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mom to little e
04-28-2007, 12:42 PM
Our trip is right around the corner and I have convinced DH that it will be okay for us to do the Magic Kingdom...now I have a few specific questions...

1) Good idea to rent their strollers our bring our e3? I like the idea of NOT hasseling with our e3 on the plane, etc. and only taking an umbrella stroller for the airport unless the park strollers are gross and icky.
2) One day or two at the Magic Kingdom? The kiddos are 3 1/2 and 16 mos.
3) If we only do one day at the Magic Kingdom, I might not mind doing some other park but probably not the Animal Kingdom (we've been there already three times, once with Ean).
4) Is it allowed to take food into Sea World? Disney? Mia is a chow hound and I am always needing to feed her and/or give her snacks.
5) What sure I be sure to "not miss" at the Magic Kingdom?
6) Anything not to bother with at MK?
7) Any good/cool shopping around Orlando? We've there for a week and Mommy would love to do shop relaxed shopping (for nothing in particular)


Thanks for all the help!!

Maryann
Mommy to Ean & Mia!

Momof3Labs
04-28-2007, 07:30 PM
>1) Good idea to rent their strollers our bring our e3? I like
>the idea of NOT hasseling with our e3 on the plane, etc. and
>only taking an umbrella stroller for the airport unless the
>park strollers are gross and icky.

I'd take at least one stroller for your DD - the park strollers are hard plastic (see pics at www.allearsnet.com) and not so good for toddlers, IMO.

>2) One day or two at the Magic Kingdom? The kiddos are 3 1/2
>and 16 mos.

Definitely less pressure to see it all if you do two days! Do they have to be consecutive? A day at the MK is pretty tiring, and two days in a row more tiring!

>3) If we only do one day at the Magic Kingdom, I might not
>mind doing some other park but probably not the Animal Kingdom
>(we've been there already three times, once with Ean).

Epcot seems to not be kid-friendly, but our DS1 loved it. There are some fun fountains for the little ones, and the trains at Germany are fun. MGM is good too, though not as many rides for little ones. But nothing really compares to MK, honestly.

>4) Is it allowed to take food into Sea World? Disney? Mia is
>a chow hound and I am always needing to feed her and/or give
>her snacks.

Yes.

>5) What sure I be sure to "not miss" at the Magic Kingdom?

All of it! The Tomorrowland Transportation Authority usually has no line but is a real kid-pleaser (if they don't mind the dark). Buzz Lightyear is cute. Love Splash Mountain (has a height limit, though). The train that runs around the park. Anything in Fantasyland. You really can't go wrong with any of it.

>6) Anything not to bother with at MK?

We skip Tom Sawyer's Island but your DS would probably enjoy it!

>7) Any good/cool shopping around Orlando? We've there for a
>week and Mommy would love to do shop relaxed shopping (for
>nothing in particular)

There is a lot of outlet shopping around the area!

kimbe
04-28-2007, 08:01 PM
1) We always take our own. The Disney strollers don't look very comfy and I just feel better with DD in our own. If you are staying on the property, it is a pain to lug it on and off the bus, BUT you might have to walk a long way to your room and a stroller comes in handy.

2) I vote for two days.

3) DD loves the aquarium at Epcot so that is an option. We don't bother with MGM b/c DD could care less about anything there, however if your kids like playhouse Disney, that might be an option. We do do Animal Kingdom. DD loves everything there.

4) We have never had a problem taking any food into the parks. We take fresh fruit, water, snacks, etc. I am sure that there are rules about glass and stuff. DH is going to try to locate a post on www.disboards.com for you about the official "rules." I'll ETA when he finds it.

5) Mickey's Toontown, Buzz Lightyear Ride, a parade, the ice cream shop :), the bakery :)

The Baby Care Center --- it is AWESOME!!!! So helpful.

If you want, get your kiddos haircuts at the barbershop! Only $14 for a kids haircut and they do a FANTASTIC job. DD got her first haircut there and it was a wonderful experience, she even got free ears that said "First Haircut" embroidered on the back and a certificate. DH always gets his haircut there too. ($18) He comes out with a great haircut and a lot *style.* I just can't say enough about how great they are. DH and DD will be going when we go back and they (DH) are already talking about the color of gel he is going to get. We are hoping that DD can get some gel and pixie dust too! Some of our best Disney memories have been made in the Barbershop.

