Planning to take my 2 and 6 yr old to Disney World in December. This will be our first trip. Any advice/tips? Thanks

Go to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party at the Magic Kingdom. Avoid the crowds, and try to go before Christmas. Early and Mid-December have some of the lowest crowds the parks will dee all year. You can literally get off some of the rides, and hope right back on in some cases. Enjoy!

Two weeks after Thanksgiving are slow times at WDW (27 Nov - 14 Dec). This year, crowds will start 15 Dec (Friday) and through New Year, just a bad time for people. Other slow times, late Jan-early Feb, early to mid May, after Labor Day for most all of Sept and into Oct.
We go 3-4 times a year, season pass holders, and we live in Texas.
Just returned from WDW and a MiLB sweep of 5 AA Southern League parks.
Question, just PM.

1. If you can, choose your dates to be at the parks so that the attendance is lowest. Your 2 year old won't be missing school, so that's no problem. And if your 6 year old can't miss a week or so of kindergarten or 1st grade, then good luck with the rest of schooling for that kid. WDW is a lot more fun when you're not having to wait in line for an hour everywhere.

2. Stay somewhere on property. It makes things a lot easier. Easier yet, if possible stay at a Disney resort on the monorail.

3. Once you've determined your dates, book what you can as soon as you can. Dining fills up fast, especially some of the more desirable character dining stuff. If you don't book those as early as possible, you'll be SOL. If you're able to go during a low period, then fast passes for rides won't be as big of an issue, but they come in handy for the most popular rides/attractions no matter how busy the place is.

4. Plan enough days that you don't have to go 100 mph every day to do everything you want to do. Kids that age can tire quickly, so downtime each day and/or some days off in the middle are really beneficial. Most folks recommend parks in the mornings (be there when they open), pool/naps in the afternoons, and back to the parks in the evenings. Works well and I'd advise the same.

5. Find somebody y'all know who does Disney a lot, and enjoys the planning part of it, and just let them help you with everything. It'll save you a ton of time learning the ins and outs, and they usually really enjoy doing it. My wife is this way; I don't understand it at all, but it sure makes it easy for me when we go.

6. A Disney joke to help prepare you for the trip: What does Mickey Mouse eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner...???...$100 bills.

Have fun though. It's a great place for a family those ages.

I would plan on doing two days at magic kingdom. Much more for the younger kids there than the other parks.

Set up an account at My Disney Experience and you can plan everything yourself.
Tickets, Resorts, dining, fast passes, special events. Also App for smart phone.
Staying on property you can make fast passes 60 days in advance.
Dining reservation can be made up to 180 days in advance, on/off property.
Just for info, a seven day park pass for 2 adults and 2 children ( under 10 years-age 3) is in the $1700 range, add hopper pass puts just over $2K
Going to a 5 day saves about $200 off the $1700/$2K

Thanks for the advice!

We decided what we wanted then booked through a Disney travel agent. Ended up saving us a bunch because a few weeks later, she found a promotion and rebooked our rooms - that got us a free meal plan for our stay, which was was awesome.


Also - advice from a Disney board - go in the bathroom and flush $100 bills down the toilet until you can do it without flinching. THEN you're ready to take the family to Disney.

All joking aside, it was the most amazing holiday ever. Every penny well spent, and the customer service is beyond amazing. You'll hear stories about it. They're true. We had two minor incidents involving small child bathroom issues and Disney cast members stepped up to the plate both times to make sure those issues weren't what we remembered from our time there. In one case ordering a taxi and comping it to get us back to our room for a clothing change, and another actually giving us the clothes I was trying to purchase when they realized we'd had an accident.

bufrilla said:

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Set up an account at My Disney Experience and you can plan everything yourself.
Tickets, Resorts, dining, fast passes, special events. Also App for smart phone.
Staying on property you can make fast passes 60 days in advance.
Dining reservation can be made up to 180 days in advance, on/off property.
Just for info, a seven day park pass for 2 adults and 2 children ( under 10 years) is in the $1700 range, add hopper pass puts just over $2K
Going to a 5 day saves about $200 off the $1700/$2K

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Children under 3 get in WDW for free.

Btw, looks like undercovertourist.com has the best price for 7 day with a park hopper.

There are 224 days until 12/1. I would recommend having a plan of what park you want to visit each day, so you can make dining reservations at 180 days. If you have not joined touringplans.com, I would suggest a subscription. They have plenty of information and have the crowd tracker (which will help a ton during planning).

