Epcot or Magic Kingdom (x2) with 3 year old

[bloopkabob16]

We are planning a trip for September 2022 with me & my husband, our 3 year old son (pretty much 4 at time of trip), and another couple. We are thinking of spending 1 day at AK, 2 days at MK, 1 day at HS, and 1 pool day/DS. This will probably be the only trip for another few years so I want to make the most of it. Should I exchange one of the MK days for an Epcot day? The only thing I worry about is trying to do *too much* and not taking our time and enjoying ourselves. I don't want to frantically be going from one ride to another, that's why I initially planned for 2 days at MK. Or would you drop AK for Epcot? My kid likes Animals as much as the next kid, dinosaurs in particular, but I don't know enough about the park to know if it's a must-do. Thanks to all.

 

[loves to dive]

That's a tough question and really depends on ya'll and your kid. My son loved Epcot when he was that age but at the time the exchange CMs were there and he loved learning about their countries. No surprise he got his degree in anthropology. He wasn't really a huge fan of MK, strange for a small kid but there you go. I think Mom and Dad would enjoy Epcot. Maybe you can do a full day at MK and take breaks on your other days and go back to the resort for some pool/rest time and be able to do all parks.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

I'd keep what you have, add Epcot, and drop pool day. Take every day slow and do either a nap or pool time in the afternoon when the weather is the hottest and the crowds are the worst. For my family, we're much better paced and more relaxed when we go at a moderate pace every day, rather than going at a fast pace most days with one or two days of nothing.

 

[Schneewittchen37]

Depends on your kid. All kids like animals, right? Does your kid love rides though?

As far as suitable rides/attractions for little kids....

AK has animals to look at, a petting zoo with a train ride, lion king show, a safari, Na'vi river, a playground, and triceratop spin (dumbo with dinosaurs). The finding nemo show is still closed right now.

Epcot has the frozen ride, 3 caballeros ride, figment ride, living with the land, ratatouille ride, spaceship earth, nemo ride, turtle talk, club cool and an aquarium.

When they were little, my kids really enjoyed Epcot. AK is the first park we drop if we're short on days.

 

[bloopkabob16]

I'd keep what you have, add Epcot, and drop pool day. Take every day slow and do either a nap or pool time in the afternoon when the weather is the hottest and the crowds are the worst. For my family, we're much better paced and more relaxed when we go at a moderate pace every day, rather than going at a fast pace most days with one or two days of nothing.

that's a good idea. moderate pacing sounds lovely. haha.

 

[MamaBelle4]

I'd keep what you have, add Epcot, and drop pool day. Take every day slow and do either a nap or pool time in the afternoon when the weather is the hottest and the crowds are the worst. For my family, we're much better paced and more relaxed when we go at a moderate pace every day, rather than going at a fast pace most days with one or two days of nothing.

I absolutely agree with this.

You'll never, ever know what your kids' favorite parks will be. They have a way of surprising you. We took my 4 year old when he had just turned 3 and he absolutely adored Animal Kingdom.

Best piece of advice I can give is - don't go with the expectation of getting everything and seeing everything. Take it easy and go at your son's pace. If he needs to go back to the room for naps, take him back for naps. If he's content taking breaks in a stroller, let him take breaks in a stroller. And I highly recommend utilizing the various play areas because that constant stimulation causes preschoolers to need to excise bursts of energy.

 

[sponica]

This will probably be the only trip for another few years so I want to make the most of it

In my opinion, I think trying to make the most of it leads to disappointment/stress.

I've been a half dozen times, there are still places I haven't been, things I haven't done.

I would also drop the rest day. I only need an hour or two at the pool (sure my kids could live there from sun up to sun down). I do think planning on repeating MK is a good idea as I like to divide the park in half. Tomorrowland/Fantasyland one day, and Adventureland/Frontierland/Liberty Square another day. It's too overstimulating to do everything all at once.

