Aliceacc
DIS Legend
- Joined
- Jul 2, 2007
- Messages
- 13,463
(.and I added more-- see post # 12)..from www.allears.com
If you have kids, bring a change of clothing for them to the parks! I know this must seem like something everyone knows, but we didn't! During our first trip ever to WDW last December my then 4-year-old daughter found the water sprinklers at Pooh's Playful Spot in Fantasyland in the Magic Kingdom. She went in to play and the next thing I knew she was soaked from the water!
While standing in lines for rides that might have a long wait, my children bring along a deck of cards and take turns playing magician and guessing which card the other one picked. They also have a note pad each to write on and I get them to write down their favorite part of the day so far. Having some small snacks on hand also helps to keep them from getting bored. We bring animal cookies, crackers etc. -- nothing that is too messy
Wanting our kids to have the items they "needed" at WDW but wanting to build the magic before and during the trip, we decided to bring our own treat box and let the girls "shop" from that box before each day's activities began. I gave each girl a fanny pack or small backpack, water bottle and an autograph book/pen on the airplane. I packed a small shoebox with treats (gum, mints, fruit roll-ups, cookies, etc.) and another with Disney-related trinkets (keychains, playing cards, stickers, personal fan, etc.). Each morning the girls "shopped" for edible treats to place in their backpacks and a trinket -- this sometimes eliminated them even wanting to shop at a gift shop during the day! I saved countless dollars and had a great time selecting the items for the treat boxes
I have a tip for keeping children occupied while waiting for the fireworks at Epcot. On our last trip to Disney, we wandered into the Toy Soldier at the United Kingdom before we went to get a place to sit for the fireworks. While we were in the store our 3 1/2-year-old son saw a Thomas the Tank Engine puzzle he wanted. We bought it for him and let him put it together while we waited for the fireworks to begin. It completely occupied his time and by the time he was finished, it was almost time for the fireworks. We are planning another trip in November 2005 and this time I am going to pack some of his puzzles into Ziplock bags to take with us. He will have something to do while we wait and we won't have the box to take up a lot of room in our bag
We recently visited Epcot on a hot, crowded, rainy day. We were lucky enough to find ourselves inside The Land when a typical Florida afternoon storm hit. After experiencing most of the attractions inside the building, we stumbled upon the Nestle Jr. Chef program just past the food court on the first floor. What a treat! Two of my three children participated in the 30 (or so) minute program that consisted of two Jr. Chef leaders guiding 20 children in a "hands on" toll house cookie-making process. All of the children were given personalized chef hats (to keep), and each child was given a specific job in making the cookies in this big team effort. The leaders of this program not only should be commended for being "sweet" to even the littlest participants (my 2-year-old, whose job it was to hold the bag of toll house morsels, was mesmerized the whole time), but they held the attention of all of the children while being fun and informative. This program provided us with a break from the weather, a fabulous photo opportunity, and some delicious toll house cookies for all! I would highly recommend checking out this little known or advertised program. This became my 7-year-old daughter's best Disney memory
I have two girls, ages 4 and 2. We travel to Disney World once a year. Each time we go I bring something from the local Disney Store where I work. One year I brought along an Ariel nightgown for my oldest daughter Courtney. When we got to the Magic Kingdom we never made it to see Ariel and Courtney was very sad that she didn't get to see her favorite princess. When she returned to our room there on the bed was a nightgown from Ariel with a note saying she was sorry she missed us. Courtney still talks about it to this day. Now each year I bring something from a character and leave it on the bed with a note. I usually bring something from one of their favorite characters or someone who we just had a character meal with. I think I get as excited as they do when they see something on their bed from a character
If your kids aren't big enough to ride Test Track go into the gift shop/exit. I thought it was just a gift shop, and I was wrong. My 3-year-old was thrilled to be able to sit in a Hummer and a Saab. All he talks about are the cool cars he played in at Test Track. I am so glad I didn't walk by this attraction.
Instead of bringing a towel to the park to dry the kids, stroller, etc., try a chamois. They are small and compact and so much easier to carry around than a regular towel. They work best when wet, and then when they are full of water, you wring them out and they are ready to soak up some more. You can find them in the automotive section of discount stores or a smaller size (for more money) in sport stores in the swimming section
If you travel with any individual, especially children, who is afraid of or does not like loud noise, purchase disposable foam ear plugs from a hardware store before leaving home. These are easy to take in and out, cheap (less than a $1.00 a pair) and can be kept in a pocket or fanny pack. Don't forget to purchase several pairs, just in case one pair is lost.
