Going for 1st time w/ my 3yo any advice???

[dedala]

I am soooo excited my Hubby & I are going for the 1st time with our 3 year old son , who by the way LOVES Dumbo!!!!! any advice we got the fly free in September pkg, and I am paying 1660 for the whole enchalada. Including a rent a car for the whole week, airfare from NY to orlando for 2 adults (JJ my son goes free) 3 nights at the ASM , 4 day park hopper passes, We are going to visit my parents in Spring Hill, Fla after we hit the parks. Any advice for the parks with a 3, some people say "too Young" others say "just right"??????????
Thanks in advance!

 

[Kaa]

My son was three when we first went to WDW and my best advice is go at his pace. We didn't ride anything that he couldn't ride and we allowed plenty of time for character visits. I think he enjoyed that the most on his first visit. I can't stress enough to take a break in the afternoon! He was just starting to get out of the nap habit at that time, but we insisted on naps each day and he was a happy camper during the evening hours. You will find the best park for your son is the Magic Kingdom. If you are able, I would suggest doing early-entry at the Magic Kingdom at least once during your trip. As Fantasyland and Tomorrowland are the only places open during that first hour, you will be able to ride a great deal within Fantasyland during that time. Don't forget Mickey's ToonTown Fair!

Have Fun!

 

[Ladygator]

I definitely don't think your son is too young. Last August we took our 5, 3 and 8 month old kids and had a great time. If your son likes Toy Story be sure and let him meet the Toy Story characters at MGM near Als Toy Barn. He also might like the Buzz Lightyear and Winnie the Pooh rides at the MK. If he is a Pooh fan the character meal at the Crystal Palace at the MK is very good. Be sure to take a stroller.

 

[Disneydenise]

I don't think he is too young. think he is a great age for his first trip. Make sure you have lots of film and a video camera. This age is precious and the children really believe the magic. I have a million wonderful memories of my children at age 2and 4 . They are some of the sweetest times. I would advise that you go at his pace and make sure you take time to enjoy the pool with him. We also made time for a nap every afternoon and it made for a more enjoyable evening. I also would say that if your son is not real interested in going to seat down restaurants don't go thinking you will be getting any great meals. We were a bit tired of the fast food fare by the end of the trip but didn't care. They do have great babysitting service at Disney but I am not sure how expensive it is. If you and your hubby want a nice dinner one evening find out the info and enjoy yourselves. Take lots of video so that when you are about ready to sell him to first taker when he is about 15 YO you can pop it in the player and remember that this really is your sweet boy and he'll be back soon. Have a great trip.

 

[wahoo]

my three year old twins loved wdw...actually, they loved it when they were 2!! Just bring a stroller, sunglasses and plenty of water. And definitely go back to your room in the afternoon and take a nap. They are 4 1/2 now and still talk about their trip.

 

[Katd52]

I would love to hear about the september package. I called and got a quote today that was pretty high. I assumed that you had to get the Unlimited magic passes for the entire stay but, I noticed that you said that you got 4 day park hoppers. Did you have a choice in the type of admission you got?

 

[FlounderFish]

My 4yrold and 8yrold are going for the 3rd time this July. Here's what we do:

1). 0600--wake up, BFast in the room. I press for coffee for me and DW using our refillable mugs while DW yanks the rugrats out of the sack
2). 0700--at the bus stop awaiting the first tram. Dressed for combat
3). 0730--first in line at whatever early opening park of the day. You're in luck--it is early opening at MK 3 our of 7 days of the week (if it is EPCOT early opening we go to AK instead--EPCOT is just not great for the little ones)
4). 0745--Ride Dumbo
5). 0755--Ride Dumbo again
6). 0815--Maybe ride Pooh and then back on Dumbo
7). 0900--Fast pass pooh and then hit Barnstormer when they drop the rope
8). Depart the park at 1100ish for lunch in the room
9). Zonk out until 1300
10). Afternoon--family vote on where we go, but we usually have early (the latest lunch reservations...cheaper) dinner priority seatings at a real sit down restaurant
11). Evening--mostly sightseeing-type events (parades, fireworks, fantasia, etc) with a few rides mixed in
12). 2100--Bedtime and do it all over again tomorrow!

