I'm a single dad taking my two daughter's and neice to Disney World 1/23 to 1/26. They are 7,8 and 10 about 4'tall. Please give me any ideas to make it a great trip for them. One other question, I'm arriving at Orlando Airport at 11:00p Tuesday night any suggestions on transportation to Disney World. I've heard it is difficult and expensive to get there and it might be better to rent a car.

I have taken the shuttles to my hotel in the past. Two years ago it cost $4 each to ride it. You will have to find out if it goes to your hotel.

You kids should be tall enough to go on all rides. If any get motion sick avoid the simulator rides like bodywars and starwars. If any are afraid of fast rides avoid splashmountain, spacemountain, thunder railroad, and tower of terror.

The workers at the parks are great and can help you alot. Just ask if the ride is fast, scary, rough, or too babyfied. They will be honest.

Plan on staying a whole day at Magic Kingdom, Epcot and MGM. Animal Kingdom is still very new and you can probably do it in 1/2 day. Go early then when AK closes you can hop to Magic Kingdom or Epcot, they both stay open late.

Buy a hopper pass, but don't try hopping around, it wastes alot of time. Only hop from a closed park to an open park.

Animal Kingdom and MGM close much earlier than Epcot and Magic kingdom. So after visiting AK and MGM you hop to EPCOT or MK, if you still have energy.

Food is very expensive. Bring snacks, let each kid carry a waste pouch with a few snacks in it, no chocolate, it melts. Eat breakfast before you get there. Eat a late lunch at the parks. Character restaurants are great. See the info already given on this by doing a search. Drinks cost $2.00 each, water is about $2.50 but you can get free water in cups at restaurants.

Drink alot of water and play in the water to stay cool. My daughter and I both have long hair. We keep it in a ponytail and soak it whenever we get hot.

Avoid long lines. Go to another ride without a line then come back later. Lines are short during the parades and firework shows. Get the fast pass. You can only get one at a time though. You will need to put you ticket in a machine near the ride and it will give you an admission time to return to the ride. You then only need to wait in line 15 minutes to get on.

All rides have a sign in front of them that says how long the wait is. This signs are pretty accurate. So if the line looks short but it says 45 minutes, don't think the sign is wrong. There is probably a line inside the building that you can not see.
Have fun!! Go on everything with the kids, WDW is great!!

sorry I was thinking that you were going in August. The weather should be nice in January. May be a little cool at night or rainy. Bring lightweight water-proof jackets. Also, you could rent a stroller and let the kids take turns pushing each other. The stroller is great for holding extra jackets, 1/2 finished drinks, etc. while on a ride. WDW is very safe. I have never had anything stolen from a stroller. But I'm not suggesting you can leave a $600 camera hanging on the handle for everyone to see. However, jackets, snacks, and disposable cameras are fine.

Also, you see lots of big kids in strollers. The parks are huge and the kids get tired.

Speaking of tired, if "YOU" want a nap these rides are long and relaxing so you can sleep while the kids enjoy (but you might want to watch also):
Doug live at MGM
Carrousel of Progress at Magic King
Presidents at EPCOT

Hi Guy:
Where are you staying? Do you have a hotel room or a villa or condo?
With three little girls and luggage you might be better off with a car especially arriving late in the Evening. If you are a AAA member you can usually get a good deal through Hertz. Cars are not too expensive to rent in Florida. You may find that there is an afternoon that you'll want to leave and do something else like Universal or SeaWorld so having a car with give you the freedom to do just that. Have a great trip!

Hello Guy,
I worked at Disney for 3mos on the college program back in 98. If you're looking for a fun character breakfast with food for everyone, check out the options at the Contemporary. They have a buffet, so you can get a little or a lot for everyones tastes.

The character breakfast though at the MK castle with the prnicesses is great as well.

For a bit more excitement, the food at the Polynesian Ohana restaurant is great, although maybe out of the range for kids. I don't remember if they have kids stuff, but I'd check.

Definetly, the parks food is expensive.
Depending on where your staying, try to eat outside the parks.

One suggestion, when you get to the parks,,,,start at the furthest end and work your way to the front. You'll beat a bunch of the inital crowds as they all stop at the entrance and first attractions of the parks.

AK, it's best to go on the Kilamajaro Saffari jeep ride first thing in the morn when it's still cool, for many of the animals normal habits are to sleep during the day.

Sorry to ramble.
Have a great time.

