restaurants, breakfasts with characters, other MUST DO's for our 1st trip?

[JenniOH]

WOW - this board is awesome - the info is great! What "goodies" should we plan on for a 6/8 year olds' 1st trip into the wild world of Dis??? I have heard great things about the character breakfasts, and hoopdedoo???? Yes No Maybe - other suggestions??? This is really helpful - I have not been to the park in 20+ years!!! thanks again

 

[Divamomto3]

Last May was our first trip with 3 sons, ages 10, 8, and 2.

Musts are the Hoop De Doo Revue, breakfast at Chef Mickey's, and Lunch at the Crystal Palace.

We also did a Magic Kingdom Fireworks cruise that was awesome too!

Have fun! Where are you staying?

 

[meeko_33785]

Never done Hoop-Dee-Doo, but I do redocmend doing a character meal. Out of the ones I've done, I recogmend the Garden Grill at EPCOT. It's not too rowdy, but still fun. You can see scenes from the Land boat ride from your table and Mickey, Pluto, Chip, and Dale come to your table. The food's pretty good too.

 

[mcircle]

Our family went for the 1st time in November. I cannot recommend Chef Mickey's enough. We went for dinner, but I am sure that other meals are great there too. If (when) we go back this may be the only character meal we do. I would also recommend the breakfast at the Crystal Palace with The Pooh characters. I can't give advice about Hoop de doo, as we did not do this. I hope your family has a magical time as ours did.

 

[MINNIEBOWSER]

JenniOH,
Here are a few of my favorites;
1. wishes fireworks: A MUST SEE
MK is my favorite park. IMO it is the park with the most rides for everyone. Meaning, they are all doable for all ages and not too intense or scarey. Mickeys Philharmagic is a great 3D movie there. Kids of all ages love it (including my 37 yr. old self). Plus, the castle is absolutely beautiful at night when it changes colors. I could just sit and watch the castle all night and be in heaven.
2. 1900 Park Fare is a great character meal for breakfast and dinner. The food is very good for both. Pooh and friends in the morning and cinderella at night.
3. Illuminations is also a must see at Epcot.

HAVE A GREAT TIME!!!!

 

[holcomb-mania]

- Chef Mickey's for character meal. More "oomph" than others.

- Plan some time for a break away from each other. After several days we needed a break from our 8 and 6 yo's and they needed a break from us as well. Send them to Simba's Cubhouse at Animal Kingdom Lodge and eat at Boma (our favorite at WDW). Or they could go to the Neverland Club at the Polynesian Resort and you could eat at Ohana (we walked to Narcoosee's at the Grand Floridian). Each place has lots for kids to do, with computers, toys, video games, meals and movies. I think they enjoyed the free-time away from us more than we did. The Neverland Club seemed to be their fave, and is nicely themed. This would also give you an opportunity to see these resorts if you are staying elsewhere.

- Rides: Tower of Terror and RnR coaster at MGM; Test Track and Mission:Space at EPCOT; all three mountain coasters at Magic Kingdom.

- Fantasmic.

- Absolute must-do for us after last October: Summit Plummet at Blizzard Beach. 60+ mph of kick-your-fanny.

 

[suemac]

I can not recommend Hoop de Doo enough! We have been 3 times and just got our PS for our next trip. This Oct was our first time at HdD with kids (10,8,5) They loved it as much as we!

Also, Sci fi Dinner was a great and fun lunch.

Teppanyaki is our fav.
Chef Mickey's dinner was not very good.
Princess Brkft. in Norway was great.

Have a great time!!!!

 

[MarkLem]

We just went last week and have kids your kid's ages. Here's what our kids really liked:

Tip: Get them each an autograph book (you can buy these at 100's of places at WDW). They loved gettitng all the character's autographs (just the right ages for this!)

