3 Disney Questions
 

I'm in the very initial planning stages of my WDW trip. First time I'll have taken children so I have 3 questions:<BR>1) Where can I find out the height requirements/restrictions for the various rides (my kids 7 & 5 are on the small side and I'd hate to go and have them not be able to ride!)?<BR>2) I was planning on going the week of Thanksgiving as I had a girlfriend go this past year and said it was empty. However, I've been reading conflicting messages on this board about that being a crowded time to go. What's the general concensus? <BR>3) I was planning on staying off-site in a rental home (with private pool) so that we wouldn't have to eat every meal in the parks and so we could come back in the afternoon for a swim etc. However again a majority of the posters say staying on-site is a must. Are there any condo/villa type accomodations on-site that are reasonable? <BR>Thanks in advance for your help!

re question 2: Thanksgiving week is normally one of the busiest weeks of the year (behind only Xmas week and President's day week). Do not count on next year being anything lioke this year. People were still very nervous about flying then this year, but assuming all is wellthis coming year, the crowds will be fierce then. If however you can go a week or 2 later, those are the absolute emptiest times of the year. Huge difference--getting on many rides immediately vs. waiting a long time for everything

First of all, purchase a Birnbaum's Guide to WDW. I's full of information and very helpful. Secondly, go to WDWIG.com for answers to just about any question, including height requirements on certain rides. Even tho your kids are on the small side, there's plenty for them to see, do and ride. <BR><BR>Now about going Thanksgiving week: This past Thanksgiving was not the norm due to 9/ll. WDW was below-attendance and things are just now picking up. By this Thanksgiving it should be back at its peak. It's a TERRIBLY CROWDED time to go. Take the kids out of school and go before or after. <BR><BR>About accomodations, yes it's very convenient to stay on-site; however, quite expensive to get a villa-type place. What you'd save by eating meals at your place you'd end up spending for the lodging and then some. My recommendation would be to stay at one of the value or moderate WDW resorts, keep food in a cooler or rent a fridge, and/or eat at the food court.

No, no, no, Karen! Do NOT buy the Birnbaum guide to WDW. Instead, purchase Bob Sehlinger's UNOFFICIAL Guide to WDW 2002 Edition. The difference between the 2 guides is like day and night. The unofficial guide will talk you through each and every ride. You will know how children your kids' own ages rate them, height requirements, fear factors etc. Many of the Disney attractions are way too LOUD and frighten children, something we don't think about as much as the obvious violence of the roller-coasters. <BR><BR>An off-site home sounds like a good idea, but if you have young ones and you'll need to get back to your hotel a couple of times a day for breaks I really agree that you should stay on-site. No matter which hotel you choose you'll get a good dose of Disney "magic".

Thank you for your replies. Now I need to seriously consider a different week. Does anyone know whether the first 2 weeks of November are good? Also, I checked out the wdwig.com website and it is good but overwhelming and was unable to find info regarding height restrictions. Any idea where to look? <BR>The accomodations thing still is very up in the air. I would love to hear more suggestions/opinions. My kids are old enough that they don't need naps but I thought an afternoon swim break might be nice. Also the thought of having to eat Disney food for every meal for a week sounds unappealing and expensive!

Those weeks should be fine as far as crowds go. The crowds will get heavier as Thanksgiving approaches. As your kids are young enough that you don't have to work around school breaks you should avoid those times when virtually every child in the US is out of school. <BR><BR>I can't help you with off-site accomodations as far as homes or condos go, as we've stayed on-site twice, but I know many people who rent homes every year when they go and wouldn't have it any other way. There's simply nothing better than eating breakfast in your jammies. <BR><BR>All Disney food isn't bad, and the themed restaurants can be a lot of fun for kids. Specifically, the EPCOT restaurants in the world showcase. Each restaurant will have kids' meals for your picky eaters. They include dessert, too, usually ice cream. If you go at odd hours (2:30-4:00) you'll miss the crowds and avoid the price hikes that happen between lunch and dinner.<BR><BR>

Oh, sorry, here is the link to the ride restrictions:<BR>http://www.wdwig.com/rr.htm

Yes, I also have the Unofficial Guide to WDW, but I'd still get Birnbaum's, as it's better layed out and an easier (and less time-consuming) read. <BR><BR>For info on ride restrictions, go to WDWIG.com, scroll down to Theme Park Info, click on which park you want, then click on Ride Restrictions.

