Need help planning

[AndyB]

Going for 3 weeks in September. Taking our 3 year old with us, so we want to get as much Disney in as possible (probably with the 10 day pass).
Can anyone give us any hints on how many days we need to spend in each park? We want to get Busch, Universal and Sea World in as well, but we are having trouble deciding how many days we will realistically need to have 'off', away from the theme parks.
Any tips?

 

[Mike Jones]

Hi Andy - welcome to the DIS.

Three weeks should allow a fairly relaxed plan. I reckon you should allow minimum of 2 days at MGM, AK & Seaworld, and 3 days or so at MK and Epcot. I would try to follow a reasonable touring plan (Unofficial Guide ones take some beating, IMO) for the first visit (or two) and then use the subsequent visit to browse favourites and tag on anything you missed.

Universal, IOA & Busch can be 'done' in one day, but you may want to revisit the 2 Universal parks to repeat favourites.

On our first assault on wdw, we more or less rested every other day, but I reckon, with hindsight, we wasted a lot of time. If we'd planned better, we wouldn't have been as tired, and would have avoided the need to rest up as much.

Following an early start, with a plan, we now try to break our visits to the 'local' parks in the early afternoons, returning to hotel/villa for a swim etc before round 2 at the park in the late afternoon/early evening. We do take odd days 'off' but thru choice now, not fatigue.

Browse the boards for things such as early entrance days (use if on-site, avoid if not), opening hours etc.

Happy planning...ask if you have any q's..nothing is 'daft' or irrelevant.

Mike<a href='http://www.smileycentral.com/?partner=ZSzeb008' target='_blank'><img src='http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/15/15_3_10.gif' alt='Wizards Hat' border=0></a>

 

[keswick1uk]

If you are going for 3 weeks look at the 30 day unlimited disney pass caled a fun in the sun. I bought mine from ticketmania and they are still selling ones expiring on 31/5 but keep an eye out. sign up to mousesavers.com for all the latest deals.

 

[galaxy]

I'd go for the fun in the sun pass too. We went for 3 weeks last year and it was great having the freedom to go in and out of the parks as you liked without worrying about wasting a vauable park entry day.

I imagine you'll be up early most days with a 3 yr old so use it and get to the parks early and as Mike says reat im the afternoon before heading back for the last few hrs. It will all depend on how close to the parks you are staying as to whether this is feasable though.

One thing though....dont sweat what you miss....even on a 3 week trip...you wont fit it all in....and next year you'll be back on here planning the next trip....like the rest of us!

Galaxy

 

[allie5]

Hi Andy

If your 3 year old is anything like ours, then most of your time will be at Magic Kingdom, riding Dumbo and the Teacups . Allow plenty of time here!

Sea World is another big hit with the young uns in our family.

Be warned that there is VERY LITTLE for under fives at IOA and not a great deal at Universal Studios either. You maybe advised to do these parks in bite size chunks to avoid toddler meltdown. I would suggest hitting your chosen park as early as you can...you should be able to knock out plenty of big rides in the first hour or two. Leave wandering around the stores, shows and less popular attractions till later in the day.

With a 3 week holiday, you should be able to do everything you want, comfortably. Its no fun dragging an unhappy child round a theme park, so let them dictate the pace if need be. For instance, leave late night Fireworks shows till later in the holiday, when you are more accustomed to the time difference. Take plenty of breaks in the day, and dont be afraid to LEAVE if you arent having fun anymore!! I hate to see little kids dragged on rides when its obvious they just want to nap!!!

Also, dont be upset if your child HATES the characters!! They can be scary to a little guy!!

I think a 10 day Disney pass would be perfect for you, combined with a Flex Ticket for the other parks.

Have fun!
Allie

 

[SidB]

With a three year old you will need a buggy, evenif it's only to carry everything they need. It's cheaper to buy a cheap one from Walmart rather than hire one daily at the parks.

Take plenty of drinks. If you're in a villa, get sports bottles and freeze some water in the bottom. In the morning top it up with your choice of drink and it stays cold for hours.

Take snacks with you. Non chocolate sweets, crisps, fruit etc. If they get hyper with food colourings etc, take some of them for the afternoons. It sounds mad, but think that it's 10pm in the UK, when it's 5 pm in Florida.

Go to the waterparks. Take a bucket and spade and let them chill on the beaches there.

Make sure that you smother your kid in high factor suncream everywhere, escpecially the feet. Always, always wear hats. Sunstroke and heat-stroke are not nice.

Both Universal and Seaworld have great "wet playgrounds."

Think about doing a character breakfast at somewhere like Chef Mickeys. The food's good as is the interaction

Take time out for the parents too.

IOA is not for young kids.

