Help-what do you think? My plans with toddlers.

jrandall · Mar 3, 2015

I am going in may for 6 days/5 nights. I am will have an 8 year old, 2.5 year old, & 1.5 year old with me. I feel like even with this amount of time I still don't have enough days to do everything in a relaxed way. I don't want to plan a lot ahead of time because I'm not sure how the little ones will hold up. Since there are so many experts here I wanted some advice or tips. I am thinking of skipping Animal Kingdom, we are staying at the AKL though. I want to have time to swim at the pool, explore hotel, have non rushed time. I am not concerned about seeing every attraction and probably will do few if any shows.

Sunday-arrive (we are driving) NO PLANS possible BOma for dinner or Disney Marketplace
Monday-magic kingdom arrive at opening stay until fantasy parade then head back to hotel for swimming/resting
Tuesday-Epcot ADRFor breakfast at Akerhaus at 10:35 would like to schedule ADR at coral reef for the evening but not sure if we will have enough time to see everything & do another meal. Would like to stay for Illuminations if kids will nap in stroller or take a break at hotel then come back for it
Wednesday - relaxing morning swim, explore hotel then -magic kingdom again but arrive there afternoon & stay for electrical light parade
Thursday-Hollywood Studios would like to make an ADR for Sci Fi or Prime Time Cafe but not sure of time
Friday-check out I am considering to do Animal Kingdom this day at least for an hour or two or do a character breakfast at tusker house but not sure if this is doable. Or maybe we should just do disney marketplace for a bit before we head out???

lauradis · Mar 3, 2015

jrandall said:
I am going in may for 6 days/5 nights. I am will have an 8 year old, 2.5 year old, & 1.5 year old with me. I feel like even with this amount of time I still don't have enough days to do everything in a relaxed way. I don't want to plan a lot ahead of time because I'm not sure how the little ones will hold up. Since there are so many experts here I wanted some advice or tips. I am thinking of skipping Animal Kingdom, we are staying at the AKL though. I want to have time to swim at the pool, explore hotel, have non rushed time. I am not concerned about seeing every attraction and probably will do few if any shows.

Sunday-arrive (we are driving) NO PLANS possible BOma for dinner or Disney Marketplace- great Idea
Monday-magic kingdom arrive at opening stay until fantasy parade then head back to hotel for swimming/resting -Monday is normally more active of MK days but rd normally ok
Tuesday-Epcot ADRFor breakfast at Akerhaus at 10:35 would like to schedule ADR at coral reef for the evening but not sure if we will have enough time to see everything & do another meal. Would like to stay for Illuminations if kids will nap in stroller or take a break at hotel then come back for it - Epcot is huge, we end up doing most walking
Wednesday - relaxing morning swim, explore hotel then -magic kingdom again but arrive there afternoon & stay for electrical light parade -
Thursday-Hollywood Studios would like to make an ADR for Sci Fi or Prime Time Cafe but not sure of time - are any of the kidlet scared of the dark if so I wouldnt do scifi
Friday-check out I am considering to do Animal Kingdom this day at least for an hour or two or do a character breakfast at tusker house but not sure if this is doable. Or maybe we should just do disney marketplace for a bit before we head out??? - do the kids love the zoo? if so they would love animal trails and Ratiki planet. Then lunch before leaving.

I would Google search a crowd calendar if your not usta going to see what are the best days for lower crowds in which park for the period your going.

What would the 8 yr old like to do most.

Take in to account what kids normal schedules are ei. normal nap times, sleep anywhere, are they am kids, up late etc.

Angel Ariel · Mar 3, 2015

Is it the family's first trip?

If so, I would think about maybe doing Epcot before MK. We intentionally did this when we brought my nephews to WDW for their first visit (they were 6 and 3 at the time), and it worked out very very well. They had no expectations of what the parks would be like, and they *loved* Epcot. We easily spent 1 hr in the Seas pavilion, with a lot of that time being the kids talking to CMs about the various displays and seeing the CMs feed the manatees and talk with the CMs about caring for the manatees. They were fascinated! I'd actually say that went for all of Future World. We spent a ton of time in the Seas, Imagination, Innoventions, and the interactive area after you exit Spaceship Earth. I don't think I've ever spent that much time in Future World before

I would also definitely consider some time in Animal Kingdom. If you're staying at AKL it may not be as big of a deal, but our nephews really loved all the animal trails and the safari ride in AK as well. I would do that over going to the Marketplace a second time, if it's possible. If you have time, one show I would highly, highly recommend is festival of the lion king. It's a unique experience, IMO, and it's very fun to watch. I wish we'd had a chance to bring my nephews to that one (and I can't wait to bring our own DD to it on our next trip, she'll be 3).

I second the suggestion of checking crowd calendars. EasyWDW has a really great calendar for that.

