Best park for 4 year olds other than MK?

[Jgc014]

Hi,

My family of four (husband and 4 year old twin daughters) will be visiting WDW early May 2023.

We’re staying at Boulder Ridge for 5 nights. We want to keep this trip fairly low key, so we are only planning to do two park days. We’ll definitely be doing MK, but then was trying to determine what our second park would be?

I think I am between Epcot and HS, but would potentially be open to AK as well - just don’t think there would necessarily be a ton for the girls as they are too small for Flight of Passage and Everest, and although tall enough, I can see them being scared of Dinosaur. Plus we go to a zoo fairly frequently back home (obviously not the theming or caliber of AK, but they do see animals).

Quick background:
- They are over 40 inches, may be 42 by the time we visit, but even if they are tall enough, I am not sure they will be ready for the rides with higher height requirements.
- They have visited Disney before. They went to MK for a day right before their 3rd birthday. Went to Disneyland and California Adventure when they were 3.5.
- Love characters especially Mickey, Minnie, Toy Story, and the princesses
- Have been one some of the bigger rides, and although, they made it through mostly fine while riding, I don’t think they loved them and said they were a little scared. Felt this way about Radiator Spring Racers, Millennium Falcon, and Star Tours. They do like the Haunted Mansion ride itself, but are terrified of the pre show.
- Favorites are probably Little Mermaid, Webingers (surprised by this one!), Small World, Soarin, Toy Story Mania, and the Carousel.
- Seem to like shows, but also think they would get bored with a too show heavy day. Loved Fantasmic and Enchantment- one didn’t like Halloween Screams because all of the villains, the other one did.
- Currently they still nap midday, which we have always done back at the hotel while at Disney, but who knows how this will be come May.

I guess we could also do a park hopper with Epcot at HS if we wanted to do both, but generally prefer to just focus on one park a day.

Appreciate it!

 

[ElenaRN]

If they love Toy Story, HS would prob be better. Epcot has Ratatouille, Frozen Ever After & Nemo. So if they like those movies Epcot could work too.
We usually park hop to Epcot later in the day and stay until closing. We are used to it but it could be a lot with smaller children. It may not be worth park hopping, esp if you keep to an early bedtime.

 

[CinderEmma94]

I’d choose Epcot. It’s my 3.5 year old’s favorite park. Especially because you said they love characters - there are lots of characters and it’s not as crazy as MK. There are princesses in the world showcase and Mickey and friends scattered around the park.

Spaceship Earth is dark but slow (think like haunted mansion but different theme, no pre-show), Nemo, Living With the Land boat ride, Figment (though my daughter hates this ride), 3 Caballeros (Donald) boat ride, Frozen Ever After, Ratatouille are all no height requirement. A lot of people will say that Epcot is the “adult park” and that kids will be bored but I strongly disagree. We go monthly at least (we’re fortunate to be local) and I’ve never been asked by my kids to hop somewhere else. Other than riding the monorail as a ride because she wants to ride it, not because it goes to the MK haha.

 

[Haley R]

I have a 2.5 year old and his favorite park is Epcot. The ride lines are generally shorter and there are actually quite a few rides for toddlers. He likes the trains in Germany and loves watching the Jammitors. We watched them twice on Sunday lol. The Mickey meet and greet is always a super short wait. He also liked meeting Joy and Vanellope with short waits. There’s a playground there that he loves too

 

[flowergleam1211]

Definitely EPCOT! My four year old twins loved it.

 

[SleeplessInTO]

Kids are all different. Mine loved AK and HS, but hated Epcot when she was 4. Now she is 6 and is pretty “meh” on any park except HS. Some trips we only go to MK because I feel like it’s not a complete trip if I haven’t seen the castle!

I would vote for AK. The Mickey and Minnie meet at the outpost is very cute. The safari ride and Festival of the Lion King are lots of fun and very child-friendly. The boneyard is a great little play area for the kids. The food options are pretty good at AK (Tiffins, Tusker House, Satuli, etc.) There’s drummers and character barges and unexpectedly fun walking trails and beautiful sights in Pandora. It’s such a unique park.

