Taking a toddler to Disney??
 

The wife and I have been discussing taking our son to Disney World near to his 3rd birthday in June. We would probably be spending 4 or 5 days in Disney and then visiting some friends and family in Plant City and West Palm.

Ive been to Disney 15 or so times, so im quite familiar with it, but ive never taken a toddler. Im questioning if it will be worth the cost. Ive always thoguht that 3 year olds were a bit young to appreciate Disney, but some friends have taken thier young children and said its wonderful to see the magic in thier eyes. He is a huge fan of Mickey Mouse and the Disney characters in general.

We are pricing our options right now, so not sure if we will be staying on property, or off. I like the All-Star resorts, but they arent as inexpensive as they used to be. We will most likely be renting a car.

Can anybody offer any advice, tips or suggestons on Disney with young children?

Re: Taking a toddler to Disney??
 

We brought Amaya a year ago... Stay on property for the early entry as well get tickets for the Pirates and Princess night... On the flip side, she doesn't even remember she was there... :bh


We can talk some tomorrow on this... :ss

Re: Taking a toddler to Disney??
 

I dont remember, have talked about this before?

Re: Taking a toddler to Disney??
 

Yes... :D

Re: Taking a toddler to Disney??
 

Moe, Sarah would be the one to talk to about this... She planned it perfectly (especially considering it was mobbed being school vacation)! :ss

Re: Taking a toddler to Disney??
 

My boss recently had to break down and take his two kids inside the park(age 4 and 6). For the last couple years, they would take them to Downtown Disney and they didn't know the difference. It's just the Disney shopping and restaurant area with no admission. I think they still have the characters walking around and plenty of stuff for kids. At that age, they can't go on any of the rides or take advantage of most of what the main park has to offer.

I know we'll be waiting till our daughter is at least 5 before we pay for admission to the park.

Re: Taking a toddler to Disney??
 

We took my 2 year old daughter with us in Jan of 2008. We were only there for 4 days and actually only 2 of them was spent in park days.

We still got to see all the parks but we were rushing. My mother came with us so no one had to miss out on any rides because of the little.

Cassie had a great time even though she didn't get to ride the big rides. However the ones she did get to she loved.

Just have a stroller for the little one and let them take naps when they want to.

We are planning on going back next April with Cassie who will be 4 and our new baby who will be almost 1 then.

Re: Taking a toddler to Disney??
 

May not be what you want to hear but at age of 3?
Man, the only ones that will enjoy it to some degree before you hate it is your wife and you.
Your 3 year old will get tired easily, get cranky and never remember any of it.
I too made that mistake with my kids and was just a whole lot of money wasted.
I strongly recommend not taking a child there until at least 5, and even that may be too soon.

That said, good luck and hope you guys have a great time.

Re: Taking a toddler to Disney??
 

:r
Just saw this after my post.
Seems to be exactly what I said.
Few realize this when taking small children there.

Re: Taking a toddler to Disney??
 

:tpd:

One of the first things we did when we moved to Florida was get Florida resident season passes. With my son being 5 ( 6 in March) he is really enjoying the trips there now and we are too.

Re: Taking a toddler to Disney??
 

Thanks for your input Carlos :tu

Gregs daughter was probably under 2 if it was last year.

Im really not concerned with him remembering for the rest of his life, because if he does well we would take him regularly.

My bigger concern is we will have to leave the park after 45 mintues because the giant Goofy scared the chit out of him. So, I was hoping if somebody could offer advice on how to avoid that it would be great.

He ususally does very well when we take him out all day say to the outlets or to the mall or something. We would be giving him naps in the afternoon, so that he wouldnt be a monster for the rest of the day. I AM concerned with sensory overload I think. There is so much going on at the parks.

Re: Taking a toddler to Disney??
 

I waited to take the kids till my youngest was 8.
They'd have rather been at the beach, but that's what they like.
5 or 6 would probably be good, in hindsight.

