Planning a vacation to Walt Disney World can be a daunting experience.  Ticket prices do not help - you feel that to get the most for your money you have to see & do everything.  You feel rushed and flustered rather than relaxed. Add children of pre-school age and things get really interesting! Certain attractions are not appropriate for small kids - either by age or height - and other attractions are just plain boring to little kids.

 Here are some suggestions to help with your vacation planning, remember that all parks have parades and all but Animal Kingdom have fireworks at night.  Characters appear in all the parks, though some are found only "home" parks and will only be found there - make sure to check with Guest Services at your resort for times and locations so your little one will not be disappointed!

If you are asking yourself what kind of experience I have in this area, let me just say I worked at WDW for 5 years and my husband worked there for 13 years. My 4 year old is a Disney pro! 

Best Time to Visit

If you are traveling with only preschool age kids the best time to go to Disney World is when schools are in session.  Try to avoid holidays or long weekends as the parks tend to be crowded and lines to the rides are hours long.  During big holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas and 4th of July the parks can get so crowded that they will deny admission to anyone not staying in a WDW resort - and they are only guaranteed admittance once (no re-entry) to 1 park.

Best month to visit is October.  The weather is cooler, there are no crowds and you will be able to enjoy more rides in less time.  Traveling off-season also has perks in resort pricing, you can save as much as $100 a night by going off season! 

Parks  

The following are the rides preschoolers will enjoy while you will not have to worry about restrictions.  You may want to set aside 2 days for the Magic Kingdom, 1 for Animal Kingdom (it closes earlier than the other parks but has a lot of ground to cover), a half day for EPCOT and half a day for MGM.  Of course if you have more time you could spend a whole day at each - but little ones are not very interested in EPCOT.  MGM is pretty small and has mostly shows. 

Magic Kingdom

• Rides - Dumbo the Flying Elephant, It's a Small World, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Peter Pan's Flight, WDW Railroad, Cinderella's Golden Carousel and The Barnstormer. The Magic Carpets of Aladdin is the same idea as Dumbo, so you could skip one. 
• Shows- Country Bear Jamboree, Mickey's Philharmagic and The Enchanted Tiki Room.
• Can't Miss - Take great photo at the Carousel. The Tiki Room, It's a Small World

EPCOT 

• Rides - Journey Into Imagination with Figment, The Seas w/Nemo and Friends, Turtle Talk w/Crush. 
• Shows - Illuminations, Jammitors
• Can't Miss - Illuminations - best fireworks on property. 

MGM

• Rides - Honey I Shrunk the Kids (playground)
• Shows - Muppet Vision 3D, Fantasmic, Beauty & The Beast, Voyage of the Little Mermaid, Playhouse Disney
• Can't Miss - Fantasmic, Muppet Vision 3D - fun for everyone

Animal Kingdom

• Rides - Kilimanjaro Safari (fun for all ages), Affection Section (petting area), The Boneyard (playground), TriceraTop Spin (just like Dumbo at MK), Maharajah Jungle Trek  
• Shows - Finding Nemo, Festival of the Lion King
• Can't Miss - Kilimanjaro Safari, Jungle Trek - check out the tigers!

Water Parks

Both water parks are open seasonally, they may close depending on rain and temperature. Make sure to check schedules with Guest Services.

• Typhoon Lagoon - Ketchakiddee Creek, Castaway Creek, Sandy White Beach.

• Blizzard Beach - Tike's Peak

• Best Bet - Typhoon Lagoon's Ketchakiddee Creek is for little kids only!

Resorts

All hotels at WDW have amenities for little ones.  From kiddie pools to playgrounds to character sightings.  Hotels have different schedules for the pools and playgrounds - but some are actually open 24 hours!  Animal Kingdom Resort, Boardwalk Inn & Villas, Contemporary, Polynesian, Yacht & Beach Club Resorts, Wilderness Lodge & the Villas all have 24 hour playgrounds.  Check with your resort's guest services desk for other schedules.

Some resorts are in better locations than others - by better I mean closer to the parks.  If you stay close to the parks you can go to your room, take a nap, have a quieter lunch and go back refreshed!  The resorts not listed below take you to the parks by bus.

•  The Yacht & Beach Club Resorts (2 separate resorts joined by a HUGE sand floor pool and other amenities) and The Boardwalk Inn & Villas are located between MGM and EPCOT.  Both resorts are beautiful - they are actually my favorite Disney resorts - and you can walk to EPCOT. For MGM just take the Friendship Launch.  The Friendship Launch are very comfortable boats that go around the lake between the resorts and the parks.

