Need advice from "Dis'ers" with Kids.

[CWIPPERMAN]

Here's the scoop. My girlfriend and I are late 20's (OK.... very close to 30). We are childless. We did a trip to WDW last year and are going again in September of this year (thanks to the Fairytale Package). This year when we go, I have volunteered to take my two younger sisters with us. One is 17, and has done WDW several times. The other is 8 (will turn 9 during the trip), and this will be her first time for lots of things (first airplane ride, first trip to an amusement park, first roller coaster, etc..).

We (my girlfriend and I) volunteered to take the girls because my mother (who would like to come - and if she could the girls would stay with her in her room) will not be able to go due to medical reasons. We think that it is important to take them (especially my youngest) since we have never really done a "family" vacation. This gives the girls time to bond with "Bubba" (their nickname for me).

Anyway..... what advice can those with kids give me for keeping the 8 year old entertained while there - without boreing the hell out of the 17 year old. I know the older one could probably venture out on her own and be OK, but I would feel better (and safer) if she stuck with us most of the time. But, how do we plan to keep the younger one entertained. First, she is right at 48" now (and will probably grow between now and September) - so she is old enough to ride pretty much all of the rides. But since I don't have kids - and have never spent any time with my sisters growing up, I don't really know what sort of stuff to plan for her. She seems pretty daring and bold - and is already telling all of her friends that she is going to ride the roller coasters - but can some of you tell me if they really do when they get there - or do they chicken out.

We are definately planning on Cindy's breakfast on her birthday. What other things do we need to make sure she see's? Last year when it was us "adults" we skipped so much of the "kiddie" rides. But which ones should we make time for? Are there any that adults will find just as exciting as the kids. I can already tell you that we will be making a trip to AK ONLY to ride It's Tough to be a Bug! There was nothing else at that park worth it (well... maybe the safari... not sure yet).

What else to we need to put on the list of things to do? Any advice some of you can offer is appreciated.

 

[laurabelle]

My kids will be 7&9 next trip, but my 16yr old nephew and my sister are coming too. Involve them both in the planning. Give the 17yr old a regular guidebook and give the 9 yr old the Birnbaum Guide for Kids. The Unofficial Guide lists ratings with each attraction to help find which age groups it's appealing to. Let them pick some favorites, and I'm sure you have some must do attractions on your list. Most of the time we'll all be together too, but sometimes one of us, probably my hubby, will take my nephew on some of the bigger rides my kids won't do.
You or your girlfriend can split up with them if there's something one really wants to do and the other doesn't. You might be surprised by how many attractions you'll all enjoy together.

 

[FLgirl1203]

Great advise from the poster above...Your youngest sister will be excited and thrilled with the entire Disney experience since it's her first visit. The one you need to have the heart to heart with is your oldest sister...find out some special things that she would like to do and find out what parts of disney she would rather skip. Maybe if she doesn't want to do parts of Magic Kingdom she could stay at the hotel pool for the morning. Not sure if you are staying onsite, but you could plan an EE morning on MK day and get in all the younger kids rides. Don't be afraid to "divide and conquer" with both of them. You and your girlfriend can split up and spend a few hours doing those rides that your sisters want to go on. You will all need some time apart from each other to make those magical times more special. It's unrealistic to think you'll be all together the entire trip and keep everyone happy.

I'm sure you will have a great trip...make a plan but be flexible and still plan some down time for your youngest sister...sometimes at that age just hanging out at the hotel pool will be the highlight of their afternoon!

Enjoy!

 

[Harambe]

You'll be surprised how quickly the 17 year old will start loving the "kiddie" rides. I love them at 43 years old! She may roll her eyes at Dumbo or its a small world, but she'll love Peter Pan. Both will enjoy Haunted Mansion and Buzz Light Year, also.

Word of caution, don't take the little one on Alien Encounter - it's scary!

 

[goofy4tink]

My dd, then 8, loved Neverland Club at the Polynesian!! She is insisting on going back on this trip in Aug and she's now 9 1/2!! It's $10 an hour. You could let your sister do that and the rest of you do something more 'grown-up'. Having said this....let me say that at 53 and 45 my dh and I have loved every single thing that our dd has loved at WDW!! Well, okay...more than one time on Dumbo is a little excessive for me, but otherwise I really wouldn't worry too much about amusing both girls. The Disney magic will take care of that for you!!

 

[AZKathy]

If she has never done rollercoasters before, I would have her try Big Thunder Mountain Railroad for her first one. This one is probably the least scarey other than Goofy's Barnstormer.

 

[Kteacher]

My kids are 16 1/2, 13, and 10. We're going on our 4th WDW trip together this summer. We have never had a problem with finding things everyone could agree on Have a great time- what a wonderful brother you are!!!

 

[Miscrapper]

On our first visit with our daughters they were 9 and 6 - perfect ages! Our 9 year old loved all the characters. Neither wanted to ride RnR or ToT at MGM but fortunately there were absolutely no waits at either ride so DH and I took turns going alone. 9 yo was brave enough to do Space Mtn and now my youngest vows to ride it this visit (she will be 9!) They both rode Splash and Big Thunder. Disney is perfect for all ages - much more so than traditional big thrill parks. 9 yo was not afraid at all at Haunted Mansion. My oldest dd is fairly reserved too - unlike younger who is a bit of a risk taker.
Definitely educate them ahead of time, reassure them nothing will hurt them. That shouldn't be too difficult to convince them of because Disney is so friendly and fun.
Neither of my kids liked Honey I shrunk though!
I think it is great you are taking them. Every kid should experience the magic!

