How did you plan Disney Days with your young Toddler?

[MrsJ Henry]

I've been wondering if people who went with a young Toddler (2) could tell me what their trip itinerary looked like.
I've been playing with some things and I'm looking at

MK-first morning
break in the afternoon
MGM-in the early evening

MK-2nd morning
break in the afternoon
Epcot-early evening

MK-3rd morning
break in the afternoon
not sure about the evening

We have TS for each evening that we are going to do and one TS breakfast

We are going at the end of April and will be staying 5 nights at the Poly.

Just wondering what you did and how it worked when you took your toddlers.

It's a whole new world now that it isn't just me and DH!!!!!

 

[LadyShea]

Everyone is so different as is every kid.

When we were there a few weeks ago we did Epcot day 1, MK day 2, took day 3 off from parks, went to AK day 4 and MGM day 5. Also, he is happy napping in his stroller, so we didn't leave the parks and just shopped or did swaps on the big rides when he was asleep.

My DS, 20mo at the time hates cheering crowds at the moment, so MGM could have been a half day at best for us since we couldn't go to shows, but other kids love it.

Many feel AK is a half day or even can be skipped, but for us it was definitely a full day for our family as it's our fave park.

Best of luck with your schedule! I would love to hear about your trip.

 

[snubie]

We spent four nights last month at ASMu Family Suites with DD 2 yo. We went with a plan but it was flexible depending on her mood. We did not have park hoppers so that differs from your proposed plan.

Arrived Wed around noon
-checked into hotel, used the pool, ate at the food court, used the playground

Thursday
Breakfast in the room
AM - MK - we had lunch ADRs at Crystal Palace at 1:00
Back to hotel for naps after finished lunch
PM - MK - had CS for dinner, skipped parade and fireworks as the heavens opened up and the lightening was fierce/scary enough to make me cry a moment

Friday
Breakfast in room
AM - AK - Pizzafari for lunch
Back to hotel for naps
PM - stayed at hotel to swim, play, ate in food court

Saturday
Ohana's for breakfast
AM - MK, CS for lunch
Back to room for naps
PM - MK, CS for dinner, stayed for parade and fireworks

We just followed DD's lead, when she was tired it was time to head out for a nap/rest. DD is not one to sleep in her stroller or any place but her crib/pack n play. She feel asleep on the bus back to the hotel both Sat afternoon and night. She was asleep on the plane ride home Sunday before we even reached cruising altitude.

Have a great time. I am so happy we took DD now. She LOVED it and still talks about it all the time.

 

[Miz Diz]

We do the same as you have planned - Park in the AM, take an afternoon nap/break, then back at a park.

I don't push to get out the door so early that we make it there before the park opens. My family has only made it to MK for ropedrop twice. I like for the kids to wake up on their own, but will wake them up if they sleep past 8:30.

My kids are 6 and 2 and I've only had a problem once with taking them so young. The problem was when my daughter was 1 1/2 - she would not go to sleep the first night we were there and she kept us up literally all night and actually stayed up until about 7pm the following night - which then she slept all night. We did not have any other issues.

 

[Scuttle]

We went when our kids were 2y2m and it had it's highs and lows...LOL As does any life with toddler on ANY day - Disney or NOT! LOL

The biggest thing for us, was deciding each day if it was worth it to get the kids a nap. They weren't sleeping well at night in our villa so for us, naps were very valuable not only for them, but for me too!

We tried to be at the park soon after it opened, to avoid that first rush into the doors. We also tried to plan a couple character breakfasts BEFORE the park opened to get us past that morning rush also.

We tried to plan our park direction ahead of time, so we kind of had a clue where we should head, and for us, we learned really quickly what the kids could tolerate and what they totally hated and didn't want any part of. A lot of things scared them, which looking back on, I can total understand. They could speak and tell us what they wanted, but there really was no way for them to verbalize their true emotions.

We tried to head back to the villa for a late lunch and nap. But many times they wouldn't nap. After a rest/nap, we would head back into one of the parks that we could walk to, which was nice, because the parks were much quieter at that point also. Our kids liked a lot of the transportation things, like the monorail, the train in MK, the People Mover (I know it's not called that anymore, but it will always be that to me) in MK, the boats around BW and BC the Living Seas area in Epcot. Oh and don't forget about Playhouse Disney!

Getting reservations AHEAD of time to the places that you want to eat at, would be my biggest suggestion, so that you can get in, eat and leave.

Trying to keep a similar schedule as that you have at home might is advised, but I am sure that being flexible will play a key role in you all having a successful trip

Good Luck!

