DisneyWorld -- What you wish you had known (not rides, etc., but parenting tips)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've never done Disney and to be honest I have a hard time fathoming why people would. Is it like kings dominion on crack? I say this purely out of curiosity--what's so great about it? How would you describe it?

It's fun for the rides and for me an easy vacation. We did not plan except hotel, car, and flights. No worrying about what we had to do. And it is one of the few places that let young kids on roller coasters. Turned out our little one loved them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've never done Disney and to be honest I have a hard time fathoming why people would. Is it like kings dominion on crack? I say this purely out of curiosity--what's so great about it? How would you describe it?

I thought I would hate it. I hate kings dominion. I love real traveling. And I got kinda tricked into going. But I have to admit, it was fun and a great week, other than the one day we ignored all advice and showed up at magic kingdom at 11am. That was hell on earth.

We usually got a late start. It depends on when you go. We will only go to magic kingdom during the week. Weekends are crazy but it is slower when kids are in school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Get to the park early, do a lot, but then after lunch go back to your hotel and relax at the swimming pool or rest for a few hours, then head out again for evening activities.

+2.

[Anonymous]

Went with our five-year-old twins And opted not to get a stroller. Our kids are good walkers, and we did not want the extra hassle of having to park the stroller and retrieve it after rides.

We got up at a ridiculously early hour and were among the first people into the park, did any of our must do's first thing before the park got to full, and stopped for lunch around 11, then went back to the hotel and made the kids take a nap. They were pretty worn out, so it wasn't too hard to get them to go to sleep, and it enabled us to head back to the park around 4 PM and stay until midnight. Tons of the rides, especially the kiddie nostalgic sorts of things had basically no line at the end of the day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've never done Disney and to be honest I have a hard time fathoming why people would. Is it like kings dominion on crack? I say this purely out of curiosity--what's so great about it? How would you describe it?

I thought I would hate it. I hate kings dominion. I love real traveling. And I got kinda tricked into going. But I have to admit, it was fun and a great week, other than the one day we ignored all advice and showed up at magic kingdom at 11am. That was hell on earth.

We usually got a late start. It depends on when you go. We will only go to magic kingdom during the week. Weekends are crazy but it is slower when kids are in school.

But why aren't your kids in school? I would never sacrifice my children's education for princesses and roller coasters. Real travel, sure maybe, as informal education is as important as formal. But for Disney? Hell no. The lesson that would teach is not within our value system.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've never done Disney and to be honest I have a hard time fathoming why people would. Is it like kings dominion on crack? I say this purely out of curiosity--what's so great about it? How would you describe it?

I thought I would hate it. I hate kings dominion. I love real traveling. And I got kinda tricked into going. But I have to admit, it was fun and a great week, other than the one day we ignored all advice and showed up at magic kingdom at 11am. That was hell on earth.

We usually got a late start. It depends on when you go. We will only go to magic kingdom during the week. Weekends are crazy but it is slower when kids are in school.

But why aren't your kids in school? I would never sacrifice my children's education for princesses and roller coasters. Real travel, sure maybe, as informal education is as important as formal. But for Disney? Hell no. The lesson that would teach is not within our value system.

Not the PP you're responding to, but we are about to take our kids out of school for two days for Disney. OUR value system values time together as a family. They are in elementary school; two days away with family, enjoying something they'll find absolutely thrilling, fits just fine into our family ethos of working hard and taking your responsibilities seriously. Work is done before we go; work is done after we return. But we take time to enjoy our lives.

Pretty sure my kids will still pass 3rd grade and 1st grade, despite the example we set.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've never done Disney and to be honest I have a hard time fathoming why people would. Is it like kings dominion on crack? I say this purely out of curiosity--what's so great about it? How would you describe it?

I thought I would hate it. I hate kings dominion. I love real traveling. And I got kinda tricked into going. But I have to admit, it was fun and a great week, other than the one day we ignored all advice and showed up at magic kingdom at 11am. That was hell on earth.

We usually got a late start. It depends on when you go. We will only go to magic kingdom during the week. Weekends are crazy but it is slower when kids are in school.

But why aren't your kids in school? I would never sacrifice my children's education for princesses and roller coasters. Real travel, sure maybe, as informal education is as important as formal. But for Disney? Hell no. The lesson that would teach is not within our value system.

Preschool and they supported the trip. He is 5 and missed the birthday cut off. If the public school thought it was more important for him to be in school they should not changed the age limits as he's already reading very well and doing basic math. The 4 year old work at school is stuff we were doing two years ago. They don't start teaching basic reading till the end of the school year. I think missing school is ok in that situation. When they are teaching something new, we'll worry about it then. I have no issue pulling my kid out for a family vacation while they are young. I'm not impressed with what the schools teach so we supplement at home. I have boys... no princesses for us. I don't even remember seeing any princesses. We appreciate you not going during the school year. It makes it much more pleasant to visit without the crowds. We will never go again during the summer or holidays.

[Anonymous]

23:24, we don't all have to enjoy the same things. You don't like Disney and that's fine. But I think most people understand that missing a few days of elementary school is not sacrificing their kids' education.

