DHS with 3 and 6 year old?

[4Hawks]

Our FP+ window is fast approaching and I still haven't made up my mind about which parks to visit. We are definitely going to MK and AK, but I'm unsure about what to do on our 3rd park day.

My kids will be almost 3 and 6 when we go in October. My DS loves Star Wars, Toy story, and Disney Jr characters, so he would probably enjoy DHS, but I keep reading that there isn't much to do at the park. We have base tickets, not hoppers, so visiting for half a day is not a good option.

Should we wait to visit DHS in a year or two? We live in Georgia, so it's highly likely that we'll return.

Should we do 2 days at MK instead, plus 1 day at AK?

TIA

 

[thevolcanogod]

I would probably do 2 days at MK or get hoppers and do rope drop at DHS and then head to MK in the afternoon

 

[hakepb]

If you are 90+% sure about 2 years from now (with Toy Story Land open) that might be a worthwhile wait. DHS has multiple shows available (Frozen is fun, Star Wars center stage show and the exhibits and character meets, including BB8 are good ... but there's only the Toy Story and Star Tours ride (is the 3yo tall enough?)

I would consider Epcot. There's a bunch more than you'd initially think for younger kids. 3 boat rides, 3 omnimoovers. The Seas is the fish version of AK, and kids love the dancing fountains, etc.

 

[memo10]

My kids really like DHS (3&5), but we usually only do a few hours there. I would be tempted to do 2 MK days instead so you aren't as overwhelmed trying to get everything done.

 

[Dismama2boys]

My almost 3 and almost 5 year olds ended using loving HS, much to my surprise. I had planned one day there, and we ended up spending several othe partial days there as well. We move at a slow pace, admittedly, but they wanted do all the shows, some multiple times, meet all the characters, see all the Star Wars stuff, and ride TSMM and Star Tours over and over. It was my oldest's favorite park for sure. If you do skip it, obviously they won't know what they're missing, but I for one am glad we went.

 

[goofyintoronto]

Our FP+ window is fast approaching and I still haven't made up my mind about which parks to visit. We are definitely going to MK and AK, but I'm unsure about what to do on our 3rd park day.

My kids will be almost 3 and 6 when we go in October. My DS loves Star Wars, Toy story, and Disney Jr characters, so he would probably enjoy DHS, but I keep reading that there isn't much to do at the park. We have base tickets, not hoppers, so visiting for half a day is not a good option.

Should we wait to visit DHS in a year or two? We live in Georgia, so it's highly likely that we'll return.

Should we do 2 days at MK instead, plus 1 day at AK?

TIA

Honestly considering their ages, i'd wait to visit HS. There really isnt a lot for them to ride right now. When Star Wars and Toy Story land opens, they'll be over the moon! For your upcoming trip though i'd 100% do MK twice, and AK 1. You really do need 2 days for MK. There's MUCH more for kids at MK. Its such an amazing park.

 

[FigmentFinder]

Since you're only going for 3 days, I would do MK twice. There are so many rides at MK and it can be overwhelming to do in just one day with kids. There is plenty to do at DHS with little kids. My daughter would be disappointed to miss the Disney Junior show and character meets. But we are going for more days with hoppers, so it's a possibility for us. With only 3 park days, I would definitely concentrate on MK.

 

[Shellyred8]

I would lean towards skipping DHS this trip and doing a second day at MK or AK. If your kids love animals/the zoo, you might want to consider doing two days at AK (unless you happen to be staying at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, the I would only do one day at AK). There are a couple of different animal trails to walk through there that they might really love.

I agree with the some of the others that you could easily do two days at MK and still not see/do everything. If your kiddos like the smaller rides at MK and you think they would want to do them more than once, I would lean towards doing two days at MK.

If you want to get a little Star Wars and/or Toy Story fix, you can always head over to Disney Springs and visit some of the shops over there that have those items.

As a heads-up for you, if you want to do the Peter Pan ride at MK, get a fast pass for it. That line gets long quick and pretty much stays that way throughout the day.

Happy planning and have a great trip!!

 

[tlmadden73]

Plenty to do with a 3 and 6 yo at DHS .. especially if they will be entertained by shows.

