Traveling with 4 year old- rides etc

[lisamarie12]

DH and I are thinking of taking our DD, who is almost four, this summer on a Disney trip. She will be 4 1/2. She loves everything Disney, including Frozen (obviously ), Minnie/Mickey and crew, most of the princesses, and every show on Disney Jr. So I have no doubt she will adore Disney World.

But she is very small for her age. She is short and petite. So even though she will be 4 1/2, she will be more like a 3 year old in size. So she would probably be too small for most of the big rides. But do they have kiddie rides for the littles? If so, are those really babyish or are they things a 4 year old would enjoy? Also, are there family rides without height limits? I have been to WDW 1 time, with DH several years ago and we weren't thinking of kiddie rides at that time.

Also, as far as getting around the park- do you recommend as stroller? She is getting at that age where we rarely use a stroller at all and she is not keen on sitting in them. But she has little legs and the parks are BIG.

If you do a stroller, I imagine you can probably rent them right? Do they have them for rent at the parks? Any idea on prices? I would rather rent one if possible, as I do not really want to deal with a 4 year old and stroller and luggage on a plane. eek. Thanks in advance.

 

[DopeyDame]

Ds is 5.5 and has been to WDW 3 times, and DD is 2.5 and has been once. DS is also teeny-tiny (5% on the height charts), so I feel your pain!

Rest assured there is a TON to do with little people. That's the most awesome part of WDW - that the vast majority of rides are true family rides, rather than "kiddie" rides and big people rides.
You can see which rides are off limits here: http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/height.htm

But truly, you can easily spend several days at the parks not riding anything with a height requirement and be perfectly happy.

As for the stroller question... that can get heater around here.
We had one for DD and DS rode in it occasionally. If it had just been him, I don't think we would have gotten one. But other people swear by strollers.
You can definitely rent them there if you get down there and find you need one.

 

[Feberin]

We went last May when my son had just turned 4. He was tall enough for most of the rides but he didn't want to do anything very fast so we skipped any ride with a height restriction for him. There was still tons to do and lots of it wasn't even slightly babyish. Disney does kids rides a lot better then your average amusement park in my opinion. Some of his favorites were Toy Story Mania, Peter Pan, Living the Land, Dumbo and It's a Small World. He also really loved the Disney Jr show, which I highly recommend as a must do if she's really into all the Disney Jr shows since my son isn't even into all of them and he still loved it.

We used a double stroller with an almost two year old and a four year old. My son can do all day at a Zoo without a stroller but in Disney he used it. Not all the time but there were times we were very thankful to have a seat for him. Also it helped with hauling around everything. If you have a stroller you would like to use then I would bring it because if you don't use it after the first day you can leave it in your room/car. You can also park the stroller and leave it for awhile then come back when you're headed to another part of the park. The stroller also kept the kids drier with a rain cover then the ponchos kept us.

 

[MSSANDRA]

There are truly not a lot of rides she can not do. At four, my little guy was big enough, but not brave enough for most of the "big" rides. EVERYTHING is a family ride. There are no "kiddie" as in only kids can ride them rides. You can all enjoy things together.
Strollers, almost all four year olds, and most 5 year old NEED a stroller. You can rent in the parks, but they are hard plastic. Perfect for an older child to hop in and out of, but not too comfortable for a child to spend too much time in. You really might find that you need it in the airport, you can gate check it, and around the resort. Kids, even little ones, get heavy being carried back to the room at night!!

 

[lisamarie12]

Thanks everyone, you have been very reassuring. I was thinking about Six Flags which a lot of big people rides and then little kid rides, but not as many family rides. I am okay on missing some of the big rides or taking turns with DH, as long as there are plenty of family rides. I really don't want to be just her escort through the kids area all day every day watching her ride the same boring carousel over and over.

I think she will get more of a kick out of the characters. I am trying to remember my 2 days in Disney, but that was 5+ years ago. But I thought I recall occasionally seeing a character walking about? Is that right or do you have to go to scheduled meets.

