Walt Disney World
 

My wife and I will be taking 2 small children to Walt Disney World in Florida in 2 weeks. I get to go as a bonus thru my work. We are staying at the Hilton. My question is what is the weather like down there in January? Any good ideas on what to see and do with twins that are 2 years old? I am kind of looking forward to it. A chance to get out of Iowa in January. Oh well, enought blabbing. Any responses are greatly appreciated.

Learn to speak Cuban and you'll be fine.

The batlight just went up for mmaddog.

Your children will have no recollection of the event except through the pictures you take. So, spend the first day taking a lot of pictures near rides and such.

Spend the rest of the time drinking and eating. Try to find somebody to sit for your brats.

In the 70's/80's. Just make sure to pack some sweatshirts and stuff for the nighttime, it gets kinda cool.

I took my girls(4 and 5) last year.

SeaWorld was great for the kids.There is alot of interaction with the animals up close for the little ones(polar bears,killer whale tank,shows ect.)not to many rides to worry about.

Also on the same thought disneys animal kingdom goes along way for the smaller kids.(again not to many rides)

But for you and your wife.Universal studios and Islands of adventure(my mother and uncle both work there) have a program for couples with small kids.Ask when you buy tickets.Not to many people know about it.You wont have to stand in line.You go in the exit.only problem is you will have to take turns going on the rides alone.One waits in the waiting area with the kids while one goes on the ride.then you switch out.

good luck,have fun and let me know if you need more info.

BCH

We froze our asses off there one day last December. Be prepared for anything.

Highs in the mid-60s to mid-70s. Lows in the mid- to upper-50s

Just pack sweaters and try to avoid that big goofy-ass dog thing. He's a hugger.

FAX

Best to time to visit WDW is in Jan and Feb. Temp usally is between 69 - 75 degrees although sometimes you will get an 80 degree day or a 50 degree day.

It is WDW off season so wait times will be minimal we been to the park durring this time and waited 15 max on the most popular rides compared to an hour and half durring spring break or summertime.

There is so much to do in Orlando are you staying at the Hilton at downtown disney? If so between the shops and the kiddie area and WDW you should be set.

Word of advice if you want to do any character dining I would suggest calling now to get a seat (407) WDW-DINE (939-3463). For the kids under 3 usally the Crystal palace is the best since the the characters are all the Pooh characters. Buffet style food and is surprizingly good.

Let me know if you have any other questions i'll be glad to answer them.

Or visit http://www.allearsnet.com/ or http://www.mousesavers.com/

Thank you all for your responses. Great information. How much money should we take along. Our hotel, flight, and some meals are paid for.

Taking two small kids and a wife to disney ... hehe... how much you have in savings? :D

I don't think your kids will remember anything, but if you go to the Magic Kingdom and let them interact with the costumed characters that roam around the park (e.g. Mickey Mouse) and take some pictures they may someday believe they have a vague recollection of the trip. Otherwise, you might as well do things that you and your wife will enjoy.

Good advice....although unless he is going for a convention and has to stay at the Hilton, there are less expensive places to stay especially in Downtown Disney or even on Disney property....

Allears and Mousesavers are great websites, but the best for all Disney trip information is:

www.wdwinfo.com

It has a discussion forum that covers ALL aspects of traveling to Disney including tips for traveling with young kids, any special discounts available, do's and don'ts, and even has a forum to let you tell about your experiences. It tells you what is shut down for good or just being remodeled or rehabbed....if you have anyone traveling with you that has any sort of Disability or Special needs it's the place to get the best info.


I'll post more from home.....

mmaddog
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Actually the park entry will just be for you and the wife children under 3 get in free.

If you eat at the park figure if you eat at non-services restaurants figure Burgers, sandwichs, salads $6-7 and drinks $2 roughly. Service restaurants lunch is a few bucks cheaper $15-$40 per adult depending on the resturant or character dining.

Then it just depends on how extravegant you want to be with snacks, trinkets, soveniers, ect.

Which Hilton are you staying at, if you don't mind giving that out?

Another vote for ditch the kids. Heh.

Congrats on the free trip. (anyway to get cash or leave kids with Grandma)

Besides taking kids age 2 (that won't remember anything later) and likely pissing off other on vacation there.... Keep them in the small kids area.

