What did your 2 year old love that surprised you?

[athyng]

We're taking our son in September for his first trip to Disney. We've been several times so i think i know what he will enjoy. He'll be 2 years, 3 months. I'm wondering what your toddler loved that surprised you. He's tall for his age, so i plan riding the barnstormer with him. He's been watching youtube clips of it and just grins ear to ear. I am also planning on the jumping waters at epcot, turtle talk, riding the railroad at MK, the Indiana jones show- he likes to watch tough, loud stuff. I've showed him some fantasy land rides on you tube and he just shakes his head no ( he's not talking much yet, hope that changes soon!). I'm trying to over plan, but just the fact that i'm on the dis six months out tells you something

 

[athyng]

I meant to write i'm trying NOT to over plan, but i know i am.

 

[kmb584]

We're taking our son in September for his first trip to Disney. We've been several times so i think i know what he will enjoy. He'll be 2 years, 3 months. I'm wondering what your toddler loved that surprised you. He's tall for his age, so i plan riding the barnstormer with him. He's been watching youtube clips of it and just grins ear to ear. I am also planning on the jumping waters at epcot, turtle talk, riding the railroad at MK, the Indiana jones show- he likes to watch tough, loud stuff. I've showed him some fantasy land rides on you tube and he just shakes his head no ( he's not talking much yet, hope that changes soon!). I'm trying to over plan, but just the fact that i'm on the dis six months out tells you something

HM and the now closed SWSA surprised me the most. She had been on both at 15 months but by the time her second trip rolled around a month after her 2nd birthday I was sure she was going to be put off by the dark rides. Nope, she loved them! Now, at 5, she's afraid of HM and doesn' like having to even walk by it.

 

[Ava]

We took DD when she had just turned 2, and she LOVED the characters. We weren't sure if she'd like them, but she ended up loving them. Donald was her favorite, which surprised us since I don't even think she knew who Donald was.

She also wasn't scared of any rides; we took her on everything she was tall enough for, including dark rides like POTC & Maelstrom and she liked them all.

 

[chicagoshannon]

My dd loved the Carousel of Progress and the American Adventure. We took her into the American adventure thinking she'd take a nap. She was mesmerized.

 

[Leveretttltl]

My daughter was 2 on he first trip. She loved the water fountains over by Figment. She loved seeing her favorite characters Lightening and Mater. She rode the Barnstormer numerous times. She also liked Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean surprisingly. She really enjoyed Playhouse Disney and Voyage of the Little Mermaid, too. She was not a very timid child so she always watched the fireworks and the parades. We met several characters during the trip and she was fine with them as long as I was holding her. However, on the last day we were there we saw Goofy. She pushed me away and walked up to him all by herself. Goofy got down on his knee and hugged her. It is the sweetest picture ever!!!

 

[athyng]

Thanks for the suggestions! I think i'm nervous about haunted mansion, pirates of the Caribbean, and even spaceship earth. He hates elevators, screams on them. I think it's the confinement. What happens if a kid starts freaking out on a ride? Do they ever stop rides to let people off? I think we'll start off with one of the shorter dark rides and see how that goes. And i forgot about tom sawyer island, he'll like that.

 

[SaraMc]

DD loved the voices of liberty. There was a school trip there as we watched their show and my little 2 year old ( now 4) sat with the big kids just entranced by their voices.

 

[laura3773]

Following for tips. My daughter will also be 2 years, 3 months for our trip.

 

[erinmarie2224]

Donald Duck.

The very first thing we did on our trip was a character meal at Donalds Safari Breakfast. She was obsessed with him for the rest of the trip and for the next 6 months.

 

[ilovebassets]

Tom Sawyers island was a big with our son around that age. He also loved where we stayed at fort wilderness. He loved all things Ariel as well. Must be something about those mermaids.

At DHS, he likes the auto stunt show though he did cover his ears a lot.

