Reality Check-Disney with Kids?

[AirForce Wife]

I have never been to Disney with kids, 7 and 10. I know I am in for a reality check.
I am taking my aunt, my cousin, and his two kids. The kids have never been on ANY "vacation" before, money is tight for them and They have been through a lot and I want this to be as magical as possible.

I have been reading the tips about the happily ever after shows and seating..I wish I could do the dessert party but its too expensive with the 10 year old (who is a picky eater) being listed as an adult.
About when should I start camping out..as I think this will blow their mind.

Magic Kingdom is our 1st night. I'm trying to alternate between busy and not so busy.
Epcot
Hollywood
AK

I have set up for the Bon Voyage breakfast for just my cousin and his daughter (7).
And I did "splurge" for the Fantasmic dessert party for all of us...since it seemed the most reasonably priced.
Any other things that can't be missed?

I'm used to being super organized and usually can finish all the rides in a park by 2, and then I relax for the rest of the day and re-do things. The 10 year old has anxiety issues, so I'm trying not to overwhelm too much.

 

[Hannahinwonderland]

I would just have totally different expectations and make this trip about the kids. You have the opportunity to go to Disney on other trips, it seems, and my suggestion is that you tailor this trip to what might work for them, such as mid-day breaks, riding the rides they love over and over, and adjusting plans at a moment's notice. I would just kind of slow down and just experience the magic of seeing it through a child's eyes! It'll be a great trip.

 

[Shanti]

I have never been to Disney with kids, 7 and 10. I know I am in for a reality check.
I am taking my aunt, my cousin, and his two kids. The kids have never been on ANY "vacation" before, money is tight for them and They have been through a lot and I want this to be as magical as possible.

I have been reading the tips about the happily ever after shows and seating..I wish I could do the dessert party but its too expensive with the 10 year old (who is a picky eater) being listed as an adult.
About when should I start camping out..as I think this will blow their mind.

Magic Kingdom is our 1st night. I'm trying to alternate between busy and not so busy.
Epcot
Hollywood
AK

I have set up for the Bon Voyage breakfast for just my cousin and his daughter (7).
And I did "splurge" for the Fantasmic dessert party for all of us...since it seemed the most reasonably priced.
Any other things that can't be missed?

I'm used to being super organized and usually can finish all the rides in a park by 2, and then I relax for the rest of the day and re-do things. The 10 year old has anxiety issues, so I'm trying not to overwhelm too much.

I strongly recommend ditching the Fantasmic dessert party & doing the Happily Ever After dessert party instead. The hub is insanely crowded at fireworks time and that dessert party would make a huge difference. You don't need a dessert party to enjoy Fantasmic at all, just a FastPass.

That would be worth switching out one of your other Disney meals for a McDonald's meal (at Harbor Blvd., within the WDW gates), to help make up for the difference in price.

 

[chs27]

My son loved down time in the pool as a youngster. Schedule some time to enjoy your resort. Most offer movies at the pool or under the stars. Some have Smores and campfires. Disney can be exhausting, especially if they aren't used to touring.

 

[AirForce Wife]

I strongly recommend ditching the Fantasmic dessert party & doing the Happily Ever After dessert party instead. The hub is insanely crowded at fireworks time and that dessert party would make a huge difference. You don't need a dessert party to enjoy Fantasmic at all, just a FastPass.

That would be worth switching out one of your other Disney meals for a McDonald's meal (at Harbor Blvd., within the WDW gates), to help make up for the difference in price.

I have been thinking about that...its $100 difference in cost..doesn't sound like a lot but it adds up. I have also considered just doing it with one adult and the two kids...I'm still weighing the options. Do you think it would be selfish of me to be the adult that goes with them..

 

[AirForce Wife]

My son loved down time in the pool as a youngster. Schedule some time to enjoy your resort. Most offer movies at the pool or under the stars. Some have Smores and campfires. Disney can be exhausting, especially if they aren't used to touring.

I know I think that was the case when I was little too. We are spending out last day, "relaxing"

 

[AirForce Wife]

I would just have totally different expectations and make this trip about the kids. You have the opportunity to go to Disney on other trips, it seems, and my suggestion is that you tailor this trip to what might work for them, such as mid-day breaks, riding the rides they love over and over, and adjusting plans at a moment's notice. I would just kind of slow down and just experience the magic of seeing it through a child's eyes! It'll be a great trip.