6) I agree with Lori about Tom Sawyer -- when DD was 14 months, we skipped it, but when we go and she is 22 months we are going to try it because we thing she might like it. I would skip the Swiss Family Robinson Tree house thing, Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Carribean, Scary Adventures of Snow White.

7) Can't help you on that one...we never go to Orlando -- we go to Disney! (Well, we've done Kennedy Space Center but only because DH is a Disney/space addict! sigh.)

HTH!!!! Have fun!

ast96
04-29-2007, 09:46 AM
I live in Orlando and we have passes and go constantly, so bear in mind I never have to travel to get here.

) Good idea to rent their strollers our bring our e3? I like the idea of NOT hasseling with our e3 on the plane, etc. and only taking an umbrella stroller for the airport unless the park strollers are gross and icky.

The strollers are not gross and icky. In fact, sometimes we leave our stroller at home and just rent one there. Though they are hard plastic, they have good shade and I see kids sleeping in them constantly, so they can't be that uncomfortable. They are very roomy and have a good basket. That said, we usually take our own because we don't want to spend time waiting in line to rent them and it isn't cheap to rent them.

2) One day or two at the Magic Kingdom? The kiddos are 3 1/2 and 16 mos.

Probably two so that you don't feels tressed to pack things in. With kids that young you want to be able to be low-key, move at your own pace, and go back for naps in teh afternoon.

3) If we only do one day at the Magic Kingdom, I might not mind doing some other park but probably not the Animal Kingdom (we've been there already three times, once with Ean).

I love taking my kids to EPCOT. They really enjoy it, especially the Living Seas and the various boat rides. And I enjoy it more because character interactions are much easier and the food is better.

4) Is it allowed to take food into Sea World? Disney? Mia is a chow hound and I am always needing to feed her and/or give her snacks.

I believe you are allowed to take food, in small amounts. Not sure with all the new security checks. We take water bottles and small snacks.

5) What sure I be sure to "not miss" at the Magic Kingdom?

It's a Small World. My kids love the train around the MK and it is a great break for you! We also love Peter Pan.

6) Anything not to bother with at MK?

Anything way too crowded, IMO. But I can go anytime I want to. I hate standing in line for the characters, but I will take my kids to meet Mickey or Minnie in Toon Town.

7) Any good/cool shopping around Orlando? We've there for a week and Mommy would love to do shop relaxed shopping (for nothing in particular)

Great outlets near the parks (ask your hotel for directions, they are right off the Interstate) and the Mall at Millenia is a lot of fun (also right off of I-4) -- Janie and Jack, California Pizza Kitchen, etc.

SASM
04-29-2007, 11:53 AM
>1) Good idea to rent their strollers our bring our e3? I like
>the idea of NOT hasseling with our e3 on the plane, etc. and
>only taking an umbrella stroller for the airport unless the
>park strollers are gross and icky.

I didn't want to bring our e3 due to possible airplane damage, the bulk of lifting it on and off the busses, and not trusting to leave it outside of a ride. I would not rent as those things looked way too uncomfotable PLUS they might not be available. I bought a double Mac on EBay and brought that along ~ we just tried to chain it to something when we went on rides. They often moved it when it wasn't chained. I really missed my e3 BUT didn't miss the paranoia. Another idea is to buy two of those cheap $10 umbrella strollers from Target, Walmart, TRU and then you'll have strollers for the airport. You can even throw them out when you are done with them. Don't forget to mark them somehow to make them "yours". We tied a bright lime green bandana on ours.

>2) One day or two at the Magic Kingdom? The kiddos are 3 1/2
>and 16 mos.

Personally, I'd plan on two. You might head back to your hotel mid day or you might not get to see everything that you'd want in one day. We had park happoer passes. We generally split the days up and did one park in the am and then, after a break at the hotel, we'd do another in the afternoon. The only park where we spent a whole day was MK. We actually spent a whole day there and 2 mornings. Our kids were 3.5 and 1.5.

>3) If we only do one day at the Magic Kingdom, I might not
>mind doing some other park but probably not the Animal Kingdom
>(we've been there already three times, once with Ean).

If you do not want to do AK, I'd recommend MGM. I was surprised by how much was there for the kids, mainly the fireworks and Playhouse Disney. We missed the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground twice. There were a few other things that we did there. How old was Ean when he was at AK? He might get more out of it this time around, plus Mia would probably like the animals. I was actually bummed that we only were able to spend a few hours at that park. We didn't see everything ~ only the safari and get signatures. Skip Epcot. DH and I liked it but were not able to do anything other than te World SHowcase b/c of the kids. The kids liked the Living Seas with Nemo and the Crush ride (really neat!), but that was all they were really able to do in Epcot.

