Tips for 1st trip with kids

[khunter]

My husband and I are planning to take our two boys to Disney sometime this year. We were planning on June but because of personal reasons, decided not to go the first week of the month. We still want to go but not real sure when would be the best time. Our boys are 6 and 3, do you have any tips on anything from hotels to restaurants, to parks, or just general ideas for us? Both sets of our parents are also going. We wanted them to be a part of this exciting adventure and they can also help watch the kids so that my husband and I can both ride with my older son. Thanks!

[Tygger7]

First of all, welcome to Intercot! Definitely dig around on here and you'll get lots of ideas & input from this site on how to make the most of your trip. If you have the Travel Channel, try to catch their Disney shows...or you can probably get copies from your local library to view.

Since this is your first trip, and your kids are young, try to avoid the peak times. My suggestion, if you can swing it, is to go mid to late May. Weather is wonderful and the crowds are very light. Early June after Memorial Day is great too, just stay away from holidays if at all possible.

Also, stay onsite at a Disney hotel. This allows you to easily take a break in the afternoon and let the kids nap & hit the pool. Plus, this really gives you the full benefit of the Disney experience. Maybe consider a family suite, a camping cabin, or villa and have the whole family & grandparents stay together. At a minimum, you can request adjoining rooms.

Best advice I can give though is to use Magical Journey's to book your Disney vacation. They're one of Intercot's sponsors and are fantastic to work with. There is no charge for their services, and they can advise you about all aspects of your vacation and help you find the best possible deal.

Oh, and be sure to use the "child swap" feature on rides. This really helps when traveling with little ones and lets everyone enjoy the rides with minimal wait times.

Feel free to post with any questions you can think of...the folks here are wonderful and are always happy to provide info & offer guidance.

Happy planning!!

[megustamex]

I have to agree - I know your son that is 6 is probably in school but it will be crowded and hot in June. That can make for a frustrating trip. Early May would be even better than late May as it can start to get hot and a bit more crowded. That said, if you are set on June, go as early as you can in the morning, take a break back at the hotel around lunch for a swim or nap, and then head out again around 5 when it starts to cool off again!
My best advice is to take it easy - don't try and do everything. Think about how long your kids can make it when you are out and about at home doing an activity - 3 hours max? Then plan on doing that at the park and come back to the hotel before the meltdown starts. Breaks make everyone happy. Every time I start to say "Maybe we can push them a little" I realize I am about to be in trouble! It took me 4 trips to learn!
More advice - try not to make the kids sit around waiting for you to go on rides too much - it gets frustrating for them and ultimately you will be miserable. Maybe better for the grandparents to take them on something else while you and your spouse take a few hours to yourself? We went with an aunt and uncle recently and found it a lengthy boring process for everyone to wait for the adults to go on a ride. This time we are just going to do what the kids want to do, slow down and enjoy the moment more.
Not sure if your kids are picking eaters, but I found that mine didn't like most of what was available in Epcot (mine are 2 and 3). There are nuggets from McDonald's, but other than that it is slim pickings for the kids in the countries. All the hotel gift shops on property sell sandwich items - bread and lunchmeat - and I finally figured out it was way cheaper to buy the kids the overpriced deli food in the gift shops before we left than to try and scrounge something they would eat in Epcot. Although I did just discover mac and cheese on the menu at the Electric Umbrella in Future World...
They will love the characters, so you might want to schedule a character meal (I've found lunches to be easier schedules to keep than dinners), but ultimately the counter service is the easiest way to go with kids.
Have fun!

[Itchy]

I agree with the previous poster on staying away from June if you can help it.

My first two trips were in mid to late June and the heat and crowds were unbearable.

Late May or late August / early Sept I have found are good with moderate crowds and good temps.

I have used Magical Journeys the last 3 trips and I have wondered how I did it before. They are the greatest to work with and will find you the best deal if it is out there.

Happy Planning

[mrmcgiv]

in 07 ..1 month beofre my kids turned 3 and 6 we took our first trip.

First off...enjoy..I do not think you can ever re-capture the magic of the frist trap and of those ages.

We went early may, pulled my DD out of k for a week. It was a great time to go!
Happy Planning!

MR

[ThanxForNoticin]

One very serious piece of advice I tell all my friends going for the first time, especially with young kids - plan on QUALITY, not QUANTITY at WDW. Your kids will dictate the pace, and I would advice you not try to push them to do every single attraction at a park in a given time period. Pick out some of the highlights you don't want to miss and ENJOY them. If the lines are longer, you might miss some things this trip. If the lines are shorter, you might be able to do more.

