# Taking our kids to WDW for the first time - 5 & 2.5-year olds



## tzahner (Sep 6, 2012)

This will be our first trip to Disney with our own children (of course my wife and I had both been when we were kids, but it's been a long time) and our first time of course, planning the vacation ourselves.

As much as I would love to stay at one of the Disney resorts (or even another resort in Orlando), we received a free 7-night stay at Parkway International Resort in Kissimmee.  So that's already booked.  We got a rental car bundled in with our flight from Southwest as well.

Based on what I've read so far, it seems (especially with small children) to do shorter days at the park and visit more frequently (not that much more expensive for a 5 or 6 day pass than it is for a 3 day pass).

So I have a couple questions:

*Travel:*  What's the best plan to get to and from the park from our resort in Kissimmee?  Will we be charged for parking twice if we leave for lunch and then come back?

*Recommended parks and attractions:*  Which parks are best for 5 and 2.5 year old.  Any parks that we can skip.  I was thinking the one's we should visit are definitely Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom and maybe Hollywood studios as well.  I was thinking we could skip Epcot.  What attractions do you recommend at these parks that are age appropriate?  Any non-Disney themed parks that we should plan as well (Universal? Legoland? SeaWorld? etc.)?


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## brigechols (Sep 6, 2012)

Travel - One daily parking fee covers in and out privileges for the day.

Recommended Parks - Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, and Epcot. Download the Undercover Tourist app to your smartphone. There is a filter for age appropriate rides at each park. My kids really enjoy Dr Seuss Land at Universal's Islands of Adventure.


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## tzahner (Sep 6, 2012)

ok - thanks.  That's a great start.


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## SOS8260456 (Sep 6, 2012)

I would put Disney Hollywood Studios before Epcot.  DHS has a lot of the younger childrens characters.  I forget the names but there is a show with Big Bear in the Big Blue House (we lived in that show when my youngest DD was little), there is the Beauty and the Beast show, Toys Story Mania )if you can get on it with fast passes), Fantasmis (must see if at all possible), plus a great afternoon parade.  Depending on your children's interests, there is also Indiana Jones and Lights, Cars, Motor, Action show.  Oh and by the Big Blue Bear show area is a show/interactive experience that shows how characters are brought to life.  There is a small show and then they take you into a room and show you in very easy steps how to draw a particular character.  My children loved this when they were smaller.  Plus after you leave the drawing room there is usually a character meet and greet of one of the more current characters.  You also get to keep your drawing as another free momento of the trip.

Nothing wrong with Epcot.  There is stuff for children at Epcot.  ALso, if you go to the World Showcase, stop at the first country and go to the KidCot station.  They will give your child a mask to color and sign it with a personalized message in that country's language.  You then take the mask to the Kidcot stations in each of the other countries and do the same.  The CM's at the stations are usually from the college program and are very friendly.  Usually they will just put the child's name in their language, but sometimes they will write more.  It makes for an interesting FREE souvenour.

Also, don't forget to use the child swap benefit when possible.  There are some rides where it is not available, but always ask.  If you are not familiar with it, this is how is works.  Make your intentions known to the first CM that you see at the ride.  They will usually give an immediate board/fast past to the parent who is staying with the child or children, while the other parent waits in line and goes on the attraction.  As soon as that parent comes back the other parent can immediately go on the ride without a second wait.  This is especially great for rides that the 5 year old can go on but the younger one can't.  Plus the 5 year old gets to go on twice, once with the mom and once with the dad.  My older children loved this when our youngest one was too young for a lot of rides.  They would get two Space mtn rides out of one line wait, etc.

Enjoy your trip!

PS My memory of exact names on some of the stuff for smaller children may not be exact and I am typing this off the cuff.  But with a little research (look at a park map) you will know what I am talking about.


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## SOS8260456 (Sep 6, 2012)

Oh, and I think that the Lion King Festival show at Animal Kingdom is another must see if at all possible.  Also, after you leave the Lion King theatre, there are alot of character meet and greet lines.  Plus, sometimes there is a man roving around with guitar.  His name is Guitar Dan and I think he is a best kept secret down there.  His talent is to assess the situation and come up with a quick off the cuff song about it.  Years ago, he caught my older daughter and I in a mild debate about putting the cell phone away and he proceeded to do a song about my daughter "the cell phone queen".  This past summer, my older son is aching for his independence and he did a song about that which ended with "and don't forget your still on our car insurance".  I don't have a tape of my daughter's song (she didn't speak to me the rest of the day), but I have my son's song if anyone would like to see.  My son has a much better sense of humor than my daughter.


