There have been a lot of questions on the board which are similar and most have to do with bringing young kids to WDW. I thought I would put together my thoughts having brought our DD at 19 months, 2 & 3 years old. Please add your thoughts as well and hopefully this will be a helpful post to others who are trying to figure out if a WDW trip with a toddler is the right thing for them.
A few questions to ask yourself before deciding on Disney:
1. Do YOU really want to go? Ultimately this is a trip for you to have fun as a family and for YOU to watch the magic/joy on their faces. If you arent sure if you want to go, dont go. When we went to WDW when DD was 19 months, we knew that the trip was more for us and that we would have the memories to share with her.
2. Is this the ONLY time you will go to Disney or is it tough financially to swing it? If so, there is no rush! If you are looking at Disney as a once in a lifetime, wait until your child is older and can enjoy the fun. When we went the first time, we knew we would go again, so we didnt worry about whether she would remember this trip.
3. What is your family dynamic? I ask this because our DD is the youngest (by far) in our extended family. By the time she would be perfect age, her cousins will be in late high school/college and her grandparents may not have as much stamina. Even though most of what she will remember at this age will be from pictures, I wanted her to be a part of a fun experience with her extended family.
4. Do you think your child will enjoy it? Do they like Disney? Will they take everything in stride or are they the type to be easily overwhelmed? Disney can be an overwhelming place for little ones (constantly things to see, hear, etc). It can also be a little scary for the little ones. Only you will know how your child will react.
Those are the big questions I would think through before you go. Now on to some tips/tricks to going WDW with the little ones:
1. Location, location, location: Think about where you will stay based on what will make sense for your childs age (and affordability). WDW is a BIG place and sometimes the logistics with toddlers (and the stuff that comes with them) can be difficult. Here is our breakdown:
19 Months: We stayed at the All Star Music resort, but rented a car. It was just a lot easier to have the flexibility that a car offered. We didnt have to get the big stroller and all her stuff on and off a bus or deal with a new walker not staying put on a bus. If at any point, she was too tired (or we were) we could jump in the car. We also went to Downtown Disney and other areas of Orlando.
2 years old: We were SUPER lucky to get to splurge on the Polynesian and be a boat ride away from MK. This was AMAZING. The ability to easily get to and from MK was the best. If I had the money, I would always stay at a MK resort with toddlers. (on a separate note: the Poly was really relaxing and fun for us adults too!)
3 years old: Pop Century (with extended family). At 3 she was much more self sufficient (listened well, could get herself on and off the bus with minimal help, needed far less stuff) so taking the bus was super easy as was staying at a resort a little further away.
The point is to think about age in relation to the logistics of getting to and from the parks and it can make everything a little easier.
2. Timing: One of the BEST things is to be able to go during off peak (assuming you dont have other school age kids). We took her early/mid September when it was a little cooler and the parks were lighter. When we went with her cousins, they were school age so we had to go in a hotter, more peak time period. We look at crowd levels a ton and chose our parks based on crowd potential. Navigating a big crowd in the hot sun with a toddler is a bit tricky.
3. Be prepared to go at your youngest childs pace: I actually loved Disney when she was 19 months. It was so relaxing because we did the parks at such a slow pace. We also saw a lot of things we might not have seen. We would get to the park pre-opening (she was a very early riser) and see the opening show. I would never have gotten up for it before it is so cute. Once we scheduled a character breakfast at Crystal Palace at the earliest time slot which was BEFORE the park opened. We literally walked down mainstreet and it was empty. Magical. We have done the same at DHS and AK. When we went with her older cousins we split up from time to time so that they could run ahead and go to Space Mountain while I took her on Tea Cups and had a quick snack.
4. Prepare your toddler (if you want to): We were not sure how she would be around characters so we had her watch You Tube videos of character greetings. This way she could see how fun it would be. When the Goofy Barnstormer came out she was tall enough so we had her watch a video of a roller coaster so she knew what to expect. We did the same when she was 3 and could go on Kali River Rapids with her cousins. For our kiddo it works well for her to know what to expect.
