July 2009 Weddings
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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Krissy (and other Disney people)
I have been to Disney 3 times, but never with a toddler. I want to start planning for our trip this summer and would love any advice you can offer.
Is there anything you thing we have to bring? Shouldn't bring?
Anything that we should definitely do while there?
Thanks!!!
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Re: Krissy (and other Disney people)
I have only been to Disney with a toddler one time and it was a while ago, but I remember us renting a stroller instead of bringing one and it worked out really well.
As far as what to do, I would definitely check out the buzz lightyear ride, the teacups, and the jungle cruise. the jungle cruise usually has a short wait because it is a bit dated and cheesy, but it has always been a favorite of mine and there is a lot for little kids to look at.
There is a pooh ride but I have never ridden it so I don't know how good it is.
During the heat of the day is a great time to take the train ride around the park. It is shaded and a good way to let the kiddo have some down time without physically leaving the park.
There is an app available called Disney Magic I think that tells you when and where characters will be, ride wait times, and special event schedules. We found it to be invaluable during our trip.
Have fun! If I think of anything else I will let you know.
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I've not gone with little ones but can imagine you should allow plenty of time to allow for rest time, bring snacks and stuff. The kid rides are obvious in Fantasyland. I'm only familiar with the "land," not the "world" so I'm not sure what is there that is or is not at the land but Toon Town here is super fun for kiddos. They have meals with the characters that can be fun but might be better for a little older kiddos.
Just a few suggestions....
Some really great tips here: http://www.couponingtodisney.com/my-101-best-disney-world-tips/
I have been to WDW lots of times but never with kids. Character breakfasts are always fun as long as she is not afraid of th characters.
Mickeys toon town fair is now the new part of fantasyland that is still being constructed.
I made sure I had a few things to entertain Maggie in long lines. I bought some Disney stuff in the dollar section at Target and Michaels so I didn't have to buy expensive stuff at Disney. I could just pull out something new from our bag and she was just as happy. Make sure she has comfy shoes. Maggie liked being out to walk every now and then so that helped.
I disagree with Bekkah on the stroller. We always bring our own. The Disney strollers are ok for older kids who don't need to nap. They don't recline and they are extremely comfortable. So for a toddler who needs to nap, they aren't the best option. If you don't want to bring your own, there are places down there that rent regular strollers.
What characters does Julia like? At Hollywood Studios, there is a Disney Jr show. It is about 20 minutes. They have Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Little Einsteins, Handy Manny, and Jake and the Neverland Pirates. It is a cute show. Everyone sits on the floor and the kids can stand up and dance. It also has A/C so it is a nice place to cool off. The Toy Story ride there is so much fun. It is always a long wait. If you go there first thing in the morning, go right to that ride. There is usually a line just to get a fastpasss. I suggest just waiting in line for the ride at that point honestly. There is stuff inside to entertain kids and sometimes the line isn't as long as they say.
My two favorite places for character dining are Crystal Palace (Pooh & Friends) and Chef Mickeys (Mickey & Friends). We love Crystal Palace more for breakfast. Reservations have to be made pretty early, so I would look into that now.
Epcot isn't all that great for kids. They don't have much to entertain the kids. They have a nice character spot to take pictures and they have 4 or 5 rides. There isn't much in the World Showcase for kids. We plan to go there when Maggie will be sleepy so she will nap in her stroller while we walk around.
MK is obviously the best for kiddos. Buzz is a great ride, as is Pooh, the carasol, Small World, and Dumbo. Peter Pan is a cute ride, but it always has the longest line. I don't think it is worth the wait IMO. At times that line is longer that Space Mountain. Also, my favorite thing to do with Mags is the Street Party at the circle in from of the castle. They have like 6 parade type floats that come up the street and stop there. Then they let the kids dance in the street with characters. It is a lot of fun. I would do the earlier show though, since it obviously gets really hot! Also, a better place to stand for the regular parades is Frontier Land. It is usually less crowded than Main St. (When we were there, the 3pm parade started from main St and the nighttime one started from Frontier Land area).
AK is ok too. Maggie loved the safari and she went on a Dumbo type ride. There is a play area for the kids too with slides and stuff. She enjoyed that. The Lion King and Nemo shows are great.
Where are you staying? How long are you going for? Do you have any specific questions? Seriously, I could go on for days.
Thanks for all the info!!
We are staying at the Animal Kingdom Lodge for 8 days. I think we will bring our own stroller, mostly so we will have it for the airport as well as the parks.
Did you take breaks with Maggie so she could nap or did you just keep going and let her fall asleep in the stroller when she was tired? I'm not sure how I want to plan out our days.
I did a mix of both. For days when I knew we would be out late (extra magic hours or late dinner) I definitely made sure we took a break for nap time at the hotel. Usually one or two days we know we will be done pretty early, so I will let her nap in her stroller. I know the nap in the stroller will be shorter than what it would be in the hotel, so I also plan for that.