Toddlers at DHS

[rachellm]

We're taking our 2.5 yo and 16 mo old this summer.
I'm checking out what things we'll want to see and I have some questions about DHS

I think these are the must-sees for us:

Honey I shrunk the kids movie set - Is this appropriate for toddlers, or is it geared for older kids?
Disney Junior live on stage - Anyone know how long this is?
Muppet vision 3-D (13 minute show)

These are maybes for us:

Toy Story Mania
Voyage of the little mermaid (15 minute show)
Beaty and the Beast (25 minute show)
Pixas Pals Parade

I'm concerned that it's alot of shows and time spent watching something. If you've taken your toddler to DHS - what did they like? Did they have the patience to watch so many shows?

Am I missing any must-haves?

Is there any way to get the entertainment times/schedule before you're in the park? Is that posted online anywhere? We're planning to be there at rope-drop and than stay until we're ready for afternoon naps. Given that, I'm not sure how many shows we'll even have time for!

 

[PIRATEGIRL007]

We took our son at 3 and 2 months and he loved DHS. The best part of the park for him was all the charecters, since they offer pixar charecters he was most familiar with them and meeting Lighteing McQueen is still the best moment of his life according to him (he will be 6 next month).

He did pretty good in shows, didn't have a problem sitting thru them, but he fell asleep in B&tB (it was close to nap time), we also took him to Indie and LMA. He liked LMA but kept his ears covered, Indie he liked but daddy was actually in the show that day so I think thats why he watched so intently.

He was not a fan of VOTLMM b/c it gets dark in there and HATED Fantasmic which I see you don't have listed. I'm talking scream like an ax murderer is after me, have to be taken out and consoled hated it.

 

[mickeymouseclubhouse]

The Disney Junior show is a must-do, especially for those ages

Edited to add: I missed that you have that in your post already ;-), this is one of our favorite shows!

 

[becky11]

When my DD was a toddler, she didn't care for The Little Mermaid show because she thought it was too dark, even though Ariel was her favorite character then. For Beauty & the Beast, just sit in the back in the shaded area and if the toddler feels restless, there will be room to walk around.

 

[PharmerJan]

I went in March with our almost 3 year old. Here are my observations:

Honey I shrunk the kids movie set - Is this appropriate for toddlers, or is it geared for older kids?

My son loved it, but we had to go thru the stuff with him. There were too many BIG kids running around, we were nervous. After 2 trips up the spider web we adults were done. He would have played all day, but the big kids spoil the fun for the toddlers (they are just not careful!)

Disney Junior live on stage - Anyone know how long this is?

Dont know how long. We did not make it to this. The times were bad for what our day was shaping into.

Muppet vision 3-D (13 minute show)

My DS did not like the 3D videos. He wouldnt keep his glasses on and got nervous. He did great in other movies (like the timon/pumba one at the land pavilion) but just wasnt into 3D. Keep that in mind.

Toy Story Mania- My son loved this! He sat on DHs lap and used the "gun" himself. Pitiful score, but he loved it!

Voyage of the little mermaid (15 minute show)- this was our favorite show. DS and the rest of us loved it. It is short, sweet and very fun to watch. I recommend this!

Beauty and the Beast (25 minute show)- We missed this. We wanted to do the Stunt show, which was at the same time (why do they do that?!) DS loved the stunt show!

Pixar Pals Parade- DS favorite daytime parade. Definitely catch this if you can!

Have fun!

 

[RatherB@Disney]

I agree with your must-sees. Disney Jr is 25 minutes long. My very active 2-year-old really enjoyed the B&B show and TSM as well.

I recommend sitting at the end of a row near an exit if you think you may need to leave early. However, Disney shows have been able to keep my Toddler entertained, much to my surprise ( because he typically does not sit still for long). The only show we had to leave early was It's Tough to be a Bug ( a little overwhelming for him despite his love of Bugs Life).

I believe that there are other websites, but I know Touring Plans lists the show times ahead of time. Once you are at WDW, if staying on-site, your resort should have a Times Guide to help as well.

 

[t_catt11]

The Honey, I Shrunk the Kids play area is VERY appropriate for little kids - our DS2 easily spent 45 minutes there on the last trip. He did have older brother (12) helping him out some, but he spent a lot of time onhis own.

