Going with a 6 and 7 yr. old-best tips/advice

[kjs1976]

A co-worker is going by herself with her 6 year old son and 7 year old daughter. Dad wants nothing to do with WDW because waiting in line for 10 min. is too long for him. Anyway...she'll be meeting up with a friend and her kids later in the week. Since we don't have kids, my advice is limited in what works best strategy wise with 7-6yr olds...if anyone can give good suggestions for attractions and how to budget your day as well as what to carry with you... and what good advice is out there in general for traveling with them at the parks. Also, what is there to do at EPCOT that would keep their attention? Thay also have the DDP and will be eating a lot of character meals. THANKS!

 

[Goofy Rulz]

We took our DD8 and DS4 to WDW last March so I might be able to give some advice. Regarding MK, first they should get there before opening and then head straight for Dumbo because the lines will get obscenely long later in the day. Then they need to utilize FP. Get one for Peter Pan and then go to Philharmagic. By then the FP should be up. Before going on PP have them get a FP for Snow White or Pooh. After riding Peter Pan go on Small World (nothing like walking around the park all day with that song in your head). If there is still time to kill before the other FP then do the carousel. From there they should head to Toontown, which opens at 10:00 and meet the characters. Then they could head over to Tomorrowland for Buzz (and/or Stitch-but IMHO I would skip Stitch; not worth the time). Using the railroad will cut down on some walking for the kids. It's no fun walking around with whining kids who are tired of walking. As for Epcot, I can't help you too much there as we passed on that park. Didn't think our kids would enjoy it. Although they do have Kidcot sections that your friend's kids may enjoy. My kids loved MGM and Star Tours and Muppets are both must sees for them there. As well as the backlot tour. We'll be doing AK for the first time in June, but from what I hear, they'll want to hit DinoLand, the safari, Tough to be a Bug & Kahli River Rapids. Again, their mother (and their height) will determine if they can go on EE. They may want to consider Donald's Breakfastasaurus in DinoLand. It's breakfast w/Donald (obviously), Mickey, Pluto & Goofy.

As for what to carry, we took a backpack with us and had snacks and juice boxes for the kids for when they were stuck in line somewhere. We also carried their sandals in there so they could put them on when going on a water ride because our kids don't like walking around in wet socks or sneakers. Also, each kid had their own disposable camera so they could take their own pictures.

I hope this helps. Everybody's tastes are different, so whatever interests them the most at each park, they should plan on hitting it as early in the morning as possible. I hope they have fun.

 

[ratfam]

Goofy Rulz' MK touring plan makes a lot of sense. My advice would be to have a general idea of things they want to see and how best to do it but to follow the kids' lead. We have taken our now 7.5 and 10 year old kids every 2-3 years and have learned that if they want to spend 30 minutes playing around in Minnie's house or 60 minutes in Innoventions in Epcot its best just to dig in and have fun with them rather than dragging them off to keep "on schedule". They have never cared if they missed something on our agenda, and once I realized that I stopped getting as worked up about it and we all relaxed and enjoyed more.

Since she won't have an extra adult around for part of her stay, I would suggest that she consider ahead of time how she will handle it if one kid wants to go on a ride or see a show and the other doesn't--will they switch off picking, will the one who wants to go be comfortable riding alone if she waits with the other, should they plan their stay so that they hit these attractions when they are with the other family, etc. I have found that a game plan for these issues helps minimize stress and sibling conflict.

She might want to plan on taking an afternoon hotel break or planning a character lunch (maybe Crystal Palace), to give her a chance to recharge, since chasing two young kids around a theme park all day, while fun, can be draining when you're on your own.

Hope this helps!

 

[vicceja]

Hi!

Definitely bring a stroller - they might think their kids are too big for strollers...believe me they will get tired.

Afternoon Breaks - The afternoon breaks helped us a lot. We would get into the park bright and early / take a break and head back to the parks later on that day and the boys would be ready to play again!

Patience - For everyone of our trips we plan way in advance...but with kids you have to understand that some of the very best plans need to be rearranged to suit them.

STOP AND SMELL THE ROSES

 

[CaseyJr]

I would suggest sitting down with the kids ahead of time and figuring out which attractions each person in the party really wants to do at the parks. Then make it a point to visit (at least) one attraction-must-do for each person (notice I didn't specify the kids -- the adults are important, too!).


DS & I have had 3 "Mom & DS solo trips" (when DS was 7, 8, & 9). DS was bad about changing his mind about what he wanted to do next, usually in mid-park, and usually when it wasn't convenient for us (ie: if we were trying to keep a FP time, etc.).


Restrooms: at that age it's OK to take both kids into the restrooms with Mom.

Hope your friend has fun!

 

[Terry S]

My kids are now 8 and 9 but they have been going to WDW since they were 2 and 3. Dad comes on the trip itself, but not to the park all the time due to a medical condition. I have the kids both carry fanny packs. In those fanny packs are a snack for them to eat (pretzels, gold fish), sunglasses, and a cell phone in case we get seperated (when they were a bit younger they had 2 way radios in stead of cell phones.) I don't like carrying a backpack myself so I just have a fanny pack as well. We can buy drinks if we need them.

Also, just take it easy. As another poster suggested, just let them take it at thier pace and do things twice if they really like it.

 

[Minnie Mi]

My son is now almost 7. Here are my suggestions:

1)Plan to rest after lunch. Either go back to the hotel for a nap or time in the pool, or find a cool spot to sit for about an hour or so.

2)Buy the "Disney World with Kids" book. It has lots of good suggestions, and it lists all the rides, their scariness factor, and how long you usually have to wait in line.

3)Go with the mindset that you cannot do everything in this one trip. We have been 4 times in 4 years and with each trip we are able to do something new. If you prioritize what you want to do, you'll be happier at the end.

4)Fast passes. Why wait in line if you don't have to?

5)JMHO but I would skip the parades. They are great but you have to queue up an hour in advance to get decent seats. In that amount of time, you could ride all the rides in one land. Again, that's my preference.

6)If your kids haven't seen the older Disney films (Dumbo, Peter Pan, Swiss Family Robinson, etc.), rent them and do a "saturday night Disney movie night" or similar. When they know the movie, the attractions are more meaningful.

Have fun!!

 

[remfam5]

Our kids: DD9 & DS6
We went in Oct 2005
Some tips:
* We got a double stroller--- small cost for the day and so VALUBLE when it was needed by the kids!

*I personally think that a mid-day break is a wast of time *UNLESS* you have an evening activity planned. The best way to break up the day, that we've found, is to make dinner resv. early-- like around 4 - 4:30. That's about the time the whining and "I'm tired" starts. This gives the whole family a chance to rest and re-fuel!

* My kids really liked Epcot--- the KIDCOT stations were another good way to take a little break and sit for 10 min. We were also really into finding characters, so Epcot was fun to try and find them!

*lightly pack a small backpack with a few snacks and disposable camaras for the kids.


That's all I can think of now----Just do your research and HAVE FUN!!!
Vacations go by WAY TO FAST!!