Non-disney sites

[darlingmom]

I'm taking my 2 dd who will be 3&5 Jan. 2003. Should we make this a 100% Disney vacation, or should we do a little WDW (what do we skip?!) and a little Universal, Seaworld, etc.
Thank you

 

[sha_lyn]

this is a very hard question to answer. Before visiting US/IOA I would say stick to WDW. Now we have taken 2 trips to US/IOA since our trip to WDW. DD was 2 1/2 , DS 11 (almost 12)on our first trip and they were 3 1/2 and 12 1/2 this trip. DD loves IOA. Many people say their younger kids do not like IOA but my DD loves it. Her goal this yr was to hit 40 inches so she could ride Spiderman. She rode it 2x and loved it. It really depends on how long you will be there, when you can return and what type of rides your family likes. For us I know it will be hard to stay away from US/IOA when we go to WDW im May. However I know we need to 7 days at WDW to do everything we want to do.

 

[MulanMom]

Jenny,

I notice from your signature line that this will be your first trip. With 3 & 5 yr. olds, my suggestion would be to spend your 7 days at WDW. You don't have to be in the parks all seven days...maybe some down time at the resort would relax and recharge both kids and parents.

My first visit to WDW was for 5 days. It was DH and me, no kids. We ran ourselves ragged and still didn't see everything, though that is when I became totally obsessed with WDW. There's nothing like the first time at WDW. Immerse yourself in it, give yourself time to relax and absorb the magic, enjoy your resort, and realize you will not see everything. I think it would be easier if you didn't have to worry about conquering or seeing other parks.

I am also struggling with the US/IOA with my two, 2.5 & 4.5. I'm leaning towards visiting SeaWorld & US/IOA when my kids are a bit older and can benefit the most from their visit. Those passes aren't cheap!

Just my .02!

Sharon

 

[kalamazoo]

Seeing as it's your first trip tp WDW, I would recommend sticking to Disney rather than skipping something at WDW to go to another theme park. The 4 Disney parks are so different from each other that, I find, you are able to go day after day without getting the feeling of being Disneyed to death.

If you do have time and the money (it's true the tickets are not cheap) then I would recommend Seaworld. You can see the whole park in one day, but they also usually offer free entrance for the next day, which is good if you happened to miss a show or think you might want to go back , even for a couple of hours, to do something you particularly enjoyed. Our favorites are the Shamu show and the dolphin feeding. Also, there is a huge play area behind Shamu stadium which will keep the kids busy for an unlimited time.