Tips for a 1st timer?

[ibrowse17]

Howdy all. DW and I will be taking our eight year old nephew to Disney this July, and I was looking for some ideas for him. While we are Disney veterans:mickey:, this will be our first trip with a child. It will be our nephew's first trip, and to be honest, he really does not know what WDW is. Therefore we are very excited to introduce the world to him. We will be staying at the Beach Club Villa's, so I know he will love the pool. He is a very intelligent boy that loves to read and explore, and we want him to get the whole experience. The thing I do not want to do is to overwhelm him and have this become negative. We do have planned a couple of character meals, just to let you know. I would love to hear any suggestions or ideas from folks that may have been in a similar situation, as well as any in general that will help us give him a great Disney trip. Thanks so much:thumbsup:

[faline]

I'd suggest getting him a copy of Birnbaum's book - Disney World for Kids, By Kids. After he's had a chance to go through it, have him tell you what he's interested in doing then you'll be able to create your iternerary around his interests.

As you're going in July, you know it'll be hot and humid. I'd suggest you make sure you spend a good part of the mid-day time at the pool rather than in the parks. Sometimes, for kids that age, they'd almost rather spend their time in the pool!

If you take it in a relaxed manner and make sure you see the things he wants to see the most, I'm sure your trip will be a hit!

[irish1967]

First, from the point of view of a mom with an 8 year old...

My biggest tip would be to take it easy - the best way to have a negative experience with a child that age (I know this for a fact, I have one!) is to let him become too tired. This can be both from not enough sleep and also from the amount of walking that is done.

Definitely keep in mind that a child that age needs to get enough sleep and that amount is significantly more than what you may need. (Mine needs 10 hours most nights!) For example, don't plan to see Wishes and the parade at the MK one evening and hit an early character breakfast the next morning.

Be sure to find out what his normal schedule is and try to follow that as much as possible. My DS does best when he goes to bed earlier and gets up earlier. He can handle a late night here and there but not more than a couple in a row.

A mid-day break (especially in July) is extremely helpful. This is when we swim.

I agree with Faline - definitely involve him in the planning - it will give him the opportunity to let you know what he is comfortable with and what he doesn't want to do.

Offer bathroom breaks often throughout the day. He will probably be excited and not think about it until it becomes really necessary - which is really a bummer when you have been waiting in line for an attraction and the need hits when you are close to the front of the line. We have found that if someone says, "I need to go do you want to come with me?" more often than not, DS will go a long and take care of business.

Establish souvenier expectations. How much will you be letting him spend. We found that the best approach is to wait until the last day and then pick up the one item they have seen over the visit that they want.

Now, from the point of view from an auntie who took her niece to WDW for her first trip...

Make sure your nephew knows that this trip is for him and that he should be able to tell you when he wants/needs something.

My niece had the notion of "Auntie and Uncle Irish are taking you to Disney World - don't ask for anything and don't cause any problems" drilled into her. She was afraid to ask to do anything because she thought it would cause problems. Although I think she had a great time, I think that we could have done a better job personalizing the trip to what she wanted if she felt more comfortable speaking up. (We found out afterwards that she had been instructed not to ask for anything.)

Have a great time - you will all have a wonderful trip!

[AuntDJ]

I took my nephew for his first trip when he was 8...WOW..did we have fun!!!!

Know what his limits are...not for sleep, but also for thrill rides, I got the birnbaums book and it was good, but most of his info came from me. When we passed a ride, I explained what it did and he told me if he wanted to go on it. 3 years later, and a couple of trips to the local 6 flags, he can't believe that he was ever afraid of any of the Disney rides....

I also discussed (prior to our trip) to make sure that he knew he could trust me enough to know that I would not put him on any ride that was too scary for him....i.e Haunted Mansion..looks scary, not really..

I agree with the pool...I am 39 days from taking my 3rd neice on her 8 year old trip ( a year early..but who's counting..:secret:) and today she was asked what she was most looking forward to...answer...SWIMMING...

My nephew also really enjoyed meeting the characters..not the princesses..but all the others! So keep this in mind as you tour...might need to schedule this in to the plan.

We tour the get up early, get to the big rides then take a break style....he is an early riser so it worked really well for us.

He also really enjoyed the pressed pennies, so I plan for that by having quarters and pennies ready to go...

As for souveniers...We discussed prior to our trip...I am a spoiler ( no kids myself, so I spoiler my brothers kids..), so I tell them they get one thing a day, but they ususally end up with two. Unless they want something expensive, then I make them wait till the end of the trip to make sure they REALLY want it. Ususally they get something small and it ends up being about $ 20 a day...

One more thing...I thought the Family Magic Tour would be great fun for us...NOT..he now calls it the horrible tour...I know some have had great experiences on this, but he is fairly shy, and the only other boy on the tour was 3, the rest were girls. Just our experience...

Most of all..Have fun!

