First trip with 3 yr old son & 5 yr old daughter

[disneykids2]

Going to WDW on May 10th and staying at the Wilderness Lodge with two kids for the first time.. any helpful hint or ideas and comments would be appreciated.. also, any great dinner suggestions.. we have booked breakfast at Cinderalla's castle, but that's it so far...

 

[susy]

We took our son for the first time when he was three (almost four) and then did five more trips during the year (we live in FL). He did so great because of all the things we learned on this board. I have a TON of tips to pass on to you, but DH is due home from work, so I will have to post after dinner. The breakfast is great and will be a highlight for sure!

 

[Memaw2Wm]

My GK (7 & 5½) loved character meals (Breakfastosaurus w/Donald & Friends and Chef Mickey), loved collecting autographs from the characters and searching for the pressed penny machines throughout the parks and resorts.

We bought them autograph books and pressed penny collection holders at the Emporium on Main St., USA

I saved all my change for months beforehand and a few days before going to Disney I took snack-size ziplock bags and put 20 quarters and 10 pennies in them. My DD and I each carried a baggie and we always had the correct change available!

 

[susy]

My packing list-

-clothing: two oufits per, person per day, swimsuits, pj's, sandals for the pool, swimsuit cover-up, two comfortable pairs of walking shoes, sun hats, sunglasses, watches for you and DH.

-toiletries, medications and first aid- I bring everything and on various trips have needed different things. Moleskin is a must- look where they sell Dr. Scholls products, sunscreen, bug spray.

-extras: nightlight for bathroom, bright colored bandana to tie on stroller, squeeze breeze, camera, film, chargers, cell phones and chargers, humidifier or some other contraption to block out noise in the room (trust me on this one),masking tape and sharpie marker -every day I write our cellphone number on a piece of tape and stick it on my son's shirt-just in case, scissors(you always need these for something), a sewing kit or safety pins, shout wipes, ear plugs, your Ps numbers and confirmation sheet and I know I am forgetting some things! My son gets ear infections, so alcohol and droppers!

cooler- water bottles, juice, milk (parmalat), snacks

fanny packs! DH and I each carry one and split up the contents between us-
don't bring a bunch of stuff from your wallet that you don't need-
we take- driver's license , insurance cards, credit cards, AAA or travel club, cash, PASSES, room key, rain ponchos (dollar store ones should be fine to take at first), camera, autograph book and pen, wipes, dental gum (we are fanatical), PS numbers, a small ziploc with first aid items (what good does it do to have tylenol in you room and have to buy some in in the park for a headache?)

For kids your age, you will need a double stroller or two strollers.
I suggest arriving at the parks 30-40 miutes before opening (even on Early Entry days). Hit all of your must- see attractions first. I would take your kids on all the rides you can without assuming they will be scared. My son had a BLAST on Thunder Mountain when he was three. He also loves Splash Mountain. If you are just very casual about it and are having fun, they will too.

My suggestions for the parks-

MK- everything here is great for little ones, EXCEPT:
Snow white
Alien Encounter
Space Moutain- I don't like it because you ride one behind the other.
I would start in fantasyland with dumbo and Pooh and go from there.

Epcot- My son loves:
Spaceship Earth
Living Seas
Food Rocks, Circle of Life
Honey I shrunk the audience
Journey Into your Imagination
Ice Station cool
The world showcase is so much fun- stop at the kidscot stations and let them color

AK-
everything BUT Dinosaur-some attractions have height restrictons, so prepare the kids for that.

MGM- A lot of shows here, but a really fun park. My son loves Star Tour and Playhouse disney. The Muppet 3d is good, too. Take time here to notice all the small details.

We always arrive early and take a pool/nap break at our hotel. Then head out in the late afternoon/early evening. The most hot and crowded time of the day is between 1 and 4pm. Don't be surprised if all of you nap every day! It is very exhausting! I would plan a down day in between for just hanging out.

Eating early is a good idea , too. Eating an early breakfast, an early lunch (11 or 11:30), and an early dinner (5 or 5:30) insures you a nice quiet meal. We rarely have had to wait in line for food and we have our pick of seating. We try to have one sit-down meal per day. Make sure you have your PS's in place, although we've never had troube making PS's once we arrive.

Get those Mickey wake up calls. I try to make it for when I know my son will already be up, so he can answer.

Have fun!

 

[Baloo]

WL is wonderful place to stay! Be sure to do the Hidden Mickey game while there.Ask at the front desk.They'll give you a list with clues to find about 12 Hidden Mickeys throughout the resort.Don't be shy to ask CM's for help!

