Advice for first time with a child...

[svarhall07]

This will be my 23rd visit to the World, but my first time as an adult with a child. I'm traveling with my best friend, his 5 year old niece, and his mother. The three adults have each been to Disney more than 10 times, but this is the 5 year old's first visit.

Here's our plan:

Resort: Pop Century
Tickets: 5-day Park Hoppers
Dining: MYW + Basic Dining

Sunday (arrival day)
'Ohana @ 6:25pm
early to bed

Monday
Cape May's Character Breakfast @ 7:40am
Magic Kingdom
Rest at resort for 3 hours
EPCOT
Coral Reef @ 4:10pm
early to bed

Tuesday
QS breakfast at food court
Hollywood Studios
QS lunch
Rest at resort for 3 hours
Animal Kingdom
Boma @ 6:45pm
Fantasmic! @ 8:30pm

Wednesday
1900 Park Fare @ 8:15am
Magic Kingdom
Rest at resort for 3 hours
Magic Kingdom
Crystal Palace @ 3:35pm
Animal Kingdom

Thursday
QS breakfast at food court
EPCOT
Rest at resort for about 4-6 hours
Magic Kingdom
QS dinner in MK
Wishes! @ 10pm

Friday
leave for home

Different from previous trips, we are planning to wake up very early, have early breakfasts, and be to park openings by rope drop. We will probably spend about 3 hours in the park in the morning, then go back to the resort and nap/swim. We have also scheduled early dinners so we can get back to the resort around 8pm each night. We do not want to exhaust the 5 year old.

We have also ordered the little girl Disney costumes from the Disney Store (ex. Cinderella, Snow White, Jessie from Toy Story, Ariel, and Jasmine). We hope that she will wear them to the parks each day where she can truly be a princess! :tink:

I think the dinning reservations are kid-friendly. While only three are character meals, I think the aquarium and "zoo"at both Coral Reef and Boma will be a huge draw with her.

Do you all think this is possible? The days are packed, but we plan to try to go at a slow pace.

PLEASE provide me with any and all advice you have for traveling with children (girls especially), critique my schedule, and let's all make this the most magical visit she will ever have!

Thank you in advance!

[AndrewJackson]

In my opinion, it seems you are going to be spending a lot of time on Disney buses, and less time relaxing at your resort.

Take your Monday plan for example. In order to spend 3 hours at your resort relaxing in the afternoon, you would have to leave Magic Kingdom around 11:00 AM, which would get you back to Pop by 12:00 noon, in order to leave by 3:00 PM to make it to your 4:10 dinner at Epcot.

When you figure in walking time, etc, I think this is really tight.

Also, Tuesday seems a bit hectic by going to the Studios, back to the resort, back to Animal Kingdom, then to Boma's at AKL, the back to the Studios, then to the resort. According to my calculations, that is waiting and riding a bus 6 times in one day.

In my opinion, I would spend more time at a park, then head to the resort and stay. Basically, you would not be park hopping. For example, a better plan for Monday would be to stay at Magic Kingdom into early afternoon, then head to the resort to relax and stay there. I think you will find you are able to spend more time in the parks, and less time on the buses.

[Narawen]

I agree with pp about the amount of travel time. It seems some of your scheduling will be near impossible. Boma at 6:45 and Fantasmic at 8:30? Let's say you got seated a few mins after your ADR, you probably wouldn't be done eating until 8:00, then by the time you make it over to DHS it'll be after 8:30. People will most likely start lining up for Fantasmic at 7:00, and there won't be room to sit if you can even make it there by show time.

[mouse2508]

I also agree w/ the pp's. We took a 5 and 3 yr old a fews back, and our plan included a full day at a park (take your pick), followed by a "light" day where we hit the resort early. We did have hoppers, and we did find the kids were fine until the last (5th) day, at which point they were simply overstimulated (I know, sounds crazy but it is possible to get too much Disney ;) ).

Another tip is to follow a busy park where you do a lot of walking, like MK or EPCOT, with a relatively smaller park, like AK or DHS (or 1/2 back at the resort for swimming/rest).

Just a few ideas, but I'm certain whatever you decide you will adhere to the Disney motto: Have a Magical Time :mickey:

[svarhall07]

Well the alternative is this, it's tab 2 in my spreadsheet:

Monday
- Drive to Beach Club
- Cape May's @ 7:40am
- Bus to Magic Kingdom
- Monorail to EPCOT sometime around 3
- Coral Reef @ 4:10pm
- Boat back to Beach Club and drive to resort after dinner

Tuesday
- Bus to EPCOT
- Bus back to resort around 12:30
- Rest at pool and get on bus to AKL at 4
- Boma @ 5:10pm
- Bus to Hollywood Studios around 7 for Fantasmic at 8:30pm

(not as packed)

Wednesday
- Drive to Grand Floridian
- 1900 Park Fare at 8:15am
- Bus to Animal Kingdom
- Bus to Magic Kingdom around 2:30
- Crystal Palace @ 3:35pm
- Monorail back to GF and drive back to resort early

Thursday
- Get to Hollywood Studios at 9am
- bus to resort around 2:30
- rest
- bus to Magic Kingdom around 6:30
- Wishes at 10pm

Based on dining reservations, park hopping is a must and I would hate to not hop.

