Three days at WDW with kids 6 and 4

[hober_canada]

I was wondering if anyone has advice on what is a definite for planning a trip to WDW over a three day period. I am travelling from Canada and I am staying at Pop Culture in (mid) January 2006 for the three days. I have the princess dinner reserved and a booking for the hoop-de-doo musical review. It is my wife and I with a boy 6 and a girl 4. So, far I would like to go to Animal Kingdom and spend some time there maybe most if not a full day. My son loves dinosaurs and the two also love animals. My wife and I will find it great as well. Should I plan on spending a full day at Epcot? My daugther loves Belle and Cinderella...

So, I am stuck. :veryconfu Do I spend a full day at the MK and MGM? Should I plan less time at say Epcot or MGM? This is my kids first time to Florida and Disney. My kids are not too into Disney characters, especially my son. They have loved to watch the Winnie the pooh movies, etc. but am not sure if it is too "babyish" for him. My daughter would love it. Anyway, I need help! I am also planning on going to the Mote aquarium. We will be spending most of our time (2 weeks) in Venice. Do I skip the water park? We have the park hopper pass and also thinking of maybe going to Kennedy Space Centre for the day. Any suggestions???? We do not want to mortgage our house and kids future on this trip....

Thanks!

 

[tink rules]

Definately do MK!!! Your kids will love it. It may be a bit crazy for you with Fantasyland but Fastpass anything you can.

The kids will be into the characters as soon as they see them. They are at a perfect age. AND get them the autograph book!!! and a wide pen!!! They will see all the kids running up to the characters and will want to also.

Don't overdo it... that's my advice. You can't do everything in such a short time. Pick a few things that you will like to do and enjoy yourself.

Also... Kennedy Space center is well over an hour east of WDW. I'm not sure how much there is to see there anymore. I remember the tour and an IMAX film. I'm not sure the kids would get very much out of it.

Anyway... relax. You can have a good time without breaking the bank.

 

[hooch]

Hi! First off, you and your family are going to have a blast!! It is terrific that you are staying at Pop Century. I have read lots of good reviews and staying on Disney property will make things much easier for you and, of course, more "magical"!
6 and 4 are perfect ages to take your kids...they will be blown away!! I have been taking my daughter since she was 2.5 years (we live 6 hours away from WDW) and 4 and 6 are great ages!
I considered taking my daughter to the Kennedy Space Center this summer, when she was 8, and decided against it after reading lots of reviews. It will take you all day to get there, tour the center and get back to your hotel. If this is your first time at WDW and you only have 3 days I would strongly recommend saving it for a later date when your children are older and you perhaps have more time. My guess is you won't be able to tear your kids away from the Disney parks!!
Magic Kingdom is an absolute MUST. Sounds as though Animal Kingdom is also a must for your family. I LOVE AK and touring this park in January will be nice. MGM is a great park and very manageable in one day. I would never recommend skipping Epcot, so it's impossible for me to tell you what parks to leave out. Hopefully you can visit all 4 major parks. I would save water parks for another trip in warmer weather. There is simply too much else to do, IMO. Good luck to you and have fun!!
Familiarize yourself with what rides are where and go from there...if your son will love Star Tours and the Indiana Jones Stunt show, then be sure not to miss MGM! Your DD will be in heaven in FantasyLand at the Magic Kingdom!
Good job on getting the princess dinner! You will have a blast. You cannot do it all (take it from me - I've been 6 times in the past 12 months and going again in 4 weeks ) Just enjoy what you ARE able to do! Good Luck!

 

[nickcarraway]

Definitely do not skip Epcot. If anything, skip MGM because the main attractions there (ToT and RnR) would be freak your kids' freak. From the Living Seas in Future World to the street performers in the World Showcase, Epcot will give your lil' ones plenty to enjoy (and plenty of you to guzzle if you're feeling so inclined). Oh, and don't even think about skipping MK either. That's the first place you should go after you get to Pop.

 

[KaliSplash]

I'd definitely skip the Kennedy Space Center if you only have three days.
I'd definitely skip the Kennedy Space Center if you only have four days.
Only if you have five days in Florida would i consider it, and i love it!

Definitely skip the water parks, too, it's january and it could be in the 50s in Florida. Probably will be 70, but that's still pretty cool to get wet for long.

I'd consider doing JUST AK and MK, given the ages of the children. If so, definitely go to AK first. It will be wonderful. But it will pale in what you will find at the Magic Kingdom.

As mentioned above, it's impossible to see everything, so don't try. Yes, there are wonderful things at Disney MGM and at Epcot. But for your children's first trip, I'd focus on Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom. given your time constraints.

