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

[joshua4]

So we are taking our niece (3) and nephew (7) in August. I have not been with kids since my now adult kids were little. My favorite tip is that each morning we did a little shout out to Tinkerbell - something like "Zippity zapity zee, zippity zappity zoom, TInkerbell, Tinkerbell come to my room!" OUr kids knew that since we said the magic words, Tink would be watching them. This helped promote good behavior. Then when it was time to go back to the room for a break in the early afternoon, we would say "I wonder if Tinkerbell was in our room????" Of course when we got back to the room there were always small gift surrounded by pixie dust waiting for them. Things like Disney pez dispensers or glo sticks to use at fireworks later. Small things that you can collect at home for cheap. This will also decrease them wanting to buy everything because they will get small gifts every day. Tink leaves a note in 4 pt font for them, of course. Super excited to brush off my Tinkerbell trip in August! Not sure if your 9 year old is too old for that -- but even as our kids got older, they never ruined it for the smaller kids. (Also because I told them that Tink will not bring gifts to you if you don't believe in her). Have fun!

 

[mrs705]

It depends on the kids and what they like and what their speed is. Go at the speed of the youngest. Dining reservations are a must and I like to make most of ours with the kids in mind. Character meals with those they like. CRT, Be Our Guest, Akershus, Crystal Palace, and lot of the breakfast character buffets are a real treat. Find out what they like and involve them in the planning of these. Then some nice restaurants in the mix that adults are sure to enjoy. We get the meal plan so we can take breaks at the park and sit down for meals in the air conditioning. It gives us a chance to cool off refuel and recharge. Plenty of snacks, mickey ice creams cupcakes and refreshments and time to look and explore at all the things. See if there are characters they want to meet and try to arrange that. My kids liked the game in the MK that you get at the fire station with the cards, although we never finished it ever lol I'm not sure what it's called but you have to find the hidden places and show your card at the right point and magic happens. Parades were a must for us and the fireworks complete with a light up toy and balloon. Leaving the park and returning later in the day never worked for us. It always took too much time going back and fourth traveling. If you want a break why not stay in the pool and then hit the park later in the day. Make a dedicated pool day as well with a break from the parks and maybe hit Disney Springs for dinner, dessert and entertainment. The Lego store is there and shopping. Lots of entertainers too. With FP's keep the kids in mind and involve them in planning of the trip. This way nobody is upset that they did't get to pick something they liked to ride. Make sure they meet height requirements too. Nothing worse than when a kid is planning to ride and they are not big enough. Make sure they like rides! and won't get frightened on certain rides that go dark suddenly. Games on line help pass time... apps, charades, and Disney has a game app or old fashioned style. I always bring Monopoly Deal or Uno decks in my backpack. Snacks for the line/water. Bring extra battery power. If you have a water spray bottle to cool them off you will be a God. Have fun!

 

[mikeyg1479]

Basically lower expectations and slow down. You might have all these "awesome plans" and have a whole list of things you want to do, but kids get tired and cranky, and despite being in the "happiest place on earth" may not always be a happy camper. Its normal and its not their fault. Just be prepared to slow down, take breaks, expect a far slower pace if you are used to visiting without children, and don't expect them to be blissful about everything at all times. Again, this is normal.

Also, for me, a big thing to keep in mind- we were always "park warriors" trying to fit everything in, and do all these rides, and were never much for lounging at the resort/pool. But guess what? The pool might be the most memorable and fun thing for a kiddo- so make sure time is always slotted away for it.

 

[philly_mcphillyface]

We just got back from a trip with our 6 and 9 year olds and I’m basically just echoing what a lot of folks are saying: plan for mid-day pool breaks (they’re a lifesaver) and I’d strongly recommend getting the park hopper.

Another piece of advice I would offer is to consider splitting up on occasion if/when it makes sense. For example, at a certain point our son and daughter were just antagonizing the heck out of each other. The boy loves roller coasters and my daughter prefers calmer rides, so I took him to a bunch of thrill rides while my wife took her to ride dumbo/magic carpets/astro orbiter and we later met back up for dinner. This way each got to do what they like... and we didn’t have to listen to them fight! This is also where the park hopper came in handy. My son got up early the morning we we had Animal Kingdom fastpasses. Since we were at Bay Lake, we walked over to ride Big Thunder Mountain a few times before meeting the girls at Animal Kingdom.

