First time taking kids to WDW HELP

[stephanie23]

This is our first time EVER to WDW . It is going to be me and DH(23) DD(4) and DS(1). We are also taking my DSIL(17)as a helper/sitter . I want this to be as magical as poss. What are must do things(meals, rides, shows..ect). I am taking my daughter to the BBB and then dinner at Princess story book. But I want to do something for my son too. I also need to know how many days for each park? I have ADR's for chef mickey, ohana, princess story book and I think one or 2 more that I can not remember right now. ANY help is great.

Ohh wait.. forgot to say we are going 8/11-8/18 AKL savannah view with the dining plan and 8 day hopper tickets (but we only have to dining plan 8/11-8/15) They didnt have the whole stay avail. for my 30% off code? I didnt understand it but for the last 2 nights we have to do a poom view(hoping they will jsut up-grade us).

 

[hollisterluva92]

Well first of all, welcome. This is my sixth time going, so I know a few things
The first thing I did when I found out I was going to disney was made a list of all must-see things at each park and wrote down a few tips. So-

Magic Kingdom-
*Get there 30 minutes before opening.-If you do this than you can see the main characters (mickey, minnie, goofy, donald, pluto, etc...) ride in on the train and then you can get autographs, pictures, etc...
*Dining-
Cinderellas royal table-make reservations 180 days in advance-character breakfast
Chef Mickey's-same thing
*Rides-
Jungle Cruise
Pirates of the Caribbean
Splash mountian-one of my favorites
Big thunder mountain railroad
Haunted mansion
It's a small world
Mickeys Philarmagic-amazing show
Ariels Grotto-your dd will love this, she'll get to meet ariel and get a pic. with her. There are fountains that spurt and kids love to play in them.
Toontown-fun for all the kids-Mickey's country house, toontown hall of fame, minnies country house, goofys barnstormer-good starter rollercoaster, judges tent, donald's boat-great activity-it is an interactive boat that is a water-play area-me and my brother had a great time even though he's 10 and I'm 15
Space mountian-good for the adults
Stitch's great escape
Monster's inc. laugh floor comedy club-new-fun
Disney's dreams come true parade
Many adventures of Winnie the Pooh
buzz lightyears space ranger spin
Dream along with mickey-fun show for the whole family, you need to get there at least a half hour early to get a spot where you won't have to hold the kids on your shoulders. It's located on the stage at cinderella's castle
Spectromagic parade-amazing night time parade
Peter Pan's Flight-great kid ride
Snow white's scary adventures-good kid ride, scary when the witch shows up
Dumbo the flying elephant-a classic
Pooh's playful spot-good place to let the kids run around at
Mad tea party-AKA-spinning cups-I can't go on this ride but my brother loves it.
Tomorrowland Indy Speedway-great if your kids want to have a chance to drive a car
Wishes-the last thing that disney does at night at the magic kingdom-call for times-but make sure you watch the sky for a very special suprise-AKA-tinkerbell flying through the sky.
*extras-
When you get in the park, you need to go straight to the left after the gates and you will see a store callled "chapeu" and you can go in there and you can make your own customized mickey ears-colors, sparkles, stickers, name sewn on back-mine cost $20.

Epcot-
Get there 15 min. before opening
*rides-
spaceship earth-good for everyone
mission:space-good for the adults
test track-good family ride
Ellen's energy adventure-good show for the family
Body wars-cool ride
the making of me-good if you want your kids to learn how they were born
The seas with Nemo and friends-amzing ride-your kids will love it
Soarin-gret ride for everyone
Living with the land-better for adults-sorta boring for kids
Maelstrom-fun ride-might be a little scary for the younger kids
Cranium command-me and my brother thought it was a little cheezy-but the younger kids would definantly like it.
Circle of life-great show, especially for the younger kids.

MGM Studios-
*rides-
beauty and the beast-live on stage-good show for the kids
Twilight zone tower of terror-good for any age-a little scary-the first time I went on it I was 5-and I was a little scared, but it was very fun
Playhouse disney-live on stage-great kids show
Voyage of the little mermaid-very fun show
Jim henson's muppet vision 3D-great family show
Disney stars and motor cars parade-is a great parade-cars, toy story,etc.
Fantasmic-great family show-last big thing at night

Animal Kingdom-
*rides-
Tree of life-it's tough to be a bug-fun family show
Boneyard-fun for the kids-they can dig up dinosaur bones
Finding Nemo-the musical-fun show
Kali river rapids-fun for the family when they want to get wet
Kiliminjaro safaris-so much fun, you get to see tons of animals-kids love it

Hope I helped-if you need more advice, just say the word

 

[stephanie23]

Thanks alot for all that! I printed it and put it in my "disney binder"
Anyone?

 

[Rylee]

Check the WDW site for park hours. Decide if you will take advantage of the Extra Magic Hours (EMH)... morning and or evening hours. With young children you may or may not want to get up early or stay out late.

Obviously, you'll need to be in the park where the restaurant is located for your ADR's, but if you don't plan to take advantage of the EMH's, visit a park without EMH, as parks with extra early/late hours are slightly more crowded on those days.

Make a list of "must-see-and-do" attractions for your family. Try to get to the parks early and hit these attractions first thing in the morning.

After lunch or an afternoon break for a nap/swim, take your time in the parks and discover the magic at your own pace. Understand that you won't get to see everything... and that's okay... it's a reason to visit again and again!

Since your son is so young, the only special thing I can think of right now, that he might enjoy is... the character meal - Playhouse Disney's Play & Dine at Hoolywood and Vine, located in Hollywood Studios. Also, both children would probably enjoy Playhouse Disney Live, also located at HS. (Be sure to grab a schedule as you enter the park. To see different shows, you really need to plan your day at this park.)

Be sure to use fastpasses... grab a fastpass, ride a couple of other things in the area, next, grab another fastpass at the time allowed, (tells you the time on the fastpass ticket) then see the attraction you have the 1st fastpass for.

Also, since you have young children... don't forget about the parent/child swap... everyone enters the line at the same time, 1 adult waits with the children while the other parent rides, and when they return, switch and have the other parent ride, This cuts down on having to wait in the same line twice. Or if all 3 of the adults want to ride something the little ones can't go on... (and this is what we do more often, so the kids don't spend a lot of time waiting in lines for attractions they can/t/won't ride) example... grab 2 fastpasses for Space Mountain and 3 for Buzz Lightyear, don't use these fastpasses right now, have DH and sis get in the stand-by line for Space Mountain, you do the same with the kids at Buzz or another nearby attraction, ride and then meet at a chosen spot, ride/see something as a group and return at the fastpass time, have SIL takes kids on Buzz, while you and DH ride SM.

I won't go into each park, but as for MK, you will probably find your children will enjoy a lot of the attractions in Fantasyland and Toontown, these areas get crowded very early, plan to visit early in the day. (One note - because it was mentioned by pp... Stitch's Great Escape... my young children thought it was too scary and my older children hated it.)

Also, at the WDW site, there should be a link to click on (don't know if it's still there) for different "experiences"... pre-school and so on. It may give you some ideas for children your kid's ages.

Have a Magical trip.