Those of you who have been to WDW....

ougrad1

We are taking Emerson and leaving the babies at my parents house, she'll be 3.5 when we go.  I have to make my ADR's at the end of the month.  We'll be doing lots of character meals (Crystal Palace, CRT, Chef Mickey's, 1900 Park Fare and Ohana) but, just wanted to ask what meals your child(ren) enjoyed at Disney.

Also, any other tips you care to throw in would be fantastic!  Thanks ladies... this will be our first trip and we're very excited to give Emerson the attention she sorely deserves without the babies.   : )

cecee36

Jade was 2 1/2 when we went last year.  She had a blast!  Didn't do character meals as we stayed at a resort about 5 miles from WDW.  However, we spent lots of time swimming and eating at our condo and at the restaurants nearby and we visited Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom.  Riding the rides and seeing and taking pictures with Minnie & Mickey, Goofy and a few of the other characters made her trip perfect.  This was a trip where Jade dictated to us what she wanted and we acquiesced because it was a big deal for her.  We plan to go back next year and let her call the shots again; it's her special place!  Hope your daughter has a wonderful and magical time!

Tips:  try the pineapple frozen bars--REALLY good. Healthier and cheaper than the ice cream bars.  There's a petting zoo in Magic Kingdom that's fun.  Make sure you hit the Toontime area; Minnie's house is there and once you walk past her garden in the backyard you'll enter the Judge's Tent where you can wait in line to take pics with Minnie and Mickey. Make sure you get a photocard from the photographers who roam around.  You can get a card and whenever you see a photographer, they'll add your card to their camera, snap a pic and give it back to you.  When you get home, you'll have a chance to download awesome and professional pics by using the code on the back.  FREE!  Lastly, as soon as you enter Magic Kingdom, there are free buttons you can get for souvenirs that say 1st Visit, Happy Birthday, Celebrate, etc.  You can take as many as you like.  

yankeebear

We went a few months ago just before DD turned 4.  She loves the Disney princesses so the meal at the Cinderella Castle was a highlight for her.  We could only get a reservation for lunch, which was fine.  Definitely skip the princess makeover boutique (Bippity Boppity Boutique)  I saw so many little girls in cheap looking princess costumes complaining that their hairdo hurt and their make-up was bothering them. 

We also did Chef Mickey's and that was a blast.  It was my favorite part of the trip!  We had a few other character breakfasts scheduled but wound up skipping them because DD was so tired in the mornings she couldn't wake up.  Make sure to schedule in naps during the day and don't worry about changing plans if your DD is tired.  

One big recommendation is to make sure to schedule time for the pool at the hotel.  The one melt-down DD had all week was because she wanted to play at the pool.  We were going to go watch the fireworks, but she could care less.  So we played in the pool and she loved it.

yankeebear

Also, a big highlight for DD was getting character autographs.  We got her an autograph book and she was more than happy to stand in line to get photos and autographs.  She took her book to preschool to show all her friends when we got back.

Mrs White

Unfortunately the toontime area is no longer there.  You can ask at city hall where the characters will be and when.  Also, they have 1st visit buttons that are free. 

We live about 2 hrs away so we just went for the day but if I had to do it again I would get a hotel and head there in the middle of the day.  Play in the pool and nap then go back when it cools down. 

 

bubbs147

We had dinner at Akershus Royal Dining Hall in Norway at EPCOT, and it was fantastic!  You get to meet five princesses!  Definitely worth the money.  Chef Mickey's was also great to meet characters.  Bring a stroller!

Pesky

I've been reading up on this for a future trip of ours and talking to a CW who has the trips down to a science:

*  get an autograph book and a big fat pen (easier for the character to manipulate) -- this will keep the characters at your table a bit longer and is a great souvenir.  My nephew still shows his autograph from Capt. Hook that says "Captain Hook is NO princess!"

