first time with 3 year old

[gmjlebo]

Love everyone's great ideas. We have used this site to plan adult trips. But here I am planning at trip not for me but for my 3 year old who loves mickey mouse club house. I am sure disneyworld is very different with a little one. Slow i am sure.

Just some easy questions for you experts
1. We are thinking of going in may is there a better week to go?
2. Would a 3 year old find wl magical? (i think we will be really using the resort this time.)
3. Do we need a hopper pass or just basic passes?
4. Is there something we must do with a three year old at disney

Thank you all so much.

 

[DRS_Are_Best]

Does your 3 yo also like other PHDisney shows? My DS LOVES Little Einsteins -- we booked the PHDisney Character Breakfast which includes Leo and June from LE as well as JoJo and Goliath from JoJo's Circus. It's at Hollywood and Vine in Hollywood Studios.

That's the breakfast we're doing SPECIFICALLY for our DS.

Good luck planning!

 

[Tnkrbelle565]

Will it be magical for a 3 year old???? You bet it will be!!! 3 was our most magical trip. DD believed that all the characters were real and was quite excited to see them. (At the wise old age of 4, she figured out on her own that Mickey is a man in a costume).

At 3, you'll be suprised at how much your child will be able to do. There aren't many rides that my DD wasn't able to go on at 3.

You will need to take it very slow and not overplan. You can not finish everything Disney has to offer in a week. It's impossible...but you will be able to do the highlights for sure. Even if your kiddo doesn't nap at home, they will probably need a daily downtime. Also, they will need a stroller even if they don't use one at home.

Park hoppers are entirely up to your park touring style. We like to park hop because we like to eat at some parks more than others. We also purposely avoid EMHs so we switch when those are offered to avoid crowds.

 

[h518may]

WL is a great place for a 3 year old. We went is Sept with DS 5 and DD 2(almost 3) and they loved the resort. The boat to MK was there favorite.

We didn't park hop, but some like to be able to visit a different park after a nap. For us we either stayed in the park all day( only did this once in Epcot). Or returned to the same park after naps.

My almost 3 year old loved all the rides she went on, but didn't like the characters. Funny was that she was fascinated by the characters from a distance, but if one came up to her she was terrified. Now she only met the characters with there faces covered, she might have been fine with face characters. She loved Santa this year, climbed right up into his lap.

 

[ktlm]

My dd was two months under 3 when we went last month. 1) Haven't been in May yet
2)She loved WL. Bring change. She especially loved throwing pennies in the bubbling spring by the elevators. We couldn't walk by it without her hitting one of us up for change. We were in the parks most of the time and spent very little time at the resort, but the one day we made it back briefly in the afternoon, we accidently ran across the free cookie decorating in roaring forks. She loved that. She also loved the boat ride to MK.
3) We wound up hopping 3 of our 5 day stay. She oddly did not really care for AK, and after a couple of hours really wanted to go back to MK. We also hoped from Epcot to hit Spectromagic and from MK to dinner at Epcot and Illuminations on a night MK closed early for MVVCP . It was nice to have the flexibility that if she really wanted to see or do something or change parks, we could. I wouldn't go without the hopper with DD at her age because you would be surprised how fast doing the Peter Pan or Small World ride for the 7th time can suddenly become a kids number one priority.
4. It depends on your child. My DD absolutely loved the characters. She had the running tackle perfected and I'm surprised she didn't knock some of them over in her excitement that it was her turn. So- character meals were a big highlight for us. If your child is a character lover, don't expect character meals to keep you from standing in long lines though as that turned out to be DD's number one priority. My tip- if you spot a character first and do not want to stand in the line, immediately position yourself where child can not see said character and quickly move out of the area. Her other absolute favorites were the two rides above and the parades.

WDW is slower with a small child, but it is wonderful.

 

[kgle]

I am going to keep an eye on this thread...my DS turns 3 April 6th and I am hoping that he has so much fun. He adores Mickey Mouse Clubhouse too (I catch him saying "Mouska.....Mickey Mouse!" all the time lol.

