MollMatt and luv2plan have give you great advice. Personally, I love WDW but am not a fanatic. Your kids' joy will make it all the better. But also be ready for meltdowns.

Love a reservation for early lunch at Crystal Palace. Nice to sit down in the middle of a Magic Kingdom Day.

DEFINITELY buy and read Unofficial Guide. Follow the routes. You won't regret it. And your guys are young enough to be able to get them moving early in the morning.

I would suggest NOT getting an autograph book and big pen for the characters to sign (I know I may be bombed for this). IT's just that kids can get crazed about getting certain autographs and you end up wasting time on lines. All of the characters are happy to shake hands, etc. even without the autograph book.

Enjoy! But advance planning will definitely make it a better, more relaxed experience.

I stand corrected on the ADR (advance dining reservations) time period-no wonder I couldn't get my first choice last time! Also at AKL, make sure you talk to the animal guides standing out by the viewing areas. They are very knowledgable and are mostly African natives who are interesting to talk to even not about the animals.

Once again, thanks so much for all the advice, I really appreciate it and I UNDERSTAND it unlike all the lingo and abbreviations that pepper the disboards forums. I have called the Disney dining number and made some reservations and am happy to report I got what I wanted EXCEPT the Chef Mickey breakfast. However, I am tenacious and if I could get them off the wait list for the preschool, this should be nothing.

I am trying to find some type of schedule for the activities at the AKL but can't seem to locate one. I appreciate the suggestion of the kids club but one way my life is super charmed is that I have an au pair so our child care needs, between the grandparents and the nanny, are totally set. Might even try that no kids place one night although maybe that goes against the spirit of the trip......

Thanks again for all the advice...I really, really appeciate it. If anyone has any other words of wisdom, I will happily lap them up.

Taitai

I forgot to mention my thought on character breakfasts.

I prefer to be in the parks with the shortest lines in the morning, rather than sitting at a breakfast which can take an hour. Just my humble opinion. Especially if you are club level, you already have breakfast ready for you.

Again, happy planning!

Your parents (or parents in-law) might really enjoy having the kids to themselves, while you have dinner somewhere. Or touring Epcot for a few hours. The kids may be worn our by early evening by day two or three anyway. See how it goes.

When are you going & for how long?

Don't be surprised if you come back even HAPPIER than the kids are and you know what, there's absolutely nothing wrong with that, despite what "friends" have said or implied.

The Chip and Dale sing a long is at Ft. Wilderness. My unofficial guide says it's done nightly, but at different times depending on the season. It is a free activity for resort guests and they show 2 Disney movies as well. Call the dining reservation line for more info or call Ft. Wilderness directly.

I assume you will have a rental car? If not, be aware that traveling via Disney transportation can be very time consuming when trying to get to places other than the 4 theme parks. You won't be able to get on a bus at the AK Lodge and stay on it to get to Ft. Wilderness or any other resort for that matter. You'd have to transfer and I'd bet your looking at an hour there and back to Ft. Wilderness from the Lodge. Just something to consider....hopefully, you'll have your own car.

Make sure you get a property map from the hotel front desk or from the valet guys. There are so many roads and routes to get around and while it's well marked, it can be tricky driving. The signs and exits have a way of creeping up on you, especially if your excited and looking at everything around you.

disney offers people staying on the concierge level at the animal kingdom lodge the ability to take a sunrise safari ride in the animal kingdom. definitely take advantage of that. you are the only ones in the park and the animals are most active early in the morning.

Taitai, I second the thought that the grandparents might like the kiddies to themselves for a night, especially if they haven't seen them all winter. My inlaws were thrilled to have our daughter for a night, she was thrilled to have ice cream AGAIN and stay up late (7:30 for her is late!) and we were glad to have a date night. Even if you don't get dinner, there is a nice bar off the lobby (its kind of hidden-it's to the right as you walk in) that has a similar if not identical wine list.

As for the kid activity schedule, you might have to call the resort directly. The resort phone number is on the specific resorts' web page.

I haven't read everyone else's replies to your post, so I may be repeating some stuff here, but here are my thoughts . . .

We just returned from Disney a week ago, and I can honestly say it is one of my favorite family vacations. We don't have many Disney toys or movies at home, and we didn't even know who some of the characters were, but we all loved every minute of our Disney vacation.

At Animal Kingdom, you must do the safari ride. Also, be sure to catch the Lion King performance and the Nemo performance. The Nemo performance was worth the price of admission alone.

The best meal we had the entire trip was at Animal Kingdom Lodge at Jiko. It is the only restaurant at Disney where I didn't feel like I was at Disney. It was actually dark, quiet and had a wonderful menu and wine list. (One hint - we booked our reservation for 6:30 p.m. thinking we would spend the day at Animal Kingdom then head to the lodge for dinner. However, Animal Kingdom closes at 5:00 p.m., so we had 1 1/2 hour with nothing to do but wander around the Lodge. Keep this in mind if you are staying elsewhere but eating at Animal Kingdom.)

