Rate the parks for small kids

[DisPadre]

I know this is a heavily Disney-oriented site but I need a little help with some non-Disney parks as well. A simple question: I have a 3 1/2 yr old DS and a 1 1/2 yr old DD, rate the following parks for kids this age:

1) MK
2) Epcot
3) MGM
4) AK
5) Seaworld
6) Universal Studios
7) Universal Studios - Islands of Adventure

We are going Nov 29th through Dec 5th, so that leaves us 5 full days of fun. We are planning to spend 2 days at MK, but are unsure of the rest.

Thanks!

 

[janetm]

My 6 year old was not the least bit impressed with Epcot or MGM. Her favorites were MK and AK. Animal Kingdom was the one that suprised me, but she was fascinated by The Tree of Life.

 

[hellokitty]

I think your kids would enjoy "honey i shrunk the kids playground" at MGM!
Also, i agree with MK being the best they have a great area to meet minnie and mickey and
also fantasyland has so many little kids rides.
Animal Kingdom is great because most kids love to see animals!! They have a great petting zoo area, and the
dinosaur dig area/playground is great for your age children.
As for Epcot, there is not alot for the little ones, although it is a neat place.

Downtown disney has a outside lego area and water fountian to play in that is really fun.

OH, Universal Studios would be too much for them it is really geared for the older kids--about 7 and up.
Island of adventures has a cool dr. suess area and a really fun jurassic park ride and play area, I would
opt for this park only .
I thought my 5 and 7 yr. old were too young for some of the rides
at the original US.

If you spend two days at MK then I would go to AK or MgM and then Us IOA--or spend 1/2 a day at Downtown Disney.

Either way--you will have a blast!!

Is this your first time??

 

[robsmom]

We took an almost 2 year old to both MGM and to Universal Studios and were pleasantly suprised by both. MGM has
the Honey I shrunk the kids playground (great but you MUST supervise closely because there are too many places to
climb and fall.) At MGM he also liked the Little Mermaid, The muppets, and the Great Movie Ride. At Universal Studios the
highlight was of course Barney, which we saw twice and the Barney playground. As my son loves Barney, this was
enough in itself, but I was suprised how well he did on "adult themed rides" like Jaws and King Kong. He got a bit scared
on ET the second time, but loved it the first time.
.
We will try the other parks next month (18 days!!) and think MK and AK will be great for him.

Have fun!!

 

[DisPadre]

Thank you all for your input! Is there anyone else with little kids that could give me some tips??

 

[POOH&PIGLET]

Our only experience is with WDW. We went to WDW when DD was 13 months old. Her favorite by far was Animal Kingdom. She especially loved the African Safari. Basically, any animals were fun.

Another thing she really enjoyed was the music and entertainment at EPCOT's World Showcase. She sat and watched in amazement at the Aztec dancers in Mexico, the band in Germany, and the drummers in Japan.

We didn't go on many rides with her so I can't give advice on that. She enjoyed It's a Small World. We also went to the petting zoo at Fort Wilderness. Again, animals are a big hit. Your DS will be able to go on a minature horse ride. Our DD was under the 2-year-old age limit at the time.

The only dislike (and a big one at that) were the fireworks. The noise was just too much.
I hope this helps.

 

[beattyfamily]

An important question is; is this your FIRST trip? That can make a big difference.

If it's your or your kids first trip, then all those parks in 5 days may be too much.

Anyway, here's my opinion and I have a 2 and 5 year old.

1) MK (absolutely the best; can easily spend 2 days there!)
2) MGM (The shows; Beauty & the Beast, Mermaid, Bear, Fantasmic!)
3) Universal Studios - Islands of Adventure (Grinchmas going on now!)
4) Universal Studios (Barney show)
5) Epcot ("Silver Ball ride" as my 5 year old says)
6) AK (Lion King Show is great!)
7) Seaworld (never been)

IMHO, I would skip Seaworld and if possible AK (it's not our favorite of WDW). If this is your first trip then I'd do MK, MGM, EPCOT, and maybe 1 day at Universal (IOA for Grinchmas). You'll probably spend the most time at MK, then MGM; EPCOT doesn't have all that much for little ones. I also think AK is a quicker park than the frist 2 listed. 5 days isn't enough for all those parks!

So it's hard to plan it out.

Good luck!!!

 

[sha_lyn]

in order of best to worse (not really any worse as our DD had great fun at all the parks , she was 2 1/2 at WDW and 3 1/2 at US/IOA/SW)

MK
IOA
SW
MGM
AK
US
Epcot

This is based on the amount of things at the parks that DD enjoyed. US has a lot they can do but it really isn't as interesting to the littler ones. The same with Epcot.

