Do I need Hollywood Studios with a 2 year old?

[KTwiegs]

We will be going back to our happy place September 28th to October 2nd.
My husband and I have been every year for the last 4 years.
This will be the first trip with our (then) 22 month old son so it will be a very different trip then we are use to but a fun amazing one still!
We are doing 4 days at the world with NO park hopper and staying at CBR.

My question is do you think it is worth going to HS with our son?
Would a second day at MK be the better choice?

To us HS has always been a half day park and really just want to go on Toy Story. Which even with a fast pass we will be lucky to only ride once.
We don't need to ride the thrill rides (no fun alone!)

Are there things at HS that my son should see or experience?
thank you for all the help in advance!

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

My 4yo has difficulty because she wants rides and for her height, Toy Story is it. (She eschewed GMR last night when offered as she didn't think it too exciting a few weeks prior when she did ride it.) It is basically a show park for that age. They do have the playground, though. But so does AK.

Without park hoppers, I would be inclined to just skip it.

I think extra time at MK would be better especially if DHS ranks lowest for mom and dad.

 

[Mambo Junkie]

We did HS with a 2 and 4 year old (both girls) They enjoyed the H&V character meal, Disney Jr and the Frozen things, including the snow play area at Oakens. They also enjoyed Beauty and the Beast and Fantasmic. Other than that, not a lot to do for a 2 year old, but for the few things he may enjoy, consider a half day? Not sure how long Frozen is going to be there but maybe plan it so you can see the Disney Jr show, then over to Beauty and the Beast which is right beside Fantasmic. Not sure how he would like Indiana Jones Stunt Show. We didn't have time to do it. The Muppets is always fun, but a 2 year old probably won't enjoy the 3D effects but he'll love playing with the glasses.

 

[disneyshan]

We went to HS for the first time with our two boys (then 4 and 22 months) and it was their favorite park! They loved the Disney Junior show and meeting jake and sophia. They loved the TSM (but loved the cue area more!) And there were tonnes of different characters for them to meet and greet. We'd intentionally avoided it in the past, but we were so happy we went the last time.

 

[cattywampus]

I would DEFINITELY skip HS and add a second day at MK.

 

[rideswithchrist]

That's a hard one...for us, that park is going to offer SO much for our kids. I know my 2YO will want to see Disney Jr live because they have Jake and the Neverland Pirates. Plus there is Monster's Inc characters there, what 2 YO would not want a pic with Sully- he is huge!

We are not hopping either so we are doing HS in the middle of the week so we get a break if we feel it is only a half-day and can go back for Fantasmic.

You never know if your 2yo will want to ride the Toy Story Mania like 3 times either

Even though you and your hubby have gone, this trip is about your son- and you will get to experience Disney in an entirely different way than before- through his eyes.

 

[Promomx2]

If your little one watches Disney Jr. then HS breakfast with Disney Jr. is the best. My grandbabies were 3yr and 21 mos and both loved it. Also the Disney Jr. show, toy story ride, the little mermaid show and meeting Jake and Sophia and Daisy Duck.

 

[phtktz3]

Just went in Sept with my 2 yr old grandson and we had so much fun at DHS!! We did Disney Jr, TSM, Great Movie Ride ( he loved this), went to Animation Court where he met The Incredibles, Wreck it Ralph and Vanelope and a few other characters. We also found very few lines to visit with characters like Daisy, Donald, and Sully in random spots around the park.
We ate at 50s Prime Time and he enjoyed that too. The Frozen Sing a Long and Trading Post were a big hit too.
It was my favorite day of our whole trip and that includes the Disney cruise we did that week also. I wouldn't skip it!!

 

[VFG]

There are things to do at Hollywood Studios, but there is a lot more to do at Magic Kingdom. We
have taken out two year old on five trips and frequently skip studios.

 

[Kristina4109]

Here's what my sister's then-two-year old loved at the Studios:

Disney Junior Live on Stage
Voyage of The Little Mermaid
Meeting characters
Toy Story Mania!
Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular

Hope that helps!

 

[Manders77]

I agree the Disney Jr stuff is a must do for that age. For my kids HS was the favorite besides MK. Our last visit we did a half day at Epcot -just for princess dinner. Do what you think is best for you. Some people will say skip it, others will say not to. Our next visit we were going to skip Epcot altogether but since the Frozen ride is going to be there, we will probably fit in a half day again. Good Luck and happy planning.