That is what I am most excited about...seeing their reactions.

 

[Shanti]

I have been thinking about that...its $100 difference in cost..doesn't sound like a lot but it adds up. I have also considered just doing it with one adult and the two kids...I'm still weighing the options. Do you think it would be selfish of me to be the adult that goes with them..

I think it's so special that everyone should do it. That's why I recommended cutting corners elsewhere, by cutting out the cost of one or two Disney meals & having McD's instead. I wouldn't leave anyone out, but if an adult in your party really doesn't care, that's an easy person to cut.

 

[martikus]

Honestly? I wouldn’t pay for anything extra. A first Disney trip is magical enough. And if finances matter even more reason to ditch it. And what if kids are so tired they can’t make it to evening? Dad and kid can have just as special a time going off to ride say space mountain alone.

The biggest thing when going with kids is learning to go at their pace. My son (11) wakes super early so we rope drop and return by 4 to hotel to swim and have dinner. This means we never ever see the evening shows but our trips are still amazing. And we will see the evening stuff someday.

Just take it all in. For example - My son wanted to watch the random muppet street show at Epcot every time we passed. So instead of rushing to ensure we got next ride we stopped and enjoyed it. Same with wanting to do like 5 rides on small world. Not what I’d want to do but watching through his - priceless.

And don’t power through when the kids are exhausted. No one enjoys it then. Sometimes a popcorn bucket is enough to bounce back but sometimes you just have to call it a day and head back to swim.

Have a great time.!

 

[AirForce Wife]

Honestly? I wouldn’t pay for anything extra. A first Disney trip is magical enough. And if finances matter even more reason to ditch it. And what if kids are so tired they can’t make it to evening? Dad and kid can have just as special a time going off to ride say space mountain alone.

The biggest thing when going with kids is learning to go at their pace. My son (11) wakes super early so we rope drop and return by 4 to hotel to swim and have dinner. This means we never ever see the evening shows but our trips are still amazing. And we will see the evening stuff someday.

Just take it all in. For example - My son wanted to watch the random muppet street show at Epcot every time we passed. So instead of rushing to ensure we got next ride we stopped and enjoyed it. Same with wanting to do like 5 rides on small world. Not what I’d want to do but watching through his - priceless.

And don’t power through when the kids are exhausted. No one enjoys it then. Sometimes a popcorn bucket is enough to bounce back but sometimes you just have to call it a day and head back to swim.

Have a great time.!

Them being too tired was one of my worries. That’s one of the reasons we are doing Epcot day 2, I don’t think we need to be there for rope drop. We are going to get FP for later in the day there.

 

[Klayfish]

Our kids are now 13, 10, 10, but we've been going with them since they were 4, 1, 1.

We've never done a single dessert party. IMO, it's a waste of money. The prices are insane. What we've done many times is take the kids to Goofy's Candy shop on Main St. and let them pick any dessert their heart desires. Then camp out and get a spot in the hub. We spend maybe $35 total and have a fantastic view of the show. I simply don't see the appeal of the dessert party.

I also go against the grain regarding "enjoying the resort". I don't get that either. No, you don't want to run them to the point of being utterly miserable, I get that. But, at least for us, we didn't travel to WDW to see a hotel pool or lobby. We stay offsite, but have the same amenities, and have also toured plenty of hotels. They're fun to look at, but we simply wouldn't plan a full day to just hang out there. Doesn't make sense to us.

You don't need to rope drop. We never do.

 

[aliciamakino]

That is what I am most excited about...seeing their reactions.

I cry every trip. Just seeing my little girl react to the magic is priceless. Well, not priceless, quite expensive actually, but totally worth it. And I myself love it as an adult. And I try to go with the attitude we see what we see and we do what we do. With a toddler in tow, you never know what the day is going to bring.

 

[sponica]

Have you asked the kids what they want to do? A 7 and 10 year old might have some ideas of what their idea of Disney is....my 5 year old niece wants to have breakfast with Cinderella (for example). If I was to go with my niece, Cinderella's Royal Table would be on our "list"

Do they like fireworks? I hated fireworks up close as a kid, so I'd hate for you to plan an entire fireworks experience and then find out someone hates fireworks....

