O.k. My fiance and I are taking our 6 year old to Disney World. What are the must sees?

Question

We are very limited on time...just one full day for each of the four main parks. Should we forgo one to spend an extra day in Magic Kingdom? Are the character meals worth it?

Answer 1

You could take her to the ''Bibbity Bobbity Boutique'' in Walt Disneys  Magic Kingdom, im sure she would love it, she'll get her hair and make up done like a princess and get to wear a costume, then  you could take her to meet the Disney Princess's and she could get her book signed, Awww how cute, Have a Great Time!!!

Answer 2

We personally do not do Animal Kingdom... we've tried on two different occassions and did not see any animals.  The rides are not all that great and there is TONS of walking.  A lot more walking there from ride to ride than any of the other parks.  There is a conservation area that your daughter may enjoy.  

MGM (Hollywood Studios) is a fairly small park, so you will not really need to spend the whole day there.  

I would do a day at the Magic Kingdom, a day at Epcot, and split up Animal Kingdom and MGM.  Then with your last day hit whichever park you liked the most, or if you end up spending all day at Animal Kingdom visit MGM on the last day.

Please notice though.. you can not enter multiple parks in a day unless you have the Park Hopper option on your tickets.  The base Magic Your Way Ticket will not allow you to spend the morning at AK and the afternoon at MGM.  It will have to be one or the other.  We always buy the hopper.  If you don't have the Hopper I would skip AK, but there are others that would argue that.

Make sure you ride the monorail even if it's just for one full circuit around and you are not staying on the monorail loop.  It doesn't cost anything, and can be caught at the Magic Kingdom and will run through the Contemporary, Polynesian and Grand Floridian, all of which are fun to get out and walk around at.  She will have fun, and the drivers will sometimes pick families to ride in the first car with them.  It is a lot of fun.

The Fort Wilderness campground has pony rides, free nightly Disney movies with marshmallow roasting and offers a great view of the Electric Water Pageant.  The campground is easily reached by boat from the Magic Kingdom.  It is a lot of fun.  There is a restaurant there too, so you can eat, pony ride and then catch the movie.

More ?'s feel free to e-mail I could go on and on... and sometimes do :)  I love WDW!

Answer 3

When we go and we can't spend more time down there we spend

1st day at Magic Kingdom

2nd day at Epcot

3rd day we split it up between Animal Kingdom in the morning and MGM in the afternoon.

4th day we go back to Magic Kingdom

and yes the characters meals are definitely worth it, i would get the dining plan if i were you. have fun.

Answer 4

Hello,

I am 16 and have been to Disney World 5 times and have only ever had one day per park and have usually managed to do everything that I have wanted to, so you should be fine.  =)

The best rides/attractions for 6 year olds in each park are as follows:

Magic Kingdom =

Snow White's Scary Adventures,

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh,

Mad Tea Party,

The Barnstormer,

Peter Pan's Flight,

Mickey's Philharmagic,

The Haunted Mansion,

Pirates of the Caribbean,

The Jungle Cruise,

Enchanted Tiki Room,

It's a Small World,

Monster's Inc Laugh Floor,

Tomorrowland Transit Authority,

Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin,

Magic Carpets of Aladdin,

Carousel of Progress,

Cinderella's Golden Carousel,

Possibly Splash Mountain or Big Thunder Mountain depending how brave she is,

Country Bear Jamboree.

EPCOT =

The seas with Nemo and Friends,

Spaceship Earth,

Journey into Imagination with Figment,

Maelstrom,

Soarin',

Living with the Land,

Grand fiesta tour with the three caballeros,

Honey I shrunk the audience 3d,

Universe of Energy.

Hollywood Studios =

The voyage of the little mermaid,

The great movie ride,

Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage,

Playhouse Disney Live,

The Backlot Tour,

Journey into Narnia,

Muppet Vision 3D,

Honey I shrunk the kids playground,

Animal Kingdom =

Kilimanjaro Safaris,

It's tough to be a bug 4d,

Triceratop Spin,

Finding Nemo the Musical,

Affection Section,

Conservation Station,

Habitat Habit,

Wildlife Express Train.

Also do not forget that with a 6 year old the parades, shows and fireworks are extra special. And meeting their favourite characters up close is magical!

It is up to you if you wish to miss out one park to make up extra time in Magic Kingdom, but personally I think that every park has something that your 6 year old will enjoy.