 

[Kerr84]

There are a ton of rides for 3 year olds at MK. 2 days there would be great! My daughter enjoyed Epcot a lot more than HS. There isn't much for a 3 year old to do at HS. I know you didn't mention dropping that one though. But my 2 year old daughter enjoyed 1. MK 2. Epcot 3. AK 4. HS

 

[bloopkabob16]

There are a ton of rides for 3 year olds at MK. 2 days there would be great! My daughter enjoyed Epcot a lot more than HS. There isn't much for a 3 year old to do at HS. I know you didn't mention dropping that one though. But my 2 year old daughter enjoyed 1. MK 2. Epcot 3. AK 4. HS

Yeah, my kid loves Toy Story so I figured HS would be a keeper. I think I will do what earlier people mentioned and just try to do all the parks but at a leisurely pace and drop my 1 pool day. Seems like it might give me the best of both worlds.

 

[L & B Mom]

I didn't take my kids to HS until they were older and could ride the rides. They weren't interested in sitting still and watching the shows. They did like AK. They have a great playground my kids loved. DS was crushed when he dug up the dinosaur bones only to discover he couldn't take them home. We usually do Epcot in the evenings. That way once the kids fall asleep in the stroller we can enjoy visiting the countries. We always spend at least 2-3 days in MK. The waiting lines have come a long way since I was a kid! Many times my kids didn't even want to get on the ride they were happy playing in the line.

 

[Specter]

I think the largest part is going to depend on what your child can ride and what they might like riding. We just got back from a week long trip with our almost 3 year old daughter. We did 3 days MK, 2 Epcot, 1 AK, and 1 HS. We took a midday break each day, got to the parks early but didn't kill ourselves trying to rope drop, and stayed out as late as we felt/DD could handle, and she was a trooper. We really only had one or two meltdowns the entire trip and they were on warmer days toward the end when I think the cumulative effect was just starting to get to her. DD is also on the petite side, probably right at 3 feet tall, which limited the rides she could go on, especially at HS.

MK was obviously her favorite and that's to be expected. She liked pretty much everything we took her on. We wanted to do a few more things but even with 3 days, we couldn't quite hit it all, though there is only one thing off the top of my head that we had wanted to do and didn't get to.

At Epcot she loved Frozen and Remy, and enjoyed the others, though they were a bit slow paced for her. Had she been tall enough I really think that she would have enjoyed Soarin and maybe even Test Track. After we got home she kept talking about rides where she got to go fast.

Even though the number of rides was very small, only three, at HS she still really enjoyed the park. She loves Star Wars like dad and so she really enjoyed going through Galaxy's Edge, seeing the ships, and she got to have a fantastic interaction with Rey and Chewbacca that was one of the highlights of the trip.

AK was also a lot of fun for her even though we really only took her on the safari and Navi river and did a few of the shows. Had she been about 2 inches taller that would have opened up a few more rides, and 4 inches would have allowed several more. She is adventurous and after we showed her videos of Barnstormer on youtube she was all in for that and rode it 4 or 5 times and is still talking about it now that we're home. I have no doubt if she had been tall enough she would have been game to try Thunder, Space, and other roller coasters, too, which is why I mentioned above about what your child can ride and what they might want to ride.

 

[theMoreDisneytheBetter]

What about park hopping HS and Epcot?
At 4 my son would have loved slinky, toy story mania, Star tours, millennium falcon, and 3 of the shows (Frozen, Indiana jones, and the stupid Disney jr dance party that I have seen more times than I care to admit). At Epcot he would have liked Remy, soarin, figment, and spaceship earth. Too small for test track I believe. There are other rides too but not necessarily what he would have liked at that age. If you start with HS you can have dinner in Epcot, which is great. Also the walk between the parks, riding the boat, or the skyliner would give him a nice mental break.

 

[isabellea]

For my oldest at that age it would have been 2x MK but for my youngest, 2x AK. They both hated EPCOT.

 

[Unclelude]

I have 3 kids in college... First I'd say sometimes I think your almost 4YO has to have more brains than my kids .

The other thing I'd offer is your kid most likely won't directly remember anything from this trip. Maybe a glimpse of the fun.

I agree with the sentiment to just have fun and try not to feel FOMO and overdo it... You as parents will remember the trip for sure . Your itinerary probably doesn't matter as much as the family fun and enjoyment you will have!

I'm excited for you! Have a great trip!

 

[bloopkabob16]

The other thing I'd offer is your kid most likely won't directly remember anything from this trip. Maybe a glimpse of the fun.

