Our first trip-help please!

[TanyaB]

On Feb. 17th we will go to Disney for the first time w/our 8 and 6 year olds through the make-a-wish foundation! We're very excited, but I have no idea about anything since I haven't been there since I was a kid. First of all, we're from northern wisconsin, and it's freezing here. I don't really know what to expect for florida weather in feb. and am not sure what to pack-any suggestions?

Second, my oldest son is undergoing chemotherapy for a brain tumor, and will need a stroller, and I'm sure my 6 yr. old will need one just from being tired. Will these be available everywhere? How much are they to rent?

We are staying at Give Kids the World-has anyone ever stayed here through maw, and if so-please share!

we will be there for 5 days, so obviously we won't see everything. What are the must-sees for their age groups? My boys love monsters, dinosaurs, scary things, etc. as well as all the disney movies.

Any other advice at all is greatly appreciated. I apologize if these questions are asked over and over! I just want this trip to be wonderful and memorable, not stressful! Thank you,
Tanya

 

[kiddisney]

though i know it'll be tough - the main concern is to relax with your kids -

if there are two of you - you may want to bring your own stroller - because the walk with a tired child to transportation may be a lot at the end of each day's visit

you also may want to check with the place where you're staying - because they'll have special things for you - so you may not have to bring things from home -

for the kids - everything is special - even though there are rides - the shows are great - and it'll give you the break you need - so the dinosaurs are at animal kingdom and there's the lion king show there - at mgm there's star wars - and the beauty & beast show - epcot - the human body & test track - and movies & shows in world showcase -

and don't plan too much - it'll only make you tired trying to do to much -

and just have fun

 

[SueM in MN]

From what I have read, GKTW will provide you with anything you need (plus many useful things that never occured to you) and lots of special surprises. We have nver been there, but I have read a lot about it and those GKTW people know how to make a vacation stress free and memorable.

For deciding what the kids want to see, there is a book about WDW written from a kids point of view about the parks (I think the name of it is actually WDW for Kids) that would be fun for your kids to look thru. There are a lot of pictures, so even pre-readers and elementary grade readers should enjoy it. One of the things that I think would deserve a WOW from boys those ages is the Indiana Jones stunt show at the Studio. He would probably enjoy Star Tours at the Studio also, but that's a very rough ride. You should find out from your child's doctor if there are any types of rides that are not recommended for him. If there are any things he wants to see, you will have no trouble getting in.
If he "wilts" and needs to lie down for a rest at some time during the day, you can go to First Aid in any of the parks. They have nice individual little cubicles with cots (and a chair for you to sit down).
Have lots of fun.

 

[SueM in MN]

PS
We're from Minnesota and DH and I were at WDW over New Years. When I was packing, the 5 day outlook was saying highs of 65-70 and lows of 39-42 (or really close to those numbers). Anyway, we packed lots of layers, so we could adjust for the weather. That works well, you can start out in the morning with a sweater over a short sleeved shirt, take the sweater off later and then once the sun goes donw, layer back on the sweater with maybe a turtleneck or a turtleneck under the short sleeve tee shirt. We packed too many long sleeve layers though, because the actual weather when we got there was in the mid to high 70s. So, my advice, is look at the 5 day outlook right before you leave and throw some clothes in for warmer weather if necessary. You can also buy some appropriate clothes (you need some souveniers anyway) for the weather when you are down there.

 

[Big V]

Welcome to the Dis TanyaB! I'm from Wisconsin too! We have been to DisneyWorld in February the last 4 years and the weather is usually pretty nice! It can be cool in the mornings and evenings, but during the day you will probably like to have shorts on! There's nothing better than wearing shorts in February! I know that you being from Wisconsin you'll understand my feelings there. Have a great trip!

 

[Jordan's MOM]

I just wanted to say good luck and God bless your family and son on this special trip. My good friend's family is also taking a MAW trip to WDW this spring and are too so excited. Thier daughter is one year into remission of a very rare form of childhood cancer that no child has made it long enough for the bone marrow transplant that she survived. They are on cloud nine as she is now well enough for her trip!!

From what I understand, you will want for nothing! They will bend over backward to grant your every wish. Let them!! You all deserve it.

I second checking on a stroller for out of park use but I bet that MAW has those for you to use. I would plan breaks both in and out of the park and stop when anyone gets too tired. I noticed the love of dinosaur but wanted to caution that it is a VERY rough ride(and scary). If you DS has a port, you might want to check with the DR. on restictions. Have a wonderful trip!!


