What parks for 5 and 7 year old?

[oidsman]

Hi,

We are going to Orlando at end of Oct for 2 weeks and finding it difficult to decide what parks to do (and hence buy tickets) and what shows to see..

Defnately want to do Magic Kingdom
also seaworld
busch gardens look good
Islands of adventure (spiderman is excellent). Went on IBM conference jan last year and we had the whole of islands of adventure to ourselves (well 5000 of us!!) (Hulk was excellent - all four times in 30 minutes!)

but also kids might like animal kingdom...

and universal.... Ahhhhhhhhhhh impossible!

Anyone with experience of taking kids of this age, please help!

Darren

 

[AndRu]

No matter where you go, you can't go far wrong. I know I'll get thrown to the wolves (again) for saying it but Epcot is the most boring park (IMHO!) that you can take kids too. My sons, who were a similar age to children, get bored in Epcot as after Test Track / Mission Space there isn't much else for them to do. I'm not saying don't go to Epcot - just read up on it first.

As for the rest of the parks you're laughing, MK is an absolute must for any age group. AK is great for kids; the animals; the rapids, Everest, Dinoloand, Lion King, Bugs life etc. MGM is superb for kids too - Indianna Jones, Star Wars, Muppets, the stunt car show etc. I would reccommend at least full day in each Disney park - even then you wouldn't be able to see / do it all.

As you've been to IOA you know what to expect - what more can I say but "Visit again!". Over three visits to Orlando, Sea World is our most visited park as our kids love it and again, you have to go. So that's 4 Disney, 2 Universal & 1 Sea World days taken up. Don't forget that your kids will need to rest. I used to think that mine had everlasting batteries and that they'd never be tired but its amazing how the Floridian sun and theme parks can tire them out to the point of exhaustion. So, take it easy and plan rest days!

Finally, I haven't been to Busch Gardens for 10 years so can't really comment other than to say we will be going there in '07. If you have boys, then it might be worth considering a visit to the Kennedy Space Centre. I've done this three times now and I still haven't seen everything I want to!

Have a look at the trip reports section, stay in touch on these boards and I'm sure you'll get the answers (or at least the pointers) you'll need.

 

[JohnnySharp2]

I think it depends on the children, from our son's point of view he loves Magic Kingdom, which is THE best park for kid's (of all ages!) .

However, EPCOT there is very little there for him, MGM I think so far again very little but I think this August will see a change and he will appreciate it a lot more.
I am not saying there is nothing for kids at either, just the majority would not interest Joshua, we are still trying to build up his patience for sitting through shows etc, would love him to see the Bear In The Big Blue House show - maybe one to try next time.

Universal Studios is a favourite of his, he loves ET, Woody Woodpecker , Barney, Curious George etc. IOA less so although Suess Landing has attractions he really likes, we haven't tried the more testing rides like Spiderman yet.
Popeye's Barges is one not to miss, not recommended if the weather is a bit cool though.

Sea World offers a nice relaxing change from the other more busier, active parks although 1 day is probably enough.

One thing we find, going in August, is that sometimes after our morning at one of the parks and leaving at lunch time, we often plan to return or visit another park in the evening. However, it's common for Josh to be a bit tired by then and he often prefers to play in the pool at the villa or just relax etc
So we have to ensure we don't set off too late in the day.

I would make sure your days are not too long, as a full day at any theme park can be very tiring for kid's (and adults), hence getting to the parks early is essential I think. Plus if you concentrate too much on the attractions it can be tiring in the long run too, so I would advise plenty of rest days between park visits. This will also help you take everything in at a more leisurely pace, which hopefully should mean you enjoy it more.

Sorry Darren, how old are the kids?

 

[Madjock]

I think there's something in every park but how much for your kids really depends on your kids. See my girls love Epcot but dislike Universal, it's really all down to a matter of taste. The best thing is to buy a good guide book and read about all the attractions and then try and decide what you really want to do/see. The WDW planning DVD is also quite good but does give a sort of distorted view of some of the rides/shows (some of them come across as much more scarey than they actually are. Finally, this board is a great source of information.

Happy planning

 

[Boo Boo Too]

Your 5 and 7 year old will have a fantastic time!

