Best 3 Parks for a 2 year old (almost 2 1/2)

[WMeda]

While I'm sure this has been asked and answered a million times, I'd appreciate any feedback anyone cares to provide.

We will be visiting Orlando in May (17th - 24th) and have set aside 3 days (and possibly a 4th) for visits to various parks with our 2 year old DS. With the exception of MK which is a given, we haven't yet decided which other 2 parks to visit.

Initially, I think SeaWorld and either MGM or Universal would make the most sense but I don't really have any reasnos to support these thoughts.

Anyone have any suggestions.

Thanks in advance for the help.

 

[Jordan's MOM]

I would say Epcot and AK. MGM would be my last choice and with just three days I would stick to WDW. With hopper passes you might could visit all three WDW parks. Universal has a lot more rides for older kids and there are just a few shows at MGM geared toward a toddler. You might be surprised how very much he likes Epcot. Most toddlers do. Don't forget to plan some of the things you like the most too. He will have fun where ever he is just hanging out with mom and dad.


Jordan's mom

 

[mommystieg]

With the exception of Playhouse Disney and Voyage of the Little Mermaid there really isn't a lot for a toddler to enjoy at MGM so I would definitely skip that park. If I was going to choose something outside of Disney for a toddler I would go with Sea World. I am not sure how much there is for a toddler to do at Universal. Of course, being a Disney fanatic I would only pick Disney parks. As Jordan's MOM said, you may want to consider Epcot and AK-our 2 y/o dd really enjoyed these parks. You will be surprised at how much there is for kids at Epcot and the pace in this park is not as hectic as MK.

 

[mom o'2princesses]

Just back today with a 20 month old and a 35 month old. We had planned to spend 1 1/2 days at Magic Kingdom, 1 day at Animal Kingdom, 1 day at MGM and a half day at Epcot, however, it didn't turn out that way. I'm sure others will disagree, but we all really enjoyed Magic Kingdom and I believe it really has far and away the most to do for toddlers. We wound up not making it to Animal Kingdom and Epcot at all with the kids (Dh and I did get to Epcot ourselves once). My girls loved the Little Mermaid, Playhouse Disney, and Muppetvision 3D shows, at MGM but that's it. There was so much more for them to do at Magic Kingdom, we spent 2 1/2 out of 4 days there.

If I were you, I would dedicate more than one day to Magic Kingdom, unless you've been there before with your little one. Have fun!

Jo

 

[eakmom]

We're visiting for 6 days (5 park days) in 2 weeks and plan to take our 2 1/2 year old to Seaworld (Day 1) - my DH wants to go there and I'm afraid after she sees WDW it won't hold her attention. After that I plan to go to AK one day then possibly MGM (not sure about that yet) THEN MK - once she sees that, I don't think she'll want to go anywhere else! We also plan on going to Epcot after her nap one or two days and hope we can make it back to AK one day after her nap for the 4:00 parade - may be too tight but we'll try. To give us the most flexibility, I've made 10:30 am PS reservations for the CP (Pooh is her favorite) 2 days but we'll cancel whichever one we don't use and also made them for Chef Mickey's on our last day so we we'll get some Disney magic without needing a park ticket.

I'll try to remember to post after we get back and let you know what we did and if it worked!

 

[Whosemom]

I know this is against what makes sense, my kids love MGM. And this includes trips when each was 18 mo. They seem to relax into the atmosphere of it somehow. Maybe its because its never the first day, and they have been MK-overstimulated. Whoever has been verbal at the time really talks about the different areas, and they all love the street performers. Isn't that where the Beauty and the Beast show is, too? And we ate at a restaurant (maybe a buffet?) that was just teeming with characters.

I guess what I would really say to you echos someone else. Go see what you want to see, your toddler will have fun anywhere.

Micki

 

[sha_lyn]

I would pick in in order of which they would enjoy more MK (a given of course) Sea World and MGM. Epcot my kids really like, but they would pick Sea World over it. While we love AK there really is very little for a 2 yr old there.

 

[BevS97]

my dd adores Seaworld, she would probably pick it as her favorite park over MK. She talks about Shamu and the Dolphins all the time.

MK is a given, and I agree - I would go more than once.

Of the others, Epcot is our favorite, and my dd always enjoys it. There's not a lot that is specifically aimed at her, but she enjoys the atmosphere in the park and always has a good day and asks to go back.

