First time with a 4 year old

[BlackCauldron]

Hello All -

WDW veteran here and just booked our 12 day trip for September, 2016. This will be our first time traveling with our son (and his first trip to the World). He will be just shy of 4 during the trip. We tend to be commando-style park goes, but this trip will need to be at a much slower pace and is forcing me to approach this from a kid's perspective. I would appreciate some advice.

1. Does anyone have any good tips / tricks on flying with children? I was thinking of getting an early morning flight out (around 6AM) in the hopes that he might sleep through most of it or be tired enough to take an early nap after we land.

2. Any first day ideas? We should be at the hotel around noon. Typically we would immediately hit a park, but I was thinking of taking the first day off, letting him rest up, and taking it slow. Maybe some pool time, a trip to Disney Springs and an early dinner. Any other ideas for a slow first day?

3. The stroller debate. Is it really worth bringing or renting one?

4. To nap or just have "quiet time". I know this is hotly debated, and depends alot on the child. I was planning on afternoon breaks back at the hotel, but not sure if we need the full on nap or not. You experience would be helpful.

5. Can anyone recommend some great character meals? I was thinking of doing maybe 2 or 3 (preferably for lunch or dinner) and have a few in mind, but it's been years since I've been to one and would appreciate suggestions on places you loved / hated (based on food quality and character interaction).

I'm trying not to fall into the trap of trying to expect the "perfect" vacation - but it's his first trip so it's hard not to go down that road.

Many thanks in advance!

 

[G00fyDad]

1. Does anyone have any good tips / tricks on flying with children? I was thinking of getting an early morning flight out (around 6AM) in the hopes that he might sleep through most of it or be tired enough to take an early nap after we land.

It depends on how long the flight is going to take. We always fly out at 6 in the morning. Of course our flight is only 2.5 hours and our son has always been great on a plane. (Get Earplanes Junior for the ear pressure)

2. Any first day ideas? We should be at the hotel around noon. Typically we would immediately hit a park, but I was thinking of taking the first day off, letting him rest up, and taking it slow. Maybe some pool time, a trip to Disney Springs and an early dinner. Any other ideas for a slow first day?

We never do a park on the first day. We always go to DTD then to Wal-Mart on the first day then we go back to the resort and swim for a while, eat then go back to DTD for night shopping.

3. The stroller debate. Is it really worth bringing or renting one?

Depends on the size of the child. This may not be necessary if you keep into account the short legs on your child and take plenty of "pit stops" in the parks. If you decide to use one then I would most definitely bring it with you instead of spending the large amount to rent one.

4. To nap or just have "quiet time". I know this is hotly debated, and depends alot on the child. I was planning on afternoon breaks back at the hotel, but not sure if we need the full on nap or not. You experience would be helpful.

We've never done a resort nap. Ever. Our son has gone when he was 2, 4, 5, 8, and 10. He has always been okay without the naps. Of course, again, this depends on the child.

5. Can anyone recommend some great character meals? I was thinking of doing maybe 2 or 3 (preferably for lunch or dinner) and have a few in mind, but it's been years since I've been to one and would appreciate suggestions on places you loved / hated (based on food quality and character interaction).

Breakfast - Chef Mickey's
Lunch - Crystal Palace
Dinner - Garden Grill

Keep in mind that none of those suggestions take food quality into account. Of course I have never had a bad meal at any of them.

 

[BlackCauldron]

Thanks for the reply.

We are coming from Chicago, so it's about a 2.5 hour flight. I will have to look into the Earplanes.

Was thinking that a trip to DTD the first day would be good - and possibly an early dinner at T-Rex.

Hopefully we can skip the nap if possible. That's a huge 4+ hour chunk out of the middle of the day, at a time when park hours are already reduced.

We do plan on taking a slower pace, with plenty of stops and sit down shows to rest his legs. He's also fiercely independant and doesn't like to be confined to a stroller for a long period of time. It just seems like a huge expense to rent one (and a hassle to travel with one) for those "just in case" moments.

Garden Grille and Crystal Palace were on my list. Anyone have any insight on the Tusker House?

 

[MotherofaPrincessLover]

The stroller issue really depends on your child. We didn't bring one when my daughter was 5, but we had to carry her, a lot. We knew this going in, but we only had one park day so figured we'd survive. If we had a trip with more park days, I definitely would have brought a stroller. I took one when she was 3 1/2, and I didn't find it too much of a hassle, plus she could sleep in it/you can store stuff in it.

