6 year olds first trip

[Jhondy210]

I'm taking my 6 year old niece, with out her parents but with my mom (her grandma) on her first trip to WDW in Sept. My guess is this will probably be her only trip to WDW so I'm trying to make it as special and magical as possible. I realize that she will be overly excited just to be there but she is only young once so I want to make the trip even more special. Obviously, there are a lot of things that can be added to a Disney trip to make it better but I can't afford to do everything nor do we have the time to do everything. Our plan is to get to Disney in the evening on a Sunday and we would be leaving in the morning of a Friday. Since we have 4 days of park days my plan is to do EP and AK once and then be at MK twice and not do HS at all. At HS I think she would like the Frozen show, Toy Story Ride, and Little Mermaid show but I can't think of much else she would enjoy and I'd rather do two days at MK.

I do not have kids nor have I taken a kid to their first trip at WDW. So, my question is, if you could only pick one or two special things for a 6 year old girl to do during her first, and probably only, trip to WDW, what would you choose and why?

 

[MMR76]

A meal with princesses either at Cinderella's Royal Table or Akershus.

 

[AuntDJ]

If you have the funds or are on the dining plan, then those meal are great ways to meet the girls. If you don't then meet and greets in the park are great. I took my nieces at 6 and one was 8; We did the autograph books but now that everyone is older, we have no clue where those are, so I like some of the other ideas I have seen (photo mats, pillow cases). I took different color sharpies and they loved picking a different color for each day.
Pressed pennies were a huge hit too. I feel like you need to be prepared to let her lead you and set the pace.

Most of all.....it will be so great to view the magic through her eyes! Have fun!!

 

[cassie58]

I would agree with a princess meal. The CRT brft in the castle is a very cool experience, to be inside the castle and meet princesses. It is expensive, but brft will be the cheapest meal there. It is hard to get reservations since people can start making them at 180 days out, so if you want to try it you should try to call or go online and see if there are any available for your dates, and if not you can keep trying. You do have to pay up front, but can cancel up to 48 hrs. before and get a refund. Are you planning to stay on property? If so, they often have free dining packages in Sept. that you can book(they have not been announced yet this yr.), and then you could use credits to pay for the meal (it is a 2 credit meal), and get a refund if you had prepaid. You could also book other fun character meals for her if you had that plan.

There is also the Bibbidy Bobbidy Boutique in the castle where they can get hair and makeup done by a fairy godmother. The basic package is about $60, and she could bring her own dress if she has one for dress up or Halloween at home, or special outfit if you wanted to do it before the meal in the castle. You would also need to reserve this, and could call the Disney line for that as soon as possible as it gets booked up too. Not sure about your budget, just wanted to throw it out there. There is also a pirate/mermaid makeover at Pirates League near POC ride. That is a little cheaper, if she is more into that or you can't get the BBB, and she'd like to do the mermaid one. My DD did the mermaid and brought a pretty teal dress with us, and went to meet Ariel int the grotto after hers.

You can also do many meet and greets with her fave princesses and characters around the parks. There are many of them in MK and Epcot where you will be. My kids loved getting autographs and photos with their faves, and loved the special attention they would pay to them. You can get the times guide at the park to see where they will be that day.

 

[Jhondy210]

I currently have BBB booked at the castle for one of our MK days cause I figured I'd rather book it now and then cancel if I choose not to do it then try to get BBB booked later if we decide to do it.

I didn't like CRT or Akershus when we took a different niece there when she was younger. The food wasn't that great and it felt rushed. So, I'm looking more for activities like BBB, pirate/mermaid make-over, the pirates cruise or any other special kid activity that I haven't thought of.

