What "Not to Miss" things for each of my children? About This Page:

[m_mmyers]

Since neither my husband nor I have ever been to WDW I was wondering if you all would share your "Not to Miss" list with us.

My oldest is a boy, who is 14.

Next is a girl, who is 7.

Then my youngest is a girl, who is 5.


I am looking for all sorts of ideas from in the parks to Downtown Disney. Two of my children have peanut/nut allergies so I have noticed that there are some things that they can't do because of that so I am looking for other ideas.

If you don't mind sharing, I would love to hear!

Thanks in advance!

[Tigger1221]

Lets see....
Our DD is 13 and some of the things that are on the top of our not to be missed list include:

Expedition Everest
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Rock N Roller coaster
Festival of the Lion King (we've never done this one)
Haunted Mansion (which is being refurbished fro the 1st part of our trip)
Pirates of the Carribbean
Splash mountain
Space ship Earth (this is one of our fav's must do foe every trip)
Kilamanjaro safaris
We also enjoyed Rafiki's planet watch and Flights of wonder

My favorite Epcot ride is Mission space, which may be too intense for your little ones.

Sorry I can't really help with the little ones as my DD was 10 the first time we went.
Good luck planning!

[lukeandbrookesmom]

Here's our list (with the help of DD4 and DS5!)

Everything in Fantasyland
LEGO store and Once Upon a Toy store at DTD (Mr. Potato Head, light sabers and My Little Pony areas especially!)
MGM - Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground, meeting the Toy Story Characters at Al's Toy Barn and meeting the Power Rangers
AK - Camp Minnie-Mickey
MK - Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin
Character breakfasts (our favorites are CRT, Breakfastasaurus, Chef Mickey, Ohana's, Cape May, Crystal Palace)
All of Toontown area at MK
MGM - Beauty and the Beast, Voyage of the Little Mermaid

Also, considering the age range of your children, remember about the rider swap. You may want to have each child give you a list of what they want to see/do, combine it with your list and DH's list and make sure everyone knows that you all have special things to see/do. Take turns seeing something from each list.

Have a great first trip!!!!

[lukeandbrookesmom]

One more thing - the most important in my book-

Go slow, and enjoy all WDW has to offer through your children's eyes. I can guarantee all the magic you'll ever imagine if you do.

[katydid]

I'm a big fan of letting every child decide what they want to do. Let each of them decide which one ride they don't want to miss, which dining experience most appeals to them, and which character they most want to meet. The Disneyworld website makes it easy for even the youngest child to get a feel for what intrigues them.

I've always been surprised by at least one of my children's choices. Even if they end up being dissapointed in one of their choices, they get the chance to try out something that is their own wish. Perhaps your children will enjoy the planning stage as much as you do.

[TinkMulanMickeysMom]

This "not to miss" is for you and your husband. Have whoever is holding the video camera capture the look on your children's faces when they first see the castle after entering Magic Kingdom (you'll go under the railway, come out to a small hub, and once you get past the buildings, the "look" will be there) My littlest one was shaking with excitement when she first saw the castle, and my two older children's mouth dropped! We LOVE that part of the video!

[Maxiscool]

Your son would probably love Disney Quest.

[m_mmyers]

Thank you all for the replies.

I was wondering about the Disney Quest for my oldest. He is really not into going. He has been begging to stay home, because it is "little kids" stuff. So I am really trying to make sure I find some great teenager things to do. I already bought him and dh tickets to see the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and Texas Rangers at Wide World of Sports. I put mini golfing on his list. He is just being a typical teen , I suppose! LOL!

Anyway, thanks for the tips!

[Floyd Taylor]

I would certainly second the thought on Disney Quest. I'm also betting it wouldn't be only your son.

Many of the other suggestions are also good. I would also add Soarin' at Epcot.

When are you going? If at the right time of the year, would the water parks be of interest?

And I would also talk to the kids about what they would like. Do they want to meet a lot of characters? If so, which ones, which may affect dining choices. Also with their allergies, please talk to staff at each restaurant about accommodations. We just got back, and almost universally we were asked by each waiter/waitreess if there were any food allergies that they could help with.

Involve your kids with the planning will make them even more excited. And lastly, don't think you can do everything in one trip, unless that trip is 3-4 weeks long. And then enjoy!

[lukeandbrookesmom]

For your oldest son how about some 'man time' with dad? Maybe the two of them could plan a day or half day together doing some of the thrill rides, Disney Quest, Future World, Test Track, Soarin', POTC, TOT, RnRC, etc. They could also just hang out together at the pool/resort. With two little girls in the family I'm sure he's thinking WDW is all princesses and girly stuff (which it obviously is a lot more!). Make him feel like one of the adults of the group and maybe he'll be more into the planning, too.

[jimmymac]

MK
BTMRR
Splash Mountain
POTC
Space Mountain
Philharmagic
Haunted Mansion

Epcot
Mission: Space
Test Track
Soarin'

MGM
RnRC
ToT
Muppets 3D
Star Tours

AK
Kilimanjaro Safaris
Pangani
Flights of Wonder
EE
Maharajah Jungle Trek
It's Tough to be a Bug
Dinosaur