WDW with a 2 year old

[Lucys dad]

Taking DS for his first trip in June when he will have just turned 2. Despite being on numerous occassions this will no doubt be a different type of trip for us as we never took DD until she was 6.

I apprecaite all kids are different but I'd love to hear any thoughts on what rides, or attractions etc a 2 year old may like and also any that may be seen as not suitable. This could be anything, rides, parks, play areas etc.

Thanks

 

[pitpat]

Dumbo - suitable

Dinosaur - not suitable

 

[WithAMouse]

Dumbo is one of the best MK rides for young'ins I think, along with Peter Pan and Small World. In Animal Kingdom, the Boneyard play area is great if you stick close, and AK also has the a lot of shows that could be fun for him. In Epcot there is Nemo and an awesome little maze in UK that could be fun if he's up and running. Just a few random things

 

[MrPTato]

My daughter loved Pooh, Royal Carousel, tea cups, and People Mover. AK was also the Triceratops. You really can't go wrong on anything that they are able to go on. She was a little cautious when it came to the characters walking around but warmed up to them about half way through the trip. On that trip, they had a dance club for little ones in the stage area next to Aerosmith that no one really knew about. She was able to dance with the fab 5, as well as Chip and Dale. Sad it was gone when we went back 4 months later .

 

[Party.Of.4-NY>>>FL]

Our DS2 loved meeting characters. He's really into Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on TV right now. Talking Mickey in Town Square Theatre was his absolute favorite. Also Goofy in Epcot Character Spot.

His favorite attractions were:

-Tea Cups (although at one point we noticed his eyes were about to jump out of his head from all the spinning. He never experienced being dizzy before that so we decided to slow it down just a bit. LOL.)

-Magic Carpets, Dumbo, and Triceratops Spin.

-Turtle Talk with Crush

-Toy Story Midway Mania

-The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh

-Peter Pan's Flight

-He also (unexpectedly) really got a kick out of The Muppets in Liberty Square.

 

[bucky1023]

Also Haunted Mansion can be dark for some small kids so just keep that in mind (although all of my nieces/nephews loved it from an early age).

 

[disnut8]

Just wanted to mention that I'm assuming your son will still be wearing diapers. Remember that at Disney World, ALL bathrooms have changing stations, including the men's room.

 

[DisneyWorldbuff]

Be prepared to ride Small World multiple times

 

[T00dles]

The shows! Mickey's Philharmagic, Country bear jamboree, enchanted tales with belle, festival of the lion king, Little mermaid, Fantasmic! etc. And lots of these have shorter lines

 

[pitpat]

Muppets and Disney Jr. at Hollywood Studios

 

[Lucys dad]

Be prepared to ride Small World multiple times

To be honest I always have to suffer that with my wife anyway.

 

[Lucys dad]

Dumbo is one of the best MK rides for young'ins I think, along with Peter Pan and Small World. In Animal Kingdom, the Boneyard play area is great if you stick close, and AK also has the a lot of shows that could be fun for him. In Epcot there is Nemo and an awesome little maze in UK that could be fun if he's up and running. Just a few random things

The boneyard is a great shout. That's exactly the type of place I've always jus walked straight past.

 

[disnut8]

My grandson, then age 5, rode Spaceship Earth six times in one day. All with his mother and on the way out of the park, she was quoting the show. We still kid our grandson that he was the only one in kindergarten who knew who the Phoenicians were. That was his relaxing ride while the others were going over to "thrills".

 

[JZCubed]

Taking DS for his first trip in June when he will have just turned 2. Despite being on numerous occassions this will no doubt be a different type of trip for us as we never took DD until she was 6.

I apprecaite all kids are different but I'd love to hear any thoughts on what rides, or attractions etc a 2 year old may like and also any that may be seen as not suitable. This could be anything, rides, parks, play areas etc.

Thanks

The Monorail is a ride.

The bus is a ride.

Waiting on a line for food is a ride when you're 2.

My child typically slept in her stroller when fireworks were booming and she likely ruined every chance we had for a good meal.

