Toddlers at Epcot, AK, HS?

[DeniseR]

I have done some research and reading on different threads but thought I would ask here since many of you might have been in the same situation as me recently.

We are taking our twin grandkids (boy/girl) who will be 2 on our trip (turn two this month and we are going in September). I am wondering how many days to plan in these two parks for them considering there aren't a ton of things they might enjoy? If you have taken 2 year olds to WDW, and have visited these two parks, can you tell me which attractions (shows and rides) that they did and enjoyed or didn't enjoy? I know this can vary based on the particular child, but I just need some starting points. I keep seeing plans "out there" that talk about ages 3 and up, but not for younger. Thanks!

 

[DisneyCAL]

Our twins were 2.5 yrs old when we did AK last trip. We did character spot first then headed to Dinoland. They spent almost 2 hours in the boneyard playing! They loved it there. We didn't do shows there as their attention spans are very short with that sort of thing. But they loved the safari, the train ride to affection station, and triceratop spin. When we went, the character spot was camp minnie/mickey which is no longer there due to the Avatar expansion but when we went first thing in the morning nobody was there and they spent a very long time one-on-one with their favorites. In September which is hot, I would suggest the boneyard and triceratops spin first while its cooler out, character meet FP+, then make a CCW circle around the park. I would also get a FP for the safari too and throw in the Nemo show when it gets hot out or Rainforest Cafe to cool off (there are little lizards around the entrance they would probably love to see, mine did!). AK is a wonderful place for the little ones.
I didn't take them to HS because it's mostly shows and I've never really seen what the fuss is about myself with that park. And we did Epcot just DH and I last trip as they were too short for anything but Nemo and Friends. But I would've given anything for another morning like we had at AK with them.

 

[BlueHippo]

We usually plan 2 days in EPCOT, 1 day for AK, and 1 day for HS.

EPCOT- Seas with Nemo and Turtle Talk with Crush were always a big hit at that age. Our kids started to really get into characters and autographs at 2... and they always loved getting princess autographs around world showcase. They enjoy just exploring WS too..the drums in Africa are fun to bang on, train in Germany is fun to watch, movies to watch, performers, etc. We went to Biergarten for dinner for the first time when my oldest 2 were 5 and 2. They LOVE dancing together there.

AK- Safari is great, the shows are great (Nemo and Lion King particularly good for that age). There are also drums to bang on here by Africa too. You can take the train to the petting zoo. The trails are fun too!

HS-.You can take them on Toy Story Mania - my kids had fun at that age but really didn't understand the concept of the game. Great Movie ride was scary at that age. Muppet vision, lIttle mermaid and Beauty and the Beast were all good shows. I am sure Disney Junior live would be great for that age, but we've never tried it! Fantasmic too! We spend a lot of time meeting characters here. If they are Toy Story fans it's the only place to meet Buzz and Woody together. Only place to meet other characters too like Mike and Sully from Monsters Inc, Jake, Sophia, Lightening McQueen, etc.

 

[DSNY4ever]

As noted above there is a lot of stuff in AK for toddlers. At 2 DS loved the bird show, memo show, lion king show, the trails, the drums, the safari, meeting Russell and Dug, having breakfast at Tusker House, the wait for. Mickey and Minnie was short there too. We spent a lot of time there.

In Epcot he loved spaceship earth and we spent a half day in the living seas area alone! The Character Spot in Future world is a must as well.

We spent the least time in the Studios. He liked a few things, but it just wasn't enough.

 

[ktlm]

DD's first trip was when she was 2. When my DD was 2, she absolutely loved MK and EPCOT. We had only allocated one day for EPCOT and wished we had two. She really liked shows at age 2 and would sit through them (she is 9 now and it turns out she is a theatre kid) so she did enjoy DHS since it is show heavy. She liked the Beauty and the Beast, Little Mermaid and Disney Jr. shows (would have loved the Frozen sing-along if it existed then). Fantasmic scared her at age 2. She liked parts of it, but definitely was not a fan of the loud Pochahontas part or all the villain stuff. She liked TSM and meeting the characters in the park. I think 1 day at DHS would be plenty. Since we did Fantasmic we filled a whole day, but the next year at age 3, she did not want to do Fantasmic again, and she was ready to leave DHS by mid-afternoon. DHS is a good park for the middle to end of your trip, as sitting in the shows is a nice break and it can be a slower day. If your GKs are not show kids, you might run out of things to do pretty quickly though.

