First Timers with 2 yr olds

[disneydka]

Need some advise please. I am visiting 10/21-10/24 with friends of mine who have 2 yr old twins and we are doing park days 10/22 & 10/23. The dad has never been and the mom has gone but years ago before Animal Kingdom. They twins are not tall enough to do anything that has an age restriction. They are leaving decisions up to me as to what park to go to when. I am torn between doing both days at Magic Kingdom or doing Saturday @ Magic Kingdom and Sunday at Animal Kingdom. We will not be doing the Halloween party since the twins are usually in bed by 8:00PM. What would you do?

 

[hallen4]

I have a 5 year old and a 3 year old and we have gone to Disney with them multiple times throughout the various ages. I like your idea to go to Magic Kingdom and then Animal Kingdom. My kids were always fascinated by animals, so a leisurely stroll through the animal paths was nice. And you can never go wrong with Magic Kingdom.

 

[BraveLittleToaster2]

I would say add Epcot instead of AK. We just got back and my 2 year old loved the nemo ride, living with the land, figment, 3 caballeros boat ride in Mexico, spaceship earth, and loved the frozen ride.

We love AK too but you can see a zoo anywhere, though this is a really good one the only ride for toddlers is the safari ride though it is a fantastic ride. It does have two shows though if the kids prefer shows to rides...

Just my thoughts but if I could only do two parks for my 2 year old it would be MK and Epcog

 

[imthemamahere]

Ooh, I don't know how I'd choose - with 2 year olds, you could happily do Magic Kingdom + Animal Kingdom or Magic Kingdom + EPCOT.

At age 2, my son was SO into animals, it would have been a no brainer to narrow it down to what he liked best - we would have taken him to Animal Kingdom because of his love for animals. Animal Kingdom is more than "just a zoo" - there are some fun rides (Kilimanjaro Safari, Triceratops Spin), the shows can be mesmerizing (if the little ones can sit still that long - you'd have to ask the parents), and the tree is an awesome thing for kids to get a good look at. Plus there are meet & greets with Mickey & Minnie in safari gear, there's the Rafiki's Planet Watch section, and the train that gets you there... all good stuff for littles.

But when my son was 2, we went to all 4 parks and he loved EPCOT just as much. Like a previous poster said, there are some fun rides that 2 year olds are likely to enjoy, mostly in Future World. My son would ride Living with the Land over and over again if we'd let him - he's fascinated by all the plants growing in the greenhouse section. EPCOT has a solid princess presence, if the twins would be into that. (At age 2, my son loved princesses. By 3, he refused to even look at them.) The adults can switch off watching the kids via child swap, so you can do rides like Soarin' or Test Track or Mission Space, if you/your friends would be into that. EPCOT also offers a bunch of good food choices - for both the adults and the kids. And an October visit is during the Food & Wine festival, so really, TONS of food choices then, with all the kiosks around the lagoon on top of the normal options. (Though I'd recommend going early on a weekend during F&W and wrapping up your time in the World Showcase before sunset - it can get pretty crowded on weekends with both vacationers and locals eating and drinking their way around the World Showcase. Some people have reported that they've seen some drinkers get a bit loud/unruly, especially at night. I haven't, personally, but I figured I'd mention...)

I guess my point is, I don't think you'll go wrong with either one!

Ask your friends what their kids might like... think about what the adults might like... and have fun, wherever you go.

 

[tlmadden73]

When I went with my son when he was 2 we chose:
Magic Kingdom
Animal Kingdom (and then hopped to Hollywood studios).

Magic Kingdom was a no brainer.

We chose AK because:
1) It's basically a zoo. Little kids love zoos and so did my son. The petting zoo, the safari, seeing the gorillas.
2) It has a lot of shows that young kids can enjoy - Nemo, Lion King, etc.
3) There is a whole kid area (Dinoland USA)
4) A great character meal in Tusker House.
Sure .. you can't go on Everest or the Rapids .. but still plenty to see and do there.

We chose to Hop to DHS because:
My son was into Frozen and we thought seeing the Frozen show there would be fun (which he did love) .. and just sitting on the Speeder Bike at Star Tours was worth it too. Honestly, DHS is a good choice too because of TSMM and the Disney Junior show. But it may be hard to fill a whole day there with 2 year olds. But the Disney Junior show is worth it. WDW as a whole could use another kid friendly show like that in the parks.

