DisneyWorld Trip Advice for Boys 6 and 8 Y/o

Write your name and phone number on the back of your kid's hands, then cover it with liquid band-aid. This will create a waterproof way for security (or a kind stranger) to get a hold of you if you they get separated and lost... That you don't have to worry about falling or being taken off like identity bracelets.

Also, BRIGHT, distinctive shirts for everyone. They can find you easier, and you can find them in a crowd.

We just got home from Disney world. The heat was crazy until it rained each evening. My best advice is to stay hydrated and use the fast pass option. If you're staying on property think about going early in the morning, go back to the hotel for a little break and then return in the evening. If your boys are comfy in swim trunks, I would let them go in those. There are water play areas in the parks so it's nice to cool off and keep going.

We go a lot to Disney. If you want to private message me, I'm happy to help!

Enjoy!
L.

im not sure what kind of passes Diane B is refering to, but dont pay for any pass, FAST PASSES are free.you go to a ride, get a fast pass for a certain time go ride another and go back to the first. My family is at Disney a few times a month.In face we will be there next week as well! Like others said, LOTS of sunscreen its hot in Florida. Bring a pancho as well, we are in the middle of hurricane season and have got a lot of rain.

Yes, August is busy. So are the other 11 months! Plan on crowds, lines and heat/humidity.

I agree that food is expensive and you should take your own as much as possible. Take stainless steel water bottles - DO NOT use plastic water bottles especially the suggestion that you freeze them and use them as ice packs! Freezing plastic is not safe because the bottles are made with petroleum products!

Some people like those personal fans and mister bottles. Fine if you want to.

Take an insulated backpack or a couple of them so you can split up the load. Take high energy snacks like nuts and trail mix, string cheese, fruit slices, and so on - the kids can snack while waiting on line. Take sandwiches if you have a way to make them - you are allowed to take your own food and eat pretty much anywhere. If you have a small fridge in your hotel room, you can keep some things in there, and of course peanut butter can sit out all week. I always pick up a small bottle of dish detergent so I can rinse containers and utensils and just drain/dry them on an extra hand towel.

Some people take small electronics to play with in line, but you have to be sure your kids will put them away and not want to use them while walking along! They really need to experience everything they are seeing: the engineering feats and special effects, the diverse crowd, the chance to chat with people in line and find out where they are from, the characters roaming the grounds, the topiary, all the decor, and so on.

Go early in the day, and go to the back of the park. The kids will want to stop at the first rides/attractions they see, and so will everyone else. One of the "unofficial" guide books gave us this tip and it worked great - go to the back, where there are fewer crowds, then work your way back toward the entrance. When you're wiped out, you're ready to exit directly to the monorail or buses, whatever transportation you are using. Head back to your hotel or condo, and plan on naps or quiet time or sitting in the pool. They will be wiped out, and so will you.

Wear good sneakers - no sandals or flip flops. There's a whole lot of walking and standing! Sunscreen, hats/visors, the usual protection. We go to the dollar store and get a couple of those cheap rain ponchos - there's often a sudden shower in Florida, which can cool things off, and the ponchos let you keep on going! Disney sells them for a small fortune but go for the cheap ones from home that fold up into a tiny packet!

My neighbors took advantage of some new express passes. There's a cost involved, but they let you go to a ride, check in, and then you are given a time to report back. Sort of like making a restaurant reservation and getting one of those vibrating sensors, you know? But you have to get back to the ride within a tight window of the reserved time, so it's not a good time for going to another ride, although you can go sit and eat something, use the bathrooms, or browse in a shop if there's one nearby.

Have a plan for meeting up if someone gets separated. Disney employees are awesome at assisting and dealing with emergencies.

Prep the kids up front for a budget - they will want to stop at every ice cream and lemonade stand, buy every souvenir, and so on. Aside from the expense, you'll be carrying souvenirs all day. Figure out a way to buy them on the way out or on the last day - let them look for a few days to decide what they really want and what's within budget. I think it's okay to say that you can buy everything on line, or "we're not buying anything on the first day, period."

Have fun!

The water in the fountains at Disney tastes awful (at least to me). Take water bottles and put them in your little freezer in your room (or apartment unit) the night before. You can use the frozen water bottles to keep your fruit and other food (if you bring it) cool. A soft insulated bag that holds equivalent to a six-pack is allowed in Disney (at least it was when I went the last time) and will hold enough for you to feed the kids lunch. We did PB&J's and fruit/yogurt. Disney's food is SO expensive and eating breakfast in the unit and sandwiches brought in for lunch really saved a lot of money. We ate dinner out. When Disney started charging gratuities on top of the meal plan, we decided that the meal plan was not really a very good value.

