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View Full Version : What are the must sees for our firat trip?



ginams
03-30-2007, 10:28 AM
My mother planned this at the last minute. We will be there 4/11-4/16. My father passed away in January and my sons were extremely close to him. It was always a dream of his to take the boys to WDW, and my mom wants to do this. We're trying to make this trip a great one for my two boys, age 4 and 7, since they've really been struggling the past few months. Could you all give me any suggestions?

And the Fastpasses...which should I rush to get first?

Thanks, Gina

Christine
03-30-2007, 10:41 AM
My must-sees (and I am REALLY trying to go light here!!)

Magic Kingdom-
-Pirates of the Caribbean
-Splash Mountain
-Haunted Mansion
-Peter Pan (get a FP!)
-it's a small world
-Philharmagic
-Dumbo (if you can find it with a short line)
-Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin

*don't miss Spectromagic or Wishes!!


MGM-
-Voyage of the Little Mermaid
-Rock n Rollercoaster (get a FP!)
-Beauty and the Beast

*don't miss Fantasmic!

EPCOT-
-Soarin (get a FP early!)
-Nemo
-Maelstorm

*Don't miss Illuminations!

Animal Kingdom-
-Expedition: Everest (get a FP early!)
-It's tough to be a bug
-Festival of the Lion King

I am by NO means saying these are the only must dos in the parks...I am just saying don't let yourself leave without having done these!

I hope you have a great trip. So sorry about the loss of your father. This trip is a loving tribute for him and your family!

hootch
03-30-2007, 10:48 AM
how adventurous your sons are.

We took our son when he was almost four and when he was seven. (We'll be going this year when he will be eight.) He loved Buzz Lightyear both times. He also loved Star Tours but he is a big Star Wars fan.

You can test them out for scarier rides with Goofy's Barn Sormer in Toontown. It's a smaller rollercoaster that hits good speeds and has some quick turns. Mission Sapce in Epcot is fun. You probably want to go in the tamer side. I think it's green but I may be wrong. We rode Test Track last year when my son was seven and that was one of his favorites. Test Track has quite a wait so Fast Pass would be a good idea. The line for Mission Space was not very long when we were there last July so a FP may not be necessary.

tomorrowschild
03-30-2007, 10:52 AM
Make sure you see the night time shows.

MK- Wishes and Spectromagic
EPCOT- Illuminations
MGM - Fantasmic!

They are amazing!:mickey:

GrumpyFan
03-30-2007, 10:54 AM
Hmm, some might say "everything", but then that's not very realistic. I'll give it my best attempt at a few of my own "must-sees". Keep in mind, there will be multiple opinions on this.

I'm assuming you'll be doing the 4 major parks, if not, then the must see parks are in this order.
1) Magic Kingdom
2) Epcot
3) Disney/MGM Studios
4) Animal Kingdom

At the parks, (in no particular order)
Magic Kingdom
- Space Mountain
- Buzz Lightyears Space Ranger Spin
- Monsters Inc Laugh Floor (this is brand new)
- Carousel of Progress
- Splash Mountain
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
- Pirates of the Carribbean
- Haunted Mansion
- Mickey's Philharmagic
- It's a small world

Epcot
- Mission:Space
- Test Track
- The Land - Soarin'
- The Seas w/Nemo & Friends
Turtle Talk with Crush
- World Showcase

Disney/MGM Studios
- Tower of Terror
- Rockin' Rollercoaster starring Aerosmith
- Great Movie Ride
- Star Tours

Animal Kingdom
- Expedition Everest
- Dinosaur
- Festival of the Lion King Show
- It's tough to be a bug
- Kilimanjaro Safari
- Kali River Rapids

Depending on crowd levels you may not be able to do everything you want to do. Don't be disappointed though, there's plenty of other things to see and do, even if they're not necessarily what would be considered "must-see". Be careful to avoid the first timers mentality of "we have to see and do everything", as this can ultimately ruin the trip. We tried this on our first trip with the kids, and while we all had a great time, it was extremely tiring and stressful. Let's just say that we had at least a couple of "heated" moments that almost ruined the trip.

It's hard to say when to use Fast Pass. A lot depends on how busy the parks are and whether or not you want to wait in the stand-by line. If the parks are low to moderately busy (less than 30 min wait), we will sometimes grab a FP, then get in the standby line, and after we've ridden, it will usually be time for the FP, so we get two rides almost back to back. If the park crowds are heavy, then we'll grab a FP for something we want to ride, then go to the standby line of another ride, then come back to the ride we have the FP for. So, you kinda have to play it by ear.

magicman
03-30-2007, 11:14 AM
My MUST see list for a 4 & 7 year old boy (most of these have Fast Passes available, but I put FPass by the ones I try to Fast Pass):
MAGIC KINGDOM
- Pirates of the Carribbean
- Splash Mountain
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
- Haunted Mansion
- Peter Pan (FPass)
- Winnie The Pooh
- Mickey's PhilHarmagic
- Buzz Lightyear
- Wishes Fireworks Show

