour before getting cranky. For Disney we waited that the youngest was 8 before going and we all enjoyed it.

Not at all, now I read it back in a non-stressed place I would have read it completely the same. Things feel so different when you’re not spiralling! Lesson for me here…

You definitely shouldn’t have left. We took our DCs 3 & 2 in December and they had their moments but we just went off somewhere quiet or had a snack when they got overwhelmed. You need to get them on a ride and they will be hooked. Head straight for it’s a small world tomorrow. Parent swap & fast pass as much as you can afford its worth it. Also make sure they are warm as mine turned into misery’s when cold. Hand warmers, blankets & hot water bottles in the buggy. Have a lovely time.

You’re expecting a heck of a lot from children so young. Completely out of routine, in an environment where they are supposed to be having fun but will be ridiculously over stimulated! They’re too young to have the regulation skills to manage this or the verbal skills to properly articulate how they’re feeling.

i would really try and lean into acceptance of “however this goes, it’s okay” and make the best of it, with lots of patience and compassion for your little ones. You can have a great holiday but I think you need to lower lower lower your expectations and throw and ideas of how it “should” go far far out the window

Too young for that sort of trip. Mine went at about 8 and loved it.

Much sympathy. Suggest waiting until they're older, but you already realise that. A colleague had a similar nightmare experience when they took their 2 and 4 year olds to Disney Paris. Such a sad waste of money and time for a whole load of stress .

Ill admit Ive not read further then the OP

Why the hell on earth would you take children that young to Disney?

Be honest, you booked it for yourselves, - look at us, we took the kids to Disney

Your kids are never going to remember ever going

You know you can click 'see all' on the OP and maybe then you wont look daft.