First-time visit in January!

[Yellow Sub]

Our family just made arrangements to go to WDW the first week of January. We're staying at WL for five nights. We have a 5-year old and 2-year old. We plan to hit MK three days, Studios one day, and AK one day. We're starting to look into restaurants and making ADR.

Suggestions from experienced others are welcome!

 

[Dan Murphy]

Welcome to the DIS, YS, and get ready to make those lifetime, first time memories, neighbor.

One suggestion would be to switch one of the MK days to Epcot. Also, make sure you follow the weather forecasts as you get closer to the trip time. It can be very cold there in January. I go very often in early Dec, and it can be quite cold even then. More than once I have bundled up with my regular Chicago winter clothing....coat, gloves, hat, etc.

I would suggest maybe getting a subscription to TGM, discount banner ad at top of this page. Very helpful for a first-timer, as well as a seasoned vet. Less than 20 bucks.

I know you will get more thoughts from others.

 

[scrappymel]

welcome! your family will have a BLAST! i think your schedule looks great. we are going for a week soon, and plan to spend our day of arrival at epcot, but not go back. my daughter (5) just doesn't enjoy that park much, so we are limiting our time there.

some fun dining choice while in MK: cinderella's royal table (princesses), crystal palace (pooh and friends), chef mickey's (a short 5ish minute ride on the monorail to the contemporary), or 'ohana (monorail to polynesian).

fun choices at AK: tusker house breakfast w/ donald, rainforest cafe, or go over to AKL for dinner after the park at boma.

and DHS: sci fi drive in. DHS has the most limited dining. disappointing really. character dining (little einsteins) is at hollywood and vine. it gets terrible reviews. we tried it anyway last year and should have listened to everyone else! ha. daughter REALLY wanted to meet jojo (she's no longer there), but food was not good.

have a GREAT time! do lots of research, and pick a few things each day you don't want to miss. don't think you can do EVERYTHING in one trip. you'll be back! ;O)

 

[dqpowell]

Yup, switch one of those MK days to Epcot. There's plenty at Epcot to interest kids that age.

Have fun!

David

 

[micsgirl]

stick with the schedule that you have...my kids never really cared for Epcot as much as the others parks-- until they got older, however there are a lot of things at epcot that they will enjoy, but not 2 days worth...we only would stay there about 1/2 a day or so. visiting the different countries can be very boring for young children. to get a great view of the fireworks at epcot, we would get dinner about and hour and half before the fireworks start at the fast food mexican restuarant, across from San Angel Inn Mexican Restuarant, find a seat next to the water, where you will have a fantastic seat to the fireworks!

be sure to go to 'Chef Mickeys', a character breakfast, at the Contemporary--you all will love it and the food isn't bad either!

if you can, you may want to think about upgrading your tickets to the park hoppers, so that if you go to a park and wish you were not there, then you could 'hop' on over to a different park.

Birnbaum's Walt Disney World 2011and Birnbaum's Walt Disney World For Kids 2011 are great books to give you some great ideas. the 2011 books are available sept 28 on amazon or probably any book store.

the Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom, in my opinion are the best for young kids! but no matter what, it's Disney and you will have a great time....

get the books, though! lots of great info that is very helpful!

Just have fun! you're going to have a blast!

 

[kangaroodle]

I agree with other posters, change one MK day to Epcot. My kids have loved that park since they were very young, like your kids ages. There are Kidcot stations in the countrie where they make a mask at all the countries. There are characters throughout the countries and the lines to see them aren't usually as long as at MK. I'm going the same week as you. MK closes early but that might be a good thing withkids your age! A park hopper might be a good idea. Have fun! Like others have said....you'll be back!

 

[dqpowell]

stick with the schedule that you have... [...] there are a lot of things at epcot that they will enjoy, but not 2 days worth...

I think you misunderstood what the OP's schedule looks like. It has 3 days at Magic Kingdom and 1 day each at Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom. That leaves zero time at Epcot.

What I (and a few others) are suggesting is that the OP spend one day at Epcot. Since there are three Magic Kingdom days, the logical choice would be to switch one of them to Epcot, still leaving two Magic Kingdom days.

David

 

[PrincessTiffany]

Definitely make one of those MK days an Epcot day, especially for the sake of your 5 year old. My kids loved Epcot, even when they were little.

Here are some of my top WDW touring tips:

1. Make sure you have Advance Dining Reservations, the first week of January can still be quite busy.

2. Get to the parks at opening. You really can get a lot done in the morning because so many other people sleep in.

3. Eat lunch around 11:00 or 11:30 a.m. before the fast food places get busy. Then when while everyone else is eating lunch, you will have lower crowds.

4. I buy a ton of the two for a dollar ponchos at the dollar store and keep them in the backpack. That way you can throw them a way after use and not worry about keeping up with a wet bulky poncho the rest of the day. Bring throw away ponchos to wear on Kali River Rapids at Animal Kingdom, if not you WILL get soaked.

5. Other things I put in the backpack each morning are Tylenol/Motrin, small first aid kit, camera with extra batteries, small hand towel, hand sanitizer, wipes and a bottle of water.

6. Most single service items under $4.00 are considered a snack credit on the dining plan.

7. At Magic Kingdom always head to Fantasyland first, if you are not doing Fantasyland on a particular day then head to Splash Mountain first, then Big Thunder Mountain; at Epcot always ride Soarin' first and get a Fastpass for later after you get off of the ride; at Disney Hollywood Studios always ride Toy Story Mania first, then head over to Rockin' Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror; and at Animal Kingdom ride Expedition Everest First then head to the Safari.

