Which park for toddler?

[hunter6009]

We will be taking a Disney cruise in Jan. and will possibly have one day leftover to go to one of the parks (myself, my husband, and 19 month old). Are there any rides he can do at WDW this young? Which park would be better for his age? Epcot? WDW? We don't want him to be stuck in the stroller the whole day b/c he can't do anything.
Thanks!

 

[EthansMom]

If you've got one day with a young child, go to Magic Kingdom. We took DD when she was 11 months and there were many rides and shows that she enjoyed.

Your son could go on the following rides/attractions with you:

Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin
Indy Speedway
Winnie the Pooh
Teacups
It's a Small World (huge hit at that age)
Dumbo
Peter Pan
Haunted Mansion
Philharmagic (3-D show with music -- no scary parts)
Country Bear Jamboree (DD's fave on our visit)
Pirates of the Caribbean
Jungle Cruise
Tom Sawyer Island
Aladin's Carpet Ride (another version of Dumbo)
Winnie the Pooh Play Park
Haunted Mansion (a few mildly spooky parts, but the ride is fine -- the spooky parts didn't bother my DS when he was 18 mos., but do now that he's 4)

That's everything I can think of off the top of my head -- I probably missed a few.

If you go, you might try to make Advanced Dining Reservations for lunch or dinner at Crystal Palace with Winnie the Pooh and friends. We found it well worth the price to get a meal and have the characters stop by for a casual visit while we dined.

Enjoy your vacation!

 

[beattyfamily]

Magic Kingdom, of course!

That is by far the best park for little ones, IMHO.

 

[GEM]

Well, I guess it depends on the child. At any of the parks, your little one can ride with you on any ride that doesn't have a height restriction - so there are only a few rides in each park they can't do.

My little guy is 28 months, and he's going for his fourth time in December. He loves Magic Kingdom, but I can honestly say that Animal Kingdom seems to be his favorite park. He loves the safari and the gorilla and tiger walking trails. Festival of the Lion King is hands down his favorite thing in all of Disney World. He really gets into the African music - it always makes him dance and clap. Flights of Wonder and the Pocahontas animal show are really high on his list too. (He LOVES birds and animals of all kind.) He thinks the Boneyard playground is amazing and he loves exploring at Conservation Station. We could spend hours just wandering around the oasis and looking at everything. Plus, he loves It's Tough To Be A Bug. That scares some little ones, though. And, overall, we find a day at Animal Kingdom to be a much more relaxed, laidback, day. We can see everything and have plenty of time to just wander and explore without rushing from place to place and without much waiting in line - all good things with a toddler! We like to end the day with dinner at the Rainforest Cafe, which he thinks is just the most fun ever!

Anyway, just wanted to add a different perspective.

 

[abacobaby]

I would say Magic Kingdom - it is just so magical there for little children with the characters and the castle....I have a 2 year old DD and if I only had one day, I would pick MK, hands down. Animal Kingdom would have to come in at #2. There are not as many rides there for small kids, but tons of animals to look at...

Good luck in making your decision!!!

 

[rt2dz]

Depends on the child. MK is probably a good, safe bet. DS4 favorite park is AK, and it always has been. For DS 20 months, it's a toss up between MGM, MK, and AK--probably more so MGM and AK. I guess the only thing I would do is rule out Epcot. Maybe you could hop that day and do AK in the morning and MK in the evening?

 

[abacobaby]

Another vote for Magic Kingdom - there is so much for toddlers to do there that we always plan 2 days there. It is just such a magical place for toddlers and children.

Have a great time.

 

[sarahlovespooh]

At the baby care center in MK there is a map for toddlers. It is a simple map pamphlet like the real ones but it lists only the attractions for toddlers to do. We picked up a couple in June and my little girl followed it as we toured! Too cute!

 

[justhat]

I would initially say MK, but having just come back for a 2.5 day trip to WDW this past weekend, I think I'd go with GEM's suggestion of AK. Unfortunately we missed it on this trip, and looking back I'd change that. We did MNSSHP on Friday night, so she did some MK stuff, but even though she loved all those rides at 14 months, she decided she was afraid of them on this trip. We went to MGM Saturday morning and she was okay with Playhouse Disney and meeting JoJo and Goliath, but that was really all she did there because then we went to Epcot, where she was afraid of Spaceship Earth and Journey into Imagination. We went back to MK that night and she liked the carousel and teacups and the fireworks, but was afraid of most other rides (IASW, Snow White, Buzz).

At AK, however, she loves the safari (pretty sure that wouldn't have changed because she loves animals), tiger and gorilla trails, and Conservation Station (especially Affection Section). She also likes the shows, like Lion King and Pocohontas (she's always slept through Tarzan so I don't know how she likes that). She also likes Triceratop Spin, which is a nice, no-wait alternative to Dumbo. So on our next trip in December we'll be planning in much more AK time.

 

[Zoesmama03]

Magic Kingdom but Animal Kingdom has lots for toddlers too(animals and shows)

My dd 2 went on
Buzz Lightyear
Indy Speedway
It's a Small World (huge hit at that age)
Haunted Mansion (my dd was not afraid at all but some are)
Mickeys Philharmagic(HUGE HIT she LOVED this one)
Country Bear Jamboree(she also loved this one clapped and danced around)
Pirates of the Caribbean(right after waking form nap so I was surprised she did well)
Jungle Cruise(couldn't see much)
Forgot the People Mover(Transit Autority or whatever its called now) it was a favorite of hers too. She loved looking all around.

Could have rode these but did not have time she fell asleep as we were going to do most of these
Winnie the Pooh
Teacups
Dumbo
Peter Pan
Tom Sawyer Island
Aladin's Carpet Ride (another version of Dumbo)

My dd is tall for her age at 36 inches so could have rode Barnstormer and said she wanted to but did not want to go with her uncle. I'm large women and was afraid the bar would not get tight enough on her and my brother is small so it would have worked better but she was not up for it at that time. Maybe next time we hit MK since we now live an hour south of WDW we will be back a lot. We plan to hit AK next then Epcot and MGM. I hope to to Epcot and MGM around Christmas I love those two places at that time of year.

 

[Brygida]

We will be taking a Disney cruise in Jan. and will possibly have one day leftover to go to one of the parks (myself, my husband, and 19 month old). Are there any rides he can do at WDW this young? Which park would be better for his age? Epcot? WDW? We don't want him to be stuck in the stroller the whole day b/c he can't do anything.
Thanks!

For a 1-day excursion, your best bet would be Magic Kingdom or Animal Kingdom.

In MK, he will like best:
It's A Small World,
Carousel,
Peter Pan,
Winnie The Pooh,
Jungle Cruise,
Poohs Playful Spot (he can run around here on soft spongy pavement and get very wet!)

In AK, he would like best:
Lion King,
Safari,
Affection Section (petting zoo)

Brygida

 

[becky7953]

Magic Kingdom We took our DS who at the time was 18 months. He loved MK the best. the rides mentioned above and also the parades.

 

[traci]

MAGIC KINGDOM!!

Just got back with our 22 month old and 8 month old. That was by far the best park for our babies at that age