My Itinerary for Disney with Preschooler?

[mermaidmom1]

Hi, we will be visiting wdw next month with my 3.5 year old daughter. I drafted an itinerary of what we plan to do because I've read that you should have a plan. However, I was hoping some experienced disney goers could review it and give me feedback on if you think it would be a good plan or if I'm doing too much or missed anything? We will be staying 4 days on site at the pop century and renting a car and we have the park hopper:

Arrival Day

10:00am-1:00pm Early check lunch and nap at hotel
2:30pm BBB Princess boutique makeover
4:25-Princess Dinner at Epcot
5:30-7:30- Epcot
The seas with Nemo, Turtle Talk and The Land
7:30 head back to resort


Day 2
7am-breakfast at the resort
8:00-11am- Magic Kingdom (early entry day)
Dumbo, many adventures of pooh, peter pans flight, merry-go-round, it's a small world and arial's grotto
11:00-11:45-Lunch MK counter service meal
12-3- Nap at pop century
3:30-5:00- Magic Kingdom
jungle cruise and pirates of the carribean
6:00-character dinner at Chef Mickey’s
7:30 back to resort

Day 3
8:00am- character breakfast at AK
9-11:00am- Animal Kingdom
kilamanjaro safari & festival of the lion king
11:30 to 12:30 lunch at resort
1:00-3:00-nap at pop century
3:45-6:00 Magic Kingdom
buzz lightyear ride and mickey's toontown
6:00 Dinner at mk counter service meal
7:30 head back to resort

Last Day
7:00-Breakfast at resort
8:00-10:45 Disney MGM Grand (early entry day)
voyage of the little mermaid, playhouse disney and honey I shrunk the kids playground
11:00- Character Lunch with Jojo at Hollywood and Vine
12-3:00-Nap time at pop century
4:00-early Dinner at MK or resort
5:30-10pm-MK
stay up late since flight leaves late next morning-revisit favorite rides and see fireworks

Thanks in advance for any input or feedback!

 

[dvcnewgirl]

As an experienced prechool traveler your plan looks great! The only problem may arise is that we often did not make it back to rest in time and often missed our dinner reservations. (especially when our daughter wanted to swim) So we usually make our ADRS later. If you are always on time you will be fine with this plan. I think that the park times you have are perfect so that your child will not become over tired and cranky. Good Luck and have fun!!

 

[justplaingoofy]

Looks great
What month are you traveling?
when we were there in September with the Disney Visa they were promoting that time of year also for preschoolers... in addition to the regular early entry they included (I think 3 more times a week) Fantasy Land opening at 8am. It was so cute, they had the characters come meet the kids under the castle. We saw PeterPan come take a child by the hand and lead them to their ride and actually ride it with them... pooh did the same thing, etc..

It was such a cute picture to see a character walking with the little ones walking, holding hands, and looking up at them...

 

[mermaidmom1]

Thanks for the reply friends! I will be going in May, maybe next time we will do it in September!

 

[dvcnewgirl]

Thanks for the reply friends! I will be going in May, maybe next time we will do it in September!

When in May? We will be there with our 4yo May 13-17. I cant WAIT!!

 

[mermaidmom1]

When in May? We will be there with our 4yo May 13-17. I cant WAIT!!

We will be there the first week of May! I'm so excited too. I'm hoping the crowds won't be too bad. My daughter loves watching Mickey Mouse Club House on the Disney Channel and she's really into the Disney Princesses too. Her favorite is the Little Mermaid so I think she's going to have a great time. Does your little one watch the Disney chanel too? Hope your trip is great. I'm going to post a trip report when I get back so I can pass along any tips I collect.

 

[dvcnewgirl]

It does not seem like it is a very busy time. We used to go in May before we had children and it was very nice. I was able to get all of my ADR's when I wanted them just a few weeks ago. So I am hoping that is a good sign. We were not planning on doing parks just a quick visit to Beach club to hang at the pool, before our first DISNEY CRUISE!! Well since then we have added days ( changed resort) and got the dining plan and now it is going to be a dream trip!! My daughter loves everything girly so she loves princesses too! I am on hold right now to change some ADR's (and I got what I wanted again! ). This trip can not come fast enough!!

 

[Elmo888]

It looks good, but I would plan on closer to 4 hours for the nap, including travel time. And going back to the resort at 7:30 is good. It always seemed to take a while for kids to wind down when we were back in the resort. (We went in Jan. with DD2 and DD6.)

Also, plan on an hour travel time. If you want to be at MK at 8 am, you will need to leave your room at 7 am. A lot of early, active mornings seems to wear them out, even if they are used to getting up early. This happened with my DD6. You might get to that 4th day (last day), and find that your DD needs to sleep in. Since you don't have any breakfast plans and will be up late, I might even count on this and plan to just be at MGM by 11 am for your character meal.