Jordan's mom

 

[TanyaB]

Thanks so much for the help! Jordan's mom-which dino ride is rough? We won't be able to go on any rough rides as my youngest will throw up, and Colin is very uncoordinated and his balance is way off. Thank you for letting me know-are there any more gentle rides you'd recommend? Someone said the Buzzlight year ride is a good one. Thanks,
Tanya

 

[Jordan's MOM]

Tanya,

The dinosaur ride in Animal Kindom is the one that is very rough. There is a ride in Epcot, It's the energy ride but I can't think of the real name that also has dinosaurs and is a slow smooth ride. The dinosaur ride in Animal Kindom does also have a museum like display of dinosaurs that is in the waiting area of the dino ride. I am sure that you could go in and look around with out going on the ride. The intire area where the dinosaur ride is has a dinosaur theme. There is a playground and a dumbo type ride that is nice and smooth and a roller coster that is sounds like would not be a good idea. There is also a character breakfast in this area called Breakfastsarus and it has the theme of a dinosaur dig site. Mickey,Donald and the gang host it and it is great. You would need to make a PS for this 60 days before you would want to eat there as it is very popular.

The buz ride should be fine. You can spin the ride in order to get a better shot at the targets you are shooting at but you control the spin. Bet they will also love the haunted mansion and the pirates ride. Both just a little scary and not too rough. I think I would avoid anything with a height restriction. Anything without that is Ok even for infants and should be ok for your son. Some of the rides are a little tricky to board as they never stop, but they can be stoped if your son needs them to for his safety. Don't be afraid to ask them for what ever you need to make the trip easier for you all.

All the shows should be great, and if they really don't mind being a little scared, they might love all the 3-D shows.

There are some things that you might want to ride first to check out the rough factor. One such ride might be the safri at AK. The boys would love it but it bounces quite a bit. Perhaps putting you son between you and DH for support might help.

I would suggest getting a good WDW guide book and read up on it ahead of time and get a feel as to what you think might be Ok for Colin. Then play up the rides you feel are safe and not mention the one that he will need to save for a future trip when he is a little more stable.

We too deal with the motion sick thing with our DS. WE have used dramamine in the past but are going to try sea bands next trip.

Hope you can use something out of this run on.

Good luck and a great trip


Jordan's mom

 

[TanyaB]

Jordan'smom-again, thank you so much! We are so excited about this trip! The boys are very interested in the 3-d shows-would you happen to know where I can find more info about them? I'm sorry to keep asking all of these questions. Also, where would I find this Disney guide? Thanks so much, as I really appreciate all of the details about the rides.
Tanya

 

[Jordan's MOM]

Tanya,

Go to you local book store and look in the travel section. A large book store will have quite a few to choose from and even a small book store should have a couple. There is the offical WDW guide ,that is the only one with picture of rides and attractions as well as many unoffical guides including one that is called just that. I have the offical WDW guide and the unoffical and if you can afford it I would buy both as they offer a host of information including the detals on rides and attrations such as the 3-D shows. There is also a offical WDW guide for kids that is very neat and written at about a 3rd grade level. I gave my brother-in-law a new guide book for Christmas called the Dummies quide to WDW and he says its very good too. If money is an issue, you can sometimes find the quide books at your local library though they might be somewhat out of date. The basic attractions info is still great though.

Glad to help in any way. Ask anything and anyone that can help will be glad too.


Jordan's mom

 

[cinjam]

I hope you have a wonderful trip! DH, DS(2yo) & I are going down the 1st week in february and after debating about what to pack (and even posting a question about it) I decided to just wait and watch the 5 day forcast right before we leave and then decide on exactly what to bring. As SueM said, layers are the way to go!

I found this web site to be very useful http://www.wdwig.com/
The section on attractions has info on rides in each of the parks.

There are 3-d shows in MGM (Muppets - liked it), Animal Kingdom (Tough to be a Bug - never saw it although I've heard that it may be too intense for children), Epcot (Honey I Shrunk the Audience - we REALLY liked it).

I bought Birnbaum's Official Guide and Bob Sehlinger's Unofficial Guide through amazon.com - I like Sehlinger's Unofficial better. MUCH more info; describes all attractions; rates attractions (with stars) for pre-schooler children, grade-school children, and so on; wait time for lines if xx number of people are in front of you; best spots to view the parades from; just LOTS of info.

I found these boards extremely helpful in planning our last two trips to WDW. There are so many people here to answer questions!!!

Enjoy!

Cindy

 

[bobcat]

The 3-D shows are great. The Muppets are the stars at MGM. This is a great first 3-d show. Honey I Shrunk the Audience is at EPCOT and it has a few suprises for you. It's Tough to be a Bug is at Animal Kingdom and has more suprises. All three are a lot of fun, but we like muppets and tough to be a bug the best.

Have a wonderful trip! Ask as many questions as you want, someone here will know the answer.

