2 days in wdw - 5 and 3 yr old - Advice please

[owl36]

I wonder whether the vast resource of the board can help me decide about our upcoming trip to WDW - August 2004

We can do 2 days in the parks - a compromise certainly but I am limited by work.

I have a 51/2 DS and just 3 yr old DD who are desperate to see Mickey and the Characters. They love parades and fireworks and of course the CHARACTERS. They do not do scary and dark!!!! Little one is 36' and DS is 44'

DS has been to MK a number of times and adores the place. DD will be her first visit to MK. Last year we did AK but it was raining heavily and it was not that successful apart from the wet characters.

I think MK is a must do - will probably need all day. I also think that EC has a lot to offer DS but MGM is better for DD. I think they would love to see the parades at MK and MGM (if possible)Then there is the choice of two between Wishes vs Illuminations vs Fantasmic.

Can anyone offer me the must do's to offer the maximum enjoyment for the kids....and insight as to how they would plan and spend their two days.

I am happy to buy a Park Hopper as I am sure that this will not be the only time that we will go!!!!!!!!! We will be onsite at BC so could use EE.

We arrive at Hotel on Sunday night and leave on Friday AM. Work takes 2 days but days are flexible. DW is not entertaining 2 kids in the parks by herself Understandably.

Thank you all for your help in advance

OWL36

 

[susy]

If you are staying offsite, avoid the parks that have EE that day.
I wodul do the cahracter dinner at Chef Mickey's one night (maybe on a day when you don't go to the parks). Besides Playhouse Disney, I don't know what your kids would like to do at MGM...they don't have much for little ones. I would go with Epcot- there is the living seas, circle of life show, figment , ice station cool, and the kidcot stations at the World Showcase. The character lunch at the Garden Grill is nice, too. Epcot is more slow-paced, I'd do it first. Then do the MK.

 

[Luckymommyx2]

Definitely do MK but I would probably save the second day for another trip back to AK. There are just too many kid oriented shows and of course the safari, petting zoo, etc. There are many places to meet up with characters too.
As far as the fireworks...definitely NOT fantasmic! We made that mistake of waiting around an hour (with good seats) and about five minutes into the show both of my toddlers were in tears. Needless to say we hurried out of there, reassuring them the entire walk out!
I agree a character breakfast at Chef Mickey's would be a great way to either start off or end the trip. It's a favorite of ours. Have a great trip!!!

 

[DisneyMomx7]

Based on my kids likes I would do MK and MGM. My dds are 7 and 5 and ds is 4. They of course loved MK but they also loved Playhouse Disney, Voyage of the Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast Show, Great Movie Ride, and the two olders ones loved Star Tours and ds loved Indiana Jones, and I almost forgot the Muppets. THe kids really enjoyed eating at Sci-Fi too so we make that an annual stop. BTW although many people thought Fantastmic was too scary for small children mine really liked it. Even the 5 year old who is afraid of Snow White's Scary Adventures likes Fantasmic!

 

[sters]

Definitely MK for at least one of the days. the second would be based on personal preference of you and your kids. My kids hate MGM and Animal Kingdom was okay. My kids have always loved Epcot, even from babies. They love the Imagination ride and playground, they loved Living Seas, they loved the little fountains and Spaceship Earth. They loved the shows in Epcot, particularly the drums in China and the silly shows in Great Britain, the trains in Germany and of course the playground in Norway. They enjoyed the characters there, too.

 

[F1Julie]

On my last trip with DD4, we also only had 2 parks days. We spent the first day at AK in the morning and MGM after that. We spent the 2nd day at MK. She loves AK, and I do too. The shows and safari are great. We didn't really care too much for MGM. There isn't a whole lot for little ones to do. We did Playhouse Disney, Little Mermaid, Muppets, and Beauty and the Beast. We easily got all we wanted done at MGM done in a few hours, and that was with the long wait for a seat at Playhouse Disney. We have yet to go to EPCOT, and are trying that on our next trip. I just remember that when I was a kid, I didn't really enjoy it.

 

[alloyd1170]

We did 3 days at WDW with our 2 yr old. We arrived around lunch time and checked into our room at CR, and had lunch. Then we headed to MGM and did Playhouse Disney, the Honey I shrunk the Kids set, shouldve skipped Muppets 3d (scary for our son as was Philharmagic and Haunted House at MK), met a few characters, saw the parade (a big hit since it was all characters), and grabbed a sandwich to take to Fantasmic to eat while waiting for the show to start. The next day we did MK all day, taking a break for lunch back at CR and a nap. We didnt do many rides-mostly FL stuff, but rode a few several times. Then we saw Spectromagic (son was a little spooked by it as we were sitting on the curb) and Wishes. Since you are arriving Sunday night, try heading to one of the on site resorts ie CR or Poly. At CR sometimes you can view Wishes from the 4th floor balcony (if its open). You cant see all of it (ie the display on the castle) but you can see the fireworks. That way you can free up the other nights for something else. Afterwards, head down to the beach to watch the Water Parade too, if its not too late. The next day we did AK (really only the safari, met a few characters) and then headed to EC. We have a nice zoo in town so the animals were no biggie for us. EC was a bit too much for a 2 yr old. He slept in SE, and we have an aquarium in town as well so LS was no biggie. I wouldve gone back to MK. We saw La Nouba that night (another huge hit-my dad was placing bets as to how long our son could sit still-he didnt budge throughout the entire show). On checkout morning, we had PS for Chef Mickeys-a huge hit with our son. Most characters he was afraid of, but the originals (featured in the Sing Along Beach Party video) he was fine with. Chef Mickeys has Pluto, Goofy, Mickey, Minnie, Chip & Dale. The food was pretty good too. We also got in a few rides on the monorail up front as our son is a train fanatic, and some shopping at DTD. It can be done, but dont overdo it or youll have 2 unhappy and tired kids on your hands! Since there will be 2 of you in the parks, why not have one go with the older one to do some of the bigger rides and one take the younger one on the tamer rides. That way all will be happy! Have a great time!

alison

 

[Tigger&Belle]

Personally, if I was your wife I would bring the kids to one of the parks on a day that you were working. Maybe AK since that is a smaller park and has some shows and rides that they could do together. The Lion King show is wonderful, the Safari is something she could do with them, there's another show that we didn't go to, Conservation Station would be a good thing for her to do with them, etc.

