OT- Disney World trip

[Excalibur]

Probably the best advice I can offer is the "My Disney Experience" app if you have a smart phone. It really does it all for you. You can book dining reservations, FastPasses, change reservations at the last minute, add on new FastPasses once you've used your 3, there's a map of each park that will lead you to any attraction (or what we ended up using it for, restrooms), and it will tell you the appx wait time for every ride in real time. If you sign up for the PhotoPass the pictures (ride pics, character pics, etc) show up in the app almost immediately after they're taken. The app takes an already streamlined Disney experience to a whole new level.

Can't believe I didn't mention this . . . This should have been the first piece of advice.

 

[Excalibur]

My two takes on Disney are:

1) I was amazed at the amount of fatties in scooters there were. We'd wait in line for some animal show or something, then a minute before it starts, here comes a convoy of obese people in scooters cruising right up into the front row.

2) I always wonder what foreigners must feel like when they see everyone walking around gnawing on a turkey leg. The reality is, most people eat a turkey leg on Thanksgiving and never again the rest of the year. Disney makes it feel like Americans just walk everywhere eating them every day like it's the most normal thing in the world.

When was the last time you went? I can't recall seeing a single Turkey leg outside of maybe EPCOT. Nothing like walking around one of our local fall festivals.

 

[Fishy]

When was the last time you went? I can't recall seeing a single Turkey leg outside of maybe EPCOT. Nothing like walking around one of our local fall festivals.

I went in 2011-ish and I saw them. Also saw them at SeaWorld and on the Disney cruises.

It's a real thing.

 

[John]

When was the last time you went? I can't recall seeing a single Turkey leg outside of maybe EPCOT. Nothing like walking around one of our local fall festivals.

they are at MK, DHS, and Epcot. Universal also sells them at the Harry Potter restaurant (forget name of it).

 

[kris1]

Yeah you basically rent the stroller at the park when you get there at the front. It does take some time, and is fairly pricey ($20ish a day, not sure how much it is right now). But it does save you bringing it on a plane, and toting it around on the transportation around the property. With a 5YO I might go with one of those super light folding strollers if you don't think they'll make it through a day.

The rental strollers will also carry all the crap you end up buying and would normally have to lug around all day, in addition to a tired 5-year old. With the fold-up strollers, they're cheap enough that you don't need to bring them back home with you. We brought them on our first trip to WDW, then left them at the hotel when we checked out.

 

[kris1]

Some decent info in here on food and Disney restaurants for kids and adults. Check out tabs @ top - for example: Disney World Character Meals | the disney food blog. Get planning

You're giving away all my wife's secrets.

 

[David 76]

Been more times than I can remember. Don't miss Flight in Epcot or the Festival of the Lion King show in Animal Kingdom
Make an attitude adjustment. Your kid will want to see characters and parades and probably swim in the hotel pool. If you become hell bent on "conquering" the park, it could lead to tension. There is a lot of ambience to take in, including an occasional surprise. I suggest that you relax and enjoy it

 

[RichZ]

One thing I did notice, though, was that I've never seen so many ugly people in one place . . .

You don't spend much time at Walmart, do you?

 

[Excalibur]

You don't spend much time at Walmart, do you?

Walmart has a higher percentage, but Disney wins on volume . . .

 

[Excalibur]

Been more times than I can remember. Don't miss Flight in Epcot or the Festival of the Lion King show in Animal Kingdom
Make an attitude adjustment. Your kid will want to see characters and parades and probably swim in the hotel pool. If you become hell bent on "conquering" the park, it could lead to tension. There is a lot of ambience to take in, including an occasional surprise. I suggest that you relax and enjoy it

And whatever you do, do NOT take a 5 year-old on the Lilo and Stitch experience. You think "Oh, Lilo and Stitch, my kid loves that", and you don't realize that it's some re-branded alien encounter thing meant to terrify little people.

 

[John]

And whatever you do, do NOT take a 5 year-old on the Lilo and Stitch experience. You think "Oh, Lilo and Stitch, my kid loves that", and you don't realize that it's some re-branded alien encounter thing meant to terrify little people.

An awful ride. Also do not ride the intense version of Mission: Space (in Epcot) if you're at all susceptible to motion sickness, you'll be a wreck for the rest of the day.

 

[KingOPancakes]

Finding Nemo ride in Epcot is awesome, but might be too intense for a 5 year old.

You can find videos of all of the rides on YouTube to get an idea whether or not they're appropriate for your kid.

 

[GemParty]

One question that's been raised in my family is age. Is 5 too young, and maybe too short to enjoy most of the park. Disney, Animal Kingdom, Epcot? Some are saying 7-9 is the sweet spot. My wife argues, it won't be as magical. Happy wife, happy life. But I'd hate for my boy to be in tears if he sees a Toy Story ride & he can't. Thoughts on age?

