Parks with kids advice

[Gurt]

Hi All,

I have a friend who has booked a trip and will be taking (along with his wife) his 2 kids who will be aged 5 and 6, boy & girl, I don't have any children but have been to the world a few times so he has been asking for my advice, I have told him things like taking midday breaks, going at the kids pace, they are going in July so I have told him it will be hot and humid, I have told him little things like taking frozen water as well as chilled so by the time they have drunk the chilled the frozen will have thawed and be nice and cold, I have disused noise and dark rides, child heights, and all the obvious blah blah blah, however, he is really not looking forward to it all, he can't get past the cost, heat & crowds and everything I tell him seems to have a sort of negative spin, he does seem excited with a few things, I told him to get Isabelle a cheap digital camera to take her own pictures so himself and Karen can see what she has been seeing, he loved that idea and I have told him about bibbidi bobbidi boutique and also the pirates league.

So to get to my question, what tips and advice and things to do with the kids can I tell / give him to make him feel more excited and happy about the trip because at the moment he has got to the point he won't even talk about iand he doesn't even want to go anymore, please help me to help him find his pixie dust.

Thank you in advance.

 

[Weather_Lady]

I feel for you -- I'm not sure what you can say to this guy, because he sounds like a negative person to begin with (and if he doesn't handle heat and crowds well, he's written his own prescription for misery by planning a trip in July). It sounds like you've given him all the good advice he needs to make the most of the trip. I don't know what more you can recommend, other than having him check out the planning DVD or some happy families' Disney vacation videos and photo montages on Youtube, to try and lighten his mood.

 

[Gurt]

I feel for you -- I'm not sure what you can say to this guy, because he sounds like a negative person to begin with (and if he doesn't handle heat and crowds well, he's written his own prescription for misery by planning a trip in July). It sounds like you've given him all the good advice he needs to make the most of the trip. I don't know what more you can recommend, other than having him check out the planning DVD or some happy families' Disney vacation videos and photo montages on Youtube, to try and lighten his mood.

I had not thought about you tube videos I had only mentioned checking you tube for if the kids want to see the rides to decide if they want to go on them.

He is normally the happiest, funnest guy I know, and he loves doing things with the kids, watching Disney films and dressing up with them.

I think part of the problem is how little he has been involved, it quickly went from 'we would like to go this year' to his wife had booked the villa which was only available in July and there was little discussion about it, I also think he wanted to try and get it so we were both there at the same time as I have a trip booked for September.

 

[glvsav37]

Thats a shame when people go into a trip with a negative outlook.

from what it sounds like (aside with his beef with his wife for booking it in july) he's very concerned about the heat and crowds. So my advice to him would be to do early AM and then early evening park touring. The rest they can stay at the resort and control their experience.

With kids his age, they are perfect for doing non-traditional park things that don't involve waiting in daunting lines and crowds.

Things like Bibbity Boppity Boutique comes to mind over at Dis Springs. Plan a late makeover and enjoy a casual stroll around DS, then handcuff it to a princess character dinner where the ladies can faun all over the kids and their makeovers.

We will often do a pirates league makeover and then the pirates and pals fireworks cruise (great for avoiding the main st crowds I'm sure he dreads).

He can get some alone time with his wife, sipping drinks at the bar by signing his kids up for one of the pirate adventures at the resorts. The kids go on supervised scavenger hunt for a few hours while the parents stay back and relax.

Every resort has a free pool party mid day with activities that will keep the kids occupied for hours. Some also have marshmallow roasting and movies at night—again, to get him away from the crowds.

As far as the parks, remind them to start booking FastPasses around 10am. This way, if they go early they can hit a lot of good rides and when the crowds start rolling in, their FP's will kick in. Also, have them book at least 1 ride per park that they (adult) wants to ride. By using the rider switch privileges, they can each take a spin on say Space Mtn with only 1 FastPass reservation. Too often adults let their fun slide for the sake of the kids having fun. These are the perfect times for mom to take them for some ice cream in the shade and then swap out.

Make sure he understands that they can't see it all. Not sure how long the trip is, but if they want to minimize crowds, blasting through all 4 parks is not advised. I'd rather they plan on doing 3 parks well then 4 on the run.

Does he run or athletic? I found taking a morning jog when the sun was just poking up and the place was still relatively silent being very therapeutic.

Do the dining plan. IMO there is a level of peace when you can just show up, eat and leave. If he is going in his pocket for every meal, then he will start adding up costs and get bent on the price thing.

Along the same lines, Give the kids gift cards with a pre-deremined amount. Tell them thats all they have to spend. When its gone, its gone. Usually keep the "buy me that, buy me that" stuff down.

Sit with him and go over the attractions and help him make a must do list. This way he can decide which waits are worth it or not when there and can see the standby times.

Strollers? Not sure how big his kids are, but pushing them around is better then carrying them...esp in the july heat. Rent them locally (they drop them at the resort) if they don't have them so there is nothing to lug around.

Same for food. Search for grocery delivery services and order snacks, bottled water, fruit, etc to keep in the hotel and in the stroller. Kids can much on those when hungry vs a $7 box of popcorn.

Thats what I got for now. GL

 

[Gurt]

Thank you so much everyone, I have told him he has to stand his ground with the mid day breaks and we discussed hidden Mickey's that got him over excited he is going to buy the book.

 

[DisneyFans4Life]

MK has Kingdom Keepers that the kids can play throughout the park. There's really no changing the heat and crowds though...he just needs to be prepared with frozen drinks and fans. I'd also make sure he (or his wife) plan out their FPs as much as possible so that their wait time for rides is as minimal as possible.

 

[Gurt]

I forgot about Kingdom Keeper amazing idea thank you.