Only 3 days in parks....

[justjen]

I am thinking there is now way I can get to all four parks with my 4 year old son in just 3 days. So other than MK, which ones should I try to concentrate on. I know we will spend the most time in MK, but if I have to sacrifice one(or two) which one should it be.

This is our first trip and I am so overwhelmed!! I just want him to the most out of it.

 

[kamgen]

Well, congrats on your first trip with your son!
The first thing you should realize....you can't see it all, even in more days! LOL!!
Seriously, I would relax and try to focus on things you will enjoy and that will make the most of your trip.

Definitely spend a day at MK. There is so much to see and do and if you block off a whole day to go there, you can go slower and take in the magic!

I also recommend going to AK. AK is great for kids who like animals....the Lion King show is great and the animals and grounds are great. Don't miss Rafiki's Conservation Station..your son can meet some great animals! You can go to AK early in the morning and only spend a 1/2 day.

While EPCOT is a wonderful park, it caters more to teens and adults IMO. If your son likes fireworks, you could go there in the evening and check out some things and watch Illuminations...it is fabulous.

As for Disney MGM Studios- you could spend time here, go to Playhouse Disney, Hone yI shrunk the kids play area, etc. and take in the atmosphere of the park. Again, you don't need to spend a whole day here with a 4yr old IMO.

Take breaks in the days if it is hot...and realize that he will get tired...and that it is OKAY....you don't need to see it all to feel the magic at WDW.

If you can, may I suggest going to a character meal. This saves time instead of standing in lines to see characters and get photos. Chef Mickeys is great for character interaction...and for Pooh and friends, the Crystal Palace at MK serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Nice break from a hot day.

Hope this has helped a little. Enjoy yourself and enjoy the magic with your son. WDW is fabulous....just take it all in!
If you have questions, just ask!

Kamy

 

[justjen]

Thanks kamgen! This is really overwhelming me. I am single mom taking a 4 yr old to Disney and it is freaking me out. My parents and aunts and family are going to, but still seems like a huge undertaking to me.

I hadn't really planned on going to Epcot anyway, and if I did not spending much time there. Sounds like I may have things more under control than I think I do. What do you think about 1/2 day each at MGM and AK and the rest of the time in MK for a 4 yr old?

 

[kamgen]

I think that sounds great. I would go to the parks early on those 1/2 days....and then you are open to go back to the pool for awhile. If you have hopper passes and the parks are open at night you could go to MK at night too.

Let me know if you have any questions!

Kamy

 

[Mickeyluver37]

How much does your ds like Animals? My kids were 4 and 2.5 when we went, and my 4 year old LOVED AK. We got there at opening, stayed til closing, and even had to go back the next day because they had one more stamp to get in their little books. My dd wanted nothing more than to be "A Friend of the Animals." Since the hours are limited at AK, you could do this til 5 and then go to MGM or Epcot in the evening. We figured our kids weren't going to be to excited about Epcot as well, and only gave ourselves 5 hours on the last night. We wished we had allotted more time. They only had time to do their masks and see a few shows, and liked it better than we thought. Also, and most people may disagree with this--with only 3 days, I'd take a stroller and skip a daytime break.

 

[the4moores]

We went in September with 4 and 2 year old DDs. We did a full day at MK then 1/2 day at MGM (had to go see Buzz, Woody, and Jesse). MGM is mostly shows and our 4 year old was terrified of most of them (even the Little Mermaid) so we headed back to MK for the afternoon. We spent 1/2 day at Ak as well. We are members at a zoo nearby and didn't feel as if we needed to stay here so we headed to MK for the afternoon again. We were there for 12 days and had 5 day PHP but only used 3 days. We spent a lot of time at FW since we were camping. I felt 3 days was plenty for our family. We also did BB and Sea World.

 

[addicted_to_WDW]

We are taking a quickie long weekend next week. I just couldn't wait all the way until december. I have three park days and this is what we are doing. Keep in mind that we've done it all before, but this schedule will allow us to do our favorite things.

Saturday: MGM for Star Wars Weekend in AM, head to Epcot at 2ish.

Sunday: MK most of the day, we might pop over to MGM for Fantasmic.

Monday: AK in the AM to hit a few favorites, then Epcot.

 

[cashout]

We did two 2 day trips, and we hit MK, AK, and DS in each of them. We did MK on day one, then AK in the morning and DS in the afternoon. With a four year old, you have to plan quite a bit of time for character meeting, since that is a highlight of the trip. In our last 2 day trip, we hit most of the small child oriented rides, and still got over 20 character signatures.

 

[magic teacup]

Justjen I think I'd vote for 2 days at MK and split the last day between AK and MGM. I really think just playhouse disney and playing at the HISTK playground would be enough if I had a 4 year old. I would definitely do the lion king show at AK, we are going to do Rafiki's next trip (we got so busy with dinoland we never make it over there) but it sounds great. Best of luck.

 

[justjen]

Thanks for all the tips everyone. I will review the park hours for when we are going to be there and sketch out an itinerary.

Thanks again for all the input!! Like I said a trip to DW just seems overwhelming the first time!!

 

[Eeyore2003]

Congradulations too!!!

First: I would take it easy and enjoy yourself. I think one of the mistakes first timers make is trying to get too much in.

Make a list of the rides you REALLY want to go on and do those first, (get there first thing and you'll hopefully avoid lots of lines)

If the lines get too long, just stop and take in the atmosphere. When we took my son at 2, all he sadly remembers is waiting in the long lines.

Plan a character meal for th middle of the day. Crystal Palace at MK has Pooh, Eeyore, Tigger, Piglet etc. Lunch is 11:30 to 2:45 (I think) Good time for a break. (Make reservations though) I know AK has one, but my kids are now grown and I've never been to that one.

Take a break if you need it at your motel, play in the pool.

I'd go to MK the first day, AK the next and then see how he's doing whether you go back to MK, do MGM. Let it up to him I think.

We're planning on taking my niece and nephew next summer and I've been kind of thinking about it already. My SIL wants to take them to Great America this summer to get them used to it, and I try telling her it's just not anything near the same thing. I was trying to think about what makes Disney special and I came up with the hugs from Mickey, Minnie, Cinderella, etc. The ice creams or chocolate covered rice cereal bars shaped like Mickey. The light in their eyes when they see the Spectromagic Parade, or Fantasmic. I think sometimes WE gloss over allot of the "detail", but kids do see it. Just take your time and have fun that's what he'll remember.

 

[jaysue]

Take some time to relax and have an afternoon nap/swim - I would concentrate on MK and then AK and forget about MGM and Epcot - maybe 1/2 day at Typhoon Lagoon would be fun

I just took my 3 1/2 yr old DS and it was a blast - boys time together - we concentrated on MK/AK and a day at TL - he loved it (did not care much for MGM) and we had enough time for Epcot

Thanks
jaysue

 

[dturner]

I took my son, who was 6, last year for "his" first time. I know what you mean, I wanted everything to be perfect and wanted him to see as much as he could.

Definetly Magic Kingdom and MGM!! My son is a big Star Wars fan so we spent most of our time there.

Animal Kingdom you should also see, I'd let Epcot go, like someone else said it's mostly geered for the teens and adults but my 6 year old loved Imagination and Test Track, so you may want to do 1/2 day in Epcot and 1/2 day in Animal Kingdom, just a thought.

You'll have a GREAT time no matter which park you are in so don't panic and don't forget the character meals, we did the one in Animal Kingdom for breakfast, was really good and we were in the park before it opened so we were able to ride Dinosaur first thing when it opened.