Disney with a 2yr old??

[kenny]

Anyone ever been with a 2 year old. Not sure what to expect. My wife and I have been numerous times before we had children and want to take our daughter next fall. She will be just over 2 years old.

We know that we will have to take it a lot slower than our past trips but just not quite sure what to expect? Any tips would be great. Thanks

 

[staci]

Ds was 231/2 months in October when we went. We had a wonderful time, but it was very different from our trips BEFORE children.

It may be beneficial for you to post this question over on the disney for families board.

We found that following his schedule at home (not keeping him up later or waking him up earlier than normal) was necessary. He still got tired of course, October was plenty warm enough for him. We took one of our smaller strollers so that he could recline and nap comfortably in the parks. Some people say to go back for the nap at the resort, but we didnt think ds would relax well after the journey back to the hotel, so we let him nap in the stroller and would find a quiet cool place to sit with him. After his nap we would often return to the resort before dinner for an hour or so of 'down time'.

Take time to familiarize your child with disney before your trip. There is a singalong that is older called "Disneyland Fun" that is in DL not WDW but it really helped ds get use to the characters and some of the rides. He is actually watching it as I type.

Do some character meals, ds loved them. You may want to take your child to see a character somewhere near home first to make sure they dont freak them out. We went to the library and saw clifford before our trip, so i knew he would like the characters there.

EPCOT did not thrill ds at all. He found things to enjoy in all the other parks.

Any specific questions please ask!

 

[lclark0621]

We have taken DS twice already. The first time he was 9 months old, the second time he was 21 months old & in March when we go again he will be 31 months old.

They were all great trips!

Our DS has always be a *go with the flow* kind of kid. He will nap anywhere, eat anywhere & is generally a pretty happy go lucky kid.

Yes we take our trips slower then we did BK (before kids). But we still have a fantastic time!

We are not schedule people with DS, and I think that helps us enjoy the fun. Even though DS will nap in his stroller, we still always go back to the hotel mid-day for some down time, which usually ends up being a nap for DS.

He seems to take long naps at WDW, which is fine with us. Because we will go back to the parks at night & DS does fine all night. He has even done some EMHs & loved it!

The baby care centers are great to use!

Character meals are a big hit with my DS. He loves the characters.

Since DH & I rode all the thrill rides before DS (except for the newest ones), we are not to concerned about doing the baby swap thing. But I have heard it works great.

WDW was great before we had DS. It is even more magical now! There is nothing like seeing it through the eyes of your child!

Enjoy your trip!

 

[FSUGrad97]

We went earlier this month with our 2 year old DD.

Some tips:
-Bring your child's favorite snacks

-Bring a small bag with 3-4 diapers, wipes, snacks and a change of clothes.

-Use Fast Pass and the single rider line (especially for test track)

-While some may disagree, take a break at your resort if you are staying on-site. My DD can sleep anywhere and through anything, but she definatly did better when she could sleep in our room.

-Take it slow with the characters - I would suggest a character meal since you will get to eat and see the characters without having to spend a long time in lines.

-Use the baby care centers that are in each park. They may be a little out of the way, but it beats trying to change your DD's diaper in a busy restroom.

-Realize that you will not be able to see and do everything, and you will have to go slower.

-Check out Pooh's Playground across from Pooh's ride. Our DD LOVED this as well as It's A Small World.

-Take a stroller that your child is comfortable in and is easy for you to maneuver.

-Take time to watch DD's reactions during parades, on rides, or with characters.

That's all I can think of for now. Have a great trip!

 

[f7prez]

We have been to WDW with a 2yo and it does greatly limit how much you can do. It helps that you have gone before so the need to see it all may not be as prevelant as a first time visit.
We made sure to have plenty of down days, that is days without rushing through a major theme park. If we went to Magic Kingdom on Monday, we would spend a day at one of the water parks on Tuesday. The water parks have plenty to keep the young one busy while allowing the other kids in the family to enjoy parts of the park they find fun. Our daughter was just as happy at the hotel pool as well. This also gave the parents some down time which is helpful.
We also found it extremely helpful to stay at a hotel that is on the monorail system. These hotels are the closest to MK which is where we spent most of the time with young children, and they afford the easiest access to and from your resort to the park.
A stroller is also a must have. We found it more convenient to rent a stroller from the park rather than carry one with us. If you leave one park to go to another, you can turn in your stroller at the first park and use your receipt to obtain another stroller at the next park for no additional cost.

