Disney with a 1 - 3 Year Old

Hi B., I think if you want to go to Disney, have fun!!! Grandma Mary

Hi B.,

We went last year when my kids were 1 and 3 and went back again this year. I know alot of other posters are going to disagree, but I personally think they were both too young and it was exhausting. Magic Kingdom is really the only park he will probably enjoy. There really isn't that much in the other parks for him to do for the price of the ticket, unless you go while he can still get in free. My oldest loved Sea World, that was the only place she asked to go back to. If your son likes water, Blizzard Beach would be good also. My son hates sitting in his stroller so it was a lot of "in and out". We used a monkey harness which was a HUGE life saver, but we got a lot of stares for that! It was better than carrying him through the whole park!
Hope that helps!
J.

There are so many things he can do. Our first son was 6 months the first time we went, the second time we went we had a 4 year old and a 20 month old and we are going again in December, this time with a 7 year old, 4 year old and our baby will be turning one while we are there. We are Disney lovers and our kids enjoy
Disney. We found that they were a little scared of the characters but they warmed up after a couple of days of being in the parks.
As for the rides, he should be able to do most of them.
Here are a couple of websites you can visit for more information: www.themouseforless.com, this site has so much information, you will be able t find info on the various rides and height requirements. another good site is www.allearsnet.com.

Hi,

We took our 18 month old back in April and in Disney World, she could go on just about everything (except space mountain and some of the bigger rides). She loved it. In Epcot, there isn't too much except the finding Nemo exhibit (which was good). MGM and Animal Kingdom had a fair share of things for her too. The best place to see the Characters is in Animal Kingdom (short lines and they are out most of the day). Our daughter loves Mickey, so we needed to see him on a daily basis. Good luck!

Hi B.,

There are rides that your child can go on there, and most of the rides are relatively tame but some of them may have scary images or be too noisy. To be honest, I wouldn't take a 1-2 year old to Disney. It costs so much money, and for much less, the could go to an amusement park closer to home like Sesame Place or Dutch Wonderland in PA that are geared at toddlers/preschoolers. The 1-2 year old may have fun at Disney, but not necessarily more fun than they'd have at one of these other places for a fraction of the cost. It's one thing when a family with various kids is going and the youngest happens to be a toddler, but I wouldn't just take a toddler for the "Disney experience."
I personally wouldnt have had the desire to do Disney with strollers and naps, bottles and diapers. The first time we went, my kids were 5 and 9 - it was perfect! They loved every minute of it and we were fortunate enough to go back last summer, 2.5 years later

We went this past April, our son was 2.3 years old. We had a blast! We stayed at a Disney Resort and each morning we took the shuttle to a different park. We did three days, a day in each park (Hollywood Studios, Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom.)I was surprised that my son was able to do and enjoy so much. I didn't expect him to sit for the 15 minute shows, but he did great! Everything is very family oriented so he could go on most rides with us. I put him in the stroller most of the time basically so he didn't wander off. And he took daily naps there too! All in all a great vacation, and we are looking forward to going again soon
HTH!

We took our right before his 3 yr birthday to Disney over the summer - they have a few rides he was able to go on besides the Merry-go-round - he loved Animal Kingdom and some of the shows but I feel it wa a waste a he was too young to enjoy most of the facility - I was gald we did not have to pay for him.

We took our daughter to disney when she was 2.5, and it was a great vacation. We stayed at a Disney resort, and went back every afternoon to our hotel room for a nap, which saved a lot of afternoon meltdowns.

Magic Kingdom was the most kid friendly, although we also spent time in the other parks as well. We got her an autograph book, and she loved asking the characters to "sign her book". She also enjoyed the "it's a small world" ride, the "winnie the pooh" ride, and a few others whose name escapes me now. We went in May, and she is still talking about this trip and asking to go back again. The meals with the Princesses were definitely her highlight. Character dining was awesome.

On the downside, there are a lot more rides the kids can go on once they're a little older, and planning for downtime in the hotel every day can be a little tedious. Daddy would stay with her in the bedroom and nap while I lounged by the pool for a couple of hours, so it worked out well for me. I'm still glad we went. It was a great relaxing vacation for all of us.

