Traveling to Orlando (Disney World, Kennedy Space Center, and more) with two kids (4 and 2 1/2)

We had an opportunity to take the family to Florida and Disney World – years before I ever thought we would.  My Father–in-Law attended a convention in Orlando, and we turned it into a large family vacation.  It was great!  We met up with my in-laws and my sister-in-law and her family and stayed in a beautiful condo complex with units that were rented by the week.  

We spent a day at the Kennedy Space Center, Disney World’s Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom, and nights at Downtown Disney and the Boardwalk. 

There was live music frequently at the Boardwalk and Downtown Disney - 
and impromptu dance parties were DEFINITELY encouraged

Kennedy Space Center:

Kennedy Space Center was ~45 minutes away from our condo, which worked out perfectly for making sure the kids got their naps in during one of the legs of the drive.  I was a huge space fan as a kid and was not disappointed by the great outdoor rocket garden, launch simulator, abundance of scientists to speak with and accessible exhibits about future lunar living. 

Highlights:

• The kids were in awe of the various rockets and vintage capsules.  We saw – and were able to experience firsthand – how scrunched the astronauts were as they sat upside-down for the launch process. 
• There is a fantastic rocket themed playground where the kids could run and climb.
• We were able to tour a giant shuttle, and see inside the cargo bay and minute living quarters.  There was a giant ramp that my big boy enjoyed racing up, and a stroller friendly elevator as well.

The living quarters inside the space shuttle.  Behind us, the cargo bay was enormous!

• My 4 year old was tall enough to go in the launch simulator (not so his little brother) so he and his Dad went through the experience and came home with fantastic photos in space suits.  Zach was actually convinced he went into space. 
• There was a lot of space for my 2 year old to run around and play while we waited for the other half of our family to make their way through the launch simulator.  We returned to the rocket garden, visited the exhibits, and drove Elijah’s cars (never leave home without them!) around a tree whose seed had been to the Moon and back.
• The gift shop had a lot of educational items, and we left with space teddy bears, that were a big hit at show and tell when we returned to New York.

Disney World/Animal  Kingdom:

In a single sentence – I was blown away by Disney’s attention to detail and ease of use at the Animal Kingdom Park.    The entire Park was unbelievably clean.  It became a running joke with my sister in law that there was no garbage … anywhere.  Perhaps there were secret sensors in the pavement to alert the cast members the instant litter hits the ground for instantaneous removal. 

Some neat tips:

• Kids under 3 are free!  We had a bit of sticker shock as our extended family of 10 entered the park together. So nice that I had the free kid ; ) 
• We also found a “Super Target” near our condo and stocked up on fresh deli sandwiches, water, crackers, and other snacks to last us through  the day.  Once we were inside the park, we barely spent any money – and didn’t have to wait on food lines when the kids got hungry. 
• The Super Target also had a great Disney apparel, stuffed animal, and other assorted gifts section.  We didn’t buy any souvenirs within the park, and made all of our present purchases and remembrances for the kids at Target for far less.
• We rented a double stroller inside the park.  It spared us having to take our stroller on the crowded tram, and it was large enough for both kids to nap in (ha – should they have wanted to miss a moment of the Park) and came with a huge shelf and pocket area for storage.  There was also a sun shade which came in handy.

We went on a Sunday in late October and found the park to be full, but not too crowded.  We could move around with ease, and didn’t need to use the Fast Pass option on the Kilimanjaro Safari.  This ride was fantastic.  The kids loved getting so close to the animals, with various deer coming right up to the vehicle.  We saw a family of giraffes, elephants (including  a baby), zebra, lion, gazelle, Okapi, birds, alligators, and other animals the kids recognized. 

There was a “campgrounds” section to the Park where the kids could meet many of the Disney characters (in Safari outfits) – Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, and Chip (or Dale) were all on-site in shaded huts, with additional characters walking around.  We made it to Mickey and Minnie, with my little one fascinated and in love, until we got within 10 feet of Minnie and the fear set in.  So, Mommy hugged Minnie instead. M big boy made a best friend for life.

We attended the Lion King and Finding Nemo musical shows.  Both were fantastic, Cirque de Soleil meets Broadway caliber productions, and 30 minutes each (perfect for our kids’ attention spans).  There were some very large (possibly even two stories tall) animatronic animals (Simba, Pumbah, a giant elephant, and a giraffe) and the visual acrobatic spectacle was too much for my 2 ½ year old at first.  He was in a bit of a panic, but we learned that covering his eyes while he sat on my lap helped him ease into show.  When he was ready, he removed my hands so he could watch as well, and at time would put them back over his eyes when it all became too much.  My 4 year old was in absolute love!  My husband and I were impressed with the whole thing.

The Nemo show was a fantastic musical utilizing a lot of puppetry techniques (everything from a very large to a very small scale).  The theater is located in the Dinosaur area of the Park, with rides, games, and an excavation site.  There were rides for small kids, big kids, and adults – and the flying Triceratops were a huge hit.