 

[sponica]

I know you want the trip low key, so I'd actually do 3 park days and split MK in half if you can swing the third park day. I find MK overwhelming to try and do in one day.
I might be inclined to do Epcot, it has so many hidden nooks and crannies.

But I don't think there's a bad answer here. If you can swing a 3rd park day, I'd do MK, Epcot, MK
If you're set on 2 days, I'd actually lead with Epcot and close with MK.

 

[loandbeholdlauren]

So fun! We are going in January with a 4 yo and a 3 yo.
Our plan is to do MK the first day (just feels right to start there, it being so classic).

Then, we spend a whole day in HS because they LOVE Star Wars and Toy Story.

I think, if you're fitting in a nap and you don't want to park hop, HS probably has enough to keep you guys busy all day. Especially if they love Toy Story. You can actually meet the Toy Story characters in HS now, too! The Frozen show (if they like those movies) is an awesome time, and they will love Fantasmic.

But, HS will have less of those "classic" characters. You'd have to beef up your time for character meet and greets in MK, if you care about that.

Another good way to get some character time in without going to a new park is to consider a character dining reservation at a Disney Hotel (like Topolino's Terrace). This is something we do if we only want to spend a few days actually IN the parks.

I never like Epcot with kids that young because there is so.much.walking.

But you can't go wrong, I think!

 

[loves to dive]

Like others have said, I don't think you can go wrong with any of the parks.

AK is not just a zoo, yes there are animals but the way they are presented is not a zoo. It's not ride heavy for little ones but does have the Safari, the two walking trails, Rafiki's planet watch (the train ride there is almost worth doing all by itself) lots of entertainment.

Epcot has lots of rides little ones can do I can only think of 3 they can't - Test Track, Guardians and Soarin. There is a Mickey meet and greet that rarely has a line, Kidcot in WS is great for littles and, dare I say it, lots of learning opportunities around WS.

HS might be the most non-kid friendly. TS has two rides maybe three depending on height. I wouldn't think Star Wars would appeal at all. M&M runaway railroad gets mixed reviews from littles but they would probably enjoy the Frozen Sing along.

We have always park hopped, we have been going since my son was just shy of 3 and he never had any problems with hopping. Usually after going back to the room for an afternoon swim/nap/break we would go to a different park. By the way, Epcot has always been his favorite park even as a little (he loved to learn and being able to talk to CM's in WS about their countries always thrilled him) and is now his 18 month old daughters fav.

 

[MamaMermaid]

My 5yo has loved EPCOT his entire life. It's his favorite park!

 

[Jgc014]

Thank everyone so much!! All the insight on these boards is truly gold, and SO appreciated!

I think I am leaning towards starting with a day at Epcot and closing out at Magic Kingdom, which kind of suprises me as originally in my head, Epcot is the most “adult” park. However, as I was thinking it through, it did seem like there are quite a few good kid options, which seems confirmed with many of the opinions above.

We do have two big Frozen fans on our hands, and I think this ride would be a big winner with them right now. One of the girls calls Mickey her “main man” and practically thinks she is Elsa (constantly tells me “the cold doesn’t bother her anyway” when I try to put a coat on her in Massachusetts… in November), so I’m sure seeing both in one day would be a dream come true.

We do go to Disney fairly frequently, so don’t necessarily feel like we have to get it “all” in as we’ll be back, and rather keep our trips on the more leisurely side (at least as much as a Disney trip can be!).

Still new to the whole “kid” component though (had no idea Epcot had a playground!) as before our daughters, I don’t think I went to Disney with kids, since I was a kid. And a lot has changed since then!