 

[DizneyPryncess]

1. Does anyone have any good tips / tricks on flying with children? We drive from PA rather than fly, but your plan sounds like what we do when we first leave the house. We leave very early, so the kids will sleep for the first portion of it. My daughter is 3, and will be turning 4 this fall. My son is a newborn, so his travel mannerisms are still developing, haha.

2. Any first day ideas? We don't usually do a park on our arrival day. Our plan for this fall is to swim, watch the movie under the stars and roast marshmallows at the campfire (POFQ). Disney Springs is another good idea.

3. The stroller debate. Is it really worth bringing or renting one? If it were just my daughter, I wouldn't bring one. She's been anti-stroller since she was born though. I actually like having it, but she won't sit in it so it's useless to me. We take afternoon naps, and that helps with her not being exhausted by mid-day.

4. To nap or just have "quiet time". This totally depends on the child. My daughter needs a good 2 hour nap in the hotel room. I know her limits, I just go with her schedule. Lots of kids are perfectly fine with napping in the stroller, or just having quiet time.

5. Can anyone recommend some great character meals? My favorites are Chef Mickey's for breakfast, Crystal Palace for breakfast and Garden Grill for dinner. I also love Akershus but I'm not sure your son would be into a Princess meal.

Have so much fun!!

 

[G00fyDad]

Thanks for the reply.

We are coming from Chicago, so it's about a 2.5 hour flight. I will have to look into the Earplanes.

Was thinking that a trip to DTD the first day would be good - and possibly an early dinner at T-Rex.

Hopefully we can skip the nap if possible. That's a huge 4+ hour chunk out of the middle of the day, at a time when park hours are already reduced.

We do plan on taking a slower pace, with plenty of stops and sit down shows to rest his legs. He's also fiercely independant and doesn't like to be confined to a stroller for a long period of time. It just seems like a huge expense to rent one (and a hassle to travel with one) for those "just in case" moments.

Garden Grille and Crystal Palace were on my list. Anyone have any insight on the Tusker House?

The only time we did Tusker House is for breakfast. It was pretty good but about on par with other breakfast buffets.

 

[BigHero4]

1. I also recommend earplanes. We flew from Ohio with our 4 year old last year and these were great. He never complained of ear pain on either flight (there and back). We also used an acupuncture wrist band to help with motion sickness as he sometimes did get motion sick in the car. I can't remember the exact name, but it is available at any national chain pharmacy. We also purchased some Disney activity books to keep him busy on the 2.5 hour flight. It worked out great and he enjoyed the flight. We left around 8 AM, but he wasn't interested in sleeping because he was too excited about seeing airplanes and getting to Disney

2. On the first day, we usually swim at the resort and enjoy the surroundings. Sometimes we'll skip over to DTD for food and pre-game for the parks the next day(s). We try not to over do it since the fly in day tends to be a long day for everyone.

3. I researched the stroller thing until I was blue in the face. I finally just took our small portable stroller with us. It came in handy in the airport as well as the long park days while heading back to the resort. It was well worth it and even better since I didn't have to rent a stroller.

4. We did both nap and quiet time on different days. That was dictated more by our son... sometimes you have to roll with the punches. He did great though. One day he was worn out by noon and the nap was a great option, the other day he just needed to relax a bit before heading back to the park for more fun.

5. Unfortunately I don't have a lot of input on the character meal. We did Hollywood and Vine breakfast once - it wasn't bad, but it also wasn't great. I wouldn't do it again unless my kids were REALLY into any of the Disney Jr. characters.

Have a great trip!!

 

[G00fyDad]

May I make one suggestion about the stroller. If you take your own stroller I suggest taking the wheels off and adding some wheel bearing grease to the inside of the wheel where the axle goes through. This will help prevent heat from the plastic wheel rubbing against the metal causing friction which will, over the course of an entire trip, cause the wheels to slightly melt and become sluggish.

 

[Weather_Lady]

Hello All -

1. Does anyone have any good tips / tricks on flying with children? I was thinking of getting an early morning flight out (around 6AM) in the hopes that he might sleep through most of it or be tired enough to take an early nap after we land.

2. Any first day ideas? We should be at the hotel around noon. Typically we would immediately hit a park, but I was thinking of taking the first day off, letting him rest up, and taking it slow. Maybe some pool time, a trip to Disney Springs and an early dinner. Any other ideas for a slow first day?

