First Time at Walt Disney World with a Six Year Old

Okay, this isn't my first time at Walt Disney World. Nor is it my six year old daughter's first trip to Disney.  It is, however, Danielle's best friends' first trip. The friend and her mom will be spending three days with us on our next visit. It's so exciting to think about taking a child who has never been to Disney with us. While a trip to Disney World is almost always magical, nothing is more magical than the first trip. 

I hope I can help them avoid some of the pitfalls that first timers invariably encounter. For instance, on our first trip I remember standing in the middle of Fantasyland - hot, tired and angry. We'd been in the park, wandering aimlessly for hours and all we'd done was somehow spend more than $20 on ice cream.

I vowed then & there - never again! So I've become a compulsive Disney-o-phile. I know a ridiculous amount about Disney after 4 trips and hundreds of hours reading and researching.

Main Street Electrical Parade at Magic Kingdom

My friend has never wanted to take her daughter to Disney because she has a memory of being lost at Disneyland. Apparently after the closing parade she grabbed a strange man's hand and strolled out of the park with him, thinking it was her father! Happily, the man realized that he didn't have his own daughter's hand and immediately returned her to the Park and her terrified parents.

I don't want her to re-live that scare with her own child. Instead, I want to give her a magical memory to erase that one.

Safety

So, first things first, we're going to make a  safety plan. I always wear a lanyard with my tickets, fast passes, credit card, etc. tucked inside.   This time I've purchased one for each girl - and included an ID to carry at all times.  Each has the girls' name, our names and both of our cell phone numbers in case either gets lost.  I think they will wear them since I wear one everyday. Maybe we'll even give them a dollar or two to keep in it to increase its importance.

If you don't want to purchase a lanyard and pouch, another strategy is to make sure child each has your name and cell number on her somewhere, like written inside her shirt or on a luggage tag. I've seen kids with safety tattoos. I have some from previous trips, but I think the girls are a little old for that. I've even seen people write their cell number on their kids' arms with a Sharpie. (No kidding.)

As an extra precaution, I'm going to take a picture of the girls each morning. If we get separated we can show Disney cast members what they look like and what they are wearing. I'll make it a "good morning," great way to start the day tradition. Hopefully, that will alleviate some of my friend's fears about becoming separated from her daughter.

Strategy

We have never been smart enough to go during the off season. We always seem to end up at Disney World around Spring Break or in early June. Needless to say these are peak times and the parks are crowded. From experience I've learned to estimate an hour or more per event.

That means to walk between rides, wait in lines and ride you need to plan an hour for reach ride. Add an hour for any meal. Add an hour and a half for a parade or a table service meal. So, if you want to eat at Cinderella's Royal Table and watch the 3PM parade in magic Kingdom you will need to subtract 3 hours from your day for these things. If you like to shop you'll need to add an hour for that as well. If you plan to spend 10 hours in the park you'll have time for 5-6 rides during peak season. Clearly, unless you want to stand in the middle of Fantasyland like I did, you need a PLAN.

Most people recommend a character meal, but its not in our budget. In fact, we're not making any advance dining reservations. Instead we're going to do our best to see characters around the parks. It's easier since my daughter is afraid of characters and has spent parts of previous character meals under the table. We're going for the rides and shows so this works well for our group.

Every item on out list will take about an hour. That means we are planning 12 hour days! Our plans were made based on the following profile:

• Love Princesses and Fairies
• Love Science and Nature
• Scared of the Dark
• Dislike Spinning Rides and Big Drops
• Need Free Play Time
• Don't like to Shop

We are not buying the Park Hopper or Water Park add ons - just the basic Magic Your Way tickets.

Time to Make Magic!

Now - how to make a little magic for our friends? I plan to leave the girls Tinkerbell gifts every day. I always pre-buy some souvenirs for my kids. I'll leave each girl a little wrapped gift sprinkled with Pixie Dust at some point during the day. I've gotten Disney coloring books, stickers,  Disney snacks,  Disney socks, jewelry, etc. For my older daughter (who is autistic) I've gotten a new Disney movie, an autograph book and a few other things.  Another idea for older kids would be Disney Dollars &/or a Disney Gift Card.

