Looking for EXCELLENT TIPS-Going with Family 3 & 6 yr girls FUN TID-BITS ????

[MissUssH]

LOOKING For GOOD INPUT & TIPS !!!
Going in November with family, Ft Wilderness Cabins....
With kids & parents...
Looking for "Some Good Scoop" from experienced travelers !!

 

[nativetxn]

Welcome to the DIS! I'm very glad that you found us and I hope you can visit often.

I'll bump this back to page one for you so that some of our veterans can offer advice

 

[vicnmickey]

Remember with kids to go at a slow pace, take a break in the afternoon. Kids burn out early!!! Well darn even the adults burn out too. Your at a great place to learn alot. I have been here for almost 2 years and I love the Dis!!!! Ask away

 

[wdwdvcdad]

i've got 3 little girls. My advice: When you are hot, cool down. When you are thirsty, drink, when you are tired, rest...that goes especially for the little ones. You won't see/do everything, so make the most of what you can do & see. Keep everyone in good spirits & relax...it still is a vacation after all (of course you need to get back to work so you can rest after a WDW vacation!)

 

[kiddoc]

Hi MissUssH! I have two DD's, ages 4 and 2. Here are some of our favorite things:

MK--All of Fantasyland, especially Mickey's PhilharMagic
Buzz Lightyear
Goofy's Barnstormer
Splash Mountain
Aladdin's Magic Carpet Ride
Haunted Mansion scared DD4 on our last trip, but she is planning to try again this time!!

EPCOT--Journey Into Imagination
Honey, I Shrunk the Audience
Test Track
Ice Station Cool
Both our girls also really like to play in the fountains and DD4 really enjoyed the Kidcot Stops.

MGM--Voyage of the Little Mermaid
Playhouse Disney Live on Stage
Fantasmic!

AK--The Boneyard
Kilamanjaro Safaris
Kali River Rapids (be prepared to get soaked!)
Festival of the Lion King
It's Tough to be a Bug! also scared DD4 last year. We again hope to give it a try next time.

Those are just my girls' personal favorites. Hope that helps.

 

[rpbear]

At age 3 and now still at age 9 one my DDs favorite things to do is ride in the front of the monorail with the driver. Especially on the trip from the TTC to Epcot. Other than that all the other things mentioned previously. I just had to mention the monorail because my DD still talks about it all the time and calls it her favorite ride.

 

[pjlla]

Check out the "Best WDW Theme Park Secrets" thread here at the Theme Park forum. It is very long, but it is LOADED with lots of fun ideas. Like the free cookie making in Epcot. My kids loved it! ........................P

 

[EmmasGrammy]

Buy autograph books for each girl. Do some character meals (get PS's) take lots of photos and have the characters sign on the right page and leave the left side to glue in pictures of the girls with the character. It will be the best investment you will make!

If they are afraid or nerveous about the rides, DO NOT take them in a "dark ride" first. We made this mistake by riding Space Ship Earth (the big ball @ Epcot) first. Although there wasn't really anything scary on the ride, our DGD (age 2 1/2) was frightened by the dark and she refused to ride any rides the entire week!!! We fought like heck and finally, on our last day, got her onto It's A Small World and the Teacups.

Also if you can swing the cost of the Hoop Dee Do it's a "must see". Your girls are the right age to really enjoy the show!

 

[christophfam]

This is probably obvious, but just in case it isn't you've got to go to Cindy's for breakfast at the castle with the princesses. The ressies are hard to get (checkout the restaurant page for tips), but well worth it. With two little girls, you can't miss it!

Is this your first trip to WDW? Give us a little more information about what you've planned so far and I'm sure you'll get a bunch of responses.

 

[Vanryan]

My best tip:
Even though your girls are 3 and 6 it's a good idea to rent a stroller. The amount of walking they will do is amazing, and they can tire out just from the stimulation alone! Our kids used them both times we have gone, (3 and 5, 4,6 and 1o months the second time.) Our oldest is 8 now and I bet she will want a ride at some point.

