We're taking my daughter to Disney for her 3rd birthday! We're getting a 4 day park hopper pass (military discount so number of days/hopper is set). How would you split up days between the 4 Parks? Obviously could do 1 per day but figure we may want more time at magic kingdom and not sure which parks we don't need as much time in. We have some extra days built in between to relax at the hotel pool 
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I'd say you could get a full day out of each park easily, but depending on how your lo is with lines (my niece was 3 when we went and didn't handle the dark tunnels of some of the lines well) you might want to do a day and a half at mk and half at Epcot. Niece had very little interest in Epcot (although The adults spent a full day here easily!).
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I agree with PP. Epcot is great for adults but very few things for the little ones. Also depending on the season, sudden rainstorms might change all of your plans so be flexible. We are right in the middle of our 5 day DW trip and due to one evening and another morning of rain, we spent two days at Epcot and finally heading to MK tomorrow. We have been to Disneyland twice already so MK two days was up in the air. The weather helped me make up my mind. It kind of jacked up my Fast Passes though.
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I think it would depend on your LO and your family...does she like rides? Can she sit through shows? Who are her favourite characters? Dd will be 2.5 when we take her for her first time and we are planning on doing 2 days at MK, 1 day at AK, 1/2 day at HS and 1/2 day at Epcot.
We might actually skip HS altogether and spend a full day at Epcot because there isn't much there for her beyond the Disney Jr show and Toy Story Mania. There is SO much at MK for her though that we will definitely be devoting the 2 full days there.
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I agree Epcot is more for older kids and adults. I might even skip it altogether or do only a half day. You could wait to decide when you're there which of the other 3 you want more of. Animal Kingdom is pretty awesome IMO if she likes animals/zoos! But MK is the obvious choice for little ones.
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I'd a day at HS, one at animal kingdom and 2 at MK, or a day at each park.
Also, not sure if it's still called Downtown Disney, but we loved to do that at night, well, late afternoon, lol. It's free and it has a few interesting stores and restaurants that we'd eat at.
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@ksnow I will come back to write more when I'm not on my phone (rocking baby!) But we are WDW annual pass holders and live 3 hrs away. Where are you guys staying? 4 full park days?
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Two at magic kingdom one at animal kingdom and 1/2 each for hs and epcot
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Park Hopper passes allow you to visit multiple parks in a day too, right?
2 days at Magic Kingdom, 1 day at Animal Kingdom, then AM at MGM and PM at Epcot
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@yellowbird: I agree with your breakdown too! Definitely 2 days for MK. The other parks could easily be done in half a day, leaving extra time to chill at the pool, etc.
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2 days for MK, 1 day for AK, 1/2 day for Epcot 1/2 for HS -- as of last year, Epcot was only place you could meet Ana and Elsa...and we also met Belle. Also, great food. I think we saw a Nemo show as well as an Animal show that was pretty cool too.
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Ok I have time to type now! Having extra days built in for rest/chilling at the pool is TOTALLY the best way to do Disney! We usually go for long weekends so we go 100 mph the whole time but if I had a week or more, that's absolutely how I would do it.
MK is definitely the best park for a 2 yo but I think Epcot and Animal Kingdom are close seconds. People think Epcot isn't kid friendly but there is a lot of great kid stuff. Lots of character greetings, lots of slow non-scary rides (like Figment), boat rides, the Seas with Nemo aquarium and the Turtle Talk with Crush show, etc. Even in World Showcase there are a lot of cool places to just run around, which I would think is fun for a 2 yo, plus parents get to stroll, get a glass of wine, etc.!
A lot has closed recently at Hollywood Studios to make way for Star Wars land coming, so to me it would not be worth a whole park day. There are a few kid friendly things there, but mostly shows - Disney Junior show, Little Mermaid, obviously the Toy Story ride.
I would take advantage of your park hopper. A full day in the park is so exhausting. I would do 2 morning to early afternoon days at MK, take a break at the hotel. One of those days maybe go back to MK, one maybe go to Epcot to walk around at night.
I would then do an AK morning and an Epcot morning. On your AK day, if you get there at park opening, you don't need Fastpasses (ride the big rides first - Safari and Expedition Everest). Book your fastpasses for that day for Hollywood Studios in the late afternoon/early evening. Take a break at the hotel and then go to HS in the afternoon to do Toy Story, a few shows, etc.
Remember too if your daughter isn't tall enough/won't ride some of the thrill rides but mom and dad want to, you can do the rider swap so you do not both have to wait.
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@Charm54: Well she's never been to Disney so hard to gauge until we get there, but she'll sit through a movie at a theater and she likes rides at the fair, obviously those are mostly different types. Her favorite characters are the princesses.
@MrsADS: Yes we'll have 4 full park days. We'll be there Friday-Friday, so 2 travel days with 2 rest days for pool/downtown disney/etc and 4 park days. And staying is still a bit TBD - we think grandparents are joining so the suites at disney are too $$ but we found some good deals still on property - at eitner Wyndham Bonnet Creek or Buena Vista Palance. Leaning towards Wyndham since the pools look great.
@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: yes the hopper means we can jump around to multiple/parks day
@MrsADS: Our daughter is over 40 inches, so I think we have just a handful of rides she can't do (and I'm pregnant so it lines up nice with what I can't do either). Thanks for the recommendations on FP planning - I've been before but YEARS ago when it was the old fast pass system. For these Fast Passes - our tickets are in mail but when you book them - do you have to nail down an hour window for the rides?
