Pre-Trip Taking non-believers to the World - Jan 2020 PTR

Hello friends!

Quick reminder of the lady behind the screen:

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Me! (Annie)
Higher education professional, Mainer, bookworm, and lover of all things Disney (well.. maybe apart from some of the Facebook groups LOL I much prefer life over here at WDWMagic)

What kind of trip am I planning? A family vacation!!! Sounds fun! Or..

When: January 29 - Feb 4, 2020
Where: All Star Sports
Who: Me and Ian (who some of you met in my Feb 2019 report, my soon to be husband on October 12th!), his twin brother Nate and his wife (one of my best friends) Kristy, their 3 year old son Jaxon, Kristy's parents and her 8 year old niece Aubrie... WHEW

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(the goobers - Ian, me, Kristy and Nate. Kristy and I get asked all the time if WE are the twins 😂)

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(my best buddy Jax)

I am more than apprehensive about this trip if I am being honest with you all. Ian and I are true believers in Disney magic. His brother's family.. not so much. I am planning this trip very much around their likes/dislikes and wants/needs. We are only doing 3 park days, for instance. BUT I have booked a couple things so far:

- Family breakfast at Chef Mickeys for character breakfast (it was MY first character breakfast as a toddler, so I had to do it for Jaxon too!!)
- Date night for the 2 younger couples at O'hana
- Celebration meal for Ian and I at California Grill (I was hoping for brunch but.. oh well!)

I HAVE been to WDW with Kristy before, just about a year ago. She joined me for a work trip

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(I think that two Mainers going in August was a big mistake as you can tell by the looks here LOL)

Throughout the fall I hope to get a better idea of what Jaxon will be comfortable with in terms of rides and attractions. He is only turning 3 in September, but is already 40 inches. Any advice on that from you all?!

The next few months are going to be crazy. New job, wedding, honeymoon PLUS Disney planning. I'll be sure to update here as we go along!!
 

Spash007

Well-Known Member
We first went with my daughter when she was just about 3 (still free haha), and watching her enjoy it kicked off the Disney spirit in us (long story short I had it when I was younger and then lost it for about 10 years until that moment). Anyway, that is an awesome age to watch get sucked into the magic.

That said, it is also pretty difficult because you don't know how they're going to react to a lot. I definitely recommend finding out about any other rides he's been on at other parks, fairs etc. We knew my daughter liked the mini roller coaster at the Church fair, so we were pumped to do Barnstormer with her (which was nervous about, but loved in the end). Characters we had no idea how she would do, and she started off our trip super shy about them. By about day 3 she warmed up, but it was a little tough there.

There's a chance I might keep coming back with suggestions because I absolutely loved that trip with her that age, but for now here's a few things I'd recommend: (I apologize for how long this became...)

-Start off by meeting Mickey, and get a FP for it. It's just an amazing way to start, and you don't want to start the trip in a long line.
-Schedule FPs for some characters, and plan some characters meets throughout because that could become his favorite thing. Since you'll be dining at Chef Mickey;s that knocks a lot of them and saves you some time from having to meet them otherwise. Not sure if you've done them before but Aladdin and Jasmine have always taken us FOREVER in Adventureland. I wish there was a FP for that.
-Try to find a balance between FPs for stuff the parents will like, and stuff you know he would like. It seems silly to use a FP on some of the smaller rides, but with a 3 year old, sometimes it's perfect. See if FPs for the adults could be around his nap time potentially.
-See if they want to bring their stroller, or rent one. I'm a huge fan of renting one, because I don't want to have to worry about ours on the plane. We have a little $15 umbrella stroller we used in the airport to keep our daughter in one place, and then rented through Kingdom Strollers and highly recommend them.
-For any rides that are a bit darker, have your phone in hand just in case. The one that comes to mind is Spaceship Earth and People Mover - my daughter started getting uncomfortable so I just turned my screen on and that calmed her down.
-Bring post it notes! Something we never think of as adults, but apparently a lot of kids that age are terrified of automatic flush toilets (they do tend to go off randomly for them), so a post it on the sensor can help.
-Be careful of Philharmagic. I went in saying how much I loved it went I went years ago, and forgot how loud it can get. The 3D glasses didn't fit her, it got darker than she liked, and then it got loud and we were that family trying to console her/keep her quiet when we were stuck in a middle row. My wife still wont go back on it, and I get a :rolleyes: look whenever we pass it lol
-Bring headphones or something for any fireworks. Even the little stage show (the Friendship Faire maybe?) has some fireworks, and those would spook her. And of course we forgot the headphones every night.
-If he'll nap in the stroller, use it to your advantage. We had a blast in Epcot because we were in WS during her nap time, and she fell asleep right after we rode FEA, and we were able to just enjoy it as adults.
-Make sure you get pictures of his reaction. The parade was my favorite time to do this, but even on rides I would take pictures of her smiling and waving and those are the best memories of all.

