A few months ago I posted this advise on a British board and I would like to share it now with you DIS types. My apologies to the seasoned DIS veterans and related WDW experts: this advice is really posted for families visiting for the first time:
Here are a few tips for taking young kids to WDW. PLEASE keep in mind that these are only my personal observations - every kid is different.
CHAPTER 1: WHERE TO EAT?
First-time parents to WDW are sometimes stressed out about how their young kids will behave in a crowded restaurant. Relax! These places are often full of kids and are usually noisy, happy places. They are designed for kids and parents alike, just like WDW. I once heard parents ask if kids were allowed in the dining room. The CM just smiled and gave their two kids lollypops - question answered. They ARE allowed, they are expected and they are welcome.
Our picks:
1. Chef Mickey's on the Grand Concourse (4th floor) of the Contemporary hotel. Character meals, buffet, all-you-can-eat. The characters wander around and visit with all the kids at their tables. They pose for photos and sign autographs and the kids love every minute. There is much music, singing and waving napkins around. Food is very good and there was good selection of kids-type items.
2. The Crystal Palace, Main Street USA, Magic Kingdom. A little quieter than Chef Mickey's with the Winnie the Pooh characters. Again, great buffet food with lots of items for the kids.
3. The Garden Grill Restaurant, Land Pavilion, Future World, Epcot Center. Often overlooked as a place to eat because it is not out back in the World Showcase (country pavilions) area. It is an indoor revolving restaurant that passes the various scenes in the Land ride (rainforest, desert etc.) I think Mickey, Chip and Dale were there. Not a buffet but platters of country food (chicken, ribs) and kid-friendly stuff, some of which is grown inside the pavilion and it doesn't stop coming until you say so. Don't eat breakfast that day.
4. Sci-Fi Diner, Disney Studios. An indoor rendition of an outdoor drive-in movie theatre. No characters but the kids liked sitting in the cars and watching the cheesy movies on the big screen while they ate.
All these places are in WDW and, yes, they are much more expensive, about US$50-70/family of 4, than going to MacDonald's but two years later our 6-year-old still remembers Chef Mickey's and the photos that we took there will always remind us of a great vacation.
CHAPTER 2 : I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU TOOK YOUR KIDS TO PLEASURE ISLAND!
We heard this after we came back last time.
Everything you have ever heard about Pleasure Island being "Party-Central" is true. It is, without a doubt, one of the best places to go for a night of bar-hopping and dancing. There is a high-tech laser bar there called Mannequins, which was once voted the best dance bar in the southeastern United States. They sell beers and vodka jello-shots at carts along the main drag of the island and every night is declared New Years Eve complete with live bands in the street, a countdown to midnight and fireworks.
But because Pleasure Island is part of Walt Disney World the kids are invited too. There are many young kids and strollers on the streets of PI in the early evenings and parents love it because they can go "out on the town" with their children. I think anybody with a park hopper pass gets on to the island for free and although the shops on PI are open during the day, the clubs don't open until 7:00pm.
One of the island's six or seven themed bars is called The Adventurer's Club and it is fashioned after a stuffy 1930's African gentleman's club. The role-playing costumed cast members at this establishment routinely involve the guests in their weird club activities and often individual kids can suddenly become the centre of attention during the goofy recounting of rhino-hunting stories or whatever. The club president is an animatronic British Colonel who will interact with the kids as they walk by and there are African masks on the walls, which move and talk to the guests. The kids love this place and the cast members love the kids. Often a young child's reaction to the eclectic events adds to the entertainment for all the adults, parents or not.
Another spot on the island is the Beach Club, a large club with a decent dance floor and pop music. Kids are often found on the dance floor dancing with their parents early in the evening. Just like adults, one kid goes up and then there are others who join in.
Also, the kids sometimes like to stop and watch the short live dance shows that happen on the two street stages. We figured that their curiosity for this was because there are very few street parties back home!
At around 9:00pm the families begin to leave Pleasure Island, the children are getting tired. By 10:00 most of the kids are gone and the island fills up with the younger 20's crowd, which stays until 1 or 2.
Walt Disney himself said he wanted a place for kids and parents to have fun together; Pleasure Island was probably created to be the night-time version of that place.
Chapter 3: YOU ARE NOT TRAINING YOUR KIDS FOR THE OLYMPICS!
Parents with young kids traveling to central Florida during school vacation in June, July or August should expect daytime temperature highs of 95 degrees Fahrenheit (high 30's Celsius) every day and humidity which can make you feel like you are on the surface of the sun. You can sometimes walk out of your hotel at 8:00 am and it hits you like a brick wall, especially if you come from a cooler place like Canada or the UK. Now the good news is you can have your kids out in shorts 24 hours a day but the bad news is that it takes a toll on their stamina and they will wear out faster even if they are having the best time of their lives.
