How to Tour Walt Disney World with Toddlers!
You’ve decided to take your kids on their very first Walt Disney World Vacation – this is going to be MAGICAL, right?
YES. With the help of a travel advisor (me) and experienced toddler mom (also me) you and your little ones can have the best time at Walt Disney World!
Traveling with kids, especially toddlers, requires a lot of preparation (and patience). Walt Disney World is a unique destination that requires even MORE planning – you already have to think about your park pass reservations, resort choice, ticket type, and advanced dining reservations – and toddlers will influence ALL of those decisions. Let me help you with my top tips for visiting Walt Disney World with toddlers!
TOURING TIPS: rope drop, extended evening hours, genie+ and lightning lane
Choose a resort with easy transportation access.
Deluxe and moderate resorts offer transportation options beyond the Disney bus system that will provide an elevated experienced when traveling to and from the theme parks. If you choose to stay at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort, Disney’s Polynesian Resort, or Disney’s Contemporary Resort you can take the monorail to Magic Kingdom (and EPCOT from the TTC). You can roll your stroller directly on to the monorail – this is a lifesaver when you’ve stored your purchases, water bottles, and bookbag under the stroller for the day. Disney’s Beach Club, Disney’s Yacht Club, and Disney’s Boardwalk Inn are within walking distance to EPCOT and Hollywood Studios which gives you complete control over your transportation experience. Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort gives you access to the Disney Skyliner to EPCOT and Hollywood Studios – but you will have to fold up your double stroller (single strollers can roll on).
At the beginning of the day you’re EXCITED and want to get to the parks, and at the end of the day you are EXHAUSTED – easy of transportation can be a game changers for keeping everyone happy. Plus – if you want to take a mid-day break (see tip 4!) it’s easier to take the monorail back and forth than to wait for a bus.
Bring your stroller and infant carrier from home.
Every client with kids always asks “Do I need my stroller?” YES. Bring your stroller! Not only will those little legs get tired walking MILES around the park every day, but you will also want the stroller to help you contain the kids while navigating the airport and transportation. If your little one is under 1, you may want to bring your infant carrier too – this works great for naps!
You might not need a park hopper.
With a regular base ticket you can exit and re-enter the same park as many times as you want in one day, you just cannot switch parks. With little ones, there is a LOT to do and honestly they aren’t the quickest movers! The theme parks can be overstimulating for some little ones so slow down, take your time, and enjoy the park that you have planned for the day.
Build in time at the resort.
Choosing your resort is a really exciting part of the planning process – and if you listened to tip #1 you may have spent a little more $$ than you originally planned to upgrade your resort – so make sure you spend time there! Disney resorts truly transport you and have wonderful amenities – pools, playgrounds, dining, recreation, kids activities. I know the main draw of Walt Disney World is the theme parks, but please do yourself a favor and build in time at your resort to relax. I try to take a mid-day break or spend the evening at my resort to let the kids recharge and reset – and avoid any tantrums.
Rope drop and use early entry.
All Disney resort guests have ‘early entry’ which means you can enter EVERY theme park 30 minutes prior to park opening EVERY DAY. With little ones, this is an invaluable resort perk and I recommend getting there even earlier! Rope drop means being there when they first let you through (there used to be an actual rope for this). So if the park opens at 9am, early entry will be at 8:30am, I would plan to arrive around 8am. This gives you the benefit of VERY short lines at popular attractions – or whatever attraction you are interested in. I ALWAYS use this strategy at Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios.
Try to stick to familiar foods – especially for snacks.
A pro tip I give my clients is to use Amazon prime or another grocery delivery service to send items to their resort. Kids are routine oriented and part of that is what they snack on – go online and order their favorite snacks whether its a type of bar, pouches, cookies, whatever, and have it on hand for them during their stay. This also helps you save a lot of money!
Try to maintain the kids schedule – offer naps and eat at similar times.
Whew. This is a hard one – you’re on vacation, you want to see the fireworks and do it all – but trust me you will pay for it. I know for my family we have bedtime at 8pm at home and if we miss that on vacation we are some cranky little ones either that night or the next day. While we may not be in bed at 8pm every night on vacation, I am at least considerate of trying to get to the resort not too long after that time MOST of the nights. If you do want to stay for the fireworks at the theme parks, just try not to do it every night and make sure you give your kids a chance to rest the next day. This also applies to meals – if your kid always has a snack at 9:30am, they are still going to want that snack at 9:30am on vacation!
Kids accessories – Snoozeshade, stroller fan, noise machine, baby banz.
There are some accessories I will NOT leave home without when I take my kids to Walt Disney World.
Snoozeshade: this is a mesh cover that goes over the pack and play, it helps little ones have a darker place to sleep while sharing a space with the family.
Stroller fan: it is HOT in Florida, this will help keep them comfortable! Make sure you have a charger to recharge!
Noise Machine: Set this up in your resort room to keep the sleep environment as similar to home as you can.
Baby Banz: these are like earmuffs for kids! Fireworks can be startling for little ones and these make a huge difference to keep my kids comfortable.
Ship diapers, wipes, and other necessities to the resort.
Along with food, I like to order and ship necessities to the resort ahead of time. Items like diapers and wipes are necessary but take up so much room in my suitcase. Ship them to the resort ahead of time and don’t worry about it!
Give them grace.
Walt Disney World is a very busy, fascinating, and immersive destination. Kids will easily become overstimulated (even adults do!) and my need a break from all of the Disney magic. It is so important to remember that everyone may be tired, hungry, or out of routine and might need a little bit of grace during the day. Or refer to my tips above – give them a snack or take them back to the resort for some downtime to reset!
So that’s it – my top 10 tips for taking your toddlers to Walt Disney World. This list is ever-growing as I continue to take my little ones to Disney multiple times per year…the best way we learn as parents is to try and try again!
I hope at least ONE of these tips hits home for you and helps make your next Walt Disney World Vacation a little more magical!