Disney Junior is perfect for this age group. Do not miss it. Showtime is liested at 25 minutes.

DS2 was a little "meh" about the Muppets. He liked them okay, but since he wouldn't keep the 3d glasses on, he didn't enjoy the show as much as he could have.


Toy Story Mania was possibly DS2's favorite ride in all of WDW. I'd also rate this a "don't miss".

He loved the Mermaid show, and insisted that we see it more than once.

He enjoyed Beauty and the Beast, though he got a little bored byt he end (it is an excellent show).

That parade was not running last year, but is quite short, so if your children like parades but not long waits, it may work well. Ours very much enjoyed every parade that we saw.

 

[stargazertechie]

Honey I Shrunk the kids is an AMAZING playset! I remember wanting to spend my WHOLE FIRST TRIP there when I was 3 (and I had a broken arm at the time too).

I have noticed the big kids have been rough my past few trips (I always walk through early in the morning for nostalga sake) .

 

[MHSweb79]

Little Mermaid is a great show, but keep in mind there's a very loud, dark, and potentially scary encounter with an enormous Ursula.

 

[dskib]

We took our 2 year old and had a nice time, but definitely check the schedule. We didn't.
We did rope drop, got FPs for TSM and quick rode ToT and the roller coaster. Then we headed over and did the Muppet Show, Great Movie Ride, and Shrunk the kids playground.

Our first mistake was the Sci Fi theater for lunch. It took way too long. We went back for a nap and got back to the park at around 4:30 -5:00. This is when we learned that almost all the shows stopped playing at around 5 even though the park was open until 9! So we got the Mermaid in, but we missed pretty much everything else. I felt bad because my little guy would have loved Playhouse Disney.

So definitely check the show schedule!!

Deb

 

[mickeyluv'r]

[HistK - is okay for anyone. It's just a playground, and therefore not really worth much time, IMO. You can go on playgrounds back home. it's also easy to loose your group there. The only time we go there is to keep hte kids busy while we finish lunch - IF we happen to eat at tehplace right next door.

DJunior is fun - you just have to find the time to make the show.
Muppets is good.

TSM is great for anyone.

Band B is good, but it can be hot, esp this time of year. If you can fit it great, if not - that's the one I'd likely drop.

We're not huge parade folks, but the Pixar one is kind of fun.

You can get some shows times from the Disney website itself right now. The rest you can figure out once you are there.

Really the only thing you should do is get a fp for TSM by 10am.

Beyond that - if youa re going in summer you biggest limitation is going to be the heat, potential thunderstorm - and your tolerance for humidity. Often the peak of the day's heat/humidity/downpour/thunderstorm - happens sometime between 3 and 6pm. So if it's anice day, you'll see more. If it's sour, leave and take a break. Maybe come back at night when the heat and crowds have subsided.

Last summer, the parks were open late every night. The afternoons were hot and crowded, but the evenings were divine. The parks were fairly empty and the temps great.

One more caveat- When ou are there - catch the weather report. (Don't worry about it in advance of when you go too much.) When there is a thunderstorm, much of AK closes down. On both my planned AK and HS days we plan dinner at a resort. (HS and AK lack great dining options anyhow.) Typically for us we eat one sit down meal each night. Maybe pick a BWK/YC/Swan area resort one night, and AKL the other. Then if foul weather threatens, you can easily swap your HS and AK days. If yo uare eating more quick serve meals, it's even easier to swap parks those days.

 

[JZCubed]

My daughter is just over 2 and has been to Disney 3 times.

At Hollywood Studios:

Honey I Shrunk the Kids Movie set - we skip this because I've read that little children can 'get lost' from their parents amongst the larger than life props. Maybe when she's 3-4.

Disney Junior Live on Stage - This is my kids favorite. She watches Mickey Mouse Club and Jake & the Pirates nearly every morning. The fact that you sit on the floor is the most child friendly Disney attraction. It's not too long. (see AllEars.Net)

Muppet vision 3-D - my child has not mastered the 3-D glasses thing yet. She was not frightened, but we'll try again in December.

Toy Story Mania - this might be a long wait for little ones. We've not tried it yet with her.....especially given that it's 3-D (see above).