I like AK, but DD was not a fan of AK at all at age 2. We have a really good zoo at home, and she had no interest in spending time at AK looking at animals, when she could be seeing princesses or riding rides at MK or EPCOT. She was begging to leave and go back to MK or EPCOT by noon. It depends on the kids though. If your GKs don't have a good zoo at home, or have hardly ever been to the zoo, they might love it. For DD at age 2, she was interested in riding Safari (sort of- as she pretty much equated it with our zoo's tram at that age even though Safari is far superior), seeing the Lion King show, and meeting the characters, and having a character meal at Tusker House then she was done. She did not like Triceratops spin at all at age 2 or 3- it is like Dumbo or Aladdin's carpets- but for some reason the seats in it get extremely hot when the sun shines on them. She sat down and her leg touched the seat and that was the end of that. She started crying and would not sit down and ride. I will say that when we got her off, she had a big red mark on her leg where it touched the seat- so I bet it did hurt! We have taken her every year since then, and the first time she was not begging to leave and go somewhere else by about 1:00 p.m. was when they started doing the Wilderness Explorer badge books about 2 years ago. She loved that, and it kept her entertained most of the day, but the 2 year olds are probably a little young for that. I would think that 1 day at AK would be fine. Now- we don't take breaks- we found out the first day DD was a stroller nap kid and going back to the resort did not work for her- so if you plan on taking long afternoon breaks, someone else may have some better insight on park time. For her, we only lost actual nap time for the stroller naps- there was no big loss of time traveling back and forth to the resort.

 

[ktlm]

I know you didn't ask, but as for EPCOT at age 2, DD could have ridden the boat ride in mexico around in circles all day and had great day. She also loved the Living with the Land ride, Nemo ride, Turtle Talk with Crush, Journey into Imagination, Spaceship Earth, the Aquariums after the Nemo ride, and the play areas after some of the rides. (mission space has a fun play area- where someone can take them while others ride). She loved meeting the tons of characters, watching the entertainment like the juggler, acrobats, bands, drummers. She liked exploring the countries, watching the trains in Germany, looking at the fish in the pond in Japan, banging the drums at the outpost, and the hedge maze in UK. If you are looking for an ADR, Biergarten is a lot of fun for that age with the German band and a dance floor where they can go out and dance. EPCOT is a really good park for that age because there are plenty of areas and play areas for them to walk around an explore, if you just take the time to smell the roses!

 

[DeniseR]

Our twins were 2.5 yrs old when we did AK last trip. We did character spot first then headed to Dinoland. They spent almost 2 hours in the boneyard playing! They loved it there. We didn't do shows there as their attention spans are very short with that sort of thing. But they loved the safari, the train ride to affection station, and triceratop spin. When we went, the character spot was camp minnie/mickey which is no longer there due to the Avatar expansion but when we went first thing in the morning nobody was there and they spent a very long time one-on-one with their favorites. In September which is hot, I would suggest the boneyard and triceratops spin first while its cooler out, character meet FP+, then make a CCW circle around the park. I would also get a FP for the safari too and throw in the Nemo show when it gets hot out or Rainforest Cafe to cool off (there are little lizards around the entrance they would probably love to see, mine did!). AK is a wonderful place for the little ones.
I didn't take them to HS because it's mostly shows and I've never really seen what the fuss is about myself with that park. And we did Epcot just DH and I last trip as they were too short for anything but Nemo and Friends. But I would've given anything for another morning like we had at AK with them.

This helps a lot! This is just the kind of information I am looking for. I am taking notes! Thanks!

 

[DeniseR]

We usually plan 2 days in EPCOT, 1 day for AK, and 1 day for HS.

EPCOT- Seas with Nemo and Turtle Talk with Crush were always a big hit at that age. Our kids started to really get into characters and autographs at 2... and they always loved getting princess autographs around world showcase. They enjoy just exploring WS too..the drums in Africa are fun to bang on, train in Germany is fun to watch, movies to watch, performers, etc. We went to Biergarten for dinner for the first time when my oldest 2 were 5 and 2. They LOVE dancing together there.