Re: Taking a toddler to Disney??
 

My daughter got scared at the 3D Bugs Life movie, Moe.
It's the first time she was ever scared of anything and I've never seen her scared of anything since. Go figure?

Re: Taking a toddler to Disney??
 

Very, very legitimate concerns.
My daughter freaked out totally on the Snow White ride.
When younger, the characters really scared her too.
The good thing is they forget quickly as soon as you distract them with something else.
I tell you what, to a great degree, you will enjoy it as you will live through them. You can have an excuse to be a kid again for a while.
It is just a painful ordeal overall unless you happen to be one of the lucky ones.
The parks are much too expensive to go in for a while and have to leave soon after.

Re: Taking a toddler to Disney??
 

This is my biggest concern Carlos, since the hopper passes are no longer good forever.

I guess if the wife really wants to go we can always see how the Magic Kingdom or Animal Kingdom goes and if its a nightmare pay extra to have the passes good forever and just sit by the pool and relax.

Re: Taking a toddler to Disney??
 

There will be plenty of warmth, sun and things to do in June in the Orlando area.
That is a great way to go. See how things go in one park or two and then go from there. Meantime, lots to do or not do so the vacation will still be a great one.

Re: Taking a toddler to Disney??
 

When my sister was fairly young my family made three visits there and personally I think it would be a waste of money to take someone that young there. I saw parents pushing their kids around in strollers and the kids had no idea where they were. Id wait a few more years when he will really be able to appreciate where he is.

Re: Taking a toddler to Disney??
 

Hey Moe-sy, I always bought my hopper passes from the people outside 7-11. It was a little scary the first time and seemed a little shady, but I got my tickets at a decent discount.
Disney scalpers rock. :tu

Re: Taking a toddler to Disney??
 

:r:r:r

Holy crap. Never even dawned on me.

Re: Taking a toddler to Disney??
 

I'm lucky enough to live 20 minutes from Disney and have family passes for the year.

My daughter has been going before she could walk, and sadly enough, a week doesn't pass when I am not in at least one of the parks. Due to this, I guess I'm qualified to comment. Here are some observations

1. Many kids get scared the first time they meet Mickey and friends as they are much bigger than the tv they are used to. NEVER force the kids to meet them, let them go at their pace if they even want to go.

2. The parks can be overwhelming. Takke them in samll doses, a few hours at a time, then go back to the hotel for a nap or a swim in the pool.

3. Avoid the busiest holiday and vacation times if possible as well as June-Sept, as this time is unbearably hot.

4. Bring frozen bottles of water in a backpack. They'll start to thaw slowly and give you cold drinks all day without the $3 a bottle you pay in the parks. Healthy snacks are good as well.

5. You don't need to stand in lines for hours to meet the characters. The parks all have greeting areas, look at the guide map or ask a cast member.

6. Don't rush to be there at opening. Families with small kids start tiring out and leaving by the early afternoon and miss the parades and fireworks more often than not.

Yes, Disney is GREAT with toddlers with a little planning.
http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/c...69/Donald1.jpg

The memories will be cherished for a lifetime... even if your single friends laught at you
http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/c...69/Mickey1.jpg

Re: Taking a toddler to Disney??
 

worst advice ever.

The tickets now require a bioscan. In other words, you need to put your finger on a blue light entering the park. If they aren't the same persons who bough them, you are outta luck and outta money and they don't feel sorry if you say you bought them at 7/11. I deal with this every day and know.

The only way this works is if you buy a hopper then take it to Downtown Disney's store and upgrade it to to more days, which may be complicated for a first timer.

More misinformation here as well; Hoppers only expire if you don't add the no expiration option on them. You start with a base, then add the options you want, like hopping, water parks, and no expiration. If you will return at some point of your life, adding extra days after 5 days only costa a few extra dollars. Make sure to put on the no expiration option.

Re: Taking a toddler to Disney??
 

Me neither :r:r:r

Arent we all lucky to know Scotty?