 

[DarthGrumpy]

One question that's been raised in my family is age. Is 5 too young, and maybe too short to enjoy most of the park. Disney, Animal Kingdom, Epcot? Some are saying 7-9 is the sweet spot. My wife argues, it won't be as magical. Happy wife, happy life. But I'd hate for my boy to be in tears if he sees a Toy Story ride & he can't. Thoughts on age?

It depends a lot on the child. My younger one, who is 6 talks a big game about going on 'big' ride; but freaks out easily. Mostly recently, he had a melt down because they shows a movie in the 60 second elevator ride up to the Observatory at One WTC in NYC. He is definitely not ready for Disney World.

 

[huskymedic]

One question that's been raised in my family is age. Is 5 too young, and maybe too short to enjoy most of the park. Disney, Animal Kingdom, Epcot? Some are saying 7-9 is the sweet spot. My wife argues, it won't be as magical. Happy wife, happy life. But I'd hate for my boy to be in tears if he sees a Toy Story ride & he can't. Thoughts on age?

My boys were two years apart... we had no issues @ 5 or 7 (heck they were going since our oldest was 3).

Filter by height: Disney World Attractions & Rides | Walt Disney World Resort

 

[Excalibur]

One question that's been raised in my family is age. Is 5 too young, and maybe too short to enjoy most of the park. Disney, Animal Kingdom, Epcot? Some are saying 7-9 is the sweet spot. My wife argues, it won't be as magical. Happy wife, happy life. But I'd hate for my boy to be in tears if he sees a Toy Story ride & he can't. Thoughts on age?

My daughter was 3 months shy of 6 and loved it (other than that stupid Lilo and Stitch ride).

 

[Balker]

My son isn't even 2. And December will be his second trip

He was thrilled by it at 9 months... went on tons of rides and loved them, was ecstatic about every character he met. Let's face it, we're taking him more for our benefit than his. We get such a kick out of sharing those experiences with him. And I'm a sucker.

 

[David 76]

One question that's been raised in my family is age. Is 5 too young, and maybe too short to enjoy most of the park. Disney, Animal Kingdom, Epcot? Some are saying 7-9 is the sweet spot. My wife argues, it won't be as magical. Happy wife, happy life. But I'd hate for my boy to be in tears if he sees a Toy Story ride & he can't. Thoughts on age?

There is plenty there for a five year old and plenty there that can upset a five year old. Pay attention to their recommendations or get a guide book from the library.
Sometimes just the noise level of an otherwise innocent attraction can be too much.
At least that is how I traumatized my three year old in A Bug's Life. Of course my wife thought it was a bad idea. So I had that going for me.

 

[Dogbreath2U]

One question that's been raised in my family is age. Is 5 too young, and maybe too short to enjoy most of the park. Disney, Animal Kingdom, Epcot? Some are saying 7-9 is the sweet spot. My wife argues, it won't be as magical. Happy wife, happy life. But I'd hate for my boy to be in tears if he sees a Toy Story ride & he can't. Thoughts on age?

If you were only able to go once, I think the 7-9 age range is probably the best as it opens up a lot more options to take advantage of. With a five year old, I would suggest as others have to be careful about overdoing it and wearing him out. To be honest, the experience is more fun for the adults when the kids are a little older, IMHO. But your wife is probably right about the magic part and you should be able to guide the process to avoid the rides he should not go on.

Plus, you can go again when he's older.

 

[8893]

Get this book ASAP; hands down the best of its kind imo. You don't need to hire a planner to coordinate your trip, and you don't need to follow this guy's touring plans to the letter (they're insane, even for me), but it is chock full of all the advice you will need, including the appropriateness of your plans for your child:

The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2017 - The Unofficial Guides

 

[RedDog]

We go every couple of years too; we love it.
It is extremely expensive. I went with my family (family of 4) and stayed in a Disney hotel for a week. We went to all of the parks, ate in its restaurants, and bought over-priced souvenirs for our small kids.

When I looked at the finances later: it was roughly the same cost as a new Buick.

 

[GemParty]

Word of advice though: plan early. Dining reservations begin 6 months before your check-in date so if you're going in the Spring you're gonna want to pin it down soon. The good restaurants/good times go quick.

I sent you a message about our trip ideas!

 

[GemParty]

Correct me if I'm wrong, can you make fast pass reservations, further out than 60 days from your trip to a park? I set up an account on My Disney Experience app.

 

[August_West]

Correct me if I'm wrong, can you make fast pass reservations, further out than 60 days from your trip to a park? I set up an account on My Disney Experience app.

Yes

 

[GemParty]

Yes

How?