In the 2 remaining days that you are in the parks you could then spend one whole day at MK, hitting Fantasyland first. The other day you could start out at MGM and could then go to Epcot since Epcot is open later.

That would leave your wife one day to hang out at the pool, etc, with the kids. I would put that day in the middle of the touring days. Maybe she could do AK Monday, Tuesday for the MGM/Epcot day, Wednesday the day off (and they could then sleep in since it would have been a long, late day the day before), and then Thursday MK. I think that Thursday used to be EE at MK, but I could be remembering wrong.

Will you have any time to tour Friday morning? If so, you all could go back to MK and repeat a few things, except that would use a hopper day (my 4yo DS and I have APs so we can do that sort of thing).

Will you have a car? That would make it easier to get to and from AK without having to tote a stroller on the bus by only one adult.
Also, if she got to AK and it just wasn't working, she could make a quick getaway.

What time of the year are you going?

T&B

 

[Tigger&Belle]

I just reread and see that you are going in August. Make sure that if any of you go to AK that you get there before opening so the animal will be more active.

For any of the days have the kdis wear clothes that will dry quickly because there are places to play in the water at most if not all of the parks.

When in August are you going?

T&B

 

[owl36]

Thank you for all your comments.

Interesting that most think that MGM is not as good as EPCOT. Would have thought the 3 year old would struggle at EPCOT.

We will be there from August 8th till 13th.

Please keep the advice coming. It genuinely helps putting things into better perspective.

OWL36

 

[Disnutty]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. That's why ice cream comes in different flavors. The choice between EPCOT and MGM is very difficult. Both have lots to offer kids of your age. Personally I like MGM because while the main two rides are geared towards the older kids (RRC & TT) MGM has a great variety of stage shows (The Little Mermaid) that are not to be missed, the Beauty and the Beast show is great, the Indiana Jones show is very good and all three shows offer the ability (especially if you have a stroller) for the little one to take a nap if needed while the older one can still be with both of you so you can see the magic in his eyes. The Disney Playhouse is also another good show. The Muppets are a classic and you always have the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground. The parade is normally a hit with the younger people. Now EPCOT also has merit. In addition to the rides and shows, if you decide to go there don't forget to get a "passport" so that your son can get it stamped and signed in each country you visit. Its a great souvenir and it is something he will remember for a long time. You will find that he will want to go to the next country just to get it stamped. Its a fun way to go around the countries. Which ever park you visit you should have a terrific time. Just don't forget to take or you can rent a stroller for the young one. If I had to pick just one then I would go with MGM. Epcot is very large and it is hard to get oriented in just one day. But thats why they make chocolate fudge swirl and peanut butter ripple.

 

[swilphil]

Definitely do MK one day, or you might even want to split the days up. I like the idea of buying the hoppers and using the remaining days later. You can buy them in advance at the Disney Store. Here's what I would do: Go to MK one morning and then monorail over to Epcot before going back to BC at closing. The next day, you could do MGM in the a.m., and then do MK at night. You might be able to work in MGM's EMH on Tuesday with MK that night. Then do MK's EMH on Thursday, and Epcot that night. If you do EMH, avoid staying in that park in the evening.

If you want to do MK all in one day, I would still vote for splitting one day between MGM and Epcot. They both have fun things to do for little ones. My 4 year old loved the Kidcot stations in Epcot, as well as the interactive features and the live entertainment. There are lots of good rides in Future World for little ones too. At MGM, the shows will be a big draw--Beauty and the Beast, Mermaid and Playhouse Disney. The parade is also fun. We couldn't get them out of the Honey I Shrunk play area.

My kids don't like AK, we've been there twice and I'll probably go again just for the Boneyard, but I definitely would skip it if we only had 2-3 days in the park.

 

[TammyC]

We will only have 2 days on our next visit. Our DS will be 3 1/2. Based on what he liked last year, we plan on spending 3/4 day at AK, then over to MGM for Playhouse Disney. The second day will be all MK, with a character meal there.

As for Epcot, he did not dislike it, but it was not his favorite.

Tammy

 

[The Sweetness]

Eliminate the time crunch (at least somewhat) by spending both days at the MK. The kids will love it

 

[jl3614]

Mid-august will be very hot, very humid, and you may get afternoon rains. Your 3yr old will very likely need a mid-day rest - probably also the 5yr old, unless you are pushing him around in a stroller.

I would agree with the person who suggested spending two un-stressful days at MK.

Otherwise maybe Day 1 am - MK, pm - MGM, Day 2 am - AK, pm -MK.

Don't push the little ones too hard - hopefully there will be another trip soon.

ps. The lines to get a picture with the character are generally the shortest at AK. Especially the POOH characters since they are hidden in an out of the way spot, many people walk right by.