I have never been to a character meal before, but I suppose if you go to one with your 6 year old's favourite character's she will not believe her eyes! It will be really special for her to be able to spend time with the disney characters from the movie. But I cannot say what it is really like, as like I said I have not attended one.

I hope this has helped you and I hope you have a fantastic holiday with your daughter!!!

Answer 5

Don't skip any of the parks - a six year old is going to enjoy each of the parks.   You shouldn't need a park hopper ticket.

The person who said that Epcot is not fun for kids is just flat out wrong - it is a great park for kids.   Soarin', The Seas with Nemo & Friends, Journey into Imagination with Figment, etc. are solid choices.   There is some excellent live entertainment too - mostly in the World showcase.  Jammitors is a garbage can percussion group that most kids like.  Miyuki is a candy artist in Japan that we think most girls enjoy.  Serveur Amusant in France is a fun balancing act and Dragon Legend Acrobats in China are kids themselves.   Monday is typically a great day for Epcot.  If the live entertainment interests you, Monday - Wednesday tend to be good days.   See our article on Epcot with Young Children: http://www.buildabettermousetrip.com/art...

Don't do a character breakfast - your most productive ride time is at park opening and I don't want you in a restaurant when the crowds are at their lowest.  Lunches can be a good choice - if your daughter is into the characters - because it gives you a nice mid-day break and the prices are a little lower than the character dinners.

Magic Kingdom - a six year old will enjoy most, if not all of it.  Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, and Space Mountain will depend on your daughter's height and whether or not she is a thrill seeker.  If she's into princesses, go to the princess room in the Judges Tent at Mickey's Toontown Fair as soon as it opens - usually a little later than the rest of the park.  This character meet & greet area draws huge lines.

Animal Kingdom:  Go to Dinoland first - this part of the part of the park draws crowds as the day progresses.  "Festival of the Lion King" and "Finding Nemo - the Musical' are two of Disney's best shows.

Disney's Hollywood Studios - get your Toy Story Mania Fastpass tickets right away and ride if the line is less than 20 minutes.  This is Disney's newest ride and it's appropriate for all ages so it is drawing crowds.   The shows are great.  If you're seeing Playhouse Disney Live, do it right after Toy Story Mania because the proximity to this popular ride is making that show busier than usual.  Don't miss Muppet 3-D.   Star Tours is a great ride for a six year old.  

Answer 6

no the character meals are waste

unless you want to see peter pan jumping around in green tights during breakfast, id pass

for a 6 yr old i would skip MGM, its more of a teen park and a lot of movie/cinema rides

im 17 and i don't even go for a full day there or animal kingdom

now or when i was little

animal kindom also is a lot of shows and its just not worth going to if you have limited time

for a 6 yr old magic kindom would be the best bet

i would go there 3 days, 2 for the makeups of animal kingdom and MGM, then one for magic

but if you want to try to see most of the parks

just skip MGM it really isn't worth going to

atleast in animal kingdom there are more shows for lion king and BUGS world, other then that in AK there aren't to many 'little kid' rides a lot of the rides would scare him like dinosaurs or expediation everest

both still kinda get me a lot freaked out

have fun!

PS. magic kingdom isn't a lot of walking

yes it big but thats why most people go more then 1 day because its too much

but everything is right next to each other

Answer 7

I have gone many times, with my kids being many different ages along the way.  I suggest skipping epcot..not a very kid fun place.  As far as the character meals..if she is a girly girl and cinderella is magical to her, I think it is worth it.  She will never forget the day she ate with Cinderella.  The food isn't great but that is not what going to Disney is all about.  Most important advice, I think, is to remember to have fun.  You cannot do everything, so read a few disney books and have in mind what is really important to do, what is kinda important, and what you could skip.  I have seen more parents screaming at each other and then at the kids, then see the kids crying. No one is having fun anymore.  And when you need a break, take one, just to decompress from all the stimulation.  Have fun!

Oh it is a lot of walking for a 6 year old.  We got a stroller up until my child was 7!

Answer 8

I think your kids will like Magic Kingdom. It's a lot of walking though!  

Answer 9

Magic Kingdom is really big! If you want to make time for every single thing I would suggest spending two days there. You can do Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom in one day if you wanted to. The character meals are very expensive, often I find the food to be cold, but the kids adore it! If you believe her happiness is priceless than I would do at least one!

