HELP!!!! WDW vacation with young kids

[father0f3]

Thanks KTLM

Everyone has been helpful, it looks as if you have to tackle a Disney trip like you would any other major project, with lots of planning and preparedness. I still have a lot of work ahead of me, I guess the booking of flights/resort was the easy part. thanks to everyone that contributed with advice.
If anybody else has some good to do's for my family during our visit please jump in!

Cheers

 

[monorailsilver]

1. Are my kids too young.Should I wait a couple of years No & if anyone tells you so they are just crazy!

2. Is August too hot at Disney or too rainy Well it is hot & humid but I live in CT & we get our fair share of hot & humid days here. As far as rain, yes it does rain. Usually it will be raining at the MK & sunny at the Poly.

3. My oldest is big enaugh to ride the rides but the little ones are less than 44'' will they have enaugh rides or will they feel left out. Nope they won't feel left out at all. My oldest last August was 48 or so inches (I forget) so she was able to ride things but she chickened out on most things which was fine by me. She was happy riding everything we went on with my younger two kids.

4. Is it too late too book character meals (will they be full) Didn't read the rest of the posters comments but I am sure they said to call every day & even while you are there, call or go to the restaurant, you never know.

5. Will the BB boutique be booked solid I would hate to go to disney and not be able to let my kids experience these things. Same as above but if they miss it, that is OK. My kids haven't done it either. My oldest just wants to go down the slide at the Poly pool (she is 8), my ds (5) wants to go on Test Track over & over again & my youngest (3) just see's Mickey & is happy right now.

6. Should I upgrade to a hopper pass I dont think my kids would last more than 6 hours at any theme park. Should I also get the water park pass or are my kids too young and would be okay with the resort pool.

I personally like a hopper. It gives me the flexibility to go to one park in the am (the early entry park of the day) & then go somewhere else at night. We pretty much go to Epcot every night to watch Illuminations.

We go to the park first thing in the am & get there for early entry & ride all the rides we can while the lines are still short & the summer heat isn't at its worst. We grab lunch at the park & then head back to the hotel.

With out kids, I didn't nap but my dh would lay down on the bed in the a/c while I would go to the pool for our break. Or pre dh, my family & the other families we were with would go to the pool (I was a teenager). I have never seen a 3pm parade! With kids I have made them all nap during those breaks & they needed it. Even my oldest last year was 7 & as soon as her head hit the pillow she was out for about 2 hours & woke up in a much better mood.

We then head back to the park at night for dinner & the shows or whatever else we can squeeze in. Like I said we do Epcot alot at night it is usually my goal to watch Illuminations, hop on the monorail back to the Poly & then watch Wishes (in my teen years we'd beg our parents to go to the MK to ride the rides until closing & they let us).

As for water parks it is up to you. I am sure your kids would enjoy them. I haven't done them with kids yet as I know I would not enjoy them. Last year I did think about it for a split second but my oldest was the only one that could swim. So I didn't want to risk anything happening to the other 2 or her for that matter. I knew I wouldn't enjoy it & my kids were just as happy swimming in either of the Poly pools & my oldest loved the slide there.

Please help any advise is good, especially someone with the same family dinamics that has visited WDW in the summer.

• go to the parks early
• take mid day breaks-it is vital in the summer since it is so hot mid day.
• make them drink sips of water after every ride.
• water mister fans (you can buy cheap ones at Walmart, etc..)
• Don't do a park every day. You really need a day off if you want to enjoy yourself. I know my kids & they wuold be total crabs if I didn't scheduale non park days.
• I don't do the dining plan so I plan the few ADR's on my off days.
• Let them get wet, they will dry in the summer sun.
• hats

 

[mitsybella]

Just looked on the Disney site and they do have some character meals available, the quicker thing to do would be to call, the CM are able to look much faster than looking everything up online, you have to keep changing the times in the system because it wont tell you they have availablilty at X time, just nothing for the time you have selected + or - a certain amount of time, when you call they can generally say we have X time available, as for CRT and some of the more popular places just keep trying, I managed to get CRT 1 week before we left last year for Noon(right as they opened for lunch) and for BBB boutique you may have more luck at DTD rather than in the park, try both good luck and have fun

 

[BCV MOMX2]

I'm so excited for you guys! Your kids are the perfect age! Sounds like everyone has you covered. My only suggestion that I don't see was covered would be to take a stroller for your 5 year old. Even if you only spend a couple of hours in the park, there is an incredible amount of walking even from ride to ride. Also, if they fall asleep at night on the bus on the way back to the resort - could be a long hike back to the room. We have a 5 year old who will be close to 6 on our next trip. We will absolutely take a stroller. I am still shopping but have found one that holds up to 55 lbs. You can rent them in each park, I just prefer to have my own. Anyhow - hope you will consider this. It's just so much walking for little legs. Have a safe and magical trip!

 

[father0f3]

I have read the advice about strollers and its on our list. What we've used in the past is a bike cart that you tow behind a bicycle and it seats 2 kids, the nice thing about it is that it folds down flat for transporting in a car/plane and you can use it in the airport like a luggage cart. We figured on bringing it but I'm a little worried about its size in the crowds of disney and on the buses or monorail. Any opinions?

 

[frtchr]

I'm pretty sure the bike carts are not allowed.

 

[kwitcherkicken99]

I need advice. My wife and I have made a last minute decision to go to WDW with our 3, 4 and 5yr old children Aug 9, 3 weeks away, the stay is at Port Orleans Riverside. With meal plan and basic 6 day park passes. It is going to cost us around 4 grand for the trip and flights then spending money.
I need to know before I finalize the bookings today a few things from all you Experienced Disney nuts.

1. Are my kids too young.Should I wait a couple of years HEAVEN'S NO!!! I think that's the perfect age to go!
2. Is August too hot at Disney or too rainy It will be "warm" and possibly humid. Plan to take your time and make sure to duck into stores or the inside attractions to help cool off. Take advantage of EMH in the mornings and evenings to try to avoid the hottest part of the day. And my advice for rain : STAY IN THE PARK!! So many people bail when it rains. FL rain showers are 15 minutes at best. Duck into a store or find a covered attraction. You'll be amazed at how thin the crowd will get.
3. My oldest is big enaugh to ride the rides but the little ones are less than 44'' will they have enaugh rides or will they feel left out. There is SO much to do with the kiddos who can't ride the big attractions. There are play areas to distract while someone rides with the 5 yr old. Other than the assorted rides with the height requirements, there are tons of rides to go on.
4. Is it too late too book character meals (will they be full) You may not be able to get your first choice, but you should be able to find one that works. People also cancel so you can keep checking back.
5. Will the BB boutique be booked solid I would hate to go to disney and not be able to let my kids experience these things. Probably, but again, people cancel.
6. Should I upgrade to a hopper pass I dont think my kids would last more than 6 hours at any theme park. Should I also get the water park pass or are my kids too young and would be okay with the resort pool. I would invest in the hopper that way you can go at your own pace. If you think all day would be too much, the hop. I would vote no to the water parks. IMHO the water parks are best suited for 7 and up.

Please help any advise is good, especially someone with the same family dinamics that has visited WDW in the summer.

Use your kids as a guide. If they are starting to tire, take a break. By going for 6 days, you'll have lots of time to do everything you want to so don't rush! Are you considering a stroller??