Trying to do too much with toddler?

[Boo Bear]

I'm going to WDW for 4 park days and 5 nights at AoA with DS who will be 3 on Dec 22. I've allotted two full days and one morning for MK. I've re-worked my touring plans so many times and I received great feedback for my DHS plans so I'm hoping that parents or grandparents who have traveled with 2-3 year olds can help give valuable feedback. I used touringplans.com to help me determine the timing and order for each attraction. I know that it's not always 100% so I made a few modifications, but not many.

Day 2 - MK (Rope Drop)

1) Jungle Cruise
2) Magic Carpets of Aladdin
3) POTC
4) *Country Bear Jamboree* removing from plans
5) Barnstormer FP+
6) Dumbo
7) Dumbo
8) Carrousel
9) BOG FP+ @ 11am
10) A&E FP+
11) 3 hour break for nap time at resort (catching bus)
12) Swiss Family Treehouse
13) Winnie the Pooh
14) 7DMT FP+
15) Enchanted Tales w/ Belle
16) Little Mermaid
17) Frozen Holiday Wish

I'll be packing a dinner for DS to eat while riding in his stroller. I'll eat once we get back to AoA that night.

Day 3

1) 'Ohana ADR @ 9:30
2) WDWRR to Frontierland
3) Tom Sawyer Island for an hour
4) Rest at Resort
5) Evening at Epcot. My plans for that are pretty solid.


Day 4 - our last and VERY LONG Day (Morning EMH and MVMCP)

1) Peter Pan
2) Small World
3) Philharmagic
4) Barnstormer or Dumbo (I'll let him choose)
5) Tomorrowland Speedway
6) Tomorrowland Speedway FP+
7) Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor
8) Buzz Lightyear FP+
9) Buzz Lightyear (If he wants to do it again and standby isn't too bad)
10) Chef Mickey's ADR @ 11:25am
11) Return to AoA for long break/nap
12) 7DMT FP+ *I'm removing CP ADR @ 4:20)
13) MVMCP Character M&G/Plans still TBT


What do you all think? I've taken DS to late night things twice before and always made sure he had a good nap. I think he will do fine with this very special occasion late night and we'll probably head back to the resort by 11pm.

I've scheduled certain attractions 2x in a row because I know what he loves and want to avoid potential meltdowns from wanting to go again. I'll ask him if he wants to go again or do something else. He's very smart and understands those kinds of things.

Thank you for your time! I'll give back with reports during days when DS naps!!

 

[Luvchefmic]

I think it's VERY doable...that stroller, break times, and having his dinner on the go is going to help you tremendously. At first I was like on that last day, but then again it comes down to he isn't really doing the running YOU are I think you are going to have an AWESOME time. If I were you I might consider taking some of the first on the list though prior to Chef Mickey's and move it to the previous day.

Happy Birthday !

 

[Baptist]

I think your plan is good. I would be cautious about your last day. Morning EMH with MVMCP is a lot for one day, even with a nap. Plus, you have Chef Mickey's in there as well on the same day. For our kids, this would be a set up for a melt down. Everyone is different, so it might be perfect for your toddler (especially if they don't sleep in). I would sleep in that day, go to Chef Mickey's, back to the hotel to relax, then off to MVMCP for 4pm. It would save you a park ticket day as well.

When our kids were in that age range, we would only stay at Bay Lake Towers. It's a lot easier to walk or take the Monorail back to the room for a nap. I realize it's more expensive than AoA and not in everyone's budget.

Have fun.

 

[Boo Bear]

I think it's VERY doable...that stroller, break times, and having his dinner on the go is going to help you tremendously. At first I was like on that last day, but then again it comes down to he isn't really doing the running YOU are I think you are going to have an AWESOME time. If I were you I might consider taking some of the first on the list though prior to Chef Mickey's and move it to the previous day.

Happy Birthday !

Yes I'll be doing the running and I have 2 jobs... one as a photographer and one as a waitress. I'm used to having to do lots of walking and carrying lots of stuff. I'll have a cooler bag full of snacks and drinks each day in the park.

I think your plan is good. I would be cautious about your last day. Morning EMH with MVMCP is a lot for one day, even with a nap. Plus, you have Chef Mickey's in there as well on the same day. For our kids, this would be a set up for a melt down. Everyone is different, so it might be perfect for your toddler (especially if they don't sleep in). I would sleep in that day, go to Chef Mickey's, back to the hotel to relax, then off to MVMCP for 4pm. It would save you a park ticket day as well.

When our kids were in that age range, we would only stay at Bay Lake Towers. It's a lot easier to walk or take the Monorail back to the room for a nap. I realize it's more expensive than AoA and not in everyone's budget.

