People ask all the time about Disney so this is a message I just sent to a friend. Thought I would share just in case anyone else needed it!
I need to do a blog on taking toddlers to disney because I've almost got it down to a science.
Got lots of advice. I'll do my best to make this concise and easy to follow! Thanksgiving will be pretty busy so be prepared. And no...John had a blast on his birthday. You just have to take it a little slower when they're younger. I think it overwhelms them to go over board.
Here goes...Taking toddlers to Disney!
1. Where should you stay?
If you're budget is tight, the All Star Sports/Music/Movies are totally fine and super cheap. The transportation runs back and forth from the parks an hour or two before the parks open, all day, and then an hour or so after the parks close. You can also drive your car and park for free if you're worried about long lines waiting for the bus. It's going to take you about the same time if you wait for the bus or go and park on your own since you have to ride the tram from your parking spot to the front of the parks.
Because our budget is ALWAYS tight, we have never stayed anywhere other than the All Star Resorts so I can't recommend anywhere else specifically, but I would definitely stay on a Disney property for the ease of it.
2. Tickets
I don't think the tickets really ever go on sale so just be look at all of the different options to see what would work best. When you go to the disney website to book look at the top right corner at the special offers tab because that's the only place you can find discounts of any kind. Disney can be a little sneaky that way. Kids under three are free though so that's exciting!
3. Food
We've never done the Disney Dining Plan, but I think it can be a good deal if you plan on eating most of your meals in the park. For toddlers, I recommend getting to park when it opens, spending the morning there, and then catching the bus back to your hotel for lunch and a nap. Because the food at parks won't really knock your socks off, I suggest having some food that you know your toddler likes at the hotel. Disney also lets you pack a lunch/snacks etc and bring them into the park so you can bring a lot of toddler friendly snacks with you.
It is worth it to do a character dining experience at least once. The food is usually buffet style and pretty expensive, but it is an experience I'll never forget with John. HE LOVED IT! I mean LOVED IT! You can look up all of the character dining experiences on the disney website. We did the Crystal Palace at Magic Kingdom with Pooh Bear and his crew, but each park has their own thing. Hollywood Studios has a dining experience with all of the Disney Junior folks! That is next on our must do list for John! You do have to make reservations ahead of time for these restaurants and can do that online or on the Disney Mobile Magic app if you have a smart phone. Epcot has great food and downtown Disney has some neat dining experiences as well. You can look into all of that on the disney website and figure out what you'd like best. Most of the resorts have a food court as well. They won't blow you away with anything but their prices.
You can get FREE water anywhere that sells fountain drinks so don't hesitate to get those! You can also just ask for a cup of ice if they say they don't have fountain water and fill it up at a waterfountain! You will go broke buying bottled water if it's hot!
4. Schedules
If you're going to be at Disney for awhile and your toddlers are anything like mine, try to keep them on their schedule. If we go for a day, we skip the nap and deal with it the next day with being super low key at home. If we're going for more than a day, we get a nap in. Disney will wear out adults with all of the input so just know that your little ones will need some serious down time built in. Like I said earlier, I found that with John a lunch at the room and a nap in the early afternoon had him energized and ready to go in the afternoon.
Always pack more snacks than you think your child needs. I don't know about all children, but John eats constantly when we're at Disney. I think it keeps him happy and energized which makes us all have a lot more fun! I always think grapes/watermelon/cantelope/etc are great for hot days in the park because they're sort of thirst quenching and filling.
5. Transportation and getting into the parks
There are different transportation methods to get to different parks. Magic Kingdom you have to take a tram from the parking lot to the transportation center and then take either the monorail or the ferry to the front of the park. If you have a lot of stuff and do not want to have to break down your stroller, TAKE THE FERRRY! You can stroll right on and ride! We always take the ferry despite it taking a little bit more time! Also...you have to get go through a baggage check so make sure that you pack pretty efficiently so you can get through the bag checkpoint without having a total stress melt down. It can get nerve racking when there are a lot of people and you have a lot of stuff. My method is always putting my purse, John's diaper bag, food bag, etc into one really large bag that still fits in the bottom of the stroller. That way if you have to break down the stroller to get on the monorail or tram you just have one bag to carry and you're not juggling tons of stuff, your toddlers, and your stroller.
Once you're in the park the chaos of juggling stuff is over for the most part so don't get discouraged if getting into the park feels overwhelming. You'll get it down before the end of your trip!