Sorry for the overload, that was probably just my favorite trip of all time lol

Here's one of my favorites from that trip of her -

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Swissmiss

Premium Member
My daughter was about 3 and a half on our first trip. We took things at her pace, deciding early on in the trip it wouldn’t be a one and done for us so there would always be “next time” to do what we didn’t get to do.

And the post-it notes are a very good idea - she was terrified and didn’t want to use public bathrooms on that trip.
 

Rista1313

Well-Known Member
- Celebration meal for Ian and I at California Grill (I was hoping for brunch but.. oh well!)

Did you try to put a request in at mousedining or touring plans.com? They both have search engines that will search and tell you when your ADR you were trying to get has an opening... you just have to be quick enough to quick book it. I've had the most luck with mouse dining.
 

Mchugs7

Active Member
We are going next week with our 3 kids (aged 3 and under). My husband and I go every year, but this will be our first time there with kids...I'll be sure to let you know how it goes. For months leading up to the trip, we have watched Disney movies, read Disney books, and watched lots of Disney World youtube videos. My two older kids are pretty excited at this point. The baby doesn't know what he's in for :)
 

annienevells

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Did you try to put a request in at mousedining or touring plans.com? They both have search engines that will search and tell you when your ADR you were trying to get has an opening... you just have to be quick enough to quick book it. I've had the most luck with mouse dining.
The hope was for Ian to agree, and he did not. Not a huge brunch eater! LOL
 

annienevells

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
We are going next week with our 3 kids (aged 3 and under). My husband and I go every year, but this will be our first time there with kids...I'll be sure to let you know how it goes. For months leading up to the trip, we have watched Disney movies, read Disney books, and watched lots of Disney World youtube videos. My two older kids are pretty excited at this point. The baby doesn't know what he's in for :)
Can't wait to hear all about it! One week, so soon!! 🥳
 

Mainahman

Well-Known Member
Hello friends!

Quick reminder of the lady behind the screen:

View attachment 398184

Me! (Annie)
Higher education professional, Mainer, bookworm, and lover of all things Disney (well.. maybe apart from some of the Facebook groups LOL I much prefer life over here at WDWMagic)

What kind of trip am I planning? A family vacation!!! Sounds fun! Or..

When: January 29 - Feb 4, 2020
Where: All Star Sports
Who: Me and Ian (who some of you met in my Feb 2019 report, my soon to be husband on October 12th!), his twin brother Nate and his wife (one of my best friends) Kristy, their 3 year old son Jaxon, Kristy's parents and her 8 year old niece Aubrie... WHEW

View attachment 398185
(the goobers - Ian, me, Kristy and Nate. Kristy and I get asked all the time if WE are the twins 😂)

View attachment 398186
(my best buddy Jax)

I am more than apprehensive about this trip if I am being honest with you all. Ian and I are true believers in Disney magic. His brother's family.. not so much. I am planning this trip very much around their likes/dislikes and wants/needs. We are only doing 3 park days, for instance. BUT I have booked a couple things so far:

- Family breakfast at Chef Mickeys for character breakfast (it was MY first character breakfast as a toddler, so I had to do it for Jaxon too!!)
- Date night for the 2 younger couples at O'hana
- Celebration meal for Ian and I at California Grill (I was hoping for brunch but.. oh well!)

I HAVE been to WDW with Kristy before, just about a year ago. She joined me for a work trip

View attachment 398187
(I think that two Mainers going in August was a big mistake as you can tell by the looks here LOL)

Throughout the fall I hope to get a better idea of what Jaxon will be comfortable with in terms of rides and attractions. He is only turning 3 in September, but is already 40 inches. Any advice on that from you all?!