Have fun.

I'm most concerned (but not really) about the last day. I tried to get an extra night at the resort but they're fully booked. My TA said to ask once I get there and if there's another night available, I'll change my flights home, but as is, I booked the trip to use a park admission on that last day. I decided to add MVMCP recently to a trip that I booked 18 months in advance. The tickets I'm using, were gifted to me by my parents, who got them at a charity silent auction. They expire next March. So unless I am able to stay an extra night, I'll have to use it that day. DS is an early riser, but maybe we'll take LuvChefMic's advice and move some of our EMH attractions to day 2 and not try so hard for EMH.

Thanks for the valuable feedback! He's my first child and I'm mommy and daddy to him, so he is really very good for me and we have an extra special bond. He usually listens to me and behaves. I'm praying for no meltdowns!!!!! BUT if it happens, it happens. We'll make it work.

 

[HatboxHaint]

Let me say first I am a WDW pessimist. Time (for me) moves much faster at WDW than any where else.

On your Day 2. That is way too much to get done before 11 and still make your BOG 11AM FP. I would attempt your Adventureland stuff or your StorybookCircus stuff but both is highly optimistic considering walking time, probably a desire from your child to eat/drink/potty and have a tantrum sometime between 9 and 11. A few weeks ago I had an 11:30 FP for BOG here's what we got done starting a rope drop: PP twice, Small world, enchanted tales using FP+, Little Mermaid ride, met little mermaid, Met winnie the pooh, rode pooh ride using FP+. That's was a pretty good run, but it was all in the same area and none of it was shows (except Belle) and nothing had very long line that was not fastpassed. Also it was all in the same area and near BOG. I think country bears is the kicker in your list. Take that out and you might have a shot. JC 20min, Magic Carpets 15min, POTC 20min, CBJ 30min you are probably at 10AM or later there, add in potty break or what not and it's 10:30.


Why are you doing the Swiss Family Treehouse and Tom Sawyer's Islands. While these are classic disney things that are beloved by some...to the masses these are mostly gigantic wastes of time and energy better spent elsewhere.

you have practically back to back ADR's at Chef Mickey's and Crystal Palace. While fun, each in their own right, two buffet's at lunch and dinner makes me feel sick just thinking about it.


He will love Peter Pan and Pooh ride. I would try to get him on those as much as possible.

What about TTA and astro-orbiter?

The castle show with Mickey is really big with my kids, they like seeing Mickey and Gang actually doing something besides posing for a picture.

What about meeting talking mickey? He can sing the hot-dog song if you ask him. That is pretty much priceless for a 3 year old.

Your Day 3 seems discombobulated. You are riding RR to Tommorrowland. Tomorrowland is not a stop on the RR. I think you meant Frontierland since your are going to Tom Sawyer's. The playground near the RR in Frontierland is great for little ones. You can also meet Woddy and Jesse right there.

 

[Luvchefmic]

HatboxHaint has me re-thinking a few things ..what time is your Chef Mickey's ADR for starters ? and park hours for when you and your son are there ?

 

[Boo Bear]

Let me say first I am a WDW pessimist. Time (for me) moves much faster at WDW than any where else.

On your Day 2. That is way too much to get done before 11 and still make your BOG 11AM FP. I would attempt your Adventureland stuff or your StorybookCircus stuff but both is highly optimistic considering walking time, probably a desire from your child to eat/drink/potty and have a tantrum sometime between 9 and 11. A few weeks ago I had an 11:30 FP for BOG here's what we got done starting a rope drop: PP twice, Small world, enchanted tales using FP+, Little Mermaid ride, met little mermaid, Met winnie the pooh, rode pooh ride using FP+. That's was a pretty good run, but it was all in the same area and none of it was shows (except Belle) and nothing had very long line that was not fastpassed. Also it was all in the same area and near BOG. I think country bears is the kicker in your list. Take that out and you might have a shot. JC 20min, Magic Carpets 15min, POTC 20min, CBJ 30min you are probably at 10AM or later there, add in potty break or what not and it's 10:30.


Why are you doing the Swiss Family Treehouse and Tom Sawyer's Islands. While these are classic disney things that are beloved by some...to the masses these are mostly gigantic wastes of time and energy better spent elsewhere.

you have practically back to back ADR's at Chef Mickey's and Crystal Palace. While fun, each in their own right, two buffet's at lunch and dinner makes me feel sick just thinking about it.


He will love Peter Pan and Pooh ride. I would try to get him on those as much as possible.

What about TTA and astro-orbiter?

