Your A #1 Top Disney World Tip

We're going with our 3.5-year-old in January and reading this thread terrifies me. Sounds like the plan for D-Day required less reconnaissance and planning to execute.

 

Not to rain on your parade, but kids that age can be overwhelmed by certain rides -- even the sounds or lights or images shown in line or before the ride. Nothing like waiting in line for Star Tours or something and then having your 3.5 year-old say he doesn't want to get on.

So really take cues from them rather than what you think should be age-appropriate.

It's a great place for kids but can be overwhelming. A lot of times just riding the monorails or boat and seeing the characters is plenty for a super day for kid that age.

(I used to live in Orlando so a "Disney" trip before our kids were 4 would literally be going on the monorails and boats and the Lego store and riding the train at Downtown Disney instead of going into a park. That cost $1 for the train total.)

 

As someone who has been a dozen or so times in the last three years and someone who plans trips for friends and family, I can tell you that it's not as scary as it sounds. If you're going between Jan. 10-15, you should have excellent crowds. It'll get busy again on MLK weekend, then taper off until Mardi Gras/President's Day.

As I said earlier, my No. 1 tip is get to the parks for rope drop. If the park opening time says 9 a.m., plan to get to the front gates by 8:30 a.m. You will get so much accomplished in the first hour of park opening than you will during the mid-day hours of 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Also, don't be afraid to take a break during the middle of the day and head back to the room (especially if you're staying at a Disney hotel) and take a quick nap before heading back around 4 p.m.

 

We're heading right into the thick of MLK weekend, unfortunately, arriving on the 15th. My brother-in-law is a financial analyst for Disney, so he gets major discounts on everything from hotels, to parks to merchandise, and that was his best availability to meet up with us. In fact, that's part of the reason we're going with the kids so young. We're saving a ton of money and we figure we'll definitely go again when our youngest is older and can enjoy it. Thanks to the BIL, this won't be a once-in-a-lifetime kind of trip like it was for my family when I was kid.

But, yeah, we're staying on Disney property, so we will definitely be heading back to the room for naps.

 

Do everything in your power to be there, somewhere facing the castle, for the fireworks.

I know it's changed since I was last there, But it was the most spectacular thing I've ever seen. Every hair on my body stood on end.

 

Keep in mind that if you get a fast pass at, say, 10 am, it might assign you a time range of, maybe, 2:30-3:30. So you'll probably want to go somewhere else. Be wary that you might find yourself a long way from the original ride and have to go all the way back. It doubles the walk.

 

When we went last March, the rush at Epcot for Soarin' for those people who didn't have Fast Pass was insane. Like the Gold Rush.