After our Make-A-Wish Disney World trip for Sayla, in 2016, I said I could never go back due to the royal treatment we received during our stay, and thinking no other trip could compare. Well, here we are four years later, and two more kids later, we decided to go back. This stay at Disney was very different than our last, but still just as wonderful. The hardest part was not having Sayla there to enjoy it with us this time! We found out a few months ago that children under three years old, can go to Disney for free. This is what prompted us to go on this trip now with Pax (2 years old), and Pepper (14 months), instead of waiting until they are a little older. We actually flew home the day before Pax turned three. I had several people message me during, and after our trip asking questions regarding taking toddlers to Disney World. We learned A LOT on our trip, so hopefully this post will be both entertaining, and informative!
When I started getting messages with questions about halfway through our trip, I asked my husband, Patrick, “If you were to have any advice for other parents bringing toddlers to Disney, what would you say?” Without hesitation he replied with a smirk, “Don’t do it!” This is after three nights of Pepper crying, and not sleeping due to her molars coming in, and Pax having the occasional meltdown (ex: his chocolate chips melted on top of his chocolate chip pancakes). We also had an urgent care visit for a nasty ear infection (FYI: Urgent Care is not on Disney property, but they have a shuttle that will provide transportation to and from your resort if need be – because they’re Disney…). Even though we had some rough moments, the good TOTALLY outweighed the bad, and we both agreed this trip was worth it to experience and see the magic of Disney through their little eyes. I could seriously do separate blogs on so many different topics at Disney World, but I will try and keep it to a minimum with the most common questions we received:
1. Did you use a travel agent?
Yes. We used a travel agent recommended by a close friend, since Disney can be very overwhelming, and I did not have time to do a ton of research on my own. (Travel agents make a commission paid by Disney) I knew the trip would be very different from our previous with Sayla, since Wish kids stay at Give Kids The World Village off Disney property, and we focused mainly on handicap accessible rides, and did not need Fast Passes on that trip. For this trip, the agent gave us about five different resort package options. The packages include stay at resort, Disney dining plan (highly recommend), park hopper tickets for each day, and three Fast Pass options a day. It truly is like an “all-inclusive resort” travel plan. This made things so much easier so I didn’t have to spend tons of time researching and planning the trip myself.
2. Where did you stay?
I learned from the travel agent that there are three levels of resorts at Disney: Deluxe, Moderate, and Value. We chose a moderate resort and it was very nice, but lacked the “wow” factor that the deluxe resorts have. We chose the Caribbean Beach resort since I saw it had a pirate themed pool, which Pax loved! The pool had a designated toddler area with a fence and complimentary life vests. The resort is also located on the new Skyliner gondola, but we quickly found out the first day that this only took us to Epcot, or Hollywood Studios (HS), and we had to deboard and reboard on a different track for HS. For Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom, we had to take a bus. We also learned on arrival, there were no elevators at our resort. Having two toddlers in a double stroller was a challenge getting up and down the stairs to and from our room on the second floor. Totally manageable but a nuisance.
3. What Rides are good for toddlers?
I had to choose my FastPass options a month in advance, so I did a little research on this before I picked. We ended up changing a few of our pre-selected rides on the Disney World app on the day of, due to fussy kids, or running late, or when a bird pooped on Pepper’s head and princess dress in Magic Kingdom. Yep, that happened.
