hello all,
I am planning on surprising my 7 y.o. daughter at the end of april to WDW. Wife can't go and it was a last minute plan to go with a buddy and his son. So i have been reading and learning alot (thanks to the people here) about the Priority Seating for character meals and where it is worth eating at and sites taking in.
My question for the veterans is, what tips could you give me on things that my 7 y.o. would love to do that a dad wouldn't necessarily think of in his first trip to WDW since 1985. We will be there for 3 full days so i figure 1-2 days WDW and epcot and 1 day MGM. I really want her to have a blast, and so do I (i admit i am getting anxious about it). Also i would love to take in Cirque du Soliel would a 7 y.o. be amazed by that or should i wait til next year with the wife when i can get a babysitter?
Thank you very much for your advice, it is really appreciated!!!!

[Willbegone]

Okay I just got back and it was my 2 1/2 DD's first trip HOWEVER I did see LOTS of kids your DD's age. Is she particulary fond of any certain characters? We loved both Crystal Palace and 1900 Park Fare. Food was great and characters were great. Why not try getting a PS at the Castle, since she is the only girl this could be something special for her. It will be tough but worth a try. I've also heard alot about Chef Mickey's which we couldn't get a PS for but definetly will next time!! Your a great day, have a great time!:)

[mattomouseman]

Yes a character breakfast at Chef Mcikey's would be a wonderful thing. If not there try the breakfast at Ohana's in the Poly. Also make a special effort to try and get good seats for at elast one of the parades. The one at the MK is great! My kids loved it and there are a ton of characters. The parade at MGM is supposed to be great to, we have yet to see that one but plan to on our next trip.
A big MUST DO is autograph books. This can be a real special thing for a child, meeting the charactersa and getting the autographs!
As far as rides I would say TMR, HM, PoC and SM to name a few.
I hope these are helpful ideas! Have a great time!
OH I almost forgot don't forget Buzz Lightyears ride in tomorrowland, the kids love that one!

[mickey]

Welcome to DisneyCentral! Yes, your daughter will love Cirque, it really is a visual treat.

As far as meals, I would pick one or two character meals. Chef Mickey's, Cyrstal Palace, Princess Breakfast in EPCOT are all good choices for 7 year olds. If you do more than that in 3 days, you won't enjoy them as much.

Two hints to let her enjoy it more. Let her choose where she wants to go and when, just let her know what PSs you have set up, and when, and plan around those. Second, buy her one of those izone cameras and an autograph book. When she gets an autograph with a character, take her picture and stick in next to the autograph. While it is fun to look at autographs when you get home, just think how fun it would be to see a picture of yourself with the character next to the autograph.

Thank you for the super fast replys! I never thought of Chef Mick's, Willbegone, is it tough to get a PS when down there or should i call now? I will definitly get the autograph book and picture collection for her to remember (and show to the granny's). The castle will be a must also, i would say anything princessy will be done. I guess i will be in touch with my feminine side most of the trip! LOL.

[mickey]

For Priority Seatings, do them all now, especially for character meals. You can call 407-WDW-DINE to make those. Call as soon as possible, many of them are full weeks in advance, and the Cinderella breakfast is most likely already full, since it fills up 60 days out within a couple of minutes. The princess breakfast in EPCOT isn't a bad option.

[CaribBeachNut]

Some suggestions
Have you thought about booking a dinner at Cinderella's Castle?
Eating in the Castle is a biggie. If she likes sports, don't forget the Wide World of Sports. Animals are always popular, so Rain Forest Cafe in the AK is another choice. It is fairly easy to see characters (A. A. Milne) at a dinner in the Crystal Palace, and the food there is geared for families.

[Willbegone]

Since Cinderella is a MUSt and the castle is full try 1900 Park Fare at DINNER, Cinderella, Prince Charming, Perla, and Suzie all came around to the tables and the Fairy Godmother was in the hall. THE WAS GREAT!!

[buzzsmommy]

If you have time (and at 3 days it looks like you might not) I highly recommend the Cirque show. Your 7yr-old (son or daughter) will love it!!! However, this is a very expensive show and with only 3 days to see all the parks you may not have the time or the STAMINA to see it! If you wait until your wife goes (she will love it too) don't get a babysitter! Take daughter with you!!!!

[LESLIE]

I don't have any children... but i have been to WDW enough to observe what children seem to like. Character meals are great, the characters really pay attention to kids (good place to get autographs). Another suggestion, would be to see the parades. One of my personal favorites is the Stars and Motor Cars Parade at MGM. Do scary things bother your DD???? Tower of Terror and Rockin' Roller Coaster are the best!!!!! Good luck and Have fun.

