First Disney Trip with DD:)

[disneymore2]

This is my wife and I's first trip to Disney with our daughter- she will almost be 2 We are very excited, but are trying to realize she may not enjoy it as much as we think she will, becasue of her young age. Luckly she is developing really good (starting to talk in sentences, potty trained, etc) The only tv show she is into is Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and she loves Mickey Mouse- so we know she will enjoy it some...

Anyways we have been doing our research figuirng out which rides she may like, which rides we want to do parent swap, we know we will be coming home for naps and probably not staying out as late as usual.

However I am just looking for any tips other parents that have taken 2yr olds have???

 

[Tnkrbelle565]

I took my DD when she was 2 (and can I say congrats on the potty trained prior to 2 thing!!!!)

You are correct in assuming that she might be less enthused than you think. At that age, a LOT of kiddos are terrified of the characters. We were lucky that my DD loved them and was never afraid. Because of this, she was not afraid of the rides either. The dark rides also tend to upset some little ones.

Fantasyland will be a must do of course. She can do most of the rides at MK except for the Mountains. At that age, we did not child swap....we just skipped those rides.

Some would argue with me over this but we did not find a ton to do at Epcot when DD was that age so we didn't spend a lot of time there. She can do Nemo and Turtle Talk. Living with the Land is closed right now. She can go on Maelstrom in Norway but that is a dark ride (as it Spaceship Earth). I would skip Honey I Shrunk the Audience...it terrified my DD.

At DHS, you'll spend most of your time in the back of the park. Playhouse Disney show and characters are back there and is the Little Mermaid (again this is dark). TSM and all the Pixar characters are back there too.

At AK, you can do a lot because it's a lot of seeing and not a lot of doing. She can do the shows and the safari. You can also take her on the train ride. I would skip Bugs Life.

At two you'll need to take a lot of breaks and make sure you bring a stroller...even if she's out of one at home.

Good Luck planning and have a great trip!

 

[yekcoh_99]

I agree w/ a lot of what Tink said. We just returned last week from WDW with our DD (who turned 2 while we were there) and our DS who's 3. They both had the time of their life! They loved the characters and the parades. MUST DO's for them every day. We rented a stroller from Orlando Stroller Rentals which was wonderful, cloth, comfortable and RECLINED for naps so we didn't waste half the day running back to the hotel for naps. We also rented a full sized crib while we were there from www.abbf.com which was fantastic. Hopefully your daughter won't be afraid of the characters, but if she is, keep trying b/c she may warm up to them within a day or two. We did a character meals at Crystal Palace w/Pooh and Chef Mickey's. Big hits. We skipped the character meets due to immense lines in Toon Town, but met others throughout the park. AK has a great meet and great w/short lines if you get there early. They met MANY characters that day. Lion King Festival there was a hit. They liked the animals, but I have to say I this was one of their least favorite parks. EPCOT had, IMO, the best character meeting area b/c it was inside, A/C and you didn't have to keep getting in new lines to hit the next character. It moved along quickly and again AC (it was in the 90's outside). They liked the Nemo ride, but were a bit young for Crush. Spaceship Earth was alright for them. My daughter would cling, and sometimes cry slightly when entering rides that were darker (small world, peter pan, pooh, etc.) but by the end was usually loving it. Snow White is too scary for this age though, so avoid that one. Dumbo, tea cups, carosel, Buzz LIghtyear, atro orbiters, tom sawyer island, jungle cruise,etc. Big hits. HS was fun for them too. They LOVED the Honey I Shrunk the Kids Play yard area and meeting Woody and Buzz outside Toy Story Mania. They liked the ride and toy soldiers there as well. They loved meeting the Cars characters and enjoyed the sci-fi diner. They also liked the Indiana Jones show. Playhouse Disney was also a big hit. We plan on returning next year. Not sure if we'll hit Epcot on that visit. Although there's lots of kids interactive stuff there, I think they're still just a bit young. My 3 year old liked Soarin, but not test track. Loved the Rapids ride in AK though. My DD often fell asleep on cool rides, like the people mover in tomorrow land, the choo choo train in MK and also (believe it or not) on the haunted mansion. She didn't cry, but that ride got her to turn and cling to me. If she was tired, I knew she'd be asleep quickly and she was. Plus mommy got to cool off for a few minutes. Hopefully your little one will do well. We brought a sippy with us, waters in a small cooler and you get get all the free ice you want to freshen it up. Oh - Ariel's Grotto in MK was a big hit too. Just bring a change of clothes. Toon town was nice too. We also took a day and went to Blizzard Beach. GREAT tikes area there. Nice water slides she could go down as well as her own little inner tube ride. Both kids LOVED it. Their favorite peice of all...meeting the characters and the Parades. They loved the parades. Have the time of your life and enjoy seeing it all through her eyes!

