Basic battleplan

[Fargoman]

My wife and I will be taking our 3 children to DW in August for 6 nights (we thought it would be nice and cool then!)

The kids' ages are 12, 9 and 2.9. Any advice regarding a basic battleplan? This is the first trip for all of us!

I'm somewhat fearful that our 2.9 year old will be left out of the loop alot once we leave the Magic Kingdom.

Also--my 9 year old is a HUGE 102 Dalmatians fan. Is there anything from that movie to be found at DW?

I welcome any insight. Thanks!

r

 

[deena]

for all of the six days that you plan on spending down there such as figuring out what particular days you want to visit each park. If you don't have a WDW guide book it is helpful to get one and read about all of the rides, shows, and attractions that are located in each individual park that would interest your family.

By the ages of your children, it seems like that they all would definitely enjoy the Magic Kingdom alot. There are certainly more rides there for both older/younger kids alike such as favorites like Small World, Winnie the Pooh, Pirates of the Carribean, and Snow White for everyone but Space Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad for older ones to name a few.

Once you leave M.K. your younger child will probably enjoy such things as the Muppet 3-D show and Honey I Shrunk the Kids Playground which can be crowded at certain times of the day at MGM and the Living Seas inside Epcot along with a great deal of Animal Kingdom.

Also, if you stop over in Mickey's ToonTown Fair inside the Magic Kingdom, the kids can tour Mickey and Minnie Mouse's house. Also, you can stand in a meet/greet line where they can have photos made with Mickey in person. If they would like autographs of the various Disney characters (they usually stroll around at different times) they can bring along autograph books and collect their signatures.

Since you are going in August, it will without a doubt be very hot and humid during your visit (I've been down in August a couple of times). I would definitely bring along items such as sunscreen, sunglasses, hats, face cloths, and water bottles to use while walking around. You can place these items in a backpack or other bag because when you are touring the parks they will be a lifesaver. Additionally, you can place small snacks inside for everyone to munch on.

Another thing that we found useful last year was bringing along the water mister fans that are found in Wal-Mart or similar stores; they were great in attacking some of the heat. Also, I would plan a day or some significant time to just take a couple of swims in the pool to cool off. If you have the opportunity, you can schedule in a water park as well.

I hope you enjoy your trip!

[This message was edited by deena on 04-25-01 at 11:43 PM.]

 

[Kevs mom]

We just returned with our 9, 7, and 3 year old and we found plenty to do as a family at all the parks. Our nephews 4 and 2 were also on this trip and they had just as much fun. As far as the "102 Dalmations" - I didn't see anything at any of the parks that pertained to that movie - sorry! Have a nice trip!

 

[JohnTBap]

FYI

On our two trips to WDW our daughter (4, then 5 y/o) came out of Snow White in a panic, and we had to use a chicken exit at Pirates... Food for thought...

 

[disneymomdi]

We went in '99 with a 2.9 year old and and 8 year old. The 2.9 year old still talks about it and looks at the pictures. We are going again in 10 days. Yippee! My best advice is to allow 2 of your 6 days to spend at the pools and to take breaks on the others for a quick swim. Both my boys loved this almost more than the parks. It really does revive you. We didn't do any water parks because that was just more time spent travelling, and the resort pools are great. We stayed at the AS Movies that year. You can't do it all so pick the things you want to do most. One thing mine liked was riding the Train around the MK, we did that for several loops while my oldest was catching some rides with his dad. Don't forget about the kid swap.
Rent a stroller and bring snacks and other things to amuse the 2.9 year old.
Find out ahead of time which rides the youngest is not going to be able to ride.
Disney really is a family park. I'm sure all will have a wonderful time!!!
Have a Great Vacation!

 

[disneymomdi]

You might want to bring two way radios. We didn't have them but saw some other people with them. I think they would be great for those times when you have to separate.

 

[pdzabe]

If the 2.9 yr. old is used to napping a certain time, you may have to split from the rest of the family to do that. One of the best things you can do (of course that's my opinion) is keep the little one as close to the normal schedule as possible. I couldn't believe how many crying children I saw and alot of it was not because of the child but because of parents trying to see things even though the child was so very tired.

Follow deena's advice above especially with regard to the sun. I see you're from ND. The sun in Fla. is absolutely BRUTAL. You can burn in minutes!

 

[EZ Ed]

My last trip the kids were 6 & 3 and we were there for 4 days.

My advice is plan, use the suggestions from the boards and plan enough to know what you are going to do. But be flexible enough to bend.

For example when you get to the MK take the train right away and save walking thru main street. Plan on midafternoon heading back to the pool.

Make sure you know what is important to everybody to do during the trip, including yourself, and incorporate it into the plan. This made it easier to givr priority to what your troop will expect and how to dea with crowds.