[ohiominnie]

I echo all the comments on character meals - they are great. Why not go to the bookstore and get a copy of Birnbaums WDW for Kids so that she can help you plan?

Try to take in the spectromagic parade and fireworks at MK as well as Illuminations at Epcot.

thank you all for those idea's and your input for what your kids liked best. i knew i could get some great responses from you guys, your all great... i will make my PS's now, i recieved my disney vacation DVD last night so i will watch it with her to get a feel for what she will like to do as well.
Thanks!!!!:) :)

Sneakydad

[khawk]

I have 2 DD's ages 9 and 11. We went to WDW 3 yrs ago when they were 6 and 8. If your DD likes the princesses I would recommend one of the princess character breakfasts. There is the one at Cindi's castle, which is hard to get into. There is another called Storybook princess at epcot, which is easier to get into and from what I hear better then cindi's castle. I have a ressie for the storybook princess for my trip in May. My DD's also want to eat at cindi's castle just to say they were there. You can buy autograph books at the gift shops and pens also. I would buy one of them and find all the characters you can and get pictures of your DD with them and she can also get their autographs. When I went to disney 3 yrs ago, I didnt tell my kids they were going until we got on the plane. They thought we were driving to the airport to drop off their dad because "he had a business trip in florida". they were very excited when they found out where we were really going. This time I am surprising them with a limo ride to the hotel from the airport and back. They have never been in a limo. Is there anything in particular that your daughter likes? animals? My youngest likes insects and flowers. I think I read somewhere that there is a butterfly release program at the flower and garden festival this year. My oldest likes dolphins and I am going to the living seas at epcot but she is too young this year to swim with the dolphins. So I told her we could do that when she is older on another trip. My youngest didnt like the "its a bugs life" 3d show. It scared her and the fireworks show hurt her ears. she said it was too loud, so this year we are bringing some earplugs for her. I saw on another website and Im not sure which one, a list of where all the characters can be found. It might have been www.wdwig.com If Im wrong, does anyone else know what web site it was at?
Kim

[WDWNutCase]

The seven year old we travelled with loved most rides except ToT. She adored the Rockin' Roller Coaster. She didn't care for the 3-D movies though - Especially HISTA. The snake and lion were too scary.

Make sure to start finding a good place for the parade about 45 mins ahead of time for a front row seat.

Oooo. Also make a point to see the Castle Courtyard show, Cinderella's surprise celabration. It's FULL of characters and afterwards some come down to sign autographs. Check your show time guide.

[BDavis932]

Okay, I'm going to throw out a totally different opinion. This comes from our 7 year old son. (He has been to WDW 4 times...and his 5th will be in 2 months!!!)

He would prefer to see the characters at the restaurants. We never "wait" in line to meet and greet them. It just something he has never been interested in. Maybe with such a short trip, you may want to skip the park characters, and do that when you go back next year. Or, decide one or two (for example, Buzz and Woody, or Cruella and Captain Hook, etc.) for each day. Then spend the day in "search" of those characters. I have seen some lines 20 to 30 minutes long for some of the characters, and my 7 year old would rather be riding the rides!! We also love to watch the parades, but never enough to sit for an hour or more to be in the front row. We can usually see well enough when we arrive 10 minutes or so ahead of time. And, after we've seen the parade once, we use that parade time to our advantage and duck in to the normally crowded rides without much wait!

Our 7 year old also loves the character meals. Buffets are great because he is a pickey eater. He also DOES NOT care for traditional "breakfast food". We always do character lunches or dinners as opposed to breakfast. There is also a favorite of his (and ours), that does not have characters, but does have "contests" and fun stuff for the kids to do during dinner, and that is O'hana. Check out all the restaurants at WDW by going to www.wdwig.com and click on dining. follow the link to menus.
By the way...our son's absolute favorite dining spot in all of WDW is....The food court at All Stars Movies. (cheap date, anyway!!)

Where are ya'll staying??

Remember....there will be LOTS of walking. You can easily average 5 miles a day!! Make sure she is wearing lots of sunblock and comfy sneakers. Sandles might get uncomfortable after all that walking.


By the way, with our son, we haven't been on a ride, yet, that he is afraid of. He's been going on the Tower of Terror, Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, and loving them since he was 5. This trip he will FINALLY be tall enough for Rockin Roller Coaster. This will be a first time for all of us. We wanted to experience it for the first time, together!!! I can't wait...he's never been on a coaster with a loop before... :dazed

You are going to have such a wonderful time!! And this is so cool of you to give her this as a "surprise!!". I don't think I would be able to keep a secret that long. Good Luck!!