Day One: EPCOT

 

Both little girls love science so we're going to start with a day at EPCOT.  EPCOT is the perfect place to see Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Pluto and Goofy at the Character Stop. In Future World you can also meet Chip & Dale, Donald & Daisy Duck, Goofy, and Duffy the Bear. Other characters you can meet at EPCOT World Showcase include:

• Mulan - China,
• Jasmine, Aladdin, Jafar - Morocco,
• Snow White & Rapunzel- Germany
• Belle & Aurora - France
• Mary Poppins, Alice (in Wonderland), Winnie the Pooh & Friends - Great Britain
• Donald Duck - Mexico

Neither girl likes the dark and both are still nervous about fast rides and roller coasters (nice for the parents!) Our plan is:

1. Character Stop to meet Mickey - Danielle will go to Innoventions
2. Living With the Land boat ride
3. Nemo & Friends ride
4. Seabase Aquarium
5. Lunch at Sunshine Seasons
6. Circle of Life Movie
7. Journey Into Imagination ride
8. Free play in the Fountains
9. Mexico - Gran Fiesta Cruise ride
10. Wander around the countries watch performers, visit Kidcot Stops for stamps
11. Dinner at a counter service restaurant or kiosk
12. Watch Illuminations

 

Germany pavilion

Italy pavilion

 

Day Two: Magic Kingdom

We'll give the girls a magical makeover on the day we go to the Magic Kingdom. I've picked up a few little things to give them the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique experience - at home.

It's A Small World

When we arrive at the Magic Kingdom I'm going to give each girl some Pixie Dust --left by Tinkerbell, of course! I'll just use construction paper dots and a little glitter. I'm going to have them stand at the end of Main Street, face the castle & blow the Pixie Dust towards the castle while making a wish for a magical day.

My friend and her daughter may go to the parade (assuming it doesn't stir up any old memories) but I know that we won't. Parades are a great time to see a lot of characters - even if it is from a distance and through a crowd. If our friends go to a parade we can squeeze in 2 more rides.

Our Extremely Ambitious Plan:

Aladdin Ride

1. Get fast passes to meet the Princesses at Town Square Theater
2. Little Mermaid ride OR Enchanted Tales with Belle interactive show
3. Dumbo ride
4. Casey Jr. Splash Station free play
5. Lunch or Snack: kiosk
6. Prince Charming's Carousel (usually short wait)  
7. Winnie the Pooh ride OR Peter Pan's Flight ride
8. Mickey's Philharmagic show OR Its A Small World ride
9. Buzz Lightyear Spaceranger Spin ride (optional)
10. Dinner: counter service
11. Aladdin's Magic Carpet ride
12. Tinkerbell Nook to meet Fairies
13. Wishes Fireworks

Dumbo - there are now 2 of these

Day Three: Animal Kingdom

NOTE: this park has shorter hours - no nights! No fireworks.

Animal Kingdom - is there even an animal in this shot?

I'm not thrilled about a day here to be honest. We typically avoid Animal Kingdom. We're going to try it again this time because both little girls love animals.  We can get the girls a Safari Journal similar to the EPCOT Passport and let them collect stamps at various activity spots. However, there are no rides that meet our profile (not dark, fast or spinning).

It's also very hot. Lots of people go to the shows to get out of the heat - so that's what we'll do with my older daughter while the young ones play outside. The Boneyard is difficult to maneuver with a wheelchair so one of us gets to hang out in air conditioned comfort with Amanda. I wish Animal Kingdom had a water play area. We've never stayed more than 2-3 hours because of the heat.

There are also no princesses here - unless you count Pocohantas. We may go for a second visit with Mickey & Friends because Amanda & our little friend both love characters. During a performance of Festival of the Lion King lines are shorter and they can spend more time with characters. Who knows what the other of us will do with Danielle during this time - go to the show?

This plan may fail...in which case we'll return to the rental house and spend the afternoon swimming.