 

[Morley Dotes]

The first time we brought our kids, our daughter was 18 months and my son was almost 3. The second time she was about 2 and he was 3.5. Both times we stuck to the same plan. Morning was a character breakfast. (The first time, my daughter was a bit freaked by some of the characters, but liked the others. The second time she loved them all). Then off to a park, either MK, AK, MGM. Then lunch. Then back to the room for a nap they really needed it, a lot of stimulation....and then, ehem, we also needed a bit of a rest too. Then it was over to Epcot, because we could walk around and the kids liked the rides, especially the one in the Mexican restaurant....After the first day, we kind of played it by ear, but we did stick to part of the routine, naps were a must, and I think we all benefitted from that. I think the best thing is to be flexible and be able to "change gears" according to how your kid(s) react. Our first trip was only for 5 days, to see how they would do. The second was 8 days. Both times were great. Perhaps because we did not expect much, and we made it about the kids and not us. I am sure you will have a great time.

 

[MrsJ Henry]

Thanks folks
We are going to be pretty much going at her speed and taking things kind of slow. A different type of WDW vacation for us but we are soooooo looking forward to seeing it through her eyes!!! We've waited a long time for this

 

[LadyShea]

Thanks folks
We are going to be pretty much going at her speed and taking things kind of slow. A different type of WDW vacation for us but we are soooooo looking forward to seeing it through her eyes!!! We've waited a long time for this

I understand that feeling! We had been married 14.5 years before adopting DS, and had his first trip just a few weeks ago.

Have a wonderful time!

 

[Ellielovesdisney]

I agree with the other posters...naps are a must. We took DD several times when she was 2 and had the best time. We always arrived at park opening...this helped a lot. We also didn't spend too much time on rides, she didn't really care about them (except the carousel and dumbo and teacups) and wasn't great at waiting. She LOVED meeting the characters and they were so great to her. We planned our big meals early in the day...by dinner time she was sometimes a puddle. but every child is different.

 

[Mom2JPL]

We just got back last week from our trip with our 3 little ones (almost 4, 2 1/2, and 1) and here's what our days looked like (we didn't do park hoppers):

Arrived Wednesday early afternoon, got to Epcot in time for our 2:55 lunch with the princesses. Left Epcot after meeting Mulan after lunch. Back at room by 6:00. Kids bathed and in bed early (were on the road at 5:30am to get our plane!).

Thursday: AK - Donald's breakfastasaurus at 8:00 before park opened at 9:00. Rode the little kid's dino ride 2x's in a row (first one's on it!) and then played in the Boneyard playground for a while (the kids loved exploring it!). Saw Finding Nemo the Musical (great place to cool off and no lines!) and then explored the park a little. Saw Lilo and Stitch. Went to see Bug's Life (not recommended, my almost 4 year old got spooked by it, so we left the show early). CS lunch in park and were back in room by 2:00 (seemed to be the norm for this trip). Napped and then went to MK for MNSSHP by 5:30. CS dinner at Cosmic Rays (really good!). Stayed at party until after parade. Back to room and kids were asleep by 9:00.

Friday: MGM - got to park when it opened at 9:00, went to see Choo Choo Soul, saw Lightening McQueen, Woody and Buzz, and went to the Muppet 3D show (kids loved it!); had ADR's at Hollywood & Vine for 12:30, but got seated early (note to self - try to get lunch adr's by noon, kids are hungry and tired and ready to rest by then!); after lunch headed to room for daily nap. Back to MGM after nap around 6:00. CS meal at park. Stayed until park closed at 8:00. Back to room to get kids to sleep.

Saturday: MK - late start for us (ha ha) - didn't get into MK until 9:30! Went directly to Fantasyland and rode Small World, Peter Pan, Carosel and Dumbo before heading off to lunch at Crystal Palace. ADR's were for 12:50, but we got there at noon and were seated within 10 minutes. After lunch we headed back to room. Napped. Back to MK, rode Aladdin's Magic Carpet, dinner (CS) at Pecos Bill's, watched the electric light parade around the corner, walked to front of park for wishes, and then slowly made out way out of the park (with the hourds of others!). Kids asleep by 9:30ish.

Sunday: MK - early morning Little Ones Magic Hours, were at park by 8:00 and kids played games w/Minnie and Daisy, played ball with Peter and Wendy, played "Mickey Says" with Mickey and Pluto, and rode the carosel w/Chip and Dale. All before 9:00am! Had a quick bite at Main Street Bakery (name?) and then rode Pirates of Caribbean and the train once around the park and then got off at Toon Town for some fun! Went through Mickey's house, played in the little playpark across from the house, then went to cool off on Donald's Boat (kids got soaked!) Headed toward front of park to leave, saw the all american family parade (cute!) and got on bus. Back to room for naps. Went to Downtown Disney for dinner for 5:00 at Wolfgang Puck's Cafe (delicious, highly recommend it!), walked around, went to Lego store and Once Upon a Toy, Goofy's Candy Co and then headed back to Saratoga Springs on the Ferry. Kids asleep by 8:30.