 

[ktlm]

Thanks for the suggestions! I think i'm nervous about haunted mansion, pirates of the Caribbean, and even spaceship earth. He hates elevators, screams on them. I think it's the confinement. What happens if a kid starts freaking out on a ride? Do they ever stop rides to let people off? I think we'll start off with one of the shorter dark rides and see how that goes. And i forgot about tom sawyer island, he'll like that.

Which park are you starting off at? If it is MK, I would say start off on small world even though it is a longer ride. It is very light inside and the boats are totally open on top and there are absolutely no villians, so I would say it is the least scary of any of them. I think he would feel the least confined or clausterphobic on that one. DD loved it at 2. In fact, she threw a fit when it was time to get off. DD wasn't scared of much at that age, but of all things, she did get a little scared in the Pooh ride of the Heffalump and Woozle area. That one surprised me. She loved Peter Pan, but I would say from what you are saying about your son, do small world first because Peter Pan is dark and the boat does have the sail kind of extending over the top, so that may not be the right one to start out on. The Arial ride, the clamshell extends over your head a little too. I'd do Small World and if that goes well, move up to the others.

Surprisingly at age 2, mine wanted no part of Dumbo. She said "I don't want to ride him" and pointed up and that was that. She is 8 now, and while we didn't think about it then, we have since discovered that she is a little scared of heights. According to her, she has always been scared of heights since she was little (explains why she didn't like being at the top of slides and some other things when she was a toddler). She was okay with Aladdin's Magic Carpets at age 2, which I guess was because of the bigger ride vehicles or maybe she did not perceive it as being as high up.

We decided not to do Pirates or Haunted Mansion at age 2. We started those at age 3 instead. Judging from the fact she wasn't crazy about those at age 3, it was probably the right choice for her. Some kids love them at age 2 and 3.

It didn't surprise me, but she went nuts over the boat ride inside Mexico at EPCOT. She would have been perfectly happy to ride it in circles for the entire day if we had let her.

I guess my biggest surprise was that she went nuts over Living with the Land at EPCOT, as have the kids of most of my friends at that age. She loved seeing the fruit and vegetables growing in the greenhouse.

 

[Betty Rohrer]

granted my grandson had older brothers with him but he loved all the rides he went on as a toddler. he was more upset when he could not ride when brothers could. he started out afraid of characters but by end of trip he loved them

 

[Simba07]

Pirates of the Carribean. She went around singing "yo-ho, yo-ho" for months after and insisted on being a pirate for Halloween - and she'd never shown any interest in pirates before the ride. And to think I was worried she'd be scared...

 

[pjacobi]

My daughter at 2 years, 11 months enjoyed the themed playground areas in the parks - Honey, I Shrunk the Kids playground in HS and the Dig area in AK. It was a chance for a little bit of freedom. The playground areas are carefully designed so that there is one-way in/out. Let them run, but watch the one exit.

-Paul

 

[crayon3448]

My daughter at 2 years, 11 months enjoyed the themed playground areas in the parks - Honey, I Shrunk the Kids playground in HS and the Dig area in AK. It was a chance for a little bit of freedom. The playground areas are carefully designed so that there is one-way in/out. Let them run, but watch the one exit.

-Paul

This! Also the new queue area of dumbo was a hit.

 

[athyng]

Thanks for all the awesome tips!

 

[brandigregory]

This! Also the new queue area of dumbo was a hit.

Biggest tantrum of my daughter's 2yo life occurred while trying to leave the dumbo playground. Resulted in a football hold out of the park from dumbo in 95 degree heat...Beware!

 

[afwdwfan]

DS loved Barnstormer. I know that doesn't seem like a surprise on the surface, but he typically seems to be scared of just about anything. Getting him to try things, including this ride, is difficult. After the first ride on it he wanted to go again. And we did. Several times. This was almost a year and a half ago when he was 2 and he still talks about it today.

 

[Hoodie]

We just got back. Our two year old loved the People Mover, Disney Jr. Live on Stage, Toy Story Mania, and the Railroad. He was terrified of anything 3D but would watch it without the glasses.

We also went on Nemo 5 times. Five. Times.

edited to add: the Teacups. We had to pry him away after mommy and daddy couldn't go again.