Anyone do Disney with a 2 year old?

[gbailey]

We're thinking about going to Disney. We've been finding unbelievably affordable rates. I love Disney and we'd like to take DD. She's only two but I think there's a ton of things that are fun and safe for her to do. Of all the places we've considered going for vacation this is the most affordable. Anyone want to share their experiences (positive and not so positive)? Thank you.

[butterfly_mommy]

I don't have personal experience and am not a fan of Disney however my friends are and they took there almost 2 year old in October and she loved it and couldn't stop talking about it for weeks. They loved it so much they took her again in Jan!

[hollytheteacher]

I took my son when he was 17 months and HE LOVED IT! All the sights are exciting and the rides were fun. There was plenty to do. Animal Kingdom was definitly his favorite. There is this giant dinosaur playground with an enormous sandbox that he could have played in all day. He LOVED the safari ride and seeing the real animals. Also there are two trails you can walk (or push the stroller) through and go in a bat cave, see gorillas up close, etc. I highly recommend it! I am a big disney lover though and we are taking ds again in January (when i'll be 8 months preggo EEK).

[Peony]

Once, my kids always seem to aged 1 or 3 or older when we go. We just got back from FL, we only did one day at Disney. For a 2 year, I would highly suggest staying on-site in a hotel. Go out in the morning, come back for a rest in the afternoon and then go back later or hang out at the pool. We always end staying close by in a hotel and every single time I kick myself for not staying at Disney. We've gone 4-5 times in the last 6 years with kids, I have family nearby so I go to FL at least every other year. It is a LONG day for a toddler, I always think that we could leave and come back but by the time you finally arrive at your car, there is no way in heck I want to make that trek again with kids, not to mention having to go through the parking plazas, etc...

[jenfl]

We live about 20 minutes away, and have taken DD since she was 6 months old (and DS since he was just a few weeks). Two years old is a great time! DD loved the characters especially. As an early-2, she didn't understand why some rides were scary, so we could go on Pirates and Haunted Mansion. As she got older, these got scary, so you'll want to judge your own kid. (Now, at 3, she's riding all of them.)

Just take your time, let her find her own things that are enjoyable. Often, they're the unexpected things -- the small fountains, the hidden gardens, or long stops to hug all the stuffed animals in a shop.

Feel free to PM me if you have specific questions!

[AKA_PI]

Great post and responses. I'm planning on taking my little one next year when he's 2.5 and I wasn't sure if he would like it. Thanks for this.

[Bokonon]

I had an annual pass to Disneyland when DS was 2, so we went about 20 times that year. He loved it and so did I! He was much easier to take when he was 2 than now, because he didn't complain about his feet hurting from walking, and he would take naps in the stroller. 2 is a great age for Disney!

[Abraisme]

I took my DS to several large theme parks when he was about that age. It went perfectly fine and he had a great time. The only thing I suggest is to get a harness leash for your toddler. That way your DD can walk around and you can still look at things besides watching her every second. Have fun!

[corrieoseal]

We took DD to Disneyland when we were in California when she was 10 months old and she loved it. Then we took her to Disney World with my family when she was 18 months and she had even more fun. She doesn't know any of the Disney characters, but she still got a huge kick out of everything. We went during the Christmas season and she absolutely adored the lights and music. There were lots of appropriate rides and places for her to explore. Make sure you get the the Magic Kingdom right as they open on a weekday in order to ride Dumbo, Peter Pan, and the other older attractions that toddlers adore.

We stay at Shades of Green because DH is in the military which is an incredible resort for the price. We really enjoyed taking a ten minute walk over to the Polynesian to take the monorail to MK and Epcot. If at all financially possible, I'd recommend staying at one of the deluxe resorts on the monorail line.

I would also recommend bringing plenty of healthy snacks from home for the parks and making some sit-down dining arrangements as many days out from your trip as possible. One mistake we made was winging it with eating. You start to feel sick after a few days of counter service food. Bring your own stroller if possible to save money. We love our Bob Revolution so much that we have flown with it all over the country, including Disney and have never regretted it.