AK- Safari is great, the shows are great (Nemo and Lion King particularly good for that age). There are also drums to bang on here by Africa too. You can take the train to the petting zoo. The trails are fun too!

HS-.You can take them on Toy Story Mania - my kids had fun at that age but really didn't understand the concept of the game. Great Movie ride was scary at that age. Muppet vision, lIttle mermaid and Beauty and the Beast were all good shows. I am sure Disney Junior live would be great for that age, but we've never tried it! Fantasmic too! We spend a lot of time meeting characters here. If they are Toy Story fans it's the only place to meet Buzz and Woody together. Only place to meet other characters too like Mike and Sully from Monsters Inc, Jake, Sophia, Lightening McQueen, etc.

Again, this is very helpful. It has just been over 10 years since we were there and so much has changed! My daughter (the twins' Mom) was 16 years old the last trip and we never did the "little kid" things so it does help tremendously to see what other two year olds enjoyed. Thanks!

 

[DeniseR]

As noted above there is a lot of stuff in AK for toddlers. At 2 DS loved the bird show, memo show, lion king show, the trails, the drums, the safari, meeting Russell and Dug, having breakfast at Tusker House, the wait for. Mickey and Minnie was short there too. We spent a lot of time there.

In Epcot he loved spaceship earth and we spent a half day in the living seas area alone! The Character Spot in Future world is a must as well.

We spent the least time in the Studios. He liked a few things, but it just wasn't enough.

I am thinking the same thing about the time in the Studios park. If we can meet Sophia and Doc and Jake and play some and maybe catch a couple of the shorter shows, it will probably be enough for one morning. We are going in September and the crowds are lower than in the summer (although still hot!) and staying at the Beach Club, so we will probably do some afternoons in the pool if we can't get them to nap in the room. Thanks for your help!

 

[DeniseR]

I know you didn't ask, but as for EPCOT at age 2, DD could have ridden the boat ride in mexico around in circles all day and had great day. She also loved the Living with the Land ride, Nemo ride, Turtle Talk with Crush, Journey into Imagination, Spaceship Earth, the Aquariums after the Nemo ride, and the play areas after some of the rides. (mission space has a fun play area- where someone can take them while others ride). She loved meeting the tons of characters, watching the entertainment like the juggler, acrobats, bands, drummers. She liked exploring the countries, watching the trains in Germany, looking at the fish in the pond in Japan, banging the drums at the outpost, and the hedge maze in UK. If you are looking for an ADR, Biergarten is a lot of fun for that age with the German band and a dance floor where they can go out and dance. EPCOT is a really good park for that age because there are plenty of areas and play areas for them to walk around an explore, if you just take the time to smell the roses!

I am thinking with some of the shows we may have to "divide and conquer" with the twins. One of them (the girl) will sit and watch tv (Mickey's Clubhouse and other Disney Jr. shows) and the other (boy) won't have anything to do with it! So, I am thinking we might just divide up, especially in places that involve sitting and watching, and let her enjoy the shows while some of us take the little boy to run around and play. Thanks for the suggestions on which ones your daughter loved though! As I have said to others, it is hard to tell since we never really did the little child stuff with our kids. They were older when we first took them to WDW.

 

[mandis77]

I took my youngest (then 2) in 2013. AK = The Boneyard! She could've spent all day there easily. DHS = The Disney Jr show is a must if you have little kids. Toy Story Mania was fun too, although she didn't really understand the concept of the ride but had fun whirling around and seeing the characters. EPCOT = Nemo and Turtle Talk will be perfect. She also enjoyed the boat rides, like Living with the Land and Mexico.

 

[jacknsally19]

I was there with my daughter in October and she s 2 yr 10 months at that point. I think AK and HS are good half day parks for them. My daughter was very annoyed that there weren't more rides she could go on at the AK park. So we ended up just heading back to the pool at the hotel. But I actually think it's really good with that age to have a lot of down time. I think the shows can be a little scary at HS so just be careful of how those kids respond. My daughter thought Fantasmic was great (which people warned me as scary) but was terrified of the Little Mermaid show bc there was water and lasers coming from the ceiling (!?!) If your kid is a big fan of disney jr, the Hollywood and Vine breakfast / lunch character meal is a huge hit. Epcot I did one day but could easily do two.... She lovesthose small shows in the WS and coloring duffy in each country.

