Pre-Trip Advice

One of the best things you can do to prepare your children for Disney is to expose them to it. Here are a few of the ways I prepared my kids for their first trip:

1)Watch the Disney Vacation Guide Planning DVD. Contact me if you would like a copy of the DVD and some free brochures!

2)We have a smart blu-ray player that can access You-Tube attached to our TV.  I allowed my kids to watch (just a select few) full videos of rides via Undercover Tourist - you can check out their You-Tube channel @http://www.youtube.com/user/UndercoverTourist.  You could also use a smart phone, tablet, or laptop and watch full rides or shows to give your kids an idea of what to expect.

3)Watch a Disney movie each week before your big trip.  Being familiar with the characters they will encounter and see in the rides puts kids (especially young ones) at ease with the idea of meeting them in a larger-than-life version when they are overwhelmed by so many other things within the walls of the Disney theme parks.  I tried to pick the characters that I thought they would be most excited to see in person (Mickey, Little Mermaid, Cinderella, Toy Story, etc).

4)Be sure to make your dining reservations 180 days in advance.  If you book through me, I can help your decide which restaurants will be the best fit or your family.  Dining reservations are easy to change if you must, but if you arrive at the parks without reservations you will very likely be disappointed to be turned away from some fun dining experiences.  I am happy to discuss menu options and help with any special dietary needs your family has.

5)Check the park hours in advance.  Disneyworld.com generally publishes their park hours 6 months in advance and though they occasionally change, they usually do not. 

6) Know what your child is tall enough to ride. This website has a height chart for each ride in every park.  Sometimes a list like this can help you choose between which parks you will spend the majority of your time at and also help your child avoid disappointment over not being tall enough to ride something they were excited to ride. http://adisneyworld.disney.go.com/media/wdw_nextgen/CoreCatalog/WaltDisneyWorld/en_us/PDF/RidesAttractionHeightChartWaltDisneyWorld_0911.pdf