Walt Disney World

[Shell]

We're taking the kids in a couple of months and I would love any advice that anyone has. We'll have a 6 month old and a 4 year old, us, and my mom. We will be their for 4 days and have the park hopper pass, so I am thinking Magic Kingdom on the first day we get there (we'll get into Orlando at 9:00 a.m.). Second day, Animal Kingdom and MGM Studios, Third day - Epcot amd then water parks, and then Magic Kingdom again on the last day. Does that make sense? I'd rather play it by ear but I guess I need to get some Advance Dining Reservations so it is helpful to know where I will be each night?

What restaurants do you recommend?

Any tips?

I am also wondering if I should bring my nice DSL camera that is bulky and expensive but takes wonderful and quick pics, or my old PowerShot A40 that is small, compact, OK to get broken or lost, but less quality on the pics and much slower to take a pic?

Thanks for any suggestions!:D

[VandyCane]

I love Disney. My two main suggestions are 1) get your fast passes and 2)"baby swap". I'm sure other people have explained fast pass to you but basically you find the rides that are busiest and you truly want to do and get fast passes for those. As soon as you can pick up another one grab it. The last time we went we had 2-3 fast passes for rides while standing in line for yet another one. We kept telling the kids that we were standing in three lines at once!

As far as "baby swap"--I didn't learn about it until half-way through and boy was I annoyed I didn't know about it earlier. Let's say you want to go to Space Mountain. Stand in line with Cole and the baby. When you get to the front of the line Cole will ride with one of the parents while the other one waits with the baby. When they get back the parents "swap" the baby and Cole gets to ride two times in a row (this time with the other parent).

I would suggest the smaller camera. The less stuff you carry, the better. As far as restaurants, we had a big breakfast outside of the park, would do a light lunch at the fast-food style places (we avoided true sit-down restaurants) and we would have a late dinner outside of the park. We would do lots of bottled water to keep them hydrated and would treat them to ice cream to keep them in a good mood! :laugh: If the kids get whiny sit and rest!!! No one likes whiny kids and I always felt bad for the parents who would drag their exhausted kids around.

As far as souveniers we had a rule that you could spend a certain amount per day but once you spent it you couldn't ask for anything else. Amazingly it really cut down on the asking for stuff because all of a sudden it became "their money".

[Mona2006]

Shell that is awesome that you are going to Disney!! I love Disney so much. The babies will too. :)

Animal Kingdom is fun but hot as hell. I would plan on doing most of that stuff early in the day because late afternoon will probably be miserable. The Tree of Life is awesome.. as well as the Safari..don't miss those. I agree with Vandy.. be sure and get your "Fast Passes" and get them early. Some rides are gone early in the day then you will have to brave the lines. If there are parades, that is the time to ride some of the most popular rides..if you feel like you can miss the parade.

So far as restaurants, at the Magic Kingdom our family has done lunch with Pooh and friends at the Crystal Palace. You have to make reservations and you can do that by calling them. It is a buffet and it really is good food.. not to mention that when Pooh and his "friends" walk in, the crowd goes wild..including the adults. :D Great opportunity to have them available for the kids to get pics with them. Columbia Harbor House is good..they have some seafood and chicken tenders.

At Epcot, we love the indoor Mexican restaurant. The atmosphere is really nice and the food is good. (needs advance reservations) There is a fast food Mexican restaurant with outside seating. That one is good too.

At MGM, we really didn't eat much there so I don't have any suggestions.

If you don't get fast passes and the rides have two lines, go left. I read that years ago that people automatically go right and when you go left, the lines are always short or non-existent. For some reason at Pirates of the Caribbean, that is always the case. :)

Hope I was some help. I hope you have a great time...ride everything for me and take lots of pics. I would suggest the smallest, easiest camera you have. It will be a long day with lots of walking and you don't want anything extra to have to carry around.

[SouthernHockeyChick]

Take the smaller camera and do PhotoPass if you want high-quality family pics.

[nccanes]

Another vote for the smaller camera.

And VC has the great suggestion about "baby swap". I bet Cole isn't big enough for Space Mtn, but there would be plenty of rides where he'd be able to go, but the baby not so much. You may want to mention "baby swap" to the first attendant you see in the line since some of the rides tend to operate differently in regard to this.

