10 Year old girl *First Time at DIsney*

[SugarQuill]

I surprised my 10 (now 14) year old sister with a trip to Disney World and my advice would be to get her a Disney Gift Card with some money loaded on it.

I gave my sister one with $100 for the week long trip, and at that age, having that much money in your hand for shopping is a BIG deal. Talk about feeling like a grown up. She can walk into a gift shop and feel like shes the one making all the decisions.

Also, in the Morocco Pavilion in Epcot, they do Henna tattoos, which last about 1-2 weeks. Japan, they have a "pick a pearl" that is a WHOLE bunch of fun, and by the pools they have hair wrapping stations. All of these were things that my sister LOVED doing.

I think that if you'd like to make a reservation for something, try a "girls only" meal. I took my sister to California Grill, just the two of is, and we took in the sites before meeting up with the rest of the family. It was pretty cool.

 

[Later_Mater2009]

<----- thats me! jumping around with excitement from all these great ideas... She would love the card with the money on it, I KNOW she has never done that before..
Face painting... going to look into that one for sure. I saw some at AK but I will keep an eye out for those or find out if these are just around or in a special place..
books! love books! going to get a couple bc my 7 year old would love that too

 

[mickeygirl78]

If you think there is a chance you want to do BBB, make a reservation ahead. My sister waited until 2 months before our trip and could only get the dtd location for afternoon. You can always cancel it if you find out she isn't into that. My suggestion is to book the package with hair, makeup and nails. If she wants to dress up you can buy the dress the day before and she can go in her outfit.

I'm sure she'll have a great time at Disney! I think it's wonderful that you are taking her.

 

[kwelch10377]

Ok guys Im taking notes, this is all so helpful. Im going to start a pre trip report soon, maybe one day she and my own kids can look back at them and laugh and remember these great times!!
She is coming over Friday night for movie night, I think Mary Poppins is in order... if she opposes we will watch whatever she wants.. but I have to get her into the classics..
I may ask her about make overs and such and see what she thinks... She is quiet most of the time but if you ask her opinion she will let you know..

Maybe you could have her select which Disney movie(s) to watch. That might help give you and idea what she might like to do or see.

 

[serene56]

! I think with the Pirates league and BBB I will decided when we are there... she may be so caught up enjoying everything around her she may not want to. S:

this is something that you are not going to be able to do for a spur of the moment thing-- they book quickly.

(PS- are you sure she will stay with you for an extended period of time without her family? homesickness etc.?


for our first trip we done none of the extras-- just got caught up in the excitement of being

 

[Susan C]

wow..great ideas... I am also taking an 8 niece for her first trip!!! She comes from a non -Disney home too... I have DS 14, so i'm super excited for some girl time in Magic Kingdom. I booked CRT for dinner!!

keep the great ideas coming

 

[SugarQuill]

Oh I forgot about a cool thing I also did for her!

We went to a shop on main st. and bought a glass slipper that they engraved with her name and the date- it's one of her favorite things from the trip and I think we paid $12 for it.

 

[Later_Mater2009]

this is something that you are not going to be able to do for a spur of the moment thing-- they book quickly.

(PS- are you sure she will stay with you for an extended period of time without her family? homesickness etc.?


for our first trip we done none of the extras-- just got caught up in the excitement of being

yes she has stayed with some other family at the beach for a week and done well so I think she will be ok. She stays with me often. I dont think it will be a problem...

 

[Later_Mater2009]

Well she stayed with us Friday night, and we were talking in the car on the way to the house and she saw a skating rink we went to last year for her birthday party, she said " I want to go to Disney World for my party this year, I have never been and my brother went"
O.M.Goooooooodnessss... it was so hard to not blow the entire surprise right there and then... I simply said " Oh maybe one day you can go " (dying inside)
We watch movies and have ice cream she picked The Little Mermaid.. she said its one of her favorites... SO YAY!!! Mary Poppins... No interest at all. so a little update in the surprise and what I was able to get out of her. LOL

I mentioned BBB and Pirate League and she didn't say anything about either so I think we will skip that. I really don't think she will miss out, plenty to do you know?
She loves doing crafts with me too, she gets up early so she can raid the craft cabinets and make things... I know Epcot had the kidcot things back in 09 and we enjoyed those, do you think she would still like that or is that kinda geared toward the little ones?? ideas?

 

[It's A Happy Day]

She loves doing crafts with me too, she gets up early so she can raid the craft cabinets and make things... I know Epcot had the kidcot things back in 09 and we enjoyed those, do you think she would still like that or is that kinda geared toward the little ones?? ideas?

While I think alot of it is to keep the little ones occupied/something to do, I know my 12 year old daughter loves crafty stuff and could still spend time doing it at wdw... If your niece is outgoing enough to interact with the CM's that work in these areas it might be a great time for her... the 2 of you could figure out a phrase that she has each country write in their native language in an autograph book or on the "mask" the kids add the shapes to... I always grabbed a couple extra of the shapes for each country to bring home and let the kids use for difference craft projects.

 

[jtowntoflorida]

I mentioned BBB and Pirate League and she didn't say anything about either so I think we will skip that. I really don't think she will miss out, plenty to do you know?