 

[goodferry]

We just got back from a 10 day trip with four kids, the youngest was 2 1/5. She had a ball. She LOVED It's a Small World, Pirates of the Carib., the Jungle Cruise, Dumbo, Pooh Bear, Peter Pan, Snow White, Toon Town, the train, the animals in AK, all of the outdoor shows (ie Pochantas, Beauty and the Beast), Playhouse Disney, the mexico ride, the Norway ride, the characters and all the playgrounds. She did not like any of the movie type experiences, ie Muppet Show, Ariel, Mickey's Philharmagic, It's Tough to be a Bug and she was petrified of the County Bear Jamboree of all things.
I second familiarizing your daughter with what to expect. We showed her the planning video, have several of the Disney Sing Along DVDs, and purchased the Magic Kingdom DVD so she would have an idea what to expect.
We did go back to the Polynesian every day for a rest at the very least, and a nap most days. She only slept in her stroller a few times, and that was when we were out later in the evening. We did get her up about 7 am every day, but she was in bed MOST days by 8:30 or so. We also were there for 10 days, so we didn't feel the need to rush around. The best advice is to take your cues from her. You will be able to tell pretty quickly what she likes and doesn't like
At first Zoe was terrified of the characters, Tigger in particular for some reason. Once she saw Belle in Epcot, however, she got the hang of it. Belle was wonderful with her, so it might help to take her to see one of the face characters first. She really enjoyed the character meals and once she got the hang of the character thing, that was her favorite thing to do. There is something relatively new in Epcot called Character Connection, it is near Mouse Gears, and there were always lots of characters in there, including the big mouse himself, and almost no lines. No one appeared to know about it.
Anyway, it is a different kind of trip when you bring a toddler, but it is really enjoyable. Our daughter got picked to be Chip during Story Hour with Belle in the Magic Kingdom and she had such a blast. I doubt she will remember it, but I can promise you I will never forget it!

 

[susykt4]

My son was not quite 2 1/2 our last trip. He loved all of the Fantasyland rides, Jungle Cruise, TTA, Buzz, Goofy's coaster, Aladdin, and any other "kiddie" rides I'm forgetting at MK. He was pretty nervous about Pirates, Haunted Mansion and the Tiki Birds. Loved meeting characters.

At Epcot he loved everything we did- especially Living Seas, Living with the Land and the "playground" after the imagination ride. He also REALLY enjoyed the princess lunch in Norway.

He loved all the kiddie and animal stuff at Animal Kingdom except got a little bored during the bird show.

He ONLY liked the Honey, I shrunk playground at MGM, but we did that park the day after a HUGE, tiring day and night at MK.

My biggest tip would be to take a break OUT of the parks every day. We went back to the resort for a daily nap or at least a swim. Even if your daughter sleeps in her stroller, she will benefit from time away from the crowds. Even my DD5 who hadn't taken a nap since before her 2nd birthday took naps most days at Disney World. We tried to get to the parks at opening to take advantage of the smaller crowds. We never saw a parade or fireworks because we were always out of the parks during those hours. We had an absolute blast and no (or at least so few I can't remember them) meltdowns from either child because we tried to take it easy. My biggest lesson learned from our previous trip was to have ZERO long days and nights. Our one big day at MK cut our MGM day way short because the kids were so tired.

 

[mommystieg]

DD#2 was 26 months old on her first WDW visit and we bought several of the Disney sing along videos to get her ready for meeting the characters. She also loved watching the vacation planning video. The videos we have are:
Disneyland Fun
Camp Out at Walt Disney World
Beach Party at Walt Disney World
Flik's Musical Adventure at Disney's Animal Kingdom
I recently found all of these on DVD at Babies R Us (our VHS tapes were getting a little tired). These are good because they show the characters interacting with kids and they also have scenes from around the resort. A character meal is a great way to meet characters without having to stand in line. We took breaks in the parks for DD's naps at that age -- we tried the whole go back to your room thing but that took over an hour and by the time we got back to the room, she was finished with her nap. You will definitely need to slow down and be more flexible--take time to enjoy seeing WDW through the eyes of your child. Just follow your child's lead --- you know best when your child needs a break or one more trip on IASW....

