4 day itinerary

[mtnich]

Where could I get suggestions for a 5 day (4 night) itinerary for WDW? I'm looking for some help for a 4 night trip 5/17 - 5/21 with little kids DD(4) & DD(1). We're staying at the WL. We're not so concerned with what to do at the parks, but how many parks to see and in which order. Thanks.

 

[PrincessTiffany]

Where could I get suggestions for a 5 day (4 night) itinerary for WDW? I'm looking for some help for a 4 night trip 5/17 - 5/21 with little kids DD(4) & DD(1). We're staying at the WL. We're not so concerned with what to do at the parks, but how many parks to see and in which order. Thanks.

5 days in the parks:

2 days MK
1 day Epcot
1 day DHS
1 day AK

We use the Best Days/Crowd calendar at www.touringplans.com, which is the companion website to The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World (UG) to plan which parks to visit on which days.

 

[goofy's_gurl]

Anytime going to WDW I'd always see MK first then just go from there.

 

[eastcarolinafan]

Where could I get suggestions for a 5 day (4 night) itinerary for WDW? I'm looking for some help for a 4 night trip 5/17 - 5/21 with little kids DD(4) & DD(1). We're staying at the WL. We're not so concerned with what to do at the parks, but how many parks to see and in which order. Thanks.

Lol. You came to the right place to get help -- sort of. There will be no shortage of suggestions. Here are mine:

If you've been to WDW before, you know the drill. Because your kids are pretty young, I wouldn't be so worried about Epcot. (You will find many who disagree, I suppose, but your kids not only won't be interested in many of the rides, they won't even be ALLOWED on many of them. Besides, I personally feel Epcot deserves two days all by itself.

Magic Kingdom is where it's at! That is two full days right there, minimum. What with the naps you will have to arrange and the feedings and such, I can easily see spending three days there and still not get it all in. Astro Orbiter, Buzz Lightyear, Small World, Haunted Mansion (if you dare!) Tea Cups (good luck!) CoP (good for a nap for the kids) and all the rest of the great stuff -- Mickey's Philharmagic. Awesome.

Animal Kingdom, while huge, can easily be done in a day. I don't think your kids are old enough for the Dino Institute, but the walking tour is great, and the Jungle Cruise is really nice. Also, the Festival of the Lion King is a great show, and a cool way to spend an hour of more. Stay clear of EE, I dont think your kids are old enought o ride it, but it's a scary ride, if they are. Just walking around the park is fun, I think. Lots of animals and lots of fun stuff to look at.

Hollywood Studios, I just don't see there is much for your kids here. I realize I am focusing on the children, but I am assuming you are largely concerned with their interests, because what makes them happy keeps you happy. The Great Movie Ride may be fun for them, but the whole Aliens thing will likely scare them too much. Cant see TT being for them, can't see Star Tours, can't see Rockin Rollercoaster, for sure. I am sorry, but I think you will be done with HS before you start. They might like the HSM parade, if it's scheduled, but check on that time.

These are strictly my opinions. I could be -- and often am -- wrong.

You say you are staying at the Wilderness Lodge, and my understanding is that there is a great deal for kids to do there. I would look into that, for sure. And no doubt the pool will be a HUGE draw for the kids.

Good luck! And I know you will have a great time no matter what.

 

[eastcarolinafan]

Anytime going to WDW I'd always see MK first then just go from there.

Couldn't agree more.

 

[PrincessTiffany]

Lol. You came to the right place to get help -- sort of. There will be no shortage of suggestions. Here are mine:

If you've been to WDW before, you know the drill. Because your kids are pretty young, I wouldn't be so worried about Epcot. (You will find many who disagree, I suppose, but your kids not only won't be interested in many of the rides, they won't even be ALLOWED on many of them. Besides, I personally feel Epcot deserves two days all by itself.

Magic Kingdom is where it's at! That is two full days right there, minimum. What with the naps you will have to arrange and the feedings and such, I can easily see spending three days there and still not get it all in. Astro Orbiter, Buzz Lightyear, Small World, Haunted Mansion (if you dare!) Tea Cups (good luck!) CoP (good for a nap for the kids) and all the rest of the great stuff -- Mickey's Philharmagic. Awesome.

Animal Kingdom, while huge, can easily be done in a day. I don't think your kids are old enough for the Dino Institute, but the walking tour is great, and the Jungle Cruise is really nice. Also, the Festival of the Lion King is a great show, and a cool way to spend an hour of more. Stay clear of EE, I dont think your kids are old enought o ride it, but it's a scary ride, if they are. Just walking around the park is fun, I think. Lots of animals and lots of fun stuff to look at.

