Headed to Disney for as week - Suggestions

Jason Adams

Jason Adams

Section Moderator
My wife and I are taking our daughter to Disney World for her 4th birthday. We have passes to all the parks. Anyone have have any suggestions on favorite attractions or things to do.

Also anything a filmmaker would fine interesting?

Thanks
J
 
Good for you...you'll have as much fun as your daughter. I've taken my daughter there 3 times over the years and it's a blast everytime. Something we still talk about!

Being 4, I'd say be sure to spend full days at the Animal Kingdom & Magic Kingdom. Take a trip back to the hotel mid-day for a nap (that's for both you & your daughter), then head back for the later afternoon and evening events. Drink plenty of water and rub her down with sunscreen.

Hollywood Studios is great for the Tower of Terror & Rockin' Rollercoaster, but that's not for the little ones. Epcot has some cool stuff too, but it's a little more low-key.

Try to go to one of the character breakfasts & your daughter can see her favorite characters up-close.

It's tough to think about video cause you'll be really busy...I've done both, but a good digital still is the best bet.

...now I wish I was going too...do you have room for one more? LOL!

Have a great time!
 
The most interesting thing there will be your daughter... use everything else as a background, and whatever she gets particularly excited about... whip pan over for some exploratory coverage.

I'll second the suggestion that a digital still cam is probably your best bet to not ruin the day for yourself by working through it... but if you do bring a video cam... I'd EITHER bring one that's pocketable... or one with a top handle (like DVX)... then I'd do a couple hours of concentrated shooting (while disguising the fact and not controlling the activities too much) and then take the video cam back to the car.

Home movies suck... it's the daughter's experience you want to document... so in a case like this I would get a little good video to bridge some movement in a video collage of still photos (that have "crawling" movement as well).

My .02

The best backdrops are from the sky-tram... around the castle... world of tomorrow... and tom sawyer's boat (or whatever it's called)... use the stable movement for video... save the fast stuff like splash mountain for stills... so you can pop out the cam... get some arm's length shots... and put it back in your pocket so it doesn't get wet or broke.
 
When you travel on the mono-rail ask if you can sit in the front of the tram. You get to sit in the driver's bubble with him and get little passport cards. Totally free, you just might have to wait for an extra train.

We did it once coming from Epcott to Magic Kingdom right as fireworks began. The driver drove us to an absolute awesome view and stopped the train so we could have front row seats through the giant window. Better view than anyone in the park.
 
Epcot has some cool things. I loved Spaceship Earth when I was a kid. There's a Nemo adventure at Epcot as well that's pretty neat.

Animal Kingdom. The Safari. You see some awesome animals. A Bug's Life 3D.

Magic Kingdom. Jungle Cruise. Dumbo. Carousel. Teapots may be a bit much. Buzz Lightyear. Pirates may be a bit much too... PhilharMagic (awesome show).

Definitely find some character breakfasts to go to (Chef Mickeys is awesome. They also do character dinners too)

MGM doesn't have too much for the wee ones unless they're into movies.

I go to Disney a lot (I live 30min from there) and have been going to disney for nearly 19 years. I have a blast every time I go.

Enjoy your trip. I took my nephew there when he was 4, and he loved it.
 
You also have Downtown Disney, with shops, bars, and restaurants. Pretty cool place to hit. Since I live close by, I go there fairly often when I'm bored.

EPCOT has a great Moroccan restaurant with a Belly Dancer performing a couple times a day, and I found she really worked it for the camera. Animal Kingdom is another good place to bring the camera, especially if you are staying at the Lodge there. You will see all sorts of animals outside your window, and have the chance to take "Private Safaris" in the morning, where they will even help you get the best shots. If you don't already have a travel package, I would suggest talking to Janna at Main Street Travel , she specializes in Disney packages.
 
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