Good mail.

Hope you have a great time. We did Disneyworld last year and had a ball. My only advice is to start at the back of the park and work your way to the front...most people start at the front and work back. This just helps with the crowd and lines (for a while at least). We did the Character Breakfast with Pooh and it was great!!!! We are going back to Orlando this January, but without kids, so we are going to pass on Disneyworld but hit Pleasure Island! You will love Disneyworld, it is a truly magical place...everytime I'm there, on the last night at the park when I leave I cry...can't help it. It is such an escape from reality! Have a WONDERFUL time!

How exciting for you all! Family get away time is so good! We're going to Disneyland for Thanksgiving. We needed some fun, family time away from work, stress, etc. We're very excited--and our son doesn't even know yet! :) He'll be very excited when he finds out--he loves it there. The first time is the best. Everything is new and exciting. Hope you have a great time!

my advice since we went last october to WDW....is MAKE RESERVATIONS for Dining!!! A couple of our favorite Character meals was Cape May and the Dinner with Pooh and Friends at the magic kingdom! Hope you guys have fun!!!

Hi, couple of things I wanted to add. MGM is actually a good park for young children the parade is short and you can actually get in really close plus there are some great shows, Beauty and the Beast and Under the Sea little Mermaid. Animal Kingdom she loved, you need to get there early and head for the safari ride first thing, the earlier you are there the better for seeing the animals. Bugs life under the tree is also great for kids. At Magic Kingdom the litte kids area is great, you can queue to see all the characters, plus the rides are good and there is a water playground and the pooh ride is lovely. It gets busy there so I would advise doing that early in the day and then making your way back to some of the other rides. The train that goes round the outskirts is good and fun for smaller ones. If you get a chance to throw in a water park Typhoon Lagoon at Disney is the best and there is a special part for children but just jumping waves is a great experience. Enjoy it.

Have fun at Disney! It is my favorite place ever. My number one tip--either take or rent a stroller. Little legs tire fast and it is so worth it for them to have a place to ride and chill while touring the parks. If you rent a stroller, take the brightest, gaudiest bandana or scarf that you can find and tie it to the handle. When you park strollers in Disney, the cast members often rearrange them to accomodate more. With a bright bandana it is easy to spot yours and be on your way. :)

For Simon's age, I highly recommend the Magic Kingdom and MGM Studios although you will enjoy any of the parks. Here's my top suggestions and best photo ops:
•Buzz Lightyear signs autographs at Magic Kingdom
•Simon would also love the Buzz ride; it's like a fun game
•Toon Town at Magic Kingdom and meet Mickey & Pluto there (plus many more if you are up for standing in lines)
•Buzz, Woody, & Jesse sign autographs at MGM
• Mickey's Philharmonic 3D movie at Magic Kingdom
•Beauty and the Beast show at MGM is a highlight as well as the •Fantasmic Show at MGM but it's late at night (every character is in this awesome laser and music show)
•A great restaurant at MGM is the drive in movie theatre where you sit in a car to eat - call now to make a reservation! you can call anytime but i suggest doing it before you even leave if you are organized enough
I could go on forever but after you see Buzz what else do you need to do????
OH, a great character bfast is also at the Contemporary Hotel every day. They have several seatings and is full of dancing and singing. Then you can jump on the monorail and go to the park from there. Any of the character bfasts are good but I've been to a lot and this one is superb. There are also excellent princess ones but that would be more for Chris to enjoy!! ha ha

I work at Animal Kingdom. My best photo tip for the safari--try to sit in the back, and put the photographer on the left side. By sitting in the back you'll have more time to prep your camera for each upcoming animal, and have a little extra time after the truck passes to turn around and take a few more shots. Sit on the left because that's the side where most of the big animals are-lions, cheetah, hippos, and the larger elephant area. We have 3 baby elephants (toddlers really--the youngest turns one on the 19th of December) and one new giraffe, although I don't know if she's out yet. Pangani Forest Exploration trail for gorillas, Maharajah Jungle Trek for tigers, and Wildlife Express to Rafiki's Planet Watch for a petting zoo, and my first graders favorite, the talking trash can. And Stanley. Have a fabulous time!

You will love Disney...we went last year at Christmas...AMAZING! I cried when the fireworks went off the first night we were there...it was so sureal for us to be there as a family. The thing we liked the least was Animal Kingdom. Magic Kingdom and MGM was the favs for our family. Have a great time!

SO cool that you are going to Disney! We are headed down there in about 18 hours and I can't wait! We go at least once a year and NEVER get tired of it.
Have a WONDERFUL time!

Don't spend all your time at Disney... you must, must see SEAWORLD. It's amazing! Simon will love the animals. My four year old got more out of Seaworld than Disney.
Have a great trip!

