Disney with a 2 yr old? Advice please :)

[jtw]

I'm sure there are hundreds of threads on this, but prior to me tearing into those I'd appreciate any advice on touring the world with a 2 yr old. I know naps will be a must! Lol.

How many days would you suggest and why?
Things to avoid?
Things to seek out?
What else?

She is currently not potty-trained but we're hoping she will be in time for our trip in September. She is DW and I's first, and we cannot wait to share The World with her!

 

[esquared221]

Lol, I have done this before and am about to do it again next month so I had to weigh in We brought DD when she was 23 months, ~4 and 6 and DS when he was 18 months. This trip they will be 7 and almost 3 respectively. My biggest piece of advice is BE FLEXIBLE. As you know, 2 year olds' needs change quickly and sometimes without warning and having a rigid schedule is the easiest way to make this vacation a nightmare. When we went with our then 23 month old daughter (who was not potty trained, still napping and a very picky eater) we planned our day around her schedule as best as we could and then let the day flow around her. We ate when she was hungry. We took a break when she wanted to stop and watch the ducks for 10 minutes. We avoided the parade route when she passed out in the stroller. We had to skip the fireworks (she was too tired and was afraid of the big bangs) and a few other things we were hoping to do but we knew we'd be going back again and again and keeping her happy was priority #1. We had a wonderful trip and have some of our very best, most cherished memories from that trip. It can be done! Good luck!

 

[Betty Rohrer]

unless she is interested in potty training, I would not push to get done before trip. example, you had her try and she could not do anything. you use your FP+ and are just getting on and she says I have to go now, no waiting. ride may not unload at that place so you can not just cut across. I would let her try potty but not push for underwear until back. with my younger grandson it did not work to go back to resort, he would fall asleep during trip back to resort, woke up as we went from transportation to the room and would not go back to sleep at room. he crashed as we got to dinner ressie and had to be held as we were not allowed to bring stroller in. we did stroller naps the rest of the week. he was just under 2 at the time. if you are not planning to order something she can share with you buffets or all you can eat are you friend. you will have to pay for kids menu item for her to eat. she will be able to ride anything without a height limit. take lots of pics with her and make a picture book for her to remember the trip. have an older grandson who was very young on his first but can tell you everything he did by showing you the book

 

[jms]

I am taking my 2.5 year old dd in 2 weeks. We just mastered potty training the middle of March. She mastered it in one week! This means a lot less to pack and not trying to change a 2 year old on a changing station. She knows how to hold it very well already. Also I also had considered waiting until after but now I am glad I did it before. I am not worried at all about getting in lines and her having to go. We will just make sure we make plenty of stops before getting in lines.

Also my daughter is not and never has been a schedule baby so we are planning a bunch of different things at different times. Doing rope drop one day after an early night and emh at mk one night, with a late start the following morning We rented a stroller from Orlando Strollers. They are very nice and she will be able to sleep in them but we will also have some breaks at the resort. I will have snack food and juice boxes with us also to help. If your toddler is a schedule baby and gets cranky when off schedule I would definitely try and stick to the normal schedule. I think the most important thing is to just enjoy the moment and not worry about the quanity but instead focus on the quality.

I am definitely excited to experience this with her. She loves Disney Jr. and the princesses and is obsessed with Frozen. We have fp for Anna and Elsa.

 

[lovetogowdw]

Don't sweat the potty training. If it happens before, great. If not, no biggie. And I totally agree with early poster on just going with naps in the stroller whenever and wherever they happen. In the 10 trips I've been on with at least one child under the age of 3, not once has my under 3 year old child napped in the room in the afternoon.

I've taken both of my boys to WDW just before they turned 2 (hey, free flight!). The first came back a different child. The characters weren't just pictures in a story book or from a cartoon anymore, they were each "my fiend" ____ (he couldn't say the "r" in friend yet). He was convinced that when Mickey, Minnie, etc. waved at the crowd they were waving at HIM. It helped that we went to a few character meals (BIG hit with mine, but some kids are scared -- make sure you buy the Sing Along Songs DVDs with the "real" characters and show them before you go) where he got personal attention from the characters, but even the ones we saw from afar were "my fiends". To this day he loves parades and live performances. Younger brother started going as an infant and heard big bro calling them all "friends", so they're his friends, too!

