Best two Disney parks for 5 year old

[keweenawlove]

I swore I wasn't going to to do Disney until DD was a little older. But H just signed up for a conference at the Swan/Dolphin so I'm thinking about making it a small family trip. The conference has half day park rates (enter after 1 pm) so I was thinking about doing two half days so we can have lazy mornings by the pool. Which parks are the best at 5? I'm assuming Magic Kingdom for sure. I was thinking Epcot for the 2nd one. I love Animal Kingdom but I think she might be too little for some of the best parts. 

Do I want the Genie+ pass? I was super into Disney when I was in high school/college but am kind of out of the loop now. 

We might end up with a full day while H is in a training session. I was thinking about just hanging by the pool but are there any other non-park things we should look into? The last time I was at Disney Springs (~2017) it was super crowded and seemed like just a ton of places to spend money so I don't know if it's worth it. 

[freshsqueezed]

My 5 year old son's favorites were Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios when we went this past September. Epcot would be the last choice and I would not bother with Disney Springs unless you want to go there for yourself. Also, when we were there AK closed at like 5 so if you don't go until after 1 I would want a park hopper ticket to go somewhere else after that.

[nicolewi]

Agree with MK and Hollywood Studios! IMO Epcot is too big and spread out to try to do in a day with a little.

[abs]

Does your kid like thrill rides?

If so MK and HS. If not MK and Epcot. At 5 my DD actually liked Epcot more than MK. She did not like thrill rides at all until she was 8 though.

[dcrunnergirl52]

With a 5-year old, I'd just do 2 half-days at MK.

[keweenawlove]

Feb 21, 2022 11:03:32 GMT -5 abs said:

Does your kid like thrill rides?

If so MK and HS. If not MK and Epcot. At 5 my DD actually liked Epcot more than MK. She did not like thrill rides at all until she was 8 though.

It's hard to tell because we haven't really had a chance to test her out. She did like the bigger tube waterslides at an indoor waterpark recently.

She's been talking about wanting passport stamps a lot lately so I thought she would enjoy world showcase.

[redheadk]

I agree with 2 1/2 days at MK.

Check to see if one of the conference hotels is beach club or yacht club if he has a choice. Dh had a conference at swan & dolphin but there were multiple conference hotel options. The pool at beach/yacht club is fantastic, especially the shallow sand bottom area and the hotels are next door to swan & dolphin, with yacht club being closest.

ETA: if you think she’d enjoy kidcot at world showcase, do MK and Epcot. You can walk or take the boat to Epcot!

[nicolewi]

I mean, all of the parks are great. I voted MK & HS, but if she wants stamps, you could certainly have a great time at Epcot taking the little Kidcot book around to the countries. I would just be super strategic and limited with your plan and not try to cover ridiculous amounts of ground. You could do the Mexico ride, the Frozen stuff in Norway, the new Belle things in France, (do they have times that princesses walk through??), and skip all the long movies and things. Turtle Talk with Crush is cute in the other section of Epcot.

The Bon Voyage breakfast is great at Trattoria al Forno for princess dining, but it's currently not happening due to Covid. if they re-opened it before you were planning to go, that would be fun.

[hermione]

I'm going to be the voice of dissent - unless syou have a Star Wars lover of a 5 year old, I would do MK and AK without question. The safari, the scavenger hunt, the Bug's Life show...

[daisyduck]

My favorite part of HS is Toy Story Land. You don't have to be a Star Wars fan to enjoy HS. I'm another vote for MK and HS, but I think two half days at MK would be good too.

[CrazyLucky]

We took DD when she was 5 and Magic Kingdom was the favorite. At that age, she was really into princesses, and that's where we found the most. She is also really into animals and loved the safari ride in animal kingdom.

[hermione]

Mar 2, 2022 13:49:11 GMT -5 daisyduck said:

My favorite part of HS is Toy Story Land. You don't have to be a Star Wars fan to enjoy HS. I'm another vote for MK and HS, but I think two half days at MK would be good too.

I agree but the Toy Story area is tiny and you are wading through the bazillion Star Wars fans to do all the non Star Wars stuff.

Don't get me wrong, we LOVE HS but for two days with a 5 year old, I wouldn't choose it.

[countthestars]

I wouldn't do HS. Most of the rides at Hollywood are geared towards older kids and I don't think I'd want to sit for multiple shows in a row (even though they do have some great ones for kids - Frozen, Beauty & The Beast). I agree with two days at MK.

[stephm0188]

I would do two half days at MK.

[bronxgirl]

The nice thing about having two days in one park is you won't feel as pressured to get everything done, because you'll have a second day for anything you missed and to repeat favorites. You'll also know the lay of the land by the second day so it won't feel as overwhelming and you can be more efficient.

[magdala]

We just got back. My DD is 7. Her favorite was Magic Kingdom followed by Animal Kingdom. She is thrill seeker and animal lover. She never met a roller coaster she didn't like. She loved the fireworks best. We saw fireworks shows at both Magic Kingdom and Epcot. Epcot had the better show. One smart thing we did to have a quiet day on day 3 of our five-day trip. She was exhausted by the long days. She didn't want to leave. Having a quiet day at the pool in the middle of the trip allowed all of us to recharge.