Disneyworld Quick Tips for Toddlers

After a week long vacation to Disneyworld with my husband’s family DURING THANKSGIVING, I have compiled some quick tips for families with small toddlers that you may find helpful on your next trip! Check out what to look out/ plan for, what helped our 18 month old, and ideas on how you can make the most out of your vacation. All of my advice is based off of our personal family experience as well as observations and tips from our extended family and their children ranging from 4 to 16 years old. We had a blast and hopefully some or all of this advice will help you have the same. Enjoy!

Planning Basics

To make our Disneyworld plans go as smoothly as possible, we did a few simple things that were easy and affordable. First thing, download the Disney app. It’s free and available for iPhone and Android. You can plan your days, keep ticket/ reservation information, and see schedules for parades and character appearances. It is also where your photos from rides and special areas from around the park will show up from the professional photographers at Disney.

Another of my Disneyworld tips that made our lives easier at the parks were the new Disney Magic Bands. To be honest, I was not wanting to get them because they do cost extra and essentially do everything your pass does, however I instantly saw their benefit on the first day! They connect to your app and card so you just have to wave them to get into the park, conveniently pay for everything with a quick tap, and they fit comfortably around your wrist so you won’t lose them. We got he most basic ones at $10 each weeks before our trip. *If you wait until you get to the park, the price may be more expensive.

After you have finalized your trip details, planned your park days and purchased tickets, it is a good idea to call ahead and make dinner reservations if you are planning on eating in the park. We went during the holiday season and were not able to get a table anywhere last minute. We were still able to eat at walk-in style food courts but seating was first come first serve. If you like to be seated and served your meals with mostly nicer food, you should definitely make this a priority so you aren’t having to scramble to find a place to eat or fight the crowd for a spot to sit. It will also help you better plan your day, if you’re working around your reservations.

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Toddler Tips

We have a very active toddler and she isn’t always able to sit or stand still for long periods of time much less be entertained during long stretches of walking, sitting down to eat, or traveling on buses. Here are a few ideas for things that helped keep our toddler busy during the not so exciting parts of our Disneyworld vacation:

• magnetic doodle board
• magic marker coloring books
• busy book/board
• toddler headphones
• tablet with baby games or favorite shows already downloaded
• variety of snacks
• pillow/stuffed animal they can snuggle

Even though we think Ruby did amazing on our Walt Disney World  vacation considering her age and the amount of time we spent in a hotel/at the parks, we did run into some challenging times. Some quick Disneyworld tips that saved us were:

1. Pack @pediasure for when it’s difficult to get a real meal in during all the fun; delicious and nutritious.
2. Buy the bubble wand toy; it counts as a souvenir and was our daughter’s favorite distraction!
3. Get a backpack harness/leash if you have an active toddler like us. It helped keep her close while allowing her to walk around.
4. Bring extra clothes, jacket, gloves (just in case) to the park. The weather is always unpredictable and accidents happen with kids. That’s a fact!
5. Bring or utilize a stroller for breaks, naps, and storage. They have them to rent at the park or you can bring in your own. We were able to pack a lot of extras in our stroller and they have supervised stroller valets at each attraction so the whole family can ride!
6. Set up lightning lane/ fast passes/ genie+ (or whatever it is at the time) for popular attractions if available because waiting in a 1 to 2 hour line with a bored toddler is awful. It’s definitely worth the extra cost!

Make It Magical

At Disneyworld, each park offers themed rides and attractions for kids and adults of all ages. During our time at each one we found a few that were fully family friendly and fun, meaning there was no height limit for kids. These attractions included:

• Muppets 3D at Hollywood Studios
• Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway at Hollywood Studios
• The Seas (Nemo) at Epcot
• Remy’s Ratatouille at Epcot
• Frozen at Epcot
• Gorilla Exploration Trail and Kilimanjaro Safari at Animal Kingdom
• Na’vi River Journey (Avatar) at Animal Kingdom
• Dino Park at Animal Kindgom

If you’re not planning to go to multiple parks, Magic Kingdom is the most child focused and has the most attractions for littler ones.

Don’t forget to take advantage of your resort or hotel amenities, as well. We stayed at a resort with beach style pool that our daughter LOVED and allowed us a well deserved break from the park hustle. Plus, there are usually other families with kids to pal around with.

Saved the best of the Disneyworld tips for last; for adult or alcohol friendly parks, we had lots of options to buy and wander at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom, and Epcot. Magic Kingdom only serves alcohol during reserved dining so if you make a dinner reservation at all for your trip, that’s the one!

We had a great time and learned a lot for next time. Until then add these Disneyworld tips to your list for the next family vacation!

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