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So sad that everyone is saying to skip Epcot! That was always my favorite, even as a young kid. I would personally do 1 Epcot, 2 Magic Kingdom, and 1 Animal Kingdom. I don't love Hollywood Studios and would skip that one personally.
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I think half days at Epcot and HS would suffice for that age. Magic kingdom will probably be your go-to park. Since you have the park hopper, you can go to one of those in the morning and then go to MK later in the same day.
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I agree with @Mrs. Lemon-Lime. Definitely 2 days at MK and a full day at AK.
One thing I would highly suggest doing is to return to your hotel in the middle of the day! It gets really hot in the parks and really crowded around noontime, and it's the perfect time to go back to your hotel and chill out/nap/swim in the pool. Then you'll be refreshed and cooled off and can head back to the park for the afternoon/evening. DH and I went last year (just the 2 of us) and even we needed this mid-day break.
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@csross217: Oh yes we plan to! DD still needs a nap and I'm sure we'll need a rest. So we're planning to head back for lunch few hours of napping each day! I've been with relatives before where we were there 7AM-11PM and it's just.too.much.
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We loved the Frozen singalong at HS. Also the Land at Epcot is nice and slow. Book those FPs right away. The computer will suggest/force you to choose weird times and combinations. Just agree to one plan, then go right back in and update to a better schedule for individual rides. Another annoying thing about the FPS is that you have to select one park a day and can't mix it up. So if you decide to change parks, you lose all your great FPs when you switch and have to start all over. Be sure to book your dining ASAP as well.
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@Ksnow yes what @808love said. If you are not staying on WDW property you can book your FPs 30 days in advance and you need to do them at that point if you want your pick of the best times for the most popular attractions. You can only book 1 park per day of FPs (3 FPs), so you have to kind of plan out your day in advance. You can get more FPs in the park after you use up your first 3, but Magic Kingdom is really the only park where that works (other parks, don't plan on anything being available).
For example, if you know you are going to AK in the morning and want to hop to MK in the afternoon, I would not book FPs for AK in the morning if you will be there at opening. Book your 3 FPs at Magic Kingdom starting, say, at 4pm. Also know that at HS and EP the fastpasses are 'tiered" so you cannot get 3 FPs for headliner attractions, you have to choose. Like at Epcot you can get either Soarin or Test Track but not both; at Studios you can get Toy Story or Rock n Roller Coaster but not both.
You can make dining reservations 6 months in advance and if you want to do that (especially popular character meals) I would do so ASAP.
Also agree with @catlady don't skip Epcot! It's my favorite park and there are so many great things for young kids there - IMO way better than HS.
Also just be careful if you are going to stay around Downtown Disney. There is a lot of construction/road work and I think the traffic can be pretty horrible. That may throw a wrench in your plan of coming back for naps when it takes you an hour to get back to your hotel. I think Bonnet Creek area would be perfect though! Never stayed there but have driven past and I think it's basically "on property." I think with a little kid staying at a Disney hotel is ideal for ease of transportation, but I know it can be $$$ depending on what you're looking for. There might be some military discounts available? (I think you said you have military tix). We are usually able to get pretty good rates with as FL residents but we also usually stay at a Value hotel.
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@ksnow: I would do two at MK, half at animal kingdom, half at HS and one day at Epcot - they make it super easy to see all the princesses, princes, etc here so I wouldn't limit Epcot.
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@catlady: me too. My one year old loved loved loved all the characters at Epcot.
For what it is worth DD1 will be visiting Disney for the third time in January and will be 24 months so we are Disney family and love Epcot.
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@MrsADS: One more question
Should I bring our stroller (obviously comfier, storage space, easier to push, cup holders...) or just buy a cheapy umbrella (at walmart) on the way in?
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@ksnow: If you are planning to have her nap in the park, I would bring yours! Plus you have more storage and sun shade, etc!
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Thanks for creating this thread! We're doing WDW next month and all this info is really helpful
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I got 5 days of an awesome stroller from Magic Strollers for $40. Best bang for the buck and great updated drop off and pickup times. (7am received at hotel and return by 4pm) Sign up for the D23 fan club to get the discounted rate. Parent console, easy closure and bottom basket, not to mention roomy and comfy. I highly recommend based on recent experience and I did do some research.
Btw-the cheapest, tastiest sandwiches are at Earl of Sandwich in Downtown Disney (new name: Disney Springs). If u sign up for their email about two weeks prior, u can get a coupon for free chips and drink. I signed us all up.
I even got a brownie for my birthday!
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@Ksnow I have not been to WDW yet with a baby/child so I'm not sure on the stroller! I can see the advantage of having the larger more comfy one - more storage for your stuff, maybe your child will nap better, etc. BUT you have to fold it up on buses/trams and haul it around. With an older child I think I might want an umbrella stroller just for ease! Hard to say though.
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We are not used to a full sized stroller on trips but the basic level Magic Stroller was super comfortable and the size worked out. It had a one handed pick up to fold feature and as long as we sat in the front of the tram, it fit well. If we were in the middle seat, it did take up a space next to us. Other than that we were rock and roll! (You can request a stroller cover too!)
Should I bring our stroller (obviously comfier, storage space, easier to push, cup holders...) or just buy a cheapy umbrella (at walmart) on the way in?
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