Hi

I am planning a trip to Disney World Orlando, this may 16' with my family i.e 4 adults and 2 kids aged 6 and 9. We have about 3 days. I am seeking advice on which parks are a must do? Also is it better to stay in a Disney Resort or outside also works fine?

Also any other tips and advice would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance for helping with this.

The good news is May is a good time to go as far as crowds are concerned. May or may not be really hot, not uncommon to reach mid-90's in May. If possible stay onsite hotel. If it is in your budget I recommend at least a mid-range hotel (Port Orleans is my favorite). Plan on at least one day in Magic Kingdom, as far as which other parks to do kind of depends on your interest. I prefer EPCOT as it is usually least crowded and most relaxing with best choice of food/drinks.

Best piece of advice I can give, since you are there for only 3 days you will not be able to see everything so don't try. Most people don't realize how big Disney World is and it can be overwhelming to try to see everything and so much time is wasted getting from point A to point B.

Hope you have a fabulous trip!!

Definitely pick Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom. Try to go week days which will be even better.

When considering where to stay do realize that if you stay on Disney there is free transit to and fro many places. If you stay off Disney you really need a car (hotel shuttle services are often illusory) and will not have a many opportunities for early entries and other special offers.

Agree that with kids I would do Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom and then Epcot for some adult friendly activities.

Do pick out what you are going to see in advance, head to the farthest activities first (for shortest lines) and if a ride has 2 different lines the left is usuall faster (I have no idea why but it worked for us).

Oh and get there before the park opens to avoid the worst of the crowds.

Thank you so much for these tips. They are really helpful.
Using your advice.

I have narrowed down to the below parks:
1) Magic Kingdom
2) Animal Kingdom and
3) Day 3 we just plan on doing Sea World.

Frankly, I'd skip Sea World. And (having just been to Disney with a load of kids over the Christmas holiday) I have to say that Hollywood Studios was quite popular with the 6 to 9 year old set (as well as everyone else.)

Also, Epcot has really upped their game in attractions for younger ones. If they have special interests in any of the sciences (including earth science) Epcot is definitely the place to go.

I really like Animal Kingdom but I wouldn't say that was the kids'favorite.

If you can stay on site, it is very, very worthwhile. Look for deals on the meal plan, too: not that it will be cheaper, necessarily, but it's so simple and it's nice to have that "enforced rest" of a real dinner.

Soarin' is one of the biggest attractions in Epcot and it's closed for refurbishment until summer. I love Epcot but I'd skip given your dates, unless you're really interested in World Showcase.
Animal Kingdom is getting ready to debut (by April 15) its new nighttime show, Rivers of Light, which looks to be amazing. Plus, a nighttime safari!
Staying on-site is the most "magical" but at this point you won't be able to get discounts for May and it will be quite pricey.
Be prepared that food on-site is more overpriced than ever.
With so many people, you won't be able to stay in one standard room. You will need 2 rooms or a villa. Or 1 cabin at Ft. Wilderness. Great time of year to visit - Good luck!

What we did that helped us see as much as possible with our 7 and 10 year old children:
We arrived at the park of the day when it opened, walked straight to the back, looking at nothing. From the back, we worked our way forward, visiting whatever rides and sights we wanted. Hardly saw any people for the 1st few hours.

@RuchAgrawal
Please disregard my Animal Kingdom comments. Unfortunately, Disney has just announced that Rivers of Light and the other "nighttime enhancements" that were supposed to debut in late April have been delayed at least a month. So you will not be able to enjoy those this May

I agree with lantana, with 4 adults and 2 kids you'll need two rooms. May is a great time to visit. Magic Kingdom is a must, so really it's deciding on a second park. It depends on if your kids like animals on whether you go to Animal Kingdom. If they don't like animals, then there's not that much there to interest them. If so, then it's nice, but it's not as popular as the other parks. I love Epcot.

Epcot was our least favorite park. That Everest roller coaster at the animal park is so exciting!

3 days is probably less than the minimum number of days you should be at Disney World - I would shoot for no less than 6 days, that way you can see almost everything in all the parks. But, as you say, you are time-limited at Disney, so my choice in this order would be, 1) Magic Kingdom 2) Epcot, 3) Disney's Hollywood Studios, and sacrifice Animal Kingdom for another trip.

However, at this time there is a lot of construction going on at Disney, no matter what park you're visiting. If you buy a park-hopper pass, this will allow you to hop from one park to another in the same day. It's a little more expensive, but well worth it. You can be walking down Main Street, USA in the morning, and watching Illuminations at Epcot at night, in the same day.

Epcot is BIG...so don your most comfortable walking shoes because your feet will thank you later.

I don't think they make a meal plan for a 3-day trip, but you could ask your travel agent if this is possible. You might also be able to get a meal plan if you ask when checking in to your hotel (you are staying at a Disney hotel, are you?)

Dan