In regards to dining....with the age of your kids, I would suggest the following places to make reservations...

Magic Kingdom
-The Crystal Palace for breakfast. Get a reservation before the park opens and you can see Magic Kingdom with somewhat empty streets and such. Breakfast buffet is good and it is Winnie the Pooh characters.
-Not sure if your 6 year old is a boy or girl, but Cinderella's Royal Table is a great experience. If you do the dining plan, it does take 2 dining credits.
-I love Liberty Tree Tavern. It is basically Thanksgiving. It is also a good dinner reservation if you want to stay at the park late and don't want to leave MK.
-I like to eat at Be Our Guest for lunch (no need for a dining reservation). You don't get to meet Belle and the Beast, but you get to see the castle and the food is solid (along with free drink refills). It is air-conditioned (which is still nice in December).

Resort Dining
-Ohana. This is one of my favorites. They have a character breakfast that is solid, but the dinner is where it is at.
-Chef Mickey's - Highly suggest this with your children. They will love the interaction with the characters. The food is a dinner buffet (nothing great).

Hollywood Studios
-We always eat at Mama Melrose's. It is a California-themed itialian restaurant. Nothing special, but we like it. I know many love 50s Prime Time cafe and Sci-fi Dine in.

EPCOT
I have eaten at a lot of the restaurants and nothing has blown me away. I like to use my snack credits and just get a snack at various countries. Highly recommend the Grand Marnier Slush in France (not a snack).

Animal Kingdom
-It is quick service, but I recommend Flame Tree BBQ. Good food and a lot of it. We had a character dining at Tusker House. If you aren't crazy about different foods, I would skip it.

We have also used http://dvcrentalstore.com/ the past two trips. We are able to get a Deluxe DVC resort at a price a little above Port Orleans (which we have used in the past and like). If you are going to go this route, try to get something on the monorail. The extra cost will be worth it due to the time savings (especially with a 2 year old).

One last thing.....if you want a night out with your spouse, there are babysitting services (I believe it is $18/hr). It is fun to have a night away and enjoy a park during extra magic hours.

We'll be there the second week of December with our 5 year old and 1 year old (at the time). This will be our third Disney World trip in three years. We have stayed at Animal Kingdom Lodge (loved it) and Port Orleans Riverside (great value and still cool resort).

This year we are going all out and staying at the Contemporary so we can walk to Magic Kingdom and take the monorail to Epcot. The bus system is great but can be a pain when crowded. Plus I'll be pushing a stroller and those are a pain on the bus.

With all the construction going on at Hollywood Studios I wouldn't spend anymore than a day there. It will be much better when Star Wars Land and Toy Story Land open. However I love Tower of Terror and the Aerosmith coaster so I still have to visit that park.

As others have said...Magic Kingdom is Disney. You have to spend at least two days here.

Epcot is also fun. Lots of good food and drinks as well as Soarin, Test Track, Nemo, and the new Frozen Ride.

ENJOY!

Free dining was just released a couple of days ago all the way up until December 23rd. There are restrictions, but you have to act fast if you are interested. It can be a really good deal depending on what you want to do and how long you want to stay. I advise using a travel agent. They do not cost you anything extra, and can really assist you in making the best decision for your family.

Don't carry a stroller with you into the parks, especially if you stay on property and are taking the bus/tram around. Rent one inside the park.

The WDW strollers are horrible and nowhere near worth the price.

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/guest-services/stroller-rentals/

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The WDW strollers are horrible and nowhere near worth the price.

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/guest-services/stroller-rentals/

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Bingo. We bring our own BOB stroller all the way from Texas. Or you can rent a good stroller from local sources. We are flying to Disneyland next month and we are renting a BOB stroller once we get there.

As an FYI, Disney just dropped a free dining promo on Monday - worth looking at if you are planning on staying at a DW resort. I'd also 2nd the opinion on talking to some one that specializes in planning Disney trips. Feel free to PM me if you want a good contact.

Who is the Aggie Disney agent?

Busta- interested in your contact but don't have pm's. If you can't post it my email is my username at gmail

If military, you can get some really cheap tickets and the government operates its own resort on Disney property. There are many web sites that you can get some very useful info from like All Ears and WDW info.com. Planning can be a pain, but it is so worth it with the crowds and all that you can do there. Be sure to make your sit down dining reservation and use fast passes wisely.

