Booked the trip, now need advice for the kids

[Frincy]

Ok, I have a trip booked 1/31-2/7 and I need help planning. We are travelling with me, my husband, my little sister (14), and my children DD4 and DD1. This is all the girls first trip to DW and my husband and my second trip.

Parades and fireworks- Not sure if I should make sure to be there or wait and see if my 4 year old is even interested. We may end up splitting up where one adult stays with the younger girls to watch the parade and one goes with my sister to ride some bigger rides.
Shows- Which are must sees, which can I skip? My 4 year old can sit through a movie at the movie theater so Im sure she would like them, but it needs to be something that isnt too long or boring for the littliest one.

And if youve been in Feb, give me an honest opinion of crowd level. My husband and I went on Spring Break years ago and we swore we would never go back during a crowded time again.

 

[3littleHalls]

We went the first week of Feb this year and it was wonderful!! There was next to no wait on the rides. I think we might have waited 10mins for the Primeval whirl in AK. I think it is a great time to go b/c of the low crowds, and it isn't so hot that you feel worn out the whole trip. Have a magical trip. I would reccomend getting some ADRs if that is something you are interested in. IMO, having a set meal time and ADRs can keep away meltdowns. Lion King show is a must, along with Beauty and the Beast. I know there is a Nemo show now but haven't seen it to say. My kids love the fireworks(the ones at MK) Fantasmic(a little scary) and the parades are fun too. Just depends on what keeps their interests. Plus, I would fully take advantage of the parent swap tickets since you are going with a teenager.

 

[ardig123]

Parent swap is great... we used it for Soarin and it was excellent! To tell you the truth with DD3 and DD7 we skipped all fireworks and all parades... isn't that horrible... we ended up missing parades because they were happening when we were back in the room for our afternoon nap/break... and fireworks we missed because I knew how crowded they get and how difficult it is to get out of the park once they end... it was very important to me to get my kids to bed at a decent time so that they would wake up feeling refreshed and not exhausted from the night before... What worked best for us was being at the park about 15 minutes before it opened... you would be amazed how many rides you can literally walk on to in the first 1-2 hours... everybody else is still sleeping!! Then we would go back to our room early afternoon and rest then head back to the park around 5 and leave right before the fireworks!
ADRs are so important... if you don't like having a schedule I guess they can be a pain but with young kids I think it is better to have a plan. If you can take a day off from the parks just to hang out at the pool or visit DTD... do it! You will be amazed at how much your kids and you will need a break!!

 

[1Prince2Princesses]

You should totally do parent swap. I have a DS 12, and DD's 2 and 11 mos, and my DS is always super excited that he gets to ride the bigger rides twice in a row. That will make it extra special for your sister.

My little ones love the Spectromagic parade at MK, but haven't ever been that interested in the other one. If you head toward Fronteirland, you can watch the night-time parade with the little ones and let your sister hit Big Thunder Mountain one more time, and if you get close enough to the end of the parade route, you might be comfortable letting her go alone. If nothing else, it's close by.

You're going to have sooooo much fun, and you picked a fantastic time of year to go. We live close by, and DH works there, so we visit the parks often, and this is definitely a good time to go. Have a great vacation!