Buy the Brit's Guide. It's worth it's weight in gold. Use it and these boards to make a rough plan of action.

Off hand I can't think of anything else, but let us know what your kid likes doing and we may be able to offer more precise suggestions.

 

[SidB]

Just remembered another suggestion. Steer well clear of Epcot. It's too big and too boring for 3 year olds.

Take in all of the parades. If your kid is confident enough, get them to the front. There's some great interaction to be had.

 

[SidB]

I keep thinking of more suggestions. Why not post on the main boards. There are thousands of American parents there.

 

[vernon]

With a 3Y old their attention span is a little limited and they do get tired. Buying a cheap lightweight buggy at somewhere like Walmart could a saviour. I found buggies/strollers from the UK tend to be quite thick material and either make the kids sweat a lot in the heat or soak up the rain when that comes. We found a way round the todlers needs for naps was sometimes to eat in a sitdown "table service" restaurant. These are usually airconditioned, a lot quieter than the counter service places and the meals take a little more time. This gives the little one a chance to get a decent doze in while you can finish your meal without having other guests lurking over your shoulder with trays of food like vultures waiting for the hyenas to finish.

Ticket options can help you, depending on costs annual passes might be worth thinking about, particularly if you plan to come back within 12 months, as may an UMP (if you're staying on site) or the 30 day pass. Not being tied to getting all your "Themeparks " done in a limited number of days means you don't feel too bad if your child starts giving out signals that they have had "enough" for the day. Depending on weather forcasts ( Sept is likely to be afternoon showers/storms) you might prefer to have the morning around the pool (to make the most of non stormy times) and go to one of the themeparks in the afternoon.

I would agree US and IOA offer the least for a child of that age, IMHO BG is a better choice, but as Sid says they both have some good play areas that kids love to leap about in, IOA in particular has a great "wet" play area in the Seuss Landing area. SeaWorld is a greatday out for little ones and it also has a great play area with a special area for the tots.

For a little one TL is a better waterpark that BB, but there are still fun things to do at BB as well.

 

[Tiggernut_jadie]

Andy

We're going in November with our (just) 4 year old and have planned the following:

7 day park hopper for Disney - so that's 1 day AK & MGM, 2 days Epcot and MK and one day to do a 'best of' where Gem can decide which park she likes the best!!! Plus one day water park - probaobly TL as BB will probably be shut when we're there.

4 park flex ticket - 2 days Sea World, 1 day US, 1 day IOA and one day doing the best of both. Also possibly a day at Wet and Wild if weather/time allows.

We're also having a couple of days at the beach - probably Naples as we love it there, a day at Daytona, one (hopefully two if the fixture list falls right) trip down to Miami for the American Football (DH is a BIG Dolphins fan!), possibly a day at Busch Gardens and, of course a couple of shopping days.

As you can see, we're not ones for rest days - thankfully our littlun isn't either so I'm sure she'll be fine!

I don't necessarily agree with allie5 about the Universal parks - it really depends on the child but my daughter will LOVE anything to do with Spiderman and will really like Suess Landings - even though she doesn't know the characters, the type of rides there are really her thing.....ANY thing that spins!!!!! And I can see us being on Shrek in US virtually all day - it's her favourite film!!!!

I also know that MY DD will enjoy Epcot - especially Future World - she'll love Test Track and Journey into Imagination and will enjoy making the masks in WS! AS Isay it's down to the child, but don't forget it's your holiday too, so even if it's not your child's favourite park, you will enjoy it!!!!

Anyway that's just my slant on things - I love the planning bit.....but I love being there even more!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[JohnnySharp]

As regards which parks are best for children it is difficult to say.

Magic Kingdom of all the Disney parks is an obvious favourite.
However, it does depend on your child. Our 7 year old boy is Autistic and to a degree does not understand some of the rides available to children.
The mild roller coasters such as 'Goofys barnstormer' are ideal for him but he has most fun around the water activities.
Not all Disney parks are good for children, Epcot being the least appealing.

I disagree to a certain extent with previous posts saying there is not much for children at US. Although I appreciate the majority of attractions are best for adults, kids can have fun too.
Our boy loves water and the 'Curious George' play area at US is great for him, 'Barneys Playground' too - have difficulty getting him to come away!
IOA is aimed at adults but our son's favourite ride of all is 'Cat In The Hat', which is at IOA!!
At the end of the day you have to make your own mind up.
I guess it all comes down to what your child reacts to and enjoys.

As far as your 3 week holiday goes, I would advise you to take things easy and relax between park visits, do not try to cram too much in -you will have plenty of time to see everything.
There is nothing wrong in having rest days between park visits, going to Disney/Universal day after day can be tiring, especially with young children.
Buy Simon's book, and have a reasonable plan on which parks/attractions you would like to visit.