The castle show with Mickey is really big with my kids, they like seeing Mickey and Gang actually doing something besides posing for a picture.

What about meeting talking mickey? He can sing the hot-dog song if you ask him. That is pretty much priceless for a 3 year old.

Your Day 3 seems discombobulated. You are riding RR to Tommorrowland. Tomorrowland is not a stop on the RR. I think you meant Frontierland since your are going to Tom Sawyer's. The playground near the RR in Frontierland is great for little ones. You can also meet Woddy and Jesse right there.

I am absolutely ok with omitting Country Bears! I was actually just on my page hovering over the "x" to eliminate that from our touring plans. It's one of my "drop" items in my plans. Also, I booked Chef Mickey's forever ago, but just booked Crystal Palace a few days ago so he could meet the Pooh Characters. I'm not dead set on keeping that ADR. It does sounds like a ton of food and I'm not a big eater. I'm more of a 6 small meals a day type of person and DS is a very picky eater. I'm packing him meals every day just in case he won't eat anything the parks have to offer. I did mean Frontierland. The Swiss Family Treehouse seems like something he'd be SO into. The Tom Sawyer Island plan is so he can run around and because I've never been out there. We have park hopper tickets and I planned an hour just for extra leeway. Theres a chance we'll head back to the resort and play there before our nap time.

 

[Boo Bear]

HatboxHaint has me re-thinking a few things ..what time is your Chef Mickey's ADR for starters ? and park hours for when you and your son are there ?

Our Chef Mickey's ADR is at 11:25am. The park hours for Day 2 are 9-7 and for Day 4 8-12am

 

[Boo Bear]

I forgot that I have another FP+ for 7DMT on Day 4. I am going to cancel my ADR for Crystal Palace and grab a counter service meal somewhere else. Is 7DMT worth have FP+ for 2 days or should I pick something else?

 

[Luvchefmic]

Oh Boy, well both character meals are pretty terrific, much fun for all ages, and I will put my particular opinion aside for which is the best but you have to lose one of them. That is way to close in time. You will also be in whichever you pick for approx. an hr to 1 1/2 hrs if you take your time, enjoy your food, and spend time with the characters.


EDIT Well I see we were posting pretty much the same time now I'll say you will have a blast at Chef Mickey, re-FP+ for 7DMT I would keep them both, you'll be glad you have it if he loves it and you can change it later if he doesn't

 

[chelseabun76]

I think your plans sound good, and from this post and other posts I have seen of yours, you will be just fine if things don't go 100% as planned and something needs to be dropped along the way. You have a great positive attitude and you just want to have a blast with your son, and I'm sure your trip will be a blast!!!

 

[Elleshoodat]

At that age, my son was more interested in the play areas throughout the parks than rides, shows, etc. I have such fond memories of watching him play in the splash area between Future World and World Showcase, and dig in the Boneyard at Animal Kingdom.

You've made some solid plans and you know your son best, but please remember to be flexible and let "the magic" happen naturally.

 

[Boo Bear]

Oh Boy, well both character meals are pretty terrific, much fun for all ages, and I will put my particular opinion aside for which is the best but you have to lose one of them. That is way to close in time. You will also be in whichever you pick for approx. an hr to 1 1/2 hrs if you take your time, enjoy your food, and spend time with the characters.


EDIT Well I see we were posting pretty much the same time now I'll say you will have a blast at Chef Mickey, re-FP+ for 7DMT I would keep them both, you'll be glad you have it if he loves it and you can change it later if he doesn't

Thanks! I ate at Chef Mickey with my family when we went to WDW when I was 7. I WON'T miss that one!

I'll keep both 7DMT, especially since I lucked out with the 2nd one. If he isn't tall enough (he's SO close) I'll just cancel them and somebody else will have extra Pixie Dust and pick them up!

I think your plans sound good, and from this post and other posts I have seen of yours, you will be just fine if things don't go 100% as planned and something needs to be dropped along the way. You have a great positive attitude and you just want to have a blast with your son, and I'm sure your trip will be a blast!!!

Thank you very much. I will be absolutely fine if things don't go 100% as planned. In fact, I know they won't. Nothing ever really does and if they do go as planned, I will consider myself to be extremely fortunate. I am a very positive person. I have been through H-E-Double Hockey Sticks for him and he is my Heaven! Every day with him is a blessing and a blast and I know that this trip is more for my memory of his experience since he's likely too young to remember much. I barely remember my first trip and I was 7.

 

[Boo Bear]

At that age, my son was more interested in the play areas throughout the parks than rides, shows, etc. I have such fond memories of watching him play in the splash area between Future World and World Showcase, and dig in the Boneyard at Animal Kingdom.

