Trip with Nephews & Niece

[MainMom]

My parents (60’s), myself (40’s), & DD (20) are taking my Nephews (6 & 8) & Niece (10) for their first ever WDW trip May 31-June 8. The 4 adults are all WDW vets. I am the planner & have planned & led trips for 2 people up to 13 people. Previously we have taken the kids siblings and now it’s their turn.

When we took the siblings it was on 2 group trips that included the rest of my family and my sisters family. I, unfortunately, did not feel like I got to spend much time enjoying the kids as I was leading groups of 11-13 around. We were also in separate rooms. This trip it’s just the 7 of us & I want to make sure to enjoy the kids as they are the last ones. My kids are 20 & 16 so it’s been awhile since I’ve had young ones at the parks. I also don’t really know the kids too well as they live 10 hours away in a different state. No clue how they will do on rides, if they like rollercoasters or heights. I’m looking for any advice if you've been to the parks recently with kids these ages or have been in a similar situation. *One of the things I read here that got me thinking about making this post was the comments about kids thinking ROTR was real & they were being arrested. It never would have occurred to me that kids would feel that way.

Some facts:
-Staying BLT 2 bedroom with 8 day park hopper tickets with G+
-Most days we RD, take an afternoon break after lunch during the heat of the day, and then return to the park
-Niece loves Jasmine, and has a costume. Planned M&G in Epcot
-Boys love Star Wars, have t-shirts, will buy ROTR ILL & try blue milk
-All are excited to ride a Banshee
-3 character meals: Chef Mickey’s, GG, CRT plus other ADR’s
-Lots of pool time planned
-Plan on both fireworks shows, MK with dessert party

Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[TheSouthernBelle]

Wow what an amazing trip! My kids are older now too, 15 & 13 and have been to WDW a number of times but I know if they could go with their younger cousins and show them around, that would be a whole new and fun aspect of the parks for them. The ages of your niece and nephews is a perfect park age IMO. Sadly while I know my girls love WDW for the hotels, food and the theming, they aren't in love with the rides as much as they were when they were younger. They'd rather ride at universal or dollywood for more thrill coasters. So I really do think the younger kids get more wow factor out of WDW.

Having gone a few places with friends of mine who have smaller children, it's really funny how quickly you forget how they have a lot more questions....well you know since mine basically ignore me now LOL, and the stuff they just don't know yet. Pack your patience on that because the mental exhaustion is real. Maybe get a feel for what they might be into for coasters and what they seem ok with and what they don't. If you think maybe doing a youtube ride preview would help them, maybe that's a thought. It would be a waste to book a G+ for them only to find out they're scared and won't ride.

 

[MainMom]

Wow what an amazing trip! My kids are older now too, 15 & 13 and have been to WDW a number of times but I know if they could go with their younger cousins and show them around, that would be a whole new and fun aspect of the parks for them. The ages of your niece and nephews is a perfect park age IMO. Sadly while I know my girls love WDW for the hotels, food and the theming, they aren't in love with the rides as much as they were when they were younger. They'd rather ride at universal or dollywood for more thrill coasters. So I really do think the younger kids get more wow factor out of WDW.

Having gone a few places with friends of mine who have smaller children, it's really funny how quickly you forget how they have a lot more questions....well you know since mine basically ignore me now LOL, and the stuff they just don't know yet. Pack your patience on that because the mental exhaustion is real. Maybe get a feel for what they might be into for coasters and what they seem ok with and what they don't. If you think maybe doing a youtube ride preview would help them, maybe that's a thought. It would be a waste to book a G+ for them only to find out they're scared and won't ride.

Thank you! We are really looking forward to seeing WDW through their eyes. My DD is super excited to show them around. She found out they love Encanto as much as she does and know the Bruno lyrics so we will be hearing that I’m sure!

We always do Epcot on arrival day. Our plan is TT & Soarin’. Some height and a thrill/speed with those 2 rides so we can at least gage that much before trying other more thrilling rides. I would love to do Frozen with the small drop, but the G+ for those will probably be gone (we are choosing TT first).

Their older brother was scared of rollercoasters. He still tried them all, but was literally clinging on for dear life. It was not what any of us expected from him so we are going in with a little more caution now. (We did offer for him to skip, but if his twin sister was riding he was going to ride too.)

 

[flipflopmom]

Off the top of my head:
1. Find out if any have any fears. If one is terrified of dark and you take them on haunted mansion or pirates you’re in for it! My daughter was terrified of boats at that age- made for some interesting experiences!
2. Be prepared for an obsession. My kids latched on to one ride and wanted it over and over and over.
3. It would be a good idea to know their food likes. Many kids that age are very picky and it’s great to be forewarned to know where chicken nuggets can be found!
4. You’ll have to make them drink water. Before they show or say they’re thirsty. Dehydration is real and kids don’t always express it.
5. Obvious, but the teacher in me has to say it- take a copy of their insurance cards and make sure you know any allergies or medical issues- ask if they’ve ever been bee stung.
6. Figure out a way to make sure they have your cell numbers/know your names etc in case they get lost. We had silicone bracelets made for our girls to wear that had our cell phone numbers on them.
7. Pack a backup outfit for niece after meet and greet- some of those costumes are very hot and she may want to change after her meet and greet.
It will be so fun to see it through their eyes! And yes, pack your patience and have some ideas of ways to pass time in lines. Have a great time!

 

[DisneyAuntie12]

Random advice but I would say invest in photos! If you are iPhone users set up a shared PhotoStream for the trip… do PhotoPass… stop to get short videos and pics and send them along… etc. At this age kids have a better memory than when they’re really little, but can still forget about half of an event in the blink of an eye. Pictures help to preserve the memory of the special time together.

Another piece of advice might be to bring some fun bonding activities for your downtime in the hotel. Disney Uno, Disney Eye Spy, or maybe Google “Disney conversation starters” for a fun list of printable questions you can draw from a hat.

 

[sponica]

Learned this the hard way, all the youtube videos in the world don't prepare kids for how the rides feel.

I brought my 5.5 year old who is tall enough for everything, seven dwarves mine train terrorized her and she was done with coasters after that.

She loved the alien sliding saucers in toy story land and the skyliner.

Her favorite part of the trip was the pool...and dinner at Steakhouse 71.