Park days with toddlers

[Momma of 4]

We are going there end of January with 4 kids, 7, 4, and 15 month twins. Right now we are planning 6 park days, but I'm unsure if that is too many, and we should have an off day as well. I'm trying to see what all we want to see and do in the parks and then decide which parks are 2 days.
What are your favorite things to do and places to eat for small kids? I don't think we are planning any character meets, my 4 year old is scared, but I thought maybe a princess meal would be good for her so she can see them but they won't have to stop at our table long. Any other can't miss ideas?

 

[disneydreamer1980]

For littles, MK and AK are the best parks. I’d focus on them. My kids all loved Chef Mickeys and Crystal Palace when they were toddlers. And I think 6 park days are fine, just be prepared to take breaks if need be.

 

[Momma of 4]

For littles, MK and AK are the best parks. I’d focus on them. My kids all loved Chef Mickeys and Crystal Palace when they were toddlers. And I think 6 park days are fine, just be prepared to take breaks if need be.

I was trying to figure out what at AK they can ride, and it looks like only the Navi river ride, a spinner ride, and the safari, and play in the boneyard playplace. Is there more here that I'm missing? The Disney site was super clunky. There were a lot of animal interactions listed but I was confused as to what those are.

 

[disneydreamer1980]

I was trying to figure out what at AK they can ride, and it looks like only the Navi river ride, a spinner ride, and the safari, and play in the boneyard playplace. Is there more here that I'm missing? The Disney site was super clunky. There were a lot of animal interactions listed but I was confused as to what those are.

There are a only couple rides at AK suitable for toddlers (you named them), but’s the boneyard is awesome, your littles will love it. There’s also all the shows (my 2 year old loves Nemo and lion king) and most toddlers will love the animals.

 

[lolomarie]

The animal exhibits are amazing! Basically a zoo, but done to Disney standards. We have an amazing zoo in our city and I still love this part of AK.

I would say 6 park days is ok, but like PP stated, be prepared to take breaks and play it by ear. Maybe one day you skip your break and call it a day early, or another you agree you all need a sleep in so you forego rope drop.

I would plan on 2 days at MK, 1 for HS and EP and 2 at AK. Alternatively you could do 3 at MK and 1 at each of the other parks if you want it to be kid focused. For us, we would do 2 MK, 2 EP (because that's our favourite park and the kids can deal! Lol), 1 AK and 1 HS.

 

[Momma of 4]

Ok, so I had originally planned on 2 epcot days, only because that's what I had heard reccomended. Is there not enough to fill 2 days with small kids? We will probably go from morning until 2 or 3, then call it and hang out at the resort each day. I'm thinking maybe I'll just leave the last day unplanned until I see what they like more.

 

[disneydreamer1980]

I personally love Epcot, it’s my favorite park. We spend at least 2 full days there each trip. But if you’re planning your trip around your kids, there’s really not tons for them to do.

 

[halfpintpeggy]

Ok, so I had originally planned on 2 epcot days, only because that's what I had heard reccomended. Is there not enough to fill 2 days with small kids? We will probably go from morning until 2 or 3, then call it and hang out at the resort each day. I'm thinking maybe I'll just leave the last day unplanned until I see what they like more.

The kids in our family have always been bored to tears in Epcot, I'd skip it since you have such young children. And yes - I would plan at least 1 break day!!!

 

[Caseheidi]

Our DD has always loved Epcot. This last time we did some of the Perry the Platypus missions, and she loved it. Also doing Kidcot, and getting her stamps on the Duffy Bear.

Our family enjoys taking a down day in the middle of the week. We find that it makes the second half of the week better if we get that test. Disney can be exhausting. The biggest issue is that each family is different, so it is really about knowing your kids and how they deal with lots of stimulation. When we took DD at 18months and again at 3 1/2 we needed our own stroller so that she had something familar that she could close out the parks in when she got overwhelmed. I remember one time just finding an out of the way place in the park and just playing with her to give her a break from the crowds. Sp basically what I am saying is be flexible and go with the flow for what works best for your family. If this is the first time with this kind of trip, it may take a few days to figure out what works best.

 

[KMarston]

We plan on taking our 3 yo GS in January. It will be his fourth trip. He LOVES EPCOT! We'll do five or six days. EPCOT will be our only full day without a break. He has so enjoyed the world showcase. Lots to explore for a toddler. We always do MK twice. This will be our first visit to DHS. We'll spend only a partial day there and at AK.

 

[tiggerpals]

I'm a big fan of multiple park days when possible (my kids are 3 and 5), but planning out the morning and then heading back to the resort after lunch for a break and then going back if you want to... but that break was key for us last year (and planning on it already for this year), so having a couple MK and EP days for us is key and then if we head to a different park in the evening we can do things again.

