Family, travel, mom blog | Theme Park Mom (Leigh Caldwell)

Disney’s Animal Kingdom is one of my favorite parks for younger children because of all of the animal sightings and the great shows. Here are a couple of rides that the preschool set will enjoy:

Kilimanjaro Safaris: Climb into an off-road vehicle for this safari through 100 acres of savannah in Animal Kingdom’s Africa area. You and your child could see giraffes, elephants, flamingos, rhinos, antelope and maybe even a lion or two. This attraction is best experienced in the morning, when the animals are more active and easily seen.

Triceratop Spin: Little ones will enjoy making their dino go up and down on this circular ride in the DinoLand U.S.A. area of Animal Kingdom. This gentle ride is similar to Dumbo the Flying Elephant in the Magic Kingdom.

Wildlife Express Train: What child doesn’t love a train? This one runs every 5-7 minutes and takes you between the Harambe, Africa area and Rafiki’s Planet Watch. You can get off the train at Rafiki’s Planet Watch to take part in some educational activities and learn about animal conservation.

This post is part of “Under 5 Friday,” a series of posts with my best tips for taking young children to Walt Disney World.

Are you planning your first trip to Walt Disney World? One of the best ways to be sure you are getting the most out of your vacation (and your time and money) is to use a a travel agent who specializes in Disney vacations, like the folks at Enchanted Destinations.

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There is a lot to see and do at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, including a couple of great rides that even children under age 5 can enjoy:

Star Tours: Star Wars fans will enjoy this motion-simulator ride to the moon of Endor. When your pilot takes a wrong turn, you blast-off to an entirely new adventure. This ride is in a vehicle that simulates twists and turns without actually going anywhere. The ride queue is filled with Star Wars props and familiar characters, which can also be fun for your jedis.

Toy Story Midway Mania!: Join Woody and other friends from Toy Story on this ride through classic carnival games. You will use a shooter on your car to pop balloons and shoot water in 3-D. Children will need to wear 3-D glasses to get the full effect of this slow-moving ride.

This post is part of “Under 5 Friday,” a series of posts designed to give advice on taking children ages 5 and under to theme parks.

A day at EPCOT is fun for all ages, with plenty of sights, sounds, shows and international food to sample. And while EPCOT is really known for these things over the many rides in Fantasyland, there are still a couple of “must-see” rides here for younger children.

Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros: This gentle boat ride takes families through a tour of many Mexican landmarks. Riders are accompanied by a cartoon Donald Duck, who is trying to catch up with his two Spanish-speaking friends Jose Carioca and Panchito. There’s nothing to fear here, and preschoolers will delight in the indoor “fireworks” at the end of the cruise.

Journey Into Imagination with Figment: The mischievous purple dragon Figment takes over a ride-through tour of the Imagination Institute. This slow-moving ride shows children how all the senses influence imagination. A portion at the end where Figment takes you through his upside-down world uses neon colors, bright lights and loud music, which could momentarily frighten sensitive youngsters.

Living with the Land: This boat-ride shows you how food is grown in the many ecosystems on earth. The real treat is at the end of the ride, when you journey through laboratories where scientists are experimenting with new ways to grow food.

The Seas with Nemo & Friends: Ride in a clamshell under the sea, where you’ll join the hunt for the loveable clown fish Nemo. This is a gentle, ride-through attraction, and it ends with an amazing sight – many characters from Finding Nemo swimming with real fish inside a giant aqaurium.

This post is part of “Under 5 Friday,” a series of posts designed to give advice on taking children ages 5 and under to theme parks.

We moms all know that what’s enjoyable to one 3 year old is terrifying to another. While children all have their own appetite for thrills and chills, here are the “best bet” rides for children under 5 at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom:

Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin: This neon-colored ride based on the “Toy Story” movies puts you inside a video game. Use the laser cannons in your space cruisers to shoot at Zurg’s robots. Buzz Lightyear’s space cruisers spin and move quickly, but there are no “roller-coaster” moves here. The ride is immersive and has loud noises and bright colors, which may disturb children prone to over-stimulation.

Cinderella’s Golden Carousel: No theme park visit is complete without a spin on the carousel. This classic, antique version features 90 prancing horses and classic Disney music. Parents can ride standing next to their little ones, and there are benches for those desiring a calmer ride.

Dumbo the Flying Elephant: Ride inside Dumbo as he takes to the skies and circles around a circus ball. Parents can ride alongside their children on this fanciful ride, which turns in circles and rises up and down. Kids afraid of Disney’s indoor “dark rides” may find this outdoors ride more to their liking.

It’s A Small World: This classic ride is all Disney. Hundreds of dolls dressed in international costumes sing while you cruise through in a slow-moving boat. This ride represents children from more than 100 countries, with a message of the common themes that unite us all. The only thing that may cause a little family disharmony is the good chance that “It’s a Small World” could be stuck in your head for the rest of the day.

Mad Tea Party: Whirling tea cups spin around and around on this outdoor ride in Fantasyland. Even the smallest children delight in this easy-going ride, where you can control how fast your cup spins.

The Magic Carpets of Aladdin: Discover a whole new world as a magic carpet ride takes you high above Adventureland. The carpets fly up, down and around on this gently moving attraction.

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh: Ride inside a hunny pot right into the pages of a Winnie the Pooh storybook. This is a slow-moving “dark ride” that takes you inside scenes featuring A.A. Milne’s classic characters. The “very blustery day” storm section may scare some young children.

Peter Pan’s Flight: Join Wendy Darling and Peter Pan on a flight over Big Ben, London Bridge and more sights of nighttime in London. This is another of Disney’s indoor, slow-moving “dark rides.” Be sure to get a Fastpass, because this is one of the most popular rides in the park.

Tomorrowland Transit Authority: This ride is essentially an elevated train that takes you in and out of the attractions in Tomorrowland. Little ones who are intrigued by Space Mountain, but still too small to ride, will appreciate the dark glimpse inside Walt Disney World’s famous rollercoaster.