what parks for 6 & 8 year olds - 3 day trip?

[JenniOH]

it is our first trip as a family to WDW- we have 3 1/2 days to spend in the parks - what ones should we do? We are going over Valentines weekend... THANKS!

 

[wld]

Well if you can't do them all, my daughter who is now 17 told me last time we went and she was 16 that it was the first time she really enjoyed MGM. She was 8 the first time she went. I was kind of suprised as she loves thrill rides and liked Star Tours and Tower of Terror, but she did say it unprompted.

 

[Tiggerlover91]

First of all...

WELCOME TO THE DIS!!!

Well, it should be pretty obvious with an eight and six year old you BETTER visit the MK on your 3 1/2 day trip or never hear the end of it. Head straight to Fantasyland and get all those fun rides in before crowds get crazy. I suggest doing MK on EE day because when hubby and I did on our last trip, we were able to ride the Pooh ride twice, Small World, and Peter Pan's Flight all within about 30 minutes. Oh yeah, don't forget to do Mickey's Philharmagic, it's a new show in Fantasyland and I've heard it is awesome!!

I would then suggest AK since they have a few shows and the Kilamanjaro Safari which children really enjoy. Go do that first and grab a fast pass for IT'S TOUGH TO BE A BUG before getting on the Safari. By the time you're done, your time should be coming up for It's Tough To Be a Bug. See about fitting in time for Tarzan Rocks or the Festival of the Lion King. The Festival wins my vote every time!! I've seen in 3 times and NEVER get tired of it. Mickey's Jammin' Jungle Parade is a not to be missed either I've heard. I haven't had the pleasure of seeing it yet, but have heard nothing but good things.

