What to do?
 

I have business in the Orlando area in October and am going to make a family vacation out of it. My wife and I could enjoy anything, but we are concerned about our two boys, (3 and 1) if they would enjoy Disney or would there be something better?

how about writing a better title

Yes, you might want to re-post your question to something like "What do to in Orlando with children ages 1 & 3?"

That said, your 1 year old will get abosolutely nothing out of Disney World or any other tourist attraction for that matter. He is simply too young. Your 3 year old is however, at an age when he would enjoy some of the attractions Disney has to offer. You are going to be in the area so why not make a short visit (3 year olds have short attention spans) but don't expect to create lasting memories - that will have to wait until the boys are a bit older.

Sea World is great fun even for young children. I think Disney is wonderful at any age, though your boys are a tad young to enjoy many of the attractions.

Sea World is a great idea!

Disney's Animal Kingdom, the Central Florida Zoo <http://www.centralfloridazoo.org/> and the Magic Kingdom are possible alternatives. It's been a long time since my kids were as young as yours, so I'm not 100% sure of the suitability of these two Disney parks. See what other posters think.

A final recommendation would be the beach. October is great beach weather and you can get to Cocoa Beach or Indialantic Beach in approximately 1½ hours.

What could be better than Disney for kids in Orlando???
A year old is a bit young, but just go and enjoy the resort and swimming and a "lite" park visit. It should be good weather, and low crowds in Oct. Plan on a day or two at Magic Kingdom, and focus on the kiddie sections.

I say the beach. The kiddies may be too young to enjoy alot of the attractions in Orlando (Disney, etc). If it were not expensive to go to Disney, I'd say go take the 3 year old for a couple of hours or so but with the prices, it may not be worth it yet.

My sister said that one of my niece's favorite vacations was in a beach in Italy where a friend had a boat to take them around in. Lucis, my niece, was 3 then.

I meant Lucia. And, she had taken her to a Disney World (the one in california - or is that disney land - no idea). Lucia was bored in about 2 hrs...

Even very small children love animals. I would vote for Sea World. I agree that Disney will be a waste for your 1 year old especially.

ok Disneyland is out and SeaWorld is in

First, you must realize a lot of people on these boards are Disney snobs, imho.

I personally would absolutley go to DisneyWorld, Magic Kingdom. I have taken my two boys since they were several months old. And they thoroughly enjoy it. They actually can go on almost every ride, except for the roller coasters. And, although they will not remember the trip, you will remember it & have pictures of it. As for the price, both your children will be free! Aside from the rides like, small world, peter pan, dumbo, pooh & buzz lightyear, my boys loved the parades, fireworks, meeting the characters, Pooh, Tigger, Goofy, Mickey and even the princesses.
Do some more research before you decide...

www.disboards.com
www.wdwinfo.com
www.allearsnet.com

Just don't rush the day, take a rest midday and enjoy the magic!

Happy planning!

A lot will depend on how easily your two get tired and cranky. Having done both Disney and Sea World with young ones. I would vote for Sea World.

I am not a Disney snob! I think Disney would be great if the kids were older. I just think at this young age, the kids would enjoy Sea World a lot more.

birder, you may not be a Disney snob, but just the mention of DisneyWorld on this board will ilicit all kinds of criticism.

My point to dba31498 was to take the "advice" here with a grain of salt, as the majority seem to dislike WDW to begin with. And are therefore, not very objective.

dba, your children will enjoy DisneyWorld, actually, they will love it.

luv2plan - I didn't see anything on this thread that could remotely be called "Disney snob." But yet you said it anyway, thus acting as though anyone who didn't agree with you was a "Disney snob" and therefore not worth listening to. The very mild disagreement in the thread was about what a 1 year old would enjoy the most. People can disagree with you about this without being a "disney snob."

Back to the original topic, I think the original poster should also consider what they want to do, since their children probably won't remember the trip. So if you really want to do the beach, or Sea World, or Disney, then you should weight that option more heavily. But I do think that children that young will get more out of Sea World than Disney World. JMHO.

I went to Disney when I was five, and the only reason I know is because I saw the pictures. Take them where you want to go, and take lots of pictures! I do remember lots of things relating to the animals we saw at Gatorland and Busch Gardens (BG is over an hour away).

I'm not a Disney person, but that is my opinion. I took my 2 children to DW when they were young and don't remember anything about it. My daughter would not go on It's a Small World.

I am goin to a Double tree in Indialantic in July - suite right on the ocean, with a pool. Just a thought