Where to start with it all???

[numbercruncher1973]

Hi All


I will  be taking my 7 year old son to DLRP for the first time in April. I've been reading the forums and there's so much advice on what to see/do first, where to eat etc and I'm getting a bit overwhelmed by it all    So, bearing in mind DS isn't a rip roaring rollercoaster type, what rides would you say would be suited to him? I'm hoping to get a bit of adrenaline going whilst we're there and get him on a few of the 'wilder rides for his age.


Also, we're staying at the Sequoia Lodge which I understand is nice enough and about 15 minutes from the park. If anyone has any advice/tips/hints about the place, I'd be grateful.


Thanks

[Aurora1]

Sequoia Lodge is a great hotel! It also has a shuttle bus to the parks. The walk dosn`t nessesarily takes 15 minutes. It depends how fast you walk. You can go out in the back, towards Lake Disney.
After breakfast, check out what character is ithere. It`s on the same floor as the lobby.

As for rides, fantasyland is for smaller children. I think every ride there you can try with your son. Snow white and Pinocchio are dark rides, and can be scary for some children. Peter Pan is in the dark too, but "friendlier".

In the end, you`re the one that knows your child best, so you can try almost everything. (if he is tall enough. They have hight restrictions on some rides!

So, have a great trip!

[daddyof2]

Well, depending on how long you're staying for and how you're getting there, you may want to prioritise certain things. An example would be that our trip in June is our first with our young children, and we're arriving early afternoon. My plan is to do stuff around Main St. USA and explore the hotel a bit on our first afternoon, then off to Fantasyland the next morning, then kind of play it by ear. Your son is a bit older, so will be able to cope with some of the shows and stuff that will provide some excitement I think. The theming of Frontierland and Adventureland may appeal to him. An alternate approach would be to let him generally take the lead, but try and go where's quiet-ish, and take advantage of the early magic hours.

[aquacat2]

I would definitely suggest using the extra magic hours as it can save allot of time waiting. Your little one may enjoy Buzz Lightyear laser blast, my younger brother really enjoyed it and it has Toy Story.
Also if you want to meet some characters a character breakfast would be something to consider, all the characters come to your table so no need to try and fight the masses and it takes some pressure off meeting them in the parks

[gemma2806]

The Sequoia is a wonderful hotel, as said above there is a shuttle bus but on my visits I have never used this I have only ever walked as it's a lovely walk and not that far. Tips would be: get an early breakfast slot preferably before 8am as the restaurant can get VERY busy after this and lengthy queues are not uncommon unless you stay in the Golden Forest Club in which case you can go to breakfast anytime without problems. If you want to use the pool try to aim for a mid-afternoon break as the pool is quietest between 12 and 4pm. If the pool reaches capacity you will be turned away (this has happened to me before!) If you are staying in the main hotel building, on check-in ask for a room near to the lifts else you can be in for a long walk simply to get to your room! Personally unless you are staying in the GFC I wouldn't bother waiting to see characters in the hotel as the queues for these can be huge and not very personal. You'd be better booking a meal at Cafe Mickey, I definitely recommend the breakfasts!


As for the rides, my son was 4 on our last visit and went on everything his height would allow including Big Thunder Mountain and Crush's Coaster. My son is 3ft 7in so could get on some rides I did not think were suitable, namely Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. My son has proved a bit of an adrenaline junkie though so it really does depend on your son's level of daring. I would say he could ride all rides in Discoveryland apart from Space Mountain which is a proper roller coaster including inversions. All rides in Fantasyland. In Adventureland Indiana Jones has a min 4ft 7 in height requirement and one inversion but may be too much however I would definitely try him on Pirates of the Caribbean (one of my son's favourites!) just pre-warn your son there are two drops (one larger than the other but neither very big) the first drop is after the dungeon scene and the next is after the siege scene. If in doubt ask to ride anywhere but the front seats. Frontierland I would recommend all rides and Big Thunder Mountain is a good one of a tester coaster as although it's fast it sticks to the straight and narrow. Apart from the first section which takes part in pitch black as the mine train goes under the lake, there is nothing overly scary about this ride.


In Disney Studios, the only scary rides in terms of coasters are the Rock 'n' roller coaster with a fast take-off and inversions and Crush's coaster (another of my son's favourites but I have seen older children coming off in tears). Apart from these the only other scary rides are RC Racer which has the same idea as a pirate ship ride but faster and higher and Twilight Zone Tower of Terror which has gravity defying drops! Pretty much everything is open to a 7yr old depending on height and bravery!

[polar vixen]

See the parade, usually around 4pm and dreams the first day you get there, they'll really get you in the Disney mood!