Now you're going to have to decide whether you want to do EPCOT for you or MGM for the kids. My neices LOVED EPCOT, but they aren't your normal batch of children. Future World was fun for them as they loved Spaceship Earth, Innoventions, Journey Into Your Imagination, and Universe of Energy. They also enjoyed the World Showcases and going in to all the neat shops.
However, MGM has many shows for children: Beauty and the Beast, Voyage of the Little Mermaid, and Fantasmic!, so you'll need to decide what sounds better for you.
Now if you have hopper passes which start at 4 days, you can do all 4 parks in your 3 1/2 days if you plan things out correctly. It's not hard to do at all.
Well, that's just my suggestions for ya, I hope I've helped. If you have any questions, just ask, that's what we're here for.

~~~Denise

 

[roadtripper]

Hi--
Mine were 6 and 8 last year, and they definitely preferred Epcot to MGM. The nations of the World Showcase have kid stops where they do a little craft, and the slower pace seemed to soothe them after the MK. My kids don't like thrill rides, though-- the Maelstorm in Norway was about their top speed. We spent a lot of time in the World Showcase, and very little in Future World, but they loved "Ice Station Cool"-- a free drink pavilion sponsored by Coke. Have fun!

 

[ptrbryant]

Wow! It's really interesting to see the different answers--just shows how different each child is! We've been when my DS was 6 and 7 and his very favorite park is MGM----he loves the Indiana Jones Stunt Show, Star Tours and the Great Movie ride...also really likes the Stars & Cars Parade. His favorite thing at EPCOT was Future World--which was a close 2nd to MGM. On all our trips, we've only spent like 1/2 day at Magic Kingdom---which is kind of sad to me!!! But, he mainly just likes the Buzz Lightyear ride, BTT and then wants to go to MGM. We'll be going again at the end of the month and I still think we'll hit MK for the first morning on the 1st day, but will probably spend most of our time at the other parks. (I don't feel I can give a fair opinon on AK since the only time we were there it was uncharacteristically PACKED and we couldn't wait to get out!)
Have fun!
Karla B.

 

[LDV]

We went for a long weekend (Wed-Sun) and it was a great vacation - not for the faint of heart though because we got up early (my kids always wake up early anyway) and roared through the parks. Here is what we did:

arrived late Wed night

Day 1: Magic Kindom Early Opening, 10:30 Crystal Palace Character Breakfast, afternoon swim/rest at hotel, evening at Epcot, watched fireworks.

Day 2: Animal Kingdom in the morning, MGM in the afternoon, Character Dinner at the Contemporary

Day 3: Magic Kingdom Early Opening, Princess Breakfast in the Castle, swimming/rest at the hotel in the afternoon, then back to the Magic Kingdom for dinner in the Castle and watched the fireworks.

Day 4: Mary Poppins Breakfast at the Grand Floridian, Magic Kingdom (again!), Lunch at Tony's Town Square, off to the airport

My kids were a little younger, but they are 8 and 6 now and I think would choose the same things. They like getting autographs and hey, you have to eat anyway. We used the character meals as a bit of a break.

I recommend the Unofficial Guide to Disneyworld for efficient touring plans. We had a blast! Get a plan together so you make sure to do the events everyone likes the best. We found out we would not have been able to keep up this pace one more day, but we didn't have one more day so it worked out. We used the passports in Epcot to keep us moving.

 

[tink2]

It is neat to read everyone's preferences. My children are 2 and 4 and we have been to WDW three times with my nieces- they were 5 and 7 trip before last and 7 and 10 this year. Our family's favorite parks are:
1. MK- When you have little ones, this one is hands down for me.
Having said that, the 10 year old niece was less enthuastic this year.
2. MGM- We love this park! Our fav. are Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Indy stunt show, Who wants to be a millionare, Fantasmic!, and the parade. We also love Al's toy barn to see the characters from Toy Story. All the kids in our family love this park. The younger ones love the shows, my 10 year old niece loves TOT and RNRC. They all love this parade.
3. Epcot- World showcase is neat and interesting to the kids- something different for them to experience. It had a lot more characters out this year than I had ever seen here too- got them more excited about it too!
4. AK- I don't know why, but my family is not in love with this park. We have visited it 3 times. This year we got there at EE and everyone was ready to hop to another park before lunch. We do like the safari ride, Festival of the Lion King, Dinosaur, and Camp Mickey-Minnie. It is a neat experience- just not our cup of tea I guess.

Anyway, every family has their favorite park. I suggest getting the guide book also and maybe the planning video/dvd to get a better look. If you're still not sure, try park hopping.
Good luck and have a good time!

 

[lejaf]

For what it is worth.....my kids are currently 3, 8 and 10. Our first trip was at ages 3 and 5 for the oldest and the youngest wasn't born yet. We skipped one year, but have gone one time each year since. My kids say that MK is a must (and so do I) then they like AK next followed by Epcot and finally Disney Studios trailing far behind all the rest. Universal and IOA are also favorites well before another trip to the studios. But everyone is different.

 

[gopherit]