 

[44disney]

I absolutely agree with Vanryan about the strollers. Either buy or rent 2 (you don't want a double stroller because it is likely that you will be splitting up sometimes).

We went last Oct. with our DS6 and our DD3 (one month short of being 4). I actually bought a used, heavy duty stroller for my son, which I will soon sell and get most of my money back. When he first realized the stroller was for him, he said that there was no way he was going to use it. Of course, he happily used it everyday (not constantly, but when we were going across the park). Having a large basket to put stuff into was great, too (my DD's stroller was a bit smaller).

Make sure you have the kids wear comfy shoes with socks, and bring a pair of sandals for the water rides. Also, my DD did not want to get wet on the Kali River Rapids Ride, so I let her wear her poncho (purchased ahead of time at Big Lots) and she was fine.

Bring some small snacks for when you are standing in line -- we have found that Tic Tacs work great -- very few calories but the kids think they are a big treat -- and they don't take up a lot of space.

Also-- the autograph books are a good idea, but I used something else. I bought 2 t-shirts from the Disney Store and with a fabric pen (the kind that raises up when you write) put there name on each plus the dates of our trip. I then put it in a plastic bag (in case it rained), along with a Sharpie, and kept it in the stroller. The characters were happy to sign the shirts and now the kids have a wearable souvenir for about $7 each (shirts in the park are about $18 each). Obviously, light colored shirts work best.

Lastly, we love the Chef Mickey's character breakfast -- we get a PS for the last seating (around 11:15 am) and treat it as a lunch, just munching on pop tarts or granola bars for our breakfast. The Chef Mickey's dinner is also good. Plan on going on a day you will be at the MK, because the restaurant is in the Contemporary Resort, which is only a short monorail ride away.

If you have any more questions, just ask!

Have Fun!!!

 

[InstImpres]

Buy mini flashlights for the girls and yourself. Have them each keep one in there pocket (if they have one) for when they get scared and you have one ready too in case it's real dark. It's been a life saver!

 

[tinkfan4ever]

Oh my where to begin....

1) Wake up Tinkerbell - go to the gift shop called Tink's treasures. It's on the back side of the castle on the left. If you are the first people in the gift shop that ask to wake up Tink they will let you wake her up from the box she sleeps in. She starts flying all over the shop then. It's so COOL!!!! I've found its best to do this on an early entry day and be the first in the gift shop when they open.

2) Character breakfasts!!! - I recommend:
Chef Mickeys (dinner too),
also if you can't get Cindy's Royal Table for Bfast try getting the Princess Storybook breakfast in Epcot Norway's castle. This has Jasmine, Snow White, Aurora, Belle, Mulan. This is a really cool time.
Cinderella's dinner @ 1900 Park Fare (Grand Floridian) is a must, prince charming, cinderella, fairy godmother, perla and suzy are there. Dont forget to try the strawberry soup!!!
1900 Park Fare Bfast - Alice & mad hatter, mary poppins

3) Go see Peter Pan and Wendy in Adventure land. They are a hoot to talk to. Peter is such a kid!!! They told my daughter that this was her last year to grow up because she only has 10 fingers.

4) Tea party - My dd loved this. They close the 1900 Park Fare restaurant and let the kids have the run of the place for a tea party with alice and the mad hatter. The parents get a couple hours off (they give you a pager).

Hope this helps!!! You can send me a PM if you need more ideas or more info.

Sending some Pixie Dust for you planning!!!

 

[Fantasmic303]

All the tips posted here are great, and yes - definitely check out the Best Tips and Secrets thread on this board! I have a condensed version in a Word document that I'd be more than happy to send you, so you don't have to go through all 40-something pages. You can just print it out and read it on the trip down, if you'd like! There are a lot of great magical secrets people have shared, and the 3 year old I went with last year had a great time with it....and, might I add, so did her parents!!


Feel free to email me atFantasmic303@aol.com . Just remember to put something Disney-esque in the subject so I don't accidentally SPAM pile it!!

 

[polkadotminnie]

My girls loved the waterparks even better than eating with the princesses.

