When I first found out that we were going to become parents, I made all this grand statements...my kids will never eat processed food, they will never have toys made of molded plastic, we will never succumb to Disney, etc. Well, like everything else (my kids have eaten..and completely enjoyed...Happy Meals and our playroom is filled with both wooden, educational and big, brightly colored plastic toys) I am caving on the Disney thing. While the idea of Disney somewhat offends me, as a Traveler, my kids are obsessed with Tigger and Pooh, the grandparents are spending the winter in Orlando and my husband suggested, oh, so gently, to get off my high horse and plan a trip. So, off to the Mouse we go. Here are my questions.....

We are going to stay at the Animal Kingdom Lodge as one of my guys is animal OBSESSED and would love it. We have club level rooms...has anyone stayed on the club level? Is the food worth it? I am hoping we can eliminate purchasing lots of other expensive food by eating breakfast, getting snacks, etc. from the club level.

Has anyone taken very active young boys (4, 4 and 5) to the Animal Kingdom? Is there enough for them to do or would another day at the Magic Kingdom be better?

Anything else I should know? I checked out disboards and allears and the others and so many of the posts had so many acronyms and short hand that I didn't understand most of it and hoped my trusted Fodors friends could show me the light.

Thanks.
Taitai

I think your boys will like the Animal Kingdom. The safari ride is fun and they will see a lot of animals. You may have to hold them on your lap(s) in order for them to see out of the vehicle.

They'll like the Lion King musical performance show. Try to sit near the floor and the dancers and performers may invite the kids to participate in the show. In this area (Camp Minnie/Mickey) there are several character greeting spots. You might find Pooh and Tigger here. Also there is a Pocohantas show for little kids with animals that your youngsters will probably like.

Do the boneyard dig (a huge sandpit with "fossils" to uncover). There is a huge climbing structure that they'll love. You may have to climb along side, especially with the 4 year olds.

Walk the forest trail to see the tigers and other animals.

The bird show (Flights of Wonder, I think it's called) is really good.

Take the train to conservation station and watch the keepers and vets work with the animals. Some people think this is a waste of time, younger children might like it more than my teenagers do now, but when they were younger, they did.

The parade is cute, the only thing is it is later in the afternoon and we haven't stuck around for it in a lot of years, but I'd imagine it's still fun.

I don't know if I would take kids your ages to "It's tough to be a Bug" as it has several scary and loud special effects that can be too much for some kids. Maybe if the kids weren't afraid of loud noises and the dark. I've been to many a show there where kids are screaming to be taken out.

As you can tell, I think you should spend a day at the Animal Kingdom. Since you're staying so close, you could go in the morning and then come back to the hotel for a rest/swim and then go back for the parade and anything else you missed without any hassle. The park tends to empty out in the early afternoon so you might find it quite enjoyable from 3pm and on. There are lots of little "nooks and crannies" that contain exhibits and animals that can be explored when it's less crowded.

I haven't stayed on the club level at the AK lodge, but I'm sure you'll like being able to get your breakfast and snacks etc. The lodge is great and the boys will love being able to see the animals right outside your balcony.

Don't stress about giving in to the lure of Disney. It's a really fun place to visit and your children will have a great time. Just ignore the fact that everything you see has an imprint of a mouse!

Lol, isn't that the truth--I've had to eat my pre-parenting words so many times in the past 18+ years, it's not even funny.

Even though your children are young, you'll have a great time doing all things Disney. Do you have in-park 'transportation' lined up? Our youngest was 5 the last time we were in Orlando and her little leges gave out about mid-afternoon. Good thing she was tiny since DH carried her on his shoulders pretty much the rest of the day!

It's been 10 years since we've 'done the mouse' so I have no expert advice. Have a great time!

Great tips from mollmatt!

I'd only add to do the safari ride as early in the morning as possible. The animals are more active and easier to see earlier in the morning.

Hey!!! What's wrong with WDW?

The only thing is that I think it's more for adults than kids.

Taitai, You'll love AKL. We stayed there in October with our daughter and loved it-your sons will love the animals right outside the hotel and make sure you ask at the hotel what activities they have for kids. Our daughter was only 18 mos so she was too young, but there were kids on a fossil hunt in the lodge one afternoon. The pool is great and there is a little playground area that was great for just burning off some steam in the afternoon before nap time. If you get a chance, try to eat a Jiko in the hotel one night with your husband-let the grandparents babysit-the food is outstanding and the South African wine selection is great-just make reservations ahead of time.

So much help, thank you all. My husband and I spent a month in Africa prior to having kids so I am a bit concerned about the "Disneyification" of the whole African safari experience BUT one of my guys sleeps with 7 different lions in his bed every night (stuffed, of course) and a book of our Africa photos under his pillow so the AKL is a must do. I will talk to my husband about going to the Animal Kingdom as well.

My big concern right now is all the character breakfasts and whether or not they make sense. Also, trying to find a schedule for the Chip and Dale singalong. Does anyone have thoughts on those?

Thanks again.
Taitai

Yeah, we all make promises before we have kids that turn out to be pretty unrealistic.
We haven't been to WDW in over 10 years, so I can't give any recent advice. However, make sure that your kids are comfortable with people dressed up in large costumes before you commit to a "character breakfast". There's nothing worse than spending all that money to find out that your child doesn't want that costumed character anywhere near him!

...and hopefully you can take your children to the real Africa when they are old enough to appreciate it. My 17-year-old son was just looking at some photos last night from the trip we made to South Africa in July and saying how wonderful, incredible, exciting, etc. it was. It made me happy that the trip meant so much to him and that I was able to give him that experience.