Here are my list of "Must Sees" for each park:

Magic Kingdom:

Every ride in Fantasyland....that includes Its a small world, Peter Pans Flight, Snow White, Pinocchio, Alice in Wonderland, and many, many more.

Pirates of the Caribbean

The enchanted Tiki Room

Splash Mountain

Space Mountain

The Country Bear Jamboree

Thunder Mountain

Epcot:

All of futureworld.

The sea with nemo and friends

Walk around the world if you have time. May not be fun for your daughter.

Animal Kingdom:

Everest

Kilamajaroo Safari

Dinosaur

Tough to be a bug

Hollywood Studios:

Toy Story Mania

Tower of Terror

Star Tours

Aerosmith Rockin' Rollercoaster

The great movie ride

Answer 10

Take her to Mickey's Toontown Fair in Magic Kingdom where she can meet the Disney Princesses for a chat and photos. She'll love the rides behind the castle such as Small World, Peter Pan, Dumbo, Teacups and Winnie the Pooh. There isn't much at Epcot for 6 year olds but in Hollywood studios there is the Little Mermaid show, Beauty and th Beast and High School Musical shows as well as Muppet 4D show. Animal Kingdom has a very good safari with lots of animals on show as well as jungle walks with more animals to see. Also try Green Meadows Petting Farm in Kissimee where you can feed lots of baby animals and milk a cow

Answer 11

Yes, one day at each park is good. The reason being your 6 year old probably won't be tall enough to go on all of the rides. I've attached links to maps of each of the parks they have good descriptions - measure your daughter and make sure she's tall enough for the rides you want to go on.

It's good to have what rides/attractions you want to see because little legs get tired and it's best to take things slow. If it's over 100 it can be miserable.

When you've decided what you want to see, organize the attraction into twos near each other in the park. Go to one of the rides and grab a "fast pass" (a paper ticket that allows you to skip to the head of the line), then wait in line for the other ride. When you are done with that ride you go to the front of the line at the one with the fast pass. If you organize your time this way, you won't have to wait in line as long.

There is also a "rider swap" that works like the fast pass. This will be for rides you and your fiance want to ride on but your daughter is too short to go on. You get a "ride swap" ticket enter the attraction. You or your fiance stays with your daughter while the other one goes on the ride. When they're done, they come back to watch the child while the other goes to the front of the line.

I think the character meals are fun for kids, but they take away from time at the park.

If you think there is a chance your daughter might "p**p-out" you might want to visit the parks that will interest her the most first. I think that would be this order:

Magic Kingdom

Animal Kingdom

Hollywood

Epcot

Answer 12

Umm Everything..? hahaha

Definitely take her to Magic Kingdom!! She will probably love that the best!

Have a GREAT time!!

Answer 13

I would definitely say spend an extra day in the Magic Kingdom.  I would say to probably skip Epcot, although there are some pretty interesting attractions I think the other parks have more must see attractions especially for a 6 year old.  And actually you could probably do two parks in one day to give you an extra full day at the Magic Kingdom.  There is less to see at Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom, so those would be two good ones to fit into one day.  Animal Kingdom is best in the morning because that is your best chance to really see the animals moving around.  

I believe a character breakfast would be worth it, it seems kids find them to be pretty memorable.

The must sees at each park are:

Magic Kingdom:

Peter Pan's Flight (definitely ride this!)

Mickey's Philharmagic (wonderful 3D show)

Splash Mountain (if she isn't too scared of the big drop)

Pirates of the Caribbean (also if she doesn't scare too easily)

Buzz Lightyear

Tom Sawyer's Island

stay away from Snow White and Haunted Mansion, those would both probably be way too scary.  Snow White actually gave me a fear of rides for a long time after I went on it when i was 6, so I would recommend staying away.

Animal Kingdom

Kilimanjaro Safari

It's Tough to be a Bug

Kali River Rapids (wear a poncho unless you don't mind getting soaked)

and definitely check out the Jungle Treks

Rafiki's Planet Watch

Hollywood Studios

Toy Story Mania (one of the best rides at Disney, very interactive, and extremely fun, definitely worth long waits, or get a fast pass early in the day they run out very quickly)

Muppetvision

Fantasmic

Beauty and the Beast

Voyage of the Little Mermaid

Honey, I Shrunk the Kids playground

Epcot

Honey, I Shrunk the Audience

Soarin'

The Seas with Nemo and Friends

walk around the World Showcase and look at those exhibits

Answer 14

We're annual passholders who average a trip a month to Disney, and I've taken kids ranging in age from 18 mos - 16 years.  

