PLEASE HELP to make DD5 first trip Magical

[cinderelladad]

So it has been about 7yrs since we have been to Disney with our first DD. now we are finally going back with our DD5. Everything has changed so much I think we forgot more then we remember. So looking for any timeless tips and any new tips to make this trip magicial.

 

[wdwjeffc37]

Don't be in a big rush. Slow down and let your DD5 take it all in. If you rush around trying to do too much then Disney can lose the magic and charm pretty quickly. Know that you cannot do it all. Plan ahead and have reasonable expectations. It is always a special treat when bringing a child for the first time. Take the time to enjoy it. Cheers and have a great trip.

 

[I M Fearless]

If you would like a postcard mailed to your daughters from a favourite character there is a thread called Fairy Godmailers Part 2.

It's a great way to get the children excited about their trip.

Just find someone on the thread who will be there ahead of you, there is usually someone willing to organise this, we have done it a few times for others.

It's a great way to pass on the magic.

 

[Alessandra Gabriel]

The most important tip I can give you is to experience WDW through the eyes of your DD. Two years ago DH and I took DD who was 3 at the time for her first trip and it had been ages since DH and I had both been. Before we went I of course had all the FP planned, and had a detailed plan of attack for our three park days, but as soon as we entered MK on our first day I threw caution to the wind and just went with the flow.

The look on my daughters face when she saw the castle for the very first time was hands down the best part of my trip and put a lot of things into perspective for DH and I. I was planning on booking it to Princess Fairytale Hall but I quickly decided to just be, soak it all in and watch my daughter burst with pure happiness. Im not gonna lie, I cried, DH cried and then we took some pics infront of the castle and then slowly made our way to Princess Fairytale Hall still in plenty of time (this was before A&E). We rode Its a Small World more times than I care to count because DD fell in love with it, one half of our day was literally spent riding Under the Sea and Pirates-quickly walking back and forth between both of these rides so we wouldnt have to stand in line for a very long time because thats what she wanted to do.

We leave Saturday for DD's second trip who is now 5, and Im soooooo excited I just cant wait!

I hope you have a magical trip!!

 

[andiraye]

I completely agree with the above poster who suggests going with the flow, but I also have some other more type A advice.

Bring your own stroller or rent one from a outside stroller rental company, don't rent a disney one. You may want a stroller getting by from the bus to your hotel room and disney strollers can't leave the parks.

Consider getting to the parks at rope drop and then taking a midday break or leaving early. If your DD is like my kids she will be up at the crack of dawn anyway. Might as well take advantage of the short lines.

Try your hand at rougher rides. My 3yo's favorite was star tours. Go figure!

 

[AtlantaDisneyDreamer]

Who is your DD's favorite character? Schedule a character meal so she is guaranteed to meet her favorite(s). It is expensive, but the character meals are very special for little ones.

And/or get FPs for required characters. Children get very disappointed when they have their heart set on meeting a character but the line is too long or you miss the meet and greet times. To me, the worst lines are the character lines. They move slowly and don't offer much by way of a queue (some lines are actually interesting to be in).

Having the Disney app on your smart phone is really important. It can tell you where nearby restrooms are, what is available to eat nearby, wait times for rides, and of course, maps. I also think it is a good idea to study maps of the parks you will visit before you go. When you already know where the key rides/characters/shows/restaurants are, you get less frustrated in the parks and waste less time trying to find your way around.

My DDs are 2 and 8, and they both prefer parades and shows to rides (although of course, we do lots of rides, too). Be sure to schedule time to see the parades, live shows, and fireworks.

 

[maryandtyson]

I agree with the PPs above. I'd also say that your attitude towards her can make the difference in her trip. We have all seen parents trumping or yelling at their children, dragging them around well past their breaking point and generally being horrible. Her first Disney trip is already magical. Whether she sees everything, does everything it doesn't matter. What matters is that what she does experience is fun, sweet and memorable.

Have a great trip!

 

[robndani]

I would definitely try to do a ride/M&G/meal/show with her favorite character(s). My kids are 5 and have gone 8 times, but still want to ride Small World 3 times in a row when we arrive! If she likes roller coasters I would try to get a 7DMT FastPass. BBB is a great way for her to feel like a princess, but they will also just sprinkle her with pixie dust in stores near the castle (and maybe other places). Watch a parade. Festival of Fantasy is awesome! Let her stay up late at least once. Let her explore. Don't rush her from place to place. If she wants a day to swim in the pool, let her! Get the Memory Maker so you can put down the camera a little more often. Most of all... HAVE FUN!

 

[tink9702]

One thing that hasn't been mentioned is dining. I'd plan ahead for Counter/Quick Service so you know there will be something for her to eat. If she's picky (like my kids) certain QS restaurants do not have all sorts of kid options. They will have one or two options but if she only eats hot dogs or chicken fingers there are places that don't serve either. I also bring snacks with us so that I have a quick food option if we really need it and aren't near food or in a line.

My kids loved the Festival of Fantasy parade. A good tip about that is to watch in Frontierland (less crowds & at the beginning of the parade route).

 

[henry lutz]

The advice I like is to start at the castle...great intro

 

[honeybunches]

Oh, how exciting! Make sure they give her a "First Time" pin, the cast members will fawn over her and it makes them feel so special. Does your daughter ever take naps? My kids would never admit to it, but they need to take a nap midday if we have any hope of being at a park at night. You need to determine your family's schedule/stamina before overdoing it. We actually prefer the Disney strollers at the parks, especially when my son was 5. He didn't think he needed a stroller, but those long days really wore out his little legs.

 

[a742246]

Take things nice and easy, our grand daughter liked the resort pools just as much as the theme parks!

 

[akaDaddy]

I agree there is noting like seeing the wonder and excitement on a child's eyes as they see Main Street and the castle for the first time.

Let me share two little things we did with our daughters...which surprisingly they asked for both when we head back to WDW this December. By the way, both aren't expensive at all.

First, we would purchase small Disney related gifts (jewelry, toys, lights, candy etc) prior to our trip. The Target $1 and the local Disney Store bins are great for this. We'd hide those I our bag so that we could give them out each morning. To make it special, we'd type out notes on the computer using the smallest handwriting font we could read talking about the gift and the days plans written by Tinkerbell. Then we'd leave them by door each morning. Our daughters couldn't wait to get up each morning.

The second one was to schedule a hairstyle at the Barbershop in the Magic Kingdom. For less than $10 they will color and style your daughters hair with Disney Sparkle. We timed it so that we were in the shop when the parade passed by. The staff is great and now you can set appointments. I think you can even reserve on line now. It used to be first come first serve.

 

[Dfdisneymomma]

You can leave a park and return latter right? Like leave for lunch at another location or to go back to your hotel for a nap?We didn't get the park hopper just one park each day.

 

[siskaren]

You can leave a park and return latter right? Like leave for lunch at another location or to go back to your hotel for a nap? We didn't get the park hopper just one park each day.

Leaving a park and going back to that same park later isn't park hopping, so you don't need a park hopper to do that. Park hopping means hopping from one park to another.

 

[Accident]

I've seen some emailed discounts this year that included free park hopper and water parks in combination with some other discounts. Sign up on the disneyresort.com website and while logged in do some price research for the most likely times you'll go. I've seen some interesting email and snail mail discounts arrive that appeared to line up with some past searches I did for possible trips.