I have been to Disney World over 25 times, so perhaps I may be a little prejustice toward the place. I also worked for the company for over 6 years, but I would have no problem taking my 1-3 year old to Disney. We just got back from Disney World less than 2 weeks ago. My daughter is 2.5 years old and it was her 3rd trip to Walt Disney World. She cannot stop talking about all the fun she had and keeps wanting to know when we are going back. Our first trip with our daughter was just before she turned one. I was a little apprehensive taking her at first, but Disney really caters to the whole family. As a nursing mother, I was very pleased with the facitities they had in each park for specifically that purpose (individual rooms with rocking chairs and changing tables). It was easy to carry her in her snuggli and still ride the rides and see the sights we always had seen before. Of course, we did not take her on the roller coasters, but if you want to ride you and your signifiant other can take turns riding with a ride share I believe they call it.
As for the people who think Sesame Place is the better choice, I disagree as it is never free for any age child, and it is mostly a waterpark. The tickets for Sesame Place are around $45-50 a person with the kids not being free. In contrast a Disney ticket can be as low as $50 if you purchase a longer duration ticket the break down is less per day. You can also get no expiration tickets if you desire to go back later in the future. Disney World is free for kids under the age of three, and it is the Disney way to use the honor system, so based on the height/size of your child, they will not question you.
As for the people who say only Magic Kingdom will interest a child of that age group, I again disagree. It does have the most rides, but each park offers someting different. We spent a morning at Epcot, went back to the hotel for a nap then went to Magic Kingdom in the afternoon. We then went to Animal Kingdom in the morning before nap and Magic Kingdom again in the afternoon/evening. We spent the last day at Hollywood Studios. Each park is geared differently obviously. Epcot is more educational-living off the land, an aquariam, and the different country exhibits. In Animal Kingdom it is geared toward animals. While there are not as many rides in the Animal Kingdom, it probably excited my daughter at 1 the most. She still enjoyed it at 2.5 too. Magic Kingdom definately has the most rides of any park that any age can ride and also has a play area for kids to strech out too.
Finally, as to the character issues some people mentioned. It really depends on your child. If your child recognizes the characters, they will be more apt to interact well with them. Also, your child feeds off of your reactions, so if you approach the character first and show your child it is okay; they are more apt to feel at ease. My daughter was a litte apprehensive at first this last visit since the first character she saw was Stitch, and she did not know him. She said the "big heads were scary". That did not last long. Next thing we knew we could not get her away from the characters. We had to find Mickey and Donald everyday, not to mention the "Winnie the Pooh" characters each day too.
I hope this helps.

My sister brought her girls when they were 3, they were both afraid of most of the characters, except a few princesses. There were not a whole lot of rides for them outside the Magic Kingdom, they spent alot of time in the pool which you can do at places other than Disney. My girls were 4 and 5, when we went, they too were afraid of all the characters except a few princesses, even then we had to strongly encourage them to go up to see them with us. They were exhausted by days end. They did have fun, but now at ages 10 and 11 they barely remember it. I wish we waited until they were 7 and 8, they still believe in "magic" but might remember more and been less afraid. Sesame Place is a great place for kids between 1-3, mine loved it at those ages.

We went with my daughter when she was 11 months old. My husband and I love Disney World, we have been on many trips there before our daughter was even born. I think she had a better time then we did. We were missing the bigger rides that we couldn't take her on but really she went on so many.

At Magic Kingdom she went on nearly everything. Winnie the Pooh was a big hit - you ride in a bouncing Honey Pot. At Epcot there wasn't as many rides but there are a few-- we got the best reactions of the trip from her on the Journey Into The Imagination ride. She loved it! She also enjoyed the live music performances in the different countries. At the Studios she enjoyed the street shows and Playhouse Disney, and The Great Movie Ride too. Her favorite park, by far, was Animal Kingdom, she loves animals! We spent a lot of time in the various animal habitats and also went to Conservation Station where there are live animal demonstrations and a petting area. She had a great time at the character meals too. She wasn't afraid of them then.

Over the summer we took her to Sesame Place and she was a little skittish of the characters. I will respectfully disagree with the people who think Sesame Place is better for younger kids. It wasn't for us-- almost everything there is water based and even though she was a year older than when we went to Disney she couldn't do anything at Sesame Place. She was too short and too young. I might as well have taken her to the sprinklers at our local park. The food at the character meal was horrible as well! At least at Disney, even though there was still lots she couldn't do, I felt like I got my money's worth -- she was free after all! :)

There are great resources online to find specifics about rides and height restrictions. The most comprehensive site is www.AllEarsNet.com You can also try www.passporter.com , the Passporter folks put out IMO the best travel guide to Walt Disney World. Lots of info on ride restrictions and their recommendations for ages - they have a toddler and a tween review all the rides. They also have another guide called "Passporters Open Mouse for Walt Disney World" -- it focuses on traveling to Disney with people with special needs there is a small section in the book about visiting with younger children. Not enough to buy the whole book but check it out in a bookstore or the library. And finally www.disneyworld.com itself has a oodles of info on traveling with toddlers. They have special maps of the parks to print that highlight rides and attractions smaller kids enjoy. In Sept. and October they have special travel deals for families with tots, they call it Magical Beginnings.

I wouldn't hesitate to take a toddler to Disney World but then again I love it myself. There really is no other place like it. Do your homework, have a plan and don't try to do everything on one trip. Not only is it impossible, it leads to stress and misery -- vacations are supposed to be about fun!