MGM:
Little Mermaid show, Star Tours (8 yr old), Great Movie Ride, Indiana Jones Stunt show, getting autographs from roving characters, Muppet 3-D

Epcot:
Universe of Energy (a little scary since it's quite loud), Living Seas (some minor updates to reference Nemo characters), Africa in the world (got to play drums in a band with lots of others), ride in the Epcot ball, character autographs, Honey I Shrunk the Audience 3-D

Animal Kingdom:
Bugs Life 3D show, Safari Tour, easy to do kids rides in Dinoland, Bird Show, favorite: Lion King Show, character autographs

Magic Kingdom:
Mickey's Philharmagic, character dinner at Grand Floridian, lunch in Cinderella's Castle (we walked up and were worked in on New Year's Day, so don't worry about not having a reservation), Cinderella's castle, Buzz Lightyear ride, Space Mtn (8 yr old), Thunder Railway, Splash Mtn (8 yr old), Pirates of Caribbean ride, Peter Pan ride (did twice early morning - no wait), Winnie the Pooh ride (did twice early morning - no wait), Dumbo (do early morning to avoid lines), It's a Small World (gasp!), character breakfast at Crystal Palace (need reservation), character autographs, Wishes Fireworks (don't miss this no matter what, and view it from the anywhere that you are looking at the front of Cinderella's castle)

 

[Mimi70]

I totally agree with holcomb-mania...


R E S T ! ! ! !! Plan time either in the day or during your trip to spend time AWAY from the parks! Sleep in...go swimming/sunbathing, arrange time for a spa treatment or golf! There are plenty of options available....make it fun!

 

[Baloo]

WELCOME to the DIS JenniOH and mcircle!!

There is so much to see and do at WDW and JenniOh you've found THE place and people to help you out with your upcoming trip!

Get an autograph book and do one of the character meals,we've like Chef Mickey.

Take time to RELAX and enjoy your pool,especially if you're traveling in the summer.

The high points for my sons at each park are:

MK...Splash Mt,PoC,HM,BL...actually you just about can't go wrong with anything here!

MGM...RnR and ToT,Star Tours.

AK..Safari and Dinoland Dig area.

Epcot...TT,SSE...make sure when you visit the WS that your kids make a mask.It's free and they get to take it home with them.

Y'all are going to have SO MUCH fun!!!

 

[lisareniff]

We went over Thanksgiving with our 7.5 yo and 2 yo DD's. This was our first trip since I was in high school (WOW that's over 20 years ago!).

Our first morning we had reservations at the Crystal Palace. The greatest thing about this is that we walked into MK with out all the crowds. That in itself was awesome!! Our younger one appreciated pooh a bit more than our older one. Our 7yo was into the princesses at Epcot storybook breakfast.

Our 7 yo's favorite ride was Splash mtn. She rode it 6 times! (Big Thunder was closed) She did not go on Space Mtn. I think it was a wise choice on her part (next time).

Best advice we had- GO EARLY, Leave after lunch. We were able to do so much more and enjoy it! Also, use fast pass!

Fireworks at MK were great. Fantasmic was also a winner (we did the fantasmic package, so no waiting)

Have a great time!!! We did!

 

[crusin'minnie]

If you are staying on site- take advantage of Early Entry.

We definately take a mid-day nap!!!

If you like Mexican food- San Angel in EPCOT is our favorite!! It is very romantic, but our kids really enjoy the atmosphere also. The Queso Fundido is excellent!!

Our kids love;

EPCOT- Making masks in WS, Maelstrom, Taking a picture with the troll in Norway.

MGM- TOT & RnR also the Bugs life Playground

MK-All the big rides, Country Bear Jamboree, Toontown

AK- KS, ITTBB, Squirting people with water on the bridge after Kali River.

They also love Blizzard Beach and shopping at DD. We always go to the Christmas store and get an ornament for our tree.

Snacks- our family loves the Mickey Ice Cream Bars and the Minnie Strawberry Bars.

Also don't forget to look for the magic! Every trip we have taken there is always something that happens (sometimes small) that is magical.

 

[wdarling]

i just LOVE Hoop-Dee-Doo, it's so much fun. i also enjoy eating at coral reef at the living seas. it's really entertaining for kids to see all the fish swimming. i went there for breakfast once and all the characters were dressed in thier swim wear and mickey was actually scuba diving! i was 12 and it was the coolest thing ever!

 

[kevind65]

JenniOH: welcome to the DIS! you'll find that just about anything you want to know about WDW can be answered right here.....here are some of the can't misses:

character dining:
chef mickey's at the contemporary is a family tradition for us...do it every year and love it...lots of fun...cool atmosphere..
Pooh and friends at the Crystal Palace in MK...good food, beautiful restaurant
a meal in the castle at MK....got to do it just once....really cool

at the parks....

