Tips for Disney Visit

We went last spring and the best park for small ones still in stroller is the Magic kindom. But all the park are stroller friendly and there are plenty of rides and shows that are baby friendly. Most importantly arrive early when it is not so hot and not so cowarded and leave early. If you stay on the park it is very easy to come and go. When I went and my youngest was still a baby we took the shuttle back to the hotel for nap time and then came back to the park. My baby stayed on his schedule and everyone was happier.

I think you should wait until the youngest is a bit older. I would say wait until shes almost 2 yrs old. That way she can understand what she is seeing and interacting with.

I think it would be a lovely experience for your other daughter as well but even better is she can also experience it with her sister.

There is a Fantastic book that I used last year to help plan our Disney vacation. I believe it is called Walt Disney World with Kids. It tells where every bathroom is in every park. It tells where the best playground is in which park. It also gives suggestions on which park to go to first and all sorts of helpful information. I checked it out from our public libarry. I found this to be a very helpful and wonderful resource. There are a couple of different editions so try to get the latest edition if you can. Hope this helps. A.

I was watching Jon & Kate Plus 8 the other day and she said they planned their trip online @ Disney's website, they will help you plan for whatever age your children are. I havent checked it out myself, but it might help out.

Hi Holly,

What a lucky break for you! I would advise that you just take your time. Being that you're on property, there will be shuttle service back and forth everywhere. Go back to your rooms for a nap and go back to the parks later. It shouldn't be too crowded this time of year, so enjoy! They rent strollers at all the parks, so I would do that. Then you don't have to worry about carting your own around. I strongly suggest the character meals which are everywhere. You get to sit down and be served, no fast-food. Your older daughter will love it and it is very relaxing after running around the parks. It's really not that much more expensive than the fast restaurants, either. With kids, you just need to factor in more time to do things - go slow. I'm sure your 4-yr-old has some favorite Disney characters, plan around those. Have a great time! I'm soooo jealous. L.

I took my 10 month old and 2 yr old.......Disney is sooooo kid friendly, any age kid can have a great time. One suggestion, take your own stroller for the baby. The ones they rent at the park aren't good for smaller children. Be sure to go to a character breakfast/lunch/dinner. We went to the Pooh breakfast and it was GREAT! You will need to make reservations ahead of time; they book up fast!
Have a great trip!!!

Hi Holly. We just went to Disney in August. We stayed at Shades Of Green, right on the property. If you are staying at one of the resorts on the property, you can take advantage of "Extra Magic Hours". What that is is one of the parks is open an hour early in the morning and one is open an hour late in the evening. There is a list that you can get when you check into your hotel, or you can get the info from a channel at the resort that is dedicated to the property. Also, you can go to the information desk at any of the parks to find out when which park is participating on that particular day and where to go to get a bracelet to wear during the extra magic hour. Only guests staying on one of the property's resorts are eligible to participate in extra magic hours. Also, if it is your kids' first time to Disney-tell them at the front when you go in that it is their first visit and they will give him/her a button to wear all day saying 1st time visitor. This is also "the year of a million dreams" for the parks and there are people walking around in the park giving stuff away. We got a free 10-minute meeting with Cinderella. It was neat. Our 4 year old was a first timer, and they told us when and where to meet Cinderella, and we were in a private room with a photographer and talked to Cinderella for like 10 minutes. We had her all to ourselves. There were other families waiting in line for their private meeting, too. I guess they have several people walking around the Magic Kingdom giving that away. The kids LOVE it! You can also be given a $5000 shopping spree or a free night's stay in the cinderella suite at the top of cinderella's castle. Of course, we didn't see anyone that had won that, but it is neat that they are doing that. The people that are walking around giving the stuff away are dressed in a magic kingdon button-up shirt and khakis and they have a nametag. Another tip is that if you want to meet more charecters, go to Magic Kingdom when it first opens, and go straight to toontown at the right rear corner of the park. It is between future world and fantasyland. There is a meeting with Mickey and Minnie in the Judges' Tent. Also you are more likely to see other charecters there in the mornings. Near Cinderellas castle is also a good place to see them, from 10 or so until maybe noon. There is a show called "Dreams Come True" at cinderella castle and it is minnie and mickey and almost all of the princesses and their princes, too. I think it is twice a day, so get the times for that and hang out around the castle maybe an hour in advance. You will see people gathering around the castle waiting for that.Also-make your dinner reservations for restaurants on the property that morning at the information desk of any of the parks. Also-at the information desks you can ask them any question you want to, and they will have or get the asnwer. When we were there my 16 year old son was interested in how much fireworks they use, property wide, in a week. They got the answer. My husband asked about the land once-how much it cost, and they had a very interesting answer fo that one too.Also we saw Jack Sparrow doind a shoe neat the jungle Cruise and Aladdin's carpet ride. He was a dead ringer for Johnny Depp. THat was my favorite show! The last tip I can think of is that they have a nice brochure-a little book, really-that has information on what is guaged for small children at each park. There is also one brochure with maps to all the parks all in one. That was helpful to us, too.

Having grown up in Jacksonville, FL, and gone to the parks every year at least once or twice, we felt like we were very faniliar with the parks. But there are changes and new additions to them and it is really different through the eyes of a 4 year old, or the parent of one :)

Have fun, and travel safe!

