tip for taking grandson to disney

[Grace and Mickey]

HI I am planning a trip to wdw for sept 2009. I've just joined the llooking for ideas that would make this trip magical for his first trip although any trip to wdw is awesome. He would be 2 and 1/2 at the time. This would be a family trip a total of seven. Grandparents mon and dad, aunt and uncle Thanks for the help

 

[Perditamarie]

Welcome to the DIS!!! Here are some fun ideas:

* We like to leave "Tinkerbell gifts"......every night or once we leave the room, Tink sneaks in and leaves a little Disney gift, much to the joy and awe of the children....stuff like stuffed animals, goggles, light up spinny toys, small toys, t-shirts, swim trunks, sunglasses, etc. It is stuff I would buy anyway for vacation, but a much more fun way to dole it out.

* You can order or make your GS/group some matching T's - make for nice
photos and get him extra attention

* consider face-painting or character tattoos in the parks

* collection autographs is fun - we have made our own custom books. You
can also have pillocases, white ball caps, photo mats autographed (etc).

* You can get him a first haircut and some pixie dust at the Main Street Barbershop.

To make your trip smooth:

* make sure you have plenty of pool time (can borrow life vest for free) - kids really love the pool just as much as the parks!!!

* make time for playgrounds in the parks...a great space for little ones to stretch their legs and burn some steam.

* The characters are huge...kids may be intimidated/frightened of them. Consider the time until your trip "prep time" and introduce the characters through planning DVDs and Disney Sing-A-Longs (Disneyland Fun is particularly good). Character meals are a lot of fun.

* I always bring a cooler bag full of juice boxes and snacks so they are ready at a moments notice....sometimes it is a real pain to find a juice in the parks. Also very handy to have in a long line or show.

Happy Planning!!!!

 

[Grace and Mickey]

THANKS for the great ideas!!! And now a few ????
#1 First haircut,where , do you have to make appointment, cost

#2 T shirts love the ideas, think I could get one that Says Grandma's little mickey/

# 3 What is best kid friend ly resort?

#4 Characther Dinner for boys or ones about 2 and1/2

 

[K and K's Mommy]

You're going to have so much fun!

1. Main Street Barbershop in Magic Kingdom does haircuts. They don't take appointments, but I know it is crowded in the morning. I can't remember the price. We've always thought we would like to do it and just have never gotten it done!

2. I'm not crafty, but there are a lot of people on here who are. There is a thread devoted to crafty things.

3. We've stayed at 5 resorts (All Star Sports, Port Orleans Riverside, Animal Kingdom Lodge, Wilderness Lodge, and Poly) and I think they are all kid friendly. You'll have to decide your budget and go from there.

4. What are his favorite characters? Our first trip we did Crystal Palace because my kids loved the Pooh characters. We still have to do it because it has become our tradition. Chef Mickey's is fun and has the Big 4 (Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, and Donald). It is very loud. I prefer seeing Mickey at Ohana's breakfast. I like character meals because you don't have to stand in line to visit with the characters.

Have fun!

 

[bzzymom]

DS's first WDW trip was at 2.5 and on our last trip DD was 2.5. It really is the perfecct age to take them. My kids were really into all the characters and rides and weren't afraid of anything.

On the first day of our trip, DD got a tattoo on her arm of the princesses and she showed it off to bus drivers, ride CM's, and anyone elso who she saw. It was so cute.

I guess the character meal would depend on what the child likes. DS's first character meal on his first trip was at crystal palace, because he did like pooh and tigger. When he was 3.5 we took him to donald's breakfast at AK, which is good for boys too.

I agree with the sing along songs too. I did that as well. Also, mickeymouse clubhouse too will get him familiar with the classic characters.

The resort depends on your budget. On DS's first trip, we stayed at a moderate level, Port Orleans French Quarter, and we like it because it is a small resort, and has a nice pool and playground without sand

Now we usually stay at All Star Movies because we really like it there. Plus the kids love how it is decorated.

 

[Perditamarie]

Here are some sites for custom T-shirts:

http://www.zazzle.com/disney

http://disneyshopping.go.com/webapp...0002&storeId=10051&categoryId=36501&langId=-1

And if you are at all crafty, or considering being crafty in the near future, the Creative DISigns board on the DIS will inspire you. There are instructions for a really cool tye-dye mickey head T-shirt and all kinds of ideas over there.