Monday - came home...boo hoo!

So, after my long winded detail of our trip, here's what you see - we got to parks early, we left every afternoon for a nice nap back at the room and didn't stay at the parks very late (9:30 I think was the latest). Our kids are usually in bed by 8:00 at home, but we gave a little leaway on vacation. Kids had a great time and were well rested (the parents, that's another story...I'm still tired!).

 

[mommytodarlings]

Last fall was our first trip with our kids, ages 4.5, 3.5, 2 and a newborn (I know I'll probably be flamed for taking a newborn and exposing her to all those germs, )

Anyway, our first day, we arrived around 12:30pm and spent a couple hours in our room. Had dinner at CM and walked around our resort, POR, when we got back from dinner.

2nd day, AK, we were there for opening and left just after lunch. It was hot and we had seen enough of the park and did all the kids could do for their size/age. Had a nap and went to dinner at 1900 Park Fare.

3rd day, spent lounging around resort and took boat ride to DTD. The kids were quite happy doing these things, at this age it isn't all about the theme parks.

4th day, MK, there for opening, did everything for their size/ages and had late lunch at Crystal Palace. Walked around a bit more then left. DH and the 2 older kids went swimming and me and younger ones had a nap. In the evening we took another boat ride to DTD.

The kids loved the boat rides, I think we ended up going 3 or 4 times.

We never went back to a park later in the day, the kids had had enough and we knew not to push it.

We are going this Dec for 2 weeks for Xmas and again are planning our trip on their terms.

Honestly, doing things on their terms, we did not have any meltdowns. We didn't over extend our kids.

 

[Tnkrbelle565]

One tip we learned on this trip is that 6pm ADRs do NOT work for DD. We typically eat at home at around 6pm so I made all our dinner ADRs for 6pm. This was too early at Disney. We generally went to a park in the am, left after lunch to "nap" and then planned to go back out for dinner, some more rides, and fireworks. Issue was the DD never wanted to nap when we got back. She wanted to swim. So we'd let her swim for awhile (which would FINALLY tire her out), then we would go back to the room, change her out of swimsuit, let her try to take a little nap. Problem was that the nap was never long enough because we would always have to wake her by 4-4:30 to get dressed for dinner and get to the buses. So dinner times were a little rough for her. She was never BAD per se but she was definately not her sweet self. Next year I plan to make later dinner ADRs and maybe do some of our sit downs as lunches (which we've never done).

Also, we typically save Epcot for an evening (as you have planned) because it's not DD's favorite BUT we have learned that some of the things she would enjoy about Epcot (ie the character encounters) are not going on in the evenings so she continues to miss them. We are planning a morning trip to Epcot for the next trip.

 

[labdogs42]

Hmmm...we took our DS at 15 months, 19 months, and twice since he's been two. We only napped at the hotel twice in four trips. He napped like a champ in his stroller and we very rarely left the parks. We were flexible and went with the flow, but that's just what turned out to work the best for him and us. We had the ray shade on the stroller to make sure he was completely shaded from the sun during his naps and it worked great! Trying to get him back to a hotel before he fell asleep was too tough to do! We just took turns sitting with the stroller and riding the big rides while he slept. It worked out great!

Also, if you want to GET your kid to nap in the parks, here are some of our favorite nap-inducing attractions:
Spaceship Earth
Hall of Presidents
Carousel of Progress
American Adventure
and strangely enough, the Lion King Show!

 

[SqueakyMouse]

Sadly, none of my children have every napped while at WDW. In fact, they tend to last longer than their mom and dad. Of course, they are night owls even under normal conditions, so staying up really late is no problem for them (but IS for me!).

Our youngest (now 4) made her first trip to the world when she was 2. We hadn't planned on taking her along (She was to stay with her grandparents, but they cancelled at the last moment.) We all had a great time, but dd had the best time of all! She enjoyed the rides (particularly HM and Pooh), loved the parades, demanded that we stand in line after line to meet the characters (after getting over her shyness during her first meet-and-greet), played for hours in the hotel pool and in the water parks, and just plain enjoyed people-watching. She took no naps; paid very little attention to the animals right outside our AKL balcony; and did not enjoy lengthy TS meals, even when characters were involved. Once we figured out that we couldn't get her to stick to any sort of "sensible" schedule, we all had a great time.