4 yrs

[crisi]

sarahandhannahsmom -

If your toddler does fall asleep on the bus, just keep riding. Let sleeping children lie. We took several of our naps on the bus - they weren't crowded in the middle of the day and the bus just goes in a circle - airconditioned. After an hour nap of sleeping on a shoulder, the kids would be ready for more. Follow with an early bedtime.

I'd be really temped to try the monorail loop with your toddler on your Epcot day for nap. Three spins around the circle will take about an hour, and for a toddler the monorail is as much of a ride as anything.

But both my kids were carseat nappers (and that is still the only place they nap in the middle of the day unless they are sick). Get them in a moving car and they sleep. Try to get them to lie down on a bed at the same time of day, and they turn into "Olivia, Queen of the Trampoline."

 

[sarahandhannahsmom]

Crisi -

Thanks....that is wonderful advice. I'll just keep riding. Do you think it would be beneficial to do that on MK days also (with the monorail?)

I loved the Queen of the Trampoline line. That is soooooo true. Nothing jumps better than a hotel bed! Well....except two hotel beds right next to each other. lol.

I appreciate the help.

 

[sha_lyn]

DD would fall asleep in her stroller but wake up if we tried to get her out to get on the bus (to go back to the room). We ended up letting her nap in it. We did most of our shopping during those times.

 

[crisi]

Yes, I think the monorail would be a fine place for a MK nap. We did our best MK napping on the train, but it was cool that day. You might want to switch over to the Epcot loop though, looking at that castle gets pretty exciting.

The Queen of the Trampoline line is from a book called "Olivia Saves the Circus."

 

[BevS97]

my dd napped in her stroller, we would try and take a walk down a boring path (believe it or not there are a few out of the way places in all the parks) and she would drift off, then we would do some shopping, or eat while she slept.

Bev

 

[rrobalew]

For younger kids, it's very important to keep in mind a particular child's likes and dislikes and ask in advance about specific rides, events, or whatever. For example, my daughter (now 5) does not like loud noises. I forgot about the canon shots on the Pirates of the Carribean and took her on it. After that, it took several hours to get her on another ride. Similarly, Peter Pan and several rides are quite dark inside, so kids that are afraid of the dark would have a problem with that (for my daughter, taking a small flashlight helped a lot). So, ask around on this board and when you get to the park about what things might bother your kid on a certain ride.

Unless your daughter is much braver than mine, there won't be very many rides that you'll be going on. Instead, you'll probably be going on the same ones over and over (and over and over and over...). And unless your daughter is much more patient than mine, you'll want to avoid lines as much as possible. So if at all possible, I'd recommend staying at one of the Disney hotels and using the early entry that different parks have each day. When we did this last year at Magic Kingdom, we were even able to go twice in a row on some rides without getting off. Plan on spending lots of time on It's a Small World, Dumbo, Peter Pan, Winnie the Pooh, and Cinderella's Carousel. If you can't make it for early entry (or don't have it available because you're not staying at a Disney hotel), try going on the rides during a parade or fireworks show.

Some other non-ride activities your daughter is likely to enjoy:
1. Character meals (especially the Princess Breakfast at Epcot or Cinderella's Royal Table). Cinderella's will likely be impossible to get from Brazil, but you might have luck with the one at Epcot (reservations are possible starting 90 days in advance, but Cinderella's usually sells out within the first 5 minutes of the phone lines opening). Also, if you get to the Magic Kingdom at opening time, you might be able to get a last minute seating at Cinderella's due to cancellations.
2. Storytime with Belle. Get there about 20-30 minutes early, sit next to the stairs going up to the stage, and you're daughter might get to go on stage with Belle. (You might also.)
3. Lots of shows. My daughters favorites: Beauty and the Beast at MGM, Disney Playhouse at MGM, Festival of the Lion King at Animal Kingdom, Pocahontas at Animal Kingdom.
4. Meeting characters and getting their signatures (pick up a signature book at several stores around Disney).
5. Last year my daughter absolutely loved pin trading. The problem, at that age, is that any pin a kid likes they are not going to want to trade. So I usually buy several pins of characters that my daughter does not like (for example, most of the villains). When we see a cast member with a pin-trading lanyard, I hand her one of the pins and then let her approach and pick out the pin that she likes. The cast members are great about helping kids make the trade. She just loves walking around with a lanyard full of pins that she got to choose all by herself.

