Need Advice for 1st Trip with 21 month old

[catra121]

Just booked my stay at POFQ for September 6-11 using room only discount...YAY!!

This will be my first trip with my daughter who will be 21 months old at the time. My last trip was in 2014 when I was 6 months pregnant with her (so maybe technically it is my second trip with her...lol). I've been to WDW more than 20 times in my life but this trip will be VERY different for me. Usually this is how I do Disney:

- Plan which park on which days
- Make ADRs for 2 table service meals a day (usually Deluxe Dining Plan)
- Make FP+ reservations 60 days out (last couple trips anyway)
- Park Hopper Passes
- Play it by ear once in the parks

That doesn't seem like it will be a good plan with a 21 month old...so I feel a bit like a newbie. Here are my thoughts generally on what will be different:

- MK 2-3 days, Epcot 1-2 days, AK 1-2 days (skipping DHS this trip)
- Naps mid day IF my daughter is still taking them (she skips them every day at daycare and only takes them at home)
- Counter Service meals only (for flexibility)
- Try to do MSEP/Wishes one night, Illuminations, and AK night show (not a big deal if we don't)

Outside of that...I'm a bit lost as to what are some not-to-miss things to do with a 21 month old. My daughter already walks/runs well and is already talking a lot. She LOVES books and is very social. She is almost always in a good mood and rarely cries. Even though she doesn't nap most days she sleeps 10-12 hours each night without problem (though how she'll do on vacation...who knows).

What are some things I am probably not considering that I should? What are some tips for travelling with a toddler that age? Any advice and recommendations are greatly appreciated. I want this to be a special trip.

 

[MinnieSweetheart]

Whould definitely spend the most days at MK because there are the most family friendly rides.

Who else will be with you not he trip?

Why would you choose to spend 2 days at Epcot and 0 at DHS? I'm asking so I can get a better idea of what your daughter is into or your thought process and what y'all like to do.

 

[agec]

We will be at Disney at the same time (9/7-9/15)! My children are DD 8, DD 7, DS 5, and we've been going to Disney since the youngest ones were free admission. My advice is even though your daughter doesn't take naps normally, plan for naps or "down time" every afternoon back at the resort. My kids still take naps at Disney!!! We take advantage of morning hours (cooler temps, lower crowds and happier kids) and then head back to the resort for naps/pool time and to just relax during the heat of the day and increased crowds. We'll then go back for dinner ADR's or just a few more attractions before watching the night time shows.
Some of our favorite meal times have been table service as a family. This depends on how your daughter does at restaurants though. We love having at least 1 character meal planned (rather than waiting in long lines at the park for a meet and greet). We like TS because it gives us an air-conditioned place to rest, it's not as chaotic, and now that they are older, we get to talk about all the fun things we've done that day!
Make sure you bring an easy to push/fold stroller, rain cover or poncho to put over it, and a way to distinguish it from other strollers (ex. sign, tie a ribbon/bow on the handle...) Lots of snacks, extra change of clothes and maybe a little toy or two. My girls love dressing up for at least 1 of the days like a princess- there are very cute and comfortable dresses at littledressupshop . com. If she does dress up, I'd plan the TS character meal for that same day.
When our kids were younger, if we found a ride they loved, and the line was still short, we'd ride it several times just for their enjoyment rather than move on to the next attraction. If you plan on taking her on any of the more "scary" rides like PoC and even Pooh, you might want to watch it on Youtube with her first to see how she responds. I'd do the same with Illuminations and Wishes just to get her comfortable with the idea of fireworks/light shows. If she hasn't been around fireworks before, you may want to bring sound cancelling headphones. It's sad when something that is supposed to be a "special" memory ends up being a "scary" one because of the loud noises. The 3D shows can be a bit scary too, so when mine were little, they just watched them without the glasses.
Definitely do the Fantasyland rides and don't miss Enchanted Tales with Belle.
I think the most important thing is to just have fun. You are making special memories with your daughter- and chances are, she'll remember some of them from your time there. I'm amazed by how my kids say, remember when.... (and they remember something from Disney from when they were 2 or 3)!