I would also recommend staying on WDW property, if possible. I would also suggest a mid-afternoon break at least some of the days. My sons will tell you some of their best memories were at the pool or playground at the resort. It's a chance to get out of the heat and regroup for an evening pass through the parks.

I expect you will get lots of good recommendations from folks who have done this. Hope you have a great trip!

OH YEA - do NOT forget the camera. Take at least a million pictures while you are there!

[CzepielCrew]

Congratulations on deciding to take the family to Disney. I would chose it over any other trip offered! I took my 6 year old boys for their first trip in Nov. 2007. We went Thanksgiving Week so that they did not miss much school. We had great weather that week. I would suggest rides with the shortest lines and plenty of character meet and greets. Going to 4 character meals during the week helped with that. They enjoyed the rides, but not the loud shows. But, some kids are different. We did ride the Buzz Lightyear ride 5 times that week. Do what they like for sure. Be sure that when you check in you ask for 1st time Visit buttons for the kids. They may get some special attention from CM's if they wear them around. Good Luck planning and have a great time!

[luvmyboys4ever]

We really enjoyed the end of April. It was hot enough for the pool but, still nice enough to walk around...except the last day! Epcot was beautiful during the Flower & Garden Festival.
Use Fast Pass!!! It is a wonderful thing
The kids might be affraid of the characters, so don't book too many character meals if you're not sure. My youngest hid under the table when the "hard heads" came by the table! He was fine with the plush characters. Now, he loves them all, but not the first time. We had to cancel the rest of our ADR's after the first meal.
Pictures and movies!!! We always have plenty of pictures, but the videos are "magical". You forget a lot of the little details as they get older. A video is the only thing that can bring you right back to that special moment. Video recorders are so small today, it's not such a hassel to carry them around anymore.
Purchase the DDP, only if it makes sense for your family. Our family loved using the plan.
If parades are important to your family, get there early for "front row" seating.
Pin trading is fun. Give it a try.
Okay, I'm done. I could go on for hours...don't worry, I won't
#1 tip---Relax and enjoy!!!!!

[Nate's Grandpa]

The advice given to you so far has been excellent.

As a resident of Florida, let me add this note of caution. If you decide to go in June, beware of the heat. Encourage everyone with you to drink plenty of water while visiting the parks.
Going to the parks early in the morning and at night will be helpful also.

Have a great time!!

[Iluvpooh]

My advice is rent the double stroller-I know you are thinking that the 6 year old will not ride in it. You'll be surprised- by day 3 he will be so tired from walking he'll be pushing the 3 year old out of a single stroller or be whining "carry me" all day. Trust me.

[Iluvpooh]

BTW-I really recommend Sept/Oct as the best time to take kids to WDW. The crowds are light, the weather is not too hot and you do not have to worry about cold fronts like you do in Jan/Feb. Also the Halloween Parties are the best!

[spoiledraf]

We will be visiting the second week of June and staying at the BC. I lobbied for a fall visit but my daughter is a teacher and just couldn't make the arrangements. We'll have an almost 5 year old grand daughter, and a couple grandsons, 16 months and a little over two. We made our first vistit nearly 30 years ago with our own kids and it was a complete disaster. Too hot and too young. We will have a better plan this time. Plenty of pool time, Character meals and play to what the kids want to do.

My question is what rides will have the shorter lines that the kids will enjoy. As the grandparents, i know my role will be to entertain the little ones and give their moms and dads some time to enjoy themselves as well. We've worked at trying to let the kids see what to expect by watching the new Disney planning DVD. Problem is, I never really paid much attention to the rides for the little ones.

Help?

[junedis]

We went in June last year for our first trip. We really didn't have a choice as I'm a teacher and that's what my schedule allows. My children were 9 and 7. It was hot , it was humid, but we had a great time. Some things that helped:

1) We stayed on property.
2) We stayed at WL, which was very relaxing and offered boat and bus options to MK.
3) I planned, planned. planned!
4) We brought a cooler backpack that was easy to carry through parks and kept our bottled water ice cold---best item I purchased for the trip!
5) We ordered our water/and light snacks to be delivered to our room from garden grocer---saved lots of money on water!
6) Did lots of character meals to avoid standing in character lines. Saved tons of time!
7) Utilized evening EMH at MK. This helped us really ride everything we wanted to do in the park. We stayed very late until the end. You might want the morning EMH.
8) We made sure we had all dinner reservations schedulled.
9)Schedule some quiet time at your hotel just to relax!!

Good luck to you---you'll have a great time---we are returning in June as well!