I found her on TexAgs.... Fairy Godmother Travel

She has helped us with two DisneyWorld trips.

easttexasaggie04 said:

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I found her on TexAgs.... Fairy Godmother Travel

She has helped us with two DisneyWorld trips.

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Is this an Ag? Can you call and talk to her?

I believe she is, and yes. I found her on Maroon Book (is that still a thing) years ago.

Are the meal plans a good value?

You've got to eat and it seems like a good way to go, but we've no idea about most of this stuff.

We like the meal plans because you can pay for it over time before your trip. We book our trip a year in advance and pay for it along the way. That way it't not a huge lump sum at once. (you don't have to do that). Once we get to Disney the hotel, food, park admission, etc is already paid for.

This is a good read.

http://wdwprepschool.com/disney-dining-plan-credits/

I am not purchasing a DDP for the next trip. There was always a meal that someone wasn't that hungry and we had a decent amount of snacks left over (that we used to purchase candy and such when leaving). The cost savings isn't that great and WDW is banking on you not using all of your credits. I like the "all inclusive" feel with the DDP, but I know I could have saved some money by paying for each meal/snack.

In regards to "free dining" that WDW is running on certain dates........WDW will have a 25% off your hotel or a free dining promotion to boost attendance. The "savings" are the same, but people fall for the free dining. This leads leads to fewer reservations available and higher traffic in the parks.

Nothing free at WDW!!!

Except a cup of ice water.

Can you get free dining if you rent somebody's points?

DSAg44 said:

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Can you get free dining if you rent somebody's points?

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No.

https://www.dvcrequest.com/disney-dining-plan.asp

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Does Disney Vacation Club Offer Free Dining Plans?

Disney Vacation Club does not offer free dining to its members. If there is a free dining promotion offered, you will have to book your room directly with the Disney Travel Company at http://www.disneyworld.com at their current room rates.

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easttexasaggie04 said:

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The WDW strollers are horrible and nowhere near worth the price.

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/guest-services/stroller-rentals/

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Bingo. We bring our own BOB stroller all the way from Texas. Or you can rent a good stroller from local sources. We are flying to Disneyland next month and we are renting a BOB stroller once we get there.

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I'd rent and buy the insurance. There is a lot of stroller theft in the Orlando parks these days.

Planning on going with my 4 and 1 year old (at the time) either first and second week of December. Recommendations are appreciated!

I'll throw in a recommendation for Heather with Mickey Mom Travel - she is a Disney authorized travel agent that has helped us immensely for our upcoming trip in September. She will help with bookings, reservations, fast passes, even if that means getting up at 4am to book things for you (which she did for us). I remembered seeing a recommendation for her on Texags several months ago and couldn't be happier

If you're planning a Disney trip in the near future for you, your family or a loved one, contact me, Chris Smith, for expert help and advice with booking and planning details.

My services are FREE when you book with me!

Chris Smith '99
832.473.1452
csmith@travelwithontheroad.com

Specialty Trips:
Disney World
Disney Cruise Line
Disneyland
Aulani Resort
Adventures by Disney

Relax and enjoy while I organize and plan:
Dining and FastPasses
Park and Event Tickets
Strollers and Scooters
Promotions... and more!

To the OP, we took 6 kids 11 and under. We also had my in-laws with us so that helped big time. I'll try to be concise because it can be overwhelming.

- Get the magicband. It is worth the money. Photographers all over park, they simply scan your band, and then you instantly have access to all the classic photos you will be looking for. My wife made an awesome photobook afterwards with all the photos. For our little ones we let them wear them, but during rides we took them away.

- bring a backpack for snacks to cut down on cost

- get matching shirts, easy to keep track of everyone and stay in lines together. Believe everyone has matching shirts. I thought we would be the only ones...haha.

- fast passes are clutch, it sounds very overwhelming, but once you pick the rides you want, then from there it's almost like a game of trying to beat the crowds to renew fast passes once you've used them. Again overwhelming, but well worth the prep time.

- I have a almost all boys so they didn't care about doing any princess/castle dinners. There are opportunities to meet all the characters without spending the extra money at various spots around the park.

We did all 4 parks. Honestly with the little kids Epcot wasn't worth it. We did it because we had never been, but hindsight we could've skipped that one. My wife and I enjoyed it, but that was my kids least favorite...BUT of course Disney figured this out and they put all the Frozen stuff there so if you have girls you pretty much have to go to meet Elsa/Anna and do the Frozen rides.