Orlando with 3 year and 5 year old
Mar 19th, 2011, 01:46 AM
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Orlando with 3 year and 5 year old
Hi
I m looking for advice about parks to visit and itinerary .
we are planning on visiting 4-5 parks over a 7 day period with 2 rest days. 9 days including 2 travel days(1st and last days).
We are definitely visiting seaworld(Is one day sufficient to visit with the kids, since everything takes longer with kids?).
We will probably visit some disney parks(animal, magic, epcot, hollywood). Which of these would not be fun for the 3 & 5 year old? Which of these would require a full day with a 3 and 5 year old? What kind of ticket would make most sense given that we will be slow at most things.
Any ideas for a 3-4 hour day trips on the rest days? We like photography, scenery, gardens and places where kids can also have some fun.
Apart from these 5 parks, are there any other theme parks that the kids these young would love(might extend the trip, if yes)?
Thanks for all suggestions
njs
I m looking for advice about parks to visit and itinerary .
we are planning on visiting 4-5 parks over a 7 day period with 2 rest days. 9 days including 2 travel days(1st and last days).
We are definitely visiting seaworld(Is one day sufficient to visit with the kids, since everything takes longer with kids?).
We will probably visit some disney parks(animal, magic, epcot, hollywood). Which of these would not be fun for the 3 & 5 year old? Which of these would require a full day with a 3 and 5 year old? What kind of ticket would make most sense given that we will be slow at most things.
Any ideas for a 3-4 hour day trips on the rest days? We like photography, scenery, gardens and places where kids can also have some fun.
Apart from these 5 parks, are there any other theme parks that the kids these young would love(might extend the trip, if yes)?
Thanks for all suggestions
njs
Mar 19th, 2011, 05:01 AM
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www.wdwinfo.com
usually find best location hotel values
at Lake Buena Vista Village disney town
bidding Priceline.com for me last Royal Plaza Resort
WDW village $30/nt bidding Priceline.
Kids that are small love the
Magic Kingdom
Animal Kingdom
Sea World not far if time.
Have fun,
usually find best location hotel values
at Lake Buena Vista Village disney town
bidding Priceline.com for me last Royal Plaza Resort
WDW village $30/nt bidding Priceline.
Kids that are small love the
Magic Kingdom
Animal Kingdom
Sea World not far if time.
Have fun,
Mar 19th, 2011, 05:27 AM
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Agree with qwovadis that Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom will probably be best. SeaWorld too. Epcot will be too "adult" for them.
Suggestions for 3-4 hour day trips:
Green Meadows Petting Farm http://www.greenmeadowsfarm.com/
How about the beach? Cocoa Beach is close and an easy drive. Check out Lori Wilson Park: http://www.beachhunter.net/cocoa-bea...ilson-park.htm
_____________________________________________
Vic's travels: http://my.flightmemory.com/vogilvie
Suggestions for 3-4 hour day trips:
Green Meadows Petting Farm http://www.greenmeadowsfarm.com/
How about the beach? Cocoa Beach is close and an easy drive. Check out Lori Wilson Park: http://www.beachhunter.net/cocoa-bea...ilson-park.htm
_____________________________________________
Vic's travels: http://my.flightmemory.com/vogilvie
Mar 19th, 2011, 05:40 AM
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The Magic Kingdom is #1 for young children. It requires at least a full day, although you certainly will not want to spend the whole day. Too exhausting.
I definitely recommend staying on Disney property. IMO it is worth the money. Look at the Contemporary Resort. You can walk to the Magic Kingdom and take the monorail back to the resort in 2 minutes. It faces beautiful Bay Lake, has pools, boats, a beach ~ and a buffet with Mickey and Friends
There are Value, Moderate and Deluxe resorts on-property, plus the Vacation Club villas which anyone can book.
You might skip Epcot, although there is lots for kids there. But it is generally considered the most "adult" of the parks. It's also a LOT of walking, with little shade.
Disney's Hollywood Studios (used to be called MGM Studios) is a great park and smaller than the others. There will be a Phineas and Ferb meet and greet starting in May, if that's of any interest. Little Mermaid show, Beauty and the Beast stage show, Toy Story Mania ride (loooong lines) and much more.
