appropriate age for Disneyquest and one other question

[jog58]

I am hoping parents with young children can help me out on this as this is a bridge I have yet to cross.

A friend of mine and her husband are taking their children to Disney for the first time in February. The kids are 5 and 2. The five year old loves arcades and has video game systems at home. Would it be worth it to take him to Disneyquest or would it be a waste of money and instead let him roam the arcade at the resort? [They are staying at All Star Sports]

Also, what would you suggest to them as a first day activity when one is arriving around 2pm that does not involve going to a park? I suggested either a character dinner at a hotel or strolling downtown Disney but again the traveling with young kids bridge is one I have yet to cross so I am open to all suggestions. Thanks!

 

[tricia]

For our first day activity we always used to book at Chef Mickeys. Gives them the excitement of starting the trip with a taste of characters right off the bat.

I have never been to Disney quest and found that my boys were happy with the hotel arcade.

 

[jenb1023]

DisneyQuest is definitely geared older in my opinion. There are some games for young kids that my DD enjoyed (she was a little over 4 at the time) but we got in for free as part of a water parks and more free package. I personally would not pay the high price they charge to take kids that young for an hour or two.

As for first day activities, I would definitely suggest a character meal or theme meal. Chef Mickeys is a good first day meal. If they are both boys, maybe the new TRex rest and some shopping in DTD. I know my DD (5) also enjoys exploring the resort and swimming so maybe dinner at Chef Mickeys and some resort and swim time.

 

[squirrel]

If your ticket include the WPAM then I would say yes he will have fun there. I wouldn't pay for a day's pass just to go to DQ.

They have an area for the younger kids. My niece played a popcorn game, a lizard game, air hockey, feed the elephant (zoo animals). We spent a little over an hour there-but we also spent part of two days at TL with our WPAM.

Downtown Disney has a spray park for little ones. There are also some shops that they might like the Once Upon A Toy Store which has the Disney Potato Head pieces and the My Little Ponnies. There is also a Lego Store. Goofy's Candy Shop is also a great place to get a snack.

A character meal is always a fun way to start your trip off.

 

[peytonsmomie]

The TRex Cafe is a fantastic idea. We took a 3 hour road trip from Omaha to Kansas City to go to the first one last spring with our (then) 4 year old son and 7 year old daughter. The food is fantastic, they have an adorable kid's slushie drink that's served in a giant T-rex bone. It's red, blue, and white slushie. So cute! We were really impressed with the food we had at the KC one, and are planning to eat at the one in DTD too. Our adult meals were unexpectedly delicious.

The animitronics and decor is so amazing and interesting. The little one will most likely really enjoy watching as the lights shoot across the ceiling (meteors, etc), and the fiery lava area turns to ice. It's really a very cool adventure meal.

And there's a neat sand area where kid can "excavate" dino bones, and "caves" moms and dads can walk with them through. A build a dino adjacent is a fun place to build a stuffie, and we've found that their regular build a bear gear works pretty well on the dinos.

 

[jog58]

Thanks for the input and the great ideas everyone.