 

[cassie58]

Glad you already got BBB! She will love it! I know you didn't want to do CRT or Akershus, but I don't know if you've ever tried 1900 PF at the Grand Floridian. They do a Cinderella dinner with Cinderella, the Prince, stepmother, and stepsisters. They are all really in character and very entertaining. Cinderella and the Prince come out and dance, and the kids can join in. They of course come around to the table to meet and greet as well. It is a buffet so lots of food choices, and you can jump right on the monorail to get there. We did this the last trip on the day we had her BBB done for an early dinner, and then came back in for the evening. You could also do lunch at BOG to go into Beauty and the Beast's castle, and that is a counter service meal, where you can order what you want off the menu without a set price.(but you do need a reservation). It is cool to go in and walk around the three rooms, then you choose your seat and they bring the food to your table. It is a also a nice air conditioned break from the heat. I think the pirate/mermaid makeover on your other MK day will be great as well.

 

[ColonialMouse]

I'm not a fan of BBB though our daughters love it. Find out her favorite characters and try to get meals with them. You may not know who captain jake is, but if she does she will value Hollywood and Vine more than a lot of others.

At 6 our girls didn't necessarily like the big headliners. Figment in the imagination Pavilion at Epcot was a bigger hit than Fantasmic (too scary)

Best thing I've learned is not to push too hard. They get tired at that age. Let them try things, and of course do your best to avoid lines.

Bruce

 

[Jhondy210]

I'm not a fan of BBB though our daughters love it. Find out her favorite characters and try to get meals with them. You may not know who captain jake is, but if she does she will value Hollywood and Vine more than a lot of others.

At 6 our girls didn't necessarily like the big headliners. Figment in the imagination Pavilion at Epcot was a bigger hit than Fantasmic (too scary)

Best thing I've learned is not to push too hard. They get tired at that age. Let them try things, and of course do your best to avoid lines.

Bruce

Figment is one of my favorites so I know we will be hitting that ride up. She is kind of out of the Disney Junior stage. I plan on doing the majority of our fast passes for meet and greets. I also planned to have our meals at lunch time versus dinner so we can enjoy the park in the am, take a rest by eating lunch, enjoy more of the park in the pm and go back to the hotel when she gets tired. We are planning on taking things slow for her and just enjoying the parks, which is why this will be the first time we don't get park hoppers (unless free dining comes out and requires it again).

 

[Jhondy210]

Glad you already got BBB! She will love it! I know you didn't want to do CRT or Akershus, but I don't know if you've ever tried 1900 PF at the Grand Floridian. They do a Cinderella dinner with Cinderella, the Prince, stepmother, and stepsisters. They are all really in character and very entertaining. Cinderella and the Prince come out and dance, and the kids can join in. They of course come around to the table to meet and greet as well. It is a buffet so lots of food choices, and you can jump right on the monorail to get there. We did this the last trip on the day we had her BBB done for an early dinner, and then came back in for the evening. You could also do lunch at BOG to go into Beauty and the Beast's castle, and that is a counter service meal, where you can order what you want off the menu without a set price.(but you do need a reservation). It is cool to go in and walk around the three rooms, then you choose your seat and they bring the food to your table. It is a also a nice air conditioned break from the heat. I think the pirate/mermaid makeover on your other MK day will be great as well.

I thought about doing GF but I don't like that they don't have lunch times for it! The last day of our trip, I have a 7pm reservation for BOG (I'm hoping to get an earlier reservation for like 4pm) and on our other MK day I have BBB booked for 4:50pm (it was the only time they had left for in the castle on that day) and that night is when I'm contemplating whether to do the Halloween Party or not. I'm not sure if that would be too much for her in one day.

I plan to make her a bag of goodies before we leave so she has something to do on the plane but will also put things in the bag like pins so she can try trading pins.

 

[aimes0105]

It sounds to me like you have a good handle on the things she'd enjoy in the parks. At that age, most kids want some time at the resort pool, don't forget some time for that.

 

[akfan513]

I agree with your park choices and second the Cinderella's Royal Table. Especially if you are short on time that is a great way to meet a lot of princesses without waiting in line. I will say that my girls favorite princess to meet at MK is Merida. At AK, don't miss the shows! Lion King and Neimo are great! At Epcot, just in case you hadn't heard, Joy and Sadness as well as Baymax are there now. While I have never done it, I have heard a lot of great things about Pick a Pearl as a cool experience there as well. The good news is no matter what you do, it will be magical!

