I just returned from a week at Disney with my four children under 7! They are ages 7, 5, 3 and 7 mo. We stayed off property at a 2 bedroom condo which was awesome and perfect for us. I came up with many tips that I think will benefit others. These are not necessarily in any, or logical, order.
First, plan, overplan, and plan some more. Research these types of websites, read books and anything else you can get your hands on. Arm yourself with all the knowledge in the world and then be completely flexible about your plan when you get there. Disney is not a place, especially with small kids, where you just go and wing it. Only careful planning will help you eliminate all of the complaints you hear about going to those types of places.
Be there when the park opens any park. You can get a few hours in of no lines, no congestion and cooler weather. Around 12 or 1 when it gets crowded, hot and everyone is tired, head back for a swim or a nap.
Use the turnstile in the Rainforest Café to get in Animal Kingdom. No one knows it is there it is on the other side of the store. The crowds will be lined up for the 8 oclock opening at the park entrance. If you have your passes, and you should, go to the turnstile in the Rainforest Café and you will beat all the crowds by at least 30 seconds and you are closer to the safari ride which is where 90% of the guests head. On that note, it is true, while the safari is a great ride any time of day, first thing in the morning is amazing and you do so many more animals than later in the day.
Strollers are a must = I highly recommend the Baby Trend Sit and Stand model for older kids. My 7 year old rode on the platform on the back and we never would have made it through the week if she had had to walk. I bought mine used at ebay and it was the best money I ever spent. Note, if you are planning on renting a stroller you still have to get through parking lots and then you miss the advantage of being the first ones in the park waiting in lines to rent strollers. Also, at the end of the day when little ones are tired, you would have to return the stroller and carry them and various of your belongings either thru the parking lot or up to the monorail (huge hill by the way). Note, double wide strollers do fit on the monorail if you use the handicap car. The only place you have to fold strollers is for the trams in the parking lot. This is a significant point. What we did was fill a knapsack with valuables and things we needed. We hung that on the sit stand stroller. Otherwise, stuff we didnt want to lug off and on rides ie/ suntain lotion, autograph books, rain ponchos, snacks, water bottles, we just put them in various ziploc bags and unpacked them into the baskets underneath the strollers. Hence, we did not want have to take all that stuff out and fold the stroller if we didnt have to. Also, I bought one of those net bags and hung it off the back of one stroller- it was perfect for water bottles and juice boxes.
Many will probably disagree with this Epcot is huge and involves tons of walking. I personally dont think it is the best use of your time for preschoolers.
Freeze water bottles and juice boxes they quickly defrost and stay cold all day that way.
There is a spot right over the bridge from the Castle to adventure land (right behind the Christmas shop) that ALWAYS had at least 3 or 4 characters and no one else just waiting there. It is shaded, no lines and the characters had the opportunity to play with the kids. The characters tend to be from Robin Hood, Pocahontas, Jungle Book and those types of movies.
Parades: If you want to leave right after the 3 oclock parade, be at the top of main street note, it does not hit there until about 3:20. If you dont plan on leaving, be in Frontier land. Much less crowded and after the parade passes (it starts there) head over to splash mountain or big thunder railroad as most of the park are lined up on main street for the parade. Night time parade. Beware- it is opposite. Starts on main street and heads into frontier land. If you want to leave right away, get as close to the gate as possible. Note, people line up up to two hours ahead of time. However, the parade is spectacular and worth it. I held the spot with my infant while my husband took our preschoolers on a ride or two.
Got this tip from this site and it worked out great. Brought tshirts and laundry markers. We had the characters at the character meals we attended sign them and they made a neat souvenier my kids wore them to school the first day back! I would caution against asking characters in the park to sign t shirts b/c you need a flat surface and to hold them down for it to work. Also, note I read that characters will not sign clothing a child is wearing.