We are going at the beginning to middle of May...9th-19th. So far I have heard the weather is pretty great and the crowds are not too too bad yet so hopefully it turns out to be a great time to go.

 

[gmjlebo]

Thanks so much for all the great info!!!!!!

 

[squirrel]

You can upgrade to hoppers if you want after you arrive.

I never hopped when it was included in my first two trips, and we didn't have any small children.


I think you will like being close to the MK-WL is just a boat ride away.

 

[RMulieri]

Love everyone's great ideas. We have used this site to plan adult trips. But here I am planning at trip not for me but for my 3 year old who loves mickey mouse club house. I am sure disneyworld is very different with a little one. Slow i am sure.

Just some easy questions for you experts
1. We are thinking of going in may is there a better week to go?
2. Would a 3 year old find wl magical? (i think we will be really using the resort this time.)
3. Do we need a hopper pass or just basic passes?
4. Is there something we must do with a three year old at disney

Thank you all so much.

A 3 yr old should love it.Just realize that this trip will be a slower paced trip then what you are used to.Little Mousekateers sometimes just aren't prepared for the high energy and constant stimulation WDW provides. To answer your questions,1) May is good...the earlier the better.The later in May the more schools out the greater the crowds are.2) Believe it or not,kids love just about any resort..a new place with a cool pool that isn't home...WINNER 3) I like hoppers others do not. I find that even with smaller kids they are beneficial..say you want to do EMH at MK.You do them in the morning and by midday the park is gridlocked.With the PH you can easily go to a different park in the afternoon.Alot of our trip we started our day at the MK and ended it in Epcot (where most of our dining was),this was with a 4yr old. 4) Kids love swimming so save time for the pool, don't miss DHS Playhouse disney show, and most of the attractions in Fantasyland at the MK..have a great trip

 

[wlwilliams9]

Love everyone's great ideas. We have used this site to plan adult trips. But here I am planning at trip not for me but for my 3 year old who loves mickey mouse club house. I am sure disneyworld is very different with a little one. Slow i am sure.

Just some easy questions for you experts
1. We are thinking of going in may is there a better week to go?
2. Would a 3 year old find wl magical? (i think we will be really using the resort this time.)
3. Do we need a hopper pass or just basic passes?
4. Is there something we must do with a three year old at disney

Thank you all so much.

We have taken DD at both 10 months, 22 months and we are taking her again in May, 2 months shy of 3.

To answer your questions:

1. IMO, May is the best time to go. We prefer early May because some of the southern states get out of school at the end of May and it starts to get a little busy.
2. I can guarantee your 3yo will say, "WOW!" as soon as you step into the lobby of WL and yes, you will be using the resort more with a little one!
3. With a 3yo, you probably won't need a hopper. We haven't hopped since having DD. Like a PP said, you can always add it when you get there if you really need it.
4. My DD LOVES It's a Small World and the Playhouse Disney show at DHS. She also went on Goofy's Barnstormer last time and LOVED it!

Your trip will be at a slower pace than when it was just an adult trip. Take time during the day to relax at the resort and use the pool. Finally, make sure to bring kleenex, when you see your 3yo enjoying WDW, it will bring you to tears!

 

[skuttle]

Our DS was 2.5 during his first trip back in December 2005. We also stayed at the WL and he LOVED it. Our room opened up to the lobby and his favorite thing every morning was to go downstairs to look at the "fountain" in the lobby. He just HAD to do that each morning. It was too cold when we went to swim, but the pool looked awesome! We took a surrey bike to Fort Wilderness as well.

The earlier in May you go, the better. Avoid Memorial Day weekend if at all possible.

I would do park hoppers. I've never done WDW without them, though. I like having the option.

DS LOVED the characters! Ever time he saw one, we had to wait in line to meet them! LOL We did two character meals during that trip. A year later we did the playhouse disney breakfast and DS really enjoyed that one.

