Help with planning 1st WDW trip

I am trying to start planning for our 1st trip to WDW. My husband and I will be traveling with our 4 year old son.

1) Considering our son, where is the best place to stay on the resort?

2) What time of the year is the best time to visit?

3) Which parks do you think would my 4 year old like the best?

As you can see we are planning this trip primarily around our son. Thanks for any input.

Help with planning 1st WDW trip

If Disney is your sole destination, I highly recomend a Disney Resort. Depending on your Budget you might want to stay at one of the Delux Resorts that are close to the Magic Kingdom, they will provide easy transport to and from the Park. I would guess that Magic Kingdom would be at the top of your list for visiting. The Grand Floridian, Contemporary and the Polynesian are the 3 Resorts on the Monorail but Wilderness Lodge is also quite close and you can reach MK by Boat or Bus. You can of coure drive your own car or rental car, also. I recomend the other 3 Parks as well,Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios and Epcot, there will be Plenty for your Son to do at all the Disney Parks.

Have a look, you you haven%26#39;t already, at

wdwinfo.com

allears.net

mousesavers.com

Those sites will give you lots of info about the Resorts and the Parks. See what rides and shows you are interested in and we%26#39;ll all try to help steer you in a direction :)

Sept -early Nov is a great time to go, crowd levels are low and it has started to cool down a bit.

Help with planning 1st WDW trip

yes a disney resort would probably be best. if your son likes animals, he will enjoy the animal kingdom lodge. i have also been inside the polynesian, which is very nice as well. if he likes the outdoors he will like the wilderness lodge.

i think the best time of year is early december. very low crowds, and the weather is still warm but not hot. also all the decorations are up. i think your son would love mickey%26#39;s very merry christmas party. you do not have to wait in line for any of the rides, since they only let a certain number of people in. there are special christmas fireworks, shows, and parades. they also give out free hot chocolate and cookies, and there is fake snow falling on main street.

your son would probably like magic kingdom most, with animal kingdom close behind. there is also stuff for kids at epcot, with the least kid friendly park being hollywood studios. although there are still things for kids there, and the nighttime show fantasmic is a must see. also consider the disney waterparks, both are great for kids.

i think in order to ge the best advice oyu need to be a little more specific on what kind of a budget you have and how long are you planning to go for.

i would recommend staying on disney whatever your budget, i would also highly recommend going over haloween, it is in my opinion the best time to go with young children, they get disney plus all the fun of getting dressed up and all the decorations and entertainment that are put on are amazing.

i would recommend magic and animal kingdowm, also do one of the water parks, i would also go to universal studios, seus landing based on the cat in the hat and dr seuss is just fantastic for kids about your sons age, we have trouble getting the children we go with out of there! take a costume and theres lots of water fountains to run in and out of etc. would also say sea world is amazing because of all the animals. its a really different experience. plan your day around the shows, the sealion show is just the funniest thing and kids love it so make sure you get to that.

with regard to hotels, if on a budget here is nothing wrong with the all stars resorts, yes they are basic but at least you are at disney.

medium budgets i would say the carribean beach resort is good

going up a bit i would say wilderness lodge is good for boys,

if you have unlimited budget then immediately book a savannah view room at hte animal kingdom lodge. it is simply amazing. yes you are further away from the magic kingdom, but we have never found this to be a huge problem, to wake up and have giraffes outside your balcony is just something that you can only get here and it makes every day exciting and different in the resort for the children.

Thanks everyone for your replies. It has really helped me to get a good head start on planning!

Hi,

I am in the same boat as you - going in April this year with hubby and 4 year old son to celebrate his 5th b-day. We are going for 9 days with the first four days off-site and the last 5 days at Disney%26#39;s Pop Century (all-star hotels). By doing this, we save some money and will go to Universal Studios (got the week free with the money we saved) and got the package deal with free hopper and water parks upgrade at Disney. This is our first trip as well and wanted to know what it was like to stay off site and onsite as we cannot go all the time and want to be prepared for our next trip. We have 34 days to go and we are super excited. I love trip advisor - so much information - good and bad. I have my tripadvisor t-shirt and hat ready to wear so I can showcase my wealth of knowledge upon entering the hotel - lol. By reading this site and all the other sites they recommended above, I have been able to plan our entire trip.

Good luck in your planning and I hope you guys have a ball.

