Toddler first trip to Disney!

[Lnebel]

Hi everyone!

I'm ready to take my 2-year old daughter for her first trip to the parks and need advice for navigating the new reservation system.

We are local, so we won't be staying at the resorts. I'm thinking Magic Kingdom will have the most to offer someone her age, but we're also open to park hopping, just not sure if that would be too ambitious with a young toddler!

I'm a Disney vet, but we haven't been in about 4 years, and so much has changed! For the experts out there, how would you approach planning this trip? Any rides/restaurants that stand out as must-sees for someone my daughter's age? How far in advance will I need to make restaurant and ride reservations?

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[kwdw]

You have a lot of really BIG questions in here, so I think that’s why you aren’t getting a bunch of quick responses.

1) You can book ADRs 60 days in advance. Right now, TS dining is for YOU, the adults, not the kid. Character meals are still distanced sightings, not up close and personal interactions, so I’m personally not sure those are worth it for that age. So, basically, decide if you want to dine someplace during your visit. It can be nice for break for you. But if the kid tends to be super fussy in restaurants, it could also be a nightmare for you….. I personally like to eat one TS meal on a park day for the opportunity to escape the crowds, be served, sit. But others find them time consuming or have kids who don’t like to sit through them. You know your kid. At that age, my niece had lots of experience being in restaurants and did great at meals. She was easy peasy to entertain for a long time in a high chair, so we enjoyed them. But I’ve witnessed many a melt downs…..

2) You need to decide if this is just a one day visit, or multiple days. You have to buy a park ticket to book your park reservation now.

3) I don’t think I’d plan to hop with a two year old and your first day back in the parks in four years. I’d just plan the one day/one park and see how it all goes.

4) As for attractions/rides, my niece would go on anything she was allowed on at that age and loved everything. I’ve also been around 6 year olds that feared everything. I think the best plan is to start with very mild, well lit attractions, and just see how she does. Small World. Pooh. Dumbo. At that age, my niece was attentive at Haunted Mansion and Pirates, others that age dislike the dark.

5) You need to learn about Genie +. See the main board for those threads. Not sure this is going to be for you, but learn about it and make your own decision.

6) Disney is pricey for what you get right now if you are headed soon. Just understand what you are getting for the cost. For example, at that age, my niece loved the hugs and talks at character meet and greets. She smiled, giggled, clearly loved the moment. And the parade at MK was a huge hit. Right now, those experiences aren’t the same from four years ago. Just do your research. Folks are having a great time right now, but some Disney vets are missing things that are gone still.

 

[GBRforWDW]

Hi everyone!

I'm ready to take my 2-year old daughter for her first trip to the parks and need advice for navigating the new reservation system.

We are local, so we won't be staying at the resorts. I'm thinking Magic Kingdom will have the most to offer someone her age, but we're also open to park hopping, just not sure if that would be too ambitious with a young toddler!

I'm a Disney vet, but we haven't been in about 4 years, and so much has changed! For the experts out there, how would you approach planning this trip? Any rides/restaurants that stand out as must-sees for someone my daughter's age? How far in advance will I need to make restaurant and ride reservations?

Thanks in advance for your help!

Looks like you received a lot of great advice above. Do you know how soon you're wanting to go? I'm sure you know if you go before she's 3, she gets in free, so that's an excellent way to save money, both in park ticket cost and possibly dining.

Good dining reservations can be hard to come by, even at the 60 day mark, but if you're looking at going within 60 days, Story Book Dining, a character meal with Snow White, is reopening in December from pandemic shutdown and new reservations open up on Thursday Dec 2 at 6am ET, I believe. So that could be a fun dining experience that you could potentially reserve. The restaurant is in wilderness lodge so would give you a chance to escape the park for an afternoon break.

I would definitely plan for character greeting spots. Saying hi and talking to them will be fun. Look for rides without a height requirement and find out what she enjoys. Shows, parades and cavalcades are great opportunities to slow down and take a short break.

 

[Lnebel]

You have a lot of really BIG questions in here, so I think that’s why you aren’t getting a bunch of quick responses.

