Help with single day visit with toddler!

[lasmickey]

I haven’t been to WDW in 10 years! We will be in Florida next May and I want to take our 2 yr old (age then) grandson to MK for a day. We may possibly do one other park day.

Please give me a run down on need to know changes from 10 years ago and/or tips for single day visits with toddlers. Ticketing, fast passes, rides, food... anything and everything you can give me advice on would be so helpful! TIA!!

 

[sethschroeder]

I would highly suggest getting the Undercover Tourist book and reading/skimming through it as a start.

I would also say in order to get good feedback I would outline, when you are going (May but do you have a specific date in mind or a range of dates), who else will be in the group, how early or late can the toddler be up, what shows/rides you want to visit, does the toddler have a specific favorite character, is there a specific type of food the toddler would like?

 

[anonymousegirl]

Unless you are staying onsite, you will not be able to get your fastpasses until 30 days out. If you can swing it financially, consider a one night stay on property which will give you Fastpasses at 60 days out, plus a pool and an air-conditioned room for a nap. If there are extra magic hours the next morning, you'll be eligible for those with this reservation.

I like breaking a day into three parts--morning, afternoon and evening, keeping one of those segments free from activity or scheduling. For example, a busy morning, then a long afternoon break, then a few more hours in the evening.

Determine whether your little guy can tolerate Rope Drop. If he can, plan on being there at least 45 minutes prior to opening. This will put you at the front of the rope drop line. Head straight to 7 Dwarves Mine Train if he is tall enough. Hit Peter Pan first, unless you have a later Fastpass, if he isn't tall enough the Mine train.. This line builds very quickly. The Dumbo ride now has two sets of flying elephants so that helps that line a lot.

If not staying on-site, and not heading back to your hotel for a rest, you will need to plan your day around a nap for your grandson. Consider an early character lunch, then a nap in his stroller during the hot part of the day. Bring a lightweight, light colored blanket or sheet to cover the stroller.

Determine his "must"meet characters. Many do not sign autographs any more, but all have photopass photographers taking pictures. Check your app every so often to make sure your photos are there. Photopass personnel have a better chance of finding them if you notify them very soon after that your photos. Consider doing the photos earlier in the day before heat-crankiness sets in.

My top rides for toddlers--Peter Pan, Dumbo, Winnie the Pooh, and Enchanted Tales with Belle (interactive but if he is shy, he doesn't have to participate. LOVE Mickey's Philharmagic movie. Not scary and always air conditioned.

May can be quite busy even if the schools aren't out yet. Determine 3-4 must do attractions and plan for those.

 

[dbb727]

We went Sept 2018 with my 2yo son and 4yo daughter. My son’s favorites at MK were: M&G with Mickey, riding dumbo, railroad and watching real ducks in the grass in the Hub.

At that age, your grandson will be happy with just about anything in MK (including just watching ducks) and won’t even know what will be missed(since you can’t do it all in one day) so do things that you’ll enjoy and don’t put too much pressure to cram a lot in. I agree with the above poster, focus on 3-4 must do attractions/character and then anything else you accomplish is icing on the cake.

IMHO, trying to match the toddler’s normal nap/food schedules is key to keeping everyone happy. My kids get up at the crack of dawn so it was an easy choice to do Rope drop, hotel break for nap time,then back for evening. Even with 4hr afternoon break, they couldn’t stay awake past 8pm. If you bring a lightweight stroller that reclines, then you can try for a stroller nap while adults are walking around or relaxing in a/c. Sometimes this is better since getting on transportation to get back to a hotel can backfire and mess up naptime(they fall asleep for 20min on bus/car/monorail and then won’t go back to sleep once in hotel room).

My top FP selections for a 2yo focused trip would be:
-Peter Pan’s Flight
-Town Hall Meet and Greet with Mickey (not sure in Minnie will still be there)
- Tomorrowland Speedway (assuming it’s open again by May)
Or
-Buzz Lightyear
I choose these because they seem to have longest wait and run out of fast passes quickest, but watch the wait times for a few weeks before your trip to see if any patterns change.

Most of the non-height restricted rides (Dumbo, Little Mermaid, Pooh, Teacups, IASW, Magic Carpets, Barnstormer-actually this is 36”height limit) will be easy 4th FP or have lower waits.

Pirates was too “spooky” for my kids and thus we also skipped HM. YMMV

Food:
Under three eats FREE off your plate at buffets or can order a separate FREE kids meal at TS. Lunch at CP with Winnie the Pooh characters can be a nice midday rest, but keep in mind that some kiddos at that age are freaked out by fur characters. My son definitely was more comfortable with the princesses and “face” characters, he tolerated Pooh, tigger, etc but did not want to get too close or be in pics with them. Mickey only worked out well because he took time to sit on the floor with DS

Don’t forget shows, especially midday when lines are longest and temperatures are high. Tiki Room and Philharmagic are great options.

If your little one needs to run and get energy out, the new play area inside Dumbo is great and air conditioned. There wasn’t even a wait for Dumbo but I opted to let the kids play for 20min and they loved it. Tom Sawyer island is another good shady run around spot.

Have fun planning your trip!

 

[LongLiveRafiki]

Barnstormer-actually this is 36”height limit)

Barnstormer's height requirement is 35". Not a big difference, but makes it more likely a 2 year old can ride.

or can order a separate FREE kids meal at TS.

