She was able to ride Soarin and was ok. She was also ok on the Barnstormer (because it was so short) and the 7 dwarves. She wouldn’t be able to handle space mountain for sure. Wooden coasters really get to her.
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Great report! Thanks for writing it. I’m always interested in how different things are for different families at different stages of life. I can certainly remember the days when my kids were little! Being brave and getting tired and trying new foods and rides is all on a completely different scale when they’re young. Sounds like you did a great job of adjusting to your kids’ needs as you went along. 
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Friday November 18 Magic Kingdom
So today was the day that we had what I, as a dad, was looking forward to most of the whole trip. We decided we really didn’t want any meltdowns before we were booked, so we didn’t want to push to get there real early. We got to the Magic Kingdom around 10:00 AM. We had a fast pass that we just flat out skipped because we were going to be too late, but that was a decision we felt like we had to make. We got on a few rides, making sure to include Small World, since they loved it so much. We hit up a few things we had not done, like Laugh Floor. How the comedian thinks like he does on his toes so ad libbed is miraculous. It was funny, and we all really enjoyed it. My wife and I decided to divide and conquer next because we had a fast pass for 7 dwarves and 1 of my daughters didn’t like it. My wife took her to the Haunted Mansion while I took my oldest to 7 dwarves. Once I was done on 7 dwarves, we waited on my wife right outside the exit. We decided to grab some food. I ate at Golden Oaks. Next came my highlight. We walked over to Cinderella’s castle. We were about 30 minutes early on our appointment to Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, but I had to get their dresses we had locked up in a locker earlier in the morning. Now I had to get to the front of the park and they had the 3 oclock parade getting ready to start. I figured I wasn’t going to make it, as a lot of the routes were blocked off and I figured there was not a route to the front of the park, but I wasn’t going to be denied. This was what I looked forward to most of all the trip. I didn’t want to be pushy, but I was walking with a purpose. I did make it to the front and got the dresses. I knew I could make it back if I just went on the same path I took coming, but now the crowd was forming so I had a lot more obstacles. I finally made it to the front and there was a cast member there in front of the door going through and I told her my daughters are doing BBB. She let me in. I got there and they let us go back and change the girls into the dresses. Once they got started, my wife and I just sat and watched. Seeing them so happy was what made all the planning, time and money spent, the whole trip worth it. I texted a picture to my mom and my sister with the caption “One proud dad”. I scheduled the BBB about 2 hours before CRT, because I didn’t want to miss it in case they fell behind. They were on time, so we had about an hour and a half before our reservation. We went to a photo shoot at Castle Couture, then rode on the Merry Go Round. Still having some time, we went to Mickey’s Philharmagic. I had forgotten how much I really enjoyed that. Time was approaching for our CRT reservation, so we made our way there. Dinner here was really magical. I got goosebumps seeing my girls and how happy they were. After dinner, we decided to head on back to the room and take a bath and get ready for our last day.
If you have a girl in the age range, BBB is a great thing. Would I do it again? Probably not. But for a single time, it was the highlight of my trip. Pairing it with CRT, I couldn’t have asked for a better experience.
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Last day. Saturday November 19. Magic Kingdom
So we got there pretty early, but the crowd size was noticeably larger than it had been earlier in the week. I wanted us to see some of the things that we had missed earlier in the week. We each got an ice cream and headed over to the Tiki Room. I love that show. We had a fastpass for Peter Pan that we decided to exchange. We turned it in for the teacups again, but scheduled it for later that day. We split up again, this time I headed with my youngest daughter to the Haunted Mansion while my wife took our oldest to 7 dwarves. When we had split up prior and I was with my oldest I had told her that if she was old enough to want to ride again, she was old enough not to have her hand held while we rode. On the day before, we both held our hands up the whole way. She wanted to do that again on this day. When we got the photos on the My Disney Experience, my wife was holding hers up too and she told me that was her first time to ever do that. She said that if her 6 year old daughter could do it, she could too. My youngest and I went on the Haunted Mansion. Wanting to finish the attractions we had missed earlier, we went to the Country Bear Jamboree and then Winnie the Pooh. I like how they make waiting in line for Pooh seem not so boring for the kids by giving them things to do. They should do that for more attractions. We went to Philharmagic one more time and this time the theater was completely full. It had not been the day before. We rode the Carousel. I think we hit most of the items in the park, except for the rollercoasters (Thunder Mountain and Space Mountain). I was happy that we got as much as we did. We had about an hour before our reservation to Be Our Guest, so we decided to wait so we wouldn’t miss it. Dinner here was the best meal (quality of food wise) of all that we had. When it was over, we had our picture taken with the Beast, and as I mentioned before, my emotions hit me. As we walked out of the park, I knew our trip was over. I miss it. I want to go back. We have decided to go back in about 4 or 5 years, and the girls tastes will have changed. We will be more attraction based than character based. And while the character meals are awesome for little kids, they are expensive and take a lot of time. We could have done more rides had we not had to worry about when our reservations were. At the same time - my kids loved having princesses and characters come to their table. Evaluate where you fall on decide accordingly.
If I could offer some advice to those with young ones - be flexible. We had decided not to go back to the room in the middle of the week, because they weren’t resting. We had decided to get there early and leave early or get there late and stay late. That changed, because they were not happy. Also, don’t think your kids are too big for a stroller. I saw people there with 9 and 10 year olds with a stroller. My wife and I had decided not to split up before our trip. While we were there, we thought it wouldn’t be right to deprive one of my kids of her favorite ride because the other didn’t like it. So they both got to be on their favorite. And it gave us some good one on one time. Also, don’t try to do it all. Don’t force someone to do something they don’t want to. It may take some planning, but it can make for an overall better trip.
Also, don’t plan on going from opening to closing everyday. Especially with smaller kids. If you can squeeze it in one or two days, great, but going all day every day is too much for most everybody.
Well, that was it. If anybody has any questions, I’ll be happy to answer. Now, on to planning the next trip!
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Fantastic report.
I’d also add for advice for those with young ones:
Another way to tackle planning is early am at the park (if you have early risers,) then mid day break at the hotel for relaxed swimming break, or whatever leisurely activities the hotel has to offer, then back to a park at night for a very relaxed tour and fireworks show.
We did this for our trip and it worked out great, but plan for your family and what you think your kids can handle.
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Great trip report! My DS6 has autism and I too worry about how he will react on Soarin! We will find out next week. Glad you all had fun and were flexible!
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Really enjoyed your trip report. We too really enjoyed BBB with my DD8 and DD12. Like you we probably won’t do it again (and DD12 would be too old!) but it was a fantastic experience and we have some great pictures from Castle Couture!
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Great report! The most important thing is that everyone has a magical time and if that means letting some things go, changing plans etc, then do it, as you did. Your right, you can’t do it all, especially with little ones. You build Disney trips up in layers, they change every time, you do and see things differently each time and as your kids grow the trips change accordingly.
It all sounds like you had a fab time 
Thanks for sharing!
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I enjoyed reading about your trip. Don’t worry, in 5 or 6 years they will still want the characters as much as the rides. We leave in 40 days and my 14 year old daughter is very excited that we are going to Chef Mickey’s and Akershus.
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Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoy the characters too. But if I was going solo, I’d be doing a more ride oriented trip than characters. As far as the meals go, I’m always up for trying food I don’t normally get to. I may not really like it, but I think new experiences are what makes life worth living.