*  try to get there when the park opens.  According to one book I read, Saturdays and Mondays are the worst for Magic Kingdom.  All seem to agree on hitting Fantasyland first thing, particularly Dumbo as it tends to have long lines and no FastPass ability.  You can FastPass the Pooh ride I think and Peter Pan.  As the time for your trip draws near, check on extended hours available to WDW resort guests at the parks.  Then you'll know which you can hit early or which will already be crowded by traditional opening times.

*  another book suggested doing Epcot and the Studios first as Magic Kingdom has so much "wow" factor that the others can seem like a let down to small kids.  I tend to agree with that notion.

*  any souvenirs you buy can be shipped free of charge to your room if you are staying at a WDW resort hotel and early afternoon, the shops aren't that crowded.  But I would be napping if I was you then anyway.

*  if you are going to hit any potentially "scary" rides, talk it up before going on.  There are some great guidebooks likely at your library that identify the scary rides for small kids (like Snow White).  And realize you can "switch off" meaning one parent rides while the other waits with the small child and then the other parent rides. 

*  I'd check out the ride limits ahead of time to figure out what she can and can't ride.  No sense in walking over to something to learn she isn't tall enough when you can plan all that in advance. 

smilejenn

When my oldest son was 2 years old he loved character meals and we had a great time taking him to Chef Mickey's. He grew out of the character meals by the time he hit 3 though, and was much more into the roller coasters like Tower of Terror. (he's tall for his age and meets all the height requirements). We live down the road from Disney and love it! I'm sure you will have a great trip.

KKMMex

My daughters loved breakfast at the castle with the princesses.  I took them to Bibbidy Bobbidy Boutique beforehand and it was a big hit.  Far from being uncomfortable in their princess outfits and hairdos, they wore them all day long and loved the attention they received.  If it had been super hot though I think they may have needed to change clothes eventually, but lucky for us the temps were nice that day.

I've heard great things about the Crystal Palace.  We ate at Chef Mickey's for dinner and it was lots of fun.  

This website helped us get through the parks really efficiently with our girls.  We downloaded touring plans and tried to stick to them.  Once you learn the Fast Pass system, you can use it to your strategic advantage and avoid the worst of the lines for the most popular rides.

You can also download an app to your phone that will give you real time information about wait times for rides, show times, et cetera.  I used my Lines app constantly and it was a big help.

Don't skip the evening electric light parade or the Wishes fireworks display!  Definitely make time for both of these - in my opinion they are not to be missed.  You can easily find a great seat for the parade in the back of the Magic Kingdom in Frontierland without having to wait a long time.  We watched Wishes once from the California Grill restaurant (they have a wonderful outdoor deck) and once from inside the park.  Be prepared for a crush of people leaving the park afterward though.

I was hesitant to take my daughters on any of the so-called "scary" rides, but they loved them!  I'm talking Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean here.  You just never know what will intrigue or delight your child at Disney, so keep an open mind.

Take a lightweight umbrella stroller w/canopy and lots of water.  Take small snacks in case you need them to ward off a meltdown.  Good luck planning your trip!

ppants

yankeebear:

One big recommendation is to make sure to schedule time for the pool at the hotel.  The one melt-down DD had all week was because she wanted to play at the pool.  We were going to go watch the fireworks, but she could care less.  So we played in the pool and she loved it.

This.  My 5 yr olds swam everyday.  They chose swimming over seeing Beauty and the Beast so that's what we did.

 Make sure you hit the Toontime area; Minnie's house is there and once you walk past her garden in the backyard you'll enter the Judge's Tent where you can wait in line to take pics with Minnie and Mickey.

Toontown is closed for good.  We went in February and we were there the.last.day it was open.

franciscaz

I just wanted to wave hello  The twins are so big and Emerson has grown into quite the beautiful little lady!

Colsdoll

Check out disboards.com

ougrad1

franciscaz:

I just wanted to wave hello  The twins are so big and Emerson has grown into quite the beautiful little lady!

Hi sweet girl...I see you from time to time around here and just smile.   Everyone is getting big and it's quite a ride as you well know.  : )

Thank you everyone for your suggestions.  I did join Touringplans.com and the disboards are fantastic!  Thank you so much for those suggestions!!!!