 

[LovemesomeDW]

Although I do think HS has a lot to offer, I think in your case since you don't have park hopper, a second day at MK would be the better choice.

 

[Feberin]

I think it depends on his interests. Does he love Disney Jr, Toy Story or Cars? My daughter was 23 months old and I'm not sure if there was a ton that she enjoyed there. She did like riding TSM but she wasn't a big fan of shows in general. She may have liked the Disney Jr one more but she napped through most of it then woke up cranky. Otherwise she enjoyed meeting the Cars characters and that was about it. If it was a choice between doing a day and not doing it then I might recommend it but when you compare it to a second day at Magic Kingdom then I think Magic Kingdom would be a better bet unless your son is really into stuff at Hollywood Studios. Also it sounds like this is going to be the first of many trips so some things that he may not appreciate now he might love for your next trip. My four-year-old had a blast at Hollywood Studios.

 

[alicat8]

I would definitely do a second MK day vs HS. The Disney Jr stuff was good. She loved the characters and H&V, but I don't think I'll ever go back-holy hectic and crazy loud! Food was good though We also did the Disney Jr show (cute), Little Mermaid show (she was terrified of giant Ursula), Muppets (she loved), Beauty and the Beast show (we were really far away-she was unimpressed). It was really a lot of shows, which is a lot of sitting if you have an antsy kid.
So based on my experience with my 2.5 year old, I'd do more MK if I had to choose.

Whoops-forgot that the Frozen sing along was fun for her, and we did TSMM, but I think it was too jerky for her. She got tossed around like a rag doll.

 

[MinnieSweetheart]

We're planning a trip in about a year when our daughter will be about the same age and think we will be skipping epcot instead. She didn't enjoy much at Epcot outside of Pooh Bear, Nemo and Figment. Her Dad and I love the food so we might do an evening there on AK day if we get hoppers.

She was 7 months on this recent trip and she LOVED H&V. She tried to feed Doc and Jake Mickey waffles, lol. She also seem to like the Disney Jr. show and Frozen. Next time, I know she will LOVE the Disney Jr. show bc the 2/3 crowd was going bonkers. She napped during beauty and the beast, but I'm pretty sure she'd like it.

I'm def suggest 2 days at MK, but I would skip Epcot instead.

 

[chloelovesdisney]

I would skip DHS and add a second day at the MK. There is much more to do in the MK.

 

[Mambo Junkie]

We're planning a trip in about a year when our daughter will be about the same age and think we will be skipping epcot instead. She didn't enjoy much at Epcot outside of Pooh Bear, Nemo and Figment. Her Dad and I love the food so we might do an evening there on AK day if we get hoppers.

She was 7 months on this recent trip and she LOVED H&V. She tried to feed Doc and Jake Mickey waffles, lol. She also seem to like the Disney Jr. show and Frozen. Next time, I know she will LOVE the Disney Jr. show bc the 2/3 crowd was going bonkers. She napped during beauty and the beast, but I'm pretty sure she'd like it.

I'm def suggest 2 days at MK, but I would skip Epcot instead.

That's what I was thinking; if you skip anything skip EPCOT. Lots of walking for a little one with very little he can do.

 

[KTwiegs]

drop Epcot!?!?! goodness the pain I would feel!
But I understand the thought.

Right now he isn't crazy for any specific character/movie (other then Olaf, he is obsessed and I am hoping and praying they add an actual character meet for him!)
If he attaches to one of the Disney Jr. shows they feature we will definitely do that!

I guess I have till 60 days out to make the hard decision.
So many of the things that have been suggested are things we have never done so maybe we have been missing the fun all along!

Thanks for all the input.

 

[ABtwinmommy]

I would do a second day at MK over HS hands down. Every kid is different, but at 2.5 my kids' least favorite park was HS. They liked rides and parades, disliked shows. Even though they loved Disney Junior, HS just was not the park for them. MK had so much more that they enjoyed. You know your little one best, just go with your instinct!

 

[Aurora0427]

We've taken our daughter 3 times. Twice at age 2 and most recently at age 3.5. We skipped DHS the first trip because it was only a 4 day trip. The past two trips we did DHS, but could've easily skipped again, and we wish we had. DD liked the Disney Junior Show, meeting Sofia, voyage of the little mermaid, and Oaken's, but she would've had even more fun at MK or EPCOT. We had to take her out of the Frozen singalong because she was tired and cranky.

If you had park hoppers, I'd say go. But with only a 4 day trip and no hoppers, I just don't think it's worth it considering it's already last on your list of favorites.