One ride we liked with little kids (and even bigger ones) is the Tomorrowland Transit Authority. It's a slow and smooth moving 'ride' that runs thru the various bigger rides in Tomorrowland while it's track is above the groundlevel. It runs in a continuous fashion and you can tell them that you want to stay on when it returns to the loading dock. When our kids were little, we told them it was the "slower" version of Space Mountain because it ducks into the building and you can see the real coaster cars going by and get a sense of that ride. It's a nice way to get off your feet for a bit and it duck in and out of A/C buildings (if it's hot). It's interesting enough to keep the little ones from getting bored and it gets you off your feet for a bit without just sitting on a park bench somewhere.

I always loved the "Unofficial Guide to WDW" as a planning book. It's very humorous, givings tips for saving time (like which side of the queues to use) and almost reads like a book as opposed to a tour guide. It also rates each ride by age range.

[Shell]

awesome, thanks guys!! I am reading allears.net religiously but have not found anything yet on which rides are the popular ones that I need to try and get a fast pass for yet.
Thanks Vandy, I did read about baby swap and told Cole just today how lucky he was to have a little brother so that he could ride more rides - he went and gave Ryan a big kiss at that :lol:

Another critical question - beer in the hotel room - how/where do I get it?? Can I? :lol:

--edited since E posted - thanks! Good to know. Unfortunately Space Mountain is closed. Guyute is devastated!

[nccanes]

You'll definitely want to get it off property. Are you flying down or driving thru the night for your arrival?

You're staying in one of the All Stars right? That's the last place we stayed, but it's been a few years. I know I can ask Mr ncc where he went though. :lol:

And on that topic, Magic Kingdom doesn't serve alcohol. Epcot does, but maybe only in the Word Showcase portion. MGM does. And we were never at Animal Kingdom other than in the morning so I'm not sure about that.

If you plan to stay the day at MK and want to have a drink, you can take the monorail to one of the hotels and have lunch and a beer and then head back.

My best advice for little kids is the afternoon siesta/break. Take the kids back to the hotel, let them dip in the pool, take a little rest and then everyone will be more refreshed for an evening in the parks.

[Shell]

we're flying down and just doing Disney transportation, probably. We might get a rental car for just a day or two but not sure if that is more trouble than it is worth. We're staying at Pop Culture which is the same as the all-stars I think.

[nccanes]

Then if you are taking a cab from the airport to the hotel, I'd ask them to make a stop at a grocery store before you get to the hotel.

We used a town car service and I'm pretty sure they made a stop along the way for us.

Otherwise, you can get some groceries (beer) at the hotel stores, but it'll be expensive.


You mentioned AllEars, I bet I got my town car recommendation from them as well.

http://allears.net/pl/airport.htm

[Shell]

Thanks E, Disney is picking us up at the airport, getting our luggage for us, and dropping us off at our hotel in the magic bus (queue the who). I did see a mention that they may stop at a store for you but that seems weird since I imagine there will be plenty of people on the bus. I guess overpaying at disney will still come out cheaper than a cab or rental car. I just wanted to make sure they had some place there that you could actually buy it. We won't need too much since I am still nursing and mainly drinking O'Douls anyway

[Kat]

Rides that are popular/need fast passes:

MGM:
Toy Story Mania -- we were there at extremely slow times (Sept 08, Jan 09) and they were still all gone by 11AM. Get over there immediately after entering the park. :)
Rock n Roller Coaster -- not for kids, has a single rider that is definitely worth using probably in place of FP as one of you can wait with the kids each time.
Tower of Terrer -- probably FP.

Shell, if you are not into roller coasters and J is (or vice versa), you may be able to take the kids into the Beauty and the Beast show and he can ride RnR and Tower of Terror, as they are all in the same area.

MK:
Splash/Big Thunder Mtn
Peter Pan
Maybe Philharmagic? Kids may find it scary though.

Epcot:
Soarin' -- again, like Toy Story Mania, go get this FP first. VERY popular ride.
Test Track (has single rider!)
Mission Space (if you care)

AK:
Safari
Dinosaur
Expedition Everest -- also has a single rider. It is somewhat hidden, to the left of the main entrance and around the side. Usually the wait is < 10 min for it and you avoid ALL of the main queue.


As to beer, well, on-property beer is prohibitively expensive. Like, $13-20 for a 6-pack. You may want to rent a car for the first day and go grocery shopping, or I believe that some grocery stores in the area do deliver.

[SouthernHockeyChick]

On allears and disboards you should be able to find some threads talking about grocery services that allow you to place online orders before you leave and have the groceries waiting in your room when you arrive. All for fairly inexpensive, from what I've heard. The Magical Express definitely does not stop for beer, dammit.