You can also get a LOT of info at <BR>www.disboards.com

Most the good / exciting rides (IMHO) require a person to be at least 48" tall. A couple require 50" or 54" but they are only one or two (can't remember exactly which one(s). Sept., Oct are good months but be where of hurricane season.

www.vrbo.com (Vacation Rentals By Owner) will give you an idea of what homes rent for, but I know it's quite reasonable. Keep in mind, though, that you can stay in the All Star Resorts on Disney property for $49 to $79 per night depending on the time of year and how their occupancy is running at that time.

I stayed at many on-site properties and amazingly my favorite was the value resort All star sports hotel. One of the reasons was because of the food court. I found it reasonable and good. They even have peanut butter & jelly sandwiches in a lunch pack for kids. Came with chips, apple and a drink for I think $3.99. I normally refuse to buy my son peanutbutter and Jelly sandwiches anywhere, but here I offered each day. The pool is nothing special, but if you are going to the water parks the pool here is fine.

Hi, <BR>Since yoy asked about condo/villa<BR>I have a 2bd, timeshare at a very nice<BR>resort , I am not using it .<BR>Available March 24-31 , 2002.<BR>It is yours if you want it.<BR>Thank you <BR>Zeev

There is a book that includes height requirements for the rides. It's called "Rita Aero's Walt Disney World - The Essential Guide to Amazing Vacations". It doesn't have color pictures, but the information is very detailed. My husband and I have been several times alone and are returning in April to take two of our oldest grandchildren. As far as where to stay, I much prefer staying "on property". You get the whole Disney experience. The staff is wonderful. If you stay off property, you'll pay at least $6 a day for parking at the parks, so figure that in to the cost. Also, it's nice to go back to your room late afternoon and hit the parks again in the evening.

1. First two weeks of Nov or Feb<BR>2. Unofficial Guide<BR>3. Price the Holiday Inn Family Suites: 2BR plus living, mini-kitchen, kiddie pool, and park transportation & breakfast included. <BR>4. Lots of other food options in nearby areas.

We spent 8 days at WDW in 2000 from Dec 1 to Dec 10. No crowds, great prices , and great weather! We stayed at the Carribean Resort in the mid-range. It was beautiful and ful of the Disney magic and the convience of their transportation was amazing. We took a cooler and ate very little at the reaturants. My daughter was sick one of the days and stayed in the room all day. The resturant kitchen made up some chicken soup (not on their menu) and the maid gave her a 15" stuffed animal. Where else could that happen! I read every book the library had on WDW (approx. 12) and the Unoffical Guide was by far the most accurate. If you follow their suggestions of which park on which day and their daily itineraries you should have the greatest experience as we did. One of the most important suggestions to follow is the use of Fast Pass. We would get a fast pass, go off and ride the less popular rides for a little time then come back and bypass everyone who had been waiting in line the whole time we were gone. Works like a dream and little kids don't like waiting in lines for long periods of time anyway. Have fun but come prepared!!!

We have stayed both on and off site with kids. I know most posters insist on-site is the only way to go, but I disagree. We have found that getting a larger place with full kitchen worked the best for us. First, when our kids were that age, a full day at Parks was too much for them. Even if they are beyond nap ages, you may not be after all that walking, standing and people. Every day we hit the parks early and then headed out early afternoon, sometimes returning, but sometimes not. We were all suffered some Disney overload at various points and were more than happy to get off-site. Besides the expense of eating all meals in Parks (or any other restaurant for that matter - no matter how casual), eating 3 meals a day with kids in a restaurant gets a little much. We loved having a kitchen - we didn't cook actually, but bought, for example, roasted chicken, salad bar and a loaf of bread for a dinner. As far as height restrictions, many of the rides for which your kids would be too small, most kids that age really wouldn't have a great time on anyway. You mentioned a rental home - don't know if you have one in mind, but there are many suite hotels, condo-type accomodations very close by and many have regular shuttles to Parks. At the risk of setting off another rage-attack on this board, at that age, consider taking your kids out of school and going at a more off-peak time.

Gail: You seem to think along the same lines as me. At this point,we're looking at the first week in November. I'm hoping that's a good time. Also, it looks like we'll definitely be traveling with another family of 4 so the rental house seemed to be the most logical, especially with the private pool and jacuzzi. I have found one that's only 3 miles from Magic Kingdom but wonder if you know of any other rental companies that are not too far away. Thanks again to everyone for their insight and varied opinions! It's good to hear all sides.

