First time to WDW

[cowchaser]

We have just finished booking our WDW vacation. We are taking our 9 year old and 16 year old. This will be a first of many things for them including plane rides. My question is I am sure I will have no problem entertaining my 9 year old. She will not get on large rides or anything like that but, I am sure there is plenty for her to do. So what about my 16 year old? Will she even be remotely interested in the things there?

I have waited a long time to be able to take them on a vacation like this. As a father I want my children to have something special like this to remember me by if anything was ever to happen to me. We have decided to leave our 18 month old home. We just do not think he can handle 6 days and 5 nights in the Florida sun. We are staying at Pop Culture which, we hope we made the right decision for our budget. If anyone has any input please post.

Other than that I AM GOING TO DISNEY WORLD. I think I am more excited than the others. It's a first for me also.

 

[tiggerzgirl83]

I think you will have a blast! And you chose the best value resort in my opinion. I LOVE Pop Century. It is awsome there. As far as your 16 year old, I think he will love disney. It really depends on what he is into, but what brings the magic into disney is that it touchs all age groups and intrests. Thats why I love it soooo much. Theres so much 2 do and so much 2 see. Take your time, it can get a little overwhelming if your not use to it. I just cant seem 2 get enough. Hope u have fun!:wave:

 

[cowchaser]

Thank you for your reply. I guess I should point out the 2 that are going are both girls. I don't know if that will help or not. We are going the 23 of July. I am sure it will be blistering hot. The way my luck works it will be torential down pours for 6 days.

 

[tiggerzgirl83]

Oh, im sorry, girls are even better! LOL! Theres a lot there for them to do. But I will tell you one thing, you cant pay me enough to go back in July..HOT aint the word. That was probably my worst trip. Novemeber is the time to go.

 

[Nemo14]

It will definitely be hot and humid, so plan to take breaks, and drink plenty of water! There will also be lots of tour groups then, so try to get to the parks early and get things done before they all arrive.

 

[PintoColvig]

A one year old, a nine year old and a sixteen year old. Boy, you sure know how to space them! Don't worry about your kids having a good time. Both will enjoy themselves, I believe.

 

[cowchaser]

A one year old, a nine year old and a sixteen year old. Boy, you sure know how to space them! Don't worry about your kids having a good time. Both will enjoy themselves, I believe.

LOL... trust me it was not planned that way, although they were all planned. I just look at the bright side of it now. When the oldest graduates college the next one will begin driving. Then the same will happen again. :shrug:

 

[PintoColvig]

LOL... trust me it was not planned that way, although they were all planned. I just look at the bright side of it now. When the oldest graduates college the next one will begin driving. Then the same will happen again. :shrug:

:ROFLOL:
Welcome to the Boards!

 

[ThinkTink721]

We have just finished booking our WDW vacation. We are taking our 9 year old and 16 year old. This will be a first of many things for them including plane rides. My question is I am sure I will have no problem entertaining my 9 year old. She will not get on large rides or anything like that but, I am sure there is plenty for her to do. So what about my 16 year old? Will she even be remotely interested in the things there?

I have waited a long time to be able to take them on a vacation like this. As a father I want my children to have something special like this to remember me by if anything was ever to happen to me. We have decided to leave our 18 month old home. We just do not think he can handle 6 days and 5 nights in the Florida sun. We are staying at Pop Culture which, we hope we made the right decision for our budget. If anyone has any input please post.

Other than that I AM GOING TO DISNEY WORLD. I think I am more excited than the others. It's a first for me also.

I have heard many good things about Pop Century!...We will be staying there for the 1st time in Sept.
Last summer, we stayed at Port Orleans Riverside & we really enjoyed our stay!
You will love the Disney Magical Express - they take you to & from the airport & you won't have to touch your luggage - they deliver it & take it back to the airport for you.
Both of your kids will love WDW!
Age is just a number.
There are so many different things to do at WDW that I don't see how anyone could get bored.
I have 3 kids (8, 6, & 4) - 2 boys & a girl.
Do you have boys or girls or one of each?...Sometimes that will make a difference in what you choose to do at WDW.
:wave:

 

[ThinkTink721]

Oh, I didn't see your other post that states that they are both girls!:hammer:
Anyway, your 9 year old may like:
The Wonderland Tea Party at the Grand Floridian Resort
The Princess Tea Party at the Grand Floridian Resort
The Pirate Cruise that leaves from the Grand Floridian Resort
The Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique at Downtown Disney or opening in Sept. at Cinderella Castle (can get hair styled, nails & make-up done)
Chip & Dale's Campfire Sing-Along at Fort Wilderness Resort (offered most nights & it is FREE)
1900 Park Fare character dinner at the Grand Floridian Resort (features Cinderella) - must make reservations

Either one may like:
Cinderella's Royal Table (photos & meal in Cinderella Castle) - must make reservations
miniature golf - there are 2 miniature golf courses (one near Blizzard Beach & the other across from MGM)
Wagon Rides or Horseback Riding at Fort Wilderness Resort
The Water Parks (Typhoon Lagoon or Blizzard Beach)
Mickey's Backyard BBQ at Fort Wilderness Resort (usually held on Thurs. & Sat. nights) - must make reservations
Beaches & Cream ice cream parlor at the Beach Club Resort (they have a sundae called the kitchen sink - it's huge)

Your 16 year old may like:
Downtown Disney (many shops to choose from)
Boating (several resorts offer different boating excursions)

Do either of them have a favorite character(s)?
:wave:

 

[EMThompsen]

Don't worry about whether or not your 16 year old will find something interesting to do. there's tons of things at Disney World. You might want to go to the Disney web site & pick your favorite rides & atrractions from each park and get times for shows & parades. Also ask each of your girls where they think they'd like to have dinner and make reservations ASAP (Disney Dining: 407-939-3463)...one night for your 9 year old and then another night for your 16 year. and of course one night for you. Leave some nights free and play it by ear, so to speak. Plan an itinerary ...then be prepared to amend it each night. It's good to have a plan but you can't write it in stone. Don't be upset if you don't get to do everything. There' too much happening at Disney to be a slave to an itinerary. Before we turn in for the night we make a new plan of attack for the next day. Most importantly, just go with the flow & enjoy the magic.
Have a great time. :sohappy:

 

[JDM]

I just took my 5-year-old daughter last month for the first time.
Needless to say she loved it.

