Whats best for a first to disney with kids??

[Disneymom90]

So this will be the first time we go to diney with our two beautiful disneygirls ages 2 and 4
There will 2 adults, me and my DH, and we are staying 7 days, in the past we left them with our parents and spent a day and night at disney, so we wouldnt have an infant..

So first is double or umbrella strollers we have both(we just got super cute minnie mouse umbrellas and then what are some major things kids their age will enjoy??

and is 4 to young for a starter pin set??

we leave in two weeks so any advice would be great, and what to bring into the park for them as well thanks

[mook3y]

best tip i have for you is to make sure you keep your little ones very well hydrated. It is hot and they dehydrate really fast in that heat. When our kids were that little, we took a break in the afternoon during the heat of the day to cool off in the pools and take naps.

also, an over the door shoe holder can really help you keep organized in the room.

That is an awesome age for a trip

can't wait for this fall, our youngest is 3 and is super excited about the trip!

[steamboat willy]

First thing....monorail or boat to the Magic Kingdom, you decide. Next first thing, Staight down Main Street to Cinderella Castle and straight into Fantasy Land. Enjoy the day!

[faline]

Yes. The Magic Kingdom will hold the most for your two little princesses - Fantasyland in particular. Be sure to take things slowly and to allow ample time to return to the room for rest period. Disney can be pretty overwhelming - particularly for your two year old. We went a couple of years ago when my nephew was 2 and again this last year when he was 4. There was a large difference between his level to tolerate the stresses of Disney World during those ages. Given that, it might even be a good idea to have one of you bring the little one back to the room for a rest while the older one stays a bit longer in the park with the other parent. As a 4 year old, my nephew loved every ride he was tall enough to get on. If your 4 year old is similar, you may want to make good use of baby swap.

[AgentC]

2 and 4 are great ages for a visit.

Double stroller versus umbrella is really a personal preference. You will find supporters of both. How much do you like your double stroller at home. I had a double stroller at home that I didn't like that much and I hated it at the parks. I had a double a rented from a stroller rental company which I loved. I use an umbrella now for my 4 year old. The biggest drawback I see when when we use it is that it doesn't recline much.

We started a pin set for both my son and daughter at around 3. They both enjoy collecting them. They are not big into trading but that is more because they like collecting.

As far as what to bring, I always brought extra clothes (still do for my 4 year old), wipes, mini first aid kit (mainly bandages), extra sunscreen and a few snacks. Usually brought their favorite lidded cups too.

I agree with everyone who said take a break mid afternoon.

Must do for my 4 years old are the Princess meet & greets, Dumbo, the carousel, Small World, Aladdin's Flying Carpets and the Teacups. She also likes the Haunted Mansion (my 6 year old does not. He doesn't like any of the dark rides.) and Goofy'd Barnstormer. She always wants to stop for the courtyard shows too.

Have a great trip.

[darthmacho]

Go at their pace. Don't expect to do the e-ticket ride scramble. Do what they have the energy to do, and have a plan to split up in case one kid needs a break and the other one wants to keep going. Keep the heat and sun in mind, and as others have said, keep everyone hydrated.

[Disneymom90]

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this is the umbrella/ lightweight stroller we have we thought they were cute and it would be good to have the same one...

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this is the double we do like it and they do as well but they also like the others.. and if we do the split so our 2 year old can go to take a nap would it be better to have the 2??


last question,

if they fall asleep in strollers while at the park is it ok to go into the Emporium while it's naptime in the air, and maybe sit in cosmic rays and get a soda or something while they are asleep, or do we stillneed to take them to the room?? We want to do it the best way possible we thought it would be fine but wanted to know your opinion??

[faline]

You can certainly wander through the shops while the kids nap - just be aware that space is sometimes limited in shops - particularly if you have double stroller.

If you're not able to bring a stroller into a particular area, cast members will direct you. If you can find a table that will not be blocking traffic, you shouldn't have a problem enjoying a soda while the little ones nap - you're not required to return to your room for naptime.