Finally, purchase Birnbaum's Disney Guide and The Unofficial Guide to Disney World. These are excellent resources.

That's all I can think of off the top of my head. While we love having adventures, we also really like the ease of vacationing at Disney with a toddler and are taking DD again right before she turns 3 next May.

[limabean]

We have annual passes to Disneyland, so we take my 2yo DD (and her 5yo brother) often -- at least once a month, usually more. Of course, the nice thing about annual passes is that we can just leave if it turns out that she'd rather not be there, or if it gets too hot or too crowded or whatever. It'd be a lot tougher if you felt like you had to stay all day because you paid so much to get in.

Maybe just plan on taking a few breaks, like go back to the hotel to swim or nap in the afternoon. And Tom Sawyer Island is always a good place to go to get kind of a break, where the kids can run around and blow off steam without standing in a bunch of lines.

As far as the rides go though, I bet your LO will love it -- I don't know if the rides are the same at DW and DL, but my DD especially loves the King Arthur Carousel, Peter Pan, the Casey Jr. Circus Train, Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters, the Jungle Cruise, Small World, the Nemo Submarine, the Mark Twain Paddleboat, Autopia, and the storybook boats (wow, I just noticed that it's almost all boat rides that she likes!). Like another poster said, we used to be able to take her on rides like Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted Mansion, but she's scared of those now.

[tabrizia]

We took DS to Disney World last October when he was 2 1/2 he loved it. He loved all the rides, there weren't many he couldn't do around 3 in each park. He adored the characters and one of the best memories DH and I have was at our first character meal when Donald Duck walked by and his mouth dropped open and his eyes got wide, because he was eating with Donald Duck!

We all had a great time, including DD who was 6 1/2 months old at the time, but it was a great trip for DS. We did take it fairly slow and follow his lead, so if he wanted to ride the carousel or the Winnie the Pooh ride 5 times in a row, we rode them. We did find that he was good for 4 to 5 hours in the parks and then he was done, so we did not do long days. We also found that other then character meals he really wasn't interested in sitting still and eating at a sit down restaurant.

We didn't end up following this, because of other issues, but he really was only up for 2 days at the parks before he needed a full day break. We could really tell by the end of our week there that he was beyond done, since we didn't have those breaks in there due to traveling with my parents and them having a limited amount of time at Disney.

He loved Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom and enjoyed EPCOT. He liked all the characters at Disney Studios, the Playhouse Disney show and the Toy Story ride, but there really wasn't much else there for him so it was a very short day there, which worked well actually. If we hadn't wanted to have him meet some of the characters that were only there though, we could have easily skipped the entire park though.

He loved the splash pads at EPCOT and they have some water features at Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom as well, we just didn't get to them, remember to bring a dry outfit for after though.

We had a great time, though next time we go, we will be following the 2 days on 1 day off schedule rather then accommodating anyone else traveling with us. We plan to go back next fall when DD is 2 1/2 since DS had such a great time at that age.

[gbailey]

Thanks for all of the great responses. I love Disney and am just so excited. We're hoping to go in September when most kids are back in school and the hotel rates are cheaper and hopefully the parks are not overly crowded. I've stayed at the Disney Contemporary Resort years ago and I'm not sure if it's in our budget but I've put my frugal hat on and am hoping for a super cheap rate.

I'm just looking forward to sitting on the Alice in Wonderland Tea Cup ride with her. I've dreamed of doing that with a daughter.

Tabrizia, I'm so glad you mentioned your son liked Epcot. We were thinking of not going afraid DD would be bored but it seems worthy of a half day or least a day. I enjoyed Epcot as a child.

I remember Magic Kingdom used to have these expensive pineapple frozen fruit ice type of thing in a cup and I hope they still have them. It's such a magical place. I have very fond childhood memories of Disney and hope my DD will have a great time.

