Cant miss things with toddler!!! help..

[Eword1004]

Our little boy will be almost 3 on our trip at Thanksgving... I need to know what we don't need to miss for him....he loves all the Fab 5 and Mickey esp....however he also likes doc mcstuffins and loves Alena!!!!!! Is she at the parks or anywhere??? What shows / things for him do we need to make time for at each park...where is the most Disney jr experience?? Thanks!

 

[disneyygirrl]

Elena meets at the Magic Kingdom. Disney Jr. show in Hollywood Studios would be enjoyable for him. Doc McStuffins meets at Hollywood Studios, as well. Mickey on Main Street in the Magic Kingdom talks and will likely be a highlight. Chef Mickey's at the Contemporary has Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Donald & Goofy - always a hit with the kids, the food gets mixed reviews, but hey, that's not why you're there!

 

[disneyygirrl]

My nieces were 2 and 4 on our last trip and absolutely *loved* meeting characters, like, a ridiculous amount. To them, it really *is* Tinkerbell, or Elena, etc. I think the most important thing that I learned on the trip was to take pool breaks, keep offering fluids and small snacks, and to allow for naps, if your little one needs it! We loved the City mini strollers, they collapse so easily and have a huge sun shade, too. Other things he might like are the fireworks, if he doesn't mind loud sounds. If he likes rides - Dumbo, Prince Regal's Carousel, It's a Small World, Peter Pan, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train (he'd have to be 38" or taller). The Festival of Fantasy parade occurs at Magic Kingdom almost everyday at 3:00, and he'd probably enjoy that, as well! Happy planning!

 

[disneyygirrl]

Sorry for all of the posts, but the safari at Animal Kingdom, It's a Bug Life show (some say too scary for toddlers, check YouTube first if you've never seen it, and you can be the judge, as you know your child best), The Festival of the Lion King show is not to be missed, either! There are also walking trails to see animals!

 

[cmoliver5]

We did Chef Mickeys breakfast with my 18mo DD and she loved it! I thought the breakfast was pretty good too. Mickey waffles actually lived up the hype.

Talking Mickey was fantastic too. They bring you into the room to meet him and then you get to watch him interact with a few other groups before it's your turn which is good so that way the kids know what to expect.

Also, I'm not 100% certain on this but I believe I heard that there was a new Doc McStuffins meet and great at Rafiki's planet watch at AK. Might be worth checking out.

 

[Ryandb2]

Went with my daughter at 22 months, had no problems on any of the rides, Voyage Under the Sea, Winnie the Pooh, Dumbo, Peter Pan, and Small World, even did Pirates and Haunted Mansion (depends on the kid, but if you ask to skip the preshow it works well). In Animal Kingdom there is a huge play area with slides in the dinosaur area, great overall.

Meet and greats were great, and as mentioned Chef Mickey's was a great experience (minus the wait). Looks like the Doc is in at Animal Kingdom, https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/b...-disneys-animal-kingdom-beginning-this-month/

Overall take it slow, and if they want to just run around in circles doing pretty much nothing but are having a blast, don't sweat the fastpass. Remember, they probably won't know what they are missing at that age.

 

[KTwiegs]

We went with my son when he was just two. I guess I'll mention the little stuff in the park that he loved. He loved the train display in Epcot. He loved to dance along with the women in India at AK. The carousel in MK was a big hit as well as the Winnie the Pooh ride. At Hollywood studio the Disney jr show and the meets outside of it. He also just loved running around in the open spaces... sounds funny but he was so happy exploring Epcot.

He also got really into pressed pennies, great and cheap souvenir. He is still in loved with them. Have to get them at aquariums, zoos, etc.

Have a wonderful time!

 

[Tinkerbell8956]

We took my daughter just before she turned three. She loved the characters, so we did a ton of character meals. Her favorite ride was Splash Mountain. She loved the Country Bears too...now that I'm thinking of it there really wasn't anything she didn't seem to enjoy. We did the Disney Jr. breakfast at Hollywood and Vine and she loved meeting Doc, Sofia, Handy Manny, and Jake. We did a lot of half days at the parks, a lot of pool time, and always made time for a nap. If we were out late one night, the next day we made sure to sleep in and have no plans in the morning.

 

[revwooster]

We took our daughter when she was three and one of the most helpful things for us was to remember that she didn't know what she was missing. She wasn't going to feel cheated if she didn't get to go to see a Disney jr show because she didn't know it existed. (in fact, we completely skipped Hollywood Studios because she wanted to go back to the castle) We allowed her to set the pace. We wanted her to remember the fun of playing at a playground at Epcot (even though it was 105 in may and there was no shade) instead of us rushing to get to the Living Seas in time for a fast pass. We never forced her to meet characters just because they were there. And if she wanted to meet someone we stopped (in fact one of our favorite interactions was with Alice, a character she knew nothing about at the time) If a line was long, we skipped it and did something else. If we missed a fast pass because she was intrigued by something else, so be it. We endured "it's a small world" at least 6 times because she loved it so much.

We made sure to head back to the resort every afternoon. We napped and spent time at the pool. We also had the "Disney Fairies" deliver small trinkets (that we had purchased at the dollar store, things like a glow wand, minnie mouse stickers, etc) while she was napping. This encouraged her to take a nap, and saved as a ton of money on souvenirs!