 

[Boopuff]

P-O-O-L mic drop.

 

[Goldfish Are Feral]

You have received so many great responses I'm not sure what else I could add. But I did want to also agree and caution to not plan too much. I took my 4 year old twins whom are early risers two years ago. I didn't plan anything Fastpass wise or show wise past noon. Lunches were a different story, but I'm so glad I went that route because it was almost like clock-work. Around 12-1pm they started to unravel. We just hopped back on the bus and they either fell asleep or was able to relax enough (long bus ride due to staying at SSR) that by the time we got back to the resort they were refreshed enough to go swimming and enjoy the resort.

We packed bubbles, pipe cleaners, and glow sticks to help keep the kids entertained while we waited for ...well anything. We also did the "Tinkerbell" thing, but we had Mickey. Mickey visited us much like *ahem Santa and dropped off little goodies (things that I bought from the Dollar Store, 5 Below, or Party City) so the kids discovered them each morning. Some Disney themed some not. It made it easier to tell the kids 'no' to that toy in the gift shop. It was easy to remind them "Oh! But Mickey got us a gift already!" We also gave the kids a $20 gift card each so they could buy something for the trip.

 

[tlmadden73]

Well .. your kids are older, so a lot less to worry about as they aren't as needy and probably can (if they want) to ride anything there.

Number one -- don't expect to do it all .. and slow down. There will be need to stop for snacks, potty breaks, slower walking pace, etc. etc.

Also depends on your kids but:
1) Have a "resort day" in the middle of your trip. A day where you don't have to wake up early and walk around all day. Enjoy the pool, go to Disney Springs, pop over to another resort for lunch or just to explore -- use it as a day to see what your resort has to offer during the day - pool parties, tye-dye t-shirt making, movies at night, etc. Sometimes (and it makes every parent groan) .. kids say they enjoy the pool most of all! Heh.

2) Don't force them to go on things they don't want to but encourage them to stretch. It's a fine line to tread. My son as about ready to go out the emergency exit for Pirates just while waiting in queue .. but after encouraging him and helping him hide his face during scary parts it is NOW his favorite ride and encouraged his even younger sister to go on it.

3) Stop and smell the roses. Don't overplan. Let the kids play in the fountains at the Imagination Pavilion, splash around Casey Junior, or go on a ride over and over again.

4) Don't stay too late -- at 6 and 9, they probably can go later than toddlers (which is what I have traveled with recently) -- but too many early morning and late nights will have some cranky families.

5) Snacks snacks snacks .. don't let being "hangry" set in in the late morning or late afternoons. Bring bars or apples with you . .or just buy snacks there .. it's a vacation .. splurge on a Mickey Bar!

6) Character meals -- it gives the kids a chance to meet characters WITHOUT having to wait in line and is just a relaxing time to sit for a while. THe kids are entertained by the characters and you get a nice buffet meal to fill everyone up.

 

[scrump]

My 4 year old preferred to go to the pool (we were at POP) and then take meals from the food court back to our room and eat while watching tv! I was devastated that he didn't want to go to the parks the first day, but I let him have a pool day. The next day he was ready to hit the parks, and even though today he doesn't remember exactly what he did, he says that all he remembers is he "had a blast."

Lots of great info in this thread. I am headed into the parks with my 6 year old soon and need to pull it all together again!

 

[unrequited23]

Plan on plenty of pool time. Most of the time when we asked our kids what they wanted to ride next (after we finished up our planned am touring) they would chant "pool, pool, pool." Also, plan on doing those activities/games/play areas at the end of the rides. Off the top of my head I'm thinking of Spaceship Earth, Mission Space and Journey into Imagination. Let them run off steam at the Boneyard in AK. Try to plan meals 30 mins ahead of when the kids typically eat, so no one gets hangry...but pack emergency fruit snacks just in case.