She loves doing crafts with me too, she gets up early so she can raid the craft cabinets and make things... I know Epcot had the kidcot things back in 09 and we enjoyed those, do you think she would still like that or is that kinda geared toward the little ones?? ideas?

I think you're fine skipping BBB especially. I have a 7 year old contrarian girly girl who likes activities that are more geared toward boys. She has never shown any interest in BBB, and we did our first trip when she was 5, which is arguably the height of princess mania for most girls. She is interested in doing the Pirate's League sometime, so we may try that this next trip, but not sure. Both of my kids LOVE getting their faces painted at AK...it's the first thing we do when we arrive at that park. They also have face painting at DHS and MK.

As for Kidcot...it seems like it's geared to the younger set, but if she likes crafts and coloring, she might also be into it. She can choose to either color a Duffy Bear or Agent P, and that's what she'll collect her country stamps on. The other thing you might want to do for her instead of the traditional Kidcot coloring activity is to make a passport for her so she can still collect the stamps, but color something more "mature" than a picture of a giant teddy bear.

 

[Later_Mater2009]

Thank you both! great ideas!
I found some checklists on pinterest as well, so she can help kinda map out her day, she likes to feel in control of somethings, I thought this would be a good way to set her up for the parks and not completely blind side her with activities.

 

[luisov]

If she's not familiar with Disney characters at all, you may want to ''prepare'' her and show her a couple of popular movies, just so she can get soaked in the Disney atmosphere.

Other than that, I don't think you have to make anything else to make her visit special. Anyone who has never been at WDW will probably enjoy the experience regardless of the activities you choose.

 

[Later_Mater2009]

If she's not familiar with Disney characters at all, you may want to ''prepare'' her and show her a couple of popular movies, just so she can get soaked in the Disney atmosphere.

Other than that, I don't think you have to make anything else to make her visit special. Anyone who has never been at WDW will probably enjoy the experience regardless of the activities you choose.

Yes! that's exactly what I have come up with too. We watched the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train video on youtube and she enjoyed that so slowly Im setting her up, I just hope she doesn't figure it out

 

[Later_Mater2009]

Good Morning,
Here are the links to the checklists I found. I thought these may be a cool way to make the kids feel involved and its something free to try anyway. Hope you can use them ? I don't know why I don't have one for epcot, im sure there is one out there.


http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/94/c5/75/94c575c9be9cc6a0fffbad0e7e0c0796.jpg

http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/originals/ec/19/d2/ec19d2c178eced51b97e1b9856f0035d.jpg

http://media-cache-cd0.pinimg.com/originals/1a/3f/9c/1a3f9ca93e36c9e718a78a952828326b.jpg

 

[Momof2Singers]

THANK YOU very much!! and how did you know we were doing Chef mickeys on our arrival day?? LOL She loves animals so I want her to see the Safari and stuff, I think she will love that..

Let me first say, these kids change with the wind. I agree with everyone that has posted, pro or con for BBB. My daughter would have cringed if I had taken her there at 10-12..now a different story, she's 15, and loves it, although feels a little silly.

If she (niece) is into music, there are tons of disney soundtracks out there that will REALLY get her in the mood. We are once again listing to these here (my girls now 15 and 20) it never gets old. THE AK park stores are wonderful. Our favorite souvenirs of all times were purchased there. The cute animal hats and ears are always a huge hit. My daughter also buys some clothing before we go that is jungle themed to wear, top, shorts or romper. You can really break the bank there with cute souvenirs.

The great thing with fast pass + is now you can change to what interests her later in the day.

One place we always go is 1900 Park Fare, with Cinderella, Prince, Stepmother and sisters, it is not as girly and the stepsisters are a hoot.

This is going to be an unforgettable experience for her and you. If I can offer one piece of advice that others have also said, let her take it all in and enjoy it. The experience itself is magical.


Can't wait to hear the stories when you return. Enjoy!!!!

 

[Later_Mater2009]

Thanks so much. I hope I don't overwhelm her, I think if we have down time everyday she will be ok. My 7 year old needs it so Im going to be sure to take it.
She likes music but she doesn't know any of the Disney songs. My 7 year old and my 15 year old son we sing all the time, we are a singing family and hers is NOT. So needless to say she gets to hear it from us LOL
I hope she comes away with an appreciation for music esp. that Disney music that makes your heart happy

 

[AlexLovesCats]

I really wouldn't worry about your planning too much. Since she's never been before, I'm sure she will really love everything you guys do. Great idea with the gift card so she can pick out a few of her own souvenirs. I also agree that you should maybe try to schedule a water park day or at least a resort pool day, if you think she'd enjoy that(most kids that age definitely would) And please make sure she sees Finding Nemo since you're staying in those rooms!!! Who doesn't love that movie???

Would love to hear how she liked everything after your trip. Have an amazing time!!!

 

[Later_Mater2009]

Awww thanks! I know we will! I think pool time is necessary, to just play and have fun and hang out in ONE spot.. We love the idea of having pool time! Our last trip we included it in every day.. I remember when I was a teen, I loved going to the pools at night and swimming at night, it just seemed "cooler" LOL

 

[rigato]

You'll have so much fun!