The next few months are going to be crazy. New job, wedding, honeymoon PLUS Disney planning. I'll be sure to update here as we go along!!
as a "mainer" myself, ( been gone for 5 years so my bloods thinned) we did it back in 2012 before we moved late august for my daughters birthday. It was oddly cooler than a few years before that in Virginia...
 

youngdeb

Active Member
We traveled last year in late February with our just turning 3 daughter. She was just shy of the 40" mark, which eliminated a few rides for her, but there's still tons you can do. Once you hit 40", it's mostly the bigger thrill rides that he won't be tall enough for.

After a few trips with toddlers & preschoolers, I recommend mid-day breaks. We've only done a few full days in the parks (both WDW & DL) without breaks and by the time evening/dinner time rolls around, they are done.

Have a great time! We will be there the end of January/beginning of February as well!
 

DryerLintFan

Premium Member
Hello friends!

Quick reminder of the lady behind the screen:

View attachment 398184

Me! (Annie)
Higher education professional, Mainer, bookworm, and lover of all things Disney (well.. maybe apart from some of the Facebook groups LOL I much prefer life over here at WDWMagic)

What kind of trip am I planning? A family vacation!!! Sounds fun! Or..

When: January 29 - Feb 4, 2020
Where: All Star Sports
Who: Me and Ian (who some of you met in my Feb 2019 report, my soon to be husband on October 12th!), his twin brother Nate and his wife (one of my best friends) Kristy, their 3 year old son Jaxon, Kristy's parents and her 8 year old niece Aubrie... WHEW

View attachment 398185
(the goobers - Ian, me, Kristy and Nate. Kristy and I get asked all the time if WE are the twins 😂)

View attachment 398186
(my best buddy Jax)

I am more than apprehensive about this trip if I am being honest with you all. Ian and I are true believers in Disney magic. His brother's family.. not so much. I am planning this trip very much around their likes/dislikes and wants/needs. We are only doing 3 park days, for instance. BUT I have booked a couple things so far:

- Family breakfast at Chef Mickeys for character breakfast (it was MY first character breakfast as a toddler, so I had to do it for Jaxon too!!)
- Date night for the 2 younger couples at O'hana
- Celebration meal for Ian and I at California Grill (I was hoping for brunch but.. oh well!)

I HAVE been to WDW with Kristy before, just about a year ago. She joined me for a work trip

View attachment 398187
(I think that two Mainers going in August was a big mistake as you can tell by the looks here LOL)

Throughout the fall I hope to get a better idea of what Jaxon will be comfortable with in terms of rides and attractions. He is only turning 3 in September, but is already 40 inches. Any advice on that from you all?!

The next few months are going to be crazy. New job, wedding, honeymoon PLUS Disney planning. I'll be sure to update here as we go along!!

Lots of good advice upthread!

Do you have a theme park near you? the first time I took my daughter she was two months shy of 3 and she went on a couple rides but skipped the rest. Very loudly and hysterically skipped the rest. Her problem was two fold, looking back: one: she didn't really quite understand what a ride was, so she had no idea what she was missing out on. Two: the queues are dark, and noisy, and have animatronics that can be scary. The rides themselves might have been fine, but we never got through the queues!!

I took her to Kings Island the summer afterwards and they have a kids area. She was a ride fiend. She loved it. No queues, no theming, just rides. It wasn't the most fun day I've ever had, but it made a huge difference for her. When we went back to Disney, she went on every ride I suggested, except for HM and Pirates.
 

annienevells

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
REAL LIFE UPDATE (again)

I GOT MARRIED! And went on my honeymoon. Our recessional song was "You've Got a Friend in Me" and our guest book was Up themed! Photos for those interested :inlove:

Wedding -
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(sorry for low quality on this one, I actually screen grabbed it from a video!!)

Honeymoon in Saint Lucia -

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(this cracks me up. FAIL)

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Thanks for letting me live this again! LOL

The trip countdown is 98 days, DOUBLE DIGITS!!

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(sorry to my faithful Instagram friends @myhappyplace and @blreinsel that you're seeing all these pictures again 😂
 

youngdeb

Active Member
Congratulations! You both look so happy! My brother and SIL honeymooned in St Lucia as well and loved it 😍

We hit double digits last week and I'm getting super excited! 94 days!
 

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