Florida is known as "The Sunshine State" and they aren't kidding. It seems like it's sunny every day. It's good weather for a tan but it's perfect weather for a burn. Keep the kids well greased with that waterproof SPF 20 or 30 or 40 or whatever it is. I imagine that a serious sunburn to a kid will signal the end of a happy holiday.
Young kids arriving at the parks first thing in the morning may begin to expire after lunch. At the first real sign of them getting fussy MOVE! Go to a different park or a water park. Change environments and mix it up. You coughed up a fortune for those "hopper" passes so HOP! Sometimes even a ride in a nice cool monorail can perk them up. The parks are busy, visually stimulating places and, if you combine that with the heat, kids can get tired. Exhausted kids are not having fun any more and they can stress the parents out enough to think they are no longer on vacation.
NOTHING recharges a kid's batteries more than an afternoon nap in a cool, quiet, dark hotel room. It also does wonders for the parents! A swim works well too. Our kids listed the pool as one of their favorite parts of the holiday. If your hotel has a beach or sandbox, just let them unwind and play at their own speed even if it's only for a little while.
This mid-day break becomes less practical the farther you are from the parks and that's why I am a firm believer in staying at one of the hotels within WDW. A refreshed kid can have a blast in the parks in the evenings after the sun sets and it is cooler. Don't worry about it if they are still happily going after their usual bedtime but watch for the signs they are running out of gas - it may take a while to get back to the room.
If the little one in the stroller is asleep, your evening is over. Go back to the hotel, put them into bed, have a drink and watch TV. I once saw parents trying to keep their little one awake at 9 o'clock pm in the line-up for It's a Small World claiming they needed to do three more rides before they went home. When they got into the boat the kid started screaming. He was miserable; the parents were miserable and they spent the whole ride desperately trying to make him happy. Bad move!
SLOW DOWN! One day we were rushing through the Marketplace to catch a bus and the kids noticed one of the fountains. Some fountains there, in typical Disney style, are specifically designed for kids to safely wander in, cool off and get wet. They love it because they can't do that anywhere else. We stopped there for over an hour. We missed our restaurant reservation - big deal! The fountain became ringed with delighted, laughing parents taking pictures of their kids who had become part of the fountain. Walt Disney World, probably not by accident, is full of little diversions like this. It doesn't have to be a ride for the kids to have fun. Remember, it's their holiday too.
If this is your first visit to WDW, you may have had your last family vacation anywhere else. In case nobody has told you yet, you have picked the best place on this planet to take your kids on a holiday. They are totally going to have the time of their lives and, as a result, you will too.
Have Fun!
CanadaKid
Here are a few tips for taking young kids to WDW. PLEASE keep in mind that these are only my personal observations - every kid is different.
CHAPTER 1: WHERE TO EAT?
First-time parents to WDW are sometimes stressed out about how their young kids will behave in a crowded restaurant. Relax! These places are often full of kids and are usually noisy, happy places. They are designed for kids and parents alike, just like WDW. I once heard parents ask if kids were allowed in the dining room. The CM just smiled and gave their two kids lollypops - question answered. They ARE allowed, they are expected and they are welcome.
Our picks:
1. Chef Mickey's on the Grand Concourse (4th floor) of the Contemporary hotel. Character meals, buffet, all-you-can-eat. The characters wander around and visit with all the kids at their tables. They pose for photos and sign autographs and the kids love every minute. There is much music, singing and waving napkins around. Food is very good and there was good selection of kids-type items.
2. The Crystal Palace, Main Street USA, Magic Kingdom. A little quieter than Chef Mickey's with the Winnie the Pooh characters. Again, great buffet food with lots of items for the kids.
3. The Garden Grill Restaurant, Land Pavilion, Future World, Epcot Center. Often overlooked as a place to eat because it is not out back in the World Showcase (country pavilions) area. It is an indoor revolving restaurant that passes the various scenes in the Land ride (rainforest, desert etc.) I think Mickey, Chip and Dale were there. Not a buffet but platters of country food (chicken, ribs) and kid-friendly stuff, some of which is grown inside the pavilion and it doesn't stop coming until you say so. Don't eat breakfast that day.
4. Sci-Fi Diner, Disney Studios. An indoor rendition of an outdoor drive-in movie theatre. No characters but the kids liked sitting in the cars and watching the cheesy movies on the big screen while they ate.
All these places are in WDW and, yes, they are much more expensive, about US$50-70/family of 4, than going to MacDonald's but two years later our 6-year-old still remembers Chef Mickey's and the photos that we took there will always remind us of a great vacation.
CHAPTER 2 : I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU TOOK YOUR KIDS TO PLEASURE ISLAND!
We heard this after we came back last time.
Everything you have ever heard about Pleasure Island being "Party-Central" is true. It is, without a doubt, one of the best places to go for a night of bar-hopping and dancing. There is a high-tech laser bar there called Mannequins, which was once voted the best dance bar in the southeastern United States. They sell beers and vodka jello-shots at carts along the main drag of the island and every night is declared New Years Eve complete with live bands in the street, a countdown to midnight and fireworks.
