I am bringing my nephew to disney next september. This will be his first trip! I have been to disney many times, but never with a child. Any suggestion or advice? I want to make this a very special trip for him.
-
Welcome to the WDWMAGIC.COM Forums!
Please take a look around, and feel free to sign up and join the community.
First trip for a 6 yr old
- Thread starter bostondrtdog
- Start date
having been with 6 boys, my best advice is go at his speed and likes. let .him set the speed and what is done. our boys did lots of charc. stops, while some were into the rides. also keep to his meal times, a hungry child is not fun to be around. will say we had no meltdowns unless you count as we were leaving for home. no one was ready to go home.
loveofamouse
Well-Known Member
keep meal times is a good suggestion. With my 6yr old, she's pretty fexible and has no real issue with the walks. The waiting is another story so fastpass will be your friend.
My best advice is get his height before you go. Then go online and see exactly what he can ride. Nothing's worse than getting to the front and having them excited just to find they can't ride.
My best advice is get his height before you go. Then go online and see exactly what he can ride. Nothing's worse than getting to the front and having them excited just to find they can't ride.
4everDory
New Member
Find out who his favorite characters are, and see if they are part of a character meal. You might want to get him an autograph book when you get there...make sure you take a retractable black Sharpie with you (they work best for characters to use). Is he apprehensive about trying new things? YouTube videos are good to watch, so he can see what characters look like, what attractions are like, etc. Make sure you only get him excited about attractions he's tall enough to experience 
Have fun!!!
Have fun!!!
SAV
Well-Known Member
It was mentioned, but if you want this to be a special trip for HIM, then let him run the show.
I would sit down at the computer with him and go through all of the park maps. Explain things to him. What each ride is and then have him make 'Must Do' list an "Would like to do" list. Then you can use your experience to ensure that all of those rides are done on the trip. Set expectations ahead of time, though. If it is a prime time of year, then explain that it will be crowded and you might have to skip a "would like to do" ride in order to get on a "Must Do" ride. Act as the tour guide. Google Earth with the 3-D is awesome.
I don't know your touring style, but adjust it to his pace(unless he is too slow then you may have to press it a little more).
I would sit down at the computer with him and go through all of the park maps. Explain things to him. What each ride is and then have him make 'Must Do' list an "Would like to do" list. Then you can use your experience to ensure that all of those rides are done on the trip. Set expectations ahead of time, though. If it is a prime time of year, then explain that it will be crowded and you might have to skip a "would like to do" ride in order to get on a "Must Do" ride. Act as the tour guide. Google Earth with the 3-D is awesome.
I don't know your touring style, but adjust it to his pace(unless he is too slow then you may have to press it a little more).
s.ollie
Active Member
You should think about booking him into Pirates League to be dressed up, i did this with my 8yr old nephew in Oct and he really enjoyed it. The cm's where great to interact with for both me and him. And it felt like he really was immersed in the magic when he was dressed up. For the whole day after our visit to the league he got a lot of attention of other cm's throughout MK and other kids too. It was quite reasonably priced too. i bought a complete costume and all of the accessories he wanted (sword and guns) and it only came to about $100 if i can recollect but the basic package is only about $30 if i remember correctly.
melmood2000
Active Member
I agree about the Pirate League we just went in October with my 6 year old Nephew and he LOVED IT.
NYwdwfan
Well-Known Member
If he likes Star Wars try the Jedi Training Academy. You need to get there early as they book groups of 15 kids for each show first thing in the morning, and when they run out of spots, that's it for the day. We took my kids, 5 & 7 and they LOVED it. And as others said, go at his pace. Sounds like it's going to be so much fun!!
Thank you for all of your great ideas! He loves star wars so the jedi training is going to me a must do!
mhaftman7
Well-Known Member
For the trip:
Make sure you have an occupying device. Whether it be a DS or a DVD player. Even a short ride from the airport to the resort can be catastrophic if the children aren't occupied.
During your stay:
Take breaks. Younger children as we all know are "never" tired. When we go to WDW, we get up at a normal time, b/w 6-7 am and head to the parks. Come back around lunch time. Have lunch at the resort and go to the pool for a break. IF you are lucky enough, a nap maybe rewarded.
