- Pregnancy
- Baby & Toddler
- Parents
- Getting Pregnant
- Baby Names
- Product Reviews
-
Registry
- Community
-
More
Want a personalized experience?
Download the free app
D.C. Area Babies
Disney with a young toddler - a review
I always find these travel reviews helpful, so I thought I'd write one of my own. We just got back from a week in Florida, including 3 days/nights at Disney. (The other days were spent visiting family.) We weren't sure how much M would get out of it, or if it was too early to take him, but it ended up being great. The main negative was that M was sick while we were there, which was a major bummer, but there's nothing we could've done to prevent that. We still had a good time. I'll try to summarize my major observations and tips:
1. Staying at a Disney hotel is very convenient and worth the price if you're going with a small child. It's very easy to go back to your hotel in the middle of the day to take a break, which I also highly recommend. You can take Disney transportation (monorail, boat, or bus) or drive between your hotel and the parks. Some of the (more expensive) resorts are even walking distance to the parks. If you're a resort guest, you can also park free at the parks. If you're staying off-property, you have to pay $15/day to park (which is crazy). We stayed at Wilderness Lodge, which had some really cool things that entertained M when we were there.
2. The strategy that worked best for us was to head to the parks early in the morning (as soon as they opened) and see a lot of things in the morning before it got too crowded. We had an early lunch around 11 or 11:30 which provided some much-needed down-time, and also allowed us to miss most of the lunch crowds. We did one more quick thing after lunch and then left the park during the afternoon. It was SO crowded when we were there, so leaving in the afternoon kept us all sane. Then we headed back into the park for dinner and a show in the evening.
3. The hardest part for us was that we couldn't really let M loose in the parks. He wanted to run around, but it was incredibly crowded, and whenever we let him loose, he came close to being knocked over by other people/strollers/wheelchairs. He also didn't want to hold our hands (which is something we need to work on!), so we had to put him in the stroller or carry him most of the time. He's an active kid and couldn't really work off his energy like that, which is another reason why it was so important for us to leave in the middle of the day and let him run around. This is probably less of a factor for older kids.
4. Favorite Attractions: M's favorites were Dumbo and the carousel in the Magic Kingdom, and the Osborne holiday light show at Hollywood Studios. The adults' favorites were Thunder Mountain and Splash Mountain at Magic Kingdom, Expedition Everest at Animal Kingdom, and the Osborne lights.
5. There are "baby care stations" in each park. They're small buildings that have a dozen or so changing tables, private rooms for nursing, high chairs, and even supplies like diapers, wipes, medication, and baby food. They were really convenient.
Other than the above, I grew up in FL and have been to Disney dozens of times, so if you're planning a trip there and have any questions, I'm happy to give my opinions or point you to some websites with good info.
1. Staying at a Disney hotel is very convenient and worth the price if you're going with a small child. It's very easy to go back to your hotel in the middle of the day to take a break, which I also highly recommend. You can take Disney transportation (monorail, boat, or bus) or drive between your hotel and the parks. Some of the (more expensive) resorts are even walking distance to the parks. If you're a resort guest, you can also park free at the parks. If you're staying off-property, you have to pay $15/day to park (which is crazy). We stayed at Wilderness Lodge, which had some really cool things that entertained M when we were there.
2. The strategy that worked best for us was to head to the parks early in the morning (as soon as they opened) and see a lot of things in the morning before it got too crowded. We had an early lunch around 11 or 11:30 which provided some much-needed down-time, and also allowed us to miss most of the lunch crowds. We did one more quick thing after lunch and then left the park during the afternoon. It was SO crowded when we were there, so leaving in the afternoon kept us all sane. Then we headed back into the park for dinner and a show in the evening.
3. The hardest part for us was that we couldn't really let M loose in the parks. He wanted to run around, but it was incredibly crowded, and whenever we let him loose, he came close to being knocked over by other people/strollers/wheelchairs. He also didn't want to hold our hands (which is something we need to work on!), so we had to put him in the stroller or carry him most of the time. He's an active kid and couldn't really work off his energy like that, which is another reason why it was so important for us to leave in the middle of the day and let him run around. This is probably less of a factor for older kids.
4. Favorite Attractions: M's favorites were Dumbo and the carousel in the Magic Kingdom, and the Osborne holiday light show at Hollywood Studios. The adults' favorites were Thunder Mountain and Splash Mountain at Magic Kingdom, Expedition Everest at Animal Kingdom, and the Osborne lights.
5. There are "baby care stations" in each park. They're small buildings that have a dozen or so changing tables, private rooms for nursing, high chairs, and even supplies like diapers, wipes, medication, and baby food. They were really convenient.
Other than the above, I grew up in FL and have been to Disney dozens of times, so if you're planning a trip there and have any questions, I'm happy to give my opinions or point you to some websites with good info.
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Disney with a young toddler - a review
Thanks! I've never been and I keep trying to figure out when would be the best time. I've been dying to go for years, but my parents were never able to take us 4 kids is not cheap!
What you're saying is, you really need one of these for the next trip? LOLOL
I am rethinking my anti-leash parenting style these days.
thanks for the review, I want to do Disney next year, as it'll be the last year we can go off-season, before DD starts kindergarten. I was thinking March-April but not during Easter/Spring Break (is there a way to find out when Spring Break is for most of the country? LOL)
Spring Break is generally the week before or the week after Easter. For K-12 schools.
If you look at the 2012 rates for Disney's hotels, you'll see they go up during the peak times for spring break. If you avoid those times, you'll probably be ok (and it will be cheaper, too). The weather is really nice down there in March and April.
I also forgot to mention that kids under 3 get free admission, so that's an incentive to go before your son turns 3.
Glad it was a good time even if LO was sick :-)
We are waiting on the park until the girls are a little bit older but we are doing a Disney cruise in April and I cannot wait!