Animal Kingdom is gorgeous. I love it but for a lot of people, it's their least favorite. Not sure why. Your kids can see tigers, gorillas (there's at least one baby there now!)cheetahs, giraffes, hippos, rhinos and many more animals in this beautiful park. I recommend it.
The only other park I can recommend is Discovery Cove. It's beautiful. Haven't been in 5 years but it's awesome. Your kids are a bit young, though. Save that one for another time.
Oh - and Disney's water parks are a lot of fun! Blizzard Beach is our favorite. Check out the parks on disneyworld's site.
Re., park tickets, they are brutally expensive. I do recommend Undercover Tourist for a slight discount and they are totally legit, with great customer service. I've used them and have 2 friends who've used them. You might skip the "park-hopper" add-on. This adds $50+ per ticket to the cost and if you're taking a slow pace, you might not ever want to visit two different parks in one day.
Good luck!
I definitely recommend staying on Disney property. IMO it is worth the money. Look at the Contemporary Resort. You can walk to the Magic Kingdom and take the monorail back to the resort in 2 minutes. It faces beautiful Bay Lake, has pools, boats, a beach ~ and a buffet with Mickey and Friends
There are Value, Moderate and Deluxe resorts on-property, plus the Vacation Club villas which anyone can book.You might skip Epcot, although there is lots for kids there. But it is generally considered the most "adult" of the parks. It's also a LOT of walking, with little shade.
Disney's Hollywood Studios (used to be called MGM Studios) is a great park and smaller than the others. There will be a Phineas and Ferb meet and greet starting in May, if that's of any interest. Little Mermaid show, Beauty and the Beast stage show, Toy Story Mania ride (loooong lines) and much more.
Animal Kingdom is gorgeous. I love it but for a lot of people, it's their least favorite. Not sure why. Your kids can see tigers, gorillas (there's at least one baby there now!)cheetahs, giraffes, hippos, rhinos and many more animals in this beautiful park. I recommend it.
The only other park I can recommend is Discovery Cove. It's beautiful. Haven't been in 5 years but it's awesome. Your kids are a bit young, though. Save that one for another time.
Oh - and Disney's water parks are a lot of fun! Blizzard Beach is our favorite. Check out the parks on disneyworld's site.
Re., park tickets, they are brutally expensive. I do recommend Undercover Tourist for a slight discount and they are totally legit, with great customer service. I've used them and have 2 friends who've used them. You might skip the "park-hopper" add-on. This adds $50+ per ticket to the cost and if you're taking a slow pace, you might not ever want to visit two different parks in one day.
Good luck!
Mar 24th, 2011, 05:55 AM
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MK is best for young kids. It may even take two days. I suggest a babysitter one night so you can go back at night and enjoy the parade and fireworks.
AK is a high priced zoo. It is not worth $82.00. It is nice and enjoyable but not for that price. Nemo and the Seas is a great show there.
We like Epcot very much and consider it the best summer park because the rides are all indoors. Even many lines are indoors. It has the most AC. Skip the countries with your kids. Nothing there for them. Also in the morning Epcot is the least crowded park.
Hollywood's best isn't kid friendly except for Toy Story Mania. The stage shows are ok. Avoid Star Wars Weekends.
Outside of Disney Parks, I say no to their water parks for small kids. Too crowded and they can't do the big tube slides. A smaller water park like Coco Key would work and it is much cheaper. Splash Pad at Dr. Phillips Park is $1 and good for little kids. There is also a good playground and nice lake view.
Orlando Science Center is one of the best I've seen. Very interactive and entertaining. It is North of tourist land about 15 miles.
Disney hotel pools or any big resort are also good.
AK is a high priced zoo. It is not worth $82.00. It is nice and enjoyable but not for that price. Nemo and the Seas is a great show there.
We like Epcot very much and consider it the best summer park because the rides are all indoors. Even many lines are indoors. It has the most AC. Skip the countries with your kids. Nothing there for them. Also in the morning Epcot is the least crowded park.
Hollywood's best isn't kid friendly except for Toy Story Mania. The stage shows are ok. Avoid Star Wars Weekends.
Outside of Disney Parks, I say no to their water parks for small kids. Too crowded and they can't do the big tube slides. A smaller water park like Coco Key would work and it is much cheaper. Splash Pad at Dr. Phillips Park is $1 and good for little kids. There is also a good playground and nice lake view.
