Disney World with three year old
 

We are taking our three year old grandson to
Disney World in a couple of weeks. We have
been to Disney several times, but it has been
15 years since our last visit and I am hoping
for some advice on must sees and dos for a
three year old. We know he is young, but we
are first time grandparents and are looking
forward to taking him for his first visit.
I am sure there have been lots of changes since we were there.

Thanks in advance for your help.

nlg:
What a wonderful trip for your grandson. There have been hundreds of posts on Disney here so I suggest you do a search and that will give a good start. There are also whole disney boards with tremendous insights and information. Just search a bit.

Have a good trip
taitai

Hi nlg,
I hope you are staying on Disney property so that you can return to your hotel in the afternoon for a nap/rest.
Also, go straight to Fantasyland in the Magic Kingdom and ride Dumbo first thing in the morning. It's probably the slowest loading ride. Have a great time. You are sweet to do this with your grandson and I'm sure you'll always cherish the memories.

Our 3 y.o. loved Dumbo, the carousel, Pooh's Honey Pot ride (The Adventure of Winnie the Pooh?), the Small world ride and the Jungle Cruise.

Philharmagic was too much for her, as was the Pirates of the Carribean and the Tiki Bird show. (too dark and loud).

We usually get to the Magic Kingodm at the time the gate opens, and go straight back to Fantasyland, where many popular rides are. After touring those, we then hit the other areas, saving Mickey's Toontown Fair for last. Later in the day the crowds *seem* lighter, esp. for the "tent" where you can actually meet characters. Use Fastpass whenever possible, too. Enjoy your trip!

Disney is great because it is a "theme" park rather than a "thrill" park. There will be so much that you can do together. In 2005, we went to WDW with my 2 year old goddaughter and she loved every minute so your three year old grandson should have a great time.

We used a service - www.buildabettermousetrip.com - that did a custom touring plan for us. We were very pleased with the service and the plans really minimized our waits in line.

Has your grandson been to Chuck E. Cheese? That should give an indication about how he will feel about the characters. Some kids love them and some kids find 6 ft. tall characters terrifying.

Take a stroller even if yhe usually does not use one any more. WDW is huge and little legs get tired. Buying an inexpensive umbrella stroller will be cheaper than renting one every day.

If you want that great classic picture of your grandson on the Dumbo ride, plan on being at the Magic Kingdom a little before park opening. Once they let you in, ignore the characters along Main Street and walk directly to Fantasy Land (behind the castle) and directly to the Dumbo ride. This classic ride is the slowest loading ride on Disney property and gets long lines even during low seasons. Going there first is the easiest way to get this without a long wait.

Another warning - some small children find the 3-D movies a bit overwelming.

Epcot has an Innoventions pavilion with lots of great things for little ones.

Thanks for all your help. We are looking forward to our visit to Disney
World.

we, too, are taking our 2 grandchildren-ages 21/2 & 3- (the last week in april) to Disney World. Any suggestions would be very helpful. We are staying at the Wilderness Lodge. I'd love to hear (I mean read) how it went with your 3 year old gd. Also, if anyone has any special advice for disney with young children. Thanks, all! Sharon

When possible, take advantage of FastPass which can make your wait on some popular rides minimal. The only catch is you can't have more then 1 FastPass at a time. The Peter Pan attraction is one where a FastPass is really the only way to go. During the day, probably the same is true for Buzz Lightyear.

In terms of the rides, every child reacts differently. The only attraction our daughter didn't like when she was 2 was "It's a Bugs Life."

I dont know when you went last, but your Grandson should love Mickey's Toon Town. At three he is probably tall enough for Goofy's Roller Coaster. There are also several playground areas that might be a good spot for him to burn off some excess energy. One is in Toon Town, the other just across from the Winnie the Pooh ride.

If you are at hotel that is easy to get to and from the park, you might consider getting to the park at opening and leaving midday for a break. When we do that, we then return to the park later in the day (after dinner) when things thin out a bit and for the fireworks.