I think it is completely magical (and very convenient) to stay on-site at WDW and wouldn't consider staying off-site. We use ME from the airport and Disney buses from the resort to parks so never rent a car. We have stayed at quite a few WDW resorts and I think they are all kid friendly and full of clever Disney details. We liked Pop Century a lot, are checking out POR on our next trip (going to go cane-pole fishing and ride the boat to DTD and probably swim at both POFQ and POR main pools) and we really enjoy the Boardwalk resorts too. All the Disney resorts are great fun, so whatever your budget is, there are some excellent choices !!!

We also really like the Crystal Palace...it is in the Magic Kingdom, so there is no extra traveling time to get to your meal, the food is great and the characters very sweet and patient. My boys liked eating in Cinderellas Castle too because they got a sword!!!!

 

[TheDizMom]

Welcome to the boards ! Here are some suggestions that have been really great for us.

Pick a resort with a little something for everyone since you will have your entire family with you. We have done the *** which was great on the pocket book , but the rooms were so small . I also feel it isn't as great for adults. My kids loved the pools and arcade, but there wasn't much to thrill me or my DH. We went on a trip like you are in April of 07 so it was the grandparents, 2 couples and the 5 kids ages 4-10. We stayed at the GF thanks to the generosity of my in-laws. This was the perfect choice because there is something for everyone , and my in-laws in particular just loved it . It was nice to be able to watch the fireworks almost every night from the GF's dock or our balcony. If you can afford it I highly recommend this resort.

Plan plenty of time at MK because that is really everyone's favorite. Make sure to catch parades, fireworks if you think the little one can make it, and a trip to CP for some face time with the Winnie the Pooh gang .

Chef Mickey's is a must do for little ones. My kids absolutely love it!!!

Autograph's are a real big thing with my kids and a great way to get pics of your grandson with characters. Character meals are great for this since they come to your table instead of trying to hunt them down in the parks. However, there are some great places like Camp Minnie/Mickey where they have meet and greet areas.

Any time you go on the monorail check with the attendants to see if you can ride with the conductor. It is really a col experience and gives you a whole new perspective. Just keep in mind that only 4 people can be up there at a time so some of you will have to ride seperately.

Do a count down chart for him when you get closer to the trip to get him excited. We found when we did this it not only got the kids excited but it helped my daughter with her number recognition and counting in the process . My kids had fun making it with me by decorating it with Disney themed stickers! At 2 1/2 that would easily be something he could do and would have a ball with.

As far as t-shirts I have an easy way to make one. I bought an iron on Mickey patch that I put on a plain white polo and then I took my fabric stamp pads and letter stamps and just stamped on what I wanted to say. It is easy, not very time consuming and you could easily put your "Grandma's little Mickey" on it. I made a matching one for my son and FIL. They really had fun looking like twins (they are very close as he is the only grandson). I also made a memory box for my 2 kids and my 3 nieces all decorated with Disney stuff and gave them to them the day they found out their grandparents were taking them. They are great and fit their tickets, buttons, small autograph books, boarding passes, and monorail pilot card. It is fun for them to be able to open up those boxes and see all those things.

I hope you have a wonderful trip!!! I have to say our family trip was really great and a memory my IL's and kids will always treasure. We still talk about it more then a year later.

 

[Grace and Mickey]

DS's first WDW trip was at 2.5 and on our last trip DD was 2.5. It really is the perfecct age to take them. My kids were really into all the characters and rides and weren't afraid of anything.

On the first day of our trip, DD got a tattoo on her arm of the princesses and she showed it off to bus drivers, ride CM's, and anyone elso who she saw. It was so cute.

I guess the character meal would depend on what the child likes. DS's first character meal on his first trip was at crystal palace, because he did like pooh and tigger. When he was 3.5 we took him to donald's breakfast at AK, which is good for boys too.

I agree with the sing along songs too. I did that as well. Also, mickeymouse clubhouse too will get him familiar with the classic characters.

The resort depends on your budget. On DS's first trip, we stayed at a moderate level, Port Orleans French Quarter, and we like it because it is a small resort, and has a nice pool and playground without sand

Now we usually stay at All Star Movies because we really like it there. Plus the kids love how it is decorated.

Thank you for the Help

 

[Grace and Mickey]

Thank you Thank you !!!! All the ideas are wonderful!! I going to print them out and start a wdw planner, any one have ideas??? We do watch Play House Disney especially MICKEY MOUSE CLUBHOUSE, i do have a question thats i not sure where I should post but becuse you have all have been so nice and helpful I thought I ask it here

Then I go post a reply to someone who has anwsered my question and i want to Put what they anwsered me with by using the "quote" i dont have very much room To write a reply back, Is the a way to make the message box bigger? I hope that this makes sense, my compute skills are not very good

 

[Disneylush]

Playhouse Disney's Hollywood and Vine lunch has been a must with our little ones as well as the crystal palace and Chef Mickey's. We like the buffets because under 3 is free so the little one can eat what ever they want... as much as they want and it is free versus ordering a meal of something a kid may or may not eat when it comes. just make sure you make your reservations plenty far in advance. Oh and bring your OWN stroller!

