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Post by tara595 on Aug 7, 2017 20:11:20 GMT
Hi all, I've been to Disney a bunch of times, but this will be the first time with kids! I'm a DVC member and we're going President's week and staying at the boardwalk. My son will be 3.5 and my daughter will be 1.5. I know Sunday and Monday will probably be super crowded at the parks so we might just stay at the pool those days. I can start making dinner reservations on the 8/21 so I need to start planning. My parents will be with us for a few days as well. Any tips/advice? I'll take anything!
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Post by Basket1lady on Aug 7, 2017 20:52:42 GMT
Take it at their pace. Take naps. Swim. Eat on their normal schedule. Don't try to see and do everything. The time will be more magical and manageable if the kids aren't worn out and cranky.
My kids were 4 & 6 when they went to Disneyland. DD (4) was convinced that she was afraid of all the rides, so we mostly did the princess story time and rode Dumbo. Somewhere on Main Street we ate lunch at a little cafe that served a make-it-yourself peanut butter and jelly sandwich. She loved that she got to make the sandwich herself and add mini chocolate chips and mini marshmallows. DD wore her Cinderella costume everywhere, every day, and cast members would come up to her and talk to her like she really was Cinderella. DD would ride around in her stroller, in her costume, waving like the queen to her subjects. It was really adorable. We did a few ride swaps with DH. DS and DH did a lot on their own and they had a blast.
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Post by deafpea on Aug 7, 2017 20:57:09 GMT
My family just went to Disneyland at the beginning of summer. A couple of things:
1. Be there right when the gates open. You can ride on quite a few rides before the lines get really long.
2. If you plan to go on popular rides, get a FastPass (if available) before getting in line for another popular ride.
3. Take a break in the middle of the day. We left around 2 pm and came back about 6. That was perfect for us to relax, eat, nap, and regain our energy for the evening.
4. Take your own snacks and drinks. I had a backpack with water bottles and a small bag of snacks for everyone.
Have fun!
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momto4kiddos
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,151
Jun 26, 2014 11:45:15 GMT
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Post by momto4kiddos on Aug 7, 2017 20:58:45 GMT
That's a school vacation week up in New England, which I believe makes it a busier time there (or did years ago.)
I agree, take it at their pace and make sure you have strollers for even for the 3.5 year old.
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Post by brookeq on Aug 8, 2017 0:19:56 GMT
When my kids were little they always woke up early. so we took advantage. We booked the breakfast at crystal palace (with pooh characters) before the park opened. I love getting the picture with the castle and no one else in it. and we usually finished right at park opening and avoided the crazy mad rush. We have done this at all of the parks (not all the same trip). We had character breakfasts at each park before they opened. Disney jr at hollywood studios. Tusker house at Animal Kingdom. The princess breakfast at Epcot. My sister works for disney so we took the money we saved on her hotel discount for stuff like this. We bought fun things like glow bracelets and necklaces at the dollar store and gave them in the parks. We found quiet areas at nap time (usually a little past nap time so they would be extra tire) and covered their stroller and pushed them around until they fell asleep. There is a walking path that goes from fantasy land and goes behind tomorrow land (it kind of follows the train). In Epcot we pushed the kids over the bumpy walkways in the back of england. If they fell asleep we would stay at the park and enjoy the day. After the nap we would stay until dinner and then head out. If they didn't nap we went back to hotel and napped and went back later if we felt up to it. Use the rider swap if you want to ride some bigger rides that the kids can't do. My kids loved anything that sprayed water. use those for breaks  I am sure i will think of more later. My kids are 6 and 8 so its been awhile since they were that young. But we went often since my sister works there. |
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Post by underwatermama on Aug 8, 2017 0:29:21 GMT
My kids were 4 & 6 when they went to Disneyland. DD (4) was convinced that she was afraid of all the rides, so we mostly did the princess story time and rode Dumbo. Sounds like my life one trip with a then-2 year old. Only it was the dolly boats (Small World) and that Jellyfish ride at CA Adventure. |
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Post by epeanymous on Aug 8, 2017 0:59:16 GMT
It is cooler and less crowded in the parks in the AM, so we try to get there early. Bring or rent a double stroller. Get fast passes.
The other advice I have is to ease your kids in with things that aren't likely to freak them out. Meeting characters is awesome, but some kids really get unnerved, and then you have a kid screeching every time they see one for the rest of the day. Pick the Snow White ride because it has a short line at the beginning of the day, and you may have a kid who refuses to ride anything dark for the rest of the day. Try to start with low-key stuff--maybe the Dumbo ride or It's a Small World, and build to other things as they get used to the park.
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FurryP
Drama Llama
To pea or not to pea...
