SteamboatJoe
Well-Known Member
My wife and I are taking our 4 1/2 y.o. daughter on her first Disney (WDW) trip right after Thanksgiving. My wife and I both have been to WDW numerous times as kids and went together in 2015 (honeymoon-Coronado) and pre-Pandora 2017 (Port Orleans Riverside) but we haven't been to any Disney park since before COVID and this is our first time with a child. We also went to Disneyland in 2018 prior to having a kid.
Back in 2015 and 2017, we knew the parks, extra magic hours, dining reservations, and FP+ well and had established strategies, especially for MK. Obviously a lot has changed since our last trip and its a first time for our current dynamic.
I will provide details below, but, in short, I am looking for advice of how to go about touring WDW and each park with a pre-schooler who has never been before, especially the order of lands/attractions. Any other relevant tips are also welcome.
Details:
-Trip date = 11/27 - 12/5 (5 park days - 2 at MK and 1 each at the other - and 2 rest days, no water parks or any other non-Disney parks/attractions)
-Resort = Pop Century
-Park reservations are done - we will not be in a park on the day of arrival or the day of departure
-We aren't doing any of the special ticket events - our park reservations have been set up to work around them (ex: not going to MK on a party date)
-We have character dining reservations for 'Ohana, Artist's Point, Topolino's, and Crystal Palace
-Daughter is tall enough for most rides with the exception of Expedition Everest and the like
-Daughter likes rides and will probably be willing to ride anything she can get on as she does rides at our local Cedar Fair park without issue, including a junior roller coaster. That said we probably won't take her on Cosmic Rewind.
-Daughter likes the princesses well enough - wears their dresses for playtime (Elsa is #1) and has dolls but isn't fixated or obsessed with them. She usually tends to watch the non-princess CGI films although she recently has had an affinity for the seven dwarfs.
-Daughter enjoys character meet and greets
-Getting up early isn't an issue - daughter is used to getting up at 6:15 AM for daycare
-We don't plan on park hopping
-We will probably have a stroller of some sort - hopefully the smaller, lighter one
-Leaning towards not buying Genie+ or Lightning Lane - hoping we can avoid the need with some planning (and luck)
-We don't plan on going back to the room for nap as we are transitioning out of them and it would eat up too much time. Will try to take a break in relatively quieter spots during the afternoons.
-We plan on watching the nightime spectaculars at each park that has one as well as Festival of Fantasy and the new MK Frozen holiday show. Unfortunately, due to time and attention restraints, we probably won't plan on watching the Candlelight Processional.
-Not doing any special events, tours, or the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique
-Historically our pre-kid MK plan of attack was to rope drop extra magic hours and generally tour clockwise starting in Adventureland knowing there would be plenty of time to enjoy the castle and wander Main Street later - easy to do when you've seen and done them before. I suspect it will be hard for our daughter to not go to the castle first. Subsequent MK days during previous trips, which were a little longer, were more relaxed and spontaneous.
-Our pre-kid plan of attack at other parks was less defined and more driven by EMH offerings and FP+ reservations
-Our daughter's experience will come first but the wife and I would like to see and do the stuff thats been added since our last trip to the greatest extent possible....TRON, Cosmic Rewind, Remy, Toy Story Land, Galaxy's Edge, and Pandora. We know rider swap is an option for the intense rides but don't know much about how it works.
-We will probably spend the rest days resort hopping, swimming (weather permitting), and going to Disney Springs
Happy to provide additional details if necessary. Thanks in advance.
Back in 2015 and 2017, we knew the parks, extra magic hours, dining reservations, and FP+ well and had established strategies, especially for MK. Obviously a lot has changed since our last trip and its a first time for our current dynamic.
I will provide details below, but, in short, I am looking for advice of how to go about touring WDW and each park with a pre-schooler who has never been before, especially the order of lands/attractions. Any other relevant tips are also welcome.
Details:
-Trip date = 11/27 - 12/5 (5 park days - 2 at MK and 1 each at the other - and 2 rest days, no water parks or any other non-Disney parks/attractions)
-Resort = Pop Century
-Park reservations are done - we will not be in a park on the day of arrival or the day of departure
-We aren't doing any of the special ticket events - our park reservations have been set up to work around them (ex: not going to MK on a party date)
-We have character dining reservations for 'Ohana, Artist's Point, Topolino's, and Crystal Palace
-Daughter is tall enough for most rides with the exception of Expedition Everest and the like
-Daughter likes rides and will probably be willing to ride anything she can get on as she does rides at our local Cedar Fair park without issue, including a junior roller coaster. That said we probably won't take her on Cosmic Rewind.
-Daughter likes the princesses well enough - wears their dresses for playtime (Elsa is #1) and has dolls but isn't fixated or obsessed with them. She usually tends to watch the non-princess CGI films although she recently has had an affinity for the seven dwarfs.
-Daughter enjoys character meet and greets
-Getting up early isn't an issue - daughter is used to getting up at 6:15 AM for daycare
-We don't plan on park hopping
-We will probably have a stroller of some sort - hopefully the smaller, lighter one
-Leaning towards not buying Genie+ or Lightning Lane - hoping we can avoid the need with some planning (and luck)
-We don't plan on going back to the room for nap as we are transitioning out of them and it would eat up too much time. Will try to take a break in relatively quieter spots during the afternoons.
-We plan on watching the nightime spectaculars at each park that has one as well as Festival of Fantasy and the new MK Frozen holiday show. Unfortunately, due to time and attention restraints, we probably won't plan on watching the Candlelight Processional.
-Not doing any special events, tours, or the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique
-Historically our pre-kid MK plan of attack was to rope drop extra magic hours and generally tour clockwise starting in Adventureland knowing there would be plenty of time to enjoy the castle and wander Main Street later - easy to do when you've seen and done them before. I suspect it will be hard for our daughter to not go to the castle first. Subsequent MK days during previous trips, which were a little longer, were more relaxed and spontaneous.
-Our pre-kid plan of attack at other parks was less defined and more driven by EMH offerings and FP+ reservations
-Our daughter's experience will come first but the wife and I would like to see and do the stuff thats been added since our last trip to the greatest extent possible....TRON, Cosmic Rewind, Remy, Toy Story Land, Galaxy's Edge, and Pandora. We know rider swap is an option for the intense rides but don't know much about how it works.
-We will probably spend the rest days resort hopping, swimming (weather permitting), and going to Disney Springs
Happy to provide additional details if necessary. Thanks in advance.
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