 

[mommy-on-the-move]

i was going to say bring your own stroller too- although you can hire them you have to leave them behind when you leave the park for the buses/boats/monorails and it can be a long walk from the transport to your hotel room when you arrive at the resorts. We're taking a maclaren quest because it has a really good lie back on it for our 17 month old, is light weight and folds down small for on the buses yet weight-wise it can also hold our 5 year old if he is the one to fall asleep on the buses (rather carry a 30lb baby rather than his 59lb brother!!! LOL)

We're staying at all star movies- we're taking our 4 kids (who are aged 10, 5, 4 and 17 months) and we're travelling with my parents too (we're splitting the kids between rooms which has been a complete godsend for us! Plus flying we're 1 child per adult) We opted for movies as it looks fun, seems to have a kid friendly food court and basic pools and most of all it was really affordable- when we looked at things like not needing a hire car due to disney transport, being able to get the magic express from the airport and not having car parking fees like we would if we stayed off site it made the onsite resorts seem really appealing- especially with extra magic hours thrown in.

Zazzle does some great shirts but i've also heard the ones in the parks aren't badly priced compared to Uk prices.

Most of all i think it's a lovely experience for kids to get to see disney for the first time with their grandparents- my kids are really close to my mom and dad and they're getting to do something I never did, we went to disney when i was a child but Granny insisted we do disney as immediate family only first time (so she stayed home) by the time we could afford it again Granny was too sick to travel, and then after that my mom never wanted to go back because Granny should have been there- it's taken 23 years for my mom to be ready to go back so it's going to be special for my kids to walk onto mainstreet with Granny and grandad.

We're planning on park hopper tickets with the water parks & more option- because that way if we do leave the parks to return to the resort for a nap we can chose where we go after that- we can switch park if wanted, if we want a downtime we won't feel like we're wasting a day at all and if the kids really like the water parks having the water parks option on their will mean we're not handing out $$ after $$ to return to them (we're there for 14 days- travelling from the UK)

We're planning to buy the re-fillable cups at the resort to use with our meals at the food court there and for taking back to the room (i think $12 and the cup lasts the duration of your stay for all refills from the drinks machine- tea, coffee, sodas)

We're also planning to order some things from wegoshop or the garden grocer for delivery to our room- snacks, diapers, wipes, extra sunscreen- all things that would take up room & weight in the baggage flying over. They have a small delivery charge but will deliver to resort rooms and bell services will hold your delivery for you if it arrives whilst you're out.

We're making sure the kids have water-friendly shoes like Crocs so they can run in and out of the fountains and not me left with wet feet for hours afterwards too.

 

[Grace and Mickey]

bumping

 

[everylastbreath]

EXCELLENT!! Grandma you are going to have the best trip you ever had, I am also a Grandma and last year we took my whole family which included my Grandson for his 2nd B-day in Disney, and let me tell you it was the best trip ever, so much so we are doing it again this year for his 3rd B-day, minus my son & his fiancé' and instead bringing my 81year old Mom. You are going to have some memories that will last a lifetime- wait until you see that little one's eye light up - I bet you do it again next year too.

Few tips-
We stayed in BWV's - I would recommend this hotel, we had a 2BR villa, but if I went back I would get the 3br. great location, you can let the parents take a night out at Jellyrolls, easy walking distance to Epcot, great for just strolling with a stroller at night.

Get ADR's for the character meals!! They are going to be the easiest with a 2year old, they never want to leave (and how often does that happen in restaurant?)

Read these boards for tips, I would get all these great tips - write them down so you don't forget, great tips on this board- here are a few of my favorites:

1. Stroller fan
2. Ice pack for back of stroller (slip it in between the seat and back of stroller, if you look you will find a small pocket) keeps the stroller a little cooler
3. Cup holders / bag holders
4. Vertical name tags for the stroller - so not to interfere with opening & closing of it.

