What should we not miss on 1st trip

[gottago]

It's our first trip and I need input on what not to miss. We have two toddlers and I was wondering about parades, shows, fireworks, etc. We will be there five days/five nights and will stay onsite. My dd loves the princesses and ds loves Buzz Lightyear. I just want it to be as MAGICAL as possible. TIA!

 

[JulesMom]

How old are your toddlers?

 

[padams]

Don't miss Fantasyland and Toontown at MK. Ride the train around MK. Ride the monorail (when DSs were toddlers, their favorite ride was the monorail!). At MGM, don't miss the Playhouse Disney show. At AK, play at the Boneyard- there is an area for little kids on the right when you enter, also visit the "sandbox" where they can dig for dinosaur bones. Make PS for a character meal.

 

[disneybud]

Here are some things we did with our daughter.
First to get her geared up to be with the characters we watched her Disney World Beach Party Video and Disneyland Fun Videos that feature the characters throughout. Doing this made her excited and used to seeing the characters instead of afraid and shying back. Did this consistently for two weeks before we went. Not sure how old your toddlers are so it might not apply.

Some things our daughter loved were:
Small World
Peter Pan's Flight
Dumbo
Cinderella's Carousel
Winnie the Pooh

She loved Buzz Lightyear in Tomorrowland as well.

She loved the Parades!

Try to get to the rope drop for Mickey's Toon Town Fair.. We did that and headed straight for Mickey's House and were one of the first to get to see Mickey that day. Was great because they don't really rush you through so you get to actually stay with Mickey for a minute or two.. She loved that.

She loved digging for fossils in the Dinosaur Exhibit in Animal Kingdom and doing all sorts of exploring.

MGM she loved the Playhouse Disney show they had with Bear in the Big Blue House. If your toddlers love Playhouse Disney then this is a do not miss!

She also enjoyed the atmosphere at 50's Primetime Cafe in MGM. Uncle Dave our waiter just loved her and really made a big scene over her. She loved the dessert menu being on a view master. Fun place overall for kids..

If your daughter loves princesses try to get into Cinderella's Breakfast. Our DD got to meet Cinderella, Snow White, and Aladdin.

Staying onsite will be great to take a break in the middle of the day and then head back to the parks. We always went back to the hotel for naps after lunch and allowed for DD to stay up later in the evening.

If Buzz is a big favorite with your son then be sure to try and see the Toy Story Section of All-Star Movies. Daughter loved the big characters.

Have a great time!

 

[gottago]

JulesMom - the kids will be 3 and 4. Also, we are staying onsite.

Padams - thanks for the great info! That really helps. Did you make PS for 50's Primetime Cafe? Lastly, did you have a difficult time securing PS for Cinderella's Breakfast? I plan on trying, but it seems next to impossible to get a ressie.

I have another question concerning the fireworks. If we have dinner at the Garden Grille, will we be able to watch Illumination?

Is there much to do at AK for dd and ds ages? I'm sure they would like digging for the dinosaur bones, but would that be the highlight of AK?

Thanks for helping. As you can see, I need some input!

 

[padams]

DSs are 4 and 6, we have gone to WDW each year since they were 1 and 3. I will tell you what DSs have liked best. At AK, ride the safari ride first (you will see the most animals when the temperature is coolest). There are walking trails with animals that you view- like a zoo but in a better Disney sort of way. Also, take the train to Conservation Station, which I think is now called Rafiki's Planet Watch, where there is a small petting "zoo" area. DSs also enjoyed the Lion King show at AK, more than I would have expected. Skip the It's Tough to Be A Bug- 3d show, which scares lots of younger kids. In the Dinoland area, besides the Boneyard with the excavation pit, there is a new Dumbo like ride called Triceratops Spin...your kids will want to ride this one. If your kids decide that they want to see the characters, the lines at Camp Minnie Mickey in AK are usually shorter to "meet and greet" than at MK. Also, if your kids are 38", you can ride the Kali Rapids River Ride. Yes, you will get very wet. Ride at the end of your day at AK. DS 4yo rode for the first time earlier this month and loved it...still talking about it. The raft ride is a "junior" thrill ride (some big people complain that it's boring, but not if you are 3 or 4 ). There is plenty to do at AK, and while it will be tough for you to get your kids to leave the Boneyard, there are many other things for them to do. We go to AK at opening and are finished touring by mid-afternoon.
As for Cindy's, it is difficult to get, but not impossible. Read some of the getting Cindy's threads for advice on calling but don't stress about it. If you don't get Cindy's, consider the breakfast at 1900 Park Faire at the Grand Floridian, where you can see Alice and Mary Poppins, and Pooh and Tigger, I believe.
The only Epcot restaurant that you can see Illuminations from is the Rose & Crown.
Hope this helps.

 

[ahutton]

Our 2 year old loved seeing the animals on the Jungle Trek at AK - she could have watched the tigers forever.

 

[Mamatipo]

In addition to the good suggestions above, here are some for Epcot: 2 yo DS absolutely loved the parade, the Japanese drummers and the "ladies with big skirts performers" in Italy (sorry, don't remember the troupe's name). Also loved the Mexico and Norway rides and wanted to do them over and over. In future world, he loved all the hands-on activities in Innoventions. He also liked the fireworks and pyro in Illuminations. We went to Garden Grille for a late lunch. Since the restaurant was not very full, we got a lot of time with the characters.

 

[jaret]

Cindy's breakfast is great for the princesses.Pizza planet in MGM is where you meet buzz lightyear(my son's highlight when he was 3)There is also the honey I shrunk the kids playgroud at MGM(be forewarned you will be climbing and going down slides to keep up with your kids)Most of all let your kids decide when they have had enough.On our first trip we did mostly MK and spent most of that time in fantasyland and on buzz lightyear.My fondest memory is holding my children as the fireworks went off over cinderella's castle,it was magical for all of us.They also enjoyed fantasmic,I did not think my 3 yr old would hold still for it but he did.Just plan mid-day rests and don't rush,if you don't see everything there is always next time.

 

[Deb & Bill]

The first time we went, our son was 4. His favorite part of the vacation? Swimming in the pool at the Polynesian (before the renovation). He also liked playing in the sand at Blizzard Beach and the Polynesian. On the next trip, we had to drag him away from the Dinosaur Dig at the AK. He was a little afraid of the characters because they were so big.

 

[TerriBelle]

Here are the big hits from our trip. (3 1/2 DS, 3 1/2 DS, 8 DD)

AK:
Safari - They loved seeing all the animals
Dig site - Did not want to leave.
Tarzan Rocks - The boys loved seeing the show.
Bugs Life - OK but they were a little scared.
Asia - The tigers were VERY close to the glass window so the kids loved getting really close!

MK:
Peter Pan, Dumbo, Alladin, Small World, Jungle Cruise, BUZZ Lightyear, Race cars,

EPCOT:
Living Seas - They really enjoyed seeing the fish
We went on other stuff here but they were not as in to this park as the others.

Studio:
Muppets, Back Stage ride, The boys ended up waiting around a lot here for their older sister to ride ToT and RRC. They liked Fantasmic.

Hotels: They loved the pool!!!!! We went back to the resort every day and swam.
We were at the BWV so they also enjoyed watching the performers at night.

The whole family also enjoyed the Hoop de Do. I wasn't sure if they would be in to it but they really enjoyed it. We went earlier and walked around the petting zoo at FW. They liked this also.