So a couple of days (or partial days that = a couple of days) in the Magic Kingdom is a must do. Lots of characters, parades, the castle stage show, etc., plus traditional rides like IaSW. And mix it up - two rides, play time in the New Fantasyland area with the misters/fountains, a ride, snack time, a ride, the castle stage show, etc. Don't try to do back to back rides, rides, rides, rides all day. And note that you might want to NOT do Fastpass+ at Dumbo and Pooh --- as the waiting areas have fun things to do that might be even bigger hits than the rides themselves. And learn where all the little kid playground-type areas are in every park. Some, like the spot in MK's Frontierland between Splash and Thunder Mountains by the train station, are pretty tucked away.

Don't skip the small stuff -- like those street performances in Animal Kingdom (and by the way AK was a huge hit with both boys on those early trips -- the Boneyard playground and the train ride out to the petting zoo area -- don't miss those!). I can't prove that those drummers in the Harambi/Africa area are the reason my oldest (now 8) loves playing percussion instruments and is in his school's performance troupe now, but I'm sure that smile he had on his face when he saw them for the first time was something I'll never forget. The same for watching the Nemo and Festival of the Lion King shows. AMAZING performances. And don't forget the animal trails and the safari ride! Spend at least one full day (or parts of two days if you park hop - which I suggest) in Animal Kingdom!

With a little one I'd suggest a half day or parts of two days in Hollywood Studios. The Disney Jr. live show (think big puppets) is fun. And be there at rope drop if you want to do Toy Story Mania. If you stay on property (I suggest Art of Animation - not on the monorail line but the themed areas, especially the Nemo pool and splash area, are the BEST for little kids) then you can do EMH evenings, where every time I've been to HS they had a character dance party in that same Disney Jr. spot. I literally had to drag my then 1.5 yo youngest out of that place at like 11 pm because he was so tired he couldn't see straight, but he just wanted to keep dancing with "Jakey" (of the Neverland Pirates fame). And the Hollywood and Vine character breakfast or lunch has Disney Jr. characters (they change periodically).

Epcot has a few things that are really fun for toddlers. The Seas has the Nemo ride plus the amazing aquarium and Turtle Talk with Crush. The Land has the Seeds boat ride and the best food court food for kids anywhere in WDW. Mexico has a fun boat ride (a lot like IaSW - so go inside and look for it!). Mission Space has a tucked away INDOOR playground-type area called Space Base (enter through the gift shop and turn right). And there are fun shows/performances in several of the countries, plus Norway has the character meal with 3 or more princesses! So it is worth spending some time there, especially if mom and dad want to check out the food (and beverage!) options in the various countries.

I suggest park hopper passes with the morning in Hollywood Studios, take the boat ride (a GREAT place for a stroller nap) to Epcot for the afternoon and stay through dinner, then take the monorail to MK for evening parade/fireworks on the 1st park day. Next, take a day off from the parks and do character breakfast (say Poly's Ohana), play at the hotel pool and explore AofA and PopCentury hotel grounds, then early to bed. Next day do AK in morning through afternoon, then Epcot in the evening for dinner and Illuminations. Consider another no park pool and/or character breakfast or lunch day next or just pick a park for a short time (say MK to see daytime parades/shows or Epcot to focus on the princess character meal). Third full park day do MK from rope drop until early dinner, then take boat over to Ft. Wilderness and do Chip and Dale's campfire/sing-along and roast marshmallows. Just don't try to do parks, parks, parks, with rides, rides, rides every day. Mix it ALL up!

 

[lovetogowdw]

Modes of transportation = "rides" to little ones. So seek out opportunities to try the various types of boats, the monorail, the bus from resort to parks, etc. To this day my whole family calls the type of bus that goes from resort to park a "Mick Mouse skoo bus", because to my then almost 2 yo, it was a Mickey Mouse School Bus and if he was riding a school bus, then he MUST be a big boy!