Posts: 6,956
Site Supporter
Jun 26, 2014 19:58:26 GMT
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Post by FurryP on Aug 8, 2017 2:54:49 GMT
Seriously, I think there needs to be Disney planner, just like there are wedding planners. I haven't been to Disney in years. And from all these Disney posts, I am afraid to!  |
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Post by betty on Aug 8, 2017 4:40:53 GMT
Book a breakfast before park opening at Magic Kingdom at Be Our Guest. You can enter the park early (arrive 30 at least before your reservation time!) and walk down Main street without crowds. Best photo ops!! The first day we did it was rainy and the photos were awesome with reflections on the wet pavement & few people around. At Be our Guest you can just order what you want...like two cupcakes and a cup of coffee  , instead of a huge buffet where you feel pressured to eat a lot. If you want a photo with Ariel walk right over after Be Our guest when the park opens. We did it twice without any line and got great photos. |
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Post by crazy4scraps on Aug 8, 2017 5:58:43 GMT
Our DD was 4 when we went last. My advice is to work with your kid's early bird or night owl tendencies. My kid is and always has been a night owl. I should have taken that into account and I didn't. Big, BIG mistake. Here I planned for the extra magic early open hours, thinking she would be so excited to get up and get going in the mornings. Yeah, NO. Those hours were a total waste because neither she nor DH got up before 9:00 am and we never got to the parks until 11:00 am. I would have been much better off going with the later extended magic hours, which I didn't realize until we were closing down the park at night with a very lively kid during the Very Merry Christmas Party! I won't make that mistake again, it will be all late night magic hours for us when we go again.
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Post by papercrafteradvocate on Aug 8, 2017 11:08:24 GMT
Don't go! Lol We were always warned "not to go" with ones that little, lol... Hubby literally carried the 4 yr old most of the day when we went to Disney  |
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Post by Scrapbrat on Aug 8, 2017 11:36:57 GMT
Here is my best tip for little kids. And unless you have little kids, this may be something you never noticed. Many quick service places at the parks have peanut butter in little cups ON THE CONDIMENT BAR, and often jelly, as well. So if you have a picky eater, order a plain bun or a couple of slices of bread, and you can make them a pbj sandwich for practically nothing. Also, one of the great things about staying at the Boardwalk is being able to walk to two parks. But, be aware that with either a toddler walker or pushing a stroller, it probably won't be super quick, and if you're trying to make it to opening at Epcot, you'll have to also walk all the way through the park to get to Future World (because you enter at the International Gateway).
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Post by tara595 on Aug 8, 2017 12:16:27 GMT
Thank you for all of this - so many things I wouldn't have thought of!
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Post by pinkgreen on Aug 8, 2017 14:16:03 GMT
Check out dixiedelights.com
Amanda has a big Disney section on her blog and has recently become a travel agent that specializes in Disney.
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Post by caspad on Aug 8, 2017 15:12:51 GMT
Seriously, I think there needs to be Disney planner, just like there are wedding planners. I haven't been to Disney in years. And from all these Disney posts, I am afraid to! There are! Lots of Disney travel agents who will help you plan your trip, make your reservations for dinner, keep track of new offers to save you money on hotels, and recommend things based on your interests. (And they do not charge a fee, they are compensated by Disney) Amy Harrison at Wishdrawals Travel has small kids and has some planning advice on her blog, Merryweather's Cottage. MouseFanTravel also has some planning information. The Touring Plans website is good too. |
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Deleted
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Apr 28, 2024 7:34:54 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Aug 8, 2017 15:17:16 GMT
I'll be the first one to recommend disboards.com. There are so many helpful tips there, but here are some ones that I follow religiously.
1) Do Magic Kingdom last if you're going to visit the other parks.
2) Since you're staying at DVC, take advantage of extra magic hours, especially those in the morning.
3) Buy one of the books or subscribe to one of the touring plans. It's a lifesaver. You can choose a park strategy with young children and it helps you accomplish all the things you want.
4) The worst thing for everyone at WDW is cranky, overtired kids. Don't do it all and try to follow a schedule. Allow for nap time to recharge and relax.
5) When ours were little, we tried to book a character breakfast each day. That way we had a big meal to start the day and didn't have to spend a lot of time chasing down characters. Of course, yours are at ages that characters may be scary, so you might not want to do this.
6) Many WDW resorts will allow you to ship a box to your resort with diapers and necessities. It beats paying luggage fees for it.
7) If you're flying to Orlando, get a car service that will stop at a grocery store and buy bottled water, etc. It beats paying park prices.
8) Invest in a good double stroller and put a special tag or ribbon on it so you can easily identify it in stroller parking areas.
9) Decide which rides, shows or events are your priority. Don't do everything.
10) Use your magic bands and book fast passes early.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Apr 28, 2024 7:34:55 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Aug 8, 2017 17:05:38 GMT
There's wine in Epcot.
