MUST DO'S for a 4 year old?

[disneybound/11]

Was wondering if anyone would like to share with me from their experiences the MUST DO'S for a 4 year old at Disney World?? Thanks!

 

[RustManFan]

same advice I posted in the other thread you started.

you seem to have found your way to the wrong forum.....Creative DISigns is where we showcase our creations for T shirt transfers, invitations, autograph pages, candy wrappers and that kind of thing. Please visit WDWinfo.com for the WDW info (strangely enough!! ) you need or head to the main DISBOARDS.com forums and select from there.

Plenty of travel advice but not here....

 

[disneybound/11]

Yes, thanks. I realize that. I have posted both in another forum. I just joined a couple days ago.... still trying to figure it all out. Thanks!

 

[jtanddolly]

Kind of hard question to answer as each child and their likes and dislikes are different. For example, some children love to spend time with the characters, but they scare other children.

I would definitely suggest doing fun run around things and then take some breaks by watching shows. At HS go see Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (if your child is a fan) and if you have a girl go see the Little Mermaid Show. There are other shows there...those are just the two that we saw. Take your child to the "honey I shrunk the kids" set so that he/she can run around and climb all over the ants to get some energy out. You and your spouse can take turns sitting on a park bench while the other chases your little one around.

At AK, we loved the Finding Nemo show and Lion King. Finding Nemo is a little long and for a child that doesn't have a long attention span...they could get restless at the end of the show.

Invest in some travel books specifically for families with kids and you will find lots of good advice for things to do with different ages at the parks.

Book Recommendations:

Walt Disney World with Kids this is the book that I had and loved it!

The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World my sister and Tana Laney have this book and love it! If you are interested in rides more than anything else…this is the book for you! It gives you times to get in lines for the best rides or when to get fast passes for them so that you never have to wait in long lines. It also gives a lot of other great information including how to save money. ($10.69 on Amazon)

The Ultimate Disney World Savings Guide http://www.*********.com/guide.html?hop=bayoudes
This book is supposed to help you save thousands of dollars at Disney. I didn’t find this until after I went so I haven’t purchased it and can’t personally recommend…but the “www.momsminivan.com” website does. What one family spent $5,500 on…with the author’s advice another spent $2,700 for the exact same trip. (this is an online ebook $29.95 that you can read online or print out yourself.) It was written by a former employee of Disney World.

Hidden Mickeys, 2nd Edition : A Field Guide to Walt Disney World's Best Kept Secrets (Paperback) I haven’t read this book but it is recommended on several websites ($4.79 on Amazon)

DO NOT BUY Frommer’s Walt Disney World & Orlando with Kids I bought this book and didn’t like it.



Here was the list that I carried around at the three parks we took our little one to:

Magic Kingdom

Fantasy Land
It’s A Small World
Mickey’s Philharmonic
Cindercellebration
Cinderella’s Golden Carrousel
Pooh’s Playful Spot
Dumbo the Flying Elephant
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
Fairytale Garden

Frontierland
WDW Railroad
Country Bear Jamboree

Mickey’s Toontown Fair
Toontown Hall of Fame Tent
Judges Tent

Adventureland
Swiss Family Treehouse
Boat Ride
Jungle Cruise
Magic Carpet Ride of Aladdin



There are also some special things that small ones can do while waiting for the bigger kids to ride the big rides.

Splash Mountain or Big Thunder Mountain: the others can take advantage of the toddler-size playground located near the entrance to Splash Mountain, hop on the train at the nearby station and ride the complete loop around the park, or go see the Country Bear Jamboree.

Space Mountain or Buzz Lightyear: Then ride the Tomorrowland Transit Authority with your toddler. It goes through both of these rides so you can play a game to see if you can find the rest of your group.


MGM

Animation Courtyard
Playhouse Disney – Live on Stage
Voyage of The Little Mermaid
Streets of America
Honey I Shrunk the Kids
Muppet Vision 3-d

Disney-MGM Studios is a little trickier. There's nothing for little ones to do near Rock 'n' Roller Coaster or Tower of Terror but wait outside in the sun. I suggest going back down Sunset Boulevard to the open air Sunset Ranch Market and buying a snack and waiting for the rest of the group there at a table in the shade. If you think the Studios Backlot Tour is too intense for your little one, you can wait at the very convenient Honey I Shrunk the Kids Playground. When it comes to Star Tours, baby swap allows you to go all the way up to the ride and wait on a bench outside the entrance. While your child will have to wait, it will give you a nice break in the air conditioning.


Animal Kingdom

Disney's Animal Kingdom is very toddler friendly. It is a lot like a zoo and you can enjoy the day walking around Animal Kingdom just enjoying the scenery and animals. If your group wants to ride Primeval Whirl, the baby swap occurs at the ride platform at the loading gates. It has benches and is in the shade. If part of your group is riding Dinosaur or It's Tough to Be a Bug and you decide it's too much for your little one, your toddler will love the convenient Boneyard playground. It has toddler-sized slides in addition to the big climbing areas, and a huge, shaded sand box where you can dig up fossils.

Shows:
Nemo
Lion King

Ride:
Kilimanjaro Safari

Epcot

The Seas with Nemo and Friends in the Living Seas Pavilion

Journey into Imagination with Figment in the Imagination Pavilion

Image Works - The Kodak "What If" Labs - an interactive playground where kids can use their bodies to create music, video record their images and play it back in slow motion, transform themselves into animals, and even more!

JAMMitors - a musical crew of drumming janitors near the front entrance and at Innoventions Plaza.

Mission Space or Test Track: there's a small playground in the Mission Space building and, to make it even better, it's air conditioned. Go through the regular queue and pre-show, and ask a cast member to show you the way.

Innoventions: There are a few computer games for smaller kids near the Toontown game.

World Showcase at Epcot: At the first country, locate the Kidcot Fun Stop - there's one in each country. One parent can stay with your toddler while she does the art project and makes her mask, while the other parent explores. Then you can swap. If you explore all of "the world" and your child gets stamps from all the Kidcot Fun Stops, she will get a free poster at the last stop.

Illuminations: Reflections of Earth - This is Epcot's massive outdoor spectacle that occurs at the end of each day. It incorporates fireworks, laser lights, neon, and music.



For bigger kids and adults...I carried around this list:

WDW Thrill Rides

Magic Kingdom “Conquering Mountains”

Tomorrowland’s
Space Mountain

Frontierland
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Splash Mountain (wet ride)
Buzz Lightyears Space Ranger Spin

Epcot
Test Track
Mission Space
“Soarin” over at the Land Pavilion

Disney Hollywood Studios
Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster
Star Tours

Disney's Animal Kingdom
Expedition Everest, “Yeti”
Kali River Rapids (wet ride)
Dinosaur

Hope that helps!