Your 'must see & do' with a three year old!

[K8T]

Hi there

We are doing 6 nights at WDW staying at the Beach Club and then 4 nights DCL.

Our DD will be 3yrs 4 months and is well used to travelling and eating out, however, not having been to Disney before, there is just so much to think about.

We would like to keep things fairly flexible and not plan too much, but would like to know what your MUST SEE!! list would be with a toddler.

Her loves are Nemo (obsessive!) Cat in the Hat/Green Eggs and Ham and of course Snow White and Sleeping Beauty, probably in that order.

We haven't got our tickets yet either, so any suggestions would be useful!

Kate

P.S Who needs a personal planner when I have you lot!!!!

 

[wideeyes]

There is a Nemo ride at Epcot which is cute, and my DD loved crush turtle talk - this is a must.

The princess story book breakfast at Epcot is fantastic - it had sleeping beauty and snow white present when we went aswell as Belle, Jasmine and Mulan, great for girls who love princesses.

The Epcot Kidstops seem to be a hit with young kids, they collect cutout and colour them in, very simple however kids love it.

obviously Fantasy land at Magic Kingdom - its a small world, Peter Pan, Dumbo, Winnie the Pooh ride,

I would be a bit wary of the Snow White Ride at Magic Kingdom though as it can be quite scary for sensitive children, it depends on you dd really, they was a couple of kids screaming on it when we rode it.

meeting characters at Toontown Mickey.

The animals at Animal Kingdom.

Swimming at the hotel,

The little Mermaid show at the studios.

I have not been to Universal studios or IOA however I am sure that cat in the hat is there.

 

[JohnnySharp2]

Cat In The Hat is at the Suess Landing area at Universal IOA.
Joshua loves it, it's an indoor ride, actually makes me feel ill as there is a lot of spinning around involved but kid's love all that.
Suess area at IOA is good for little one's, I think your child may be just a little too young for Universal Studios although ET and Barney are always popular.

WDW - definitely Fantasyland has a few attractions , Winnie The Pooh, Peter Pan and Dumbo all good for kid's.

It can kind of depend, at such a young age some children would find the likes of Snow White scary, so it can vary - there is no way Joshua would have liked some of the above rides at such a young age.

 

[disneyholic family]

i'm not a big fan of the "must see" concept, especially where wee ones are concerned...

best to be flexible and not worry about what you see and don't see....

as for what a 3 year old might like....it depends on the 3 year old..

in the MK, in addition to what's been mentioned, some other attractions a 3 year old might like - the TTA, it's a small world, tom sawyers island, country bear jamboree, aladin (like dumbo)....that's what i can think of...oh, also that playground in fantasyland...pooh corner? i can't remember what it's called..

 

[PoppyAnna]

Hi,
Welcome to the DIS from me...

Our elsdest DD was just four when we went in May and our youngest DD was nineteen months.

We were flexible but booked a few lunches rather than dinners, it gave them a rest from the midday heat and they weren't too tired to eat then we got a counter service meal on the way home or ate outside the park in the evening.
We did the Princess storybook meal as a lunch and it was wonderful for any little girl that loves the princesses, us adults thought it was pretty great to.

In the MK our girls loved Ariel's Grotto (she will get wet), Mickeys Philharmagic, Peter Pan's flight. Small world, Dumbo, Minnie and Mickeys house in toontown, Buzz Lightyear's spin and Aladdin's carpet ride. The 3pm and Wishes is a must do (although fireworks aren't for all children).

In MGM they loved Voyage of the Little Mermaid (can you see a theme developing!), Playhouse Disney (especially metting the Little Einsteins), and the evening show Fantasmic (although there are some elements they may frighten youngsters).

At EPCOT they loved the previously mentioned Nemo ride and Turtle Talk with Crush. Our eldest was tall enough to ride Soarin and Test Track which were very popular too. Our eldest LOVES Maelstrom a sedate water boat ride in "Norway". They also loved the Figment ride. Character greeting at EPCOT was really well organised.

At the Animal Kingdom they loved Kilimanjaro Safaris, Kali river rapids (eldest only) festival of the Lion King, we went to the Nemo musical at AK but the children didn't like it.

The Suess landing area at IOA is great our girls loved in there....DH has turned the lights out and I cant type anymore - that should be enough for you.....have fun, take breaks and sit back and watch Disney World go about its business for a few moments each day you are there!

