What parks for 2 yo?

[aimb]

We'll have our almost 2.5 year old with us when we visit in December, and I'd love to know your opinions about the best parks to visit. Obviously the MK, but which others did your children this age really enjoy?

I wasn't going to do MGM, but ds LOVES Bear in the Big Blue House, so I want to go see that show. Is there anything else there that will be fun for little ones?

Would skipping Epcot be a mistake?

 

[44disney]

We went last year when our DD was 2 and 3 months old, and our DS was 5. Of course, she loved the MK, but here is her opinion of the other parks:
Her next favorite was Animal Kingdom. The Safari ride is awesome, and The Lion King Show is too (and she really couldn't sit through most shows -- she still remembers this and it was 18 months ago!), and she enjoyed the train ride and the petting zoo area at conservation station. And there is a terrific playground (called the boneyard), where she could have spent about 2 hours if big brother had let her! The only thing about AK, though, is you may want to park hop later in the day, because it won't take all day to do everything you want. Also -- we happened to catch the parade as it went by -- no staking out a seat on the curb ahead of time (we were close to the Safari ride and it was not crowded there) and she really enjoyed that, too.

Next was probably MGM -- she liked the Playhouse Disney show the best, and liked the Muppet Movie a lot, too. The Little Mermaid scared her, but she was not familiar with the story, so if your son is, he may like that, too. There is also a good playground. She was scared on the Great Movie Ride. Again, this park did not take all day for us.

She did like Epcot, but probably not as much as the others. She liked the boat ride in Mexico, and the pavilion she liked the best was the aquarium part of the Living Seas -- you can spend as much time looking at the animals as you want. She also liked the Spaceship Earth ride a lot.

We park hopped a lot, and while she had the most fun at the MK she definitely enjoyed the other parks, too. We were there for a week , and even though there wasn't as much for her at Epcot it was very nice to have a slower paced day where we weren't standing in line constantly and where there wasn't quite so much stimulation (I wouldn't call it restful but you get the idea). It was nice for her parents, too!!!

 

[CEDmom]

Epcot can be nice for a small child because the characters often visit their country of origin and are not usually mobbed. In May be met Pooh and Eeyore in the UK. There is also a character bus that goes around plus lots of street performers. Also if your DS will nap in a stroller it's a great park to walk around in. DH and I got 2 hours of "alone" time on our May trip will DD napped. We didn't get to MGM but I think DD would have enjoyed Playhouse Disney and The Little Mermaid Show. I also don't think you can go wrong with AK - what child doesn't like animals. Have fun.

 

[foofoo]

twice, because when I read your post, I literally thought I must have written it (except that my son is 5 mos, not years!) Any way, I second everything you said!

 

[BevS97]

I would visit all of them, but with shorter days at Animal Kingdom and MGM.

At 3, Magic Kingdom was my dd's favorite, with Epcot a close second. There is a lot to see in Epcot and for much of it you don't have to be able to go on a 'scary' ride. She LOVES Spaceship Earth, The Land, the Living Seas, all of World Showcase, loads of characters, and shows, people dancing/performing in the streets etc. She really really loved the parade in Epcot, but it's not on any more. We spend a lot of time in Epcot, and she always seems to enjoy it. I think it's my favorite park, so maybe my enthusiasm rubs off on her.

MGM - Playhouse Disney is a must see, but to be honest, there's not a lot else that was ok for my dd. She made it through Muppets, but I wouldn't say she enjoyed it. She hated the Little Mermaid, the scene with Ursula is very intense. We haven't tried the Great Movie Ride, but I really don't think she would like it.
She did like Beauty and the Beast at 4, not sure if she would have sat through it at 2 though

Saying that, we always go for the day, and she is quite happy to look around and we usually meet some characters, but there are not a lot of suitable 'attractions'. We did enjoy the parade.

Animal Kingdom - She really loves the Lion King Show. Really Really loves it. She also loves the Pocahontas show, but Pocahontas is her all time favorite character. We do the safari, and teh 2 walks. She kinda liked the Safarai, although was a little unsure about the poacher story line. She also liked the train ride to the conservation station.

Bev

 

[swilphil]

My son just turned 3 when we went this summer. He loved MGM. Still talks about seeing Bear. Loved Mermaid and Beauty and Beast shows. Also liked Muppets, but not with the glasses on. The highlight was visiting Pizza Planet and seeing Jessie, Woody and Buzz at Al's Toy Barn. He's a huge Toy Story fan. He also enjoyed the parade.

Epcot World Showcase was a nice change of pace for him. He liked the freedom of being able to run around. The Kidcot stations were great. I wish we had spent more time there.

At AK, my son asked to go to the hotel and take a nap after less than 2 hours. This was at 10 a.m. I wished we would have skipped it all together.