One area that is a favorite of moms is the People Mover. It's rarely busy and cast members will often let moms with napping little ones ride through more than once (You won't be able to bring the stroller on the ride but might head there just around nap time).

Also be sure to check out the baby care centers in each park. I haven't used them but understand they are quite nice and are a cool (as in air conditioned) place to care for the needs of the little ones.

[MyDisneyworld]

The afternoon rest/nap has saved our past trips. When you wait for the fireworks at the end of the day and you see other kids in melt down mode and your well rested kids are just looking at them asking what's their problem you will know it is worth it.
Just relax and go at their pace. Don't plan to do everything in the park because it may lead to disappointment, just say oh well we will have more to explore next time if you don't get to all the rides. We have the disney guide books for kids and have them pick out their favorite must do rides and the rest just happens.
Have a great trip.

[goofynmd]

and is 4 to young for a starter pin set??

I found out this from the wonderful folks on Intercot. I bought a bulk supply of pins on Ebay. I think I paid $20 for 2 dozen pins. My son was three when he began trading and he LOVED it. The ones we got off Ebay were older ones, not anything great, so he had no problem giving them up for much cooler ones. Looking through the pins and talking about them makes time go by quicker while waiting in lines.

Have fun!

[riley1129]

Spend a lot of time at MK and at the pool. They'll get tired quick

[BIGDOG]

At those ages 2 and 4 yrs old they are plenty old enough to go out into the park on their own. It will give them a feeling of independence just make sure their cell phones are fully charged and give them each some spending money; and tell them to stay together. Don’t forget to have them wear their shoes with the thick soles so they can get on height restricted rides. Make sure to set a place to meet for lunch just so you can check up on them, and see if they are having fun.

On a more serious note! I wouldn’t spend the money on pins I think those ages they would even remember, plus they will loose the backs to them and drop them. Lots of other things they will want besides pins. I would recommend single strollers we used a double one trip and it was an incredible work out on the buses and in the shops and lines. I always filled the tray in front of the stroller with the small ice cubes and let my son play with it to stay cool. We use to use the spray mist fans and mounted them with zip ties on the sides of the stroller facing in to give the kid some air as well.

[Joannelet]

These are great ages!
Avoid any "dark" ride with your 2 year old. Pick a great ride for a first to go on! The first ride will set the bar for the ENTIRE trip! Choose something fun like Dumbo or Its a small world.
Then go from there.
As far as strollers do whichever is easier for you both. You need to fold it up quickly before getting on the buses. You usually do not have to fold up on the monorails unless extremely busy and cast members ask you to.
My children nap in their strollers so I use strollers that recline. I will be using a double stroller for the first time as it will be my 2nd borns 1st trip with us. It is my 3 year old's 5th trip! you can definitely take it into a restaurant and sit and eat or drink or both. Some restaurants dont allow strollers but they do if a child is asleep in it. I also go shopping while they are napping so they can be cool while they are resting.
I am not sure if your 2 year old is potty trained but if not (or even if she is) you can make use of the baby care centers. They are wonderful and some even have a sitting area where I would bring my napping child to just be cooled off. My son is also on a special diet so I often feed him here as well. (they have chairs and high chairs. They also have changing tables, also sell supplies you need for the kiddies etc. Most importantly they are VERY clean!!!!
Bring whatever makes them comfortable during the day. Water bottles, snacks, etc.
Enjoy!

[beksy]

