It’s time for a family vacation. This year, my husband and I decided to venture to Orlando, Florida to give our 2 year old her first Disney World experience. To be perfectly honest, it was my husband’s idea, I was a little skeptical about how much there is for a 2 year old toddler to do in Orlando and the area’s family theme parks. Despite my hesitation, we booked our flight tickets and found a place to stay.

Through timeshare ownership we made reservations for a week at the Marriott Harbour Lake Resort in Orlando, Florida which happens to be right next to the Sea World Theme Park. Though we made our Orlando reservations through a timeshare, the Marriott Harbour Lake Resort has reasonable rates as do the rest of the 7 Marriott vacation resorts in Orlando, Florida and they can all be found on Bookable.com.

Stay tuned for photos from our trip. I’ll be adding them throughout the week as we enjoy the Disney and Sea World theme parks and kid friendly restaurants and eateries during our vacation in Orlando, Florida.

The great thing about my husband driving to our vacation in Orlando, Florida is that he was able to check into the resort, unload our luggage into our Marriott Harbour Lake condo (yes, condo, not just a hotel room), unpack, and hit the grocery store before heading to pick up my daughter and me from the Orlando airport, which is huge and slightly confusing, by the way. Hubby doing all the prep work made my arrival at the Marriott Harbour Lake resort a breeze as all I had to do was unpack my things which he had transported down in our SUV.

So…I mentioned that he went out in Orlando to go grocery shopping. You may be thinking who goes grocery shopping for an Orlando, Flrorida vacation?!?! Well, we do because as we mentioned, we stay in a condo rather than a hotel. You may be thinking that an Orlando condo sounds expensive, right? Well it’s not really any different price wise than staying in any decent hotel. Even if you find a resort that is a bit more expensive than staying in an Orlando, Florida hotel, there are still a number of reasons to choose the Orlando resort condo over a regular old hotel room. Many of which will save you money in the long run.

Why stay in a resort condo as opposed to an Orlando hotel? Here are a  few reasons:

1. A condo has a separate bedroom and living area so my husband and I don’t have to go to bed when the little one does. We are staying in a one bedroom Orlando Marriott Harbour Lake condo unit that has a bedroom, a large bathroom, a living room, a dining room, and a large kitchen. It is plenty of space for the three of us to stay out of each others’ hair when we need a break after hitting the Orlando theme parks all day.
2. A condo has a full kitchen allowing you to cook in a few nights which helps cut down food costs immensely because you don’t have to hit an Orlando restaurant every night. cook while on vacation in Orlando?!?! Yes. I’m not talking gourmet meals here, just quick to fix dinners: spaghetti, prepared frozen meals (many are healthy nowadays. I like the Bertolli ones), hot dogs (a kid favorite), fresh sandwiches, chicken tenders and fries,etc. You save money not going to restaurants, you can fix healthier dinners than hitting fast food joints every night, and you don’t spend an hour and a half in a restaurant. I’m traveling with a 2 year old here, remember? After a long day at the Orlando Disney Theme parks, she wants to play a little ans rest. AND…I need her to go to bed early so we can get up and go to another Disney theme park tomorrow. Cooking in allows you to move at the pace in which you desire, not the pace in which a crowded Orlando restaurant dictates to you.
3. Did I forget to mention that Orlando resort condos carefully stocked! Even the kitchen. They have all the amenities of an Orlando hotel, just more.
4. There is more space to play when your tot needs a break from the hot Orlando sun and Disney theme parks. The Grand Marriott Harbour Lake resort where we are staying even has screened in balconies on every unit so my outdoors loving daughter can go ‘outside’ to play and I don’t have to worry about buts, or about her dropping things over the side.
5. An Orlando resort condo feels more like home than a hotel does. We’re here for a week, we want to feel at home, not displaced in a cramped in a hotel room.
6. Orlando Resorts often offer great deals on cheap Orlando attractions and Disney theme park tickets. Oh, and on Orlando golf packages, my husband adds. You MAY, need to go to an ownership presentation to get the deals, but trust me, they’re worth it.
7. Orlando Resorts often have more than just the condos and a place or two to eat. Many family friendly ones will have a schedule of daily kid oriented activities, children’ play areas, multiple pools – some being more fun for kids than others.