 

[JZCubed]

Just booked my stay at POFQ for September 6-11 using room only discount...YAY!!

This will be my first trip with my daughter who will be 21 months old at the time. My last trip was in 2014 when I was 6 months pregnant with her (so maybe technically it is my second trip with her...lol). I've been to WDW more than 20 times in my life but this trip will be VERY different for me. Usually this is how I do Disney:

- Plan which park on which days
- Make ADRs for 2 table service meals a day (usually Deluxe Dining Plan)
- Make FP+ reservations 60 days out (last couple trips anyway)
- Park Hopper Passes
- Play it by ear once in the parks

That doesn't seem like it will be a good plan with a 21 month old...so I feel a bit like a newbie. Here are my thoughts generally on what will be different:

- MK 2-3 days, Epcot 1-2 days, AK 1-2 days (skipping DHS this trip)
- Naps mid day IF my daughter is still taking them (she skips them every day at daycare and only takes them at home)
- Counter Service meals only (for flexibility)
- Try to do MSEP/Wishes one night, Illuminations, and AK night show (not a big deal if we don't)

Outside of that...I'm a bit lost as to what are some not-to-miss things to do with a 21 month old. My daughter already walks/runs well and is already talking a lot. She LOVES books and is very social. She is almost always in a good mood and rarely cries. Even though she doesn't nap most days she sleeps 10-12 hours each night without problem (though how she'll do on vacation...who knows).

What are some things I am probably not considering that I should? What are some tips for travelling with a toddler that age? Any advice and recommendations are greatly appreciated. I want this to be a special trip.

My 7 y.o. is going for her 14th time to Disney World.

Mantra #1 - Most children can only give about 4-hours inside a Park.

Mantra #2 - Only the unexpected can be expected at any meal.

Mantra #3 - The more expensive the meal, the more likely a child can be expected to 'act-out' (See Mantra #2).

Mantra #4 - Naps can be sudden (and planned were not always best).

Mantra #5 - Room service is your friend.

Mantra #6 - "Hotel swimming pool," is the most common answer to favorite part of vacation.

 

[mzsarah10]

We took my youngest at 18 months. We took breaks every day. we also only made Wishes. She was too exhausted for the others. We ate at a lot of character buffets. She was free and I could make sure she had one good meal each day. We took a lot of our own snacks and let her mood guide us.

 

[Mikie]

Good answers above. Little ones seem to like the unstructured areas as much as anything else at Disney. Allow some time for running around at:
Boneyard in AK, Fountains in Epcot (jumping fountains in Future World, any fountain they come across in World Showcase), hedge maze/garden in UK Epcot, splash pad area in Fantasyland, resort pool, resort playground!

Glow items sometimes help if your little one is ever afraid of the dark - dark rides really can be scary to them. I'll never forget that my daughter was afraid on Pooh when she was 3, though she rode Splash and loved it!
Even if she doesn't need naps, the parks are just so LOUD and overstimulating. Try to find a quiet spot somewhere to decompress. Baby care centers can be great for this! So is an afternoon loop on the monorail (or 2 or 3. . . ) or a boat ride from DHS to Epcot, or MK to Wilderness Lodge and back. . . you get the idea.
Keeping mealtimes as close to your usual at home is helpful to avoid crankiness!

 

[Mickeycrocs]

I brought my son last year who was 18 months, so a little younger than your princess but he still had a blast! First off I would suggest maybe half a day at Hollywood studios? I still thought there was enough for him to do there he loved watching beauty and the beast and we ate at Hollywood and vine Star Wars style. Second I think you should maybe do the regular dining plan. My son loved the character meals (and who am I kidding I LOVE them too lol) he kissed Minnie and Mickey and ran around with stitch at Ohana. Third in all honestly I think Epcot 2 days is excessive. There's not much there for kids. There's nemo and living in the land and that's about it for her to do. My son was very bored and cranky that day. We would eat breakfast in the resort then do morning fast passes, grab lunch in the park, back to the resort for nap time then onward back to the park for any more fast passes and dinner. I hope you guys have an awesome trip!