DJ

[mickeys_princess_mom]

July....Hydrate! Get him one of those water misting fans, and skip Lights, Motor, Action till a cooler time of year, even though it might appeal to him. Alternate the exciting with the restful....A good way to rest and relax is to take a long train ride (you can stay on for awhile!) around the Magic Kingdom, or ride the TTA to cool down. Have a great time!:wave:

[teambricker04]

There are some great tips!

We went for the first time when my younger brother was 8. He was mostly interested in visiting EVERY restroom in WDW. Seriously. We all still joke about it.

Don't forget there are lots of things to do outside the parks! Take him to the bonfire and movie at FW. Check out the make your own light sabers thingy at DTD. Maybe renting a little boat (sprites?) or going fishing. Or bike riding on the boardwalk.

Mostly, remember to take it slowly. I know my own kids appreciate leaving early and resting up versus getting over tired... even if they don't know it!

[Janmac]

The kids we've brought to WDW all feel that the main thing is it's Disney WORLD, not Disney theme parks. Swimming in the afternoon is as important as any park attraction, especially Stormalong Bay!

The other thing is that the World is too large to do everything. He's intelligent, he'll probably figure that out. Suggest a theme for your trip - the cream of the World, or the best of the World, that kind of thing. Most of the kids we've brought were not happy with RnRC at that age. About half have enjoyed ToT.

Since you mentioned that he is intelligent, and you are going in July, I'd recommend touring Epcot every evening, as that park can handle crowds better. Get him a Passport and stop by the Kidcot spots in each country to have CMs write a little bit and chat with him. We like to visit a couple of countries each evening, having supper most nights at Epcot. The kids we've brought to WDW have all liked Epcot the best of all the parks.

In the mornings, try to be at one of the other parks, even a water park, at rope drop.

I'm assuming you have made your ADRs already, and hopefully you'll have made a character breakfast for 8:05 am in a park, like Crystal Palace at MK. And maybe towards the end of your stay. He'll surely enjoy walking down Main Street almost all by yourselves.

I second the suggestion for a guidebook, so he can get an over view. Also the pressed pennies. Those were a big hit with some of the kids we brought. I took a copy of the pressed penny locations list with us. Info Central has these lists.

Another good tip is to develop some ritual, some thing he can do many times during his stay. When we stayed at the Beach/Yacht Clubs we would stop every evening on our way back from Epcot at Beaches and Cream for a cup of ice cream. Their servings are so generous two people would usually share one scoop.

Enjoy!

Jan

[BelleLovesTheBeast]

Everyone has such great ideas here!

Just so you know the Beach Club has movies on the beach at night - around the time the parks close. He might enjoy that. Last time they were playing the Little Mermaid.

You said he's a smart kid....he might enjoy finding the hidden Mickeys. There is a book at the parks that list all of the hidden Mickeys. You might want to look into that.

[mouseketeer mom]

I think Falines tip of "WDW for kids, by kids" (Birbaum's book) is an absolute terrific idea. We got that book for my middle child when she didn't know what to expect, and it really helped alot. She got excited over her first trip and learned lots of little information about different attractions and such that she shared with us thru out her first trip.

[joonyer]

Here is a little tip about an attraction that most people miss, because it is not a glitzy thrill ride. Take you nephew to Tom Sawyer's Island in Frontierland, and be prepared to spend some time there. It is a boys' paradise. My sons, now 15 & 12, have loved visiting the island every trip we have made. My DW and I usually let them adventure around on their own while we sit and rest in a rocking chair at Aunt Polly's Porch. There is plenty for a kid to do; a very cool fort and caves with secret passages and a swinging bridge, etc. If your nephew has any "boy" in him at all, he'll love it. Let him take all the time he wants exploring. :cap:

[ibrowse17]

You people so totally Rock:rocker: These are some great ideas!! As my wife has epilepsy, we do take it slow and have a break during the day for her to rest and take a nap. We have also been during the summer, as well as live in the south, so we know what the heat will be like and what needs to be done to combat it. We are also looking forward to movies on the beach. I will be buying that book, and agree that it should help a lot. I really like the idea about a theme, and in his case it would have to be about dinosaures. The kid is nuts about them and tell you most anything you want to know about them. We also have a couple of character meals built in, as well as the Coarl Reef fo him to see the tank. The main thing is to introduce him to the world so that when we take his parents and younger brother in a couple of years, he will be looking forward to it and be able to help get them perpared. WDW is a huge place. My DW and I have been 5 times in the past three years( I have been 25+ myself) and still have things we have yet to do, so I know that we will not be able to do it all in 5 days. Nor would I try. Thanks so much:thumbsup:

[Momto3littlemice]

Here's one more idea: Get a copy of the vacation planning DVD (free on the Disney website) and have him watch it with you a couple times. This is a great way to get him excited about what Disney has to offer. Also, if he hasn't seen any of the main movies (like Lion King, Little Mermaid, Toy Story) and he is allowed to see them, that is also a fun way to get ready and excited. I found the more my kids knew ahead of time (of course they are younger) the more excited they were! Have a great time :)