Plan in some character meets, because you're at one of the few places in the world where you can MEET mickey.

Also, will you have hoppers? For a kid's first trip, I'm not sure one day at MK is enough time. (If no hoppers, I'd drop Hollywood Studios unless someone's a huge Star Wars fan or you're going after Toy Story opens but that's just me). Don't be surprised if the kids want to go back to MK, so definitely be flexible about not going to another park unless you have hoppers.

 

[Hoodie]

You mention the 10 year old has anxiety issues. How severe and what causes them? If it's something that may impact your trip, pop over to the DisABILITIES board. They have a ton of suggestions on how to help with anxiety in the parks.

 

[KenHutch]

You might try this YouTube can really be your friend. I tell the adults in my groups that it is about the kids. I talk to the 17 ( a real park commando) and the 8 year old. I have had them watch videos of hotels, overall parks and rides. Based on their feedback I am doing fastpasses on April 4th. And even then I at least have to work on compromise the 8 year old saw ToT and Aerosmith and got excited, the 17 year old is terrified,

 

[jacknsally19]

I agree with the others to skip the dessert parties. I feel like those ‘add-ons’ Are for people who go so often and need new experiences.

In general, i wouldn’t get hung up on must dos with kids. I think many people get stressed when they go with family/kids and are like we must accomplish these things..... some time kids need down time (or just sleep). I always try to plan on seeing evening shows but a lot of the time the family is just too tired. So we head back to the hotel. On our most recent trip, we only did HS fireworks bc that was a ‘half day’ park so we had the energy.

The nighttime shows are definitely awesome but not so great if everyone is tired and cranky.

 

[tabrizia]

We have also never done a dessert party. With kids you never know how they will react and honestly it just doesn't seem worth the cost.

That being said I also agree with an earlier poster that I would probably drop Hollywood Studios for a second Magic Kingdom day. There is a ton to see in Magic Kingdom and it is Disney for a lot of people who have never been before. We can easily do 3 to 5 days just at Magic Kingdom with our kids when we go on a longer trip. We're going in less than a month now for 4 days. The first thing I did was drop Hollywood for a second Magic Kingdom day.

Also be flexible. You may end up needing an afternoon break, you may not. You may stay till closing, you may end up leaving at 3 and not coming back. Disney is exciting fun and overwhelming. The best way to get through it with kids is to relax and go with the flow.

I would also check and see if they have anything specific they want to do. My 7, 9 and 11 year old give me a lot of suggestions and requests when I plan. It helps a lot to figure out what they actually want to do, and what seems cool to me, but isn't actually something they are interested in.

 

[rdaky]

I agree with everyone saying to skip the extras. It's just one more thing that you have to schedule around and it's more money. My kids are 12, 8, and 2 and you know what they're most excited about for our next trip? The hotel pool!

 

[unrequited23]

Do not underestimate the lure of the pool (unless the kids have one in their backyard.) Whenever we finished up our plan for the day, around 1-2pm, and asked the kids what they wanted to do next--it wasn't a ride, a show or ice cream, it was always the pool.

 

[AirForce Wife]

Have you asked the kids what they want to do? A 7 and 10 year old might have some ideas of what their idea of Disney is....my 5 year old niece wants to have breakfast with Cinderella (for example). If I was to go with my niece, Cinderella's Royal Table would be on our "list"

Do they like fireworks? I hated fireworks up close as a kid, so I'd hate for you to plan an entire fireworks experience and then find out someone hates fireworks....

Plan in some character meets, because you're at one of the few places in the world where you can MEET mickey.

Also, will you have hoppers? For a kid's first trip, I'm not sure one day at MK is enough time. (If no hoppers, I'd drop Hollywood Studios unless someone's a huge Star Wars fan or you're going after Toy Story opens but that's just me). Don't be surprised if the kids want to go back to MK, so definitely be flexible about not going to another park unless you have hoppers.

Yes, we will have hoppers and we have one day with no park planned. I thought we could redo some of their favorites. The 7 year old loves singing so she wants to do the frozen sing along. And her favorite is Rapunzel so we planned the bon voyage breakfast.
I have sent them some you tube videos to watch.