1-day strategy at MK (w/ 3 year old) - Help

[gravel72]

What is your opinion on the best strategy with 3 year old, for a one day plan to MK?
I am taking my daughter for the first time.

A few things I know she will love:
Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, Mickey's PhilharMagic, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh , WDW Railroad (The one that circles MK), Mickey’s ToonTown Fair,
Dumbo and Jungle Cruise.
All of the above is a must, anything else is just a bonus.

Plus, call me sentimental, but I do not miss a trip to MK without seeing the Carousel of Progress. After all: There's A Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow … uh, nevermind.

Seriously, I have never gone with a toddler. Any advice?

I know enough to take a big nap break in the heat of the day. And I’ve also heard I should head straight to Dumbo and Fantasyland.

Any other thoughts ?

-gravel72

 

[Amirah95]

My advice is to hit everything Fantasyland first except for Snow White's Scary Adventure, then do everything at Toon Town and then make your way over to Tomorrowland for Buzz.

 

[mmeb144]

Remember to check for pressed pennies on the way. This is fun and cheap. Just take it slow, at your daughter's pace. This is not the commando trip. I had a hard time with that when my kids were younger. They enjoyed the trip more when I got over my commando mentality.

Marie

 

[Minky]

WEll you will definetely want to get there BEFORE park opening....which is fun with the characters on the train and everything...then as soon as you are let in just make a dash for Fantasyland and ride everything you can (Dumbo first) Then work your way around counter-clockwise (go towards Haunted Mansion) back through the central hub (lots of characters will be out around this time for pics) then to tommorrow land where you can do buzz and stuff.

 

[gravel72]

Thanks for the help. That’s the kind of help I needed.

I too am so use to going commando mode. It’s going to big change for me. I will have to learn to slow down. If she wants to stop and look at a squirrel then we will stop, no matter what our Fast Pass says. If not, it just makes a miserable trip for everyone. Besides it is the little things like that will last the longest, not whether or no t she rides Buzz Light Year or Pirates of the Caribbean.

Of course, that being said … itis still good to have a plan. If not then we will ALL be miserable.

So start at Fantasyland, then ToonTown Tomorrowland, AdventureLand, and then FrontierLand.

Got it, thanks.

 

[surfdisney]

We have done the "three-year-old" thing three times now and it sounds like you have a realistic expectation of how your DD will manage.

One strategy we have used repeatedly is while my DW heads to Fantasyland with the kids, I book over to Buzz and get a fastpass and then head back to Fantasyland and catch them as they get into a line (I can move a lot faster by myself than with the rest of the group - walkie talkies help to know exactly where they are). Our Buzz fastpasses usually come up just as we are finishing Fantasyland (or depending on how busy it is, Toon Town as well).

Have fun!

 

[Disnutty]

The best advice I ever had about a three year old is to Bring your own STROLLER. The toddler feels very comfortable in their own buggy and will be able to nap whenever they run out of energy. Their very own stroller is a must.

My experience has also been that some three year olds love one attraction but are not fond of others. Be prepared to move on to something else if your little Disneyfan gets fussy. Remember you are there to share the magic with them. There is nothing better than to see their face light up when they see Mickey or are on a ride they really enjoy. You may think that they will love Buzz Lightyear and get a fast pass for that or for a specific ride but your child may not want to go at that time and they may just want to continue to play at Mickey's house. Be prepared to be very flexible base upon the spur of the moment. Getting there early and going to Fantasy Land is great advice and having a plan so that you can move on to the next must do attraction is a smile maker especially if they become afraid or cranky at something you thought would be wonderful. Gravel72 said it best, let your child be a child and let them stop and look at a squirrel. Have a magical day in MK. Don't forget the stroller!

 

[erinch]

when my DD was 3 I wasn't prepared for how much time we were going to spend waiting to get character autographs. I really wasn't expecting she would "get" that for another year or so. But she fell in love with characters and wanted all their names in her book. One strategy which worked was to do Fantasyland, and then be at the Toontown gate from Fantasyland as Toontown is scheduled to open. We got there a little early, and my daughter got to be the one who got to hold hands with Minnie and Mickey and lead the "parade" into Toontown.

We then very quickly "got" Mickey and Minnie, and Chip and Dale in their houses, and Goofy and a few others. She was in the first ride on Barnstormer and got to ride with Goofy. After the first 2 trains pull into Toontown it's mobbed, but we were in and out before the crowd hit--then we rode the train to adventureland to "do" the attractions over there.

This all works best with Early entry, if you're staying on site, since you can also get on Buzz during the first hour. If not, then get a FP for Buzz after you're done with toontown, then make your way to adventureland, etc.


If characters are important, a lunch PS at Crystal Palace will give you the Pooh characters, and a welcome break.

When will you be there? If the park closes early, you might spend very precious time trying to leave for a nap. We found that a "sit-down" lunch, followed by slower paced attractions like the Tiki birds and some more time on the train. We worked a nap in with 3 yr old DD by taking the monorail to epcot and back twice; we had a car to ourselves; she got a half-hour snooze and she was good to go.

 

[TammyC]

Do not let her see the Tomorrowland Speedway unless you want to endure the wait to ride them with her! I agree that your plans may get thrown out the window, as mine did. I never would have guessed that his favorite would be the teacups. Just a quick warning though about the thunderstorm in Tiki birds, in case she is afraid of them.

 

[swilphil]

Sounds like you covered the must-dos. If you get a chance, you might take a spin on the carosuel in Fantasyland, especially at night. My 2 year old enjoyed the play area under the train bridge in Frontierland. It's small and for kids under 40" tall who can't ride Splash Mtn. The really fun play area is the one in the middle of toontown, lots of things to climb and slides.

Definitely bring your own stroller. My kids did fine on Buzz lightyear at that age and even Pirates of the Carribean. For some reason this year, at ages 2 and 4, they didn't like Haunted Mansion. They did fine with it last year though. Something that helps on dark rides is to have a light up toy, like the spinning princesses that light up.

My kids like taking the monorail to Epcot if you have a hopper pass. Ask if you can sit up front!

 

[moinab]

We found that the light chasers are too distracting on dark rides. Instead, I bought a keychain light (the kind you squeeze) at Wal-Mart for $0.97.

This past month, they opened two "Kiddie Concierge" centers in MK. One is across from POTC. The other is tucked around the side of Space Mountain. These are basically lounges designed for pre-school children. They have kid-sized bean bag chairs, sofas for mom and dad, a tv playing Disney videos, toys, crayons, rocking chairs, etc. It's a great place to take a break. They are open from 12-5 PM.

 

[sters]

I might try to get into Belle's storytime near the Castle, if time allows. Cinderella's Surprise Celebration in front of the castle was a HUGE hit with my little ones (me too). The parade is at 3, so if she's a parade fan that is good, if not that is a PERFECT time to do Toontown.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Get to Peter Pan's Flight as soon as possible (get a fast pass if you need to) because the line gets real long. And your daughter will love flying in a pirate ship.

 

[sif]

Further to TammyC's comment: If you think your daughter would want to ride Tomorrowland Indy Speedway, make that your very first ride of the morning. Cut through Tomorrowland and ride the Indy Speedway on your way to Dumbo and Fantasyland. We did this last time and it worked well. We were about the 4th family on the Speedway so there was no wait. Then we went to Fantasyland, pulled FP's for Pooh and waited only 5-10 minutes for Dumbo. Have a great time.

 

[erinch]

also with regard to speedway--
imo, promise anything, including a trip to a go-kart place, not to waste precious mk time on the speedway.

 

[moinab]

ITA with sif. We have used this strategy many times. Go to the Speedway first, then on the way into Fantasyland (the Speedway is just outside Fantasyland) pull your Pooh fastpasses and then get into line for Dumbo. As soon as you are allowed (it will tell you a time on your Pooh FPs) go get your FPs for Peter Pan.

The line for the Speedway will be intolerable within 15-30 minutes of park opening, and it is not a fastpass ride.

HTH

 

[belle3]

We have recently bought a timeshare at Beach Club resort, and I am so excited. There are plently of things to do, and it is just beautiful. If you have not yet gotten a chance to try it out, YOU SHOULD!!!!

wave: :thewave:

 

[Gabrielle]

Have lunch early at the Crystal Palace so she'll get to see Pooh and the gang.

Head over to a Polynesian hammock for a little nap.

 

[MouseLover]

we also had only one day at MK, so we didn't leave for a nap. Instead, we took our time and made good use of the stroller. At lunch, we ate leisurely and she slept. She also took a short nap in Presidents. In between these nap times, she was ready and willing to try anything. Favorites at that age though were:
Teacups, Small World, Dumbo, Tiki Room, and characters. We waited in lots of character lines for pictures & autographs, but it was worth it. I know there is more to add to the list, but I don't remember exactly what.

 

[BurkeTribe]

Your counter indicates you are going in mid-September, so, honestly, you'll probably have no worries. Just do all the slow-load low-turnover rides earlier (Speedway, Teacups, Dumbo, Orbiter, Etc.) and you are set. We went in September last year (day after Labor Day) and there were plenty of no wait lines (except for those slowloaders listed above), and the ones with lines (PeterPan and/or Snow White) had FP = 10 minute wait max. Even the Teacups wait was very short when we hit it . Sometimes it's the luck/skill of one's timing against the people flow wave-- e.g., one minute Haunted Mansion is empty, next minute half the folks there decide to ride it at the same time. That is the time to ride Space Mountain

It's like surfing ... surfing a crowd -- stay in the low populated part of the trough

But, again, in September, you should have no need to rush if it is close to last year's attendance. We hit all we wanted (about 70-80% of attractions) and had hours to spare, and that was without early entry.