Which Park to Skip with a 5 yr old?

[serenababy]

I've been lurking on this wonderful site for quite some time but haven't gotten around to posting.

My question for all of you helpful posters is this - we will be in DW for 9 days in October. Our first full day is Sunday, October 5th. We are trying to decide whether to start with Epcot or AK and leave Epcot for the end of the week, if we have time. We have a 5 year old. Any assistance would be very much appreciated!

 

[ryley26]

serenababy with nine days you should have plenty of time for all the parks. if you are going to skip one id sit down and look at your 5 yrs likes. ak is a zoo with rides i have a 8 and 6 yr old and we did the whole park in a half day the only thing that would make a difference is waiting for autographs. mgm has some kids stuff but depending on your son hgt and fear factor what he can ride. epcot has lots of hand on stuff in the front and some rides my kids still find the counrties boring. I'd read and decide what your child likes and set your parks accordingly

 

[TimeWarp]

Are you asking MK or AK first and then Epcot at the end of the week? If so, I'd say it depends on your child. My son at that age and still, LOVES animals and dinosaurs. So we did AK first and then me wanted to go back everyday. Of course AK closes early and you can hop to MK after the parade at AK. Epcot was a blast for my kids on the Future World side. My DH and I had to drag them away so we could see WS.

 

[Selket]

How many of those 9 days are you planning to visit the parks? All nine or just a few? What kind of tickets will you have...tickets that let you visit more than one park in a day or just one park per day? That might help with the answer. Are you visiting 3 of the 4 parks and want to know which one to leave out?

If I had to leave one out I'd leave out either MGM or AK....probably MGM because of my son's interest and my own! I just didn't care too much for MGM when we were there and there seemed to be less for him to do. He likes animals too.

 

[EsmeraldaX]

That's a tough call. All of the parks are wonderful, but if you have to skip ONE with a small child, I'd say Epcot. I don't think you will though, having 9 days in early October. I think you will make it to all of them.

I went with my niece when she was 5 and she liked Epcot the least. She did like the Chinese child acrobats at the China pavilion in the WS and Journey Into Imagination but that was it. Now she's 10 and really into science and it's her favorite.

MK and AK are must sees for most every child. MK I don't think needs and explanation. Everything there, with few exceptions is kid appropriate. AK is like a big magical zoo and I have yet to meet a 5 yo who doesn't like animals. However, AK can often be done in less than a day.

MGM has a lot of bright, colorful things that a child would love. Some of the rides are a bit intense for a kid that young (obviously ToT and such, but also, my niece was terrified of the Great Movie Ride because of certain scenes). Some might say to skip MGM if you need to skip something, but keep in mind, there are tons of non intense, interactive things here for children.

Epcot is MY favorite park. Always has been since my first trip to WDW when I was 8 years old. The attractions are science, technology and history based. The WS is my absolute favorite thing at WDW because I love feeling like I'm in a far off land. However, it may be kind of boring to a child that young. My niece was bored there at 5. However, I know it varies from child to child. If they really like the sort of things Epcot offers, they might love it.

I would at least stop by Epcot for a little while, and do Journey into Imagination. My niece liked that.

But really, I think you will have plenty of time with 9 days.

Hope this helps!

 

[momxx5]

I would definitely leave Epcot until almost the end - if you have time do, if not skip it.

MK is a given for children of all ages, AK is very kid friendly, Dinosaur playground, bone dig, Tarzan - all great for a 5 yr old, plus all the animals, bug life, etc. MGM has Playhouse Disney Live on stage - I cannont imagine a child would not like it(I dragged my 9 & 8 yos and they had a great time!), Muppet movie, Toy Story characters, etc.

Although Epcot has a lot for a child do to(Imagination, Living Seas, Kidcot stations) if you must skip a park this would be the one.

Typhoon Lagoon is a great for a 5yr old. One day at the waterpark is worth it.

All that said, if you do have time to do all the parks, I would put Epcot towards the end but not the last thing. Being there 9 days, with a lot of options, I would do something really fun and Disney the last day - MK again for all the family favorites!