We've taken our 2 year old to Europe, WDW twice, Charleston and a few weekend trips in her short life. Disney makes it extremely easy on parents and I love them for it. I'm all for exposing kids to all sorts of things but kids are kids and the joy that our daughter shows when seeing a guy dressed up like Mickey Mouse or Donald Duck while I have a glass of wine and my husband has a beer is just great.

My parents went with my niece to Animal Kingdom not long after coming back from an African safari in Tanzania. My mom was struck by how similar the Disney safari was to the Tanzanian safari - the land rovers, the bumpy roads, the radio reporting game sightings, animals mixed together (e.g. Wildebeest and zebras together), etc... Of course, it was Disney-fied, but she was impressed by how much thought they put into it.

I agree with the others - take the kids to WDW and enjoy the ride. I am not big on Disney either, but I think a couple trips to Disney parks is part of a well-rounded childhood. Going to Disney is only really bad if that is the only sort of trips you take with your kids, never taking them to see anything "real"

Thanks to all for your terrific input...I really do appreciate it. A special thanks to those who are not mocking me for caving. We do have a huge list of trips we want to take with the guys and ALL of them are "real" to quote J Correa...rafting Grand Canyon, India, Inner China, Alaska, etc. In fact, our first choice was to take them to Taiwan for our spring trip but we just could not coordinate the dates with family and my husband's job so Disney it is!!! They really are so into Tigger and Pooh and Mickey and Minnie and might not be next year so strike while the iron's hot, I guess. An added bonus is that my parents are thrilled...last night my dad sent an email saying how clearly he remembers MY grandparents coming along during my first trip to Disneyland and how fun it will be for them to go and witness the guys seeing it for the first time. So, as long as I can mimic SWalter518 and have a glass of wine while they do it, I am in.

Once again, if anyone has any ideas on non-princess character breakfasts that are worth the planning and expense, I am very interested in hearing about them. Thought we would do one on one of our non-park, hang by the pool days.

Thanks again.
Taitai

Taitai, If you want a character meal outside of the parks with the Minnie/Mickey/Donald characters and decent food, check out Chef Mickey's at the Contemporary. There is also a Polynesian inspired one at O'Hanas in the Polynesian that supposedly has a great breakfast (I haven't been there so it's only 2nd hand info.) If you want Winnie the Pooh and friends, you have to go to the Crystal Palace which is inside the Magic Kingdom-my daughter almost came out of her skin with excitement at Chef Mickeys and the Crystal Palace (and literally came out of her shoes.) They handle it really well as the characters run a circuit so every character stops at every table at least once. Just a note, there is no wine at the Crystal Palace as the Magic Kingdom is dry!

P.S. Make sure you make reservations asap or you won't get them.

I have to tell you.

We only live 4 hours from WDW by car. My daughter and her husband decided to take their baby to WDW for her first birthday and asked us to come as well.

They went a day before to relax.

They made reservations for the character dinner. Tigger, Eyor (sp), Winnie, etc.

We expected it to be for us (the "adults") and not the baby.

Well, her favorite doll at the time was Eyor. You should have seen the look on her face when he(?) came over and posed with her. She held up her little version and had the biggest smile on her face. she definitely new there was a resemblance. I'm sure she really didn't understand what was happening and didn't remember much the next day. But she new something special was happening.

It was the week before Halloween and that evening was the Not So Scary Halloween Party. She couldn't keep her eyes off the Castle and their shows and when the parade started she was craning her head to get a better view and it was spinning in all directions.

There must have been some good to all that.

Nothing wrong with just having a good time.

I hear you Myer. We were just there in Dec. at the treat of my inlaws. Do I think my daughter will remember her trip-no. Will I remember how excited she was, absolutely. Just like I'll remember her smile on the carrousel at the Eiffel Tower last fall-it's the simple pleasures right!

Call 407-WDW-DINE for your dining reservations. I second the Crystal Palace idea, especially for your "Pooh-loving" family. They do breakfast, lunch or dinner buffets and the character interaction is really good. It's located in the Magic Kingdom so that wouldn't work if you wanted something to do on a non-theme park day, but, it would be a nice place for a meal while you were visiting Magic Kingdom, which is a MUST, in my opinion with your children in addition to Animal Kingdom.

It is critical that you make reservations for meals. Don't make the mistake and assume that you'll be able to walk into a restaurant and be seated immediately. Although you haven't said when you are going to be there, almost any time of year is busy these days and there are a lot of "savy" Disney patrons who plan for months and months. You have a party of 7 and you'll be much happier with a plan.

I recommend getting the "Unofficial Guide" and reading it throughly and follow it's advice. Really.

Keep the questions coming, we'll all try and help, I'm sure.

FYI, you can make reservations 90 days out and should. Mollmatt is right, especially for character dining.

Actually, you can make reservations, or ADR's 180 days out.

I would make ADR for Crystal Palace for lunch, that's the restaurant with Pooh & friends. It is a nice break after going on rides all morning.

My best tip is to go to the parks before they open. Take advantage of the early opening parks. You can get a lot of rides done with small lines before 10am.

Just in case you are interested, they have a kids club at Animal Kingdom Lodge. The children have to be 4 and potty trained. Just in case you are interested in a nice dinner somewhere without the kids. We have done this at the Polynesian. My kids loved it.

I have been to WDW several times in the last few years. We are actually going next week. If you have any specific questions, just ask.

Oh, the club level should be great. You also get bottled water there, and dessert and cordials in the evening. We had club level once at the Poly. The breakfast is very convenient.

Happy planning!!