You've made some solid plans and you know your son best, but please remember to be flexible and let "the magic" happen naturally.

Absolutely!

 

[Luvchefmic]

I think no matter what you do, what he does or does not remember, you are very blessed to have each other and double blessed that you know it

Now stop tweaking your plans, relax, you'll be here before you know it

 

[Jessterly]

We took my daughter last year, just after her 2nd bday and are taking her again in early December - she's now 3yo. Lessons learned:
- Have a plan, then be flexible. We were so shocked that our daughter wanted to ride the carousel over and over. We wouldn't let her b/c we wanted her to see other things, but on this trip we decided it's all about her and if she wants to do the carousel a dozen times, we'll do it.
- Once you find out what your lo likes, adjust to do more of it. Some kids are terrified of the characters. Our DD can't get enough of them, so we have skipped some rides in favor of more meet & greets.
- Hollywood Studios totally surprised us. Other than MK, it was her favorite park. They've done a great job with all the Disney Jr. stuff and kiddie-centric shows.
- Build in rest and "free play" time. She loved the little playgrounds and time to run around.
- If you can book a meal around nap time, Disney is pretty good about letting you bring a stroller with a sleeping baby right up to your table. We did this a few times and it was awesome!
- A park day PLUS MVMCP is really tiring. Our DD has a ton of energy and she fell asleep right after the fireworks, missing a lot of the party. Also, we were exhausted after getting up early that day.

Our itinerary this year is geared totally to her and this is it -
Day 1: Arrive, spend day at hotel, early dinner at 1900 Park Fare (GF)
Day 2: Magic Kingdom, which closes early due to MVMCP (have heard that the day of a xmas party is a great day to visit MK), dinner at Chef Mickey's on the way back to our hotel.
Day 3: Hollywood Studios
Day 4: Sleep in, relax/pool in the morning, afternoon nap, MVMCP at night
Day 5: Sleep in & depart

I'm happy to answer any specific questions you might have about toddlers at WDW. You're going to have a great time!!!

 

[Angel Ariel]

Let me say first I am a WDW pessimist. Time (for me) moves much faster at WDW than any where else.

On your Day 2. That is way too much to get done before 11 and still make your BOG 11AM FP. I would attempt your Adventureland stuff or your StorybookCircus stuff but both is highly optimistic considering walking time, probably a desire from your child to eat/drink/potty and have a tantrum sometime between 9 and 11. A few weeks ago I had an 11:30 FP for BOG here's what we got done starting a rope drop: PP twice, Small world, enchanted tales using FP+, Little Mermaid ride, met little mermaid, Met winnie the pooh, rode pooh ride using FP+. That's was a pretty good run, but it was all in the same area and none of it was shows (except Belle) and nothing had very long line that was not fastpassed. Also it was all in the same area and near BOG. I think country bears is the kicker in your list. Take that out and you might have a shot. JC 20min, Magic Carpets 15min, POTC 20min, CBJ 30min you are probably at 10AM or later there, add in potty break or what not and it's 10:30.

If you are there at rope drop, adventureland is pretty empty. We just did RD at MK yesterday and getting to adventureland around 9:30 (we first tried the a&e stampede, then decided it would take too long and got out of line). Jingle Cruise was a walk on, we walked past POC after JC (had ridden it a previous day) and POC was appx a 5 min wait. Aladdin was closed with walls up around it for refurb, so I can't judge how long that wait would have been. Even thunder was pretty much a walk on, and I think we probably got there around 9:50/9:55ish

Eta: just saw OP would be there over Christmas...so higher crowds. I still think, of you are there before RD, adventureland can go more quickly than other places, but it may not be walk on.

Op - be aware they may do RD early. We had a 9am open yesterday, no morning EMH and they were doing RD show at 8:40am, with RD itself at appx 8:45

 

[disneydude365]

ok I'm going to speak bluntly please don't take it any way as bad just a friendly warning

don't make such a tight schedule planning what when and where. things will slap up, rides will be down, child will get cranky. i know your wanting to get the most out of the trip, but with the younger ones it can wear them out so much. take time and let some time to just explore. if you go missile mode and something goes wrong, well what happens when a missile misfires lol

all in all have an idea of what you want just be flexible! I've seen many families trips ruined due to plans getting slightly messed up or even massively messed up

 

[Fratthouse]

First, let me say that 3 is an AWESOME time to take a little one to WDW. Our DS turned 3 this year and we've been twice so far and have another trip planned THIS WEEK. It has been AMAZING!!!