3. The stroller debate. Is it really worth bringing or renting one?

4. To nap or just have "quiet time". I know this is hotly debated, and depends alot on the child. I was planning on afternoon breaks back at the hotel, but not sure if we need the full on nap or not. You experience would be helpful.

5. Can anyone recommend some great character meals? I was thinking of doing maybe 2 or 3 (preferably for lunch or dinner) and have a few in mind, but it's been years since I've been to one and would appreciate suggestions on places you loved / hated (based on food quality and character interaction).

I'm trying not to fall into the trap of trying to expect the "perfect" vacation - but it's his first trip so it's hard not to go down that road.

Many thanks in advance!

Apologizing in advance for any "repeats"...

1 - Tips/tricks for flying with kids: My daughter's first flight was also a trip to WDW at age 4! Ahead of time, we read her some books about airplanes and flying so she'd know what to expect (sights, sounds, ear popping, getting through airport security, etc.). I packed her a little backpack as her "personal item" with headphones (we flew with JetBlue, which has seatback TVs), a small activity/sticker book and crayons, chapstick, little snacks like Twizzlers and apple slices, her favorite stuffed animal, and a little lap blanket. She did a great job! I had high hopes for a nap but she was too excited.

2 - First day ideas: We always have lunch and then head to the Magic Kingdom, but I think a great way to take it slow would be, as you suggest, pool time and Disney Springs. You could also have dinner at one of the resorts (e.g., 'Ohana, Hoop-de-Doo Musical Revue) if you wanted to avoid having to say, "no, we're not buying that!" every 30 seconds at Disney Springs.

3 - Unless you: (1) don't plan to take mid-day naps; or (2) have a child who is unusually small or has a physical condition that makes walking long distances difficult; I would advise against the stroller. We never brought one and never needed to. (Nothing against strollers, but my husband and I personally see them as more of a hassle than a convenience, and we deliberately held off on going to WDW until both children were well beyond needing them.)

We divided each day into two 4-5 hour "touring blocks"; rope drop to lunch, and then about 4pm to 9pm. So even though we were getting up early, we all -- all four of us, from the four-year-old to the six-year-old to my husband and I (none of whom nap at home, BTW) -- took a 1-2 hour nap every single afternoon (except for our arrival day) in our air-conditioned resort room. We were also getting to bed at a decent time, since we didn't stay too late in the parks. As a result, everybody was consistently rested and refreshed. No strollers. No peak crowds. No peak heat. No meltdowns. No worries! With all that walking, you'll also want to make sure that everybody has at least two pairs of good walking shoes -- leave the "fashion" sandals and flip-flops at home unless you're convinced they can handle the job. (We wear sneakers with moisture-wicking socks in the mornings when we're moving the fastest, and switch to hiking sandals like Tevas for our more relaxed evening itineraries. Switching footwear also helps prevent blisters -- knock on wood, we've never had any at WDW yet.)

4 - See answer to #3 for my "pro-nap" position.

5 - For character meals, I'd recommend: (1) Akershus (Epcot) for princesses (better food and lower cost than Cinderella's Royal Table, for a similar character experience -- we did CRT last time and although the experience was lovely, it didn't remotely justify the cost); and (2) Crystal Palace (MK) for Winnie the Pooh Characters and a decent buffet. I've heard good things about the Garden Grill (Epcot character meal with Chip, Dale, Mickey and Pluto) and Tusker House (Animal Kingdom, Daisy, Donald, Goofy and Mickey), but we've never been to either. The only character meal I'd advise anyone to actively avoid would be the Disney, Jr. buffet at Hollywood & Vine (Hollywood Studios), due solely to the unusually poor quality of the food.

Good luck and have a wonderful time! I'm sure your family is going to have a blast, "perfect" vacation or no! In our experience, the "perfect" vacation isn't one without hiccups -- it's just one where we all follow through on our resolve to have a great time, no matter what hiccups might occur!

 

[Queenof<3<3]

I use to be one of those open to close kinda people at parks but once I started doing the mid day scorching sun break and nap or pool time I never went back. My kids love their break and I do to.

As far as strollers go, Disney strollers get pricey for multiple days, I'm a single parent and have found it very hard to struggle with a heavy bulky double stroller ( I have two toddlers) in buses and monorails and trams. But if you have help, and only have one lightweight stroller then it's definitely worth it to bring you own, if anything just to save on stroller rental.


