New to Forum and New to Disney World - May 2018

[HoundDog83]

Hi everyone! My family and I will be going to Disney May 12th through May 18th (in parks for the 12th through the 17th). We have never been to Disney before but pretty much love all things Disney!
I am looking for a few suggestions and general advice on a few things:

We have three kids - Ages 6/7Boy (turning 7 while at the park but more about that later), 3 Girl (turns 4 two weeks after we get home), and a 6 month old Baby Girl. -
1.) Any advice in general about handling bottle feeding while at the park?

We already have appointments at Pirate League and BBB for my oldest ones to help celebrate their Birthdays.
2.) Any special Disney Birthday activities I should be aware of?

Our Plane is supposed to Land at 12:40pm on the 12th and we planned on using Disney Magical Express (We are staying at Wilderness Lodge - Boulder Ridge Villas) to get to the park. By the time we get to the resort, our room may or may not be ready. With 6 days (really like 5.5 days) we had tentatively planned on the following schedule:
Saturday - (1/2 day- arrival day) - Hollywood Studios,
Sunday - Magic Kingdom,
Monday - Animal Kingdom,
Tuesday - Epcot,
Wednesday - Currently Unscheduled (figured we would decide which Park we really wanted to go back to),
Thursday (My Son's Birthday) - Magic Kingdom
Friday - Headed Back to reality 1st thing in the morning
3.) Does this seem like a reasonable schedule? Is there enough at Epcot that my kids can do for an entire day? We live 15 minutes from Sea World so we aren't trying to do the Water Parks and my Oldest could care less about Star Wars (hence the reason for such little time in Hollywood Studios).

It seems like there is at least something in every park that my (lets just round up) 4&7 year old can do, but we did not buy the Park Hopper option and would prefer not to waste time travelling between parks.

Any and all suggestions or recommendations would be greatly appreciated! We are extremely excited!

Thanks,
HoundDog83

 

[keacc]

Make sure to get your fast passes at the 60 day mark. For your first trip and having young children, it is a wise move not getting the park hopper option. I assume that you will not have a rental car. Look into services that deliver groceries. Being able to have breakfast in your villa rather than going to a restaurant is huge. Afternoon down time with snacks is also great. Speaking of snacks, make sure you pack them for the parks. We also packed PB&J sandwiches for the kids. No need to over pack. Bring tide pods and dryer sheets because you have a washer and dryer. The campfire in Fort Wilderness is a FREE fun thing for families. We took my grandsons last year (3&5) and they had fun at EPCOT. The seas has great attractions for kids. They loved Figment (Journey into the Imagination), Spaceship Earth and Soarin'. In the lands they liked the Mexico ride and got to meet Donald. They met several other characters at EPCOT. We weren't able to get on the Frozen ride but kids love it. The grandkids loved Animal Kingdom!

 

[eliza61nyc]

Ok so a few general tips for first timers.

FIRST, and this imo is so important so lol I'm going to cap it. DISNEY WORLD IS HUGE, LET GO OF TRYING TO DO EVERY THING.

lol, I can't tell you how many "worn out" families I see, from trying to run pillar to post.

Next, don't know about your kids but my kids love pools. make sure you allow yourself time to enjoy the resort.

Yes I think there is plenty to do in Epcot. Don't forget that many of the countries in the land have actual mini rides in them.

also remember if you want to see the night time shows with little ones, it maybe even more important to take breaks throughout the day.

Have a great time.

 

[LAKid53]

Welcome aboard!

Your oldest will love Wilderness Lodge. Lots of fun things to do. Bike rides, trails, and the train display in the lobby at Boulder Creek. Two great pools, hot tubs, restaurants and a gorgeous view of Bay Lake from Geyser Point. And a spa for mom, just in case.

You are at the 180 window to make dining reservations. Do so quickly, so you can get reservations at the restaurant and time you want. Wherever you choose to eat for your son's birthday, I'd call Disney Dining and let them know you are celebrating his birthday. I'd also call Disney travel and tell know them you're celebrating. Make sure to stop by the front desk in the WL lobby so he can get his birthday pin.

Since you're going to be at MK on his biethday, sign up for Pirates League. He'd probably love being turned into a pirate. Arrrrr.

With regards to bottle feeding in the parks, make sure to have a small cooler (soft side) to keep the bottles cool. I believe each park has a first/baby station you can go to so you can feed in quiet.

What size villa do you have? The 1 bedrooms and up all have a full kitchen with pots and pans, dishes, glasses, silverware, cooking utensils, stove, fridge with freezer (But no ice maker), microwave, toaster, coffee maker. I would suggest getting breakfast items - cereal, juice, milk, bread - snacks, water, etc. You can purchase these at the resort's shop, but they are expensive. Garden Grocers is an online grocery deliver company that caters to Disney guests. You can go online, order whatever you want (not just food) and then select the date of deliver and time. Delivery will be made to your resort, and if you are not available, bell services will store for you. I'd check it out.