We found it very helpful when traveling with our toddler to pack a plastic tablecloth and some plastic clothing pins we got at the dollar store. We stored them in a small Ziploc bag and threw them in the bottom of the stroller. When we would go into an attraction and had to leave the stroller outside with some of our other belongings, we would get the tablecloth out and cover the stroller with it and clip it down so it wouldn't blow away. There is nothing worse than returning to your stroller and finding out that while you were inside having a great time, there had been a passing thunderstorm (which happens all the time). Our stuff and the stroller were still dry. I can't tell you how many people thought we were the smartest people in the park
. The other was a small purse/fanny pack for all three girls for their snacks, pens, autograph books and cameras. I don't recommend that they wear the fanny packs around their waist because it prevents the safety belts from coming down securely. Instead, wear them across the chest diagonally. I wore a large messenger bag instead of a backpack and didn't have any back pain or shoulder strain
If you have young children and are going to a late parade or fireworks, bring a pair of pajamas with you. Or, if you are going back to your hotel beforehand, you can change there. Have the kids put on their pajamas before the parade. Most kids (mine anyway) fall asleep before we return to the hotel. This way, you can just put the kids into bed and not have to worry about waking them up to change into sleepwear. It has saved me from many nights of "I've had my 'nap', now I want to play!"
For younger first timers, get a recording of the music from "dark rides" (Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, etc.) and have them get used to it. This worked great with my son, who was very apprehensive of the dark. When we got to the ride and he heard the songs, the familiarity made it a lot easier for him to be brave for that first ride. Most of those rides he "knew" from the music became his favorites.
If you are travelling with young children that sometimes would prefer to walk than ride in a stroller all day, tie bells to their shoes. You will be able to keep up with them and if they do get seperated from you, their jingling will alert you to where they are. We had bells tied on two or our children our last trip and used different bells on each of their shoes.
I always take a few of the bubble bottles with me. Then, when I'm in a long line or waiting for a parade or fireworks, I just start blowing bubbles. All of the little kids (and some of the big ones too!) are delighted to chase and pop the bubbles or just watch them drift by. It's so funny to hear the comments from guests who don't see me blowing the bubbles - they just think it's more Disney "magic
If you have kids, bring a change of clothing for them to the parks! I know this must seem like something everyone knows, but we didn't! During our first trip ever to WDW last December my then 4-year-old daughter found the water sprinklers at Pooh's Playful Spot in Fantasyland in the Magic Kingdom. She went in to play and the next thing I knew she was soaked from the water!
While standing in lines for rides that might have a long wait, my children bring along a deck of cards and take turns playing magician and guessing which card the other one picked. They also have a note pad each to write on and I get them to write down their favorite part of the day so far. Having some small snacks on hand also helps to keep them from getting bored. We bring animal cookies, crackers etc. -- nothing that is too messy
Wanting our kids to have the items they "needed" at WDW but wanting to build the magic before and during the trip, we decided to bring our own treat box and let the girls "shop" from that box before each day's activities began. I gave each girl a fanny pack or small backpack, water bottle and an autograph book/pen on the airplane. I packed a small shoebox with treats (gum, mints, fruit roll-ups, cookies, etc.) and another with Disney-related trinkets (keychains, playing cards, stickers, personal fan, etc.). Each morning the girls "shopped" for edible treats to place in their backpacks and a trinket -- this sometimes eliminated them even wanting to shop at a gift shop during the day! I saved countless dollars and had a great time selecting the items for the treat boxes
I have a tip for keeping children occupied while waiting for the fireworks at Epcot. On our last trip to Disney, we wandered into the Toy Soldier at the United Kingdom before we went to get a place to sit for the fireworks. While we were in the store our 3 1/2-year-old son saw a Thomas the Tank Engine puzzle he wanted. We bought it for him and let him put it together while we waited for the fireworks to begin. It completely occupied his time and by the time he was finished, it was almost time for the fireworks. We are planning another trip in November 2005 and this time I am going to pack some of his puzzles into Ziplock bags to take with us. He will have something to do while we wait and we won't have the box to take up a lot of room in our bag
