First Timer needs advise

[PaDisney02]

Hi, we are going to Disney for the first time in August! Kids will be 2 & 5 yrs old. I think we are going to at least 3 parks. Magic kingdom, Animal Kingdom and I'm unsure about the next one. Does MGM or Epcot have more for little kids? I read that neither have much for small children, what do you all think? Also, which character meal do you suggest? Do you think one day is enough for the Magic Kind or will we need 2? Thanks

 

[Tnkrbelle565]

Happy Planning! I would say DEFINATELY two days at MK for those ages....3 if you could do it. We always end up doing 3 I would say that MGM (or DHS as it is now called) is better for those ages because there is quite a few things for them to see or do there. Some people are better at exploring Epcot than I am so others might disagree. But last year the ride in the "ball" was closed so the only thing DD could ride was Finding Nemo, the ride in Norway, and the ride in Mexico (neither of which she wanted to do). Your 5 year old may like doing the activities in Epcot but the 2 year old probably won't. DD still doesn't really enjoy Epcot that much. We'll see again this year.

Character meals I suggest are Crystal Palace, Chef Mickey's, 1900 Park Fare...those are our favorites.

 

[JacobsMommy11002]

Personally, we hate AK. Well, hate is a strong word, but IMO, there isn't that much there for little kids. I hate the boneyard. Its just a panic attack waiting to happen. Its impossible to keep track of the kids. We do the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, and MGM.

 

[SmallWorld71]

You will definitely get different opinions. For my kids it would have been MK, AK and Epcot at those ages.

 

[kiddisney]

i agree that you'll get many opinions - but we've always taken our kids to mk and epcot - since the oldest were 18 mos old - and the baby since he was 4 mos old - mk is self explanatory - but epcot has the fish tank - imagination - shows - movies - kidcot - the world showcase players are fantastic - you're oldest would love them - and the youngest will go along w/the audience participation - so i would recommend one day at epcot and two at mk - ak is okay for the safari - mgm for the muppet movie - but the other two parks are the best

 

[Aliceacc]

I haven't been since 1990, so I'll defer to the experts.

But this may help with your planning: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1715551

 

[Ariel8676]

Are you getting Hoppers??? August is HOT..we go the last week every year. We usually get up and go early and get to the parks at opening. Stay for a few hours, go back to our resort and go swimming or just hang out(around lunch time) then head to a different park at night.
If not i would suggest MK, Epcot (this is my girls' favorite park, 6,5,2), and the Studios. (If you were to get a hoper AK would be good to do for a few hours in the morning, before it got too hot).
Character meals...Chef Mickeys, Liberty Tree Tavern, Crystal palace, Princess breakfast in Norway(not to big on the lunch and dinner menus).

 

[dspads]

On our recent trip with boys about the same ages we spent 5 days in parks. Our 2 MK days were full days and the kids loved every minute. The other parks were more of 1/2 days. Here's an idea of what we did.

HS/MGM-Has more shows so it depends if your kids will sit for a bit. Mine loved the car stunt show, Muppets 3-d, Backlot Tour, Great Movie ride. And they loved meeting all the Pixar characters and Power Rangers. We spent from 10am-5pm here, including character breakfast with the Little Einsteins.

Epcot-We only spent a half day here. We did Nemo attraction. We didn't do Test Track or Soarin because we got there too late and the FP's were even huge waits. SSE was closed. We did the rides and 'site seeing' in Future World. My older son enjoyed Kidcot and my little one liked the train displays. At this age I really think of EPCOT as a kid-friendly adult experience. So if you and DH are interested, then go for it, there is stuff for them to do. Otherwise wait until they are older.

AK-We spent from opening til 9-2pm in AK (we had MVMCP tix for the evening). We did the safari, Nemo show, Kali Rapids, Tricertops spin, . I think that's really all we did. We did the walking trails, too. The Lion King show is also great.

If I were to go again right now for 3 days I would do 2 MK and probably HS/MGM. It would be a choice between MGM and AK for us.

The boys favorites at MK were:
SpectroMagic parade
Goofy's Barnstormer
Buzz ride
Monsters Inc show
WDW Rail road
Indy Speedway
Small World
Peter Pan
Pirates
Haunted Mnsion
Splash Mtm & BTMR for 5yo
....see, just a lot more to do at MK for them! We did several rides more then once and they would've gone more.

Pick your character meal based on what character they like. If they like Pooh and the gang I would do Crystal Palace. If they like Mickey I would do Chef Mickey's on the arrival or departure day (assuming you are not doing a park) or the Ohana breakfast (my fave). Or if they like the Little Einstiens I'd do the one at MGM.

HTH and have a great time!

 

[thebrain]

When we went last April (Spring Break week) with two 3 y.o. boys and an 18 month girl, the kids loved all of the different playgrounds, especially the Honey I Shrunk the Kids at MGM (now DHS). Although it is a different show now, the Playhouse Disney show was great too because it was a small enough crowd not to be overwhelming. But, Finding Nemo and Turtle Talk with Crush was a huge hit at Epcot too. And MK is great for everything.

Although it was hard for us die-hard, commando-type WDW visitors on our first trip with kids, we changed our focus to being completely about having a good time and that was key. While we didn't hit most of the big rides, we toured the park with the eyes of a child and it was magical. The boys loved all of the transportation - airplanes, MD buses, monorails, trains, ferries, etc. Whenever we saw a meltdown occuring, we hopped some form of transportation on which they either fell asleep or calmed down enough to tackle whatever was next.

Have a great trip!