And they do serve booze in Animal Kingdom, at least in Africa if not elsewhere as well.

[Kat]

They have some Safari Amber in AK that is evidently a specialty brew from Anheuser-Busch. Not bad. MGM is pretty standard domestic fare except in the indoor bar areas, and Epcot of course has a good selection around the world. Water parks are standard bud/miller. MK is dry as has been mentioned.

Not that I know exactly where to find the beer or anything! :lol:


Oh, and something else that hasn't been mentioned... you can bring water and small snacks in a cooler for the kids into any park, as long as the cooler is not on wheels.

[Shell]

more awesome info, I love you guys. Thanks!

[Kat]

Anytime. More questions, just ask. Obviously a few of us have been before! ;)

I totally spelled Tower of Terror wrong above. Can I blame it on beer? :lol:

[caniac369]

I can't add as much to the above as nobody I know has been to WDW more times then Kat and her hubby (but Kat does need to tell the cooler story from a couple trips back; too funny).

But, I did hear a tip to cut costs on souveniors (if you guys do that). You go to the Disneystore at the mall or other store that sells disney stuff before the trip and you or Guy pack in your suitcase. Then, at some point on the trip, give it to Cole.

[BrindAmourFan]

Shell -- If you can spare the time, take Cole to the barber shop just inside the entrance to MK...it's a must for little boys!! :)

Since moving here from Florida in 2003, we've only been back once and I was sick for most of the trip. Hubby wasn't with us, so the boys were miserable, as we spent three full days in a darkened hotel room at Pop Century.

I love WDW. We lived on-property for a few months and had a blast. I miss it like crazy.

Have fun!!

[caneshockeychick]

I can't add as much to the above as nobody I know has been to WDW more times then Kat and her hubby (but Kat does need to tell the cooler story from a couple trips back; too funny).


QFT!!!!

Kat and D know everything there is to know I am sure :lol:

[Mona2006]

Shell I understand Guyute's pain.. I love Space Mountain. It is just for "refurbishing?".. boo on that.. the last time we went, Small World was closed and Nita and Levi were sad.. of course the adults were too but wouldn't admit it. :)

You won't be sorry for paying the extra and staying on Disney premises. It is so nice having everything at your fingertips. I only stayed on premises once and that was years ago at the Polynesian. They do take care of you and it was so awesome to step out of your hotel room and board the monorail.

In the Magic Kingdom, don't miss Small World and Peter Pan's Flight. I love both of those myself.. and of course Dumbo cannot be missed. :) Splash Mountain is awesome (Frontierland) but don't think you can take Ryan on there. Cole is probably tall enough but wouldn't think they would let a baby on. You should definitely do the "baby swap" for this one. The animatronics are amazing. :)

Abou the beer question, I think if you eat at the German restaurant at Epcot, they serve beer there.

Have fun! :spin:

[CzechIt]

Just a couple of suggestions. I have been to Disney a gazillion times (my parents are down there and everytime someone visits and I happen to be there, I am the lucky tour guide). I would take your best camera to Animal Kingdom. (point and shoot is fine everywhere else) There are so many AMAZING animals and you can't get close to all of them. Especially on the Safari (a must do), you might not be able to get the lions or the elephants. The only place that you might wish you did not have to the camera is if you go on the white water rapids ride because of the water. But I usually skip it on my trips... there are plenty of other things to see.

I HIGHLY recommend the parades at night. (skip the day ones and get rides in). I really like Magic Kingdom's parade at night. You might not get good picture but you might get a wink from a fish float! I like MGM's "show" at night. It is far away but the laser light show is pretty cool. Also, I recommend seeing some of the side shows at places, they can be a good time for a break and cool off. In animal kingdom, Simba's party (can't remember the exact name) was a great show to see and a good way to get out of the rain.

BTW you might want to prepare for those rain storms. Florida is NOTORIOUS for raining hard for 5 min and then the sun comes out like nothing happened.

I can't recommend food places to eat (in the park) but I can tell you, you can bring snacks and drinks into the park in a backpack. Oh and this year, you can get in free on your birthday.

[kermelbar]

I have a friend who is mildly Disney obsessed -- she has the timeshare and it's pretty much the only place she goes on vacation. She doesn't have kids (and, actually, usually went alone), so I didn't ask her for advice, but I noticed that today on Facebook, she became a fan of MouseSavers.com. You do not have to be on Facebook to get to that site: http://www.mousesavers.com/

[Shell]

Thanks everyone!!