EPCOT
- Soarin' (F-PASS)
- Test Track
- Turtle Talk W/Crush

MGM
- Beauty & the Beast Show
- Voyage of the Little Mermaid (if they don't hate Ariel)
- Fantasmic Show

Animal Kingdom
- Kili Safaris
- It's Tough To Be A Bug (if they aren't terrified of spiders)
- Dinosaur (might be too scary for a 4 year old)
- Festival of the Lion King Show
- Kali River Rapids (FPass {If Your 4-yr old is tall enough})

Mickey's Pal
03-30-2007, 11:18 AM
[QUOTE=tomorrowschild;1240093]MK- Wishes and Spectromagic
EPCOT- Illuminations
MGM - Fantasmic!QUOTE]

Couldn't agree more!!!

Be CERTAIN to see the parades too. :thumbsup:

MGM Stars & Motor Cars Parade now feature Lightning McQueen & others. My boys are also 4 & 7 and love those characters. Be sure to see the SpectroMagic Parade at the Magic Kingdom. It's a night-time parade where all the floats (etc.) are lit up. It's only on select nights, so check your schedule.

And just a few other fabulous attractions...
- The Lion King Show & Safari Ride (go early in the AM- when the aniamls are all out) at Animal Kingdom
- Crush the Talking Turtle at Epcot
- Lights! Motor! Action! Stunt Show at MGM

Your boys will absolutely LOVE those things- Guaranteed!!! (*The Crush show is interactive show- where he will actually talk to the kids. Don't ask me how they do it. It's just plain cool!)

On a personal note, we took the kids to WDW for Mother's Day after my mom passed away. It was a wonderful way to remember her, relive our youth and put smiles back on our faces. I think it's exactly what she would have wanted.

Have a wonderful trip-
Gina

NJGIRL
03-30-2007, 11:34 AM
I'll give you some must "eats" for the kids. These are my sons (8) favorites.

SciFi Dine Inn @ MGM

Rainforest Cafe @ AK

San Angels Inn @ EPCOT

Liberty Tree Tavern @ MK

Whispering Canyon Cafe @ WL

ginams
03-30-2007, 11:40 AM
Thank you so much. We are really excited.

SBETigg
03-30-2007, 11:54 AM
The first, most important must is to take your time, take it all in, and enjoy. Don't worry if there are lines. Don't rush to get from point a to point b. Give yourself time to make it to ADRs about fifteen minutes early, and just take it as it comes. if you miss a few Must-Sees it's really okay in the end. It's about the time you have to enjoy what you get to see. Better to linger and enjoy each attraction on its own merit then rush to fit in a list of things you "Must" see. With boys those ages, you may want to head straight for Fantasyland at park opening and ride Dumbo first off to catch it with a short line.

Small tip- It takes longer to get from point a to point b than you might imagine. For instance, it takes about half hour to walk through Future World to a World Showcase restaurant. This seems like a long time but believe me, it does. Just give yourself time to get around considering distance and crowds. The parks are larger than you think.

Everyone else has been pretty complete with the Must See lists, so there you have it. Have a great time!

Jared
03-30-2007, 12:10 PM
Listen to Sherri's advice in the post above this one. Too many rookies rush through everything and miss so much of the magic.

I will contain my must-see list to five attractions in each park. Limiting Magic Kingdom to just five is impossible, so don't forget there is much more to see.

I am not putting nighttime shows in these lists, but Wishes, SpectroMagic, Fantasmic! and IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth are all must-sees.

Magic Kingdom:
Splash Mountain
Mickey's PhilharMagic
Pirates of the Caribbean
The Haunted Mansion
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

Epcot:
Soarin'
Spaceship Earth
Test Track
Mission: SPACE
The Seas with Nemo & Friends

Disney-MGM Studios
The Great Movie Ride
Muppet*Vision 3D
Star Tours
Rock "n" Roller Coaster
Tower of Terror

Animal Kingdom
Expedition Everest
Kilimanjaro Safaris
Festival of Lion King
It's Tough To Be A Bug!
Dinosaur

kurt
03-30-2007, 12:26 PM
my must sees are:

MK:

philharmagic, pirates, haunted mansion, spectromagic parade,

AK:
festival of the lion king

Epcot:
illuminations, spaceship earth,

disney studios(MGM)
muppets in 3D, fantasmic, tower of terror, rock'n'roller coaster

enjoy your trip:goofy: :goofy:

ravsluvdisney
03-30-2007, 12:50 PM
The posts above - and I'm sure soon to be below - this one will give you plenty of great options to sift through. It's what us Intercot folks do best!! :number1:

I would suggest you also pick up a Disney Guide book from your local bookstore. There are several good ones to choose from (I won't do any hawking here); they have proven quite valuable to our trips down.

