smartest way to take a 3 and 6 year old to disney world

amother

Thu, Aug 05 2010, 12:14 pm

If my kids are that age is it too overwhelming to take them to such a huge park? I know that they say that it's made for kids of that age but most people that I know go for two weeks and go slowly if I go I will only have two days to go, should I take my kids there or should we just do something else? Anyone else on imamother went with kids this age that can give me advice on how they did and if their kids were fine there and if their kids enjoyed it?

Thanks.

ididit

Thu, Aug 05 2010, 12:52 pm

I hope I don't get hit with rotten tomatoes for this answer, but it is my opinion.

don't bother taking such young kids to disney world. go when they're older and not prone to pooping out after an hour of "fun"

seriously, it will be very overwhelming and you will not have fun. I think it's perfect for kids 8 years old and up.

3 and 6 y.o. enjoy things on a much smaller scale. my nieces and nephews went ages 3, 5, 7 and they all didn't enjoy it much. especially the littlest one--he screamed every time he saw mickey mouse and friends. he couldn't understand that they were not "real".

go ahead, throw your tomatoes.
LOL

saw50st8

Thu, Aug 05 2010, 1:14 pm

We took our 2.5 year old and 10 month old recently (there for a conference).

First, definitely get a planning book. I thought DH was crazy when he bought it, but it really helped narrow our focus on to "what we would see."

Second, have realistic expectations of what your kids can and cannot do. Make sure to pack lots of snacks because I find people are hungry every 1.5 hours or so, at least for a small snack. Also make sure to drink a ton.

About which parks to see - that's tough. I would have said start with one of the smaller parks (like MGM/Hollywood Studios or Animal Kingdom) and build up, but you want to make sure to get to Magic Kingdom. So I would save Magic Kingdom for day 2 when they adjusted to the park.

Both Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom have great playgrounds for the kids. Really fun. All the rides are basically accesible. I prefer Hollywood Studios to Animal Kingdom but that's personal preference.

Finally, you may want to rent a double stroller there - your 6 year old may not normally want to be strolled around, but I saw a ton of older kids in Disney in strollers. Its hot and hard to do that much walking.

fleetwood

Thu, Aug 05 2010, 1:21 pm

I took my 3 and 6 year old daughters to Disney in December and they LOVED it!!! I suggest bringing a carriage with a storage space on the bottom , this is the only way to sneak a small cooler with food into the park.
Magic Kingdom can be done in a day and the kids will love it. Epcot I found they were a little young for. But Animal Kingdom and Hollywood will be perfect for them We went for 4 days and webt to 4 parks, we bought a 4 day pass.

If there are rides you want to go on without the kids they let you wait on line just once and give the second parent a pass so they dont need to wait a second time
.
Go for it!

Aribenj

Thu, Aug 05 2010, 5:00 pm

Very doable.
I find that avoiding long lines is key so we usually go when the park opens around 9 or 10 before it gets full and we pretty much follow an itinerary based on the length of lines. For example dumbo has the longest Line so we do that first before most people even enter the park. Small world moves pretty fast so we stick that one in whenever we can. Fast passes are also a good idea but you have to know how to use them.
Other then that, pack lots of snacks and little toys they cAn play with when standing in line.
Finally my biggest tip is to split the day in 2. Go to the park fom 9/10-1 then come back to the hotel for a 2-3 hour break (nap, lunch, whatever) and go back to the pRk at 4. the kids will be refreshed and reenergized. Thats when most people leave and the weather is more besrable. And you might even catch a parade or fireworks!

amother

Fri, Aug 06 2010, 2:35 am

Where do you get a guide and how do you learn how to use fasttrack? Also my kids love cinderella so they are dying to go to the parks. Is it really a waste of money to take kids that age?