First Disney Trip - HELP!

[monna]

My husband and I and 2 kids (one 5 years and one 6 months) are going to Disney Land September 5th through 11th this year. We are staying at the Boardwalk Villas. So far, all I've scheduled is the Princess B'fast at the Magic Kingdom. Can anyone recommend things we should do or "don't miss" attractions? This trip is really for the 5 year old since she has been having to deal with a new sibling. We want to make it extra special for her and I don't really know where to begin. I'd love any ideas or advice anyone has! Thanks in advance.....

[imaprincess!]

Hello - Are you going to Disney Land or Disney World? I ask not be nitpicky, but I've never been to the Land, so couldn't offer any advice. If you are going to the World, I can say you're off to a great start by doing some pre-trip planning! I'd make a list of what you, hubby and daughter would like to see so you have some sort of game plan. Check to see what attractions may be closed for refurbishment so you are not disappointed when you get there. Research the attractions for fear factor - some five year olds are braver than others and even the 3/4D attractions can be scary to some children. Don't forget your rain ponchos as it always showers in FL. Let your daughter wear her favorite princess or character outfit - she may get a little extra attention from cast members. HAVE A MAGICAL TIME!

[imaprincess!]

You may want to schedule a little Daddy-Daughter time. They can hit the parks while Mom and Baby return to the hotel for a little nap. :sleepin:

[4boysmom]

I suggest buying one of the guide books available. They each tell you how to best plan a trip to Disney with children, i.e., places to eat, must do attractions, etc. I buy one each year we go. Have a great trip.

[ibelieveindisneymagic]

:welcome: to Intercot!

Your DD is going to have such a great time! There are so many super things for kids, especially little girls :princess: I would be sure to plan A LOT of Magic Kingdom time, I'd bet she will want to do Fantasyland a couple of times. If possible, take the time to see the parades, they are just amazing. Even my DD, who is now 11, still enjoys the parades.

As silly as it may sound, pool time at the resort will also be a BIG hit, so be sure to plan enough of it.

Some more character meals (Garden Grill is a favourite of ours) would also be good.

Enjoy!

[bretski99]

I assume you are going to Disneyworld (not Disneyland) since you are staying at the Boardwalk. Incidentally, we are staying there for the first time in August - I'll try to remember and send you a report!! It's a 15 minute walk to DHS and a 5 minute walk to Epcot from there.

With a 5 year old, I always suggest taking some down time for the shows, most of which are not-to-be-missed. Disney World can be overwhelming and the parents...uh, I mean kids - need a break to avoid the "5 O'Clock meltdown" (my personal feeling is that some parents need it more than the kids at that point in the day, but that's another discussion for another time!!)

As for shows, there's "Festival of the Lion King" and "Nemo" at Animal Kingdom (I haven't seen the latter but the Lion King Show is probably the best in DW), "Beauty and the Beast" at DHS, the parades (as a previous post mentions), and of course CHARACTERS CHARACTERS CHARACTERS!!! And yes, if your DD wears a princess dress, she will get treated "royaly".

As for avoiding some rides.... "Dinosaur" at Animal Kingdom is pretty intense, even for this 42 year old guy who usually isn't bothered by stuff like that. "It's Tough to be a Bug" at Animal Kingdom freaks some kids out. "Mission Space" is a toss up to me. Some will say it's too much for a 5 year old but it depends on the kid - my 4 year old boy (at the time) was fine on it. "Fantasmic" is really cool, but some elements of the show can scare little ones.

Hope you have a blast!! One of my greatest memories was seeing the Disney experience through my kid's eyes. Our kids are now 11 and 14 and we still get stoked about going.

[markyv]

Great news for you and family. You will all have such a good time. I see your are going in September, which probably means "Free Dining" You need to start making your advanced dinner reservations (ADR's). Free dining includes one table service and on counter service meal a day plus a snack. During Free Dining it is imperative that you have a reservation for every TS meal. I would suggest clicking on infocentral here at intercot, and go down to dining and menus. This way you can pick which restaurants fit your taste. Your window for making reservations has already opened so call 407 wdw dine as soon as you have your list prepared to ensure that you get what you want. I would definitely opt for the Garden Gril at Epcot. This is one of the best character meals that we have found on site. Have a blast.

[faline]

Don't try to pack too much in. One of the mistakes I see parents make on their first trip is to try to get it all in. Disney World is very stimulating and covers a vast amount of terrain. It can be quite overwhemling for a 5 year old. If you miss something because you need to go back to the room and rest - don't worry about it! If your 5 year old spends more time than you wanted on something that is not a headline atraction - let her! After all, if it's caught her attention to that extent, it's a headliner for her!