We just got back from Disney. We took our 4 year old daughter for her 4th visit and our 1 yr son for his first. It was great. We went the week of Sept. 7-13. Most schools had already started by that time and we didn't have to wait more than 15 min.s for any of the rides. We always started early ech morning because our kids are early birds. By about 12:30 when they got tired we would go and have lunch then either go to a show for quite time or go back to the hotel for a nap and swim time. And then we would return to the park afterwards. One thing we did that might work for you, is when our 1 yr would get sleepy we would let him take a nap in the stroller and one parent stayed with him while the other parent took our 4 yr on some bigger rides. Now that she is 42inches tall she got to ride more things. We had a double stroller and it was a life saver!! Even when the kids wanted to walk or play we had something to put items in. We alway took snacks and drinks for everyone even though we got the dinning plan becuase you never know when your little one or yourself will want a little extra. We would freeze 1/2 of our drinks in the hotel fridge and just have the other drinks ready to drink. That way 1/2 thru the day you can still have something cool to drink. Also we used a back pack as our diaper bag for that week it was a lot easier to carry around when we left the stroller in the stroller parking to go rides and shows. If I can help in any other way please e-mail me. I hope you and your family has a great time!!!

Since you are staying at a park this will be very helpful...I don't know if you will have park hoppers, but I highly suggest it b/c then you can come and go. Go back to your room for lunches and naps and then head back out. YOu can't stay at a park for two long with a little one or there will be many meltdowns. Above all remember to have fun and that you can't see everything in this trip.

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Give yourself a lot... a lot! of extra time. Don't rush to the parks. Allow for nap times (for everyone :)

I'm not sure where you are staying, or the ages of your other kids. Perhaps if they are a little older (over 6) they can pick one thing they'd like to suggest for the family to do while you are there. You and dad control the rest of the activities. If you have it planned out before you get there, you will be much more relaxed. Go to a bookstore or library and get Frommers Guide to Disney. There are a lot of hints... like when you go into a park, go to the attractions you want to go to first (fewer lines), or just go in and start at the left - it's human nature to go into a park and go to the right. Also, pack plenty of snacks and water.

And most of all, relax and have fun!

We took our 2 girls last June and had a blast! (They were 7 and 4 at the time.) I think the key to Disney with kids is to go early and leave early. :) We stayed on property. We went to the parks when they opened in the morning (go to the hr early opening for park guests). The crowds are not bad at all. We'd knock out all the kid rides/stuff before things got too crazy and usually left around 11:00/11:30. We'd go back to our room and take naps, go for a swim, eat, etc. We basically took a few hrs off in the middle of the day to rest. Then we'd go back in the late afternoon/early evening. They had tons of fun and we did too. I think the key is to be able to pack it up and leave when the kids were tired and had enough. It is really convenient to do that when staying on property. My girls LOVED it and still talk about it, especially the 4 yo. I hope it goes well for you and your family. Have a great time!

We just came back from Disney in August and I would highly recommend the Magic Kingdom. Both daughters will enjoy the character breakfasts. You can have them dress up in their favoriet princess costumes. I would suggest getting them before you leave home to go to disney because they are something like $65 if you buy them in Disney. All the little girls where wearing their princess outfits. They have a boutique(Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique) that your older daughter would love. It is located in Downtown Disney and you have to make reservations. All the little girls were so beautiful and it really set the mood. For your younger daughter I would recommend bringing your own stroller because the ones that they provide are not that comfortable for the kids in my opinion. Do not buy any used tickets because that is a big thing in Floriday now. They finger print those tickets and you have a hard time getting into the parks because someone elses finger print is scanned for those tickets. They scanned me and my children at every park. Otherwise, take lots of pictures and just enjoy yourself.

How exciting for you and your family to be going to "the happiest place on earth!" You will undoubtibly have a wonderful time. Disney properties are very kid friendly and have many wonderful facilities for any and every kind of need you may have. Some practical tips:

Do not over do it. Take you time and don't over plan.

Do lots of research. Half the fun of going to WDW is in the planning. Go to the Disney website for maps, park hours, parade times, restaurants, etc. You can also go to "Mom's Panel" on the Disney website and ask them any question you may have. They are also an excellent resource to reveiw questions that others may have.

Do bring a stroller and water bottles and snacks. All of these items are permitted to be brought into the parks.

Do plan a character breakfast (or meal). It is a great way to get up close and personal with the characters.

Do remember that some rides can be scary for a little ones. My daughter was about 1 1/2 years old and we took her on the Pirates of the Carribean and she did not like it. My son on the other hand had no problem with it.

Do take lots of pictures or have Disney take them for you.

Do have a great time with yor family!!!!

One parent is responsible for one child and the other parent is responsible for the other child. Keep your one year old on her schedule. One parent leaves the park at naptime to give her a nap. Then use cell phones to hook back up after naptime. Put everyone in the same colored T-shirt. Pick an unusual color like lime green so that you can find each other easily if you get separated. Pack juice boxes and snacks in your diaper bag. Do not tell your children that you are going to Disney World until you are on your way there or they will make you crazy asking, "When are we going to Disney World." Have fun!

We went to Diney when our youngest was just a year old. The best thing I can tell you is to read her cues. take your time, if she needs to rest, then stop and rest. We did 4 parks in 2 days so we pushed too hard to do what we wanted to do and she got over tired in the process. We didn't try to hit everything in each park, just the things we really enjoyed the previous year (when she was just 4 weeks old...she slept the whole time that time, lol),but we stll went too fast for her.