dimitry

We are planing to go to WDW with a six year old girl and stay there for three days. What would you recommend to see for 3 days in WDW? Are there other good budget places to stay in WDW besides ALL Stars?
Thanks a lot

ilisa

All Stars are the only budget resorts of Disney. After that, the hotel category is moderate which starts around $122 per night. Those hotels are very nice - Coronado Springs, Caribbean Beach, Port Orleans and Dixie Landings. While there are budget accomodations off property, nearby, I would definitely recommend staying on property to take advantage of all Disney offers. Frankly, a 6 year old probably will enjoy All Stars. They just opened up a new one - All Star Movies. You must plan carefully if you are going to be there for only three days. While you will want to see everything, you don't want to go commando style and make the poor girl miserable. Of course, the Magic Kingdom is a must, and you should plan on a whole day there. I personally don't like MGM all that much, and don't like to spend more than half a day there, but children love it. EPCOT is probably the park that bores children the most. You should definitely see Animal Kingdom (go early in the day - less crowds). This park is fairly small, so it can conceivably be done in half a day. That would leave you time to hop to other parks. Plan at least one character breakfast. Some good ones are: Crystal Palace with Pooh and Friends, Chef Mickey's at the Contemporary, Cinderella's Castle (make reservations for this well in advance; it is the most popular). There is so much to tell you. Email me for more detailed information; I'm in the process of planning yet another trip to Disney.

Ann

Dimitry,

I stayed at the Caribbean Beach Resort last spring and it was wonderful. It is in the next price bracket up from the All Stars. My favorite park in Disney was the Animal Kingdom. You must go on the Safari, it was great. Don't miss the magic Kingdom. Your daughter will love it. Epcot in my opinion is primarily for adults. Pick up a copy of Birnbaums guide to Walt Disney World. It has a lot of advice as far as best times to go to each park and sample iteneraries.
Have fun!
Ann

Ann

Dimitry,

I stayed at the Caribbean Beach Resort last spring and it was wonderful. It is in the next price bracket up from the All Stars. My favorite park in Disney was the Animal Kingdom. You must go on the Safari, it was great. Don't miss the magic Kingdom. Your daughter will love it. Epcot in my opinion is primarily for adults. Pick up a copy of Birnbaums guide to Walt Disney World. It has a lot of advice as far as best times to go to each park and sample iteneraries.
Have fun!
Ann

Ann

Dimitry,

I stayed at the Caribbean Beach Resort last spring and it was wonderful. It is in the next price bracket up from the All Stars. My favorite park in Disney was the Animal Kingdom. You must go on the Safari, it was great. Don't miss the magic Kingdom. Your daughter will love it. Epcot in my opinion is primarily for adults. Pick up a copy of Birnbaums guide to Walt Disney World. It has a lot of advice as far as best times to go to each park and sample iteneraries.
Have fun!
Ann

Peggy

to be honest, unless you are staying at a Disney Resort, I just can't see tourists making reservations. There are literally HUNDREDS of hotels, inns, etc; in and around the area where WDW is and you can find anything from $20 and up. There is NO way that every single hotel will EVER be filled every time at any moment. I thought it was a waste of my money to reserve ahead of time at Days Inn for $50..I ended up seeing that Travelodge had a better deal with a kitchenette for $39.95.

Barb

Birnbaums will tell you everything you need to know about getting the most out of DW! 20 years ago, my family thought I was nuts when I had it all planned out "according to Birnbaum". But it worked. If he suggests stopping and making a reservation as you head to another attraction, do it. That vacation still stands as one of the best ever! And six is a perfect age to still see the magic and wonder. Happy trip.

Sue

Dimitry,
I have taken my 3 kids to WDW many times now. I would definately pick up a copy of Birnbaum's book at the library if you don't want to buy it...but try to get at least a '98 since WDW adds new things pretty frequently. If you don't want to carry the book around, take key notes on an index card labled Magic Kingdom or Animal Kingdom or whatever area you're going to and you can still remember what order to see things to avoid the crowds. I also put my restaurant reservation/confirmation #'s on that card-as well as the area we parked in and it all works out smoothly. If you're going when the crowds are high, plan on going when it opens, rent your 6 yr. old a stoller, take your time and stay late...my kids were fine! I also highly recommend going on WDW website and getting restaurant reservations now (you can reserve up to 3 months in advance!) then you don't have to worry about rushing around while you're inside. That way you can deside at your leisure what sounds good too. Your daugther will love Rainforest Cafe (outside of Animal Kingdom) if you haven't been there before...that place was almost full when I reserved 3 mons. in advance! If you truly only have 3 days I would suggest: Magic Kingdom, MGM and Animal Kingdom but my kids always liked Epcot (especially Future World) too as well as Universal Studios! The water parks are very fun too....see if you can stay longer...it's a great time!

Rob

Very simple,,,get and read Fodor's 1999 Disney. I got a copy from the library. It will answer any and all of your questions. My family and I are going next week. Good luck and have fun.

Martin

My advice is try not to see everything in three days. It's impossible and you'll exhaust yourself trying. Also, most think EPCOT is too adult for a child to enjoy, but our 5 year-old liked this better than the Magic Kingdom. Also, I agree with the earlier posting that Disney-MGM is skipable if you're only there for three days.

Susan

Do NOT miss the waterparks!! Even if you see nothing but Magic Kingdom and one or both waterparks, you will have a fantastic time! I have a 6 year old son, and he's been there 8 times. If we only had 3 days, we'd get a length of stay pass, do a full day at Magic Kingdom, morning at Animal Kingdom (lunch at Rainforest!!!!) afternoon at Blizzard Beach, next day either full day at Blizzard Beach (first choice for kids) or Typhoon Lagoon, or else morning at MGM and afternoon at water park. You really can see Animal Kingdom and MGM in half a day. Don't miss the Lion King stage show. Worth the hour's wait.(Have one parent stand in line while daughter and parent go visit the characters, just a very short walk away). No matter what you do, you are going to have a great time! And All Star really is the place to stay. You won't be in your room much, that's for sure. By the way, Disney Marketplace can be a good ("free") place to wind down after a long day pounding the parks. Fun stuff for little ones. Lego Land is a great photo spot. And if you missed Rainforest for lunch, go to Marketplace, put in your reservation for the Rainforest there, and go play for the hour or so you'll wait 'till they call you to your table.