That's the biggest tip - be flexible.

 

[mermaidmom1]

It looks good, but I would plan on closer to 4 hours for the nap, including travel time. And going back to the resort at 7:30 is good. It always seemed to take a while for kids to wind down when we were back in the resort. (We went in Jan. with DD2 and DD6.)

Also, plan on an hour travel time. If you want to be at MK at 8 am, you will need to leave your room at 7 am. A lot of early, active mornings seems to wear them out, even if they are used to getting up early. This happened with my DD6. You might get to that 4th day (last day), and find that your DD needs to sleep in. Since you don't have any breakfast plans and will be up late, I might even count on this and plan to just be at MGM by 11 am for your character meal.

That's the biggest tip - be flexible.

Ok thanks so much, I will adjust things! Really appreciate all the comments and feedback!

 

[srgibbs]

Don't forget to do Beauty and the Beast live on stage the day you are at MGM. It is wonderful and I think all little girls who love Belle must see this performance.

 

[mermaidmom1]

Don't forget to do Beauty and the Beast live on stage the day you are at MGM. It is wonderful and I think all little girls who love Belle must see this performance.

Ok, thanks I will add it to my list of things to do!

 

[ZanneMarie]

On your first day you might want to be prepared for not getting into your room until 3:00 check in which will mess with the nap schedule. While you very well may be able to get in you might want a contingency plan. Are you driving...could you have a sleep in the car kind of nap? Also she may well be so excited that she will not nap that first day. Other than that it looks like a really well thought out, pretty reasonable plan. Have a great trip!!!!

 

[mermaidmom1]

On your first day you might want to be prepared for not getting into your room until 3:00 check in which will mess with the nap schedule. While you very well may be able to get in you might want a contingency plan. Are you driving...could you have a sleep in the car kind of nap? Also she may well be so excited that she will not nap that first day. Other than that it looks like a really well thought out, pretty reasonable plan. Have a great trip!!!!

Ok, thanks I appreciate that. I did have my agent request an early check in but you're right! I need to be prepared for if they don't have this. Yes, I am renting a car. Thanks so much.

 

[asktriplets]

your "schedule" looks great!

as i mentioned in a post to you on the main forum (i think that was you?!), one nice thing about having a "general" plan is that you can coordinate your park time to minimize waits in line if that is important to you...meaning, for example, on the evening that you are heading into Epcot, one in your party can pick up fast passes for "living with the land" ride or "soarin'" first, and then meet up in the Seas, as the buildings are next door to each other.

same kind of thing on the night you'll be inMK...if you plan to do buzz and toontown, pick up your fastpasses for buzz on the way to toontown.

on day 2, it looks like you'll be in MK in the AM and the PM..you can't use a fastpass (FP) PRIOR to the time listed on your FP ticket, but they will let you "redeem" your fastpass anytime AFTER the listed time on that same day, so if you pick up fastpasses in the AM for rides that you want to do in the PM, you could collect a few (not sure how familiar you are with the fastpass system, but generally you get a fastpass for a specific ride--at that ride--and it will give a return time about 40 mins-60 mins out from the time you pick it up.the time "window" in which it says you can return and ride is about 60 mins, i think, but as i said, by all accounts,they'll let you ride anytime that day).

picking up FPs is certainly not necessary this time of year, but by the afternoon/evening, you COULD get a 20-40 min. wait for rides like peter pan, buzz lightyear, etc, and even longer for some rides in epcot. for ME, those waits with preschoolers are not worth it (but some kids are perfectly happy to wait. mine can do the wait, but i find the day much more pleasant when we don't have that added restraint time!) certainly nothing to stress over, but if 10 mins. of preplanning can save you an hour or so waiting time on a few rides and it is easy for you to do, i say go for it!

the other great thing about your plan is that you have SO much built in time to explore and play. your daughter's age is perfect for really soaking up the magic and it is SO easy for kids to find their own joy...as so many others in this post and others have mentioned, the fun of taking preschoolers is seeing what makes THEM happy (and so often, it is not the rides!)...it's the monorail rides, and finding jewels imbedded in the cement (in the oasis at AK and near magic carpets in MK), and seeing the fiber optic lights in the cement and light posts in epcot (near innoventions), and watching the staged show in front of the castle, and trying on silly hats in stores, and chasing lizards (at the resorts), and pooh's playground in fantasyland, and trying to catch the jumping fountains (near the imagination pavillion in epcot), and watching the kids dance to music they recognize, and seeing their faces light up when they see Mickey Mouse, etc etc.