I don't know if we would do a character meal or not. We might do one if its really worth it, but she is on the young side and I imagine they are pricey. But if there is any that are really great for kids her age, I am open to suggestions.

I will look for the Disney Jr. Show. Where is it? To put in perspective my DD and Disney Jr- its the only channel our bedroom tv (the one she watches) is on. I know most of the words to the songs from Mickey Mouse Club House, Octonauts, Doc McStuffins, Sofia the first, Sheriff Callie and Jake and the Neverland Pirates because I hear them so often. And everything she got for Christmas was related to something Disney.

I am super excited about the possibility of this trip. Right now we are looking at whether finances are going to allow for it this year. This year is my 40th birthday and me and DH's 10 year wedding anniversary so its a good year to take a big trip. But airfare is crazy high (so are park tickets). I am hoping the airfare will come down in a few months. I am guess park tickets never do go on sale.

So is there any possibility of sales or specials or rate discounts for rooms to watch out for coming up that might cover July? I know that's a high season so I am not expecting it, but I wouldn't want to book now and find out every year in March they have a big sale, you know what I mean.

 

[erinmarie2224]

My DD is also on the short side but we took her just before she was 3. There was plenty for her to do. She has no fear and loved the Goofy barnstormer kiddie roller coaster - we rode that a few times in a row.

We did the Disney Jr. breakfast at Hollywood and Vine (HS) because my DD loves the Disney Jr characters. She got to meet and dance with Doc McStuffins, Jake Neverland Pirates & Sofia the first.

If you think you'll do a stroller, you can save some money by renting one from an authorized renter. I think we did Kingdom Strollers but they will deliver to most hotel's and pick-up when you leave. For about $100/week you can get a city mini with a cooler and rain cover, which is way better then the park's plastic strollers and cheaper!

Disney Store has some princess dresses on sale for as low as $24 right now. If you think she would be interested in wanting one (and wearing it in the park) that's a $40 savings from the ~$60 price tag in the park.

 

[erinmarie2224]

forgot - there's a good chance for a discount in July. If you book now you can always call and have them apply the discount when it is released.

Looks like summer discounts came out in mid-march last year. Here's a link of past dates of discount offerings: http://www.mousesavers.com/historical-information-on-walt-disney-world-resort-discounts/#2014

 

[dwbrewster]

I will second that you will have plenty of ride options for your DD. You can do all of the dark rides that I can think of. Your only restrictions off the top of my head will be the mountains at MK, Soarin and Fast Track at Epcot, Aerosmith RC and Tower of Terror at HS...and I don't know what at AK.

For strollers we did a lot of research on it and think for a 4 year old it is a wise investment - my DD walks and rides her bike a lot but was wiped and the stroller was crucial. I will plug one of the DISBoard sponsors, Orlando Stroller - they were the best rate I found, clean, comfortable, and super friendly. They drop off at the resort and pick up at the resort so you have it even if you want it for downtown Disney or something else.

 

[Airship Ariadne]

Honestly, the only rides she wouldn't be able to do are ones that at four she would be too scared to do anyway (Space Mountain, Rocking Roller Coaster, Etc.)...there may be a total of three-four rides per park she wouldn't be able to do...the vast majority of MK would be hers to experience. The parks are built to be enjoyed by the entire family. Go for it, you will enjoy every minute of it...oh, and she will too.

 

[merina888]

My daughter is 3.5 years old and small for her age. WDW has a handful of rides that have height restrictions, everything else is family friendly. There is no such thing as a "kiddie area" at WDW. It either has a height restriction (roller coasters and thrill rides) or is a family ride. There are no rides that are just for children. Here's a guide to rides with restrictions. http://allears.net/tp/rr.htm If it's not listed with a height restriction, your child should be able to ride.