I just came back from WDW 3 weeks ago. Even when cold during the day, it still ain't bad. But it does get damn chilly at night, especially if you're at a park/hotel/downtown disney by a lake. Basically, you'll need to pack twice, warm during the day, cool at night. Rain is not nearly as frequent during the winter, but we had 1.5/6 days of sunshine, so prepare for wet weather too.

And Phobia is right, your kids won't remember anything. If you really want them to enjoy it now, do lots of character stuff, look for Mickey and the gang. They aren't going to be into the rides or shows or shopping.

Have fun!!

I am staying at the Hilton right at Walt Disney World. I have to attend meetings a couple mornings as part of the trip, but the rest of the trip is free time.

If it's possible, he might as well.

Actually my kids when they were 2 enjoyed many of the rides Dumbo, the carousel, Aldins Ride, and Small World :banghead: (over and over).

Ok while I am thinking about one of the best places to meet the major characters for the kids is at Epcot at the International Gateway. A bus at certain time during the day brings up all the most popular Disney characters and they are there for about 15-20 min. Get there about 5-10 min before they arrive and you should be able to see Mickey and all the characters.

Best Charcter Dinning for food and atmosphere - Crystal Palace (Pooh Characters in Magic Kindom) and Chef Micky's (Mickey, Donald, Goofy in the Contempory Hotel).

Actually the best deal to see Mickey is the Ice cream social at Epcot. Reservation only I believe not to many people know about this is that at the Land there is a character resturant that durring the early afternoon offers an Ice cream social. Desserts are huge infact a family could probably share one. But Mickey, and a couple other characters make the rounds and interact with the kids while you sit at a table eating dessert and taking a break from the day.

A few things:

1) When you go to Downtown Disney there is a Lego Store right next to The World of Disney Store....if you or the wife want to shop and not worry about wondering if the kids are going to break something, take the kids to the Lego play area just right outside the Lego store...you can sit and watch them play with Lego's and the spouse can shop.

2) If you are there as part of a large convention you might want to check to see if the Convention has arranged with Disney for discount tickets to the Parks.

3) If you go to the parks, remind yourself that your kids are little and can only take so much excitement at a time. When our kids were small we usually went when the park opened, stayed till 11 AM or Noon, then took them back to the hotel for naps or rest. Then we went back later in the afternoon/early evening till the Park closed...stay fo the fireworks. And remember!!!! Bring a stroller or rent one from Disney...you'd be surprised what you can do in the park for yourself and the wife if the kids are asleep in the stroller.

4) If you only have time for a couple of the parks choose Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom, both of which are geared toward younger kids. The Safari ride thru Animal Kingdom is fun no matter how young or old you are. Magic Kingdom has It's A Small World, Winnie The Pooh Ride, and has a part of the park designed especially for the very young crowd.

5) If you have time, take the kids over to the Animal Kingdom Lodge....there is a viewing area where, at the right time of the day you can see a few animals.

6) Be very cognizant that your kids might be frightened by the size of the characters if you do a Character Breakfast. Most kids their age are.

7) Is anyone having a birthday or special event? If you are there on someone's birthday or anniversary they give you a badge to wear. All Cast Member's have to wish that person/couple a Happy Birthday or Happy Anniversary.

8) Money? I rarely take cash..since I stay on property I can charge everything to the room. That way I am never luggin a wallet or my wife a purse at the park. Much as it may seem "teh ghey" a fanny pack is the way to go.

I will disagree with one thing that seems to be a theme from some posters here.....your kids WILL remember this trip. They just won't remember it in as great a detail as you will. My kids have been to WDW 18 times in their life ( daughter is 9 and son is 13) and each time they have something special they remember about it.

As Rain Man alluded to early in this thread...I have much more I could tell you. If you have any more questions feel fre to IM me. I will answer from home this evening.

mmaddog
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Fantastic. Thanks for the great information. Chiefs Planet kicks #ss.

Stinger:

1) The drop-off point at EPCOT is a great place to meet the characters, but keep in mind that they Cast Members "secretly" tell Guest with Special Needs children about that drop off. And they try to accomodate these children first before taking pics with all other.

Another great place to get pics with Mickey, Minnie, Goofy and Donald is in the gazebos near The Lion King Spectacular Show at Animal Kingdom. They are always there for pics and autographs.

2) The ice cream social is an accident waiting to happen for young kids. Make sure to have "wetnaps" if you are trying this.

