[Question] Another WDW vs. DL post ;-)

[sandiegomousefan]

So....

Long time (and I mean 47 years of long) Disneyland regular going to WDW for the second time this February - first time with Disney son (7) and Disney Daughter (5). Staying at CRB.

Looking for any and all suggestions on KID-CENTRIC "not to be missed" stuff at the resort. The kids have been to disneyland FREQUENTLY. So the goal is to find stuff that is significantly "different" than DL and which they will find "magical". Oh and we live in San Diego and are members of the Zoo and Wild Animal Park.

Here is my list so far (in no particular order)

1) Typhoon Lagoon (son loves Waterparks and is a surprisingly strong swimmer for age)
2) Mini Golf
3) Rent a boat and go around lake(s)
4) Go over to POR and fish
5) Fantasyland expansion
6) Space and Test Track
7) Everest over at DAK and the 2 shows over there (assuming Lion King is still up)
8) Princess breakfast over at Norway in Epcot
9) Agent P game at Epcot
10) Studios - RnR Rollacoaster and hopefully getting son to brave Tower of Terror again (I _LOVE_ the Florida que)


What else? Anyone in our shoes and brought jaded DL vet kids across the country?

[goofy donald]

Re: Another WDW vs. DL post ;-)

So....

Long time (and I mean 47 years of long) Disneyland regular going to WDW for the second time this February - first time with Disney son (7) and Disney Daughter (5). Staying at CRB.

Looking for any and all suggestions on KID-CENTRIC "not to be missed" stuff at the resort. The kids have been to disneyland FREQUENTLY. So the goal is to find stuff that is significantly "different" than DL and which they will find "magical". Oh and we live in San Diego and are members of the Zoo and Wild Animal Park.

Here is my list so far (in no particular order)

1) Typhoon Lagoon (son loves Waterparks and is a surprisingly strong swimmer for age)
2) Mini Golf
3) Rent a boat and go around lake(s)
4) Go over to POR and fish
5) Fantasyland expansion
6) Space and Test Track
7) Everest over at DAK and the 2 shows over there (assuming Lion King is still up)
8) Princess breakfast over at Norway in Epcot
9) Agent P game at Epcot
10) Studios - RnR Rollacoaster and hopefully getting son to brave Tower of Terror again (I _LOVE_ the Florida que)


What else? Anyone in our shoes and brought jaded DL vet kids across the country?

they will love wdw, you wont have to worry about that. i would add:
i dont know if i would rent a boat but i would take the boat between dhs and epcot and the resorts and magic kingdom as well as port orleans and DTD, nice to see the sights and a great cooldown between parks for the kids
going to the boardwalk at night, there are live street performers and little carnival games its a really nice atmosphere
the new sorcerers of the magic kingdom game, think the agent p game at WS but way better and more advanced
50's prime time cafe, very fun interactive waiters and great home style food they will love
wishes and magic memories and you, what kid doesn't like giant fireworks and crazy tech that projects images on a castle the show is amazing only way to describe it
illuminations, similar to above also a great show
take them eating/drinking around the world, there is plenty of fun, great food for them to try that tastes great and opens them up to new experiences
try the safari as well, even though you guys go to the zoo a lot it may be a nice change for the kids to see them from a different setting and act like experts when the guide asks questions
also take them on attractions that are also back at home, you can make a fun little game out of it to see which one they liked better here or back home

most importantly take it slow while your there. they will appreciate it sooo much more if they have time to look around and absorb everything at their speed and not being rushed to do everything by a parent. just follow their lead and let them show you the way to a certain extent.

[JackTwo]

Re: Another WDW vs. DL post ;-)

So....

Long time (and I mean 47 years of long) Disneyland regular going to WDW for the second time this February - first time with Disney son (7) and Disney Daughter (5). Staying at CRB.

Looking for any and all suggestions on KID-CENTRIC "not to be missed" stuff at the resort. The kids have been to disneyland FREQUENTLY. So the goal is to find stuff that is significantly "different" than DL and which they will find "magical". Oh and we live in San Diego and are members of the Zoo and Wild Animal Park.

Here is my list so far (in no particular order)

1) Typhoon Lagoon (son loves Waterparks and is a surprisingly strong swimmer for age)
2) Mini Golf
3) Rent a boat and go around lake(s)
4) Go over to POR and fish
5) Fantasyland expansion
6) Space and Test Track
7) Everest over at DAK and the 2 shows over there (assuming Lion King is still up)
8) Princess breakfast over at Norway in Epcot
9) Agent P game at Epcot
10) Studios - RnR Rollacoaster and hopefully getting son to brave Tower of Terror again (I _LOVE_ the Florida que)


What else? Anyone in our shoes and brought jaded DL vet kids across the country?

My family is also longtime DLR vets (with two kids, ages 6 and 4) and we recently did the WDW trip. We tried to focus on things unique to WDW that you can't find at DLR. Some of the highlights were:

1) Honey I Shrunk the Kids play area at Disney Hollywood Studios.

2) Dinner at the Animal Kingdom Lodge followed by a trip to the back area where they let you use night vision binoculars (provided by the hotel for free) to see the animals in the grassland area next to the lodge.

3) As Southern California residents, we have been to the San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park in San Diego a bunch of times, but still found most of Disney's Animal Kingdom park really amazing. Some of the more notable attractions we enjoyed included Kilimanjaro Safari, Expedition Everest, Festival of the Lion King, Maharajah Jungle Trek, Pangani Forest Exploration Trail and the Boneyard play area. The Dinosaur ride is also fun, but might be too scary for the kids (think of Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland but substitute realistic looking dinosaurs jumping out at you).

4) If you are going during the holidays (which is when we went), a pretty amazing thing happens at night at Disney's Hollywood Studios called the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights which is a spectacular display of lit up buildings and structures in the Streets of America section including falling snow.

5) EPCOT is also cool because DLR has nothing like it. To make the World Showcase section of EPCOT more interesting for the kids, they have a kids passport that kids can get stamped at each country. At the passport location for each country, there are activities for the kids to do. The World Showcase also has a pretty decent Pirates of the Caribbean type of ride in the Norway area called Maelstrom. I recommend having dinner one night on the outdoor patio at the British restaurant in the United Kingdom area to watch the fireworks and light show on the lake.

6) For the most part, DLR has pretty much all of the attractions you can find at the Magic Kingdom so we didn't spend too much time there. Also, the versions of Space Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean, Buzz Lightyear and It's a Small World are not as good as the DLR versions. Obviously, we went before the Fantasyland expansion so that will probably be worth checking out. One attraction at Fantasyland we especially liked (which you can't find at DLR) is the Mickey's PhilHarMagic 3D show in Fantasyland. The Monsters Inc. comedy show in Tomorrowland was also fun. Also, they still have the PeopleMover at the Magic Kingdom! It's called the Transportation Authority or something like that.

Have an awesome time!