i don't recall seeing world showcase on your to do list in epcot. some of the exhibits were fine for my kids at 3.5 yo, but i found that my kids LOVE exploring back there....dancing to the bands, watching the model train next to germany, running in the garden maze in UK, finding fun architecture in norway, learning how to say "hi" in different languages from CMs, everything in the mexican pavillion (and now they have the new ride there with the donald duck/3 caballeros), finding fountains in italy/france/morocco, poking in and out of shops, running up and down the steps (when empty, of course) in italy, etc. we also like to walk "around the world" and get desserts from a bunch of different countries. there are also the kidcot stations where kids can color/collect masks, but i use those as a "last resort"..they use permenant markers and my kids get plenty of coloring time at home!!

oh, belle's story time in MK is GREAT (get times from the Times Guide when you go into MK)

what else????.....does your daughter nap at home? at 3.5 (and at 4 yo, too), my kids still needed a daily nap, but they were napping daily at home, too. i found that my kids needed some down time before they fell asleep (and after they woke up), but they didn't need a long 3 hr. nap, either. they were often up after about 1 1/2 hrs, and that was fine for them. i wouldn't be surprised if 3 hrs. is ok for a scheduled nap time even with travel time.
depending on your dd's current bedtime, i wouldn't be surprised if you found it enjoyable to stay a bit longer on some nights doing some relaxing activities (but that is one of those "wait and see" things).

will you have/rent a stroller? that will help things stay restful for your dd (plus dh and i like to pick up the pace on the way to/from transportation!!)

as for meals, remember that you can always cancel an ADR if you don't think it will work for you or your schedule...i LOVED character meals on a few days, but daily sit down meals got to be a bit tiring for us (but keeping 3 toddlers entertained for an hour at the table is tough for us!..perhaps different for you). i also found that they generally took more than an hour (especially at restaurants that took you 10-15 mins after your scheduled ADR time).

as for your 1st day, i second a pp that mentioned that you can't plan to check in early. if your dd is a napper and you can't check in early, i'd suggest an afternoon drive that day to try and give her the opportunity to get some sleep (or a walk in a stroller, or whatever might get her to sleep for a while!)...it's a busy day and i would hate for her to have an overtired meltdown in the park that night (speaking from experience here).

hope this isn't too much info for you!! we leave in 10 days, and i'm in "planning mode" and so enjoying thinking about our trip (and your's too...you're going to have such a magical time!!)

have a great day!

 

[bless7ings]

Looks good and all the posts would be what I would have said! In Sept of 2005 we went w/ a 1 1/2 yr, 3 yr and then a 7 yr space and 4 older siblings and my husband, me and my parents. Those are all good suggestions. The only thing I would add and it was kinda covered in the person who said they would plan on 4 hr nap and travel time period was this: usually by the time you got back to the park it was for an early supper. We did alternately utilize the EMH for late nights once in a while. With giving the little ones a nap in the heat of the day they were fine with staying up later than there bed times if you did it once in a while. I picked the ones that were most advantagious to the us. We found that the early EMH were a better use then the late EMH's and we liked the AK late hours the best! We found MK EMH for late hours were pretty busy! Seemed busier than using MK till around 11 or 12 am! So take advantage to early EMH and staying in the parks till 11 or 12 am! Plus most young kids are up earlier!! This is a bonus at Disney!!!!(maybe not at home!)

 

[mermaidmom1]

your "schedule" looks great!

on day 2, it looks like you'll be in MK in the AM and the PM..you can't use a fastpass (FP) PRIOR to the time listed on your FP ticket, but they will let you "redeem" your fastpass anytime AFTER the listed time on that same day, so if you pick up fastpasses in the AM for rides that you want to do in the PM, you could collect a few (not sure how familiar you are with the fastpass system, but generally you get a fastpass for a specific ride--at that ride--and it will give a return time about 40 mins-60 mins out from the time you pick it up.the time "window" in which it says you can return and ride is about 60 mins, i think, but as i said, by all accounts,they'll let you ride anytime that day)....
have a great day!

Thank you so much asktriplets for all the tips!!!! This will be my first trip since I was a child so no I wasn't familiar with fastpass and how you can use it! I really appreciate it, I will do what you said. Also world showcase sounds like alot of fun, I didn't think about that. As for a stroller, we bought a Volo Umbrella stroller to take with us for the trip because I saw that alot of people said good things about it. I know I've made a schedule and everything but I'm going to be flexible too and see how my daughter does and what she likes. I just thought it would be less overwhelming to have a plan. The main thing is that we want her to enjoy it so much. I see you leave in a little while? We leave in 15 days, I just can't wait. The weather in the Midwest is still so cold. Thanks again for being so kind to give me all these tips.