 

[Betty Rohrer]

the going back to the resort does not always work. our grandson who was 17 months a the time fell asleep on the way to resort and woke up as we tried to move from bus to room. screamed for the whole time we tried to rest, you could at other end of hall with door closed. having worked in daycare for almost 30 years, not much down time near naptime. I would suggest trying a few 10 to 15 minute car/stroller rides just before nap to se if you can move without waking up. the one other thing I would plan on doing for your daughter is a photo book of the trip for her to remember the trip.

 

[Em's GiGi]

Great answers, so helpful! The only thing I can add is to take his grandmother along... it always helps to have an extra adult to entertain.

I'm reading this thread with special interest because we will be taking my grandson who will be 2 1/2 in December, and it will be a VERY different trip, as the OP has identified.

We are planning a definite quiet time/nap/rest in the hotel every afternoon and planning to have a sit down meal everyday, although we are hesitant to make too many ADRs because we also want to respect and be guided by his schedule, which we can't predict so far in advance. Rather than wait in any character lines, we will book a character meal and handle them that way. We are also bringing his stroller from home because we know he can sleep in it in a pinch and want to have that familiar piece with us in the parks, just in case we need it. Plus it may be handy in the airports.

 

[catra121]

Whould definitely spend the most days at MK because there are the most family friendly rides.

Who else will be with you not he trip?

Why would you choose to spend 2 days at Epcot and 0 at DHS? I'm asking so I can get a better idea of what your daughter is into or your thought process and what y'all like to do.

With everything going on at DHS and not many rides for little kids I figured Epcot would be better. I don't know if my daughter will have the attention span for the shows (even though some of my favorites are at DHS). At Epcot there are lots of things to explore plus the character spot, figment, the seas, play areas inside some of the different rides (like figment, mission space, spaceship earth, etc), and innovations.

The only other person will be my husband...hopefully. If he can't get time of work it will just be me and the little one.

 

[catra121]

We will be at Disney at the same time (9/7-9/15)! My children are DD 8, DD 7, DS 5, and we've been going to Disney since the youngest ones were free admission. My advice is even though your daughter doesn't take naps normally, plan for naps or "down time" every afternoon back at the resort. My kids still take naps at Disney!!! We take advantage of morning hours (cooler temps, lower crowds and happier kids) and then head back to the resort for naps/pool time and to just relax during the heat of the day and increased crowds. We'll then go back for dinner ADR's or just a few more attractions before watching the night time shows.
Some of our favorite meal times have been table service as a family. This depends on how your daughter does at restaurants though. We love having at least 1 character meal planned (rather than waiting in long lines at the park for a meet and greet). We like TS because it gives us an air-conditioned place to rest, it's not as chaotic, and now that they are older, we get to talk about all the fun things we've done that day!
Make sure you bring an easy to push/fold stroller, rain cover or poncho to put over it, and a way to distinguish it from other strollers (ex. sign, tie a ribbon/bow on the handle...) Lots of snacks, extra change of clothes and maybe a little toy or two. My girls love dressing up for at least 1 of the days like a princess- there are very cute and comfortable dresses at littledressupshop . com. If she does dress up, I'd plan the TS character meal for that same day.
When our kids were younger, if we found a ride they loved, and the line was still short, we'd ride it several times just for their enjoyment rather than move on to the next attraction. If you plan on taking her on any of the more "scary" rides like PoC and even Pooh, you might want to watch it on Youtube with her first to see how she responds. I'd do the same with Illuminations and Wishes just to get her comfortable with the idea of fireworks/light shows. If she hasn't been around fireworks before, you may want to bring sound cancelling headphones. It's sad when something that is supposed to be a "special" memory ends up being a "scary" one because of the loud noises. The 3D shows can be a bit scary too, so when mine were little, they just watched them without the glasses.
Definitely do the Fantasyland rides and don't miss Enchanted Tales with Belle.
I think the most important thing is to just have fun. You are making special memories with your daughter- and chances are, she'll remember some of them from your time there. I'm amazed by how my kids say, remember when.... (and they remember something from Disney from when they were 2 or 3)!