Generally, no. A couple of non-buffet character meal restaurants frequently allow an under 3yo to order a free kids meal (CRT, Akershus, and Bon Voyage breakfast have been known to do so), but it's not an official policy and doesn't always happen. Other non-buffet TS restaurants do not generally give a free kids meal to under 3's. Disney's official policy is kids under 3 are free at buffets and AYCTE restaurants and can share a parent's meal at no charge at other restaurants. If you wish to order him a separate kids meal, expect to be charged. Most TS restaurants will provide a free kids drink to little ones, but even that is considered pixie dust and is not guaranteed.

OP, my best advice is to take cues from your grandson and enjoy the day. The parks are so magical when you experience them through a little one's eyes. We took my son a few days before he turned 2 and it was amazing seeing him come out of his shell and notice things we never would have taken the time for. He loved watching the ducks, pointing out the light fixtures everywhere, and finding Hidden Mickeys in the architecture. Definitely take things slow and don't be afraid to throw the plans out the window.

Second, every kid is different. Mine fell asleep on iasm and the Carousel as they just couldn't hold his attention. He LOVED POTC and laughed the whole way through HM. He loved the fur characters and ran to every one, including those he had no idea who they were. Face characters freaked him out though. Rope drop never would have worked for him, so we got to the parks around 1030 and stayed till close. The point is, every toddler is different and you may not know what he will like or dislike ahead of time and he may surprise you while you're there. The great thing about that age is unless they're overly tired or hungry, most times grumpiness can be remedied with distraction. Point out something new for him to look at or let him stretch his legs for a few mins.

As for changes in the last decade, I'm guessing FP was paper last time you went. It's all digital now. You can select 3 FP in advance for each person per day, 30 days in advance if you're staying off site and 60 days for on site. Under 3's do not need and cannot get FP; as long as the accompanying adult has a FP (and it's a ride the kid is tall enough for), then they can enter the FP line with the adult to ride. After you've used your first three pre-scheduled FPs, you can go on the MDE app from your phone (free WiFi in the parks) and schedule more FPs, one at a time for the rest of the day. The app also shows current wait times for the rides and shows, which could be helpful if you're in Fantasyland for example and considering an attraction on the other side of the park.

If you have magic bands (provided free to on-site guests or available for purchase), those will be used to scan in for FP. If you don't have magic bands, your park ticket will work the same way, so make sure you keep it in a safe but accessible place.

If you will have another adult with you and you wish to ride anything that the toddler is too short for, rider swap is available. The passes are no longer paper but digitally added to your magic band or ticket and will then show up on your MDE app. You can only have one rider swap at a time.

If you want to eat at any TS restaurants, reservations open 180 days in advance. Many popular places book up fast, so reserve as early as you can if there's a restaurant you really want. Several of the quick service locations offer mobile ordering through the MDE app and this can help you to beat the lines (really nice with a little one). Also, all of the quick service locations offer free cups of ice water which is great in the heat. Disney as a whole has also for the most part stopped giving out lids with drinks and only offering paper straws which can disintegrate quickly, especially with a toddler chewing on them. You may want to consider bringing a sippy cup or water bottle with a lid for your grandson and just transferring drinks into there.

 

[dbb727]

Generally, no. A couple of non-buffet character meal restaurants frequently allow an under 3yo to order a free kids meal (CRT, Akershus, and Bon Voyage breakfast have been known to do so), but it's not an official policy and doesn't always happen. Other non-buffet TS restaurants do not generally give a free kids meal to under 3's. Disney's official policy is kids under 3 are free at buffets and AYCTE restaurants and can share a parent's meal at no charge at other restaurants. If you wish to order him a separate kids meal, expect to be charged. Most TS restaurants will provide a free kids drink to little ones, but even that is considered pixie dust and is not guaranteed.

Great to know, I guess we just got lucky then. My kids usually share a plate when eating out anyhow but every TS we went to always strongly encouraged me to order a sepearate meal for my 2yo. We visited some that you mentioned (Akershus, Bon Voyage) but it also happened at Sana’a, The Wave and Kona Cafe. Our 4yo would barely eat, especially when she was excited about characters but I felt I got my money’s worth since DS2 ate both their plates!

 

[Tink_83]

I normally do short trips and in fact my last one was 2 nights and one day with an 18 month old and a 6 year old. For us we get there early and stay past fireworks. DS slept in the stroller for naps with no problems. I do recommend bringing a stroller for him at that age and a good one with a nice recliner if you are trying to do the nap in stroller thing. I personally like shopping while he naps and find going back to the hotel for a day trip to be more effort then it’s worth, but again my kids have both been able to nap in their stroller - if my kids didn’t then I’d probably have a different opinion on the matter

We ate dinner at BOG and I don’t eat much so I didn’t have an issue sharing with him... for short trips undercover tourist is actually more expensive then buying directly from Disney so for me personally I just buy from them (I do always check just in case though - for instance we purchased our tickets just before the price increase in February and for a brief time the cost of a day ticket from undercover tourist was less then disney as they finished their stock of those one day tickets...

For younger kids the carousel, POC, it’s a small world, etc. are all great rides to try. If you do get a hotel room for the 60 day FP that is the age to do Peter Pan as well... personally at that age if it is just you and your grandchild I wouldn’t plan the day so much as show up and see what happens and what he wants to do. I did that with my oldest and it was the best day ever! No planning required