 

[swilphil]

I would skip AK or just do it for 1/2 day. My son was not very interested in AK. We only spent 2 hours there. We went to MGM twice. It has a lot of great shows--Little Mermaid, Muppetvision, Beauty & the Beast. DS also loved the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground. The adults went on Tower of Terror and Rock n Roller Coaster, the best rides in all of WDW. DS liked Journey into the Imagination and Food Rocks at Epcot FW. In WS, he liked the Mexico boat ride, the Viking ship playground, the Kidcot stations, and just looking around. WS is a little more relaxed and there is a lot of room where he could run in circles. At the Kidcot stations, they can make masks and get stamps from each country.

 

[sters]

My young children LOVE Epcot, always more than I expected. There's the funky fountains one to play in and get wet and another with lights and music. There was Figment lurking about, the butterfly display, the Living Seas, Food Rocks, Cranium Command. They liked the Kidcot stations and the outside entertainment at the World Showcase, especially the drums at Japan and the street entertainment at the UK. The boatride across the lagoon was fun for them and so were the characters touring around the WS. The fireworks at Illuminations scared them, however, but my kids were littlier than yours.

On the otherhand, MGM, which I always expected them to like, has proven to be a bust both times. They liked the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground, but that was about it. The AK and MK were big hits, too. So, if I had to skip one park I'd skip MGM.

 

[LoriZH]

If I had to choose between AK and Epcot (for a 5 yo) to NOT visit, I would choose Epcot. I love Epcot it's one of my favorites, but I think in terms of a 5yo, they would enjoy AK better. They have shows that are geared towards younger children, i.e. The Legend of the Lion King, Tarzan Rocks, Pocohantas and Friends, just to name a few. He also would probably love the dinosaurs and Hester and Chesters (or whatever that place is called, lol) and the Jammin Jungle Parade. I think there is a lot more for a 5yo at AK than at Epcot. However, I am sure whatever you decide, he will have fun!

PS, welcome to the board!

 

[catwho]

This is just me and I have 3 kids who have been going to Disney since they were as young as 9 months old. We have never found a need to skip any of the parks. I will say that my son when he was 4.5 could have done with a bit less of Epcot, but he still had a great time. Between the food and the Kidcot stations and "riding inside the giant ball" (which we did 4 times in a row) he was well entertained. The worst time for him was waiting for Illuminations. He loves it, but the waiting time was horrid for him. My xh and I took turns taking him for walks and riding "It's a Small Mexico Afterall" (or more formally El Rio del Tiemp) while the other and the 2 older kids "held our place" for the show.

So if I had 9 days for the parks I would probably do it this way:

Day 1: MK
Day 2: AK
Day 3 :MGM
Day 4: Morning at resort lunch to close at AK and then PH over to Epcot for dinner and Illuminations
Day 5: Epcot
Day 6: MK
Day 7: Split the day between Epcot and resort (either morning at one and afternoon at the other)
Day 8: MGM or AK or Epcot depending on our mood
Day 9: MK

When I have those extra odd days I like to spend them at MK. Although AK is my favorite park, MK has that special place in my heart that I just have to do. It's not real until I've been to MK so I have to do it first thing when we go.

YOu have 9 days. You can play it by ear. If you go to Epcot and find that no one is enjoying themselves, leave. Go to another park or go back to your resort and enjoy the pool. Don't stress about it and don't overplan. YOu may find that he LOVES Epcot or MGM and wants to go back again and again or you may find that he would just prefer to do Fantasyland at MK all day. Keep your time flexible and *everyone* will have more fun.

 

[Scarlett & Rhett]

I'd chose doing Animal Kingdom before Epcot with a 5 year old.

 

[serenababy]

Thank you so much for all of your very helpful replies! Now that I'm in the swing of things, I have another question - this trip planning is stressing me out!! I'll post my next question under a different thread. Again, thanks.

 

[Rpsemont]

With 9 days, I would try not to skip any park. We have enjoyed them all with out DD since she was 4. I have known many people who take their younger children to AK and really enjoy it. DD could play in the boneyard playground all day. But you also can't keep my daughter away from the KIDCOT stations in EPCOT. SHe must do a mask every single trip and she really looks forward to this (The Kidcot Stations are in the Countries in Epcot) SHe also has thoroughly enjoyed the innoventions areas, especially when we've been there during slow times. I'd be tempted to ask - is the 5 yo a girl or boy? and what month are you going in. What holds true for early Feb might not be fun Easter week and might be impossible during the busy summer season.

 

[serenababy]

Our five year old is a girl - but she is into everything that boys like. And we're going from October 4th to 13th.