Special things at WDW (not rides)?

[J.W]

We are planning our first trip to WDW with some young kids and a close friend highly recommend a princess themed activity. I forget if it was that they do hair and makeup like a princess and or eat with them but it sounded exactly what the girls would enjoy doing.

Are there any other gems like that throughout any of the parks for kids ranging from 2 to 10? They all love characters and aren’t as excited about too many rides.

 

[Skippyboo]

Hair and Makeup thing is Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique at MK

There’s Princess character dining at Cinderella’s Royal Table in MK , Akershus Royal Banquet Hall in Norway section of Epcot.

There’s the various characters meetings at all 4 parks. The app will show you location and times.

Enchanted Tales w Belle at MK is cool. Belle retells the story of Beauty and The Beast but they use little kids to act out the roles.

You have stage shows like Beauty and The Beast and Frozen Sing a long in Hollywood, Festival of the Lion King and Finding Nemo at AK. There are some stage shows in front of the castle in MK and afternoon parade.

In Animal Kingdom, you have Wilderness Explorer activities that you can do. Epcot has the kidcot stations in each country.

If there is a festival going on in Epcot, there is a hidden item scavenger hunt that you can buy for $10 and look for the what they have hidden. For Food and Wine, it’s Remy with various food items and you have to put the sticker for the item in the appropriate country.

Also if you’re staying onsite, your resort is going to have an activity schedule. Stuff like movies under the stars. They normally play some games at the pool. May have some crafts.

 

[Hubalorian]

There’s also an indoor play ground area in Epcot, it’s over by Guardians of the Galaxy ride, I’m not quite sure the location but now it exists. My wife took our little one over their while i rode Guardians.

 

[We’reAllMadHere]

You will need to make reservations as early as possible for the boutique and Cinderella’s Royal Table if you want to do those things. They book up fast and are available 60 days before your stay.

At the Emporium at Magic Kingdom you can build your own tiara (you pick the tiara and the different jewels that go in it).

If you’re going in spring during the Flower and Garden Festival at Epcot, there is a butterfly house. My kiddo loves it.

The Moana Journey of Water walkthrough is super fun for kids at Epcot.

 

[We’reAllMadHere]

There’s also an indoor play ground area in Epcot, it’s over by Guardians of the Galaxy ride, I’m not quite sure the location but now it exists. My wife took our little one over their while i rode Guardians.

It’s at the exit of Mission Space. It’s also only for kids 5 and under, I think.

 

[TPG0235]

Highly recommend A Pirates Adventure: Treasure of the Seven Seas. This is a scavenger hunt throughout Adventureland. Use a paper map to navigate the land and locate places where you will use your tickets / magicband to activate scenes and audio animatronics. Then off the next spot. I think there are three adventures open at the moment. I guarantee your little ones will be entertained!

 

[CharissaOKC]

This is a quick one but you can get pixie dusted at Sir Mickeys in MK. Also we love Mickeys Philharmagic. You can also ride the train. I feel like most young kids love the train!

Both shows at AK are great! (Nemo and Lion King). Rafikis plant watch is fun as well.

In HS the Frozen and Disney Jr shows would be on my list.

 

[lanejudy]

If they are into Star Wars you can build a lightsaber and/or droid at DHS. It is pricey and you'll need to reserve your spot(s) in advance -- I think 60 days out but someone will correct me if that's wrong.

There are pony rides at Fort Wilderness. Actually, lots of fun activities at the Campground: Chip 'n' Dale's campfire and sing-along, wagon rides, carriage rides, horseback riding, archery.

Be aware of any age restrictions -- the 2-yr-old may not be old enough for some activities.

 

[MyWay999]

The Pirate Adventure thing is great! It's free and typically not very busy/ not many people do it. It can take about 15-30 minutes to complete a map and it's so much fun to surprise the people around you when interacting with the objects/ hints. It does close early (I think 5PM) which is something to keep in mind when planning your day.

 

[Karalee402]

This is a quick one but you can get pixie dusted at Sir Mickeys in MK.