Click on animage below to see the full photo and description of what there is for kids to do on site at the Orlando Marriott Harbour Lake resort where we are staying with our 2 year old.

]]> http://orlandoflorida.org/home-for-a-week/feed/ 0 http://orlandoflorida.org/traveling-with-a-toddler/ http://orlandoflorida.org/traveling-with-a-toddler/#comments Fri, 09 Jul 2010 10:30:34 +0000 Minnie http://orlandoflorida.org/traveling-with-a-toddler/

My husband left our home in Maryland a few days early for our family vacation to Orlando, Florida by car so he could visit and golf with a friend in Atlanta, Georgia along the way. So, I was on my own to fly with a toddler of just 2 years. AUGH!!! This could be an intimidating situation for many parents, but it doesn’t have to be if you are prepared properly for flying with a toddler. Here are a few tips to make the flight to your Orlando, Florida family vacation a success…

1. Let the little one stay up late the night before by getting them hyped up about their upcoming Orlando, Florida and Disney trip then wake the tot up at his/her usual time, or even earlier, to help ensure that sleepiness sets in by the time the plane takes off. This will increase your chance that your child will sleep on the plane, as mine did. (Some people say to give the little one a bit of Benadryl to make them sleepy for the flight – that doesn’t work on my little one – and I’m just not a fan of giving her medicine if she does not need them).
2. Get a fun backpack, with wheels for your child to wheel along so your toddler feels important with his/her own job in the airport. Only pack this backpack with fun things for your child so they can call the backpack their own. Doing so will also allow your child to find what they want, when they want without you having to dig through your bag every 5 minutes when they need something else. I bought my daughter a new Dora the Explorer (you can find her in character at Nickelodean Studios in Orlando, Florida) rolling backpack and hid it in a shopping bag – waiting to give it to my daughter until we arrived at the airport so the thrill of a new Dora backpack would keep her occupied through the security process.
3. What to pack in the backpack? In addition to some of my daughter’s favorite little toys (mini baby dolls and accessories, little stuffed animals, dress up bracelets and necklaces, I also got some Disney theme park related character toys for her :Mickey Mouse crayons, a Disney Fairies coloring book, a Minnie Mouse coloring book, and Disney Princess mini board books to read. I also packed a hat and pair of sunglasses for her to wear on the plane if she ended up in a seat where the sun was shining directly on her. Keep in mind that new items are usually more exciting and attention grabbing for a longer period of time.
4. Don’t forget your child’s lovey: favorite stuffed animal, favorite blankie, etc.
5. Snacks – and make them fun! Let this be a chance for your toddler to indulge in the snacks that you would normally say no to (cookies, chips, candy, gum – helps with ear popping). Fun and rare treats will be exciting to your toddler and hey, when in such enclosed quarters with so many strangers, you never know when you may need to whip out something great to bribe your child with! Nobody wants a meltdown on a plane 40,000 feet up in the air!
6. Portable DVD player with headphones and a few favorite DVDs. I had a couple of brand new Mickey Mouse and Disney DVDs to keep in theme with the whole Orlando, Florida family Disney vacation. Again, NEW things are exciting for longer periods of time.
7. A drink bottle with a small spout to open and close will help keep spills at bay. I got a Minnie Mouse one for my daughter to keep in theme with our family Disney trip. Just don’t forget, it must be empty to go through security so you’ll need to buy a drink before boarding to pour into the bottle.

Most importantly, don’t forget to pack your patience and lots of it. Don’t think you’re for good for bribery with a special candy if it means letting the rest of the passengers keep their sanity. And hey, you’re going to Orlando, Florida where there is Disney World, Sea World, and all kinds of other theme parks fit for a kids dreams. Chances are that there will be plenty of other children on your flight so if your child does have a meltdown, it’s likely that most people on the plane will be understanding rather than hostile. All parents know that it happens to the best of us.