Taking 7 Yr Old Twin Boys for First Time in December - Questions... - Walt Disney Boards - Message Boards & Forum Discussing The Genius Of Walter Elias Disney!

katrocity · #1 (**permalink**) 09-14-2009, 08:48 PM

We are taking our 7 year old twin boys to WDW for the first time in December. Staying at the Contemporary Resort - 4 nights 5 days trip. Will spend roughly 4 1/2 days in parks and trying to decide our itinerary so we can book restaurants.

I would love thoughts on which parks?

2 days in Magic Kingdom
1 in MGM
1/2 in Epcot or Animal Kingdom....

Does this sound like a good layout?
Which park would be better for 7 year olds-Epcot or Animal Kingdom - knowing we can only spend 1/2 a day there before our flights home.

We have the dining plan with 1 snack, 1 counter meal and 1 sit-down dinner each day. Would love suggestions on favorite restaurants. Also not sure if counter meal should be used for breakfast or lunch and where? How much food do they let you get for the counter meal?

Please feel free to send me links to any trip reports that you think would be helpful.

Best-
Kate

goofy101 · #2 (**permalink**) 09-14-2009, 11:34 PM

I would say Animal Kingdom, but that shuts early enough to have a few hours in Epcot if your kids arnt to tired.

kathiewe · #3 (**permalink**) 09-15-2009, 06:01 AM

I would also go with Animal Kingdom.

Have fun!

WDWfanatic · #4 (**permalink**) 09-15-2009, 06:38 AM

That's tough. We usually do a full day at Animal Kingdom and EPCOT and 1/2 at Hollywood Studios. My daughter is only 1 though, that may change in the future.

As far as eating. The Character Breakfasts worked out best for us. Counter Service or snacks in the afternoons. We were not happy with lunch reservations, kind of limits mobility. And we didn't even use all of our snacks. The breakfast buffets are pretty filling and can hold you over for quite a while during the day.

As far as our favorite places to eat with my 1 year old: Hollywood & Vine had the most interactive characters, they came by our table like 4 or 5 times each. Stopping to play with my then 8 month old each time. Crystal Palace had her very intrigued also.

My hubby and I really really like Ohana's for dinner. We like the all you can eat types of places. Makes DH feel like he is getting his moneys worth.

Hope this helps. I did notice that during wishes, while we were eating at Ohana's, it seemed like they played the Wishes music. I could be wrong and I did not notice this until Wishes was ending.

luvlifeinfl · #5 (**permalink**) 09-15-2009, 06:18 PM

We have a daughter that is 10 and I think 7 or 8 was when she could start to ride some of the big rides.

I know one thing we did is to look at the Park Maps, then look at each ride description ( like height requirments) then decide what rides we "really want 2 do". Then also look at the attractions (shows) and see if that is something you would or would not see.

As for your parks,that is hard. For one you are only going to be there 4 days. I just want to say this, you will not get to see everything. That is why I suggest a some what plan of attack.

I would suggest
1 day MK
1 day AK
1 day Epcot
1/2 day DHS

Also you did not list what days you will be there and that will determine how busy the parks will be.

Also once you map out a plan- If you are early people and can make a 7:30am ADR for bfast, or if you like to get at the park say 10am grab a quick bfast @ the resort, then I would look at making your ADR for dinner at the park you at. Once you figure that out by looking at the park calendars & seeing the hours that will help you determine on what you have to work with in that day.

We are not Bfast folks so we grab like bfast bars to eat while we are going to catch bus transit.

Lunch is when we grab a quick service.

Dinner is when when we do a TS.

Also not sure but you can use your snack credits for like bottle water. If we have snack credits left over we go to the little shop in the resort and use them for like chips & other non-perishable items we can carry back home w/ us.

I found this link some time ago that list all snack items at Disney that you can get w/ your snack credits.

Get the Most Out of Your Disney Dining Snack Credits - Associated Content - associatedcontent.com

If you want suggestions w/ TS places that we have been too & enjoyed.

katrocity · #6 (**permalink**) 09-16-2009, 08:16 AM

Dear LiveLifInFul-

Thanks so much for your post. It was very helpful. I would love your suggestions on Table Service meals you enjoyed the most. As we are less than 90 days out, I want to start booking reservations and am overwelmed by the choices.

Kate

NDM1 · #7 (**permalink**) 09-16-2009, 10:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by katrocity

We are taking our 7 year old twin boys to WDW for the first time in December. Staying at the Contemporary Resort - 4 nights 5 days trip. Will spend roughly 4 1/2 days in parks and trying to decide our itinerary so we can book restaurants.