These are the rides we did at each park:
Day 1 – Magic Kingdom
– Arrived to resort in afternoon, then took bus to Magic Kingdom
- Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin (big hit and we parents may have taken it more seriously than children)
- Pirates of the Caribbean (Pax was scared on ride, but then had to have a pirate sword from the gift shop so he could be a pirate)
- Fireworks (Pax did not like the loudness so we had to leave – I would suggest ear covers for your littles if you plan to watch the firework shows)
Day 2 –Epcot
– took Skyliner from Carribean Resort
- The Seas with Nemo and Friends (big hit and aquarium is awesome)
- Frozen Ever After (our favorite kids ride by far, but Pax was still scarred from Pirates of the Caribbean)
Day 3 – Magic Kingdom
– took bus from Caribbean Resort
- Peter Pan’s Flight
- It’s A Small World
- Dumbo the Flying Elephant
Day 4 – Animal Kingdom
(our favorite park this trip!) – bus from Caribbean Resort
- Adventurers Outpost Character Meet
- Kilimanjaro Safari
- Na’vi River Journey
- TriceraTop Spin
- The Boneyard Playground (This was such a hit with toddler boys!!)
- Avatar Flight of Passage (adult ride – AMAZING!)
Day 5 – Hollywood Studios
– took Skyliner from Caribbean Resort
- Toy Story Mania (Pax’s favorite)
- Disney Junior Dance Party
- Beauty and The Beast – Live on Stage (Pepper’s favorite)
- Tower of Terror (adult ride)
- Aerosmith Roller Coaster (adult ride)
4. Should I take grandparents or go with friends?
I feel like this is super subjective, but whoever you go with needs to be laid back, flexible, and understanding of the demands of toddlers. I would recommend they set aside and schedule alone time before hand, to explore things they want to see or do while at Disney without the toddlers. Then they could watch kids while you have some alone time! Win/win. On our Make-A-Wish trip with Sayla, we were able to bring her nurse Peggy, and she had a full day during the week “off work” to explore what she wanted to see and do that did not revolve around our schedule with Sayla. On this trip we were able to meet up with some of our best friends that live in Florida for two whole days. They also have two toddlers, and totally get it. The best part of going to Disney with friends (besides just hanging out) was the Rider Switch program Disney offers. We would take turns sitting with our kids who couldn’t ride certain rides, and then switch, and not have to wait in the line again! Patrick and I could have done this with each other and taken turns watching our kids, but with friends we were able to enjoy the rides with other people, and not alone.
TOP TIPS FOR TRAVELING TO DISNEY WITH TODDLERS:
- Set a schedule, but be flexible, and download Disney App to change Fastpass ride times if need be. You can also check wait times for rides and so much more on the app.
- There is still a 20-30 minute wait in Fastpass lines, and you cannot bring strollers into line (they have designated stroller parking near every ride). Be prepared to hold your toddler while in line so they don’t run off. I saw parents using both baby carriers and leashes.
- Toddlers will be over stimulated and will most likely NOT nap in resort room, but they take cat naps throughout day in stroller…this is a good time for you parents to sit and rest and enjoy an adult beverage if you wish. There are Starbucks and bar stands for your convenience.
- Keep in mind: You have to break down all strollers for bus travel. You have to breakdown double strollers for Skyliner gondola. You can take all strollers with children in them on the monorail. It was a workout to take toddlers out, take bags off, take gear out, and breakdown double stroller for transport. You can set broken down stroller next to you in all of these modes of transportation.
- If toddlers are under three, they are free. Free stay, free admission to parks, and free rides. However, they do not get free Disney Dining Plan. My husband and I would use our credits for dining plan, and sometimes it was enough to feed the kids as well, and sometimes we ordered child meals separately, and paid out of pocket for their food.
- There are photographers all over the parks, and photos are also taken of you on the rides. You can scan your Magic Band bracelet to have these photos added to your PhotoPass on the app. You just have to purchase the Memory Maker to be able to download and save these photos to your own device. It is $199, or $169 if you purchase 3 days in advance of your trip. This was honestly worth it to me because I didn’t have to have my phone out all the time trying to capture the “perfect” picture, and the photographers were able to get great photos that I would not have been able to with my phone, or even my own DSLR.
I am truly grateful for the opportunity to have gone on this vacation. Disney World is such an amazing place that engages all the senses making it magical for everyone no matter their age. If you have an upcoming trip to Disney and have questions on topics I did not cover, please feel free to comment below!