My husband and I are actually doing a quick adults trip in about a week and were planning to do either Epcot or Hollywood Studios - not both. I was originally thinking we would do whichever we weren’t planning to do with the girls in May (which is actually why I am even thinking about May now - normally I am not that advanced of a planner)! However, evening trending towards Epcot in May, I think I may still want to do Epcot for December as I have never really been to Epcot for the holidays before, and I’m sure our adult trip will be quite different from our kids trip. Also, as people said I don’t really think we can really go wrong!

 

[Jgc014]

So fun! We are going in January with a 4 yo and a 3 yo.
Our plan is to do MK the first day (just feels right to start there, it being so classic).

Then, we spend a whole day in HS because they LOVE Star Wars and Toy Story.

I think, if you're fitting in a nap and you don't want to park hop, HS probably has enough to keep you guys busy all day. Especially if they love Toy Story. You can actually meet the Toy Story characters in HS now, too! The Frozen show (if they like those movies) is an awesome time, and they will love Fantasmic.

But, HS will have less of those "classic" characters. You'd have to beef up your time for character meet and greets in MK, if you care about that.

Another good way to get some character time in without going to a new park is to consider a character dining reservation at a Disney Hotel (like Topolino's Terrace). This is something we do if we only want to spend a few days actually IN the parks.

I never like Epcot with kids that young because there is so.much.walking.

But you can't go wrong, I think!

January - so close!! Have the best time! I love the 3/4 year old age at Disney as everything is magical plus they have more stamina than when they were younger.

And yes - I would love to do breakfast at Topolinos for this trip! Chef Mickeys may have been the highlight of our last trip (it was the first time seeing characters, and they were starstruck), and our best bargain as they were just under 3, so still free. I have yet to check out Topolinos, so would love to do this for one of our rest days!

Thanks for all the great thoughts!

 

[RoseGold]

Go on MDE and check out the characters. You can see when and where the characters will be.

Find the Epcot appearances. That's where the princesses will be, and maybe that will maybe meet your character needs. Mine was thrilled with Aurora in France. This requires planning, and Epcot is HUGE, so you need to think through a plan.

The kiddie Epcot rides are not the most thrilling -- Figment, Nemo, the aquarium, but they are minimal lines and my little one loves it.

Assuming your kids don't care about Star Wars, HS is the worst for this age. The ride you want is MMRR, which is a beast of a line, and then you've got Toy Story land, Frozen and Muppets and there's nothing else to do. The Star Wars land and rides are so crowded for a meh experience for kids this little. Even the Buzz and Alien rides just have crazy lines because HS is always so crowded. I'd pick AK over HS.

The thing I would make sure you don't miss is the Epcot fireworks, truly my favorite thing at WDW. It's really incredible, and that alone would make me pick Epcot.

 

[ktlm]

If you don't want to do both days at MK, I think it is a toss up between EPCOT and DHS, only because you said they love Toy Story and that is where Toy Story Land is with Toy Story Mania and Slinky Dog, and the Toy Story characters. Other than that, if Toy Story wasn't on the priority list, we would definitely say EPCOT.

When DD was 4, she didn't care much for AK. We have a really good zoo at home, and she said she could see animals at home and there weren't enough Princess things at AK. By noon she was always begging to leave AK and go to MK or EPCOT.

EPCOT has the Frozen ride, and Anna and Elsa, and other Princesses and characters, the boat ride in Mexico, Figment, Nemo, Soarin, Living with the Land, and Ratouille. You could do a Princess meal at Akershus, since it is finally open again and with Princesses. Biergarten is another fun restaurant for kids-- they have a German Band and a dance floor--- DD really loved it at that age- she loved getting out and dancing. It has always and still been on DH's list of must do restaurants at WDW. I've also heard the KidCot stations are back in the countries and DD LOVED those when she was that age. DD loved EPCOT. When she was little, it was a 2 day park for us- especially since character meets were always her top priority at that age. Even now that she is older, EPCOT is really the only park we miss when we go to DLR.