Ali
I live right near Disney! If you have a spare minute (which you prob won't) give me a holler!
xxxox
claudine

very cool bag! you are going to have so much fun in disneyworld. it'll take you back to being a kid again. have so much fun and savour your time there with simon. he'll never forget this trip! enjoy!

a nice site is
http://www.wdisneyw.co.uk/ they have menus and stuff. so you can plan your dining ahead. its always good to make your reservations due to the availability. chef mickey's character breakfast is thee best.
i heard disney in december is more magical than usual. enjoy!
oh btw, you can order a christmas tree for your room.

How exciting!!!! I was there this past Sept and had so much fun! i love Disney!

I don't think that I have seen anyone mention the website www.laughingplace.com
They have a wonderful forum for both Disneyland and Disneyworld and are very helpful with answering questions etc.
I would agree with brining your own stroller so that Simon can rest/nap etc. and you can keep going if you want.
Definitely make reservations for restaurants for dinner!! Vacation planning can handle that for you.
I spent quite a bit of time looking at the Disney website with my daughter before her first trip. She got to see previews of the rides, parades, and attractions and really helped her to get exctied about the trip.
If you are staying on the Disney property you should check to see if your hotel has concierge level service. We did so on our last trip and were suprised to find out that it only cost about $150 more (total)for our four night stay for five people. Usually, there is a special concierge lounge for guests that will provide breakfast, snacks thorughout the day, unlimited water and drinks, and usually a wine and appetizer hour in the evening. You get express check-in and someone is always available to help you. We were happy to have it for the drinks alone because we always stocked up on water and drinks to take into the park. It can get pretty pricey if you start buying all of your drinks and snacks throughout the day. We went to a character breakfast one morning but other than that were able to eat at the hotel and then head out for the day.
Have a fantastic time!

buy the santa hat with the mickey ears right when you get there, really warm.
try to ride in the front car of the monorail, they give you a little pin.
mousesavers.com has a lot of great info, not just about saving money, but in general.
it can be faster to drive your rental car to some of the parks, depending on your hotel, but never to magic kingdom. that involves parking, parking tram, and then monorail over to mk. just take the disney transportation straight to the gate.
have fun! early december is actually very uncrowded. late december is not.

I live closed to Disney and have a year pass.
Right now it's not too bad but over the holiday season it's crowded.
It's best to stay on property you get to go in 1 hour before the general guests. Teh minute you get into the park make your reservations.
Everything have been said so far.
I usually freeze my water so it's cold thru out.
I will strongly suggest taking snacks with you for Simon they are quite expensive.Small fries cost $3.50
MK is the best place to take simon then the AK, go early the animals are generally there before the heat gets too much.
If you go to Epcot, the German pavillion has an ok buffet, but the entertainment is great. They get the kids involve by getting them to dance etc..
France has this little bakery that have great croissant and sandwiches for snacks.
My favorite dessert is this cheesecake call schuss, very rich with raspberry filling.
Once you get tired you might want to stop at the English cottage for the Beattles revival and tea and crumpet at Roses.
I promise I do other things outside of eating :)
Take a light jacket with you sometimes the temp goes down to 30's.
Tonight it's going to be 34.
I'll suggest staying off I drive it's full of tourist, wall to wall tacky tshirt stores & junk souvenirs mostly.
Restaurants I luv at pleasure Island is Wolfgang Puck,
Ice cream hands down ghiradelli :)
Luv their chocolates.
Simon would luv the Rain forest cafe, be aware the soda cup is $10.00 a piece the cup lights up.
I had a shock when my bill came in and $40.00 for soda almost gave me a heart attack :)
There's also a lots of Disney scrap items at pleasure on the back by Rainforest cafe as well.
Have fun.
PS If you have time Sea World is wonderful to visit as well.
Maggie

Diney fun tips:
Ask to ride in the front (with the driver) of the monorail-Simon will get a "Co-Pilot" license-very cool!
See the Animal Kingdom Parade-coorful, cute and something for everyone.
Our first stop at the Magic Kingdom is for Strawberry Swirls at a little Bavarian looking place by the Tea Cup ride-yum!
The night parade at the Magic Kingdom is a must see-get dinner and sit up on the upper level of the train station-easy to get out of the park before the crowds.
Stand on the bridge between the castle (at Magic Kingdom) and Tomorrowland for the fireworks so you can see Tinkerbell fly from the castle to start the fireworks-my soon to be 12 yar old son still loves this!
HAVE FUN!

This may have been said already, but the passporter is a great little planning book and they have a book for planning your trip with special needs. http://allearsnet.com is also a good info site.

ali...enjoy your vacation at disney!
it is the most magical place out there!
we just came home from 12 days there..we go every couple of years-it can't be beat!