[Bokonon]

Originally Posted by gbailey

I remember Magic Kingdom used to have these expensive pineapple frozen fruit ice type of thing in a cup and I hope they still have them. It's such a magical place. I have very fond childhood memories of Disney and hope my DD will have a great time.

Dole Whips! They are awesome!

[MommaLura]

I started going there when I was two and I took my son there for his first trip when he was 18 months (my dad works there). It's a wonderful place! The things your dc will love may not be what you expect, but I think everyone will enjoy the trip. Will you just go to one park or several?

[azzeps]

We are going to Disneyland soon with our DD who is two. I have been frequenting the Baby Bargains message boards quite a lot, where they have a whole board dedicated to Disney travel. Lots of good tips to be had there, it seems.

Have fun!

[MarchMummy]

We first took our DD there when she was 2, and we all had a blast! My dad works for a Disney-owned company and gets free passes, so they take us every year. We usually stay in a hotel down the street from Disneyland. It's cheaper than staying on-site, but still close enough to head back for a nap/rest.

I'm sure you'll have a great time!!

[Drummer's Wife]

My kids have loved it at that age (1-3). It seems really magical to them - which I don't see it as much as they get older (5+). I like that they are free until age 3.

[gbailey]

Originally Posted by Bokonon

Dole Whips! They are awesome!

Yes! That's it! I can't wait to have one.

Corrieoseal, I will definitely get those books you suggested. Thank you and everyone else for making me more excited than I already am

[EviesMom]

When DD was 2, we went to Disney. I'm really glad, because it was an extended family trip and some of the family members who went are now very ill and could no longer do such a trip. I want to do it again with extended family now that DS is 2, but it will have to wait a little while.

Epcot has some great stuff for 2 year olds, who will love looking at stores and exhibits in the different lands, the Nemo ride (she didn't really get the talking Crush turtle thing, but loved it anyway; and a nice aquarium), and the display outside of Nemo. There was a kid craft in many of the activities, which DD loved, but she was approaching 3 and a crafty kid. This was BY FAR the best place to see the characters, by the way. 4 or more characters in one location, with a line a quarter the size of those at magic kingdom. We saw Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Goofy, Donald, and a surprise Belle drop in as well. At MK, we stood in one very long line to see just 1 character. Although DD was fascinated by the whole line where you go through "Mickey's House," so it might have been worth it.

She didn't really know those characters well when we got there, though, and got to know them more through our trip. The characters she knew going in were Nemo, and Pooh and friends. We booked a breakfast with Pooh for our 2nd morning there and DDs face was radiant throughout. She thought it was the most amazing thing ever. (Still talks about it 4 years later, although I can't quite believe she really remembers it; and while we have pictures of the rest of the trip, obviously, she takes out the pics from breakfast more often and talks about them).

Magic Kingdom was also great, and others have said, Pirates and Haunted Mansion weren't scary to her at that point. I think we spent most of our time on Peter Pan, Small World, the carousel, and Pooh. There's also a nice Dumbo ride which wasn't too big for her.

Because DD was napping long stretches in the afternoon, it was invaluable for us to stay on Disney property (campground), so we could do the extra magic hours in the morning and easily have a few adults go back to the campground for nap with DD while the rest could easily stay and do more stuff. Sometimes we made it back for a later night there, and sometimes not.

We didn't do Animal Kingdom at all, and we only did MGM Studios as a group of adults while the grandparents had time with DD. So I can't comment on those!

[Jen_in_NH]

We took DS when he was 2 1/2. He LOVED it. We brought his stroller in, and he slept in it when he got tired. He loved the characters, the rides in Fantasyland, just about everything at Animal Kingdom. HE also loved the busses, monorail, trains, and pretty much anything that moved

I think it's a great age to take them. Everything is still real to them, and they're not so hyped up that they don't sleep and get cranky