I would love thoughts on which parks?

2 days in Magic Kingdom
1 in MGM
1/2 in Epcot or Animal Kingdom....

Does this sound like a good layout?
Which park would be better for 7 year olds-Epcot or Animal Kingdom - knowing we can only spend 1/2 a day there before our flights home.

We have the dining plan with 1 snack, 1 counter meal and 1 sit-down dinner each day. Would love suggestions on favorite restaurants. Also not sure if counter meal should be used for breakfast or lunch and where? How much food do they let you get for the counter meal?

Please feel free to send me links to any trip reports that you think would be helpful.

Best-
Kate

Unless your guys like a lot of shows, I'm going with the idea that you should do 1/2 day at Hollywood Studios and a full day at Epcot or Animal Kingdom. As someone else suggested (and if you have park hopper passes), my thought would be do a day at Animal Kingdom and head over to Epcot if you ever feel you are "done" at AK but still want more. My 7 year old son LOVES Epcot (primarily Soarin' and Test Track).

I also recommend using the counter service for lunch. It gives you a lot more flexibility because you don't have to rush across a park to meet your reservation time for a restaurant. That type of thing can really be disruptive during the day.

My favorite restaurants for the parks are:

Magic Kingdom-Crystal Palace (table service)
Magic Kingdom-Pinocchio Village Haus (counter service)

Epcot-Le Cellier (table service)
Epcot-Sunshine Seasons food court (counter service)

Hollywood Studios-The Brown Derby (table service)
Hollywood Studios-ABC Commisary (counter service)

Animal Kingdom-never been to a restaurant there
Animal Kingdom-Flame Tree BBQ (counter service)

Downtown Disney-Rainforest Cafe (table service)
Downtown Disney-Earl of Sandwich (counter service)

*note: I don't think Rainforest Cafe is covered in the dining plan. Earl of Sandwich might be, but I'm not sure.

luvlifeinfl · #8 (**permalink**) 09-16-2009, 05:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by katrocity

Dear LiveLifInFul-

Thanks so much for your post. It was very helpful. I would love your suggestions on Table Service meals you enjoyed the most. As we are less than 90 days out, I want to start booking reservations and am overwelmed by the choices.

Kate

Hi Kate,

For TS-all our ADR were dinner.

MK- Crystal Palace( this is our fav.& it is buffet), we hava also done Tony's town square ( I would compare it to Mac grill).

DHS- we really love Sci Fi dinner- it is indoor but the theme is a drive-in. If you do this request to sit in a car. We have eaten at Hollywood vine (buffet) it is ok.

Epcot- we have only been there once, but the place we ate at is Princess Storybook Dining at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall, I do not think this is a good one for the boys since it is Princess base. This yr we plan on trying the Garden grill ( this is also a buffet location)

AK- the past yrs we usually just did quick service becasue they did not have a real TS location until they opened the Yak & Yeti- Asian theme, we liked it.

As far as resorts-
Comtempory - Chef Mickey's LOVE IT.
Fort Wilderness- Trails End, this yr we plan to do the Hoop De Doo Review.
Beach Club- Cape May's LOVE IT.
Wilderness Lodge- Whispering Cayons- Pretty good. Just love the atmosphere of the resort.
AK- Boma- not crazy about the flare.

Here is a link that list the menu's.

Restaurant Dining Menus from Walt Disney World

That was the other thing we had to do was sit look at the menu's and decided if what they had would the kids eat. So that is why we would end up picking locations that were buffet becasue then I knew everyone would be happy.

If you have any other questions, just ask. You can even send me a PM.

StitchedTogether · #9 (**permalink**) 09-16-2009, 06:45 PM

If you end up going to Animal Kingdom for 1/2 a day...I strongly suggest checking out the character breakfast at the Tusker House. If your flight leaves later that day, it will give the kids some time to connect and get pictures with the classic characters they may have missed. It's really affordable, and I hear the food is really good too. It starts nice and early, Before the park even opens...so you'll have an opportunity to get into the park a bit early. It also is great...Because you may not have to wait in line to greet some of the characters early on in your vacation, because Donald is hosting a breakfast, just to meet you! Have fun!

zendisney · #10 (**permalink**) 09-17-2009, 09:54 PM

Animal Kingdom is a great choice... there is so much to do for younger kids.
The exploration of the park alone is fun. There is so much to do. Be prepared for walking a lot but you will love it.

