Hi,
I want to add my two cents. I have a four year old and a eight month old, and we are going in two months. We will also have my ten year old sister with us and my mother. I am guessing they will enjoy:
Fantasyland - Dumbo, carusel, Peter Pan, Winnie, It's A Small World (my son's fave!) , teacups
Toontown- I'm gonna try the Barnstormer with my four year old, and see how he does. He's never been on a coaster before. The Donald Duck boat is great too! Try not to waste time wating in line for characters, as you will see some at breakfast.
Adventureland- Jungle cruise, Tiki Birds (although that might be a little intense with the lightening and thunder), Aladdin, Pirates (a little worried DS will be afraid cuz it's dark, but he just loves pirates, so maybe he'll be ok)
Tomorrowland- Buzz, TTA, maybe the the speedway
I'm also going to try to do Country Bear Jamboree, as well as the parade.
At Epcot:
Spaceship earth, although I hear it may be boring for them, we have never been so I am going to try it. Food rocks, Circle of Life in the Land are not to be missed with little kids. Honey I Shrunk the audience will be too scary for my son, so I will be avoiding that one. Cranium Command is okay, if we have time I'll do that. Definitly avoiding Body Warsand Innoventions. I'm checking out all the countries, but avoiding all movies, which they will surely find boring. We will go on El Rio Del Tiempo, but I will probably do Maelstrom without the kids (babyswap, or leave them outside with Grandma who is also coming along and just DH and I will ride). We will NOT miss Illuminations.
At Animal Kingdom:
I want to add, that contrary to what another posted suggested, It's Tough to be a Bug is terrifying for little kids. TERRIFYING! We had to leave midshow cuz my eight year old sister was petrified last time. She is now ten, and still refuses to go. We will be avoiding that one! We will be going on Kilimanjaro Safaris, Kali River Rapids (we'll baby swap the infant, but take my four year old), The boneyard, Triceratops Spin (which sounds wonderful for us, despite the mixed reacts I have read on this site about it), Tarzan Rocks (another fabulous show, IMO) Lion King (of course!) and Pocahantas, which my son will love! I also hear the parade is awesome!
Juat as a thought: MGM has some really great stuff for the kids. It's a shame yopu won't go there just cuz you didn't last time. I beg you to reconsider. Here is what they will be missing if you don't go:
Beauty and the Beast stage show (magnificent!), Bear in the Big Blue House and Friends show also know as Playhouse Disney(Rollie, PB and J Otter, Pooh and Stanley will be there) , Muppet Vision 3-D (again, my kids loved it!), Little Mermaid, Hunchback, and my son is desperately looking forward to Star Tours. They also can't wait to see the parade, and we will probably also try the Great Movie ride.
May I suggest you purchase a guidebook. I always stress to my friends planning a trip, that a guidebook is invaluable. A must IMO. I would be lost without mine. I have three actually. The Birnbaums Official, the Birnbaums for Kids, so that I can see what other kids think of the rides, and also the Unofficial Guide, which is good too. They seem a bit negative or cynical about some Disney things, but they really just present another (possibly more realistic view?) of the rides. and attractions,\. They have great planning suggestions as well. I do not follow their little plan, though, as I prefer to plan and enjoy rather than race around the parks as they suggest. There are also other guides out there, but I have not read them so I can't recommend them.
My thoughts on the resort. We will spend time relaxing and swimming by the pool but, a pool is just a pool. The kids always love to be at the pool, but my main focus will be the parks and things we cannot get elsewhere. We will break during the day, but we haven't ever had much success going back to the room. It wastes time and then they don't want to leave the pool to go back. Instead, we take our own strollers, and they nap in them. Or, we all head to a nice air conditioned place (restaurant or ride) and chill out there. Maybe even get a nice snack and sit on a bench and people watch. It is enough to get us rested. Even if you do decide to go back and rest, I still would try to get back to the parks. I know it's a vacation and you want to rest, relax, etc., but I have always said "If you want a real vacation, where you lie on the beach and get tanned and sip cool drinks, go to Hawaii, Bahamas, etc. Disney is all about the rides, shows, characters, etc.
Just my opinion