• Polynesian Resort, Grand Floridian Resort and Contemporary Resort are all on the Monorail line. The monorail will take you to EPCOT and Magic Kingdom

• WDW Swan and WDW Dolphin Hotels - While these two hotels are ON Disney property and carry the WDW name they are NOT run by Disney.  Starwood Hotels & Resorts actually manage these two hotels.   Both hotels are in the same EPCOT area as The Boardwalk and Yacht & Beach Club. You can walk to EPCOT and take the Friendship Launch to MGM. 

Restaurants

Disney has many great restaurants. One of the best seafood restaurants in Florida is The Flying Fish over at the Boardwalk Resort, but little kids have their own idea of what good food is.

 Whether at the parks or at a WDW resort, character dinning is a MUST. While it can be hectic and the food not very inspired, you have to do it at least once.  I recommend doing breakfast, it seems to be a more relaxed atmosphere.  Lunch is crazy at the parks and very crowded. 

• The Magic Kingdom - Cinderella's Royal Table and The Liberty Tree Tavern.  
• Epcot - Akershus Royal Banquet Hall in Norway features the Disney Princesses.
• MGM - Playhouse Disney's Play'n Dine has Playhouse Disney (TV) characters.
• Animal Kingdom - Restaurantosaurus   
• The Grand Floridian Resort - 1900 Park Fare has Mary Poppins & Alice in Wonderland. 
• The Beach Club - Cape May has Minnie, Pluto, Donald, Chip 'n Dale. 
• The Contemporary - Chef Mickey's. The ONLY character dinning that has Mickey Mouse!
• The Polynesian - O'hana's Best Friends Breakfast w/Lilo & Stitch.

Of course Disney has many other themed restaurants that do not have character dinning. A couple of good ones are at MGM - the Sci-Fi Dine-In and the 50's Prime Time Cafe. EPCOT has food from all over the world - Mexico and Morocco are the best and most fun.

Call 407-WDW-DINE for more info on locations, character appearances and for priority seating.

A Hidden Treat

Many of the attractions, events and amenities listed above you may have heard of.  But this little known attraction is a true gem. The Tri-Circle-D Ranch & Farm at Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort has horse-drawn excursions, horseback riding and pony rides.  The pony rides are for kids 2 years and older and are perfect after visiting Cinderella's horses and the horses seen going down Main Street.

Special Events

All are at The Magic Kingdom. These events are after regular park hours and separate ticket purchase is required. Make sure to double check dates and times by calling WDW Guest Services directly.

• Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party - Get dressed up and go trick or treating down Main Street.  Extra long Halloween parade. 7pm to 12am. September 15, 22, 29, October 2, 5, 6, 10, 12, 16, 17, 19, 20, 23, 24, 26, 27, 30, & 31

• Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party - Parade, snow on Main Street, characters throughout the park, live Disney show. 7pm to 12 am. November 13, 2006, Nov 17-28, 30 Dec 1, 4,5,7,8,11,12,14,15,18,19, 21 and 22

• Disney's Pirate & Princess Party - Starting 2007! Join the treasure hunt for beads and chocolate. Themed activities and characters. 7:30pm-12:30am  Jan. 22, 26 & 29, Feb. 1, 5, 8, 12, 15, 23 & 26, Mar. 2, 5 & 8

Other Available Services

A vacation with kids does not mean parents have to miss out on the rides, attractions and restaurants not geared towards kids.  WDW has a few options to help you enjoy the grounds just as much as the kids do! 

• Babysitting services - ask at the front desk of your hotel for babysitting services available. These services are not by WDW employees, but the companies have been screened and have been doing business with Disney for a long time.  If you are staying off-property these services are available, just ask at your hotel's front desk or check the phonebook.
• WDW offers parents the chance to go on rides they might miss when traveling with kids.  This is why they have a program that let's one parent enjoy a ride and then hand off the child to the other parent.  No need to wait in line again!
• Fastpass - great way to cut time waiting in line.  Just go to the attraction you like and take a ticket from the Fastpass machine.  Come back at the time displayed on the ticket and go through the Fastpass entrance.
• WDW resort guests get arly admission to the theme parks.  There is a schedule for early admission, different days for different parks.
• Carnation baby centers are available throughout WDW.  Not free, but a quiet place to relax or feed your little ones.  They have rockers and kitchen equipment
• If you are staying at a WDW resort any purchase you make at the parks can be sent to your room, you can pick them up at the park entrance at the end of the day or mail them home using Fed Ex or UPS. 
• Pal Mickey - An interactive Mickey Mouse plush will tell you parade and show times. Wait times on rides, trivia, jokes and where you can find your favorite character. 

Hope this guide will help on your vacation planning. You can call Disney (407) WDW-MAGIC for updated schedules and tips. Once you book your resort just give their individual guest service desk a call.  They can make any arrangement you need in advance. Just remember to have fun,  it won't matter if you miss something - what your little one will remember best is spending time with you!

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