Must do's for those over 2 (almost 3)

[JodyLynC]

My girls will be almost 3 when we go to WDW in Dec. Please tell me the absolute must do's for kids that age. Please include restaurant experiences, etc. (We are already planning for Crystal Palace Character Breakfast and O'hana's dinner)

We will either stay at WL or the Poly.

Also, do they still have the kids' teatime at the Grand Floridian and the Mickey's Luau at the Poly?

Thanks!!

Jody

 

[Aidensmom]

My 3 year old son's favorites:

Winnie the Pooh ride
Mickeys Backyard BBQ
Petting zoo at Ft Wilderness
World of Disney store in DTD (this place is like heaven to him!)
Country Bear Jamboree
Seeing the Castle "change colors" at nightfall
The monorail
The disney transportation bus (another ride to him )
The playground in Mickeys Toon Town at MK

and his #1 favorite: the teacups

 

[CEDmom]

The last time we were at WDW my DD was 3 1/2. In MK she loved It's a Small World, all of Toon Town, meeting Cinderella, seeing the castle, getting pressed pennies, the railroad, the Jungle Cruise, Bear Jamboree, and the parades. At Epcot she loved the Ice Cream Social, the sidewalk fountains, Living with the Land, all the entertainment in WS and the kidscot stations. In MGM she loved Playhouse Disney. We stayed at WL and she loved seeing the MK fireworks from the beach along with the water parade. She also loved playing on the beach, seeing the geyser, taking the boat to MK (we actually used the boat to the monorail for access to Epcot and then the boat from Epcot to MGM rather than the buses) the pool and just exploring the resort. The petting zoo at FW was also a hit. DTD is also a great place for kids.

Have a fun trip.

 

[blitzkrieg048]

Must Do's:
MK rides-Peter Pan, Winnie the Pooh, Small World, Dumbo, Cinderalla'a carousel, Aladan's magic carpets, Buzz ride, Indy speedway cars, WDW railroad, also parade, show at castle, you can try Mickey's Philharmagic. Toontown fair.

MGM- Playhouse disney, Ariel show. Parade (good one too)

AK Boneyard playground, Tarzan rocks show, Festival of the Lion King, Kilamanjaro Safari. Parade.

Epcot- honestly i would skip.

Misc: have fun at the resort pools. Ride the monorails. Book at Chef Mickey's that has all the good characters like Mickey, Minnie, Pluto Chip&Dale, and Goofy. Buffet style with good choices.

Hope this helps.

 

[GingerbreadCoffin]

Well I asked my son who is nearly three and these were the ones he liked:
MK-Winnie The Pooh,Buzz Lightyear,Tomarrowland Transit Authority and Pirates of The Carribean.
Epcot-The Land boatride,Maelstrom and Spaceship Earth.
We have yet to take him to MGM or AK...October won't come fast enough!

 

[JodyLynC]

Thanks for the info!!

 

[larklynn]

My son was 3 on our last visit and we're going again next month. He just keeps chanting goofeys barnstormer and of course the pool.

 

[MelAnderson]

My DS will be a little older than 2.5 when we go in May.

MK - Fantasyland (especially Dumbo & Peter Pan) & ToonTown (Barnstormer), Buzz (it's a really fun ride), Indy Speedway (will be the first time on this one), POTC, Magic Carpets of Aladdin, Tiki Birds, Country Bear Jamboree

Epcot - HISTK, Figment, El Rio del Tiempo, Living Seas, Turtle Talk with Crush, Spaceship Earth. We will be there during the Flower & Garden festival, so we'll stop by the butterfly pavilion (he's going to be so excited) and the mazes that they will have set up

MGM - HISTK playground, Bear in the Big House, Muppets, VOTLM, Fantasmic, Parade (haven't seen it yet). I think that he is probably too young to appreciate the new Motor, Lights, Action stunt show

AK - We haven't been to this park before, but I am anticipating Kilimanjaro Safaris, Boneyard playground, FOTLK

We're also going to Downtown Disney. DS LOVES legos, so I imagine a great deal of time will be spent in the store.

For meals, I reserved two character meals - Chef Mickey's and then we'll hop onto the monorail and then Donald's Breakfastorous

Of course, we have to go to the pool and hang out too!

Melodie

 

[Colinsmom]

Colin was 2.25 years when we went and loved:

all the characters in the parks (except face characters)
Lion King show
Kilimanjaro Safari
Muppets 3-D
Little Mermaid show
Triceratops Spin
Jungle Cruise
Philharmagic
Country Bear Jamboree
Fountains at Imagination pavillion
Monorail (watching it more than riding it)
Toontown playground
animals outside our room at AKL
Disney busses
DTD lego store
parades
Buzz Lightyear ride

I was surprised that he seemed to like longer rides and shows better - perhaps because it gave him time to process what was going on? He didn't get into Winnie the Pooh or Peter Pan, but they are much shorter rides. Or perhaps it was because there was a bigger "payoff" after a wait - waiting 30 minutes for a 2 minute ride maybe didn't cut it for him? But Buzz is a big favorite, so the Buzz ride was too!