You will need to take a break during the day. At least for a couple of hours. You want to avoid the 'check-off' mentality. "Only three more attractions, then we can go to the next land. Get a guide, either Birnbaum's or the Unofficial guide (Birnbaum is all positive. Unofficial is hell-bent on telling you something negative about every single feature of Walt Disney World. Pick your poison. )

But get an idea of what you want to try to see and have a blast!

 

[pinjim]

Go to Magic Kingdom for two days and Ak for just one.
At AK, be sure to stop at Dino-dig the kids will love it. Be caution of the Dino ride for it's pretty intense for kids - I speak from experience.
Make sure you do the safari, it's a must see. Anything else at AK is totally up to you, but I don't have any other must sees, also, be caution of "It's tough to be a bug," my kids don't care for it.

At MK, it's the place to go and have fun. Spend two full days or maybe parts of two, even better yet, spend part of a day at AK then nap with the kids, go late to MK and then have two more days there as well.
You can see a lot of MK at night and especially during parade time, if you can skip it, when there's no one on the rides you can hit many over and over. Be caution of the Stitch ride, my 8 year old was little freaked, and my 6 year old didn't even attempt it, which was good for him and me.
And to answer your question, you can spend 2-plus days at MK and still not take it all in, even during off-season times.

Save Epcot and the Studios for another trip, especially when your kids are bigger, you'll have more fun.

Any way have fun this time around.

 

[wdw queen]

Hi! I think that this is the perfect time to take your kids to WDW! Even if they aren't really into the disney thing. We have been taking my son since he was 2 (5 now) at least once a year (we go again in 3 weeks). He's never been into the disney characters, but he LOVES dino's and rides.
AK: I would suggest that you take the to the dino park, they (and you) can dig for bones, there are rides fit for kids of all ages, and if you and your spouse can take turns to do the Dinosaur ride, I would suggest that too. Probably too scary for the little ones. The safari is also really cool. If you do it, go in the morning or close to dusk, that is when they to the feeding, so more animals are out to be viewed. It's Tough to bo a Bug can be a little tense for little ones because of the 3D factor, "bugs" run underfeet and behind your back (all an illusion but still...), and the smells get get gross, so be advised (6 year old might like it though, so maybe you could split up for a ride or two). The "White Water Raft" ride is fun too, but you do get really wet no matter where you sit. The food is good in both "Africa" and "Asia" so you could eat lunch anywhere.
Epcot: All day is too much here, we can usually do most everything in 1/2 a day. The Matterhorn water ride is good (and unexpected in a place so educational) but you can get wet. The countries are cool to do a little shopping. The Epcot "globe" is a fine place to rest and go on the ride. Not very exciting, but there are some cool effects that the kiddies would like, and it is long enough to sit and catch your breath after a few hours of walking. (and in the summer it is a great place to cool off, they keep it pretty cold in there in the summer) There is plenty to do here, but it doesn't take long to do them, hence the 1/2 day.
MK: A good place to do the character (mainly princesses) thing. I highly suggest seeing the fireworks show Wishes. All of the rides are wonderful, I suggest everything in the park. The Philharmagic is the best thing there. I have not done the Stitch ride yet, new to us too. But I hear it can be a bit scary for some. The best time to do some of the rides is either durring the parade, if your kids will let you skip it, and durring the 1st showing of Wishes if you are willing to stay later to see the second showing. But this is a massive park, and it is hard, almost impossible, to do everything in a day. We have been several times and have yet to do some of the things there.
MGM: The best thing here is Fantasmic. See it if you can, but you might have to go, sit, and wait for a while to get a seat. Last year we went in an hour early to get a decent seat, but it was relaxing to sit after a day of walking, and we ate snacks since it was a while after dinner. Most of the rides here are good. The muppets 3D show is good for all ages, the 3D is a little off putting, but it is done in a kid friendly way. The shows here are good Beauty and the Beast was the one we liked. I am pretty sure that this is where the Playhouse disney show is. The 2 1/2 year old wold most likely love this, lots of dancing and interaction. Tower of Terror: too much for kids... though it is my most favorite ride of all time (and I hate rollercoasters with a passion).
(I am sure there is a ton of stuff I am missing in all parks)

We have done all of the parks in 2 1/2 days, and did the best of all parks. So with a little planning of what you would like to do , what the kids can actually ride, (taking into account height requirements and fear factors), and how long you can stay in each park, WDW in 3 days is totally doable!!

I know nothing of other things in Florida... we are Disney people through and through. We have been to St. Augustine beach once (I adore the beach) and Universal Stusios, ( mostly coasters, I didn't like it, but my son loved meeting the Marvel superheroes). But we would rather do Disney any day.