The most common answer is, "Hotel swimming pool," when asked to give an answer about their favorite part of Disney their vacation. Thankfully, cocktails are served near many of the pools.

Break most every parenting rule - because a 2 y.o. has none - because it's your vacation, not the 2 y.o.

Bring your sense of humor - is the best advice I can offer.

 

[caliope]

At 2, my DS loved:
-Dumbo
-Tomorrowland Speedway (he's tall for his age)
-Tea Cups
-IASW
-Carousel
-Winnie the Pooh
-Nemo
-Riding the monorail
-Riding the ferry
-Move it, Shake it
-Meeting Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, etc
-Hoop Dee Doo

 

[sweetmama17]

We do passes for our kids 2nd birthdays. My oldest loved absolutely everything when he was 2. No fear and is turning into a thrill seeker. His favorite ride that year...the tomorrowland speedway (best quote of the year was "get your hands off my wheel Mommy!"). Characters and anything that went fast was good.

My youngest just turned 2 and is a little more timid. He liked the teacups and winnie the pooh, loved seeing Mickey but was scared of Pirates. It's all so kid dependent.

Know you kid and what their like and honestly do things that you enjoy. If you are having fun, they will too.

 

[disneyvoice]

Luckily the height restrictions will nix a lot of the attractions he probably won't like. At 2 my son loved all the rides in Fantasyland (7DMT wasn't there at that time). He also loved meeting all the characters so, honestly that took up a good portion of our day. I can't remember much that he didn't like. I do think we stayed away from things like Hall of Presidents and the movies at Epcot - we figured he would be bored. He didn't really have much that he cared about Epcot. He liked the shows at Disney Studios. I do remember he LOVED the monorail - I think he would have been happy to just ride that around WDW all day. He really liked Turtle Talk because he got called on to ask a question. I don't know if it is even still there but there used to be "Storytime with Belle" and he was chosen to play Gaston - he got really shy onstage but still loved it and he got to propose to Belle! He also liked all the animals at AK.

 

[glassslippergirl]

Baby centers are great. There's one in every park with bigger and cleaner changing tables. If your son is starting potty training, MK baby center has a child-sized toilet; all have a quieter, more private toilet area for children. There's cool bottled water. Great for kids who need a moment out of the sun and stimuli to calm down.

Also, leave plenty of time for the splash pads and play areas that you just ignored on adult trips. Kids absolutely love them! Lots of unexpected magic moments to be had here.

 

[happymommy]

My DD was potty trained, but I had her wear Pullups anyway at Disney. I was worried about being in a line or something and having her have to go. Worked very well!

Good stroller for naps!

We always were back in our room by 7:00 at latest. Bath, time to wind down, and she was asleep at her regular time. It kept us all sane.

We just went with the flow. Took it all in and had a wonderful trip! Don't try to do too much, split up if you need to a bit, and take it slow. Enjoy!

 

[mybestieismickey]

It's so dependent on your kid and what they enjoy in the moment. On DD's first trip at 10 months (Disneyland) she was all about IASW. Twice a day everyday. She would have done it more if we had let her.

On her 2nd Birthday trip (also Disneyland) she was all about meeting the princesses...at least once a day. As far as rides, she was more interested in variety but asked to ride Dumbo and IASW more than once.

On our December trip (WDW) she was two months shy of 3 and our son was 14 months. Hands down the favorites for both were the Little Mermaid ride, the Carousel, Dumbo, and the safari. DD was tall enough for the speedway and she loved it. She would have liked to do that more. Also, they both really liked the animal trails at Animal Kingdom. If it wasn't too crowded, they could walk by themselves which was exciting for them.

As for the fireworks, if they were awake, they loved them. If they were asleep, they were so out that the sound didn't phase them. But that one is definitely a YMMV.

Good luck. Our kiddos were pretty go with the flow, but after many trips, we have discovered that making sure nap time happens is the key. It's so easy to just keep going, but for our kiddos it really helps them process the stimulation a little better.