Have a GREAT TIME!! Would love to hear about it after your back (if you would like to read mine when we returned last year here is the link-http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1565254 )

 

[Grace and Mickey]

Thank you for wonderful tips Is'nt being a Grandma the best feeling in the world We were lucky enough to go WDW sept 2006, Daughter #1 was 7 mnts pg with grandson. I got him a Mickey and the magic kingdom book, it about mickey and a teddy at the magic kingdom. I put a picture of all of us at the castle and a promise to to him back. i get so excitied just
thinking about it
I was if you could anwser this ???? when I want to reply to a certain DISer who has anwserd my question ( like you) when I try the Quote reply. the Quote fill up my whole message box, is there a way to change this?
Have a madical day

 

[everylastbreath]

Being a Grandma is the best!!

The way you quote is click Quote and once it shows up in the box you can edit it as long as you leave the beginning word "quote" and the end, you don't need to keep the whole quote. If you want the whole quote, just start your typing below the quote, you will see that once you fill up the box the arrows to your right (up & down) become active, and you can scroll below the quote or above it.

 

[Grace and Mickey]

Being a Grandma is the best!!

The way you quote is click Quote and once it shows up in the box you can edit it as long as you leave the beginning word "quote" and the end, you don't need to keep the whole quote. If you want the whole quote, just start your typing below the quote, you will see that once you fill up the box the arrows to your right (up & down) become active, and you can scroll below the quote or above it.

Thanks foe the help

 

[Grace and Mickey]

Being a Grandma is the best!!

The way you quote is click Quote and once it shows up in the box you can edit it as long as you leave the beginning word "quote" and the end, you don't need to keep the whole quote. If you want the whole quote, just start your typing below the quote, you will see that once you fill up the box the arrows to your right (up & down) become active, and you can scroll below the quote or above it.

Thank you for your help I think I THINK I Understand how it works now At least i hope so I 'm still trying to figure out when to go which weeks in Sept 2009, and where to stay? Where do you stay? my grand son is napping now so I can DIS, he like help type when I am on computer
and my spelling is bad enough with our him help. I read that you are taking your mother to WDW, That is wonderful I was able to take my family to WDW because of my mother She past away in 2005 , and with my inhertiance I was able to pay for our vacation, which I know would have made her happy, as she knew that It was my dream to go to WDW
we left little paper angels in spots all over WDW in her memory. I know she was smiling down on us.

I hope you have a wonderful trip with your grandson. Do you have special plans for the birthday celebration WDW?

HAVE A GREAT DAY

 

[everylastbreath]

What a great way to honor your mother! I'm sure she would have loved the idea.

We stayed at the Boardwalk villas, which was great, because you can walk right into Epcot and we could all stay together in 1 place instead of having multiple rooms + we had a full kitchen (which we did not use, but the frig & coffee pot gots lots of use!) but with a little one, as you know - need to have snacks & drinks and the villa had a washer & dryer which is GREAT! I would highly recommend it, but I have to tell you that we had a 2BR villa and could have used the 3BR, and we had My son, his fiance, my husband, myself, my daughter & her son (2yr old Jake), and having 2 BR someone had to sleep in the living room, which is comfortable but out in the open, so we put my daughter & Jake in there, but then you were kind of stuck until he woke up, I would sneak out and make coffee very quitely, I would def. get the 3BR next time.

This time we are spending 1/2 the week in Universal (Royal Pacific) and 1/2 in Poly (2 rooms hopefully adjoining)- because with my mom figured it would be easier to get her around being on the monorail. She is so excited about going and I'm telling you, after last year seeing that baby's face at everything I want my mom to see that. She is 81 and this will probably be her last trip to disney, the heat is really hard for her, which is going to make this very challenging to get around and not tire her out too much, because I know she will not stop easily. But we are going to take it very slow, and remember when you take your GS, 2 year old's don't really care if they see "everything" so if you do one or two things and make it enjoyable they will be fine, don't try to put a lot into the days, remember the heat is bad so lots of sunblock!!

We have no special plans for his B-day we are going to celebrate everyday of the trip (even though his B-day is technically not until August 25th) but he doesn't care!

Feel free to ask anything you want, I'll tell you everything I can!

 

[Grace and Mickey]

bumping

 

[noahdove]

You may have to go to the tech support thread..I did awhile ago, and they helped me immensely...
yes, grandchildren are a gift from God for sureI love the all star resorts and the kids will too Just be sure to take a much needed rest during the early afternoon.. Go to the design board...they have so many creative ideas and so easy to do....from making your own t-shirts, to countdown calendars, journal covers...I could go on and on...enjoy your planning and be sure to ask for advice from the other adults, but too, keep a few surprises You can have mail sent to your grandson to be waiting for him when you get there...enjoy and take in all of the magic