Voyage of the Little Mermaid - the shorter wait between Beauty & Beast. She was not thrilled and a bit scared when the theater went dark. And she does not know the story or music.

Beauty and the Beast - we've not done yet . Like you, I'm concerned about doing both Beauty & Mermaid on the same day. This too is on our agenda for December (instead of Little Mermaid). Also, she has seen this movie and knows the story and music.

Pixar Pals Parade - we saw this the day we arrived and only had a short time in HS. Even though my child was tired and cranky, she had a blast seeing all her favorite Pixar Pals from Toy Story & Monsters, Inc. This is a must-see for my child.

So, if I were planning for you - see the sit-down show first (either Mermaid or Beauty), then go to more child friendly Disney Jr. Live On-Stage, and then to the Parade. I know you want to do more, but remember, the little ones can really only give you 4-hours of high energy at a time. Kill the balance of your time in the shops nearby or go see the Characters by Magic of Disney Animation.

 

[The 6 J's]

I'm concerned that it's alot of shows and time spent watching something. If you've taken your toddler to DHS - what did they like? Did they have the patience to watch so many shows?

Yes. Seeing the shows and characters is (IMO) much more entertaining for the little ones than for the thrill seeking age kids. Plus they can be a nice break for Mom and Dad.

*our kids at ages 11mo., 4 and 6 all HATED the Sci Fi theater.

 

[rachellm]

Thanks for all the great feedback!

I'm planning to get FP's for TSM when we arrive, though I don't plan to be in the mad rush of people The line is so interactive that I'm hoping the kids will be fine waiting through the FP line. We'll likely go as soon as our FP window opens up - Does that sound like that best plan to minimize our wait? I think my older DD will enjoy it, but if it's too long, we may just skip it.

I'm guessing we'll be in the park from 9am - 1ish. And that's it. We won't be going back in the evening. So I'll have to prioritize once we get the entertainment schedule.

I see the schedule for this week on another site - Do you think the showtimes will be similar in July?

 

[mickeyluv'r]

I know you want to do more, but remember, the little ones can really only give you 4-hours of high energy at a time.

I suppose. But we mostly base our touring on the weather. The little ones mostly manage just fine. Some days they do take a nap, sometimes in the stroller. If they don't, then sometimes we go back earlier at night. (for the record, Ive gone to WDW over forty times, starting when I was a toddler, with two and a half generations of toddlers.) In my experience, it's the ADULTS you have to watch out for far more than the toddlers. The toddlers have a stroller in which to relax.

If you are doing a TS dinner, then it helps to get a nap sometime before dinner. Obviously you have to take a slower pace if someone has, or is recovering from a cold.

Summer though - and as I said above, you are largely going to be restrained by the weather. If there a strong thunderstorm, the little one might as well be napping in the room, right? Also, the little one may conk out if it's 90 degrees and 99% humidity. In my extended family, it's actually DH that's the first to fade in summer heat! He naps, while mostly everyone else often swims.

After many tours, we find the best method is simply to play it by ear. I'd never come up with a strict touring plan.

Make a simple chart: park hours, parade times, Fantasmic (which we usually avoid), and or fireworks times. All the shows beyond that, play it by ear.

Lots of times though the little ones are a ball of energy. They are SO excited to be at WDW, that they just don't follow normal routines.

Oh - and one more thought - if your little one is a boy - he might prefer the stunt show to Ariel.

Don't sweat it if you don't see everything though. In that sense I agree with the above poster. The most important thing with little ones (and even MORE important - HUSBANDS!) is to stop when they run out of steam. You simply can't put a full grown adult in a stroller! Know when to quit. Worry more about doing what is fun, rather than trying ot do EVERYTHING you think they might enjoy.

The littlest ones often surprise us, too. They might hate any of the above - but simply fall in love with a water fountain, a paper napkin, a cup of applesauce, seeing a princess, a stuffed Mickey. Let the magic happen, even if it means missing ANY of the above.

 

[JZCubed]

Regarding show time:

AllEars.Net will likely have them. You can also call Disney, even if it's not listed on-line, the Cast Member will answer over the phone.

