WDW: How many days/which parks?

[ebjw]

I am taking my daughter to Disney World the second week of December to surprise her for her 4th birthday- only the two of us- we're leaving Dad at home with the little ones :) How many days and which parks to we go to? We are only going Saturday-Tuesday or Wednesday. Obviously we need to go to Magic Kingdom, but what else will she enjoy most/do we have to see for a 4 year old?

Sat 12/8 flight arrives <11am: Go to MK around 3/4pm when crowds have thinned for nap time and stay as late as we can. (Worth the $ to start that late?)
Sun 12/9: Full day at ______________ OR just buy tix to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party and go 4pm-as late as we can?
Monday 12/10: Full day at ______________
Tues 12/11: Morning only at ___________ (leave park by 1pm to head to airport) OR Full day at _____________ (fly home 1st thing Wed am) OR just buy tix to Christmas Party 4pm-as late as we can (fly home 1st thing Wed. am)

What is the best plan?

[acmom]

We went last year with my kids - DD was 3.5 at the time. We did 2 days at MK, 1 at AK, 1 at Epcot (did lunch at each park and returned each day mid-afternoon for DS's nap). Then did pool and dinner either back at the park or resort (did several character dinners).

I would definitely recommend more than one day at MK, which was my kids favorite. Their 2nd favorite was probably AK (they both love animals and really liked both the safari ride and the lion king show), with Epcot a close 3rd. DH and I have been to HS (and liked that too), but skipped it with the kids the last 2 times bc there didn't seem like there was as much to do for little ones there.

We haven't been to the Christmas Party so no advice there. We thought about it last year when we went in Nov., but decided against it bc of the price and the fact that my kids don't do so well staying up too much past their normal bedtime.

HTH! Have fun!

[jjordan]

I've never been to the Christmas party, and I've never been during a season that is as crowded as when you're going.

That said, when we *have* gone, we haven't noticed crowds thinning in the late afternoon for naptime. It seems like most families skip naps. Combine that with the many people who are there without little kids, and sometimes actually *sleep in* because they're on vacation, and I've found that the parks generally get more and more crowded the later the day gets (until about dinner time or so).

For a just-turned-4 year old, I'd plan to spend at LEAST two full days at the Magic Kingdom. I think she would find plenty of stuff interesting at Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom too; probably less so at Epcot.

As for whether it's worth it to go to the park on your first day there, compare the ticket prices for 4 days vs. 3. In general they want you to stay for a really long time, so the per day price goes down quite a bit the longer you stay. The difference between 4 days and 3 might not be as much as you're expecting.

Now, that said, I'm not sure what your morning will consist of on Saturday as far as what time you'll be getting up and so on. If your daughter will already be exhausted by the time you get to Disney, then it is probably wise to have a low-key-ish afternoon (walk around your resort, take a swim if weather is warm enough, have a leisurely dinner, etc) so that she doesn't get too exhausted too early in the trip. You could definitely go to Downtown Disney and see the Potato Head shop, the Lego shop, and that sort of thing. Also on a Saturday in December, it might be *really* crowded in any of the parks by afternoon. Any FastPass options will definitely be gone, and it might be frustrating to go into the park and for her to see all the rides that she wants to do and not really be able to do many of them.

I'm sure you'll have a great time! :)

[fivi2]

Where are you staying?

With a dd that age, I would not do a park arrival day. PP is right, crowds just steadily build all day.

On arrival day - arrive, check in, visit a resort (swim, maybe) or maybe plan a resort character meal. (not one that you pre-pay in case your flight is delayed)

Day 1 - MK at Rope Drop. Get there early. I have never done MVMCP, so no clue how that affects things.

Day 2 - pick a park. With my girls on their first trip, we did AK (just MK and AK). But look at what each park offers and see what your dd would like.

Day 3 - I would probably do all day MK again. Again, not sure about MVMCP. I would fly home day 4.

We like EP, but m girls liked MK and AK most at that age. We still have not done DHS, so no input on that.

That is what I would do! Have fun :)

[georgiegirl]

Your best bet for riding the rides you want at MK is to get there EARLY!!! And if you stay somewhere late the night before, the chances for that are slim (with a young kid.). I always look at the crowd calendar on easywdw.com (I think that's the website) to see which parks to do on which days. My kids like all three other three parks as well.

[belovedgandp]

We've gone twice with kids 3 1/2 and 3 months and then 7 1/2 and 4. They are so excited to get there that we've always gone to a park on the first day.

Double check, but the weekends will probably be a bit busy, but your crowds should be manageable at that time of year.

We've been there at party time, but since it is all new and exciting to us, we haven't put out the extra money to go to those.

We tend to avoid the park with early extended hours because we can't/won't get there early to enjoy that part. We try to get to a park for opening the first and maybe second day, but end up staying late and flip our schedule to close them down and then sleep in towards the end.

At non busy times the evening shows vary by park and we love to see the night MK fireworks as well as Illuminations at Epcot, so that would sway which park we go to.

For a first trip with only a 4 YO I'd probably do the first 1/2 day at MK and then one more day there. Skip the party. Do a day at Animal Kingdom and a day at Epcot.

Another option without the price of a ticket for your arrival or departure day is Downtown Disney. We always like visiting there too.

[AnnieW625]

Take my advice with a grain of salt as I have never been to WDW.

Could you do the Mickey Christmas Party on your arrival date? That would make the most sense to me or do a day 1/2 day at Animal Kingdom or a park you know you probably won't be returning to.

Have you thought about getting park hopper tickets? While traveling alone with a 4 yr. old I think I would like the extra flexibility just in case one park is a big huge dud or you know that you can spend half the day at Animal Kingdom, and half the rest of the day at Hollywood Studios or another half day at Magic Kingdom if that ends up being her favorite.

[fivi2]

I wouldn't recommend getting to AK at 4:00 pm because it typically closes early (just FYI). But Annie has a point that the Christmas party might be fun on arrival day. But - you run the risk of not being able to use tickets if flights are delayed. Also, I think rope drops are super important, and after a day of travel and a night at MVMCP, your dd might not want to wake up early the next day.