I would say even though they are 4, stick with strollers for this trip. Also, we didn't go back to the resort for naps- DD would just nap in the stroller when she got tired. I don't know if that is a possibility with your girls, but unlike DLR, it can be such a hassle to try to get to a resort and back during the day at WDW from parks that are farther from your resort. Lots of people do it- but it didn't work for us. EPCOT is a lot of walking. It is a little over a mile to walk from one end of World Showcase to the other end. We used a stroller through age 5 for DD, and age 6 and 7 were our rough Disney years because she didn't have the stamina for all the walking yet, and we didn't have a stroller.

If you are there for 5 nights, any chance of adding a 3rd park day? That would give you a chance to do MK and EPCOT and see the Toy Story area at DHS too. At that age we typically did 2 MK days, 2 EPCOT days, 1 DHS day and 1 day AK (which often wound up being 1/2 day as DD would beg to hop to MK or EPCOT and we would give in).

 

[loandbeholdlauren]

Thank everyone so much!! All the insight on these boards is truly gold, and SO appreciated!

I think I am leaning towards starting with a day at Epcot and closing out at Magic Kingdom, which kind of suprises me as originally in my head, Epcot is the most “adult” park. However, as I was thinking it through, it did seem like there are quite a few good kid options, which seems confirmed with many of the opinions above.

We do have two big Frozen fans on our hands, and I think this ride would be a big winner with them right now. One of the girls calls Mickey her “main man” and practically thinks she is Elsa (constantly tells me “the cold doesn’t bother her anyway” when I try to put a coat on her in Massachusetts… in November), so I’m sure seeing both in one day would be a dream come true.

We do go to Disney fairly frequently, so don’t necessarily feel like we have to get it “all” in as we’ll be back, and rather keep our trips on the more leisurely side (at least as much as a Disney trip can be!).

Still new to the whole “kid” component though (had no idea Epcot had a playground!) as before our daughters, I don’t think I went to Disney with kids, since I was a kid. And a lot has changed since then!

My husband and I are actually doing a quick adults trip in about a week and were planning to do either Epcot or Hollywood Studios - not both. I was originally thinking we would do whichever we weren’t planning to do with the girls in May (which is actually why I am even thinking about May now - normally I am not that advanced of a planner)! However, evening trending towards Epcot in May, I think I may still want to do Epcot for December as I have never really been to Epcot for the holidays before, and I’m sure our adult trip will be quite different from our kids trip. Also, as people said I don’t really think we can really go wrong!

Hooray! Make sure you meet Anna and Elsa at Epcot, too. It's the only park where you can (formally) do that right now.

 

[PollyannaMom]

I also agree with Epcot. We didn't happen to go at 4, but my DS loved it at 5!

PS - Don't miss Turtle Talk with Crush.

 

[AmyMac1109]

My neurodivergent 4 year old loved MK and HS. He struggled with EPCOT and AK, but that's because rides and "excitement" are fewer and farther between in those parks. It's more about the experience and looking/watching. What he did in those parks, he loved (though, Dinosaur scared the crap out of him, so yeah, probably avoid that with your twins), but the "in-between" just wasn't enough to keep his attention. If he were more into princesses, I could see him enjoying EPCOT more. AK was sensory overload for him (he struggles with things like petting zoos and sandboxes, which are the kind of non-ride things available at AK) and we had to take him out after an early afternoon meltdown.

We're skipping AK on our next trip (for his 5th birthday), but we're going to try again with EPCOT because it's my favorite park. We have full days planned for MK and HS. But we have parkhoppers, so if we can't do a full day of EPCOT, we'll hop to MK or HS.

 

[kymom79]

I'm voting for AK, because it just felt so much easier with a little one. There is so much fun they can have without waiting in line for everything -- the Boneyard, the animal trails, and, with some planning, the shows -- back when we were locals and had an AP, we would frequently drop in to AK on a Sunday afternoon and just let the preschoolers wander about and play. Personally I found HS the most difficult for a little one because of the difficulty of experiencing attractions that didn't involve significant line waiting.