Re: Taking a toddler to Disney??
 

I talk to a few thousand tourists a week. (thus my high blood pressure)

One of the things I tell them is that if you would feel comfortable buying discounted airline tickets outside a convenience sore, go ohead with your Disney tickets. The Disney tickets prolly cost more.

Years ago it was ok, but with the bioscan, it's a thing of the past,

Re: Taking a toddler to Disney??
 

Floyd, all great advice, thanks!!

My son is sitting on my lap and flipped when he saw the pic of Mickey!

Im intrigued about the non-expiration and adding more days later thing you were talking about... I was wondering if you could expalin that to me in a bit more detail. Im pretty familiar with downtown disney.

Re: Taking a toddler to Disney??
 

When our son was 3, he loved it. He went non stop. We took a break in m-d afternoon so he could nap, but was wanting to go later in the evening. He loved the jumping water . I was quite surprise that he wanted to keep up all day.

Re: Taking a toddler to Disney??
 

Ok here is the current situation. concerning Disney tickets.

You start out by picking your number of days, let's use 3 for example.
You pay about 80 bucks a day for an adult and about 70 per child ages 3-9. Under 3 is free, over 9 is adult.

For 3 days, you would pay about $240 adult, $210 child ages 3-9.

From there, you upgrade. To visit more than one park on the same day(waste of time and money), you pay a one time fee of $50 and the ticket becomes a hopper.

For about $40 extra, you get a couple water park visits anytime you chose. (bargain, considering the one time visit costs 40 bucks)

Depending on how many days you bought, there is a no expiration option ranging from 50-100 bucks. The tickets expire 14 days from your first use unless you do this.

If you figure out your cost per day on a 10 day ticet with the no expiration option, it comes out to about 30 bucks a day. Awesome if you will return at some point of your life, and Disney isn't taken under by the depression.;)

Whatever you chose, make a photocopy of the back of your tickets and put them in a safe place.
If you ever lose your tickets or run them throught the wash, the number on the back saves your ass and you get issued new tickets and don't have to buy new ones outside the Chucky Cheese.

Forgot to mention; the no expiration option can be put on ANY time before you use all your days up. Also, you can add extra days before you use up all your days.

In other words, if you buy the 3 day ticket and want to add another day, you pay the difference between a 3 and 4 day ticket, which is cheaper than a 1 day ticket. Also, a 3-7 day ticket is a small fee, so if you had a lot of fun and want to come back, add the extra days and put the no expiration option on.

Re: Taking a toddler to Disney??
 

Great advice again Floyd! But I was looking at some prices and Im fairly certain that the no expiration for a 10 day was an extra $200. The difference between a 5 day pass and a 10 day pass is only like $30!

Re: Taking a toddler to Disney??
 

Don't thin it's 200. Pick up your phone, dial 407-824-2222 and within 30 seconds, you will have a magically happy person hit by pixie dust on the phone acting as if you are them most imprtant person in the world who will give you EXACT and ACCURATE information.

Also, no more info unless you remove that avatar bashing my beloved Yankees damnit! I just noticed that.

Re: Taking a toddler to Disney??
 

Thanks again Floyd, and everybody that offered up info thus far.

Im tapped out on Rep points for 24 hrs, but I should be able to get you guys later tonight.

Re: Taking a toddler to Disney??
 

If it's for the boy, I'd hold off.He'll only remember tiny pieces of the trip.

Re: Taking a toddler to Disney??
 

My wife and I took our then 4 and 2 year old last year, and had a great time. I guess we're the "lucky" ones in that respect, so it's probably dependant on the child. I think Dave's advice:
is very good. My wife and I however really enjoy going and I have a close friend who lives nearby that I get to see so it's worth it for us.

Now floydpink's advice is phenomenal... I'm scared to give too much of the info to my wife because she'll start planning, but I am definitely bookmarking the info.