We recently visited Epcot on a hot, crowded, rainy day. We were lucky enough to find ourselves inside The Land when a typical Florida afternoon storm hit. After experiencing most of the attractions inside the building, we stumbled upon the Nestle Jr. Chef program just past the food court on the first floor. What a treat! Two of my three children participated in the 30 (or so) minute program that consisted of two Jr. Chef leaders guiding 20 children in a "hands on" toll house cookie-making process. All of the children were given personalized chef hats (to keep), and each child was given a specific job in making the cookies in this big team effort. The leaders of this program not only should be commended for being "sweet" to even the littlest participants (my 2-year-old, whose job it was to hold the bag of toll house morsels, was mesmerized the whole time), but they held the attention of all of the children while being fun and informative. This program provided us with a break from the weather, a fabulous photo opportunity, and some delicious toll house cookies for all! I would highly recommend checking out this little known or advertised program. This became my 7-year-old daughter's best Disney memory
I have two girls, ages 4 and 2. We travel to Disney World once a year. Each time we go I bring something from the local Disney Store where I work. One year I brought along an Ariel nightgown for my oldest daughter Courtney. When we got to the Magic Kingdom we never made it to see Ariel and Courtney was very sad that she didn't get to see her favorite princess. When she returned to our room there on the bed was a nightgown from Ariel with a note saying she was sorry she missed us. Courtney still talks about it to this day. Now each year I bring something from a character and leave it on the bed with a note. I usually bring something from one of their favorite characters or someone who we just had a character meal with. I think I get as excited as they do when they see something on their bed from a character
If your kids aren't big enough to ride Test Track go into the gift shop/exit. I thought it was just a gift shop, and I was wrong. My 3-year-old was thrilled to be able to sit in a Hummer and a Saab. All he talks about are the cool cars he played in at Test Track. I am so glad I didn't walk by this attraction.
Instead of bringing a towel to the park to dry the kids, stroller, etc., try a chamois. They are small and compact and so much easier to carry around than a regular towel. They work best when wet, and then when they are full of water, you wring them out and they are ready to soak up some more. You can find them in the automotive section of discount stores or a smaller size (for more money) in sport stores in the swimming section
If you travel with any individual, especially children, who is afraid of or does not like loud noise, purchase disposable foam ear plugs from a hardware store before leaving home. These are easy to take in and out, cheap (less than a $1.00 a pair) and can be kept in a pocket or fanny pack. Don't forget to purchase several pairs, just in case one pair is lost.
We found it very helpful when traveling with our toddler to pack a plastic tablecloth and some plastic clothing pins we got at the dollar store. We stored them in a small Ziploc bag and threw them in the bottom of the stroller. When we would go into an attraction and had to leave the stroller outside with some of our other belongings, we would get the tablecloth out and cover the stroller with it and clip it down so it wouldn't blow away. There is nothing worse than returning to your stroller and finding out that while you were inside having a great time, there had been a passing thunderstorm (which happens all the time). Our stuff and the stroller were still dry. I can't tell you how many people thought we were the smartest people in the park
. The other was a small purse/fanny pack for all three girls for their snacks, pens, autograph books and cameras. I don't recommend that they wear the fanny packs around their waist because it prevents the safety belts from coming down securely. Instead, wear them across the chest diagonally. I wore a large messenger bag instead of a backpack and didn't have any back pain or shoulder strain
If you have young children and are going to a late parade or fireworks, bring a pair of pajamas with you. Or, if you are going back to your hotel beforehand, you can change there. Have the kids put on their pajamas before the parade. Most kids (mine anyway) fall asleep before we return to the hotel. This way, you can just put the kids into bed and not have to worry about waking them up to change into sleepwear. It has saved me from many nights of "I've had my 'nap', now I want to play!"
For younger first timers, get a recording of the music from "dark rides" (Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, etc.) and have them get used to it. This worked great with my son, who was very apprehensive of the dark. When we got to the ride and he heard the songs, the familiarity made it a lot easier for him to be brave for that first ride. Most of those rides he "knew" from the music became his favorites.
If you are travelling with young children that sometimes would prefer to walk than ride in a stroller all day, tie bells to their shoes. You will be able to keep up with them and if they do get seperated from you, their jingling will alert you to where they are. We had bells tied on two or our children our last trip and used different bells on each of their shoes.
I always take a few of the bubble bottles with me. Then, when I'm in a long line or waiting for a parade or fireworks, I just start blowing bubbles. All of the little kids (and some of the big ones too!) are delighted to chase and pop the bubbles or just watch them drift by. It's so funny to hear the comments from guests who don't see me blowing the bubbles - they just think it's more Disney "magic
I have made a note and will try several of them on our upcoming trip. Thanks!!!!!!!