 

[wdw queen]

sorry about refering to your daughter as 2 1/2, don't know where I got that

 

[CAPTAIN HOOK]

Firstly - Welcome :wave:

Secondly - In three days you are not going to see even half of WDW and so you need to get some serious planning done now.
I would buy a good guide book (2006 editions are in the book stores now) - The Unofficial Guide is my favourite and offers an unbiased report, full of hints and tips.
Read it - cover to cover - and then decide what you want to do and see. Based on your three days I would do a full day at MK, a full day at EPCOT and split the third day between AK and MGM.
Enjoy

 

[DisneyMarg]

Firstly - Welcome :wave:

Secondly - In three days you are not going to see even half of WDW and so you need to get some serious planning done now.
I would buy a good guide book (2006 editions are in the book stores now) - The Unofficial Guide is my favourite and offers an unbiased report, full of hints and tips.
Read it - cover to cover - and then decide what you want to do and see. Based on your three days I would do a full day at MK, a full day at EPCOT and split the third day between AK and MGM.
Enjoy

Excellent advice. You really need to pick out the specific things you want to see and focus on those - instead of targeting a whole park.

But my primary advice that I always pass along is this. Plan down to the last detail but then be flexible enough and patient enough to enjoy your time together. You can come back to Disney many times, but you will never be able to come back to the time when you took that vacation when the kids were 4 and 6. That's the magic thing - being there with your family. Make that the priority and all the rest will turn to magic as well....

(BTW, I thought it was funny how you said, "I am also planning on going to the Mote aquarium. We will be spending most of our time (2 weeks) in Venice. Do I skip the water park?". I don't think looking at the fishies at the Mote or floating on the canals in Venice is quite the same as the water park, but I agree with other posters - skip it if you only have 3 days in February!)

 

[CAPTAIN HOOK]

You can come back to Disney many times, but you will never be able to come back to the time when you took that vacation when the kids were 4 and 6. That's the magic thing - being there with your family. Make that the priority and all the rest will turn to magic as well....

You will never forget the looks on your kids faces that first time - they will of heard of WDW but cannot imagine the spectacle that it will provide.
Make sure that you have plenty of film for your camera

 

[hober_canada]

clarification

I was planning on going to Kenndy space centre while at Venice during the rest of the two weeks in Florida. The same with the Mote aquarium. I am planning on spending three days at WDW with one day at MK, one day at Animal Kingdom and then maybe 1/2 day each for epcot and MGM studios. I have rooms booked at Pop Century. Reservations for dinner with Cinderella at 1900 Park Fare and a booking for the hoop dee doo musical review. Thanks for all your suggestions. I will pick up the guide book. My family will benefit from your great suggestions.

:sohappy: thanks again!

 

[shoppingnut]

I was planning on going to Kenndy space centre while at Venice during the rest of the two weeks in Florida. The same with the Mote aquarium. I am planning on spending three days at WDW with one day at MK, one day at Animal Kingdom and then maybe 1/2 day each for epcot and MGM studios. I have rooms booked at Pop Century. Reservations for dinner with Cinderella at 1900 Park Fare and a booking for the hoop dee doo musical review. Thanks for all your suggestions. I will pick up the guide book. My family will benefit from your great suggestions.

:sohappy: thanks again!

I would spend one day at MK & Epcot and 1/2 day at AK (am) & MGM (pm). Depending on when you go in January, as long as it is not the MLK holiday weekend it should not be very crowded at all, so you should be able to do all the rides.

 

[CAPTAIN HOOK]

I am planning on spending three days at WDW with one day at MK, one day at Animal Kingdom and then maybe 1/2 day each for epcot and MGM studios.

EPCOT is a two-day park while AK will probably take half a day. Grab a guide book and revise your plans around these two parks (EPCOT is not just for adults - there's more than enough for kids to fill a full day and more)
Finally - EPCOT (Illuminations) and MGM (Fantasmic) along the MK (Wishes) are night-time shows that you just CANNOT afford to miss

 

[hober_canada]

Thanks captain hook!

cool! Captain Hook! Your suggestions look awesome!! :sohappy:

 

[MichRX7]

I have two boys 5/6 years old so we are close to your situation and here is my advice.

A) Go to your local bookstore and pick this up pronto:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0786854294/102-7625353-1571327?v=glance&n=283155

B) Spend some quality family time tearing through this fun and fact-filled book that will give you tips and height restrictions for every ride in WDW

Then after you find the things your kids would like to do (and you too!) make a plan for the parks you want to visit.

You can probably do MGM/AK in one day when MGM is open late. Start at AK (so the animals are up and moving on Kilimanjaro Safari) and then zip over to MGM for the afternoon.

Save one day for both Epcot and MK and just know you probably won't see everything. Also note that you might trade Mote for some time over at The Living Seas in Epcot.

Then I suggest taking the maps inside the book and making a plan of what you want to see and the best way to get through each park to see those things.

Finally... HAVE A GREAT TIME!