Disney World with 2 and 4 yr old?

CharMaeK

Has anyone visited the Disney World parks with kids ages 2 and 4 (or around there)? I am heading to a conference in Orlando and debating extending my stay and bringing the family. Here are my concerns. First, are there enough attractions at the parks to entertain the kids and make it feel worthwhile to pay for the tickets? Which parks would you visit? I am thinking Magic Kingdom and Epcot. Thoughts? Second, the conference is going to take up about 2.5 days of my time. I am concerned about what my husband would do with our young kids. He would not be taking them to a theme park during that time (too much headache at that age). However, I am thinking he would be bored sitting by the pool / playground / beach for that long of time. Suggestions on how to keep them busy for a fairly cheap price (to help balance out the price of park tickets)? Additional information, our hotel will be on Disney property (moderate resort) and we would have a car -- which my husband could use while I'm at the conference. Thanks for any advice. If you think this is just a bad idea (please tell me if you do!), what do you think are good ages to take the kids to Disney?

Disneygeek77

We went in Oct 2012 when the kids were 4 and 18 mos, so I will try to answer your questions as best I can.  

Yes, there are definitely enough attractions for them.  As far as if it is worthwhile to pay for tickets, that is up to you.  When we went, we went to the parks for  6 days and we still didn't get to do everything we wanted.  Next time I think we will go to the parks for 7-8 days.  

All of us liked all of the parks and they are special in their own way, however your kids will be able to do the most things at Magic Kingdom, but all of them have fun activities for kids.  As far as the other parks, it depends on what your kids like.  Do they like Nemo, Phineas and Ferb, Princesses, and crafts ?  Then they will like Epcot.  Do they like Disney Junior Shows, Muppets and Star Wars, then Hollywood Studios would be good for them.  Do they like animals and dinosaurs, then I would go to Animal Kingdom.  

As far as your husband is concerned, I would spend some time at your pool, explore the other resorts like the Animal Kingdom Lodge and see their Savannah and the Art of Animation resort, take the kids to Downtown Disney ( you can take a boat to Downtown Disney at one of the Port Orleans Hotels if you wanted to do something different).  At night you could also go to one of the Monorail hotels, sit on the beach and watch the fireworks.  They also have a fun little Electrical Water Parade that you can see from the monorail resorts as well.  Oh and they might enjoy the Boardwalk area by Epcot too.  

Nope, wait thought of more stuff.  He can take the kids to Fort Wilderness.  There they can explore the Horse Ranch, go on a wagon ride ( would cost them $13) and at night they have a Chip and Dale Sing a Long marshmallow roast.  These activities don't have require a theme park ticket and most of them are free except for the cost of food and the wagon / pony ride.  

I personally think it is a great time to take the kids.  Now if it is a once in a lifetime trip, then I would wait, but if not, then I say take them.  DD was 4 when we tookher and it was magical because she believed she was seeing a real castle and of course meeting the real Cinderella and Peter Pan.  She is a little over 5 now and still remembers Disneyworld.  

If you have any more questions please ask.  

YouAreMy1stWish

First, are there enough attractions at the parks to entertain the kids and make it feel worthwhile to pay for the tickets? Which parks would you visit? I am thinking Magic Kingdom and Epcot. Thoughts? 
We just took our 2 & 4 year old DDs in December. We were just there for 3 nights so we only did MK. The only other park I would do with kids that age is Hollywood Studios -- if they know/like the Disney Jr stuff. There aren't a lot of rides, but there are good shows. Personally, I think Magic Kingdon is a 2 day park anyway, I wouldn't even bother trying to cram in another. Also, jusy FYI, your 2 year old is free, so don't count him/her in the ticket cost.

Second, the conference is going to take up about 2.5 days of my time. I am concerned about what my husband would do with our young kids. He would not be taking them to a theme park during that time (too much headache at that age). However, I am thinking he would be bored sitting by the pool / playground / beach for that long of time. Suggestions on how to keep them busy for a fairly cheap price (to help balance out the price of park tickets)? 

I don't know how he would be bored playing with them at the pool and playground -- he might not have fun, but I think there's enough at any resort to keep them busy for most of the day. DisneyGeek gave you some great suggestions if he's willing to travel with them. If he works them hard enough in the morning they should take a nice nap and he can relax. There are kids club and babysitting services on property if it's too much for him to do alone. (https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/recreation/childrens-activity-centers/)

Our girls LOVE Disney. They've been 3 times in the last 16 months (H & I are HUGE Disney fans!) I think 2 & 4 is a great age to go.

phillywife2007

Disney with toddlers is a blast ! No kids here, but have taken cousins. Going in a month actually and totallyexcited !  Honestly, if your focus is the kids don't even worry about going to Epcot, I'd suggest Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom, as Epcot does have a few awesome rides, its all about the great food, which isn't too exciting for kids. Magic Kingdom is amazing and they just added the whole fantasyland with the Snow White Rollercoaster, little mermaid ride, etc. And when theyre toddlers they love animals, so why not do animal kingdom, especially with the safari, cant go wrong with that.

moonprincessd

I think it's a bad idea. My husband went when he was 4, he has zero memory of it. I went when I was 6 my first time and we went again when I was 8, I remember the second time more so. 

If you take them when they're too young, they won't remember it. They also won't be able to ride a lot of the rides. My younger sister, who was 5 the first time, couldn't get on some of the rides and that upset her. She had a bit of a growth spurt so at age 7 she was able to get on them and enjoyed it more. 

Truth is though, I had 10 times more fun when I went in high school on our band trip. Maybe it's because I was with my friends and it was like reliving my childhood. not sure. When we have kids, we probably won't go until they're 10, might be cool to do it when they're 11 though and try to get in Universal Studios so it be like they're going to Hogwarts. We'll see when that time comes, but I would think the youngest age we would go is 6ish. Old enough that they'll walk everywhere and not need to be carried or pushed.

Disneygeek77

:: Shrugs ::

My DD was almost 4 when we went and she still remembers it.  Now it was only 18 months ago, but she still talks about it and can even remember details like the shops where we bought souvenirs.  

I have no illusions that my son will remember as he was only 18 months at the time, however we went knowing it wasn't a once in a lifetime trip for us.  If it was going to be a once in a lifetime trip, then we definitely would have waited.  

But even  though it he was only 18 months, he was still able to do many things.  In fact, we weren't able to do everything we wanted to do and we were there for 6 days.  

Meeshe

We took our kids when they were 5 and just short of 2 and loved it.  I admit to liking it way more than I thought I would.  They only knew about the rides they could go on, so they werent' upset at all. And we were there for 5 days and there was so much we couldn't do.  My 5 YO believed every princess and character she met was real.  It was truly magical in that way.  I was a little worried about the 2 YO but he loved being in the stroller and seeing everything, he loved riding on the buses and the trains.  he was pretty easy to entertain:)  Also I say having little ones helped us enjoy it becuase we didn't even attempt to do too much.  we left early afternoon every day for nap and only went back once for a parade.  Most of the meltdowns come mid-late afternoon when everyone is tired and cranky.  We didnt' have that.