We didn't choose Epcot because:
Besides Nemo and Frozen (which didn't exist then) .. too many rides that toddlers can't go on (Soaring, Test Track, Mission Space) .. or just not interesting (Ellen's Energy, The Land). The whole park is just dated and not really designed well for kids under 5 in my opinion (which is fine .. but its why I haven't gone there yet with my son after two trips).

 

[ktlm]

My DD hated AK at age 2, she begged to go back to MK or EPCOT. It really depends on the kid. We have a really good zoo at home, so at age 2, she didn't really see the difference. All she knew were that there were no Princesses and very few rides at AK, and the same animals she could see at home. If they don't have a zoo at home with the same animals, they might love AK. With only 2 days, at that age, I would say spend them both at MK. Things move a whole lot slower with 2 year olds. DD's favorite at age 2 other than MK was by far EPCOT - Boat in Mexico, tons of characters, Nemo, Turtle Talk with Crush, Figment, performers throughout WS; the land ride (every 2 year old I know that has ridden it has been obsessed with it- something about those greenhouses); now adding the Frozen ride- but I would definitely not go to EPCOT on the 22nd because Saturdays during F&W are crazy crowded. Sunday would be better if you wanted to do EPCOT, but it will still be more crowded than the weekdays. You can find plenty to keep them occupied at MK, especially if they turn out to love the characters.

 

[mcjaco]

At 2, we took my twins to all the parks over the course of a week. However, of the four parks, MK and AK were the biggest hits. The playground in Dinoland was worth the price of admission by itself. I'd say your two choices for that age are fine, especially if one of your guests hasn't been there yet.

 

[tsme]

We took our DD for her first visit at 2. We did 2 days at MK. It made it easier to break MK into 2 days. There's so much to do there for little ones, not just rides, & we didn't want to rush thru anything. It made it an enjoyable & relaxing trip.

 

[Ensusieasm]

Need some advise please. I am visiting 10/21-10/24 with friends of mine who have 2 yr old twins and we are doing park days 10/22 & 10/23. The dad has never been and the mom has gone but years ago before Animal Kingdom. They twins are not tall enough to do anything that has an age restriction. They are leaving decisions up to me as to what park to go to when. I am torn between doing both days at Magic Kingdom or doing Saturday @ Magic Kingdom and Sunday at Animal Kingdom. We will not be doing the Halloween party since the twins are usually in bed by 8:00PM. What would you do?

If you plan to go to MK both days that would take the stress off of how much you should get done in one day. Two 2 year olds make your days very unpredictable. Make this a trip just for them. Two year olds have schedules, and their own idea of what's fun and comfortable for them. When it's not fun and comfortable they will let you know big time. My vote is for two MK days with big breaks when needed.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

I think it really depends on how you plan to spend your first day at MK. Will you be there the whole day? Leave to take a nap and come back? Or leave to take a nap and not come back? If you plan on spending most of the day at MK (either stay the day or leave and come back), I really think you can get most of the age appropriate rides and attractions done in MK in one day (pretty much everything except the coasters and Splash). If you are only spending half a day, I would do two days at MK.

AK is a lot of fun for young families, IMHO. The shows and animal trails are wonderful. If you can get everything done in one day at MK, I would go to AK. Quite honestly, you could plan for MK and AK, but if you want to go back to MK for a second day, you can always switch your plans!

 

[kboo]

I may be the contrarian here, but I would not spend 2 days at MK... Yes, it's a trip mainly for the kids, but as adults it might be nice to go to a different park the second day. I've always enjoyed AK more than I expected, and the adults could always do rider switch for Kali River Rapids and/or Everest. Ditto for Test Track and Soarin at Epcot. We took ODD on Living With The Land over and over again while doing rider switch for Soarin. And the Garden Grille is a great character meal and relatively easy to get at the last minute.

 

[wampuscat7]

Following this thread!

Hubby and I are taking our 2 year old daughter this winter and will be at Disney for only 2 days. None of us have been before, though hubby and I have done DL and DCA. WDW is a whole different ballgame! We're planning MK and AK because I think I'd enjoy AK as much as the little one. We're staying at AKL.