[baby minnie's mommy]

I'm sorry, but as a Mom of two small kids, this schedule looks way too back and forth. I would try to eliminate as much bus travel as possible. Each bus trip is another "line" you have to wait in, plus the time traveling.

Here's something to keep in mind about rides: if the child can see it, they will want to ride it. ;)

Character meals may take longer than you are used to with a child. I usually give us an hour and a half of time for those. You'll want to enjoy them with her, not be constantly checking your clock. :mickey:

Did you realize you have two Pooh meals in one day? When we were at 1900 Park Fare they had Pooh and Tigger, as does Crystal Palace. Also, are you aware the Cape May location is close to Epcot/Hollywood Studios, not Magic Kingdom?

Do you know what type of shoes she will wear with a princess dress? I let my DD wear sneakers, even with her princess dress, to help her feet. Even the most comfortable dressy shoes can quickly turn against you while walking around Disney.

Don't forget to allow time for multiple doses daily of sunscreen for her, and keep her hydrated. My DD always says she's not thirsty, but I sternly make her drink water while we're there.

[baby minnie's mommy]

Ok, I posted after your revision...my post refers to the original. :blush:

[kemps@wdw]

Even for an adult, that's some schedule. But for a 5 yr old...a little too much I think. Like me, you seem to like planning things out, and @ WDW that is certainly necessary. However, with small children, plans will more than likely change depending on their moods. So, you have to be prepared to be flexible and face the very real possiblity that some of your best laid plans may have to change a bit. But, "hakunahmata"...even changed plans @ Disney still means lots of fun!!! :D

[Donald]

TOO MUCH PLANNING!! Did you plan for the meltdown too?

Why don't you go to parks near your ressies so you are not traveling so much?

Cape May to MK? Switch MK to Epcot on Monday to save time and wear and tear on the 5 yr. old. You have ressies for Coral Reef anyway.

Tues: just stay in the Animal Kingdom area.

Wed: All of your ressies are in the Magic Kindgom area--stay there. Ride some rides and be a kid for yourself that day.

Thurs: no ressies made for this day--see what SHE wants to do.

Kids want to ride rides then go to the pool; not sit down at long meals that they are not going to eat anyway.

Good luck. (sorry for being so blunt)

[AllDisney]

I agree with the comments made by Donald. TOO MUCH PLANNING:mickey:

His plan is the one I'd go with:thumbsup:

[Jillirose]

Donald made some excellent points to consider.

When our kids were that age, they could take about 3-4 hours at the park, with all the stimulation. Then, they just wanted pool and food. The evenings were spent relaxing.

The hopper option is still important, because if you get to a park that is incredibly busy (MK), you can go elsewhere (AK) and come back another day.

Definitely getting to the parks on the earlier end and leaving when they get incredibly busy is a good plan :thumbsup: We were just there, and hit MK three times with teenagers and left by 1:00 each time. At 5, they may want to ride Pirates and Haunted Mansion many times over!

[NJGIRL]

Everyone is different and since you have been many times you know what is best for your family. What would be a problem for my family would be the multiple ADR's. Too much food and too much time spent eating.

I don't think you are giving yourself enough time between BOMA & Fantasmic either.

Also, IMO all of the back and forth between the parks and your resort will eat up a huge chunck of time. I have to let you know, I am not a fan of park hopping (I know I am probably one of the few here that is not) for the most part, I rather not waste time traveling.

After the first day you will see how the 5 year old copes with the schedule. When my son was younger we just did what we wanted to do and if he got tired he slept in his stroller. He was very easy but I know not all kids are like that.

We had a girls trip with my 5 year old niece last November and I can tell you what she like the most. She did dress up each day. She loved meeting the princesses. She loved lunch in the Castle & breakfast in Norway. She loved the BBB the most. We spent alot of time getting autographs from all of the characters.

One special thing that I did before we left home was to write her a letter for each day starting with the airport. It was on special letterhead from a different princess or character each day. It told her what we would be doing that day and who she would be meeting. It was placed by her bed each morning with a gift before she got up. I was at WDW in Oct and was able to get everthing then but it was stuff that could have been ordered online as well. She just loved it and would run out of her bedroom each morning to show everyone her special letter.

[Janmac]

We have done similar schedules with a five year old in our extended family in January 2010 and also years ago, in January 1998. We pretty much always do one park in the morning, our resort in the afternoon, and Epcot every evening. We've even done this schedule with more than one 2 year old altho they're easier than five year olds. And we always use Disney transportation as we normally travel with a group of 8 or more. We do not feel over rushed, or overwhelmed or over planned.

There are a couple of things we do such as have breakfast near or in the park we're going to be in. On a MK day, we either eat at Crystal Palace, in the park, or at Ohanas or 1900 Park Fare. We like to have our breakfast ADRs as close to 8 am as we can get.

One of our favorite things to do on our first morning at MK is to have an 8 am ADR at Crystal Palace and after eating, wait at the rope at Adventureland. We then do Aladdin's Magic Carpet first. This is a nice quiet, but fun attraction with a familiar theme. We save Fantasyland - and the sprint for Dumbo first thing - for our second MK morning when our five year old is more acclimated to the bustle of Disney World.

