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

 

My Favorite Inexpensive Treat in the Magic Kingdom

Amazingly, after 4 visits I have never eaten a meal in the Magic Kingdom. I'm not exactly sure how or why that happened.

Maybe we're too busy running around and riding on rides. I don't know. I do know that this is where we SNACK!  Mostly on ice cream.

We've had the famous & very popular Dole Whips at Aloha Island. It's basically tropical soft serve. We like the fresh fruit flavors. They cost $3.79. A few years ago we were lucky enough to meet Rafiki next door while we snacked.  (I think he's now mainly at Animal Kingdom.)

 

We also like the ice cream sundaes and the milk shakes at Storybook Treats. A sundae costs about $4.59 and a shake costs $4.29. You can find a spot in the shade nearby to sip and enjoy. Soft serve ice cream cones are the same price as the Dole Whip - $3.79.

However, our hands down favorite inexpensive treat is the $2.99 Kids Cone from the Plaza Ice Cream Parlor on Main Street. This is a great bargain if you are paying out of pocket for your food.

look at that happy grin!

It is a surprisingly large cone with cherries for eyes and cookies for Mickey Mouse ears, served in a sprinkle covered waffle cone. It's a single scoop, but its a single BIG scoop.

Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique - on the Cheap

Okay, that title was misleading. Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique is expensive by most people's measure.The cold, hard fact is that the cheapest you are going to get out of it is $55 plus tip.

For $55 you get the "Coach Package" which includes hairstyling, glittery makeup and a Princess sash. The nearly $200 "Castle Package" includes these things plus a fancy princess costume and 5 photos.  You can bring your own dress and only buy the basic package if you'd like. That's the only true tip for actually doing Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique on the cheap.

Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique is pink, poufy heaven designed for girls between ages 3 and 12. The "princess transformation" takes between 30-60 minutes, depending on the package you chose. To see what it's like just enter Bibbiddi Bobbidi Boutique on YouTube.


You get to keep the makeup used on your daughter as well as any accessories that you purchase. If you make an advanced reservation you also get a nice, customized "Princess Your Child's Name" welcome brochure as a souvenir. Pretty expensive souvenirs....As you might know I'm a bargain Disney souvenir shopper.

I know that many parents avoid the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique on principal. They don't want their little girls that heavily made up. I really don't either. If you feel like me, we aren't alone.

Now if your little girls is a die hard Princess fanatic or this is a once in a life time experience - stop worrying about the expense and just go for it.

We have two additional problems with the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique:

1)  We may live in the South, but we're not true Southern girls. Neither of us can accept the "beauty means pain" philosophy. My daughter doesn't like to have her hair pulled back tight. The primary service at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique is giving little girls up dos. They whisk your daughter's hair back, pull it up and tease it into a big bun. Then they hold a plastic shield over her face and spray, spray, spray. One Mom wrote,"they enjoyed it for the most part...except for the whole hair pulling, tight and glued to your head thing."

If your daughter is accustomed to having her hair styled for dance recitals or cheering then she'll be fine, However, if your daughter doesn't want her hair pulled back hard and heavily coated with hair spray - don't waste your money here.

2) My daughter, despite being 6, still doesn't like costumed characters. She probably wouldn't have a problem with the "Fairy Godmother in Training" that performs her services, but she would lose it when the actual costumed Fairy Godmother came around to visit her.

 

Don't get me wrong! My daughter loves to be pampered as much as the next little girl. She has already had a spa mani/pedi. I would happily pay $200 for an experience she would enjoy. This just isn't it.

 

However, I don't want her to envy all of the other little girls running around in their makeup and sashes.

Here's my solution: I simulate the princess transformation experience.

A) Buy glittery makeup, lip gloss and nail polish in advance. If you want you can buy washable, glitter hair spray for about $2 at Walmart or a beauty supply store.  Also buy a Princess Sash . You can get these through Amazon.com for about $5. If you are near a Hobby Lobby a princess sash is only $3. The sash is my secret weapon...

B) If your daughter loves, loves, loves princesses buy her a Princess dress before you go. You can find these at your local Disney store or online for about $45. Or pick up a pretty princess tiara for $15.  If you are lucky you'll hit a sale. I found 25% off costumes in early March.


You don't have to buy the dress through Disney. Party City has Disney princess costumes for about $20. Wands and crowns run about $4-6 each. They may not be the same style or quality, I'm not sure. Or, bring a costume that you already own. My daughter still enjoys dress up so we have a fairly extensive collection of dresses and crowns to chose from.

Now you have all of the pieces of the princess puzzle. Your daughter hasn't had the experience yet. So-- make a little note for your daughter then

I made this in about a minute using Microsoft Word

C) Do your daughter's nails the night before you go to the Magic Kingdom. When you wake up in the morning, put on a little sparkly makeup and let her wear a special outfit. You can finish it all off with hairspray and the sash - or you can save them for the next step.

glitter makeup, nail polish and glitter hair spray $4

D) Go straight to the Harmony Barber Shop when you enter Magic Kingdom. It is not a poufy, pink wonderland. It is basically Victorian themed with glitter “Pixie dust,” bubbles, and Mickey Mouse stickers. For about $5 the barbers will put colored gel and/or glitter in your child's hair. For $15 you can get an actual hair cut from a licensed cosmetologist. They will do this in about 10-30 minutes.

Once your daughter's hair has been decorated with colored gel and metallic confetti- surprise her with the princess sash (and a tiara!) then set off for your day.


You can do this all for as little as $20  with your own dress, makeup and nail polish. If you splurged for a new dress and tiara you have probably spent $55-75 at this point, but you've gotten hair, makeup and a new outfit - the deluxe $200 package. All you need now are the photos.

E) Last, but not least, find a Photopass photographer to capture your little princess. Allears.net has a very up to date table of all of the Photopass photographer locations. Find a photographer on Main street or in the Rose Gardens so you can get a photo with Cinderella's castle in the background. I have a lovely one that was taken of me and my daughter at night with the lighted Castle.  

Photopass photographers are free. They will take pictures with your camera if you ask nicely. Go ahead and let them use theirs as well. They are trained and get some great shots. Just make sure that you save the card you are given with the number on it so you can check out the pictures online.

You have no obligation to buy anything just because they took the pictures. While the Photopass CD is $120-150, you can buy just the downloadable version of the photo for less than $15.

What I like best about this compromise is that my daughter still looks like a little girl. She doesn't look like a cast off from Toddlers and Tiaras with shellacked hair and heavy makeup.

And, I like saving time and money for other things. The rest of my family doesn't really want to hang out for an hour while little one gets "transformed." Bringing my own makeup and accessories saves money. Also, if my daughter wants we can do this every day of our trip - without paying a fortune - worst case I invest another few dollars at the Barber Shop.

What my daughter likes best is that she is comfortable. She looks glittery and fancy, but her hair doesn't hurt. She's not stuck wearing a polyester dress all day in 90 degree heat or a tiara with combs that stick into her scalp. 

Best of all the kind Disney staff all still address her as "Princess" when they see the sash - even though it didn't come from the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique!