Taking our 4 year old for the first time

[heathersmom]

We are taking our 4 year old son for the first time. We plan to do Magic Kingdom for 2 days and Animal Kingdom for a day. What advice (any and all appreciated) do you have? What rides, what shows, help!! We're eating a breakfast at Crystal Palace. We also have a 13 year old daughter so we're planning on separating at times. But I'm a little clueless and would love advice. Thanks in advance.

 

[jacknsally19]

I think that Festival of the Lion King at Animal Kingdom is a show that the whole family would enjoy. The show times are pretty frequent since its pretty popular.

 

[DopeyDame]

Tusker House at AK has a great character breakfast.

As a PP mentioned, Festival of the Lion King is AWESOME for little kids, but I think I remember hearing that it was closing, so double check that. DS also loved the Nemo show. (And this is a kid who hates to sit still!)

In AK, be sure not to rush from attraction to attraction. Some of DS's favorite things are the small side-activities like playing the drums and watching the performers in Africa, watching the monkeys climb from rope to rope, and digging in the Dig Site.

And make sure to get out to Rafiki's Planet Watch. I think a lot of people skip it since you have to take the train.

If you go to Yak and Yeti (sit down) for a meal, be sure to get the fried wontons for desert. Oh my, they are delicious!

In MK, pretty much anything will be great. Don't miss Tom Swayer's island - a great place to go when it's getting crowded and you just need to burn off some energy.

Have fun!

 

[Dizneydaz]

FOTLK is not closing. My Dnephew is in it. During the show they pick kids to join the dancers. Your DS might like to do that. the Nemo show is great too!

My suggestion is to have some unplanned time-take the little one to the pool or playground. We never planned naps for DD (she was 2.75 first time). With 3 hour time difference it just didn't work. We just let her fall asleep in her stroller.

With 3 plus the little one it's easier to have some quiet time. When DD fell asleep 1 of us would sit with her while the other 2 did a few rides or grabbed FP.

My DD loved The Boneyard at AK when she was younger. Great place to burn off energy.

Bring plenty of snacks for your DS to snack on and keep him hydrated.

 

[justthe6ofus]

We have a 3 and a 6-year old (plus two older girls) and were there last week. The 3-year old just told me tonight that his favorite rides were "the teacups" (Mad Tea Party), "that thingy with fake horses" (The Carrousel), and "Aladdin's Carpets." But he really enjoyed everything at Magic Kingdom. Dumbo, Barnstormer, and Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin were other favorites.

At Animal Kingdom the 4-year old won't be able to ride all the rides, but there are so many animals to see. The Safari was fun. All my kids sat through Festival of the Lion King, mesmerized!

I guess the things that helped us the most was giving him time both in and out of the stroller, alternating activities outside in the heat with indoor shows, and utilizing FastPass to shorten waits. It was pretty crowded when we were there, but by using FastPass and not knocking ourselves out, we managed not to wait longer than 20-25 minutes for anything. Try out a few "wait time" apps on your phone. We found those to be really helpful!

Hope that helps - have fun! We LOVED it!

 

[aubriee]

In Feb 2012 we took our then 3 1/2 y/o GS for his first WDW trip (his mom is not a fan of WDW). The night his parents picked us up at the airport his dad asked him what his favorite parts of the trip was. I was surprised to hear him say the train and race cars at MK. Every once in a while he still talks about wanting to go back to drive those race cars. He also loved Festival of the Lion King and the Nemo shows at AK. We did alot of character meals and he enjoyed those. He also loved riding the monorail and boats. Splash Mountain terrified him, but he also loved it and wanted to ride it "again and again, and again, and again" to quote him. I dont think they do it anymore but he also loved getting the bright lime green gel and confetti in his hair at the MK Barber shop (we had to do it twice, including the day we flew home, so he could show his parents). His absolute favorite thing though was driving the race cars (oh and spending time on the sea serpent slide at POFQ, with me catching him as he hit the water). Pool time had to be a daily occurence.

 

[Wendybird55]

My son is 6 and has been going to Disney since he was 2...every years his tastes change a bot, but consistent all-time favorites are:

Dinoland in AK- He LOVES the play are here and can stay in it forever. He also enjoys the carnival and triceratops spin.

Speedway in MK - He can do this ride over and over. Me or DH sit in passenger seat and control the gas pedal and he steers..he loves to bump the car back and forth making me or his dad bounce around.

Dumbo & Aladdin Carpets in MK.

Tea Cups in MK...

He enjoys the interactive area in Art of Animation in DHS - he also enjoys some the characters there.

In Epcot he likes Innoventions and walking around WS - he likes the Kidcot stations.

Every kid is different and you need to let your son be your guide at times. We thought DS would like Indiana Jones but it was too loud for him in the beginning and he didn't like it so we had to leave. He's not to keen on "inside dark" rides lately as he doesn't like the unexpected.

He enjoys swimming in resort pool, the parades and fireworks, mini golf and the bass fishing excursion.

His favorite restaurants are Chef Mickeys and Crystal Palace.

But that's my son...your son will be different and find his own favorites. You know him best - let your instincts be your guide....Have a great trip

 

[kmb584]

My DD is 4-years-old too! She's a WDW veteran and loves just about everything the parks have to offer.

In MK, your DS will likely love everything that Fantasyland has to offer including Philharmagic. Storybook Circus has a lot to offer - Dumbo, The Barnstormer and (especially) the Casey Jr. Splash 'n Soak are huge hits. Also on the "hit list" are the Magic Carpets, Jungle Cruise, Buzz, Tomorrowland Speedway and PeopleMover.

While at AK, be sure to do the Kilimanjaro Safari and the walking trails. Little kids love animals and the above offer them a chance to see and learn about a lot of different ones. Dinoland will also be a huge hit with the Boneyard and Triceratop Spin (if he likes Dumbo, that is!). As for shows, we love FoTLK, Flights of Wonder and Nemo.

 

[birthygirl]

We just got back from Dis with our 4 and 7 year olds. The 4 year old LOVED Kali River Rapids at AK and rode it a few times. We did the Safari but he wasn't terribly impressed (though he didnt dislike it) because we go to our really fantastic zoo a lot. He also liked Triceratops spin and rode that several times, too. He thought Its Tough To be a Bug was scary which I should have anticipated because its dark. He also ended up loving Dinosaur though he hated it the first time and was terrified. We rode it 4 times! Lol

At MK he loved the PotC and their treasure hunt. A new interactive quest with 5 different maps. We did it at night which gave it a whole new feel. He also really enjoyed Haunted Mansion (which I thought he would hate!) and Under the Sea. We also did Buzz Lightyear a couple of times.

 

[DisneyRegulars]

At 4 your son should be tall enough for (40 inches) for Space Mountain, Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Your 13 year old will be dying to ride these mountains. My advice, don't go near the mountains with your 4 year old until you spend some time in Fantasyland and riding other less thrilling yet classic attractions like Pirates of the Carribbean and It's a Small World. If you start with the mountains you run the risk of having all the other rides seem tame and boring to your 4 year old, where if he started with tamer rides he would have enjoyed them for what they are.

I say this from experience. I first went at age 5. We ran right to Space Mountain. Everything else didn't live up to space mountain to my 5 year old self, and all I wanted to do all day was ride Space Mountain and Thunder Mountain and was disapointed when other rides weren't as fast or thrilling.

 

[spectrecat]

great suggestions!

I would add to measure your 4 year old in the shoes he'll be wearing. My ds was .25 of an inch too short....39.75 inches, and he was in tears about a couple rides. I will say that the CMs were super consistent in this measurement, so we knew it was fair, and a couple of them have him stickers and tried to cheer him up. It just hurt to see a younger kid in line with a pacifier in his mouth able to ride Soarin, and my 4 yo couldn't! We would have planned a bit differently had we known that he was actually under 40in. so that we wouldn't have to have experienced that disappointment.

 

[smallblackstars]

My DD was almost 3 the last time we visited the World and still (over a year later) goes on about riding 'the pirate ship' (POTC) and 'the carpets' (Aladdin Magic Carpets) but the main thing for her was the characters and the shows. She watches our video of the Dream Along With Mickey show in front of the castle at least twice a day and is utterly engrossed in it everytime! I think if you balance out rides and characters and shows you will be just fine. My only advice about rides would be to avoid anything with a wait time over about 30 mins if you can, we had a wait of 55 minutes at Peter Pan (everything else had been 20 mins or less) and all around younger kids were getting impatient and whiney, including my DD!! Unless you know he will happily wait a longer time its not fair on him, or on you, to get into a massive queue. We learned from that mistake and its not something I will be doing again until I know there will be no moaning from her!!!

