Touring with first timers - help me plan!

[Kailua's Belle]

When we first took our kids to DL, they were 4 and 6. We no longer had a stroller at home, but I rented one for the 3-day trip and it was a life saver. My kids would take turns riding in it. And especially for our 4 yr old, she was able to last longer throughout the day because of it. The following year at ages 5 and 7, no stroller was necessary.

My sister in law was thinking of just picking up an umbrella stroller, but that kid weighs like 50 pounds, so she was thrilled when I told her I rented them one and it's getting delivered!

I considered the WOC the dessert party, but it's booked up. Probably wouldn't have spent that much anyway for 7 people. Maybe next time I go solo or with just one of my kids.

 

[Kailua's Belle]

Anna and Elsa's meet and greet is inside the Animation building so there's another princess opportunity. I believe they will be in their outfits from Frozen 2 as well since it opens this week. Turtle Talk is also a fun alternative that might appeal to the 4yr old while the older one is at the Animation Academy. That said, depending on the kid 7 is still, IMO, on the young end for Animation Academy. The pace of the class can be hard for younger ones to keep up with.

I agree 7 may be a little young for Animation Academy, and I have a funny little story to go with it. When my youngest was 7 we did the Animation Academy and were drawing Donald Duck. She totally melted down because she couldn't do it, so grandpa to the rescue, he helped fix hers. Fast forward 10 years (just last month in fact) she and I were at DCA and as we passed the building she exclaims, We have to do that! I need to redeem myself. As you know, you don't know which character you'll be drawing. As soon as the artist starts giving the hints, she was so stoked and said it was fate. Yes, it was once again Donald! Her picture turned out beautifully. First thing afterwards she wanted a picture with it and texted it to grandpa. He now has the original framed in his office. Lol! These are the types of memories I'm hoping for my brother and his kids!

 

[mouschievous]

I didn't read all of the original post because it was a lot of text and I'm lazy But I wanted to post because we did a multi-generational trip with 10 of us a year ago - and I was the only one who'd ever been before!

My biggest piece of advice would be to start off structured and then be flexible. I tried to start with "what ride do you guys want to do first?!" and no one knew what to say (looking back, duh! They'd never been!) So H just made an executive decision that our first ride would be Pirates, and we went from there.

We ended up staying together as a group of 11 (a friend joined us for part of the day) all day long...and then we started splitting up on day 2, something I *really* recommend. Keeping everyone together the whole time would have resulted in us wanting to kill each other. Since we started splitting up, everyone got to do things they wanted to do, and we all still liked each other when we left

It ended up being such a fantastic trip. It's been a year but the kids (who were 6, 8, 10 and 11 at the time, and for whom the trip was a surprise) still bring it up all the time. Actually, so does everyone else. Enjoy your family time - this trip will make for fantastic memories!

 

[Kailua's Belle]

I didn't read all of the original post because it was a lot of text and I'm lazy But I wanted to post because we did a multi-generational trip with 10 of us a year ago - and I was the only one who'd ever been before!

My biggest piece of advice would be to start off structured and then be flexible. I tried to start with "what ride do you guys want to do first?!" and no one knew what to say (looking back, duh! They'd never been!) So H just made an executive decision that our first ride would be Pirates, and we went from there.

We ended up staying together as a group of 11 (a friend joined us for part of the day) all day long...and then we started splitting up on day 2, something I *really* recommend. Keeping everyone together the whole time would have resulted in us wanting to kill each other. Since we started splitting up, everyone got to do things they wanted to do, and we all still liked each other when we left

It ended up being such a fantastic trip. It's been a year but the kids (who were 6, 8, 10 and 11 at the time, and for whom the trip was a surprise) still bring it up all the time. Actually, so does everyone else. Enjoy your family time - this trip will make for fantastic memories!

Not lazy at all. That was totally too long, so I'm surprised anyone read it

I did tell them they all needed to get the app so we can split up sometimes and they're all convinced we're sticking together. I'm like, yeah, let's evaluate that after day 1. You may be sick of me by then! Haha!!!

 

[theluckyrabbit]

... I considered the WOC the dessert party, but it's booked up. Probably wouldn't have spent that much anyway for 7 people. Maybe next time I go solo or with just one of my kids.