3) Chef Mickey's is the best place to eat and see characters. Buffet style food, not in the park, and the view of Seven Seas Lagoon and Magic Kingdom is great.

mmaddog
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Make sure to pinch Minnies ass.

Not any help, but this thread brought sense memory to my tastebuds...
I was at WDW a week before Christmas in 2004. I can actually taste this certain meal I had at the Concourse Steakhouse @ the Contemporary Resort. (Its actually exactly right next door to Chef Mickeys.)
Concourse gest overshadowed by Chef Mickey's and California Grille, but thier garlic smashed potatoes are awesome. I had a KC Strip with red wine butter and garlic smashed potatoes. The steak was fine, though I can cook or grill one just as good. But the smashed potatoes were divine... I want to go back...

God help you!! You're taking two 2 yeaer olds. Oh boy. :shake: My wife and I decided a long time ago that we would never take our kids until they were 10 or 12 years old. Any younger and it's just a waste of time and money. Sorry to bear bad news.

I don't get this waste of time and money comments on here? You get to spend time with the family in sunny FL enjoying each other, and kids under 3 get in free.

I'm Ron Burgandy?

Another random Disney thought; I'm the only person I know who enjoys Epcot. :) "Too boring, not enough rides, etc." Bah, I spent an hour and a half in the store in the Japan section.

Epcot is very cool, and has the absolute best fireworks show.

EPCOT is the best park in my opinion. The World Showcase is great. You can drink yourself around the world if you want to... or can afford it. I always try the wines in France and Italy, or buy a yard of beer in the UK. The new rides in Future World are pretty cool too. Mission: Space is great (not for small kids though). Soarin' is awesome.

Check out this Disney message board. . You don't have to join, to read the messages, and might answer more of your questions.

I puked on Mission: Space.

I'm glad I wasn't sitting next to you. I was kinda apprehensive about riding it, but as it turned out, no upchuck.

Thats why the ride was equipped with barf bags.

We took our two boys, then 6 and 8, a couple of years ago and they had a blast. They were big enough to go on the rides and do everything there. I agree that 2 is pretty young, but you don't have to wait 'til the preteens.

I agree about Epcot, too. It was great. My youngest went on Mission: Space three times (with my wife - it gave me a serious headache the only time I went). The shows in the countries are pretty cool, especially the 360 degree ones.

I'm glad to see that some people appreciate Epcot! I'm @ WDW for the first time last year, and we've alloted like half a day for Epcot because its "the most boring." I get there and I'm like "this country thing is very interesting to me, I petition that we stay longer" so we stayed until the fireworks. Yay.

Yeah, Epcot was my favorite because of the countries. Its awesome that they have people from those countries actually working there. We are going back to WDW in May, and I plan on going to epcot every day w/ the Park hopper option.

I would say that your children's experience is atypical of the average Disney patron. They may be shuffling memories and assigning them to various trips. My kids went when they were 2 and 3 and again when they were 8 & 9. They have zero recollection of the 2 and 3 trip even when shown pictures. We found 8 and 9 to be very good ages because they were tall enough to get on all the rides. We had a blast.

It's very comfortable here during this time of year, day and night, but the kiddies will need some warm clothing for the nights.

Have fun in hell, I know the kids will enjoy it, but it's a cluster fuck, and traffic's a bitch

All four times we've gone, we've stayed on property, so we miss most of the traffic. We do go out and get supplies, and usually make a trip to Universal once during our stay, but instead of taking I-4, we just cut over to International Drive, and take it there. Still lots of traffic, but most of the tourists don't know about it, so you just contend with locals... at least until you get close to Universal. I my opinion it's crazier around there, than by WDW. A lot more conjested of an area though.

Age 2 is a little young, IMO. They can't do much and go on many of the rides. They will probably either love or hate (cry and scream) at the various characters.

Age 4 and 5 is when children can start to appreciate the whole thing. If you have a tall 5 year old they can go on most rides.

Epcot gets a bad rap. Mission Space is probably one of the most intense ride at the entire Disney complex. The test car ride is nice as well. Make reservations now, if you haven't already, for dining in any of the countries at EPCOT. They book up fast and early.

You may want to "invest" in some of the cheapest strollers you can find. I'm talking about the smallest, lightest ones you can get. Bring them with you. Tie on some colorful ribbons so you can easily distinguish them from the 984 other strollers at the park. Also, on the way from the airport to the hotel, stop at a grocery store or gas station and stock up on as much food as possible. You'll save a fortune.