Dismama2boys · Mar 3, 2015

Definitely check the crowd calendars, and I'm pretty sure Josh always says to avoid the MK on Mondays. On our first trip with my little kids we did Epcot first as a pp suggested, mostly because of the crowd calendar, and it worked out well. Also, my 2 1/2 year old LOVED AK. I would try to fit it in if you can. We didn't even go to the marketplace that trip. Have fun!

Lupeix · Mar 4, 2015

I second the recommendation of doing AK, it is after MK the most toddler friendly park IMO. A 1/2 day will probably be enough. I really recommend the Tusker house character meals. We skipped HS instead.
My main piece of advice with toddlers is not to expect to make it to any fireworks or night parades. We went when DS was 2 1/2 and we never made it, and he did nap in the stroller every day (in the hotel). It is usually better to go at rope drop have lunch and go back and have no expectations of going to the park later, if it ends up working out great, but I wouldn't count on it. Toddlers tend to be better behaved in the morning and lines are shorter, so it is a win for everyone. You could try going back around 5 on your Epcot day and see if the toddlers make it/fall asleep in the stroller. MK parade and fireworks are much later, so not sure how that will work. I will use the car to go to the parks, and use the contemporary resort vallet parking while going to MK. The bus lines and trip time from AKL, specially to MK, are too long for toddlers to handle well behaved.

jrandall · Mar 4, 2015

Thank you everyone! Yes, I did see the crowd calendar & was actually thinking of switching my days because of the magic kingdom being busy on Mondays. Hmmmm. I also really would like to go to animal kingdom, I'm just unsure if we would be up to traveling after that! I am going to try to stay away from firework shows because I think it will terrify the little ones. I want to of illuminations but may have to just take the older one if my mother in law will stay with the younger two. So many decisions to make & mainly it's just what parks on which day so far! I haven't even begun the fast pass ordeal yet! Sorry for my grammar I am on my iPad & it's hard for me to type so fast

lmcarr49 · Mar 4, 2015

I have toddlers and I'm skipping AK. There aren't enough rides for them unless you guys know something I dont....

NYEmomma · Mar 4, 2015

We just got back from 8 days & 7 nights with a 6yo and 2.5yo twins. AK isn't really our thing. It's a half day park at best for us and we always kind of feel like we're wandering around thinking of something to do so we feel like we got our money's worth from the park tickets. We did Tusker House this time for the first time since our honeymoon (12 years ago) and I wasn't really impressed. Food was fine, just like any other breakfast buffet. But the lighting was really awful and not very many of my pictures came out, the character interactions weren't great & it was really crowded. If you want to see the characters, head to the Epcot Character Spot. Better lighting, the wait was 10 minutes & the interactions were great.

We planned on heading back to our room for naps during the day but my one toddler ended up sleeping in the stroller (I've never had a kid do that before!) and the other one had probably the best week in her entire life and was a joyful, happy little peach of a kid the whole time and never once needed a nap. (I say that in such a shocked voice because she has been a HARD, TRYING kid since the moment she was born). We did aim to get back to our room and have them in bed near their regular bed time. At home, bed is 7 p.m.... on vacation, most nights they were asleep by 8 p.m. at the latest. I had several days to sleep in planned but they were all up at their normal time most days so we were up and moving by 7:30 a.m. a the latest.

jrandall · Mar 4, 2015

Wow NYEMomma thank you for responding! I am just like you that I don't feel AK is worth a whole day. Makes me feel better about skipping it and not doing tusker house. I have a 2.5 that is difficult (also from the moment she was born haha) so sounds like my life! That is giving me faith she will enjoy herself & not scream about everything! My kids also go to bed around 7 or 7:30 and I was having anxiety about keeping them up or rushing back to get them in bed. I think I will aim for around 8pm.

skuttle · Mar 4, 2015

Our family and our kids LOVE Animal Kingdom and could do without DHS. We always spend two days at MK and two days at AK. I don't get how people think AK is a "half day park," but I've given up trying to. Just a difference of opinion. We also think Tusker House is one of the best character breakfasts. Our boys always love it and so do we. We think AK is full of things for all of us to enjoy. And it's usually a relaxing day for us as we aren't running from attraction to attraction. And, AK is the prettiest park by far! If it wasn't for Tot and RnR and our 11yo, we'd skip DHS every trip. To us, there's not much to do at DHS, especially for our toddlers. I know Disney Jr. is there, but that alone isn't worth it.

tink9702 · Mar 4, 2015

Out of curiosity what are you planning on doing on your HS day if you aren't going to watch shows and you have two toddlers?

I'd consider doing AK instead of HS. Or just do AK on your last day but don't do the character breakfast. Go to the Safari first, 10am show of Lion King (AMAZING!!!) then see the gorillas on the panjani trail. You could even run the 8 year old over to Everest if he's interested. Also unless you are a big shopper or going to eat at a restaurant, Downtown Disney isn't that much fun when wrangling toddlers.

meggiemouse · Mar 4, 2015

Last time I went in 2013 with my two year old and did all the parks.