 

[Carlymouse]

We love Epcot and are looking forward to an Epcot- centered trip in the future, but for my 3 yr- old MK and AK were more "action" packed. We also did 6 days (3 MK, 1 AK, 1 HS and 1 Epcot) and did morning (not rope- drop) to mid- afternoon and then relaxed at hotel. 2 nights we ate in Epcot after normal park days. At AK she loved Na'vi River Journey, seeing flamingos and other Wilderness Explorer stations, a special macaw presentation, Kilimanjaro Safari, Adventurer Outpost, Flik meet and greet and Tusker House (but she did like meeting characters) . We didn't have time to do the shows, which are supposed to be great, and a lot of the other walking trails for animals. We are planning more than one day back there next year, when she'll be 4, so we can do all of the things we enjoyed and what we didn't have time for. When she's 5 we plan to revisit Epcot and do Kidcot. She loved the aquatic areas and the Mexican pavilion, but I didn't think she'd have the patience for Kidcot yet. With a 4-yr old and 15-month twins, I wonder if they'd find more stimulation with the animals and street performances in AK compared to Epcot? It will depend on what you know about your kids' interests as well as demeanors.

 

[Momma of 4]

Thank you everyone! I'm finding it very hard to plan for both the twins, and my 7 year old. We are planning a return trip when the babies are turning 3 (so still free!) And my son will be a month shy of 9, I just worry that he'll be "so old" the magic will be gone. That's probably a silly worry, but it's still there.
The babies are only 9 months now, so it's also hard to determine what the best approach will be for them. I do know there's a 99% chance we will not be at any park at closing, my kids like their early bedtimes!

 

[sponica]

Thank you everyone! I'm finding it very hard to plan for both the twins, and my 7 year old. We are planning a return trip when the babies are turning 3 (so still free!) And my son will be a month shy of 9, I just worry that he'll be "so old" the magic will be gone. That's probably a silly worry, but it's still there.
The babies are only 9 months now, so it's also hard to determine what the best approach will be for them. I do know there's a 99% chance we will not be at any park at closing, my kids like their early bedtimes!

Everyone's different. I've had friends take their younguns and they managed to do open to close without a problem. My 20 month old is normally in bed by 630ish and we planned for that. Yeah she was AWAKE most nights until 8ish and up at 7 without a problem. Only stroller napped. (One night she outlasted my inlaws)

I'm also going to go against the grain and say don't knock epcot. There are TONS of face characters throughout the world showcase and performers. On a trip with 4 parks days, we were at epcot 3 half days. (2 afternoons in world showcase, one morning in future world).

 

[Sha259]

We are taking my current 21 month old next February when he is 2.5 yrs. We plan to do 5 park days. 1 full MK and 1 half MK, 1 full AK and 1 half AK, 3 half Epcots and 1 half DHS, thought this is obviously all flexible as we have Hoppers. We know he will either like or tolerate characters so we plan to do some meet and greets and a character meal. We are planning mostly to do halfdays and return for nap, but will also be watching him to see if he will be able to stroller nap. He will be 2.5 and loves to dance and loves animals, so we know he will love MK and AK, but we anticipate he will also love Epcot with the ability to run around and expore in Futureworld and to run around the lake in World Showcase. But honestly we are doing lots of Epcot because both my husband and I love it there. We aren't planning to rope drop or close out the park any day, but we want to stay for at least 1 night to see Illuminations and/or HEA, so plan to go back to the house early, eat dinner, take a bath, put on PJs and head back to the park for the fireworks! Hopefully he will either watch or fall asleep. Either way, he will be ready to plop right into bed when we get back.

 

[danikoski]

The babies are only 9 months now, so it's also hard to determine what the best approach will be for them. I do know there's a 99% chance we will not be at any park at closing, my kids like their early bedtimes

I have a 9 month old as well, and he will be 19 months when we take him. It's hard because I know his personality now, and I know how I'd plan for him now, but I'm not totally sure what he'll be like in 10 months. We've done some traveling with him now, and as long as he gets a good afternoon nap, he can go until 10...he prefers 9, but right now, he can make it to 10. Because of that, I am planning evenings with a decent afternoon break for a nap. I also have to plan for my 14 yr old stepson, who also has high functioning autism. It'll be his first time. Luckily, I've been around ten to eleven times now, so if I have to miss something, no big deal. Plus, Grandma is coming as baby back up. So we will be splitting up. But I think this may be one of the more challenging WDW trips I've planned.

 

[hpsalb]

Ok, so I had originally planned on 2 epcot days, only because that's what I had heard reccomended. Is there not enough to fill 2 days with small kids? We will probably go from morning until 2 or 3, then call it and hang out at the resort each day. I'm thinking maybe I'll just leave the last day unplanned until I see what they like more.