As others have said....take a deep breath, relax and enjoy!! :mickey: :mickey:

WEDTOPIA
03-30-2007, 07:14 PM
What a wonderful thing your Mom is doing.

A pared down list for the maximum enjoyment of 4 and 7 year olds.

Magic Kingdom -
Pirates of the Caribbean
Jungle Cruise
The Magic Carpets of Aladdin
Country Bear Jamboree
Splash Mountain and Big Thunder at least for the 7 year old .
Haunted Mansion ( may be decision time for the 4 year old - could be mildly scary )
Peter Pan's Flight
it's a small world
Mickey's Philharmagic
Dumbo
Winnie-the - Pooh
The Barnstormer
Mickey's House
Speedway
Buzz Lightyear
Space Mountain ( judgement call for the 7 year old )
Stitch's Great Escape ( if either really, really like Stitch )

The above list looks long ,but with 5 days ,and it being the first trip , you really have to hit as much as possible in the Magic Kingdom. This is the place they're really going to remember.
Epcot-
Spaceship Earth
The Seas with Nemo and Friends
Turtle Talk With Crush
Journey into Imagination
Test Track
Soarin' ( for Mr. 7 )
El Rio del Tiempo ( soon to be Gran Fiesta Tour )
The Maelstrom
Ellen's Energy Adventure ( if they really need a dinosaur fix. The begining and the ending of this attraction may bore them , and it's long . You have to sit through everything , to see about 5 minutes of dinosaurs in the middle. )

MGM -
Playhouse Disney ( 4 yr. old )
Honey I Shrunk the Kids
Fantasmic!
If they like adventure , Indiana Jones and Lights! Motors! Action ! would be good for both.
I hesitate on the thrill rides ... Rock n' Rollercoaster , Tower of Terror ,and Star Tours. The 7year old may love any or all. 4 year old probably can't go on any ,but Star Tours.

Animal Kingdom-
Kilimanjaro Safaris
Festival of the Lion King
Primeval Whirl
if they like animals ,any of the other walk-through exhibits would be great.
Kali River Rapids is great if they like to get wet.
It's Tough to be A Bug ,Expedition Everest , and Dinosaur are among the best attractions that Disney has to offer ,but each one has a little terror element that the 4 year old may have a problem with. And the height issue might keep the little one off EE. You may want to do these first , before deciding.

If you're going to a waterpark ,I'd go with Blizzard Beach. More things there for younger ones to do.
Try to schedule one Character Meal. The Crystal Palace at MK , and Chef Mickey's at the Contemporary , are the best.

Ask for cabin seats on the monorail and make sure they see Wishes and Spectromagic at MK.
Have Fun !

:mickey:

wdw_bound
03-30-2007, 08:10 PM
Must-dos can be very different for everyone, even within the same family. We buy a Birnbaum's for kids - it has beautiful photography, and rates the rides by such helpful categories as dark, loud, scary. etc.

After reading (or being read) the book, we each pick a person top 3 for each park. Many of them overlap, but not all do. We combine the list, and four the three of us, it is usually 5-7 items long. We all agree that those will be the top priority at each park, and that everything else is bonus. It really prevents meltdowns and tears at the end of the day because one of the kids only just remembered that they were DYING to ride POTC as you are in the parking lot to go home.

This plan also makes sure you have time to soak it all in since you are focused on just a few attractions and committed to just enjoying the rest of this special trip.

This is a beautiful tribute to a man who was so important in your lives - your mom is a very special woman to make this happen!

thejens
03-30-2007, 08:18 PM
Get to the parks when they open. The first hour is wonderful. When in MK head to Fantasyland and enjoy all the rides there. Use fast passes later for all the big rides. If you hit the must sees first, then it is easy to relax and enjoy the rest of the day using fast passes. I agree with the above posters restaurants. My kids loved Sci Fi. (both boys similar ages to yours) Also they loved dinner at Ohana's. Have fun. What a wonderful way to honor your father's memory.

dumbo ears
03-30-2007, 10:45 PM
magic kingdom-
all the mountains
mickey's philharmagic
buzz lightyear
haunted mansion
pirates of carribean
peter pan
jungle cruise
fastpasses for the mountains and peter pan because they get the busest.

Epcot-
Test Track
Soarin
innoventions
maelstorm
illumintions
honey I shrunk the audience
fastpasses for test track and soarin definitely

MGM-
Tower of Terror
Aerosmith(maybe not these two unless your kids can handle them)
star tours
muppet theatre thing
stunt thing
fastpassed for first 2

AK-
everest- awesome
kilimanjaro safaris
its a bugs life
dinosuar
primevil whirl
lion king show
kali river rapids
jungle walks
fastpasses for everest and safari