Character Meals -  http://allears.net/din/cb.htm

Absolutely worth it!  It gives you a break and then you don't need to waste time standing in line for characters later.  I highly recommend lunch to use it as a mid-day break (Crystal Palace, Akershush at Norway pavillion which has princesses, Garden Grill which is going to be discontinuing lunch).  If you can't do lunch, then get the latest breakfast time like 10:30 or 11:00.    

I would spend the extra money to buy hoppers so you can decide where to spend your time once you get down there.  Also, Magic Kingdom often is open later Animal Kingdom, so a hopper would let you go to MK after you're done with AK.  You could be through with AK by 4:00.  Epcot closes at 9:00, so if you didn't want to spend much time there, you could go there after AK and save more time for MK.  Hoppers really offer so much flexibility, and your 6 yr. old's interests may surprise you.  Even before we got annuals, we never did anything but hoppers.

An excellent book that breaks down each attraction and rates it by age group (very easy to understand) and gives you touring plans is the Unofficial Guide to Disney World.  It would really simplify planning.  

Answer 15

Lots of good answers here, so I'll just add a couple of things.

First, my girls absolutely loved the character breakfast.  You can schedule it before the park opens so you actually get a head start on the rest of the crowds.

Despite its reputation, Epcot has always been one our girls' favorite parks.  In fact, they probably enjoy it more than Hollywood Studios because there is so much more to do.

You can pick up some park touring plans at www.touringplans.com for each park that will give you specific ideas of what to see in each park.  We also always get a copy of Kim Wright Wiley's "Disney with Kids"  It's chock full of good information about every ride, including a "scare factor."  It's a big help in figuring out what to do/skip.

Answer 16

Magic Kingdom, of course.

But I'm surprised no one's mentioned hidden Mickeys. Little kids love going on hidden Mickey hunts. And it's a cheap activity, too.

Steve Barrett is "Mr. Hidden Mickeys" and he has a whole site devoted to them.

http://www.hiddenmickeysguide.com

Answer 17

I think there are a lot of great answers.

I agree that epcot is not much of a kid place, except they have character greetings near the front. They also have the Finding nemo ride with a GIANT aqaurium stocked with dolphins, turtles, jellyfish etc.... If your kid doesn't dig the aqarium scene, you might skip this one.

MGM studios is fun if they enjoy shows. The nice thing is, part of the shows are air conditioned. We like to go here our first full day, because it is a good intro and everyone can relax quite a bit. If your kiddo isn't much of a show watcher. You might skip this park.

I have friends who have kids around six and they loved animal kingdom. But really, in my opinion, it is something that could be done at a safari park. Granted, not as good as disney, but close enough.

The Magic Kingdom, WOW! There is so much to do. I would start in Mickey's toon town fair. Hop on the train and ride it to the back of the park. The reason I say this is because most people head towards the rides. Making the lines for the meet and greet with mickey, and the princesses much shorter. Then there is fantasyland just as you come out of the fair. It has dumbo, and peter pan, and small world, and winnie the pooh. There is way too much to really name in magic kingdom.

Keep in mind, if you plan to stay for the fireworks. Plan to get out late, the crowds are horrible. But the fireworks are worth it.

The character dining meals are great for one main reason. They help you avoid lines. Why stand around waiting in lines to meet mickey, minnie, goofy, pluto, donald, and daisy when you can sit down and eat your meal and the characters come to your table for pictures and autographs? I love them, Chef Mickey's is great.

Make sure you either bring an autograph book or buy one while you are there.

You can always do a park hopper if you think you might want to do a half day at mgm and half day at epcot, but they cost more.

Get a photo pass. There are photographers all over the park that will take your pic (they give you a photo pass the first picture that is taken) Then when they take your picture, they scan the card and they are stored. You can buy pics at the park or order online. You only buy what you want and it costs nothing. A bonus is if you hand them your camera, they will gladly take a picture with your camera (after they snap theirs.) It is a great way to get a group pic, without someone missing.

I am a big advocate of Birnbaums guide to WDW. It is a concise book with lots of info.