Lizzie the Banker
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Feb 20, 2017
i took a 2.5 and 3 year old and both consistently begged for the pool and told me swimming was their favorite part. So be sure to plan pool time.
My son, at days shy of 2, also preferred the fur characters to the face ones. He wasn't scared of the face ones, but it was more like just another stranger coming up to him so he was shy and a bit standoffish with most of them. I'm sure part of it was that he wasn't that familiar with the princess movies and most likely didn't recognize that they were a character. He really surprised me with the fur characters though. He has some anxiety around strangers, but I think to him, the fur characters were "safe" since they didn't look like people. Even the ones that he had no knowledge of whatsoever before the trip (like Pooh and friends), he ran right up to. My favorite memory of the entire trip was with Pluto. My son wasn't really talking before the trip, but was suddenly talking up a storm with Pluto who probably couldn't understand a word he was saying but played the part well and kept up the conversation with gestures that my son seemed to understand perfectly. The magic I saw in his eyes was like he was seeing a long lost best friend.
I also second the suggestions that you take things at her place and try to see the parks through her eyes. It's so magical seeing how little ones view the parks and what they notice. Without even knowing Hidden Mickeys were a thing, my son found some and pointed them out. We rode the Mexico ride repeatedly when there was no wait because he was playing "hide and seek" with Donald, trying to find him in each scene. We skipped a FP because he was having so much fun playing on the light up carpets in the Imagination pavilion.
Sorry for all the stories, but I was trying to highlight some of the most magical moments of the trip and how they were all things I never would have expected. Go in with few expectations, don't be afraid to throw any plans out the window, and most importantly, try to see everything through her eyes. That's where the Disney magic is.
I've answered this one a lot. Here are a few top level suggestions.
Plan your day around meals and breaks not around attractions and shows.
Bring a backpack not a single strap bag (if you still use one).
Buy a cheap umbrella stroller and bring it with you unless you don't mind paying for a rental.
No more than 2 park days in a row.
Bring snacks.
Don't go for table service meals. Short attention spans mean they will be bored before the meal gets there. Remember that this is a big, overwhelming change to the daily routine, and some will not be as receptive to it as you think. Remember that this is for them to enjoy, however they want on a moments notice. Don't be surprised if you only do a fraction of the things you thought they would love to do. Enjoy the look on their faces as they experience anything for the first time. Remember snacks, water, naps, potty breaks and all the other things that are a regular part of their day. Most of all remember that they are experiencing this for the first time, and react accordingly. You will be surprised at the cherished memories that you make. Enjoy!!!!
i took a 2.5 and 3 year old and both consistently begged for the pool and told me swimming was their favorite part. So be sure to plan pool time.
I just got back with my son, who is 2.5. It was rough, I'll be honest.
The Good
-We rented a full size crib from A Baby's Best Friend, since they mostly had Pack n Plays. That saved us quite a bit.
-We stayed at a monorail resort which also saved us. When we needed to escape, we were able to get out of there pretty quickly.
-He liked the splash pad, the monorail, Dumbo, and the Carousel. Everything else he just kept asking to go home.
-We mostly stayed at the Magic Kingdom. He was too short for most of the stuff at the Studios so we skipped that. He like Animal Kingdom but it was hard to negotiate a stroller when it was so narrow and busy.
-They had lots of healthy foods and "kid" foods at all the restaurants.
-Due to a series of misadventures, we had to call in babysitters suddenly. Disney is pushing Kids Night Out as their "official" provider now, but we couldn't get anyone to answer the phone. We called Fairy Godmothers and they were wonderful!
The Bad
-He was not into it AT ALL. He kept asking "We go home now?" and saying "It's too loud" and "Who all these people?". He didn't want to ride on the stroller and he didn't want to walk on the toddler leash. What he really wanted was 20 square feet of clear land where he could run out of control so after every second or third ride, I would try and find some place where he could be free for a while.