(and I am a facebook addict so no problem there anyway LOL)

[JaroFan]

Shell, we just went in January with Jackson who is almost 4, and Cooper was 9 months at the time. We stayed at Beach Club resort in a villa with a kitchen. We also flew and did the Disney Transportation. We had groceries delivered through Garden Grocer, they delivered wine. My inlaws came with us and brought some gin.

We only did one character meal - Chef Mickey's. I HIGHLY recommend it. It was well worth the money, IMO. We didn't use the baby swap as much. Since we stay on site we took advantage of the Magic Hours, and went out at night and left the kids with the inlaws. We were able to ride all the adult rides then.

Even though Cole is older, definately rent him a stroller. Jackson hadn't ridden in one in years but there's no way he could have walked the park. It saved us from many a meltdown. I'd recommend taking your own for Ryan, b/c the Disney plastic ones aren't comfy for a baby that wants to sleep.

We stayed from Monday-Friday, and did Magic Kingdom 3 times. We also spent a whole day at Animal Kingdom. We hit Epcot right as we landed but there wasn't a whole lot there for Jackson. At Hollywood Studios we only did the Playhouse DIsney show.

We split the PhotoPass with 3 other families and the pictures turned out a LOT better than anything we took. Some of the moments were so special & magical that I didn't want to ruin them by getting out my camera and shooting, know what I mean?

Not sure if you're nursing Ryan, but it is a very friendly place for that. I nursed Cooper everywhere, and he was also able to go on a few rides with us which was fun.

Any questions, feel free to PM me. I'm not an expert by any means but we just went so I feel like I can share some info.

[Kat]

I have a friend who is mildly Disney obsessed -- she has the timeshare and it's pretty much the only place she goes on vacation. She doesn't have kids (and, actually, usually went alone), so I didn't ask her for advice, but I noticed that today on Facebook, she became a fan of MouseSavers.com. You do not have to be on Facebook to get to that site: http://www.mousesavers.com/

Gee, K, wonder who that might be? ;)

Mousesavers is a great place to get cheap rates and budget information, but allears and wdwinfo are better for general park info.

Facebook, you say? I am not addicted. No, not at all. :lol:

[nccanes]

Jaro has great advice --- get Cole a stroller. He can always pop out for a walk, but it was much easier to navigate the crowded walkways with the kids in a stroller and nice to get them off their feet too.

[puck_it]

I'd still ride in a stroller.

[Canesluver]

That's 'cause you're the only one of us who'd fit in one!
:beatup:









(that was too easy!)

[puck_it]

you provide the stroller, I'll sit in it. for real.

[Mona2006]

I'd still ride in a stroller.

Don't go to Small World.. they may think you are trying to escape and drag you back in and make you twirl and sing with the rest of them. :p:lol:

[caniac369]

I had an ex that while his mom was pregnant with him she got stuck on 'It's a small world' as Disneyland for 2 hours. He could not stand the song and would go into convulsions whenever he heard it. Anytime he would be an @ss I would start humming the tune (which after 4 years I finally realized was a good reason to dump him, that and he didn't like the Canes).

[JaroFan]

I'd still ride in a stroller.

LOL, you joke but I saw a handful of dads pushing both the mom & kid in those strollers!

[Shell]

Thanks! and I was definitely planning on strollers for both - no doubt about it! Cole still enjoys riding in his and it will definitely be easier.

I have been trying to decide what to do with the strollers though. Both kids have the Graco Quattro Stroller. It is awesomely easy to navigate even over uneven paths, can turn on a dime, is comfy, has a cover, snack tray, etc. and the kids love them. The downside is that they accumulate all of our stuff so anytime we have to fold them up it is a hassle to empty out the bottom bin, and they are also big. I was considering renting a smaller umbrella stroller but I think it might be worth the hassle to have the comfort factor of the big ones? (and the storage space). Any suggestions there?

I checked the grocery page and they don't seem to sell alcohol anymore but it is a good idea, I'll see if I can find one who does :)

How did you share a photo pass?