 

[Duckfan]

at that age my dd loved the playgrounds (ie HOney I Shrunk at MGM and the boneyard at AK).


But take time to go to Tom Sawyer Island at MK. My DD loved this island especially the barrel bridge, she loved it at four and at ten. It is very relaxing there.

I also recommend stroller if you can, the walks are quite long in the day for young legs and it is a nice break for them. If you rent (and maybe if you dont) mark your stroller with a ribbon or something like that as stroller tend to get moved and you want to find yours.

Know the height requirements in advance to stave off disappointment if your child is still too short.

My dd liked the kid stations at epcot as well.

 

[susy]

Since you will be at FW, you can take the boat (or I believe you can rent a surrey bike) and check out the WL. Whispering canyon Cafe is wonderful for kids at breakfast, lunch or dinner. They have "pony races" with wooden horses around the restaurant and they give your kids a certificate. The food is very good. I didn't think I would like this place , but ended up LOVING it.

My son is 6 and has been going sicne he was 3 (8 trips). These are his favorite things:
MK- fantasyland, splash mountain, thunder mountain, toonetown, tom sawyer island

Crytal Palace has a great breakfast and so does Cinderella's. You can see Minnie at the Liberty Tree Tavern for dinner. This is a good one to do just before the parade at night.

Epcot- the kid cot stations!!!You would think we came all the way to Disney to color! He loved Teppanyaki-the food is not too exotic for kids-it's really jut steak or chicken with noodles-they get rice, veg, a fruit cup, and ice cream-a good deal and very entertaining.
The Garden Grill is a GREAT character meal-lunch or dinner-we've done it three times. Make sure to ask for a booth on the lower level.

MGM- Star Tours, Great Movie Ride, and the playground. If you are here at dinner time and feeling a little wiped out, the Brown Derby is a great choice for dinner- think "escape from theme park.

AK- primeval whirl and Kali river rapids (think "I got pushed into a pool"). Donald's Breakfastsuarus is a great way to start the day at AK!!!

My best tips for traveling with kids:

-strollers are a must!
-bring your whole medicine cabinet with you and pack a few of "each" thing in your fanny pack. Children's tylenol in your cabin does no good when you are at AK.
-take a break BEFORE they get tired.
-have lots of down time at FW
-get to the parks early.
-have one sit-down meal per day.
-don't try to do it all-you can't
-all adults must swallow this hard fact before going: YOU WILL NEVER GET YOUR MONEY'S WORTH, SO DON"T TRY IT. That is a sure fire way to ruin your vacation!

 

[Yensid_MD]

I agree with alot of the suggestions but the most important one is to pace yourself.

Start Early, break for the heat of the day and then head back around 3pm when most people are leaving the park.

Have the girls earn Disney Dollars for doing chores around the house.

Surprise them their first morning with a starter pin set that you buy when you arrive at the hotel gift shop. (guess what they will spend their Disney Dollars on?) Disney Dollars are dollar for dollar and available at your local Disney Store.

The flashlight idea is one I have used with two children so far when they reached that age where they begin to be scared of stuff. Your 3 yr old may not have fears at this point. I had ones that that clipped onto my belt loops so that they were always handy.

Chef Mickeys for Dinner is great as it will get the girls accustomed to characters, because to a 3 yr old those guys are HUGE!

Have fun!

 

[exwdwcm]

all great tips....

definitely take mid afternoon break to nap and swim and re-charge. for adults and kids!!

Don't push yourselves too hard. When I was a CM, i was surprised by the amount of guests that were just 'stressed' out and in bad moods because they were just pushing themselves and their family to do it all. RELAX is a must, especially with kids. Take it slow and enjoy the small stuff.

Don't be afraid to ask the CMs to take your picture for you. I hate when the dad ends up being photographer the whole time and there is never a pic of the whole family. CMs are always willing to do this and often times they will just offer when they see you taking a pic.

use the CMs, ask questions if you have one. Like where to find character meet and greets etc.

Let kids make some of the decisions, they love getting to have a 'say'.