Best Parks for Toddlers!?

[CallMeAFlower]

We're planning the first WDW trip for our daughter, who will be 2.5y at the time, and were debating a second park to visit while we're there.

I'm curious how you would rank the parks for toddlers. Does Epcot beat out Animal Kingdom for second place now they've nixed the dinos, or do you think that the Hollywood Studios Chewbacca meet and greet blows everything at Magic Kingdom out of the water?

Bonus round- what's your favorite non-park thing to do?

 

[Simba's Mom]

I remember taking our 2 1/2 yo DGD, and at the time AK was by far the winner, because of the Boneyard (RIP) But since that's no longer an option, I think I'd move MK into first place. DHS would stay in last place-we even asked a CM, who agreed that there wasn't much she could do. Little Mermaid was closed, so maybe things would change. Epcot and AK would be in second and third, but I don't know in which order-she did enjoy seeing the animals at AK and some of the shows at Epcot.
Our favorite family non-park thing is riding different forms of transportation-Skyliner, monorail, boats to DS from OKW (where we stayed).

 

[mamaanna]

When we took our older daughter for the first time, she was a few months shy of 3. We did MK, AK, and EPCOT. She loved getting to pet goats at AK - BUT - she got to meet Anna and Elsa in EPCOT, so, that was I think a bigger hit for her.


On the flip side... when we asked her what her favorite part was? The pool. And the buses. (And not even the regular pool, but the ankle deep kiddie pool.)

 

[liamthompson]

I have a kid that loves things that move.

AK - mine loved the train to planet watch and looooved watching the goat having an operation for his ingrown toenail.

Epcot - loved the train pavilion in germany and enjoyed watching the manatees eat cabbage at sea base.

Greatly enjoyed the skyliner and ferry. We rode the monorail too but didn't receive any comments, not sure why.

DHS was actually his favorite day because we stopped for ice cream.

For the parents, AK was the easiest day.

He is currently in an argument with me that chewie is a person ("he just has a lot of hair") and refuses my explanation that chewie is a wookie. If your daughter has a special interest in chewbacca, my vote is DHS!

Wanted to add...because there's not as many attractions for small kids in DHS, we really slowed down that day and I think it made it more enjoyable than we expected. At one point, we were playing a running game in some empty space around animation courtyard. Alien whirling saucers was a big hit. And my kid had been looking everywhere for a specific car from the Cars franchise and couldn't find it...since it was our last day at disney, we told him he could pick out a souvenir in the pixar shop and he was the happiest kid in the world!

 

[hardcorestitch]

Resort hopping hands down is the best on non park days. I love to munch on Disney snacks at the Disney resorts.

 

[theMoreDisneytheBetter]

HS has the frozen singalong, Disney jr live on stage, and some popular meet and greets. She might also like the beauty and the beast show or alien swirling saucers.

Honestly there’s something for everyone in all the parks.

 

[MICKIMINI]

Our son's first trip at 3 yo was MK and EPCOT. He loved both of course! As he aged (we typically went once a year, EPCOT was the standout. He really "go into" geography at 3 yo and we had to buy books with maps as he just loved studying them. All kids are different, but I would highly recommend EPCOT. There are lots of kid's geography books and it is a good opportunity to get them interested in travel. Enjoy!