TTD Disney Orlando Proprty Non-MK, kids

In My Humble Opinion
1

So we have a special park hopper pass for the Disney Property: 7 days of park access to the 6 parks. Couple 20-somethings, couple 40-somethings two 5 year olds, one 6

Magic Kingdom – I’ve been as kid a couple times, lots of on-line info and anecdotal stories. I feel We have it “covered”. Ditto Epcot.

But I don’t feel as confident on MGM, Animal Kingdom, Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach … I am not sure of those.

If you had a packed schedule and you had to give one or more of these parks a miss -which one or two would it be?

Which would you absolutely NOT miss?

Which rides should be hit, keeping in mind we have 5-6 year olds?

Is the MGM “Star Tours” ride, which is billed as a “thrill ride” too scary for a, fairly tough, 6 year old Star Wars FANATIC - but 6 year old nonetheless - he passes the height req according to the website

2

Star Tours shouldn’t be a problem. Its movement simulation while watching a movie. He can close his eyes if he gets scared, which I doubt.

Rockin Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith at MGM is IMO the only ride in the whole resort worth waiting in line for, and they have provisions for your kids to be watched while the big kids ride. You can skip Animal Kingdom.

My kids seem to perfer Blizzard Beach over Typhoon Lagoon, but the local favorite hands down is Wet’n’Wild.

I’d make it a point to skip Disney for a day and visit Universal’s Islands of Adventure, time and money permitting. If you have a choice, Citywalk at Universal is also a local favorite over Pleasure Island.

Have a great time, and welcome to Orlando!

3

Star Tours is more of a problem for those prone to motion sickness. It’s not scary, and I’ve seen kids much younger than six go on it and love it.

Animal Kingdom is the easiest park to miss if you have to miss one. Somehow, it’s always hotter there than anywhere else on the resort. Also, it’s definitely more of a leisurely, walk around and appreciate the themeing type of experience than if you’re looking to hop from ride to ride. It’s very kid-friendly, though – there are parades, animals all over the place, and character greeting areas.

However, if you do go (and with seven days, you should have plenty of time to), the Kilimanjaro Safaris are a must-see, if you go early in the day. Kids will also like the Lion King show, which has live performers and acrobats and is impressive. “Tarzan Rocks,” however, doesn’t. The raft ride is not worth it. Neither is the train ride to “Conservation Station,” unless you have someone in your party who’s really interested in animal care. The Dinosaur ride (which I can’t remember if it’s open or not) is neat, but can be scary for younger kids. And the Tree of Life contains the “It’s Tough to Be a Bug” 3-D movie, which is outstanding, but can also be scary for young children.

MGM is my second-favorite of the parks, next to Epcot. And that’s only because of the Tower of Terror, which is IMO the best thing Disney has ever done. It’s a combination of a freefall ride and the Haunted Mansion. I couldn’t guess the age limits for that, but I know that the last time I went, a man was taking his son and daughter on the ride, and she kept proudly telling everyone that she was 5 years old and it was her favorite ride. MGM also has a “Stars and Motorcars” parade that’s popular with kids and antique-car-buff adults.

I’ve never been to Typhoon Lagoon, but Blizzard Beach is a lot of fun for a half-day.

And the absolute must-see thing at the park is at Epcot, the “Illuminations” fireworks show around the World Showcase Lagoon. It’s outstanding.

4

One other thing – at the Magic Kingdom they’ve added “Mickey’s Philharmagic,” a 3D movie in Fantasyland. It’s another must-see. I went with my brother and my parents, I’m the youngest at 33, and we all loved it. Kids will just go nuts for it.

The other new thing they’ve added is at Epcot: Mission Space. There are copious warnings about motion sickness and such, but it’s really not as bad as they make it out to be. Unfortunately, it’s not all that interesting. If it’s crowded or if you have any doubts about the ride, don’t bother. It just gave me kind of a headache and wasn’t that enjoyable. The building’s cool, though.

And in case you haven’t been there since they instituted FastPass, be aware of it, know how it works, and use it whenever possible. Since they added FastPass, the only time I’ve ever had to wait in line was when I got a FP for a ride and decided to ride it while I was waiting for the FP time to come up.

5

I absolutely loved Mission:Space, but it may be a little intense for little children.

6

When I went to Disneyworld—in 1992, when I wasn’t yet 10 years old—we did the 6-day thing. (My aunt’s a Disney shareholder, so she got a good deal) After we arrived in Orlando around noon, we checked into our hotel, and went straight to Typhoon Lagoon. It was a great way to unwind after 12+ hours of travel time.

And Typhoon Lagoon was one hell of a park. Gorgeous setup and design, fun rides. I just wish I’d had time to completely circumnavigate the park in the innertube moat. sigh

Oh, and FYI…as of 1992, the “Fantasyland” section of the Magic Kingdom itself kind of sucks. At least compared to the one in Disneyland, which was renovated in the 80s. But the one in Disneyworld seemed to be the original from the 70s. Lots of plywood, and kind of cheesy looking. The “Hell” in Mr. Toad wasn’t even heated. (Blasphemy!) The REST of the Magic Kingdom was good, though.

7

With our 4 and 5 year old, we miss MGM - except we see Fantasmic. Its a lot of shows, some thrill rides. Not a lot there for my kids.

We, on the other hand, love Animal Kingdom and can spend two days there.

Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach are water parks. Blizzard Beach has bigger slides. Typhoon Lagoon has very cool snorkle tank. Unless your kids really really really love water, I’d do one day at one park.

check out www.allearsnet.com

I’d recommend hopping. Spend some time in the MK, when it gets busy, hop to the always less crowded Epcot. When are you going?

8

it’s hard to know what you’re gonna like. when we were in dw last year, my son age 6, loved the dinosaur ride at animal kingdom. We even made a special trip back there 1/2 hour before that park closed since it closed earlier than others, to ride it another 6 times.

i’d advise seeing the parks you haven’t been to and taking it from there. since you have the hopper passes, you can come and go as you please.

9

I would definitely NOT skip Animal Kingdom. You can usually see it all in less than a day, but the chance to see real live animals is something to not be missed. The Dinosaur ride may be a little scary for the kids (scared the beejesus out of this guy when he was 31), but A Bug’s Life will make up for it. If I recalll correctly, this is also where they have their outstanding Lion King show that I would think the kids would like.

MGM can usually be done in less than a day as well. Star Tours is the same exact ride setup as Body Wars, so if you have seen that at Epcot, you will know what to expect. If you have to miss anything at this park, it can probably be the park lot tour. You haul ass through the warehouse so you don’t see much by way of props, the only houses of interest are exterior shots for sitcoms long since cancelled (Golden Girls, Empty Nest), and the ‘surprise’ in the middle while novel, is not particularly impressive (especially when compared to Earthquake). I don’t know about height requirements or even if your kids would enjoy it, but Rockin’ Rollercoaster and Tower of Terror are outstanding, wth the latter being based on The Twilight Zone, so I wouldn’t think it that scary (well, save for that whole free-falling thing).

I most confess that with my frequent visits to the parks, I have never been to their water parks, not my cup of tea.