We just got back from a whirlwind trip to Disney World with all three kids and… it was magical! I know you were all expecting me to say it was a disaster and to tell you not to go until your kids are older and will remember blah blah blah. But actually, Disney World with toddlers and small children can be completely special and fun for the kids and parents (!), seriously. We are proof. We went during a heat wave when it was in the 90s and felt like 100 degrees out, with a 2.5 month old, and our crazy five year old and two year old, and we had the BEST time. We will definitely want to return when the kids are bigger, and it’s a lot so taking small kids to Disney isn’t for everyone and it isn’t without its challenges, but if you’re thinking about it, I say do it! With that said, I wanted to put together a guide to Disney World with toddlers and small children because I got so many questions from all of you in my DMs while we were there and many of you asked if I’d recommend going with younger children or asked how we managed it. Honestly, I wish I had a guide for navigating Disney World with toddlers and small children to read before we went, written by someone with no clue what they’re doing and who isn’t a Disney expert. In fact, my husband and I hadn’t been there since we were each little kids ourselves — and a lot has changed since then. So I put together our recs and advice based on our experience. I do want to say that we’re not experts. This was our first rodeo. And there were moments of course where we were hot and tired and we thought to ourselves, what are we doing. But overall, I would do it again in a heartbeat and we had a really fun time.
I tried to get through our entire experience and answers to all your questions, but let me know if I’m leaving anything out. You can also check out my Highlights on my Instagram for more pics and recs.
Disney World Theme Park Recommendations for Littles
Ok so now to the nitty gritty of how to make magic at Disney World with toddlers and small children. We chose to visit three of the theme parks over the course of three days and I think that’s the most we could have handled given our kids’ ages. If you want to do more or go for a longer stint, I would do two theme park days followed by a pool day at the hotel and then one or two more theme park days, if that makes sense. By Day 3, you all will need a break. We did Day 1: Magic Kingdom, Day 2: Hollywood Studios, Day 3: Animal Kingdom. If we had been there longer, I would have done two half days at Magic Kingdom, followed by a pool day, one day at Hollywood Studios, and one day at Animal Kingdom. We skipped Epcot — personally, I felt like it would be better with older kids given my own children’s attention spans and interests, but people love it there, so definitely see what you think is best for your fam. If I could only do one park with toddlers and preschool-age kids, I’d make it Magic Kingdom. Animal Kingdom was probably our second favorite although James is a huge Star Wars fan so Hollywood Studios was really great for him too. But you can definitely do more when you’re older at Hollywood Studios (like all the Star Wars rides, making a light saber and a droid, etc.).
Overall, I am glad we hit all three parks and got to experience each. They were all truly special and we made fun memories at each one. It was also a great sampler so we’ll know more next time we go. The kids each had favorites at each and we had fun dining experiences at each park as well. I do think with smaller children, 1/2 days are optimal, especially in the heat. So going in the mornings and then returning after lunch is probably the best plan of action. With that said, our schedules were off due to delayed flights and children sharing a room and staying up way too late and so we didn’t get to the parks super early and did more of a 3/4 day et each and that worked. So we’d have a leisurely breakfast at the hotel, get dressed and ready and packed for the day, head to the parks around 8:30/9am (more like 10am on Day 3, lol). Then we just pulled an audible as soon as we sensed everyone starting to melt down, which for us was around 2:30pm/3pm. We’d grab one last snack or do one last ride, get on the Monorail or grab an Uber home, cool off at our hotel, and then hit up the pool for an hour or two before dinner. Overall, this was a great plan and incurred minimal meltdowns, which given our kiddos was pretty amazing.
My Overall Feedback/Top Advice for Doing Disney World with Toddlers and Small Children
Here’s my guide to Disney World with toddlers and small children (and a baby!). But first, I just want to say, this place is magical and I would just lean into that and relax and enjoy it as much as you can. Our best decision was to throw expectations out the door, just try to enjoy it as much as possible, have a few adult bevs along the way, not stress over if our kids ate enough or got their clothes dirty or didn’t want to do something, and honestly, they were the best behaved they’ve ever been. I think a lot of it was that they had our undivided attention and the place is truly just magical on its own. You could walk through each park and not go on a single ride or hit up a single attraction and little kids would have the best time because there’s just so much to delight — you can stumble upon chipmunks having a picnic, Chewie and Rae aboard a giant spaceship replica, walk through a jungle and spot hippos and gorillas, stumble upon a parade with all the princesses and Disney characters on floats, stop for ice cream shaped like Mickey Ears and listen to a live performance with all your favorite Winnie the Poo characters… I could go on. Don’t stress about which rides you have to do or hitting every attraction — save that for when the kids are older and really care about the rides and know what they are in advance. Our kids had no idea what Splash Mountain was or what the best rides were, so they had no expectations and nor did we, and it allowed us to go slowly, stop and check out fun stuff along the way, and not get upset if we were too hot and tired to stay any longer. I totally get the idea of getting your money’s worth, but if you’re going to Disney World with toddlers and small children, I think it’s hard to get in everything and trying to will set you up for failure. I think having an amazing time and making special memories makes every penny worth it, and we found we did that at a slower, less intense pace. With that said, there are tons of recs on the Google as well as private guides to help you figure out how to hit it all up and navigate the Lighting Lanes so you can get it all in.
