Hotels.

Hotels and Kids. What a wonderful combo! Soooooo - we have an upcoming trip to Disneyworld and I never really thought through the sleeping situation.

One room, DD1 who is a night owl and goes to sleep at 10pm and DD2 who goes to sleep at 7pm (oh, and also still wakes up to nurse at night) What have you seasoned moms done on your trips?

Thx.

[Phoebe]

Oh boy is this sore subject. Hotel rooms haven't been the best experiences for us. We didn't do well staying in hotels or anywhere with sharing a room when the kids were younger. After a couple disasters, we had to start getting suites because someone was always waking up. We actually had to put the pack n play/crib in the bathroom a couple times for my middle daughter to actually sleep.

We went to Disney last year and it was too expensive to have a suite so we suffered through it by letting the kids stay up and watch TV until they fell asleep after trying to wear them out during the day. It is easier now that they are 5 and 3. DH and I split up and each take a kid.

We haven't been brave enough to travel with three kids yet.

jennifer

[migirl]

Uh-oh. We're going to have to deal with this when we go on our cruise in October.

7 nights in a teeny-tiny cruise ship cabin with an even smaller bathroom ... all with a 22-month-old.

I've already started worrying about how we're going to manage, what with DS's early bedtime (7:30ish) and afternoon naps. I think the room will be too small for DH and I to try to hang out in after DS goes to sleep, maybe we'll just have to ditch the early bedtime and see how it goes? As for naps, I've been advised by other moms to try to have him nap on-the-go ... in the stroller, car seat, etc. so we're not stuck in the room for 2-3 hours in the middle of the day. I think we'll probably try to do that.

However ... I don't feel too optimistic about how this is going to go after reading some of the responses here.

[Flynn]

For us one room is a nightmare. Nobody sleeps and the trip is basically worthless because everyone is crabby. I have NEVER had a good or okay experience in one room. Ug.

If we can't do a suite/double room experience we don't go. YES it's more expensive but in order to enjoy the trip to begin with you have to get enough sleep to function. This past summer we did a two room suite with a kitchenette. Because the hotel was set up to be a Suite hotel, it wasn't THAT much more expensive and it was PERFECT. The kids had one room...DS went to bed first....DD went to bed after he was OUT cold (unfortunately that took a fair bit of trying) and then they slept in the same room the entire night. DH and I took the other room. For naps we split them up and DH and I hung out in the "living room area." It worked. We only had one night of DS getting up at 2 and screaming. IT was a 6 day trip so those were good odds!

Someday it will be different but for now....that's how we deal.

Sleeping when you are on vacation can be very difficult to manage!!!!

[Vanquisher]

If you're going to disney, I HIGHLY recommend renting a house. You can get one close to Disney for about 100 a night, which is better than some of the hotels! You can cook your own meals, and that will save you a lot of money from eating in the parks. They have pools, and it's a good way to get your kids to leave the park to say you are going to go swim. The houses have three rooms. Just perfect.

We are going in October, and if you want, I can give you Florida Bob's info (owner of the houses - you can also google him, I think his last name was Maleski).

[PrincessFiona]

We are all about the two bedroom/suite solution.

We are too after our week in the hotel room last month!

When our kids were younger (and we had less of them ) the hotel worked only because we pretty much ditched bedtime and laid in bed watching movies/animal planet until they fell asleep. There really was no way that we could enforce bedtime AND sit up after they went to sleep to talk or watch our own shows!

With the suite, the kids could go to bed and we could have grown-up time to talk/watch tv in the living room...

Without a doubt, travel upsets kids sleeps cycles...

kris

Not encouraging.

My parents might be going with us (I reserved two rooms) but if they end up not being able to tag along, I might just keep their room anyway DH and DD1 can have a nice, large room. If we were going to the beach or mtns, I could probably manage in one room. Disney requires SO much energy during the day, though.

[DCJenn]

Heck we do a suite with just one! We threw the couch cushions on the floor next to the bed and voila- toddler bed.

We hung out in the LR/DR area, had some wine, watched some TV and dude was in jammies, teeth brushed at the regular bedtime.

We actually opened the pull-out sofa and watched TV from there since the couch cushions were occupied.

Jenn

[houseelf]

Hey, Fair Queen,

By any way are you attending the APSA meeting in Orlando at the end of May? I know this really cool family who are tagging along with their spouse for the meeting.

Kelly