Thanks so much! That's all very helpful. I think when my daughter goes next time we will do some table service meals...she's actually very good in restaurants (makes lots of friends with people at the tables next to us and around the room because she's just so happy and talkative)...but since there aren't many restaurants you can just walk up to without reservations I think we will stick with counter service this time. I agree with everything you said about a good way to rest in the parks in a/c...that is why I usually go table service at Disney.

We'll be getting a stroller as a wheelchair tag and bringing our stroller from home because I have some medical problems that prevent me from being able to carry the little one long distances and without the stroller I need a walker because of poor balance and pain...can't do both at the same time. I'm hoping my husband will be with us but he might not be able to get off work...but either way I will have times where it is just me and the little one so will need the stroller to be the one from home (it's stable and works almost as well as the walker).

All the other tips are awesome...thank you.

 

[catra121]

My 7 y.o. is going for her 14th time to Disney World.

Mantra #1 - Most children can only give about 4-hours inside a Park.

Mantra #2 - Only the unexpected can be expected at any meal.

Mantra #3 - The more expensive the meal, the more likely a child can be expected to 'act-out' (See Mantra #2).

Mantra #4 - Naps can be sudden (and planned were not always best).

Mantra #5 - Room service is your friend.

Mantra #6 - "Hotel swimming pool," is the most common answer to favorite part of vacation.

Thanks! The 4 hour thing is a great tip...helps me sort of visualize just how much time we will have to do stuff and "plan" accordingly. We're going to get some snacks and stuff delivered to the resort and use that mostly for breakfast and snacks. POFQ doesn't have room service...but the food court won't be far away so we may get food to bring back to the room. Thanks for the tips!

 

[tinkerbella16]

We are going Sept 3-10th, and will be 5 adults and bringing my niece for her first trip, and she'll be 18 months old when we go! My sister is so nervous about it. The last time she went was also when she was pregnant with her in November 2014. She was about 5 months pregnant when we went. She is so nervous about flying with her, her sleep schedule, and all of that. I have been the planner for this trip, so I pretty much have our park days planned.

We are staying at Beach Club, so we can walk to Epcot and take a boat to DHS (less buses yay!). We are doing MK the most and Epcot the most since we can literally walk there in 5 minutes. We don't do the parks all day. We are doing mornings at the parks, then going back for afternoon breaks (especially in that heat!), then back to the park in the evening. We do midday breaks normally, without any kids, so taking breaks with a baby is crucial.

These are our plans and it really is actually how we do things normally when we go-
We have ADR's at some of our favorite places - Garden Grill dinner on our arrival day. We arrive at 8:30am, so we will relax at the resort all day and then head over to Epcot later for dinner and a few rides. We booked her first haircut package appointment on our first full day at MK at 9am, and we'll stay until 1pm to rest and then back to MK for BOG dinner at 6pm. I booked Cape May breakfast on 9/5 since it is right at our resort, then we'll take the boat to DHS and stay there until we've done what we wanted to do and back to the resort to swim/rest. On the 6th we have no ADR's. We'll do half a day at AK. The 7th, we booked breakfast at Akershus and we'll spend time in Epcot that day. On the 8th, we have no set plans - it is a relaxing day with Hoop Dee Doo at 6:15 for dinner. Then the last full day is MK again. I know things can change, especially with little ones. But these are our plans and we hope it works out and we have a great trip.

We really wanted to do DHS with her this trip, since she loves Princess Sofia, Disney Jr and Doc Mcstuffins - she'll love the Disney Jr Live show. So even going to DHS at least once, is a must for us.

 

[catra121]

We took my youngest at 18 months. We took breaks every day. we also only made Wishes. She was too exhausted for the others. We ate at a lot of character buffets. She was free and I could make sure she had one good meal each day. We took a lot of our own snacks and let her mood guide us.

Wishes is the one I really hope we make at least one day. We'll have 3 shots at it...but I'm not going to try and force it. Right now she will stay up as late as we let her (though we try to get her in bed around 8 every night even though she isn't asleep when she goes in the crib. Sometimes she's out fast and sometimes she rolls around and talks to herself for an hour before she goes to sleep. That said...I know that after a day of Disney she may be too wiped out to stay up.

