3 days - which parks?

[jhrabosk]

As of right now, our plan (me, DH, and 4yo DD), is to spend three days at WDW, then a day at Sea World on our way to visit friends in Tampa.

Day one is MK. I was thinking AK for day 2. Can't decide on Day 3 -- I was thinking maybe Epcot b/c they have their show that night (Illuminations? I can't keep it straight). Although, I just read today that you can see it from the beach of our resort (Carribean).

Also, Day 2 is her birthday. I thought we'd take her to Downtown that evening for special dinner, ice cream at Ghiradelli, and shopping for a birthday present (since we already have our passes, she'll get that nice gift card).

We don't currently have park hoppers b/c I just don't think it's worth it with DD.

Thoughts? Suggestions?

[clc053103]

DHS and AK are "1/2 day" parks for us- we never find enough to do that we end up leaving after lunch. AK also closes on the early side. But, if you are talking about for Day 2, it might be nice to go to AK or DHS for a shorter day, then an afternoon by the pool or resting for the big birthday evening in DTD!!!

We actually love Epcot but others feel not enough to do for younger kids. you could do 3rd day starting at DHS, then head to Epcot- but that would require a park hopper.

[jhrabosk]

We actually love Epcot but others feel not enough to do for younger kids. you could do 3rd day starting at DHS, then head to Epcot- but that would require a park hopper.

Do you have any idea whether we can "upgrade" to a park hopper before we enter the park on that 3rd day? I'll have to ask my travel agent...

I'm also concerned that we might need a 2nd day for MK after reading Tour Guide Mike's itineraries!

[bnme]

I think you can upgrade to a hopper at any park or hotel.

Unless your DC is really into watching the shows I'd do 2 days MK.

[egoldber]

Well a few thoughts.


then a day at Sea World on our way to visit friends in Tampa

First, you do realize that Seaworld is the opposite direction from Tampa? Busch Gardens is in between though. :)

While you may be able to see a *little* bit of Illuminations from CBR, you will miss the vast majority of it and you will not at all get the overall experience. You really need to be very close to Illuminations to see the majority of it. It isn't just fireworks.

For 3 days, I would skip Downtown Disney. Not that special IMO. And she gets free park admission on her birthday, so that is totally worth it.

IMO, there is a LOT for a 4 year old to do at Epcot. How tall is she? If she is at least 40" she can do Soarin and Test Track at Epcot, 2 of the mak


Some plans I would consider....

2 days at MK
AK until parade, then leave and got to Downtown Disney

1 day MK
1 day Epcot
1 day AK

1 day MK
1 day Epcot
1/2 day AK + Downtown Disney

Lots of variations on the theme. :)

[SnuggleBuggles]

I agree on Downtown Disney. It's really just a shopping center. There are much cooler things to do at the parks and plenty of places to buy things there. Also, when we went to Downtown Disney it was so unbelievably crowded that we couldn't have bought anything there if we wanted to! Now, it was Easter week and the whole place was a zoo but it was beyond crowded. The day we did Downtown Disney we had come from Typhoon Lagoon, which was a lot of fun.

Beth

[JTsMom]

Depending on what interests her, I'd do 2 days in MK for sure, and 1 day in either Epcot or AK, only if she is really into animals and/or shows.

What about doing a character meal for her bday? Is she into the princesses? If so, having a meal in the castle would be really cool. There's also the princess meal in Norway.

I agree that DTD is not that big of a deal. During a longer trip, it's nice to do as a non-park day when you need a break, but I can pretty much guarantee you'll have more fun at any park. I'd probably also skip Sea World, but that's just me.

Yes, you can add hoppers at the parks if you need to- I think you can do without them myself, especially during a short stay b/c transportation will eat up a lot of time.

I'd take TGM's advice, and pick the best of the best, and forget about the rest. ;) You aren't going to see it all, so just pick what you think you'll enjoy most, and really do that up. Let us know if you have any questions.

[fivi2]

I am not the expert these other ladies are, but we loved MK and AK. I would maybe plan on Epcot for day 3, but if you leave MK feeling like you have more to see, then you can always change your plans and just return to MK instead.

[hillview]

With a 4 year old I'd do MK, AK, MK. MK is so large you can't do it all in one day.
/hillary

[Momof3Labs]

I'd do MK two days and Epcot one day. IMO, AK isn't a full day park and is by far my kids' least favorite park. On the other hand, they both absolutely adore Epcot and beg to go there (even more so than MK).

[Octobermommy]

Animal Kingdom was our least favorite park. My dd favorite was Epcot and MK, followed closely by my dh favorite HS.

[rwagdivh]

It really depends on your child -- my DS (age 5 1/2 when we went) LOVED Animal Kingdom. We had one day unallocated and he got to pick where to go -- his choice was "back to AK" and even then we never did see everything in that park. Note, this is not a "ride" park it's more of a look around and see everything park and the Finding Nemo show is wonderful! So, if your child likes animals and zoos then AK is a must see. I know . . . there are zoos everywhere, but no one does it like Disney. If you decide Animal Kingdom is out I recommend Disney Studios. There are fun shows and more geared to the younger audience. Epcot is nice, but I would save if for another trip when she is older.

I would agree with those that recommended 2 days in MK. There is so much to see and do there. And, at that age there faces just light up to see all the stuff there.

As for her birthday you can really do this at either park (or Downtown Disney) -- although I would recommend MK that day. My other DS turned 3 on our last trip. There are so many special birthday things -- if you are staying at a Disney resort make sure they put this on your reservation. Also, request a call from Goofy - he will sing Happy Birthday to her. If you are not at a Disney hotel you can do this at City Hall at MK when you walk in. You'll also be able to get her a "Birthday" button to wear. This can be great for perks -- cast members will stop her often to tell her Happy Birthday, characters will see it and we even got pulled into the Fast Pass line on Toy Story Mania at Disney Studios -- must have saved us 45 mins standing in line. Whatever restaurant you choose be sure to tell them it is her bday -- at the Crystal Palace my son got a birthday card signed by the Pooh characters, Mickey shaped confetti and a birthday cupcake. He was so excited! And, make sure you get a 1st trip to Disney button too! My boys loved these and wore them the entire week.

Have a great trip!

[fivi2]

ITA with everyone who says it really depends on the kiddos. My girls were not quite 3 when we went, but Animal Kingdom was hands down everyone's favorite. They loved it, we spent a pretty full day there and did not feel like we saw everything. They also enjoyed Magic Kingdom, but were afraid of almost all the rides. We did all we needed to do in one day (which was basically riding IASW over and over ;) ) and I did not feel like we were missing anything that *we* wanted to see. (of course we didn't see everything!)

I feel like my girls would have loved Epcot and not cared about DHS, but I know others who have the opposite experience...