Questions...Taking 14-Month Old to MK

[mshoo1]

My wife and I will be taking our one-year old daughter to the Magic Kingdom for one day on April 10th. We will be in staying in Tampa to celebrate the approximate one-year anniversary of our adoption. My wife and I both wanted to spend a day at Disney and do reconnaissance for future visits. We wil be accompanied my mother- and father-in-law. I have several questions that I'm sure you guys can answer.

1. How long does it take to drive from Tampa (staying at Renaissance near airport) to the Magic Kingdom?

2. Can we take our daughter on most of the rides? Obviously, the height restricted attractions are out. But how does seating work for a one-year old on the other attractions? Do you hold them or sit them beside you? I remember a bar coming down on several of the rides such as Peter Pan.

3. Should we purchase tickets in advance? I see that you can buy one-day tickets through Disney's website. I am sure that the week before Easter is going to be a busy one.

Thanks for any advice you can offer. I have not visited Disney since the late 1990's and I am definately looking forward to the trip.

 

[amarberry]

I can help you with question #2. You can take your daughter on every ride without a height restriction. If you and your wife would like to ride one of the rides with a height restriction, you can do a child swap where one parent goes through the regular line, but the other parent gets a fast pass.

My DD was 14 months old during our September trip. For the most part, she sat on my lap for the rides. On our recent trip (she was 18 months old), she preferred to sit between DH and I. It probably depends on how independent your child is (my DD is a mama's girl).

The only ride that I was a little nervous with her riding on was the safari ride at Animal Kingdom. There is a part where the bridge is "collapsing" and the driver we had in Sept. really hit the accelerator hard. DD almost hit the back of the seat in front of us. We did the safari ride three times on our recent trip and the drivers this time around were much gentler.

Have a great time...we have had a wonderful time with our DD at WDW.

 

[txm]

We just went to WDW for 4 days with our 4 year old DD, and 14 month old DD. The trip was mainly for the 4 year old. Our 14 month old did everything that didn't have height restriction. The seating arrangments are self-explanatory once you are there -- nothing to worry about.

If you want to get on a lot of rides (you 14 month old won't care if she is on a ride or not), I would say it's not fun waiting in long lines with a 14 month old, and you may want to go to the park as soon as it opens when it's least crowded and you may want to consider spending the night before at a hotel nearby if the driving distance is long. If you are just going to enjoy the atmosphere, meet the characters, watch the parades or the fireworks, then it may not matter what time you get there.

 

[hannahsmomma]

a friend of mine met up with us at disney, and she lives in Tampa. It took her about an hour and a half, with traffic.

 

[staci]

I just wanted to agree with the advice to get there early to avoid long lines. DS 23mo didnt like the waits!!

Also, you might want to double check the extra magic hour schedule for mk. If it is mk EMH morning, the park will be busier.


Oh, if you go early and the baby just gets to stimulated and needs a quit place for a nap, we found ds loved to nap in the monorails. So mid-afternoon, when it is hot and busy, a few rides around the circle on the resort monorail might do the trick!

 

[Lisa Anne Colling]

Congratulations on the adoption of your DD. We celebrated the adoption of our DD the same way, also at 14 months. With Nana and Papa along for the ride, there was no shortage of spoiling on the trip. DD is now 6 and we have added to little brothers into the mix. We still go to Disney once a year. For us it's not just a family vacation, but a celebration of us beoming a family after years of waiting! So enjoy, spoil her and cherish her. The time will pass much to quickly!
As for going to Disney with her. Allow her to set the pace and you will have a great time!
Lisa