MK:
character meet and greets
mickey's toon town(goofy's barnstormer is a perfect starter roller coaster) mickey and minnie's house are cool too and they allow for a little play time for the kids
fantasyland(do it first thing in the am or it's a zoo)
buzz lightyear, POTC, jungle cruise
depending on how adventurous your children are:
space mountain(dd did it at age 5)splash mountain & BTMRR
A hot dog at Casey's(oh boy!)
wishes and the castle at night

EPCOT:
spaceship earth
the living seas
test track
honey I shrunk the audience(although parts of it can spook the little ones), Journey w/figment
the fountain that waltz's with the music
the sidewalks the light up at night(too cool)
don't underestimate how much your children might like world showcase....take the time to explore each country....there are performers native to all the different lands that put on really amazing shows and displays of their native cultures...they are all fantastic, but, my personnel favorites are: the chinese acrobats, the living statues and the candy lady(maukee?) in Japan that makes the candy animals....kids are just mesmorized by these acts...
the kidcot stations let children make a mask that they take to each country and add something new to it...
the autogragh books and also they have a passport that can be purchased....the kids take the passport to each country they visit..they stamp and write something in their language....dd had lots of fun doing all these.....
and of course; you have to see illuminations

MGM Studios:
again, if the kids can handle them: Rockin' Rollercoaster and Tower of Terror are mgm's signature attractions
star tours
voyage of the little mermaid, muppet vision 4D, and Beauty and the Beast are all really good shows.
If you have boys, they would probably like Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular...
the great movie ride and the backlot tour hopefully will be a little better after the rehab(this is where castastrophy canyon is)
Your kids will love Fantasmic

AK:
kilamenjaro safari
the conservation station
wonders of flight(birds)
pangani trail & the tiger trail
kali river rapids(be prepared, you will get wet)
dinosaur(caution: this can spook some young ones and it's a very jerky ride)
my minds going blank, but, that little roller coaster, spinning thing over by the carnival games
the tree of life(spend some time really checking out the detail, see how many animals you can find carved into the tree) we find different ones each time....inside the tree is the show It's tough to be a bug....this is a must see, but, again, it can be pretty spooky to the little ones(watch out for the bee's)
the kids would probably like to check out the rainforest cafe'
tarzan rocks
and probably the favorite show of the majority of disney goers: The Festival of The Lion King....awesome!

Don't forget the Water Parks:

Blizzard Beach is fun and intense....summit plumment is awesome, but, wouldn't be too suprised if your kids didn't want to tackle it yet this year...many many other slides that are awesome....great family raft ride and lazy river..

Typhoon Lagoon is a little more tropical and the slides are a little more tame that those at BB.....fantastic wave pool that shoots out 6ft waves at you....swimming with the sharks is alot of fun(but cold)...
your kids are the perfect age and would most likely love the water parks...

Still need more? how about a trip over to downtown disney and the westside? lots of shops, restaurants, movie theatre and disney quest-a interactive indoor amusement park and giant arcade-kids love this place and would stay all day if allowed...

How about a trip over to Disney's Ft. Wilderness resort and campground? there's a petting zoo and pony rides(my dd loves this), you can look for the "lawn mower tree", take a horseback ride, in the evening you can enjoy Chip N' Dales' character campfire....roasting smores, sing a longs, and a disney movie afterward...lots of fun..........after that, you could stroll over to the beach and catch the Electric Water Parade as it passes by.

Resort hopping is one of our favorite things to do...take a little time and check out all the neat things each resort has to offer...alot of fun....

Check out the Boardwalk resort area: stroll through beautiful shops and restaurants....check out the live "street" entertainers...check out the ESPN club...or stop in to Beaches n Cream over on the Y&B club side and try to tackle the kitchen sink if you dare....Or you can take a boat ride over to EPCOT or MGM Studios....or take an illuminations cruise(ressies starting 120 days out)

take the monorail through the grand floridian, polynesian & the contemporary resorts....tell the CM at the station that you want to ride in the front of the monorail and they'll hook you up....really, really, really cool......great photo ops & you might even get your monorail pilots liscense....

take the kids fishing over at POR at the fishin hole on Ol' man island....lots of fun and relaxing.....or if you want a little more of a challenge....take a chartered fishing trip on one of disney's lakes....the fishin is great and lots of fun...

As you can see, there are literally thousands of things to do with the kids, inside or outside of the 4 major parks...I know i've probably forgotten tons of things as well...

just remember, there is so much to do at WDW....more than can possibly be done in a trip or two...so, take your time and create those memories that will last a lifetime!!! have fun and enjoy you first trip.....