At MGM (which, by the way, is now called "Hollywood Studios" - something which would have been helpful to know when we couldn't find the bus to "MGM" and ended up spending $20 on a cab!), your boys will like the Disney Playhouse and also the Raiders of the Lost Ark show.

Epcot is our favorite. My daughter loved the World Showcase (and so did we - it serves alcohol!) We bought her a "passport" at the first stop, and she enjoyed getting it stamped in each "country". She also enjoyed Soarin' over California and Test Track (your boys might be too little for the rides, but the parents should take turns sitting with the kids and riding Soarin' - it is amazing!) You definitely should do the Nemo ride at Epcot and make sure to go to "Turtle Talk" (to the left after you exit the Nemo ride). It is hilarious and your boys will love it!

At Magic Kingdom, make sure you ride Buzz Lightyear, Winnie the Pooh, Peter Pan (get a fast pass for this) and don't miss Mickey's Philharmagic and the Monster's Inc. laugh floor.

And, whatever you do, make your dining reservations asap! The restaurants book up early. As I mentioned earlier, we loved Jiko. Our other favorite meal was California Grill in the Contemporary. Try to book your reservation for around 7:30 p.m. because it has a bird's eye view of the Magic Kingdom fireworks that start at 8:00.

One more thing - If you are planning on riding "Disney's Magical Express" to your resort from the airport, just know that it will take a loooong time. The idea is great - you put special stickers on your bags, and Disney gets them from the baggage claim for you and brings them to your hotel. In the meantime, you are in a big bus going to your hotel watching a infomercial on Disney during the ride. However, by the time we stood in line to get on our bus, and the bus stopped at all the resorts (ours was last), it was 1 1/2 hours before we made it to our resort. And, your luggage can take up to 3 hours to arrive at your hotel. Not good if you are arriving at midnight and need your pj's! We agreed we would have rather hired a driver, retrieved our own bags, and driven straight to the resort.

When you arrive at your hotel, ask the front desk for a list of the special events at the parks - this will tell you the "magic hours" (the days and times you can get in early and/or stay late as a guest of a Disney resort). This is worth doing! Also, some resorts have a list of "hidden Mickeys" - this is a fun thing to do while you are waiting in line. Disney employees have hidden Mickey Mouse profiles all over the parks, and it is fun to try to find them.

I'm sure I've left a ton of stuff out, but that is what pops into my mind right now! You really will have a wonderful time - the smile on your kids' faces will be worth every penny that you could have spent on a trip to Europe : )

My boys - 3 and 5 - love the roller coasters at the Magic Kingdom (Splash Mountain, Big Thunder, not Space Mountain) and could have stayed on them all day. Really. I think the ages of your kids are perfect for the parks, even Epcot. At MGM, they love the car stunt show, which is not my cup of tea, and the great interactions with characters like Lightning McQueen and Monsters, Inc. Soarin at Epcot was also a favorite for adults and kids. Really a nice ride.

Enjoy Disney with your family - truly, they will be nice memories. The beauty of all travel is that it's not mutually exclusive. You can have fun at Disney and still appreciate Florence

There are good suggestions
at disboards.com and mousesavers.com
Have a great trip.

I don't know if anyone has suggested it yet, but try to have a meal at the Whispering Canyon Cafe. It is in the Wilderness Ledge, which is located near the Magic Kingdom. You go in the parking lot like you are going to the MK, and then there are signs that will take you to the Lodge. You will pass by the Contmeporary hotel on your way. This is by far my favorite restaurant to eat at within Disney grounds! They offer all meals (breakfast is served "family-style" - large plates to your table and everyone helps themselves) but dinner is the best! They have bandanas for napkins which the servers will come and tie on you or make a "hat" out of them for all of you. I asked for a refill on a soda and they brought me a giant glass with an 18" long straw! The waiter said to "take it easy". If you need ketchup, sugar, etc. your server will announce to the room that "this table needs ___" and people from all over the restaurant will bring it to you. We ended up with 12 bottles of ketchup! So of course when the call went out the next time my kids loved taking all those bottles to those folks! Also at dinner time (don't remember them doing this at b-fast) about every 20-30 mins they announce that the "Pony Express" is coming thru. Near the front is a barrel filled with stick-horses; all the kids who want to participate go up front and have to say a pledge (something along the lines of "I promise to mind my parent, eat my vegetable and not pick my nose") then off they go around the restaurant. Everyone else is encouraged to wave their bandanas in the air! THe kids each get a certificate statingt hey are a member of the Pony Express. My kids still talk about it! Also another treat not to be missed if you are going to ride the Monorail ( I am assuming they still do this) is to ask to ride up front. You may have to wait but it is a real treat to ride up front with the "pilot" and they give you a card saying you are an honorary Monorail Pilot. Whatever you do, enjoy your trip. I am sure you will be hooked!