One way to get a taste of WOC is to try standby viewing in front of Little Mermaid or under Silly Symphony Swings. In front of LM is nice because if you can get there early enough for front row spots, you can take turns holding the spots and leaving to get snacks/taking the little ones for restroom breaks/taking a quick shopping break/etc. -- and, if the show turns out to not be all that you had hoped, it will be very easy to leave without disturbing anyone else -- maybe just get right on the LM ride? Right now, the holiday show is Seasons of Light -- a really nice version of WOC -- so you might want to give it a try. And with little ones, we always found that ours just loved the fountains, music, and colored lights -- it didn't always matter whether the view was stellar. They just liked the spectacle.

 

[Kailua's Belle]

One way to get a taste of WOC is to try standby viewing in front of Little Mermaid or under Silly Symphony Swings. In front of LM is nice because if you can get there early enough for front row spots, you can take turns holding the spots and leaving to get snacks/taking the little ones for restroom breaks/taking a quick shopping break/etc. -- and, if the show turns out to not be all that you had hoped, it will be very easy to leave without disturbing anyone else -- maybe just get right on the LM ride? Right now, the holiday show is Seasons of Light -- a really nice version of WOC -- so you might want to give it a try. And with little ones, we always found that ours just loved the fountains, music, and colored lights -- it didn't always matter whether the view was stellar. They just liked the spectacle.

That's a really great suggestion. Oh, I just got my seat cushions from Amazon, so we all have little pads to sit on. Thanks for that suggestion as well. I think I read that in another post of yours!

What do you think of Oga's? I was able to get a reservation for 2 on our last day, thinking of going with just my brother or maybe my niece? Actually, she's not really into Star Wars, so she may not even care and not sure if my brother will want to separate from his family, so maybe my mom or dad, idk. I'm the only one who drinks, but really going just to see it. Worth it?

 

[nutshell]

Throw the four year old one Space Mountain at RD. That’s what I did with my son and he loved it.

 

[Kailua's Belle]

Throw the four year old one Space Mountain at RD. That’s what I did with my son and he loved it.

Ha! I like your style. I bet he'll end up loving it!!

 

[theluckyrabbit]

... What do you think of Oga's? I was able to get a reservation for 2 on our last day, thinking of going with just my brother or maybe my niece? Actually, she's not really into Star Wars, so she may not even care and not sure if my brother will want to separate from his family, so maybe my mom or dad, idk. I'm the only one who drinks, but really going just to see it. Worth it?

We really like the Cantina, but understand that it isn't for everyone. Even if you go by yourself, you can still enjoy it. It's just a fun atmosphere if you understand that it isn't supposed to be a real bar, that most of the patrons will be standing, and that "surly" might be the CM's chosen Batuu character. (Remember the cantina in the movie? The characters weren't exactly charming. That said, we've always found the CMs in Oga's to be pretty friendly.) We don't order alcohol there, but find the other drinks to be fine. For us, we really enjoy watching DJ R3X. It's not a place where you stay for a long time, so even if you go alone, it's not like you'd be gone for hours.

 

[Kailua's Belle]

We really like the Cantina, but understand that it isn't for everyone. Even if you go by yourself, you can still enjoy it. It's just a fun atmosphere if you understand that it isn't supposed to be a real bar, that most of the patrons will be standing, and that "surly" might be the CM's chosen Batuu character. (Remember the cantina in the movie? The characters weren't exactly charming. That said, we've always found the CMs in Oga's to be pretty friendly.) We don't order alcohol there, but find the other drinks to be fine. For us, we really enjoy watching DJ R3X. It's not a place where you stay for a long time, so even if you go alone, it's not like you'd be gone for hours.

My brother and I are big Star Wars fans, so I think it would be fun to go together, but if he wants to stick with his family, I'll either go by myself or my mom will probably want to check it out. Thanks!! We have our HB to Go Fantasmic reservation for 5:00 and Oga's is 4:45. I'm hoping I can trust them to find their way there, get our order, and I'll meet them there. But do you think I can trust them with this responsibility?!?

 

[theluckyrabbit]

... I'm hoping I can trust them to find their way there, get our order, and I'll meet them there. But do you think I can trust them with this responsibility?!?

Walk them through it, showing them exactly where to go and exactly where to pick up the order (there should be a sign and a check in podium on the far left), earlier in the day. Have them text you immediately if there are any questions.