First time with the kids

[mdoherty]

Just booked our 1st DW trip for 9/24 - 9/28and will be staying in PO.
Our girls are 2 and 3.

What is our best plan of attack for maximum enjoyment?

Also, are any of the character meals better than others.

ANY other suggestions would be GREATLY appreciated.

Thanks everybody.

 

[Poof]

Oh, you will have SO MUCH FUN!!!

My kids, similar ages, just loved of course the kids rides and Toon Town at MK. The lines seemed shorter first thing at opening or late at night close to closing.

I think their favorite things are the little water fountain playgrounds (fire hydrant at MGM, fountains on the walkway heading towards the countries at Epcot, fountains at Downtown Disney, small waterfall at the Dinoland playground at Animal Kingdom, can't think of one at MK). They always get soaked but they LOVE it and we pack a change of clothes for them in the diaper bag.

So far it has worked for us to go back to our rooms in the afternoon for naps and then start fresh for the evening. We usually go in the summer when the parks are open late & it is SO hot during the day. Are the parks open late in Sept? It seems like they closed earlier that time of year so we didn't push the naps then unless they seemed really tired, but we did go back to our room for a rest or a swim in the pool to relax a bit.

I know there are many discussions on the board about strollers, but it works best for us to take a stroller for both kids (of course you can also rent them at the parks). If not, we'd end up with miserable kids or else a miserable Mom & Dad having to cary them around -- there is so much walking!

We love the Chef Mickey's character dinner. Also, we went to the one at MGM, I can't think of the name right now but Minnie is the hostess & the characters do some dancing also. We went for the latest lunch time slot we could get (I think it was around 3:00) and pretty much had the whole place to ourselves. This was in September also. Maybe we were just lucky, but we had so many characters coming to our table so often, it was actually hard to finish the meal because we didn't want to miss any pictures with the kids! It was GREAT!

Sorry this is so long, it's just that we're getting ready to go back in August so for the next 2 months I'll be in full Disney mode!

Have a great trip!!!!

 

[luvmy2sams]

<font face="Comic Sans MS">How exciting! You'll have a wonderful time!

We took our first trip last October when our DD was 19-months-old. As Poof mentioned, the water fountains are great entertainment! As for water in MK, try Ariel's Grotto in Fantasyland.

We did early entry at all the parks, then returned to our hotels after lunch for some down time. I think we enjoyed this part more than our DD did. We usually napped for 2-3 hours in the afternoon and returned to the parks in time for dinner. The parks have shorter hours in the fall, but they're also less crowded so you'll have plenty of time to see everything you want without running yourself ragged.

If you're using a stroller, it sometimes helps to have some sort of identification on it (we used a bandanna). CM's will sometimes move your stroller from where you've parked it. Having something to make yours stand out from the others might save some time.

I second the recommendation for dining at Chef Mickey's. You can't beat the atmosphere--your kids will love it! We arrived at WDW in the evening and had our first taste of Disney with Chef Mickey. It's still my favorite memory! Another great character meal is Crystal Palace in the MK. It's very laid back, and the characters were wonderful! If your girls like the princesses, it's worth getting up early to get PS for the character breakfast at Cinderella's Royal Table.

If you're in the MK for the fireworks, make sure you catch Tinkerbell flying from the castle. If you'd prefer not to fight the crowds, though, you can catch a great view of the fireworks from the California Grill's balcony at the Contemporary.

Sorry this got so long-winded. I could go on and on, but I'll let others chime in with their tips. Have a wonderful time!</font>

 

[Poof]

Oh, that's right, I forgot about Ariel's grotto & there's also a fountain playground in Toon town at the ship=)