Hope it's ok to hijack the thread a little, but have you guys had much experience with parkhopping with little ones? I'm wondering if I can get away with leaving AK in the early afternoon and heading to another park.

 

[lahobbs4]

This is a hard one! And not knowing what their temperament will be once you get there is another wrench in the plans. I've taken all three of mine at 2-3 and each kid was different. One would nap in a stroller, one would nap at the resort, and the other would get worked up by the time we got to the resort and not nap at all! So first and foremost, expect the unexpected with them.

Clearly, MK is my preference at this age. And 2 days is a great plan but if you have one parent that has never been before, I understand wanting to show them another park. Mine all loved Epcot second best, but it looks like AK is your preferred option at this point? Mine at that age enjoy Festival of the Lion King, Safari, and the dino playground but really weren't impressed with the animals for as long as I had hoped. Just something you may need to plan for.

We did a lot of Rider Swap one year, but the little ones were constantly having to be entertained by the leftover adult and all they really wanted to do was run around, which can be difficult at the parks

 

[hallen4]

My kids are both stroller-nappers, so park hopping for me has always been a breeze since they will sit still and nap usually on the way to the next park. We had gone in December when my daughter was only 18 months, we didn't hop that time, but it was the most enjoyable trip ever. She napped in the stroller, and through some of the rides even (Haunted mansion being one of them). I would say IMO that they were easier when they were younger simply because it was easier to entertain them with everything (since simple things amaze a young mind still). Now with my son at 5 and my daughter at 3 we really need to keep moving and doing things for them to stay entertained.

 

[wampuscat7]

That's a really good point regarding naps and stroller naps vs. going back to the room.

Honestly, one of the reasons I don't want to do MK both days is that the food options look so much more interesting at AK. I'd say the same for EPCOT.

Are there any particular characters the twins love? You might look up where those characters will be, if you think the twins will like character meets.

 

[imthemamahere]

Following this thread!

Hubby and I are taking our 2 year old daughter this winter and will be at Disney for only 2 days. None of us have been before, though hubby and I have done DL and DCA. WDW is a whole different ballgame! We're planning MK and AK because I think I'd enjoy AK as much as the little one. We're staying at AKL.

Hope it's ok to hijack the thread a little, but have you guys had much experience with parkhopping with little ones? I'm wondering if I can get away with leaving AK in the early afternoon and heading to another park.

We parkhopped with my son when he was 2 1/2. Had no problems - we always rent a car at Disney, so we'd leave the park when we wanted him to nap, buckle him up in the backseat, and he'd pass out cold from all the excitement. When he woke up, we'd head in to another park, easy-peasy.

(And we LOVE LOVE LOVE Animal Kingdom Lodge. I hope you fall in love with it, too. Color me jealous!)

That's a thought for the OP as well - if everyone's budget allows, how about splitting the second day between two parks? You could get a little more Magic Kingdom time in, then head to another park for the later part of the day. Or start at a second park and head back to MK for the evening. Or go from a morning at Animal Kingdom to EPCOT!

 

[wampuscat7]

We parkhopped with my son when he was 2 1/2. Had no problems - we always rent a car at Disney, so we'd leave the park when we wanted him to nap, buckle him up in the backseat, and he'd pass out cold from all the excitement. When he woke up, we'd head in to another park, easy-peasy.

(And we LOVE LOVE LOVE Animal Kingdom Lodge. I hope you fall in love with it, too. Color me jealous!)

That's a thought for the OP as well - if everyone's budget allows, how about splitting the second day between two parks? You could get a little more Magic Kingdom time in, then head to another park for the later part of the day. Or start at a second park and head back to MK for the evening. Or go from a morning at Animal Kingdom to EPCOT!

Thanks for the info! I can definitely see my kiddo falling asleep during transport from one park to another. Or since AK is so close, we could head back to the resort for a nap before hopping. I guess we'll see how we feel and how long AK takes. We're going in January, so the parks close early! (Which is good for little one's bedtime, but makes it hard for me to want to sacrifice hours at the hotel. We only have 2 days at Disney, afterall! Coming from 2 time zones away, I'm a little worried rope drop is gonna be rough for us.)

We're actually staying at Kidani (renting points from a friend). I've always, always wanted to stay at AKL, so I'm sure we'll have a fantastic time.