We are taking our 4 and 6 year old to Disney at the beginning of December. This will be our first trip!
I know people usually have tons of advice about what they LOVED about their trip, but I want info about what to steer clear of with kids this age. I don't want their experience to be marred by getting scared on a ride or bored at a show, etc...
We are staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge with Park Hopper tickets so we have the freedom to go where we choose. I have dinner rezzies at Narcoossee's, Jiko and Emeril's Orlando and lunch rezzzies with the princesses in Norway at Epcot.
**Edited to add: My kids are adventurous eaters and amazingly well-behaved. LOVE THEM! We're really into Geography and world cultures so I think they will enjoy a lot of Epcot. We'll be there long enough to see a lot of each park. For the most part, I'm NOT planning this trip. We just want to roam the parks and enjoy whatever interests them at the time. My preparations are just learning about the different parks and attractions to help guide them when necessary. I know that we won't be able to see everything. My parents beach house isn't too far, so I know we'll have the oppportunity to return over the years. This is just our once chance to have that magical first trip. So. Just want to know what other would consider smart to AVOID.
some of the 3D movies scared my 4 yr old. A Bugs life at animal kingdom and honey I shrunk the kids at epcot.
the water parks have many height requirements that you need to be aware of. we added that option and then didn't use it because my kids weren't tall enough.
i would echo those who suggested a guide book. they are very informative and helpful when deciding if an attraction might not be kid-friendly. my six year old love haunted mansion and my eight year old wouldn't even go on! we were ready to board the car and she was freaking out! you know your children best!
i also echo the fast-pass tip!!! you WILL need it to ride Toy Story Midway Mania in DHS. we had to return to that park JUST to ride it. as soon as you enter the park send one person with all the tickets to get your fast pass.
have a BLAST!!! it is one of our most favorite places!!!
The worst part about Disney is having to wait in the lines and December is one of the busiest times there. We went at New Year's and it is the busiest time of year. I joined Touring Plans http://www.touringplans.com/tp2/UG2_index.php?PageID=0 which gives you plans to follow for your specific situation for any of the parks. It also tells you what days are the least crowded at each park. It's very cheap to join and well worth the money. But, even if you don't join, the website gives you lots of helpful advice. We were at the Magic Kingdom for only 1 day with our 6 year old son, so we wanted to make the most of it. We pretty much followed the plan (with a couple of exceptions) and never had to wait more than 1/2 an hour. It was great!
We lived in Florida and our girls are Disney babies. It's probably pretty obvious, but I would avoid the Haunted Mansion. That would definitely be too scary for them. Believe it or not, Snow White can be scary for younger kids too, but I'm not sure if it's still there. Buzz Lightyear is a definite must ride, they'll love it! Have fun!
We took our 3 and 5 year olds to Disney last April for spring break. You've gotten a lot of good advice but I would specifically avoid the Tower of Terror and the dinosaur/time travel ride. Both our kids loved the Haunted Mansion and the water ride in Animal Kingdom and our 5 year old loved space mountain and the other Magic Kingdom rollercoaster. But he came out of the Tower of Terror in tears! And I covered his eyes and ears in the dinosaur/time travel ride in the Animal Kingdom. Both of those rides were just too intense for him. My fault - I should have ridden them first without him!
Each child is different. My oldest who will be 4 next month likes to watch all the disney movies, scooby doos, and anything kid friendly/scary. But when we took her to Disney she was afraid of some of the rides/shows and my 2 1/2 old who was 2 at the time loved everything. The 3d movie she loved but my 4 yr old hated it and to this day talks about that show we saw in Feb. So just ask them what they think they can handle I guess and go from there. Good luck it was fun for us though. My hubby hopes he gets a job here soon so we can take a quick vacation before he really starts a new job.
Hi M., we took our then 5 and 7 yr old. all is great. don't think you need to eat all the best resturaunt ( we did :( ) you do not get wut you pay for, altho tonys (from lady and the tramp) was good. 2nd, don't plan a big day at Epcott, not geared for children, we spent boyt 2 hrs there, lunch and then honey we shrunk the audience. Then boys were bored. GL and Have fun!!!
With your children's ages I would go easy on Epcot and concentrate on the Magic Kingdom....also the water attractions would be a nice break if the weather cooperates.
Plan BEFORE you get there so that you don't waste time and are overwhelmed.
Hi M., My family & I just returned from Disney in July...I earned a FREE Trip from selling Tupperware.
My daughter is 8 years old. Our favorite places to eat were Ohana's, Norway's Princess Breakfast, Crystal Palace, Whispering Canyon, & the Coral Reef. We did not like Jiko.
We used Birnbaum's Disney for kids book and it was very helpful.
Have a great trip!!!
There are good things for kids at Epcot - there's a "dinosaur ride", and a "look into the future" ride in the "epcot" globe thing. BUT, unless there are other countries that your kids might be interested in (like my nephew who is taking chinese could go to the "china" country section of Epcot), I would spend the majority of my time at Magic Kingdom.
Space Mountain might be a little scary for them - I remember my sister who was 4 not much caring for it until she got a little older, but I loved it at 6. It's pretty much a coin toss.
Fortunately, my husband and I had been to WDW-Orlando before so we knew what was there when we went. We made sure to go to Pirates of the Carribean, Haunted Mansion (where my daughter fell asleep), the "winnie the pooh" ride, we tried to go to Peter Pan's ride, but the wait was unbelievable.
If you can try to make use of the "fast pass" things, do it. That way you can go get a snack, come back, and get on the ride without waiting in line.
If you're out in the park having lunch, get the kids meals for everybody. It's plenty (although some of the places will charge a little extra if you're an adult getting a kids meal). We also brought with us Lance peanut butter crackers and a bottle or two of water if we didn't like the snack or food options where we happened to be when we got hungry.
Just a few thoughts - for what it's worth.
The worst thing is that the parents want to do everything. Be sure you pace the days according to what your kiddos are up to. EPCOT may be a bit much, but they have a program in which each country's pavilion has an activity for younger kids (make a mask, color a picture, arts and crafts things usually) that I have heard is not to be missed. Magic Kingdom is really the park for younger ones but beware the darker rides as has been mentioned. Animal Kingdom is great-petting zoo at Conservation Station. Disney Studios-no Tower of Terror, but consider Toy Story Mania, Muppets. Someone mentioned Birnbaum's Disney with Kids, GET IT. It will help you make some informed decisions before you go.
I would avoid trying to do a whole day without a nap! We planned a 1/2 day, a meal, a nap at the room and then a return (but my kids were a year+ older than yours). It's a long, long day if you try to do it all in one stretch.