[Anonymous]

And this is why I will try with all my might to keep my kids unaware of Disney characters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just say yes. Just for one week take a break from discipline, good eating habits and practice saying yes to everything within reason. Cotton candy? Why not? Overpriced mouse ears? Sure! Although we gave each kid a discretionary budget, the only limitation was that they could not exceed it. Within that, if they chose to spend it on junk, oh well. Honestly, it was the happiest week ever - zero complaints.

+1000. This advice is awesome !!

[Anonymous]

Just came back from a trip with my 6 and 8 y.o. kids.

- We went early to the parks, arriving by 8:45 so we could be there for opening. It was a great chance to avoid the lines. We were able to do multiple high demand rides back to back with no wait (e.g., Splash and Thunder Mountain 2x each in 30 min., Everest 3 times in 25 min.) That started our day off great!

- Since lots of folks suggested midday breaks, I'll just note we went 8:30-4:30 every day and kids had a blast. They were tired by the end of the day but we didn't need a stroller and didn't have any meltdowns.

- Book your Fast Passes and know that once you use your allotted 3 you can go back and get additional passes. We did this at Magic Kingdom which saved waiting time later in the day.

- Carry water and snacks. Life savers to keeping kids happy and energetic all day.

- Bring raincoats/ponchos, at least this time of year. It poured on us at two parks but we were able to keep enjoying. Also wore them on water rides where you really get wet, not just splashed.

I can't see the fun of repeat visits to Disney but our kids had never been to an amusement park and loved it!

[Anonymous]

We definitely fall into the say yes more than no camp while at Disney but we had one hard rule: there had to be a good breakfast in the morning with a solid base of protein before we left the room. That meant cold cuts and yogurt most mornings. And then I did say yes to cupcakes for a second breakfast.

Beyond that we just tried to relax, have fun and follow each others cues. We all came in with a list of must dos and tried to make those happen as much as possible.

[Anonymous]

We've gone three times- going back in November. 6 and 9 yr old kids--First and foremost.... Have a positive happy attitude and don't be uptight crazy parents. I think Disneyworld is the happiest place in the world FOR KIDS vacation. My husband and I love it, too and we are botH type A working adults ( the type that usually bitch about kid vacations). We love everything about it!! Everyone will offer different advice and Have different ideas on what makes it fun. For us, planning a TON ahead of time is essential. We stay on property at deluxe resort because I don't want a million people at Resort. The budget ones are more crowded. However growing up, we stayed at Caribean Beach and I remember loving it!!! But we can afford deluxe now and choose to stay at less crowded spots. We are early risers but for us, earlier you get there, better. Fewer crowds at Magic Hours. However, we haven't arrived at 10 or so so maybe getting there Later works better for some. I plan the parks and the meals Only!!! Once we get in parks, we play it by ear. We always do park hopper, although not sure why! Little kids do fine with one park a day. We ALWAYS do food plan. To me, it's essential. It's the best way to not feel nickeled and dimed. I would recommend to everyone. My kids dont care about Animal Kingdom anymore but I think it's great. Tusker House character meals are Great!! I don't like Hollywood studios but they do.
I agree with poster that packing in 10 houR day to get your money's worth is disaster. 6 hours and all smiles is worth more! Don't overdo it. We always leave parks around 4. Swimming At resort is highlight for kids. Take time to enjoy that. Swimming- pizza by the pool and an ice cream cone tops right up there with favorite paRt of Disney. I think 4-5 days is enough total. I don't waste day or money for watermarks. We can all do that at home. Enjoy the parks, swim at your hotel and be positive parents. Your kids will think it's as magical as you make it!
We put business card in our kids shorts or pocket so they can Hand to a "mommy" if they get lost.

[Anonymous]

My advice: do not follow the recommended plans. And be prepared for a very early rising vacation. We got there around 8:30AM and our fast passes were for 2-5PM. That meant we stayed at the parks with no breaks. It was an exhausting vacation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Get there early. It is imperative that you get to the parks at rope drop.

Make sure you make time to rest. I think we, the parents, needed rest equally as much as the kids.

We did not skimp on treats. I think we paid $7 for lemonade so our kids could have a buzz light year light up thing on the straw. I even bought 2 so my 2 kids would not fight over the stupid buzz light year.

I let them pick out one souvenir that was overpriced. I also kept an eye on what they also wanted and bought similar items for xmas. Some merchandise is only sold at the parks but you can find very very similar items online. Don't think the kids knew the difference or they certainly did not mind.

I would not make my kids wait in ridiculously long lines. My younger child started whining after 1 hour waiting for jungle cruise. That ride and any other ride is not worth a 1+ hour wait. I would not go during busy season. Personally don't think it is worth it.

We never once made rope drop. We were there half an hour to an hour after rope drop and skipped that insanity. We were there over Easter a few years ago.

If they have a ride they "must" do, use Fast Pass. If you or the kids are getting hungry, grab something to eat when you see a lineup that isn't insanely long.