On an AK day we like to eat at the character meal at Tusker House. We really like entering a park before rope drop and after eating being at the rope drop inside the park. It tends to reduce the over stimulation. At AK, Tusker House puts you so much closer to Kilimanjaro Safaris which is a hit with kids.

If Cape May is a must do, schedule it on an Epcot day. However, if your goal is to maximize your little princess's time with the characters I highly recommend the breakfast at Norway instead of the characters at Cape May. We've done this at both supper and breakfast and prefer the breakfast.

I'd also recommend saving Disney's Hollywood Studios for another trip. I'd recommend doing two MK days, Monday and perhaps Thursday. Your five year old will be happy to see a familiar place on Thursday.

Some points you may want some clarification on:
- parking at a resort. I think this is only good for 3 hours? Which means it might not be possible to do your alternate Monday plan parking.

- Fantasmic with a five year old. I have read that this show is intense for some kids that age. Our most recent five year old did not tolerate dark or noisy experiences. Perhaps this show can be planned for a future trip?

Ohanas is a fun experience for a first night. For maximum princess experience I'd recommend substituting 1900 Park Fare for supper. This is Cinderella and her Prince, as well as the Tremaines. It's a hoot. Our most recent five year old loves this restaurant.

While we do park hopping, we go very slowly and plan less each day, such as doing only Adventureland and Frontierland in one MK morning and Fantasyland and Tomorrowland on another MK day. We go to Epcot every evening but we do only one attraction in Future World and one or maybe two countries in World Showcase. At AK we'll do the Safari and possibly one trail, but a lot of stopping to play drums, etc. And we have yet to do It's Tough to be a Bug, because of the dark and noise problems. For a trip as long as yours, we'd likely do MK twice and AK twice, with Epcot in the evenings. We'd save the Studios for another trip. Your five year old will have enough of a magical experience.

We have always brought strollers for five year olds. They might not need them in the morning but certainly appreciate them in the evenings. And we adults like having the stroller for our sweaters, water bottles, etc.

Jan

[svarhall07]

I'm honestly not too worried about time. With this being my 23rd visit, I know the pace and how to get around.

It will be different with a child, yes, and we are prepared for that and are willing to adapt.

My philosophy is to plan to do as much as possible and then be happy with what we get accomplished. I would hate to plan light and end up wasting time from cautiousness.

I would prefer to eat near the parks I will be visiting. However, I think the first park she visits should be Magic Kingdom. I also would like to start the day with a character breakfast so she can spent time with them there instead of having to wait in line for a long time in the parks. Chef Mickeys, 1900 Park Fare, 'Ohanas, and Crystal Palace are all booked for Monday morning. Cape Mays wasn't. So what's adding an extra 15 minutes of travel time?

[svarhall07]

and Jan and NJGirl, thank you for your positive input!

I totally agree with all of your dining suggestions, it's just that I cannot get reservations because there isn't availability. I made reservations in early February and have been checking repeatedly but alas cannot get good locations when needed. I'm still hoping I can change to some princess meals once we arrive.

[Janmac]

Good luck with switching the dining reservations. On more than one trip we have switched reservations - often because I got any restaurant available at the time and then the one we really wanted became available, often while we were at Disney.

Which means we have cancelled our original ADR, which opened up that time for another group.

I have encountered some crazy situations with availability. I can understand Marrakesh usually being available (a favorite of our current young princess btw) but sometimes 1900 Park Fare is available when Cape May is not, and vice versa.

Jan

[LisaP]

I learned the hard way that my agenda was not going to fly with DS4 at the time. I had days scheduled, character meals booked, plans and more plans. OUT THE WINDOW :(

So we're switching gears for next month's trip with DS6 and DS2. No park hopping this time. Breakfast character meals and then leaving the rest of the day open to plans. I scheduled my days around EMH and was lucky enough to get all my ADRs that I wanted.

My little guy was simply exhausted last trip from all the activity and travel and tended to nap longer than usual. So we took advantage of the "siesta" and returned to the parks later.

I decided this time to book breakfast character meals to start each day at the park we are planning to visit each day, or near our resort (Poly). I particularly love the character meals for the little ones in the event that ride lines are too long, my DS didn't even realize last time that we were missing out on rides. There is so much to see and do at Disney, it was not our top priority.

Oh believe me, there's so much MORE I want to do, but the boys call the shots and I will take my cues from them :thumbsup:

Enjoy your trip :mickey:

[magicalmom]

When our girls were little, we spent all day in the parks, for several days at a time. We rented a double stroller, even when the younger one was 5 - they didn't ride in it, but we were able to find a place to sit for a while and one would nap in it while a parent took the other one to something she wanted to do. It worked well for us, and saved all the back and forth.

Now, that being said - my girls have been out and about constantly at theater and musical rehearsals and performances since they were about three weeks old, so they could sleep almost anywhere (and still can - 10 years later)

Oh - your little one might find the play areas of more interest than many of the rides - ours did.

Have fun!