 

[mcjaco]

My twins were 2.5 years when we were there in November. We did one day in Epcot, AK, and DHS. They loved Living Seas and Imagination, Dinoland in AK (we couldn't get them out of the playground), and the Safari (3x), and the shows at DHS, along with the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground. Basically, if there was a playground, we were there......for a long time. Otherwise, they were more than happy to just wander and look a things.

 

[DeniseR]

I took my youngest (then 2) in 2013. AK = The Boneyard! She could've spent all day there easily. DHS = The Disney Jr show is a must if you have little kids. Toy Story Mania was fun too, although she didn't really understand the concept of the ride but had fun whirling around and seeing the characters. EPCOT = Nemo and Turtle Talk will be perfect. She also enjoyed the boat rides, like Living with the Land and Mexico.

I am thinking these kids will love the Boneyard also. They love playing on a playground at home so we will definitely spend some time there! And I forgot about the boat rides at Epcot - thanks for the reminder about them. Never did them but once with older kids but you are right about the little ones liking these types of things! Thanks!

I was there with my daughter in October and she s 2 yr 10 months at that point. I think AK and HS are good half day parks for them. My daughter was very annoyed that there weren't more rides she could go on at the AK park. So we ended up just heading back to the pool at the hotel. But I actually think it's really good with that age to have a lot of down time. I think the shows can be a little scary at HS so just be careful of how those kids respond. My daughter thought Fantasmic was great (which people warned me as scary) but was terrified of the Little Mermaid show bc there was water and lasers coming from the ceiling (!?!) If your kid is a big fan of disney jr, the Hollywood and Vine breakfast / lunch character meal is a huge hit. Epcot I did one day but could easily do two.... She lovesthose small shows in the WS and coloring duffy in each country.

We booked at the Beach Club with their great pool area just for that reason - down time. We figured since they get up early and go hard all morning, a touring plan with afternoons at the resort pool would be better than watching them fall apart at the parks! And the little girl is a huge Disney Jr. fan so we are trying for an ADR for Hollywood and Vine for breakfast or lunch. Hoping to get one but right now they are all taken the entire week we are there! And what is "coloring duffy in each country?"

My twins were 2.5 years when we were there in November. We did one day in Epcot, AK, and DHS. They loved Living Seas and Imagination, Dinoland in AK (we couldn't get them out of the playground), and the Safari (3x), and the shows at DHS, along with the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground. Basically, if there was a playground, we were there......for a long time. Otherwise, they were more than happy to just wander and look a things.

Agree on the playground. Will make sure to plan time here! Forgot about the one in DHS so will make note of it too! Thanks!

 

[Wosmama6]

following this thread. taking our 2yo DS in the last week in october. i haven't been to disney in 10 years, my husband in 15, so we are excited. staying at Pop and really hoping to get back to the resort for naps every day otherwise we will have a very grumpy boy. I would skip HS, but he is obsessed with "Ma-der" and McQueen, and he likes Toy Story, so....
thanks for all the great info!

 

[HeatherL1985]

We only did Epcot for half a day. Our 2.5 DS loved all the aquarium and rides in the future world section...even Figment and Ellen's Energy and he even fell asleep on Living with the Land. We only made it into Mexico when we decided we were done for the day. If I could do it again, I would try doing a water park in the morning, go back for a nap and then come back to Epcot for the evening. Skipping the World Showcase, though I was not pleased, worked out best for our family. Mexico held ZERO interest for our kid (except for the boat ride) and I don't think the rest would've gone much better.

Hollywood Studios was fun for our kid. He loved the Mermaid show, the Disney Jr. show and lunch at Hollywood & Vine. I'm sad they close the playground early because that was his ABSOLUTE favorite. We ended up taking an extended break this day since we accomplished almost everything in the morning but our kid didn't complain about extra splash time at the pool.

We did not do AK so I can't offer any advice. Our DS isn't currently entertained by animals and is not tall enough to ride any rides.