One thing that we weren't prepared for was that DS would CRY at the end of rides, shows, etc. because he didn't want them to be over or didn't want to get off of the rides. We ended up doing Small World 2x in a row because of this! Luckily, now at 5 years old, he understands that there are tons of other cool things to do/see and if we only go on one ride over and over again, we miss out of those other things.

At 2.5, DS did fine in the shops. But when we went back at 3.5 years old, DS HAD to have everything he saw. We had a lot of meltdowns that trip because of that. We had to start avoiding the shops/carts. At 4 and 5 years old, that was gone. We still refer to the trip at 3.5 years old as the "bad" trip.

At 2.5, DS also took a lot of his naps in the stroller so we could stay in the park and wander around. Or my mom (she came with us that first trip with DS), would sit with the stroller and DH and I would ride some of the thrill rides.

Before our trip, we made an effort to see so local fireworks shows in town to test DS to see how he would do. He ended up sleeping through Holiday Wishes during MVMCP and also Illuminations!

 

[ppan77]

Oh you are going to have sooo much fun. We leave the end of the month with our ds3 and dd9 months!

Must do's:
Chef Mickey's
Toon Town-meet n greet w/characters
Fantasyland
Ride the train
Ride the monorail

 

[BiancaBernard&Penny]

Great stuff! "Penny" will be one month shy of her third b-day when we go in the middle/end of May.

We're definitely planning to take advantage of the resort amenities.

We've gotten park hoppers in the past and plan to again (already booked MYW but plan to upgrade) We like breaking it up: park in AM, hot midday at hotel for nap/meal/swim, then another park in PM. I'm sure that routine will only be more needed with a child.

We're planning some charchter meals- Breakfast at CP like our last two trips, last time we liked CM, and maybe adding in some others.

I plan to take her to the Playhouse show and the Nemo stuff. She LOVES Nemo! I think the aquarium will generally be fun for her and expect her to like AK, too. Ktlm reminds me why we get Hoppers- she might take us by surprise and hate AK.

We plan to visit a waterpark at least once. Not sure if we'll get the pass for that or stick to Hoppers and pay OOP. That's another thread...

Taking a stroller but she often wants to be carried. I'm looking towards getting a good carrier for toddlers- on the order of an Ergo but maybe bigger.

We're looking for all the quiet "mundane" stuff (Are you allowed to use the word "mundane" in Disney??) Active play that is more self guided or at her own pace like at home- playgrounds, kidcot crafts, Tom Sawyer island, fountains, etc...

 

[lady_hlh]

Great stuff! "Penny" will be one month shy of her third b-day when we go in the middle/end of May.

We're definitely planning to take advantage of the resort amenities.

We've gotten park hoppers in the past and plan to again (already booked MYW but plan to upgrade) We like breaking it up: park in AM, hot midday at hotel for nap/meal/swim, then another park in PM. I'm sure that routine will only be more needed with a child.

We're planning some charchter meals- Breakfast at CP like our last two trips, last time we liked CM, and maybe adding in some others.

I plan to take her to the Playhouse show and the Nemo stuff. She LOVES Nemo! I think the aquarium will generally be fun for her and expect her to like AK, too. Ktlm reminds me why we get Hoppers- she might take us by surprise and hate AK.

We plan to visit a waterpark at least once. Not sure if we'll get the pass for that or stick to Hoppers and pay OOP. That's another thread...

Taking a stroller but she often wants to be carried. I'm looking towards getting a good carrier for toddlers- on the order of an Ergo but maybe bigger.

We're looking for all the quiet "mundane" stuff (Are you allowed to use the word "mundane" in Disney??) Active play that is more self guided or at her own pace like at home- playgrounds, kidcot crafts, Tom Sawyer island, fountains, etc...

We took my DD when she was 3 going on 4 and it drove my DH insane that some of her favorite activities were the "mundane" ones. She loved spending lots of time in the Pooh playground/fountain area and Donald's boat.