Need parents advice for WDW trip w/ 9yo nephew

[sasmmb]

Hi, My DH and I are taking my niece (21) and nephew (9) to WDW in April for 5 nights. It's his first trip to WDW but has been to DL a few times. Staying at POFQ the first 2 nights and POP the last 3. ADRs already made (Crystal Palace Bkft, Liberty Tree Dinner, Afternoon Tea at GF (he will just have to suffer thru that one!), Rainforest Cafe, Restaurant Marrekesh, Nine Dragons, Sci-Fi, 50's, Boma's).

Not having kids I'm looking for any advice on things to help avoid meltdowns as well as things he may enjoy that we normally don't do (like for instance is he too old for Epcot Passport stamps?). He is a good but hyper, testosterone-laden 9 year old and I only see him a few days a year due to distance, so I really feel out of my element here (which is some of the reason that his older sister is coming too).

TIA!

 

[Perditamarie]

What a nice trip you have planned for your neice and nephew. Just a few thoughts ....

He might really suffer through the tea...can you send him on a pirate cruise at that time? You all might suffer if he is really miserable!

Also, he may enjoy arcade time in Tomorrowland and Epcot as well at the resorts.

Are you visiting a water park? He may really enjoy that and burn some energy too! If not, schedule a lot of pool time.

I think the passport/kidcot funstops in Epcot are fun. Kids really seem to enjoy collecting things. He may also enjoy pin trading, penny pressing and autograph collecting as well.

There are a lot of sit down meals scheduled -- maybe you can scale some of those back or split up the party. They may take a lot of time and he could get antsy if he is sitting down to down every few hours. Ask his parents how he will tolerate 9 restaurants in 5 days.

Have you sent him a planning DVD/guidebook and asked for his input and shared your itinerary as well? Whatever you do, reconsider the tea!

Have a great trip..I am sure your neice and nephew will never forget it.

 

[all4fun]

We took three nieces and a nephew (8 at the time) to WDW prior to having ds. We made the mistake of taking DN on the Great Movie ride first and he flipped out at the part with the Alien (for some reason we completely forgot about that part when we went on that ride). Apparently he had seen the movie so that might have played into his fears. My advice is to start out on rides that are less scary first and try to judge his temperament from that. You might also want to look at WDW for Kids by Kids book (a birnbuam guidebook) or even the Passporter or Unofficial Guide to WDW has tips on what rides kids tend to like or be afraid of. Anyway, we learned from that trip to be a little more selective on which rides we did first with our nieces on subsequent trips.

Hth and I'm sure you'll have a great time. Hopefully having older sis along will be a big help. It sounds like you've already thought thru a lot and I'm sure he'll have a wonderful time with you. It will probably be a trip he'll never foget.

 

[Tam1067]

Here's what my 9 year old DS liked last year, and what he wants to do again this year (when he'll be 10):

Chef Mickey's is his favorite restaurant. He did not like Crystal Palace because he believes he's too old for Pooh.

He was sick of kids' meals by the end of the trip.

He loves, loves, loves swimming at the hotel. Schedule time each day away from the parks--this is my kids' repeated request, so we take them seriously.

I'd also say the GF tea will be torture for a 9 year old boy, and as a previous poster mentioned, you should see if you can do something different for him during that time--a pirate cruise would be great.

Take the Monorail and ask to sit up front.

If you worry about meltdowns, just read his mood. Kids that age generally give warning that they're tired, and the problem parents or caregivers run into is ignoring those warnings until the kid is screaming.

Have a great time! He's lucky to have such a generous aunt and uncle!

 

[Hannathy]

We took my nephew when he was 9 or 10 can't remember for sure and had a great trip. It is a good age still a kid but not so little they can't behave and be independent. I think you have way too many sit down meals in that short of a trip for a 9 yr old. We only did 2, 50's prime time and HDDR- which he loved!
I also think the tea will be miserable for him and a colossal waste of money on a 9 yr boy, I'm sure he would rather have that money on a card for the arcade or spend the afternoon at the pool while the ladies did that. We played it very loose and let him eat what and when he wanted other than dinner, He had popcorn for lunch for the entire week and to this day remembers it! Since he missed 2 days of school he had to learn a word a day (our rule) pertaining to Disney and I still remember 2 of them -topiary, and Idle banter,from Jungle cruise and so does he. 15 yrs later. You just say what were your words and he will tell you. I also remember my DH threatening him with bodily harm to get him onto IASW ! He also loved the waterpark on that trip. Have fun, we have taken this nephew at 6,10,14,and spent a week when he was a college CM. and I think the trip when he was this age was the most fun.