Just the Disney Junior Show, Little Mermaid Show, Muppets Show and Frozen show will take up a good portion of the day.

Add in Star Tours, Launch Bay, the Star Wars shows and do not miss Toy Story Midway Mania.

My son (at 3 .. easily spent an entire day at DHS and there we didn't do it all. We went back for a 1/2 day when he was four to see all the Launch Bay stuff (though he was a bit scared of the characters).
Toy Story Midway Mania is one of his favorite rides.

I live in NC and have been successful with multiple SHORT (2-3 park day) trips .. knowing we can't do it all and we will be back in a a year and a half.

I would suggest a full day at DHS .. I would even recommend it over AK because AK just simply doesn't have a lot of kid-friendly attractions and is a lot of walking.

 

[goofyintoronto]

As a heads-up for you, if you want to do the Peter Pan ride at MK, get a fast pass for it. That line gets long quick and pretty much stays that way throughout the day.

Happy planning and have a great trip!!

I agree about the Peter Pan ride. If they would like this ride, do a FP for it. The line is always long because of the dynamics of the ride itself. But its true that the stand-by queue is pretty neat and entertaining. I enjoyed it myself.

 

[MamaBelle4]

I would suggest a full day at DHS .. I would even recommend it over AK because AK just simply doesn't have a lot of kid-friendly attractions and is a lot of walking.

Completely agree with this!! My kids love DHS. (8, 6, 4 & 2). They rode none of the thrill rides.

They did TSMM, multiple times, met many characters, laughed like hyenias at The Muppets and Frozen, and were in awe at Fantasmic!, probably the second best nighttime spectacular at WDW (or best depending on who you ask, like my DH).

I don't know why DHS is so underrated. Yes, there aren't a lot of rides, but I don't think there was meant to be. There is tons to do though.

I will say, though, I couldn't imagine going to WDW and skipping Epcot. Frankly, and personally, I'd rather do MK, Epcot and DHS and skip Animal kingdom. Especially with all the congestion from Pandora just opening. Epcot has been DD8's favorite since her first visit when she had just turned 6.

 

[ChristineOH]

With kids ages 3 and 6, definitely do two days at MK. What you do for the third day depends on the interests of your kids. There's enough to do at DHS (or AK or Epcot) to keep you busy for a full day.) My kids love DHS.

 

[tlmadden73]

Completely agree with this!! My kids love DHS. (8, 6, 4 & 2). They rode none of the thrill rides.

They did TSMM, multiple times, met many characters, laughed like hyenias at The Muppets and Frozen, and were in awe at Fantasmic!, probably the second best nighttime spectacular at WDW (or best depending on who you ask, like my DH).

I don't know why DHS is so underrated. Yes, there aren't a lot of rides, but I don't think there was meant to be. There is tons to do though.

I will say, though, I couldn't imagine going to WDW and skipping Epcot. Frankly, and personally, I'd rather do MK, Epcot and DHS and skip Animal kingdom. Especially with all the congestion from Pandora just opening. Epcot has been DD8's favorite since her first visit when she had just turned 6.

DHS is my favorite park (and will probably continue to be after all the changes).

DHS only has 5 "rides", but it has a lot of attractions. There are more "attractions" at DHS than AK .. and definitely more that kids can do (Kids can't do Dinosaur, EE, Flight of Passage). There are just as many kid-friendly attractions as Epcot.
AND .. because of its now small footprint. VERY little walking.

My son has been to Disney 3 times since he was 2. Just 2 park days (since we live within a days drive)
Trip 1 - AK (with a hop to DHS)/MK
Trip 2 - MK/DHS
Trip 3 - DHS (with a hop to MK)/Epcot.

See the trend? Each trip we hit DHS and MK .

Nowhere else in the parks can you meet Disney Junior characters .. nowhere else can you see Star Wars stuff. Disney Junior Live to me is one of the best attractions in all 4 parks for preschoolers. Shows are perfect for kids that age since there is little waiting in line AND it is indoors.

If you intend on going back someday I would do AK/DHS/MK. (I basically chose to skip Epcot until my son could ride Test Track and Soaring). You'll definitely miss things at MK, but that gives you a good excuse to come back.