If I may piggyback a question... If you bought, hypothetically, a 4 day pass that never expired then used only 3 days (leaving 1 day, duh!) and a year later wanted to add days to that ticket, say 3 more days making it a total of 4, would you pay the difference between a 1 and 4 day ticket, or the difference between a 4 and 7 day ticket, or something else? Hopefully that convoluted question makes some sense to someone!

Re: Taking a toddler to Disney??
 

you'd pay the prorated difference between a 4-7 day ticket.

Disney raises the prices approx 6% a year, so you'd pay the prorated difference between the value of a 4 day then, and now, and wahtever 7 day choice you make.

Re: Taking a toddler to Disney??
 

great question by Joel.

So then I could always add more days on later and pay the severly discounted pro-rated amount? Cause a 10day pass with no expiration adds $200 per ticket. (I confirmed that on disneys site. here http://tickets.disney.go.com/buy/Tic...&drnid=9851282)

I would rather by a 5 day pass now and be able to add on more later, just to save a little cash now

Re: Taking a toddler to Disney??
 

How about this:
F the kids, and we all go down for a Disney Herf, pass some sticks out to Goofy, Mikey, and Donald Duck, I'll personally take care of Ariel and Princess Jasmin, so don't worry about them.

But really, take your kids when they are old enough to talk and remember things.

Re: Taking a toddler to Disney??
 

I'm not a good judge on this one because i've never been.

Re: Taking a toddler to Disney??
 

whatever you chose, let me know if you wanna meet Downtown Disney at Fuego or Sosa for a herf.:ss

Re: Taking a toddler to Disney??
 

Wow, is it that much? Another great reason to live in Florida.

Florida Resident Annual Pass (Ages 10 and Over) $359.00
Florida Resident Annual Pass (Ages 3-9) $316.00

And this is with no blackout dates, parking included, and hopper option.
Admission to water parks not included though.

Re: Taking a toddler to Disney??
 

My former out-laws used to live in the Orlando area. As a result, the first Mrs. Stolo and I would bring out kids to Disney quite frequently and when they were pretty young ... 3 - 4 years old. It's not that we regretted, but we definitely got the sense it wasn't nearly as much fun for the kids as we thought it would be. My advice is to wait a couple years before you do the DIsney thing. You're going to want Leo to remember the experience, and it's unlikely he'll do so at this age.

Re: Taking a toddler to Disney??
 

In my opinion, the best attraction for under 4 year olds is Seaworld. They can get close to dolphins as well as walk through large aquariums and look right up at the fish which gives toddlers the visual stimulation they love and need.

Another bonus is the second day is free, so you don't have to kill yourself in a day trying to see it all.

Also the Shamu's Happy Harbor is designed for them and there is a splash area and sandbox for them to play in.

I have annual tickets to all the parks and my daughter picks Seaworld more times than Disney.

Re: Taking a toddler to Disney??
 

They aim to please, too.
They'll cater to whatever you want. The girl I bought from last time gave me extra hopper cards so I got just what I wanted and just asked that I return the cards (they had more days at different parks on them).
So then she could sell the passes that were still on the cards to other people.
I bet I got 30% off on park passes at least. Maybe 50%.

Re: Taking a toddler to Disney??
 

Moe, bring him tonight, I'll bring my goofy outfit and we'll see what happens.

Re: Taking a toddler to Disney??
 

:r:r:r

Re: Taking a toddler to Disney??
 

If Leo can handle you he sure as hell can handle goofy. :D

Re: Taking a toddler to Disney??
 

Wow, and all those suckers lining up at the gate to buy tickets.......

Re: Taking a toddler to Disney??
 

Thought I'd throw my :2 in..

I was in the travel business for over 20 years and booked alot of trips for people to Disney World. I discouraged people with children under 5 from going there. For many of the reasons already mentioned, kids don't remember it, there are limited rides they can go on, they often are frightened by the characters, sensory overload, etc. Not to say that you won't have fun, but it's a much better vacationn for older children.

