PDA

View Full Version : Disney with a new 3 year old -- good idea and where to start?



Liziz
10-15-2014, 10:55 PM
We are just playing around with the idea of taking DD to either Disney World or Disneyland right around the time she turns 3 (February). I started to try to research and was absolutely overwhelmed with the MASSIVE amount of info out there! I've never done/looked at/read anything about Disney before so other than a trip when I was in third grade, it's all completely new to me. So I thought maybe some of the Disney experts around here could chip in their thoughts on a couple questions....


Taking a newly 3 year old -- is she too young? (part of the thought is that I will hopefully be pregnant by that point (we're trying now) so it's a chance to take DD on a trip by herself -- I would definitely not want to go if I was very pregnant or with an infant, so it could be awhile if we don't take her soon)
Disney World or Disneyland? (We'd have to fly to either one)
How many days and which parks are most worth it for a newly 3 yo?
Best website or resource to plan?




Thank you in advance!!!

sariana
10-15-2014, 11:19 PM
Go before she turns 3 and is still free! She will love it at that age.

I love Disneyland because I'm a CA girl. And from a purely neutral perspective I still would recommend DL because it's more manageable.

DL Resort has only two parks, DL and California Adventure. You should devote a full day to DL and at least part of a day to CA. A Bug's Land in CA is perfect for that age. I haven't been to Carsland, so I don't know about that.

You don't need to do massive planning for DL. You should visit the website to find out height restrictions and look at the park maps. Also look at parade and show schedules as well as "refurbishment closures". There likely will be some closed rides in February, which is the slow season (such as it is).

You will want to take/borrow/rent a stroller. That makes it easier to take in snacks, too (they will search your stroller and/ or bags).

I KNOW others will have more specific advice. :)

candaceb
10-15-2014, 11:21 PM
We went last spring with DS who was 3 years 8 months, one nephew who was 4.5, and the other nephew who was about to turn 3.
It was a blast - the kids were old enough to enjoy it and remember it. One of my favorite moments of the trip was my younger nephew repeating again and again "I drive race car!" after going on the Indy Speedway.
We were there for 5 days and did all the parks. I would rather have been there for a full week and had a little more down time, but my mom was paying and she said 5 days...
We enjoyed all the parks, but DHS would not have been worth it if DS hadn't seen Toy Story Midway Mania on youtube ahead of time, and we also did the Hollywood & Vine character lunch with Disney Jr. characters.

belovedgandp
10-15-2014, 11:51 PM
I love WDW - no perspective on DL. My rule for all vacations is that I take under 4 months or over 3 if they are potty trained and don't need a nap. If you have a taller kid 40" opens up the whole park. We did a week long trip the first time when DS1 was 3 yr 7 mo and DS2 was 3 months old. DS1 was the magic 40" and DS2 was still EBF and lived in the sling.

lalasmama
10-15-2014, 11:52 PM
We are just playing around with the idea of taking DD to either Disney World or Disneyland right around the time she turns 3 (February). I started to try to research and was absolutely overwhelmed with the MASSIVE amount of info out there! I've never done/looked at/read anything about Disney before so other than a trip when I was in third grade, it's all completely new to me. So I thought maybe some of the Disney experts around here could chip in their thoughts on a couple questions....

Planning for a DL trip is completely different from WDW.... I don't know much about WDW, but DL is my "home park" and I'm in the middle of writing a guide to Disneyland, so I'll focus my answers as DL-specific.




Taking a newly 3 year old -- is she too young? (part of the thought is that I will hopefully be pregnant by that point (we're trying now) so it's a chance to take DD on a trip by herself -- I would definitely not want to go if I was very pregnant or with an infant, so it could be awhile if we don't take her soon)


Newly 3 is a *great* time to go! She won't be tall enough for some of the bigger rides, but she also probably wouldn't be brave enough for the big rides either. Kids under 3yo are free, and Disney believes "No child turns 3 while at Disneyland"--in other words, if you start the Disney vacation at 2y364d, she doesn't need a ticket at all, for your whole trip. (Kids also don't turn 10 at Disneyland, when it goes from kid tickets to adult tickets.) At 3yo, they still believe in all the magic, they still travel easily, they won't fight the stroller much when needed, and they are typically at a happy age. If you *do* get pregnant and go to either park while pregnant, the general pregnancy restrictions are "don't go on anything with a height restriction;" pretty darn simple when your child can't go on any of them anyway! 40" is the first "big" height restriction, which is the size of a typical 4yo.


