Ideas Wanted: First Trip

[brea]

I'm looking for ideas and thoughts on how to help make DD and DW's 1st trip to Disney more magical. Any and all ideas are welcome.

Some details about us and our trip

Our trip will be from Jan-28/Feb4
Staying at the Poly
Dining at (Ohana, Raglan Road, Fultons, Le Cellier, CM and CP for characters)

Things we're looking forward to - Watching the fireworks from the beach, DD seeing the nighttime parade, DD and DW in AK as they both love animals

DW - Will be 5-6 mos pregnant during our trip. She loves Dumbo
DD - Will be 18 mos during the trip. She loves pooh and friends

Our plans are not very aggressive as we plan to move at DD's pace and let it happen from her perspective as much as possible.

I was told on the phone that I could have a cake or ask at the podiums as each dining location can celebrate this in their own special way.

TIA for the recommendations and thoughts.

 

[Kaewin]

If you can get into Crystal Palace for breakfast the little one would like the Pooh and friends there and the meal is pretty good. Make sure you stop on Main Street and get pics with the Princesses the girls like that.

 

[mousiemom]

just let me start out by saying you will be going at a good time. the weather will be cool but from where your from, it will be nothing. you are going to some good restaurants too. like the other disser said be sure and go to crystal palace with the pooh characters and the food is good. we've done breakfast, lunch and dinner there. when you go to AK be sure and take the train in the back to rafiki's planet watch and they have a petting zoo and other cute things for the little one. they both need some mickey ears with their names on them. get to the parks early and you will get a lot done before the crowds roll in, you should have low crowds though. be sure and mark your stroller with a flourscent ribbon, etc. but cause if you are renting one from the parks, they all look alike with mickey balloons on them. ***also my biggest tip: be sure and do the photopass in every park you go to and when you get home you can personalize your dw a photo calendar. you can get 2 pictures per page so you can get 24 photos for a whopping $25!!!!! i get one every yr and they are a hit! you can upload your own photos too to put on the calendar. you can put birthdays, anniversaries, etc. i love it! when you are done, put them in a photo album.
Have fun and stay on the dis for lots of tips.

 

[brea]

We're planning to bring our own stroller to avoid any of that confusion/frustration plus it will help with having places to put things like extra water bottles. I've read up a lot and we plan to have a case of water and other items delivered to the room like baby items and such so this site has been a great help in those areas.

 

[KikiFan]

My very best advice is to relax and enjoy yourself. IMO with kids that age, making like a park commando can kill the joy in the experience. Our first trip my sister was one of those "Go-go-go!!!" people and it almost made us never want to go back.

Take time to enjoy the sites, look for things like hidden Mickey's. Maybe try to take your little ones picture by a key landmark. Because it's always cool when you can get pictures at the same spot every trip!

And maybe arrange for a little time for the grownups. I'd try to either do one of the daycare clubs or an in-room sitter. Give you guys a chance to have some fun!

 

[Pakey]

Do not expect much, if anything, complimentary as special surprises at the restaurants for celebrating a first trip, a birthday, etc. Everyone there is celebrating something so it's really hit or miss getting anything for free. Whatever you want to do, you should arrange it yourself so that you are guaranteed to get some magic.

Make sure to get "first visit buttons" when you check in at your resort.

For first timers, I like to get gift baskets made either by Disney Florist or by Memories by Betsy to have waiting upon arrival (I always included mongrammed ears). When I took my grandson for his first trip, I had a little "surprise" every morning when he woke up. For the character meals, I had shirts made that said "I'm having breakfast with Winnie and Friends at the Crystal Palace" etc. He got a lot of extra attention from the characters when wearing them.

As PP said, definitely get the photopass card and let them take pictures whever you find a photographer. That way you don't have to focus on picture taking and can enjoy watching your child experience the magic. Also, you can get in some of the photos too. Don't be afraid to ask the photographers to take photos with your camera too; they will do that for you.

There is a meet and greet for Pooh and friends at Epcot (in the UK at World Showcase), at Animal Kingdom (entrance is across from Flame Tree BBQ) and at DHS (Animation Building) for some extra Pooh interaction.

 

[hannahdrewmom]

Are you on the dining plan? Just wanted to make sure since I don't believe that Fulton's takes it. It would not be a good surprise at the end of the meal.

I'd also look at adding Hollywood and Vine for playhouse disney charaters if you dd watches that. It is meant for little ones!

 

[Karpkg]

I'm looking for ideas and thoughts on how to help make DD and DW's 1st trip to Disney more magical. Any and all ideas are welcome.

Some details about us and our trip

Our trip will be from Jan-28/Feb4
Staying at the Poly
Dining at (Ohana, Raglan Road, Fultons, Le Cellier, CM and CP for characters)

Things we're looking forward to - Watching the fireworks from the beach, DD seeing the nighttime parade, DD and DW in AK as they both love animals

DW - Will be 5-6 mos pregnant during our trip. She loves Dumbo
DD - Will be 18 mos during the trip. She loves pooh and friends

Our plans are not very aggressive as we plan to move at DD's pace and let it happen from her perspective as much as possible.