Ambitious Plan:

1. Fastpass for Kilimanjaro Safari ride
2. Wildlife Express Train ride to
3. Affection Section petting zoo
4. Explore animal viewing trails (Africa)
5. Lunch: Flametree Barbeque or other counter service
6. Explore animal viewing trails ( Asia)
7. Free Play in Boneyard
8. Meet Characters at Camp Minnie Mickey OR go to Lion King or Finding Nemo show
9. Evening: Counter Service at Polynesian or Contemporary Resort - watch Electric water parade and Magic Kingdom fireworks from the beach

Electric Water Parade from Polynesian Beach

 

Budget Walt Disney World - Bargain Souvenirs for Kids

Four previous trips to the most magical place on Earth have taught me a few things. Not least of all that just about everything at Disney World is expensive. For instance, a "quick service" lunch entree (no drink) is about $10 for an adult portion and  $5.50 for a child's meal.

 

Kids meals are only for children under the age of 9. While your 10 or 11 year old might be able to pull it off (and no one ever asks) my 14 year old can no longer get a kids meal. That means a "bargain" lunch anywhere on Disney property is likely to cost our family of 4 about $50.

Now the obvious budget solution is to bring your own food in. Disney doesn't mind. I, however, mind lugging a 20 pound backpack around in 90 degree heat. I really don't want to carry 4 sandwiches, 4 water bottles and a bunch of snacks around for 6-8 hours. I could bring in  a back pack and store it in a locker. Instead we opt to buy snacks at the Parks then return to our rental house for lunch and a swim in the middle of the day.

If I can, I try to walk into the parks empty handed, without even a pocketbook. I wear a lanyard with our tickets, a credit card, some cash and my photo ID in a plastic pouch. I stick my phone in a pocket and a camera in another pocket. Not bringing a pack into the park means we get to enter through the "no bags" line. One less line to wait in!

I still wear the lanyard I bought on our first trip.

We sometimes manage to walk out empty handed as well. I try to limit souvenirs. We deliberately don't enter the shops on Main Street of the Magic Kingdom. We've never been to Downtown Disney. I figure that we can buy Disney merchandise online or at the mall at home, but we can only ride Dumbo while we're at the Magic Kingdom. I don't want to waste our time shopping.

Here is another of my weird, but successful, ideas. To save money I get some "souvenirs" in advance. I'm not denying that I will still buy souvenirs in the Parks. I'm also not denying that I will probably spend more on these souvenirs than I should. I do have a few money saving suggestions when it comes to souvenirs.

Souvenir Tip #1: Before you go order the  free customized maps from the Disney site. The maps come with your family name printed on each one.  You can chose from two different styles. You can also order a free Disney planning DVD.

Write a letter to Disney and get your child a free autographed photo or postcard as a surprise!

Another suggestion: Join Disney Movie Rewards. Even if you don't remember to enter the points for your movies there are lots of fun free things that you can get from the site liek printable stickers. For instance, we got an adorable Quad Mickey Printable Iron-on for 5 points (you get 25 for just signing up). Can you say adorable matching T-shirts for less than $4.00 a piece? 

We were also sent a link to free printable posters (no points required). You can print them on 8.5x11 paper or 8.5x14 legal size paper.

Souvenir Tip #2: Stock up on Disney merchandise before you go and give your kids small surprises each day. 

I spend about $25-30 for everything that I buy in advance for my 2 girls- about the cost of one toy at Disney.  Typical surprises include glow sticks, fancy candy like swirled lollipops and Disney themed merchandise from local stores like WalMart and Dollar Tree -or sale items from the Disney Store. If you carry a backpack you can bring a few of these with you every day and distribute as needed. Alternatively you can give them to your kids before you head out for the day or as a surprise when you return to your room, house, etc. in the middle of the day. I've heard other people refer to these as "Mickey" or "Tinkerbell" gifts.

See my earlier Magic Tips post for the last trip's surprises. They included a $5 Belle hat from WalMart that Danielle wore nearly every day.

The colorful maracas cost about $5

I bought slightly different items for each child based on their ages and interests. I have girls so my purchases tend to focus on princesses and fairies. Most of these items also came in ToyStory, Cars or Mickey Mouse versions. This time I spent $9 per child. I'll spend another $2-3 each on candy and glowsticks.

