How to make the most out of Disney World?

We are only going to Disney World for one day with our 3 year old. I know that there is to much to do in one day but he is only 3 and won't remember much. Once he is older we will have a longer vacation for this. Anyone know the cheapest way to go about this for a family of 3 (2 adults and 1 child) we already have plane tickets and are staying with an in-law. What do you all suggest for a 3 year old?How to make the most out of Disney World?
buy a one day base ticket for each person and go to magic kingdom. it has the most rides and attractions and the most for your child to do.

just some of the rides and attractions your son can go on are:

-its a small world

-peter pain's flight

-winnie the pooh

-dumbo

-snow white's scary adventure

-mickey's philharmagic

-the haunted mansion

-jungle cruise

-pirates of the carribean

-enchanted tiki room

-buzz lightyear's spance ranger spin

-carousel of progress

-character meet and greets

-parades

-fireworks

and thats not all!



btw anothe rposter was incorrect. your 3yr old will NOT be free.

only children ages 2 and under get in free.



a one day base ticket for ages 3-9 is $68+tax

a one day base ticket for ages 10+ is $79+tax
Choose the Magic Kingdom. Start with a character breakfast at the Crystal Pavilion, go on to Fantasy Land where they have some rides for smaller kids - carousel, dumbo, it's a small world, etc. Find out from guest services when Belle's story time is and catch that. Be sure to get a good spot for the parade. Maybe fit in a character meet and greet. Tom Sawyer Island is a good place for them to run around and burn off energy, Hall of Presidents is a good one where the parents can watch while the children nap. DON'T try to do everything - especially since you're only there for one day. You'll just wear yourself out and not enjoy any of it. Have fun!How to make the most out of Disney World?
Tickets will be your first expense. For your 3 year old, there is no cost. He will get into the park for free. For adults, a one day park ticket is $79. This is to enter one park, and not go to multiple parks in one day. It is much cheaper to go to just one park than to go to multiple parks each day. If you did want to go to multiple parks, it would be about $140 per adult.



There is an option that could get both you and the other adult in your party a free one day, one park, ticket. Right now, Disney is doing a promotion called "Give a Day, Get a Day". Basically, if you sign up for a charity event in your town, you will get a free day ticket. This would be great for you to do, because then your entire party would get into the park for free. Here is a page where you can search your area for applicable charities: http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/disneyp鈥?/a>



Of the four parks, your 3 year old will most likely enjoy The Magic Kingdom the most. It has the most rides for children, and features attractions from all the famous Disney movies. Plus, it's the park where you can see the most characters. Animal Kingdom is also great for kids because of all the animals and the shows.



Here are the rides I would recommend for a 3 year old. My nephew went to Disney at 3, and this is what he enjoyed. There are height restrictions on a lot of things, so I will leave those out. You can do all or a few of these rides. Don't try to do everything - just prioritize the things that you want to do the most.



-Cinderella's Golden Carousel

-The Barnstormer at Goofy's Wiseacre Farm

-Dumbo the Flying Elephant

-Enchanted Tiki Room

-It's a Small World

-Jungle Cruise

-Winnie the Pooh

-Philharmagic

-Monsters Inc Laugh Floor

-Peter Pan's Flight

-Walt Disney World Railroad



In addition to rides, there are also several play areas in the park, and shows that little children really enjoy. Make some time in your day for your 3 year old to play. And give yourself some time to catch some shows and relax.

-Donald's Boat (kids get wet playing in this little water area)

-Country Bear Jamboree (a daytime show with animatronic bears that sing %26amp; play music)

-Pooh's Playful Spot (a playground themed after Pooh, restricted to very young kids only)

-Dream Along with Mickey (a daytime show with the main characters at the castle. This is a great show for kids! It's very cute! It also makes for a nice afternoon break.)

-Mickey %26amp; Minnie's Houses (In Toontown, these are both walk throughs and are very popular with kids. Everything in the house is mouse shaped. At the end, you get your picture with Mickey.)



If at any point you want to get your pictures with characters, there are always some out. Get a Times Guide when you enter the park, and you'll see characters listed and where they can be found. The Princesses and Fairies are in Toontown. Mickey is in Toontown too. Usually Goofy, Donald, Chip, Dale and others are on Mainstreet U.S.A. If you want to do a character dining experience, those are good places to meet characters as well. Just make reservations 180 days in advance, because they will be booked up. These are the Magic Kingdom options:



-Liberty Tree Tavern (homestyle Thanksgiving type food. You meet Minnie, Donald, Pluto, Goofy, Chip, Dale, and Mickey. They will come to your table while you eat for autographs %26amp; pics)

-Crystal Palace: Really good buffet. You'll meet the Pooh characters here.

-Cinderella's Royal Table: Dine inside the castle here. Meet the Princesses %26amp; Fairy Godmother



Have a wonderful day in the Magic Kingdom! Arrive before the park opens, watch the opening show as it creates magic for the whole day. Take breaks during the day. Stay until the end for Fireworks, because they are amazing! =-)
First Step: Choose you park. What do you like? Disney Hollywood Studios has some pretty cool rides, by far the most thrilling, although it only had a few. Animal Kingdom is all about, you guessed it, animals. If you have a love for them, choose it. It has some cool rides, too. Magic Kingdom is my favorite, It has the best rides by far. Epcot is not bad either, but it has less rides than Hollywood studios.

Second: Make sure you can afford it. Plan out your tripHow to make the most out of Disney World?
Disney is running a promotion right now where you can volunteer a day and get a free day at the parks. It's a great way to give something to your community and get a great thank you in return.



As others have suggested, the Magic Kingdom is where I'd suggest you go, too. My advice would be to check out http://www.TouringPlans.com, especially if you are not familiar with the Magic Kingdom as it will give you good general advice about how to tour the park.



The best advice I can give from taking all 3 of our kids from the time they were 12 months old is to go early and don't try to see everything. You've already decided you are going back, so just look at this as a chance to have a fun day and see what you can see. Don't stress. It's so sad to see little kids (and their parents) not having fun because they are trying to see everything. A lot of the magic of Disney is in the small details that you'll miss if you run from attraction to attraction.



Also, I would focus on Fantasyland since that's going to change drastically in the next couple of years. You should have a chance to see it the way it "was" before they change it for better or worse.



Plan on taking your own stroller, the prices at the park have gotten really expensive. It's not that difficult to manage a stroller with 2 adults and 1 stroller. It gets harder once the kids outnumber you, though!



You can take snacks and drinks into the park, just not glass bottles which can save you money. However, you can get free ice water at any restaurant, too, so we don't usually bother carrying bottled water.



I also always buy glow sticks/necklaces for my kids at the dollar store. They love the night time light up stuff and it's a ton cheaper. If you think your son will be interested in getting signatures make sure you take a large pen (it's easier for the characters to use) with you. Otherwise you'll end up spending $6.00 for a pen, like we did the first time.