How did your two year old handle WDW?

[BridetobeDisney]

We are going down to WDW in May for 8 days and staying at AKL. We already took our DS when he was 14 months for 6 days. However, if you have children you know that a 14 month old and a 26 month old are alot different. He enjoyed everything except the Tiki Room back in June. Characters did not scare him and he especially loved Stitch.

We have videos from our last trip of shows, the safari ride and character interactions and our DS asks to watch them on a regular basis, at least once every couple of weeks. When he sees pictures of the castle, he says "Oh Disney World!"

So how did your toddler handle Disney? What have I got to look forward to (besides being absolutely in love with everything WDW) and what are some things to look out for? I'd love to hear some stories.

 

[DVC2007]

My family went to Disney in December and my daughter was just a few months beyond her second birthday. Of course there were plenty of moments of pure joy, but there were also plenty of tantrums and one unforgettable bus ride that left a man pointing us out to his wife and remarking, "there they go, that's them."

I think a crucial part of visiting Disney, not only when taking a toddler, involves getting to the park for opening, taking a long afternoon break everyday and also taking a rest day in the middle of your vacation if you are there for more than a few days. We are heading back in May for 11 full days and plan on three rest days to be spent by the pools and Downtown Disney. There are plenty of people who when at Disney don't take the time to plan and end up dragging miserable children around the park in an attempt to see it all.

Some of the things that my kids enjoyed that seemed to provide them with a sense of normalcy in the midst of the over-stimulation of the parks were Pooh's Playful Spot at MK, The Boneyard at AK, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids Movie Set Adventure at HS and Storytime with Belle at Fairytale Garden in the MK. I know these were big hits with my daughter as well as my five-year old son.

Best wishes for a good trip and I have my fingers crossed that there will be fewer tantrums when we return in May. Enjoy!

 

[devinfl]

I took my DS right before he turned 2 and right before he turned 3. Both times went very well! We did the playgrounds in the park alot. We also napped every afternoon at the hotel and did some time off. When he got tired we went back to the hotel, needless to say we saw no night shows but it was worth it we didnt have a cranky 2 yr old with us!

 

[luckymom3]

our youngest was two her first time and we did Land/Sea. We rented a double stroller. she had no problem napping in it. Had snacks for her to munch on while she strolled around. I think keeping them from getting exhausted is key. the nights we watched fireworks or nighttime shows we went back to the room for a bit before dinner to rest. Over stimulation from the parks for hours is hard on a two year old. Relax by the pool, walk around your resort. have a great time

 

[arielmomma]

I took my daughter in January 2 weeks before she turned 2 and I also took my son when he was 2. Both trips went very well. Both of the children at the age of 2 had a great time at Disney - they loved the food, the rides, my son liked the characters, but my daughter was terrified of the "non-human" characters. I'm sure that you'll just love watching your 2 year old experience Disney. I know that I did both times.

 

[here757]

we took my son when he was around 3.. he had long given up his naps...
so i figured disney.. piece of cake.. he can handle it..
oh my.. he was the biggest butt ever.. about 2 pm he acted like a punk in front of pooh! we had just stood in line for tigger and the older kids wanted to see pooh. this kid falls out.. laying on the ground..
last thing u wanna do is spank him LOL not at disney!! ohh no..
anyhow we took him back to the room. forced him to sleep and let the older kids play in the pool..

u know your children better then anyone... my advise.. be mindful of the body language.. i hope like hell i didnt interrupt anyones vacation

 

[Faldred]

Just got back with 26-month-old twins (and their nearly four-year-old big brother). They were great. DS2 had some trouble with shows, but loved all the rides he did. DD2 was great throughout, except she didn't like the carousel. DD2 was more into the characters than DS2, but neither were "scared" by them. Dining was the only real "problem", in trying to find them something that they'd eat, rather than toss on the floor...

 

[NU2WDW]

Our first trip to WDW was in 2007 with my (then) 2, 3 and 5 year old DDs. My suggestion is to use a touring plan from the Unofficial Guide to WDW. I can't stress enough how they helped us -- in the heat of June with three preschoolers in tow, it was bliss not having to wait in endless lines all day long.

My kids loved everything as far as rides go. I had heard lots of comments about the Snow White ride being scary -- had no problems there. Probably the hardest thing was when one of them was too short to go on a ride they wanted to! We're going back next month and everyone's much taller now so that shouldn't be an issue, LOL.

Mainly just remember, you won't get to "everything" and it's better not to force him to try. I agree with everyone else -- Give him lots of down time, even if it means taking a whole day off from the parks and vegging at the pool.