Here at HTC we get asked all the time- what is the best age for Disney? And we repeatedly answer- people of ALL ages can and will enjoy Disney! That’s right, you can do Disney with a toddler and not only survive but enjoy it. There is really something for everyone. I would never recommend anyone wait because no age is perfect. There are pros and cons for every age. My sister has two pre-teen boys and they LOVE Disney but their Disney trips look very different from ours right now. Traveling with a toddler is not always rainbows and pixie dust but if you plan ahead, lower your expectations, and build in some down time it is possible for you and your toddler to enjoy it!
Plan ahead
This may seem obvious, but it really does make a difference. Some basics that are a must-know in my opinion are: how transportation works from your resort to the parks (bus, Skyliner, monorail, water taxi, etc.), which rides your children can go on at each park (there are a lot that have no height requirement luckily, but our daughter was able to ride the Barnstormer at Magic Kingdom and I would have never thought about it if I didn’t double check her height and the height requirements at each park!), what kinds of food options you have each day, and more!
This ultimately cuts down on the time that you waste figuring things out, which just makes for fussy kids. Luckily when you book with a travel agent that specializes in Disney vacations (like us here at Happy Travel Company), they can provide all of this information at no cost to you! We didn’t necessarily plan out our meals and sometimes I wish we had- especially at night when the parks were busy and we wanted to do a mobile order.
Lower your expectations
Like a LOT. While I definitely still got flustered and frustrated at times, I’m going to blame that on the fact that I was 26 weeks pregnant…and anemic! Otherwise, I was totally fine NOT riding certain things and NOT going certain places if it meant my daughter was going to be upset or have a meltdown. We also went back to our room each afternoon to relax and try to nap, while some people like to just let their kids nap in the stroller! (That did happen a few times too, even though my toddler usually doesn’t love the stroller!)
Luckily my husband and I have gone to Disney World many times before kids, so we didn’t feel like we absolutely had to ride all of the “big” rides (I couldn’t anyway because, pregnant). I asked him to choose one ride at each park that he just couldn’t live without and thanks to Genie+ we were easily able to make it happen for him! Other than those rides, he didn’t really care if he didn’t get to ride all of the thrill rides at every single park. We took things very slow and also got to experience a lot of things we would normally miss if it were an adults-only trip, so we honestly saw the parks through a new lens and it was so fun!
Build in some downtime
This doesn’t always have to mean having a full “free” day in between park days, although I sort of wish we had done that. This just means to allow yourself to slow way down, whether that’s as you head to the parks or while you are there.
For example, while some of my family rode DINOSAUR at Animal Kingdom, my husband and I took our daughter (2.5) and nephew (1.5) on a little walk to see some of the animals. The kids still got to enjoy what the park had to offer instead of just sitting around waiting for the adults to finish having fun, and my husband and I got to relax a bit! At Hollywood Studios my dad and I let the kids play near a fountain for about 20 minutes and they loved it- so simple, but it really helped minimize the tantrums.
If you do want to have a whole day “off,” you can spend some time at your resort pool, eat a fun meal at a different resort, or go to Disney Springs. Don’t feel like your 5-day vacation has to include 5 full days of open-to-close park “fun,” because that will be anything but fun for a toddler!
Bonus tips
If you think you have enough snacks, you don’t. Pack about four times as much as you think you’ll need- thank me later! 😉 We drove our car so we were able to do a grocery run before we arrived, but if you don’t have a car then doing a grocery delivery is a great way to ensure you have your kid’s favorite snacks and you aren’t spending too much money on food in the parks!
Bring a stroller… even if you think you have a stroller-hater for a child (like me!) My daughter never- and I mean never- rides in a stroller at home, but I was so glad we brought it into the parks everyday. She even took a couple naps in it!
Lastly, buy the bubble wand. Just do it. It’s only like $35 and you can buy bubble refills for about $2.50 at a lot of places in the parks. This was really the only souvenir we got and it was a hit every single day!
Contact me if you’d like my help planning your family vacation!
Kelsey works as a travel agent with Happy Travel Company and virtual assistant for a construction business. She is the mom to a spunky 2 year old and has another sweet girl on the way. Kelsey and her husband love traveling and have visited Disney destinations many times. Kelsey loves Pop Century resort and can’t visit Disney without having Churros!
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