You might also want to check out Intercot's sections on Traveling with Children. Got to Info Central Tab at the top of your screen. Click on that and then scroll down until you come to the following topics:
Children - Traveling With
- Baby Ride Swapping (aka: The Big Handoff)
- Resort & In Room Daycare/Babysitting
- Strollers
- Special Activities for Children
- Baby & Toddler Travel Tips/Considerations
- Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique
- Attraction & Height Restrictions

[Disneyfun]

We went on a trip last year with a family that had a daughter the same age as your daughter. Here are some of the things that she really enjoyed:
Magic Kingdom

Ariel's Grotto - where you can meet the Little Mermaid.
Story Time with Belle - a small themed area on the right side of the castle looking from Main Street. Belle retells her story and has people come up to help. Very intimate setting.
All of the Fantasyland rides except Teacups and Snow White's Scary Adventure.
Eating at Cinderella's Royal Table - big Cinderella fan and loved meeting her before dinner. MUST have a reservation to have a hope of eating there - call now...really, stop reading and call now if this is something that she would want to do! :D
Characters at Toontown - best to go late in the day/evening, not as crowded.
Tomorrowland Indy Speedway - she really like driving!
EPCOT

Kidcot stops - They are at most of the pavillions/rides. She loved doing the craft projects there and the cast members were excellent with her!
Disney Visa Character Area - special area reserved just for Disney Visa Card holders to take their family to meet characters. If you don't have a Disney Visa, you have time to apply and get one before your September trip. We received a free picture with the characters. Very intimate experience when we went!
Garden Grill - great all you can eat sit down restaurant with great character interaction at the table!

Animal Kindom

Conservation Station - loved the petting zoo area and meeting Jiminy Cricket and Pocahantus (sp?).
Kilamanjaro Safari - loved seeing the animals! Some of them (giraffes, gazelles, non man-eating variety) get pretty close to the vehicle or camp out in front of the vehicle!
Lion King Show - she liked it, I don't...but the kids love it!
Disney Hollywood Studios

Honey I Shrunk the Kids Playground - great playground with common items blown up to make them feel like they are the size of an ant!
Voyage of the Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast stage shows - can't go wrong, although the Mermaid show is insided and dark so if your child get's afraid of the dark...

Parades at all of the parks were big hits with Magic Kingdom being the favorite. Fireworks at Magic Kingdom were also well received.

As some one previously stated, don't try to do it all. Save some for next time - if she doesn't know about it, she'll never miss not seeing it! :thedolls:

Also, I can't agree more with the previous poster that stated that if she loves something, then it is a headliner for her! Let her have the time/opportunity to choose what she wants to do and if she wants to spend more time doing something, let her have her magic!

Hope that this helps...sorry it is so long! Enjoy!

[dinahvixen]

Just re-emphasising a previous poster about taking your time. We took our 4yo daughter and we wanted to get in all the things we thought she would enjoy and we pushed too hard. The next time we went (6), we let her slowly adjust to the stimulus, and she found things she enjoyed a lot as we went that weren't things we were gunning for; for instance there was a little Belle story time that we would have bypassed as not worth our time, but she saw it and loved it and we ended up taking our cues from her. We went back and swam and we didn't worry about what we DIDN'T see. That was the hard part b/c you're paying so much money, you want to get your moneys worth - but you only will if you slow down, relax, and let her take the lead. Lesson learned here, and with our upcoming trip in September, we're going with the idea that it's okay to just see a few things, and to go slow! And SWIM!

[imaprincess!]

:drill: My husband always pushes too hard at the parks because he wants his money's worth. He promises to be better this time, but we really haven't sat down to discuss this in depth.

Any suggestions for our conversation or planning techniques that would make him happy but slow him down a bit? He loves WDW; just gets a little overly ambitious, understandably.

[imaprincess!]

So sorry! This was supposed to be a new topic. I need to get ready for work and guess I got distracted thinking about WDW. Again, sorry!

[biodtl]

Any suggestions for our conversation or planning techniques that would make him happy but slow him down a bit? He loves WDW; just gets a little overly ambitious, understandably.

If you can't get him to take a break and head back to the hotel, try to schedule meals or take advantage of longer, cooler attractions to unwind a little. Ride TTA a couple times, head over to Tom Sawyer's Island, Universe of energy, The Land boat ride, see a show, etc.

My DH likes to relax more, but the kids and I like to GO-GO-GO, so sometimes we split up and he heads to the hotel for a while and the kids and I keep going.

[MarkC]

Agree with the other posters above-- don't rush as you will all get worn out in a hurry, especially your 5 year old. Take your time and take a break in the afternoon to go swimming. Everyone will feel refreshed and the mid-afternoon is often the busiest times in the parks. Mentally prepare your daughter that she will be doing a lot of walking and you will want to her take some short naps when she can so she has enough energy to enjoy the parks. Tell her that any scary rides are only that way to scare some people, and that Disney wouldn't let anything bad happen to anyone. Enjoy. Mark