[A Princess Mom]

We're going to WDW the end of December/beg. of January with our 9 (boy) & 3(girl) yr olds. We just went in March for 4 days. I'm trying to find some new things/special things to do or have done for my kids. So far, these are the things I'm doing: several charc. meals, charc. wake-up calls, Story time with Belle, and depending on if we get it right - charc. bedtime stories on the TV. Except for the charc. meals, we haven't ever done the other things I mentioned. Of course, we're seeing all the parades and fireworks. If any of you have any special/secret tips to give me I would appreciate it so much. Also, I'm thinking of having a gift basket waiting in our room for us. We're staying at CBR. Thanks in advance.

[MickeyMac]

The campfire songs and outdoor movie over at Fort Wilderness would be wwwuuuuunnnerful with those age groups. Chip and Dale romp with the kids, and you can purchase marshmallows to roast over the fire. Singing songs with the kids is *always* tops on the list with me.

Also, when you take the monorail, ask to sit up front in the cockpit - the kids will have a blast, and might even be elevated to Monorail Pilot (and receive a special card, too!)

Another thing my kids could not get away from were the squirting elephants over the bridge at the end of Kali River Rapids - they are really giant squirt guns that you can squirt guests with as they pass under the bridge. A total blast.

The cookie making program in the Nestle portion of The Land pavilion at Epcot is supposed to be a lot of fun, too. Also check out the Ice Cream Social at the Garden Grill, too. It's an inexpensive character 'meal.'

I'm glad you brought up the bedtime stories... I love those and we never seem to catch them right. I wish they ran later at night.

[mickey]

MickeyMac, good suggestions.

The one thing we did with our kids that they seemed to remember the most was when we rented a boat at the Comtemporary. We had it for about an hour, and drove around both Bay Lake and Seven Seas Lagoon. It was fun for them to see the Magic Kingdom from the water, as well as see all of the ferrys up close.

Also, we rented one of the surry bikes on the Boardwalk, and that was fun. A half an hour was more than enough time to go around three times.

So many things to do, so little time...

[mmouse67l]

Don't be shy about talking to Cast Members. You never know what kind of cool things may happen. Some of us big kids rode the Dinosaur ride while the grandmas were kind enough to watch my son and his cousin. (both 4 yrs old.) They caught the attention of a Cast Member who taught the kids a lot of neat stuff about dinosaurs and let them play with a puzzle where you matched dinosuar bones with what species they belonged too and gave them sticker books. It was really neat and it made the kids feel special so that's my advice.

[MickeyMac]

Mickey - were those mouseboats or can you rent something larger? I'm a horrible ship captain... :p

[mickey]

Originally posted by MickeyMac
Mickey - were those mouseboats or can you rent something larger? I'm a horrible ship captain... :p

Larger, it was more of a ski boat. We all fit, 8 of us, without any problem. I believe they also had pontoon boats that are a bit larger. I think it was about $22 plus tax for a half an hour. The pontoon boats are $65 for an hour. Not much more than the mouseboats.

[MickeyMac]

Oh glory! That's not bad! :D Thank you!

[mj7379]

When I went in August, my 7 year old did the pirate cruise. She loved it!!! For $25 per child they pick up your kid at the GF and they take a boat ride to the WL. They feed them a light lunch and they are given a treasure map to find the lost treasure. They children pair up and look around the island for the treasure which none of them find but it appears on the boat when they return. Each child is given a bag full of treasure and a pirate hat. They all came back singing the pirate of the carribean song and she didn't want to leave. They people who ran the pirate cruise were great and all the kids seemed to have a wonderful time. So, if you are thinking about doing something like that I would highly recommend it. Just an idea I wanted to share with you. Enjoy your upcoming trip:)