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Thursday, 20 January 2011 19:06
Orlando Survival Guide for Parents of Preschoolers
Written by Alison K. Rouse
I used to question the sanity of anyone willing to tow small kids around such destinations as Disney World. Then, my husband and I did it ourselves. Not only did we live through it, but we made some great memories in the process. We also learned through our own experience what to do if we had it to do over again, and what to definitely not do again. Hopefully you will benefit from our lessons learned.
First, let me mention, as most parents of preschoolers already know, that timing is everything. Our kids were nearly five and a half and three and a half when we made this journey, and I can say that we would probably not have even tried the number of things we did even a year earlier. You have to gauge your kids’ ages, physical size (if, as in our case, the theme park rides were a big factor) and their temperaments. I did not want to take my kids on an active, extended vacation while they were young enough to still require lengthy daily naps or diaper changes. We also did not want to be responsible for keeping up with a stroller and/or full-size backpack all day. If none of these factors is a big deterrent to you, that’s fine, but also think ahead to the climate and whether your child will become grumpy walking a lot in hot, sticky, sunny weather.
We chose October as our (almost) ideal time to visit the Orlando area. It was still warm enough (even downright hot, some days) to wear shorts every day, but the daily rains that often fall during the summer months in Florida were absent, and most days the temperature was pleasant or at least tolerable. Also, our oldest son, who just started kindergarten, had a short fall break from school, making it possible for us to visit attractions at a time of year when less people throng the area. In fact, Disney World promotes the last week of August through the last week of October as the ideal time of year for parents of preschoolers to visit the parks, even offering special events targeted toward this age group. (See www.disneyworld.com/littleones for more information.)
Another factor to consider is where to stay. Tiffany Singleton, a Wetumpka, AL mother of four, has a Facebook page devoted to tips and suggestions on lodging and dining reservations, as well as a business creating customized Orlando travel itineraries for families. For more information, become a fan of Dis-Girl on Facebook. As for our accommodations, our family owns a timeshare in a condominium outside Orlando. It is a one-bedroom unit that can be used for one full week every other year. There is a full-size kitchen which allows us the convenience of preparing meals, as well as a washer and dryer for clothing emergencies.
One last thing that we tried to do, and weren’t as good about, was keeping a loose schedule. We initially tried to stick with one big function each day, with a little bit of wiggle room and less active days following the busier ones. Unfortunately, the day of our departure from home, our youngest woke up with a fever. Since we couldn’t reschedule our trip, we had to slide a few more events toward the back end of the vacation, which also allowed the boys to ease into the trip a bit more slowly.
Sea World: Both Educational and Fun
We decided it was best not to make Disney World our very first destination, because our kids had never been anywhere that vast and might be overwhelmed at first. Sea World (www.seaworld.com) was a good place for them to get their feet wet, so to speak, and taught us how to make the rest of our trip most enjoyable. The day started off overcast and a bit breezy, which was perfect. There were also trick-or-treat stations set up around the park for the boys to visit.
Sea World is known for its shows, so we took in a kids’ concert and one performance featuring “Shamu” and some other killer whales. The boys really enjoyed looking at live sharks, walruses and polar bears as well. For lunch, they both ate a peanut butter, jelly and marshmallow wrap! Our only regret is that we didn’t spend more time in the educational exhibits. There was enough to do that we spent about six hours at the park and even could have come back a second day.
A word of caution: there are six amusement rides geared toward young children in “Shamu’s Happy Harbor” toward the back of Sea World, and if the lines are long, you could find yourself spending most of the day there. If you want your kids to see the shows and exhibits, definitely keep that in mind. You could either visit the rides first thing in the morning, when the lines are shorter, and get it over with, or plan it for later in the day so that you don’t miss the chance to see other attractions. I will add that the Shamu Express was our kids’ first experience on a real roller-coaster!
The Magic Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Disney owns several properties in addition to the Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios (formerly known as MGM), such as Epcot and Disney’s Animal Kingdom. We chose the first two based on our children’s ages and interests. I personally enjoy Epcot, but since its primary focus is on the future and other cultures around the world, we thought our kids would get more out of it when they got older. To simplify matters, we decided to just add the Animal Kingdom to that same future trip. (To help make your decision, visit http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/)
Our very first visit to the Magic Kingdom was actually the Monday night of Columbus Day. We had tickets to attend Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, which is open select nights each year leading up to Halloween. I have to admit that I was at first very skeptical, as the hours begin at 7 p.m. and end at midnight, and tickets for kids ages 3-9 cost $47.95 and parents are $53.95. Would our kids be able to handle that timeframe, and would the ticket cost be worth it?
