My wife and I are planning three days in Orlando with kids ages 8,6,5 and 3 (plus an infant). After Magic Kingdom, which park do you think kids of this age would enjoy most - Universal Islands of Adventure, Universal Studios, Disney MGM Studios or Disney Animal Kingdom?
Wow, that’s tough. As you mentioned Magic Kingdom is without a doubt the best park for people of all ages.
Animal Kingdom and Epcot both cater to an older crowd (although they do have attractions the youngsters would enjoy too, but they’re fewer in numbers.
Universal Islands of Adventure is a great thrill ride park, but obviously these rides wouldn’t be suited for a 3 year old and a toddler. There is “Seuss Land” though, a portion of the park built for the kids, but as I haven’t spent much time in that area, I don’t know how well those rides wait.
Universal Studios is pretty much the same deal as IOA. Although it has less thrill rides, the attractions still feature loud explosions, scary elements, etc. I think the older kids would dig it, but the youngsters again would be frightened, imo.
Finally, there’s Disney’s MGM. While it also caters to an older crowd, I believe it has more attractions that the whole family could enjoy than any of the other parks. Muppets 3D, Star Tours and Indiana Jones Stunt Show are just some of the attractions that should be suitable for everyone, except for the toddler. As I’m not a toddler, I really don’t know what rides would be appropriate for his age. I think regardless of what theme park you’re going to, you’re going to have to do the “baby swap” thing quite often.
Actually, now that I think about it more, I believe Animal Kingdom has more attractions that would be suitable for the baby than MGM. It’s a more relaxed park, with plenty of shows and animal exhibits.
When I was at WDW in August (as an adult accompanied only by adults) we definitely felt that Animal Kingdom was the most kid-oriented park after Magic Kingdom. There was not much there we were interested in but a number of attractions that were geared to kids.
Gatorland. Man, that’s the only place I’ve ever gone back to. You can’t beat Gatorland. Don’t forget the Gator Nuggets for lunch - very fine eating.
We haven’t been off Disney property in years, but our kids second favorite park is AK - they started going when the youngest was two, the oldest is now six.
I drive by Gatorland every day on my way to work in the morning! I really need to go there some day, because it looks too cool.
Walt Disney World!!
Everything else is a distant second! Stay in one of fantastic resorts on the WDW property. Take the kids to Magic Kingdom & Animal Kingdom. Then take them to Blizzard Beach Water Park & Typhoon Lagoon Water Park. Man, you want to talk about fun! 
Just look at this place. It’s heaven on earth!
We will be going back in 2 years. I’m already counting down the days! 
Well I haven’t been to Disney World since 6th grade, but I know now (and probably when/if I was a kid too), I’d probably have much more fun at Islands of Adventure. But then again, I love superheroes and roller coastery-thrill rides. If the kids are too young, they might not appreciate it, but they probably would like the Disney parks best.
While I admire, and enjoyed IOA, I still prefer the Disney parks over Universal’s. They just can’t quite capture the same feeling, of which I can’t describe.
And I love thrill rides, but most of the ones at IOA are half-assed in theme, which kind of takes away from the experience IMO. Besides, nothing beats Tower of Terror
I’m 19 btw.
Fair enough. I’m 26, and the last time I went to Disney, the MGM park wasn’t even BUILT yet. I did IOA twice in college with friends, and loved it both times, but I’ve never even been to “regular” Universal, or to Disney World since 1989 or thereabouts.
And don’t forget about Mission: Space in Epcot
And in 2006, Expedition Everest: Legend of the Forbidden Mountain opens in Animal Kingdom!
Both major E-Ticket attractions!
Oh wow, quite a lot has changed since then.
Anyways, IOA is still a great park though, and the only one which I would place on a level even comparable to Disney (which is saying a lot). Even the themeing is great, up until the actual ride itself begins, but despite that, they’re still wickedly fun (The Hulk, Dueling Dragons and Dr Doom being my favorites).
Captain Crunchy Crunch, you forgot Test Track, Soarin’ (which opens in a couple months) and Rockin’ Roller Coaster. Shame on you
I wasn’t clear, but I meant just major new attractions. I had forgotten about Soarin’.
If I was to name ALL of the great attractions at Disney World, I would have to name every single attraction, at all four parks. Well, except for It’s a Small World, that is.
Wow, just two of you and five kids including an infant. That’s going to be a lot of work. Can you get some help, like a grandmother or nanny? If it’s convenient maybe we could come to the park with you one day (we’ve got annual passes). I’ve got two, ages 9 and 6, which is not that stressful but still.
Of the parks, I’d say in this order: Magic Kingdom(MK), Animal Kingdom(AK) followed closely by MGM and distantly trailed by Epcot. My kids might actually prefer AK in some instances. There’s a decent amount of stuff in MGM that all of the kids can do, but depending on your older ones they might find some of it a bit boring (Bear in the Big Blue House, etc). In MK it’s very helpful to figure out the FastPass systems before you go. The main downside of MK is the long waits for rides, which will make little ones antsy. And some of the classic small kid themed stuff has the longest waits (Peter Pan, Snow White, etc). The newer kid-oriented area is good.
Also, my oldest is frightened easily so there’s some stuff she won’t go on (Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion). If you have any like that you’ll have to split up so the others can enjoy those. That’s going to be a problem for you, anyway, with your variety of ages.
One nice thing about AK is the foods on offer are a lot more healthy and varied than MK. You can pack in food and drinks and tote them around on your stroller.
In the “all kids are different” we skipped MGM completely last time except for Fantasmic. We (the grown ups) prefer Epcot - the kids don’t seem to mind.
However, MGM is big on the list for next time. The kids will be six and seven, and want to get close to (but probably not actually ride) Tower of Terror.
I agree with Napier, Gatorland is a blast!
I also think that Universal Studios is a complete bore. What a waste of $$$! If you are looking for good rides, absolutely do not go to Universal Studios.