Disney World....

[justme]

Sept 13, 2019 13:27:55 GMT -5 oped said:

I didn't realize frozen is in Norway now. That said, how much other stuff is there for that small a child? I don't remember much but that wasn't really my age bracket when we went. 

There's also Nemo and Friends at the Living Seas, plus the whole aquarium there (2nd largest in the US but no one knows that) and a cute little playground inside there plus Turtle Talk with Crush (so adorable to see the kiddos at that). There's also living with the Land and a chocolate experience in the Land (and behind the seeds tour if she likes plants and such, but that's like $10/person). There's also (and it's utterly killing me to mention this abomination but I realize that's my own trauma) Journey to Imagination with Figment. Spaceship Earth (it's going to be completely redone soon - see it while you can!) and the play area the ride spits you out into. The Fiesta ride in Mexico. A 3D film festival of Pixar shorts. I believe Canada, China, and France all have movies to see. The ImageWorks still has a few things in it that entertained the nieces for a while. And there's still a large character greeting place indoors. Each country also has a Kidcot where there's some craft/activity for them to do. 

Also in January is when the Festival of the Arts is and there's additional kid friendly things to do. disneyworld.disney.go.com/events-tours/epcot/epcot-international-festival-of-the-arts/ I think most of the activities are geared to older than 3 - but they have a lot of cool stuff out there for kids to look at. 


Studios is the least kid friendly - but there's still a lot a kid can do there. Even more if she's over 40" but I think my niece was the weird one to be tall enough to ride test track at 3. 

[oped]

Yeah I didn't think Hollywood would be great.  I thought Animal Kingdom would though, guess it depends on the love of animals, lol. What i remember from epcot last time is the science, hydroponic tour thing, lol. 

So i guess i don't know if a 3 year old would like all of those things, (we loved the shorts... a toddler? )  but agian, as you said, its going to depend on the 3 year old. but if elsa is what she wants to see, again, do that and then add in a few things till she has her fill.

[TheHaitian]

Hi, just to update my daughter has traveled before so maybe a bit optimistic that she will be able to handle the travel (been to Atlanta for a wedding and visit the aquarium there, we spent 2-3 weeks in London, Dublin and Paris last year and Buffalo last month).

She has handled herself pretty well in airplanes and also airports (even when flights was 4 hours late). We have done some rides at parks last year and this year, been successful with the kiddy ones.

We are not doing this for her to remember later but for her to enjoy now. If I kept worrying about her remembering later I would or we would not drive 1-2 hours to Baltimore to visit the aquarium there or 3 hours to the Sesame place park. We do it to see he excitement and enjoyment in her eyes at that moment.

Something about your kid eyes widening, taking on new experiences, them enjoying themselves ... ex I never enjoyed an aquarium as much as when I went with my DD and she loves the BIG Fishes and in awe of the SHARKS. We kept trying to identify mommy shark, daddy shark, baby shark etc while singing the songs.

We did look at the cruise as a other option. Hiring characters may not be a bad idea... she enjoyed Disney on ice and kept asking where was Minnie and Mickey when the other characters came on the ice.

Thanks for all the responses, appreciate them.

[Deleted]

Just put the $$ in her college fund.  Seriously.

As you noted, WDW is expensive as hell.  The amount of rides, experiences, etc. it takes to justify that expense would overwhelm and exhaust a 3-year old.  She's going to need to go back to the hotel to rest and may want to spend most of her time in the hotel pool.  One point I didn't see mentioned here:  DS LOVED Bert and Ernie when he was 3 but when we were in a department store where they were making an appearance (which I didn't even realize they were) we accidentally ended up in an elevator with them.  They were adults in Bert and Ernie costumes- perfectly nice, but DS was a little scared.  He'd seen them only in books and on TV.  She may not as delighted with a life-size Minnie and Mickey as you think.

I'm all for giving kids new experiences- the week after next I'm taking my 5-year old granddaughter to Chicago and this time we're checking out the Children's Museum.  Her little sister turns 3 in November but I want her to be at least 4 (and toilet-trained!) before we go on plane trips.  Last December I paid for the family to go to the Sugar Plum Fairy Ball (a fancy lunch before the actual Nutcracker performance since the younger one isn't mature enough to sit quietly through the full ballet) and it was such a great hit we're doing it again this year.  Don't rush it- you've got plenty of interesting stuff near home.  

And none of my grandchildren will go to a theme park on my dime.  Paris?  Africa?  Snorkeling off Puerto Rico?  The Panama Canal?  Sure- but no theme parks.

