? For those who have done Disney

vlahop · October 2012

We are going to Disney in 2 weeks (yay!). I have been planning on doing tons of research before I go, because I know you really need a plan, otherwise you will miss things that you should have gone to. My daughter will be 3.5 when we go. Any recommendations or tips? Any rides that are a must go to for a 3.5 year old?

Thanks!

KateVA · October 2012

We just got back two weeks ago with my 3.5 year old son and 5 year old son. It was the best trip! Our first real family vacation just the four of us and our first trip to Disney. How many days are you going? Here are my main tips, some of which might not apply

1. Do Epcot on the first day. We loved it, its fun for everyone but if the kids are expecting the rides/excitement/noise of Magic Kingdom they might protest. The Seas and the Land areas are so fun and very educational. Also Figment and the activities after the ride. If she likes the characters, there is a character greeting area that has all the main ones. Head straight there or fastpass it. Thankfully our kids didn't care about this so we didn't waste time waiting in line to meet them. After lunch, head to world showcase, if you are lucky she might nap in the stroller and you and your DH can have some yummy beers and check out the countries. There are also two boat rides over there that my boys loved. Also, we saw a few princesses over there with very short line. If she needs a rest, you can always go home then come back in the afternoon. Epcot has by far the best food

2. Get there when or before the parks open and have a plan. At MK, my kids loved Peter Pan the best, and the Toy Story ride. The Monsters Inc thing was a hit too. The Haunted House was too scary for them. They are very strict on the 40 inch rule so keep that in mind

3. Hollywood studios has amazing shows and some cool rides too, we unfortunately ran out of time there.

4. Animal Kingdom was my favorite - head straight for the safari, then do the animal trail next to it. On your way back, see the Lion King show. Bugs Life was hilarious and awesome but scared the crap out of my kids!! The rafting ride is really nice if its a hot day - you will get wet! There is a Nemo show too there and a fun playground in the dinosaur area

Have a blast!!!!

vlahop · October 2012

Thank you, thank you, thank you! These are exactly the types of recommendations I need :-) We are going to Orlando for 7 days, but I only bought Disney passes for 5 days.

I am so excited to go to Animal Kingdom! I have not been to Disney in about 10 years, so that is a new park for me. I did not know they had a bugs life area, my daughter loves bugs life!

LSU628 · October 2012

We did MK the 1st day. I read one of the books about doing Disney with a toddler, can't remember the name now. It was really helpful in recommending which rides are worth using a fast pass for. We did the Pooh ride, Small World, the Dumbo ride, carousel all without a fast pass. We did use a fast pass to see Mickey and Minnie as well as the princesses. Even with the fast pass the princess line was REALLY slow. A lot of the rides were too loud for DD and she cried. We spent a good portion of the day just walking around doing meet and greets with the characters. DD loved it, so that was fine by me. We also did the parades as it is a great way to see the characters and DD liked to dance to the music.

We did AK and I definitely recommend using a fast pass for the safari. The line was really long when we got there, but we were able to walk right up to the front. DD loved the Dinoland area and played for quite a while in the playground area. We ate in Epcot most nights, so we would let DD nap in the stroller while DH and I walked around and enjoyed some adult beverages. By far our favorite restaurant was the Coral Reef, and it is right next to the Nemo ride. DD rode the ride every night after dinner and really enjoyed the aquarium area once you get off the ride.

We ate at the African buffet at Animal Kingdom Lodge (we stayed at Kidani village), and I really enjoyed all of the different foods and unique flavors. We did dinner one night at one of the restaurants in Italy. It was really good, but was a really long dinner (we were with a big group) and after an hour we started losing the kids. At least at the Coral Reef it was slower, but the massive aquarium inside kept them entertained and still. DD would squeal in delight every time one of the sharks came into view. Have a great trip!!

Adriamichelle83 · October 2012

The ride the DD rode seriously about 5 times and would have done more but I was getting sick was The Great Goofini (sp), it's in MK by the Dumbo rides. She was just under 3 and seriously had a blast, take it slow and take tons of video/pictures, it was great!

sschwege · October 2012

DD loved "It's a Small World", it was actually the theme to her birthday party because she still talks about the 'boat ride' as she calls it. She also loved the parades, cried all three times at the end She also really enjoyed the Tiki Room

As far as tips go:

Anything Princess is going to be crazy busy, so just avoid it if your daughter isn't into it.

We did not bring a stroller into the park and I was happy we didn't. We just did a backpack for a diaper bag and used the Ergo Carrier. But DD was happy to walk most of the time. Wouldn't be for everyone, but it worked well for us.

You can bring your own food into the park, so we kind of did a mix of park food and our own.

There is something called a "Parents' Pass" which works well if you have a bigger group going. So basically we all stood in line for "Pirates" when we got to the front of the line I asked for a parents' pass and stood with DD while Grandparents and DH rode it. When they got back I handed DD over to Grandparents and DH and I rode the ride together. There actually is no age restriction on Pirates I was just worried DD would be scared.

I also heard that Fantasy Land is busiest during the day and eases up some at night.

If your DD is into princesses you might want to bring a princess costume along, so you don't end up getting talked into a pricey park costume

Have fun!

abb08 · October 2012

We took DS and my niece in July (they both turned two in May). We only did one day at Disney, but we had a great time. They loved the Dumbo ride and the double Dumbos is awesome...they now have an indoor play area while you wait and they liked it even more than the ride itself. There is also a new water area near the Dumbo ride that was probably the highlight of my DS's trip - I was glad we did not discover it until the end of our day, since we did not know and had not planned to get wet.

They really enjoyed all of the rides - weirdly, the People Mover was a big hit and we rode it several times in the middle of the day when we all needed a break. They loved the Buzz Lightyear ride since it was a little more interactive. The one ride we really wished we had waited on and taken DS on was the Peter Pan ride. DH and I were able to leave the kids with my mom that night and we went on it and we both agreed it was totally charming and magical.

We had heard all about the Parent Pass idea, but we did not have good luck with it like the previous poster did. The idea is supposed to be that you all wait in line together and when you get to the front, the adults take turns riding while one watches the kids. We tried to do this at Space Mountain, and they told us we would just have to wait outside and then switch. They acted like this was helpful, when in reality, it just means you all wait twice as long. It may depend on who is in charge that day.