Okay take a deep breath and say "woohoo" cuz you are going to WDW!! Don't panic! Here are some
things that work great for us:
1. We just stayed at SS in Dec. It is a beautiful resort and the pool is just about perfect, so swim if you can! You will be in walking distance from Downtown Disney, which is a dazzling shopping smorgasbord. Kids can be inclined to get the "gimmes" here, so be prepared. One of the best things to do there is free --- visit the excellent
Lego store and get some Lego therapy at their Lego building stations. I think it just about saved our sanity!!
2. I think you can't go wrong with just about anything at MK -- I think this park is the most magical so plan on visiting here several times to soak it up. Multiple visits will reduce the stress of trying to see and do everything. Our must dos are POTC, Buzz Lightyear, the Carousel..oh, heck, we try to do everything over several days, mornings, afternoons, etc.
3. Epcot is perceived as not so much fun because of the educational twist, but it really has a lot to offer. There is Soarin, Test Track, figment, Honey I Shrunk the Audience (maybe scary/loud), Spaceship Earth (great to rest up and cool off), Ellen's Energy Ride. We really had a lot of fun at the Kidcot fun spots in Future World and World Showcase. In FW they visit various spots and color and collect hang tags that are attached to a badge on a lanyard. In WS they decorate a mask and then go to every country to collect a hang-tag specific to the particular country to be attached to the mask. After your trip around the world, you have a neat souvenir and even get a special "prize" for visiting all the countries. Our kids loved it. It is also fun to visit the Coke place (Club Cool?) to taste free sodas from around the world.
4. We typically avoid parks that have early entry: we know where everyone will be, so we go elsewhere. However, this is very handy to use for MK. If MK gets too crowded in the afternoon, you can take a break or park-hop to a different park . This is where park-hoppers come in handy. We like to hit MGM, MK and AK in the morning and then hop to Epcot for a few attractions and excellent dining options.
5. Unless you are on
DDP, I think it is good to not have ADRs everyday with small children. They only need 4 minutes to eat and expect you to do the same (at least my kids are that way!!) and it leaves your schedule more flexible to enjoy the things you will find along the way -- don't be a slave to ADRs!
6. At MGM, there are a lot of shows. Rock N Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror are a lot of fun -- haven't done them w/kids tho. The Beauty and Beast show, Muppets 3D as well as Lights, Motors, Action are excellent and worth seeing. The Honey I shrunk the Kids Playground is also excellent...just watch for the squirts of water here and there. Indiana Jones, the Little Mermaid, Playhouse Disney (if your kids like Stanley, JoJo, Pooh and Bear in the Big Blue House), Backlot tour and The Great Movie Ride (a little loud/scary) are also fun.
7. At AK, must dos are the Kilimanjaro Safari, Nemo Show, Lion King Show. We try to do Kilimanjaro twice, because it will be different every time! DinoLand is cute and the playground is great to let kids burn a little steam. There is a great movie in the Tree of Life, It's Tough To Be a Bug. It is also loud and dark and surprising, so depends on how you think your kids would react. Definately check out the amazing carvings on the tree up close. We haven't done Kali River Rapids (sounds too wet) or Expedition Everest (check height/scare factor for kids). The bird show is nice and we saw a lot of Gorillas on the Pangani trail. I would skip the Conservation Station unless you want to take a train ride to nowhere to pet a goat.
8. Pin trading and penny pressing are some fun things for kids to do. My kids became maniacs trying to track down the penny presses -- you put 51 cents into a machine, selected an image and bingo! out comes an oblong penny with the image in it. A lot of the presses were appropriate to the park or ride location. They were also located in resorts, restaurants, gift shops, and were a lot of fun to look for. A tip on this board has been to carry stacks of 51 cents in mini m&m tubes to have change ready. Pin trading is also very popular. You display pins on a lanyard and trade w/castmembers. It is not so much fun for Mom -- had to manage multiple pin collections, discuss/explain/negotioate trades, the backs fall off easy,so had to buy locking pin backs -- will try again when kids are older.
9. Use guide books to figure out which rides you want to do at each park and if they are appropriate for your children, or if you will need to split up. I faithfully read the Unofficial Guide for ride descriptions, height requirements and park locations, so we know where we are going when we get there.
10. Another fun thing is collecting autographs. You make/buy an autograph book and track down the characters for autographs and photos -- this is an excellent photo op. This does eat up a lot of time (character schedules, waiting in line, seeing a super great character out and dashing off for an autograph), so plan time to collect autographs. Character meals you have planned are great for autographs too.
11. Leaving little "tinkerbell" gifts is fun and magical for the kids -- to stream line managing daily surprises last trip, Mickey just popped by when we were out and delivered gift bags of goodies (all things disney collected from various stores -- stock up when the
Disney Store is having a great sale) for each kid.
Sorry this is so long, but really, you should be celebrating instead of panicking!! I think this time of year may also be better regarding crowds -- we went the week before Easter one year and it was wall-to-wall people and we could hardly move! Have fun!
At the MK especially. Get a fast pass for one of the FP rides the kids would like and get in line for Pirates first thing, there isn't a FP for this and with the Pirates craze going on right now thie wait times are longer than ever before.
