Any must do's for 5yr old girl 1st trip?

[SilSprBea]

I have tried and tried to get ADR for CRT... Akerhus as well... Did get 1900 park fare dinner. We are going to MK, AK and Epcot and YES, she is a Frozen fan!

When are you guys going? We're taking our 3 year old son and our 5 year old daughter in December. She actually turns 5 while we are there and we are celebrating her birthday in the parks. I couldn't get CRT either and then decided Akershus was better and less expensive (and only 1 credit on DDP instead of 2 credits for CRT). So, I am not even going to look for CRT cancellations anymore and be happy with the meals we have-- since we're on the Disney Dining Plan we are doing a lot of character meals (Akershus in Epcot, Crystal Palace in MK, Tusker House in AK, plus Chef Mickey brunch and Ohana Breakfast outside of the parks) which I think both my kids might enjoy more than some of the other rides. Keep checking for cancellations for CRT and Akershus-- they do come up! I got my Chef Mickey brunch, Akershus dinner and BOG dinner several weeks after first booking-- they weren't available when I made my reservations initially.

 

[Mambo Junkie]

As you can see from my avatar, my 2 DGDs loved dressing up like faries and meeting Tinkerbell. Tinkerbell was equally happy to see them, too. When they had a choice, we rode the carousel, IASW, and the Little Mermaid ride. Several times each.
ETA: if you can't get the BBB there is a salon at the Grand Floridian (I forget the name) and aince you are going to Park Fare maybe try that.

 

[Victoria Mullins]

Wow, so much helpful information! BBB is booked except for Disney Springs. Anyone have any suggestions on whether we should take the Disney Springs reservation or keep trying for MK BIbb reservation?

 

[ChasingLeslie]

1. Tinkerbell and Mulan were my 5 year old's favorite M&Gs. We saw both twice and she would have happily stopped to see them additional times if we had let her.

2. Favorite rides included: 7DMT, Tea Cups, TSMM, Test Track, and KRR. I also highly recommend Belle's Enchanted Tales, Philharmagic, Turtle Talk, and Frozen Sing Along.

3. Character meals are so special! They are a great use of time and good variety of food.

 

[Victoria Mullins]

I have booked several character meals I have read it's the easiest way to meet characters.

 

[John Marecek]

Wow, so much helpful information! BBB is booked except for Disney Springs. Anyone have any suggestions on whether we should take the Disney Springs reservation or keep trying for MK BIbb reservation?

Keep what you have while trying for the castle. Closer you get to 30 days out the better the chance. That's when payment is due and cancellations happen. Same for ADR's and FP+ times.

 

[Mambo Junkie]

Book the Disney Springs (which is also a wonderful experience) and keep trying for MK.

ETA: Especially if it is early enough. You can have a few meet and greets, plus a magical dinner! She will love it. My granddaughters made it about half the day with their dresses, but loved the hairstyles and pixie dust! They did their nails too.

 

[tnd]

I have tried and tried to get ADR for CRT... Akerhus as well... Did get 1900 park fare dinner. We are going to MK, AK and Epcot and YES, she is a Frozen fan!

My five year old daughter is a big Star Wars fan, and loves the Jedi Training Academy in DHS.

 

[TexasKiwiPrincess]

Wow, so much helpful information! BBB is booked except for Disney Springs. Anyone have any suggestions on whether we should take the Disney Springs reservation or keep trying for MK BIbb reservation?

I absolutely recommend which ever location you can get! We have been able to book BBB on three different trips and have experienced the Castle Boutique as well as the old Downtown Disney location. The new location at Disney Springs (used to be Downtown Disney) is much bigger than it used to be!

Things we liked about the DTD location:
Stylists (Fairy Godmothers in Training) were a lot more interactive and in character. They really made my girls feel like royalty!
Larger selection of merchandise at the store. We brought their dresses from home, but it was fun to pick out a few small items at the boutique.
On our way back to MK all the CMs referred to them as Princess, from tram drivers to cashiers to those CMs at the tapstiles- everyone made a big deal about them being dressed up. They loved that!

We usually book BBB in the early afternoon. That way we can take advantage of the less crowded morning hours and use the BBB as a break from all the park activity. It's air conditioned and the girls are sitting the entire time.

Good luck with your planning and have a great trip!

 

[EllieBride]

Also, the Princess Promenade at the Grand Floridian is a fun (and FREE!) option that takes place daily at 3:30 p.m. Kids get to walk down the grand staircase with Cinderella and Prince Charming and then dance with them in the lobby. Photopass photographers are on hand, as well, to take a group photo and candids. When we were there last winter, many of the little girls were wearing their princess dresses, but you didn't have to. And there were a few boys there, including my son (who was not pleased by one little princess who wanted to dance with him, LOL!).