 

[philly_mcphillyface]

Eating dinner in the room is another good one! My son said that his absolute favorite dinner was eating spaghetti in bed while watching the Timon & Pumba safety channel

 

[Boardwalk_bride]

I just posted a very short TR that might help: https://www.disboards.com/threads/mico-tr-–-first-trip-as-parents.3790141/

 

[MudQueen22]

Consider the needs of the kids, but almost every kid that age needs a break and a slower pace.
Our children were ages 4 and 9 on our most recent trip. This is what we did on park days:
1. Rope drop (every park day). Restroom while waiting for park to open.
2. ride, ride, ride and go-go-go within the first hour.
3. at least two morning stopping points for restroom and snacks and refilling of water tumbler. (I took a water tumbler that we could all drink from, but dh & the kids usually just drank from water bottles we brought in.)
4. speaking of water, we had them drink between rides.
5. Really long relaxing lunches. Sometimes they were ADRs with characters. Other times, they were QS restaurants, and we lingered. We took our sweet time. We used the restroom before and after lunch. We got cooled off (we were there in July), and just rested. Even if you do not make any lunch ADRs, there are lots of QS options that are excellent for lingering, and we did not find that we were keeping people from a table. (We also tended to eat lunch early-ish since we were up and at-it at rope drop.
6. non-jerky rides immediately after lunch. Peter Pan. Small World. Navi River. Triceratops spin. Living with the land ride. Ariel ride at MK. Nemo ride. Character meets.
7. Something indoors or an air conditioned ride in the mid-afternoon. A show. one of the slow indoor rides, since they tend to be air conditioned.
8. We usually left at around 3 or so each day. We told ourselves we could return if we wanted to, but we usually didn't. Sometimes the kids wanted to swim, and then it would take too long to get ready. Sometimes we just played at the resort. Especially if we took a swim, kids were too tired to return to parks. They fell asleep by 8pm and slept hard.
9. Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

We did have a few non-park days. We went to DS one day. We also had a few days that we just committed to playing at the campground or running to a walmart to replenish our bottled water and snacks.

*Our last trip, at the campground, was our favorite trip.

 

[FallsChurchDad]

Try to plan meals 30 mins ahead of when the kids typically eat, so no one gets hangry...but pack emergency fruit snacks just in case.

This is an important one that should be stressed. You can have good plans in terms of FPs/rides/shows/meals, but kids' moods can sometimes be down just because they are hungry or thirsty and don't even realize it, especially when they are using more energy than usual just walking all over the parks. In June, the line for a particular snack can be long and slow-moving, so it's nice to bring some pre-packaged stuff. We liked bringing ziplocked bags of fruit. A juice box and some grapes for the kids can make all the difference when you are standing in a non-moving FP line for Soarin'.

 

[Ohiostatefan606]

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!

My son was 7 the first time we went, just got back from 5th trip. (We go over MLK weekend). Having a lunch reservation has been our go to break. We are up, rope dropping and on the move. By lunch time we are ready to sit and not battle other people for food. When our son was 7, we were done at the parks just after dinner time. We didnt push him to the brink of a meltdown. This year at 11, we closed down MK at 11:00 pm! Also SNACKS! My kid goes from sweet to hangry in about 2 minutes. Pack snacks. We love to chill out on the PeopleMover. The train was always a go to, but it isn't running. We also find time during our short trip for our son to swim. He loves the pools at the resorts. It doesn't have to be all parks all the time! Buy Memory Maker. I have so many great photos, that I'm in, but with the characters and from the rides. For me, it is money well spent. Have fun!

 

[Cruising Engineer]

So we are taking our niece (3) and nephew (7) in August. I have not been with kids since my now adult kids were little. My favorite tip is that each morning we did a little shout out to Tinkerbell - something like "Zippity zapity zee, zippity zappity zoom, TInkerbell, Tinkerbell come to my room!" OUr kids knew that since we said the magic words, Tink would be watching them. This helped promote good behavior.

What a great idea. We're doing one day at MK then 3 nights on DCL with my nephew and his family (7, 5, 4 yo). I was trying to figure out how to incorporate Tinkerbell for the trip (as if Santa was watching for good behavior). This should work great and the surprise when they actually meet Tink on the ship!