Disney Help

Going to disney the last week in Oct unitl Nov. My dilemma is I don't know where to go as far as parks.

I have a 7 yr old boy who is scared of rollercoasters so that is out. I also have a 9 month old at time of travel. If anyone can give me advice on where I should go and the must sees to have the best experiece please any advice is greatly appreciated.

I don't know if I should buy park hoppers or not. Should I do a character breakfast? Should I also go to Universal and Seaworld?? I know I'm rambling but I don't know where to begin. HELP, HELP, HELP

should I bring an umbrella stroller or a regular stroller or just rent at the parks?

Message edited 9/23/2007 4:55:36 PM.

Re: Disney Help

You defintely have to go to the Magic Kingdom!! There's plenty of rides your 9 month old can ride through. There's only a handful of rollar coasters so your 7 year old will have loads of ride options. I am sure he will LOVE Buzz Lightyear!

Animal Kingdom is a lot of fun for young families - lots to see and do.

I would probably pass on MGM - there's only a couple of good rides but one is a rollar coaster and the other is Tower of Terror (a free fall like ride in an elevator shaft). They do have a few good shows and cool themed restaurants. I would go if you have a park hopper since it's probably a half day park.

EPCOT is pretty cool - there's test track which your 7 year old may like -- it's really driving around in a car with lots of starts, stops, swerves and a high speed run for about 15 seconds at the end. No loops or big drops or anything. You could probably google a video to see how it looks to decide.

Park hopping is a nice option -- you spend the morning in one park and the afternoon or evening in another. It can open up your dining options. But they are not a necessity if you want to save some money.

I am not too into the characters so I have only been to a couple of the breakfasts -- it looks like the kids REALLY enjoy them. I went to the one at Cape May Cafe a couple of times and there is a lot of character interaction and photo opportunities.

Seaworld is a fun alternative to the theme parks at Disney. They have a few rides and of course a lot of shows.

I have never been to Universal so I can't say yay or nay.

Re: Disney Help

We just got back last week! I love Disney!

I have four children (10, 7, 6, & 5) and so we don't park hop. They are exhausted enough and melting down all over the place, so I couldn't imagine dragging them from one park to another. Maybe when they are older.

I would recommend sticking with Magic Kingdom. We did MGM this time too but it is all shows - my 2 older kids loved them but the younger 2 were not as into them. Animal Kingdom is great too if your son is into animals and shows and they did have a small section of rides that weren't to crazy.

We went to Seaworld about 2 years and all of my kids had a terrific time. I thought it was a quick place to go to but we were there all day. The Beluga whales are amazing and you can also feed the dolphins and pet them, etc.

Have a great time!

Message edited 9/23/2007 8:14:37 PM.

Re: Disney Help

We never park hop. I would do Magic Kingdom and for sure MGM. The Playhouse Disney show is cute and so are a lot of the other ones. Heck, I would do ALL the parks, there are great things at each one.

Are you staying on-site? If so, I would skip the parks outside of Disney since everything there will keep you occupied. A character meal is a must IMO. Chef Mickey's at the Contemporary Resort is a ton of fun! You need to make advance dining ressies though and they fill up fast.

As far as stollers, the park ones don't recline so if your DD needs to nap, those aren't comfy at all. I would bring a lightweight umbrella that reclines.

Message edited 9/23/2007 8:33:43 PM.

Re: Disney Help

We did the Park Hopper but it was just my husband and I...with 2 young kids you may not want to.

Definetely Magic Kingdom is great for little kids. There is Mickey's ToonTown which is specifically for little ones. Also in Magic Kingdom...Mickey's Philharmagic is a 3D show which is cute and not scary. It's a Small World, the Carousel etc

Epcot has a lot of walking. Not sure if your 7 year old would be interested in the World Showcase where they have the countries. Many of the rides in Epcot are for older kids/adults. They do have a place to take pics with the characters which is fun.

MGM has some things for younger kids. They have a lot of the characters from various Disney shows there.

Message edited 9/24/2007 9:52:27 PM.

Re: Disney Help

A few things to consider first Universal and Sea World are NOT part of Disney World.

Walt Disney World has 4 major parks: Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, DisneyMGM Studios and Animal Kingdom.

Also, as far as the 9 year old is concerned, you can switch off parents. They will let one parent wait with the baby while the other parent rides with the 7 year okd and then the other parent can ride with the 7 y/o again.

