Single mom itinerary for 4 days at WDW

[TheLittleRoo]

Pinch me - I must be dreaming! DH agreed to me taking the two youngest to WDW this summer, alone! We were going to give up the trip we'd planned in September with all five of us due to cost, and taking just the Littles as we call them, is still on the table.

So, although I've been before, I'm seeing this from a new perspective managing DS3 and DD6 by myself!

What are the high points that we should absolutely not miss, character meals not to be missed, which parks would you skip with kids this age, etc? My thoughts so far are:

Chef Mickey's for a good-bye dinner or brunch
Magic Kingdom, of course
Epcot for Nemo, Soarin' and Princess Storybook Lunch

Would you skip Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios? I'm mildly interested in a PHD breakfast for DS3 to enjoy, but not sure it's worth taking them to HS. DS3 doesn't like shows at all and is actually terrified in them, so it's not an option for us.

Thanks for any advice. I think we'll be staying at a Value for the first time. Which one is best for a young boy and girl? POP is probably over their heads? And would you get the preferred room to be closer in? I think it's probably worth it, but how much more is that per day?

 

[Maggie'sMom]

A few questions:

Park hopper or not?
4 full days in the parks or does the 4 days include your arrival and departure days?

You know your kids best, but my experience was that I would have been better off to skip AK and spend that time at the MK. Is your DS so terrified of shows that he wouldn't go to the Playhouse Disney one at HS? If shows are completely out, then you might be better off to skip HS and spend a day (or maybe even just a 1/2 day) at AK instead. Given what you've said, I'd probably say spend 2 full days at MK, 1 day at Epcot, and 1 day at AK (if no hopper).

Is your DS tall enough for Soarin'?

Chef Mickey's would be great. How about Liberty Tree Tavern or Crystal Palace too?

 

[TheLittleRoo]

Probably no hoppers. That would be $150 more, and probably better saved or spent on something more tangible to them.

DS was terrified at age 2 by the PHD show, and by the Nemo show at AK. And by the stunt car show at HS. We haven't tried the Lion King show since his 18m freakout by the fire. Oh, and fireworks are terrifying too... so pretty much we know noise and lights do not make for an enjoyable event. Oh, even the Tiki Tiki Room was not a pleasant event! Bearable, but only tolerated.

I think we'll be there for 4 nights and 5 days. My plan is to go to the parks at rope drop and leave for a long afternoon break after lunch when it's hot -we're going in July. Make an early evening ADR for a couple of character dinners, tour the parks again in the dusk hours when the heat isn't so crushing, leave by 8pm since fireworks are out. I feel bad for DD6, but I don't know what else to do. DS3 literally climbs up me like a totem pole, shrieking when the fireworks start, and begs to 'go home'.

DS3 is not 42", probably about 39" tall? I don't think he'd like Soarin' but I could be wrong. One problem I foresee is DD6' favorite rides are Splash Mountain and Space Mountain. Not sure how she'll take to the notion that she can't ride her favorites b/c little brother would be too scared or isn't tall enough. That's a challenge I'm working with now with our season passes to Busch Gardens Williamsburg.

I'm considering buying the dining plan, since it would only be $58/day. Problem is, they are not the best diners, and it's torture for them to sit quietly in a restaurant. But with character buffets, maybe it's doable.

 

[caroline1851]

It seems as though most of the stuff at dhs is shows that are longer so it depends if your 3 yr old will have an easy time sitting thru stuff. If not, skip it and do 2 days at mk, 1 day at ak and 1 day at epcot/resort pool. My ds6 is big time into star wars and indiana jones, so I wouldn't even consider skipping it, but that's our family.
I would think the ddp would be a good deal for you. and use the ts credits for character buffet/all you can eat meals. Think about doing Tourguidemike-i've gotten tons of tips from it so far: touring plans, best days for what parks, etc.

 

[Maggie'sMom]

I can empathize with your issues with your DS and shows. When we went last, DD was 3 1/2. The day we were in AK, I started out by taking her to The Festival of the Lion King. She FREAKED after about 5 minutes and we had to leave in a hurry. We made it about 5 or 10 minutes into the Nemo musical before she freaked out at that one. After that, all shows were out, including Playhouse Disney. I think the only thing we did at HS was play at the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground.

Would it help your DS to have earplugs for the fireworks?

If your DS is 39" now, then there's a good chance he will be at least 40" by fall. It would be a good idea to have a discussion with your DD about what rides may be off limits because of your DS just in case he doesn't make the 40" mark or if he's too skittish to ride the bigger rides. Another option would be to budget to hire a mom's helper from Kid's Night Out for a day. That way one of you could stay with DS and the other ride with DD on the big rides.

If you are looking to do more than just one or two character meals, it would probably work out to have the meal plan. Otherwise, just do counterservice.

 

[Rylee]

Hi,

Here are my thoughts...

Stay at All Star Movies... your children will enjoy the familiar characters. I think perferred rooms are about $12 more per day, (and if I'm not right... someone will come along and correct me.)