I got seven items - one for each day of our trip. I bought Danielle her own lanyard for this trip as well as a jump rope, bubbles, coloring kit, chalk board, puzzle, etc.  I wanted to give her little things that she could play with at the rental house or in the car. Here are her surprises for this trip:

Souvenir Tip# 3: Collect something other than trading pins.

 

Collect Napkins, Autographs or Pressed Pennies. The trading pins cost $10 each and your kids will want several as well as a lanyard to wear them on. Autograph albums and pressed coin books each cost less than $10 at any Disney Park or Resort. Buy each child one or the other on the first day of your vacation. Collect autographs from characters or hunt for pressed penny machines. Of course, this defeats my "enter empty handed" strategy...however, if your kids are just carrying a book you can still walk through the no bags line. We bring ours back trip after trip until they are filled.

 

 

 

Characters will also sign postcards! make sure your bring a fat marker or a Sharpie - paws have a hard time holding tiny pens. You can pick up inexpensive character postcards anywhere in Orlando - typically 3 for $1 at the drug stores like Eckerd.  Have your kids mail the postcards to themselves with a note about what they did that day.



 

Souvenir Tip #4: Play games!

We've found cast members hosting games at the various parks and even the Ticketing & Transportation Center. Stop for a few minutes of fun tossing a bean bag or a recycled bottle. You'll get some free Disney themed stickers - and a chance for a special memory that most people walk right past.

Souvenir Tip# 5: Collect free trading cards. There are 2 types that you can get just by asking nicely.

First - Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom is a game that takes place at locations all over Magic Kingdom. To play you need a pack of "spell" cards. We saw this on our last trip, but didn't know how/where to get involved.

The cards feature Disney characters ranging from Dumbo to Rafiki. I think there are 70 in all.

You can get the cards from the Fire Station next to City Hall on Main Street, USA or behind the Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe in Liberty Square. You'll also get to watch a tutorial on how to play the game. It's a fun way to explore the park- or you can just collect the cards.

image from Disney.com

Second- There are a number trading cards that you can get from Disney transportation operators. The bus drivers will only have the bus cards, and the monorail operators will only have monorail cards, etc. Cards feature a picture of the monorail, ferry, etc. and a Disney character.

To get a card, politely ask the driver if they have any transportation trading cards. Don't be too disappointed if they say "no". They only get a limited number, so they may not have any when you ask. Don't forget to thank them if they give you a card.

Souvenir Tip #6:  Get a Duffy the Bear "passport" at EPCOT. Kids can carry it from country to country, getting stamps and coloring on it.

I have no personal experience with this but I've read that you can get some other free souvenirs at EPCOT. For instance in 2013 you can make a piece of paper at  Innoventions East. The exhibits at Innoventions change every few years, but there is always at least one where you can make something to take home.

Souvenir Tip # 7: Visit the  Animal Kingdom Kids Discovery Clubs.

Kids receive a free activity "passport" which is stamped at each station. There is a bonus if your child completes all six activities. Check out Disney-pal.com for a preview of the prize for getting all 6 stamps.

Souvenir Tip #8: At Disney Hollywood Studios you can take an animation class where you learn to draw a Disney character. You then get to take home your own artwork.  How good a souvenir this is depends on how good an artist you are.

Souvenir Tip #9: If you must buy something - and you probably will - there are a lot of really unique souvenirs that aren't just mouse ears.

Think about what you might enjoy once you are home. EPCOT is one of my favorite spots for unique souvenirs. We love the necklaces we had made from the Pick A Pearl in Japan. Another special souvenir is the  puzzle made from a family photo taken against a Disney backdrop that we got at ImageWorks .

Tip # 10: Before you go buy a misting fan with a shoulder strap online or at a local drug store. Not really a Disney souvenir, but something you will need, trust me.

It will cost about $8-10 which seems absurdly high - until you get to Disney where they sell them for $17 a piece. This little gem can be a life saver while waiting in long lines. Fill it with ice water in the morning to keep the water cool all day. Normally Danielle carries ours slung over her should like a purse. Again, its not a bag so you can bring it with you every day without having to go through the bag check line.