First Disney World Trip with Kids

I would pick up a copy of the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World - they come out with a new edition every year and it's been invaluable to us whenever we have gone for being able to plan things out so we spend more time enjoying rides and attractions and less time waiting in line. And know what to expect as far as how "kid friendly" an attraction is and what ages it is appropriate for (though every kid is different!).

When we went last year, we made sure we were there for when the park first opened - there will still be a lot of people there, but not nearly as many as there will be a few hours later. If you are there for when they open and hit the most popular rides first, the lines won't be that bad. Getting Fast Passes whenever you can will help tremendously too.

Take advantage of their Photo Pass service too. Photographers are staged around the parks and will take your picture then scan it on a card. Then you just hand the card to other photographers for more pictures. It's great for when you want all of you in the picture and you don't have to hand your camera off to someone else. Then you can get the pics put on a CD. It really came in handy when my husband had a photo op with the kids but I wasn't there and he found himself without a camera!

If the kids are getting tired in the middle of the afternoon, by all means, head back to the hotel and take a break. Let them swim in the pool, rest up, etc. They will be in better shape later in the evening to go back. Don't push them like crazy thinking you must do everything because they will just end up exhausted and overwhelmed. And if they want that $10 Mickey balloon or that $5 light-up thingy during the nighttime parade/show, by all means, get it for them. You don't have to go crazy but be prepared to spend something on little "extras" like that.

Of course it all depends on your kids ages and what they can handle, but park-by-park, these were our favorites (stepsons were 16 and 17, and DD was 3.5):

Magic Kingdom - Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Railroad, Dumbo, It's A Small World, Mad Hatter Tea Cup ride, Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, Prince Charming Carousel, Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion. Also, we loved the Main Street Electric Parade at night, and their Wishes show and fireworks.

EPCOT - Soarin', Mission Space, Test Track, Living Seas with Nemo and Friends (including Turtle Talk with Crush). Illuminations show at night.

Animal Kingdom - Kiliminjaro Safaris, Kali River Rapids, Expedition Everest, Festival of the Lion King show, Finding Nemo stage show, plus the different jungle treks to see the animals.

Hollywood Studios - Star Wars, Beauty and the Beast stage show, Rockin' Roller Coaster, Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, Toy Story Toy Mania, Muppets 3D show, Voyage of the Little Mermaid show. Fantasmic show at night.

Your daughter might also get a kick out of a visit to the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique for a princess make-over...but it can also get expensive if you get the whole package. You can always bring a princess dress or costume from home so all they do is hair and a touch of make-up (and LOTS of glitter!). The barber shop in Magic Kingdom will do something that is less elaborate and less money, but still very cute. Your son might also get a kick out of being a Pirate For A Day (Magic Kingdom).

Unless you get Park Hopper passes, and can visit more than one park in a day, you might have to plan things around which parks have their evening shows going on. Depending on the schedule, not every park does an evening show every night. So if Hollywood Studios is only doing Fantasmic one night that you are there, that's the day you go there.

Hubby and I took our daughter to Disney World (in Orlando) 2 years ago. She was 6 at the time.

We kept it simple. No meal plan, just ate at eateries throughout the park whenever hunger struck. Not cheap of course, but no where near as expensive as I expected. And the food quality (and choices) were better than expected too.

If Princesses are on the agenda, go out to Target now and buy a small notebook and pen at the Dollar Spot to use as an autograph book (instead of spending $15 dollars at a gift shop at Dinsey).

Once you're there, a quick look at a park map and event schedules will help shape your day. But don't stress. You probably won't get every single thing squeezed in. Just let your kids enjoy what you DO do, and don't let on that you think they're "missing something."

It's great fun, just go with the flow. I know it brought out the kid in my husband and me while we were there.

The absolutely ONLY thing I would have done differently is to make sure to stay somewhere on Disney property. This way, you can take the tram or monorail (or whatever) back to the hotel room mid-day for naps and a little recooperation if need be, and then whiz right back into the park for more fun. Other than that, no regrets.

Have fun!

This may be a repeat - I didn't get a chance to read the other responses. One of the best tips I've read about is to buy souveniers before you go. The online Disney store frequently has sale items and promo codes for an additional discount. You can get t-shirts, PJs, stuffed animals, etc. for a few $s! Pack them up and surprise your kids with them at the hotel! You will save a bundle not to mention time (not having to browse the stores and wait in line). Check out www.couponingtodisney.com - she has loads of tips!

Get on the dining plan. It doesn't add a lot of money to the total, but it is worth every penny! I ate better at Disney World than on any other vacation ever!

Are you going to Disney World or Disney Land? Lego Land is in California so wasn't sure. We've been to Lego land and it is a young boys and father's dream. There are so many awesome things there. For Disney world we used a great site called Tour Guide Mike and he will help you to know which parks to visit on which days and give you great tips on getting through the park with minimal waiting. It costs like $20 for a year but it is so worth it.

We just came back from Disney World about two weeks ago. We also visited Lego Land. This was our first trip and we were there for 7 days. I have a 6 year old and 7 month old, both boys. We had such a great time. While planning our trip, I did a search on Mamapedia, just typed in Disney World and got tons of useful tips. The search also took me to several websites that were helpful to me (you will find them when you do your search). You should get the Photopass, but you can also give the photographer your camera or phone to take a pic of you and your family. We ended up getting better pictures off of my phone and all the pics were taken from the photograher who does the Photopass pics!

Lego Land just opened up in Florida last year so it is very new and clean there. It is also less crowded than Disney. Lego Land is great for kids 12 years old and under, but as adults my husband and I had a great time! We did the entire park from 10 am to 5 pm and it didn't seem to overwhelming. We bought our tickets online and saved ~$10 or so per ticket. The food prices are decent compared to Disney. You and your kids will have fun there.

Disney on the other hand was a little overwhelming, only because there is so much to do and see! It was great. We did Magic Kingdom on leap day - it was open for 24 hrs!!! And, we did Hollywood Studios on one day. We spaced things out, so we didn't get too exhaused. The rest of the days we spent at the pool, played miniture golf, went biking, boat riding and walked around Downtown Disney.

Feel free to message me if you have any specific questions. Have fun! I know we did and we can't wait to go back! : )