Request the Toy Story or Dalmatian buildings, as the Fastasia buildings, at least on the pool side, will be louder.

I think the Dining Plan would be a good deal for you. Is your son afraid of the characters, too? Character buffets would be a good choice, if your children can't sit too long, (since you can get your food right away) but since there is 2 of them, and only 1 of you, consider booking places like Liberty Tree Tavern @ MK, Garden Grill @ Epcot, 'Ohana @ the Poly, where the food (served family style) will be brought to your table, (so you don't have to juggle 3 plates or leave children unattended to get something else.)

On the WDW site, click on Parks, go to "Explore the Park" and there is an option for "Attractions", "For Little Ones." This might be a good place to find which attractions are recommended for his age. Maybe you can start out with some of the pre-school attractions, and if he handles those, move up to other attractions.

Have a Magical Trip!

 

[irene_dsc]

Hmm...your kids are the same ages as mine, but opposite genders.

DHS/MGM - maybe a skip. Star Wars stuff was the big event for my ds, and the shows for my dd, but it sounds like maybe not a good choice for yours.

AK - we enjoyed it a lot, but in the summer, there probably won't be as many animals out as in our January trip. Otoh, if your dd has to skip Splash Mountain, maybe Kali River Rapids would be a good attraction for all of you - and good for a hot day.

As for Splash and Space Mountain - any chance your dd would be ready to ride them by herself? Could you wait in line with her and then you and ds meet her at the exit? Or would that provoke tantrums from ds? (My ds6 didn't want to ride Space Mountain, and Splash was closed when we were there).

Good idea on family style restaurants, btw. We really enjoyed Garden Grill - 'Ohana was good, too, but the food was just ok.

 

[clomahony]

I took my DS (4) and DD (2) by myself in April and found the character meals managable except for the buffets where I didn't want to leave the kids by themselves so I would ask for a table you can see from the buffet line so you don't have to try and juggle 3 plates at a time. We did the Crystal Palace, Hollywood & Vine (character lunch), and Liberty Tree Tavern.

We also had the same problem that we (myself & DS) could not go on any rides that my DD could not go on particularly POTC but your son is older so you will have more options open to you. We only spent 1/2 day at DHS because DD would not sit though the shows except for Playhouse Disney and 1/2 day in Animal Kingdom but spent 4 days at Magic Kingdom.

You will also find a great number of people who will help you out in many small ways that really help from holding doors open (we had a double stroller), giving up seats on buses, and carrying trays to tables. In some ways, Disney brings out the kindness in most people.

Hope you have a great trip. I know I really enjoyed mine and have great memories of my kids having a wonderful time.

 

[lovesdumbo]

I think Disney requires a child to be 7 to ride alone.

I wouldn't rule out Pop as a resort. My kids (9,7,5) all LOVE it!

You may want to skip Soarin'. My youngest HATED it when she was 3-same trip she LOVED Test Track. I had been on it at least 6 times before I took her on and couldn't understand why there was a height restriction til I took her on and she freaked out-tried to crawl out of the seat. I took her on again at 4 1/2 and she LOVED it!

How about watching Wishes from the beach at the Polynesian one night?

 

[TheLittleRoo]

Great ideas!! If you hire a helper from KNO, do you have to buy their ticket into the park, or do they "come with" an AP and you don't have to worry about their park entry? I'd hate to pay for their hourly rate AND their entry ticket. No ride is worth that!


I'm trying to remember what DS rode last year... he hated Buzz, loved the trains, Dumbo, all the FantasyLand rides, Pooh etc. He never tried Splash Mtn, the hill is pretty scary. I may have a hard time with DD6 getting mad about ride restrictions based on DS' limitations. They have a robust dose of sibling rivalry and this may stoke the fires!

Buffets I'm not too worried about since I can manage two plates, and DD6 can carry her own. I'm leaning toward Chef Mickeys and Princess Storybook, maybe Crystal Palace. I think the DP would be a good idea for us too.

The other thing I'm worried about is getting that stroller broken down and onto the bus. It's a Maclaren double, and I'm not that good at breaking it down. I can see in my mind this playing out badly. Who goes on the bus first, me with the broken down stroller while they wait by the bus steps where I can't see them, or before me where they won't know where to sit and will wander aimlessly? It almost makes me inclined to rent a compact car so I can just stroll them to the car, and put them in their seats, and then break down the stroller and put it in the trunk... Of course, if I rent a car, I'll probably want to look into staying offsite!

 

[lovesdumbo]

I wouldn't rent a car if it were me. Would you pay to rent a carseat for your 3yo or try to take that with you? I would actually spend the money on renting a stroller in the park before I would rent a car.

If you stay off site you would have to pay to park.

 

[Maggie'sMom]

Great ideas!! If you hire a helper from KNO, do you have to buy their ticket into the park, or do they "come with" an AP and you don't have to worry about their park entry? I'd hate to pay for their hourly rate AND their entry ticket. No ride is worth that!

I'd call them and ask (800-696-8105). From what I've heard, many of their sitters have passes so you wouldn't need to buy them tickets.