Trip with 4 and 5 yo granddaughters

[Nana Weafer]

We are planning a trip in May, 2014 with our two granddaughters. We are staying at the Caribbean Beach Resort. I have started planning but need a little advice. I've figured out the parks we'll visit and the best days to do each. We arrive at 1:30 in the afternoon on a Saturday and would like to plan something for dinner and/or an activity for that evening that doesn't involve going to the parks (we only have tickets for 4 days). Any suggestions? Also, which two character dining experiences would you recommend - they love princesses but also the traditional characters? Is there anything that we absolutely should not miss? Are there any hidden gems? We will spend one day at Hollywood Studios, two days at Magic Kingdom and one day at Animal Kingdom.

Thanks so much for your help.

Debra

 

[dprincessmom]

Day of arrival - you could hit Downtown Disney and just walk around, however this can be dangerous to the wallet with the little ones You could resort hop and ride the monorail. If we are arriving later in the day, we usually have a relaxing evening at the pool and then try to get to bed at a decent hour.

Character Meals - We love O'hana breakfast (Lilo, Stitch, Pluto and Mickey). The food is wonderful and served family style all you care to eat. They will bring you more of anything. There is a little parade with the characters and it is a really great time. For the princesses you could do Cinderella's Royal Table. We have also enjoyed Tusker House (Animal Kingdom).

For the girls - I would not miss the shows at AK and for a break from the heat Rafaki's Conservation station. There is air conditioning, animal talks, petting zoo etc and it is not super crowded.

At Hollywood Studios be sure to visit the Disney Junior area and show - they will recognize a lot of their newer tv favs. Also don't miss the Beauty and the Beast and Little Mermaid show. If they like to draw you might try the animation class. Depending on when you are going in May watch out for Star Wars weekends. They bring a crowd.

We will be there next May and I also can't wait to start the real planning (already paying for the trip, now the fun part can start).

 

[matthewhavens]

We are planning a trip in May, 2014 with our two granddaughters. We are staying at the Caribbean Beach Resort. I have started planning but need a little advice. I've figured out the parks we'll visit and the best days to do each. We arrive at 1:30 in the afternoon on a Saturday and would like to plan something for dinner and/or an activity for that evening that doesn't involve going to the parks (we only have tickets for 4 days). Any suggestions? Also, which two character dining experiences would you recommend - they love princesses but also the traditional characters? Is there anything that we absolutely should not miss? Are there any hidden gems? We will spend one day at Hollywood Studios, two days at Magic Kingdom and one day at Animal Kingdom.

Thanks so much for your help.

Debra

2 Character Dining - My DD5 loves the Princesses at Akershus in Norway. You only have four park days but since you are arriving at 1pm, I'd consider adding the 5th park day and heading to Epcot that evening. The way Disney prices the tickets the 5th day for everyone is pretty cheap. You meet just about every princess there and they all come to your table for hugs and autographs.

The second recomendation is Chef Mickey. You get all the traditional characters and the food is very good and the interaction is very good.

As for hidden gems - it's another hit to the wallet - but Biddidi Bobbidi Boutique is quite an experience for that age. The girls will get made up like princesses and feel like royalty for the day. It's a great day to pair with some other meet and greets and you'll have some pictures that you will cherish forever.

 

[MouseMomx2]

I would suggest either 1900 Park Fare (Grand Floridian) or Chef Mickey's (Contemporary) for dinner your first night. 1900 Park Fare has Cinderella, the Prince, the wicked Stepmother and the Stepsisters. Chef Mickey's has Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto and Donald. I would pick the one that has the characters you/your grand-daughters would most like to see.

Another first-night option is the Hoop Dee Doo Musical Revue. It is a dinner show that is fun for all ages. The meal includes ribs, fried chicken, beans, corn, salad and strawberry shortcake. It has been running since WDW opened and remains as popular as it was then. If you did the earliest show of the Hoop Dee Doo you could follow it up with the nightly campfire (details to follow). There is also a Spirit of Aloha dinner show at the Polynesian resort. Personally, I do not think it is as good (neither the show nor the food) as the Hoop Dee Doo, but if it appeals more to you then it's worth trying.

There is a nightly campfire at Fort Wilderness. It features a visit from Chip & Dale, the ability to roast marshmallows/make s'mores and a sing along. It is followed by a Disney movie under the stars. This would be easiest to do if you have your own car as the movie ends late and it would take a while to get back to your resort using Disney's transportation. (The same is true for the late show of the Hoop Dee Doo...also located at Fort Wilderness.)

Finally, Cirque du Soleil offers a great show, La Nouba, at Downtown Disney. It is full of acrobats, aerialists and dancers and is a very visually striking show. I think even your young grand-daughters would enjoy it. There are lots of restaurants at Downtown Disney at which you could eat before or after the show.

As for other things to do...Cinderella's Royal Table is located in Cinderella Castle at the Magic Kingdom and offers princess character meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It is pricey, but offers a great experience...especially for princess lovers.

Be Our Guest is the newest full-service restaurant at the Magic Kingdom. It is in the Beast's castle. Reservations are hard to come by and available for dinner only. The only character there is the Beast. Personally, I would opt for Cinderella's Royal Table over Be Our Guest for your princess-loving girls.

 

[LostMason]

I'd suggest dinner at one of the monorail resorts (maybe 1900 Park Fare at the Grand Floridian for a character dinner?), and if they're not too sleepy, watch the fireworks from the beach at the Poly. At that age, they'll think it's cool just to ride on the monorail and see the fancy hotels.

Good choice to not overwhelm them by going straight to a park.

 

[badora]

Our plan is similar to yours and we figured out it was $32 to upgrade to 5 day pass so we are going to Epcot on arrival day and dining at Askerhaus.