But it is perhaps worth noting that the first time I myself went to Disneyworld was when I was 14 and the next when I was 16. I loved it as a teenage boy and I loved it again as a grown man.

For what it's worth, I think you've also made the right decision in letting the 18-month old sit this one out. Plenty of people take their infants, but I've always felt that was too young. (Note to other posters: can we PLEASE not start another nasty thread about leaving babies at home?) This way, you'll be able to pay enough attention to the older girls to make sure they have fun and it should make this trip that much more special to them.

Anyway, I think you will all have a great time! Have fun!

 

[megpeg]

Here's a word of advice for July: as stated it gets VERY hot and humid. You should pay particular attention to the weather forecasts once you get down there and make changes to your itinerary so you end up going to Animal Kingdom on the coolest day possible. The heat is often worse here than the other parks due to the vegetation and close quarters with large crowd densities. My family went to WDW in the beginning of August once (and only once!) and our first visit to Animal Kingdom was completely miserable. I almost passed out in the ridiculously long stand by line for Kali River Rapids and we had to leave the park early. So make sure to keep hydrated and visit this park when it first opens on a cooler day, that way you can beat the mid day heat. Another must for summer trips: fastpasses! Get the fastpasses for the popular E-ticket attractions early in the morning and then spend some time in the air conditioned dark rides.

As for your 16 year old, she'll have a blast! the E-tickets are obviously popular with adults and teens, and while many of them are not up to six flags or universal thrill levels (as in they're not dropping 200+ feet at 80mph with 4 inverted loops) they are still fantastic! She'll also probably like Illuminations which is a more mature fireworks show than Wishes, and Fantasmic at MGM. You can also head over to a MK area resort for the day, such as the Polynesian, and get boat rentals to cruise around the lagoon. She also might be interested in one of the tours. In January my parents and I are doing the segway tour in World Showcase, and it's fairly inexpensive at about $70 per person for two hours.

Enjoy your trip!

 

[3fordisney]

Your girls are going to love it!! I went for the first time when I was 13, my older sister 16 and younger sister 11. We all loved it!! Pop Century is great! We have stayed there twice and my son loves it ( he is 4). There is plenty for both of your girls to do and love. I would do a character meal. The first time I went to one was on my son's 2nd trip at 3yrs and it was a blast!! My husband and I wish we had done it sooner.

July will be very hot. The first time I went was the end of June (a while back) and it was hot and humid. Make sure you drink plenty of water and take breaks. You might consider a mid-day break back at the hotel pool. It would be a great way to take a little break and cool off at the same time.

You and your family will have a great time. My dad waited to take his 3 girls when we were older and I have the fondest memories of that trip. Your girls will love it!!!

 

[SPOERLX3]

you will have a blast!

This will be my 4th trip to Disney, the 1st time that we went, my daughter (who is now 17) was 18 months old, we left her behind with my parents and took our other 4 kids that were 11(b), 12(b), 13(g) & 15(b). They all LOVED it! 2nd time, the 18 month old was now 6(g), none of the other kids wanted to go(they thought they were too old) now they all regret not going! The 3rd time that 6 yr old was 10, she didn't remember much but she still LOVED it. Now she is 17, she will be 18 when we go in December and she has been begging to go back for over a year. So..........this is going to be her Sr. trip, that is all she wants "is to go back to Disney" and she only wants it to be mom, dad and her. We have let her do most of the planning, so MVMCP is definitely on the list and she picked POP Century out of all the hotels on disneyworld.com. Disney truly brings out the kid in everyone and you will all LOVE it. We can't wait. I think me and her dad are as excited as she is!
You sound like a great dad, and your kids are lucky to have you. Enjoy every moment, they grow up way too fast!

 

[DisneyMarg]

I'd suggest having each of them (and you as well) look at the Disney website or a guidebook (I recommend Unofficial Guide to Disney) and pick out some "must do's" for the trip. You won't be able to do everything, but you definitely want to do the things that are the top of the list for everyone.

In my experience the parades, fireworks, and shows are some of the very best things there, but you can't see them all as the schedules overlap. So again, you'll need to do some planning and prioritizing.

Here are some of the things we often hear from people who didn't enjoy their first trip:

• Everything was too hot and crowded (i.e. - slept late every day and arrived at the parks in the heat of the day when all of the crowds were surging in)
• Had to wait too long for rides (again - the early bird gets the ride - or the fastpass)
• Couldn't get in any of the good restaurants (didn't make any advanced dining reservations)
• Too much walking (well, this really is true, but can be minimized to a point by planning where you'll be when and working some nice rests into the day)
• Family got all out of sorts with each other (well, this happens too, but again can be minimized by planning out what everyone expects, working in plenty of rests, and staying flexible)

On a happier note, we did go in July once and were prepared for the worst. It wasn't nearly as bad as I had feared. The parks open early and stay open late, which gives you much more touring time in the cooler parts of the day, and when it is less crowded. There are many air conditioned places to duck into, and those spray fans work great for other places.

Also, we really enjoyed Pop Century. It's got a lot of fun theming and the food court is good. Bus service worked well for us.

I wish I were going with you! You'll have a ball!!