Plan to take our Son and 5 year old grandson next December

[marlene1]

Is the first week in December not very busy in the parks?

Is 5 years old too young to experience disney? What parks are the best for that age?

Any suggestions to make this an extra special trip?? Which tickets are the best to buy? We will be there a week. How many days should we do parks?

Thanks for any info

 

[lovetoscrap]

5 is a GREAT age for Disney and the 1st week of Disney is a good time to go. I suggest you look into Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, which is a seperately ticketed event for something extra special.

I suggest you check out the Theme Park boards. There will be a lot of chatter about this years party with pictures and information. Make sure you check out the DIS website (link at the top of the page) to get a feel for the rides, shows and attractions at each park to see what you think he would like. You need to know what characters he likes best and how tall he is and if he likes things scary or tame, roller coasters or slow rides. All the parks offer something for everyone of every age and interest.

Generally I try to plan to do Magic Kingdom on 2 days, Animal Kingdom on 1, Disney Studios on 1 day and usually Epcot on 1 day. Really you need 2 days at least to do Epcot but at 5 he may not be interested in World Showcase much so you might want to save that for another trip.

Happy Planning!

 

[Rylee]

How wonderful! He'll love it!

Tickets - since the more days you buy gets cheaper per day, there is very little price difference between buy 5, 6 or 7 days. Example - one child 4 day base ticket cost $178 but a 7 day pass is only $182.

I recommend buying a ticket for each day you will be there. This way you can visit at a more leisurely pace and go back to the resort for a rest/break/nap/swim in the afternoon if you desire. Even if you don't think you'll visit a park each day, you may want to dine in one of the park restaurants and would need a ticket to enter.

Hopper Tickets -I don't think Hopper tickets are necessary at non-busy times, but you may want them if you plan to dine in park restaurants that aren't located in the park you are visiting on a given day.

Water Parks - I'm not sure the water park option would be worth buying in Dec., (weather) but a CM once told me if you only want to visit once, it is cheaper to buy admission separately, 2 or more visits... add it to your base ticket. (Need to check prices to see if this info is still true.) I, personally would not purchase the water park option in Dec., if it is nice enough to take a swim, he will love the resort pools.

Which resort are you staying at?

 

[marlene1]

Thanks so much for the information. Since we might like to take him back another time or 2, I am wondering about buying the non expire Park Hopper tickets.

We will probably end up strying at a timeshare such as Orange lake or if anyone has any reccommendations for a different timeshare, iw would like to hear about that as well.

thanks for any info!

 

[Rylee]

Thanks so much for the information. Since we might like to take him back another time or 2, I am wondering about buying the non expire Park Hopper tickets.

We will probably end up strying at a timeshare such as Orange lake or if anyone has any reccommendations for a different timeshare, iw would like to hear about that as well.

thanks for any info!

My first instinct is to try and saving others money. If you want to buy those tickets... great, all the better.

I, also, always recommend staying at a Disney hotel. (Living in the World for a week is magical and convenient... extra perks and no driving or direction problems, etc.) If you already know where you want to stay, I'll skip over accomodations.

Parks and Attractions -

If you have never been to the parks, I recommend studing maps to familiarize yourself with the general lay-out. If you'd like to... once you have chosen some attractions you are interested in, you can go to the Disney site and have customized maps made and sent to you. (Last time I checked it was free.)

I don't know if you've been there before but the majority of attractions are located inside buildings. Many first-timers walk on by, either because they don't know what it is, or because from the outside, it doesn't look like much.

Most people travelling with young children plan on 2 days for the MK. AK can be done in 1 day. My family likes 2 days at the MGM (now called DHS). If you are only spending 1 day, be sure to get a schedule of show times and plan accordingly. Epcot - adults usually need 2 days here, BUT a child might be bored. (My 9 year old son loves walking around the World Showcase, his 6 y/o brother tolerates it because we buy him a toy and he can entertain himself anywhere.) If you have the hopper option, one idea is to visit Epcot for awhile and then hop on over to a different park that has more kid appealing attractions. If you are only concentrating on your Grandson's experience, you won't need a lot of time at Epcot.

Learn how the Fast Pass system works. Even if the parks aren't terribly crowded, most 5 y/o are impatient about longer lines at the most popular attractions.

Consider scheduling at least one character meal. You can read the menus and find which characters are located at which restaurants at the "allears" site.

As I've mentioned, I have young boys and give you a list of must-see and do, if you'd like.

 

[marlene1]

My husband and I have been serveral times in the last few years. We just do the stuff grown ups like. So I would really appreciate the stuff your 2 boys really like. About the buildings.... I am afraid we have just walked by... what have we missed?
Thanks so much for your information!

 

[danielle782001]

We went the first week in December two years ago. It was THE BEST WEEK we ever had at Disney. The lines were short. The weather was perfect (no rain, highs in the mid-70). The only down side was that we really needed to pack a lot. We needed light clothing for day and warm clothing for night. It got really cold at night. We were able to go in the pool just once. The weather was really not the best for swimming. But the kids did get wet the one time.

I agree with Rylee.... Staying at a Disney hotel is the best. You don't need to rent a car because they pick you up at the airport, they get you around Disney, and bring you back- ALL FOR FREE. You also have access to the Dining Plan which can save you a lot of money.

5 is the perfect age for all the parks. My kids love the AK and MK most. Epcot and MGM have their highlights for the kids as well. At least 2 days in MK. 1 or 2 for AK. 1 day for Epcot and MGM (including being at MGM at least one night).

Be sure to do a couple of character dining meals while your there (Make reservations 180 prior). My boys love the character meals. They characters come to you instead of waiting on long lines. We love Donalds Breakfast in the AK, Chef Mickey, Liberty Tree Tavern in MK, Playhouse Dinsey breakfast at Hollywood & Vine in MGM, Crystal Palace in MK. All great choices for a boy. He also may like the Sci-Fi in MGM. Not a character meal but a drive-in movie theater theme with old movies playing. My boys love that one.

Also recommend the Christmas party (even if you are not Christan). The party is very "holiday" and filled with fun. We loved it. Have been twice. The lights at MGM are amazing to see. So you should plan to go one evening to MGM. The AK had a cute holiday themed parade and the characters are dressed in holiday clothing for pictures. The candlelight event at Epcot is wonderful but may be boring for a 5 year old. It was for my guys. But you can hear and see it from anywhere in America section of Epcot. So you may want to plan to be around the area (you can eat a counter meal outside at America) for the candlelight event. You should attend if you think you can sit for it.

Hope this helps!

 

[danielle782001]

Hopper Tickets -I don't think Hopper tickets are necessary at non-busy times, but you may want them if you plan to dine in park restaurants that aren't located in the park you are visiting on a given day.

We really like the hopper option. We like the freedom it gives you. To move around based on what is going on around the parks and for dining. At the holiday times you may find you want to go to one park in the morning and go to a different park at night to see the lights... Just a thought.

One day last year when we went, we went to AK early in the morning, then went to Epcot at night to see the Christmas tree lighting. Another day, we went to MK in the morning for extra magic hours, then went to MGM at night to see the Osbone Family lights. Just examples of how the hopper can be helpful in December.