Im going to Disney woirld for thr first time with a 4 y.o and 6 month old. What should I do. Need advice?

Answer 1

I have recently visited Disney. With Disney being a very large place, that includes PLENTY of walking and waiting in lines, you will be constantly moving/traveling. You will need 1 full day for each park. (i.e. The Magic Kingdom, Epcot, etc.) here is my advice:

1) I suggest this with kindness and due respect to your 6 moth month old:
Reserve a Babysitter for the 6 month old. You will need constant use of your hands and arms throughout the day, and having the 4 year old with you will keep you consistly busy throughout your visit while in th e park. Plus, the 6 month old most likely will not remember anything about the park anyway. You will depart the park with more than you arrived with, so if possible, get a babysitter for the youngest.

If you are lodging, most of the Hotels have a Babysitting service.
If you decide to bring both the kids, then you will definitely need 2 strollers as the kids will be tired at differents throughout the day from the amount of walking, playing, and heat that they will have to deal with throughout your park visit.

Make sure that the strollers have plenty of storage space.
Drink water throughout your day while walking.

2) Bring lots of water with you, and whatever else you and your kids will need regularly. Also, bring lots of cash/credit card, as much of anything that you will purchase while in the parks will be a bit pricey, including the foods and water, and especially the souvenirs.

3) If you want to see the entire park, be sure to depart to the park early. Most of the hotels provide free trolly transportations to each park. But, there will be many people waiting to ride them.
The hotel tran is better than dealing with the Park's parking; plus it gets you closer to the Park's entrance.

4) Get a Park map (from the hotel) and plan your trip trail. This will save you a lot of time once you get to the park (from wondering where to begin, and whereto next ...)

Purchase your Park Tickets online directly from Disney to get the best price. (Disney rarely discounts anything of their products)

Plan to be at the Park(s) the full day. There is a lot to see and do, and the rides are Free.

At the end of the day, plan to see the Night Parade and Fireworks Show. It will be worthwhile, and your 4 year old (and you grown-ups) will enjoy seeing the different Characters!

Have fun! It's a wonderful place to visit. I am planning on going again in 3 weeks!
Enjoy,
Curtiss

Answer 2

Take bottled water, snacks and a double stroller. Only do the Magic Kingdom - it's the best for that age.

When you get there in the morning, head straight for the back left hand side of the park - pick up a fast pass for Peter Pan, then get in line for Dumbo first, then it's a small world.

After your Peter pan fast pass is used, get a fast pass for the Pooh bear ride, and do the other ones in the area while you wait (snow white, teacups, carousel, and don't forget the Philharmagic show)

Have a break across from Mrs.Potts place, letting your 4 year old run around the little piglet playground with the other kids. They'll probably have had it by now - and are ready for nap time in the stroller - so go have a stroll down main street for yourself.

Have a magical day!!

Answer 3

Here's your mantra, come early, stay as late as possible, and take a break during the day. I would HIGHLY recommend staying on site at one of the Disney Properties given the ages of your children, you're going to want them to take naps during the day, and it will be much easier/quicker to get to one of the Disney properties rather than something off site. Remember, DisneyWorld is a massive resort that has over 47 square MILES of territory...it's huge!! If something off property says they're 5 minutes away, that's from the beginning of the Disney property, if you're in the Magic Kingdom (which is where you'll spend most of your time w/your children), that's the furthest point away. Make sure you have all the appropriate baby supplies, they can be bought at Disney, but are expensive. Disney will allow you to take in food/formula into the parks, you might want to consider renting a locker. Disney also has wonderful baby care centers in each of the 4 theme parks (yes, I said 4). Plan your trip well, know what you want to do each day. Your 4 year old would probably LOVE to go to a character breakfast or dinner, there's many of them to pick from, one should have his/her fave characters, again check the Disney website. You can rent strollers at the parks, but they're not for a 6 month old, so you'll need your own. You might also want to consider a backpack baby carrier. I took my children when they were 6 and 2, my sister's done Disney pregant, so it's a very family friendly place. I'll give you a couple of links to check out.

http://www.mousesavers.com/
This is a great site for finding $$ saving ideas. Subscribe to their newsletter
http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/index?bhcp=1
Main Disney site...'nuff said. Get their vacation planning package, DVD and other stuff.

Good luck and have fun!

Answer 4

Well you'll definitely want to visit the Magic Kingdom. That is the best park for little ones. Go on every ride in Fantasyland. I hope you'll be traveling with 1 or more adults to help you with the kids.
Take advantage of Disney's swap passes. At the entrance to a ride, ask a cast member if they have any swap passes. This allows you to go on a ride while another adult stays with your 6 month old. Then when you get off, that adult gets to get right on the ride without waiting. You'll find these on most big rides like Splash Mountain, Space Mountain, etc...

Animal Kingdom is also another great park for younger kids. It's Tough to Be a Bug 3D show and the Festival of the Lion King show are great!

If you would like any help planning your trip, or would like some other tips and ideas, check out my Disney Vacation Blog, I'm All Ears at:

http://im-all-ears-disney-vacation-services.blogspot.com/

I used to be a cast member and worked at Disney World, so I have all kinds of tips! Have a great time!

Answer 5

You have to try character dining!! You can eat with the characters at Chef Mickey's or dine with the Princesses at EPCOT in Norway! You should make reservations for any character dining (407-WDW-DINE). All of the characters come out more than once, so there are plenty of photo opportunities with each character.

If you are only going to Magic Kingdom, they'll love Small World and a lot of the rides in that area (Peter Pan, Winnie the Pooh, Snow White, Tea Cups, etc.)

At Downtown Disney, they have this new thing called the Bibbity Bobbity Boutique. It is where little girls can get dressed up like a princess. I think prices start at $30. For the boys, there is an entire section with Pirate stuff, really neat!

If you have any other questions, feel free to shoot me an email! I have an annual pass and go all the time.

Answer 6

Do what I did. Sometimes there's not a place to sit down..especially a shady place. Your going to need one at some point with a 6mth. old. Go to Walmart and get one of those smaller basic fold up chairs...the kind that come with a long canvas type bag . Attach it to, or stick it underneath the stroller. I'm telling you you'll be so happy you have it when you just want to sit down for a minute. After all someone will have to sit with the baby while the others ride rides...Also get one of those coolers on wheels and stock it with drinks and little snacks for your 4 yr. old. I got one of those battery operated clip on fans and snapped it on to the stroller for my son who was about 18 mos. at the time. It came in handy.

Answer 7

Don't. Sorry to rain on your parade, but these kids are WAY too young to appreciate it, and they will get in the way of your own enjoyment. Maybe plan on spending one day max at Magic Kingdom. Or arrange for the age 4 to spend a couple days in a 'Disney Camp' while you enjoy Epcot and MGM.

Answer 8

RESCHEDULE! It is way too hot in Orlando right now, the parks are packed and the combination of long lines and heat makes it a truly miserable place, I don't care what anyone says. Especially with small children. You're better off to go in the cooler months, from November to March. OR, go at night, it is much nicer at night.

Answer 9

Hopefully you have another adult with you. If you do you can both go on "big" rides using the child swap.

make sure that you keep the kids hydrated, it is awfully hot. Don't try to do too much, as children tire easily, and can be overstimulated and get cranky, which ruins everyone's vacation.

Relax, have fun. Make sure you get lots of pictures with the characters. you can go into ToonTown area to see Mickey's house & Minnie's house.

Answer 10

There's a great book you can buy called "Passporter-Walt Disney World Resort" that tells you absolutely everything you would ever need to know and roughly how much, including resorts, parks, rides, attractions, food, character sightings, etc.