Single & Childless taking 3 kids to DW

[slh1913]

Hello. This is my first post on the board. I'll be taking my 2 nieces ages 5 and 9 and my nephew age 8, to DW from November 20-25. We will going with a group of people including my mom, and my best friend along with her daughter who is 5. We're staying at the Pop Value Resort.

After reading the boards and beginning my planning (I'm a major planner) I have some questions about this. I'm hoping some of the parents can help me out here.

1. I've read in several places that you should take the kids early, leave around lunch time for a break, and then return later in the day. My question is how do you get the kids to leave in the middle of the day??? It seems like they would fuss and complain and they surely would not want to go take a nap. How do you pull this off?

2. Regarding the five year old, she's kinda short so I'm pretty sure she'll be limited to the "kiddie" rides. This question is for the big kids. They've never really been to an amusement park so how am I supposed to know which rides they can handle? I'm not talking about height requirements but I mean the actual fear factor of the ride? I don't want to hold them back from doing anything that they want to do but also don't want any meltdowns or sickness after the rides. What are some good rides for an 8 year old and a 9 year old?

3. The girls will be going to BBBoutique, of course. I'm such a big kid I wish I could get my princess makeover as well. I plan to get the cheapest makeover for them and the will already be dressed in princess gear. Anyway, about how long does this take? Do you think my nephew will be okay to sit and wait for them or should I send him off with my mom to get on other rides while the little ladies are being made over? He's a total boys boy so he won't want anything done to his hair.

4. Strollers for the two 5-year olds??? Yes or no. At home they do not use strollers at all. Will it be worth the hassle of pushing a stroller around DW?
birthday

5. Lastly my oldest niece will be celebrating her birthday on November 26. We won't be able to get the Disney benefit since we won't be there on that exact date however, I do want her to get some special treatment. Is there anything special that she'll be able to look forward to from the CMs or in the restaurants?

6. We have the DDP. What is a must do?

Sorry for all the questions and TIA for your responses.

 

[Perditamarie]

1. I've read in several places that you should take the kids early, leave around lunch time for a break, and then return later in the day. My question is how do you get the kids to leave in the middle of the day??? It seems like they would fuss and complain and they surely would not want to go take a nap. How do you pull this off? This totally depends on your touring style. Works great for younger kids, who really need a nap and break from the stimulation. We like the mid-day break to get in our pool time. Since you are going in Nov., the park hours may be shorter and your group may not want to leave. However, if it is warm enough to swim, that is a great way to relax and recharge

2. Regarding the five year old, she's kinda short so I'm pretty sure she'll be limited to the "kiddie" rides. This question is for the big kids. They've never really been to an amusement park so how am I supposed to know which rides they can handle? I'm not talking about height requirements but I mean the actual fear factor of the ride? I don't want to hold them back from doing anything that they want to do but also don't want any meltdowns or sickness after the rides. What are some good rides for an 8 year old and a 9 year old? Invest in an Unofficial Guide - will give you great info on what to expect in terms of rides, restaurants, transportation, etc. Most rides don't have height restrictions, but the benchmarks seem to be 40 then 44/48 inches. I think your older kids will be able to handle just about all the rides...they are more about details and telling a story than thrills and chills. Research the coasters, Tower of Terror, Stitch and Soarin' if there is a fear of heights issue, but everything is really family friendly. You can also view most rides on youtube.com to get an idea. Keep in mind that some of the scariest "rides" have no restrictions - 3d shows like It's Tough to be a Bug and Honey I Shrunk the Audience, Snow White, and watch out for the Aliens popping from the Ceiling in the Great Movie Ride -- however, a 5 y/o can probably take this in stride.

3. The girls will be going to BBBoutique, of course. I'm such a big kid I wish I could get my princess makeover as well. I plan to get the cheapest makeover for them and the will already be dressed in princess gear. Anyway, about how long does this take? Do you think my nephew will be okay to sit and wait for them or should I send him off with my mom to get on other rides while the little ladies are being made over? He's a total boys boy so he won't want anything done to his hair.I think it depends on what time of day your appt is and if all girls are at the same time (which would be preferable) or one after the other. There could be a back-up from prior appts if your appt is later. If you don't have to wait, it should take about 1/2 an hour. Big girls have also gotten makeovers!!! I would definately let the nephew go on some rides while waiting...if you go to Downtown Disney for an appt, the Lego store is a great place for boys to look around and play at their building stations.

