1st trip with a child

[lizlovesdisney87]

We are planning our next Disney trip in November and it will be our daughters first trip. She will be about 18mo. Looking for recommendations for character dining? I haven’t done any of the character meals since I was a kid so I have no clue! Also any recommendations for must-dos with her? And finally, I know the ADRs open at 7am, and i start work at that time and may not be able to get to a computer for a few hours. How important is getting there for that 7am opening (knowing I want some character meals and all)? I don’t have the open of going in late but I could either teach my husband to do it, take off work that day or try to do it on my lunch break. Thanks for all the input!!

 

[DisneyPrincess5]

That’s so exciting!

There are a bunch of them but I have always favored Crystal Palace. Love the beautiful bright atmosphere and the Pooh characters.
More options here:
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/character/

You can make ADRs online beginning at 6am, phone at 7 all eastern time. I would absolutely get to making them ASAP as some fill up very quickly, especially depending on time of year. Not sure when you’re going in November but I’d get on as early as possible.

Good luck!

 

[Tuvalu]

I wouldn’t book more than one character meal with an 18 month old. Many toddlers are terrified of meeting characters. Since you have no way of knowing how your child will react, it may be better to save some money (those meals are pricey!) and instead book fastpasses for meeting a Princess (some babies do better meeting “face” characters) or any character you want to see. Fastpasses can be easily changed if your daughter doesn’t do well with character greets.

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

My daughter had just turned one on our last trip. We did one character meal- breakfast at Tusker House in Animal Kingdom- and we LOVED it. The food was great and the character interaction was awesome. Does she recognize any characters? I would book meals that feature characters she might know. We did the Disney Junior breakfast a few years back when my oldest was 3 and had a wonderful experience. I would only book a handful of sit down meals. With little ones, their schedules can change frequently (as I'm sure you know!) and it can be hard to have places you absolutely have to be at a definite time every day. Our plans were thrown completely out of whack on our last trip (our girls were 1 and 5). We had to cancel plans and change things around almost every day. Napping was thrown off, our baby was teething and slept terrible at night. You just never know with little ones! Definitely do one or two, we always make great memories at character meals, but I personally wouldn't book more than that. And for us, breakfast works best. Our girls are early risers so it's easier to wake up and go before the day gets too crazy

 

[Tinkerbella16]

We took my niece on her first trip in September 2016 and she was 18 months when we went. She had an absolute blast and actually remembered more than we ever thought she would. We did quite a few character meals that trip and she loved them all! We did Garden Grill for dinner, Akershus breakfast, Cape May Cafe breakfast, Crystal Palace breakfast and Ohana breakfast. Only a few of those we booked 180 days in advance. Crystal Palace and Ohana we booked the night before on a whim. We also did Hoop Dee Doo Revue, our favorite meal of every trip and with my niece, this was the highlight of our whole trip because she had so much fun. We took her again this past September and she had an even more amazing time at 2.5 years old.

I know every child is different, but some people will say they are too young for this and that.. and that is not true. I have gone on 25 trips to WDW and that trip in 2016 was the best trip. We have made the best memories when she was just 18 months old and the whole trip was so magical.

 

[Seabasealpha1]

As I've taken a trip to WDW and a trip to Disneyland with kids this exact age...I'd say forget about the character dining. You can get the same cute photos at a meet and greet spot for a whole lot less. My oldest son slept through meeting Mickey Mouse for the first time, and my middle son didn't want touched at all...IMO it's not worth the extra coin. Take yourself/your husband somewhere nice to eat on property instead and forgo the characters...

Now when they're around three years old...go for it. Also, if you have more than just this kid, then great...go for it...but don't expect a kid at 18 mos to necessarily be cooperative for all of it.

Good luck!

 

[dreamfinder]

I would suggest booking the character dining towards the end of the trip. That way you can try some character interactions beforehand and see if they go terribly and you need/want to cancel.

The exact meal you choose and the time you want it will determine how important it is to be trying to book right at open. Off meal times at like 1900 Park Fare are easier to get than a 6PM Chef Mickey.

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

We took my niece on her first trip in September 2016 and she was 18 months when we went. She had an absolute blast and actually remembered more than we ever thought she would. We did quite a few character meals that trip and she loved them all! We did Garden Grill for dinner, Akershus breakfast, Cape May Cafe breakfast, Crystal Palace breakfast and Ohana breakfast. Only a few of those we booked 180 days in advance. Crystal Palace and Ohana we booked the night before on a whim. We also did Hoop Dee Doo Revue, our favorite meal of every trip and with my niece, this was the highlight of our whole trip because she had so much fun. We took her again this past September and she had an even more amazing time at 2.5 years old.

I know every child is different, but some people will say they are too young for this and that.. and that is not true. I have gone on 25 trips to WDW and that trip in 2016 was the best trip. We have made the best memories when she was just 18 months old and the whole trip was so magical.

I could not love this post more!!! People love to hate on me for bringing my girls to Disney but seeing the magic through their eyes was a dream come true!

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

I would suggest booking the character dining towards the end of the trip. That way you can try some character interactions beforehand and see if they go terribly and you need/want to cancel.

The exact meal you choose and the time you want it will determine how important it is to be trying to book right at open. Off meal times at like 1900 Park Fare are easier to get than a 6PM Chef Mickey.

This is a great tip about booking towards the end of the trip! I never would have thought of that

 

[Kingdom Konsultant]

Actually if you make your dining reservations through your my disney experience account you can make them at 6am EST. I started taking my girls when my oldest was 3 and my youngest was 18 months. Neither girl had an issue with the characters. I think it may be because they constantly watch the Disney sing along songs DVD's with the character and I would tell them, see Mickey is big like mommy and goofy is big like daddy. I had no problem whatsoever with characters.
My youngest loved going to Disney so much that she now works for them!

I will be in WDW in November also with a bunch of clients and agents for an event we are hosting over Veterans day weekend. If you haven't booked yet, we have discounted rooms and tickets still available at select hotels!! It's going to be a lot of fun with scavenger hunts, contests, prizes lol

Have a wonderful trip!!!

Pam