[justme]

Sept 13, 2019 13:49:41 GMT -5 oped said:

Yeah I didn't think Hollywood would be great.  I thought Animal Kingdom would though, guess it depends on the love of animals, lol. What i remember from epcot last time is the science, hydroponic tour thing, lol. 

So i guess i don't know if a 3 year old would like all of those things, (we loved the shorts... a toddler? )  but agian, as you said, its going to depend on the 3 year old. but if elsa is what she wants to see, again, do that and then add in a few things till she has her fill.

Hydroponic thing is still there - called The Land. Nieces love it so I've been on it a lot lately! The plants change frequently enough they have new things to see.Though the last time I was on it was adults-only when we were wanting to escape the heat. They got rid of a lot of the science stuff from Epcot and frankly are getting rid of most of the sciencey stuff left over the next few years. It was a lot of the reasons why I hated Epcot until I was 21!!! But it also had to do with school field trips to Epcot where instead of just having fun we had a worksheet we had to find answers for.

Lots of animals at AK (mornings are the best time to go for animals). The girls always love to see them and there's tons of little walks and one offs that have animals - had to drag em away from the otters last time! They also enjoy just walking around Pandora. The river ride in Pandora is really cool too if you want to wait for it. Safari is awesome - they have a day time and a night time version now and there are different animals on each (there's overlap too). The Lion King show is amazing, and the Finding Nemo stage show is great too. Assuming it doesn't scare them, the Bugs Life show is cute. There's a huge play ground in Dino land that the kids would stay in all day if you let em - there's also a dino version of Dumbo there. And the train to Rafiki's Planet Watch is cool too. I forget whether AK still has their parade or not. 


Definitely depends on the kid! The almost 3 year old niece naps more often than not if they're doing a long day at Disney. Though I was really surprised that she didn't on our marathon 10am-8pm day. I sure wanted a nap!

[Deleted]

Sept 13, 2019 14:03:10 GMT -5 TheHaitian said:

Something about your kid eyes widening, taking on new experiences, them enjoying themselves ... ex I never enjoyed an aquarium as much as when I went with my DD and she loves the BIG Fishes and in awe of the SHARKS. We kept trying to identify mommy shark, daddy shark, baby shark etc while singing the songs.

But, with a 3 year old you can easily get all that wonder and excitement without the expense and hassle of Disney, as you've discovered with the aquarium.  If you want her to have the Disney experience, save it for later, and for now enjoy that you can get the same thrill out of more simplistic things like playing with baby goats and kittens.  Up the game to Disney later when she's big enough to go on most of the rides and handle the walking and crowds better.

[oped]

justme That's probably why i don't like it either. The first time my stepmother insisted the kids had to get every stamp on their 'passports' at epcot... vomit. it ruined any fun. The second time we went the kids were teens, too young to drink around the world and not interested in a lot of other things... and that park has that ride where they tell you a million times not to get on if you are claustrophobic and i didn't listen, lol. 

Haven't gotten to see avatar land yet. was waiting for star wars to open. Maybe i'll go with the girls for my birthday this year since i'm empty nested and all   

Animal Kingdom was my favorite parade I think. 

[aricia]

Take her! As long as your expectations are reasonable for a three year old, your family will have a great time. If this was the only trip you planned to make to Disney, you might want to wait. We did week trips with kids 12 months and six years, then 3 and 8, then 5 and 10, and a few short trips mixed in. (Disney addict) I think 4 or 5 is perfect for the “magic” of characters and maybe 8 for enjoying more action and rides. My three year old still loved it and it was so fun to watch her there. My ten year old would rather be at a park with bigger coasters at this point.
I would skip park hoppers. It’s easy to underestimate how long it takes to get around. They came for free on our tickets one trip and we never used them.
Magic kingdom will likely be your most popular park at that age. It’s not cheap, but staying at the Contemporary puts you in walking distance which is AMAZING. Also, Contemporary has Chef Mickey character breakfast, no lines for Minnie, Mickey, Donald, Pluto, and Goofy I believe. Even if you don’t stay there, you can book it. They may not have reservations this close in for January but if you check back incessantly you can often pick up a cancellation. You can go on a non-park day if you want. There are some other character meal options outside the parks as well. These are not money saving ideas but may be sanity saving
Check prices of tickets! The more park days you have, the less it costs to add an additional day. This is why we’ve mostly done week long trips, but don’t stay full days in the park. You’d be fine with two park days too if that’s what you wanted, Magic Kingdom and Epcot for Frozen. Tack on a third day for Chef Mickey breakfast if desired, so four nights. I would not do less than that.
You can check Undercover Tourist for slight discounts on multi day tickets.
We’ve always stayed on Disney property because they make getting around so easy and stress free, including transport from MCO and luggage services. Disney is a wonderful “play” trip for us!