MainStreetMania · #11 (**permalink**) 09-22-2009, 07:25 PM

Just wa there a few months ago my 7 year old to my surprise loved Epcot. So I asked him what he would do

1 day MK
1 day AK
1 day Epcot
1/2 day DHS

Have Fun!!!

chrisnfran · #12 (**permalink**) 09-22-2009, 10:06 PM

we stayed at the Contemporary in July for 7 days.....can't wait to go back!! it's our favorite resort. Chef Mickey's is hands down our kids new favorite restaurant. Mickey, Donald, Goofy, Pluto all spent a lot of time at each table. the buffet was great- something for everyone. I liked that it was so convenient. we just hopped on the elevator and zipped down for dinner. I almost made reservations at the Wave, but I spoke with numerous other guests and it did not get good reviews at all from anyone. the snack area at the Contemporary was not very good. I would not waste a counter service meal at the Contemporary's snack bar. definitely way better options in the parks- flame tree bbq at AK or Pizza Planet for instance. we went over to Port Orleans and got beignets as a snack (they were pretty good) I confess we also ate untold numbers of Mickey bars-it was July after all. we all loved the food at the 50's prime time cafe at DHS. I enjoyed the Brown Derby, but probably would not use 2 table service credits to eat there again.

Bailey158 · #13 (**permalink**) 09-23-2009, 02:00 PM

Your question is hard to answer because it really depends on the kids...do they like the adventure/big kid rides? Hollywood Studios has a lot of big kid rides and you could possibly do it in half a day.

Animal Kingdom has Dinoland which was designed for kids and typically little boys love dinosaurs. You also want to catch the Lion King show....we go 2-3 times each year and have to always see this show. The trampoline monkeys are my daughter's favorite (actually her dream is to be one of them when she grows up!!).

As for eating.....my kids all time favorite place has been Liberty Tavern in Magic Kingdom....they recently took out the characters and we have not been since that. I am not sure it will be the same without the characters. But the food is good. Chef Mickey at Contemporary is really good, but very hard to get reservations for unless you are willing to eat later in the evening. Garden Grill at Epcot is also really good and has characters (hard to get reservations there too).....they have a really good kid menu and the dessert for the kids is awesome. The adult food is good too! 1900 Park Fare has the Cinderella crew and a wonderful buffet dinner with a special buffet for the kids......eating there gives you a chance to see one of Disney's most expensive resorts. The Grand Floridian at Christmas time is so beautiful....your kids will love the real life sized Gingerbread House! Our fav place to eat in MGM is Prime Time Cafe....my kids love playing around with the staff (they don't allow elbows on the table and you have to behave and my kids of course never do!). If you like Italian, eat at the Italian restaurant in Epcot.....they have the best lasagna I have ever tasted and in the month of December they have a better menu and use some higher quality ingredients.

Let us know if your kids are more into the rides or the characters and many of us can give you a lot more advice......we can tell you places to meet the most characters and what rides to do if we know what they like. I will bet though that Toy Story Mania in MGM will be one of their favorite rides.....get in early and go fast pass that one!

luckybrew · #14 (**permalink**) 09-24-2009, 11:59 PM

work around the park hours! keep it simple... hit the park that closes early first and the park that closes later last. (of course thats if youre doing a hopper. i would NEVER purchase anything other than a hopper! you get your moneys worth this way.) also, check for magic hours and work your visits accordingly.

luckybrew · #15 (**permalink**) 09-25-2009, 12:01 AM

btw- do your 1/2 day at DHS. you can do EVERYTHING there for a 7 year old in a half day IF you get there early.

Jamapak · #16 (**permalink**) 09-29-2009, 11:17 AM

When we started going, we tried to go to every park in four days. What we learned is that you are really just glossing over the top when you do that and it becomes a game of "hurry up and pose for your picture with Mickey, now let's go to the next thing" and you do that for four days. The kids get overwhelmed after a couple of days of this. Here is the real truth that I have learned. You could go to one park for a week and never take it all in. You certainly can't get four parks in in four days. If we had the first trip all over, we would do a half day in each park for the first two days and see what park the kids really liked and then use the rest of the days there to let them explore those two parks to the fullest. If you expect to come back to Disney again, then also know that their interests change as they grow. My kids used to love MK and that is all they wanted to do. Now they are in their teens and they like HS and Epcot more. They still like MK, but it is more of a half day for them, where it used to be that HS was the half day.

Dining - At seven years old, they want something that they like, nothing upscale and hopefully with disney characters involved. At HS you can go to Hollywood and Vine for characters and the food is kid friendly. You will be bored with it because it is buffet style, but kids around the world love chicken nuggets and hamburgers. The Brown Derby is great, but is is a white table cloth sit down meal and I have yet to meet the 7 year old that will sit quietly and eat for 90 minutes. Put a couple of characters in the room and they focus on being good so they can meet Mickey.

