3-1/2 Year Old 1st Timer

[lynn71092]

I have a co-worker who is taking her 3-1/2 year old son for the 1st time in January and would like some Disadvice on what not to miss. Being as I have never been to Disney with a toddler I thought I would ask some "Professionals"!!

 

[liamandcaili]

My DD was that age last April when we went. Her favorite by far was Mickey's Philharmagic at MK. She also liked the Lion King show at AK and the Ariel show at MGM. Spectromagic was a big hit and so was Fantasmic. I thought she might be scared, but she has seen Sleeping Beauty and many of the other Disney films, so she was fine. As for the other rides, we took her on Pooh, POTC, HM, Peter Pan, Snow White, Small World, Buzz, Jungle Cruise and People Mover in MK. She was a little nervous about HM. She didn't like the heads popping up at her.

At MGM she liked the Muppet 3D.

At Epcot, she enjoyed Imagination and Spaceship Earth.

And of course she loved the Safari at AK. We got there at park opening and she was very impressed that Mickey welcomed her and that she got to be part of the parade all the way to the safari.

What she really liked, which I didn't expect, was meeting the characters. She is normally pretty shy, but she just lit up when she got her turn with Mickey. She also met Minnie, Pluto, Donald and Goofy. The pictures are really great...she is just so fascinated. Epcot is a great place for character meet and greet because it is much less crowded than MK. We waited for Mickey for about 20 mins in MK, but we met all the other characters in Epcot and it took less than 20 minutes total.

 

[prestonsmomma]

Not sure but I can report back shortly. We leave with our 3 1/2 year old Sunday.

 

[KeepSwimming]

I would recommend she purchase some planning guide (Unofficial Guide or Passporter) and read up on ride descriptions. She knows her munchkin best, and that way she can decide what he/she'll be reall excited about

All of my kids are dare devils and want to ride EVERTHING, however several of my nieces and nephews don't like dark rides or loud noises so their parents did a lot of research before they left to avoid any traumatic rides.

HTH!

 

[magicaldisney]

Two things maybe to avoid would be It's Tough To Be a Bug and Honey I Shrunk the Audience. Both 3D shows that can be scary for that age. Years ago when my youngest was three, I had to leave both of those shows. Since then every year, it never fails, you will see a handful of people leaving with crying toddlers.

 

[brymolmom]

Tell her to measure his height - at this age IMO that is a big factor. My 3 year old was 'almost' 40 inches in his shoes and was denied once for Splash Mountain but then was allowed on the next attempt. Make sure she checks the ride height requirements so she isn't planning to take him on anything that he won't make the restriction.