We are a double stroller family. Last August we rented one from a stroller rental company and had it delivered to our WDW hotel. They picked it up at the end our trip. Very convenient and worth the money. You can rent from each park but they are not the most comfortable to ride in and do not recline if your child wants to rest. We used ours for my 6 and 3 year olds. My 6 year old generally walks every where and has a lot of energy but he willingly rode in a stroller at Disney because it's a lot of walking for little legs. Plus it's much easier to get out of the park when it's crowded at the end of the night. The plus to bringing your own or renting a stroller is that you can take it out of the park and back to your hotel. It's better than carrying tired children.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

DH and I are thinking of taking our DD, who is almost four, this summer on a Disney trip. She will be 4 1/2. She loves everything Disney, including Frozen (obviously ), Minnie/Mickey and crew, most of the princesses, and every show on Disney Jr. So I have no doubt she will adore Disney World.

But she is very small for her age. She is short and petite. So even though she will be 4 1/2, she will be more like a 3 year old in size. So she would probably be too small for most of the big rides. But do they have kiddie rides for the littles? If so, are those really babyish or are they things a 4 year old would enjoy? Also, are there family rides without height limits? I have been to WDW 1 time, with DH several years ago and we weren't thinking of kiddie rides at that time.

Also, as far as getting around the park- do you recommend as stroller? She is getting at that age where we rarely use a stroller at all and she is not keen on sitting in them. But she has little legs and the parks are BIG.

If you do a stroller, I imagine you can probably rent them right? Do they have them for rent at the parks? Any idea on prices? I would rather rent one if possible, as I do not really want to deal with a 4 year old and stroller and luggage on a plane. eek. Thanks in advance.

My daughter is 4.5 and we just came from Disney. She is 3rd percentile for height and a true pipsqueak. She was 39 inches this last trip which meant:

EPCOT: no Soarin' or test track
MK: no space or splash or Big thunder mountain--but mine train was a go.
DHS: park with greatest ride issue--could only ride Toy Story and movie ride. So shows and playground was what she did the rest of the time.
AK: Kali 4 x because by golly she was tall enough and loved it. She could also do the dinosaur dumbo ride (don't know the actual name) and Safari as well as all shows.

We found DHS to be the most difficult to meet her ride desires. Probably because she enjoyed the rides at AK more and rode them repeatedly. She wasn't falling down excited for Toy Story. And well-EPCOT was somewhat of a problem as well. But that was more of our touring time issues--she did SE and journey, passed on Mexico and we didn't go to Nemo. She also did the boat ride in the land, but the cycle time for Soarin even with a no wait FP still takes a while. But it does have more rides than at DHS and AK.

And stroller is mandatory for us. She just cannot keep up. I carried her around IOA in January without a stroller-never again! We bought a stroller for our MK day and we still use it.

 

[lisamarie12]

My daughter is 4.5 and we just came from Disney. She is 3rd percentile for height and a true pipsqueak. She was 39 inches this last trip which meant:

EPCOT: no Soarin' or test track
MK: no space or splash or Big thunder mountain--but mine train was a go.
DHS: park with greatest ride issue--could only ride Toy Story and movie ride. So shows and playground was what she did the rest of the time.
AK: Kali 4 x because by golly she was tall enough and loved it. She could also do the dinosaur dumbo ride (don't know the actual name) and Safari as well as all shows.

We found DHS to be the most difficult to meet her ride desires. Probably because she enjoyed the rides at AK more and rode them repeatedly. She wasn't falling down excited for Toy Story. And well-EPCOT was somewhat of a problem as well. But that was more of our touring time issues--she did SE and journey, passed on Mexico and we didn't go to Nemo. She also did the boat ride in the land, but the cycle time for Soarin even with a no wait FP still takes a while. But it does have more rides than at DHS and AK.

And stroller is mandatory for us. She just cannot keep up. I carried her around IOA in January without a stroller-never again! We bought a stroller for our MK day and we still use it.

Your daughter sounds just like mine. She is usually in 5th percentile for height and 5-10 for weight. I am not sure how tall she is honestly. I am not great at measuring. Maybe we will find out later this month at her 4 year old check up.

