First time going with Kids. Any planning help or advice?

[Steve11874]

We have gone to WDW many times but only with adults, we are planning a trip in June for 7 days. It will be 4 adults and two kids (ages 6 and 9). Any tips on things we should consider while planning? In terms of fastpasses and ADRs? Not exactly sure of what I am asking but if anyone has advice for planning with kids those ages would be helpful. I don't have kids so a little uncertain. Thanks!

 

[sharonabe]

We have gone to WDW many times but only with adults, we are planning a trip in June for 7 days. It will be 4 adults and two kids (ages 6 and 9). Any tips on things we should consider while planning? In terms of fastpasses and ADRs? Not exactly sure of what I am asking but if anyone has advice for planning with kids those ages would be helpful. I don't have kids so a little uncertain. Thanks!

Not sure how you tour, but know that kids that age cannot go, go , go. They will need a break of some kind. We usually planned some of the shows or longer type attractions for the early to mid afternoon when mine were that age. We also like to park hop and just the transportation from park to park would usually suffice for some down time, especially if it was combined with our lunch break.

 

[Steve11874]

Not sure how you tour, but know that kids that age cannot go, go , go. They will need a break of some kind. We usually planned some of the shows or longer type attractions for the early to mid afternoon when mine were that age. We also like to park hop and just the transportation from park to park would usually suffice for some down time, especially if it was combined with our lunch break.

Thank you! this is exactly the kind of thing I am looking for. I was planning on having time for a break mid day (Especially since it will be hot) but also do plan on park hopping. Thanks!

 

[cgattis]

Not sure where you’re staying, but lots of times kids those ages are just as enamored by a plain old pool as by the park (if they don’t have a pool at home). Be prepared for their parents to either a) say “we didn’t spend this much to swim in a hotel pool” and end up with drama or b)say “whatever makes you happy.” My point being, you need to decide up front how much time you will all spend together or if it’s ok to go a different direction for a while if you don’t want to do what the kids want. Like say Carousel of Progress three times in a row......(but maybe that’s just my DD LOL!). Same goes for meals. If they are content with counter service every meal, will you be? Or are they looking for a bunch of $$$ character meals when you’re not? Those are the things I’d recommend you think about when traveling with others’ kids.

 

[MiketheGrate]

All kids are different, but mine loved Tom Sawyer's Island as a break away from lines and rides for an hour. Nice short boat ride out there and then just running/climbing/jumping around for a while.

 

[dbb727]

Not sure where you’re staying, but lots of times kids those ages are just as enamored by a plain old pool as by the park (if they don’t have a pool at home).

this is what i was gonna say. I have found that most kids REALLY love going to the pool, no matter what time of year(although especially summertime), doesn’t matter if they have a pool at home or if it’s a cheap motel pool, they will want to swim so try to plan some hotel pool time in the schedule even if it means less time in the parks.

Also, in the heat/humidity of summer, try to have snacks and waters pre-packed so you are ready and not frantically searching once someone is already cranky (this includes the adults).

 

[mybestieismickey]

Flexible is the key with kids, but 6 and 9 should be better at going with the plan than little kids. Sometimes they just can’t hang all day, and sometimes they can outlast you.

For sure plan for some pool time. Whether that is one whole day off, a half day or two, or even an hour midday or in the evenings it will make everyone happier.

Stay on top of hydration. Kids that age understand when they are hungry and should be able to let you know (make sure they know ahead of time to speak up), but remembering water is not something even adults are always good at. Yes dehydration can lead to serious medical issues, but before that you just get grumpy kids that struggle to control their attitudes and actions.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

When my kids were that age we did RD , midday break by the pool ( I swear they preferred the pool more than the parks at times) and a PM park. They never complained about their feet hurting or being tired with this strategy.

With FP+ we often times make our FP+ for our evening park. Quality over quantity.

 

[Mrs. Bradbury]

Also plan to take things at a slower pace in general. Some of the things adults might see and think, "Oh, neat" and keep walking, like the custodians that paint with water on the ground, may be the highlight of a kid's trip. Ditto the pieces of pavement that light up after dark near Spaceship Earth at Epcot (if they haven't taken them away!). All sorts of little things make a child's heart sing.

 

[jlb727]

I agree with people who said to be flexible! My kids are 6 and 9. We took them when we were younger and ended up going on It's A Small World 4 times in a row. lol Also, we are big fans of taking midday breaks for napping and swimming. When we go in March, we are going to try are going to try one all-day park day at DHS because I think they will be able to handle it for the first time (plus my son is a huge Star Wars fan!) and one all-day park day at Magic Kingdom. I am planning on bringing a backpack full of snacks, along with some little coloring packs and activities for them to do if we have to wait in a long line. I am planning on moving slowly and taking frequent breaks.

As for fast passes, I involved my kids in the planning and we have a mix of "little kids' rides" like Toy Story and thrill rides like Space Mountain. They wanted to do Test Track instead of Frozen for the Tier I fast pass at Epcot, which was a shocker! We have ADRs for some restaurants that I probably wouldn't choose if left to myself, but they really wanted to try them! I was surprised at what rides they wanted to do and what rides they didn't, so I would suggest opening the MDE app, scrolling through the restaurants and attractions and asking them for input.

