What are the can't miss attractions for a 4 year old at each park?

[MinnieMom]

Title says it all! We're leaving in 6 days and I'm panicking! I am so terrified that my planning is not going to pay off.

I want to make sure I have all the "can't miss" attractions on the list for dd!

6 days to go!!!

 

[Pixiedusttravel]

Magic Kingdom:
Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin
Mickey's PhilharMagic
Peter Pan's Flight
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
The Barnstormer at Goofy's Wiseacre Farm
Dumbo the Flying Elephant
Pirates of the Caribbean
If your child is adventureous (and tall enough)Don't miss:
Splash Mountain

Epcot:
The Living Seas with Nemo & Crush!!!!
Journey into Imagination with Figment
"Honey I Shrunk the Audience"
Test Track (depends on your 4 year old)

MGM:
Playhouse Disney - Live on Stage
Jim Henson's Muppet Vision 3-D
Beauty and the Beast - Live on Stage
Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular
Star Tours

Animal Kingdom:
KilimanJaro Safaris
Kali River Rapids
TriceraTop Spin
Festival of the Lion King *****do not miss******
It's Tough to be a Bug (depends on your 4 year old)

IMHO these are my kid's favorite rides. We never miss them when we go.

 

[alicenwonder99]

Don't miss the Pocohantus show at AK. They have the first few benches in the front reserved for kids only (so they can see better). The show is perfect for a 4 year old! Pocohantus sings, there are live animals in the show, and afterward your child can go up to Pocohantus and get a leaf from her (for a souvenoir). I know it's not the most popular show, but it's one of our favorites at WDW.

Mary

 

[beattyfamily]

At MK:

All of Fantasyland:
Dumbo
Snow White (can be scary for some)
Carrousel
Pooh
Philharmagic
Peter Pan
It's a Small World
The Mad Tea Party
Ariel's Grotto.

All of Toontown:
Goofy's Rollercoaster
Mickey and Minnie's house
Donald boat (water fun).

Liberty Square:
Haunted Mansion - can be scary (dark and ghosts) but both my DD enjoy it.

Adventureland:
Alladin's Carpet Ride
Pirates of the Caribbean (can be dark/scary for some)
Tiki Room, if you have time
Jungle Cruise, haven't rode yet so cannot comment.

Frontierland:
Country Bear Jamboree
Splash Mountain and Thunder Mountain, if she's adventurous enough (40 inches)

Tomorrowland:
Buzz Lightyear ride
Tomorrowland Transit Authority (my 5 year old LOVES this)
Astro Orbitor
Space Mountain is 44 inches so she's probably too short.
And maybe you'll want to try Stitch but we didn't enjoy it (dark/get wet/loud).

Be sure and ride the train around MK too!

At MGM:

The shows:
Ariel and Beauty and the Beast for sure! Playhouse Disney show.
Muppet 3D movie
Honey I Shrunk the kids Playground
the Great Movie Ride
Tower of Terror, if she's tall enough and brave enough (dark/ghosts/big drops)

At AK:

My kids are not big fans of AK but these are what we enjoy:

Safari ride
Lion King show
Dinoland for the cute TriceraTop Spin ride which is like the Dumbo ride;
She's too short for Primevil Whirl
There's also the Dinosaur ride which is 40 inches...my DD did not enjoy it.
Kali River rapids if she doesn't mind getting wet.
Tarzan show and the Pocahontas show but they are just ok, IMHO.
My DD did NOT like "It's tough to be a Bug" but many many people enjoy it.

At Epcot:

Test Track
Honey I Shrunk the audience" 3-D movie but it can be intense
Spaceship earth
She too short for Mission Space.

The World showcase:
Mexico and Norway each have a boat ride that my DD's enjoyed.

You may want to ride some of these rides first to see if your DD will enjoy it or be able to handle it. Every child is different. Some don't like the dark or loud noises or getting wet.

That's all I can think of. Oh and try to catch the parades and fireworks!

 

[mommystieg]

I am going to borrow this list:

Magic Kingdom:
Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin
Mickey's PhilharMagic - kinda loud and our DD4 does not like it. She will sit through it but she won't wear the glasses
Peter Pan's Flight
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
The Barnstormer at Goofy's Wiseacre Farm
Dumbo the Flying Elephant
Pirates of the Caribbean
If your child is adventureous (and tall enough)Don't miss:
Splash Mountain - DD4 loved this and BTMRR
adding:
Cinderella's Golden Carrousel
The Mad Tea Party
It's a Small World
Enchanted Tiki Room

Epcot:
The Living Seas with Nemo & Crush!!!!
Journey into Imagination with Figment
"Honey I Shrunk the Audience" - traumatized our kids--loud and some of the effects are scary (snake, mice, cat--you get the idea)
Test Track (depends on your 4 year old) - DD4 liked this
Our DD also enjoys Spaceship Earth

MGM:
Playhouse Disney - Live on Stage - an absolute must for our DD4
Jim Henson's Muppet Vision 3-D - after seeing HISTA our kids are very hesitant about 3D attractions. It is cute and she will sit through it but won't wear the glasses
Beauty and the Beast - Live on Stage
Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular
Star Tours - haven't tried this yet; it is probably a little much for our DD (loud and dark)

Animal Kingdom:
KilimanJaro Safaris
Kali River Rapids
TriceraTop Spin
Festival of the Lion King *****do not miss******
It's Tough to be a Bug (depends on your 4 year old) - our DD is bugaphobic; we tried this once. As soon as the first effect started, everyone started screaming and I had to make a quick exit with her.
IMHO these are my kid's favorite rides. We never miss them when we go.

You know your kid best and every kid is different on what they are willing try. Our DD does not like loud, the dark doesn't bother as much as the volume. On any of the 3D attractions that you think your child might not like just sit close to the exit. A helpful CM will be there to aid in your quick escape if necessary

 

[ReggieB]

Goofy's Barnstormer is a good way to determine if your kid is the more adventurous type and up for Test Track, and Big Thunder Mountain (height permiting) You can see the entire ride, your kid can see how it works, where it goes, there are no surprises from that perspective (my DS4, likes to see what he is getting before he tries it!). Though I am sure there are plenty of people that think Barnstormer is a bit wild! Splash Mountain is pretty good to show aswell, the drop being the scariest bit, you can watch a few going down and then ask if they want to try. However I know some kids who would enjoy the ride but actually watching what happens to other folk would be put off!!

My DS at 3 was tall enough for a lot of rides and loved Test Track, Splash Mountain and Kali River Rapids (he is very tall!) He hated Haunted Mansion because the volume of the speakers in the cabs were just too loud. He saw Tough To Be A Bug last year (at 4) and thought it was okay, but he wasn't scared by it. He loved Philharmagic at MK.

 

[mmccoy]

At Epcot, make sure you take the time to enjoy Kidcot. Kidcot is a small area in each of the World Showcases. Get a free mask (a white posterboard cutout on a ruler-like piece of wood) from any of the Kidcot stations and, as you visit each Showcase Kidcot station, a CM from that country will attach a symbol to the mask. Children can also sit and decorate the mask at each country. Once you have a symbol from all the countries, go to the Canada Showcase, and you'll get a certificate.

Also, if you purchase a passport, the CM at each country will write something in it in the country's native language.

Its pretty popular with the kids. Our 16 year-old "took over", "helping" our 6 year-old complete his mask.

 

[MINNIEBOWSER]

Don't forget about the Tomorrowland Transit Authority. My DD could sit on that all day. Very relaxing, and very nice at night too.