I was told on the phone that I could have a cake or ask at the podiums as each dining location can celebrate this in their own special way.

TIA for the recommendations and thoughts.

For those character meals I suggest checking out the Creative DISigns forum- located at the bottom of the forums. They make autograph pages- and make character signing so much more personal. Print them up and bring them with you; you'll be glad you did. Bring colorful sharpies for characters to use and sign.

If you're into photography, practice knowing those camera settings for taking the nighttime fireworks and parades. I fumbled a lot not having done those before. I always over shoot pics; easy to delete bad pics later.

Have you done trading pins? They are a lot of fun and CM's enjoy trading with the kids. Do a search for those threads.

I mentioned this on another thread; you should enter the park first with your camera a couple of people ahead; then quickly turn around and get pics of DD and DW as they enter the park and start looking around. The look of wonder on the little one's face is priceless!

Pics also of the little one (or even of DW) eating a mickey ice cream, or holding a mickey balloon...great memory creators. Don't forget to get pics of yourself with the family too. Grab a photopass photographer and have them use your camera for pics of the family; you don't have to buy their pics if you don't want to and they would be the one to get you in with the family for those castle shots.

Go to the concierge's desk and grab "1st Time Visit" buttons. Wear them prominently. CM's will greet you personally and that makes a visit more special.

Fantasyland should be done at rope drop. Dumbo should be the first ride to do. 'nuff said.

Check out the photopass threads. If you decide you want to do this, I would pre-order the CD then have the photographers do the magic shots. (Shot of your DD holding baby Simba at AK comes to mind) If you decide you changed your mind after the trip, ask for and you'll receive your refund back.

It'll be cold; dress warmly and check weather for rain.

 

[rcraw45425]

I don't want to be a downer but how friendly is your daughter? Our younger did the complete "I don't like this" our first character interaction. By the nd of the trip she was better but the only one she really warmed up to was Dopey(go figure). This was years back when Snow White and Dopey were part of the breakfast rotation at GF. She was a little over two that trip, on prior visits she had been okay but this time was different. We were there for a medical conference and had private meet and greets with the characters nightly. She freaked out, hubby had to take her outside while our Older daughter met them. I'd suggest trying to not do a character meal right away until you see how she reacts to them . Take lots of photos and take your time enjoying her reactions to things. Enjoy!

 

[cjnix29]

Honestly....with a first trip, just take it all in. There will be so much to see and do without worrying about extras! You read on this board about lots of extras, but your girls don't know, and won't expect anything but to have a great time. DS's first trip, I just had to sit back and observe him have a great time, he was in awe of everything. Don't rush, don't stress out about it, relax when you need to. It's a magical place, and just ENJOY!!!

 

[disney-akj]

Every night before I go to bed at the resort I place a small gift on the bathroom vanity for each of my kiddos, so they see it as soon as they wake up. A lot of times it is just a small cheap item (stickers, books, puzzles, little stuffed animals, small snow globe, coloring book, disney figurine, t-shirt, etc. The biggest item was beach towels, but I try to keep the items smaller for packing reasons). Then I leave a note on the vanity with the gift that I type before I leave. For example, One day I might leave a mickey puzzle with a note that says "I can't wait to see you today at Chef Mickey's" or Pooh stickers that says "See you later for lunch at Crystal Palace" or Lion King Book with a note that says "See you at Animal Kingdom." I always make the gift/character go with the day's plans. I know it is silly, but it makes it fun for the kids and myself.

I always do a character call before we leave home too. Nothing like a phone call from Mickey Mouse to start your trip!

 

[Scrappy_Tink]

I'm looking for ideas and thoughts on how to help make DD and DW's 1st trip to Disney more magical. Any and all ideas are welcome.

Some details about us and our trip

Our trip will be from Jan-28/Feb4
Staying at the Poly
Dining at (Ohana, Raglan Road, Fultons, Le Cellier, CM and CP for characters)

Things we're looking forward to - Watching the fireworks from the beach, DD seeing the nighttime parade, DD and DW in AK as they both love animals

DW - Will be 5-6 mos pregnant during our trip. She loves Dumbo
DD - Will be 18 mos during the trip. She loves pooh and friends

Our plans are not very aggressive as we plan to move at DD's pace and let it happen from her perspective as much as possible.

I was told on the phone that I could have a cake or ask at the podiums as each dining location can celebrate this in their own special way.

TIA for the recommendations and thoughts.

Congrats on your first trip and wonderful ADRs!! Here are a few suggestions to make the trip "extra" special...

For your daughter: I think since you're going to be doing everything at your DDs pace, I think everything will work out great for her...I'd invest in a pre-paid Photopass and get LOTS of pictures!! I think something special for a memento for her would be one of those "Mickey" Duffy bears....I'm not too hot on the idea of Duffy, but it's a cute "Hidden Mickey" bear and would be something cuddly for her.

