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PART 6 - GET IN THE BOAT, MEN!
Liliane’s Tips for Keeping Track of Your Brood
On a good day, it’s possible for Liliane to lose a cantaloupe in her purse. Thus challenged, she works overtime developing ways to hang on to her possessions, including her child. Here’s what she has to say: I’ve seen parents write their cell phone numbers on a child’s leg with a felt-tip marker . . . effective but crude. Before you resort to that, or perhaps a cattle brand, consider some of the tips I’ve busted my brain dreaming up. My friends—some much ditzier than I—have used them with great success.
On your very first day in the parks, teach your kids how to recognize a Disney cast member by pointing out the Disney name tags that they all wear. Instruct your children to find someone with such a name tag if they get separated from you.
Same-colored T-shirts for the whole family will help you gather your troops in an easy and fun way. You can opt for just a uniform color or go the extra mile and have the T-shirts printed with a logo such as “The Brown Family’s Assault on the Mouse.” You might also include the date or the year of your visit. Your imagination is the limit. Light-colored T-shirts can even be autographed by the Disney characters.
Clothing labels are great, of course. If you don’t sew, buy labels that you can iron on the garment. If you own a cell phone, be sure to include the number on the label. If you do not own a cell phone, put in the phone number of the hotel where you’ll be staying. Another option is a custom-made temporary tattoo with all the pertinent info. They’re cheap, last two weeks, don’t wash off, and solve the problem of having to sew or iron a label on every garment. (They can be purchased online at safetytat.com or tattooswitha
purpose.com.)
In pet stores you can have name tags printed for a very reasonable price. These
are great to add to necklaces and bracelets or attach to your child’s shoelace
or belt loop.
When you check into the hotel, take a business card of the hotel for each member in your party, especially those old enough to carry wallets and purses.
Always agree on a meeting point before you see a parade, fireworks, and nighttime spectacles such as IllumiNations and Fantasmic! Make sure the meeting place is in the park (as opposed to the car or someplace outside the front gate).
If you have a digital camera or cell phone camera, you may elect to take a picture of your kids every morning. If they get lost, the picture will show what they look like and what they are wearing.
If all the members of your party have cell phones, it’s easy to locate each other.
Be aware, however, that the ambient noise in the parks is so loud that you probably won’t hear your cell phone ring. Your best bet is to carry your phone in a front pants pocket and to program the phone to vibrate. If any of your younger kids carry cell phones, secure the phones with a strap. Even better, send text messages.
Save key tags and luggage tags for use on items you bring to the parks, including your stroller, diaper bag, and backpack or hip pack.
Don’t underestimate the power of the permanent marker, such as a Sharpie. They are great for labeling pretty much anything. Mini-Sharpies are sold as clip-ons and are great for collecting character autographs. The Sharpie will also serve well for writing down the location of your car in the parking lot. (Bob suggests on my son’s forehead.)
PART 7 - THE MAGIC KINGDOM
Live Entertainment and Parades in the Magic Kingdom: It’ s impossible to take in all the many live entertainment offerings at the Magic Kingdom in a single day. To experience
both the attractions and the live entertainment, we recommend that you allocate at least two days to this park. In addition to parades, stage shows, and fireworks, check the daily entertainment schedule (Times Guide) or ask a cast member about concerts in Fantasyland, the Flag Retreat at Town Square, and the appearances of the various bands,
singers, and street performers that roam the park daily. WDW live entertainment guru Steve Soares usually posts the Magic Kingdom’s performance schedule about a week in advance at wdwent.com.
Following is a short list of daily events with special appeal for families with children:
Castle Forecourt Stage
The 20-minute Dream-Along with Mickey live show features Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, and a peck of princesses and other secondary characters, plus human backup dancers, in a show built around the premise that—quelle horreur!—Donald doesn’t believe in the power of dreams. Crisis is averted through a frenetic whirlwind of song and dance.