We took in a midday parade along the central walkway, enjoyed  the monkeys and other animals at the Park Entrance, and capped the experience by watching –and then dancing – in the Disney Character’s Good-bye show at the Park Exit as the Park closed.  Zach jumped right in and Conga-ed his way with the dancers, singers, and other kids.  My boys were bone tired by the end and fell asleep in the car on the way back home.  The day was a wonderful memory.  I had never planned to take the boys to Disney until my youngest was at least 5 or 6, as I don’t think the kids will have “lifelong” memories at a younger age.  They definitely won’t remember all of the details – but my husband and I definitely made some memories watching our kids have the time of their life.

Magic Kingdom:

We went to Animal Kingdom on a Sunday and found the crowd level to be very manageable.  This gave me high hopes for visiting the Magic Kindgom on a Monday.  Boy, was I wrong!  I’ve worked in Rockefeller Center and on Broadway in New York City – and never in my life saw the like of the crowds we saw at the Magic Kingdom.  Again, the Disney Customer Service team was doing a great jobs.

This time, getting to the park from our off-site lodging was much more involved.  At Animal Kindgom, we were able to park and take a tram form the parking lot to the park entrance in a matter of minutes.  Getting to the Magic Kingdom park entrance from our car took well over an hour.  After the short tram ride from the parking lot to the Monorail station, we waited on line to get on a monorail, and then had a bit of a walk from the monorail to the park entrance.  We rented strollers inside the park again, but the walk to and from the monorail was so long, I wished I had had a stroller with us to ease the load.  (My kids are tall and a combined 80 lbs.).

I recommend doing the most popular rides early.  We were able to practically walk on to Pirates of the Caribbean (perfect for all ages), except that the ride stopped and they turned everyone away, as we were about the enter the inner lines.  Big Thunder Railroad was right nearby, but as we were with portions of the family, I didn’t have another roller coaster going adult with us to take all the interested kids.

Highlights:

• The boys loved the hourly parade in the main square outside Cinderella’s castle (we sat through it twice over the course of the day) and also really enjoyed the performance with the famous characters on the steps of Cinderella’s Castle. 

• The kids danced as the brass band played (we caught them in Frontier Land) and a crowd gathered to cheer them on.

• We went to the Monster’s Inc. Laugh fest.  You can text in jokes from your kids and a few will be read during the show.  Zach’s favorite joke made the cut and he couldn’t believe it when they announced the joke from Zachary in NY.
• The whole family enjoyed the Buzz Light Year ride in Tomorrow Land as well, and the kids enjoyed turning our cars and taking target practice at the Evil Emperor Zurg’s minions.
• Fantasy Land is home to It’s a Small World, a Carousel, the Dumbo and Peter Pan rides, and other little kids fare.  Elijah stayed with his Dad and cousin while Zach and I and his uncle used our fast passes on Space Mountain.
• Zach at 4 was tall enough to go on Space Mountain, and I took him on his first roller coaster ride while at Disney.  I grew up in California and had been to Disney Land with my family.  I had great memories of sitting next to my grandfather on Space Mountain and couldn’t wait to have a similar experience with my son.  
• One KEY difference between the Space Mountain rides at Disney Land vs. World.  At Disney World, we sat single file, one in front of the other, and you don’t see the roller coaster cars until you are well inside the ride.  Luckily, Zach (somehow) went for it and had a great time.  I kept reaching behind me to hold his leg or knee in case he got scared, but he didn’t need the moral support.  At the end of the ride, he told me he had a great time, and kept trying to tell me while we were on the ride, but I kept screaming too loud to hear him!
• We made a second attempt (this time it worked) at Pirates of the Carribean and spent the time on line teaching my 2 year old pirate phrases.  The result was utter hilarity.  He growled  “Arrrg,” “Shiver me Timbers,” “Ahoy Matey,” “Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum” and “walk the plank” to our amusement for the entire duration of the line. 
• The kids didn’t nap that day and managed to make it all the way through the day.  We took in The Electrical Parade, which was the exact same parade I remembered seeing when I was a little girl.  We got front row “seats” because we saw the parade line on the ground in Frontier Land as we were exiting Adventure Land.  We grabbed a space, they Dads went to get a pic nic dinner for everyone, and the boys made friends with some nearby kids as we waited for the parade to start.  The boys were in utter awe and my heart melted and smiled at the same time as I watched the thousands of colorful light bulbs and wonder reflected on their faces. 

• We got a tip from a park employee and watched the fireworks from Fantasy Land in the courtyard of Cinderella’s castle and again, the boys were astounded.  Actually, so was I – the fireworks were that good. 

• There was no line whatsoever for It’s a Small World after the fireworks show and we walked right onto a boat.  The ride definitely stood the test of time, and it was really refreshing to see that the kids could be awestruck by 1960s technology.

We really missed having a stroller once we returned the rented one between the park exit and the monorail – now our 80 lbs. of kids were sleeping on our shoulders.   But not even sore muscles could dampen our spirits.   Will our boys remember this amazing adventure – I hope so.  But my husband and I will (and the kids will have the hundreds of photos we took as a reminder).