DEFINITELY the magic Kingdom. There are no rollercoasters, only a few things are mildly scary and this is going to be of the most interest to a 7 year old. There's the Carroussel, Winnie the Pooh, Alice in Wonderland (teacups) Dumbo, Mickey's Philjharmagic, it's a Small World and Peter pan in Fantasyland. Snow White is probably fine too since they tamed it down (it used to be "Snow White's Scary Adventures"

Over in Tomorrowland a 7 year old would LOVE Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin (combination ride and video game). Stiich's Great escape will probably be fun. Space Mountain is a mild rollercoaster but it's in the dark, so I'd probably avoid it.

Pirates of the Carribbean is awesome. I love Haunted Mansion, but tolerance will vary in 7 year olds. Skip the Hall of Presidents.

In Adventureland there's Alladdin and then Enchanted Tiki Room and kids LOVE Jungle Cruise

Then there's Frontierland with the Country Bears. Splash mountain is not nearly as scary as it looks from te outside and there's actually a really colorful, fun ride inside. Skip Big Thunder Mountain unless you want that to be his first rollercoaster experience. It's not very intense or frightening.

You could probably spend a good 2-3 days just in the Magic Kingdom with kids that age. There's also Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe where an animatronic alien sings lounge music (very cute) and the parades and fireworks and shows in front of the castle. not to mention character meet and greets. there's a LOT to do.

EPCOT has mostly more intense rides and educational stuff, so it's not my first choice for a 7 year old, but there's Soarin' and the World Showcase where he can get his "passport" stamped and do activities at every country. Check out the Imagination Pavillion with the Pigment ride and the 3D show Honey I Shrunk the Audience

Animal Kingdom has a really cute children's area and a fun mouse "coaster". If your son loves animals, then this is a great place, there are walking paths and a safari ride, and there's a whole little island of activities and a petting zoo (I've never been there so I can't comment on the isle with the pettng zoo). There's "it;s tough to be a bug", a 4D movie based on A Bug's Life, which some kids like, and some kids are really frightenend of. There's a great show "The festival of the lion king" with music and characters from the lion king and acrobatics. That's probably perfect for his age group. Avoid Expedition Everest and Dinosaur for the scary factor.

Over at what was once MGM Studios there are a few things. Obviously avoid Tower of Terror and Rockin' Rollerocaster with the kiddies. There's a Beauty and the Beast show, the nighttime show, Fantasmic! is worth your admission alone. It's awesome. The backlot tour may be good for the 7 y/o although it has some intense moments. There's Muppetvision 3D which is a hike to get to, but totally appropriate for the kiddies. You can eat at the Sci Fi theatre cafe, where you eat in little cars. Or the kids will get a kick out of Prime Time 50's cafe, where "mom" will tell them to finsih their veggies and keep their elbows off the table. What they would most like is if their own mom and dad have to sit in a corner. LOL. Also at MGM There are some kiddie shows (I'm currently blanking on the character names, but they;re from the preschool shows on Disney) and a Little Mermaid show which is pretty cool. The 7 year old might like the Indiana Jones stunt show and the new Auto stunt show. Don't miss the great movie ride.

There are also 2 water parks (go with Typhoon Lagoon with little kids) and many many other things to do.

You could probably spend a whole trip in one or two parks anyway with kids since they will tire out and will want to go back to the hotel to chill out in the middle of the day. Don't miss Spectromagic (nighttime parade), Wishes (fireworks), and the parade at MK.

As far as character breakfasts go, I'm a huge fan. The BEST one is Cinderella's Royal Table, but you need to book it 180 days in advance. There's also Crystal Gardens and Chef Mickeys. and Donalds Breakfastosauras. They're all fun and interactive.

Hope you have a great time!

Message edited 9/26/2007 9:43:52 AM.

Re: Disney Help

my best recommendation would be for you to go to the book store and get The Unofficial Guide to Disney World & it's Parks.

MY BIL and SIL just went for a week in August...and my SIL said it was the best thing she did. DH and I were going to go in November (plans have changed), and I bought the book, there are scenarios for everyone - Married, kids, no kids, etc. ALl the parks, how to get the best deals.

Have a great time!

Re: Disney Help

definately do the Magic Kingdom and the Animal Kingdom. Those are very kid friendly and fun!

Re: Disney Help

there is a new nemo ride that I LOVE too. Def woth going on with your dc

Re: Disney Help

OMG-You guys are all so helpful. Thank you all so much!! You rock!!!