I read to bring a thick sharpie type marker. I tied it to a string and taped it to the autograph books. However, I recommend a crayon instead. cinderella told us the characters dont like markers b/c it could mark up their costumes. Also, I found with markers, my kids wound up writing on the clothes accidentally while waiting. I replaced the markers with crayons and it worked great. Have books open and crayons ready when you get to the character.
Cinderallas castle breakfast lived up to the hype and was worth all the trouble to get the PS have to call right at 7 am 60 days out. I recommend you get the earliest possible time. If you dont make the first seating, regardless of your PS you sit downstairs waiting for people to finish.
Crystal Palace character lunch was lovely and a great air conditioned calm break at lunchtime in the park. Pooh and friends were great and the food was too. Definitely worth the trouble getting a PS for.
Chef Mickeys was fun, but note that it is a very loud chaotic atmosphere. The whole place was crowded. Note, get an early dinner seating there, leave your car and take the monorail to Magic Kingdom for nighttime stuff. Then, just take monorail back and hop in your car and go.
Baby swap worked great. Note, each ride, each park had different rules. Some rides like Star Tours at MGM actually had you enter the ride and hand the child through- this is important as my son was throwing a fit b/c he actually had to go through and he thought we were making him go on. Others like splash mountain and thunder railroad have you wait at the exit and just reenter through the exit when the other party gets off. Ask cast members were very helpful.
If you like star wars, the star wars weekend in may was awesome ( I think they do them every year).
Buy cheap stuff in anticipation ie/ cheapo binoculars for the kids to take on the safari ride (big hit), cheap disposable cameras for the kids to take pictures, bubbles and lightsticks to keep them occupied while waiting for Fantasmic (awesome show!).
Pack many snacks and keep your kids eating all day to head off the crankies. Good things are raisins, granola bars, fruit snacks, crackers and things that dont melt.
The baby care centers were terrific if you are nursing or have small kids. The nicest one is in Magic Kingdom. Good place for little ones to have a nap too. Also, had a tv and table and chairs for my older guys while I nursed baby.
We found getting ice cream for the parade helped get kids over the hump of waiting.
Most of all, have an awesome time!
First, plan, overplan, and plan some more. Research these types of websites, read books and anything else you can get your hands on. Arm yourself with all the knowledge in the world and then be completely flexible about your plan when you get there. Disney is not a place, especially with small kids, where you just go and wing it. Only careful planning will help you eliminate all of the complaints you hear about going to those types of places.
Be there when the park opens any park. You can get a few hours in of no lines, no congestion and cooler weather. Around 12 or 1 when it gets crowded, hot and everyone is tired, head back for a swim or a nap.
Use the turnstile in the Rainforest Café to get in Animal Kingdom. No one knows it is there it is on the other side of the store. The crowds will be lined up for the 8 oclock opening at the park entrance. If you have your passes, and you should, go to the turnstile in the Rainforest Café and you will beat all the crowds by at least 30 seconds and you are closer to the safari ride which is where 90% of the guests head. On that note, it is true, while the safari is a great ride any time of day, first thing in the morning is amazing and you do so many more animals than later in the day.
Strollers are a must = I highly recommend the Baby Trend Sit and Stand model for older kids. My 7 year old rode on the platform on the back and we never would have made it through the week if she had had to walk. I bought mine used at ebay and it was the best money I ever spent. Note, if you are planning on renting a stroller you still have to get through parking lots and then you miss the advantage of being the first ones in the park waiting in lines to rent strollers. Also, at the end of the day when little ones are tired, you would have to return the stroller and carry them and various of your belongings either thru the parking lot or up to the monorail (huge hill by the way). Note, double wide strollers do fit on the monorail if you use the handicap car. The only place you have to fold strollers is for the trams in the parking lot. This is a significant point. What we did was fill a knapsack with valuables and things we needed. We hung that on the sit stand stroller. Otherwise, stuff we didnt want to lug off and on rides ie/ suntain lotion, autograph books, rain ponchos, snacks, water bottles, we just put them in various ziploc bags and unpacked them into the baskets underneath the strollers. Hence, we did not want have to take all that stuff out and fold the stroller if we didnt have to. Also, I bought one of those net bags and hung it off the back of one stroller- it was perfect for water bottles and juice boxes.