Hollywood Studios, I just don't see there is much for your kids here. I realize I am focusing on the children, but I am assuming you are largely concerned with their interests, because what makes them happy keeps you happy. The Great Movie Ride may be fun for them, but the whole Aliens thing will likely scare them too much. Cant see TT being for them, can't see Star Tours, can't see Rockin Rollercoaster, for sure. I am sorry, but I think you will be done with HS before you start. They might like the HSM parade, if it's scheduled, but check on that time.

These are strictly my opinions. I could be -- and often am -- wrong.

You say you are staying at the Wilderness Lodge, and my understanding is that there is a great deal for kids to do there. I would look into that, for sure. And no doubt the pool will be a HUGE draw for the kids.

Good luck! And I know you will have a great time no matter what.

We have been going to WDW since our kids were 2, 3, 4 and 7. There is PLENTY to do for young children at Epcot, especially if you are just going there for 1 day.

Spaceship Earth
Turtle Talk with Crush
Living Seas Aquarium
Journey to Imagination with Figment
Innovations
Ellen's Energy Adventure
Rio Del Tempio Ride at Mexican Pavilion
Maelstrom ride at Norway
Acrobats at Chinese Pavilion
Candy Lady at Japan
Kidcot Stations at all World Showcase Pavilions
Kim Possible Scavenger Hunt

The 4 year old can do Soarin' and Test Track and the parents can get a Rider/Child Swap ticket for both of those rides and Mission Space too.

Animal Kingdom also has tons to do for the entire family. There is no Jungle Cruise at AK, that is at MK. AK has a phenominal Safari, It's Tough To Be A Bug, Train, wonderful exploration trails, Triceritops Spin, Nemo Show and lots of character greetings. The parents can also do Rider/Child Swap on Dinosaur and Expedition Everest - two of the best themed attractions in all of WDW.

DHS is home to Playhouse Disney Live, a top attraction for preschoolers. By 4 years old my kids did Tower of Terror and Star Tours and loved them both. Beauty and the Beast Live and The Little Mermaid are also do not miss shows for kids. They can also do the Backlot Tour, Great Movie Ride and of course, the entire family can do TOY STORY MANIA. When my kids were small they also loved the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground. Also, DHS is the only place you can really see most of the Pixar characters, such as Lightning McQueen, Mater, Monster Inc., etc. We also love their afternoon parade with HSM and Pixar characters.

 

[IndianaRRT]

Great advice Princess Tiffany!

I agree with others that say MK has to be first, and yes--emphatically--you'll need 2 days to see MK with your little ones. However, I really love AK after MK. The pace is much slower and more relaxing, especially for some overstimulated princes and princesses.

That being said, Epcot is my favorite park, and even though your kids are small, I think they'll love it. Turtle Talk with Crush is a must-do, and we met more characters in the World Showcase than almost anywhere else in WDW. In fact, there are many character interactions at Epcot that just don't seem to be "advertised" as well as at other parks. Great photo ops!

 

[monkeybug]

My kids loved Epcot too, it's the family's favorite park!
I agree with starting out at MK and then use the touring plans website and crowd calender to choose when to go to the others. I think the key with young kids is going with a plan that will cut as much wait time (for rides, characters, and shows) as possible. A 35 minute wait feels like 3 hours when your little!
My kids didn't love DHS. We all loved Toy Story Mania, and they did like Playhouse Disney Live, but they didn't want to sit through the rest of the shows we had planned.
This year we only have 4 park days and we are doing MK, AK, EP, DTD/Resort, Sea World, MK.
It works really well for us to plan a break day somewhere during the week. One day to sleep in and just enjoy the resort and DTD.

 

[Bethany1023]

My kiddos are the same age as yours so I'll be subscribing to this thread for my own selfish needs.

That being said, you know your kiddos best, what are they into? As I've begun planning our trip I know we'll do Epcot for turtle talk as my DD is VERY into Nemo as well as the character interaction I've heard about there. She's also into the princesses so we'll undoubtedly do some autographing time there too.

Take a look at what you and your guys want to do, is it important to you all to ride some of the bigger rides? You can child swap if your 4YO isn't interested in going with you. I would take that list, look at EMH and then crowds to see what will work best on any given day.

Also take into account your kids schedules, my punks are morning people and get crabby in the afternoons therefore we'll go to the parks in the morning and then head to the pool and naptime in the afternoon. That's also going to affect your strategy.

Good luck and am off to subscribe.

 

[mtnich]

Thanks for all the advice. That is terrific. I'll think that we'll start our full day at MK and then head to AK for the third day.