[CCL]

Sept 13, 2019 8:34:32 GMT -5 billisonboard said:

Very much a personal opinion! You're crazy. A three year old? Have a Disney themed birthday party and hire people to dress as Mickey and Minnie. Save the Disney trip for when the kid can enjoy the whole experience

I took my kids to Disney when they were 3 and <1 and they loved it.

I'd avoid a holiday, though, and wouldn't stay anywhere but a Disney Resort.

[oped]

So I just texted the girls (4 of us have birthdays in the same month) to see if they want to drink around the world for our birthdays this year... I'm not sure i should thank you carl...

[billisonboard]

The official handbook for Disney World character employees states that the employee's goal shall be to focus no less than 46 seconds but no more than 97 seconds on each individual child. If the goal is that "wow" look in the eyes, hiring character actors to attend your child's birthday party with maybe a couple of other kids for an hour would be considerably cheaper and give your 3 year old child a stronger experience.

[CCL]

If you stay at a Disney Resort it's very easy to go to the resort for an afternoon nap, then back to park later.

Took my kids again when they were 2 and 5 (and many times after that). They always had a great time.

Your daughter's travelled before (and you've only got 1 lol). The hardest part for us was driving all the way there and back. Flying was better.

[oped]

Sept 13, 2019 15:04:24 GMT -5 billisonboard said:

The official handbook for Disney World character employees states that the employee's goal shall be to focus no less than 46 seconds but no more than 97 seconds on each individual child. If the goal is that "wow" look in the eyes, hiring character actors to attend your child's birthday party with maybe a couple of other kids for an hour would be considerably cheaper and give your 3 year old child a stronger experience.

Have you ever been to Disney billis? 

[hoops902]

Sept 13, 2019 14:24:16 GMT -5 minnesotapaintlady said:

Sept 13, 2019 14:03:10 GMT -5 TheHaitian said:

Something about your kid eyes widening, taking on new experiences, them enjoying themselves ... ex I never enjoyed an aquarium as much as when I went with my DD and she loves the BIG Fishes and in awe of the SHARKS. We kept trying to identify mommy shark, daddy shark, baby shark etc while singing the songs.

But, with a 3 year old you can easily get all that wonder and excitement without the expense and hassle of Disney, as you've discovered with the aquarium.  If you want her to have the Disney experience, save it for later, and for now enjoy that you can get the same thrill out of more simplistic things like playing with baby goats and kittens.  Up the game to Disney later when she's big enough to go on most of the rides and handle the walking and crowds better.

That's kind of my approach.  She'll have that experience at Disney, she'll also have that experience if I give her a cookie, let her watch her favorite movie, let her jump in a pool, or blow up her bouncy house.  Heck, we stayed in a hotel a few weeks ago visiting her cousins and she had that experience when i turned on the "jets" at the hotel pool (no hot tub, but the shallow end had these jets you could turn on similar to a hot tub without the high heat).  

Although it's also probably partly selfish on my part.  If I'm shelling out Disney money, I'd like to enjoy myself a bit more other than just seeing her enjoying it.  All the stories of "I just want to go to the hotel" ring so true...and I'm sure I'd be annoyed that we went all the way to Disney just to hang out at the hotel, when I can hang out at a hotel anywhere for a weekend for much cheaper.

[aricia]

My kids never once said they wanted to go to the hotel. That said, this is exactly why we didn’t go until the oldest was 6, and the first two trips were definitely for her, the youngest was just tagging along. I would have taken her at 5 but I had a newborn, lol. Obviously, the cheapest option is to NOT go. If this is what they chose to spend their money on though, I think Disney with a three year old can be really fun.
Disclaimer: We justify traveling to Florida a lot because my parents live an hour from Orlando. So these are not only Disney trips but also visiting grandparent trips for us.

[Deleted]

Since this is YM,(and not on the off topic board  )  maybe we should address the financial aspect of this? 

Would the money maybe be better spent on the debt pile?  College savings?  Get out of DC savings?  (not sure if you're still itching to leave your job there).  I'm not saying spending money on trips isn't awesome, but if you can get the same happiness level out of her now doing something much more cost effective doesn't that make more sense?