 

[cw1380]

Just jumping on to reiterate the flexibility aspect. Also, if you plan to do an early morning park, then back to the hotel for the afternoon for the pool and a nap, then back at the park for the evening, you won't be disappointed when the little one gets grumpy and needs to take a rest. We took our 2 year old with us to Disneyland and had a great time with minimal meltdowns because we made sure to plan an afternoon break every day. What we didn't plan on was her not wanting to sleep at night despite having some long days, but that didn't sour our experience one bit. Also, as was mentioned above, take things slower and try not to cram everything in at once. With ADR's, it was easier for us to do breakfasts if anything was a sit down meal because our DD was easier to persuade before we did any rides than after. Also, since your kiddos are a little older, the Heads Up game on iphone and android really makes time go by in line and many times the people around will join in as well! Have fun!

 

[SaintsManiac]

Let the kids lead. When they are tired you leave the parks. We've never pushed my kid to go more than she could. We always let her determine when we leave for the day.

 

[MrMichaelJames]

First time we took our kids they were 2 and 6, we stayed in Contemporary and it was horribly hot. We went back for afternoon naps and then came back to the parks at night. The heat made it extra rough, this was 3 years ago in september. We are now going back in 1 month, they are 5 and 9 now and are hoping for better weather. We aren't staying on the monorail so returning for naps will not be possible but we have all agreed to take it easy. There are many times in our daily itinerary where we have marked down "kids choice". I'm hoping for the best

 

[Disneyfan754321]

When my kids were that age we did RD , midday break by the pool ( I swear they preferred the pool more than the parks at times) and a PM park. They never complained about their feet hurting or being tired with this strategy.

With FP+ we often times make our FP+ for our evening park. Quality over quantity.

My kids are the same way they are 9 and 12 and last year they kept asking about the pools.
We always do two parks then a water park and they always go to the pool at the end of the day.
Dont forget you can check out other pools in your category (value,mod, deluxe)

ADRS. We dont like using park time waiting, so For us only one nice meal the others are buffet's etc.
Rides- most of the rides at Disney are family friendly with the exception of a few. This time I took the rides that are hard to get, my 9 year old doesnt like roller coasters so he just crosses over and waits for us.

 

[DVC2000]

One thing I learned last year traveling with my niece and her kids ages 8 and 6, that both the kids were not morning people. So the mornings we wanted to go to the parks early it really did not workout to well. The best advise besides being flexible. Know what the kids likes, wants and their schedules. This will help you a ton if you are scheduling all the FPs.

 

[yorkieteacher]

Take the break, take the break, take the break! After lunch until early evening back at the resort pool, arcade, whatever-get out of the parks. And realize that Disney law says every child must have at least one melt down during the trip. Everyone will live through it! And laugh about it later! You wil have so much fun seeing Disney through kids' eyes! And as a grandmother, unless you always "eat right" on vacation, be a little lenient with them. Also set limits on gift shop spending, and schedule it for the LAST thing of the evening. And I have resorted with my kids and grandkids to using the gift shop as a bargaining chip, and may or may not have told them if they didn't cry or whine we would visit whichever one they picked at the end of the day-

 

[mkla2015]

Be flexible and pack snacks!

My kids are 8 and 9 now but have been going to WDW since they were 3 and 4. We usually go to the parks early, take a midday break (nap, rest, swim), then go back to a park until closing at night. This touring strategy has always worked for us so we stick to it. We always bring crackers or some sort of snack and water for the kids with us so we can easily let them snack while we are waiting in line if they start getting hungry.

 

[westminster]

Our first trip is still a couple of weeks away so I can’t speak to actually being in the parks but in terms of planning I can definitely recommend buying them Birnbaum’s WDW Guide for Kids. My kids really enjoyed reading about all the rides and then deciding which we should go on and helping with the planning. There is also space for character autographs in the back.

 

[wdwftw]

I will add that for us, with kids, having to get somewhere by a certain time led to the most stressful parts of the day. So when it comes to planning FPs and ADRs, too many, or even anything that seems kind of tight is probably not a good idea. 2 adults can get from one place to another a lot more efficiently than when you add 2 kids to the mix. So for us, a breakfast ADR at our hotel = doable. A breakfast ADR at a park = stress. An Akershus ADR right after a Frozen FP = great. A Yachtsman Steakhouse ADR after a Frozen FP = too many opportunities for delay, even if you think you've given yourself plenty of time. Kids wanna do crazy things like watch the trains in Germany for 45 mins, look at rabbits and squirrels on the grass for 30 mins, play in the sand in front of Beach Club for 20 mins, sit on the bench swings for 15 mins... You can say no to all of that and make it to your ADR on time, but it's just not as fun. =)

 

[BobbyDukes]

We always try to take a day off in the middle of our trip to spend at the hotel (doing some hotel activities) and a small trip to Disney Springs. The Parks are amazing and awesome but kids seem to find fun and pleasure anywhere.

Also your attitude and mindset will be their attitude and mindset.