5. WDW is geared to kids of all ages as well as toddlers. Use the Baby Care centers for diaper changes or even just to get out of the heat and let them run around. DD got a little tired of being in the stroller or holding a hand through a crowd and the baby care centers really allowed her some freedom (and cool air) to look at books, toddle around, etc. Cast Members are great with the little ones and will help you for anything you need just ask!
6. Buffets are your friend: When they are under 3, they are free, so as much as buffets and characters meals seemed pricy it allowed us to 1. Sit down, 2. Cool off and 3. Eat right away! This was key with a toddler! It also allowed for a variety which helped us when she was going through her picky phase.
7. Do what you can to reduce wait times for rides. This can be using the apps that tell you wait times, etc. For us this meant getting there early and riding everything she would like early in the day. We would then ride a few of the less popular rides like carousel. We would keep riding until the lines got to be real. We would grab a snack, see a few shows and then take off early afternoon for a nap. We would go back to the park around 430 or 5ish, have an early dinner and then ride a few more things that didnt have lines. Our toddler was not going to do any line more than 20-30 minutes and we found we didnt need to have long waits if we planned ahead.
A few final toddler notes:
1. A really fun memory is to get their first hair cut done at Magic Kingdom. The Main street barbershop does them. They get a special set of ears that say first hair cut, the actual haircut (which I thought was good) and a Certificate of Bravery all for around $15 great deal and really fun pictures.
2. If your seating is delayed for any of the meals and you have a hungry kid on your hands, ask if you can grab a banana off of the buffet. I had a CM do this for me without asking which was so wonderful and I asked one other time when we had to wait and they were happy to do it.
3. Bring lots of stuff to pass the time while in line, at dinner, in the hotel room, etc. Stickers and crayons where our favorites. She loved putting stickers on us while we waited in line.
4. If characters will be something you want to do, get the autograph books with the pockets for photos. Our DD loves to look through the pictures and see herself with the characters. It means more to her than seeing the autograph.
5. You can ship a box to your hotel ahead of time. This was a lifesaver when DD was very young as we shipped her diapers, ample snacks and other extra items we would need. Helped make the travel to WDW much easier.
Sorry for the long post!! Hope this is helpful to someone and feel free to comment to add things I didnt think of!
A few questions to ask yourself before deciding on Disney:
1. Do YOU really want to go? Ultimately this is a trip for you to have fun as a family and for YOU to watch the magic/joy on their faces. If you arent sure if you want to go, dont go. When we went to WDW when DD was 19 months, we knew that the trip was more for us and that we would have the memories to share with her.
2. Is this the ONLY time you will go to Disney or is it tough financially to swing it? If so, there is no rush! If you are looking at Disney as a once in a lifetime, wait until your child is older and can enjoy the fun. When we went the first time, we knew we would go again, so we didnt worry about whether she would remember this trip.
3. What is your family dynamic? I ask this because our DD is the youngest (by far) in our extended family. By the time she would be perfect age, her cousins will be in late high school/college and her grandparents may not have as much stamina. Even though most of what she will remember at this age will be from pictures, I wanted her to be a part of a fun experience with her extended family.
4. Do you think your child will enjoy it? Do they like Disney? Will they take everything in stride or are they the type to be easily overwhelmed? Disney can be an overwhelming place for little ones (constantly things to see, hear, etc). It can also be a little scary for the little ones. Only you will know how your child will react.
Those are the big questions I would think through before you go. Now on to some tips/tricks to going WDW with the little ones:
1. Location, location, location: Think about where you will stay based on what will make sense for your childs age (and affordability). WDW is a BIG place and sometimes the logistics with toddlers (and the stuff that comes with them) can be difficult. Here is our breakdown:
19 Months: We stayed at the All Star Music resort, but rented a car. It was just a lot easier to have the flexibility that a car offered. We didnt have to get the big stroller and all her stuff on and off a bus or deal with a new walker not staying put on a bus. If at any point, she was too tired (or we were) we could jump in the car. We also went to Downtown Disney and other areas of Orlando.
