WDW for a little boy

[single_eeyore]

I'm so excited! I'm planning my son's first trip to WDW later this year and couldn't be more thrilled! He'll be 3 when we go and, right now - this is an eternity away in his world, he loves Mickey Mouse Clubhouse so those characters are a must! He also loves Olaf and Dory, and the Cars characters are mildly interesting, but he really doesn't know a whole ton of the characters, and doesn't seem to care about a lot of them I've tried to introduce (pirates schmirates, poo-poo-Pooh...and he doesn't even know he's bumming me out on those lol); lots of time for his mind to change though. But he's such an only son/child of a single mother though, and I really don't want to do the Princess-y trip and am hoping you all could provide some great suggestions on the must-see/do stops in the parks for little boys.

I've done WDW many times before, but never as a mom or looking through a kid's eyes so I could use some of that perspective. I don't want to over-plan anything either, just have some great suggestions to light his eyes up and learn the things to do there little boys just love. (As though that's hard in the bubble haha!) We'll be spending 4 nights and probably do 3 days in the parks and I'm kind of thinking 2 days MK/1 AK. (We're doing APs so we'll be back I'm guessing 2-3x for 2-3 night trips throughout the year so not worried about "missing" anything.)

We're definitely going to do MVMCP - DS is a night owl to begin with and he LOVES Mickey and Christmas so it's a no-brainer. We're definitely going to do probably breakfast at Chef Mickey's. And I really want to do a sleigh ride one evening, I'm thinking our arrival night so it's not a park day. Otherwise, I'm kind of just planning on letting DS lead the way through MK at least and just seeing it through his eyes - I cannot wait for him to see Toontown - he's going to go crazy!

 

[Figment Mom]

Toontown isn't there...

 

[single_eeyore]

Toontown isn't there...

Nooo....I haven't been since '12 and admittedly, we didn't explore that part of MK much....that's such a bummer!

 

[Disbound]

Even at three years old there are plenty of things to do for fun!
For a pre- trip thing to familiarize your son with all things Disney, read picture books to him, the length and attention span to movies may be just beyond him now but picture books are perfect!
Getting autographs from the characters was a favorite for my daughter when she was small. A little nervous at first but loved it after a few interactions. Make your own autograph book or they sell them everywhere in the park or just get a photo of each with your son! Autographs are great for Chef Mickeys. Maybe book that early in the trip to introduce meeting the characters to him.
He is a bit young for this, but pressed pennies are great for the younger kids too. It could be an interactive thing for him, I get he is at risk for swallowing, but doing this with him and putting them in the pressed penny book together could be fun and you could build upon this if you go again in future years....There are penny machines in lots of locations, cost is .50 per penny. Bring some shiny pennies and quarters with you! There is a list of locations somewhere, google it and you will see which penny machine characters are where.
Go visit Boardwalk resort. This is a wonderful place to walk with a toddler, get an ice cream and the street performers will be fun for him!
Ride the monorail! Sometimes, if you ask nicely, they will let you ride in the front! We got lucky once and my daughter loved it!
I am pretty sure all the resorts will read stories to kids at bedtime on a tv channel while there and Dvd's are available to borrow. CHeck with your resort.
Movies are played outside at dusk at resorts.
My last suggestion is to go back to the resort when either of you are tired. Give yourself a break, kids are overstimulated by all that is going on. Moms are on double duty while there! You will never be able to do everything, so enjoy what you can. Enjoy just being there.
Down times at the pool are some of my daughters favorite memories! She is 19 now, and we are planning our March trip as I type!
I hope you have a wonderful time!!

 

[BWallaceKY]

Take him to see the Talking Mickey in MK He is to the right inside a building as soon as you enter MK. There is never a line if you go first thing. My son is also almost ready to turn 3 and absolutely LOVES him! There also wasn't a big line when we went to meet Olaf in HS. If you can swing a character dining, I would do Chef Mickey's. It's a buffet, so there's a good chance your little guy will find lots of things he likes to eat AND Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Goofy, and Pluto all come around to visit. We also rode the train at Disney because my little guy loves choo choos right now. He also liked the rides he could control (Dumbo and Magic Carpets were his favorite). Oh, and the Boneyard in AK is great for them to run around and climb/jump/explore. I know Eli got tired of being in a stroller or holding someone's hand all the time. It was nice to give him a little freedom.

 

[AshleeH]

Even if he doesn't like Pooh, I would still recommend a character meal at Crystal Palace - my kids aren't big Winnie the Pooh fans, but they've always enjoyed the character interactions with them. Chef Mickey's is always our #1 stop, ever since my boys were little.

And keep in mind, kids change their minds with the tide. What he loves now, he might not love then - or vice versa. But I'm sure he'll enjoy any experience he gets to try.

I'm taking my daughter on a mother/daughter trip next week - she's almost 4 and her mind still changes all the time. For instance, when we got back in October, she had a blink and you miss it interaction with Aurora. I can't recall much of anything except a photo op and yet, she was my daughter's favorite character from the trip! She carried her Aurora doll around for weeks and talked about her all the time and told everyone that was her favorite princess to meet. Never mind that Elsa sat on the floor with her for several minutes or Belle had a long conversation or Alice talked to her about tea parties (her favorite thing to do). Nope, a (maybe) one minute interaction with Aurora was the be-all, end-all for her. So when I planned our upcoming trip, I decided to spring for the Princess Tea Party (it features Aurora) and what happens? A few weeks later, her favorite princess is Snow White lol! Now, I know she will still adore Aurora and this tea party, but best laid plans and all that .

