Plan for a 4 day trip

[Jessj0012]

We are planning 4 days at the parks, it will be during the busiest time of year (the week after christmas). We want to celebrate my oldest daughters 5th birthday and she is a christmas eve baby so no way avoiding the crowds. It will also be me my husband and our youngest daughter who will be a month shy of 3. My question is since it will be so busy should we do 2 days at magic kingdom and eliminate animal kingdom or do all the parks and just do as much as we can at each one. I appreciate any advice I can get.

 

[Chrislovesdisney]

That depends on what you hope to do at MK. For those ages, would there be any of the roller coaster/mountain rides? Are you okay with just hitting the major things your dds would want to see? We are going with similarly aged daughters and we know we will be back again, so we are doing one morning/afternoon plus arrival evening at MK, just really doing the princess stuff and some classics. I don’t even know if we will venture into anything to the right of dumbo. If you’re hoping to see more, I’d do two days. I’ve been there at Christmas time before kids and we literally went on 3 rides. It was just too packed to consider more, and we were fine with just the atmosphere.

 

[DisMommyTX]

With and almost 3 and 5 year old, I would definitely plan 2 days at MK, but I have trouble recommending any parks to skip. At that age, my kids loved the AK safari, animal trails, and Lion King show. Nemo, triceratops spin, and the dig site were also must-dos. If the train to the petting zoo and Rafiki's planet watch are still closed, then maybe skip, but I'd much rather add a 5th day. Depending on Star Wars opening and crowds, you might consider skipping HS. If you absolutely cannot add a day, then wait and see what is open that they can do before making the final decision, but definitely plan for 2 days at MK.

 

[CAQDaddy]

It really depends on what your family likes. I would not recommend eliminating any of the parks from a trip UNLESS you've already visited said
park and you know your family isn't interested. Many have found that what ends up being a child's favorite park is one that surprises the parents.
Also, depending on your touring strategy, you might consider hoppers if it's in the budget. That would enable you to dedicate a half day to AK and then head over to MK after a break. As for AK, my girls didn't visit there until 2001 and they were a little older at that time, but they would have loved Festival of the Lion King and the Finding Nemo show when they were 3-5 and for the adults the theming in that park is some of the best on property.

 

[Princessblues28]

I would recommend skipping Epcot with those ages if it means allowing a second MK day. If you don’t want to skip Epcot, I’d recommend Park hopping one day. Epcot opens a little later, typically. So, maybe do MK early, go eat lunch/take a rest, and then do epcot (id recommend dinner at Mexico where the kids can ride the Tres Amigos ride while you wait on your food). Also, Frozen Ever After ride FPS are hard to come by and typically are later in the day. This schedule takes some of the heat off to allow you to relax. I’m a big fan of slow pace parking. Have fun and happy bday to your daughter.

 

[Chrislovesdisney]

After reading other responses, I’m thinking you need to determine what your purpose of the trip is. I was there 4 years ago with extended family, older elementary nephews, and a tyke who was not yet Disney-crazed. The point was to see Disney and to see that Disney does Disney World well. Of course the kids loved Lion King and Nemo performances, and everyone loved some element of every park. Our next trip is with a 3 and 6 year old princess-crazed kid. Yes, they’d be entertained by some things at AK, but not to the degree of the princess and frozen attractions elsewhere. We will forgo things (that we know they will like) to expose them to the magic of what they want now. In 4 years we will visit again I’m sure, with different priorities and plan.

 

[DisMommyTX]

Fwiw, I would not recommend skipping Epcot. The Sea, Land, and Imagination pavilions are great for little ones and will have some of the shortest lines during the busiest times. It is also the best park for character meets. 3 of the fab 5 with a single FP, plus the Visa photo op usually has two. Our kids also enjoyed walking by and waving at lots of the princesses and other characters around the countries without having to wait in line for individual photos except for one or two. Their Festival of the Holidays is second only to MK in terms of Holiday spirit, and enjoying the food booths (or really awesome counter-service options) was SO much easier than sitting for 2+ hour meals with our pre-schoolers! Most of us would still put MK first, but DD13 has claimed Epcot as her favorite park since her first trip at 2 yo.

 

[sageandbelle]

I would agree with previous posters, and if your girls really love the princesses at this age then maybe it’ll be higher on your list to meet them and trust me those lines at Christmas time are absolutely crazy! I would suggest taking two days for MK. In my opinion, I think your kids will like the different kid friendly rides and parades etc. more at MK then at AK. I don’t think kids will be as excited to see Pandora as they would be for going on Peter Pan or Ariel’s Undersea Adventure for example. Good luck though, I hope you enjoy your trip!