Disney World or Disneyland? (We'd have to fly to either one)

I'm a huge DL fan, for several reasons, especially where young kids are part of the equation. Disneyland is only 2 parks, separated by a 90-second walk. (Much easier than the busses, ferries, monorail transportation systems needed at WDW.) DL has the same number of attractions in it's 2 parks as in all 4 parks of WDW, so DL isn't skimping on attractions. At DL, attractions are close to each other, so there is less walking. WDW has a ton of on-site hotels; DL only has 3, however the off-site hotels are *just as close* as the on-site hotels, and half the price. At DL, you can go back to the hotel/motel for a mid-day break, as even many off-site hotels are less than 15 minutes away. Also, with DL having a smaller footprint, you can see more and do more in less days... and I know when my DD was 3yo, the less interruption to her schedule, the better ;) Oh, and DL (California Adventure) has Cars Land! Even if you aren't a Cars fan, it's an amazing feat they accomplished with that area of the park! And Bugs Land is a whole area (like 8 rides) "bug sized"--perfect for preschoolers!



How many days and which parks are most worth it for a newly 3 yo?

At Disneyland, there's only 2 parks, and they are literally 90-seconds apart, so they are more like 2 halves of a whole versus 2 independent parks. I'd recommend 4 days or so, with a park-hopper ticket, so that you can go back and forth as desired. That will allow you more than enough time, even taking mid-day breaks if desired, to see the parks, do the rides, and watch multiple parades and shows.



Best website or resource to plan?

For DL, the disboards (disboards.com) is an easy resource, set up like the BBB, with many BBB mamas on there. It can be overwhelming on the WDW-planning side though! I also liked the Unofficial Guide to Disneyland 201x (2015 is now released).

klwa
10-16-2014, 08:00 AM
Taking a newly 3 year old -- is she too young? (part of the thought is that I will hopefully be pregnant by that point (we're trying now) so it's a chance to take DD on a trip by herself -- I would definitely not want to go if I was very pregnant or with an infant, so it could be awhile if we don't take her soon)
Disney World or Disneyland? (We'd have to fly to either one)
How many days and which parks are most worth it for a newly 3 yo?
Best website or resource to plan?




We took both of our older kids to WDW at 2 years 4 months, and DD2 at 1 year 6 months. All three trips were so fun for the little ones! As others mentioned, try to go just before your little one turns three for a slightly cheaper trip. :)

I've only ever been to WDW, although I would love to get to DL at some point. So, I can't give a good "why this one is better". But we really enjoy WDW, so I'll put my vote there. :) (We're a 9 hour drive from WDW, and my family always drove growing up.)

At WDW, a week would be nice at that age. Each park one day, with a second at Magic Kingdom & (in my opinion) Epcot (for meeting the princesses/characters). And then you'd have an extra day as a break or to hit one of the other parks a second time.

For WDW, try www.easywdw.com . Slighty snarky, but good advice & a free crowd calendar.

123LuckyMom
10-16-2014, 08:56 AM
I'm a Disney World girl. I've only been to Disneyland once, and I've been to Disney World a whole bunch, so I would recommend Disney World. Our trip of six days in the park was ideal. With a little one and you pregnant, you're probably not going to do the big coasters or height restricted rides, and that will save a lot of time. You need 2 days for MK, and we use 2 days for EPCOT, then one day each for AK and DHS. I've never understood why people think EPCOT a is not for little kids. My kids LOVED EPCOT!!! It was definitely their second favorite park after MK. I'm actually having trouble thinking of good stuff at DHS for an almost three year old. I don't know if Toy Story Mania or the MuppetVision show would be good at that age. There's the Beauty and the Beast show, Little Mermaid show, and Fantasmic. Is there anything else for little ones? You might shorten your trip and skip DHS. I don't know how tolerant your DD is of sitting and watching shows. They're very good, but without a bunch of rides in between, it might be too much sitting.