 

[Redheaded Sunshine]

Disney Jr was an absolute MUST for my kids. I think we saw it 3 times one trip. In Little Mermaid, both of my kids enjoyed it until the "scary" part with Ursula and one started crying. TSM is a MUST. They will love it. The Pixar Pals parade is also great for kids. Don't forget to go check out Lightning McQueen and Mater as well if you have Cars fans. In the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground, there are some smaller slides that are good for little ones, but I would be very hesitant to even let them out of my sight b/c it has always been pretty hectic when we've gone.

 

[DopeyDame]

We found DHS a complete bust for our little guy (16 months at the time.) We walked out of MuppetVision because he got really antsy - it's a very "punny" show, so if you don't understand English well yet and don't get a lot of the jokes, it's really not that entertaining. For some reason, he HATED Playhouse Disney (at the time) and we ended up walking out of that as well.
He enjoyed Toy Story Mania, but nowhere near as much as Nemo and some other rides at other parks.
The only thing he really loved there was the HISTK playground. We spent probably an hour there. The big spiderweb and slides are big for someone so little, but there's a great toddler area with some climbing logs, a little slide, and a water feature off to the slide where you can see sit on a stump while the little ones burn off energy well in sight of you and out of the way of the big kids.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

An interesting point here is that kids are often unpredictable. Often enough they love something you think they'll find boring, find boring something you thought they'd love, brave something you though they'd fear, and fear something you thought was childproof. Really, you can't know until your little one tries it in person.

Once we took the Behind the Seeds tour. It was rather interesting, but much of the tour talks about gardening in detail and is really geared for adults. The two small kids in our family absolutely LOVED it! The guides do several things specificaly for the kids, and it's just fun to see the 'behind' part of the attraction. We also loved that they never talked down to the kids. He answered their questions with the same level of respect as the adults. (I HATE it when anyone talks down to kids.) Our guide was great in that he'd take what seemed like a basic question and give it a twist to keep the adults intersted, too.

Even still, it was lot of talk for small kids to endure (both were under 7), but they loved it! Years later, they still talk about it whenever we go on the Living with the Land attraction, and ask about going again (I think we will next visit.)

You just never know with kids. As a teacher I've seen the same thing play out time and again. A lesson that's a smash hit with many groups, absolutely BOMBS with another. The reverse happens too.

Having been on the DIS for a while now, I've seen ADULTS admit to being afraid on just about EVERY attraction at WDW. Who would think grown adults would be afraid to go on kiddie rides?

You simply can't predict with certainty which rides the kids will love or hate. All you can do is play it by ear. Take it as a teaching experience and let the child have a little say in what they want to ride (though periodically also oveririding those requests if it's time for lunch or daddy's turn to pick.)

 

[Colleen27]

I'd say TSM is a must. At 2.5 my DD could sort of play the game and really enjoyed it, especially at the end where pulling the cord fires digital confetti.

Muppetvision could be fun or terrifying, depending on the child. My older DD hated it at 4, the younger loved it at 16mo and 2.5.

Little Mermaid didn't really hold DD2's attention on our last trip, and both LM and Beauty & the Beast bored her at 16mo. I think those are better for kids who really recognize the characters and/or are into the princesses in general.

I really don't like the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground. It is hard to keep an eye on the kids in there, and if not for the big age difference between my kids I'd skip it. It isn't too bad when DS13 and DD9 are playing with DD2 but if it was just me and a toddler or two, no way!

Disney Junior is awesome. The show is lively and interactive, not like the other shows where the audience is sitting quietly and watching. That is by far my DD2's favorite Studios attraction. I think the show runs about 20 minutes, maybe half an hour.

My DD's favorite part about Studios by far is the Animation building characters. She is absolutely crazy for meeting the big, plush versions of her favorites and even loved Lotso and Rafiki and a couple others she wasn't very familiar with. The character lines there were shorter than anywhere else we went and we saw a TON of characters - Sorcerer Mickey, Donald, Daisy, and Minnie in "Hollywood" outfits, Hook & Smee, Chip & Dale, all four Pooh characters, Rafiki, Stitch, Lotso, Mr & Mrs Incredible, Mary Poppins & the penguins... all in one day, with the longest lines running 5-10min.