[DonnaC]

Looking for opinions on taking our 4 year old grandson to Disney World's Magic Kingdom during the week of April 22. Our daughter-in-law is concerned about crowds and long lines and would prefer Lego Land. Haven't been to the Magic Kingdom since our honeymoon in 1975.

[njbchbum]

donnac - our niece and her family left Disneyworld resort and parks today - the week was wicked filled with people, disability scooters and strollers! buses were jam packed day and night! they left today because they know that the mass exodus from there and from florida really impacts travel tomorrow and sunday!

based on past experience - much of spring break will have passed by the week of 4/22 and park crowds should be greatly reduced. my suggestion for a 4 yr old - if he is really into disney - do disney; if not - do lego land - it is very interactive!

[asianthree]

sad part is disney is lots of money and trying to get your moneys worth with a 4year old can be a very unhappy time....go to legoland

[tainsley]

We go to Disney often. We often see families pushing babies in coaches and young children straggling alongside the coach. The kids are tired, sometimes screaming. Would likely be back at the hotel swimming! And how much will they remember?

[Bizdoc]

According to TouringPlans.com, best day during that time period is 4/24 (crowd will be 3.5/10) followed by 4/23 (3.9/10) Rest of the week is 5+/10. (The smaller the number, the smaller the crowd and thus the wait times for attractions).

I've subscribed to TouringPlans for years - their estimates are rarely wrong.

Enjoy. Do Winnie the Pooh, Peter Pan, and the new Little Mermaid first (before the lines for them get long). Kid will have a good time.

After watching parents and young children, the best advice that I can give is (1) look at the park with kids eyes - often they get a bigger thrill out of meeting characters than of riding rides, (2) Don't overload the kid - take breaks, preferably in a quiet spot. There's a nice garden area to the right of the castle as you come from Main Street., (3) As much as you may want to see it all and do it all (and maximize what you see for what you paid), stop when the kid is tired (and before he turns into a raging monster). and (4) Pack snacks and drinks for the kid (and for you!).

Enjoy the trip. Watching little ones see Mickey and Goofy for the first time is magical.

[senior citizen]

Originally Posted by njbchbum

donnac - our niece and her family left Disneyworld resort and parks today - the week was wicked filled with people, disability scooters and strollers! buses were jam packed day and night! they left today because they know that the mass exodus from there and from florida really impacts travel tomorrow and sunday!

based on past experience - much of spring break will have passed by the week of 4/22 and park crowds should be greatly reduced. my suggestion for a 4 yr old - if he is really into disney - do disney; if not - do lego land - it is very interactive!

But that is the week of school vacation for Vermont kids.

Our daughter, her husband are taking their children to Disney World and Universal Studios that week.

Lego Land used to be called Cyprus Gardens and had water skiing if I recall......beautiful gardens back in the 1970's.

Magic Kingdom would be my choice for the 4 year old.
Epcot had a big Lego "box"..........we loved Epcot....plus all the round the world restaurants.......

[2newyorkers]

We were in Magic Kingdom for 2 days with our 2 year old grandson 2 weeks ago. The park was very crowded but should be alot better the days you will be there. I agree with Bizdoc that the rides in Fantasyland are the most crowded and should be seen first thing in the morning. Do not forget about fast passes.Our grandson was wide eyed about everything. Do not forget to ride the train, see Country Bear Jamboree and Small World. If you are staying in the park, use the afternoon for down time. Use the pool or take a nap. It is true that a young child will not remember Disney but you will.

[graciegirl]

Disney is the most magical place on this earth. Four year olds are so smart and so aware and will drink it all in.

I will NEVER forget when our Granddaughter got off of the plane with us in Orlando many years ago and Mickey and Minnie at that time were there to greet the crowds. She thought she was such a big "wady" to ride on an airplane.

When we picked her up last month, now that she is a real "wady" and employed and an adult she said she remembered.

I am voting for Mickey...

[Buckeyephan]

We took our then three year old granddaughter last year. We were there on Thursday and Friday. Thursday was amazing with short lines and lots of chances for her to see princesses. Friday was packed. I suspect that many took a long weekend. We stayed at a hotel right on the monorail. Super wonderful to just have a five- minute ride to get back with sleepy little ones. That will allow you to quickly get back to your room to rest/refresh/relax a bit before heading back to the park. We only went to the Magic Kingdom because of princess obsession. We went to the Cinderella and Mickey Mouse breakfasts. Loved both of them. Very impressed with how much time and attention the characters spent with each child. Have a wonderful time. One more suggestion. Keep in mind that the visit is for the little ones. We may want them to have lots of wonderful experiences, but they can quickly become overloaded. Keep it simple.

[Bavarian]

Originally Posted by senior citizen

But that is the week of school vacation for Vermont kids.

Our daughter, her husband are taking their children to Disney World and Universal Studios that week.

Lego Land used to be called Cyprus Gardens and had water skiing if I recall......beautiful gardens back in the 1970's.

Magic Kingdom would be my choice for the 4 year old.
Epcot had a big Lego "box"..........we loved Epcot....plus all the round the world restaurants.......

Cypress Gardens was beautiful, the real Florida attraction before the hype of Disney and SeaWorld moved in.

[Indy-Guy]

Legoland is very good for kids under 12. I took my son's family there a couple of weeks ago. Below is a link to mousesavers.com a great site for the Orlando area theme parks. I got the McDonald's special which is purchase an adult ticket and a child gets in free. A very good deal. Legoland opened about a year ago and has many-many rides and 4 roller coasters all different sizes for younger kids. I took the next group of older kids to Busch Gardens and they liked it a lot. Big roller coasters I rode the ones at Legoland and passed on the ones at Busch Gardens.

The day I was at Legoland the lines were very short most a 5 minute or less wait. We rode many rides several times. For kids under 12 I think Legoland is a great deal. I have taken these same kids to Disney and it is great but was greatly surprised with both Legoland and Busch Gardens.

MouseSavers.com - Your source for Disney discounts, codes & deals! is a great site to all Orlando area theme parks. It tells you how to attack the theme parks and get the best bang for your buck.

For Legoland discount tickets look in the McDonald's section on link below.


MouseSavers.com - Legoland Florida Discount Tickets & Coupons

[Cantwaittoarrive]

We took each of our grandkids for the first time when they were each 4, just grandma, grandpa and the child, and they were able to get on most rides including space mountain. My grandkids are tall for their age so met the height requirement on most rides. They each had the time of their lives and now look forward to coming to see Mickey each year. I have been to WDW each of the 12 months of the year and have yet to find a time when it wasn't crowded, yes sometimes are more crowded than others but it's always packed full of kids of all ages.

[buggyone]

I have heard in a couple of finanacial magazines that Legoland in Florida is having big money problems and may be shutting down or scaling back significantly. Apparently, it cannot compete with Universal, Sea World, and Disney World by being a fair distance from the others and still having to charge a fairly steep entrance fee.

[DonnaC]

Thank you all for the wonderful advice and websites to visit! I know our grandson would love LEGOLAND but, oh, to see his face when he sees the Disney characters walking around...priceless! Still deciding.

[looneycat]

Originally Posted by DonnaC

Thank you all for the wonderful advice and websites to visit! I know our grandson would love LEGOLAND but, oh, to see his face when he sees the Disney characters walking around...priceless! Still deciding.

just remember....for a four year old, Legoland is a playground, Disney is a fantasy realized....