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).
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[Poohbug]

As long as you have a nanny with you I would plan a dinner with DH. Maybe LeCellier or Narcosses(sp?)

At the age of one your son may be afraid of characters?? With really young children I have found that the pools and splash areas are their favorite. You could get his hair cut at the barber shop. They give out mickey ears with a first haircut. Be aware of the shows-some are very loud and some kids are afraid.

Get a schedule at AKL for all the hotel activities. They have great things for everyone to do. (decorate cookies, etc.)

Are you ordering Photopass?? I am going to do this on my next trip. You can get family portraits taken for $25.00 extra.

You will all be able to go on many rides but if there is a height requirement make sure to use baby-swap.

Try not to do everything and take time to have fun-sometimes we overplan and forget we are on vacation.

 

[PrincessTigerLily]

Your son is right at the age where he can attend many of the extra Disney activities, i.e. Pirate Cruises, Cooking program at the Grand Floridian, Tea with Alice and the Mad Hatter, etc. I believe the age range is 4-10, and your daughter could attend as well to help ease his transition. Cost is somewhere around $30 a child and I believe most programs run about 2 hours in length.

A really good character meal is at The Garden Grill in EPCOT at the Land Pavillion. I loved the food (especially the flank steak and potatoes), and the two times we have eaten there, it has been the best character interaction we have ever had. Mickey, Chip, Dale, and Pluto, all visited our table on at least three occasions over the course of the meal. Dessert was a fruit crisp with ice cream, and the kids LOVED their cupcakes that they could decorate themselves with sprinkles and candies.

Have a great trip!

 

[iluveeyore]

When we went last year we took friends and it was their DS's first time (two of them aged 8 and 3). I took 'Mickey' gifts to welcome them to our two bedroom at OKW. I bought some clearance items at the Disney Store (small stuffed character, washcloths, light-up spinners) and got some stickers and odds & ends (Disney themed) at the Family Dollar store - put them all in a Disney gift bag and made a card for each from Mickey welcoming them to WDW and wishing them a magical trip. They were so excited to find the bags on their bed when they got back from their first park visit!
I know some people do 'Tinkerbell' gifts, where they leave a gift from Tink to be found each day of the trip - toys, pj's, candy - just little things to make each day magical!
Have a wonderful trip!

 

[stephanie23]

WOW what great ideas . I think I may be getting more excited then them though...lol
I do want to plan something special for me and the hubby. We will be there for our 3rd wedding anniversary (8-13) so maybe a nice night out would be good.

Now for the programs that PrincessTigerLily mentioned my DS is 1, will he be able to do them or only DD(4)? I kinda got confused...lol sorry

 

[celerystalker]

Given their ages, I would recommend just taking it slow - feeling them out.
You have great ADRs picked already!
As long as you don't try to do too much and allow time for naps, things should be tons of fun.
I took a 2 year old with me last september and I could get her to take a nap on command in her stroller, so that worked well.
No guarantees though so I would definitely plan on making time to go back to the resort for either nap time or pool time.
I really liked the "tinkerbell" gift idea. I stocked up on fun disney toys at dollar tree and other discount stores (including glow sticks!) and had "Jack Sparrow" and the "Princesses" leave them each day for the 2 year old and her 9 year old brother.
Also remember to get 1st visit and anniversary buttons.
But beware what you put them on - last year they left visible holes in the 2 year old's clothes.
Oh - getting to the Magic Kingdom at rope drop means you get to witness a cute welcome show -
if your youngest is afraid of characters, it would be a fun way for him to see them.

the other thing I did to try to ease the 2 year old into character interaction was to point them out before she got to the front of the line or before they got to our table - so she had time to "prepare" for their arrival.

 

[tina_la]

As someone else said the BArber shop is wonderful! (will take off as little or as much as you want ) at $15 it is a bargin (includes first ears, certificate, and wrapped hair up for you to keep). I will always remember that . Got some awesome pics there too. With his age that would be the thing I would do.

 

[PrincessTigerLily]

Unfortunately those special programs are only for kids aged 4-10 that are potty-trained, and parents do have to leave, not allowed to stay and take pictures. Sorry, I must have gotten confused with the ages! We have not done this yet, but are thinking about one of the pirate cruises that we can observe from a distance on a beach somewhere!

Also, if any of your children seems to be "character shy", we found that an autograph book was a great icebreaker! Suggesting that DD "meet the character" would send her into a panic, but handing her the autograph book and pen and suggesting that she "add to her autograph collection" sent her up smiling and posing for photos with no problem. Obviously every child is different, but this really helped our DD.

 

[Aliceacc]

This may help: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1715551

 

[kelmor98]

I was so excited when I found out that I was going to Disney World that I looked for pre trip souvenirs to offset their cost and I found the cutest thing!! There is a company that makes personalized Mickey CDs and Princess CDs. I bought the Mickey Mouse CD and by the time my 4 year old got to Disney World, she knew the words to most of the songs they play in the park. The coolest thing is that her name is in the song! The website is

giftittogether.com if you want to see it. I hope you have a magical trip.

 

[stephanie23]

We are a family of 4. 2 adults and 2 children (4 and 1). We have the dining plan. So I have planned on $1500 spending money. I am doing the BBB for my daughter and have a couple early morning ADRs that I think I will need a taxi for. Is this enough for suveniers, tips, extra food (if needed), taxi rides(if needed), and everything else under the sun we could need?

This is our first time and I have no clue what anything will cost. I plan on ordering some snacks and water from gardengrocer.com so that should help maybe a little

 

[tina_la]

stephanie23- personally sounds like more than enough to me but I guess it depends on how much you plan too spend.

We did it on $1000 last year and that included gas (both ways cost about $300 total) and a night at a motel on the way. I did not have to pay tips last year so take that into account but I do have one more child than you so that should prob even it out. Also did the BBB but did the smallest package. Just watch the extras and you should be fine. Have a great trip!

 

[stephanie23]

Thanks alot Tina La! I was hoping that would be too much lol. Thats one thing checked off my things to stress about list...haha