Is it worth it to take 2-year olds to Disney??

Jen2124

....The one in Orlando. We are going to Fla in a couple weeks. Should we go to Disney? If so, what is there to do there for 2 year olds (28 months old to be specific)?

 I'm not sure if it's worth hundreds of $$ at this point yet. The good thing is, they get free admission (2 and under) BUT it will still cost hundreds, so I want to make sure they will like it.

Also, how do you wait in lines with 2 year olds? Arent' the lines hours long? They'd never wait, right?

(I havent' been in ages, so maybe it isn't like that anymore. We go to fla every year, so it's not like we HAVE to go this time).

Thoughts?

justus4

My answer is no. We had the twins there when they were about 28 months old and there was very little that they could do.

JOEBunny

Lots to do. Get fast passes to limit the wait.  Super fun.  DD loved it.  It was free for us, so that made it all the better, but she still talks about it and we took her in September.

goodhartedmommy

Lines won't be long this time of year. My parents always took us in January or February and it was always short lines and wonderful weather!

CubbyMama

We live in CA so we have an annual pass to Disneyland (as of November '08) and DD loves it!  The nice thing about that, though, is that we can go for only a few hours and not have to feel like we need to stay for the whole day to get our money's worth, so that's the challenge if you're going to spend a day or more at Disney World, which I assume is also more expensive (?).  We've been there twice so far and DD talks about it all the time and can't wait to go back! 

As far as lines go, I would recommend one of you waiting in line while the other takes them to walk around a bit, etc. when you can (as long as the line is designed so that you could get back to your spot at some point before you reach the ride) and taking some stuff to do.  We really only go on 2-3 rides when we're there for that reason, though--the waiting isn't fun and we don't bother with any ride that has a wait longer than 20 minutes or so.

firefightersgal

We took Nora when she was just a few days shy of her 2nd birthday.  She was in a bad mood that day, so it's not really a fair representation of that age group!  If we took her today at 27 months old, she'd fa-reak out.  She is obsessed with Mickey.  I think since it is an off-season, the lines won't be bad.  We went in the morning and the lines weren't more than 20 minutes.  When we left in the late afternoon, lines were an hour or longer.

Luckily, we didn't have to buy our tickets.  I would have been pretty upset if we had dropped that much cash and had a crappy time.

mollynpatrick

We went in October so Evan wasn't quite two yet and had the BEST time. Evan still talks about "Nickey's house" (what we called Disney). The lines were really no problem at all and he went on 15 or so rides (some he rode more than once). There were certainly some that he enjoyed more than others but he had a freakin blast. He loved Dumbo, Cinderella's carousel, the Aladdin ride, the train around the park and It's a Small World. We seriously had an awesome time. I cried when he met Mickey and Minnie- he was so darn excited. There are plenty of books and web-sites out there that suggest ways to get around the park the fastest. We borrowed one from a friend and it had plans for all kinds of families. We just picked the plan for families with small children and went with it. We got there just before the park opened and didn't leave until after six. It helped that he took a two hour nap in his stroller. He was exhausted! My DH even got to hit some adult rides while Evan was sleeping. Hope you go and have a great time!

femmegem

We took DS to Disneyland for his second birthday and he had a lot of fun. We were with my parents so we didn't get to go on as many rides as I would have liked, but he loved meeting the different characters and he had a blast on the rides we did go on.

tanzer13

YES!!!! ?We went when DS was 10 months and he had a blast! ?We are going back when he will be almost 3 and I can not wait!!! ?But I am a total Disney freak, so I would give anything to go all of the time. (I used to work there and miss it so much!) ?Personally I would rather bring them while it is still free for them to get in! ?This time of year the lines should not be too bad at all. ?Bring snacks and small toys to keep them occupied. ?They will love anything in Magic Kingdom Fantasy Land. ?Seriously I would bring them, why not IMO!

HTH!!?

belle204

We went last April when she was 2.5. She had a really great time and actually held up really well waiting in line...still not sure how.  I'm sure she won't remember it but she loves looking at pics from that trip.

isabella22

We took DD when she was 14 months (and met my sister there with her 3 yo and 7 yo) and everyone had a Fantastic time!

Fast pass is key, as is taking a break in the middle of the day.  I highly recommend staying at a hotel on the monorail (we stayed at the polynesian, which we loved, and has nice big rooms).  I really limits the craziness of getting into and out of the park.

There is lots for kids to do - pooh ride, dumbo, small world, many more at magic kingdom, mickey's house, the parades, the list could go on forever!

CleoKitty

We went just for two days when ds turned two. He had a blast and there were a TON of things there for him to do- in fact, we didn't even have time to try everything. It would have taken us several more days just to see/do everything we wanted to do.?

Two days utterly exhausted us though. It was fun, but by the end of day 2 we were all tired, worn out and grumpy.

This time of year I'd imagine that the lines probably aren't bad at all if you're there on a weekday. I'd be careful though if you start to get close to spring break time...?

oparcm

We have taken dd 3x.  At 10 months, 1, 2 and we'll be going again when she this year.  She'll be 3.  She's always had a great time and it is so worth it.

jenn7200

We took Christopher to Disneyland when he was 17 months old and he loved it!!! We got a 3 day pass which was nice because we didn't feel like we had to be rushed and get everything in in one day.

We would get there right when the park opened and go to Fantasy Land where most of the kids rides were and were able to get through most of those pretty quickly without spending too much time waiting in line. My mom went with us so when Christopher was napping in his stroller, she'd sit on a bench and my husband and I could go on the adult rides. My mom isn't much of a ride person so it works out perfect! We would each lunch at the park and then go back to our hotel and just relax and all rest a bit. Christopher would have another nap then and we would go back to the park in the evening.

I think that your child will have fun at 2 years old. They may not remember anything but you will, and you will enjoy seeing them so excited over everything. I will say though that I think it depends too on what time of the year you go. I will NEVER go in the summer...much too hot! or during the holiday breaks...much too crowded!!! When we took Christopher it was in October and the weather was perfect and it wasn't too crowded. I have been in January and the park was practically empty, it was wonderful to not have to wait in line for anything!

 

MrsCali_Bride

We've taken our son to Disneyland twice (10.5 months and 18.5 months) and he had fun both times.  We're taking him again this summer when we go with my parents to celebrate my birthday.  He'll be 2 yrs, 8 months when we are there.  There are a lot more rides than you might think that they can go on.  Our son has been on Pirates of the Carribean (sp?) 3x including his first time in the front row, the Haunted Mansion twice, Nemo twice, Monster's Inc a few times plus a bunch of the rides geared specifically towards younger kids.  We even did a show and watched the parades a couple of times.  He also loves meeting the characters.  He's had a blast during each trip.

A couple of key things to getting on rides quickly - Fast Pass rides if you can.  Many rides also have what is called a Parent Switch Pass - One of you rides while the other stays with the child(ren) and then when you get off, ask an attendant for a switch pass.  They allow the other person(s) to go on just as though they had a FP, so little to no wait.  We've done it when we've been there on our own to go on roller coasters or Tower of Terror and we've done it with friends as well since the pass allows for two people to go on using the pass.  A couple of times we did the FP & PSP on the same ride.  One of us would get an FP and then walk around until it was our time to go.  Then parent A went on using the FP and parent B went on using the PSP.  It allowed us to FP more rides and wait less time.  If we were waiting for our FP time and saw a ride with a short wait (or no wait at all) we headed for it. 

Knowing that they are still free, I would do it.  They might surprise you and have more fun than you think.