As for character dining, I have a 4 & 5 year old and so far in terms of food and character interaction my top three choices are park fare, crystal palace and chef mickeys. I can't vouche for Cinderellas table because I've never been able to eat there . Those three I did mention had good food choices for kids for both breakfast and lunch and/or dinner. Character interaction was great and I felt like we had plenty of time with each character.

 

[RandomPrincess]

I say yes to a stroller especially as the trip goes on. My son did great for the first few days but by our last day he basically slept in the stroller for four hours straight. That was even with half days in the parks. If you have a comfortable stroller with a good sunshade you may be able to avoid leaving the parks if he is willing to nap in the stroller.

We find lunch ADRs work best with our kids as well. Sometimes it works to refresh them and we can hit the parks a little longer.


There were many things I never imagined I would do or skip at Disney until we had kids. But going at your child pace is really the best advice for a happy trip overall.

 

[Tinkerkelle]

We usually get into WDW about 3pm and spend that first day looking round the resort and using the pool before an early bed. As we have jam packed days the rest of the trip and don't spend much of it at the resort, we enjoy setting time aside for this, plus it may be 6pm in Orlando but our bodies know it is 11pm our local time and time for bed!!
We go in Oct as we get 2 weeks school hols. Parks a bit quieter but hours are a bit shorter- all opening at 9am and Epcot open later til about 9pm, AK usually closed between 5 and 6, HS about 7:30ish and MK often 7 due to MNSSHP. Leaving a park midday for down time isn't really worth it for us due to this. We like to rope drop and then see how the day goes as to when we leave. I try to plan a longer day followed by shorter, so late night at MK to see Wishes then AK next day so we are back to hotel and bed by 6:30. The boys are older now (8 and 11) so no need for naps but still need a good, long sleep at night, especially the 8 year old.
With a 4 year old, a stroller means he can rest/sleep in that rather than having to head back to the resort? We didn't do WDW till youngest was 5 but when we went to DLP we took our own stroller. Bought a cheap one for £25 that wouldn't be missed if anything happened to it. Flip side is hassle of having to park it in stroller areas then the task of finding it after you exit the attraction!! I would advise some bright stroller decorations like colourful ribbons round handles, don't know how people find their rentals in the sea of rentals.
Tusker House is fab. Donald meets at the door for photos then Minnie, Mickey, Goofy and Daisy come round the tables.There is a musical procession at regular intervals the kids can join in with. Food great. Last trip we had ADR for 11am to try breakfast and lunch dishes -brunch if you like!! Have an 8am ADR to get into park early for a few 'peopleless' photos on way to the restaurant. Also like Crystal Palace for Winnie the Pooh and Friends. Have 8am ADR here too for same reason-photos of Main Street amd Castle without crowds. I know you are looking for lunch and dinner but we find an early breakfast buffet fills us right up for most of the day and we aren't tied to ADRs during the day, not every morning though!
Park Fare nice, have only done breakfast but hear good things about dinner with Cinderella and her step family. We had to go to Ohana for breakfast to see Stitch as my youngest son loves Stitch and the characters are only there at breakfast (but food so much better at dinner than the family style breakfast buffet and entertainment a lot of fun at dinner too) Also really like Garden Grill with Chip and Dale at Epcot. Met Pluto and Mickey as a farmer there too. Food platters of turkey and mash, etc served to the table. Be Our Guest in MK is a hard ADR to get but gorgeous setting, good food and you get to meet the beast in his study after you finish dinner. Trying Chef Mickey for first time this Oct, mixed reviews but am sure it will be great. Happy planning!!

 

[BlackCauldron]

Thanks for the replies.

I think we are going to try to do this sans stroller. If we find that he really needs one, I can always rent one or buy one down there.

Right now I think the prudent thing would be to plan for a break in the middle of the day. Hit the parks from opening till just after lunch, head back to the hotel, and then return around 4 or 5. If he naps, great. If he doesn't want or need one, we can have some quiet time, or even stay in the park. Just going to have to be flexible with that.

The mid-day break does pose an issue with scheduling fastpasses. I was thinking that we would hit up one park in the morning, take the break, and go to a different park in the evening. Originally I was thinking of scheduling the fastpasses for the evening park, but now I'm thinking it might be better to schedule them from 11-1 in the first park. Any suggestions? I don't really care about getting those magical 4th fastpasses, so that's not much of a consideration.

Also, does anyone think it's worth using one of our fastpasses for the FOF parade? We are going to be there for 12 days so I don't feel so bad about "wasting" it. Not sure if the viewing area is worth it or not? Or if I should just hop up on the City Hall steps and plop him on my shoulders.