 

[Paigevon]

You can order a pearl cage (We got Cinderella's Coach) on amazon or etsy much cheaper than at Epcot if you decide to try pick a pearl! Also, a tip I've heard: pick the ugliest oyster!

What meal did you try fo Akershus? I've heard breakfast is better if you want more traditional food choices.

Does she like Mickey and the gang? A Tusker House meal at AK or Garden Grill at Epcot may be fun for her.

1900 PF also has an afternoon Tea Party with Alice and the White Rabbit for kids, parents can hang around or leave for 2 hours and return.

 

[joannamet]

When DD was 6 she loved characters so the autograph book and character meet and greets were a big deal. She also liked (and still likes) pins so a lanyard and pins to trade were fun.

 

[cassie58]

I thought about doing GF but I don't like that they don't have lunch times for it! The last day of our trip, I have a 7pm reservation for BOG (I'm hoping to get an earlier reservation for like 4pm) and on our other MK day I have BBB booked for 4:50pm (it was the only time they had left for in the castle on that day) and that night is when I'm contemplating whether to do the Halloween Party or not. I'm not sure if that would be too much for her in one day.

I plan to make her a bag of goodies before we leave so she has something to do on the plane but will also put things in the bag like pins so she can try trading pins.

Sounds great ! The pins are a great idea! My DD started trading at that age, and is 12 now and still loves it!

 

[blemon]

I also planned to have our meals at lunch time versus dinner so we can enjoy the park in the am, take a rest by eating lunch, enjoy more of the park in the pm and go back to the hotel when she gets tired. We are planning on taking things slow for her and just enjoying the parks

This is exactly what we're doing. Glad to see it seems like a good plan. Our daughter is about the same age.

 

[blemon]

You can order a pearl cage (We got Cinderella's Coach) on amazon or etsy much cheaper than at Epcot if you decide to try pick a pearl!

Again, thanks so much for this tip! I just found one on ebay for $11 total and will surprise her with it at Epcot. She will love doing this and loves jewelry.

 

[Paigevon]

Again, thanks so much for this tip! I just found one on ebay for $11 total and will surprise her with it at Epcot. She will love doing this and loves jewelry.

Happy to help!

 

[Shanti]

I'm taking my 6 year old niece, with out her parents but with my mom (her grandma) on her first trip to WDW in Sept. My guess is this will probably be her only trip to WDW so I'm trying to make it as special and magical as possible. I realize that she will be overly excited just to be there but she is only young once so I want to make the trip even more special. Obviously, there are a lot of things that can be added to a Disney trip to make it better but I can't afford to do everything nor do we have the time to do everything. Our plan is to get to Disney in the evening on a Sunday and we would be leaving in the morning of a Friday. Since we have 4 days of park days my plan is to do EP and AK once and then be at MK twice and not do HS at all. At HS I think she would like the Frozen show, Toy Story Ride, and Little Mermaid show but I can't think of much else she would enjoy and I'd rather do two days at MK.

I do not have kids nor have I taken a kid to their first trip at WDW. So, my question is, if you could only pick one or two special things for a 6 year old girl to do during her first, and probably only, trip to WDW, what would you choose and why?

1. Meeting Anna & Elsa
2. Mickey's Backyard BBQ
3. A horseback ride at Fort Wilderness
4. Sea Raycer ride around the lake
5. Hot air balloon ride at Disney Springs
6. Disney mini-golf
7. Cirque de Soleil

 

[LBlovesM&WDW]

Being an aunt is so much fun, just not for our wallets. My mom and I started taking my niece for her 7th birthday, my H joined in and our last trip with her, we celebrated her 16th. Over the years we have done the princess tea (really expensive, but oh so memorable), all the princess and character meals, the albatross cruise at GF, Mad Hatter Tea Party, BBB, and the Family Magic Tour (fun activity for all of us with a special M&G at the end).

 

[bridgetmck]

BBB, and the Family Magic Tour (fun activity for all of us with a special M&G at the end).

Sorry to hijack....but how was this tour? I JUST signed up for it for the end of April. Would love more info.