Beauty

[luvsstoshop]

Hello Friends!

We are taking our 5 Yr old to Disney November 2-6th, what advice do you have?

We are thinking either Disney Polynesian or the Animal Kingdom Lodge.. which one?

What are some things you wished you would have known? We are flying in instead of driving.

P.s Hubby nor I have ever been.. (we are just a little bit excited) LOL.

All comments welcomed!

Thanks!!

[JeanLouiseFinch]

It's been YEARS since we took our kids, but they REALLY enjoyed the Character Breakfast at MGM Studios. The food was pretty average, but when all the characters come around to greet you, the kids' faces light up with such excitement.

A friend of mine took her grand-daughter to a beauty shop kind of place at the park (can't remember the name), where they made up the little girl's hair, makeup, and dressed her in a Disney princess costume of choice. I don't know the cost, but she liked it a lot.

If you can get a pass that gives you access to all the parks over a several day span, you can come and go as it suits you rather than cramming everything into one day. We enjoyed going for a little while in the morning, leaving for a bit, and going back in the later afternoon.

Be prepared, the food in the parks is super expensive - captive audience, you know.

Have a blast!

[luvsstoshop]

Thank you Ms. Jean!!

We are super excited!

[tace28]

My kids loved eating a Chef Mickey's - Mickey, Minnie, Goofy and Donald Duck (I think), come around as you are eating and take pictures with the kids - it is a buffet style.

Also, at Cinderella's Castle, they have a breakfast where you can meet all the Princess (this is a sit down style).

The Magic Kingdom is a must for a 5 year old. Animal Kingdom was fun too - Epcot may be a bit much for a young child, as there is a lot of walking to do.

The beauty place that JEAN, spoke about is called Bippity Boppidy, Boo (Yes, I am sure that I didn't spell that right) - the girls get their hair and make up and nails done and there are different package prices. I believe that they also do something with boys too. They are located in two locations - Magic Kingdom and Downtown Disney -- suggest you make an appt.

Have a great trip -- ENJOY

[carol50]

We are taking our children and grand kids at the end of August. We booked our trip through our travel agent. We opted for the dinning plan and are staying at the Carribean Beach Resort. Disney issues each of you a wrist band that you use to enter your room, the parks and pay for whatever you may purchase. Once you land at the airport, they handle your luggage and transport you to your hotel. It is a wonderful experience.

[luvdoodles]

We stayed at the Polynesian both times we went when our girls were a younger. Just beautiful grounds. Get the concierge service. It is an up grade but will save you money in the long run. Huge breakfast buffet, hot and cold food and then around 3 or 4 the room opens up again for later after fruit, munchies, juice, water, soda and alcohol. All free, This holds you over till you are ready to have dinner. We just ended up grabbing a little snack for lunch in the parks. Really nice pool and a small beach. I would definitely stay there again. Have fun.

[Tinkrbl44]

You do realize you posted this in the Beauty section .... right?

[luvsstoshop]

Thank you so much!!!!

Keep them coming!!

And YES, TINKRB144, I know I posted it here in the beauty section. You can kindly skip over it, if you would like.

[MargieRJ]

As a Disney Vacation Club member I've been to WDW many times. There's so much there that your whole family will enjoy.

For resorts, the Polynesian is close to the Magic Kingdom and on the monorail circle that serves both the MK and Epcot. If those are the parks you will spend most of your time at it's a great, convenient choice. It's also a great location to watch the nightly MK fireworks from. One note though - there's construction occurring now at the Poly to add new Vacation Club accommodations.

The Animal Kingdom Resort is gorgeous and one of my Vacation Club "homes". Many rooms come with a savannah view so you can watch a variety of animals right from your porch. Kids really love that. There are other animal viewing locations throughout the resort, both at Jambo House (main area) and Kidani Village (smaller, quiet area). At Jambo House there are many children's activities held each day.

If you stay at a Disney Resort you should use the Magical Express to get to and from the airport. It's very convenient.

It's not too early to make some key dining reservations now. Many children love the special character meals and these book up really early. If you know of some you might be interested in, book them this week if spots are available. You can always cancel but it's safer to have the reservation now and not risk disappointment when you get to WDW.

Several websites offer a wealth of info, even if you book through a travel agent. Check out disboards, allearsnet and mousesavers to start.

[hfpint]

On 3/31/2014 Tinkrbl44 said:

You do realize you posted this in the Beauty section .... right?

TINKRLB44: And your point is???????

luvstosshop, you will have a great time!!! The Animal Kingdom lodge is great if you want to be able to see all the animals outside of visiting the AK park. The Polynesian looks great! I've always stayed at Pop Century, one of the value resorts. I'm going back in November for my birthday!

Is this going to be your 5 year old's first visit? Make sure to tell the cast member when you check in at the hotel and they will do a First Visit button. I definitely recommend getting the dining plan - Disney offers free dining plans at different times of the year so you may want to wait a little before making reservations to see if that will be the promo going on when you visit. I think the time frame you are visiting is right before the Christmas parties start - that's usually the first weekend in November.

Definitely plan a character meal for your child! Crystal Palace at Magic Kingdom is a buffet style and Winnie the Pool, Piglet, Eeyore and Tigger come around and visit and will take pictures with you. I went there for my birthday and they all signed a birthday card for me - too cute!!! Chef Mickey's is at the Contemporary Resort and is also a buffet. It's very good and several of the characters come around and greet the guests and take pictures with them, too.

A great website to check out is allears.net. They have the different restaurants listed and their menus, the different activities and the parks and the different hotels.

Enjoy your trip!!!