Chef Mickey is at the Contemporary and it is basically the same as Hollywood and Vine just in the hotel. Great place for character dining as well. In Epcot, The Biergarten is pretty kid friendly and they have a band that plays and people dance so it gives them something to do and watch. San Angelo is the Mexican restaurant at Epcot and it has a nice little ride in it that the kids can do.

There are a ton of nice choices that can be made for dining, but with seven year olds, I remember that it was important to be kid-centric on those choices. It always worked out better.

Final note. Animal kingdom tends to be much more animal intensive in the early part of the day. Right when the park opens they tend to be out and more active...maybe because it is closer to feeding time. We noticed that in the afternoon, the animals tended to find trees and rocks to hide behind and you could not see as many.

WDWfanatic · #17 (**permalink**) 09-29-2009, 01:28 PM

Good call on the 4 parks in 4 days! We went for 8 nights on our honeymoon, with no kids, and did not get in all that we wanted to get in. And we had no kids with us. That was just 2 adults. We went for 3 nights when I was pregnant and spent most of our time at EPCOT and took advantage of the Extra Magic Hours (evening) at MK. It is easy to stay a month there, I think, and not get everything in. I'd love to try it!

Spagettios · #18 (**permalink**) 09-29-2009, 05:37 PM

Sounds exciting!
I personally haven't been but from what I have heard Magic kingdom is better.
Im going to be excited for you! haha

Julie · #19 (**permalink**) 10-12-2009, 05:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by katrocity

Which park would be better for 7 year olds-Epcot or Animal Kingdom - knowing we can only spend 1/2 a day there before our flights home.

We have the dining plan with 1 snack, 1 counter meal and 1 sit-down dinner each day. Would love suggestions on favorite restaurants. Also not sure if counter meal should be used for breakfast or lunch and where? How much food do they let you get for the counter meal?

Please feel free to send me links to any trip reports that you think would be helpful.

Best-
Kate

Love Disney in December! (Well, I guess I love Disney every month.)
My kids were always bored at Epcot when they were little. I would choose Animal Kingdom. (but mine always wanted to go back to Magic Kingdom)
As far as dining, if they aren't big breakfast eaters, you could pack Poptarts, cereal bars etc. for breakfast and save your counter service dining credits for lunch. Or if it's not much food, pay for the breakfast at your resort. Of course if you are doing a character breakfast, you will want to use your table service dining credits. Whatever you decide to do, always save your dining credits for the more expensive meals!

Here is what is included in your counter service meal:
One entrée OR one complete Combo Meal
One dessert (Lunch or Dinner) or one juice (Breakfast)
One single serving non-alcoholic beverage

Have a great time!! Are you going to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party?!

hlsalzer · #20 (**permalink**) 10-17-2009, 02:38 PM

We use our TS credits @ dinner usually. If you cannot get into the restaurant of your choice @ dinner try going for lunch. I would definitely pick AK for your little men. There are dinosaurs, a carnival, animals, mountains, water everywhere - what more could they ask for? As far as favorites go they might like 50's Prime Time while you are @ DHS. It is fun and tasty. We also love BOMA, Le Cellier, Kona Cafe and Biergarten. While I usually avoid the park having EMH"s as a rule, we always hit AK on the day they are having p.m. EMH's and hop on the bus to have dinner @ BOMA then return to the park. As far as your choices you need to decide whether you want to take time leaving a park to eat or not. We enjoy the break and most of our favorites are outside the parks. Try reading some reviews, menus and descriptions and try to decide whether it would appeal to your family or not. My kids are very adventurous eaters but are at the point where they do not enjoy interacting with the characters. I have never gotten an ADR @ Ohana but have heard nothing but raves from adults and children alike. I am trying to get all of my ADR"s tomorrow a.m. and I cant' wait. Several years ago we went to Garden Grill and loved it and the amount of time the characters spend with you was great. They have changed the menu. Crystal Palace is good also. Our very least favorite ever was Tony's Town Square. We got our food within 3 minutes of ordering and had barely started our appetizers when out came our entrees. They tasted like overcooked pasta that had gotten very mushy while being kept warm in hot water. We were VERY disapppointed in the poor quality. Perhaps it was an off night. But the impression was made and we won't ever return. We really should have gotten a refund - it was that bad. If you do go to restaurants @ the resorts and can spare the time - take awalk around the grounds. Each resort is uniquely different and all are special. It is a nice way to relax and unwind a little and you get an idea of places that we would enjoy staying at in the future. Hope this helps.