by JollyFrogger Diva
The days are dwindling down until our next trip to Walt Disney World. While my oldest has been a few times before, she doesn’t remember a whole lot about her past visits. My youngest has never been to Walt Disney World before but has seen plenty of commercials on TV that have her very excited. While we’re waiting for vacation to arrive, I decided to take some time to help prepare my kids. Here are a few of my tips to get your kid(s) ready for their trip to Walt Disney World.
Keep Height Restrictions in Mind
Thanks to a commercial she saw on Disney Jr, my youngest is very excited to ride Slinky Dog Dash when we visit Walt Disney World. The problem is, she is right at the minimum height limit for this ride (38 inches) and depending on how tall she stands and who is measuring her, she may or may not be able to ride it. We have been checking her height every time we visit our local amusement park, hoping she’ll grow just a little more so she’ll have no problems meeting the height requirement. We have, however, tried to prepare her for the possibility that she won’t be able to ride Slinky Dog Dash this trip. You don’t want to get your kid(s) excited about a ride they won’t be tall enough to ride, so do a little research before you start talking about rides you think they would enjoy.
Know Their Physical Limits
We are lucky to live near and frequently visit Dollywood. In having my kids visit an amusement park often, I have learned that while my 6-year-old prefers to walk most of the time, I’m not sure she’s ready to walk the longer distance over multiple days that visiting Walt Disney World requires. My 2-year-old still definitely needs to ride more than she does walk not only is she prone to running off into crowds but she still needs a comfortable place to nap most days. Therefore, when we started looking into stroller options for our upcoming trip, we knew it would be wise to look into a double stroller so both kids can take a break when needed without having to fight over whose turn it is or someone having to carry a kid with tired feet around while their sibling has their turn in the stroller. Since we don’t own a double stroller, we will be renting one from Kingdom Strollers. If you want to know why we chose Kingdom Strollers, you can read Disney Magic Diva’s and Beauty and the Beast Diva’s reviews. It is important to note that as of October 1, if you use a non-Disney affiliated stroller company, you will have to meet a representative from that company to receive and return your stroller. We could have chosen to rent a stroller in the park each day but I wanted to have the stroller for times when we might not be in the park (visiting Disney Springs or walking back from the bus to our room at the end of a busy night). Even if you don’t have a nearby amusement park, a trip to the local shopping mall is probably enough to show you your kid’s physical limits and help you decide whether a stroller would be needed when heading to Disney. Depending on your child, you may also need to plan a time to take a break from the parks for a mid-afternoon break or nap. Thankfully, my children tend to nap wherever they are when the urge strikes, so hopefully a double stroller will allow them a much-needed rest without us having to actually leave the parks.
Watch Ride Videos
My oldest is fairly cautious when it comes to trying new things. Although she has visited Walt Disney World previously, her memory of those trips is limited. She has also grown quite a bit since the last time we were at Disney and is now able to ride things she couldn’t before. Knowing this about her, I decided to find some ride through videos for some of the attractions I think she’d enjoy, so she can get a feel for what the ride is like and hopefully ease her anxiety a little. We have watched videos for rides such as Splash Mountain, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, and Frozen Ever After that are a little more intense than the theme park rides she’s used to. So far she seems to be excited to try most of the rides we’ve discussed, but we really won’t know how effective this technique has been for her until it’s actually time to get on the ride.
Prepare for Character Meetings
On our last trip, we discovered that my oldest absolutely loves meeting characters. My youngest, however, is still pretty hesitant whenever she encounters anyone in a costume. To prepare her for meeting characters at Disney World, we’ve been showing her pictures of her sister with various characters from previous trips. I also arranged a meal at Chef Mickey’s to kick off our trip so she can get her first introduction to the mask characters in a less intimidating setting than your typical up-close meet and greet. So far, she seems excited to meet most characters although she routinely states that she only wants to give them a high-5 and not a hug. We’ll see how things go, but character meet-and-greets may consist mostly face characters this trip so that both girls are comfortable and enjoy themselves.
So there you have it my tips for preparing your kid(s) for their trip to Walt Disney World. Do you need help planning an upcoming trip or just want a free quote? Contact Patricia at All for Dreams Travel.