 

[disneyholic family]

Hi,
Welcome to the DIS from me...

Our elsdest DD was just four when we went in May and our youngest DD was nineteen months.

We were flexible but booked a few lunches rather than dinners, it gave them a rest from the midday heat and they weren't too tired to eat then we got a counter service meal on the way home or ate outside the park in the evening.
We did the Princess storybook meal as a lunch and it was wonderful for any little girl that loves the princesses, us adults thought it was pretty great to.

In the MK our girls loved Ariel's Grotto (she will get wet), Mickeys Philharmagic, Peter Pan's flight. Small world, Dumbo, Minnie and Mickeys house in toontown, Buzz Lightyear's spin and Aladdin's carpet ride. The 3pm and Wishes is a must do (although fireworks aren't for all children).

In MGM they loved Voyage of the Little Mermaid (can you see a theme developing!), Playhouse Disney (especially metting the Little Einsteins), and the evening show Fantasmic (although there are some elements they may frighten youngsters).

At EPCOT they loved the previously mentioned Nemo ride and Turtle Talk with Crush. Our eldest was tall enough to ride Soarin and Test Track which were very popular too. Our eldest LOVES Maelstrom a sedate water boat ride in "Norway". They also loved the Figment ride. Character greeting at EPCOT was really well organised.

At the Animal Kingdom they loved Kilimanjaro Safaris, Kali river rapids (eldest only) festival of the Lion King, we went to the Nemo musical at AK but the children didn't like it.

The Suess landing area at IOA is great our girls loved in there....DH has turned the lights out and I cant type anymore - that should be enough for you.....have fun, take breaks and sit back and watch Disney World go about its business for a few moments each day you are there!

those are great suggestions..

as for the Nemo musical - that's a difficult one to predict. It's very long - 37 minutes to be exact - which is too long for many young children.

However, when we were just at WDW, we saw the nemo musical 4 times. We discovered it was impossible to generalize as to whether really little kids would like it or not. We saw some kids who had to be taken out in the middle (or much sooner) while other kids (even very little ones) loved it.
So it really depends on the child. If you're not sure, but want to try, be sure to sit by an aisle, so that you'll be able to exit easily without disturbing others.

 

[natalielongstaff]

IOA sounds perfect for your dd, i agree with johnny that US might go over her head the adults will like it though.

for our 1st trip we just concentrated on WDW ......you can always do other parks next time you go ( there will be a next time !! )

have fun planning and welcome to the boards

 

[PoppyAnna]

Forgot to mention the Bibbidi Bobbidi boutiques - we did the one at DTD as it was the only one open back in May - our DD really wasn't keen on it at all but it might be fir your DD or you may decide she is too young and you'll do it next time, like Natalie says - there will be a next time!

 

[K8T]

Fantastic ideas, thanks so much.

I will have a look at the suggestions in more detail. I had no idea there was a Winnie the Poo ride, she will go mad - I can't wait.

DD is quite confident, but I will see how it goes with some of the others.

Poppyanna, I think you have my dd down to a tee! She loves little Einsteins and I didn't know they were there too!

I think I need to order the Brits Guide!

Thanks again, if anything else comes to mind, let me know.

Kate

 

[JohnnySharp2]

Kate most of the rides have a store also, it is common to exit the ride or attraction and walk straight into a themed shop based on the ride you have been on.
You may find you spend more time in there than on the ride itself.

 

[PoppyAnna]

Fantastic ideas, thanks so much.

I will have a look at the suggestions in more detail. I had no idea there was a Winnie the Poo ride, she will go mad - I can't wait.

DD is quite confident, but I will see how it goes with some of the others.

Poppyanna, I think you have my dd down to a tee! She loves little Einsteins and I didn't know they were there too!

I think I need to order the Brits Guide!

Thanks again, if anything else comes to mind, let me know.

Kate

Hi Kate, Here's my girls meeting the June and Quincy from Little Einsteins. They loved meeting them, you can do a character breakfast or lunch at the Hollywood and Vine restaurant with the other two (Leo and Annie). The character greeting for them is right outside the Playhouse Disney on stage building at MGM ("The Studios") check the daily theme park guide for times.

