Mock Itinerary For Small Children

[Cheekster]

Hi

We will be going to WDW for 14 nights in September 2017 for the first time. We will have 6, 5, 3 and 1 year old daughters. So far I've picked out the restaurants I'd like to dine in, in the evening, but after that I'm feeling a little lost as far as planning is concerned.

I really don't want to be rushing anywhere. We are very laid back anyway, so I'd like to take our time and enjoy what we are seeing, rather than rush to see as much as possible.

Does anybody have any idea how I plan this? Do I need to reserve shows? Is it wise to have a 'rest day' just at the hotel pool?

Any general thoughts much appreciated

 

[londontime]

Hi Cheekster

I have 2 around the same age as your middle ones and this will be our 3rd Disney trip with them. A few humble suggestions that really helped us out. If you have picked restaurants and they are "Table Service", book them via the Advanced Dining Reservation on the Disney site. If you are going in September, your window is open (its 180 days in advance) but the really popular restaurants book up quickly. We normally book around 3 for a week, especially the Character Breakfasts, as they are are pretty cool (but expensive).
We would have a general plan, i.e what Park we wanted to do in what order, and then built up from there. The Magic Kingdom and the Animal Kingdom are fantastic for the little ones.
We always have a rest day in the week, and don't expect much out of the little ones on day 2 (i.e Monday if your flight is Saturday) in our past experience that's when the Jet Lag really hits.
We generally would spend until around 2PM in the parks (lunch and a couple of rides) and then hit the hotel pool in the afternoon. If you are staying for 14 nights, that's more than enough time to pretty much see everything, especially if you fast pass.
Shows and rides you really want to do, its best to get them on fast pass, as the kids don't do so well in the long queues in the Florida heat.

Like I said 2 weeks, with the little ones (who won't be able to go on quite a few rides anyway due to the height restrictions) is plenty of time to mooch around.
We are also pretty laid back, and we knew we were coming back the next year so if we rocked up to an attraction and it was mega busy, it wasn't the end of the world. If you go in with this frame of mind, I'm sure you'll have an awesome time. I still remember when my boy saw Baloo and King Louie for the first time, and my wife had tears streaming down her cheeks.

Hope this helps.

 

[godders]

Hi Cheekster!

Congrats on booking your trip! I've never been to WDW with kids but I have been a couple of times in September.

First and foremost September is HOT and HUMID which if you're not used to it can be a bit of a shock especially for little ones. You may not have thought about it yet but I would probably recommend a couple of resort days (where you can sleep in and just hit the pool) and when you are hitting the parks taking a midday break either with an ADR at a resort or back at the hotel (I assume you're staying on site). You will learn to LOVE air conditioning haha!

But that will depend on the kids. From what others have said who have been with kids, try not to get them out of their routine i.e. if they don't like mornings then don't hit too many rope drops but head in and stay later if possible.

The older kids I would take them to a theme park here if you can so you can gage if they would like some of the thrill rides (Big Thunder Mountain and such) and have a look at which rides at Disney have rider swap so you and your other half can ride things they may not like. YouTube is good for looking at what the rides are like.

There are several different crowd calendars around (but 2017 months won't be out until 6mnths before) and many people choose their days by the crowd calendars and their recommended days. Unfortunately they have not been particularly accurate of late due to cut backs on staffing because of the knock on effects of Shanghai Disney but hopefully by 2017 things will have settled down a little more

 

[Dimplenose]

First time we went the kids were 7 and 4. We had a great time and did a lot but by about the 3rd day DS said, "mum, when are we going to have time to play?"

After that we had a few times just in the room with them playing with Lego and the other toys we had brought for the plane journey. Even the pool was too much stimulation for them when they just wanted to "chill".

So do plan in some down time (it gave me a chance for a nap too!)