 

[SilSprBea]

Also, the Princess Promenade at the Grand Floridian is a fun (and FREE!) option that takes place daily at 3:30 p.m. Kids get to walk down the grand staircase with Cinderella and Prince Charming and then dance with them in the lobby. Photopass photographers are on hand, as well, to take a group photo and candids. When we were there last winter, many of the little girls we wearing their princess dresses, but you didn't have to. And there were a few boys there, including my son (who was not please by one little princess who wanted to dance with him, LOL!).

I had no idea about the Princess Promenade. How cool! We will have to check that out!

 

[atisikitabasket]

My DD6 still talks about the Wonderland Tea Party with Alice and the Mad Hatter that she went to at 5 and right when she turned 6. She loved them. At the Grand Floridian M-F

 

[EllieBride]

I had no idea about the Princess Promenade. How cool! We will have to check that out!

As far as I know, they are still doing it, but you don't really see it advertised much. It was new as of last February and was super cute! You gather on the second floor outside of the gift shop (right outside of the monorail station) and from there, they escort you back toward Citricos for the group photo. When we were there, it seemed like most of the parents left their kids upstairs just before it started in order to go downstairs and be able to watch them promenade down the staircase. Since my kids were only 3 years old, I wasn't really comfortable leaving them, so I stayed right until it started and then raced down a back staircase by the restaurant to try to catch the grand entrance.

 

[Ciandella915]

My first trip was when I was five - that's really the perfect age to go for a first time and remember it. We did dinner at CRT, and I remember it 20 years later. I saw Cinderella in the parade the next day, and she winked and pointed at me. I was DEAD convinced she remembered me from the day before!

Something my parents did was show me the trip planning video (VHS back in the day...) and waited to see what piqued my interest. The teacups were the thing I was sold on, so the teacups were the thing we did first. Everyone else went the other direction, and we got to ride twice in a row! Little stuff like that winds up being remembered by kids. Try showing her videos of rides/shows online (if it's not a surprise) and see what she wants to do.

Something else they did was give me a Minnie Mouse watch (they have them at Target) since I was learning how to tell time, and told me different times to look forward to and then there were surprises along the way on the trip, like a Disney Golden Book, etc. Kept me psyched for WDW and less of a travel pain!

You could also arrange for "Cinderella" or "Elsa" (aka Mom) to leave notes on the bed the day before you have things planned like BBB or CRT, telling her she has a royal invite for the activity. Or if you don't want to spend money on BBB, maybe stash a dress in your luggage and have it laid out on the bed with a note from a princess letting her know they dropped it off for her.

Little stuff like that makes it magical.

 

[TexasKiwiPrincess]

You could also arrange for "Cinderella" or "Elsa" (aka Mom) to leave notes on the bed the day before you have things planned like BBB or CRT, telling her she has a royal invite for the activity. Or if you don't want to spend money on BBB, maybe stash a dress in your luggage and have it laid out on the bed with a note from a princess letting her know they dropped it off for her.

"Tinkerbell" visits our room each night. She leaves some small souvenirs, sometimes a plush, a new t-shirt, coloring books, or themed snacks. Tinkerbell also brought my girls glittery purses with some age appropriate make-up and once she left Mickey ears. Her nightly presents cut way down on the expensive souvenir purchases in the parks AND helped my girls settle down and go to bed each night.

 

[Mambo Junkie]

Several outstanding M&Gs! My 2 DGDs told Anna they were sisters and loved each other like she and Elsa did - when they went to meet Elsa, Anna came in, too and they all took pictures together! Tinkerbell was so happy to see her friends, and they had a great M&G; another was Tiana. Very personable and they had a great chat. One of the best, though, was Pocahontas and Meeko. We went down a long path and we were the only ones down there. They ran around, and played hide and seek with the girls, peekaboo, etc. The girls loved every minute of it!

 

[monique5]

All excellent ideas posted. We celebrated my DD 5th birthday @ WDW. She absolutely loved it. Keep trying for CRT & Akershus. Also, 1900 PF dinner is very entertaining with the stepsisters, DD loved it. Book BBB @ DS and keep trying for BBB in the MK. The Disney Perfectly Princess Party is wonderful too. https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/d...-resort-and-spa/perfectly-princess-tea-party/

We did the Presenting Your Royal Princess - Child, In-Room Celebration through Disney Floral & Gifts, DD was very surprised when we returned to our room, she still uses the pillow and blanket. They offer Frozen Celebrations too.

You'll need to get FP+ for FEA @ EP and do the Frozen M&G.

 

[JerseyJanice]

I wish I could like this entire thread.

 

[Ruth B]

Great thread.
We are going with a princess mad just 3 year old and are wondering about The Perfectly princess tea party at GF.
For anyone who has done this do you think it's too old for a 3 year old. I think she would enjoy the smaller group and quieter environment to meet the character but it is a lot of money.
Any views would be really helpful.

 

[Leelo]

My nephew went around that age and he was crazy about the Dumbo ride.