-He woke up at 5 am every day, and napped only 10 minutes at a time. Be prepared for sleep disturbances!
When we took our first trip with kids they were 6 and 3. In addition to the dining plan, we also had a load of groceries delivered to our hotel room. It was mostly snacks and kid items for convenience. That made a world of difference and we will do it again in the fall when we return for our youngest's first visit (she will also be 2).
May I ask what kind of snacks you had sent? That sounds like a great idea!!!
Great advice! Thank you!!! Good idea about no more than 2 park days!! Smart thinking.... it can be very overwhelming! We hope to avoid as many meltdowns as we can!!!
Meltdowns will happen. But I'm talking about you. You won't be able to handle more than 2 park days in a row!
If you're staying a week, that's 5 full days of being there (2 travel days). I would do something like - Park | Park | Resort Day | Park | Park. Or something like Park/Resort/Park/Resort/Park. My up coming trip will have the first cadence to it. Click on my trip report link in my signature for how I'm planning it (3Kids: 6yo 4yo and 1.5yo).
HAHAHAHA. Yeah my 20 month old outlasted my MIL on park day 1. We didn't do rest days, the reality is we can't afford to stay long enough to do a rest day.
But there's no wrong way to do Disney. We'd probably enjoy a morning at the resort, then we'd want a park...
This is a great thread! We are taking our almost 3 year-old in late September. Our plan is to go in the morning, do whatever he wants (of course we have some ideas of what he might like), and go back to the resort after grabbing lunch so he can nap and swim. But I think everyone is right - all plans might go out the window, lol!Yeah, I've done a week at disney with my best friend & we did ALL park days... Sheesh we were tired but oh my goodness -- SO MUCH FUN!!!
We definitely won't go that hard when we have my little with us! She needs room to run and time to be 2!
This is a great thread! We are taking our almost 3 year-old in late September. Our plan is to go in the morning, do whatever he wants (of course we have some ideas of what he might like), and go back to the resort after grabbing lunch so he can nap and swim. But I think everyone is right - all plans might go out the window, lol!
I know, it does make for an expensive morning, lol! We deliberately got a resort with boat transportation in the hopes that it would be a bit faster. I’m super excited just to see him experience whatever rides he goes on, even if it is the carousel 10 times in a row.A lot of people do that however my counter argument (there is no wrong way to do Disney) is be aware of travel logistics to and from the park. For example your day could look like this:
9-12 - Park Time (maybe lunch?)
12-12:45 - Leaving Park and getting to the bus (this time could vary obviously).
12:45 - 1:45 - Waiting for a bus, getting back to your resort (obviously changes depending on where you're staying)
1:45-2 - Bus to Room
2-3 Nap
Then you have the rest of the day for swimming, changing, showering, eating dinner.
You just spent $300 to get in to the park that day. I'm totally against leaving the park to go back to the resort for naps/swimming if it's a designated Park Day. Just realize it takes a lot of time to get out of the park, get on to a bus, get back to the resort and get settled for whatever activity (nap/swimming). Minutes and hours a precious things at Disney World. They cost so much.
A lot of people do that however my counter argument (there is no wrong way to do Disney) is be aware of travel logistics to and from the park. For example your day could look like this:
9-12 - Park Time (maybe lunch?)
12-12:45 - Leaving Park and getting to the bus (this time could vary obviously).
12:45 - 1:45 - Waiting for a bus, getting back to your resort (obviously changes depending on where you're staying)
1:45-2 - Bus to Room
2-3 Nap
Then you have the rest of the day for swimming, changing, showering, eating dinner.
You just spent $300 to get in to the park that day. I'm totally against leaving the park to go back to the resort for naps/swimming if it's a designated Park Day. Just realize it takes a lot of time to get out of the park, get on to a bus, get back to the resort and get settled for whatever activity (nap/swimming). Minutes and hours a precious things at Disney World. They cost so much.