Father/Son activity

[Von-Drake]

The day we arrive at Disney, we are not planning to go to a park, but will be there just after lunch time. I am trying to think of a good 5 yr old Son / Father / and possibly Grandfather activity to put together. The only thing I could really think of would be the boats at one of the hotels on the Monorail loop or from Downtown Disney. Any other ideas are very welcome. Thought it would be nice for three generations of males to have some good bonding time at the Happiest Place on Earth. Thanks in advance.

[kdsjjb]

Von Drake,

Back in 2005, on an extended family trip, I took my two boys and my father out on one of the fishing excursions out of DTD.

It was a great way to spend a non-park afternoon. The trip was relaxing and fun, and we had a great guide who knew his fishing and knew his Disney.

Very nice afternoon for the three generations of men, while the three generations of women went resort hopping.

[DDuck66]

There is also the mini golf or maybe 9 holes if you are into the "golfing" thing. You could also spend an afternoon or few hours at the ESPN Club. My brother and I have done that before.

[Strmchsr]

I did a complete father/son trip when my DS was 5. One of his favorite days was when we went to DTD and I let him take all the time he wanted in the toy store and Lego store. The boats were also a big hit.

[ThanxForNoticin]

Boats, mini-golf, and quiet time at DTD are all great ideas. If you do the boats, head to the Poly or Contemporary. If you do the mini-golf, I would head to Fantasia Golf - you could then walk across the street to the Beach Club and head to Beachs n Cream for some ice cream! Have fun.

[teambricker04]

High on my son's list for our next trip is face painting and roller costers. I think that is a funny combination. There is no one he likes to ride the barnstormer with than his dad!

You could do the sing a long/bon fire/movie at FW.

Fishing... already mentioned, but worth another mention. Or renting one of the little boats

My DH wants to make a lightsaber at DTD.

Both my DH and DS love to eat at the SciFi at DHS.

Riding a tandem bike thingy at the BW.

I like the toy store idea too.

[disneydad153]

How about the horseback riding at Wilderness campgrounds? Its been a while since I did it but i remember it being fun. We keep planning on doing again but seem to run out of time.:mickey:

[GrumpyFan]

teambricker04 mentioned the campfire/movie at Fort Wilderness campground. The following thread has more info - http://www.intercot.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=48881

The movie schedule is posted in the Disney Camping (http://www.intercot.com/discussion/forumdisplay.php?f=32) forum.

[KylesMom]

How about the horseback riding at Wilderness campgrounds? A great idea, but I believe the minimum age for doing the trail ride is 9 years old. You could still do the evening wagon ride, followed by the campfire though! :mickey:

[dismommy]

Fishing- you can go pole fishing from a dock at Riverside
or I believe there are also pony rides at fort wilderness for the little kids not big enough for the trail ride.

[Buttercup]

The boys in our family (DH & DS) love Disney Quest. :)

[thumperbug]

I agree with the fishing idea. My BFF spouse took his 2 sons (6 & 4) fishing for the first time on their last trip and that turned out to be alll the boys wanted to do...well almost. Another fun idea is to rent a bike over at the Boardwalk.

[busterthebronco]

we booked the fishing deal.
it was pricey but very fun!
we left out of fort wilderness but i think it departs from other places.

[crazykids]

My son is 5 yrs. old & I also have 2 younger daughters. We always plan at least one afternoon apart, DS & DH go on all of the big rides or Disney Quest, & I take the girls either to do the smaller rides, princess stuff, or just shopping. Another option might be a water park if your son is tall enough for the slides. There's so much to do at WDW that doesn't include the parks, your options are wide open. Sometimes, the kids just enjoy riding around on all of the free Disney transportation! This year we're going to try the campfire / movie over at Ft. Wilderness.

[MOJoe]

I have 2 sons. Their favorite thing to do that does not include going to a theme park, is mini golf at Fantasia Gardens, followed by a tour of the Boardwalk. You can easily spend an afternoon here, but the Boardwalk seems to be more alive around dusk. We also arrive on the 12th, so maybe we'll see ya there! :cool:

[King Triton]

Thought I read that one of the fishing excursions was getting cut back...but I could be imagining things. Good idea though!

I also like the boating idea, mini-golf is good too.

You could also both get a haircut at MK.

Sometimes its a simple as finding a ride you both like and do it multiple times.

Maybe go hunting for Hidden Mickey's together.