Suggestions for April '15 trip with 5 year old boy and 8 year old girl!

[Newyorkfamily]

Hello to all of you phenomenal Disneyworld experts out there! I am hoping to benefit from the incredible wealth of knowledge that you all possess! My husband and I have planned a trip to take our then eight-year-old daughter and our son who will turn five during our trip the first week in April 2015 (it's spring break and unfortunately I know it will be crowded). We will be staying at the Port Orleans French Quarter. We purchased the basic dining plan. I am looking for any and all suggestions and tips to truly maximize this trip of a lifetime. My kids are already talking about it almost every day and we want to take advantage of all that Disney has two offer. Specifically, I would love suggestions about the following:
- suggested itinerary of which parks to visit which days. We will be arriving Monday mid-day and departing Friday evening.
- how to make the best use of the basic dining plan.
- any favorite restaurants that we can't miss?
- what we should spend our fast pass +3 attractions per day on.
- The most fun attractions for kids my children's ages. Their interests are pretty typical… My daughter is over her princess obsession but of course still loves the Frozen cast. My son loves the classic Disney characters, Cars, any of the Disney Junior television shows, Star Wars, toy story, etc.
- any of your secret insider tips and tricks from your experiences at Disney.
- Best way to bring or have snacks delivered to us there. I think the hotel can't accept deliveries from Amazon as I understand?
- Best way to avoid lines during a crazy spring break time.
- my kids are early birds and usually go to sleep by 6:30 PM or 7. Any tips about how to not have them be too exhausted but still get the most out of each day?
- this trip is honor of both my kids' birthdays… My daughter will be turning eight a few weeks before and my son will have his birthday while we are there. Any suggestions about how to have Disney staff make their celebrations extra special?
Thank you all so much for being so willing to share your knowledge with me! I truly appreciate any help, suggestions or advice!

 

[Alesia]

My husband and I have planned a trip to take our then eight-year-old daughter and our son who will turn five during our trip the first week in April 2015 (it's spring break and unfortunately I know it will be crowded).

It will be very crowded. I strongly advise having a good touring plan.

- suggested itinerary of which parks to visit which days. We will be arriving Monday mid-day and departing Friday evening.

I find the crowd calendar at easywdw.com to be spot-on.

- how to make the best use of the basic dining plan.

I've never been able to justify the cost of the dining plan, we just spend way less without it. But my suggestion would be to choose restaurants based on what your family will enjoy rather than getting your money's worth. You can see all of the menus at allears.net

- any favorite restaurants that we can't miss?

That's a hard question to answer without knowing what your family likes.

- what we should spend our fast pass +3 attractions per day on.

My advice would be to start with making a touring plan. I usually start with the cheat sheets at easywdw.com, take out the things we aren't interested in, and make a plan from there. Then take a look at Mesaboy 2's fastpass thread to see what the best uses of your fastpasses will be.

- The most fun attractions for kids my children's ages. Their interests are pretty typical… My daughter is over her princess obsession but of course still loves the Frozen cast. My son loves the classic Disney characters, Cars, any of the Disney Junior television shows, Star Wars, toy story, etc.

That's a pretty broad question. There are just too many great attractions. Look up the attractions either online or in a guidebook (I like The easy Guide to Your First Walt Disney World Visit)

- any of your secret insider tips and tricks from your experiences at Disney.

Make a plan, but also be prepared to stray from it if you need to.

- Best way to bring or have snacks delivered to us there. I think the hotel can't accept deliveries from Amazon as I understand?

I've never heard that. People have things delivered all the time. I will say, though, that every time we take snacks we never end up eating them. Over the course of the week, we may end up eating 2 or 3 granola bars. There are just too many things in the park.

- Best way to avoid lines during a crazy spring break time.

Have a good touring plan. And be there before the park opens.

- my kids are early birds and usually go to sleep by 6:30 PM or 7. Any tips about how to not have them be too exhausted but still get the most out of each day?

A lot of people will suggest an afternoon nap. But we have always found that it just makes us more tired in the evenings.

- this trip is honor of both my kids' birthdays… My daughter will be turning eight a few weeks before and my son will have his birthday while we are there. Any suggestions about how to have Disney staff make their celebrations extra special?

You can get them birthday buttons at guest services. The most you can expect is that people will be telling them "happy birthday" a lot. They may get a free dessert, but they may not. Don't forget - there are probably going to be thousands of people celebrating their birthdays there that week. You can order a birthday cake for them if you don't want to leave it up to chance.

 

[Newyorkfamily]

Alesia -- thank you so much for the amazing suggestions and helpful links!!! I really appreciate you taking the time to respond!