 

[mdsouth]

First of all, it is great that the two of you decided to take your niece and nephew to WDW. I think the two of you will have fun visiting the World with a child and young adult.

You mention that your nephew has been to Disneyland several times. I would question him and your niece on what they liked best about their visits there.

Who is the Afternoon Tea mostly for? You and your husband or you and your niece? or both? If it is just for you and your husband or your niece, I would suggest that you split your party into two for that time frame. You and your husband or niece can enjoy the tea while the other one has some time alone with the nephew. You can plan a time to meet back up. That way your nephew can do something that will hold his interest (swimming, just checking out the resort, riding rides, etc) and it will not interfer with your own pleasure of the tea.

I agree with just planning some down time -- at your resort either during the middle of the day or heading back to the resort a little earlier than you might on your own. When we went as a family with our DS (eight) and our DD (two) we often took a break in the day. My husband and I even switched off a few times with the kids. One evening, he went back to the resort early with our daughter, while my son and I stayed at the Magic Kingdom for their extra hours. Since, we had the break in the day, he was good to go till midnight. We enjoyed the time together, riding lots of rides, International Speedway and the Runaway Railroad Roller Coaster especially. For some reason, the official name for the roller coaster escapes me right now. It was his favorite ride there. He also liked He also liked Primeeval Whirl at Animal Kingdom, Teask Track at Epcot. Hopefully, your niece, yourself or your husband likes to ride rides. Of course, your nephew might be one that prefers the slower rides. That is what is great about Disney -- there is lots to do and see for everyone!: 3dglasses

 

[sasmmb]

Thanks for all your suggestions! I forgot to mention that I did plan that the day in the middle is planned for Typhoon Lagoon. I like the suggestions about the pirate cruise during tea (or send him to the arcade with DH, who enjoys the tea a lot but probably does like video games more). He is a pretty adventurous eater (Indian is his favorite) which is why so many sit downs as much like TAM1067's DS, I expect him to get sick of CS meals pretty quickly. Plus figured better to have the ADR and cancel if need be.

I hadn't thought about the "scary" factor on the rides. Certainly something to consider. DH, niece, and I are all big thrill riders so I'll have to keep nephew's needs in mind. A while back I had gotten those nice customized maps from the Disney website and will send them to him on Monday. I'll get the WDW Kids by kids book as well. Thanks for that suggestion.

I also like the pin trading idea. He'd probably get into that. I don't collect or trade, but I still have some for whatever reason and that I can give him to get started.

Thanks so much!

 

[dsnyfamily]

I have a DS14 and after several trips to the world, I have learned:

DS gets to pick some (but not all) of the rides/attractions we visit each day. Knowing that he will have to sit through one boring ride with Mom is often alleviated by the knowledge that we are going on his ride choice soon. Birnbaum's or Passport can help here (if you don't want to purchase a copy, the local library may have one you can borrow).

Water, water, water.

Is your nephew a morning person or a night owl? Factor this in when planning activities for the day.

Photos of characters. DS does not always want to be in the pics but enjoys being behind the camera to capture his favorite characters on film.

Don't rush. There is no possible way to see everything. Take the time to enjoy.

 

[arminnie]

I took my niece when she was that age. She was very shy but flew across the country by herself to come join me in Florida.

It was a great age. She was old enough that I did not have to worry about her straying away from me but not yet so old that she didn't want to be around me!

The only issue we had was food. We were staying at Boardwalk Inn. I wish we had stayed someplace with a food court and more kid friendly food. We ended up with hamburgers from room service more than once because the sit down restaurants didn't have anything she wanted to eat.

I allocated a certain amount for souvenirs. That stopped the wanting something at every store thing - not that she necessarily would have done that, but this way I had it covered.