 

[Brenzav]

I really like the book "The unofficial Guide WDW with Kids".

The with kids part is the focus of this guide, Touring plans, ride ratings for toddlers, teens, and adults.

HTH! Try amazon, bookstore, or library.

Brenna

 

[scootch]

I took my dd's to wdw by myself when they were 2 1/2 and 5. I really wanted my 5 year old to see it as I thought she was the "perfect" age. Boy was I wrong... the 2 1/2 year old came back a walking disney world commercial. She loved the parades and shows especially. Be sure to see Spectromagic in Magic Kingdom, nothing like it. The only real issue I had was on the plane.. we boarded when they called for families, those needing extra time(since I was alone with them, I boarded) but that extra 20 min was too mcuh. She went from seat to seat to seat and I was utterly exhausted by the time I got there. All the tricks and toys I took did nothing! So on the way home I just asked to board as late as possible and they let me. If you take a stroller she can sleep in, you can likely do your naps in the parks and one of you can ride while she is napping. You will have a great time... enjoy!

 

[kpgriswold]

See the thread "First Disney Trip with Toddler" from Rjsoto24601 for lots more great tips!

 

[disneymore2]

Thanks every one for your advice. I am glad to see that toddler can still enjoy the parks. Definetly looking to do one character meal (trying to figure out the best one with Mickey). We live in North Florida so we are driving- so we will have our stroller and crib with us. Thanks again

 

[scootch]

Thanks every one for your advice. I am glad to see that toddler can still enjoy the parks. Definetly looking to do one character meal (trying to figure out the best one with Mickey). We live in North Florida so we are driving- so we will have our stroller and crib with us. Thanks again

My kids have loved Chef MIckey's for the past 6 years straight, it is there number one choice year after year.

 

[wrighter]

We have gone to WDW with children ranging in age from 17 months to 6 years. We have seen it all!

My first piece of advice is to do your homework - know the park layouts, have an idea of what you think your DD would like to do, but also know what else is out there in case she surprises you in any way. On our first trip, I can't tell you how grateful I was that I'd spent to much time here on The Dis! We had a tentative plan, but had lots of backup plans, and backup plans for those plans, etc. You get the picture.

My next piece of advice is to be prepared. It's worth it to bring a small backpack with ringpops, wetwipes, small snacks, a change of clothes for her, just in case.

But my most important piece of advice is this: Let her take the lead. Don't rush around trying to do everything or make too many ADR's. If she wants to spend an hour at Pooh's Thoughtful Spot, then let her. If she doesn't want to get close to the characters then go around them. If she wants to go on a ride ten times in a row then just do it. Just watch and enjoy the magic at her pace. Maybe you won't get to do everything you want to do, but it will make your trip so much more enjoyable.

I'm so envious that you get to take this first magical trip with her - I wish I could do ours with our toddlers all over again!

 

[Jdougherty]

Our favorite character meals where:

Dine and Play at hollywood and vine ( little eistiens, Jojo and Goliath)

Crystal Palace ( pooh and Friends)

Chef Mickey

Dinner in the land ( mickey, goofy, chip and dale)

I agree with the stroller suggestions, they are a must! my DD enjoyed MK the most with Epcot's activites a close second ( she loves Nemo). Bring plenty of "drinks" and be flexible to how tired they get. Mine did great all day but she was used to crashing in her stroller and traveling alot.

 

[disneymore2]

My kids have loved Chef MIckey's for the past 6 years straight, it is there number one choice year after year.

I am super disappointed I tried to make a reservation today for our one non park day and there are no reservations open... It is the Tueday of Thanksgiving week. I don't know what we are going to do now. May try to do Donald's Bfast at AK. The menu doesn't look as good. We ate at AKL breakfst buffet once and the menu looks the same, plus we will have to spend park time eating.