Deb Wills website recommends Tiffany towncar, Mears Shuttle service also goes to WDW. If you are staying on WDW property, really don't need a car, but if you rent one the roads are fairly easy to navigate. When you get to parks, check out TIP BOARD located near front of park - with show times, rehabs, friendly cast members there. Talk to them! & check out height restrictions to avoid disappointments. ALSO BE SURE TO LOCATE Guest services - child care areas. It is a delightful quiet oasis that anyone can retreat to & rest for a while if you just need a short break without going back to hotel.
Don't Miss: AK - Safari ride, conservation station (you ride a train to get there) kids will love interaction with animals, Lion King show - sit up front, TARZAN show, Tough to be a BUG movie. Go ahead, splurge & eat at Rainforest Cafe when park closes -either here or at Downtown Disney.
in MGM: younger kids may be too short for Rockin Roller Coaster, but all should be able to do Tower of Terror - it is lots of fun! Beauty & Beast show, Little Mermail show, Star Tours, Muppets. Eat at Sci-Fi Dine-in, pricy but fun, tables are in cars.
MK: Train ride, all rides in Fantasy Land, esp Haunted Mansion, Country Bear Jamboree, all kids should be tall enough to ride Splash Mountain (the best!) & Space Mountain (a old favorite), & Big Thunder Mountain. Eat at Cosmic Ray's - prices not too bad & you can see robotic entertainment. Also everything in Future World is great fun!
Epcot: Ask at tip board if there are any demos at country pavilions of special interest to kids - best thing my kids saw last summer was Japanese candy artist, very entertaining - get times & details. Spaceship Earth, Test Track (get Fasttrack pass if line is long), Living Seas, the Land pavilion - eat here either in food court downstairs or at buffet upstairs, depends on what kids like to eat, rides in Norway, Mexico pavilions, time it so you see whatever demos interest you at national pavilions. Get to parks EARLY, see what you want, then retreat to hotel. At Downtown Disney the LEGO store is great fun & has outdoor play area with THOUSANDS of legos, go there just to let kids see all the structures around the store made of Legos - Sea Monster in lake even!
I LOVE WDW! - Can you tell?

Everything that people say is right.I was there in Dec. We were 5 people so we rented a car. The nice part was that we were able to stop for a 1/2 hour to go food shopping . We were able to bring food to our rooms. That made it easy for breakfast. We all had a wonderful time and the girls were 6 and 10... went and did everything...

Everyone's comments seem to be accurate and full of good suggestions.

One personal comment on Conservation Station: when we were there, the only animals we could touch were goats. It was pretty disappointing. It is still worth the train ride and walk to get there, just don't expect to cuddle with panda bears or anything.

The suggestion of Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe was a super idea. I really enjoy it, but you'll need to find a table in the room where "Cosmic Ray" is performing or else it just seems like any other restaurant.

Character breakfasts are a great idea. The girls will definitely remember it, but keep in mind that the total for the four of you to dine there will be around $50 for one meal. Personally, I'd rather grab a quick bite at the hotel and save the time at the parks for rides and shows.

"Tough to be a Bug" at Animal Kingdom is an awesome show, but then again I am an adult. My daughter was 8 when we saw it and she hid behind my back, screaming, the entire time. She finally forced me to leave the theater before the show was over. Many other families were doing the same thing. It's a very intense 3-D movie. On the map to the park, the movie has the symbol next to it denoting that "The special effects in this presentation may be too intense for children and some adults." You'll be the best person to determine whether the girls will be able to handle it.

On the subject of transportation, I always rent a car. It's just so convenient.

I have an idea Guy..and I'm serious. In order to make it more fun.. Take ME!

The kids are going to have a lot of their own ideas about what to do. Have them look at a map or guidebook in advance and pick the two things at each park that they absolutely MUST do. You might be surprised at the things they have their hearts set on. It will really help to plan your visit; you can concentrate on logistics and know that you won't hear "But I REALLY wanted to see Lion King and you didn't take us" on the ride home!

My family with kids ages 8, 14, and 17 have done all the character breakfasts over the past 13 years, but recommend the character dinners at Chef Mickey's at the Contemporary or 1900 Park Fare at teh Grand Floridian. You have much more time in the evening to enjoy and you won't be stuffed while touring the parks.

Mears or was it Bears transportation, the best price, it's always easier to let someone else do the driving, in a foreign place. Keep going out the airport doors and you will find the ticket booth, located outside and they are much more reasonable then a cab. I have used it twice before and happy with
the servioe.