Have fun.

 

[chipndales]

I went with my nine year old in September and she gives two thumbs up to both Sci Fi and Rainforest Cafe, both very entertaining for that age. Don't be embarrassed to rent a stroller even though he's nine. Nine is still considered a kid, and kids get tired, cranky and hot. It was a relaxing break for me as well to let her sit with her autograph book and enjoy a drink while I got to stroll leisurely for a while. My daughter did the Passport at Epcot, but scampered off when given the choice to hit Soarin' for one last time. I really took time with her, listened to what she wanted to do and when she asked to stop, I did so she could explore her own things, things I might have never seen. The dancing waters in Epcot was something I probably wouldn't have spent 20 minutes at, but she enjoyed it a lot. Also, consider getting him a disposable camera and/or scrapbook to work on to keep him occupied.

If he's a hyper kid, be sure to utilize the playgrounds and play areas to give him time to burn off energy. Good luck. It's a great age for them to visit!

 

[TheDizMom]

First I don't think you need to worry about meltdowns. They generally don't have them at this age, you will be more likely to deal with surlyness.

My suggestions-

Get him Birnbaum's WDW for kids and let him read through it. This tells you about every ride, restaurants, water parks and pretty much everything he would want to know. There is a lot in it written by kids and my DS loved it at 8 and now at 10. This way he can read about each park has to offer and he'll then know ahead of time what he really wants to do. This will take a lot of the guess work out for you and make it a much less stressful vacation.

Hit the arcades at your resort and Disney Quest if he is a video game kid, believe it or not some kids aren't

Water parks for this age are really fun. They may not be as much fun for you( I personally hate them), but he will love every minute.

Use the hotel pool too.

If he likes the characters and wants to get autographs etc, you may want to change more of your reservations to character meals. You may also want to skip some like Boma's. Their food is a bit exotic and if he isn't an adventurous eater he will most likely find little to eat. My sister took her kids there and they wouldn't eat anything. Also save yourself some money, since you don't appear to be going the DDP route, and go to some of the CS places to eat. He will be just as happy and they will be a little less expensive. We usually use the TS places for dinner and catch lunch more on the fly so you aren't wasting a good part of your day sitting in a restaurant.

Miniture golf could be fun.

Try to get a ride in the front of the monorail. When you get to the platform ask one of the attendants to see if it is available. It is really fun to be up with the driver and to really see everything in front of you. We did this one night at sunset and it was just the coolest thing

Absolutely DO NOT MISS the night parade and fireworks at MK and Fantsmic at MGM. These were 2 of my DS favorite things of the entire trip.

See Mickey's Philharmagic at MK. He is the perfect age for it.

Have fun on your trip. What a nice aunt and uncle you are to be taking your niece and nephew.

 

[Beth E. (NJ)]

Not sure I can offer to much advise as I have daughters (ages 11 and 8). My girls did love the Honey I shrunk the kids playground at MGM and the Boneyard at AK for running around and blowing off some steam though.

 

[sasmmb]

I had taken my niece when she was this age (the one who is now tagging along and is 21), but she was (and still is) quite mature for her age and her highlight of the trip was I was supposed to take care of her ring while she went swimming. Darn if I didn't lose it! She is more responsible than I ever was.

My nephew is much more of a handful, more energetic, less focused and his parents are going thru a seperation right now which is probably not helping his mental state (all the more reason he needs a get away and some fun in his life).

I had to laugh at

Miniture golf could be fun.

since I went mini golfing with this nephew for his birthday last year and came away with a bloody nose as he didn't grasp the fact that you don't take a full swing with a putter!

WDW Kids for Kids book has been ordered and is on it's way to him so that was an excellent suggestion. DH was very disappointed when I suggested he skip tea, so may have to do some more thinking on that one!

I am a huge water park fan, so the water park day should be fun for both of us. DH likes water parks but not as much as I, and niece is in the typical "I'm not model like enough to be seen in a swimsuit" phase (she is a bit chunky admittedly, but this is giving her incentive to work out and she is willing to do the water park for her brother.) If she opts just to hang out in the hotel room that day I won't be too surprised.

Keep any suggestions coming!
Thanks!