Yeah, that's one of the downsides with going at this age! All the excitement but probably no memories for him. I got the photo package so maybe he will have some fun pictures to look back on at least.

I ended up booking all 4 parks, 5 days total (2 at Magic Kingdom). We will just take the days slowly and enjoy as much as we can without overdoing it. Thank you!

 

[DisSpoofy]

I agree with the majority of the posts here, MK more than 1 day and maybe even skip Epcot. Our 3 year old didn’t like Epcot whatsoever, it was a chore for us rather than fun for all.

 

[kwdw]

Drop the pool day, go to Epcot. Don’t plan everyday as a crazy long day. Let the other couple hit night time fireworks while you all head to bed. It’s okay to call the parks done at 4 pm, head to the resort and have a QS meal and some pool time. Or if everyone is a night owl, sleep late and start the day later.

At almost 4, they will have some limited memories of the trip, especially if you take picture and make either a scrapbook or photo book you all look at afterwards. But they will mainly remember the feeling of being on vacation with you!

 

[browneyedgirl1683]

It really depends on your kid, and what they like can vary from year to year. Some years my kid will ride everything at our local theme park, and others it's nothing, they just want to meet characters and eat treats. My kids like aquariums more than zoos, so Epcot was better for us than AK. We found space to run around by the jumping fountain, they liked taking the friendship boats, and exploring the pavilions. Pool days were extremely important and just as much "Disney" as rides for my kids. What's important and special for us can be so different for them.

 

[Disturbia]

I agree with relaxed days and pool time on a park day.

Also, don’t worry about kids not remembering. The more different things they’re exposed to the more creative/imaginative they become (my 6 year old had the pattern recognition of a 14 year old).

Moreover, It’s all about the experiences in the here and now vs remembering everything (tomorrow is not a guarantee).

 

[ktlm]

Another vote for drop the pool day and add EPCOT. My DD loved EPCOT at that age, Nemo ride, Figment Ride, Living with the Land, Boat ride in Mexico, characters. You never know with pre-schoolers until you get there how they are going to react at WDW. Mine was high energy and loved the parks-- she would not have stood for a pool day knowing the parks were there. She had no interest in the pool at the resort when she could swim in our neighborhood pool at home. She was a bear to wake up in the mornings (same at home and same now years later), but once she was fully awake- she was standing at the room door with her stroller telling us to hurry up so she could get to a park. She also hated AK and was begging to go back to MK or EPCOT after an hour or two, which surprised me because she loved the zoo at home- Basically her thoughts were-- I can go to the zoo and see animals at home-- where are the rides and princesses? Some kids love AK- she was not one of them.

You never know what they are going to like until they are there. Mine loved character meet and greets way more than rides- although she did like the rides. She loved the shows. You can always go back to the resort and have some pool time if you want, but that might depend on your kid's likes and attitude. I only recall mine throwing a couple of full fledged fits at WDW. One was our first day when she was 2 when we made her leave the park mid-day to go back to the resort to nap-- we quickly learned that stroller naps and open to close park days were her thing. She had zero interest in going back to the room to nap (stood behind the curtain and wouldn't even look at us for 2 hours she was so mad- no way she was going to nap). Those mid-day breaks that others swear by here, were not for her. The other was when she realized we were getting on the boat from MK to go back to WL to catch Magical Express and go to the airport to go home-- she did not want to leave. (There was a 3rd that involved Barnstormer and her not wanting to get off after riding it 14 times in a row). Mine was typically better behaved at WDW than at home.

I would plan for all 4 parks with the 2 days at MK, and then just plan on being flexible. If he really takes to the parks, you might just stay there all day. If he seems overwhelmed, you might want to go back to the resort and go to the pool. With a toddler, you just kind of have to be flexible and let them take time to smell the roses. It is interesting to see what draws their attention.

DD is 16 now, and she actually still remembers quite a bit from her 3 year old trips and even her 2 year old trip. It really doesn't matter what he remembers though because YOU will remember-- we had a lot of moments from those ages that I will never forget. They are my favorite trips. Plus, they are having an incredible time in the moment, and you will have pictures he can look at later if he doesn't remember.