I have to say my girls love the water parks most of all, I think. I know you have 6 days there if you do four at the WDW main parks and choose to do IOA on day five maybe you could do a half day at a water park.
I don't want to spoil the magic but if you really want to get an idea of what certain "attractions" are like, look them up on Youtube you can bet your life somebody has put video of it on there. Since being home the girls sometimes ask to watch Soarin or Splash Mountain or Dumbo and if I haven't got it on video youtube has and they love it. There's even footage of character meals on there.....
Enjoy your planning, it's a lovely way to get you in the holiday mood!
PS. Feel free to send me a private message if you want to know anything more specific about anything I've suggested, if we've done it I can probably show you a photo of it too!

 

[JohnnySharp2]

Kate forgot to mention if you do decide to go to Universal Studios the Barney indoor play area is great for little one's.
There are slides , water features and of course the store for all those souvenir's.
With ET just opposite also.

In addition there is a Curious George water playground and a sheltered children's playground again with a slide etc

All these may be suitable, few pictures below:

 

[T16GEM]

Kate forgot to mention if you do decide to go to Universal Studios the Barney indoor play area is great for little one's.
There are slides , water features and of course the store for all those souvenir's.
With ET just opposite also.

In addition there is a Curious George water playground and a sheltered children's playground again with a slide etc

All these may be suitable.

We were watching the planning dvds last night and a member of our party who doesn't like thrill rides decided that she would spend the day with DD and DS in the Curious George play area! I am sure that they will love it, mine are 24 months and 11 months so a bit younger than your DD, but as others have said I would just go with the flow and don't feel pressured to do everything - then you have an excuse to go back again!

Welcome to the boards by the way!

Gems

 

[K8T]

Reading all the great things to do and seeing the pictures, is fantastic.

Thank you so much. I bought the Brit Guide today, which I have been highlighting already. DD is just going to go mad. Again, I didn't know that Barney was there too. If I have heard the I love you, you love me....song once I have heard it a thousand times!!

I have picked out a couple of things for dh too - he never reads the guidebooks and relies on me!

I also hadn't thought about You Tube, I am going to have a look right now.

Thanks again everyone.

Kate

 

[StephenKay]

Hi there,

So much to do so little time. Be at Ariels Grotto for opening, the wait can be 40 mins just for a character meet.

My first is Chef Mickeys character breakfast at the Contemporary Resort, to get there if you are not driving is to get the bus from the Beach Club to the MK and simply walk back the 400 yrds to the Contemporary. lots of fun or you can do a character breakfast on the cruise line.

2nd tip use the Character greeting spot in Epcot for all the "Big Five" characters as it's an easy way to meet them all, without wasting valuable time.

3rd A bit of a favourite of mine, do the Voyage of the Little Mermaid in Disney Studios.

Have a great time.

 

[lisaj]

My little ones loved the 3D films, philarmagic and the muppets but be careful of a Bugs life at AK as although its a similar format its a bit scary.

Also, the younger ones as already mentioned seem to sniff out a character at 100 paces and not budge until the autograph and photo have been taken.

When we went the first time and my DD was 20months she wouldn't budge off Small World, this time at the ripe of old age of 5 she announced she'd outgrown it.

Both my two hate the rollercoasters but LOVE the water rides. Kali Water Rapids at AK is a big hit but it depends on the child's height.

 

[disneyholic family]

My little ones loved the 3D films, philarmagic and the muppets but be careful of a Bugs life at AK as although its a similar format its a bit scary.

Also, the younger ones as already mentioned seem to sniff out a character at 100 paces and not budge until the autograph and photo have been taken.

When we went the first time and my DD was 20months she wouldn't budge off Small World, this time at the ripe of old age of 5 she announced she'd outgrown it.

Both my two hate the rollercoasters but LOVE the water rides. Kali Water Rapids at AK is a big hit but it depends on the child's height.

we had a small boy on Kali with us this past trip and he was terrified out of his mind. So i'm not sure i would recommend that one.

i agree that bug's life is probably too scary....that's one of the ways we pass the time while waiting to go into the show...look around and guess which kids will end up hysterically screaming by the end....there are always several...
i would skip bugs life with a 3 year old....

TTA is the one my kids liked to ride round and round when they were toddlers....and they still do (at age 20 and 23)...