I kid you not, the decision to attend this event was by far our very best the whole week. I would do it again in a heartbeat. Not only were the kids mesmerized by the visual sight of everything (the park was festooned in bright oranges and yellows, and the sun was setting by the time we passed through the gates), but there were also trick-or-treat stations placed throughout the park, opportunities to meet and greet various Disney personalities—ranging from “Lion King” to Jack Sparrow of “Pirates of the Caribbean” fame, a colorful parade featuring classic characters riding themed floats, a vivid fireworks display, and, of course, the most popular rides were open.
There was something especially neat about going to the Haunted Mansion at night, watching the eerie mist rise from the pavement. Splash Mountain was more thrilling too, as our log flume hurtled down a waterfall in near-darkness. And, even though our kids are not old enough to watch any of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies, they enjoyed the ride, as well as meeting Jack Sparrow afterward. (He stayed in perfect character, even swaggering about like Johnny Depp.) We finally started making our way to the exit about 11:30 p.m. Alex, our oldest, was tired but stayed alert the whole time. By this time, however, Ryan was starting to shut down and fell asleep on my husband’s shoulder.
All in all, we accomplished more in those less-than-five hours than we did by returning to the Magic Kingdom the next day, mainly due to the length of the lines. That said, Disney does offer a FASTPASS program (at no extra cost), which is offered at a selection of popular attractions at all four theme parks. Launched in 1999, it is Disney’s antidote to line-standing, as guests who choose to get a FASTPASS receive a ticket with a designated one-hour-long window of time when they can return and skip the regular line. The only caveat is that you have to plan your day around those return times and can’t venture too far or you’ll miss your window. We chose just to use it for a few of the rides with very long wait times, such as Space Mountain. Of course, the standby line is always available,
and in some cases, shorter.
Later in the week, we visited Hollywood Studios, which offered several family-oriented attractions. Our first stop was to the Coaster Courtyard Concert Stage, where Disney features many musical acts familiar to kids, such as Ralph’s World, Dan Zanes, the Imagination Movers, Choo Choo Soul and the Doodlebops. During the months of September and October, the performances are especially targeted for the preschool crowd.
The rest of the day was spent on rides and attractions. Our kids seemed proudest of themselves when they were brave enough to ride the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. Our youngest just made the height requirement, and the four of us shared a row of seats as we plunged up and down thirteen stories at top rates of speed. I had a headache and was slightly nauseous when we got off, but the experience has definitely stayed with the boys.
Other fun ventures included “Star Tours,” a “Star Wars”-themed attraction; the live-action “Indiana Jones” stunt show; Catastrophe Canyon, which demonstrated how movie studios create realistic-looking disasters; “Muppet Vision 3-D” and The Great Movie Ride, featuring animated recreations of well-known movie clips, such as “The Wizard of Oz” and “Alien.” (Some parts of this ride were frightening to the kids, so we made sure they sat between my husband and me.)
Downshifting
The day between our visits to the Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios, we decided to visit Green Meadows Petting Farm. We’d been there twice previously, beginning with the year our oldest son was one year old, and returning when he was three and Ryan was one. Green Meadows is actually part of a nationwide chain, with others located in such places as California, Texas and Maryland. This particular one is located in Kissimmee, maybe half an hour outside Orlando. (See www.greenmeadowsfarm.com for a $2 per person discount off admission.)
Tours are offered continuously throughout the day and are said to take about an hour and a half, but that is dependent on the length of time your group spends at each “station.” If your child has a meltdown or gets distracted, there is a playground and you can always rejoin another group that picks up where you left off. At Green Meadows, kids have the opportunity to ride a pony, milk a cow, ride a train, hold baby ducks and chicks, feed friendly sheep and goats, pet chickens and“teen-ager” pigs (that’s what they called them!) and catch ducks. Also, since we were there in October, we enjoyed a tractor-pulled hayride and picked our own pumpkins.
Overall, we had a great vacation, and I would change very little about what we did and how we did it. However, we did learn to cut down the number of activities in the future, since we were all exhausted by the end of the week. I have also spoken with people who have attended Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, which as you can imagine occurs in the weeks leading up to Christmas, and it still includes the character parade, fireworks, decorations and short wait times that we enjoyed during Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. The best assurance you can have that your family’s vacation is a success is to simply plan ahead!
Alison K. Rouse is the associate editor of Montgomery Parents. She and her husband, Scott, live in Wetumpka, AL with their sons, Alex and Ryan.
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