2 years old: We were SUPER lucky to get to splurge on the Polynesian and be a boat ride away from MK. This was AMAZING. The ability to easily get to and from MK was the best. If I had the money, I would always stay at a MK resort with toddlers. (on a separate note: the Poly was really relaxing and fun for us adults too!)
3 years old: Pop Century (with extended family). At 3 she was much more self sufficient (listened well, could get herself on and off the bus with minimal help, needed far less stuff) so taking the bus was super easy as was staying at a resort a little further away.
The point is to think about age in relation to the logistics of getting to and from the parks and it can make everything a little easier.
2. Timing: One of the BEST things is to be able to go during off peak (assuming you dont have other school age kids). We took her early/mid September when it was a little cooler and the parks were lighter. When we went with her cousins, they were school age so we had to go in a hotter, more peak time period. We look at crowd levels a ton and chose our parks based on crowd potential. Navigating a big crowd in the hot sun with a toddler is a bit tricky.
3. Be prepared to go at your youngest childs pace: I actually loved Disney when she was 19 months. It was so relaxing because we did the parks at such a slow pace. We also saw a lot of things we might not have seen. We would get to the park pre-opening (she was a very early riser) and see the opening show. I would never have gotten up for it before it is so cute. Once we scheduled a character breakfast at Crystal Palace at the earliest time slot which was BEFORE the park opened. We literally walked down mainstreet and it was empty. Magical. We have done the same at DHS and AK. When we went with her older cousins we split up from time to time so that they could run ahead and go to Space Mountain while I took her on Tea Cups and had a quick snack.
4. Prepare your toddler (if you want to): We were not sure how she would be around characters so we had her watch You Tube videos of character greetings. This way she could see how fun it would be. When the Goofy Barnstormer came out she was tall enough so we had her watch a video of a roller coaster so she knew what to expect. We did the same when she was 3 and could go on Kali River Rapids with her cousins. For our kiddo it works well for her to know what to expect.
5. WDW is geared to kids of all ages as well as toddlers. Use the Baby Care centers for diaper changes or even just to get out of the heat and let them run around. DD got a little tired of being in the stroller or holding a hand through a crowd and the baby care centers really allowed her some freedom (and cool air) to look at books, toddle around, etc. Cast Members are great with the little ones and will help you for anything you need just ask!
6. Buffets are your friend: When they are under 3, they are free, so as much as buffets and characters meals seemed pricy it allowed us to 1. Sit down, 2. Cool off and 3. Eat right away! This was key with a toddler! It also allowed for a variety which helped us when she was going through her picky phase.
7. Do what you can to reduce wait times for rides. This can be using the apps that tell you wait times, etc. For us this meant getting there early and riding everything she would like early in the day. We would then ride a few of the less popular rides like carousel. We would keep riding until the lines got to be real. We would grab a snack, see a few shows and then take off early afternoon for a nap. We would go back to the park around 430 or 5ish, have an early dinner and then ride a few more things that didnt have lines. Our toddler was not going to do any line more than 20-30 minutes and we found we didnt need to have long waits if we planned ahead.
A few final toddler notes:
1. A really fun memory is to get their first hair cut done at Magic Kingdom. The Main street barbershop does them. They get a special set of ears that say first hair cut, the actual haircut (which I thought was good) and a Certificate of Bravery all for around $15 great deal and really fun pictures.
2. If your seating is delayed for any of the meals and you have a hungry kid on your hands, ask if you can grab a banana off of the buffet. I had a CM do this for me without asking which was so wonderful and I asked one other time when we had to wait and they were happy to do it.
3. Bring lots of stuff to pass the time while in line, at dinner, in the hotel room, etc. Stickers and crayons where our favorites. She loved putting stickers on us while we waited in line.
4. If characters will be something you want to do, get the autograph books with the pockets for photos. Our DD loves to look through the pictures and see herself with the characters. It means more to her than seeing the autograph.
5. You can ship a box to your hotel ahead of time. This was a lifesaver when DD was very young as we shipped her diapers, ample snacks and other extra items we would need. Helped make the travel to WDW much easier.
Sorry for the long post!! Hope this is helpful to someone and feel free to comment to add things I didnt think of!
so taking the bus was super easy as was staying at a resort a little further away.