Orlando Science Center is one of the best I've seen. Very interactive and entertaining. It is North of tourist land about 15 miles.
Disney hotel pools or any big resort are also good.
Mar 24th, 2011, 09:09 AM
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We recently spent three days (five nights) at Disneyworld with our 1 and 2.5 year old, and my 5 year old sister. I spent one day at Animal Kingdom with my 1 and 2 year old, and two days at Magic Kingdom with all three kids. I was alone for half of the day at AK, but had other adults (husband, sister, mom) with me for MK. For the 2 and 5 year old, nothing compared to Magic Kingdom. Those girls were in awe the entire two days. The 2-year old had a few meltdown moments around 3 each day, but not anything significant. It was way more fun than I had anticipated.
Here is my take on AK. It is a great park. They have some neat animals, and a few good rides. The parade is cute. The highlights by far are the Lion King and Nemo shows. The character greeting area is also convenient, as Mickey and Minnie are almost always there, along with Goofy, Pluto, Chip & Dale, and Donald at various times. The character greeting areas are pretty close together, in the shade, and the wait times seemed to be less than those at MK. However, for $80+ dollars, I don't think it is really worth it, especially for young kids. While the animals are really great to see, any major city will have a zoo with comparable animals for a lot less money. If you have limited time and money, spend it on MK with kids that age.
Our two days at MK were packed and the girls had fun the entire time. I didn't think they would hang on as long as they did, but we arrived by ten each morning and left after the fireworks around nine. My 2 year old still asks me everyday when she can go back to disneyworld. (It has been a month since we went). The park is so heavily geared toward young children, that you really can spend a lot of time there and not run out of things to do. Do research ahead of time to be sure to make the most of your time and minimize time spent in lines.
It makes sense to stay on a monorail resort. We stayed at the Polynesian, which was fine, but I'd choose the Grand Floridian or Contemporary next time. All three kids fell asleep in their strollers on the way out of the park and it was nice to just roll them on and off the monorail back to the hotel without transferring them to a car seat or a bus. Plus, if you do need to take a break during the day, you can easily do that.
The bottom line is that I wouldn't bother with Epcot or Hollywood with a 3 and 5 year old. I would focus on MK, and add AK only if you have at least three days at Disney. I would add a second day to MK before adding AK, until the kids are older.
I hope this helps!
Here is my take on AK. It is a great park. They have some neat animals, and a few good rides. The parade is cute. The highlights by far are the Lion King and Nemo shows. The character greeting area is also convenient, as Mickey and Minnie are almost always there, along with Goofy, Pluto, Chip & Dale, and Donald at various times. The character greeting areas are pretty close together, in the shade, and the wait times seemed to be less than those at MK. However, for $80+ dollars, I don't think it is really worth it, especially for young kids. While the animals are really great to see, any major city will have a zoo with comparable animals for a lot less money. If you have limited time and money, spend it on MK with kids that age.
Our two days at MK were packed and the girls had fun the entire time. I didn't think they would hang on as long as they did, but we arrived by ten each morning and left after the fireworks around nine. My 2 year old still asks me everyday when she can go back to disneyworld. (It has been a month since we went). The park is so heavily geared toward young children, that you really can spend a lot of time there and not run out of things to do. Do research ahead of time to be sure to make the most of your time and minimize time spent in lines.
It makes sense to stay on a monorail resort. We stayed at the Polynesian, which was fine, but I'd choose the Grand Floridian or Contemporary next time. All three kids fell asleep in their strollers on the way out of the park and it was nice to just roll them on and off the monorail back to the hotel without transferring them to a car seat or a bus. Plus, if you do need to take a break during the day, you can easily do that.
The bottom line is that I wouldn't bother with Epcot or Hollywood with a 3 and 5 year old. I would focus on MK, and add AK only if you have at least three days at Disney. I would add a second day to MK before adding AK, until the kids are older.
I hope this helps!
Mar 24th, 2011, 09:12 AM
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One other tip: make sure to have a stroller for both kids! Even if the 5 year old doesn't use a stroller anymore, it will be very helpful. My 5 year old sister doesn't usually use one, but she sat in a double stroller with my daughter the whole time. It really helped them to save their energy and enjoy more time in the parks. It also provides a good seat for them to watch the parade. Disney makes having a stroller extremely convenient, with designated stroller parking all of the parks. We would not have survived without one.
