First time planning trip to Disney- single mom- 4 year old- 3 days to do it all- HELP ME

[Lexje06]

I would do some research on rides and their intensity. I find FOP much more intense than BTM or 7DMT for kids so if you’re worried that your kid might not like those coasters, I think he would find FOP tough (especially since you have it planned as your first ride!) Haunted Mansion also might not be a great choice depending on how likely your kid is to be spooked. My DD9 will go on any roller coaster in the park and love it but she still struggles with finding Haunted Mansion too creepy. She goes on it now but she’s a bit scared each time. I would try start with more tame rides and work up to bigger/more intense ones. And check height requirements.

Is FOP scary? He actually likes creepy things lol not sure how he will like rides likes coasters though. I’ve shown him videos of some and he said “yes I want to do every single ride” but.... of course thats different than being there

 

[StarSeven7]

Is FOP scary? He actually likes creepy things lol not sure how he will like rides likes coasters though. I’ve shown him videos of some and he said “yes I want to do every single ride” but.... of course thats different than being there

I wouldn’t say it’s scary, but the experience is intense! We debated about taking our kids on it when they were 5 and 8 but they loved Expedition Everest and every other coaster so we tried it and they loved it too! Is your son 44 inches though? If not, then you don’t even have to make a decision!

 

[Lexje06]

I wouldn’t say it’s scary, but the experience is intense! We debated about taking our kids on it when they were 5 and 8 but they loved Expedition Everest and every other coaster so we tried it and they loved it too! Is your son 44 inches though? If not, then you don’t even have to make a decision!

Yes he is l. I just measured him today and he’s about 45.5 inches I guess I’ll just try to get the FP for FOP And if I can’t then it’s all good- it’s possible he would be too overwhelmed

 

[StarSeven7]

Yes he is l. I just measured him today and he’s about 45.5 inches I guess I’ll just try to get the FP for FOP And if I can’t then it’s all good- it’s possible he would be too overwhelmed

Maybe try watching some videos of it too! Although it's hard to tell how intense it is from videos. Does he do okay in 3D movies? You stay pretty stationary but the simulator makes you *feel* like you're dropping like on a roller coaster since you're supposed to be riding on the back of a banshee.

 

[omniscientmommy]

We went in April w/ my boys 8 & 5. We had a stoller for ds5 and after a couple hours in the heat he was wiped, and he was in the stroller! DS5 didn't like star wars ride and the Storm troopers freaked him out so much(when he was 4) that we had to bribe him to go this last trip and promised to avoid storm troopers. The big hit for him at HS was Indiana Jones.

I find that my boys are ready for a break from the parks around the 3-4 hour mark. Also my kids stay up later at Disney, partly bc normally we're an hour behind but they also go to bed later in general at home, like 9pm so I really don't plan early mornings for us.
Another thing we found is the busses take a good chunk of time. Plan anywhere from 35-60 min of travel by bus from the time you get to the bus stop at the hotel to bus stop at the park. Same goes for the journey back. DH hates it so much we just stay off site and rent a car usually. Last time we stayed on site we used LYFT a lot.

Good luck

 

[Callist]

My opinion here, feel free to ignore it!

Your kid is 4. He's going to get distracted, want to stop at the playgrounds, stare at the flowers or the birds. No matter what you do, the kid's going to have fun. There is NOTHING that you *must* do, other than make some nice memories with your kid. Don't worry and stress. No ride, no restaurant, no show is worth stressing yourself. ::smiles::

My kid didn't like sitting still in restaurants and has never been interested in the characters, so we've never done a character meal and we've only ever done one table service restaurant, ever. None of us were interested in any of the parades. When our kid was little, we never saw any of the fireworks shows (my family refuses to go back to the hotel for a mid day nap, so late nights weren't an option when the kid was little).

Pick a few must do's. Let the rest happen as it happens. If your kid is the chicken nugget and mac&cheese type, don't stress over ADRs. If character meals are a must do, then plan some. My kid STILL thinks the pool is one of the best parts, so I make sure we build in early nights or some other down time for swimming.

Your kid has never been to Disney before. ANY rides, ANY shows, ANY experiences will be new and exciting. I've been going to Disney since it opened in 1971 and I still find new things. You can't see it all, so don't try. Just have a great time with your son!

 

[k_hase]

Since you're going in August, can you get to a carnival or fair between now and then to see how roller coasters go? When mine was 4 he loved them, but not all of them do. He also hated shows, still hates shows.

Keep in mind, he has no idea what is or is not at Disney. If he sees three awesome things he's going to be thrilled. He not going to be thrilled, however, if you run him ragged and drag him away from fun stuff. I remember spending about 90 minutes at the fountains in Epcot after an early dinner one night. That's it. We didn't go on any rides, see any characters, just ran in the fountains. I can also remember going on the Indy Cars over and over and over.

Have a plan for the day, but be totally willing to abandon it. If you leave after a few days with your son convinced it was the best time he ever had you've done it right!

 

[Lexje06]

Since you're going in August, can you get to a carnival or fair between now and then to see how roller coasters go? When mine was 4 he loved them, but not all of them do. He also hated shows, still hates shows.

Keep in mind, he has no idea what is or is not at Disney. If he sees three awesome things he's going to be thrilled. He not going to be thrilled, however, if you run him ragged and drag him away from fun stuff. I remember spending about 90 minutes at the fountains in Epcot after an early dinner one night. That's it. We didn't go on any rides, see any characters, just ran in the fountains. I can also remember going on the Indy Cars over and over and over.

Have a plan for the day, but be totally willing to abandon it. If you leave after a few days with your son convinced it was the best time he ever had you've done it right!

Yes great idea. I live my Kentucky kingdom so I’m just gonna take him one weekend and see how he does.