Our 1st trip to Disney, all advice welcome!

[Tinkerbelle99]

We finally did it! We are going to Disney in March staying at Pop Century. This will be the first trip to Disney (& Florida) for all of us. Hubby and I will be travelling with our 4 year old daughter.

I am looking to your experience to help make this a trip to remember. Any and all advice will be most appreciated.

Our daughter is definitely into the princesses, especially Cinderella. We managed to get PS for Cinderella's Royal Table. Other than that, we are pretty open schedule wise and would like to know what a 'must see/do'.

Thanks in advance for all your help!

 

[dolphincrazy]

First timers! You're going to absolutely love it and then you'll be addicted like the rest of us lol. That is great that you got a PS for Cinderella's royal table, I need to get a PS myself as we have not done that one, we did do the Crystal Palace with Pooh and that was fun for the kids (I may even do that one again.) My favorite of all the parks is the Magic Kingdom but, they all have something
that is worth seeing.
Maryann

 

[Cruisin' Krause's]

Tinkerbelle,

We're firmly addicted to the Mouse, and the kids have now been 3 times (4th coming up). There are still things we haven't seen or done, and we'll get to them, eventually.

You'll likely not be able to see everything, so enjoy what you do see. And don't feel guilty about doing something 2,3, or 4 times (for you or your 4 yr old) - as long as it's fun, right!

Hope this doesn't sound "preachy", but I'm sure that what you might miss the first time, you'll find next time...

Our kids (5 and 3) really enjoy Buzz Lightyear at MK, It's Tough to be a Bug at Animal Kingdom, and Playhouse and Little Mermaid at MGM - you'll find what you like along the way, I;m sure.

Lots of luck,

 

[tci1212]

Your Daughter is going to love Pop Century, the photos of it are amazing,I can imagine a 4 yr old seeing those giant toys displayed all over. My children are addicted to Disney. Be prepared to bring her back, my boys start asking for another trip after being home a month. The parades are a must and meeting Mickey Mouse in toon town. No matter what you do in Disney she will surely have fun. Enjoy! We will be there on Jan 31st for 8 days

 

[Marnie87]

We were 1st timers in 2002. We included myself, my Sister, my niece (9), and my daughter (4). We had a great time. We are going again in April, but this time it will be my husband, daughter (who is now 6), and me.

I will tell you from experience that my daughter HATED the 3-D movies. She sat on my lap and cried through It's Tough to be a Bug and Honey, I Shrunk the Audience.

Her favorite ride was Goofy's Barnstormer. We rode it 3 times. She also liked Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.

Even though Magic Kingdom was her favorite park, she also loved Animal Kingdom.

We did the Winnie the Pooh breakfast at Crystal Palace. It is a really good character breakfast.

For the upcoming trip I already have a PS for Cinderella's Royal Table.

Just have fun!!!

 

[debbiedana]

We went last September for DD's 3rd Bday and we leave in 22 days for our second trip!

I would try to get either Birnbaum's Offical Guide for Kids or the travel planning video, or even better, both. Pictures and videos will help her get an idea of what she's in for.

Glad you got CRT PS's - it will be a hoot! We saw Cindy, Belle, Snow White, Mary Poppins and Aladdin last time. If your DD has a princess dress, have her wear it!

We also did Chef Mickey's for dinner and Ohana's for breakfast. They were both great meals and an incredible amount of fun. I highly recommend both.

My daughter LOVED the 3D shows. She was a little scared in ITTBAB but she says she definitely wants to do it again this trip, and if she's scared she told me she'd sit on my lap.

The Beauty and the Beast show at MGM was tons of fun. I bet she'd love it. If she likes the Toy Story gang, catch them across from Muppetvision, next to Pizza Planet. They were really great, especially Jessie.

DD's favorite park was MK, of course, but Epcot was a very close second. She loved JIYI and Spaceship Earth.

Both waterparks have nice areas for kids her age. My daughter went down each slide 10000 times. The family raft rides were a blast too.

If your DD is a thrill seeker, and if she's close to the height requirement for some of the attractions, make sure she knows she may not be able to ride Splash Mtn if she's only 39". My DD is 39-7/8" and we've had several talks about being a little too short to get on a ride.

Just my $0.02!!!

 

[bobcat]

Your first time is magical! Be careful or you will be hooked like all of us! LOL

Take advantage of child swap so that each parent can ride all the rides your 4yo can't or doesn't want to.

If your princess likes to dress up get her a princess costume at home before you get in the parks. You will pay $40+ if she decides she has to have on when you get there. If you do get a princess costume let her wear it to cinderella's breakfast.

There is a playhouse disney show at MGM that you can't miss!

You've started off right by planning and gathering info. That will be your biggest tool in having a magical vacation. Keep asking questions and have fun planning!

 

[Tinkerbelle99]

Thank you all so much for the tips. I am enjoying the planning of this trip so much. I dont know who is more excited, me or our daughter!

I have ordered the trip planning dvd and one of my friends is going to lend me her berbaums (sp?) book, so that should help.

We will be driving down, so I am also in need of tips about the drive (i.e. keeping our daughter occupied). I have already picked up some great ideas on other areas of the DISboards like, color pages; static clingy things for the window, etc. I am open to more ideas.

Thanks again, I am enjoying being apart of these boards!