The buffet idea is great...but unfortunately I try to stay away from them because I have a hard time walking and that will be hard for me to manage with a little one. I am also just not sure if we'll be able to make reservations on time...thinking I just want to see where the days take us and go from there...THIS time. Next trip though I am definitely going to keep this in mind as I feel like after this trip we will have a better idea of what's reasonable for us. I'm going to try and squeeze in one more trip before she turns 3.

Thanks!

 

[catra121]

We are going Sept 3-10th, and will be 5 adults and bringing my niece for her first trip, and she'll be 18 months old when we go! My sister is so nervous about it. The last time she went was also when she was pregnant with her in November 2014. She was about 5 months pregnant when we went. She is so nervous about flying with her, her sleep schedule, and all of that. I have been the planner for this trip, so I pretty much have our park days planned.

We are staying at Beach Club, so we can walk to Epcot and take a boat to DHS (less buses yay!). We are doing MK the most and Epcot the most since we can literally walk there in 5 minutes. We don't do the parks all day. We are doing mornings at the parks, then going back for afternoon breaks (especially in that heat!), then back to the park in the evening. We do midday breaks normally, without any kids, so taking breaks with a baby is crucial.

These are our plans and it really is actually how we do things normally when we go-
We have ADR's at some of our favorite places - Garden Grill dinner on our arrival day. We arrive at 8:30am, so we will relax at the resort all day and then head over to Epcot later for dinner and a few rides. We booked her first haircut package appointment on our first full day at MK at 9am, and we'll stay until 1pm to rest and then back to MK for BOG dinner at 6pm. I booked Cape May breakfast on 9/5 since it is right at our resort, then we'll take the boat to DHS and stay there until we've done what we wanted to do and back to the resort to swim/rest. On the 6th we have no ADR's. We'll do half a day at AK. The 7th, we booked breakfast at Akershus and we'll spend time in Epcot that day. On the 8th, we have no set plans - it is a relaxing day with Hoop Dee Doo at 6:15 for dinner. Then the last full day is MK again. I know things can change, especially with little ones. But these are our plans and we hope it works out and we have a great trip.

We really wanted to do DHS with her this trip, since she loves Princess Sofia, Disney Jr and Doc Mcstuffins - she'll love the Disney Jr Live show. So even going to DHS at least once, is a must for us.

That sounds like a fun time. I definitely am in the same boat as your sister...just so nervous about how the little one will do...and I'm probably over thinking things...lol. I've never been one to take breaks during the day though so this will be new to me for sure. They just opened a new splash area for little ones at POFQ...so even if she doesn't nap there will be stuff to do at the resort. Plus...Disney Springs is just a short boat ride away and we can do that too...or just walk around the resort and POR which could be relaxing in the stroller for her.

I'm sure you will have a great trip and maybe we will see you there!

 

[catra121]

Good answers above. Little ones seem to like the unstructured areas as much as anything else at Disney. Allow some time for running around at:
Boneyard in AK, Fountains in Epcot (jumping fountains in Future World, any fountain they come across in World Showcase), hedge maze/garden in UK Epcot, splash pad area in Fantasyland, resort pool, resort playground!

Glow items sometimes help if your little one is ever afraid of the dark - dark rides really can be scary to them. I'll never forget that my daughter was afraid on Pooh when she was 3, though she rode Splash and loved it!
Even if she doesn't need naps, the parks are just so LOUD and overstimulating. Try to find a quiet spot somewhere to decompress. Baby care centers can be great for this! So is an afternoon loop on the monorail (or 2 or 3. . . ) or a boat ride from DHS to Epcot, or MK to Wilderness Lodge and back. . . you get the idea.
Keeping mealtimes as close to your usual at home is helpful to avoid crankiness!

Those are some great ideas! Thanks for reminding me of some of those areas for little ones to explore. I also might make my first trip to Tom Sawyers Island at MK...have heard that's a nice place for kids to just run around away from the crowds.

I'm planning on hitting up the Dollar Store for some glow items before our trip. I was mostly thinking for night but the dark rides could be good too if those are an issue. Those are some nice ideas too for just relaxing even if she doesn't take a nap. Thanks you!