The 1 bedrooms and up also have a stacking washer and dryer. Two boxes of laundry detergent are provided. You can order more from Garden Grocers. However, Disney doesn't want guests using Tide - it isn't good for their water treatment system - so keep that in mind.

If you can, make a reservation at Whispering Canyons for breakfast. It's an experience and your kids will love it!

I'm a DVC owner at Boulder Ridge and stay frequently. So don't hesitate to ask any questions.

Btw, you'll love the bathtub.

Enjoy!

 

[JIMINYCR]

Your plan sounds good. When you visit EP and visit the different pavilions , there are kid activities (different crafts and activities run by the CM’s ) they can join in on. You can purchase passports at the gift shop that the CM’s can stamp and sign. They are very good at keeping the kids interested and busy. There is also a guest interactive scavenger hunt... Agennt P’s adventure that kids enjoy. Throughout EP there are some fun live entertainment at various pavilions to watch.
You can bring a small soft pack bag with you with ice packs to keep the bottles cold. There are plenty of shady areas with benches if you want to feed your child outside, or there are many spots inside the pavilions for you to sit briefly or you can go into the QS areas and feed during your meals.

 

[drcasey]

Wdw prep school and Kenny the pirate are both good websites for you to do some research on everything! The best advice I have is to spend some time on these websites learning about the parks and restaurants so you know what’s there and have a general plan. Being savvy makes a huge difference! Also I’ll be there at that same time!!

 

[HoundDog83]

Thank you so much for all of the answers thus far!
The biggest factor in us staying on-site was the ability to come back and take naps or at least a break throughout the day. As much as my wife and I are excited about the trip, we are more excited about watching the kids react to the Magic! So needless to say, its going to be driven by them, what they want to do and how they are feeling. I've been doing "research" to try and figure out all of my options and make the most out of the stay.
We did get a 2 bedroom villa and intend to do most breakfasts before heading into the parks. Not to mention snacks, drinks, etc...
I booked Dinner at Cinderella's Royal Table for a late Mother's Day Dinner (at my wife's request). This should really excite my daughter especially since she will still be decked out in her princess garb from BBB earlier that afternoon. I also booked Lunch at Akershus on Tuesday. I'm still stumped on a place to celebrate my Son's Birthday either for Lunch or Dinner. We did sign him up for Pirate League and it looks like there are several Pirate themed activities in the area that he should enjoy also.
I haven't checked out Kenny the Pirate but have done a fair bit of reading on WDW Prep School, thanks for the tips!

 

[LAKid53]

Thank you so much for all of the answers thus far!
The biggest factor in us staying on-site was the ability to come back and take naps or at least a break throughout the day. As much as my wife and I are excited about the trip, we are more excited about watching the kids react to the Magic! So needless to say, its going to be driven by them, what they want to do and how they are feeling. I've been doing "research" to try and figure out all of my options and make the most out of the stay.
We did get a 2 bedroom villa and intend to do most breakfasts before heading into the parks. Not to mention snacks, drinks, etc...
I booked Dinner at Cinderella's Royal Table for a late Mother's Day Dinner (at my wife's request). This should really excite my daughter especially since she will still be decked out in her princess garb from BBB earlier that afternoon. I also booked Lunch at Akershus on Tuesday. I'm still stumped on a place to celebrate my Son's Birthday either for Lunch or Dinner. We did sign him up for Pirate League and it looks like there are several Pirate themed activities in the area that he should enjoy also.
I haven't checked out Kenny the Pirate but have done a fair bit of reading on WDW Prep School, thanks for the tips!

Did they tell you there's a Graco pack 'n' play in your villa? Will be handy for your 6 month old. It's usual found in the closet in the master bedroom. The one with the tub your wife will love.

Beyond the usual chicken nuggets, what foods does he like? Do you want to stay in Magic Kingdom for the meal? I was going to suggest Crystal Palace if you don't mind another character meal. Winnie the Pooh and friends are the characters there.

Or you could just hop on the monorail and travel to the Contemporary and eat at Chef Mickey's. It's another character dining experience, but with Mickey. And a decent buffet. You sit in the atrium and watch the monorail go by. Pretty cool.

Others would be Rain Forest Cafe or T-Rex in Disney Springs. The food is okay and similar (owned by same company). Rain Forest is very jungle like with fish tanks - and the animals put on a show. It does get loud at times with the show - will that upset the younger two? T-Rex is probably similar, but with dinosaurs.

If you purchased park hopper tickets and wouldn't mind going to another park, 50s Prime Time in Hollywood Studios is another good choice. Atmosphere is like eating at home - the servers will tell you to get your elbows off the table. The fried chicken is very good.

So much to think about.

Oh, and in the evening, go down to Geyser Point. You will get a great view of the water parade. You can get a schedul of resort activities at the front desk, if one isn't in your room. Plus the resort channel on the TV should show them.