Needed when taking 13 yo twins and a 3 year old.
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Post by crazy4scraps on Aug 8, 2017 17:12:21 GMT
When we stayed at a friend's DVC unit, we didn't know you could preorder groceries online to be delivered to your unit but you needed to place the order a week or more in advance. Next time we go, that's what we'll do and make sure we have the stuff our kid likes to eat right there. It sure beats wasting a ton of money on restaurant meals for little kids that only ends up being thrown away.
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Post by brookeq on Aug 8, 2017 21:32:28 GMT
I forgot to add that other than character meals we didn't really order food for our kids. My kids would like the hamburger and not the fries or sides so they were always still hungry. Since we had the stroller we packed small soft cooler with food and snacks. It was too annoying buying expensive not so great food and then they wouldn't eat it. We packed yogurts, sandwiches, pretzels with the small hummus packs, fruit snacks, etc.
Any food service station will give you a free glass of ice water without having to buy anything.
Check out the disboards. I get all of my disney planning info there.
I also use a crowd calendar to help me decide what park to go to each day.
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FurryP
Drama Llama
To pea or not to pea...
Posts: 6,956
Site Supporter
Jun 26, 2014 19:58:26 GMT
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Post by FurryP on Aug 8, 2017 23:01:59 GMT
caspad, I can book my own hotels, and meals, I was thinking more along the lines of a planner for stuff like @gobananas posted. ) Do Magic Kingdom last if you're going to visit the other parks. 2) Since you're staying at DVC, take advantage of extra magic hours, especially those in the morning. 3) Buy one of the books or subscribe to one of the touring plans. It's a lifesaver. You can choose a park strategy with young children and it helps you accomplish all the things you want. 4) The worst thing for everyone at WDW is cranky, overtired kids. Don't do it all and try to follow a schedule. Allow for nap time to recharge and relax. 5) When ours were little, we tried to book a character breakfast each day. That way we had a big meal to start the day and didn't have to spend a lot of time chasing down characters. Of course, yours are at ages that characters may be scary, so you might not want to do this. 6) Many WDW resorts will allow you to ship a box to your resort with diapers and necessities. It beats paying luggage fees for it. 7) If you're flying to Orlando, get a car service that will stop at a grocery store and buy bottled water, etc. It beats paying park prices. 8) Invest in a good double stroller and put a special tag or ribbon on it so you can easily identify it in stroller parking areas. 9) Decide which rides, shows or events are your priority. Don't do everything. 10) Use your magic bands and book fast passes early. I need a planner, so I can just go and enjoy. 
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Post by MissBianca on Aug 9, 2017 2:06:14 GMT
I've gone with little kids and it's fine as long as you listen to their needs. Lots of breaks, not going commando. Rent or bring a stroller.
Don't leave anything in the stroller, it will get stolen even the diaper bag.
The best thing I did was pack pajamas and I changed them before we left the park for the night. Guaranteed they will fall asleep before the bus rolls out.
Don't push character meet and greets. My son would not go to a character until after he saw Prince Charming.
Best piece of advice though is enjoy seeing Disney through their eyes!
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Post by hop2 on Aug 9, 2017 2:18:12 GMT
We did planned character breakfasts at the earliest seating they had. Did each ones favorite thing first.
Then did parks til lunch
Had lunch most days out of the parks
Went back to room torest after lunch
Then hit the park again after rests or naps
Had reservations for dinners
We spent every 3rd day bumming around out of parks just doing other stuff.
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Post by Darcy Collins on Aug 9, 2017 2:21:00 GMT
I've gone with little kids and it's fine as long as you listen to their needs. Lots of breaks, not going commando. Rent or bring a stroller. Don't leave anything in the stroller, it will get stolen even the diaper bag. The best thing I did was pack pajamas and I changed them before we left the park for the night. Guaranteed they will fall asleep before the bus rolls out. Don't push character meet and greets. My son would not go to a character until after he saw Prince Charming. Best piece of advice though is enjoy seeing Disney through their eyes! Ok I have to confess. The only meaning I know of going commando relates to the wearing of underwear. I'm guessing you're using it in another context - or perhaps not, as I do think the wearing of underwear is perhaps helpful in this context. |
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Post by Darcy Collins on Aug 9, 2017 2:32:02 GMT
My advice is to book a hotel you don't mind hanging out at. We went when ours were 3 and 4. It was actually pretty fun - other than the insane heat and humidity of Florida in June. But there were definitely times when they were DONE with the parks. We stayed at the Beach Club and it was a great location for just hanging out and eating ice cream or enjoying an adult beverage in the afternoon when they needed some downtime.
