Disneyland Florida with a one and a half year old? Is it worth it?

[darkgrn]

Hi,
I am looking for some advice for above. My husband and I have an opportunity to go to Disneyland Florida with our 1 1/2 year old son and extended family (grandparents, cousins, uncles aunties). My husband doesn't think it's worth the trip as our son will be too young to remember or enjoy it. The long haul flight and jet lag puts me off but I would have jumped at an opportunity like this before kids and always wanted to carry on doing the things from before (within reason) once we had kids.
Anyway, basically asking has anyone done this? With young kids? Would you recommend or do you think it's crazy? Any tips for long haul and deciding whether to go? Advice much appreciated x

We went with our 13 month old daughter and she absolutely loved it- far more than I could ever have imagined!

We had a villa and took lots of UK baby snacks and nappies in the suitcase with us but you can buy everything there.

She was so excited in the car everyday clapping her hands and dancing knowing we were on the way to a park. Going back in Dec and cannot wait to see her reaction this time!

I love Disneyworld and I wouldn't. Long haul with an 18mo boy is really not fun at all and I there's every chance that he won't enjoy the parks either (although you don't pay for their entry when they are that age).

We took a 16mo to Disneyland Paris with his 3,5 year old brother and the only thing he enjoyed about it was jumping in puddles. The massive characters scared him silly and he hated the queuing and most of the rides that we manage to get him on to.

If you're going with lots of extended family members, flying long haul might be easier as you can share your LO around! What time of year is it? It would put me off going with a LO if it will be scorching.

I would. There will be plenty of stuff to keep him occupied and if he's the youngest of your group then he will be constantly entertained.
You will also have the opportunity to go on rides yourself as I'm sure there will be someone to watch him for a short while (Not saying that you palm them off constantly before anyone jumps in).
We took our dd when she was 2 1/2 and the look of wonder on her face at meeting the characters was fab.

Definitely worth the trip! Like Ricekrispie22 said, when going with a lot of family it will be way less stressful. Your little one will love it. It's exhausting for everyone going to Orlando but you can take it easy and visit one park a day.
When we went we got a great tips and tricks book with the company we booked which really helped.

Definitely go, not for your son's enjoyment, but for yours! You've got free childcare for when you want to go on some of the adult rollercoasters! Not every parent gets that chance! I was longing to go on Space Mountain but had to put up with going on the Dumbo ride for the third time.

We just did it with a 4 year old and 22 month old. Both were too young for it but it was a trip with extended family and we decided to go for it. We had a fantastic time, it was definitely more for us then them and we spent loads of time at Universal going on adult rides and doing the child swap. I much preferred that to Disney!
Top tops:

1. Buy a decent cool bag or take one with you and pack with snacks and lunch so you don't have to faff around with queues and pay the park prices for food
2. Plan on going back to your accommodation for the afternoon to get away from the heat. Try to stay close to the parks
3. Accept that your child might find it all a bit overwhelming so don't force them on rides if they don't want to go on. They may just scream the whole way round (we learnt this the hard way...)

It's amazing, definitely go if you can x

I’d definitely go! More for you than your DS but he’ll still enjoy himself plus it’s a nice opportunity for him to spend time with the extended family. And if your family are so inclined you might get a few opportunities where they babysit so you can ride the big rollercoasters, go out for dinner just the two of you etc.

I travelled with my (then 15 month) daughter 1/2 way around the world for a month. We probably do long-haul alternate years. I've not been anywhere too humid plus lots of aircon.

The big pluses are:

• they don't have a huge vocabulary to express displeasure
• they sleep 10-14 hours/day
• they are cheap on planes
• they can subsist on rice cakes and whatever takes their fancy
• they won't care about the rides/get upset if they are too short to ride

Big minuses are:
-They will be having far too much fun to want to sleep on a plane
-Time zones take a while to get used to

• Kids aren't great with big temperature/humidity changes, so watch them like a hawk

I've not been to a Disney/US Theme Park, but lots of European places have a young child/swap queue so you hand over the child to your partner after one of you has been on the ride.

He will enjoy it at the time, but he won't remember it when he is older. I'd wait a few years.