 

[mermaidmom1]

Looks good and all the posts would be what I would have said! In Sept of 2005 we went w/ a 1 1/2 yr, 3 yr and then a 7 yr space and 4 older siblings and my husband, me and my parents. Those are all good suggestions. The only thing I would add and it was kinda covered in the person who said they would plan on 4 hr nap and travel time period was this: usually by the time you got back to the park it was for an early supper. We did alternately utilize the EMH for late nights once in a while. With giving the little ones a nap in the heat of the day they were fine with staying up later than there bed times if you did it once in a while. I picked the ones that were most advantagious to the us. We found that the early EMH were a better use then the late EMH's and we liked the AK late hours the best! We found MK EMH for late hours were pretty busy! Seemed busier than using MK till around 11 or 12 am! So take advantage to early EMH and staying in the parks till 11 or 12 am! Plus most young kids are up earlier!! This is a bonus at Disney!!!!(maybe not at home!)

Thanks Bless7ings for the tips about the EMH!

 

[kahluacream]

MermaidMom-

I traveled with two pre-schoolers last May so I thought I'd chime in here. As others have said, your itinerary looks great! I think it's really smart the way you're planning early lunches (11ish), as the CS places aren't busy at all at this time. The breaks/naps will also help a lot.

Some thoughts after reading your itinerary:

Day 2: I think you'll get through the rides in Fantasyland faster than you think in the morning. A little before 10 am, I would walk over to the entrance of TTF. The characters come over for rope drop and pick a few kids to help them open up the place. My son walked hand-in-hand with Winnie the Pooh, and it was so cute. This is the BEST time to visit TTF, in my opinion. Last May, when we thought things would be slower, TTF was still packed mid- to late afternoon. The lines for characters were crazy. You might switch this to morning.

Before leaving MK for your break, you can get FPs for any rides you'd like to do that evening. (We had no problem using expired ones on the same day they were issued.)

When you return in the evening, it's fun to take the train to wherever you'll be riding your first ride. If you sit in the back and ask nicely, your daughter could help to be the guest conductor and say "All Aboard!" over the loudspeaker. My kids really enjoyed doing this, and they received special licenses for it.

Day 3:

In AK: The safari and FOTLK are awesome! Your daughter might also enjoy the Boneyard play area and Triceratop Spin if you have time.

In MK: Try to make time for Mickey's Philharmagic... Your whole family will love it, and it seems like the only 3-D show in WDW with nothing scary for little ones.

Day 4:

Playhouse Disney FIRST... It's super-popular! If I did this again, I would try to avoid sitting too close to the stage. We thought we were lucky for getting front row seats, but they were awful. Since you're sitting on the floor, you can't see the small puppets/characters (like the mouse and otters from Bear) if you're in the very front.

I hope you have a magical trip.

 

[Mom_Z]

Hi,

We will also be at POP the first week in May. We are bringing our DS (3 1/2) for his first visit. I enjoyed reading your thoughts and other peoples comments. DH and I outlined our plans. I will post them soon for feedback. We will only have 3 full days and 2 half days. That makes it difficult to plan the days to include nap, pool, etc. Maybe we will see you there!

 

[mermaidmom1]

MermaidMom-

I traveled with two pre-schoolers last May so I thought I'd chime in here. As others have said, your itinerary looks great! I think it's really smart the way you're planning early lunches (11ish), as the CS places aren't busy at all at this time. The breaks/naps will also help a lot.

Some thoughts after reading your itinerary:

Day 2: I think you'll get through the rides in Fantasyland faster than you think in the morning. A little before 10 am, I would walk over to the entrance of TTF. The characters come over for rope drop and pick a few kids to help them open up the place. My son walked hand-in-hand with Winnie the Pooh, and it was so cute. This is the BEST time to visit TTF, in my opinion. Last May, when we thought things would be slower, TTF was still packed mid- to late afternoon. The lines for characters were crazy. You might switch this to morning.

Before leaving MK for your break, you can get FPs for any rides you'd like to do that evening. (We had no problem using expired ones on the same day they were issued.)

When you return in the evening, it's fun to take the train to wherever you'll be riding your first ride. If you sit in the back and ask nicely, your daughter could help to be the guest conductor and say "All Aboard!" over the loudspeaker. My kids really enjoyed doing this, and they received special licenses for it.

Day 3:

In AK: The safari and FOTLK are awesome! Your daughter might also enjoy the Boneyard play area and Triceratop Spin if you have time.

In MK: Try to make time for Mickey's Philharmagic... Your whole family will love it, and it seems like the only 3-D show in WDW with nothing scary for little ones.

Day 4:

Playhouse Disney FIRST... It's super-popular! If I did this again, I would try to avoid sitting too close to the stage. We thought we were lucky for getting front row seats, but they were awful. Since you're sitting on the floor, you can't see the small puppets/characters (like the mouse and otters from Bear) if you're in the very front.

I hope you have a magical trip.

Kahluacream, thank you so much for all the tips! I've adjusted my schedule to include what you suggest. I'm so glad you responded to my thread. We so much want our little one to have a good time and I think all these tips are going to help so much!