The world with a toddler.

[DreaGirl]

I have been lurking on the boards for about a week and feel so overwhelmed. My DH and I decided that we are going to Disney in October. Our daughter will be 17 months old.

We are planning anywhere between 5-7 days. We know we want to go to Magic Kingdom and maybe Epcot. What do you think about Animal Kingdom?

Also, for those of you that have BTDT with a toddler what do you suggest for hotels. Should we stay on property or off? I got the 07 unofficial guidebook, and honestly that made me feel even more unsure about where to stay!

Help! Feeling overwhelmed here. I must add that I am a tad bit of a type A personality, so...I want things to be perfect for us.

Thanks in advance!

 

[amarberry]

We've taken our 2.5 yo DD to WDW several times. Obviously, we think it's a great place to take a toddler! I have to say that probably the best trip that we took was when she was 18 mo. old. She was old enough to get into things (especially the characters), but hadn't hit the terrible twos yet. She went with the flow and seemed to enjoy pretty much everything.

I wouldn't limit yourself to just MK and Epcot. Animal Kingdom is a great park. Our DD loves the Safari, Triceratops Spins (or Dinsosaur Dumbo as she calls it), Festival of the Lion King, and Pocohontos and her Forest Friends. They have a really cute parade too. It's also just a nice park to walk around. We really enjoy MGM too. If your DD is into Playhouse Disney at all, they have a live show. There is also the Little Mermaid show, the Honey I Shrunk the Kids Playground, Muppets 3D, and lots of other things.

As far as where to stay, a lot of it depends on your budget. We've stayed several times at Pop Century and have been very happy with it. You can't beat the price and I think that it is excellently themed for toddlers. There are giant icons throughout the property. Our DD loves the Goofy Pop Jets (a little splash park) and the toddler pool (it's zero depth entry and has fountains). If you're budget is larger, the monorail resorts obviously have incredible access to MK if you are planning to spend a lot of time there. You can walk to MK from the Contemporary which cuts down your reliance on Disney transportation.

I would definitely recommend staying more towards 7 days. It's nice to be able to take things at a slower pace with a toddler and not feel rushed because you only have 5 days. With the MYW ticket structure, it is only a couple of dollars a day to add on past 5 days.

Have fun planning!

 

[MeLaNie9]

We went in May with our DS at 22months, we will be going back in Feb. We thought that staying on the monorail was invaluable, we were at the Poly. Our DS napped well in the stroller, but it was so great to get back and forth from Epcot and MK so easily. Plus, he absolutely loved the monorail - could have been his favorite ride - and he loved seeing it go by. Our longhouse was right by the TTC so we always walked there to catch the monorail
Also, having our own stroller was a must. We were glad to have it in the airports and, of course, at the parks.
He liked AK - the safari, the shows, the parade, the petting zoo, and the walking paths to see the animals. He wouldn't go on Triceratops Spin (or Dumbo or rides similar). Because there weren't many rides for him to go on and I was pregnant at the time, we were able to see and do everything there by mid-afternoon.
We just listened to him when he said that he didn't want to ride a ride. He got scared half way through Ellen's Energy Adventure (too loud) and Haunted Mansion (when the ghost heads pop up from behind the headstones) but both times he just buried his face into my side and I covered his ears and he was fine.
We were on the DDP which was really great because he could share food with us and it gives you so much food that it was really easy to share! Plus, at this age - he is free for everything (buffets, lodging, park tickets), you can't beat that!
We did do a lot of planning so that we wouldn't have to wait in long lines making him restless or cranky (roughly using the UG touring plans we never waited longer than 15 min for anything). And, we planned carefully for each meal too (make ADRs) so that we were staying pretty much on our home schedule for meals, naps, and bedtime.
Good luck with your planning!

 

[meandtheguys2]

We took each of our kids as infants and toddler...it is unbelievably fun!

It is easiest to stay on-site...cheapest and you can get the most space off-site. Especially if you go with a condo or suite, so you can put your little one down for bed or a nap.

Welcome to the Dis!

 

[MNdisneymom]

On my son's first trip to WDW he was 20 months old--and I think that he liked AK just as much as the MK....He loved seeing all the animals that are there...in fact, we got *really* personal with ha giraffe on the safari. And one of my favorite pictures from that trip is of him standing with his hands pressed against a giant fish tank, with a look of utter amazement...

In fact, I think he liked AK more as a toddler--on our last trip he was 3.5, and old enough that he is more interested in rides, and there aren't a lot of rides that a short kid can do at AK.