Taking a toddler to Disney??

Originally Posted by Sailkat

Thought I'd throw my 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!

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
We went through Disney.com
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[Tenor CS]

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