first time to wdw with kids

[ElEd]

my wife and i have been to wdw 5-6 times, but always by ourselves or with other adults. in sept 2002 for 12 days we plan on bringing our neice and nephew (she'll be 8 and he 11) my question is....what might be some of the things we havent considered in bringing children?
they are very well behaved so that won't be a problem...and i think they are part gypsy so seperation from their parents is also a non-issue.
but what are some of the small details we might miss being sort of novices with children at the world
anything you can think of will be helpful and appreciated

 

[Meagansmom]

Depending on the children, you may want to include some character meals. I do not know if they will want to collect autographs, if so spend some time with the characters. Involve them with some of the planning. You may want to spend more time researching - look at videos, past park maps. And enjoy!

Another fun thing is the passports at Epcot.

 

[ElEd]

we definetly planned on character meals
as we attend them even sans children...
but we had forgotten about the passports at epcot...autographs are another given
and had figured as much.
as far as pre-planning goes that isnt the problem...it's the little things we might not have even considered....
i havent the foggiest what that may include....but with all the wonderful and apt DIS'ers out there i figure someone has a few more ideas
thanks again and thanks in advance

 

[bobcat]

What a wonderful Aunt and Uncle you are! WDW is different through the eyes of children. They will notice little things that you won't even think of. The best advice I can give is to go at their pace, enjoy the things that they do.

Also take a break in the day, either at the hotel pool or even just find a place in the parks where they can run.

Have a wonderful trip!

 

[janiejo]

When our kids were that age, each had their own fanny pack around their waist that they carried their supply of gum, non-melting candies (life savers, tootsie rolls, etc.), granola bars, fruit roll-ups, etc. Having something to munch on was great as we waited in lines or to tide them over before we could stop for a snack or meal. Also, I would encourage you to let them be involved in the planning, countdown, etc. Get a kid's WDW book and let them look and see what they want to not miss! They will be so excited! Do they have their own cameras? If not, get a kid's camera for them to use to take their own pictures of the trip! We always give our kids Disney Dollars as it gets closer to trip time - they love having their own "money" to spend on whatever they want. Just a few suggestions and I know you'll get many more!