>4) Is it allowed to take food into Sea World? Disney? Mia is
>a chow hound and I am always needing to feed her and/or give
>her snacks.

Not sure about SeaWorld. Actually, I am not sure about WDW. They do a bag check and I cannot remember if they were also checking for food. We did bring in sippys and I THINK a few baggies of snacks but not a lot of food.

>5) What sure I be sure to "not miss" at the Magic Kingdom?

Off the top of my head...HUGE hits with my kids (again, 3.5 and 1.5) were Dumbo, Pooh, Peter Pan, Raceway, and Small World. Ian loved the Barnstormer, Buzz Lightyear, and Pirates of the Caribbean. The Aladdin thing was fun but not a favorite of my kids. Ian actually like the Haunted house too. When you get there, beeline for the dumbo ride ~ it is very popular for some reason. Spend time at the above rides and then when Toontown gets ready to open, make sure you are at the gate. Beeline for the character signings. You should check out the 2007 version of the Unofficial Guide to WDW. See if it is at your library. We checked it out and then decided to make the purchase. It was the BEST investment!! The pineapple things (Dole Whip) in the land with Aladin and the Jungle Cruise was AWESOME! I wish that I bought another water straw thingy at the little water vendor carts. This little contraption was great for my kids with the water bottles. I still carry it around in my diaper bag. Oh...Ian and Bryn actually liked the Jungle Cruise. Ian took at TON of photos! It is very dated and funny but the guides actually poke fun at it too and it was amusing. :)

>6) Anything not to bother with at MK?

Top of my head, SKIP the Stitch ride in Tomorrowland. For some reason, we didn't bother to check the rating in the Unofficial Guide that we had on us and it still bothers Ian to the day (and he doesn't scare easily). :( It really is a waste of a ride. I'd love it if they'd tear it out and put something more useful in there. :(

>7) Any good/cool shopping around Orlando? We've there for a
>week and Mommy would love to do shop relaxed shopping (for
>nothing in particular)

Sorry...we only did DT Disney and quickly at that.

Good luck and have a blast! If you are staying on property, or at least close by, if you can, try to head back midday to give the kids a nap or pool break. It really saved us. If you cannot, try hanging out on Tom Sawyer's Island, the Pooh playarea, or the Tomorrowland transit train ride to give them a breather. Email me if you you have any more ?s. :) I CANNOT WAIT TO GO BACK!!!

kbudsberg
04-29-2007, 01:54 PM
We too live here and have passes. My dd turned 3 in Jan.

1) Good idea to rent their strollers our bring our e3? I like the idea of NOT hasseling with our e3 on the plane, etc. and only taking an umbrella stroller for the airport unless the park strollers are gross and icky.

I can't help too much here we bring our own stroller but usually just use it to get from the parking lot in. Then we park it for most of the day in one of the many stroller parking spots. The rentals don't look icky at all.


2) One day or two at the Magic Kingdom? The kiddos are 3 1/2 and 16 mos.

I'd do 2 days w/the ages of your kids. Much less pressure to get everything done.

3) If we only do one day at the Magic Kingdom, I might not mind doing some other park but probably not the Animal Kingdom (we've been there already three times, once with Ean).

We like all the parks but I'm least impressed w/Animal Kingdom. There really aren't a lot of animals! My dd loves the Lion King show there adn the new Nemo Show but that's about it. She also loves the shows at MGM, Disney Playhouse, Little Mermaid, and Beauty and the Beast. She also loved the car stunt show. Many kids were scared by the noises though, it's really loud. It's also pretty easy to meet the characters there. She also loves Epcot. It doesn't seem as kid friendly but the as others have said the boat rides are good, the living seas and Nemo and also they have the Garden show through the first week of June. They have put in a lot of playgrounds and kids gardens for it. There's a butterfly garden, tinkerbell garden and many kids activities w/a gardening theme. And yes the food is yummy there!
4) Is it allowed to take food into Sea World? Disney? Mia is a chow hound and I am always needing to feed her and/or give her snacks.

I can't speak about Sea World but I pack a full lunch everytime we go w/no problems. I've even seen people w/coolers.