Flounder

 

[2boys'mom]

We took my 5and 2yo ds's in April and they both loved it. We definitely had to pace ourselves and did not get to do everything we wanted. We did not get to the parks earlier than 830 even with ee. We're just too slow. I would plan a character breakfast on a non ee day or late on a ee day-10:30 or so. Eat in room on the ee day. Chef Mickey's was great for bfast and supper. It took us 4 days to do MK well. My ds's must nap for 2 hours. My 5yo wouldn't leave the WL in the afternoon. He had to get in the pool with the slide. So we were good to go for maybe 5 hours max per day. I would concentrate on MK and AK. I still want one day to myself at AK. We only saw about half of it. I would leave EPcot for when you have time to enjoy it. Ride the monorail for fun and the boats. They were big hits with my kids. Have fun! Remember that rest brings sanity and less crying and whining.

 

[Tomandtammy]

I debated 2 yrs ago when my mother took my 3 and a half yr old to WDW BUT let me tell you after watching the video I am glad he went he is now 6 and he still talks about it. We are surprising him and his sister in March 2002 with another trip! Shhhh Its a secret!

 

[Super Mom]

We took our DS's when they were 5 & 3 and they had a ball! We are planning another trip this year. They are going to be 9 & 7 and their baby brother will be 3.5.

You definitely make some adjustments for the little ones. It was hard not going on Space Mountain last time, but they weren't ready for it. This trip we will do some splitting up as the 9 yr old will be ready for things that the 3 yr. old will not be ready for.

I would definitely recommend EE. Especially for MK. Also, some of the longest lines we stood in were for character meets. If time and money allow it, character meals work so much better.

As for a 3 yr. old being to young... If a child's first trip is at 8 or 9 years old, they know that Mickey is some kid in a costume with a big head. At 3, He's real!

 

[DisneyKidds]

You will have a great time. Our DD has gone since the age of 7 mos. They are never too young. She loves WDW and still talks about her more recent trips. She will be 3 when we go in Nov.

What works best for us is to get to the parks when they open (you can get a lot done 1st thing in the am), head back to the hotel around noon for a swim and nap (this really helps to keep our DD fresh) and then head back to a park in the late afternoon/evening. Taking frequent breaks and going at a slow pace that allows you to watch your child take everything in is great. Be careful not to let happen to you what has happened to others I know. Against better advice, people I know have gotten late starts, arrived at the parks at 10:00 or 11:00 in the am, got stuck in the biggest crowds with the longest lines during the hottest part of the day, etc. It can make for a bad experience if you are not prepared.

As for food. We try to take advantage of character meals to meet our character quota. We will see other characters if there are no lines to see them at the parks - but generally we don't like to spend time in the parks on characters. We will usually have a character breakfast early am (first seating) before we head to a park or late am (last seating) after we leave the park around 10:30 or 11:00. We love 1900 Park Fare (GF) and Cape May Cafe (BC), and these are very convenient to MK and BC. The buffets are great and you can really fill up - we usually don't eat again until dinner. The interaction you get with the characters at these meals is wonderful - your son will love it. We also like the dinner at the Crystal Palace (MK) with Pooh and friends.

Get some guide books, plan ahead, be smart and you will have a great time.

 

[kel3420]

We also brought our 3 year old for the first time last December. Be forewarned that the characters are much larger to children then they think they will be, making them scary. We watched the Disney Planning video many many times, and the previous videos we had taken with our older kids. The planning video shows the resorts, the parks, the characters, etc. It got our daughter so excited and prepared about where we were going. Once we got there, and she saw in person what we had been seeing on video made it that much more special to her. We also brought our 5 yr old neice. Before the trip, I bought both girls Disney coloring books and new crayons for the plane trip.

The first time the girls saw a character, we made such a big deal out of it, they were just as excited as we to go meet them and get their Disney autograph books signed.

Happy travelling,
Kelly

 

[CatOne]

We just got back two weeks ago from our first trip with our dd who is almost three. We had such a wonderful time we are booking another trip for Dec. When we watch the videos and look at the pics she is more excited than we are. she talks everyday about going back to see Mickey!!

Remember this, every child is different and you know yours best. We tried to be up early every morning and hit EE but she was not happy with this. She is not an early riser so for us it worked best to use the beginning of the day to eat, hit the pool, etc. and go to the park in the evening when the crowds thinned. I was surprised by the rides she did NOT want to ride but I let her decide. I thought she would love Dumbo but she didn't want to ride!!! She did want to ride the Jungle Cruise two times in a row and since there was no line....we did it. We also booked lots of character meals but discovered she only liked the characters from a distance. Go figure!! So, we only really did the 1900 Park Faire for breakfast, which she loved and we thought the food was great. She seemed to warm to Pinocchio the second breakfast. So, be prepared for anything and most of all be flexible. Your child will love it.

Our dd thought the monorail and the pool were terrific!! It seems it's the small things they love the most!! Have a wonderful time!!!

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