Have a magical trip!!!

 

[bleeps]

Originally posted by susy
My packing list-

scissors(you always need these for something), a sewing kit or safety pins,

Just remember, if you are flying, you cannot bring scissors or most sewing kit items on the plane!

My most heartfelt, important advice to you is to remember that everyone -- everyone -- will push themselves past the point of exhaustion. You'll be wiped out, and your children will, too. We called this condition, when we recognized it in ourselves or saw it in others, "everybody's tired." Despite the fun and the magic, if you are not careful you will find yourself at your wit's end with your children. Try to quit when you are ahead whenever you can, and for the times you can't, remember this post and the need to reach into your reserves to be patient with your children. The vacation will be made or "broken" based on your ability to absorb your children's difficulties on any given day and not break down yourself.

 

[BevS97]

Just remember, if you are flying, you cannot bring scissors or most sewing kit items on the plane!

You can still bring them, just make sure they are in your checked luggage and not your carryon. My dh carries a penknife on his keyring at all times, and he forgot all about it. He had to surrender it at security and they had a huge box of knifes, scissors etc - seems like a lot of people forget!

Bev

 

[rejobako]

Originally posted by disneykids2
any helpful hint or ideas and comments would be appreciated.. also, any great dinner suggestions..

As I'm sure you've been told, with children that age it's advisable to take breaks during the day while at the parks. You're staying on property, so if you want you can head back to the lodge for lunch, take a nap or a shower, then regroup for an evening of more fun.

As for dinner suggestions, my daughter is three, and she really loves the Rainforest Cafe at Downtown Disney. The food isn't spectacular, but the atmosphere in there is really unique, and your kids will be entertained the entire time with the animatronic animals, waterfalls, etc.

If you're really hungry and want to chow down while in the parks, I would suggest the Akershus in Norway (Epcot); it's an all-you-can-eat hot/cold buffet, real stick to your ribs type of Nordic food. Another good Epcot suggestion is that if you want a good seat for the 9:00 Illuminations fireworks on the lake, etc., you could go to the Rose and Crown restaurant in England at about 8:00 and try to get a seat outside on the lake; you can eat dinner and then you'll have a prime seat for the show without having to elbow people out of the way.

Offsite, there's a dinner show that we like, although I admit it's really cheesy. It's the Medieval Times show in Kissimmee; your kids will love it because the seats surround an arena where they have Knights jousting and other such entertainment, and they don't give you any silverware. You eat your half roast chicken and the rest of your food with your fingers, and beer/wine are included with the price of the ticket. It's not for everyone, but if you have a sense for the offbeat, you might like it.

Finally, if you're planning on getting a sitter one night and heading out to dinner as a couple, I couldn't recommend a better restaurant than either of Emeril's two places near Universal. I've never had a meal better than the one I had at his restaurant at Universal Citywalk, and I'm looking forward to going to his polynesian/oriental themed place that just opened at one of the Universal hotels.

Have fun!

 

[carone0318]

My #1 suggestion if you are bringing your own stroller is to go the Toys R Us and buy a stroller cover for when it rains. It will be the best investment that you make. It will keep the kids dry and your stroller and personal belonging dry too. This is my #1 must have for every trip. So many people always ask where I bought that I say back home and they are like oh. We were there last June when they had something like 19 days of consecutive rain and not just your typical shower, it was rain. Boy was that stroller cover great. I could of easily sold my 2 at the end of the trip for at least $50 ea. For a single stroller they run about $20, for a double I am not quite sure, but I do know that they exist, just say a double one at Babies R Us a few weeks ago. We prefer to bring 2 strollers, it double our storage space Besides we love to torture ourselves.

 

[mommystieg]

I second the suggestion about a stroller cover. Before we went last June I could not understand why the packing list had a stroller cover on it until our first day at Epcot. We had lunch in Mexico and came out to find our stroller absolutely soaked-the basket underneath had at least 2 inches of water in it We had to return to our room and take the stroller seat out and dry it with the blow dryer.
The Crystal Palace is one of our favorite character meals-it features Pooh and friends. My kids also enjoyed Chef Mickey's.
The Disney sing-a-long videos can help prepare your kids for meeting the characters. Most of them are filmed at WDW or DL and feature the characters interacting with kids. The ones my youngest dd enjoys are:
Disneyland Fun
Campout at Walt Disney World
Beach Party at Walt Disney World
Flik's Musical Adventure at Animal Kingdom
Have a wonderful time!!

