Ideas for Disney w/ 28 month old DS

[AToyStoryMom]

We're going to Disney and I'm SO excited. This is the first trip w/ DS (who will be 28 mos old).

Any advice? We're staying at Pop Century (late January).

Specifically, which Parks did your 2 y.o like best?

Which character b'fast is best? Is there something for boys that rivals the princess b'fast?

TIA for any help!

 

[flynnmnstr]

We went with DS when he was 17mnths and 23mnths. We are leaving in two weeks (27mnths) for our last trip on our current APs and probably won't be going back for at least a year. We've been really fortunate because my husband has had many conferences and meetings in Orlando this year. DS and I tag along....

DS loves all the parks!!

MGM was probably his least favorite. I shouldn't say that but it had only a couple of attractions that he was interested in. You can definitely do that park in less than a day as long as you do not want to do everything and baby swap. Attractions that he liked were Playhouse Disney, The Little Mermaid, Honey I Shrunk the Kids Playground and he even enjoyed Mann's Chinese Theater. We didn't go on the Backstage Tour with him but our nephews went there a couple of months ago when they were three and four and loved it!

We ate a 50s Prime Time (one of our favs) and it was great because there is a lot going on there and it kept him occupied. Didn't do Fantasmic yet; we are going to try it on this upcoming trip.

MAGIC KINGDOM- At 23mnths we basically took him on any ride that they would let us. He was still too short for the roller coasters or Splash Mountain but he went on the Barnstormer no less than 30 times during our trip. One time we rode 7 times in a row. If your son is a roller coaster fan and at least 35-36 inches, we highly recommend it. Get to Mickey Toontown as soon as it opens, normally about an hour after the rest of the park. And go straight to the Barnstormer. If he's really a fan of coasters, keep riding until it gets crowded.

DS really did well on all the rides at the MK. He is not easily frightened or scared of loud noises. He really liked the Jungle Cruise, Buzz Lightyear, Merry Go Round, Country Bear Jamboree, Horseshoe Jamboree (Toy Story Characters), Its a Small World, and believe it or not the Transit Authority Ride.

I can not wait until he is 40 inches so that he can experience more of the bigger rides because he is such a little dare devil.

EPCOT- Believe it or not he really had a great time at this park. We spend most of our evenings at Epcot because we stay at the Dolphin and love to be able to walk back to our room after the park closes.

In Future World we took him on everything he was able to go on. He loved Living Seas, Imangination, and the water fountain outside of Test Track (warning they will get absolutely soaked make sure you have extra clothes). In the World Showcase he loved the Rio del Tiempo, the trains in Germany, and just running around the countries. If your DS is into Thomas Trains, the United Kingdom has a train table set up in one of the stores. He loved Illuminations and the music that accompanied the show.

Animal Kingdom- This is our families favorite park because it is so different from most theme parks. Again DS went on everything that he was allowed to go on, including Its Tough to be a Bug (again I will remind you that my DS at this point does not scare easily). This is a great park to slow down and really enjoy the surroundings. One of my most favorite moments was after eating breakfast at the Tusker House while waiting for our FP time at the Safaris, we stumbled upon a CM with a cart full of African musical instruments and our DS jumped right into the "band". We basically missed our FP time but he was enjoying himself so much we didn't care.

As a rule with young toddlers you should take it very slow. At 17mnths DS spent about 40 minutes of prime time touring hours playing at the foot of the huge Dinosaur in Dinoland. Try to limit the amount of Baby Swapping. DH and I try to limit this because DS likes to keep moving and waiting in the lines are torture. The only exception are those rides that allow you to wait at the exit with the baby and then swap out. DS loved running around the exit exibits at Test Track, Mission Space and Dinosaur.

OK now character breakfasts.....

Always topic for debate with toddlers some love them others hate them. Our DS loves the characters. We've gone to Chef Mickey's and Cape May Buffet. Liked them both.

We have also gone to 1900 Park Fare and Garden Grill for character dinners. We loved Garden Grill- food was good, character interactions was great.

Hope this helps.

Oh one more thing don't kill yourself trying to use early entry privilledges. We tried it one day on our last trip and it was a disaster. DS did not like being rushed around in the morning and ended up being cranky the whole day. Also don't try to see and do everything. You won't be able to and you'll need a vacation when you get home.

 

[AToyStoryMom]

Flynnmnstr,

Thank you SO much for your thoughtful reply! I will take everything you said to heart in planning our trip. Your insight is really appreciated. Have a great trip this time around, too

BTW, I lived in your neck of the woods briefly while doing an internship at Children's Specialized Hospital in Mountainside. Small world

Thanks again!

 

[TammyC]

We recently returned from our first trip with DS 30 months. My advice: don't plan much because they have their own plans! We did plan which park to do each day (and we took a day off in the middle) and a few PS. I had great ideas about when to go to each attraction to minimize waits, but, alas DS wanted to do other things. Day 1 we did MK. He was apprehensive about getting on any ride, but after the initial 15-30 seconds, he proclaimed "I like it!" He reallly liked Small World and the train. On the TTA, he liked it at first, but then kept asking if it was over. We also did Pooh, Barnstormer, Speedway, Pirates, Tiki (thunderstorm warning!) and Dumbo. Day 2 at AK. He liked everything here, but we did not try ITTBAB. He enjoyed Tarzan, the Safari, the Lion King, the boneyard, the train and the goat petting at Rafiki's planet watch. Day 3, breakfast at Cape May - he liked all of the characters. We also did the Mouseboats. That night we did DD and he rode the little train and carousel. These were probably his favorites. Day 4 at MGM he enjoyed Playhouse Disney and the Shrunk playground. We also did Little Mermaid, Backlot Tour and Movie Ride, which he did not mind. Day 5 at Epcot, he enjoyed the Living Seas, Imagination (especially the Kodak labs area), Living with the Land and Ice Station cool - the sample cups were just his size. He fell asleep in Food Rocks. After his nap, all he talked about was riding the little train (at DD). He also loved watching the Illuminations fireworks from the little round window at the end of the hall in the Swan.