I would say (depending on the dates of your trip), your plans seem pretty reasonable to me. If your DS is an early riser, and you'll be there at rope drop, you should be able to get A LOT done in those first few hours of the day. Others will say don't structure things so much with a toddler, but for me, it really helped having a plan. I could always adjust it as needed, but I like knowing where I'm headed and what I'm trying to accomplish. BUT I would suggest for Day 2 having a contingency plan. If you lose some time with an extra bathroom break, toddler meltdown, etc. - what are you willing to skip in your schedule? That way, if you get behind, you can easily adjust to get back on track. (On the flip side, it might help to know what things you'd like to add if you happen to be running ahead of schedule as well. Not as likely, but you never know).

Regarding the park in the morning / MVMCP at night dilemma, I will just say this. You know your child and their schedule better than anyone. All toddlers are different. My 3 year old is up at 6 am regardless, so it wouldn't make any sense to sit around in our room all day waiting for the party. He wouldn't get rest either way, so we might as well have fun. But my 3 yr old absolutely won't last past about 9 pm. So for us, the party is out of the cards. You've had other experiences with your child, so go with what your instinct is. Again, I'd have a contingency plan if your child does happen to fall asleep in the party, though. It's the end of several big days, so if they give out on you, are there still some things you can do if he's asleep?

Also, just be sure you allot enough time for the transportation to / from resort. During mid-day, it can take up to an hour to get from the park to your room. That MVMCP day, I think might be a bit tight. If you're Chef Mickey's res is at 11:25, that means you won't be done until 12:30 - 1 pm. Then allot an hour to get back to your room, that's 2 pm. If you're planning on being back in MK by 4:20 pm, you'd probably need to leave your room by 3:30 pm. So you're really only getting an hour long break. That's not going to feel very long, especially if you've had an early morning and are planning on a late night. You might want to consider pushing back your arrival time for the party so you both get rested up for the long night

Have SO MUCH fun. You won't get to do everything, but what you do experience will be AWESOME

 

[laughinplace199]

My thoughts in red...

I'm going to WDW for 4 park days and 5 nights at AoA with DS who will be 3 on Dec 22. I've allotted two full days and one morning for MK. I've re-worked my touring plans so many times and I received great feedback for my DHS plans so I'm hoping that parents or grandparents who have traveled with 2-3 year olds can help give valuable feedback. I used touringplans.com to help me determine the timing and order for each attraction. I know that it's not always 100% so I made a few modifications, but not many.

Day 2 - MK (Rope Drop)

1) Jungle Cruise
2) Magic Carpets of Aladdin
3) POTC
4) *Country Bear Jamboree* removing from plans
5) Barnstormer FP+
6) Dumbo
7) Dumbo
8) Carrousel
9) BOG FP+ @ 11am There's no way you'll get in all the above attractions by 11:00 AM
10) A&E FP+
11) 3 hour break for nap time at resort (catching bus)
12) Swiss Family Treehouse I'd skip this if you're pressed for time.
13) Winnie the Pooh
14) 7DMT FP+
15) Enchanted Tales w/ Belle
16) Little Mermaid
17) Frozen Holiday Wish

I'll be packing a dinner for DS to eat while riding in his stroller. I'll eat once we get back to AoA that night.

Day 3

1) 'Ohana ADR @ 9:30
2) WDWRR to Frontierland
3) Tom Sawyer Island for an hour
4) Rest at Resort
5) Evening at Epcot. My plans for that are pretty solid.
An hour in MK? Why not just spend the whole day in Epcot?

Day 4 - our last and VERY LONG Day (Morning EMH and MVMCP)

1) Peter Pan
2) Small World
3) Philharmagic
4) Barnstormer or Dumbo (I'll let him choose)
5) Tomorrowland Speedway
6) Tomorrowland Speedway FP+
7) Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor
8) Buzz Lightyear FP+
9) Buzz Lightyear (If he wants to do it again and standby isn't too bad)
10) Chef Mickey's ADR @ 11:25am I don't think you'll be done with above attractions by 11:00, and you'll need some time to get to CM.
11) Return to AoA for long break/nap
12) 7DMT FP+ *I'm removing CP ADR @ 4:20)
13) MVMCP Character M&G/Plans still TBT


What do you all think? I've taken DS to late night things twice before and always made sure he had a good nap. I think he will do fine with this very special occasion late night and we'll probably head back to the resort by 11pm.

I've scheduled certain attractions 2x in a row because I know what he loves and want to avoid potential meltdowns from wanting to go again. I'll ask him if he wants to go again or do something else. He's very smart and understands those kinds of things.

Thank you for your time! I'll give back with reports during days when DS naps!!