 

[single_eeyore]

Great suggestions all! I'm so excited, but I think I'll be able to reign myself in and just let him kind of take the lead. And I'm sure his opinions will change just like Ashlee describing her daughter's mind changes lol! Kids! So fun though

 

[Princess Minnie321]

Definately recommend talking Mickey! We went around 11am and had a long wait so if you are not arriving early, I would do a fast pass.

We had a lot of fun at chef mickey's breakfast!

 

[chris benton]

Check height restrictions before you go. If he is, (or turns out to be,) a "coaster kid," try to avoid walking by the rides he will be restricted from. If he rides Barnstormer, and LOVES it, then sees 7 dwarves, and gets mad because he is not allowed - have a plan for that.

If you sugar him up, and don't expect a sugar crash, well, that's on you.

Have your camera READY TO ROCK at Chef Mickey's. Watch the character patterns, and have a plan of what type a picture you'd like in case the character seems like they will indulge you (clear plates of food in front of a seat at the table for the character to sit next to your son for a nice picture without a half eaten chicken leg in front of them - things like that.) Enjoy Chef Mikey's! Make it worth the cost. Have fun with the characters. They seem to wait until they think the child is "approachable." - can't blame them for that. They also move on to the next table is the child doesn't seem to want the interaction.

I'd assume these would be great rides for Mom and 3 yr old:
Barnstormer
Dumbo
Tomorrowland Speedway - LET HIM DRIVE, and you work the pedal!!!! (he might want to do this 300-400 times)
If he likes Dumbo, then Astro Orbiter and Alladdin are musts.
Pirates
Jungle Cruise
People Mover

 

[Maggie at the Fort]

My son went at 2.5. As a "things that go" kinda kid he loved the train, the monorail, all boats. He liked the Tomorrowland raceway. He liked the liberty Belle steam boat because you can see the engine. He loved press penny machines ( we would have skipped those until he was older but he has an older sister and he loved watching the machines work). From the MK you can grab a boat to one of the resorts. You can even ride it round trip just as a break. On a non park day, you could check out art of animation. The cars section has "life sized" cars characters you can walk up to and touch. Have fun!!

 

[single_eeyore]

Thanks Princess, Chris, and Maggie! Lots of ideas in there! I definitely didn't think about height restrictions other than, clearly there would be some, but after looking now he's about 34/35" so who knows...he may even hit the 38" mark by December! Geez...nevermind, I want him to stay little longer, but on the flip side - roller coaster partner in the making!

Awesome tips for Chef Mickey's! I've never done a character meal myself, so definitely appreciated! He's going to love that though - I keep trying to tell him that Mickey is going to be bigger than his biggest uncle in preparation, but we had front row seats to Disney on Ice and he loved it when the characters would come stand still for a moment next to us so I'm hoping there actually isn't any fear when we get there! I'm thinking I won't schedule it until the last half of the trip though so I can let him put his toe in the water with characters in the parks first.

I'm sure the Tomorrowland Speedway will be a hit too - he already loves to try to drive things lol. And the Liberty Belle is a great idea too! He's all boy - boats, cars, trains....that's where we'll be! I think he'll like the rides a lot though too so I am hoping he's tall enough for a good selection of them!

The penny machines are a good idea! There's actually one at our zoo so I'll test him out on it this spring to gauge that interest. And we're definitely going to do a resort day, especially given we'll be there when all the holiday decorations are up, but I'll be sure we hit AoA - he'll flip for the Cars!

You all are the best - thanks for the help and keep the tips a'comin'!

 

[Jess_S]

We did a trip with my son just before he turned 3. It definitely required flexibility. WDW is so stimulating that my son got tired out more quickly than at home, which made long park days a non-starter. He loved the trip though. On our last vacation (not to WDW), he would ask things like, "Does our hotel have good night stories on the TV [the Duffy story that runs on one of the resort channels]," and "Will this hotel have animals [we stayed at AKL]?" Clearly, he thinks of WDW as the gold standard for vacation now.

Anyway, his favorite things were the dancing fountain and Nemo ride at Epcot, lunch at Tusker House in AK, the Affection Section in Epcot, and the Barnstormer, Aladdin's Magic Carpets and Buzz in MK. He also loved the pool at our resort and would have stayed there all day if we let him.

I feel like the only mistake we made with our trip was planning too many ADRs. In particular, I wish we hadn't booked an ADR in World Showcase because I had to rip my son away from a music performance he was enjoying for it. Until he is old enough to enjoy the experience of dining out, I will probably stick with one ADR every other day and mainly focus on character meals. (FYI, my son is indifferent to Pooh and didn't love Crystal Palace as a result. Really that meal was more for my husband who does love Pooh. My son says that he would rather see Pluto twice next time because he is a "real dog" and "not a man in a costume.")

 

[glassslippergirl]

THere are a lot of play areas throughout MK that I never really noticed before I had a kid, but now we can't get past any of them without a half hour visit. My DS4 loves them. They and the roller coasters (HE calls Splash the "wet roller coaster") are the highlight of any trip. Be sure to budget time for them and Tom Sawyer's Island. Bring a bathing suit and water shoes because the one in Storybook Circus is a splash pad. There's also one inside the queue for Dumbo, outside of Splash, and by Dinoland in AK.