[justme]

oped The Star Wars land is pretty cool. The way they worked the entrance/exit is awesome - you can't see the land at all from it until walk through a tunnel to get to the other sides. It's a little weird that Star Tours is separate from the land - but I guess it doesn't fit with the themeing of Battu or however you spell it. And I'm not really a Star Wars fan. The ride is pretty cool (I was a pilot both times, I'm told being an engineer sucks), but the new one opening in Dec is supposed to be groundbreaking as far as rides -- I would definitely wait until after that opens if you're a Star Wars fan. Though right now there's nothing but standby as an option - no Fast Pass available. 

Pandora is pretty cool too. I personally think it's a MUST to walk around it during the day and at night. The difference is astonishing. The river ride is gorgeous, but really short. The banshee ride is super fun as long as rides like Soarin' don't mess with you. 

Toy Story land is kinda cool, I'm sure kids love it, but I was a little disappointed. It's showing its wear (which is unheard of for Disney, but why I wasn't always a huge fan of Universal) and seems like, to me, that they went a little lackluster with it. 

Drinking around the world will be fun! You guys can get shirts that have all the countries on it to check off! If you go during one of Epcot's festivals (Sept-beginning of Nov or Jan-May) there will also be kiosks around the world of other countries/places with food/drinks to try. Those festivals are why about half the time we go to Disney it's Epcot! Other drinking options if you want them - a monorail bar crawl, a friendship boat crawl, Disney Springs bar crawl, or just a straight resort bar crawl. Boardwalk also has a piano bar and dance club. 


billisonboard Of course they have guidelines on how long to spend with each kid! Most of the m&g are outside where it's over 80* 95% of the year! They also have time limits based on the heat and what costume they're wearing - which is part of the reason they want to keep the kids moving. At the top level Beast only has 10 minutes to m&g kids. All the characters in the parades have to wear ice vests because they're out for so long. But I've also seen plenty of times they go over that. 

hoops902 But have you seen a Disney pool?   I mean, some of them are pretty cool (that's why some resorts have people checking room cards at the pool and some don't), but I'd be pissed if I spent thousands and my kid just wanted to hang out at a pool. 

[oped]

Sept 13, 2019 15:42:25 GMT -5 minnesotapaintlady said:

Since this is YM,(and not on the off topic board  )  maybe we should address the financial aspect of this? 

Would the money maybe be better spent on the debt pile?  College savings?  Get out of DC savings?  (not sure if you're still itching to leave your job there).  I'm not saying spending money on trips isn't awesome, but if you can get the same happiness level out of her now doing something much more cost effective doesn't that make more sense?

Can someone move this to off topic? 🤪

[billisonboard]

Sept 13, 2019 15:13:06 GMT -5 oped said:

Sept 13, 2019 15:04:24 GMT -5 billisonboard said:

The official handbook for Disney World character employees states that the employee's goal shall be to focus no less than 46 seconds but no more than 97 seconds on each individual child. If the goal is that "wow" look in the eyes, hiring character actors to attend your child's birthday party with maybe a couple of other kids for an hour would be considerably cheaper and give your 3 year old child a stronger experience.

Have you ever been to Disney billis? 

Been to Disneyland once at some point when I was young (no memory of exactly when) and took a couple step kids as an adult. I ran through Disney World a couple of times one weekend doing a Goofy Challenge.

[weltschmerz]

Sept 13, 2019 8:17:19 GMT -5 TheHaitian said:

My daughter is a big fan of Minnie and Mickey, she just loves them. So for her third birthday in a January we are thinking about taking her to Disney World.

Would like ideas on how to keep expenses in check. It seems with passes and other things you can easily double your costs and are they necessary?

At first we were thinking 1 week but decided maybe 3 days / 2 nights will be enough for her. She only cares about Minnie and Mickey, just getting into the Frozen characters... so as long as she gets to see them she will be happy.

So her birthday is on 01/15 so thinking the weekend before or the weekend after (MLK day) or during the week and actually celebrates her birthday there.

Trying to book everything this month and be done with it. All ideas are welcomed.

We took DS to Disney when he was 3. He remembers none if it. At 3, they do whine and cry because they're tired and hungry, making your experience less enjoyable. (if you're into Disney)
If she's only into Minnie and Mickey, throw a themed party and have people dressed as those characters. She'll love it just as much, if not more, and it will cost you a LOT less money. Imagine the thrill of Minnie and Mickey coming to her house!!

[giramomma]

I would take your DD right before she turns 3. Then you don't have to pay for entry tickets for her.

Also, at almost 3, she won't know that you all aren't going to be dropping 10K on the Disney trip of a lifetime.

