Rescue Me!! Suggestions welcome!

[buzz to the rescue]

Just a few topics I just knew all you seasoned vets could help me with. Is April going to be incredibly crowded? When would be best time in April to go?

What suggestions do you have for attractions for a 4 year old both things you would see and would stay away from would be extremely helpful.

 

[BAYSIDE MOM]

Just visited wdw with 3 children, including my 4year old son he is kind of a timid kid. I thought Fantasmic at MGM would put him over the edge, but he actually enjoyed it very much, although he thought it was very loud. It does have all the villains and a fire breathing dragon, so you might want to sit more toward the rear. he DID not want to do the Haunted mansion, I went with my 6 year old and she was a little spooked by it. He could never do Dinosaur at AK, he did do Splash Mountain and hated it. He loved the Teacups, Buzz Lightyear, Goofys Barnstormer, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (which I thought was worse then Splash Mountain!), and Dumbo.,There is also a kiddie dinosaur ride at AK, can't remember the name of it but he loved that. HATED Tough to be a Bug, we had to leave. Every kid is different, I'm sure they will let you know what they like ! You might want to pack a mini flashlight for the dark rides (like Peter Pan) and some earplugs, we thought many of the shows were not really scary, just very LOUD!

 

[JRawkSteady]

Only the very last week in April is a bit slowed...but most of April is insanely busy due to Spring Break

 

[sshuttle]

The closer to the end of April the better, IMHO, only because spring break crowds will be thinning out. Should be a great time to go. Depending on the anxiety level of 4 year old, "It's Tough to Be A Bug 3D" in Animal Kingdom may be too intense, but "Mickey's Philharmagic" in the Magic Kingdom should be fine (both 3D shows). Dumbo, Winnie-the-Pooh, Peter Pan, Small World, all great rides. Snow White may be too intense, a lot of the witch jumping out at you. The Playhouse Disney show at MGM and the Little Mermaid show are all great. Goofy's Barnstormer is a lot of fun, my son has always loved that ride and he's almost 8 and not what I would call a thrill seeker . Take advantage of the new 100 Acre Woods playground (brank new, really cute) and Tom Sawyer island at the Magic Kingdom, the Bone Yard at the Animal Kingdom, and the Honey I Shrunk the kids playground at MGM. All of these are GREAT places to let them play and not stand in line. Also, my son's favorite stop in EPCOT is the train exhibit between Italy and Germany. You'll have a wonderful time, just take it easy and enjoy watching your child discover Disney!

 

[lovesdumbo]

My 4 year olds favorites were Test Track and Soarin. He also loved the stunt show at MGM but he HATED Star Wars because it is so loud. He loved Goofy's Barnstormer and I think he would love BTMR but I can't get him to go on. I think because its right next to Splash he thinks he'll get wet.

My DD(6) loved all the thrill rides we let her go on. She loved TofT but didn't like HM. I think the theming in TofT is scarier than HM.

 

[vicceja]

Hi!

I've neven been during April, but I have been checking around and from what I hear the end of April is a good time to go as the crowds are low. This is the reason why I have booked our next trip for April 24th.....I hope it's ok .

I have a 4 year old and he loved everything - wasn't afraid of much. I think the following are the only attractions my 4 (soon to be 5) year old has not been on - TOT / HAUNTED MANSION / SPACE MOUNTAIN (HEIGHT ). Can't wait to go back!

 

[WDWNicole]

End of April is a nice time to go as long as you are away from Easter.

My son was 3 the first time we went to WDW and almost 4 the second time. He loved just about everything except Haunted Mansionand and he really didn't care for for Pirates of the Carribean or Splash Mountain. He loved all the 3D shows. This time he's tall enough for Tower or Terror, but says he doesn't want to go on.

 

[linda0706]

As others have said, it all depends on the kid. My 4-year old DD absolutely LOVED Space Mountain but not ToT. (I'd never been on it, and in retrospect I cannot believe I even let her do it! Bad mommy!)

Our next trip is in 3 weeks & she's totally psyched about doing Space Mountain again. She's almost 6 now.

One good trick we did was buy those light stick necklaces at Walmart before we went. They lasted several hours and gave her just enough light to see her hands in front of her face in those dark rides. We took tiny flashlights too, but the necklaces were nice since we didn't have to worry about keeping track of them.

Linda

 

[MillionaireAddict]

I know this is all dependent on the personality of each child. Here is a list of what my DS, age 4 in Sept., likes at each park:

Magic Kingdom:
Tomorrowland: Buzz Lightyear SRS, Carousel of Progress, TTA, Tomorrowland Speedway
Toontown: everything
Fantasyland: everything EXCEPT Snow White's SA and Peter Pan's Flight (both too intense for our son)
Adventureland: everything
Libery Square: LSRiverboat

Note: PoC may be too intense (only you will know), Swiss Family Treehouse requires a lot of stair climbing and walking (use your judgment), don't miss Magic Carpets of Aladdin (it's easy to miss. It's similar to Dumbo but the line is usually shorter), Hall of Presidents is a great, cool place for him to take a nap (although he has been known to stay awake and occasionally enjoy it )

EPCOT:
Turtle Talk with Crush (don't miss this!), Soarin', Spaceship Earth, Living with the Land (boat ride), El Rio de Tiempo (Mexico),

Note: Our son is fearful of the ride in Imagination. We haven't taken him to HISTA b/c it is probably too intense. Maelstrom at Norway is too intense for him, too. DS doesn't do the circlevision movies well, either.

MGM:
HISTK playground, Playhouse Disney, WWTBAM (of course!!), Star Tours (but he's a Star Wars freak!!), Muppet Vision 3D

Note: DS doesn't like loud noises so we wouldn't have done Backlot Tour with him. Great Movie Ride can be frightening as can IJSS and LMA. Sounds Dangerous is in complete darkness. VotLM has some frightening parts with Ursula (but if your child has seen the movie, it's no different than that.)

AK:
favorites are Kilimanjaro Safari, Rafiki's Planet Watch, Triceratop Spin, Boneyard, Tarzan Rocks, Pangani Exploration Trail.

Hope this helps!

 

[bytheblood]

For a 4 year old, I would avoid....
obviously any coasters - Rock n Roller Coaster, Tower of Terror, Everest, Splash Mountain, Mission Space, Big Thunger Mountain Railroad

I think I would also avoid:
Stitch (well, I would avoid that anyway)
Snow White (could scare a small child - scared mine at 5)
Pooh Ride and Peter Pan if you child is worried about the dark
Fantasmic, Indiana Jones and Pirates if you child has issues with loud noises