For your wife, it'd be sweet to order something special from disneyflorist.com as a surprise. They have some nice wine gift baskets....you guys could sit on your balcony and sip wine after DD is tucked in for the night.

You'll absolutely LOVE staying at the Poly, with the convenience of the monorail...that's priceless when you have kids!

 

[brea]

I don't want to be a downer but how friendly is your daughter?

She's quite personable and doesn't seem to be afraid of much. DW had her at Walmart and showed her a "killer clown" mask. She beeped the nose and then began kissing the mask.

I haven't seen much that she won't at least investigate however we do get that characters in big costumes might be a different story. We've both discussed and accepted that she might want to take 25 minutes to investigate any given fountain and are ready to let it happen.

 

[rcraw45425]

She's quite personable and doesn't seem to be afraid of much. DW had her at Walmart and showed her a "killer clown" mask. She beeped the nose and then began kissing the mask.

I haven't seen much that she won't at least investigate however we do get that characters in big costumes might be a different story. We've both discussed and accepted that she might want to take 25 minutes to investigate any given fountain and are ready to let it happen.

Good, I wasn't trying to be mean or anything, I just remember our first stay, at the Swan when oldest was not quite three and younger one was almost a year. The characters came around and the older one began to climb out of the high chair, wanted nothing to do with Pluto! Younger one was fine then, but then had her melt down a year later at the GF. Kids are funny, the only one that held her attention that visit was Dopey, for Pete's sake. I'd just play it real low key, see how she does. Also, I've found that some of the "characters" will try to be a little more playful than others, coaxing a shy one out....

 

[April1971]

My mother's favorite Disney memory (and she went weekly when she lived in FL for 10 years!!!) is still the 1.5 hours she spent riding the train at MK holding my 16 month old sleeping son. We were all feeling a little tired after lunch and decided on a train ride to rest before getting in another hour or so in the park (my dd was 3, so we weren't planning on staying all day). My DS fell asleep and my mother volunteered to stay on board with him. They just rode around and around. When he woke up he was rested and ready to go for several more hours! Now, you may not want to spend that long on the train, but if your wife has sore feet and your DD needs a little break, the train can be very relaxing and a good place to cool off if your weather gets a little warm.

Also, my DD was terrified of the rides at age 3. Your DD may be young enough to roll with it, but it was very disappointing to us that she didn't want to do the rides after just one or two. If we had been expecting that, I think we would have been fine with it, but it caught us by surprise.

That said, if your DD likes the Dumbo ride as much as my son did, she might also like the magic carpets ride in Frontierland, which usually has a much shorter line.

I agree with PP on taking the train to Rafiki's Planet Watch. Very relaxing, but interesting too. Tends to be less crowded than the rest of the park. I think Fort Wilderness still has its petting zoo too. She probably isn't big enough for the pony ride but might enjoy seeing the horses at the barn. Nice playground at FW also.

Since you are making this trip with a pregnant wife and young child, my guess would be that you aren't planning on this being the one trip of a lifetime, but just the first of many. In that case, don't worry about missing anything. It makes subsequent trips even better when they see stuff for the first time.

 

[brea]

Since you are making this trip with a pregnant wife and young child, my guess would be that you aren't planning on this being the one trip of a lifetime, but just the first of many. In that case, don't worry about missing anything. It makes subsequent trips even better when they see stuff for the first time.

Being that we have another on the way and DW has never been we're doing this trip 1. so that we get some type of vacation in before the baby arrives and 2. So that DW has some knowledge and can participate and contribute to the excitement during the next trip.

Other than some specific dinners that we both are excited for we have a very lax schedule like no character breakfasts the morning after doing a late night to allow us to sleep in if we decide. On day where nothing is planned to all for whatever might catch their eye and only 4 park days planned with 7 to burn so that we can visit multiple parks if we decide or go back to one that DW or DD really liked ( I'm not planning two days at AK but they both love animals so I want to be able to go back if it becomes their 1st love).

 

[ThanksC&J]

Don't do Fastpasses unless you really have to. If you go thru the queues in a hurry or bypass parts of them you will miss some of the Disney Magic. I think for first timers that is a shame.

 

[FrankieDplus3]

brea,

Your approach to this first visit sounds like you're going in with the right attitude. I can see you and your family having a great time.


Our first trip was similar in 2007 when my DD was 6. I planned most of the trip, like which park to visit first, our meals (DD did pick her one princess lunch) and our attraction goals for each park we were in...BUT, my daughter set the pace. If I was eager to get to a ride and a show broke out or a character line started to form or a crazy water fountain appeared, we broke from the plan and enjoyed the moment. The unplanned moments are the most memorable.

We didn't do as much as we initially hoped our first trip, but, that made us hungry for a return. Three years later we returned with our DS(4) and had an even greater time; now we were hooked. We returned again one year after that, and we felt like pros.

Enjoy your trip. Happy planning!