SnuggleBuggles
10-16-2014, 11:05 AM
I find DL to be more managable for the reasons Mimi said. It'd get my vote at that age. Just enough Disney but easier.

janine
10-21-2014, 10:56 AM
Go before she turns 3 and is still free! She will love it at that age.

I love Disneyland because I'm a CA girl. And from a purely neutral perspective I still would recommend DL because it's more manageable.

DL Resort has only two parks, DL and California Adventure. You should devote a full day to DL and at least part of a day to CA. A Bug's Land in CA is perfect for that age. I haven't been to Carsland, so I don't know about that.

You don't need to do massive planning for DL. You should visit the website to find out height restrictions and look at the park maps. Also look at parade and show schedules as well as "refurbishment closures". There likely will be some closed rides in February, which is the slow season (such as it is).

You will want to take/borrow/rent a stroller. That makes it easier to take in snacks, too (they will search your stroller and/ or bags).

I KNOW others will have more specific advice. :)

Eek we are going next week and DD will have just turned 3 (by 2 weeks)- maybe I should have said she was 2 to save a bucket load on tickets?

janine
10-21-2014, 11:00 AM
We are just playing around with the idea of taking DD to either Disney World or Disneyland right around the time she turns 3 (February). I started to try to research and was absolutely overwhelmed with the MASSIVE amount of info out there! I've never done/looked at/read anything about Disney before so other than a trip when I was in third grade, it's all completely new to me. So I thought maybe some of the Disney experts around here could chip in their thoughts on a couple questions....


Taking a newly 3 year old -- is she too young? (part of the thought is that I will hopefully be pregnant by that point (we're trying now) so it's a chance to take DD on a trip by herself -- I would definitely not want to go if I was very pregnant or with an infant, so it could be awhile if we don't take her soon)
Disney World or Disneyland? (We'd have to fly to either one)
How many days and which parks are most worth it for a newly 3 yo?
Best website or resource to plan?




Thank you in advance!!!

We are going to DW in 2 weeks with a newly turned 3 yr old and 6 yr old. I am still furiously but I think a good portion of MK is good for this age (character visits, rides like Small World). We are going to DHS for the Disney Jr show (both mine love all those shows), Toy Story and also Anna/Elsa singalong.

We will try Animal Kingdom for the safari ride to see animals. And Epcot at night for food.

That's all I have for now!

hellokitty
10-21-2014, 11:52 AM
Op, where do you live? I'd go to whichever one is closest. Tbh, at that age, you can just do magic kingdom and they'd love it. Go before she turns 3, she'll be free! We've been to both and if we lived on the west coast, I'd just do wdl for that age. We are closer to wdw though, so that's where we normally go.

Tenasparkl
10-21-2014, 02:02 PM
I love Disneyland because I'm a CA girl. And from a purely neutral perspective I still would recommend DL because it's more manageable.

DL Resort has only two parks, DL and California Adventure. You should devote a full day to DL and at least part of a day to CA. A Bug's Land in CA is perfect for that age. I haven't been to Carsland, so I don't know about that.

There are lots of fun things in Carsland for that age. A 3 year old won't be tall enough for Radiator Springs Racers, but we can do everything else there with 2.5 yo DS. The Redwood Creek Challenge area is another great spot for kids to run around and play. We like CA better than DL at this point.

MSWR0319
10-22-2014, 03:39 PM
We took DS1 when he was 2.5. He is 6 and still talks about it very vividly. He remembers everything, but he's like that. We did all parks (2 days at MK) and he enjoyed them all. We are going again this winter and DS2 will be a few months shy of 3. I think he'll love it just as much!

ash
10-31-2014, 01:08 PM
We just got back from WDW. I agree, if you can swing it before 3, do it. She can still celebrate her birthday there. Everyone will wish her a Happy Birthday if she wears the birthday button they give you for free.

We loved Magic 2+ days. Hollywood was great for her too. Epcot was ok but would be one I would skip. There aren't many rides there for little ones. I wish we did Animal Kingdom but only had 4 days. I wish we could have stayed longer and took a break in the middle.

If you haven't checked out WDW Prep School, that is a good site. http://wdwprepschool.com