 

[Nathansmommy]

we took our 2 year old last month, we went by his schedule. we were at the parks around 10:30am and back at the hotel by 3 or 4 and back to the parks at around 7pm until 12am. DS would nap in the stroller when we where leaving the park, slept on the bus and still slept in the room lol. We did character meetings with Mickey and the gang and it was a big hit with DS, he loves jake and the never land pirates, he was the loudest kid at disney junior live, he was dancing and singing lol, but he ended up being terrified of jake at hollywood vine & dine. he did awesome during the fireworks, that really surprised me. we just tried to go by his scheduled that he has at home and it worked perfect for us.

 

[msmama]

Go at their pace. Take time to stop and smell the flowers (and watch ducks - I say this every time this comes up my my son has a strange obsession with ducks at WDW and could watch them for hours).

You know your child best so if she prefers routine then stick with one. If she's more go with the flow, alter your plans. My son would not nap if we went back to the room so we let him nap in the stroller if he needed one (or at that age, many times he didn't take one).

Don't potty train because of Disney. You really won't find a more kid friendly place so there are plenty of diaper changing facilities. My son was a late PTer so I did 3 or 4 diaper trips and it wasn't horrible.

Personally I'd suggest 5 days minimum, 1 day at each park plus one extra for repeating your favorite park, but if your daughter is more of a homebody, maybe you start small and just do MK for 2 days or so (again, you know your child and what they can handle best).

My son rode just about everything he could at that age. I never kept him off rides because I thought he might be scared. I just never gave him that option, lol.

 

[dsneygirl]

I've been with both my boys at 2 and they were different. My DS#2 is terrified of loud noises so he screamed during fireworks. My DS#1 would sleep through them.

Both boys would just nap in the stroller which was a nice break for DH and I to stroll around, browse the shops, get a snack. Both my boys are also part-fish so we spent a lot of time at the pool.

Have extras of wipes, diapers, etc. You can buy some things at the babycare centre but it is pricey. Bring some snacks but don't be a pack mule. Things like grapes, crackers are easy.

 

[jtw]

This is all really great info and insight. Thank you all so much.

 

[baseballnut]

I'm sure there are hundreds of threads on this, but prior to me tearing into those I'd appreciate any advice on touring the world with a 2 yr old. I know naps will be a must! Lol. How many days would you suggest and why? Things to avoid? Things to seek out? What else? She is currently not potty-trained but we're hoping she will be in time for our trip in September. She is DW and I's first, and we cannot wait to share The World with her!

I'd suggest watching a new Disney movie every week and do any related crafts or whatever to make sure she's familiar with ALL the Disney characters. So much more exciting for them to know them first.

Character meals are great for two reasons: No waiting in a long line for a quick hug, and a chance for her (and you) to sit down and relax for a minute. Plus, under 3, she eats free from your meal. If a buffet, you can give her as much as she wants.

Highly recommend going back to the hotel midday even if she doesn't normally nap. It's nice to go back later in the evening. Take very third night or so off, just relaxing. I'd stay five or six nights.

As pp said, let her lead. We threw plans out the window when DD had the crabbies. Remember that fun may be going on Dumbo 10 times.

Don't forget buying Disney stuff before, including character dresses, for surprises there.

Bring a refillable cup for water and plenty of snacks to keep the crabbies at bay. Most of all, follow her cues and don't make her stay out just because you want to.

 

[SweetMissy]

Next month will be our 2 years old 3rd trip and we're looking forward to his excitement because he knows the characters now. What we're doing is introducing disney movies that he has not seen yet. The other day we watched Alice in Wonderland. So if your little one hasn't seen a certain movie(s)....have her watch them, that way she'll know who you're talking about when you all see them at disney. You also kind of have to have it in your mind that you might not see everything...due to naps, tantrums, etc. We took our now 10 year old for the 1st time when he was 2 and we expected to be able to see/do everything....didn't happen, lol. No matter what, HAVE FUN!