 

[Boo Mc]

Go over to Fort Wilderness for the petting soo, Hoop-de-doo dinner (pricey but fun) and the sing-along/marshmallow & hot dog cookout with Chip and Dale. We thought they just made smores there but people were roasting weinies too(you buy all the stuff right there. Our kids would rather have made there own dogs than eat dinner in a restaurant. Even if you don't stay for the movie it's fun. The electrical water parade on the lake is fun, too. Go to MK for two days if possible - so much to do for that age. Definitely take a stroller. Make sure you get a spot on the shady side of Main street if you're waiting for the parade! Always use fastpass and child swap. Hit the Tomorrowland speeedway ride right after Fantasyland. That line is long and hot (and smells like exhaust!). Hold on to the kids on Goofy's Barnstormer-no height restrictions but that ride is fast! Try one of the hotel character meals if you aren't going to the parks one day - that way you still get a little Disney without use your park time eating (this applies to Downtown Disney, too). Go to the Boneyard (playground) at AK early - it gets hot there too. (Can you tell we don't do well in the heat ). I could go on and on but I'll give someone else a chance. Our kids are about the same age as yours - you'll have a GREAT time!

 

[MrsMud]

Well, you have gotten some really great tips.
I also think a stroller is a must for these ages! We rented a double one at the parks for $13 per day, and it was worth ten times that much! We didn't call it a stroller, though (psychology at work). My girls were 3 1/2 and 5 1/2, and neither one had ridden in a stroller in years. Instead, I told them as we entered our first park on the first day that, at WDW, kids were the guests of honor and got to be pushed around in a carriage (chariot, whatever you wish to call it). It worked like a charm. They never once complained about being in it, and boy, did it save us a lot of time and aggravation!
Also, bring plenty of things to play with at the airport, on the plane, and in lines (bubbles, yo-yos, pinwheels and lollipops work great). I would also suggest bringing snacks into the park with you. Even if you plan on buying snacks in the park those lines can be long and a nice juice box or cookie can go a long way towards avoiding a meltdown.
Lastly, it will probably get pretty hot at times, so I would look into bringing a mini fan or mister to cool off the little ones (and yourself) when you need it. Have a great time!

 

[SheilaCNJ]

We were just at the Wilderness Lodge last October.

Be sure to plan a trip to the Whispering Canyon Cafe.

The geyser goes off every hour on the hour and is fun to check out.

We saw the Travel Channel show on the Wilderness Lodge before we left and saw a couple of people in person that we had seen on TV.

One way to prepare your children for the characters is to read the "Little Golden Books" on the Disney movies.

The boat ride to Magic Kindgom is fun.

Go to the resort board post on Wilderness Lodge. I faxed a room request for Cinderella Castle view and close to the elevator before our trip. We could see the castle through the trees but view of the fireworks was great.

Also, check out the Electric Water Pageant.

 

[cookie2001]

Depending on your kid and the hours of the park you might consider just resting in the park or since you are at WL taking just a short rest in the room. When my DD had just turned 3 we thought she should have a nap but it took her a while to key down then she was in a dead sleep. Since the park hours were shorter and we were just there for a few days I felt like we were wasting valuable time. Just my 2 cents.

Another thing that happened was that one night before dinner (but after park closing) she crashed so my husband went down to the restaurant and brought back our dinner and we ate in the room. It was really very nice.

 

[melomouse]

Hi - I am so happy for you! We are just back from our second stay at Wl with my two DS(11) and DD(turned 6 at WL last August). You will love it - the kids will love the ducks and all the wildlife - we just had a very close encounter w/ the tamest bunny we ever saw! So close they almost could have pet him!
My kids love non-park time digging in the sand at the little beach,the Sunday duck races, the daily pool games,and of course their refillable mugs - they can share a drink with just one if you like. Bring a laundry tab because you might decide to throw up a load of t-shirts and undies while you're at the pool one day.
Buy the adult chicken strips thingy at Roaring Forks and have them share rather than buying them the nuggets. More cost effective and better chicken.
My most important suggestion - as others have suggested - is to not overdo the parks. Once i got out of the commando mentality, I began to enjoy our trips to the World much much better!
If I think of anything else, I will post before you go - otherwise, feel free to PM with any other questions. The folks on this board are GREAT in making plans.Good luck and enjoy the anticipation! It's almost as good as the trip itself!