 

[Planogirl]

My son was unusual because he really, really enjoyed Epcot when he was little. He seemed to lose more interest the older he got but we still enjoy it now that he's 8. MK and MGM have always been favorites with the edge going to MK mostly because of the parades. DS didn't try AK until he was 6 but he really enjoyed it that year. He loved the Safari, all of the shows, Kali River Rapids and seeing the animals.

Sea World has always been a huge hit for our son no matter what his age was. He LOVED the shows and exhibits tremendously even when he was teeny.

We haven't tried the Universal parks yet. These parks always seemed like they'd be better suited to older kids but I don't know that for a fact.

 

[catwho]

I can't rate the non-Disney parks as we never go. We only have a limited amount of time and have yet to get bored at WDW! As for rating the for your aged kids, let me first say that I want to slap myself silly for thinking that my kids wouldn't have enjoyed Epcot or MGM when they were younger! <slap slap slap silly silly silly>

MK is definitely the place where my kids have enjoyed themselves the most at young ages (9 months, 24 months, 30 months) My son and daughter both learned to speak after going to Disney! Animal Kingdom would be second simply for the animal factor and that we have kids that LOVE animals. (sliding, digging for dino bones and seeing the unique parades and shows were a bonus!) Epcot - oh man, it's my favorite park, but my kids rate it third. They claim there is too much walking! LOL!!

You can always find something to do with kids at WDW!

 

[susy]

My son will be 4 on Nov 30 and we just got back two weeks ago. Now, If I went by what I "thought he would like" I would have said "MK and AK"-WRONG!!!! AK totally stressed him out-we were out of there by 1:30! It was not crowded , really (most rides had waits posted of 10 minutes or less), but the way the park is designed you have to go back to Safari Village between each land, so it was congested all day!!! Camp Minnie Mickey was anightmare. We saw the fist Lion King show, which was great, but it was way too long for a small child to sit through. We were the very first people through the turnstiles and rode KS right away. We played at the Boneyard, whcih he loved, but it soon became so crowded we feared we would lose him-so we left. Went that evening (around 4) to MGM-this heLOVED. Rode Star Tours and Muppets and had a nice dinner at Brown Derby. Did MK the next two day-you definitely need two days. I think he was overwhelmed by all the rides (going from one to another...to another...to another...) and all there was to see. We did two half days there and did Epcot in the evenings , which he also LOVED. Walked onto Spaceship Earth both nights, ate dinner (Garden Grill was excellent) and saw the TOD parade!!!! so, my 3 yo loved MGM and Epcot!!!!

 

[atlnewf]

We went in Sept. when my son was 2.5, and my daughter only 4mos. We spent two half-days at MK, a day at Epcot, and a partial day at AK. My son loved it all, though he was really run down by the time we were done.
His favorite ride was Dumbo, followed probably by Aladdin's carpet or the Pirates of the Caribbean. We tried the Tree of Life and it really spooked him (and my daughter), so we'll skip that next time. He liked what few rides were at Epcot (that he was allowed on), though he was impressed more by the street shows. The fireworks he calls "boomies" and he complained were too loud. He was also worried when the globe "broke".

We head back in May and my son will be 3.5 and my daughter almost a year. We'll do almost the same thing, except perhaps instead of Epcot we'll do MGM. My son loves Playhouse Disney and I'd like to see what they've done with that.

Ashley

 

[susy]

Ashley,
My DS loved Haunted Mansion and Thunder Mountain Railroad, but the minute that Illuminations started, he was screaming and crying! We had to run to the exit-good thing we were at the entrance to FW! The noise is what did it!

 

[ritu_card]

What are the attractions to cover Epcot With A 4yrs Old?? We are leaving in 2 days. If we are to spend half a day at Epcot what attractions should we cover keeping in mind the interests of a 4 yrs ols.

thanks in advance

 

[susy]

Okay, here goes (some things we have done, some not. I'm going by the park map guide):

Spaceship Earth
Living Seas
Honey I shrunk the Audience
Test track ?
body wars (careful - motion sickness?)

Maelstrom (in Norway)

I only listed those attractions that had 3 or more stas for preshoolers in my guidebook (the Unofficial Guide), but I"m planning on taking my 4yo on El Rio del tiempo (mexico) and Living With the Land in the Land Pavilion. Another MUST DO (IMO) is the Garden Grill (either lunch or dinner ). I would call and get a PS for this. this is a good place for a "break", since your table doesn't face other diners you rotate very slowly above the Land ride and it's very relaxing. It's also a great way to get to see Mickey, Pluto, Chip and Dale. Minnie was also there when we went. Great food, too!!!!

My Ds really loved FW and we only went to the WS to see TOD (another MUST DO with this age!). then again, we only went to Epcot for a short time in the evenings.