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## SOS8260456 (Sep 6, 2012)

Can you tell I am "homesick" right now?


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## Renny30 (Sep 6, 2012)

I agree MK, AK and Hollywood Studios. I wouldn't take children that young to Epcot. I'd opt for one of the waterparks or Universal Studios to see Barney and Dr. Seuss Land.


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## tzahner (Sep 6, 2012)

Renny30 said:


> I'd opt for one of the waterparks or Universal Studios to see Barney and Dr. Seuss Land.



What's the weather like there in January.  Will it be warm enough to do the water parks?  Will they be open?


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## SOS8260456 (Sep 6, 2012)

tzahner said:


> What's the weather like there in January.  Will it be warm enough to do the water parks?  Will they be open?



When we were there in January I didn't even want to use the resort pool, can't even imagine going to a waterpark.

As far as Disney's waterparks go, there is usually only one open during this time frame.  They take turns closing down for annual maintenance.


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## Renny30 (Sep 6, 2012)

tzahner said:


> What's the weather like there in January.  Will it be warm enough to do the water parks?  Will they be open?



Sorry, I didn't see you were going in January. I've never been that time of year.


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## spencersmama (Sep 7, 2012)

What are the personalities of your kids and what kind of stuff do they like to do?  I ask because my kids' favorite park, besides MK, was EPCOT when they were little.  They have a lot of interactive activities on and after the rides.  For instance, in the "big ball," Spaceship Earth, the ending is interactive.  They have games and activities to do once you get off.  They have some when you get off the Imagination ride and in a few other places.  The Sea, with the Nemo ride, Turtle Talk with Crush, and the aquariums were a big draw.  Dinosaur loving kids like Ellen's Energy Adventure, but timid kids might be a bit scared.  The boat ride in Mexico is fun and rarely has a line; you search for Donald Duck throughout Mexico.  The Norway ride (water ride) has some trolls and a drop, but my daughter was never scared of it.  She was terrified of the Little Mermaid show in Hollywood Studios though, because of Ursula.  

The show at Hollywood Studios has been a general Playhouse Disney show for a while.  I think they made it more generic a while back so that they could change they emphasis of the characters based on who/what is popular on tv.  I haven't been for a few years, so I really don't know who the characters are, but they are from the Disney Junior shows.  If you have a race car lover, the stunt show at Hollywood Studios is fascinating - loud noises, exploding motorcycles, cars ripped in half.


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## Vacationtime101 (Sep 7, 2012)

*WDW- January*

I've only been to WDW in January one time.  I went for a meeting and was able to spend 1 day in Epcot.  It was COLD.  Had to buy sweatshirt, hat and gloves.  The benefit was no lines at any attraction.  It was fun even though I don't particularly like cold weather.  We stayed at the Yacht Club and I have great pictures of the empty pool.


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## Twinkstarr (Sep 7, 2012)

We go most MLK weekends as my school age kids get a 4 day weekend. Kids always get in the pool most days during the trip. Only WDW trip no one got in the pool was Thanksg. iving 2006. That was a long underwear during the day trip.

I know during T giving Typhoon Lagoon is usually closed for.rehab.


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## MichaelColey (Sep 8, 2012)

ALL FOUR of the parks are great for kids.  There's something for people of ANY age at every park.  Many people think of MK as the "kids" park, but that's just not the case.  Each park has a lot of stuff for kids.  Epcot has Innoventions, which my kids LOVE.  (It's also a great break from the heat -- or cold in your case.)As for pools and water parks, I would skip them on a January trip.  There's always a chance of warm weather, but there's also a chance of frigid weather and a likelyhood of moderate weather (which is great in the parks but not so great if you're wet).I would go more than just 4 days.  Beyond 4 days (and up to 10), the incemental ticket cost is under $10 per person per day.  You can't even come close to doing the parks justice with just 4 days.  Even a week is tough, IMHO.Enjoy your trip!