 

[Aidensmom]

One thing to remember about the attractions with young children - many of them are dark, loud, have thunder and lightning, etc. so if your kids are afraid of or sensitive to any of these things, it may be something you want to skip. Whereas Buzz Lightyear is one of my son's favorites, the Buzz Lightyear ride scared him because it overstimulated him.

 

[Cushes]

Someone PLEASE tell me how to reserve at Chef Mickey's...

 

[OntFamily]

Someone PLEASE tell me how to reserve at Chef Mickey's...

Easy -- call Disney Dining and ask for a priority seating @ Chef Mickey's for the date your desire.

 

[Ask"WhyNot?"]

At 3.5, favorites were Goofy Barnstormer (must have rode that 12+ times), Buzz light year, Kilamajaro Safari, Mickey's Philamajic, Garden Grill Restruant, Animal Kingdom Lodge, Pooh's ride, pressed pennies, meeting the characters.

 

[tink2]

Since she is a girl- my DD was 2 1/2 the first time we ate in the castle and she LOVED it even then. Now, she didn't know who two of the princesses were- Jasmine and Mary Poppins (even though Jasmine has been her favorite for the past 2 years!), but she hugged them anyway. She was soooo excited to see Snow White and Cinderella- she knocked Cinderella to her feet and they sat on the floor and hugged and whispered for 5 minutes. It was magical. And she wouldn't let go of Snow White who dubbed her the 8th dwarf for the day. It was so sweet at that age.
All of the above are recommended. Snow White's scary adventures in MK- stay away from - very dark and scared both my dd and ds when they were 2 1/2. DD still won't ride it.
Just enjoy it! That is such a magical age at WDW- her eyes will be soooo big!!! Have a wonderful time.

 

[cinderkay]

Since she is a girl- my DD was 2 1/2 the first time we ate in the castle and she LOVED it even then. Now, she didn't know who two of the princesses were- Jasmine and Mary Poppins (even though Jasmine has been her favorite for the past 2 years!), but she hugged them anyway. She was soooo excited to see Snow White and Cinderella- she knocked Cinderella to her feet and they sat on the floor and hugged and whispered for 5 minutes. It was magical. And she wouldn't let go of Snow White who dubbed her the 8th dwarf for the day. It was so sweet at that age.
All of the above are recommended. Snow White's scary adventures in MK- stay away from - very dark and scared both my dd and ds when they were 2 1/2. DD still won't ride it.
Just enjoy it! That is such a magical age at WDW- her eyes will be soooo big!!! Have a wonderful time.

I have read and heard from many sources that there is a breakfast with Cinderella and or the princess breakfast. First is this the same thing? Are they one and the same event? I have also heard that you have to call exactly 90 days before the day you want to get in and cross your fingers. Does anyone know where this blessed event takes place? Or how/what shoudl I call to make the reservation? Thanks, Paula

 

[princesslulu]

Paula,
From what I know there are actually two different meals. One is at the Castle in the MK. This one is just cinderella characters. It's really hard to get a PS for. The second one is Princess Storybook. It is in Norway in Epcot. I guess this one has several different princesses. It can vary and your never guaranteed who your gonna get. I heard that they even added Ariel to the line up (on her human legs). This one I heard is getting extremely popular as well and it's PS's go quickly. If you want one of these meals you have to call at exactly 90 days out as soon as they open at 7a.m. EST. I'm going to try for our upcoming trip in October! I also heard they do lunch and dinner at both of these now!

Good luck!

 

[tink2]

Yes, Cinderella's Once Upon a Time Breakfast is the hardest ps to get in WDW. It takes place in the castle- up some stairs overlooking Fantasyland. Yep, you have to call exactly 90 days out and begin calling a couple of minutes before it opens and hit redial until you get through and then say a prayer you get through to a cast member the first couple of seconds/minutes. For more info on getting CRT breakfast, see the restaurant board- there is a permanent thread at the top that is a zillion pages long on this one meal. Now, they are making lunch in the castle a character meal also in June and everyone thinks it will be the same as breakfast- increasing your chances to dine in the castle with the princesses. But, this meal is worth every penny and effort if you have a young princess who really believes in this stuff. DD5 thinks it is a MUST every trip- she thinks Cinderella invites us to eat with herself and her friends. The look in her eyes when she walks in the castle and sees the princesses- priceless. If you have a young girl who loves princesses- you have to at least try to get this meal- it is sooo worth it to see your princess in the real castle with the real princesses! If you can't get in, there is also a meal in Epcot that is now breakfast, lunch, and dinner with princesses- just not Cinderella. We've eaten here too- and while not as magical as CRT- it would be a good substitute if you don't get CRT.

 

[cinderkay]

Thanks to both of you for responding. I have been trying to figure out what these were actually called for some time now. My DD is really looking forward to meeting cinerella. It woudl make her trip if we can get into this. I hope they done start offering lunch as well. I don't care what time of day we go I just want see her face when she first of all sees the castle for the first time but eating there will be wonderful for her. Her first question when we talk about our trip is are we still going to eat with Cinderella. I sure hope our phone has the touch! We are going in Late sept. so hopefully lunch times wil be up and running. Is it worth it to go to both of these princess meals or would it be better to choose another. We have twin 2yr DS but I don't think they will care if they only see the girls at the meals.