 

[jimsanfilippo]

We are taking our 4 year old son for the first time. We plan to do Magic Kingdom for 2 days and Animal Kingdom for a day. What advice (any and all appreciated) do you have? What rides, what shows, help!! We're eating a breakfast at Crystal Palace. We also have a 13 year old daughter so we're planning on separating at times. But I'm a little clueless and would love advice. Thanks in advance.

You're getting lots of good suggestions but I would be a little careful about rides in the dark like Pirates of the Carribean and, of course, Haunted Mansion. Also, a 4 year old might not like the more thrilling rides, including Astro Orbiter, either. It depends on how brave you boy is or isn't (my 5yo is NOT brave while his 2yo brother is fine on any "scary" ride).

At AK be prepared to stay at the Boneyard for a while because it's big and kids love to be able to climb everywhere and dig up the dino bones. My boys also love the carnival games and hot dogs there. Kilimanjaro Safaris is an absolute morning (when the animals are more active) must for us as well. Donald's Safari Breakfast or Lunch are great for kids who like the characters. Kali River Rapids are fun if he likes getting wet. Lastly, It's Tough To Be A Bug is a fun short movie. The train ride to the petting farm and conservation area seem to be very boring to my boys. The train ride at MK is much more fun.

Of course almost everything at MK is great for a 4yo. Tomorrowland Speedway seems to be something boys that age love.

My BEST advice to you is this: If you have any chance of your 4yo remembering anything about the trip you should take lots of pictures and videos and look through them every few months. My 5yo (almost 6 now) remembers things we did when he was 2 and 3 because we looked at pictures and videos quite often. He knows the stories behind them all, even when I have trouble telling which trip a picture was from, he knows. And he LOVES to look at them and remember how much fun we had.

 

[bwallace]

Pick up this book and let him build some anticipation.

http://www.amazon.com/Birnbaums-Walt-Disney-World-Kids/dp/1423152255/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1371834929&sr=8-2&keywords=birnbaums+walt+disney+world+2013

 

[Bethshaya]

My advice from the "been there done that" side is make sure you video their entrance into the Magic Kingdom for the first time as well as any Character greets you come to.

We took ours at aged 3 for the first time and missed a priceless moment that we all still talk about.

At the time, he was very into Peter Pan...like wore the costume everywhere type into.

He was so quiet up until we entered the parks, so we thought he was just overwhelmed. He's usually reserved and quiet anyway, but he was unusually quiet. But upon getting passed the turnstyles, we came across who else, but Captain Hook. Oh goodness....did our little one give him an earfull. He was shaking his pointer finger at Cpt Hook asking him why he was so bad, and that he better be nice to Wendy-Lady. The poor guy. All he could do was shrug his shoulders.

It was priceless....and we missed it on film.

 

[DisneyRegulars]

My advice from the "been there done that" side is make sure you video their entrance into the Magic Kingdom for the first time as well as any Character greets you come to.

We took ours at aged 3 for the first time and missed a priceless moment that we all still talk about.

At the time, he was very into Peter Pan...like wore the costume everywhere type into.

He was so quiet up until we entered the parks, so we thought he was just overwhelmed. He's usually reserved and quiet anyway, but he was unusually quiet. But upon getting passed the turnstyles, we came across who else, but Captain Hook. Oh goodness....did our little one give him an earfull. He was shaking his pointer finger at Cpt Hook asking him why he was so bad, and that he better be nice to Wendy-Lady. The poor guy. All he could do was shrug his shoulders.

It was priceless....and we missed it on film.

But you remember it so well! If you had been filming, you would have missed the actual enjoyment off the moment.

I would actually say put the camera away, and actually watch your child and their reactions. You miss so much when you become obsessed with catching the perfect picture.

Sent from my phone using DISBoards Ap, please excuse any typos and autocorrect mistakes.