 

[we3luvdisney]

TanyaB,

Check your PM box

 

[SueM in MN]

The rides that are rough are marked on the maps with a caution icon, so that will help you decide.
You can also get information about the "roughness factor" of the rides from the Guidebook for Guests with Disabilities. There is one for each park with a little description about each ride (not much information, but at least it tells whether it is a turbulent thrill ride or a gentle ride. This website has a link to download the Guidebooks (as well as other useful information).
Here is a link to GKTW for you. They will supply whatever you need -wheelchair, stroller, transportation, even snacks in your room. You will not be able to think of anything that they have not thought of already. I believe that they will arrange PS for you (because some kids who are making WISH trips don't have any planning time to work with). There is an email address or a phone number on the GKTW site that you can contact for more info.
For the dinosaur themed stuff: The ride at Epcot is called Ellen's Energy Adventure and is not rough at all. You ride in a theater car thru various movie parts and thru a prehistoric theme, so he would not have trouble with that. At AK, the Dinosaur ride is very rough (like DH and I are tired at the end from holding youngest DD up after the ride is over), dark and probably a little scary for the ages of your children. There is a gift shop in the area with Dino themed items, a restaurant themed as the base camp for the Dinosaur diggers 9the one Jordon's mom mentioned) and a dino themed playground. There is also Chester and Hester's dinoland with 2 rides. One is a Dumbo-like ride that just goes around (pretty tame) and the other is a roller coaster with spinning action - called Triceraptops Spin. I would not suggest that one. My youngest DD has cerebral palsy and she had a very hard time keeping herself in place in that ride. In fact, when the ride was over, she had nearly slid out from under the restraint. In that ride, you would sit near, but not close enough to hold onto your child. The Safari ride would likely be OK. It's bumpy, like driving over gravel and rutted dirt roads (sometimes fast), but if your son's sit next to you, you will be able to help support them. My DD rides in her wheelchair (there is one wheelchair tie-down in the tram) and she bounces in her wheelchair quite a bit, but she really can't hang on too much. One attraction at AK that you should not miss is the Festival of the Lion King. It has music, dance, acrobats and all sorts of stuff with a Lion King theme. Another overlooked show at AK is the Flights of Wonder, a bird show where the birds do natural things like flying over your head, catching grapes in the air instead of animal tricks.
Here's a link to the DIS height and age calculator. When you enter the height and age of your child, you get a list of rides that would be appropriate.
All of the continously loading rides can be stopped for boarding except for Peter Pan. Here's a link to a disABILITIES Board thread about ride boarding for someone who is unsteady or needs extra time boarding.

 

[Big Disney Fan]

Welcome to the Boards TanyaB I'm afraid I have no advice to offer you coz I'm travelling with children for the first time too (it changes everything!). Anayway, I just wanted to wish you a wonderful trip (we'll be there 4th-18th Feb) - I'm sure your sons will make some wonderful memories.

 

[LizL]

I don't have any specific tips to offer, except to try posting on the disabilities board as well. There are lots of helpful parents who have travelled to WDW with their ill children. You'll get lots of pointers and tips.

ENJOY!!!!

 

[soccerchick]

Hi,

I was at The Disney Store yesterday and they had the Children's WDW Guide (I think by Birnaum's) for 50% the 2002 version. A few things like Early Entry and Character Caravan may be out of date, but the ride and show descriptions should all be accurate. There are also lots of cute tips and comments from kids of all ages. I can't remember the price-- sorry, but it is probably worth checking out. When we went to WDW for the first time since I was a child, I checked out every WDW guidebook I could from the library. They did have some current ones, but I had to get on a waiting list. The rest were only a year behind and were easy to check and update info I had questions about through this site and wdwig.com.

Have a wonderful trip!

 

[KatRob]

Another good source is Walt Disney World with Kids by Kim Wright Wiley. She has made many trips with her kids and is a wealth of information. She lists everything you could ever want to know from SCARE FACTOR of each ride to locations of the least busy restrooms. This book is updated yearly.

If you get a locker when entering the parks, you can easily return to it to change into lighter clothes with out having to lug everything with you all over the park.

Look at layouts of the park and try to plan what you want to do before you get inside the park. It will keep you from wasting time and tiring out the kids (and yourself).

Have a wonderful trip!

 

[Trish Bessette]

Hi there!

Looks like you've gotten wonderful information. I wanted to let you know that my family just made our first Disney trip this past December. My girls are 9 & 6, so they are close to your boys ages.

With this being our first trip, my best advise is to take it as it comes. I'm sure you are so busy taking care of your kids that you don't have the time to read all the books before your trip.

I had no plans except to relax and enjoy. Which is exactly what we did. You know, when its your first trip you have the "world" at your fingers. By visiting for the first time and having no expectations, the magic just sweeps you away.

I do recommend making a reservation for a character meal. We ate dinner at Chef Mickey's and breakfast at Donald's Breakfastaurous. The kids loved every moment.

Best wishes to you and your family. Bless you and enjoy every moment.