Hope that helps.

 

[Artuero]

My 4-year old daughter (then) absolutely loved Disney last May. She is still trying to get us to move to Florida and whenever she sees a map she points out where Walt Disney World is. We were planning to delay going until she was 6 (and my then 2-year old son was four) because we thought it wouldn't be good. However, a friend offered us his DVC 2-room villa that he couldn't use so we went anyway. Not only was it a great trip for the four year old, but my son (who doesn't remember much now) had a great time.

As mentioned above, there are far fewer rides to do when you have only younger kids. Our kids were scared of some rides but not others, it was hard to tell beforehand which they would like, but even if you have a fearless child the height requirements keep the younger kids off a lot of them, especially the high waiting time rides. I don't think this is such a bad thing though, because (1) younger kids (ours at least) tend to need a slower pace with lots of breaks and rests, if not nap breaks in the middle of the day, and (2) younger kids I have found can have just as much fun walking around checking out the sights and sounds as being on a ride. Not feeling the pressure to immediately get the next FastPass is somewhat liberating and led to a number of "right place at the right time" situations for us.

Bottom line is that I would be surprised if my daughter had even more fun on our next trip (she'll be 5.7) than she had on the trip that we took a few months after she turned four. I hope that helps.

Artu

 

[Tigger Fans!]

Hi-
I'm so glad you decided to post to the board! We took our son to Disneyworld for the first time when he was almost 3. Disney is fun for adults but to see the wonders of Disneyworld through a child's eyes is an AMAZING experience!

Here are top 3 hints for a great trip:

1) Stay onsite at one of the Disney resorts. This way you'll be closer to everything and won't spend your time in the car on your way to the resort! Also, if you get tired in the afternoon it's easy to go back to your resort and take a quick nap. (We promised my son an extra late bedtime if he took a nap in the afternoon.)

2) If your child is excited about one particular ride - let him ride it 10 times in a row if necessary! (Be sure to take advantage of Disney's Fast Pass program to avoid waiting in lines longer than necessary.)

3) When you go to Epcot be sure that the kids have their swimsuits if the weather is warm -- there's a great fountain they can play in!

Hope you have a great trip!

 

[BevS97]

Stay onsite at one of the Disney resorts.

Staying onsite is fun, but it's not essential, and if you have a hire car, then you can be back to your offsite hotel in about the same length of time it takes to wait for a Disney bus. We have done both, and while I love the magic of Disney, sometimes you can't beat the price of off=site.

I wouldn't like to stay off-site and rely on hotel shuttle buses though.

Bev

 

[thumperjr9]

I agree that a 4 year old will love WDW. Maybe the reason the author picks that age as the best time to go is because they are old enough to ride most anything, they can "last" all day and still get the child admission rate. So, therefore it really is a better value for your dollar. But there is something magical about Disney for every age. I am sure you will not regret going!!! But be beware your DS will probably be begging you to go back!! As far as the guide books they have good information but really only the author's opinions. I think these boards have the some of the best info you can get. So, keep reading!!

 

[cboudre1]

When my DS was 4 he liked parts of Disney. He loved anything with characters, and shows. He didn't like many of the attractions. If it was inside and dark he didn't like it, except Spaceship Earth. He absolutely loved Typhoon Lagoon.

We had to change our original plans. I called from the hotel and booked a character meal for all our remaining days. We also went a second day to Typhoon Lagoon. It was a relaxing vacation and we have never spent as much time with the characters as we did that vacation. I wish AK had been open then. I think he would have enjoyed all the animals.

We came home with a day left on our passes that we used when he was 6. We ended up having a good time just different than we planned. I would go with a 4 year old but be prepared to adjust.

When we returned 2 years later he loved everything, including thrill rides.

 

[GlennandAnn]

Don't be afraid!! WDW is very magical for 4 year olds. DS was 4 this past trip, and I'd say he had the best time he has ever had.

Ann