Seriously. Just google.

www.mousehacking.com/blog/53-ways-to-save-on-your-next-trip-to-disney-world-from-start-to-finish

Also, Target sells Disney Gift Cards. I've heard (but would need to check it out), that you can use you target card to buy Disney gift cards. That's 5% off right there.

I'm guess Carl could get the whole thing done for under 2.5K.  According to my Phil Script, a lump sum investment of $2,500.00 bearing an annual return of 9% could grow to $9,106.21 in 15 years! That doesn't seem like such a big amount of money for college that it would mean the difference between Carlie going or not going, or even the difference between her dream school and one that will be perfectly fine.

[Deleted]

Nope. A single $2500 trip won't make or break them. It's the cumulative $2500 things. Last Carl posted on his debt it was massive. Just trying to steer him towards other options.

[oped]

Whilst after all these years I am instead embracing the inevitable conclusion

And my girls vetoed ... beach inclusive is apparently preferable... sigh.

[aricia]

Four nights at all star music with two two day tickets (kid free) Jan 13-17 is $938.36. Chef Mickey breakfast for two, under three free and can still eat whatever, ~$115. We usually eat breakfast in the room, easy things we pack in our suitcase, and buy milk on site. We pack snacks too. We fly southwest so free checked bags that Disney drags around for us. Maybe another $250 for food at quick service restaurants. $1300 plus airfare and souvenirs. I don’t see where the OP posted budget and account balances to decide if they can afford it. We let the kids pick one souvenir and one smashed penny. These are cheap and they love getting them every trip! I don’t think it’s outrageous. Leaves pool time if warm enough. Or time for Disney Springs, especially if there’s extra time on arrival or departure days. My five year old played at the Lego store for close to two hours! All we bought was an inexpensive pack of custom made mini figures.

[tractor]

Haven’t read all the responses, but MLK weekend is the start of peak season so the crowds are crazy. I also wouldn’t take any kids under 5, it’s just a waste of time and money. This is from someone who has been there 30+ times.

We did take my son when he was 2, but my mom came along to push him around and my wife and I created our own fun (Including child #2) at the parks....but that’s another story 😜

[wvugurl26]

Sept 13, 2019 14:57:00 GMT -5 oped said:

So I just texted the girls (4 of us have birthdays in the same month) to see if they want to drink around the world for our birthdays this year... I'm not sure i should thank you carl...

I'm drinking around the world next month. And we have a tequila tasting lunch scheduled. I think we are doing Animal Kingdom after hours. I've never seen Pandora at night.

[justme]

Sept 13, 2019 17:47:44 GMT -5 wvugurl26 said:

Sept 13, 2019 14:57:00 GMT -5 oped said:

So I just texted the girls (4 of us have birthdays in the same month) to see if they want to drink around the world for our birthdays this year... I'm not sure i should thank you carl...

I'm drinking around the world next month. And we have a tequila tasting lunch scheduled. I think we are doing Animal Kingdom after hours. I've never seen Pandora at night.

Teqilia tasting lunch? Is that just in the teqilia cave or somewhere else?

I miss the free shot they used to give you on your birthday. 😥

[wvugurl26]

Sept 13, 2019 18:38:11 GMT -5 justme said:

Sept 13, 2019 17:47:44 GMT -5 wvugurl26 said:

I'm drinking around the world next month. And we have a tequila tasting lunch scheduled. I think we are doing Animal Kingdom after hours. I've never seen Pandora at night.

Teqilia tasting lunch? Is that just in the teqilia cave or somewhere else?

I miss the free shot they used to give you on your birthday. 😥

La Hacienda de San Angel at the Mexico pavilion. It's something they are doing as part of food and wine.

[justme]

Sept 13, 2019 20:14:49 GMT -5 wvugurl26 said:

Sept 13, 2019 18:38:11 GMT -5 justme said:

Teqilia tasting lunch? Is that just in the teqilia cave or somewhere else?

I miss the free shot they used to give you on your birthday. 😥

La Hacienda de San Angel at the Mexico pavilion. It's something they are doing as part of food and wine.

Oh cool! I am both intrigued and afraid lol

[taz157]

Sept 13, 2019 12:29:32 GMT -5 NastyWoman said:

Paging taz157 our ultimate Disney connaisseur IMO

I think you mean justme or swamp.

Since we moved out of state 3 years ago, we haven’t been back to Disney World. I took my DD there for her first trip when she was 3.75. We had a great time! By the time she was 5, she had been there 7 times. To this day, she still remembers some of the trip. She wants to go back but it will be while.