Advice wanted! Which parks to visit (and when) with almost 3-yr old, staying at CR?

[kboo]

So we are going to WDW for a week at the end of August, and we are staying at CR for the convenience with the monorail. DD will be almost 3 (it's a combined b-day trip for me and her). We're going to try to keep as close to her usual bedtime of 8:30 as possible, perhaps stretching it for a couple parades or fireworks shows, so no evening magic hours for us. the crowd levels are at 4-5 the whole week.

I was thinking that given the convenience of the MK since we are staying at the CR, that we may get Park hoppers and visit MK every morning whether or not we have EMH, since making a 9am rope drop should be a piece of cake for us, and then possibly visiting a recommended other park after our afternoon break. It seems that trying to make EMH at HS or AK might be too much of a morning rush from the CR? The only concern I have with that is that with an "early" closing park like AK, it doesn't leave us much time to visit and we'd probably have to book our FP for the afternoon park, right?

Some other questions - how long does it take by bus from CR to HS/AK? How early would you have to get on a bus in order to make that extra hour worth it?

What about EMH at Epcot? DD will be too small for Soarin', and DH is not a thrill ride enthusiast (I am waiting patiently for DD to get tall enough), so is EMH at Epcot worth it?

How did you visit the parks when you had a 3-year old?

Thanks, looking for any tips or suggestions at all, we are planning our ADRs and have booked some "important" ones (BOG, CP, CRT) already.

 

[tourguide81]

I would still do a morning at each park, EMH or not. That's 4 days - then another 1 or 2 at MK. Then you still have each afternoon/evening to go wherever.

EMH is only worth it, I think, if you get there before rope drop and are ready to go. If not, I'd avoid that park.

There is still plenty to do at Epcot for a 3 year old. Plus, no matter where we travel, I never make anything only about the kids - we all have things we want to see.

 

[dsnymomof4]

Because you are going in August - I would try to get as much done early each day before it gets too unbearably hot! So, I would recommend rope drop at AK and HS as well. Epcot I wouldn't worry about rope drop so much - but there are things that might interest her such as the Living Seas and Innoventions. Maybe afternoons in the pool, and head somewhere in the evening for the nighttime shows.

 

[jezebel73]

I believe both of those bus rides are about 15-20 minutes, but you need to factor in wait time at the bus stop as well. With buses running every 20 minutes or so, you may catch one right away....or not. It's best to get to the stop with an hour+ until you'd like to arrive. It shouldn't take that long and then you won't miss rope drop!

 

[dsneygirl]

I believe both of those bus rides are about 15-20 minutes, but you need to factor in wait time at the bus stop as well. With buses running every 20 minutes or so, you may catch one right away....or not. It's best to get to the stop with an hour+ until you'd like to arrive. It shouldn't take that long and then you won't miss rope drop!

We stayed at CR last Sept and shared a bus with the GF so it's not a quick ride.

We have traveled many times with toddlers and throw bed time out the window as both my kids have always slept in strollers. We also go in Sept when it is hot.

Stay until early afternoon, then head back at 5 or 6 and stay 'til close. When the little one falls asleep DH and I get some precious quiet time.

9 out of 10 times they will fall asleep on the bus/boat/monorail anyway.

 

[kboo]

Thanks for your tips!

dsneygirl and jezebel73, I think this means that if we all manage to wake up bright eyed and bushy tailed, we'll try to get to AK or HS for EMH, but if anyone is not (and it's as likely to be DH as it is DD), we won't push it and will head to EP or MK for the morning. I'd like to maximize our time in the parks without spending too much time waiting for buses. We'll probably plan at least 1 AK day, because DD loves the animals and I really like Kali River Rapids and Everest. And we'll probably work in a meal at Boma or Sanaa (or both) while we're at it.

tourguide - DH and I find lots of fun stuff to do in any park, so we're really just trying to see what worked for other people who had little kids. We are paying more to stay at the CR and be so close to the MK, so we might as well use the benefit we're paying for.