We knew we couldn't do everything, so we decided to simply enjoy the things we could do. A wise motto for any Disney trip whether it involves toddlers or not). I had to remind myself of that sometimes in the planning stage, but it was well worth it.

 

[TravelingTotMom]

My son just turned 3, and here is his list of must-dos for each park (we are APs a couple hrs away, so he has been a ton... and is very opinionated):

DHS
-Disney Jr show
-Eat at Sci-Fi (bc you get to eat in cars)
That's about it. There's height restriction rides and shows, and he doesn't do well with sitting still. If your son is familiar with Star Wars, you can meet Chewbacca and BB-8 (skip Kylo Ren) or build your own light saber as a souvenir. Frozen Sing-a-long is also good for the whole family.

Epcot
-Rides: Frozen, Spaceship Earth, Living with the Land (mine doesn't love The Seas with Nemo or Journey into Imagination, but yours probably will).
-Play areas: There are tons of places for him to stretch his legs: The aquariums at The Seas, Imageworks after Journey into Imagination, the real cars to sit in after Test Track (can enter all these through the ride exits). He top two, though, are the hedge maze in the back of the UK pavilion and watching the miniature trains at the Germany pavilion.
-Getting little sodas: at Club Cool, there are little cups to sample sodas from around the world. He doesn't drink soda at home, so this is a Disney treat.
-Garden Grill is a good character meal option with Mickey, Pluto, Chip and Dale.

Animal Kingdom
-Kilimanjaro Safaris
-Triceratops Spin (a Dino version of Dumbo)
-Wildlife Express Train/Rafikis Planet Watch/Affection Section - you take a train ride and then can brush the goats in the Affection Section. Doc is also meeting there now.
-The Boneyard - Awesome playground with slides, etc. Make sure you go across the bridge that goes over the walkway - there is "the dig," which is basically a giant sandbox with buckets and shovels. It's coarser than sand, so easy to brush off, and its shaded with big fans.
-Tusker House is one of our favorite character meals with Mickey, Goofy, Donald and Daisy

Magic Kingdom
Here there are so many ride options, but here are my son's favorites:
-Dumbo
-Tomorrowland Speedway
-Tea Cups
-Barnstormer
-Small World
-Carrousel
-Jungle Cruise
-Peter Pan
-Walt Disney World Railroad
*Don't miss meeting Mickey at Town Square (he talks) and the Festival of Fantasy parade. We get Mickey ice cream bars while we wait.
-Winnie the Pooh is also good for that age, but mine decided he doesn't like it bc there is this super quick section with thunder and lightning (though he's not scared of real thunder and lightning??? It's a fun age...).

If your son likes fireworks, than all of the night time shows are great. Mine is going through a phase where he's scared of them though.

 

[fly girl]

HS for Disney Junior Live show. They also have Disney Jr character meets outside of theater.

Character Spot for in Epcot is also great for Mickey, Minnie, and Goofy.

Naturally Fantasy Land in MK.

AK, Kilimanjaro Safaris is fun and kids love The Boneyard.

 

[marcyleecorgan]

I'll be the oddball one and also tell you, you will get to experience the theming of each and every single restroom!!!

 

[Eword1004]

Thank you guys these are all great and I have made notes....I also have an 11 year old...so we may have to split up some so she can enjoy some things too and its not all just about baby brother...any suggestions for this would be great too!!!

I am not sure if he will like rides just have to try and see....we live close to Dollywood and wasn't too thrilled with the rides there even riding with me he still got a little upset... but I know he will love all the shows!!!

and yes we love visiting bathrooms...he says one now ans say I need to go potty no matter where we are if he sees one

 

[tlmadden73]

My son went when he was 3 ..

He loved rides ... (even braved 7DMT and Barnstorm) .. he found it "fast" and exciting, but it was night . .so he couldn't "see" all the drops and turns. So that helped. But was very clear he didn't want to ride them again .

At 3 (and even now) my son doesn't like characters. He likes to look at them from afar, but some of them he just doesn't want to go stand next to (Like he runs the other way!).

That said, I would highly recommend CHARACTER MEALS! Even though he was hesitant about characters he actually warmed up to them because he could get used to them as he watched them walk around the room and come up to the 'safety' of his table. Tusker House, Crystal Palace, Garden Grille. Personally I didn't like Hollywood & Vine compared to those others.

Rides he loved (and still does):
Peter Pan (I mean . you fly)
Buzz Lightyear (I mean .. you get to shoot a gun!)

Shows he loved that I think are "must dos"
Disney Junior Show (so great for kids!)
Frozen Sing a long.
Turtle Talk With Crush

Ones he liked because he was amazed at the animatronics and the songs:
Carousel of Progress
Country Bear Jamboree

 

[lynzi2004]

Here is one that hasn't been posted that my 2 and 3 year olds loved....Mickey's Philharmagic!

 

[mara429]

Not exactly a "must-do", but if you're in AK and are in need of a break, The Boneyard in Dinoland is a big archaeology themed playground where he can work off some energy while you cool down in the shade.