 

[dismomkc]

I took my 3 and 6 year old in December and they both loved Hollywood Studios. My 6 year old is Star Wars obsessed and did Jedi training, this was for sure his favorite thing in all of Disney. My daughter loved the Frozen Show, Disney Jr Characters and meeting Olaf. There is also Fantasmic, which is my favorite show in all of Disney! My husband got picked to be in the Indiana Jones show too which my kids thought was really funny. I would say this is our 2nd favorite park. There's plenty for your little ones to do there.

 

[4Hawks]

Thank you all for the great advice. It sounds like my kids would enjoy DHS. Especially since they are not into princesses, so we would likely do most of our M&G at DHS. But now it seems like I might have to reconsider AK

 

[tlmadden73]

Thank you all for the great advice. I sounds like my kids would enjoy DHS. Especially since they are not into princesses, so we would likely do most of our M&G at DHS. But now it seems like I might have to reconsider AK

AK is still fun .. .

Do your kids like going to a zoo? Then they'll like AK.

They'll be fascinated by the Safari. If the weather is nice, they'll enjoy the nature walks. They will be fascinated by the Lion King show and there are fun kid rides in DinoLand and if you can swing it, a character meal at Tusker house is fun too.

I'd just do one day at each park (AK, MK, DHS) . and at MK . .just focus on Tomorrowland and Fantasyland (where all the "kid" rides are anyway). On my son's 3rd birthday trip to MK --we never set foot in Adventureland or Frontierland and had a blast.

 

[4Hawks]

AK is still fun .. .

Do your kids like going to a zoo? Then they'll like AK.

They'll be fascinated by the Safari. If the weather is nice, they'll enjoy the nature walks. They will be fascinated by the Lion King show and there are fun kid rides in DinoLand and if you can swing it, a character meal at Tusker house is fun too.

I'd just do one day at each park (AK, MK, DHS) . and at MK . .just focus on Tomorrowland and Fantasyland (where all the "kid" rides are anyway). On my son's 3rd birthday trip to MK --we never set foot in Adventureland or Frontierland and had a blast.

Sounds like a great plan. Thanks!

 

[twoolle]

Plenty to do with a 3 and 6 yo at DHS .. especially if they will be entertained by shows.

Just the Disney Junior Show, Little Mermaid Show, Muppets Show and Frozen show will take up a good portion of the day.

Add in Star Tours, Launch Bay, the Star Wars shows and do not miss Toy Story Midway Mania.

My son (at 3 .. easily spent an entire day at DHS and there we didn't do it all. We went back for a 1/2 day when he was four to see all the Launch Bay stuff (though he was a bit scared of the characters).
Toy Story Midway Mania is one of his favorite rides.

I live in NC and have been successful with multiple SHORT (2-3 park day) trips .. knowing we can't do it all and we will be back in a a year and a half.

I would suggest a full day at DHS .. I would even recommend it over AK because AK just simply doesn't have a lot of kid-friendly attractions and is a lot of walking.

Completely agree with this!! My kids love DHS. (8, 6, 4 & 2). They rode none of the thrill rides.

They did TSMM, multiple times, met many characters, laughed like hyenias at The Muppets and Frozen, and were in awe at Fantasmic!, probably the second best nighttime spectacular at WDW (or best depending on who you ask, like my DH).

I don't know why DHS is so underrated. Yes, there aren't a lot of rides, but I don't think there was meant to be. There is tons to do though.

I will say, though, I couldn't imagine going to WDW and skipping Epcot. Frankly, and personally, I'd rather do MK, Epcot and DHS and skip Animal kingdom. Especially with all the congestion from Pandora just opening. Epcot has been DD8's favorite since her first visit when she had just turned 6.

My kids ages 7, 5, 4 and 2 also love DHS. We skipped AK last year because, while we love animals we can see most of them at our zoo back home. We had been the previous 2 years and it really was their least memorable park. Your kids will enjoy it either way. Maybe show pics and rides to them and see which they might prefer!

 

[deedubb]

If you're only doing 3 days, I would definitely do 3 different parks. There is still lots to do at HS but both my kids loved Epcot when they were younger. It would be a coin toss I think.