What to see/do in 4 days?

[IansMom]

DH may have the opportunity to travel to Orlando for a conference in March which coincides with DS' spring break. DS has been asking to go to DW (he's in first grade) because some of his classmates travel there during fall break, and he has heard lots of stories. However, I don't think he has a concept of what DW is. DS isn't a true Disney kid--he has seen a few Mickey Mouse cartons, and could identify Jake and maybe the Cars characters.

If we go, we will stay at the Orlando World Center Marriott. I will also have DS2 who will be about 4 months.

What do you think are the "must sees"? DS doesn't like roller coasters or shows that are loud and dark (he refuses to go to the movie theater). I am thinking we would go to the Magic Kingdom, Epcot (I think DS will love this because he LOVES science, technology and geography) and the Animal Kingdom. However, I have no idea what we should try to see in each park. Also, would it be worth it to get a Park Hopper pass? I plan on this being a very leisurely trip. Thank you.

[jgenie]

My guys sound very similar to your DS1 right down to the limited character exposure and the no movie theatres. On our first trip we did MK, Epcot, and AK. DS1 was newly 5 and DS2 was newly 3. We didn't do park hoppers. We could have skipped Epcot that trip. My guys didn't enjoy it at all. Magic Kingdom was their fave. We spent a lot of time in Fantasyland.

[IansMom]

Also, would anyone recommend Legoland for that age?

[rkold]

Mine likes shows, but does not like many of the "scarier" rides, though she loves meeting characters.

We have Annual Passes, but up until the most recent visit, we never park hopped, so if there is a considerable price difference I would skip it. A lot of people like to park hop because the restaurants in Epcot are much much better than the restaurants in all the other parks.

My DD loves the Living Seas in Epcot. It's a huge aquarium. We ate in the Coral Reef restaurant and it was a huge hit. I might try to get a reservation there this next trip, I am debating there or just the really nice Sushine Seasons Food Court. Mine also likes the Mexican ride. If you want to get some idea what a lot of rides are like, you can watch them on Youtube first. It's a good way to know what might be too frightening.

At MK, mine loves the Autopia Motorway. We are also fans of AstroOrbiter.

At AK, I would recommend the Bird Show. It's outside but under shade banners, so not dark like in a theatre and not overly noisy. DD also likes the Safari.

[BDKmom]

We went last May when DS was 5 and DD was not quite 3. We did 2 days at MK and a day at HS since they have a bit more of the Pixar stuff (that's what my kids were more familiar with). We did binge on princess movies the week before we went, but, like you, my kids had no real idea of what WDW was all about, so I was curious what to expect.

In MK, we spent most of our time in Tomorrowland. They loved the Buzz Lightyear ride, the Astro orbiter, the people mover was one of their faves. Our FP+s were for Buzz ride, meet Mickey and meet Ariel. I'm not even sure that me made it anywhere but Tomorrowland and Mainstreet that first day. Second day we went to HS and did TS Mania, Frozen Sing along and the Disney Jr show as our FPs. I think we rode TSM 3 times. Third day at MK, kids wanted to go back to Tomorrowland. We basically did all those rides a few times each, then made it to Fantasyland and did the tea cups, dumbo, the barnstormer coaster, then made it over to the jungle cruise, Peter Pan and it's a small world. Rode the train a few times. Watched the afternoon parade.

Basically, we didn't plan a thing, showed up and did whatever the kids wanted. My kids didn't make it past 5 any day. We got there at open.

My main advice would be do 2 days at MK, as it may be a bit overwhelming at first, and since the kids had no idea of the scope of the place, they wanted to stay in one place and keep doing the things they liked.

[123LuckyMom]

I don't think you need to have character familiarity to have fun at WDW. If this is not a one-and-only trip, I'd do two days at MK and a day each at EPCOT and AK. You can see what most of the rides are like on YouTube to gauge which might be unpleasant for your child. There are lots of reviews out there as well. I'm interested to see how DD does this trip. Last trip she was just shy of her first birthday. She LOVED all the rides, including the ones in the dark. At almost 4, she's now more timid, so we'll see. DH was 4.5 and was scared of nothing except the stretching room of the haunted house, and he loved the roller coasters and Tower of Terror, but he is NOT a timid kid.

I know some families don't love EPCOT, but my kids really enjoyed it! AK is wonderful, too. Don't miss the Lion King show! It's not dark and is very interactive. It's nothing like sitting and watching a movie. Also, my kids were entranced by the electrical parade at MK and wanted to see it every night. DHS is the least important park, I think, if you don't like thrill rides. Toy Story Mania is wonderful, but the Buzz Lightyear ride in MK is a similar, smaller version. Fantasmic can be scary, though my kids loved it. I'd skip DHS this trip in favor of an extra MK day. I recommend you get a touring plan so you don't spend the entire trip in lines! You can subscribe to the touring plans website for custom plans or borrow the latest edition of the Unofficial Guide from the library for standard plans.

[klwa]

Also, would anyone recommend Legoland for that age?

My computer ate my reply!

Legoland was my kids' favorite part of our last Orlando trip, when DD1 was 5. She was tall enough to ride just about everything there.

As for Disney, no one's mentioned yet, but remember that Spring Break is a pretty crowded time to be there. Keep an eye on the crowd calendars & see what days make the most sense at the parks you want to go to. ( http://www.easywdw.com/easy/calendars/march-2016-walt-disney-world-crowd-calendar-2/ ) I'd do 2 days in MK. We haven't done a park hopper in years just because they don't fit in with our touring style well. We're a get there in the morning & go until supper, then head back to the resort. Yes, that means we miss the night time shows. :)

[cagey]

I'll throw in the suggestion that if DS loves Cars, heading over to see the Art of Animation resort is well worth it (and free!). You cant go in the pool, but to walk down the sidewalk of Radiator Springs and see life-sized character cars was really cool (even for an adult)