5) What sure I be sure to "not miss" at the Magic Kingdom?

My dd would say It's a small world, the Pooh ride, Peter Pan, the tea cups, the race cars, the people mover in tomorrow land, The 3d movie in Fantasy Land, and the merry go round. She also loves the Swiss Family Tree house. The Magic Carpet ride is the same ride as Dumbo but has little or no line.

As an FYI I would do fast passes for Peter Pan and the Pooh Ride. Peter Pan is usually really busy and for some reason the Pooh line often moves slow. The jungle cruise is another one to do fast pass for. It's a small world moves pretty fast.
6) Anything not to bother with at MK?

Buzz Light year is over-rated I think. Of course my dd doesn't even know who he is. The Haunted House isn't overly scary but my dd didn't seem to like it. Pirates of the Caribbean is so, so for little ones. It could be scary. Snow White is rather boring and can be scary for little ones. The Astro Orbiter line always is so slow. It will say 20 minutes but I've always given up because we never seem to move.

7) Any good/cool shopping around Orlando? We've there for a week and Mommy would love to do shop relaxed shopping (for nothing in particular)

There are a lot of outlets near Disney. Also the FL Mall is a regular mall but it's very big. The Mall At Millenia is a fun, upscale mall to browse.

Hope that helps. Have fun!

Kim

hardysmom
04-29-2007, 06:04 PM
We just returned with 3 yr old twins and a 5 yr old.

If your stroller is an E3, I would use either use a park one or buy a cheapie sbs. The kids will want to ride a lot, but the rear rider would have a pretty bad view and you'll want more storage. I have owned a E3 and that would be my feeling. We took our Mountain Buggy Double which was perfect. Saw several double bike trailers which wasn't a bad idea.

Anyway, if you use Disney's, bring a something soft for the baby to sit on. They are clean, but spartan.

We did 2 days in MK.... we'd get there at opening (one morning we had breakfast at the castle, the other was an extra hours morning) and would hit Fantasyland. 95% of the rides for your kids are there... Without rushing right to it, the line for Dumbo was about 20 minutes at 10ish. Nothing was too crazy (over 20 minutes) until around 11:30. The first day we just wandered around, then took the kids back to the hotel around 1 for naps.

With small kids, the 2 day in MK thing it great. Don't push too hard on day 1 and try to leave the park mid-day for a rest. On the 2nd day, our 3 yr olds were MUCH braver since things were more familiar- they even loved Pirates of the Carr. and the Haunted Mansion!

The second day was an extra hours morning- Since we knew the lay of the land, we hit Pooh, Peter Pan, Small World, and Mickey's Philharmagic all before our 9:30 Crystal Palace breakfast reservation. It worked really well.

With our 3 yr olds, the character meals were the biggest hit, by far. I couldn't imagine my kids standing in the lines to meet the "stars" so the meals were our big spluge. We did Chef Mickeys the night we arrived, Poohs gang at the Crystal Palace, The Royal Table in the castle, and DS went with DH to MGM to meet the Einsteins. If possible, I think doing a character thing the first night was AWESOME because it let the little ones get comfortable with the characters in a more "normal" environment.

What to do/not do is totally subjective. Our 5 yr old LOVED the shows on the castle steps. The kids will dictate the agenda... I didn't think ToonTown was so great, though the train was a nice rest.

The evening parade was at 9pm & fireworks at 10pm, which is really late for my kids, but we sortof accidentally saw the parade. I wish we'd planned to see the parade and had a better spot. The 3 yr olds LOVED it and seeing everything at night was worth the break in our routine.

I think the best (and most ignored) advice it to be there at opening, hit the rides you really want, and leave for a break by about 1 pm. It gets VERY crowded and hot by then and the kids wilt. Take a nice nap and, if you want, come back in the evening.

Stephanie

ast96
04-29-2007, 06:22 PM
One more thing: I see a few of you have taken your kids on Haunted Mansion with success. We only just took my two usually fearless boys on it a few months ago (4 and then almost 3) and they were absolutely terrified. My younger one vibrated in his seat the whole time. He was traumatized. These two have no problem at all on Maelstrom, Pirates, even the Barnstormer rollercoaster in Toon Town. But the Haunted Mansion was something we won't be doing again for a long time.