ODS has been a fan of all the parks and MDS has liked whatever, although he hasn't been to all of them yet. I say plan to visit all of them, although I am in general a fan of a rest day.

We like to do a split day and then a full day, but rarely do we do either back to back. For a full day we go early and leave late afternoon, planning some down time in the park after lunch (like a show) and try to get the littles to stroller nap.

For a split day we go early and head back to the hotel for a bit after lunch. Then head back around 3-4. This is a must for us if we are planning anything in the evening.

I'm not sure that I'd plan to call it a day at 2-3. That just doesn't seem like enough time to do things.

 

[YesterDark]

My last two trips had some interesting configurations with kids:
Trip 1 two families: Me, my Wife, my Mom, 2.5 yo daughter, 8 month old son. My sister, my brother in law, 3 yo niece, 10 month old nephew.
Trip 2 one family: Me, my Wife, 4 yo daughter and 2 yo son.

I always plan off days into my trips, but I've always done it during swimming weather. I've never bought full ticket packages for my whole trip so all my park days have been full days. But if you can do half days at parks (go in for meals or fireworks etc.) that will help a lot too. I can't imagine having 15 mo old twins, that's a lot of work and equipment you're bringing with you! My suggestion when you start planning your days, schedule meals and breaks in to every day. Character meals for lunch or dinner, slowing down and finding a good spot for fireworks to sit down an hour before start to just relax. You'll need it.

As far as parks, it depends on what your kids are into. For me, Hollywood Studios is definitely a full day park. Magic Kingdom is a 2 day park. AK can be a full day park too. So is this a 6-7 day vacation?

Day 1: Magic Kingdom - Nearly everything in this park can be done with toddlers except the roller coaster rides.
Day 2: Hollywood Studios - If your kids are Disney Jr fans all the shows in this park are worth doing at least once. That will take a full day if you're doing the other rides and meet and greets.
Day 3: Off day / Disney Springs
Day 4: Animal Kingdom - This can be a partial day, mid morning arrival with a evening after dinner exit. Safari, shows, animal exhibits, Dino land will keep you occupied for a good 4-6 hours easily. I haven't been there in 3 years and a lot has changed, but when I went last time we did mid morning to 5pm/6pm and had dinner at the Rainforest Cafe and went back to our resort. We did all the animal exhibits, finding Nemo, meet and greets and the Safari with a few rides in Dinoland USA.
Day 5: Epcot - I'm not an Epcot expert since I never brought my kids here. I plan on doing it next year when we go. My daughter is a Frozen fanatic.
Day 6: Full day at Magic Kingdom - do everything from Day 1 again! I always love beginning the trip and ending the trip with MK. If the fireworks are too late for your children, then I would start the day later one of the days to make sure you catch them.

I don't know when you're flying in or out, but if I had 6 full days there on property, not counting travel days, that's what my trip would probably look like.

 

[rg35]

Nobody here can advise you which parks to visit, because our children are all different.
6 park days with no breaks might be too many, unless you plan on doing big breaks and working at a very leisurely pace (which I recommend).

Our kids (triplets who have visited at ages 5, 6, 7 and 8) have always loved epcot. They think the world showcase is neat, and love getting their duffy bear "passport" stamped at all the kidcot fun stations. But that doesn't mean your kids will like that.

I think that you should visit each park and see what your kids like. They might want to ride the land 3 times in a row - indulge them...it's their trip too. I see to many families who want to rush around from thing to thing because that's what the parents want to do.

 

[Momma of 4]

So mich helpful info! We are going the last week of January, so I'm not sure if it will be swimming weather. I had thought of DS, but also the thought of adding another trip on the busses makes me want to curl up in fetal position hahahah. 4 small kids, 2 of which will need extra help, and double stroller, with only 4 hands is sweat-inducing. We have a good system here, but Disney is another story.

We are flying in on Saturday, and flying out the following Saturday. I have nothing planned on travel days, because they will be pretty full already with just getting where we need to be. We are staying at the Poly, and I had originally thought about skipping the hopper option but am now reconsidering.
My big kids have been to MK once, and we were able to do everything we wanted, but it was an exhausting day for sure. They don't care about the characters too much, so character meals will be fine and we can skip meet and greets unless specifically asked for. They don't ride the thrilly rides either, so we plan to be able to stick together for the most part.

As far as half days or full days with a lunch break.....I don't know! I'm willing for either, but at 9 months, they are not stroller nappers, and are on the high end for sleep needs. So I'll just play it by ear. Being at the Poly means one parent can take the kids to the beach to watch the fireworks if need be. Also, they don't know what they are missing, which helps, and we have already decided this will be a vacation we repeat often, so there's time. I've already convinced myself that this trip will be the slowest and we will "miss" a lot, but it will still be a lot of fun just seeing the World with them.