Since you are taking the kids, October might be a good time. They have the not so scary halloween party at the MKD. The kids get to trick or treat around the Kingdom. I have never been but my friend has taken her 3 and 6 year old every year for the last 3 years. They love it and she says it isn't that crowded in late Oct.

First two weeks in Nov. are lovely. <BR>The week AFTER Thanksgiving is the best. I also like the first two weeks in Feb.<BR><BR>Birnbaums is great for pictures, The Unofficial Guide is wonderful for info. See if your local library has both.<BR><BR>Go to Orlando Trip Planner.Com to get height restrictions and tons of other info in an easy format to read. They also have discount info , message boards and more . http://www.orlandotripplanner.com<BR><BR>

Cindy: I'm thinking specifically of the first week of Nov because my kids have several days off that week for teacher work days and conferences. They will end up missing only 3 days that week. When you say the weather is lovely, can you be more specific? All the rental homes with private pools have a charge to heat the pools (per day or per week) and I'm wondering if we'll need to heat them at that time of year! Any insight?

Definitely use Sehlinger's Unofficial Guide to WDW. It offers great tips and rates the rides for the kids. I believe it also gives you the height restrictions. Been to WDW many times. The last 2 times I went with the family, I rented a condo and then a house with a pool. Both were great for our needs at the time. The management company I used was Brightstar Resorts. They are located on Highway 192 in Kissimmee, Fl. Was very satisfied with them. They have a 800 number and a website of their own. Unfortunately, I do not know what it is now. I'm sure you can do a search online and you'll find it. Just a note, beware of some rental units because they could be a timeshare. The last thing you want is to be bothered by sales pitches from those timeshares. Brightstar is a rental management company and does not do timeshares. Hope this helps you.

Karen, not to further confuse you, but my family has been to WDW twice in the past decade, and each time we found the book "Walt Disney World with Kids" to be an invaluable source of information. It offers advice for every ride, attraction, etc., geared to your child's age, including the height requirements, "scare" factor, etc. It also gives some sample itineraries for exploring the different parks. The woman who writes the book (it's updated every year, I think)is a Disney expert, has been there with her kids as babies through teenagers. She also gives excellent tips, again geared towards kids/families, and discusses restaurant menus, what's good for fussy eaters, etc. I don't think you can go wrong with this book!

Thanks for all the tips about ride restrictions. However,for the time being I'm still so terribly overwhelmed just at the prospect of booking accomodations, I can't get past that. Every time I think I've narrowed it down, someone throws out another option. Jan, thanks for the tip on Brightstar. I'll be checking them out next. So far All Star Homes sounds the best as it's houses are new and they're only 3 miles from Disney but they're the most expensive and I'd like to get a better comparison...

Karen: I know all of this can be very overwhelming. Whether you use Brightstar or not, my best advice is: Make sure you're dealing with a rental management company and not a timeshare. Once you've narrowed down the rental company that you intend to use (there are hundreds out there), contact the Better Business Bureau of that city -- whether it be Kissimmee or Orlando and find out if the management company is a company in good standing and that any and all complaints were rectified by the management company. Good luck!

Jan; I called Brightstar today and got good info although the rep I spoke with was a little short with me. The other company that sounds best (although more expensive) is All Star which is the one recommended by Deb (at wdwig.com). Part of me still wonders if I'm doing my children a disservice by not staying on site but I know the restaurant thing will become old before the week is out and I can't imagine being 3-4 miles away in a house would keep me from going back to the park at night. Here's a related question: do I have to pay for parking twice in one day if I come back to the same park that night?

I don't know anything about All Star. Just do some homework and research it out before you decide. We've been to WDW approx. 6 times throughout the years while my kids were growing up. Unless Disney's policies have changed, you only pay once for parking. You pay on that day and WDW gives you a receipt designated for that day only. If you leave the park, just make sure you don't lose that designated receipt because you need it to show proof that you were there that day to get back into the park. Our last visit was in summer of 2000. I don't policy the parking policy at WDW has changed since then.

The weather in Nov was about low 80's. One day was rather warm and I wish I had worn shorts to the park that day. Otherwise, I was comfortable in long pants and tshirts. <BR>We swam in the pool one day but I bet it was heated. It was ok swimming.