I was so excited getting ready for Eila's first trip to WDW last summer. I did my research, I showed her my old character autograph book that I started in 1991 on my first trip, and I was sure she would just love meeting all of the characters.....at least I was, until we tried to get her picture taken with the Easter Bunny in the spring before the trip. She had done a great job with her Santa picture for her first Christmas, and I reasoned that having her picture taken with the Easter Bunny was not only an important milestone, but that it might also be good practice for our upcoming trip to the "most magical place on Earth." Unfortunately, though, the Easter Bunny picture was not a successful endeavor at all. She cried and screamed the entire time. She was so scared and unhappy, and I went home and cried, too, because I was sure our trip would be a disaster as I imagined her piercingly high scream echoing through the park every time she saw a character.
Of course, I probably over-reacted a little, and then I got online to do a little research. Surely other children have had difficulties with characters before my daughter, maybe there were some tips and strategies that I could implement before our trip that would help make Eila's visit magical, I thought. I turned to the Internet, and my friends at MagicalKingdoms.com have a great page that lists all the character meet and greet locations and includes some handy tips. The Disney Diva also has an awesome post with tips for making your own autograph books and some terrific suggestions that we implemented right away!
Of course, I probably over-reacted a little, and then I got online to do a little research. Surely other children have had difficulties with characters before my daughter, maybe there were some tips and strategies that I could implement before our trip that would help make Eila's visit magical, I thought. I turned to the Internet, and my friends at MagicalKingdoms.com have a great page that lists all the character meet and greet locations and includes some handy tips. The Disney Diva also has an awesome post with tips for making your own autograph books and some terrific suggestions that we implemented right away!
Eila was too little at the time (only 15 months) to sit through an entire Disney movie, so we bought these Sing Along Songs DVDs that are live action videos that include real children interacting with characters like Mickey, Minnie, and Goofy. These movies are a little dated, but the characters and songs are engaging. We often found ourselves hosting a dance party in the living room with these DVDs playing in the background. We also read more Disney-oriented picture books in order to introduce Eila to some of the characters she would inevitably see on vacation.
The good news is that some of these strategies worked! I also think it helped that we were traveling with Eila's older cousins. Even as young as she was, Eila would watch her cousins interact with and get pictures taken with the characters before it was her turn. When she saw how much fun they were having (and that they were safe and smiling the entire time), she understood that it would be ok. The cast members playing the characters also do a remarkable job engaging with children and working to allay their fears.
The good news is that some of these strategies worked! I also think it helped that we were traveling with Eila's older cousins. Even as young as she was, Eila would watch her cousins interact with and get pictures taken with the characters before it was her turn. When she saw how much fun they were having (and that they were safe and smiling the entire time), she understood that it would be ok. The cast members playing the characters also do a remarkable job engaging with children and working to allay their fears.
Based on my previous experiences at WDW, I knew I didn't really want to stand in line for character autographs, so we booked a number of character dining experiences that combined fantastic food, some all you can eat buffets, and personal encounters with Disney characters. On our last trip, we tried out the Tusker House at Animal Kingdom, the Garden Grill in Epcot, Akershus Royal Banquet Hall in the World Showcase at Epcot, the Crystal Palace in the Magic Kingdom, 1900 Park Fare for the Supercalifragilistic Breakfast at the Grand Floridian, Hollywood and Vine at Hollywood Studios, Mickey's Backyard BBQ at the Campsites at Fort Wilderness, and Cinderella's Royal Table in the Magic Kingdom. What fun! (Incidentally, we have plans for Chef Mickey's on our upcoming trip!)
For our upcoming trip, I have reprised a number of these strategies to try to make sure Eila is comfortable with the characters, but I've also tried a few new things. If you read any number of Disney fan sites, they recommend playing the Disney ABC game as a way of passing time on road trips or while you wait in line (the first person thinks of a Disney character whose name begins with A, and you take turns making your way through the alphabet). Eila is too young for this game, but she is learning her alphabet. I looked around for some Disney themed alphabet flashcards, and I couldn't find any I liked, so I made my own. I downloaded a free Microsoft flashcard template and went to work.
I printed out and cut the flashcards and glued some smaller character pictures on the back (so that they weren't just blank white on the back). I also ended up making two sets of cards, because there were just too many characters that I thought were important or that we might meet in the parks on our next trip.
Here's what the finished product looked like:
You can access my flashcard files to print out (or redesign with your favorite characters to make your own):
disney_flash_cards.docx |
disney_flash_cards_2.docx |
Please note, however, that I grabbed all of the images I used on the flashcards from a Google image search, and that they are not in any way my property. Eila and I have played with these flashcards for the past few days, and she loves them! She is beginning to recognize more letters (and Disney characters!), and I hope that these flashcards, in addition to her previous experiences at WDW, will help her have a great time at any character meet and greets we participate in on our upcoming trips!