Anyone been to Disneyworld Florida with children? Advice needed!

[Bishberro]

Hi - I'm hoping to take my two to Florida next year when they will be 4 and 7. There seems to be so many options and I'm confused about where to start. We're going to combine it with some time on the Gulf Coast which I've been to many times so I'm ok about that part. It's the time in Orlando that I need help with.

Is it best to stay in a Disney-run hotel and be near the parks? If so, can anyone recommend a good, not too pricey one? The other option would be to rent somewhere nearby and drive to the parks. Again, any recommendations? We will probably alternate a few days at the park with the odd day by the pool as I imagine that we will get very tired. Also not sure whether to look at package/flight options or just buy flights and sort out accommodation ourselves.

Any handy hints/tips gratefully received.

[redjam]

We went last Easter when our two were eight and five and had the BEST TIME EVER, despite my partner and I having been quite cynical about Disney beforehand. We stayed about a 10=minute drive from the park in one of those apartment resorts (Sheraton Vistana - huge apartments). It was a bit cheaper and it was absolutely fine - it's v easy to drive in and out of the Disney resorts and the parking system was unbelievably well organised. You do spend extra time transferring into and out of the park but for us it was not a problem. We got a package via Virgin but I'm sure it would have been fine booking it separately (we booked our own Disney tickets separately as we found them cheaper online).

We went to Disney World twice, plus Animal Kingdom and one of the water parks (and Universal Studios too). Loved it. Yes, you do get tired but the time difference works in your favour so you can get there early when it's not so busy then leave at 4pm and crash out back in your room. We organised the whole trip like a military exercise and even worked out which rides we wanted to go on, so that we could target the most popular ones early in the day. There's heaps of information online so you can research it all first.

The best thing about the holiday was that the kids loved it so much they never whinged/moaned/fought each other for the whole two weeks we were in America. A miracle. They still talk about that holiday now (mind you, I think we're still paying for it now too, but that's another story?).

Hope you have a great time!

[onefifty]

We went at Christmas...kids were 4 and 6.5 and it was FANTASTIC. We stayed at a disney hotel but only because the condo we wanted was booked up.

This is the FB page of a US friend who organises Disney Holidays. He is an amazing guy who is incredibly knowledgeable about the parks and all they offer. He does this trip planning as a side business/hobby he loves Disney that much. He helped us out with planning our trips and gave us lots of info that made our trip more enjoyable. Knowing best times for various activities and which rides/shows not to miss, etc. https://www.facebook.com/TripswithChip

Also a link to the condo https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.216070198591120.1073741830.216007031930770&type=1

Have a great time and start booking now if you want character meals etc. We had breakfast at Cinderella's castle and met the princesses there which was one of the highlights of our trip but you need to book ASAP as reservations go fast. If they are already booked up it is definitely worth it to keep trying. We managed to get ours after a few weeks of checking back and it wa so worth it for our kiddies (and the grown ups.)

Enjoy!

[Dodo1]

Hi

I have a few tips:

Firstly buy your Attraction Tickets beforehand as you will get deals that you can't get over there.

Secondly you can prebook tables at restaurants from Magic Kingdom from the UK!

Thirdly go to Gatorland.

[Townleygreen]

Fourthly, Universal Studios theme park is much better than Disney. The rides are far better, so if your kids are 9 or more they'll enjoy Universal more.

[buggie]

Might be worth looking out for accommodation in Kissimee (? Spelt correctly).

I went as a teenager in 1990 with my family & we stayed in a hotel apartment (but think there's lots of independent rentals around there too) there and were less than 10mins drive to Disney, were some nice places to eat and few things to look around at locally (still dream of Dennys breakfasts!)

[nunheadmum]

Would you say it's worth it if your kids aren't mega into Disney / Princesses etc. My two like the films but have a healthy skepticism of the branding - although I'm sure they could be reeled in when they're surrounded by it. They also don't like wild rides - my 8 year old is happy with the carousel at Gambados!!

They talk about wanting to go (thanks to the incessant adverts on TV) but I'm not sure they really know what's involved. Nor do I to be honest.

[redjam]

nunheadmum - my youngest is really into Disney stuff but my oldest isn't at all and never has been - hates princesses and anything girly. But she loved all the exciting rides and the animal-related stuff and just the whole atmosphere - I know it's cheesy but pretty much every member of staff from the balloon sellers to the people driving the little trains from the car park really do make a fuss of every child that's there. So we all kind of got sucked into it, even my extremely cynical husband! That said, we only did three days at Disney (four if you include the water park) which was enough for us. There's inevitably a lot of queuing, even with all our planning, which drove me nuts after a while. But yes, there's heaps to do for every age and bravery level - there seems to be less emphasis on scary rollercoasters at Disney, compared to Universal.

Townleygreen - I'd agree that Universal is better for older kids but ours weren't so enamoured. There was a Dr Seuss bit for v young kids which was fun, but other than the Harry Potter area (which was rammed) there wasn't as much for the 5 to 8-year bracket, I thought. And it didn't have quite the magic of Disneyland somehow. But maybe we were just exhausted by this point!

[snowboarder]

What would people consider the ideal ages? We are considering a trip in the next couple of years (maybe!) but thought it would be best to wait until our two boys are at least 6 and 8ish...

And is it gruesomely hot in the summer? Is Easter a better bet?

[Townleygreen]

Easter is a far better time to go! Our summer is Florida's wet season and is very humid with frequent tropical rainstorms. Easter is dry and very warm/hot.

[buggie]

The rides (especially in the Magic Kingdom) aren't that scary - as red jam says, it's the overall atmosphere & welcome you get from everyone there that becomes infectious. I was (an albeit "young") 13yr old when we went & had such a fab time I came home wanting to go and work there!! There's lots to see around the park with random costumed characters popping up and the parade - I can't remember much about the rides (except space mountain, oh & being in a dumbo that wouldn't fly!) but this thread has left me nostalgic for how happy a holiday it was :0)

[redjam]

Yes, I too went as a kid, age 6, which was why I was so keen to recreate it for my own kids as I still remember it as my best-ever childhood holiday. My parents went with us again this time round too so it was a lovely intergenerational thing - a real once-in-a-lifetime trip. I saw lots of other grandparents out there too.

I can still remember loads about that holiday (the first one I can remember) so for that reason we waited till my youngest was nearly 6 before doing it. We didn't want to shell out all that money for her to not even remember it properly in later life! So snowboarder, I'd say 6 and 8 is perfect. They are old enough to amuse themselves on the flight too at that age, which makes life much easier.

[Bishberro]

Wow thank you all for the great advice. I went in 1982 when I was 8 and my brother was 5 and we had the time of our lives. I remembered it for years to come which is why I wanted to go in the next couple of years before my sons get too old to appreciate the magic of it all. We are aiming for Easter. Our summers are very hot and humid in Florida. The perfect time for Florida in my opinion is November but not much good for those of us tied to school holidays. Christmas would be good too weather-wise but I imagine mega expensive. I think I have a lot of research (and saving up) to do!