MGM is not a good park for her - although she likes Bear in the Big Blue House, there is not an awful lot else for her there. Saying that, as we have more time, we still go there, and she doesn't seem to mind, but if I was limited in time, then I would skip it.

I'm not a great fan of AK - Katie adores Pocahontas so we go to see her show, the Lion King Show (which is superb), and the safari, but that's about it for us in AK - we probably go twice for 1/2 day each time.

I wouldn't take a toddler to either of the Universal parks - we took Katie at 3.5 and there was very very little for her. Barney at Universal studios, and the SuessLanding area in IOA (and then not all of it, as she HATED Cat in the Hat with a passion).
We are thinking of trying them again this year when she will be 6.

Bev

 

[tink2]

On our last family trip, we had a kids the ages of 6 months, 2 1/2, 5, and 8. Their favorite parks in order were MK ( of course #1), MGM, Animal Kingdom, and Epcot. They loved Playhouse Disney, Voyage of the Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, MuppetVision 3D. They also enjoyed several others. Of course, the 8 year old loved TOT and RNR- she's a daredevil! Point is, children will enjoy different things. A lot of the time, they enjoy what their parents make of it. We personally aren't the biggest Epcot fans, so we didn't spend much time there trying to get them to like it. MK speaks for itself- I'd think most any child would love it- unless overstimulated as stated above. But the others depends on the child and family. You know what you and your child will like. I've never been to Sea World or Universal- so I can't speak for those. I would advise researching the parks to find out what each has to offer and then go from there. Good luck making your decision and have a terrific trip! Can't wait to hear your trip report and how it turns out!

 

[fiveforall]

My DS was 2 1/2 during our last trip. His least favorite park was MGM(despite Playhouse Disney which is cool!). He adored MK(Pooh ride and Buzz Lightyear especially). In AK we had to bribe him with an ice-cream to get him out of the Boneyard. He also got so excited during Tarzan Rocks! He loved the lights of World Showcase in Epcot during the night, and the fountains and Ice Station Cool during the day.

I really think it depends on the personal taste of your family. My DH and I really love Epcot, and we make sure that our kids get a passport and examine all areas. But, if your child will just want to ride rides, then Epcot might not be the place for you. I definitely think a 2 1/2 year old will love the animals of AK. The landscaping there is just breathtaking. My DS wanted to touch everything!!!

 

[jenniferk97]

I think everyone is right in saying that each child is so individual in their tastes...you'll have to follow your instincts.

We will be in Orlando in less than three weeks, and my daughter was exactly 2.5 a few days ago. She will LOVE Universal with all the Nickelodeon characters (SpongeBob, Jimmy Neutron, the Wild Thornberrys, the Rugrats), not to mention Scooby and Shaggy, etc. But she knows all those thanks to her big brother, so YMMV. She will also enjoy the Curious George theming on the play area (is it fountains?), and Barney...well, it might be the highlight of the trip for her, LOL. The Suess area will be a huge hit with both my kids, but we have all the books and it's a big part of our family.

Sea World we will skip because we live near San Antonio and go often. My kids like it, but when my oldest was the age of your son, we were disappointed that he didn't seem to enjoy it as much as we did.

We plan to hit all four Disney parks, but I want to START with MK, then go to Universal, then do Animal Kingdom, then Epcot (possibly in the evenings or on it's own whole day). MGM I'm not sure about, but reading this thread makes me think we'll go there once and check it out. My oldest is five, but I'm not sure that park will be worth perhaps skipping another day at MK or Universal. I got online Universal passes that were quite a deal, a five day consecutive pass, so we can go back there if we choose, but these tickets were only a few dollars more than the tickets sold at the door that allow you to do both parks in one day. I wanted to have them in advance, so I went for it. I do expect one day there will be enough, though.

JenniferK

 

[WMeda]

Thanks everyone for your help.

I guess we have to give it a bit more thought . We'll definitely take what you've said into consideration.

 

[trayletha]

It does depend on the child. My DD(4) favorite, after MK (oc), was MGM - Playhouse Disney - Little Mermaid - Muppets - The Honey I Shrunk Playground and the cherry on top ......... Jessie, Woody and Buzz .............

So what every your son likes the most at home - he'll love at DW.