Going to Disney with 3 Young Kids--Help!

What a fun trip! Here are a couple of websites you might want to explore:
www.mousesavers.com
www.themouseforless.com
www.allearsnet.com
We have been to Disney so many times with our kids from age 3 and 6 to present at ages 12 and 15. One major tip is: take it slowly and do what interests your family. It will mean more to everyone if y'all can relax and not try to do "everything"!
Have a great trip!
C. in Atlanta, GA

Hi Tammy! We go to Disney World with our 5 children every year. It is one of our favorite places on earth!! Here are a few suggestions for you:

- Buy "The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World". This will save you time while at the parks, as well as help you with restaurant selection (you will want to make all of your priority reservations early) and rates ALL Disney accomodations, as well as a lot of off property as well.

- Mousesavers.com is also another great resource for Disney info. They recommend Small World Travel, but they only work with Disney accomodations. I have found that the deals through Small World, AAA and through Disney directly are pretty much the same. Every once in a while you will see a great deal float by, but for the most part, they are really close in price/features.
- For savings on tickets, try undercovertourist.com. This site is recommended by Mousesavers.com and does offer some decent savings. They also offer discounted tickets to other parks.

- Use the Disney Dining plan. This has saved us big bucks when it comes to food.

- Make all character dining/experiences reservations way in advance...they fill up quickly. One of our favs is the character breakfast at Donald's Restaurantosaurous in Animal Kingdom. You get in b/f the park opens, the food is good and the kids love the characters.

- Rent a double stroller the entire time you are there. All 3 of your little ones can fit in it "cozily" and it alleviates the hassle of carrying your own around. We usually rent it for the entire stay.

- Be sure to bring lots of waters, healthy snacks (pre packaged apple slices, carrot sticks, granola bars, etc.) This will help in those moments where a little one is hungry, but it's not quite time for a meal.

- You may want to go ahead and begin a "Disney Box". We have one where all of our Disney souveniers - mouse ears, lanyards, pins, coloring books, autograph books, etc. - are stored. We take them out for our Disney trips. This eliminates having to buy those items again for every trip, which can be quite expensive.

- There is a hotel that offers 2 bedroom suites with a kitchen for about $250/night. It's the Caribe Royale. It's very close to Disney and offers a free shuttle to the parks.

If I think of more, I'll let you know. Enjoy!!

Warmly - J.

go to www.mousesavers.com and sign up for their monthly newsletter. In it, you will get a "secret" link to undercover tourist for discoutn ticket prices. Those have been the cheapest I've seen (and I've loooked a lot). The prices on undercover tourist include all taxes/fees/etc. Mousesavers will also have deals on discount hotels, car rentals, etc.
Sea World discounts - go to www.disboards.com and start looking around there (message boards on all things disney). There will be people on their that know discount codes for Sea World (I usually get my sea world tickets at 50% off gate price, to give you an idea of the discounts).
If you want to do any character meals or sit down dining make sure you make reservations (especially if you are going during a busy time). Otherwise, you won't be able to get in.
Stroller rental prices have increased astronomically in recent months (a double rents for 31 dollars a day)...so you'll probably want to bring your own stroller(s).

When you have time, the best resources are (IMO):
www.disboards.com (forum on all things disney and the like)
www.allearsnet.com

Tammy,

We have stayed at the Nick Hotel and the kids loved it! They have kids suites so the rooms are larger than a regular hotel room. There is a master bedroom, kids bedroom and living area with mini kitchen. They shuttle to and from the parks.

The Disney store sells tickets to the parks. I believe they are cheaper than purchasing them at the gate.

Disney also has meal plans that you can purchase. We have never done this but I hear that you can save money. Make sure to have breakfast with the characters. Our favorite is Chef Mickey's at the Contemporary Hotel. We also like to have lunch or dinner at Epcot in the Land exhibit. The restaurant revolves and the characters walk around. The food is great. Another favorite is at Magic Kingdom. The name is the Crystal Palace (it is at the end of the main street shops, it is near the first aid). The Winnie the Pooh characters visit your table. It is a buffet. Most of the restaurants you will need to make reservations ahead of time. The sooner the better.

There is also a website that you can checkout that tells you which days to visit which park. It tells you which days each individual park is busier. I don't remember the website but you should be able to google it.

One other tidbit of info. You will probably want to rent their double stroller each day. Our younger children always tire out before the others so it is great to have.

You will have a great time! Disney is our favorite place. You will be exhausted when you are done. Hope this info helps.

Tammy,

We took our children to Disney each year from the time the last one was out of diapers and out of a stroller. It was the perfect age. They are now all over the age of 21. I went to the libary and checked out the Official Guide to Disney and took it with me and read it all the way done on our first trip. Our youngest one loved Disney and wound up working at Disney as a Face Character this past summer on an internship. You just never know what little minds are thinking about on vacation. I was so fortunate to get to have my picture taken with Prince Charming and Cinderella this past summer. SHe was a "friend" of Cinderella.

Back to your memories, this book has great tips and wonderful ideas on how to aviod the usual pit falls of being a "tourist" at Disney.
The most wonderful thing that we learned was to make use of the whole day and the entire experience. We would arrive early in the morning and go to the back of each park. The book told of how you should go straight to the back of the park each morning and then work your way back to the front. This is because most tourist are so amazed with what they see they work from the front to the back and stand in line with all those others working from the front to the back of the parks.
It works! You stand lin line less and get to see and ride more rides.

