Skip AK with two toddlers??

[swilphil]

We are visiting WDW with our 3 yo and 1 yo. We will only have 3 full days, and plan on spending every afternoon napping and at the pool. We are staying at the Dolphin, so we will take advantage of Epcot and MGM. Of course, we will visit MK for the 3 yo.

I didn't go to Animal Kingdom on my last trip. Is it worth it??

 

[mlaaw]

YES!!! maybe not for the 1 y/o....but the 3 y/o..... if he/she is like my 3y/o DS he/she should love all the anaimals. My son loves zoos and stuff. My wife my 10y/o DS (at the time) and I went last year without our little one and AK didnt take all that long to see most of what we wanted to. You can go just a short time one day and see, you might find out it was worth it.
Have fun
Mike

 

[KLR-wlv]

Depending on heat - one of the best things there is the dino playground. My two young kids love it there and can run around and let off steam for an hour. If it is really hot out - then morning would be the only time to play there without passing out. We love AK - and if your kids like animals they will love it.

 

[nicknamy1996]

Will you have a car? If so I think its worth a quick jog over there. Triceritops Spin is just another one of those cheese rides like Dumbo and Aladin's carpet ride. Its good for the little ones. Also the safari ride is nice there are a lot of animals to be seen(I think this is a fast pass ride). The Lion King was a fast paced close up show that kept our 1 and 3 y/o entertained. We would have liked to see the Tarzan show as well, but it was rained out.

If your not interrested in the walking trail and other zoo type stuff or park exploration I think you could, with a little luck, drive to the park do three or four things and be back within 2 to 3 hours. If you time it right you could catch the parade as well. I think it's pretty good.

It is a pain with the strollers, diaper bag, juice, snacks and all that other stuff that a 1 and 3 year old require especially if you have to take a bus. But on the other hand its nice if you know you are only going to a park for a couple of hours you can leave some of that stuff in the car or hotel. I think it makes for a relaxing trip to a park.

PS One of our boys favorite things was actually Epcot WS. They loved the Kidcot stations.

Have fun

 

[DisneyKidds]

We have a 4 yo and an almost 2 yo and AK is a close second to the MK for their favorite park. IMHO, it is definitely worth the time if you have kids.

 

[Mickeyluver37]

We went when my kids were 2 and 4. MGM was the biggest disappointment. AK was the favorite. I would skip MGM if I only had 3 days this trip.

 

[jaysue]

I agree with Mickeyluver37, my 3 1/2 DS did not like Disney Studios - the only thing he enjoyed was the Backlot Tour with the PT Boat scene and Catastrophe Canyon - everything else was no appeal to him

So I would go MK/AK/Epcot

Thanks
jaysue

 

[JimmyMartin]

Drop MGM go to AK

 

[AimeeM]

How about this... get up and go to Animal Kingdom first. Go as early as the kids can handle. Do the Safari, see the characters at Camp Minnie Mickey, Do they like Pocohantas? You can see that show, see the Lion King show, walk around the tree and check that out. You could see the Bug 3-D show inside the tree if you think your kids wont be scared.. Its pretty good!! Head over to Dinoland last Do the parent swap and ride Dinosaur if you have time!.. and then go back to your Hotel for naps/swimming. Go over to MGM for the afternoon and evening.

 

[nicknamy1996]

If they like playhouse disney the show at MGM is almost worth the trip by itself. But during the busy season might be tough to see. Great movie ride is good for the little ones too. But other than that I guess it could be skipped for kids that young. The parade is pretty good here to. Fantasmic is great, but you could shoot over there one eveing to catch that.

 

[AimeeM]

Also at MGM for little ones.. Voyage of the Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast live on stage, Muppets 3-D, and the Honey I shrunk the kids playground. There are tons of characters to see in MGM anymore. Our past 2 trips there ( thanks giving 02 and Jan 03) we saw them everywhere. We even saw some we havent seen before ( evil queen, Bert from Mary Poppins,) and some we havent seen for awhile ( Beast). All around the giant sorcerers hat was where they were. Also, the parade was a big hit with all of the characters in it.