Thank you all again for the information. I know that my kids are too young, but it's a free trip, so I'm going to take advantage of it. Sounds like Animal Kingdom and Magin Kingdom are the places to go. I will have my wife call tomorrow about lining up a character breakfast.

Hmmm. I was there last year during Christmas time, one of the busiest times of the year, and I had very little wait at Matsu No Ma Lounge and Teppanyaki Dining in Japan, and I noticed (while discovering the neat boat ride) that the nice sit down place in Mexico had a good amount of empty tables (and that was around 1:00 pm.) Maybe that day was an anomoly.

I went in May and had no waits for any restaurants. Except Rainforest cafe. :Lin: I'm looking forward to this next trip because it will be just the wife & I...and we'll get to do more of the stuff we wanted to do in the first trip.

Reapear- boat ride?

I've eaten at the Rainforest Cafe twice. The first time, I swore to myself I wouldn't waste my money there again. Then, on a trip to WDW with my two sisters and their families, they wanted to eat at the RC as we were leaving the Animal Kingdom. I tried to tell them it wasn't worth it, but their kids wanted to go so i was overruled. It was worse than the first time. Yuck.

That, and its probably the most annoying atmosphere i've ever had to encounter. I found a twistie tie in my rice. Waiters response: "Oh...sorry."

It is a good place for kids though.

He's probably talking about the ride in the Mexican pavillion. It's pretty lame, but you float right by the restaurant.

You can always skip magic kingdom and take a tour of Orlando's downtown area...save ya a ton vs what you'd pay at Disney; don't forget to hit Parramore st.

That's the offshoot of the earlier link I sent...

www.wdwinfo.com

mmaddog
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How about we agree to disagree.....

Look around you when you go to WDW.....there are just as many kids under 5 there as there are any other age group. Disney knows that many families are diverse in age so there are many things now that cater to the very young....things that they remember.

The best place to take kids that are young, and I forgot this earlier, is to Disney-MGM where they have stage shows for all the Toon Disney and Saturday morning cartoon characters... (Roly Poly Olie, Bear in the Big Blue House, etc.)

mmaddog
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You're right. I overlooked the links on your post.

Some friendly advice...
 

I haven't been around lately, but any thread concerning WDW usually catches my attention...I am a Cast Member at Magic Kingdom, and specifically I work in a restaurant.

Some advice, if you intend to eat at any of the full service restaurants, call 407-WDW-DINE and plan ALL of your meals, characters or not. There are lots of dining packages out there that Disney is selling, and the full service restaurants are busier than they have ever been before...you will have a much better dining experience if you plan ahead a little.

Also, if you're eating in the theme parks, your experience will be MUCH better if you plan a little around the peak food times...don't hit a fast food restaurant between 12-3 for lunch, and for dinner don't come between 7-8:30 or 9:00. These are the busiest times, and you will have a much better food and beverage experience if you don't come in those times. Grab an early lunch and dinner, or even a late lunch and dinner and pack snacks to hold you over...you'll appreciate it much more. :)

Good luck, and enjoy your vacation!! :D

It's not that 2 year olds won't be able to enjoy the moment, it's that they typically won't have any recollection of it when they get older. There might be a minority of kids that age who will retain a vague memory or two, but thats about it. That's not an argument that you shouldn't take young kids to Disney, it's a warning that you shouldn't expect them to have memories of the trip and it gives the new parent information to help them make up their mind about how to divide their time between doing things for the kids' enjoyment versus doing things for their own enjoyment (to the extent that those "things" are different).

Sent you a smoke....

mmaddog
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We went on our Honeymoon 2 years ago. It did get cool on some nights, but it was useually warm during the day. I'd just say layer. Animal kingdom has some great kid features and interactive shows. the fireworks at the end of the night at every park is fantastic!

Hey Brian, get them one of those autograph books when you get inside and let them meet all the characters and get their autographs. My kids loved it. They will be starstruck when they meet Micky-I know I was.

My mother-in-law is offering to cover the cost of a WDW package this summer for my family...All we have to do is get there.
Unfortunately she wants my wife and I to shop around for package deals...I don't know if I have the attention span to do that. Plus, based on air fare quotes, this would likely be a road trip. Turns out we're about 35 miles closer to Orlando than we are Anaheim. Go figure.

I would never take any children that young to WDW. They are miserable and they make the parents / adults miserable. I wouldn't take any kids to WDW until they are about 10 years old. But, you've got a freebie from work. So, you can't pass that up. Enjoy it the best that you can.