On our trip last year (boys aged 6 and 7; dd aged 2), I'd say that we were a "mixed bag" and hopped around quite a bit. Our eldest ds will tell you hands down his favorite park is EPCOT. He loves both parts (FUture and Countries) and he would tell you in a heart beat that Test Track is his fave ride (and he's NO thrill seeker -- it took him 3 trips to WDW to build up the nerve and he nearly backed out on this last trip, but FINALLY got up the courage and LOVED it). I'd say second eldest would vote for a tie between EPCOT and MK (he still loves Buzz Lightyear, we must ride BLSS at least 5 times per trip! But he also loves the fireworks and funnel cakes at EPCOT). DD would tell you MK (she's young and it's all about the castle and those parades with princesses for her! Second runner-up would be MGM because of the shows.) DH would probably say MGM (a RNR and TOT lover, though he does still love Space Mtn and all the MK rides!), and I'd say EPCOT with MGM in a very close second (EPCOT has a serenity to it I just love, and MGM is just so varied and compact and fun!) AK just didn't hit the radar too well with our crew, but then, we usually go in August, and while August in Florida is pretty hot, in the AK "savannah", it just seemed even HOTTER! Pictures of us waiting for the parade looked like posters for heat exhaustion. THat said, however, I do know we will go back to AK, because it has my second eldest son's favorite all-time ride: Kali River Rapid.

If you stay at MK all day, one bit of advice is when the day gets hectic, pick a spot to relax and cool down. One of our faves -- we ride the railroad all around the park, sometimes 2 and 3 laps! Then, once we're rested, we hop off and begin again! The kids love to ridethe monorail too, and the boats -- take advantage of all the Disney transportation in its many forms, the kids just think it's another ride! We usually go now for 9-12 days at a stretch, but if we were trying to do a 4 day tour, we would probably go to MK for a day, EPCOT for a day, then split a day between MGM and AK (AK in the a.m., then over to MGM and fantasmic at night), then use the half day to go back to whatever you wanted one last taste of.... THat's my concept, anyway! AK closes early most days anyway, and MGM is a very compact, do-able park, I think. And the only other thing I suggest: have each family member read through the guides, websites, etc. and then select 3 MAIN MUST-DO'S (either a ride or show or event -- whatever within reason!) THen see to it that your plans include those for each person, and then tell everyone that anything else you cover during the trip is "gravy". It gets awfully easy to become so absorbed in seeing it all, you don't enjoy (or somehow miss!) the few key things that really appealed to you to begin with. Stop and smell the roses -- you're in WDW!

Good luck with whatever you decide!

 

[hannahryan]

My kids are 7 & 9. We just got back. They still love MK the best. It has something for everyone. My daughter who loves animals really liked AK (the safari & lion king show are amazing)...my son hated it. Therefore, we left after 3 hours. We all really enjoyed the Rainforest Cafe on our way out. The kids absolutely love Test Track, Illuminations and the Character bus at Epcot. I would probably do all 4 parks if I were you so the kids can see what they like. If they don't like Ak, then just head over to MGM and try that. That's the great thing about the park hopper.

 

[skoi]

Like everyone said, different kids, different tastes. My kids dd 9, ds 5, would both pick MK as their favorite. They get the most of what they want there- rides with good theming, rides with excitement, and lots of characters. Next, they both choose EPCOT. They weren't crazy about MGM-- just liked Star Tours and the Muppets, and weren't thrilled with AK, but we haven't been there since 2001. I think they'll like it better now.

IMO, MK is THE must see.

Have a great trip.
Julie

 

[sk!mom]

My family loves MK, MGM, and EpCot. We did not enjoy AK, but we always go in the summer when the heat is an issue. We are returning in June and we are not planning to go to AK at all. We will spend the better part of two days at MK, a day at EpCot, a day at MGM, a rest/pool/DTD day, and a day at Typhoon Lagoon.

For a first trip, I would recommend a quick trip to AK just to do the safari, see It's Tough to Be a Bug, and take a quick look around- and then judge for yourself.

 

[shortbun]

DS is now 8. He loved TOT when he was 6 although it took
2 line waits for him to get the courage to actually get on the
elevator. lol He wasn't tall enuf then for RNRC and he cried-
this time, he rode it 3X and loved it! He says MGM is his favorite
park because he loves Indiana Jones, Star Tours, Backlot Tour,
and those previously mentioned. We spent a whole day there
and he suggested we go back on our free day - mom nixed this
idea, I needed a rest! His second fav park is EPCOT. He loves
all the countries and loves the 360 degree movies as well as
all the shows by International folks. The Japanese drummers
this year were a big hit as well as the Chinese Acrobats! He loves
the front too-Cranium, Body Wars, all the gadgets, Behind the
Seeds Tour, Test Track and Mission Space. It should be mentioned that both the latter have height requirements. We have eaten around the world-favs were Japanese Steak House(can't remember the name) and Morroco's upscale-he loved the
belly dancer!!! He really likes the fish and chips in England for
lunch and beaver tails in Canada are a snak must!!! We also
did MK this year as MOM insisted and we had great fun! DS opted to skip Teacups and Dumbo as well as Pooh, Peter Pan,
Snow White and Small World in favor of 3 rides on Space Mtn,
2 Buzz, 2 Splash and 1 BTMRR. Mom ran for Fast Passes and
went on Peter Pan and Dumbo. We all did Philharmagic and
really liked it but would skip it again if the lines were so long.
We totally skipped AK this time-DS's choice as he wanted to
shop Dwntwn Disney and do Pleasure Island. too funny! -he's
8 and loves to shop. Both his parents hate it but we allowed him
to drag us along. We did Quest too and we all really had fun! This
was our first Quest experience. The place is a gas and great for
everyone. You really can't make a bad choice as far as I'm concerned, especially if it's your first trip. You may think it's a
one and only but believe me-you'll be back. Just like you'll be
back to this site for comraderie and fun! Have a great trip!