4. Strollers for the two 5-year olds??? Yes or no. At home they do not use strollers at all. Will it be worth the hassle of pushing a stroller around DW?
Since heat won't be such a factor and the hours not so long, I would say go w/out. It is super convenient to have them to hold stuff, but a pain on buses, hard to push a 5 y/o, and you will be forever parking them and going to get them. I would guess you wouldn't need them until evening, and then you could consider renting one there if you need one for a time or two.

5. Lastly my oldest niece will be celebrating her birthday on November 26. We won't be able to get the Disney benefit since we won't be there on that exact date however, I do want her to get some special treatment. Is there anything special that she'll be able to look forward to from the CMs or in the restaurants? You can pick one day to celebrate and get her a birthday button....all the CMs will wish her a happy birthday and she may (or may not) get a complimentary cupcake w/a meal.

6. We have the DDP. What is a must do?respect the ADR....make your ADRs as soon as you can and be flexible in your times, especially w/a larger party. Character meals are a great way to collect autographs and interact w/o it impacting your park time w/a waiting in a lot of lines. We really like Cinderella's Royal Table -- especially great after a visit to BBB. We also like Crystal Palace -- excellent character interaction (Pooh characters) and pretty good food. Akershus is great to meet a bunch of princesses too. There are also several interesting restaurants in Epcot's world showcase.


You should also make sure to catch any Christmas festivities if they are available -- Osborne Lights, Christmas Santa stories around Epcot, Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party (unfortunately, you would have to purchase a seperate ticket for this). They may start after Thanksgiving. However, keep in mind that it may be a very busy week due to the Thanksgiving holiday.

Have a great time planning and Welcome to the Dis!!!!

 

[slh1913]

Thanks so much for all your wonderful input!! I am definitely going to take your advice and get the guide. I am also considering getting the schedule from TourGuideMike or something like that. Have you done that before? Is it worth it?

 

[Aliceacc]

Hello. This is my first post on the board. I'll be taking my 2 nieces ages 5 and 9 and my nephew age 8, to DW from November 20-25. We will going with a group of people including my mom, and my best friend along with her daughter who is 5. We're staying at the Pop Value Resort.

After reading the boards and beginning my planning (I'm a major planner) I have some questions about this. I'm hoping some of the parents can help me out here.

1. I've read in several places that you should take the kids early, leave around lunch time for a break, and then return later in the day. My question is how do you get the kids to leave in the middle of the day??? It seems like they would fuss and complain and they surely would not want to go take a nap. How do you pull this off? You say the word "pool." It's the magic word!!!! Or you wait until someone complains about anything and say: "Hey, I have an idea. Let's go back to the resort of a while, maybe get some lunch or hit the arcade, and come back later when it's less crowded!"

2. Regarding the five year old, she's kinda short so I'm pretty sure she'll be limited to the "kiddie" rides. This question is for the big kids. They've never really been to an amusement park so how am I supposed to know which rides they can handle? I'm not talking about height requirements but I mean the actual fear factor of the ride? I don't want to hold them back from doing anything that they want to do but also don't want any meltdowns or sickness after the rides. What are some good rides for an 8 year old and a 9 year old?A lot will depend on what kind of kids they are. Mine tend to be more afraid than my sister's kids. You might consider getting, either from the store or the library, Birnbaum's Disney World for Kids. It gives a ride-by-ride description, including the scare factors.

3. The girls will be going to BBBoutique, of course. I'm such a big kid I wish I could get my princess makeover as well. I plan to get the cheapest makeover for them and the will already be dressed in princess gear. Anyway, about how long does this take? Do you think my nephew will be okay to sit and wait for them or should I send him off with my mom to get on other rides while the little ladies are being made over? He's a total boys boy so he won't want anything done to his hair.

