Which parks for mom and 2 girls?

[HiHoWeGo]

I'm hoping you can help me plan out the parks my sister-in-law and two girls (10 and 5) should visit next December (early in the month). They will be there 4 nights and spend 3 days in the parks.

I'm inclined to suggest two days in MK since, considering their ages, it'll probably hold the most interest for the girls. The last park is really a toss-up. I was thinking HS is a strong contender for the shows and Fantasmic. I'm not sure AK is worth their time. And Epcot probably wouldn't appeal to the girls, except for the new Frozen ride and meet-and-greet.

What do you think would be the best 3 park days for this group?

 

[Frozen2014]

We just went the first time in October and did 2 days MK, 1 day HS and it worked out two half days at Epcot (plus extra time at MK for MNSSHP). Our kids are 5 girl and 9 boy.

Given you want to spend 2 days at MK (which makes total sense), I'd suggest 1 day at HS. There are great shows for them; Little Mermaid, Frozen Sing Along, Beauty and the Beast, plus Toy Story ride and other things they'd be interested in. Fantasmic is great and worth seeing.

 

[hddanis]

I'd still do a day at Epcot. Our 1st trip was in '07 and my kids were 4, 6, 9, & 12. Epcot was their favorite park. It was also one of the best places for character meet & greets. They actually asked me to cancel a MK day for more time at Epcot. The Kidscot stations in each world were a hit, so was eating different kinds of food.

 

[HiHoWeGo]

We just went the first time in October and did 2 days MK, 1 day HS and it worked out two half days at Epcot (plus extra time at MK for MNSSHP). Our kids are 5 girl and 9 boy.

Given you want to spend 2 days at MK (which makes total sense), I'd suggest 1 day at HS. There are great shows for them; Little Mermaid, Frozen Sing Along, Beauty and the Beast, plus Toy Story ride and other things they'd be interested in. Fantasmic is great and worth seeing.

I was thinking the same thing. I really think they'll enjoy Fantasmic!

 

[HiHoWeGo]

I'd still do a day at Epcot. Our 1st trip was in '07 and my kids were 4, 6, 9, & 12. Epcot was their favorite park. It was also one of the best places for character meet & greets. They actually asked me to cancel a MK day for more time at Epcot. The Kidscot stations in each world were a hit, so was eating different kinds of food.

Her girls are really into princesses, so MK is a no brainer. But I'm still not sure about Epcot. I know about Frozen in Epcot, and character meets is a plus, but overall I think WS will not interest them. Turtle Talk and a few other Future World things will, just not sure.... Kidscot is a thought.

 

[ChelleFeegan]

My DD8 (will be nine next trip) loves Epcot. She loves meeting the characters here as the lines aren't as large (and there's more variety) and she adores the little shows in each area of WS. that said she loves anything Disney (I did just ask her and she said that she'd go to HS just for ToT then go to Epcot for TT and WS then back to MK for wishes - park hopper addict!!)

 

[RustManFan]

My opinion would not be valuable. Our family favorite has always been Epcot (from time the kids were small) but probably now replaced by AK.

I would do Epcot, MK and AK with one full day at each. People who write off AK are making a huge mistake and not taking the time to enjoy it all...not just rides.

 

[JanaDee]

I would have them spend 2 days at MK with a day at HS.

 

[HiHoWeGo]

Thanks for the opinions everyone. I'm going to pass the link to this thread along to my sister-in-law and let her weigh the great inputs.

 

[sharonabe]

With only three days, and those days in December, I would try to swing a park hopper so as to be able to hit all four parks or at least to maximize my time. AK closes early. MK will have MVMCP (possibly two of the three days). That leaves you with some good hopping options for the evening. The hopper would allow them to make it to EP for the princess stuff and still give them almost full days in HS and MK. They could even spend a morning at AK just for the safari and Lion King or Nemo shows.

 

[hddanis]

Her girls are really into princesses, so MK is a no brainer. But I'm still not sure about Epcot. I know about Frozen in Epcot, and character meets is a plus, but overall I think WS will not interest them. Turtle Talk and a few other Future World things will, just not sure.... Kidscot is a thought.

Trust me, when we went, my girls were way into princesses (the boy, not so much.. But he got Star Wras weekend so he was happy). They got to meet Belle, Beast, Snow White, Mulan, Jasmine, Aladdin, Genie, Abu, Mary Poppins, Marie (cat from Aristocats) and Aurora there. (plus at Akershus is the Princess meal and Ariel & Cinderella (I think) were there as well).. I have the most precious picture of my 9 year old dressed as Belle giving Beast a hug right next to the lagoon.. The lines there were much shorter to meet characters than at MK.

They'll also probably love test track... and possibly Soarin'.

For a 3 day trip I'd do MK, Epcot and a half day each at AK and HS.

 

[famy27]

I just took my two girls (ages 2 and 8) to WDW for three days in Sept. My girls have been several times in the past, so our priorities might be slightly different.

Here was our schedule:

Friday
Started day at AK. Did Wilderness Explorers (DD8 really wanted to finish and become Senior Wilderness Explorer), boneyard, Triceratops Spin, walked some of the trails, character greetings, and the dance party. The dance party was a huge hit.
Hopped to EP. Dinner at Garden Grill. Older DD did Soarin' while toddler and I rode Nemo. Did Turtle Talk and the Seas together and rode SE.

Saturday
Started at EP. Older DD rode TT, while little one and I hung out in the GM pavilion.
Hopped to MK. Breakfast at CRT. Met A&E and did a bunch of rides. We had planned to hop to HS, but the girls wanted to go back and swim at Stormalong Bay, so we just headed back to YC. After a few hours of swimming, we decided to go to F&W for dinner. We did the boat ride in Mexico and wandered around WS and watched Illuminations.

Sunday
Back to MK. Rides in the morning, lunch at CP, a few more rides and then back to the hotel.

We had a really great time, just the three of us. I imagine it will be even easier for her, since her kids are a little older and are probably more able to do the same rides/attractions. My girls love all four parks. MK is probably their favorite, but just by a hair. They would happily spend a full day at any park. HS is probably the toughest with the toddler, but she still loves Disney JR, TSMM, VotLM, Muppets, character greetings, and F!