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Last week we made a mistake of bringing our son to Disney World parks. Remind me to never go there during this time of the year! It was absolutely crazy packed there! I felt like we were sardines! Magic Kingdom was closed at 11am on the 30th due to the fact that it was filled to capacity! No sign of a recession there, I'll tell you that.
Overall my son enjoyed it but I realized 4 1/2 is a little too young for those parks. Standing in lines for pretty much everything, even for a bottle of water, it can be overwhelming and exhausting. He loved "It's a small world" ride and "Winnie the Pooh" rides but some rides are still too scary for him. For example, Snow White. I would think a ride named "Snow White" will be mild and fun, but the witch scared him. And "Pirates of Carribbean" was way too scary as well! Although, after the ride, he couldn't stop talking about "those bad pirates are in jail! They got those bad pirates!" LOL.
What made the trip worth it are the parades. Seeing his face when Mickie waved at him was priceless.
Do you guys take your kids to Disney Parks? What do you think about them?
Love DW&DL! Have been going since I was a kid myself.
Best to take the family during the off season- rather than at the peak times.
I never went as a kid. My mom said things similar as other posters about it just being a kiddie park, no big deal, kind of creepy, etc. But, I still wanted to go.
My dh went several times as a kid and loved it. So, I planned a 2 day trip there. My father and stepmom came along with us and our 2 kids (5 & 7 at the time). I got the guidebooks, read the forums - I'm an "overplanner".
It was awesome. Amazing. My only regret was only planning TWO days. We went to DisneyLAND. Hopefully, we'll be going again in 2011. We went during spring break. Thanks to the books and my research, it wasn't too bad. Of course, due to the research, we won those fabulous Dream FASTPASSES our second morning. And Dad is handicapped so that shortened our wait time at a couple rides. Of course, his handicap kept us from doing much of what we wanted to do, but we still had a fabulous time. Next time, we'll go for at least 6 days so it won't matter. Plus, it was tough on Dad - he's not only embarassed by his handicap but people are so rude - especially foreigners. (I'll never understand why foreigners call Americans rude - pot meet kettle.)
Anyway, do as much research as you can before you go. The guide book only cost me $13 and the internet time just cost my time.
We used to live in Florida, and visited DisneyWorld a few times each year. The last time we were there, though, my son was 6 and my daughter was 4. We're planning a trip back next month... I'm really excited! The kids are now 9 and almost 7, and I know they will get a lot more out of it. I agree with not going at the busiest times of the year (Christmas week and Presidents' week).
I cannot understand people takingtoddlers to Disney parks (unless they have older children). Personally I have very fond childhood memories of Disney parks, but as an adult cant stand em. We first took our daughter at 4 - when she loved princesses and her face at the character events was priceless. We went back when her brother turned 4 to Animal Kingdom and our third and most recent trip was this past Thanksgiving (theyre 10 and 7). This was the best age so far - the kids are more patient - able to plan what they want to see. But, the lines are still super long - and the parks crowded. Still it beats a summer visit. That - you could not pay me to do - ever!
Babies and toddlers fly free and (I'm pretty sure) have free admission to the parks. Once they get a little older you have to pay for their airline tickets and park admissions which adds up.
The little ones may not get as much out of the trip as older ones do but they do enjoy all the sights and sounds, some of the rides, going to the petting zoo at Animal Kingdom, playing in the pools at the resorts.
Disney is a nice, wholesome, kid-oriented enviornment so parents can feel comfortable taking their young children out to dinner - a luxury they may not always get at home (after a busy day at the parks, ours used to conk out in their strollers while we ate).
FYI: Babies and toddlers UNDER THE AGE OF 2 only fly "free" if they sit in the lap of their parent. If you want your baby that is 2 or under to have their own seat AND BE SAFE while flying then you MUST purchase a seat for them. It is much safer for the child to be in their own seat strapped in. You carry on their child safety seat that is used in the car and strap it in then you put the child in it and strap them in. If there should be any turbulence a baby or toddler that is not sitting straped in but only being held or sometimes standing in their parents lap CAN get hurt.
Best to take the family during the off season- rather than at the peak times.
Agreed. We took our 2 year old to DL in mid-september this year and she loved it. But it wasn't very crowded at all so no long waits, except to meet the princesses. If we went during peak time and had huge waits for everything we probably wouldn't have enjoyed it as much.
Oh, and we spent the first half of our trip in the redwoods in northern California and the second hald at DL, so you can do both the "real life" thing and the "fantasy world" thing on the same vacation. Life doesn't have to just be about one or the other.
FYI: Babies and toddlers UNDER THE AGE OF 2 only fly "free" if they sit in the lap of their parent. If you want your baby that is 2 or under to have their own seat AND BE SAFE while flying then you MUST purchase a seat for them. It is much safer for the child to be in their own seat strapped in. You carry on their child safety seat that is used in the car and strap it in then you put the child in it and strap them in. If there should be any turbulence a baby or toddler that is not sitting straped in but only being held or sometimes standing in their parents lap CAN get hurt.
Of course you always have the option of buying a separate seat for your under 2 year old.
But even if you do that, you'll still save money by not needing to buy park admission for your under 3 year old - a nice perk for those with young children.
We just about raised our now grown kids at Anaheim Disneyland and we also made several trips to FL. The worst one was the first trip made in an early June during a heat wave. I almost died getting off the plane. We did return and fell in love with Florida and the parks there. We like staying at the cabins the best. They have full kitchens so you can save some by eating breakfast there.
I adore Disneyland. As a kid growing up in Northern California, a trip to Disneyland always meant a family car drive down south from SF and if the weather was nice, a trip to the LA beaches, too. I went three years ago for my 37th birthday and stayed in the park and had the most wonderful time yet. Now that we live in Austin we'll plan on a trip to Disney World eventually even though my only child is already 20 ... lol.
What I love the most about the park is the cleanliness everywhere. Everything is meticulously maintained and cleaned. The employees everywhere you go are so professional and friendly. I've been to other parks that had run-down buildings and grounds, unruly crowds cutting into line, etc. Never see that at DL.
If you go on your birthday, stop by Guest Services and tell them. They'll give you a big bright button with your name on it that says it's your birthday. Through your ENTIRE visit you will be greeted with "Happy birthday!" by all the staff and characters. At the Blue Bayou restaurant they brought out a free dessert - a tiny treasure chest made of painted sugar and filled with chocolate coins. At California Adventure they let us in the front of the line to get on a ride! It was such a great little treat.
Another great tip I have is to go online and download RideMax software. It's specifically created for the Disney parks and once you punch in some basic info about what you'd like to do while there it will spit out an awesome itinerary that makes the most of slow/busy periods throughout the park and plans a day that results in minimal waiting. It tells you what ride and at which time to grab fast passes for to get the minimum wait time, too. We actually used it one whole day while there and it was spot-on!
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