4. Strollers for the two 5-year olds??? Yes or no. At home they do not use strollers at all. Will it be worth the hassle of pushing a stroller around DW?
birthdayYes, at least one-- they can alternate. But it's a LOT Of walking for little legs!

5. Lastly my oldest niece will be celebrating her birthday on November 26. We won't be able to get the Disney benefit since we won't be there on that exact date however, I do want her to get some special treatment. Is there anything special that she'll be able to look forward to from the CMs or in the restaurants?[

6. We have the DDP. What is a must do?Chef Mickey's, and dinner with Cinderella and the stepfamily at 1900 Park Fare... the stepmom is hilarious!!!!

Sorry for all the questions and TIA for your responses.

Have a great time!

 

[all4fun]

Hello. This is my first post on the board. I'll be taking my 2 nieces ages 5 and 9 and my nephew age 8, to DW from November 20-25. We will going with a group of people including my mom, and my best friend along with her daughter who is 5. We're staying at the Pop Value Resort.

After reading the boards and beginning my planning (I'm a major planner) I have some questions about this. I'm hoping some of the parents can help me out here.

1. I've read in several places that you should take the kids early, leave around lunch time for a break, and then return later in the day. My question is how do you get the kids to leave in the middle of the day??? It seems like they would fuss and complain and they surely would not want to go take a nap. How do you pull this off?

I agree with the pp. I would go with the flow with this one and offer to go back to the hotel for a dip in the pool, or if they want to stay in the parks, then stay... at their ages, they may or may not care to take a nap. My ds stopped taking naps even at wdw by the time he was 5.

2. Regarding the five year old, she's kinda short so I'm pretty sure she'll be limited to the "kiddie" rides. This question is for the big kids. They've never really been to an amusement park so how am I supposed to know which rides they can handle? I'm not talking about height requirements but I mean the actual fear factor of the ride? I don't want to hold them back from doing anything that they want to do but also don't want any meltdowns or sickness after the rides. What are some good rides for an 8 year old and a 9 year old?

The Unofficial Guide (touringplans.com is the official website) is a great touring guide book, or you could check out The Passporter (passporter.com) - the authors have a daughter who they get input from. Another book is the Burnbaum's guide to WDW - For Kids, By Kids which you might get for the Older niece, if she reads well or has someone who can help her read it. It may help them decide what they are interested in. There's a regular adult version Burnbuams book to - those are the "official" disney endorsed books btw (they used to even sell them in Disney stores although I haven't seen them sold there in quite a while).

3. The girls will be going to BBBoutique, of course. I'm such a big kid I wish I could get my princess makeover as well. I plan to get the cheapest makeover for them and the will already be dressed in princess gear. Anyway, about how long does this take? Do you think my nephew will be okay to sit and wait for them or should I send him off with my mom to get on other rides while the little ladies are being made over? He's a total boys boy so he won't want anything done to his hair.

They actually have a $10 thing for boys there where they put some cool color in it. He may or may not be interested in that, you never know. We've never done the BBB so I have no idea how long it takes. If you all will have cell phones then I'd say just let them go enjoy some rides or attractions and meet up with them later. That is what we would probably do. If he likes Pirates, they might want to check out the 'pirates league' (here) while the girls do BBB. I know my ds will think this is just sooo cool.

4. Strollers for the two 5-year olds??? Yes or no. At home they do not use strollers at all. Will it be worth the hassle of pushing a stroller around DW?
birthday

I say yes. You can get a multi-day pass which discounts the cost by 10% or you could just play it by ear and rent day to day. In our experience though, our ds has needed the stroller even when he was 5-1/2. DW is a ton of walking, it can be hot and humid there, and kids just get tired. Plus it's an easy way to keep them contained in crowds, and going the same direction at the pace you want to walk (kids can dawdle and get distracted). So for us, while I do look forward to not needing one some day, at this point it has been a godsend while at WDW.

5. Lastly my oldest niece will be celebrating her birthday on November 26. We won't be able to get the Disney benefit since we won't be there on that exact date however, I do want her to get some special treatment. Is there anything special that she'll be able to look forward to from the CMs or in the restaurants?