Momof3Labs
04-29-2007, 08:26 PM
My DS (at 3yo) liked Pirates but was also a little scared of the Haunted Mansion. He didn't like the pop-up heads when you went through the graveyard (still talks about those scary "peek-a-boo" guys).

randomkid
04-30-2007, 12:27 AM
1. I'd take your own stroller whether you take the e3 or buy something else. Just make sure it's comfy. I don't know that a cheap umbrella stroller would be so great for an entire day. The park strollers are hard plastic, but very clean I'm sure. I worked at Disney for 5 years and can tell you that those strollers are probably cleaned every night (unless things have changed).

2. Two days, spaced apart. You would be hard pressed to do everything you want in one day. Two days would allow you to relax more and to go back and do your favorites again.

3. Do two days at MK.

4. I took a lunch box full of food into MK for DD with no problem. They did a bag search, but didn't say anything. If you had a cooler full of food for the whole family, that might be an issue - lol! I'm actually going to Sea World with DD tomorrow and plan to take food. I'll come back and let you know if it's ok.

5. Be sure to look at the MK website to see a listing of everything. That may help you to decide. Just click on attractions and everything comes up. Also, when you click on this link, go to the bottom left and see operational updates. Check just before you go to find out what will be closed. There should also be a sign when you enter that tells you what is closed that day.

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/parks/parkLanding?id=MKLandingPage

DD was almost 2 when we took her. She liked It's A Small World and LOVED the carousel. Others I think are good - Dumbo (but the wait is always loooong), County Bear Jamboree, Indy Speedway for DS, Buzz Lightyear, Barnstormer, Fantasyland Play Area is a great way to let your DCs run around and cut loose for a little bit and do something familiar (slides, etc). Other good choices - Jungle Cruise, Aladdin's Magic Carpet (esp. if Dumbo is too crowded), Winnie The Pooh and of course the Train (Railroad). I think some things depend on your DCs and whether they are scared easily or not. Potentially scary attractions - Stitch, Haunted House, Snow White's Scary Adventures, Pirates of Carribean. Check out Monsters, Inc. It's new so I have no idea how it is, but sounds interesting. And, of course, see a parade if possible - get to the parade site early! It is usually less crowded in Frontierland than on Main Street. And, if you're there late enough, the fireworks are great.

I would go to Toontown Hall of Fame if DCs want to see characters - it's air conditioned.

DCs are too small for Space Mountain and Splash Mountain, but you can do baby swap. I like Philharmagic, but it's really loud and could be very scary for little ones, esp. your 16 month old.

6. This one's easy for me! Carousel of Progress, The Enchanted Tiki Room (ugh!), Swiss Family Treehouse, Tom Sawyer's Island and The Hall of Presidents. Don't think you'd be missing much if you didn't see Mickey's and Minnie's Country Houses either.

7. I think you would like Mall at Millenia for more relaxed shopping.

BeachBum
04-30-2007, 06:56 AM
The + for renting a stroller is that your older child could hop in if you wanted. The strollers are molded plastic, but if you aren't needing to nap in them--then I think they serve their purpose.

I would plan for two days at MK. I would also plan on doing a few hours, then take a break then a few more hours.

I think MK would be the most fun for your kiddos

Yes, you are allowed to take food into the MK. I don't know about Sea World.

Fantasy Land will be the main area that you will want to hit with small kids.

There is the Millinium Mall which is an upscale mall. We don't have those stores in my area so I enjoy shopping there. There are also a lot of outlets.

randomkid
04-30-2007, 04:30 PM
Came back to let you know that I took a small cooler bag of food into Sea World today for DD. I just had small containers with food for her, a bottle of water and milk - no problem.

mom to little e
04-30-2007, 09:43 PM
Thank you SO MUCH to everyone for all the great advice!!! I didn't realize how much planning I should do but I am so glad now that I've got somewhere to start! I'm going to compile my game plan and show DH to see what he thinks (he'll think I'm overly compulsive, I'm sure :)).

I've got this week to finish packing and to really plan the trip. I told Ean today where we are going. He doesn't really get it (since he doesn't really have any kind of reference point). He asked me, in this really hush-hush voice, if Disney was "...a hotel??" Thinking about how much he's going to love it is getting me really excited!

Maryann
Mommy to Ean & Mia!

Momof3Labs
05-01-2007, 01:20 PM
The Tiki Room is an ugh for adults, but my DS loved it both times!! There are moments of complete darkness, though, so could be scary for some kids.