6. Pack
Pack lots of food, sunscreen, change of clothes, some kind of rain jacket if you don't want to wear ponchos, a towel (you never know), and your normal stuff.
7. Must do things with a toddler!
Magic Kingdom: Get there 10 minutes before the park opens for the Magic Kingdom welcome! It's sweet and the little ones get so excited to open the park with seeing Mickey and friends. Fantasyland is a toddler must! That is where you'll spend most of your time (and they're about to open the expansion so it will be even bigger)! Every child is different so who knows what your kids will love. John loves It's a Small World the best. It's slow pace and usually doesn't have a long line. Peter Pan has the longest lines so you'll usually want to fast pass that one (you're only allowed one fast pass at a time so you do have to put a little thought into which ride you really want to fast pass in each land). The Winnie the Pooh ride is fun, but John gets scared. He's also a little afraid of Dumbo and Peter Pan. Needless to say,he's not a thrill seeker. Ha. Dumbo has an awesome new play area so even if the line is long it's still fun inside while you wait. I've never braved the tea cups with John, but you can feel that one out. There is a splash pad area in Fantasy land that can be fun (but obviously wet). There's also a 4-d movie that is really cute, but a little intense for some kids. John doesn't love the movies as much, but I know a lot of kids do so you can feel that one out as well. In adventureland, there's an Aladdin ride that's just like the Dumbo ride and the Swiss Family Robinson tree house. We've never done either, but might if we were there awhile. In Frontierland, surprisingly John loves Tom Sawyer Island which is mostly just walking around over bridges and through caves. John loved the County Bear Jamboree as well. There isn't anything too toddler friendly in Liberty Square, but it's worth a quick walk through if you have time, In Tomorrowland, there's a buzz light year ride that kids love, but we've never done.
John LOVES the parades and shows. Dream Along with Mickey is in front of the Cinderella's Castle several times a day and is fun. It also has a little scary part, but you can probably distract them during it. The Move It! Shake It! Celebrate It! parade is a blast and goes a couple times during the day. There is the big Mickey parade once a day I think? And there is also the night parade and Wishes firework show. We did the night parade, but have never made it to the fireworks. I'm determined we will one day though. My advice would be not to sit too close to the castle because the fireworks can be a little loud. If you stay through wishes just know that getting a ride back to the hotel on a bus may take a bit. You may want to pack pjs and special blankies, etc. if you brave it one night.
Magic Kingdom is just magical, but pace yourself. It may be a two day park if you're going with a toddler.
Animal Kingdom- John LOVES animal kingdom. It is his favorite park I think. There is one parade which is cute, but not necessarily one that I would be too upset if we missed. You'll probably want to fastpass the safari in high season, but don't miss it because it's great! Both of the shows are great for kids! The Festival of the Lion King and Finding Nemo the Musical. They run every hour so you can usually get them in. Africa and Asia have little nature trails that are a must do because there like zoos. You get to see the gorillas in Africa (among other things) and the giant bats and tigers in Asia. You meet the characters at Camp Minnie and Mickey which is also where the Festival of the Lion King is so if you are going to see that I would go see the characters while one of the shows is going on and then get in line for the show after. You can't really get a bad seat at this show so feel free to walk in just minutes before it starts. I'd skip the It's Tough to be a Bug Movie because it scares every kid I've known (and some grown ups too). Dinoland has a great toddler playground so definitely spend some time there. The rides are like fair rides and kind of silly, but the dinosaur playground is great and the digging for dinosaur bones spot is John's favorite. Also- a lot of people don't go to Rafiki's Conservation Watch but you absolutely should because they have a great petting zoo area. I've never met a toddler that wasn't crazy over farm animals! The train ride over there and back is really neat as well.
Hollywood Studios- This is a great laid back park for toddlers. There is the Disney Junior Live on Stage which is soooo neat and John was in heaven there. The little mermaid show is great and so is the Beauty and the Beast show. Fastpass the Toy Story ride because it has the longest lines EVER! The great movie ride may be a little scary for little ones but if your's are adventerous it could be fun. The Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground is a lot of fun! There are some stunt shows and stuff that I have never brought John to, but, I reiterate, you could give them a try if you had time and then leave it is too intense.
Epcot- There isn't a whole lot of toddlers at Epcot. Might be worth taking a stroll through the countries, but most of the rides at Epcot are mature.
Holy Moly. You didn't know what you were asking did you? Let me know if you have any specific questions. I just tried to think off the top of my head.
And let us know if y'all decide to go because we're always up to show you around one day.
Jenni