Characters:
As much as kids love specific characters, some may get overwhelmed by the size of a character up close. I unfortunately found that out the hard way. Go to one of the lines for Tigger or Buzz or whoever and test their comfort level. DO NOT FORCE! Obviously.
Food/Drinks:
Bring snacks. I've never gotten in trouble for the bag of goldfish or cheeze its. Or a juice box or water. They great for long lines for whatever reason. Plus it helps the wallet out a little bit.
Camera:
A properly working camera with new proper batteries. Get good alkaline or nickel cadmium batteries. Might as well get a clear SD card as well. Pictures say a thousand words. You'll want to cherish the memories forever.
Carry-On:
Bring a good back pack to carry things. Something with easy access to multiple locations. Try to bring some ponchos. We all know how the weather can be down there.
Apparell:
Make sure to dress comfortably. Comfort is key. You will be walking for hours. Most key is the feet. Comfy socks and sneakers. AVOID sandals.
That's all I got off the top of my head. Hope it helps!
Make sure you have an occupying device. Whether it be a DS or a DVD player. Even a short ride from the airport to the resort can be catastrophic if the children aren't occupied.
During your stay:
Take breaks. Younger children as we all know are "never" tired. When we go to WDW, we get up at a normal time, b/w 6-7 am and head to the parks. Come back around lunch time. Have lunch at the resort and go to the pool for a break. IF you are lucky enough, a nap maybe rewarded.
Characters:
As much as kids love specific characters, some may get overwhelmed by the size of a character up close. I unfortunately found that out the hard way. Go to one of the lines for Tigger or Buzz or whoever and test their comfort level. DO NOT FORCE! Obviously.
Food/Drinks:
Bring snacks. I've never gotten in trouble for the bag of goldfish or cheeze its. Or a juice box or water. They great for long lines for whatever reason. Plus it helps the wallet out a little bit.
Camera:
A properly working camera with new proper batteries. Get good alkaline or nickel cadmium batteries. Might as well get a clear SD card as well. Pictures say a thousand words. You'll want to cherish the memories forever.
Carry-On:
Bring a good back pack to carry things. Something with easy access to multiple locations. Try to bring some ponchos. We all know how the weather can be down there.
Apparell:
Make sure to dress comfortably. Comfort is key. You will be walking for hours. Most key is the feet. Comfy socks and sneakers. AVOID sandals.
That's all I got off the top of my head. Hope it helps!
ask him if he would mind riding in one of the disney "strollers" - my oldest is 8, and every trip weve taken so far, he has gladly ridden in one and asked. last year we only bought single tickets for our daughter 4, and our oldest would get tired and whiny & wanted to ride also - i ended up getting another single stroller.
disney strollers are not your typical stroller, and easy to push, get in & out.
he might have a better time & not tire so easily if he can ride during a lot of the walking.
disney strollers are not your typical stroller, and easy to push, get in & out.
he might have a better time & not tire so easily if he can ride during a lot of the walking.
I would suggest the Pirate's League and perhaps one of the pirate cruises that take the kids out on a pontoon boat in search of treasure. Also there are cute things for boys that you can order from Disneyflorist.com to have delivered to the resort for him.
Also you may want to pick him up a guidebook. Birnbaum makes a Walt disney World for kids book that allows them to see what attractions are best for their age,etc.
Have a wonderful trip!!
Pam
Also you may want to pick him up a guidebook. Birnbaum makes a Walt disney World for kids book that allows them to see what attractions are best for their age,etc.
Have a wonderful trip!!
Pam
bmarkelon
Well-Known Member
Great suggestions already, definitely go at his speed. Birnbaum's makes a fun guidebook for kids. You could buy that for him and it would be another great way to plan the trip with him. My kids love it. I bet he would love the pirate makeover, lots of fun. 6 is a great age for Disney, shouldn't be too much of a challenge.
bmarkelon
Well-Known Member
Oops, haha. Just wrote almost the same post. Great minds think alike!
Disneykidder
Well-Known Member
My son did the Pirates Adventure and loved it. The Pirates League looks great, too. Other have had awesome suggestions. What about taking a cell phone for him to keep on him in case of an emergency or you get seperated. My son has one and the numbers are already preprogrammed. It is a good thing to have. Disney can be very crowded and overwhelming.
You are A great aunt and you're going to have a great time.
You are A great aunt and you're going to have a great time.