My sister is 6 years younger than me. My parents took me when I was 4 for the first time and again when my sister was 2 and I was 8. I think as parents something you may want to consider is not letting yourselves be disappointed. My sister and I have totally opposite personalities. I have always been more out-going and loved the characters. My sister wouldn't go near Mickey until she was 5! So if one or both of your kids don't like the characters up close, don't pressure them and just go with the flow. As for rides, my parents still complain of the number of times I rode Dumbo on my first trip. I would also go on any ride I was tall enough too and could go all day (with Dad's shoulders to help!). My sister hated most rides! She would start screaming as soon as we entered most dark rides. She needed that downtime during the day too. My parents always split up for most of the park time. Dad took my sister on what rides she would do--IASW, the people mover, and the carousel over and over. Mom would go with me on everything else (which worked since Dad has motion sickness ) Of course Dad also spent a lot of time on the monorail making the trip to EC and back to the MK and the ferry. The monorail was great when Dsis needed a little nap, as was the people mover and the shows...the Hall of the Presidents is great for naps for anyone! I'm really dating myself but back then we didn't have cell phones and stayed off-site so we had an arranged spot for lunch to meet up. After lunch we headed back to the room so Mom and Dsis could nap and Dad and I went to the pool. Then after a few hours we went back to the parks. If your kids are anything like we were, plan on the majority of your time being at MK. I have noticed that EC and the other parks (they weren't there then! ) are more kid friendly but Dad never got to spend more than a few hours in EC with a quick walk around world showcase until we were teenagers! I would look into the kid-friendly activities in EC since it tends to be geared more towards "older kids and adults" such as the passport things. The ride in Mexico was always a family favorite. I think you will find they have rides they love and those they hate and its no use to try to push them now...it will change as they grow older. For things to take into the parks, Mom let my Dsis take her stuffed Donald that went everywhere, another toy that changed each day, and her sippie cup. Dad always had his camera and video camera. My final piece of advice is to just go slow and cherish this visit and take lots of pictures...we still enjoy going through all of the pictures from our trips and seeing how we changed. Pictures also turned out to be a lifesaver for my Dsis since she is a ham and would spend hours going around just having Dad take her picture! It was a good way for him to pass the time in lines with me too.

[Mom on a Mission]

We went with a 3 1/2 year old and a 1 1/2 year old. It is totally worth it. Just take it slow and and enjoy the magic of watching them! Know you will be coming back and whatever you miss this time, you will see next time. MK should be your home base, AK is also nice with little ones if they like animals the walk through parts that are boring as heck for the teenagers, were definitely magical when they were little. Also a stroll around World Showcase during nap time is a nice way to pass the time. We loved our back to back double stroller. Both seats reclined, it was quite maneuverable in crowds and it folded really easily. I liked having them together. It also worked when DH had to leave us for work and I had them on my own. Use whatever works for your family.

Look through each park and have an idea of what you want to try to do each day. Then be willing to throw the plan out the window when things change. Some of the best moments are just walking down main street. We have a photo of my DD sitting on a curb hugging her Daisy Duck that is one of my all time favorites.

Oh -- also consider a hair cut/up do at the Main Street Barber. Very reasonable prices and extremely cute photo ops!

[Minnie97]

I agree with making Magic Kingdom your "home base" I have a friend who went she was 12 when she went and her brothers were 3 and 6 I think. and they were going to go to all the parks and ended up stying at MK. it is good for kids.

Definitly let each pick out a Minnie Mickey or Duffy(or any other disney stuffed animal) and try to get a big one, not the super big ones but not the really small ones it is really cute to see little kids hugging them, and make sure to have a sippy cup and snack and maybe get one of those fans that clip on the stroller.

for Hollywood Studios if you are are going Toy story mania is great for kids..
as are
The great movie ride( try to cover their eyes during the alien part)
The little mermaid show
Beauty and the beast show
Playhouse disney live onstage
muppet vision 3-D
and a lot of cute shops they could look in if they are into shopping.

for animal kingdom

take them through to see all the animals
camp minnie mickey
kilaminjaro safari(cant spell that)
dino land


For Epcot

The land( they probrably wont really like the begining)
I assume they arent tall enough for soarin
Inoventions
turtle talk with crush
ellens energy adventure
kid cot fun stops
mouse gears
the mexican ride
the little shows around the world

I hope this helps have fun

[CzepielCrew]

My kids were 6, but I have a few suggestions. If you are staying at a Disney resort, make sure you ask the reservation desk for 2 buttons stating,
"My first trip to Disney"
CM's will sometimes do something a little extra for the kids.

The few things my kids did not like when they were young:

Lights, Motor, Action Stunt Show (too loud)
Mickey's Philharmagic (too loud)
Indiana Jones show (too boring)
Anything to do with characters was a huge hit.
Meals, signature books, getting dressed as a pirate.