8. Favorite fast food restaurants at MK are Pecos Bills and Cosmic Rays; favorite fast food at Animal Kingdom is Flame Tree Grill and Pizzafari.

9. If there are two lines going into an attraction, always take the line that goes to the left.

10. My best tip would have to be USE THE FASTPASS SYSTEM - it's free! Our rule of thumb is if the wait is 25 minutes or less, we wait in line. If the wait is 30 minutes or more, use a Fastpass. It is not highly publicized, but your Fastpass does not expire until the end of the day. You can never use it before the return time stamp on the pass, but you can always use it after. We try to collect Fastpasses during the early part of the day and then use them later in the afternoon when the parks become more crowded.

Click on this link and it will give you an excellent overview of Fastpass from fellow Disers Doconeil:
http://www.oinc.net/disney/fastpass.php

If you still don't understand, just let list your specific questions and there are plenty of Disers that can help you.

11. I like the Photopass. You can pre-buy it before your trip for $99.00. When you enter the parks you will see the staff photographers, they will take your pictures and give you a Photopass and you can use that for the rest of your trip. Each time you see a photographer have them take your picture and they will scan your picture. Then when you get home you can pull up the pictures, with the code they email you after purchase, and pick the photos you want on a CD. They will then mail you the CD and the copyrights to the CD and you can take them to Walmart or Walgreens or wherever and get them developed. They also have a lot of cool software that you can use to edit your photos before you have them put on the CD.

My favorite Disney planning sites are:

www.disboards.com
www.allearsnet.com
www.wdwinfo.com

 

[Dan Murphy]

I agree with other posters, change one MK day to Epcot. My kids have loved that park since they were very young, like your kids ages. There are Kidcot stations in the countrie where they make a mask at all the countries. There are characters throughout the countries and the lines to see them aren't usually as long as at MK. I'm going the same week as you. MK closes early but that might be a good thing withkids your age! A park hopper might be a good idea. Have fun! Like others have said....you'll be back!

And can't forget Turtle Talk nor Nemo.

 

[stitchlover]

Totally agree with the other posters switch one of your MK days to EPCOT. Even children 2 and 5 will enjoy it. The would probably enjoy the Kidcot locations in the World Showcase. Not too sure if they are too you for the Kim Possible activity, does anyone have any thoughts on that? My daughter is 14 and thinks she is too cool for it. I personally think it looks fun.

Enjoy your resort it is WONDERFUL! We so enjoyed our stay there.

I second the suggestion to use Photopass.

If you haven't already made your dinner reservations make your decisions and do so quickly. I just booked our reservations for March this morning. So you are definitely in your window.

As far as restaurants you didn't mention if you have boys or girls. If you have girls or at least one who would like to dine with princesses consider going to Akershus in EPCOT in Norway instead of the Castle at Magic Kingdom. It isn't as expensive and it is a lovely dining experience. A must for our family is Crystal Palace inside the Magic Kingdom. It has the Winnie the Pooh characters.

One tip: about 3-4 days before we arrive we contact Staples and have a few cases of bottled water delivered to our resort. We are big water drinkers and the bottles cost $2.50 in the parks. But you can have cases delivered to the resort for a very reasonable price. But you can always go up to a food vendor location and ask for a glass of water. They will provide you one free of charge.

ENJOY YOUR TRIP!

 

[MSSANDRA]

Yes, do one day at Epcot. We love January AND WL so your trips should great. Weather can be warm or COLD so plan ahead. Layers are great. We even wore our winter coats at night one year. Hours are shorter but so are lines! We did not take a break since hours were shorter but your kids are younger so.... The boat ride to MK is great and might be your kids favorite ride. WCC is loud but kids love it .The counter service at WL is somewhat limited choices but quite good. FW is a short boat ride away and the buffet (trails end ) is good and less expensive than some others. Plan lots of Character meals. We like doing an 8:00 in park character breakfast and then you are in the park at rope drop. Pool at WL is fun and do not rule out swimming. It can be warm and pools are heated!

 

[Pineapple Whip]

You absolutely must try the Whispering Canyon Cafe at WL. Get a little bit "difficult" with them and enjoy the show. They'll zing you, so be prepared.

 

[Yellow Sub]

Great ideas, everyone! I think we're going to look into Epcot after hearing all of those suggestions. I had written it off for us given how young our boys are, but now I think we'll give it a go.

A question...All the advice about breakfast I've heard is to eat on the run and get to the park early. I didn't realize you could do a breakfast at the park before rope drop. But we're not doing the dining plan and don't want to do too many big meals each day. If we do one big meal in a day, should we do a character breakfast instead of a character lunch or dinner? It seems making lunch the big meal of the day makes some sense.

 

[MSSANDRA]

There are pros and cons to each. First, depends on when your kids eat best. DGS does not like to eat breakfast so that is not always the best plan for us. A mid day lunch can be a great way to get a break if you are not going back to the room for a rest but you don't want to plan a lunch just as the kids are falling alseep for naps. A nice dinner just seems more special but if the kids are tired may be the hardest meal to do.
Lunch is also cheaper than dinner.
A character meal plus is also that the kids can see the characters early in the day and may be willing to skip the long line to visit during the day????