Definitely:
- Magic Kingdom
- Animal Kingdom
- MGM Studios
- Universal
- Sea World

As others have said, I would avoid Epcot - think that it has very limited appeal for kids and involves a LOT of walking.

As JohnnySharp2 has said, if you can break the day in two or buy a multi-day pass and do several short days (rather than one loooooong day) at each park, that is better. The parks involve a lot of walking and a lot of excitment - your kids will probably get very tired. Also, maybe try not to do a park a day - lots of more laid back days to recover.

Another thing to watch out for with kids is dehydration. Not such an issue in October, but still good to have supplies (especially since drinks are expensive in parks). You could buy a multipack of 330ml/500ml bottles of water and take a few into the park with you - great to have handy if you need to queue.

Other things that I LOVED at your kids age (and still love today) are waterparks ("Blizzard Beach" -http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/parks/parkLanding?id=BBLandingPage - is very kid oriented) and crazy/miniature golf ("Winter Summerland" -http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/moreMagic/otherRecDetail?id=OtherRecMiniatureGolfDetailPage - is a good one for kids, but there are LOADS around Orlando - keep an eye out by the side of the highways...)

Boo

 

[JohnnySharp2]

Sorry Darren, how old are the kids?

ah 5 & 7 , just like it says in the title of the thread!

 

[wifey]

If your kids are into space stuff a good day can be spent at Kennedy Space Centre and the bus tours are really worth the extra trip around the centre last year we took DS then 5 and had a blast

 

[Boo Boo Too]

If your kids are into space stuff a good day can be spent at Kennedy Space Centre and the bus tours are really worth the extra trip around the centre last year we took DS then 5 and had a blast

Think that they would have to be seriously into space stuff though - the exhibits at Kennedy are quite "adult". Not sure I would have enjoyed it at that age.

Boo

 

[wifey]

Try reading SimonV's Brit's Guide to Orlando book there's lots of other great things to see and do We have done the usual stuff taking into account height restrictions etc but if you will have a hire car it may be worth exploring further afield.Just keep away from the gators
Next year we will try a couple of new things for DS who is very bright, always wanting to know more about things, but not that tall for his age like Space Mountain

 

[Floridaaddict]

Darren,

As well as loving all the other parks, a thumbs up for Epcot from me!!! Our kids will be also be 5 (DS) & 7 (DD) on our Oct trip.

When we were there in May05, our kids loved Epcot.

Sorin,Figment,Test Track,Inovations (they played vitual Baseball, pinball etc, loads of ineractive stuff), Boat ride in Norway, Spaceship Earth
Turtle Talk with Crush (very very funny) to name a few.

DD loved the butterfly tent, we have a wonderful photo of her with a butterfly on her hand

If you arrive before the park opens, you get to see all the characters arrive on a Red Double Decker bus!

We are going back, and have an ADR at the Rose & Crown to watch the Illuminations.

 

[Andrew DEREK UK]

My kids have been going ot all of the parks since they were two, and the ages you quote they went on nearly every ride. I would say IOA is difficult with young ones but there are a few good rides. Seaworld is generally tame, MK the easiest of all.

 

[Miffy2003]

My DDs have been going since they were (youngest) 3 and (oldest) 9 and their favourite WDW parks in order of preference are:

• Epcot
• Magic Kingdom
• Animal Kingdom
• Disney Studios

I could list hundreds of reasons for why, but honestly? They will love different things / aspects in all of the parks. The trick is to try and work out which bits are most likely to appeal to your children! Sometimes mine surprise me by loving something completely unexciting (in my opinion).

They haven't yet done Universal parks so I haven't mentioned those and they did like SeaWorld

 

[thelionqueen]

My boys who are 4 & 8 have LOVED the water parks (especially Typhoon Lagoon) since birth practically. They like the water parks better than all the other parks put together!

Next would be Epcot then Magic Kingdom. If you really want a treat, do a water park on your 2nd or 3rd day, you will not regret it! Have fun!

 

[carolfoy]

I wouldn't dismiss epcot at all, my son loved innoventions when he was 7 and spent hours on all the different computer games, thay have really cool ones and interactive games too, also all the things floridaaddict mentiones, except now I think they've done awat withthe big red bus and have a specific charcter meeting point instead.