Disney tips for going with kids, what are your must haves!?

[giantwaterbottle]

Going with two DC, ages 3 and 5. Do we need a buggy? Anything we should really book? Any tips welcome please!!

Yes you need a buggy, even for the five year old, you can hire big stroller things when you are there

Definitely need a buggy and something (like a scarf to tie on the handle indicating it's yours). It used to be cheaper just to buy one when you got there, but now it's better to bring one from home.

You also need to have booked parks and meals in advance and have some sort of plan what you want to do when you get there. Which rides your children will want to do and which ones are too scary or they aren't tall enough for.

Oh and lots of money!

Thanks for the info. Thinking I'll have to buy a double one here (cheap) but what a pain 🙈
Sort of dreading it tbh!

Hand held, rechargeable fans! Honestly the best thing I've ever bought for myself for a florida trip, let alone kids!

Take reusable straws, as the paper ones are useless. You will definitely need a buggy, a double.

I took my kids at that age and a buggy with buggy board was ok.
Book fast pass rides in advance and also if you want to do princess experiences. We couldn't get into the castle but we did lunch with the princesses in Epcot I think it was. It was well worth it.
Go early for opening if you can. Buying multi entry passes are good as you can go in and out and do multiple parks in the same day. We stayed off site but had to drive in every day which is fine but you pay extra for parking.

Just googled the website we used which was super helpful.

www.undercovertourist.com/orlando/walt-disney-world-resort/

Also buy Disney entry tickets here as they are cheaper for tourists than buying there (they were for us and I think it still stands).

The website has advice on which parks on which day. For example, most people go to magic kingdom on the first day of their holiday as it's the main park but leave it to later in the week when the crowds have moved onto other parks

Thanks so much for the tips. Will look at buggy with buggy board @sizeofahippo , great tip! Thinking 5 year old won't need to nap surely...as in buggy nap anyway

Lots of the younger ones wear dress up costumes. We have a lovely photo of DD2 as Snow White meeting Snow White. So if you have costumes pack one each.

When are you going? Think about what your kids will enjoy most. We're just back and spent more time in waterparks than I expected (it was unseasonably warm!). The kids enjoyed them more than trudging around the dry parks in the heat. They'll be included in your tickets if you have the UK 14 day ones.

Get a subscription to touringplans.com, think carefully about what attractions you'll want to visit, and have a plan for each day. At your kids' ages, I'd say they'll enjoy Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom the most. You might want to invest in Genie+ for a day in Magic Kingdom for some of the rides; the queue for Peter Pan, in particular, can be very long for such a small-child-friendly ride.

Check out the food options in advance and have a plan for that, too. Use mobile ordering wherever it's available, it's a godsend. Try to eat outside of peak mealtimes if you want a chance at getting a table in a quick service restaurant.

Bring water bottles to the parks and refill them at drinking fountains, which you'll find outside most restrooms. We did that for three weeks solid and saved a fortune, we were really thirsty all the time and park drinks are crazy money.

Snacks will probably help in queues, and if you're staying after dark, glowsticks to play with.

Your 5 year old may very well nap; between jet lag, heat, excitement and exercise, there were days when my 12 and 11 year olds would have napped if I'd had a buggy!

You can no longer book fast passes in advance. You can only book them on the day with genie +.

Rent a stroller, so much easier!
I did, it was delivered to our hotel and collected. Lots of options. Look on here - I can't recommend enough.

disney-magic.kingdomstrollers.com/

We’ve been with those ages, didn’t take a stroller and used one that was provided in our villa - but wished we’d taken our baby jogger as you really need a one handed push for an older/heavier child! Cheap pushchairs as so heavy going at that age. I think either swapping over/sitting on each others laps if you can get a single baby jogger and possibly renting for the day on top if you’re staying late would definitely beat the huge inconvenience of lugging a double stroller around all day that won’t be used most of the time. If your kids are anything like mine there’s no way they’d waste time spent at Disney doing something as mundane as napping 🤣 we’ve never managed to stay really late though as jet lag means fireworks etc just don’t work for us yet (9 and 6 last time we went).

Id take water bottles and either take or buy there the little squeezy squashes (huge selection in Walmart/publix). Stock up on snacks at Walmart/publix.