But because Pleasure Island is part of Walt Disney World the kids are invited too. There are many young kids and strollers on the streets of PI in the early evenings and parents love it because they can go "out on the town" with their children. I think anybody with a park hopper pass gets on to the island for free and although the shops on PI are open during the day, the clubs don't open until 7:00pm.
One of the island's six or seven themed bars is called The Adventurer's Club and it is fashioned after a stuffy 1930's African gentleman's club. The role-playing costumed cast members at this establishment routinely involve the guests in their weird club activities and often individual kids can suddenly become the centre of attention during the goofy recounting of rhino-hunting stories or whatever. The club president is an animatronic British Colonel who will interact with the kids as they walk by and there are African masks on the walls, which move and talk to the guests. The kids love this place and the cast members love the kids. Often a young child's reaction to the eclectic events adds to the entertainment for all the adults, parents or not.
Another spot on the island is the Beach Club, a large club with a decent dance floor and pop music. Kids are often found on the dance floor dancing with their parents early in the evening. Just like adults, one kid goes up and then there are others who join in.
Also, the kids sometimes like to stop and watch the short live dance shows that happen on the two street stages. We figured that their curiosity for this was because there are very few street parties back home!
At around 9:00pm the families begin to leave Pleasure Island, the children are getting tired. By 10:00 most of the kids are gone and the island fills up with the younger 20's crowd, which stays until 1 or 2.
Walt Disney himself said he wanted a place for kids and parents to have fun together; Pleasure Island was probably created to be the night-time version of that place.
Chapter 3: YOU ARE NOT TRAINING YOUR KIDS FOR THE OLYMPICS!
Parents with young kids traveling to central Florida during school vacation in June, July or August should expect daytime temperature highs of 95 degrees Fahrenheit (high 30's Celsius) every day and humidity which can make you feel like you are on the surface of the sun. You can sometimes walk out of your hotel at 8:00 am and it hits you like a brick wall, especially if you come from a cooler place like Canada or the UK. Now the good news is you can have your kids out in shorts 24 hours a day but the bad news is that it takes a toll on their stamina and they will wear out faster even if they are having the best time of their lives.
Florida is known as "The Sunshine State" and they aren't kidding. It seems like it's sunny every day. It's good weather for a tan but it's perfect weather for a burn. Keep the kids well greased with that waterproof SPF 20 or 30 or 40 or whatever it is. I imagine that a serious sunburn to a kid will signal the end of a happy holiday.
Young kids arriving at the parks first thing in the morning may begin to expire after lunch. At the first real sign of them getting fussy MOVE! Go to a different park or a water park. Change environments and mix it up. You coughed up a fortune for those "hopper" passes so HOP! Sometimes even a ride in a nice cool monorail can perk them up. The parks are busy, visually stimulating places and, if you combine that with the heat, kids can get tired. Exhausted kids are not having fun any more and they can stress the parents out enough to think they are no longer on vacation.
NOTHING recharges a kid's batteries more than an afternoon nap in a cool, quiet, dark hotel room. It also does wonders for the parents! A swim works well too. Our kids listed the pool as one of their favorite parts of the holiday. If your hotel has a beach or sandbox, just let them unwind and play at their own speed even if it's only for a little while.
This mid-day break becomes less practical the farther you are from the parks and that's why I am a firm believer in staying at one of the hotels within WDW. A refreshed kid can have a blast in the parks in the evenings after the sun sets and it is cooler. Don't worry about it if they are still happily going after their usual bedtime but watch for the signs they are running out of gas - it may take a while to get back to the room.
If the little one in the stroller is asleep, your evening is over. Go back to the hotel, put them into bed, have a drink and watch TV. I once saw parents trying to keep their little one awake at 9 o'clock pm in the line-up for It's a Small World claiming they needed to do three more rides before they went home. When they got into the boat the kid started screaming. He was miserable; the parents were miserable and they spent the whole ride desperately trying to make him happy. Bad move!
SLOW DOWN! One day we were rushing through the Marketplace to catch a bus and the kids noticed one of the fountains. Some fountains there, in typical Disney style, are specifically designed for kids to safely wander in, cool off and get wet. They love it because they can't do that anywhere else. We stopped there for over an hour. We missed our restaurant reservation - big deal! The fountain became ringed with delighted, laughing parents taking pictures of their kids who had become part of the fountain. Walt Disney World, probably not by accident, is full of little diversions like this. It doesn't have to be a ride for the kids to have fun. Remember, it's their holiday too.
If this is your first visit to WDW, you may have had your last family vacation anywhere else. In case nobody has told you yet, you have picked the best place on this planet to take your kids on a holiday. They are totally going to have the time of their lives and, as a result, you will too.
Have Fun!
CanadaKid