1) You can book ADRs 60 days in advance. Right now, TS dining is for YOU, the adults, not the kid. Character meals are still distanced sightings, not up close and personal interactions, so I’m personally not sure those are worth it for that age. So, basically, decide if you want to dine someplace during your visit. It can be nice for break for you. But if the kid tends to be super fussy in restaurants, it could also be a nightmare for you….. I personally like to eat one TS meal on a park day for the opportunity to escape the crowds, be served, sit. But others find them time consuming or have kids who don’t like to sit through them. You know your kid. At that age, my niece had lots of experience being in restaurants and did great at meals. She was easy peasy to entertain for a long time in a high chair, so we enjoyed them. But I’ve witnessed many a melt downs…..

2) You need to decide if this is just a one day visit, or multiple days. You have to buy a park ticket to book your park reservation now.

3) I don’t think I’d plan to hop with a two year old and your first day back in the parks in four years. I’d just plan the one day/one park and see how it all goes.

4) As for attractions/rides, my niece would go on anything she was allowed on at that age and loved everything. I’ve also been around 6 year olds that feared everything. I think the best plan is to start with very mild, well lit attractions, and just see how she does. Small World. Pooh. Dumbo. At that age, my niece was attentive at Haunted Mansion and Pirates, others that age dislike the dark.

5) You need to learn about Genie +. See the main board for those threads. Not sure this is going to be for you, but learn about it and make your own decision.

6) Disney is pricey for what you get right now if you are headed soon. Just understand what you are getting for the cost. For example, at that age, my niece loved the hugs and talks at character meet and greets. She smiled, giggled, clearly loved the moment. And the parade at MK was a huge hit. Right now, those experiences aren’t the same from four years ago. Just do your research. Folks are having a great time right now, but some Disney vets are missing things that are gone still.

Thank you for taking the time to respond, appreciate the advice!

 

[Lnebel]

Looks like you received a lot of great advice above. Do you know how soon you're wanting to go? I'm sure you know if you go before she's 3, she gets in free, so that's an excellent way to save money, both in park ticket cost and possibly dining.

Good dining reservations can be hard to come by, even at the 60 day mark, but if you're looking at going within 60 days, Story Book Dining, a character meal with Snow White, is reopening in December from pandemic shutdown and new reservations open up on Thursday Dec 2 at 6am ET, I believe. So that could be a fun dining experience that you could potentially reserve. The restaurant is in wilderness lodge so would give you a chance to escape the park for an afternoon break.

I would definitely plan for character greeting spots. Saying hi and talking to them will be fun. Look for rides without a height requirement and find out what she enjoys. Shows, parades and cavalcades are great opportunities to slow down and take a short break.

I love the storybook dining idea, thank you!
Do you think genie plus is necessary for the kids rides?

 

[GBRforWDW]

I love the storybook dining idea, thank you!
Do you think genie plus is necessary for the kids rides?

Probably depends on when you go. Most of the time, lines will be under 20 minutes for most of those rides throughout the day. I've seen a lot of times where a ride has a 10 minute wait and the next genie reservation is in 10 minutes,

But if you go between the Sunday before Christmas through MLK weekend, you will have higher crowds, so longer lines that would be nice to skip. You can also only use Genie+ once per ride, so it may not be very useful to you.

I'd check a crowd calendar and if it's below 7 for the day, probably wouldn't be worth the trouble.

 

[Anna131517]

I love the storybook dining idea, thank you!
Do you think genie plus is necessary for the kids rides?

Just as a warning, all three of my kids were scared at the Storybook Dining when we did it just before the pandemic in 2020. My youngest actually spent the meal hiding under the table. Grumpy and the evil stepmother scared them. The food is also not super kid friendly and the acoustics are bad - it’s hard to hear the other people at your table. We all loved the Bon Voyage brunch at Boardwalk though, with Ariel/Eric and Rapunzel/Flynn Rider.

 

[GBRforWDW]

We all loved the Bon Voyage brunch at Boardwalk though, with Ariel/Eric and Rapunzel/Flynn Rider.

The characters for this one are not back yet unfortunately. Hopefully since we have face characters returning for story book though, they'll get these characters back soon.

 

[Rory607]

Is she into any certain characters? Chef Mickey’s is fun at that age since most toddlers at least know Mickey and Minnie. I’m not sure what the current lunch/dinner menu is like, so breakfast might work better. If Crystal Palace characters are back when you go, that is another good option for toddlers.

 

[julie-o]

Garden Grill was the best character experience we had on our trip July 2021. The food was great and we saw the characters a bunch of times. My 22 month old did Small World and Pirates and Dumbo, but he seemed to mostly enjoy people watching and the pool at the resort. Have a great time!