HELP--MGM to Epcot and back to MGM--can I do this?

[princesscrazydaughte]

I don't think there is a whole lot at MGM for my little kids. I was planning on going there on a Monday Morning and hitting the few shows there are for them (Little Mermaid, Bear in the Big Blue House, Jim Henson's Muppet Vision and maybe the Honey I shrunk adventure set) and then heading over to Epcot for lunch, Santa stories and an ice cream social with Mickey at the Grill and then heading back to Epcot to see characters at Al's Toy Barn and the Magic of Animation before going to Fantasmic.

How long does it take to travel between these two parks? They appear close, but I have never hopped them like this. I wanted to hit the shows at MGM in the morning and Fantasmic at night, but I know there isn''t enough to do to keep the kids (DS2 and DD 3 1/2) busy there.

Advice please.

 

[princesscrazydaughte]

I meant back to MGM. I should probably add that we are going to be at WDW for 8 days and are spending other days in Epcot so it isn't like we are trying to get a lot accomplished besides eating, relaxing and seeing Mickey with ice cream (an absolute must for my DS) Thanks.

This is my trouble day. Any help with this itinerary would be most appreciated.

 

[swilphil]

I think you have a good plan, but I would be a little bit flexible with your time, depending on the times of the shows and the waits involved. The boat ride between MGM and Epcot is about 20 minutes. You also could take the boat to the Boardwalk and walk the rest of the way. We took our two toddlers--3 and 1--to the MGM shows you mentioned, plus the Beauty and the Beast show. It's the best one of all I think, but maybe a little bit longer. The 1 yo even enjoyed it. We did MGM in two 1/2 days. One day we went in the evening and one day we went in the a.m. to catch the early shows. I would also highly recommend the MGM parade. My 3 yo liked that even better than the Spectro parade at MK. You can see the characters so much better. He also liked eating lunch at Pizza Planet. We did that right before the character greetings at Al's Toy Barn. The Honey I Shrunk the Kids play area was also a huge hit with both kids. We could have stayed there for hours. As far as Fantasmic, you might want to bring ear plugs if your kids are sensitive to loud noises. It is a very good show though.

At Epcot, hopefully you will be able to check out Illuminations on another night. My kids also liked wandering through WS and just having a little room to run around. The Kidcot stations are fun, too.

 

[jdads2]

For your traveling pleasure:
http://www.ourlaughingplace.com/asp/twiz.asp

 

[mommyflower]

I'm not sure if you'll be able to make it to Epcot by lunch and do the all things you listed at MGM. I'm pretty sure the shows at MGM don't start until 10 AM or around that time. Maybe you do lunch later than my family, but I was thinking 12 or 12:30. I think you would be rushing to try to make Epcot by lunch. Maybe you could do lunch at MGM and make it to Epcot by 3:00 for the Ice Cream Social? I don't know if you know that the only PS times for the Ice Cream Social are 3, 3:10, & 3:15 or something like that.
I have a 2 1/2 year old and IMO, I wouldn't want to have to rush around. Also, I second the Beauty & the Beast Show and the Stars in Motor Cars Parade. My DS loved them when we took him at 18 months. Also, did you know you can see Sorcerer Mickey, Lilo, & Stitch in MGM? Believe it or not we actually spent a lot of time in MGM when my ds was 18 months. You didn't say when you are going, so I'm not sure what time Fantasmic would start. So I'm not sure how to advise you about that. I would definitely say allow for atleast a half an hour to and from MGM to Epcot by boat. I hope this was helpful. I just know sometimes what seems like not much can take more time than you think. We had to take my DS to see Sorcerer Mickey 3 times in a row because he liked him so much!

 

[princesscrazydaughte]

Thanks everyone. Swilphil, you mentioned you did MGM in 2 1/2 days. Your kids are about the same age as mine. How long did you spend in each of the other parks?

 

[swilphil]

We only spent a few hours at AK, which I actually wished we had skipped all together. There were very few rides that my kids could go on, and for some reason there isn't as much shade in AK. We were there in July. We spent most of our time at MK. We went at opening on our first day, returned to the hotel after lunch for a nap and a swim, and then went back for Spectro and fireworks. We then returned to MK on our last evening for about 3 hours. We were able to do lots of rides during the parade, which we had already seen.

We only spent 1/2 day at Epcot, which I really regret. I wish we had gone there more. I would say at least one full day and maybe two days would be best. We were staying at the Dolphin, which is within walking distance of Epcot. It was one of those things where we kept thinking we would hop on over to Epcot whenever we had a little bit of extra time, but it just didn't happen. Now there's not a whole lot in Future World for my kids, except for Figment, but World Showcase really is a great place for little kids. Things go at a much more leisurely pace. It's a great place to go when you want a break from the theme parks. There have been several posts on this board about all the unknown things in Epcot. I wish I would have read up on it more before we went. Obviously we took a very short trip, and you will be able to do much more in the amount of time you will be there.

Since your daughters appear to be into princesses, are you going to the Princess meal or storytelling at Epcot? I really don't know a lot about it because my kids aren't really into that. We did see 3 princesses when we were leaving Epcot though. It's supposed to be a great place to get character autographs.

 

[IndyJammer]

First off - There is a bus that goes back & forth b/t MGM & Epcot - Definitely the quickest way b/t the parks! (Other than Car or Taxi anyways)

If you are going to be at WDW for 8 days, I would try to give MGM one full day - call it your "resting" day! (As in, just rest & see the shows at MGM) We have a 21-month old DD that we took last week! There is definitely enough to fill a day with! (The one problem that we always seem to have is trying to push too much in one day - and traveling back & forth with a children, strollers, diaper bags... is tough all by itself!)

Our kids love:
Playhouse Disney (DD's favorite - get there 20-30 minute early!)
Voyage of the Little Mermaid
MuppetVision 3D
Beauty & the Beast Live
Honey I shrunk the Kids Playground
Al's Toy Barn - to Meet Buzz, Woody & Jessie
Meet Sorcerer Mickey - in the Air Conditioning! (we got a GREAT picture here)

And you can also take the kids on a couple of the adult attractions too -

The Great Movie Ride (DD loved the Wiz of Oz scene)
Backstage Tour (A tram ride, but DD did fine in our laps)

And Fantasmic is a DO-NOT-Miss attraction for Everyone! (I might recommend the Fantasmic Dinner package - it cuts down on the wait time for little ones)

Every family is different - the one suggestion that I always make is to try not to do too much in one day - it is vacation afterall and there is always something to do at WDW!

 

[princesscrazydaughte]

Thank you all so much. That is a lot of help. I think we will skip the ice cream social so that we don't miss the parade and don't have to go back and forth. We are doing the Candlelight processional package at Garden Grill anyway. My DS is such a Mickey fan, I was just trying to get him an extra visit. Thanks again.

Melanie