So...what should I do?

[thatothermouse]

Our family is going for our first real Disney vacation in 49 days. WOO HOO! We will be there for a week, staying in a Cabin at Ft. Wilderness. We have a 4 year old daughter who still believes in all the magic and a 6 month old baby.

SOOO....In your opinion

1. What is the one thing we need to do on our trip? Can't miss event/ride/dining, etc.

2. What is the one thing we don't need to worry about seeing/doing?

 

[thatothermouse]

Wow. 40 views and no replies. I kind of feel like a loser for posting this.

 

[maplevale]

We are going in March with our 4 year old and will be by then 9 month old. I haven't been in nearly 20 years and DH has never been.

We are doing Breakfast at Cinderella's Castle because it should give DD a chance to see a few characters up close without having long lines or having to find them. Aside from that I have no clue either! I know she will like the parades and fireworks. Likely the shows featuring any character she knows. We only booked on Monday so I would love suggestions too!

 

[nexttripdisney]

I think with such little ones, you should maximize your time with character interactions.

If it's not too late, plan some meals with your dd's favorites. Chef Mickey's and Crystal Palace are my favs with small children.

As far as attractions go, I would focus on those related to the classic Disney stories. Especially, the princesses.

 

[ksimmons621]

I agree that character interactions should probably be a priority with a 4 year old. Parades are probably a good idea as well. Be sure to spend some time checking out all there is to do in Fort Wilderness.

If there's one thing to avoid I'd say it's probably Tough to be a Bug in Animal Kingdom. Kids that love the movie think they want to see the show, but then end up freaked out by it. It's pretty scary.

 

[usd2bmd]

When my daughter was small her favorite places to eat were Chef Mickey's and the Crystal Palace. You can also see the Princesses at Akershus in Epcot and if you are on the dining plan this is NOT 2 dining credits as Cinderella's Castle is. 1900 Park Fare in the Grand Floridian is a favorite as well. But my daughter was just as happy when she found the paint brush on Tom Sawyer Island and got the fast pass to use on whatever ride she chose.
It's the littel things they do in Disney World that make it Magical...all those little things add up.

 

[Robindianne]

Never took a small child so I can't really address that, but, my must do is Soarin' and my ok to miss is, well, I don't think I have one. We love it all

 

[mrsxsparrow]

Breakfast at Cinderella's Royal Table was one of the best parts of our last trip -- and that's with two 22-year old girls

Akershus does the princess breakfast and there are other character dining places -- Tusker House breakfast is a personal favorite -- but honestly, nothing compared to actually being IN the castle. And we had reservations before the park opened. Walking down an empty Main Street, heading into the castle, getting a wand and wishing star, and meeting all the princesses was pretty amazing.

And like I said, we were both 22. If I had done that when I was four I'd have thought I'd died and gone to heaven

 

[zeferjen]

check out touringplans.com for lists of rides good for young children. i also have some tips in my signature trip report

 

[Darcy03231]

I took my four year old niece a couple of years ago. When asked what her favorite things were on the way home I was surprised that none of her top things included a ride. I'm doing this from memory (we went on October 2008) so I probably don't have them in the right order, but here goes:

1. Swimming in the pool.
2. Getting made up like Princess Ariel (Bibbity Bobbity Boutique)
3. Having dinner with Cinderella (1900 Park Fare, Grand Floridian)
4. Trading her pins.
5. Trick or Treating in the Magic Kingdom (Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party)
6. Having breakfast with the princess (Akershaus, Norway, Epcot)
7. Meeting Princess Belle (Akershaus, Norway, Epcot)
8. Playing in the playgrounds (Winnie the Pooh, Chip n' Dale, Honey I Shrunk the Kids and the one at the resort). With the construction at MK I'm not sure if the Winnie the Pooh or Chip n' Dale playgrounds are still there.
9. Coloring her mask and getting her charms (Epcot World Showcase)
10. Being in the Lion King show (she was picked out of the audience)

Don't get me wrong, she loved the rides - - and she was quite the daredevil, her favorites were the Test Track, Big Thunder Mountain and Splash Mountain - - but a ride didn't make her top ten. We were there for a week during a slower time of year so we really were able to see/do a lot and I'm a WDW veteran and know how to make good use of a touring plan and fast passes. I don't think we waited in line for more than 5 minutes for anything.

We did do a lot of character meals so we didn't have to wait in line in the parks to see them and could concentrate on the rides. We did Chef Mickey's (Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Pluto & Goofy), 1900 Park Fare for dinner (Cinderella, Prince Charming, the stepmother and the stepsisters), Crystal Palace (Pooh, Tigger, Piglet & Eyeore), Akershaus breakfast (Belle, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Jasmine and Mulan - the princesses rotate here so you don't always see the same ones), 1900 Park Fare for breakfast (Mary Poppins, Alice in Wonderland, Mad Hatter, Pooh and Tigger) and O'Hana for breakfast (Lilo, Stitch, Mickey & Pluto). The only character we stood in line for was Ariel, who was a must see for DN. I was hoping we would have her at Akershaus, but she wasn't there that day.

Have a great trip.

 

[thatothermouse]

Thanks for the replies! I was beginning to feel self conscious. She is not a daredevil at all (I'm the only one in the family), so we may skip a lot of rides. She's the kind of kid who panics if you make her ride a carousel. We'll put her on a few things like Dumbo and the Teacups. She likes looking at things more. And we do have ADRs to CRT, Chef Mickey's, and Akershaus so she'll get to meet the princesses.

We're getting into Ft. Wilderness late on the night of check in. We've told her we're going on vacation and we're going to stay in a cabin. When we get in we'll go to Publix to stock our fridge then probably just go to sleep (14 hour drive). The next morning we'll get up early and tell her we're going to a special breakfast. We'll catch the boat across the lake and hopefully the first thing she'll see in the distance is the castle. Then she has her BBB appointment, then CRT. I hope we can keep it a secret!