MK was #1 obviously. DS could ride everything but the big Mt rides, etc.
DHS was #2 just because we met so many characters and enjoyed Fantasmic. We also went back to the hotel to rest that day too, so we were all around happier.
Epcot was #3. DS loved the Seas, napped during Ellen's Energy Adventure. My husband and I enjoyed the WS.
AK was #4. DS liked the safari, we did a couple of paths. It was sooooo hot that we left early. Park was closing by the time it cooled off enough to go back. Ended up going to Downtown Disney to eat because we didn't want to add the hopper on for just one evening.

This May I'm going with DS who is 4 and DD who is almost 2. We plan on doing a 1/2 day of resort, 1/2 day at MK, 2 days at MK, 1 day at Epcot, 1 day at DHS. Skipping AK this time around just because there is more for the kids to do at MK and our resort.

MomForFrozenAddicts · Mar 4, 2015

I did AK on the day of Check Out many times. My flight is usually after 7pm. My family would check out around 9-10 and stay in the park until 4 pm. My 7 years old has been to AK for more than 6 times and my 4 yo twice. Both girls love AK. They like the animal viewings, the shows and the character greetings. They spent at least a hour at the Boneyard. If time allows, I would suggest taking the train to the Discovery Center where there is a Petting Zoo.

I used to skip HS, but with the popularity of Disney Jr. and Frozen Summer Fun last year, it became a must do. I refuse to give up EPCOT, so now we do all 4 parks. As long as you do all the ADRs and FP+, WDW is much easier now with young children. Have a good time!!

NYEmomma · Mar 4, 2015

MomForFrozenAddicts said:
I did AK on the day of Check Out many times. My flight is usually after 7pm. My family would check out around 9-10 and stay in the park until 4 pm. My 7 years old has been to AK for more than 6 times and my 4 yo twice. Both girls love AK. They like the animal viewings, the shows and the character greetings. They spent at least a hour at the Boneyard. If time allows, I would suggest taking the train to the Discovery Center where there is a Petting Zoo.

Maybe part of the reason why none of us are big fans of AK is that we have a great zoo about 15 minutes from our house and visit roughly once a week from May through September. So the animal viewings, petting zoo, etc. aren't anything spectacularly new for my kiddos.

NYEmomma · Mar 4, 2015

jrandall said:
Wow NYEMomma thank you for responding! I am just like you that I don't feel AK is worth a whole day. Makes me feel better about skipping it and not doing tusker house. I have a 2.5 that is difficult (also from the moment she was born haha) so sounds like my life! That is giving me faith she will enjoy herself & not scream about everything! My kids also go to bed around 7 or 7:30 and I was having anxiety about keeping them up or rushing back to get them in bed. I think I will aim for around 8pm.

No problem! Ironically, our easy 2.5 year old was a little monster the entire trip. This one was a rough one but they all enjoyed it... just never at the same time and never once gave us a break. I don't think I had a warm meal the entire trip, nor did I get to sit through an entire meal without having to take a kid to the bathroom!

FWIW, the kids all really loved DHS. And we went to Downtown Disney with them twice (we stayed at POR so it was easy to take the boat). They loved shopping and getting treats and playing in the splash pads. I'm the only one in our group that likes Epcot and our Epcot day poured the entire day so I missed out on all of the stuff I really like about the park... no one else was disappointed, lol.

jrandall · Mar 4, 2015

Don't get me wrong, I'm sure my kids would enjoy AK so may end up going before we leave. I just don't remember many rides or things to do when I went previously. They would love walking around the trails to see the sights but our local zoo is AMAZING and has beautiful trails and we go there often. We also have family with goats, sheep, horses so although a petting zoo would probably be their favorite thing I would rather spend time at the other parks (because they would want to spend hours there yet they can see those animals any day they want at home). At least that is what I'm initially thinking. Personally, I love HS. We may not stay a whole day there which will be nice but I can't miss it. I like the Hollywood environment. Plus I think there is a Frozen show which will be a hit with the two girls at least. We wouldn't go to the marketplace twice but either on the arrival day or the departure day depending on what I decide about AK. I really love visiting the marketplace but if
I don't have time will have to skip it. 'm trying to fit it all in but in a relaxed way so I'm not rushing from place to place. I appreciate all advice since I have been to the parks MANY times but this is the first time ever with children which I'm so excited but also stressing about! I also think we will try to do another park on that Monday then tues/weds MK due to the crowds. Honestly, after all this thinking & planning the kids would probably have just as much fun playing in a pool all day, you know how kids are!

Help-what do you think? My plans with toddlers.

jrandall

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lauradis

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Angel Ariel

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