 

[sha_lyn]

the younger sister might enjoy the Alice in Wonderland Tea Party at the GF. Last yr my the 4 1/2 DD and 9 DNi really enjoyed it. My DNi really enjoyed the WDW for Kids By Kids guide book.
I wouldn't discount AK. It is doens't unfold like the other parks do. You should try Dinosaur, Kali River Rapids, Primeval Whril, and the Lion King Show.

One of the best things I found to prepare DD and DNi (DNi had only been to a coupld of small parks and was afraid of thril rides) is the specials that run on the Travel Channel. They tend to show them all in a weeks time when they do show them. Usually someone will post it here on the DIS when they are about to be aired again.

 

[jennymouse]

It sounds like your littlest sister just might be a brave one like my DGD who is 8. My DGD loves R&R, ToT, Space......all the coasters. So take your sis on Thunder, if she likes that, do Space, if she liked that go on to Rockin Rollercoaster & ToT. That said, my DGD wants no part of Alien or Dinosaur and gets a little spooked on the Haunted Mansion but still rides it. You just never know what will push thier buttons.

If it seems your sister's likes/dislikes are very much different....divide & conquer! Have fun!

 

[Dizzie]

What a great opportunity for your sister's to spend time at WDW with "Bubba". My DS 8 loves all the thrill rides and he still likes fantasy land with DS 1, mostly to watch him having fun. I would recommend taking talk abouts or some type of Walkie Talkie so you can stay in touch if you do split up.

 

[eeyore0062]

First off, if the 17 year old feels she needs time on her own, please let her. You don't want her to hate the trip because of it. She will be perfectly ok, and if you have cell phones or walkie talkies, you can keep in touch. Or, perhaps one of the older adults split and hang for awhile with the 17 year old while the other goes with the 9 year old. You were just recently 17, so please don't forget how important "your" time was to you. She would probably LOVE Disney Quest... actually both would!

That being said... I have a 9 year old who has been going to a couple of times a year since she was 6. She enjoys most everything in the Magic Kingdom, with the exception of Alien Encounter.

At Epcot, she likes pretty much everything, and especially loves doing the Kidcot activities.

At MGM, she enjoys everything but ToT... she doesn't like it AT ALL. Of course, there are many 8 and 9 year olds who love it, so don't count it out... let her make the decision, and if she "chickens" out, you can always do the child swap....same with Rock n Rollercoaster, since she has never been on a coaster before.

At AK, she loves everything, but is a bit tentative on Dinosaur, so again, don't force the issue. Child swap is very easy, and the chicken exits are very convenient.

Let her experience everything that she is interested in, and you may find that she is quite fearless. Don't forget the parades and shows such as Festival of the Lion King, Fantasmic and Illuminations. If you have the opportunity and are staying onsite, E ticket night is a great opportunity to ride the best of MK without the crowds and heat. Also, take advantage of EE mornings and Fastpassses.

Hope you have a wonderful time!

 

[3darlingirls]

I wish I had an older brother like you!! Your kindness and thoughtfulnes will really be the highlight for your sisters. Anyways, we have 3 young DDs. One is 7, the other 9 and we just got back. If you say that AK has nothing worthwhile but Bugs Life, you might want to (re) look at the parks through a younger persons eyes...because my DDs really like AK. But that may be because they don't like/appreciate the scary things! But they loved Lion King, Pocahontas, Character Meets, KS. But Bugs Life was out for us.....Honey I shrunk the Audience almost put my 4 yr old into therapy. She and the 7 yr old were shaking and hysterical within minutes. (But my DH promptly left with them - my 9 yo and I loved the show!!) The unofficial guide has helpful and accurate attraction ratings. Maybe the sisters can help plan the trip too..like which rides each really, really wants to do. Also, try to prepare them ahead of time for the crowds, waiting, and walking required. It will be different with kids in tow - but so much fun, too! I hope you all have a great time!

 

[dgaston]

Excellent advice from earlier posters.

I would also suggest a "Birthday Button" from Guest services, and tell all CM's it's your sister's birthday. No guarantees, but perhaps some extra magic could occur.

In planning you migh want to order the planning video or DVD and have your sisters view these to help prepare for the trip.

 

[CWIPPERMAN]

I got the younger sister the Birnbaums for Kids. I gave it to her with a notebook so that she could make a list of the different things she wants to do.

Here's the latest spin on things. As I stated, my mother has some medical issues that prevent her from doing the whole trip. But I had an idea yesterday that may be really cool. My mom may be up to a couple of days down there (but not the whole week). What I want to do is to "Surprise" the little sister on her birthday - by walking into Cinderella's Royal Breakfast - and seeing mom and dad there (My sisters and I have different fathers... he can't come to WDW because he has to work.... but he may be able to do a couple of days if my mom does a couple of days).

So.... we're doing a Saturday thru Saturday..... but they may fly down Sunday afternoon for the little sis's birthday on Monday, and then they'd fly back on Tuesday. Has anyone ever tried to pull something like this off? Will the folks at Cindy's work with you if you're trying to "sneak" some folks in for the surprise?

 

[DVC4US]

I cannot tell you from experience if they will work with you on a surprise at Cindy's but it doesn't hurt to ask. Another option that might be able to help is the website www.giftsofalifetime.com. They specialize in doing surprises for people at WDW.

What you are doing for your sisters is wonderful and I think they will have a great time. I have to second what everyone has said here on the boards. My DD's are 14 & 7 and I have found with kids the biggest thing you have to learn is to be flexible. Understand that there are times when you might need to split up and there may be times when the older one just wants to go off on her own. As long as you have cell phones or radios and she knows the guidelines then I think she will be fine.

I just took a peek at your website and it is really good. I am going to have to go back on later when I have more time to look at everything. Have a great trip and please let us know how everything goes.
LeiLani