I agree that it's not a bad deal since it's free.

When it was our money, though, we didn't take the kids there until after they turned five years old. We wanted to make use of all the parks. At two, the parks would have frustrated our family. At five, our kids could walk the entire park and ride almost all the rides. And remember it all.

The best time to go is when they offer the free meal program to families staying in a WDW resort. We saved a bundle on (really good) food while going at a time that wasn't that busy (just after Labor Day this fall).

With two year olds, I think we'd be spending even more time at the hotel swimming pool than the parks.

Just my $.02

Be prepared to 'throw down' if you run into Buzz Lightyear. :mad:

My daughter is a big fan of Toy Story so the three of us (my daughter, my wife, and I) posed for a picture with him. Buzz was in the middle and put one arm around me and the other around my wife. The arm that went around my wife included his hand being placed on her side/waist.

As we were waiting for the picture to be snapped, he "tickled" my wife on her side and slightly grazed her breast.

I was ready to go intergalactic on him, but thought my daughter and the rest of the children standing in line would be horrified so I held myself in check.

I'm surprised she didn't say anything. I would have. He would not have had his arm around my waist either.

I am disappointed. With the beer mug icon I thought disney world was now serving alcohol throughout the park :(

Not sure if mentioned.....but if you can swing it....stay on the disney property....it really makes a difference...especially if you have kids....you can use the bus system instead of having to drive into the park each day (a hassle and at least a 15-20 min drive from offsite hotels).

Plus, each resort inside DisneyWorld has different themes and areas for kids...and the rooms are disney-inspired, etc. It's a neat experience.

Plus, it's really nice to take advantage of the early entry or late hours that only resort guests get...

DOwntonwn Disney and Pleasure Island are a lot of fun if you dont have the kids for a night or two...cool restaurants/clubs, etc.

I've never been, want to someday

A terribly uninformed opinion.....

mmaddog
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If I was you I'd keep checking both Southwest and American....you can find some pretty good fares at times. I saw a couple of $100 RT tickets from Dallas a few weeks back. If you can catch some good fares, then I would stay on property, that way you can do the Disney Magical Express which is the only way to go now. It lets you check your bags at your airport and never have to touch them again until you get to your Disney resort. Once you arrive at the Orlando airport you head directly to a bus that takes you to your selected Disney resort.

Once you are on Disney property you don't need a rental vehicle because the buses take you everywhere.

BTW...if you don't want to spend too much time looking for package deals you can go to this website and see what package deals Disney has on their website:

http://disney.go.com/home/today/index.html

click on the Disney Destinations area....



mmaddog
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many, many thanks!!!!

Allegiant Air offers quite a deal if you don't mind going to Wichita for the flight. $79 each way if you leave and return on a Tuesday.

The weather down here in January could be in the 70's or 80's during the day or coulc be as low as the 50's and down to the 30's at night. It's really kind of a crapshoot. More than likely the weather would be about 70 then, but it does cool down quite a bit at night during that time of year.

Which is the best of the affordable properties. Will probably be just me and my 2 boys.

Anything to report about your trip?

It's 9 months later, by now you should have been able to give us a full story. How is the weather in January and how did your kids like it?

It's 1 year, 9 months.

What a dumbass.

Coming up on our trip this June. Has anyone used the Unofficial Guide to WDW for Kids or www.tourguidemike.com for trip prep?

Are you familiar with these Maddawg?

Nope, but thanks for the link! Ill have to read more later. We are headed down there the week of May 4th - 11th. We figured that was a good date to beat the summer crowds.

We have both been down there a couple of times before, so we know what to expect and plan for. Good times.

Watch out for hurricanes.

Yeah, we are hoping for decent crowd the first week of June too. I have heard that school is still in session at a lot of southern schools then. I know it will still be crowded though. I figure it has to be better than the crowds in July and August though.

Let me know if you sign up for either of those guides. I would like to know if they are really as helpful as I am reading.

Hurricane season isnt until Aug-Sept timeframe.

Actually, hurricane season starts in June I believe. Not certain though.

Couldn't agree more. We used wdwinfo.com to prepare for our WDW vacation last year. Tons of helpful advice. Nothing caught us by suprise and we were totally prepared when we got there. Of course we went in June(hot as hell).

June is nothing. Try going in August sometime.