 

[SqueakyMouse]

Our nearly 3 yo dd is the biggest Disney fanatic in our family...and that's saying something!! Her first trip was at the end of last May (approx. age 2 1/2 yo). Originally, we had not planned on taking her. For various reasons, my mil had to back out of keeping our dd at the last moment. Thus, our choice was to take her or not go. Believe it or not, we actually considered not going...for a second or two!! She ended up having a ball and not being quite as much of a challenge as her brother who was nearly 5 yo at the time. The biggest challenges were keeping her cool during the hot days, keeping an eye on her at the water parks (she kept trying to escape), and getting through TS meals. My advice is to try a TS restaurant with your little one and see how it goes but be prepared to eat CS more often than not.

 

[GrumpyCAdad]

I have been to both DL (with my middle son) and WDW (with daughter) when they were 2. They both had a ball. I am surprised by how much they remember about their experiences.

 

[disneymom225]

We took DD at 18 months and she really liked it. She did NOT like the characters-no way, no how! We did character meals and took it slow but still-no go. We also took long afternoon breaks and let her follow her schedule. DD has always been an early riser so we would go in early but usually left by 7pm to be back at the hotrl for bedtime. DD loved EPCOT- she still talks about riding "big ball". But she also loved the elevators too! Have fun!

 

[figmentfan1]

We went a little over a month ago with my DD who had turned 2 two weeks before and my DS 4.5yo. My DD loved it all. There were a few of the masked characters she was unsure about (mainly Tigger and Goofy- I think they were too tall)... she LOVED the princesses, but she is a princess finatic. We did 2 princess meals (CRT and Norway). The only thing that scared her was the Haunted Mansion- we probably won't do that one again- not one of our favorites either. My DS was scared of more than she was! DS is PDD-NOS so he disliked the dark rides.

I told my DH when we started making plans that the kids were in Disney-training. We watched lots of movies and talked about the characters. (Beauty and the Beast, Lilo and Stitch, Cinderella, the Incredibles, etc).

We had a ball and can't wait to go back!!

I just wanted to add that our kids don't slow us down... but every child is different!! Plan, plan, plan... but be willing to change your plans if your kids dictate so. We never planned an early morning after a late night.

Oh, and TourGuideMike- what a lifesaver!!!

JoEllen

 

[AnaheimGirl]

We took our 2yr 8mo old dd in October and had a blast. I'd suggest starting off with the rides you think she'll like the best. We made this mistake with our older dd when she was little, by taking her on Mr Toad (at DL) first. Well, we had forgotten how dark that ride is, and she was scared of the dark, so she was scared to even try anything else. expecting them all to be just as dark. So, with our second dd, we made sure to go on Small World, Winnie the Pooh, etc, first, so that if any ride scared her, she would at least know that not all rides are scary.

She didn't like Pooh, because the Heffalumps and Woozles part was "too scary". She didn't like Peter Pan or Pirates, because they were too dark. We didn't even think of taking her on Snow White, HM or Maelstrom, they would have been way too scary for her. She loved Dumbo, Goofy's Barnstormer, Alladin's Magic Carpets, Jungle Cruise, TTA, Speedway, Astro Orbiter, the Train, Triceratops Spin, Kilimanjaro Safari, HISTK playground, Pooh's playground, El Rio del Tiempo, hmm, I'm sure there was more, but I'm drawing a blank.

The one thing that was a bummer was that she was too short for several rides I know she would have loved, like Soarin', BTMRR, Splash and Primevil Whirl. She kept watching the logs come down at Splash and was very upset that she couldn't ride it.

We had planned to go back to the hotel for naps, but once we were at the parks, we were having too much fun and no one wanted to leave. dd2 just napped in the stroller. She's always been pretty good about doing so, but it was even easier for her at DW, since she was tired from all the excitement. We found a great place to stroll her to sleep at MK, it's in this post, if you want to take a look.

She also loved the water parks. She was happy just digging in the sand, and also loved the lazy rivers, the family raft rides, and the kiddie slides and play areas.

Characters... We also watched videos like DL Fun (mentioned above) and the planning DVD, to get her used to what the characters look like, and how big they are. We made sure she knew they are "as big as mommy and daddy", since they can be overwhelming sometimes for little kids. We also made sure she saw the Looney Tunes characters at our local Six Flags park, just to get used to them before Disney, too. Some kids just don't like characters, and that's OK, too. My 8yo still would rather not be near them, but the 2yo loves them, and was very into getting their autographs. She especially loved the princesses and going in the castle.