It sounds like a stroller will be necessary. Not sure if we will bring ours or rent. It really depends on how much crap we have at the airport, assuming we fly. Airfare is just outrageous now. Its usually cheap to fly to Florida. But its 7 months out so I guess there is time for it to come down.

 

[Emacneil]

We used a double for our then, almost 3 year old and 4.5 year old. It was a must for us. The day we did not take it we ended up carrying them and that was not ideal.

 

[Lupeix]

We are taking our DS who is very tiny and small for his age in April
he will be 4 then. We are not taking a stroller but plan on renting one from Apple strollers. The ones on the park are expensive and uncomfortable ($14 vs $5 a day from apple).

If you are going in the summer you will need one with a good sunshade that reclines well, it gets hot and very crowded. Little ones get tired/dehydrated faster when walking and it is nice to have a safe place for your kid to rest or just make it through the crowds faster. At that age she may fall asleep in it at the end of the day if you plan to do a full day in the park, even if she doesn't nap at home.

DS is not quite 40' and there's a lot to ride. I know he would like to ride BTMR and splash mountain, so I am planning to get some thick sole shoes and maybe he will make it.

here is a link to the rides she can do by height:
http://**************.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/Disney-World-Ride-Height-Requirements-from-**************.net_.jpg

For the most part the things he can't do will be too scary for a 4 YO anyway (tower of terror, dinosaur, Stitch). Height is not the only consideration, some rides even if they can do them by height are not a good idea at that age.

 

[Feberin]

Thanks everyone, you have been very reassuring. I was thinking about Six Flags which a lot of big people rides and then little kid rides, but not as many family rides. I am okay on missing some of the big rides or taking turns with DH, as long as there are plenty of family rides. I really don't want to be just her escort through the kids area all day every day watching her ride the same boring carousel over and over.

I think she will get more of a kick out of the characters. I am trying to remember my 2 days in Disney, but that was 5+ years ago. But I thought I recall occasionally seeing a character walking about? Is that right or do you have to go to scheduled meets.

I don't know if we would do a character meal or not. We might do one if its really worth it, but she is on the young side and I imagine they are pricey. But if there is any that are really great for kids her age, I am open to suggestions.

I will look for the Disney Jr. Show. Where is it? To put in perspective my DD and Disney Jr- its the only channel our bedroom tv (the one she watches) is on. I know most of the words to the songs from Mickey Mouse Club House, Octonauts, Doc McStuffins, Sofia the first, Sheriff Callie and Jake and the Neverland Pirates because I hear them so often. And everything she got for Christmas was related to something Disney.

I am super excited about the possibility of this trip. Right now we are looking at whether finances are going to allow for it this year. This year is my 40th birthday and me and DH's 10 year wedding anniversary so its a good year to take a big trip. But airfare is crazy high (so are park tickets). I am hoping the airfare will come down in a few months. I am guess park tickets never do go on sale.

So is there any possibility of sales or specials or rate discounts for rooms to watch out for coming up that might cover July? I know that's a high season so I am not expecting it, but I wouldn't want to book now and find out every year in March they have a big sale, you know what I mean.

Six Flags (at least the one near us) is horrible for children. Only a handful of rides and nearly no rides for families. Disney is the opposite. It's part of why we really want to go back there again!

I actually think at four she's right at a great age for character dinning. I think older kids are less likely to find it quite so magical. My son LOVED the character meal we attended so much that next trip I would love to do a couple of them. I'm not sure what to recommend since I think it really depends on her interests, your budget and food preferences. But there are a lot of options. This may help you figure it out.

 

[jawa7400]

We just returned from WDW and took our DD4 and DS1. She's 39" tall but we didn't ride anything that she actually had to be measured to ride. Her favorite ride was Dumbo! In fact. Everything she rode DS1 rode too (except 7DMT). I think

 

[jawa7400]

(DS helped me send that last post!) I think we rode everything in Fantasyland and several others in MK. There is so much to do that she will have a great time! Definitely bring a stroller! DD 4 wanted to walk everywhere on day 1... After that she rode about half the time, which was fine since it was so busy when we went.