Next, split your day in half. We would always stay at a condo resort, Vistana, Orange Lake, Hilton, or Marroitt. We had bought a time share early on knowing we would be traveling when they were young and it made no sense that a vacation was to say,"Ha Kids come and spend the week in Mom and Dad's bedroom (ie a hotel room). There are some great ones with 3-8 pools, movie theaters, kiddy play grounds inside, traveling shows you can attend, on site reataurants and shopping. All these things make the trip easier for you, the master travel agent!

The smartest thing we did, which the book informed us to do was to go early in the morning and then break and leave when everyone was tired (for us about 2pm) and go home. Sleep or nap or eat (cheaper to eat out of the park) and then go back around 7pm to 8 pm. It is cooler and crying babies and stroller group have left not to return because they are TOO tired too return later in the evening. The parks are magical at night. We would let the kids swim for about 2 hours and then we would all have a lazy nap and recoup and then by six they were ready to have dinner (outside the park)which is cheaper and back we would go RENEWED, REVIVED, FED, AND READY TO SPEND THE REST OF THE NIGHT THERE! We always got to see the light parade and feel the cool breeze blowing without the hot ling lines that are dreadful from 2-6 each day that are filled with parents trying to get their money's worth out of their $79.00 tickets with hot,screaming, over excited, and hungry toddlers and babies.

The only thing is when you do this type of day the next day must be spend at the pool or shopping or seeing a secondary show or site because you can not get home around 12-1 am and get up ready to go at 7 the next morning. (By the time the magical parade is over and you make your way out of the park and to your parked car and find your way home and haul everyone and thing into the condo itis nearly 1am in the morning!) THe strange thing was the kids stayed up each night becuase of the excitement of Disney.

We bought a week pass the frist time we went and could only use it for 3 days and went the next year and used it up that year. On the off days we would go to a water park or just explore the condo's activities. The prices rise each year so we got that added advantage that we had last years prices to go on the next year. Once you buy a pass it does not expire until you use each day up. So buy the most you can the first time and use only half and then use the rest next year.

To see CInderella, Princess Aroura and Belle, the best thing to do is to go to the kiddy park TOON TOUWN at the Magical Kingdom and go back oand on the left there is a barn like fair spot called the Hall of Fame and it looks like a building that starts with a gift shop and get in the right side line(it is in the building so you are not in the hot sun) but it does take a while and but at the end of the wait and line you are taken into a room that has all three of the princesses there with their photographer and you get to see each one and have your picture taken. You get a photo card and when ever you want your photo taken you just give them the card and at the end of the night on the way out you can go see them and buy them. Costly, but so worth it! If you get in the left line you get to see other Disney Characters (more male like characters they change through out the day so I can't say who they will be.

If your feet hurt and you need a "break ride" go over to Tomorrow Land and get on the train monocars that travel through Space Mountain not to be confused with Space Mountain Ride. It is on the upper level and takes about 20 minutes and the breeze is blowing the entire time and you are sitting the entire time, See this both times of the day as at night it is completely different to see.

You are in for a wonderful family time of memories and fun. The only thing I know about tickets are the "see our Sales Presentation and We will give you some off" I say save up now and buy the best you can and just realize that in 20 years you will not remember the cost but you will never forget the trip and the things that your little ones said and did that just delighted your heart. I go every year and I am trnasported back into my Cinderella Days and just think that Disney is the most Magical place on earth if you use your head and make the correct decisions for your family. We have been to all the other big parks and I just noticed that Disney did it best. The whales at Sea World just did not hold the excitement that Disney and the childhood characters did.

Ps Go to the Animal Kingdom in the morning because the animals are more active because of feeding and also because they go and hide in the shade later in the day.

Our favorites were our favorites due to silly little funny things that the kids said or did on the first trip, As they have grown up they demand we go back to see the "ghost" hitch hike out with us at the Haunted Mansion or to sing "It's a Small World or to see me get "sick" on the GM race track. When they were older teens they went by themselves and we were amazed that they went back to their ould favoirte places without us. It is a trip of memories that last a life time and my favorite was as we were only half the way there the road signs begin to say, "Official Disney" this and Official that and our children would wail every time we passed a sign stating "Daddy get off get off NOW or we will miss Mickey! That went on for over 200 miles. LOL When we finally got to the park I thought they would have a stroke with excitement. I was in heaven seeing their joy and love of their characters from tv.

I know you and your family will enjoy this trip more than any other you ever take. Get the book. Get a good HOME BASE-condo. And save now so that when the money begins to flow freely you wont's let that ruin your trip. It is Expensive!!!!! and the money does go fast but so does your children's youth.

Have Fun,
Ms C.

I know that it can be expensive, but if you can stay inside the park it will be so much easier. You can go back to your place, without leaving the park, if the kids need a nap, etc.

Hey Tammy,
have you thought about renting a time share? My husband and I stayed at one right behind Sea World 3 years ago. If you are interested send me an email and I can give you the information. They also sell discount tickets to the attractions through there resort. My email is ____@____.com me know.
A.