HELP - Disney with a 2 1/2 year old

[fcajoymartin]

Do you have any suggestions? What all rides and attractions will she enjoy? Do you have any tips for making the most of our day? We will be having one day at the Magic Kingdom....

 

[michygoomy]

At the Magic Kingdom, my 2 y/o LOVED Winnie the Pooh. I think we rode it six times--three times in a row twice. Go early in the morning to avoid the lines!

She also liked Buzz, Carousel of Progress, Country Bear Jamboree, Philharmagic, Tiki Birds, Pirates, Peter Pan, It's a Small World and Jungle Cruise.

Do you have any character meals planned? Meeting the characters were the favorite part of the trip, for sure.

My best advise is to get there right at opening to get on the rides that are going to have long waits, especially with a toddler who may want to repeat things.

 

[kathie859]

The last trip I took with a little one was in Dec. 05 with my then 2 1/2 yr. DGS and his Mom, my DD. As I recall all was well except when he became over stimulated (an easy thing at WDW). We had a few meltdowns....but all in all he had a blast and he can still remember some of the rides especially Dumbo and the Magic Carpets and the train! He also remembered NOT being big enough for Splash Mountain and was really miffed.

I put a scapebook together for that trip and he still looks at it. We've started chatting up WDW again in anticipation of our Oct. trip. Surprisingly, he's all over what he'll be able to do this year that he couldn't when he was a baby.

Another thing that he really enjoyed was the parades. Somehow, that surprised me.

 

[northriver]

Last trip DD was 22 months. She was quite ill the last couple days of the trip and didn't really remember the trip home, and when we got home and she was feeling better, the first thing she said was "Go back, ride Snow White". At some point lots of kids get scared of the Snow Whiteride, then they out grow being scared - but you don't know if you don't try. DD obviously felt it was a favorite ride!

3 months later, she wants to ride (in order) Dumbo, Pooh, the monorail, and Peter Pan. She pretty much enjoyed everything, even Pirates. We skipped Tiki Room so I don't know about that. And she wouldn't keep her glasses on for Philharmagic but she thought the end was hillarious. I don't think she understood Turtle Talk at Epcot but so we could have skipped that but she LOVED the aquarium as well as the clam shell ride inside. At Animal Kingdom she could have spent all day looking at the animal exhibits so if you go there don't rush by them like almost everyone does. There is a big difference between 22 months and 30 months but I hope this helps you some!

 

[SqueakyMouse]

We took dd to WDW for the first time when she was 2 1/2 yo. This trip had been planned for the older boys, but dmil backed out of watching dd at the last moment. Dh and I decided to take our chances and bring dd along. We all had a great time, but dd had the best of all!

Visiting WDW is different with every child. Our dd loved everything, from rides to parades to fireworks. Her favorite activity was collecting character autographs. (She got over her shyness with the characters within just a few minutes of her first visit with Donald & Daisy Duck.) The only attraction that seemed to bother her (and only mildly so) was ITTBAB. Of course, our younger ds is terrified of most bugs; and she has picked up on some of that.

On her first trip, we did not force her or even strongly encourage her to try anything; but I cannot remember anything that she didn't want to do.

At 4 1/2 and with quite a few trips under her belt now, she is a die-hard Disney fanatic. She is so excited about our upcoming July trip because she will finally be tall enough to ride most of the coasters and ToT.

 

[MindyLuvsMickey]

Our son loved everything about the Magic Kingdom. he loved the monorail and talked about for months after our trip.

I think his favorite rides were, Buzz, Winnie the Pooh, Its A Small World, Jungle Cruise, Goofy's Barnstormer, Haunted Mansion, Country Bears . . .

his absolulte favorite was Pirates of the Caribbean. he would have been happy to stay on the Pirates all day long.

I, too, have put a scrapbook together of our last two visits. DS loves to sit and look at and talk about our trip.


My best advice would be to just let your little one dictate the pace. Rest when you need to rest, go back to your resort (if you are staying on propery). We certainly didn't do it all. We didn't make it past dinner on any of our stays at any of the parks. We are hoping to make it beyond sundown during our next trip, though!

Have a great time!

 

[pumpkin5156]

I just asked this question about 2 weeks ago on this very thread! I'll tell you some of the repeat answers I got:

Snow White scared almost every 2.5 yo.

MOST went back to nap at the hotel in order to come back and enjoy the nightlife.

It's Tough To Be A Bug scared every one that responded.

Pooh and Peter Pan were the top fav's of almost all the 2.5 yo.

I was worried my 2.5 yo son wouldn't be into any of the shows, which I am really into. but almost everyone said the 2.5 yo loved the shows!

I was also worried about characters scaring my son. About 70% said the characters didn't scare their kids (but that means 30% were scared!!). We're still doing a character breakfast to test the waters....

They ALL said to get to the parks at rope drop....kids are up so early anyways!!

One mom suggested really getting her little one familiar w/ the characters by watching a lot of Disney movies a few months before the trips. Obviously, it's up to you which ones you allow her to watch....


I just ordered "The Unofficial Guide to WDW with kids," off of Amazon.com for $8!! It was recommended to me by more than two people, so I'l pass that on to you.

Have fun, and every single person told me to let my child set the pace. To have a plan, but to be super flexible with it and go with the flow. Better to have a happy child waiting in a line for a ride that he/she wants to go on, rather than a grumpy child waiting in a line that is in "the plan." KWIM??

 

[Tikicampers]

Have fun, and every single person told me to let my child set the pace. To have a plan, but to be super flexible with it and go with the flow. Better to have a happy child waiting in a line for a ride that he/she wants to go on, rather than a grumpy child waiting in a line that is in "the plan." KWIM??

Your whole post was good, but I really wanted to emphasize this. You just never know how your child is going to react to things. We had a general plan, but mostly, we went with what DS wanted (within reason). DH and I love WDW, but at this point in our lives, it is about our kids. We enjoy it, but a big part of our enjoyment is seeing our kids' faces as the discover new things at WDW. We know that our time will come again.
I would suggest that each adult pick one must-do for each park/day. For example, if DH doesn't get to ride HM, he won't feel he has been to Disney, so we made sure to ride that. Even if he missed out on some other favorites, he got to do the thing he loves the most.
Also, we did go back to the hotel midday for a rest and swimming. I really feel that this was the key to making our trip a success.

 

[poohbearrocks]

i agree with all of the above...i just did a trip to make sure i took my 2 yr old boy before he "lost" the character love...my dd 6 went at 2 and it was so awesome...know while she still loved it and seeing all the characters I was reminded they are only just dressed up and that kinda was sad for me to hear... ds was a bit more overstimulated...but that is also a reason I chose disneyland and not world..i know ME going to the world would want to try all parks and that would be 2 much...so we did 4 days 2 parks took breaks and had fun!!! can't wait to hear about your trip!