hey gang,

My wife and I are taking our 3-year-old daughter to Disney in early March. We'll spend two days at the Magic Kingdom and then the third at either MGM or Universal. My questions are this: Which park is more appropriate for her? I've heard Islands of Adventure is terrific, but is it a fit for a 3 year old? Thanks in advance.

Universal isnt as "little" people friendly as MGM. My little brother was scared on most of the Universal rides, but couldnt get enough of MGM.

For the adults, Universal definately.. it is a blast!

Dear John

Islands of Adventure is terrific. There is Suess Landing which is very kid friendly. I am taking my 4 year old granddaughter to Disney World. We are going to spend a day at MGM and a Day at the Magic Kingdom then we are going to head over to Universal and the Islands of Adventure Island. Hope this helps. Have a good safe trip. Peace

For a child that small, I would say MGM is probably a better bet. I think it's got more things that would be appealing for a kid three year old.

I would be careful about overscheduling things, though -- a child that small will probably find it all very overwhelming and will be tired, so three consecutive days might be too much. I would wait and see how she's doing after the first day or two. My parents tell me that when they took me to Disney World when I was three the first day I was fine but the second day I was fussy and just wanted to play in the sand at the hotel playground! (They still tell the story: "We took you all the way to Florida and spent all this money and you wanted to play in the sandbox!"). When they took me back at age 5 I was much better and couldn't get enough of the park ("park" is singular here because at the time the Magic Kingdom was all there was).

In other words, play it by ear as much as possible. You know your daughter and will be able to gauge her reactions and mood while you're there.

If you are staying on property at WDW then I would stick with MGM and not make trip over to IOA. I say this because as the previous poster noted a 3 yo will get very tired after a third consecutive day at a theme park. If you go to MGM and can get back to your room easily for a nap when your daughter starts to tire you will all have a more relaxed time. Especially knowing you can go back again later in the day. If you are staying off-site then go to the one where you can back and forth to your hotel the most easily. That afternoon nap and time to splash in the pool is critical.

MGM is a great place to see characters. In one morning we saw Peter Pan, Mulan, Cinderella, and Toy Story characters. Also MGM has the Little Mermaid show (which is very entertaining for a young one), Bear in the Big Blue House (also great for young kids and my personal favorite), the Beauty in the Beast show, the 3d Muppet Movie. Check out wdwinfo.com for more info. There have been lots of comments on their boards on this very topic.

I knew I forgot something I wanted to say in my previous post -- Bennie hit the nail on the head about the importance of an afternoon nap and/or splash in the hotel pool. It makes a world of difference. Heck, we always go back to the hotel for an afternoon nap when we go to WDW WITHOUT kids!

Besides an afternoon siesta being an opportunity to recharge your batteries (esp. with a 3 y.o. in tow), you also miss the most crowded part of the day at the parks. Also the hottest, though that won't be such an issue in the summer. We always head back to the hotel at lunchtime when the parks are really starting to get crowded; food will probably be cheaper and better with less of a wait at your hotel anyway. (We really like staying at the WDW resorts that have food courts so everybody can get what they want and it's quick).

Have to concur with the suggestion of staying at a hotel with a food court. kids that young just can't take sitting in a real restaurant and the food court is the fastest way to get okay food. When my youngest was 3 we stayed at a deluxe hotel with no food court and regretted it.

If your daughter does have the energy for more than the Magic Kingdom, I recommend Islands of Adventure. It is divided into several sections, a couple of which are better for this age level than either Disney MGM or Universal Studios.

Universal has Dr. Suess land. Much more appropriate for a 3 yr. old. MGM is very boring for a littleone.