 

[DeniseR]

following this thread. taking our 2yo DS in the last week in october. i haven't been to disney in 10 years, my husband in 15, so we are excited. staying at Pop and really hoping to get back to the resort for naps every day otherwise we will have a very grumpy boy. I would skip HS, but he is obsessed with "Ma-der" and McQueen, and he likes Toy Story, so....
thanks for all the great info!

Yes, it is very helpful to get advice from those who have been there with this age! I am so taking good notes here!

 

[DeniseR]

We only did Epcot for half a day. Our 2.5 DS loved all the aquarium and rides in the future world section...even Figment and Ellen's Energy and he even fell asleep on Living with the Land. We only made it into Mexico when we decided we were done for the day. If I could do it again, I would try doing a water park in the morning, go back for a nap and then come back to Epcot for the evening. Skipping the World Showcase, though I was not pleased, worked out best for our family. Mexico held ZERO interest for our kid (except for the boat ride) and I don't think the rest would've gone much better.

Hollywood Studios was fun for our kid. He loved the Mermaid show, the Disney Jr. show and lunch at Hollywood & Vine. I'm sad they close the playground early because that was his ABSOLUTE favorite. We ended up taking an extended break this day since we accomplished almost everything in the morning but our kid didn't complain about extra splash time at the pool.

We did not do AK so I can't offer any advice. Our DS isn't currently entertained by animals and is not tall enough to ride any rides.

That is good to know. I think my grandkids will like AK but I currently have it scheduled for two mornings (not really planning on any afternoons with these two!) and I'm not sure I will need two mornings based on the response here. We can always have a day at the pool which I know they will love!

We are staying right next to the World Showcase in Epcot and have several dinners planned there because of ease to get there. We probably won't spend a ton of time there either other than walking around when we go to dinners.

 

[jacknsally19]

what is "coloring duffy in each country?"

So throughout world showcase, there are stations at each country with Duffy (A mickey mouse bear) a paper cutout puppet and Ferb (I think not really sure - its from a disney show) Anyway, the kids can color it and then have a staff member sign it / stamp it for that country. My daughter LOVES arts and crafts so that was a really fun activity for her last time. I think that you can probably find the Duffy story on youtube if you are really interested. I think Duffy is super adorable but I think that there are mixed responses to him.

I will mention that some of the other things that my daughter loved in Epcot WS the last time we were there was the flag show in Italy and the hedge maze in UK. Seriously, that hedge maze in UK may have been the biggest hit EVER. She ran around around that thing for while a rock band performed and people came us to after the band ended and said she was more entertaining to watch then the band! LOL. There are so many characters in WS so thats a lot of fun too for the kids.

Keep checking H & V, it will definitely open up sooner or later. If your twins like Disney Jr at all - they will LOVE that meal. The character interaction is amazing.... they dance with the kids and everything.

 

[DeniseR]

what is "coloring duffy in each country?"

So throughout world showcase, there are stations at each country with Duffy (A mickey mouse bear) a paper cutout puppet and Ferb (I think not really sure - its from a disney show) Anyway, the kids can color it and then have a staff member sign it / stamp it for that country. My daughter LOVES arts and crafts so that was a really fun activity for her last time. I think that you can probably find the Duffy story on youtube if you are really interested. I think Duffy is super adorable but I think that there are mixed responses to him.

I will mention that some of the other things that my daughter loved in Epcot WS the last time we were there was the flag show in Italy and the hedge maze in UK. Seriously, that hedge maze in UK may have been the biggest hit EVER. She ran around around that thing for while a rock band performed and people came us to after the band ended and said she was more entertaining to watch then the band! LOL. There are so many characters in WS so thats a lot of fun too for the kids.

Keep checking H & V, it will definitely open up sooner or later. If your twins like Disney Jr at all - they will LOVE that meal. The character interaction is amazing.... they dance with the kids and everything.

Okay I will check out Duffy! I know the little girl will like it for sure. And the hedge sounds fun too! They both run around all the time and their first words were "outside" (both of them!) so they will like something like that.

And keeping fingers crossed on H&V ADR! They will FREAK OUT if the characters dance with them! Thanks!