disneyworld with 3 year old

[punky'smom]

What are some of the rides and things you wouldn't miss with a 3 yr old? We have PSs for crystal palace & chef mickeys. Is there anything for the littler ones at the studio? When you travel with 11 yrs old & 15 yr olds you can't remember what's there to do with a 3 yr old.

 

[Dana_Buckley]

I took DS in June when he was 2 1/2 and again in January just before 3 yrs old. He could go on almost everything at MK, except the roller coasters. He even went on Haunted Mansion this time and liked it. His favorites are Buzz Lightyear, Adventures of Pooh and It's a Small World.

At MGM there is the Playhouse Disney show with Pooh, Stanley, Rolie Polie Olie and Bear in the Big Blue House, he really liked this show. Be sure to get in line at least 20min early. We missed the Little Mermaid show. He also liked the Beauty & The Beast show and the Great Movie Ride. We tried the Muppet Show, but he wouldn't keep the 3D glasses on. Also, the parades are great, but are usually around nap time, 2-4pm, so it can be tricky to catch them.

He also liked AK. He really liked the Safari ride and the Lion King show. He also had fun in the Boneyard playground in Dinoland. We always have lunch at Rainforest Cafe on our Ak day, the Dino shaped chicken nuggets are a big hit.

We didn't have much luck at Epcot. He didn't like Journey into Imagination, or Energy with Ellen. And he wasn't very interested in the Living Seas (but I think he is an exception).

The character meals were a big hit. On the two trips we did CRT, Chef Mickey's and Cinderella's Royal Dinner.

Have a great vacation!

 

[susy]

With a three year old, you will have to take breaks.

What worked best with our DS was getting to the parks way before opening (better to wait 40 minutes one time, than for every ride!). Just bring his breakfast or something to play with or color- the CM's are really great with interacting with the kids, too.Let him walk around with one adult, while the other one holds your place in line. Don't line up behind other people if there are turnstiles wth no one waiting.

We would take a break after lunch, go for a quick swim and lay down for a nap (just turn on toon disney, if he resists-works every time). We have lwasy foudnt eh best way to ge our Ds in bed is to get in ourselves. We usually do fall asleep, too!

Then we would get dressed and head out for the evening- usually a character meal or Epcot.

A word about Epcot- we got our DS used to doing Epcot in the evenings. He seems more agreeable t this time of day to doing the slower paced attractions. Spacehip Earth, Living Seas , the Land (Food Rocks and Circle of Life), Ice Station Cool and Journey into your imagination. Then we would head around the WS , starting in Canada, since we were on that side of future world. At this point he was content to sit in his stroller and maybe color at the kid cot stations, if we stopped. This has worked without a hitch for SIX trips!!!! Going to the other parks in the mornings and doing things he liked, let us get to enjoy Epcot without him even realizing what we were doing! Our Ds is 5 and half now and always talks about Epcot and how much he loves it!

Have a great time!!!!

 

[StampMom]

IMHO, MGM is not a good park for little ones, unless your little one happens to be VERY into shows. There are some teriffic shows, but barely anything else for the preschool set. We were there when my older DS was 3, and he liked maybe the first two shows we saw, and then kept asking "Where are the rides?" There were hardly any he was big enough to go on, and those that he could go on (like the Backlot Tour), he didn't really enjoy. The highlight of the day (for him) was playing on the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground, but I don't think that was worth "wasting" a park day for. We won't be going back to MGM until he's significantly older/taller. (Actually, that's not quite true -- Fantasmic is one of my "must do's," so we usually do the Fantasmic Dinner package, and spend about an hour "doing" MGM between our dinner time and Fantasmic.)

 

[mommystieg]

Our dd was a little over 2 when we visited last year. She loved almost all the rides we took her on. She did not like any of the 3D attractions or Universe of Energy. Some of those attractions like that are not only dark but LOUD!!! She enjoyed the Land pavilion and the Living Seas. Some of the rides she still talks about are IASW and POTC. I second the opinion about MGM-we did not find a lot to do for the toddler there. She enjoyed Playhouse Disney but found the HISTK playground a little overwhelming(and HOT).

 

[punky'smom]

My DH & DS love MGM but I just couldn't remember if there were anything that would be for our DGD. A lightbulb went off and that's right the mermaid,bear in the big blue house. We always seem to miss the Fastasmic show. After 3 years you would think we would have seen it already. But this year we are not going to miss it. No matter what!!! THANKS EVeryone

 

[ariel_459]

we took my 3 year old daughter last year, and as long as you take frequent breaks, one longer one in the afternoon, you can get by. keep bottles or sippy cups (whichever you use) full of water, juice or pedialyte(i find this works best so they wont get dehydrated, but it shouldn't be a problem if you have a shade on your stroller). keep lots of water for yourself too. as for rides, my daughter liked winnie the pooh, and pretty much anything in fantasyland. it depends on what your child likes. good luck!!!

 

[mryder]

Don't forget the monorail and the train. My son was a few months away from his 3rd birthday and still talks about the monorail.

And don't forget the Speedway. I pushed the gas and he got to steer. I think we rode this 5 times the whole trip.

 

[CamColt]

While I agree with most of the previous mentioned ideas, I think some things just depend on the kid. One kid will love something that another hates. (ie, DS was afraid of the Muppets, but loved the loud, dark, dinosaurs in Universe of Energy )

One thing I dont think I saw mentioned(sorry for repeating, if I missed it) is Food Rocks in the Land pavillion in Epcot. DS, now 6 first saw it at 15 months old. We taped part of it and he always makes me replay that part of the tape over and over. Besides the tapes of the show he has had to see it live on each of our following trips when he was ages, 3, 4 & 5.