IMO, the water parks would not be good for a 4 year old, unless he is a very, very good swimmer. I was at Blizzard Beach in June 2006 and the water rides are definately more for older kids/teens/adults. Most have a height requirement of at least 48';. My nephew was with us, he was 9 at the time, (he%26#39;s short for his age) and was not able to go on most of the ';big'; water rides. There is a kiddie play area, though, so if you and your son are big swimmers and love to play in the water, then you might be ok for a little while. I don%26#39;t think enough to make a full day!

We have been going since my son was 1 and he is now 5. This past December, he was finally tall enough (over 48 inches) to ride almost all of the big rides. He did and loved them all, especially Expedition Everest (the new roller coaster in AK)!! We were there Dec 9-15 and the weather was about 80 every day, but it busy (not as much as the summer or peak times), but the parks are all decorated for the holidays. There is also Mickeys Very Merry Christmas Party, where the MK is open at night, for limited number of guests, at an additional cost. The rides are open and there is minimal wait for them.

October is great especially if you are there during the ';Halloween Party';. It%26#39;s a separate ticket (additional cost) to MK for limited number of guests to go back at night. (Same as Christmas Party)

there is a really good website called passporter.com. They sell a guidebook that is extremely helpful, especially when trying to plan with a little one. I use it and have purchased the guidebook.

Good luck with you planning and most of all have fun!

Go to your library or bookstore and get The Unofficial Guide to Disney. Believe me, it will answer ALL your questions. It%26#39;s a great book.

711..I%26#39;m with Julie%26amp;Bob...either go to your local library or to a book store and get a book on Disney travel with kids...there are so many helpful hints and suggestions...it will give you a wealth of knowledge. I have been there several times, and still read my books over and over. They come out with new/current editions each year. Using the web is nice, but having a book is nice for writing notes in it, and you can bring it along.

Have a great time planning...as it is part of the overall experience of Disney, and will make your trip even more enjoyable!

The Disney Chicks

With a four-year old, my suggestion would be to visit in the spring or fall. The crowds aren%26#39;t as bad and the temperatures are more tolerable. Late February and March are nice for the spring. I prefer the fall though, because I like the option of doing the Magic Kingdom Halloween or Christmas parties with my kids, and the Epcot Food and Wine Festival with my wife. Halloween parties run from late September to early November. The Food and Wine Festival also runs from late September to early November. The Christmas parties run from mid-November to late December. My kids love these special events.

Magic Kingdom is the absolute best park for your 4 year old. There is just so much for him to do. After that, my kids prefer Hollywood Studios over Animal Kingdom, but both are pretty good second options for a 4-year old. Epcot is the worst for a 4-year old, though there are some things a young one would even enjoy there. Specifically, the Living Seas and the Kidcot program. But you could very easily knock those out on a day that you go to AK or HS with a park hopper.

Your resort won%26#39;t matter as much to your 4-year old, and it will depend on your budget so it%26#39;s hard to suggest one. The monorail resorts are close to the Magic Kingdom, and the Animal Kingdom Lodge has savannah view rooms where you can see the animals, but those are all deluxe resorts - the most expensive. The All-Stars are bright and colorful and have neat things for kids, but they are value resorts and may not be to your tastes. The Fort Wilderness Campground has probably the best programs and activities for young kids, but it%26#39;s a bit more isolated and you might not like staying in cabins. (Though we did.) So it%26#39;s hard to give a recommendation for a resort without knowing more.

Agree that with 4 year old - stay on site. I personally think that there are 3 times a year that are best for Disney. Late November/early December (after Thanksgiving) - the parks are decorated for Christmas, the weather is usually gorgeous and not too hot, the crowds are less, and you can go to Mickey%26#39;s Very Merry Christmas Celebration. The month of February - again, beautiful weather, not too hot, less crowds, (I have frequently been able to walk right on rides with no wait). Late October - a little more chance for rainy weather, less crowds, and Halloween! Magic Kingdom is a definite; Animal Kingdom as well. Epcot%26#39;s world showcase is more for adults, but the parade and light show at night can%26#39;t be beat. The rest of Epcot could be fun for a 4 year old, especially the venues in The Land, The Ocean. Hollywood Studios (MGM) has quite a few things he would like - The Muppets, Ariel, usually can find a lot of the characters there for autographs. The Unofficial Guide to WDW has been my bible for the 20 years that I have been going there!

rodents