 

[Planogirl]

My son also loved Indiana Jones from the time he was small but he's always loved the Indy character. I think that Disney Playhouse, Great Movie Ride (I always distracted my son from the alien in the ceiling), Little Mermaid, Muppets, Beauty & the Beast and maybe Indy are fun attractions for little ones. But then you are probably familiar with MGM. I would see AK one morning, rest and head over to MGM later that day if it were me.

 

[swilphil]

We do not have a car, so if we get up early enough we can take the bus there for the opening. We were planning to go to MK on Monday, which is AK's early entry.

I read somewhere that AK is worse in the heat and we are going June 29-July 3-ugh! It might depend on the temp., and the cousins we are traveling with.

As far as MGM, I was actually looking forward to it and I think there are several things my 3 yo will like. He loves Woody and Buzz and the muppets--he's actually a video addict. The one thing I want to do in the whole WDW is go to the Millionaire show. I know I won't take the 3 yo to it, and not sure about the 1 yo.

Since we are staying at the Dolphin, I think it will be easy to pop on over to MGM, especially on the Early Entry day--I think Weds.

Thanks for the info. I'm hoping we'll be able to get to Dinoland.

 

[deb305]

Our 1 year old loved AK, Close second to MK. He loved the boneyard, the walking trails with animals were great with his stroller (bats, gorillas, tigers, etc). Even the small animal display near the entrance and at Tree of Life gave him the giggles. Our 1 DS is a big music fan, so all of the roaming musical acts stopped him in his tracks. Especially in the Harambe (sp) area and the percussionists. The food was great, fruit stand near safari, Flaming Tree Bar-B-Que, etc. 4 year old loved Rafki's planet watch and the petting zoo.
While they enjoyed themselves at Epcot it was boring for 1 year old. Since you can't take strollers in a lot of the pavillions of future world, the potential for little run aways is high. Also the different World Showcases fascinated the 4 year old, but left the 1 year old bored.

MGM less exciting than Epcot for 1 and 4 year old. Both loved Playhouse Disney and Indiana Jones. Great Movie ride was okay.

Only you know your kids. If they love animals and music head to AK, if they love their TV characters from the Disney Channel they may enjoy a small part of MGM.

 

[dmfuru]

My opinion (and experiences).....


It'll be hot and crowded during your trip. I'd go to the MK each morning and do any and all of the rides that your kids can and want to do.
Spend the afternoon napping and relaxing, and then do the Studios and or Epcot at night.


AK is a wonderful park, but you can't escape the heat in the summer. I personally wouldn't spend the time trying to see AK in the heat with the little ones.

My kids have always gotten the most fun out of the MK as toddlers. Now that they are 7 and 5 (the older ones), they have more fun at MGM (can ride ToT and Star Tours, and they really like Muppets now). We've done AK, but never in the heat. For example, we just returned from 9 days at the Polynesian--we went to MK, Studios, Epcot, Disneyquest, pool, etc., but didn't go to AK once. We WILL go to AK this December on our return trip.

Remember too, that travelling to the parks with kids is relatively slow--I'm assuming you'll have a stroller and diaper bag--the bag will be inspected at the entry to each park. Don't think of walking from the hotel to MGM in June/July--it can be done, but the heat will slow you down and, probably tire you out for the rest of the day.

BTW, the WDW website says that on June 30, the MK will be open til 11 pm and there will be 2 SpectroMagic parades that night. You can count on huge crowds at the MK that day, so make sure to arrive early.

Good luck!

 

[DISNEYBIGGDOGG]

Just back a couple of days ago and my DD 15 months loved the safari, dinoland, Lion King show, all the characters, Rainforest cafe for lunch. She had a great time and so did my other childre. We did baby swap at Dinosaur and Kali and my kids got to ride twice.