[caniac369]

Shell, we have the Quattro for Kaitlyn and it's great. One thing I would recommend is that since you guys are flying that you not only get a carry bag to put the strollers in at gate check you get carry bags for their carseats (if you are going to check them). These are the ones we have:

http://www.target.com/dp/B000262HMQ/178-1421128-5690938

http://www.target.com/Childress-Ultimate-Car-Seat-Travel/dp/B0009RNXNA/qid=1236231870/ref=br_1_1/178-1421128-5690938?ie=UTF8&node=162656011&frombrowse=1&rh=&page=1

Now the carseat bag is a little on the pricey side, but it's padded and has straps like a backback. We've used the carseat bag on 3 trips to the east coast and back and it's still in great shape. Also, the carseat bag is big enough that we are able to fit Kaitlyns full size carseat and a duffle bag in there with room to spare. The stroller bag is a little beat up after 3 trips but the cost of the bag compared to the cost of replacing our stroller was well worth it.

[JaroFan]

Shell, they don't list it on their website but when you call and ask, they'll tell you that if you put it in the comment section as you check out they'll buy it for you. Bascially they just go by a Publix and pick up what you need. I told them 3 bottles of wine and they got it right.

We did not take any carseats. Since we did the Magical Express we were never in a car to need one. And i'm kind of glad we didn't b/c anytime you catch the bus or boat you have to fold up your stroller - quickly - and the carseat would have been more work. On the monorail luckily we could just push the stroller on. But it was a PITA everytime we went back to the hotel trying to get both kids and their gear on the bus quickly.

If you have a smaller stroller for Ryan it might be worth it. I also took a backpack, and the Disney strollers had a little mesh bag that we could put some stuff in. The nice thing about that is we rented them for a week, any park you go to you just show your receipt and can pick one up and return it anytime. I wouldn't worry too much about comfort for Cole, unless you think there's a chance he'll sleep in it? The Disney ones also have huge sunshades.

I'm on a local mom's board and 3 other families were going to Disney within a couple of weeks as us. So we prepaid and shared the code. It worked out great b/c we only took maybe 20 photos and would have spent alot of money for such a little bit. You may try the Disney boards and see if anyone else is going at the same time.

If you get to Animal Kingdom and like roller coasters, I recommend you & Guyute do Expedition Everest. Jeff & I rode it twice. We went in January and luckily there were no lines so we just walked right up. Awesome! Jackson also LOVED the River Rapids ride. We bought a poncho there ($7), so if you can get a cheap one beforehand I'd recommend that.

ETA - I have that same stroller bag as above and it's lasted 3 airplane trips. It's a little beat up now, but was a godsend.

[Mona2006]

All this talk of Disney is making me "homesick".. Shell how big are your suitcases? *thinks about stowing away* :D

[VandyCane]

Shell, we took our own strollers when the kids were little. Outside all the rides they have stroller parking lots so you don't have to fold them. I never left anything important on the stroller (camera, etc.) but I certainly left the diaper bag, snacks, bottled water, etc. under the stroller and never worried about anyone taking my junk.

[Shell]

oh great, thanks guys! Good to know about the grocer deal too!
I am not going to bring the car seats, that is too much of a pita and we shouldn't need them.

I saw Mount Everest on a Disney show and it looks awesome!

Mona - my suitcases are huge but will seem tiny when I have to try and pack all the crap you need to go anywhere with 2 little kids LOL

[Kat]

Shell, be sure to see my comment about Expedition Everest in an earlier post. The single rider lines saves TONS of time, but it is hard to find. If you don't see it ask a Cast Member and they will direct you.

[Shell]

Thanks Kat! I have a massive OneNote file going and put that in there :)

[Shell]

Question for those who use Disney Transportation from the airport. My flight gets in at 9:00 a.m., but check in at my hotel is not until 3:00 p.m.. I guess the bus takes me to the hotel and I immediately turn around and take another bus to a park? Will the airport bus just take me to Magic Kingdom?

Thanks!

[JaroFan]

Question for those who use Disney Transportation from the airport. My flight gets in at 9:00 a.m., but check in at my hotel is not until 3:00 p.m.. I guess the bus takes me to the hotel and I immediately turn around and take another bus to a park? Will the airport bus just take me to Magic Kingdom?

Thanks!
The hotel busses are different, they go to about 3-4 resorts, then you'll need to find your hotel's busstop for the MK. The Magic Express drops you off in front of the hotel. I bet you'll still be able to check in (as in getting your paperwork and such), and then go over and catch the bus to the MK.

[Kat]

^ what she said.

Also, you might get lucky and your room will be ready early. :)

Oh, almost forgot. You likely won't see your luggage until a little later in the day, so you may want to be sure to have enough packed in carry ons to keep the little ones happy, clean, and dry for the balance of the day. If you don't want to take any of the carry on stuff to the park, you can leave it with bell services and pick it up later or have them deliver it to the room when it is ready.