That said, if you do go, stay in the park or on the park transportation system. If after two hours in the park you need to go back to the hotel it makes life much easier. Stroller is a must for little ones.....even if you just use it to carry the junk. Take a change of clothes with you....accidents happen. Bring a favorite book or toy, or both. A familar story or "Mr. Bear" needing a nap can be a good distraction if sensory overload happens. Take water and snacks that are your child's favorites....especially if they are picky eaters. Things are expensive...to find out after one bite that they don't like it and there is not an abundance of PB & J with no crusts ;)

As a suggestion, check out Sea World. I got lots of positive feedback from people with young children regarding visits there.

Have fun....whatever you do!

Re: Taking a toddler to Disney??
 

Thanks Kat:tu

Re: Taking a toddler to Disney??
 

:tpd:
We took our 5 year old son and our daughter who was 3 at the time.. He had a grand time! but she is like what are you talking about? and I had to carry her most of the time..she did not did the stroller either.

We went with the total Disney package, that included room at the Disney "Movies" hotel, and parks passes, and we added the "FOOD" option to the package and that gave us a breakfast or lunch on the go,or in the hotel or park, and 1 sit down meal that we used for dinner and went to "character meeting" places.. also it comes with a "snack" every day too! that I used mine for stuff like a turkey leg and loaded baked potato at the parks:D
We went through Disney.com
[IMG]http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/m...17-2006-17.jpg[/IMG]

Re: Taking a toddler to Disney??
 

As a WDW cast member, (Disney-speak for "employee") I thought I'd throw my :2 as well.

Honestly, I'd advise against it. But ...

If you do this, remember who the trip is for. I have seen countless sets of parents who fall into the "We're paying a ton of money for this trip and you will have fun whether you like it or not!" mentality. With this mentality, you wind up with crying children and parents who are a hair away from a stroke.

With a toddler, you will most likely NOT be able to be at the turnstiles at the crack of dawn (say 8am) for early entry, and stay till the bitter end to see the fireworks and parade at 10pm or midnight without the little guy experiencing a meltdown, or multiple meltdowns.

You can do this trip and have a ton of fun, get lots of great pictures, and maybe even make some great memories for your family. But it will NOT be a bargain. Even with discounted child tickets, you will pay a lot and, if you want to maintain your sanity, you will probably wind up only doing 6-8 hours in the park each day, tops.

Also, bear in mind, you're talking June. It will be hot. It most likely will rain most of the days, so it will be humid. And it will be crowded. Lines at popular "kiddie" rides in Fantasyland will easily be in the 60-90 minute range. You're gonna wind up pushing a stroller all day. Nothing will deflate you faster than realizing "I spent all this money on this trip and this kid is sleeping in his stroller for the better part of the day."

One last tip: if you're gonna have to skip a park, skip Epcot. Not a whole lot there for the little ones.

You MUST hit Magic Kingdom and will likely spend most of the day in Fantasyland. If you want the pic with Mickey, hit Mickey's Toontown Fair.

Hollywood Studios (formerly MGM) is a good bet, especially the Playhouse Disney show. The thrill rides are not kid-friendly. The night show, Fantasmic, may be a bit too intense for a 3 year old.

This post is too long already, if I can be of further assistance, PM me.

Re: Taking a toddler to Disney??
 

My wife and I have been discussing a trip to Disney as well. My kids are 8 and 2. I think we are going to wait until the youngest is 5 or 6. I think she will have more fun and remember more at that age.

Re: Taking a toddler to Disney??
 

Tenor,

Is there any way you might be able to pull some strings and get a day's worth of Fastpasses for CA members?:r It seems very few of us enjoy the lines at Disney.

I may try to swing by and see you next week. I should be in the Kingdom on Thursday and have a reservation at the Royal Table in the Castle for my daughter's 4th birthday later this month. I forget where you are again in the MK...

Had to book that 5 months out and they charged me for my meal before I got there, sheesh!!!!