the right places

[TinkerBeth]

we will be going to Florida in Jan or Feb of 2011. our children will be 6 and 2. we are wondering what other people say are the best places onsite to stay and what are the best restaurants to go to for children that age. my husband has only stayed on site once (Jan/Feb 08 with myself and our then 3 year old) and we stayed at French Quarter. He loved it there and so did I but we were thinking about staying someplace else this time. we were just wondering if anyone had any great ideas to make this trip extra special for both kids (first time for the 2 year old, 2nd for the 6 year old).

[brownie]

:welcome: Welcome to Intercot!

My recommendation would be to follow the trip reports and the Accommodations threads to see what people are saying.

[distips]

Most kids love character dining. They go crazy at Chef Mickey's at the Contemporary. If you have a little princess, try a Princess meal at Akershus in Epcot. For Playhouse Disney fans, try Hollywood and Vine at the Disney Hollywood Studios. The food is pretty good at Chef Mickey's and H&V, as buffets go.

For resorts, the Animal Kingdom Lodge is a unique experience. Although I personally don't like the Value resorts, kids love the theming.

[faline]

Welcome to Intercot! :mickey:

You might get more information about accommodations by posting a question in that forum. Also, starting a discussion about the best restaurants to meet youir needs might get a lot of responses in the Dining forum.

Everyone has different opinions and different personal situations. Personally, if I were travelling with two young children and could afford it, I'd probably stay at one of the resorts on the monorail. With young children, you're likely to spend a fair amount of time at the Magic Kingdom. Staying on the monorail in that area will allow you to quickly get back to your resort for naps and rest time. You might also consider Wilderness Lodge which is just a short boat ride away.

As far as restaurant choices when traveling with young children, you might look to those venues that feature characters with one caveat - will your children enjoy interacting with the characters or will the characters frighten them? If the latter, I'd probably avoid character dining. If they enjoy them, by all means. Things are much more difficult if you have one of each (character friendly versus character shy)! Other good choices for young children are O'Hana's for dinner (no characters but lots to keep children occupied) and Whispering Canyon Cafe. Buffets are often a good choice with young kids as they tend to be more informal and a bit noisier so a child having a meltdown is a bit less noticeable. Other choices with kids would include Sci-Fi Dine In, Cosmic Rays, 50's Prime Time Cafe and Coral Reef might be nice choices.

Have fun planning! Stop in often and ask as many questions as you'd like. Folks here love to share their knowledge of all things Disney!

[wdwfansince75]

Our kids and grandkids, at all ages really loved the Contemporary Resort. It is a short walk or monorail ride to the MK, which is the most popular park for kids that age. And the pool, the boats, and the game room provide an escape for the older child (with one parent) while the toddler naps in the room.

For meals, Chef Mickey's has character meals for breakfast and dinner. There's a Grab and Go for meals and snacks. The shack bar near the pool used to have great Hot dogs, and ice cream in the summer.

Other resorts to consider for younger kids are the Yacht and Beach Clubs (short walk or boat ride from EPCOT and DHS) or the Cabins at Ft. Wilderness.....for a little more than a moderate, you get a cabin with full kitchen, and a seperate bedroom for the kids....and it is a boatride away from MK....plus it has lots of family oriented entertainment, including movies, and Chip and Dale's Campfire.

Other meals our kids and grandkids have enjoyed (and which are still open) include Garden Grill in EPCOT, 1900 Park Faire at Grand Floridian, Donald's Breakfast Safari at AK, Ohana at the Poly, and Trails End at Ft. Wilderness, a short boat ride from the CR. We have also done Crystal Palace many times over the years, but lately, it seems more crowded, waits can be long, even with ADR's, and the birds can be annoying.