This is one of our favorite little magical touches, and I highly recommend it! It's free, and even my older kids still love getting pixie dusted!

 

[ShannyMcB]

If your kids are up for fireworks highly recommend watching them from one of the MK resorts and then looping around to watch the water parade. Especially useful if little ears are sensitive to noise. You should then be able to walk/boat/monorail to MK and get back to your resort after most of the post fireworks crowd has already left.
Cruise around on the different modes of transportation. No matter where you are staying a ride on the monorail, a boat or the skyliner can be a lot of fun and a good way to relax if anyone is feeling overstimulated.
The fantasmic dining package is also HIGHLY recommended if you plan on seeing the show. You can even use it for lunch, go back to your resort for a rest and then you only need to show up to the theater about 30 mins ahead for a good seat instead of upwards of an hour.
World showcase often has musical performances within the pavilions which are a lot of fun.
Journey of water with Moana, especially in the evening!
Never underestimate the simplicity of sitting on a bench on Main Street with a mickey ice cream bar.

 

[Ladyandthepuppies]

When I was at Epcot for my high school’s senior trip, my friends and I loved exploring the Imagination Pavilion’s jumping fountains. I think kids and adults alike can spend a few minutes enjoying them.

 

[SwanVT2]

The dancing fountains at Disney Springs gave our DD a good hour of fun!

 

[NickC]

It's been a few years since my kids were that age, and I don't know if these are still going on, but they loved:
-Pin Trading
-Passports at Epcot
-Pressed penny collection
-Finding hidden Mickeys
-Dance party in Tommorowland
-Character meals
-Other "attraction" meals like Sci Fi and HDDR
-Snacks!!
-Looking in gifts shops (they still love this!)
-The pool
-Playgrounds like the Boneyard and Casey Jr splash pad
-Club Cool (free soda samples from around the world)
-Cirque du Soleil in DS
-Shows like Festival of the Lion King, Indiana Jones, Beauty and the Beast
-Sergio the Mime in the Italy pavilion...and other entertainment
-Coloring at the KidCot stations (this one surprised us how much they loved it)
-Monsters Inc Laugh Floor--Philharmagic and other film attractions
-The train around MK
-Carousel of Progress, Tiki Room, Country Bears

 

[ak517]

I don't think it's been mentioned yet, but there are really neat interactive DuckTales around the World Showcase in Epcot. You will need to download the Play Disney app but it's so much fun!! I also love using MagicBand+ to bounty hunt on Batuu in Hollywood Studios.

 

[We’reAllMadHere]

There is also the pirate adventure game at MK.

 

[hardcorestitch]

Mickey ice cream sandwiches are a must eat in WDW. (This excludes the Mickey ice cream you find in the grocery store-the taste just ain’t the same there.)

 

[BarlowFamily]

DS9 loves the Pirate Adventure game in MK. You sign up at a little building in the far end of Adventureland. There's uslly 4 or 5 adventures available. They take about 20 minutes each. You can do one and be do or complete them all. And there's no time limit (other than the operating hours of the program which are shorter than park hours). This has been nice between rides in the Advetureland area or while waiting for our LL arrival time.

We also love the "bead activities" at AKL. We did it once when he was 4 andhe still remembers it! so we did it again on this past trip at 9-years-old. These are activities all around the AKL that you earn a bead to add to your lanyard. The front desk used to have a schedule to hand out but on our last trip it was just posted on signs around the resort that I took pictures of to refer to for times. We were staying at AKL so it was easy to fit an activity here or there over 3 or 4 days.

 

[erinch]

Nobody has mentioned the kids play area in the Seas, where the Finding Nemo ride is. And there is a scavenger hunt in that pavilion called Finding Dory’s friends. When mine were littles, it was a must do to eat at Coral Reef by the aquarium and identify the sea creatures.

If you have never been before, it would help to get the 2025 Unofficial Guide to WDW and
Systematically learn all about it.

When you are ready to construct your plan for each day, feel free to post your plans here for feedback. This group can collectively save you hours and lots of frustration.

 

[We’reAllMadHere]

The unofficial guide to WDW is a great resource.