2 is such a fun age at Disney. Have a great trip!

 

[Tawnya]

...fabulous!! We were so nervous...we have an 18 DD and a 15 DD and (surprise blessing) a 2 DS. We have been numerous times with DDs since they were 5. DS had a ball. He fell asleep often and missed some rides we had "prepped" him for...but we were so delighted at how smooth things went.
Have a great time!!!

 

[Cinderumbrella]

We went this past October when DS was 29 months. He loved the characters, enjoyed all the fantastyland rides (except Snow White- which was odd since he liked the Haunted Mansion) He did not like Pirates of the Carribean, hated the fireworks and would not sit down for any show (We did get to see Philharmagic but that was his very first show and he got very restless at the end). He was, though, surprisingly patient when it came to waiting in line- especially to see the characters to get autographs.

He does not nap at home but we still went back to the hotel everyday in the middle of the afternoon just so he could play with his cars and kind of unwind. This made for much more enjoyable evenings!

He loved the hotel pool (we stayed at POR in the mansions and loved it there).

He was not the greatest for sit down meals (unless there were characters there) so try not to do too many nice dinners- they weren't so nice with a crabby child!

He had a ball at MNSSHP- he was still having so much fun at 11:30 PM which surprised us all!

This was our third trip to Disney, and our first with a child. It is definitely different (there is no Commando style with a young one!) but we still had a ball. It really is fun to go back and see it through a child's eyes! We have been back for over 2 months now and he still talks about it every single day. Just follow your childs lead, make a list of a few must do's of your own but don't try to do them all on one day.

And remember that as boring as it is for you to stand in line to meet the characters, to the little ones that is what Disney is all about! Have a great trip!

 

[LauraAnn630]

The first time we went our son was 2yrs old. He didnt slow us down at all.
He set the pace!!

Your toddler will be your activities director!

Id make sure to have a few days to just rest and hang out at the pool.

Our biggest problem was trying to get DS to sleep!

 

[skuttle]

We just returned from our trip with our 2 1/2 year old DS. He LOVED it!! He was a little hesitant about the transportation, rides, characters, etc at first, but after the first day he was fine. He LOVED the characters, especially the autograph book! Any time he would see a character, he would want to wait in line to meet them, so that slowed us down a bit, but it was so much fun ot watch him! Loved the rides...we even rode some twice in a row because he would cry when they were over because he didn't want to get off. Loved the parades and shows...again, he cried when they were over because he wanted "more." He loved all fountains, too. He would stand there and watch the water all day if we let him.

We stayed at the WL, but we never went back to the room for a break. DS always took a nap in his stroller. Sometimes he would fall asleep on his own, while at other times we had to find a calm, quiet place for him to relax. He did fall asleep during the fireworks at MVMCP! He had some two-year-old moments, but he never had a total meltdown.

My biggest advice is to remember that your child will dictate what you do during this trip more than anything else. We planned like we normally do, which parks, which TS restaurants, etc, but while at the actual park, DS decided what we did. From riding It's a Small World twice in a row, to waiting in line to meet Mickey for the 3rd time.

 

[unixadm]

We went in Jan 2004 and our sons were 16 months old and 3 yo. They had a great time!

Then again in May 2005 when they were 2 1/2 and 4....still had a great time (but learned that it might not have been a good idea to take them on Pirates of the Caribbean! )

 

[bedgraynexl]

Take the 2 year old and have fun. DD3 had just turned 3 at our trip along with DS5. As long as you let them set the pace and take your cues from them you will have very little trouble. My biggest mistake was our third day. We did MK first day, rest day on two with lots of time at the pool. Day three was AK. DW was in meetings for her convention, and we planned to meet at 3pm to rest for EMH at MK. Well, I went a little commando, Lion King, greeting trails, safari. The kids felt best when we took a little rest at the Rafiki Center. It was air condiditoned and lots of things to look at. I got the hint after that. Of course we were closing in on the 3pm meeting time and had to rush back to the hotel. The kids, refreshed, had dinner and then a great time at MK. If I hadn't listened to my kids body language and increased whining it would have been really bad later on.

Enjoy your trip

 

[speakupjc]

We took a Thanksgiving Trip with our dd age 2 1/2. We slept in as late as she wanted to, had restful full service and counter service meals and spent our time at the MK and the AK. She love it!!!!