One big bummer at this age - our daughter is NOT a stroller sleeper!! She only falls asleep in the stroller around 5 or 6pm if she's missed her nap earlier, and then it's only for an hour and then she will wake up cranky and be cranky for an hour or 2 and then need to go to bed. So, we'll definitely be taking our afternoon breaks.

Jezebel and dsneygirl - have you ever had to pass on a bus (to AK or HS for EMH) because it was full? Seems like that would be a big bummer to get up early and then not get on the bus.

 

[jlsmith376]

The first time we took our kids they were 1 and 3. We had pretty much the same schedule you mention - go to the parks for rope drop, come back for afternoon naps/pool time and then back to the park for dinner and a few additional rides. Those early trips were the most relaxing we've had at Disney. I wish I could still get the older kids to take naps, lol.

On those first few trips, we didn't use park hoppers and considered Epcot as our down day. We went there at rope drop or EMH and were done after an hour or two because the Seas (Nemo and Turtle talk with Crush) and the boat ride at the Land (kids rode it while my DH and I switched off on Soarin) were the only rides they could do and World Showcase doesn't open until 11. There is a character spot at Epcot too that can be visited. But honestly that all took very little time. We actually preferred it because it was just enough morning activity to keep the kids happy, and gave us more time in the mid-day to enjoy the resort. We would go back to Epcot in the evening for dinner, ride Nemo again, and walk around the World Showcase. The few attractions that young children would be interested in at Epcot never have much of a line, so you could easily get in a dinner and the attractions in an afternoon/evening if you wanted to only go later in the day.

We loved EMH at MK at that age because most of the rides for a 3 year old are in Fantasyland. We could ride almost everything before the 10 a.m. crowd arrived.

As far as ADR's go - have you considered Chef Mickey's since you are staying at CR? It's the fab 5 (Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, Pluto). We like breakfast better than dinner but the kids have always loved the characters there. Your DD will see it everytime you get on the monorail. We also love Ohana for breakfast (Lilo & Stitch, Mickey, Pluto, served family style and delicious), Biergarten at Epcot is a fave - at age 3 our kids were out on the dance floor, and Whispering Canyon in Wilderness Lodge for dinner (they are known for their antics and stick pony races, bbq skillets) plus it's a fun boat ride from CR.

 

[dsneygirl]

Jezebel and dsneygirl - have you ever had to pass on a bus (to AK or HS for EMH) because it was full? Seems like that would be a big bummer to get up early and then not get on the bus.

Maybe once or twice, but we tend to go off season and don't go to the EMH park. It certainly can happen so just bring your patience. It's a marathon not a sprint, lol.

 

[myrheille]

We just got back from staying at BLT with a toddler. We usually did it the other way around from what you suggested - recommended park in the morning, and MK after the nap. It did limit our restaurant choices, but the convenience was just perfect. Although we did try to stick as close as possible to our regular schedule, it was pretty much impossible to be back at the resort for a 1pm nap, so it ended up more like 2pm, which meant she was fine with going to sleep later (especially since she adores Wishes). She did get tired at the end of the week though. Looking back, I wished we had booked an extra day to have an actual "off" day in the middle of the trip so we could all rest.

We had park hoppers (a must with a toddler especially if you're close to one park, imo) and only did EMH once, on the night where it was at MK.

You'll have a great time! I was unsure about the Contemporary since we only picked it for convenience but it was SO convenient that it blew away all my reservations - and it's pretty great in other ways, too! I loved watching the Water Pageant from our room

 

[msmama]

I would say don't be concerned if you don't get to other parks (besides MK) before rope drop. As long as you're there shortly after, it's not going to make a huge difference. None of the other parks have shows that open the parks.

Personally, I like arriving maybe 10-15 minutes AFTER because it's usually a quicker walk right in, rather than waiting behind others.

Like a pp said, if it were me, I'd start at other parks and then end in MK each day.

My son has ALWAYS loved Epcot the best so I wouldn't skip it, personally.