I do recommend that at least for the first 2 days that you start out as early as you are allowed in and then go back to your room/unit around 2:00 and have them lay down for at least an hour. They will be SO tired and need a rest so that they can make it through the evening.

I'd do Disneyland late in the afternoon instead of first thing in the morning. All the families with little kids go early in the morning. Do the other parks early in the morning.

Make use of the ability to sign up for rides as you can. The only ride that I know for a fact that this doesn't really help with is the ride that simulates flying. That line moves almost as slowly as the regular one :(

Have a wonderful time!

get there early in the day.. be there when the park opens.. it seems to get super busy by 2 or 3 in the afternoon..

pack a snack... have a good snack at 11 then buy lunch in the park at 1...lines are shorter then.

what interesting advice you have gotten.

we were just there 3 weeks ago.

First one property our hotel room only had a fridge not a freezer part so no frozen anything for us. Yes the drinking fountain water tasted gross we used the flavor packets and it made it ok, For the 4 of us we carried around 2 bottles each and that was awfully heavy, I didn't think the cost was that crazy for stuff that was actually cold, but taking the time to stand in line wasn't fun.

both my 8 and 10 yo were able to walk all 6 days. I wasn't sure if they would but they were troopers. and saved us the cost of a stroller. even with my sneakers and new socks, I still had horrid blisters. I walk the dog at home and thought I was in pretty decent shape but that asphalt kicked my butt.

my son just turned 10 and he enjoyed splash mt , Expediton Everest, thunder mt, Goofy's barn stormer, dumbo, people mover, astro orbiter, space ranger spin. he has also talked a lot about the stich ride, but didn't name it right now when I asked.

he was into the autographs too, ( although he has a younger sister and wanted to keep up with her on that)

we were unprepared for the singing quinceriano tour groups. that was interesting. I would avoid getting stuck between them if they are still there when you go.

we used the mydisneyexperience app. that was helpful but slow to load sometimes.

we had poptarts an cereal bars for breakfast, tons of snacks while waiting in line, PB sandwiches while waiting in line, and a few nice dinners out.

OH my Kids loved the Jedi training at Hollywood studios. But sign up for that first thing or else they will be standing in the hot sun. We love starwars.

Do you know about the photo pass, do you you know about all the websites devoted to Disney, do you know about the books that give touring plans? if not give me a pm it can be overwhelming.

best advice, get there when they open, it was the best part of our trip. the afternoons weren't so much fun,
the electric light parade and the fantasmic and the fireworks at epcot were all quite a must see experience too.

There are fun (and romantic) activities at DW for adults too. Friends of mine have done trips to DW as a married couple - adult activities include behind-the-scenes tours, night out at a lounge, race car driving, etc. As long as you're there anyway, might as well treat yourself!

Get there early. 15 min before rope drop at each park. Have a plan of attack for each day -- what park, what 3 first activities. In Hollywood Studios, if your boys will want to do the Jedi Training academy (I think they will!) AND you have another adult with you, then as soon as you go through the turnstiles, split up. Have one person take all the tickets and get Toystory fast passes, have the other adult take the kids and go to sign up for a time for Jedi Training academy. Use your phones to make sure you don't sign up for the same time as the fast pass.

Use being there first to do one or two big things that are super popular that are guaranteed to have long lines later (Soarin' at Epcot, Space Mountain at MK) Use the crowd calendar to pick where to go each day. Disney does a good job with shade, fountains, and misting so if you drink a lot and wear good shoes and sunscreen you'll be fine. Have fun!

Lots of great advice! If you're staying on property, take advantage of extended hours. The most fun we had was running around the Magic Kingdom after most guests had left. Haunted Mansion was so much more fun at 11pm than 11am.

We got the best advice from talking to cast members aka employees at the parks and restaurants we went to. In the Magic Kingdom, I talked to a cast member about where we should stand during the fireworks. Got a great view of Tinkerbell flying through the air! At the campground restaurant, our waiter told us the best time to go on the Safari ride at the Animal Kingdom. We saw every animal! None were hiding. It was awesome.

We were there several years ago and things change, so make sure you talk to the cast! They are all about making your experience magical.

Have a blast!

Double stroller. It's a ton of walking and they get tired.
You can rent them there.
Very cool clothing for the heat. Lots of water breaks.
For rental car, a high-back booster for each child, or high-back booster for 8-year-old and a harness for 6-year-old depending on what you are comfortable with. If taking Disney transportation, do look into what it will be and your comfort level with taking kids on it.
Have fun!