The other character meal we are doing is Tusker House at AK.

 

[matthewhavens]

I'd suggest dinner at one of the monorail resorts (maybe 1900 Park Fare at the Grand Floridian for a character dinner?), and if they're not too sleepy, watch the fireworks from the beach at the Poly. At that age, they'll think it's cool just to ride on the monorail and see the fancy hotels.

Good choice to not overwhelm them by going straight to a park.

I don't know if your 1:30pm arrival time is when you touch down at the airport or when you arrive at CBR or if these other recomendations are coming from people who actually have small children but my daughter is 5 and my son is 3 and if we arrived at Disney world and rode the monorail past Magic Kingdom on our way to dinner and told them that is Disney World but you can't go there yet - the whole trip would be ruined - they would be on the ground in tears.

So here is my advice based on personal experience with a 5 year old and a 3 year old and the new advantages of Fast Pass Plus, which you will be reading about, if you haven't already.

I just looked it up. If you are buying a 4-day pass from Disney the cost to add a 5th day is just over $10 per ticket. The total is $42 for the 4 of you.

With FP+ you have the ability to pre-schedule 3 rides in one park each day and essentially skip the lines. This is even more incentive to schedule as many park days as you can. You can choose your favorite rides, when you want to ride them and not have to wait long in line for them.

If you can get to the park in time for dinner (or close to the park) you should. Maybe you schedule 1900 Park Fare or Chef Mickeys (each on the monorail with great characters) for an early dinner. Then you ride the monorail to Magic Kingdom with your Fast Pass Plusses waiting for you. After you book the dinner your window for FP+ has to be 2 hours later so if you did a 4:30pm dinner you could do a 6:30pm Echanted Tales with Belle, then 7:30pm Voyage of the Little Mermaid and then 8:30pm Peter Pan.

Why not start the trip with a magical night. The short time you have in Disney with your grandaughters is going to fly by. Make the most of every moment.

 

[MouseMomx2]

I don't know if your 1:30pm arrival time is when you touch down at the airport or when you arrive at CBR or if these other recomendations are coming from people who actually have small children but my daughter is 5 and my son is 3 and if we arrived at Disney world and rode the monorail past Magic Kingdom on our way to dinner and told them that is Disney World but you can't go there yet - the whole trip would be ruined - they would be on the ground in tears.

We have been going to WDW since my kids were 5 and 2. I have found that my attitude when telling my (or any) kids something makes all of the difference. If I told them "Hey, there is the Magic Kingdom. We get to go there tomorrow! Aren't you excited? And tonight we get to go have dinner with Mickey (or Cinderella, or etc.)...we are so lucky!" they would have been fine and excited. If, however, my attitude was not upbeat and excited about what we got to do that day they would have fed off of that and been upset. I probably would set it up before we even got near the Magic Kingdom. A simple "Guess what...we're going to go past the Magic Kingdom on the way to dinner. Maybe we'll get a peak at the castle. Then we'll go have dinner with Mickey (or..., or...)." will set them up to know what is happening in advance.

Heck, my kids have always enjoyed going to the dentist. They have been going from a very early age (just for check ups) and I always said "You get to go to the dentist today." instead of "You have to go to the dentist today." That one word made all the difference in the world.

The kids won't know that there is even a possibility of going into the parks that day. If it becomes an issue just tell them that you have tickets for tomorrow (or whatever day you are going).

 

[matthewhavens]

We have been going to WDW since my kids were 5 and 2. I have found that my attitude when telling my (or any) kids something makes all of the difference. If I told them "Hey, there is the Magic Kingdom. We get to go there tomorrow! Aren't you excited? And tonight we get to go have dinner with Mickey (or Cinderella, or etc.)...we are so lucky!" they would have been fine and excited. If, however, my attitude was not upbeat and excited about what we got to do that day they would have fed off of that and been upset. I probably would set it up before we even got near the Magic Kingdom. A simple "Guess what...we're going to go past the Magic Kingdom on the way to dinner. Maybe we'll get a peak at the castle. Then we'll go have dinner with Mickey (or..., or...)." will set them up to know what is happening in advance.

Heck, my kids have always enjoyed going to the dentist. They have been going from a very early age (just for check ups) and I always said "You get to go to the dentist today." instead of "You have to go to the dentist today." That one word made all the difference in the world.

The kids won't know that there is even a possibility of going into the parks that day. If it becomes an issue just tell them that you have tickets for tomorrow (or whatever day you are going).

Okay - but you have to go to the denist or your teeth will fall out, so putting a spin on it is great parenting.

All I'm saying is that granddaughters are 4 & 5 just once - why not take advantage of every opportunity?

FP+ makes it that much easier to schedule an extra evening in the park of headliner attractions without lines and without having to race the crowds at RD.

I too have gone into trips with planned down time only to realize that the little ones don't want to stop. If it's a once in a lifetime trip don't waste a minute of it.

 

[Brian_WDW74]

Since this thread is about things to do with a family outside of the theme parks, I've moved it to the Disney for Families board.

 

[JessicaW1234]

You may want to look at the Perfectly Princess Tea at the Grand Floridian if they are fans of Princess Aurora (Sleeping Beauty). I took my daughter there when she was four and it was such a nice time. They give each child an Aurora doll at the end and Rose Petal sings the whole story to them. Most girls wear a princess dress to the tea and at the end they parade through the Grand Floridian lobby.

My twins love Chef Mickey's and Crystal Palace (Tigger, Pooh, Piglet, Eyeore) at the Magic Kingdom for character meals. The best meal to see princesses is the one in Cinderella's castle.