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## vacationhopeful (Sep 8, 2012)

Did a solo trip with my 11 yo nephew in MLK Week Jan 2012. Weather was fine and he did 2 or 3 visits to the AKV pools. We did evening activites almost every night - fireworks, rock concert, EMH at the parks.


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## ciscogizmo1 (Sep 8, 2012)

tzahner said:


> *Travel:*  What's the best plan to get to and from the park from our resort in Kissimmee?  Will we be charged for parking twice if we leave for lunch and then come back?


 When my children were younger we use to do the back and forth thing but I gotta warn you that is just as exhausting as staying at the park all day.  A couple things I would consider are the park hours in January may be less so the parks will not be open until Midnight like the summer.  They may close at 8 pm.  For example, Animal Kingdom park usually closes at 5 pm and if they open at 9 am that does not give you time to go back to the resort and rest.   So, I would look on the WDW website and see what the hours are.  I'd also avoid parks that have EMH since you cannot participate since you are staying offsite.  EMH is only for onsite guests.  Also, consider the travel time from your resort to the parks.  Even when we stayed onsite we use to do the park in the morning and then, go back to the room for lunch and then, back in the evening for the park.  What I found between the ages of 5 and 10 this is pretty hard.  There is a lot of walking between the parks and the parking lots.   We stayed offsite once and the travel time to Magic Kingdom was very long.  I'd say it took about 1 to 1 1/2 hours from our resort front door to Magic Kingdom gates.  For Magic Kingdom, it tooks us about 20 minutes to drive from our resort to the parking lot.   Then, it took us about 15 minutes to ride the tram over transportation center.  From there you need to take either the monorail or the ferry over to the gates of the park.  That's another 15 to 20 minutes.   Finally, at the gate you need to go through the bag check, another 10 minutes and then, go through the line.  Granted we travel peak time so, our wait times might be longer than a January customer.  We did offsite for Thanksgiving week one year.  Also, these parks are huge.  I really recommend that you spend the day or evening at the park but not do the back and forth thing.  We would stay right up to dinner.  I would schedule a sitdown meal in the park for lunch.  Or do a character breakfast late like 10:30 am.  Then, we would either eat dinner on the way out at a CS or I'd make dinner back at the room in the kitchen.  My kids were good and could nap in a stroller so, if they fell asleep no big deal.  Just my 2 cents...

Or if we stayed in the evening we would arrive late like noon and stay until closing.  Again I would schedule a sitdown meal.  I find the sitdown meals were worth it as it forced my kids to rest for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.   But my kids are very well behaved so, I could do this.


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## spencersmama (Sep 8, 2012)

MichaelColey said:


> Epcot has Innoventions, which my kids LOVE.  (It's also a great break from the heat -- or cold in your case.)As for pools and water parks, I would skip them on a January trip.



I couldn't remember the name of Innoventions yesterday, thanks.  I was trying to think of the names of the interactive places.  Even the lights in the pavement outside there are mesmerizing for little ones (and me) at Epcot.  

I agree you shouldn't count on a water activity on January.  Last year was relatively mild, but a January day in FL can be 30 degrees or 65.  There is no predicting.  If it happens to be warm enough to spend time in an outdoor pool, consider it a bonus.


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## spencersmama (Sep 8, 2012)

ciscogizmo1 said:


> When my children were younger we use to do the back and forth thing but I gotta warn you that is just as exhausting as staying at the park all day.  A couple things I would consider are the park hours in January may be less so the parks will not be open until Midnight like the summer.  They may close at 8 pm.  For example, Animal Kingdom park usually closes at 5 pm and if they open at 9 am that does not give you time to go back to the resort and rest.   So, I would look on the WDW website and see what the hours are.  I'd also avoid parks that have EMH since you cannot participate since you are staying offsite.  EMH is only for onsite guests.  Also, consider the travel time from your resort to the parks.  Even when we stayed onsite we use to do the park in the morning and then, go back to the room for lunch and then, back in the evening for the park.  What I found between the ages of 5 and 10 this is pretty hard.  There is a lot of walking between the parks and the parking lots.   We stayed offsite once and the travel time to Magic Kingdom was very long.  I'd say it took about 1 to 1 1/2 hours from our resort front door to Magic Kingdom gates.  For Magic Kingdom, it tooks us about 20 minutes to drive from our resort to the parking lot.   Then, it took us about 15 minutes to ride the tram over transportation center.  From there you need to take either the monorail or the ferry over to the gates of the park.  That's another 15 to 20 minutes.   Finally, at the gate you need to go through the bag check, another 10 minutes and then, go through the line.  Granted we travel peak time so, our wait times might be longer than a January customer.  We did offsite for Thanksgiving week one year.  Also, these parks are huge.  I really recommend that you spend the day or evening at the park but not do the back and forth thing.  We would stay right up to dinner.  I would schedule a sitdown meal in the park for lunch.  Or do a character breakfast late like 10:30 am.  Then, we would either eat dinner on the way out at a CS or I'd make dinner back at the room in the kitchen.  My kids were good and could nap in a stroller so, if they fell asleep no big deal.  Just my 2 cents...
> 
> Or if we stayed in the evening we would arrive late like noon and stay until closing.  Again I would schedule a sitdown meal.  I find the sitdown meals were worth it as it forced my kids to rest for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.   But my kids are very well behaved so, I could do this.




This was (and is) my strategy, too.  People underestimate the travel time.  If you reserve at a buffet restaurant, the 2 year old should be free.  I also consider the slightly higher price of a character buffet to be worth it, at least with little ones, if you have "must see" characters. One restaurant can save you standing in line for 4 or 5 characters.


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## Twinkstarr (Sep 9, 2012)

I'm the wrong person to ask about staying off site, closest I've come to that was the time we stayed at Bonnet Creek. That was the trip we discovered how handy having a car was! We were eating lunch at Flame Tree BBQ an hour after we landed at MCO. 

Even staying on site, people underestimate how big WDW is. Our next door neighbor kept thinking WDW was the size of Cedar Point .


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## MichaelColey (Sep 9, 2012)

Twinkstarr said:


> Even staying on site, people underestimate how big WDW is. Our next door neighbor kept thinking WDW was the size of Cedar Point .


The entire property is about twice the size of Manhattan.  Cedar Point is bigger than three of the four WDW theme parks (AK is bigger), but the parks are only a very small part of the area of WDW (maybe 2-3%).


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## spencersmama (Sep 9, 2012)

Twinkstarr said:


> Even staying on site, people underestimate how big WDW is. Our next door neighbor kept thinking WDW was the size of Cedar Point .



Disney World and Yellowstone National Park are two places that people underestimate how big they are until they have actually gone!


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## Twinkstarr (Sep 9, 2012)

MichaelColey said:


> The entire property is about twice the size of Manhattan.  Cedar Point is bigger than three of the four WDW theme parks (AK is bigger), but the parks are only a very small part of the area of WDW (maybe 2-3%).



He thought that it was the size of Cedar Point and each park was like an area inside. Head to the right for MK, left for Epcot etc.

Mike, he was one of those people you try to help with their 1st trip but they know better. Hadn't even read a guide book. All he knew was CP and all amusement parks are alike right?


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## spencersmama (Sep 10, 2012)

Twinkstarr said:


> He thought that it was the size of Cedar Point and each park was like an area inside. Head to the right for MK, left for Epcot etc.
> 
> Mike, he was one of those people you try to help with their 1st trip but they know better. Hadn't even read a guide book. All he knew was CP and all amusement parks are alike right?



I know someone that said they weren't going to bring a diaper bag to the MK because she was staying onsite.  If the baby needed a diaper change, she'd take him back to the room.  I told her to plan on it taking an hour and half to get back to the room, and she looked at me like I was crazy.


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## Twinkstarr (Sep 11, 2012)

spencersmama said:


> I know someone that said they weren't going to bring a diaper bag to the MK because she was staying onsite.  If the baby needed a diaper change, she'd take him back to the room.  I told her to plan on it taking an hour and half to get back to the room, and she looked at me like I was crazy.



:hysterical: I've heard that one also. 

My favorite was talking to a mom at school, about the real definition of early at WDW. Mine is being at the MK gate waiting for the train to come in with Mickey, her's was toddling in at 10am. And this was Easter week when she went.

And of course complained about the lines, looked at me like I was speaking a foreign language when I asked her about using FP's. :hysterical: 

And supposedly she "read all the books"


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