 

[frisbeego]

I first took my son when he was 23 months old. The most valuable lesson I learned was to let him influence the decisions. There is so much to see on Main Street that he wanted to take his time. It took me a day or so before it sunk in that rides/characters weren't as important to him as they were to me.

Try the Dumbo play area. It's also nice for parents to relax for a bit there.

My son was really into transportation. Riding the train and monorail (even though we weren't at a monorail resort) were hits. Even bus rides were interesting.

At DHS, we did the Disney Junior show. Other than Mickey and Minnie, he didn't know any of the characters, and he still loved it.

Anything remotely "scary" was a no-go. My son also hated the Pooh ride, but loved playing in the tree house there.

Have a great trip!

 

[catra121]

I brought my son last year who was 18 months, so a little younger than your princess but he still had a blast! First off I would suggest maybe half a day at Hollywood studios? I still thought there was enough for him to do there he loved watching beauty and the beast and we ate at Hollywood and vine Star Wars style. Second I think you should maybe do the regular dining plan. My son loved the character meals (and who am I kidding I LOVE them too lol) he kissed Minnie and Mickey and ran around with stitch at Ohana. Third in all honestly I think Epcot 2 days is excessive. There's not much there for kids. There's nemo and living in the land and that's about it for her to do. My son was very bored and cranky that day. We would eat breakfast in the resort then do morning fast passes, grab lunch in the park, back to the resort for nap time then onward back to the park for any more fast passes and dinner. I hope you guys have an awesome trip!

Thanks for the ideas. I will see how my daughter does with the shows at MK and AK and then we'll see if it would be worth it to do DHS. I would like to do it for me...but my daughter just isn't really into watching tv at all (she'll glance at it but doesn't watch)...so I just don't know how she will like the shows (she may love them because they are live). Part of the reason I don't want to do table service meals is that I want the flexibility to change our plans and park days. We might do 2 days at Epcot, maybe 2 at AK, or we could decide to do DHS after all. I'm not planning on park hoppers this time around...but we could always add that while we're there if we feel like we need it.

 

[Spork24]

Good answers above. Little ones seem to like the unstructured areas as much as anything else at Disney. Allow some time for running around at:
Boneyard in AK, Fountains in Epcot (jumping fountains in Future World, any fountain they come across in World Showcase), hedge maze/garden in UK Epcot, splash pad area in Fantasyland, resort pool, resort playground!

Glow items sometimes help if your little one is ever afraid of the dark - dark rides really can be scary to them. I'll never forget that my daughter was afraid on Pooh when she was 3, though she rode Splash and loved it!
Even if she doesn't need naps, the parks are just so LOUD and overstimulating. Try to find a quiet spot somewhere to decompress. Baby care centers can be great for this! So is an afternoon loop on the monorail (or 2 or 3. . . ) or a boat ride from DHS to Epcot, or MK to Wilderness Lodge and back. . . you get the idea.
Keeping mealtimes as close to your usual at home is helpful to avoid crankiness!

Don't forget the playground by the splash mountain exit. That are is a big hit with my family!

 

[catra121]

the going back to the resort does not always work. our grandson who was 17 months a the time fell asleep on the way to resort and woke up as we tried to move from bus to room. screamed for the whole time we tried to rest, you could at other end of hall with door closed. having worked in daycare for almost 30 years, not much down time near naptime. I would suggest trying a few 10 to 15 minute car/stroller rides just before nap to se if you can move without waking up. the one other thing I would plan on doing for your daughter is a photo book of the trip for her to remember the trip.

I LOVE photo books! I plan on TONS of pictures (my camera and photo pass).

My daughter NEVER falls asleep anywhere other than her crib, her swing, and the pack and play. Seriously...not even in her car seat...so hopefully this won't be an issue. I'm more concerned with her actually napping...but if she doesn't want to then we'll try to find some chill out activities to do. Even if we just end up reading books in the room for a while...that should be fine. We'll just follow her lead on this one and not try to force anything.

Thanks for the tips!