This has been covered but go to guest services and get birthday button.

6. We have the DDP. What is a must do?

You'll probably want to do the princess meal with the girls and IMO even boys can enjoy it Cinderellas is pretty difficult to get into but it's worth making an ADR for if you can swing it. Akershus in the Epcot Norway pavilion also does a princess character meal which people seem to love as well. We personally enjoyed the 1900 Park Fare character meal (dinner, but they also a breakfast I think). For regular dining, we love Le Cellier and Chefs de France. check out allearsnet.com they have a menu section which may give you a better idea of what you want to try. There is also a resaurant/dining forum here on the Dis.

Sorry for all the questions and TIA for your responses.

you're welcome!

 

[allyphoe]

how do you get the kids to leave in the middle of the day???

"After this ride, we're going back to the hotel for rest time."

It seems like they would fuss and complain and they surely would not want to go take a nap.

Entirely possible, which is why it's not a choice, or a suggestion, or anything else that invites feedback or negotiation.

That said, I'm not sure I'd take that tack with 2 5yos, an 8yo, and a 9yo in November. Park hours are going to be short, weather will be cool, lines will be reduced. Sounds like you've got 2 adults and 4 kids, so could split the group if someone needed a nap day, and if the kids have compatible ride-temperaments (so it's not 3 kids being miserable when one kid's having fun, with the fun and misery rotated through the group as you move around the park), I suspect all of them could do a reasonably full day in the parks.

We just got back from a trip with a 5yo and a 6yo, and the 6yo did a 12-hour day at Epcot, complete with heat, lines, a trip to first aid, and 4 rounds of Mission:Space, and was fine with it. The days we threw the towel in early, we went back to Pop, tossed the kids into one room with the lights out, turned on Must Do Disney, and told them if their heads were off the pillows when we checked on them, rest time would start over. The 6yo napped every single day she had rest time; the 5yo never napped. After rest time, there was another opportunity to eat, then swimming. We only made it back into the parks one night; the rest of the time, we just had an early bedtime and got up for AM EMH the next morning.

Regarding the five year old, she's kinda short so I'm pretty sure she'll be limited to the "kiddie" rides.

By which you mean "not RnRC/PW/EE/M:S"? Even a short 5yo is likely tall enough for the 40" rides, including Tower of Terror.

how am I supposed to know which rides they can handle?

Totally depends on kid-temperament. Mine needs a play-by-play of exactly what to expect on the ride. Once she knows what to expect, she's fine. Doesn't mean there aren't rides she doesn't prefer, but she doesn't run screaming from the exit or anything. (The guidebooks are fine for plenty of kids - mine did better with YouTube and on-ride narration, but she was 3 when she started riding the 40" rides.)

The big kids are likely to be fine with the same rides an adult would be fine with. Our family avoids ITTBAB, HISTA, and Stitch, but none of the adults in our group like those, either.

Strollers for the two 5-year olds???

I vote yes, if you have pushers for said strollers. Bring-from-home, rather than rentals, if feasible. The longest walk of the day is from the last ride of the day to the bus stop, and the Pop bus stop is an eternity away at Epcot and MK.

My 6yo is the non-walkingest child ever, though. I carried her through most of the queues, even with a stroller to get from ride to ride. Apparently, there are kids who do walk with no problems, and you might have two of those. With the 8yo and 9yo, your group probably won't be moving at breakneck speed, so the 5yos dawdling shouldn't necessarily be an issue.

We have the DDP. What is a must do?

Honestly, I don't think there is such a thing. We've had DDP on prior trips, but had the QSDP this last trip, and DD6 never once asked about eating at any sit-down places. When we did them, she liked the Princess Storybook breakfast, and 1900PF, and Chef Mickey's. Odds are, the kids will have a good time where you take them, regardless of where that is.

 

[JerseyMamaBear]

Welcome to the DIsBoards! You will love the information you will find on these boards.
I agree with going with the flow and taking a mid-day break. The little ones, and big kids too, will need the down time.