Many will probably disagree with this Epcot is huge and involves tons of walking. I personally dont think it is the best use of your time for preschoolers.
Freeze water bottles and juice boxes they quickly defrost and stay cold all day that way.
There is a spot right over the bridge from the Castle to adventure land (right behind the Christmas shop) that ALWAYS had at least 3 or 4 characters and no one else just waiting there. It is shaded, no lines and the characters had the opportunity to play with the kids. The characters tend to be from Robin Hood, Pocahontas, Jungle Book and those types of movies.
Parades: If you want to leave right after the 3 oclock parade, be at the top of main street note, it does not hit there until about 3:20. If you dont plan on leaving, be in Frontier land. Much less crowded and after the parade passes (it starts there) head over to splash mountain or big thunder railroad as most of the park are lined up on main street for the parade. Night time parade. Beware- it is opposite. Starts on main street and heads into frontier land. If you want to leave right away, get as close to the gate as possible. Note, people line up up to two hours ahead of time. However, the parade is spectacular and worth it. I held the spot with my infant while my husband took our preschoolers on a ride or two.
Got this tip from this site and it worked out great. Brought tshirts and laundry markers. We had the characters at the character meals we attended sign them and they made a neat souvenier my kids wore them to school the first day back! I would caution against asking characters in the park to sign t shirts b/c you need a flat surface and to hold them down for it to work. Also, note I read that characters will not sign clothing a child is wearing.
I read to bring a thick sharpie type marker. I tied it to a string and taped it to the autograph books. However, I recommend a crayon instead. cinderella told us the characters dont like markers b/c it could mark up their costumes. Also, I found with markers, my kids wound up writing on the clothes accidentally while waiting. I replaced the markers with crayons and it worked great. Have books open and crayons ready when you get to the character.
Cinderallas castle breakfast lived up to the hype and was worth all the trouble to get the PS have to call right at 7 am 60 days out. I recommend you get the earliest possible time. If you dont make the first seating, regardless of your PS you sit downstairs waiting for people to finish.
Crystal Palace character lunch was lovely and a great air conditioned calm break at lunchtime in the park. Pooh and friends were great and the food was too. Definitely worth the trouble getting a PS for.
Chef Mickeys was fun, but note that it is a very loud chaotic atmosphere. The whole place was crowded. Note, get an early dinner seating there, leave your car and take the monorail to Magic Kingdom for nighttime stuff. Then, just take monorail back and hop in your car and go.
Baby swap worked great. Note, each ride, each park had different rules. Some rides like Star Tours at MGM actually had you enter the ride and hand the child through- this is important as my son was throwing a fit b/c he actually had to go through and he thought we were making him go on. Others like splash mountain and thunder railroad have you wait at the exit and just reenter through the exit when the other party gets off. Ask cast members were very helpful.
If you like star wars, the star wars weekend in may was awesome ( I think they do them every year).
Buy cheap stuff in anticipation ie/ cheapo binoculars for the kids to take on the safari ride (big hit), cheap disposable cameras for the kids to take pictures, bubbles and lightsticks to keep them occupied while waiting for Fantasmic (awesome show!).
Pack many snacks and keep your kids eating all day to head off the crankies. Good things are raisins, granola bars, fruit snacks, crackers and things that dont melt.
The baby care centers were terrific if you are nursing or have small kids. The nicest one is in Magic Kingdom. Good place for little ones to have a nap too. Also, had a tv and table and chairs for my older guys while I nursed baby.
We found getting ice cream for the parade helped get kids over the hump of waiting.
Most of all, have an awesome time!