Merida Meet and Greetat the Fairytale Garden
The garden, formerly the site of Storytime with Belle and the Tangled play and greet, is a small outdoor theater. It received a Scottish Highlands–inspired makeover and is now the home of Merida, the strong-willed heroine from Brave. The new setting has an area in which those waiting to meet Merida can get archery lessons and participate in other activities until it’s their turn to meet Merida. The activity targets the under-5 age group.
If you plan on meeting Merida, arrive at least 20–30 minutes early to the staging area. Once the area is at capacity (about 20 children and parents), cast members rope it off. Be forewarned that the entire experiencewill take a whole hour out of your day. The play and greet takes place six to eight times a day; check the daily entertainment schedule
(Times Guide) for showtimes.
Afternoon Parade
Usually staged at 3 p.m., this parade features floats and marching Disney characters. A new afternoon parade is introduced every year or two. While some of the elements, such as the Disney characters, remain constant, the theme, music, and float design change. Seasonal parades round up the mix. The new Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade includes new floats based on the stories of The Little Mermaid, Sleeping Beauty, Dumbo, Pinocchio, Peter Pan, Tangled, and Brave. It features a brand-new original soundtrack with songs from Disney films in addition to a parade theme song.
Evening Parade
Evening parade performances vary by season, happening as often as twice a night during the busy times of year, to two or three times a week during the less busy seasons. We rate the evening parade as not to be missed. The Main Street Electrical Parade (MSEP) is
the current nightly cavalcade at the Magic Kingdom. Its soundtrack, “Baroque Hoedown,” is a synthesizer-heavy testament to what prog rock might have been with access to modern technology and antidepressants. In our opinion, the Magic Kingdom’s nighttime parade is always the best in Walt Disney World, and the Electrical Parade is the standard against which everything else is judged. Disney is known to swap out parades (MSEP replaced SpectroMagic in 2010) and may do so at any time. If you’re at Disney World while MSEP is running, make a special trip to see it.
Move It! Shake It! Celebrate It! Parade
Starting at the train station end of Main Street, U.S.A., and working toward the central hub, this short walk incorporates about a dozen guests with a handful of floats, Disney characters, and entertainers. Music is provided by one of Disney’s latest artists, and there’s a good amount of interaction between the entertainers and the crowd.
PART 8 - EPCOT
KIDCOT Fun Stops
This program , designed to make Epcot more interesting for younger visitors, is basically a movable feast of simple arts and crafts projects. Tables are set up at some locations in Future World and at each pavilion in World Showcase. The tables are staffed by cast members who discuss their native country with the children and engage them in a craft project. Look for the brightly colored Kidcot signs. Participation is free. For a memento and to augment the experience, you can purchase a World Showcase Passport for your children. The passports are sold for $10 at most stores throughout Epcot. As you visit
the different lands, cast members at the Kidcot stations will stamp the passport. If your child is really interested in different lands, Guest Relations offers free fact sheets for each country.
PART 11 - UNIVERSAL ORLANDO AND SEAWORLD
UNIVERSAL, KIDS, AND SCARY STUFF
Although there’s plenty for younger children to enjoy at the Universal parks, the majority of the attractions have the potential for wigging out kids less than 8 years of age. At Universal Studios Florida, forget Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit, Revenge of the Mummy, TWISTER . . . Ride It Out, Disaster!, Men in Black Alien Attack, Transformers: The Ride, Gringotts Wizarding Bank, and Terminator 2: 3-D. The Simpsons Ride is not too scary but very intense and rough. At Islands of Adventure, watch out for The Incredible Hulk Coaster, Doctor Doom’s Fearfall, The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man, the Jurassic Park River Adventure, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, Dragon Challenge, and Poseidon’s Fury. Popeye & Bluto’s Bilge-Rat Barges is wet and wild, but younger children handle it well. Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls is a toss-up, to be considered only if your kids like water-flume rides. The Eighth Voyage of Sindbad stunt show includes some explosions and startling special effects, but once again, children tolerate it well. Nothing else should pose a problem.