Go slow - figure out what YOUR kid are interested in - and be flexible. You're not going to see it all, you're not going to hit all the rides - your kids are little and fundamentally DON'T CARE - especially your youngest. I think we put way too much pressure on these trips and then are stressed out and disappointed. Your kid may be happy spending half the day on Sawyer's Island and refuse to approach a single character - that's okay.
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Post by papercrafteradvocate on Aug 9, 2017 10:41:47 GMT
Also, I know my sister took her girls (both under 8) to one of the hotels with fun water park like stuff outside of Disney (the name escapes me) and they had so much fun that they never actually went into Disney!
(Maybe nickeloden?)
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Post by terri on Aug 9, 2017 10:47:29 GMT
I took my kids by myself when they were just a little older. This is exactly the advice I would give: My family just went to Disneyland at the beginning of summer. A couple of things: 1. Be there right when the gates open. You can ride on quite a few rides before the lines get really long. 2. If you plan to go on popular rides, get a FastPass (if available) before getting in line for another popular ride. 3. Take a break in the middle of the day. We left around 2 pm and came back about 6. That was perfect for us to relax, eat, nap, and regain our energy for the evening. 4. Take your own snacks and drinks. I had a backpack with water bottles and a small bag of snacks for everyone. Have fun! |
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Apr 28, 2024 7:34:54 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Aug 9, 2017 15:12:28 GMT
caspad , I can book my own hotels, and meals, I was thinking more along the lines of a planner for stuff like @gobananas posted. ) Do Magic Kingdom last if you're going to visit the other parks. 2) Since you're staying at DVC, take advantage of extra magic hours, especially those in the morning. 3) Buy one of the books or subscribe to one of the touring plans. It's a lifesaver. You can choose a park strategy with young children and it helps you accomplish all the things you want. 4) The worst thing for everyone at WDW is cranky, overtired kids. Don't do it all and try to follow a schedule. Allow for nap time to recharge and relax. 5) When ours were little, we tried to book a character breakfast each day. That way we had a big meal to start the day and didn't have to spend a lot of time chasing down characters. Of course, yours are at ages that characters may be scary, so you might not want to do this. 6) Many WDW resorts will allow you to ship a box to your resort with diapers and necessities. It beats paying luggage fees for it. 7) If you're flying to Orlando, get a car service that will stop at a grocery store and buy bottled water, etc. It beats paying park prices. 8) Invest in a good double stroller and put a special tag or ribbon on it so you can easily identify it in stroller parking areas. 9) Decide which rides, shows or events are your priority. Don't do everything. 10) Use your magic bands and book fast passes early. I need a planner, so I can just go and enjoy. Thank you! I found most of these tips from reading disboards. Another tip: buy a cheap over-the-door shoe holder and take it with you. It is a space-saver and an organizational wonder for keeping small things off the bathroom counter! We use it to corral all those things you need but don't want sitting around. SaveSave |
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Post by shescrafty on Aug 9, 2017 16:06:31 GMT
I have been over that same holiday week and while a little busier it was not anything that negatively impacted our day. I would not skip 2 days at the park because of a concern over crowds those days.
If you all are early risers take advantage of extra morning hours. If you are NOT, then plan on going to the park that had EMH either the day before or night before. But if there is any way you can get to the park for EMH do it-it is well worth it!
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Post by MissBianca on Aug 10, 2017 4:54:55 GMT
I've gone with little kids and it's fine as long as you listen to their needs. Lots of breaks, not going commando. Rent or bring a stroller. Don't leave anything in the stroller, it will get stolen even the diaper bag. The best thing I did was pack pajamas and I changed them before we left the park for the night. Guaranteed they will fall asleep before the bus rolls out. Don't push character meet and greets. My son would not go to a character until after he saw Prince Charming. Best piece of advice though is enjoy seeing Disney through their eyes! Ok I have to confess. The only meaning I know of going commando relates to the wearing of underwear. I'm guessing you're using it in another context - or perhaps not, as I do think the wearing of underwear is perhaps helpful in this context. Lol commando in Disney terms means from park opening to park closing hitting attraction after attraction and no breaks. Doing extra magic hours too. Going all out and taking no breaks. Sorry!!! I'm used to speaking in Disney language, I am a moderator on a Disney forum. |
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Post by tara595 on Aug 10, 2017 13:26:41 GMT
Ok I have to confess. The only meaning I know of going commando relates to the wearing of underwear. I'm guessing you're using it in another context - or perhaps not, as I do think the wearing of underwear is perhaps helpful in this context. Lol commando in Disney terms means from park opening to park closing hitting attraction after attraction and no breaks. Doing extra magic hours too. Going all out and taking no breaks. Sorry!!! I'm used to speaking in Disney language, I am a moderator on a Disney forum. LOLOL.....I totally thought you meant the no underwear thing also, maybe because I'm in the middle of potty training DS! |
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, instead of a huge buffet where you feel pressured to eat a lot.