Hope this link works. It takes you to Steve Soare's web site, that lists the times of all the shows and entertainment at the parks. It is updated on the Saturday before the next week. If you look now, it will give you a general idea of what happens when.

http://pages.prodigy.net/stevesoares/index.htm

Are you ONLY taking your kids to Animal Kingdom? My kids are 17, 15 and 12 and they STILL like Magic Kingdom best. We aren't really big fans of Animal Kingdom, but there is plenty to do your first time.

Taitai - I had all the same feelings you did about taking our children to Disneyworld and although they loved it and would have gone back over and over, I never lost my feeling that it was just a big waste of time and money. That having been said, the smiles on your kids faces will blow you away and at ages 4 and 5 they won't really remember much of any vacation they take. The one recommendation that I would make that I didn't see was to take your children to the Hoop De Doo Review. Our children thought it was the highlight of their trip and they each have pictures on their bedroom walls of them at the Hoop de doo Review playing the washboard with an eating utensil. The event isn't cheap, but your kids will laugh the entire time and remember it for years to come.

taitai -

I had to laugh because it sounds like you could be related to me. My BIL adamantly stated that he would NEVER take my nephew to a Disney park because he would rather take him skiing or something. My sister didn't really share his complete aversion to Disney, but she was willing to play along.

Last October my sister and I had to make a short business trip to the Anaheim area and decided to visit Disneyland for a day or so. We took the kids and my BIL wanted to tag along - I think he realized how much my nephew would love it. Turned out he couldn't join us, but when he heard from my sister and saw the pictures at how much my nephew loved it, he's planning a trip this coming October to Disneyland so he can have the experience with his son.

Don't forget that by staying at an onsite property, you're able to take advantage of the "extra magic hours" - every day one park opens an hour earlier and another stays open 3 hours later for Disney guests. Depending on when you visit, it really might be to your advantage to go early - less crowded, not as hot.

All the acronyms at disboards does take some time to deciper (I still haven't figured it all out yet) - but it's been extremely helpful to me in planning my trip to WDW in June. Some of those people there are real Disney experts.

Father of a very active young boy here. Good advice above, except that with your young kids I'd avoid trying to follow the Unofficial Guide's tours. Learn how to use FastPass, pick just a few must-do targets for each park visit, and otherwise try to relax.

Also, I'd recommend bringing or renting strollers with your age kids. There is a LOT of walking involved in a Disney World visit. The stroller(s) give the kids a break and help you keep them focused when you are trying to get from one place to another. Check out the multi-day stroller rental discount. And remember once you have paid for a stroller rental for one day you don't have to pay again if you switch parks that day.

I am a Brit who celebrated her 40th Wedding Ann. at Disneys Animal Kingdom with Grandchildren aged 4 & 5 and rest of family.

It was wonderful, we all loved the hotel, staff and food very good. The Animal Kingdon is a must as is the Lion King show there.

Do lots of research, the Foders book is excellant, and book specials in advance. I would recommend the evening boat cruise to see the fireworks at Epcot. Put the kids to bed in the afternoon and book the entire boat, sit back and enjoy.

Wow. Thanks again for all the advice. Where were you people when I was trying to plan our Peru trip???? I think have most of the trip fairly well thought out and planned...special thanks to those who suggested Tourguidemike...that has been a great resource. I have two character meals reserved and while I didn't get my absolute first choice times, I did okay. I have two nights where I have no reservations anywhere and am trying to figure out what to do then. Probably do the Chip and Dale singalong one night. The Epcot boat for fireworks is an interesting idea for the second night. Thanks for that suggestion. My husband is completely baffled at the amount of time I am putting into planning meals when we don't leave for a while but I explained to him that I am already 110 days LATE in booking stuff. This is NOT the Disney of my childhood.

The last poster who suggested renting a stroller presented an intriguing idea. Had not thought of needing a stroller...my guys have not used one in several years and we just gave all four that we had away. Will need to talk to my husband about that.

What did people do in terms of lost kids? My guys know their phone number and our cell numbers but am wondering if I should pin our info onto the inside of their clothes. What have others done?

Thanks again to everyone who has taken the time out to share their thoughts and advice. I very much appreciate all of it.

Taitai

If you haven't already made a dinner ADR for Whispering Canyon Cafe in the Wilderness Lodge, you might want to consider doing an early dinner there and taking the boat over to Ft. Wilderness and catch the Chip and Dale sing-a-long.

Wilderness Lodge is really cool inside and the restaurant is fun for kids, especially boys who will get a big kick out of the stick horse race and the antics of the waitstaff.

Also, to get to the boat launch at Wilderness Lodge, you walk by their pool and their version of Old Faithful. It's pretty neat, even if it is kinda cheesy. The boys would probably like it alot...

Call Ft. Wilderness and find out