Where to Stay: Disney’s Contemporary Resort
We stayed at Disney’s Contemporary Resort, which is a Disney resort and close to the Magic Kingdom. I know a lot of friends who stayed at the Polynesian, Grand Floridian and Four Seasons and had rave reviews as well but this is the only hotel we’ve tried so far at Disney World with toddlers and small children (and a baby!) and we couldn’t have been happier with our stay. A bonus to staying at any Disney resort is that you get into the theme parks 1/2 hour early so it’s definitely an upside if you want to get in more rides and beat the crowds. Our schedules were so off and well, getting three kids out the door is a lot, so we didn’t really take advantage of that perk but probably would have if the kids were older and dying to check out the most popular attractions.
What we loved about Disney’s Contemporary Resort:
*You can see the Magic Kingdom nightly fireworks show from the hotel. They have spots at the hotel where you can view them and enjoy a cocktail and dessert, but we were lucky enough to have an great view of the Magic Kingdom and fireworks right from our room balcony, which made their 9:15pm start time doable with our tiny tots.
*You can take the Monorail directly from Disney’s Contemporary hotel to the Magic Kingdom. It’s a fun ride and makes it easy to go back and forth throughout the day if you want to take breaks. We ended up powering through but contemplated going to the park in the morning, taking the Monorail back for naps and then going back to the Magic Kingdom in the afternoon. You could also do that to see the fireworks or have a dinner at the Magic Kingdom after coming back to change and rest.
*They play Disney cartoons near check in/check out at the entrance. This is such a small thing but so helpful when you’re trying to check in or check out or talk to the front desk or kill time while waiting for a shuttle or Uber.
*There’s an arcade! The arcade is on the fourth floor and would be great for any age kids. James was obsessed.
*There’s a pool with a waterslide and splash area with water canons. My kids love a pool and it was a great way to cool off after the parks. But the water slide and water canons made it so my kids never wanted to leave. It was so fun to see them having so much fun and made the pool really stand out from our usual pool days at home.
*Check Mickey’s. This is a character dining option you’ll definitely want to book in advance and was a highlight of the trip for us. It’s done so well and really shows how much Disney gets kids and parents.
*California Grill. The food here is so good (seafood, sushi etc.) and there are items the kids will like but is a nice reprieve from chicken fingers and fries. It also offers great views of the Magic Kingdom.
*Daily snacks, bevs and food: Our room came with access to a self-serve restaurant/cafe area with daily breakfast, afternoon snacks, fully stocked beverages and coffee bar, and nightly heavy appetizers (that truly could be your dinner) catered by California Grill, and wine and nightly dessert and night caps. They kids loved this and so did we. It meant we didn’t have to worry about food when we came back starving and thirsty from the parks or if we didn’t make a dinner reservation or weren’t sure what the kids would be up for or feel like after a day at the parks.
*Activities for kids. There are lots of activities for kids at the pool and around the hotel at different days and times like movies under the stars and tie dye t-shirt making that we probably would have done if our kids were a bit older.
Overall, I have to say the Contemporary Resort made navigating Disney World with toddlers and small children so much easier and more enjoyable. It’s a great home base and completely designed for children with a super friendly staff who won’t bat an eyelash if you show up at breakfast in Mickey Mouse pajamas or your kid throws a fit or eats Fruit Loops off the floor (told you we were a bit loose about the rules).
General Tips for Navigating Disney World with Toddlers and Small Children
*Get the Disney Genie+ service and use the app and Lighting Lanes to skip long lines. Prioritize the top attractions/what you want to see most.
*Go early to get in the most rides/attractions and beat the heat.
*Plan for 1/2-3/4 day at the park and then go back to your hotel to cool off, rest, and spend the rest of the day at the pool or relaxing.
*Use the Disney app to place mobile food orders if you’re eating lunch on the go.
*Make reservations in advance but check back regularly – stuff opens up as you get closer to the day
*Ignore the amount of fries and sugar your kids consume — there are so many ways to burn off the energy and they can eat all the broccoli when they get home, but personally, we loosened the reigns on things like veggie consumption and baths and had a better time for it. Also the kids were more adventurous with their eating because there was not pressure or expectations.
*Book at least one character dining experience — the kids loved it and behaved at meals after long days without ipads or coloring and it was nice for us to actually get to eat our meal and watch how excited the kids got. They’re also great photo opps.
*Review height requirements in advance so you know what’s doable and what’s not
*If it’s hot outside, alternate rides with indoor AC activities or meals — it really helps everyone recharge and there are plenty of fun indoor attractions the kids loved that I listed
*Don’t attempt to do it all – we went in with zero expectations or agenda. Our kids are so young that they aren’t tall enough or brave enough for most of the big rollercoasters/hottest attractions so we didn’t feel the pressure to run around from ride to ride. This actually made our experience so much better because we could just enjoy the day and not feel stressed about being somewhere or getting in something.
*Prioritize 1-2 rides/attractions at each park and let the Genie+ and your kids guide you through the rest – we prioritized at each park the top two attractions/rides we thought our kids would enjoy and then played the rest by ear, depending on how long the lines were, what was available when for Lighting Lanes through our Genie+ and how the kids (and we) were doing.
*Snacks, snacks, snacks – I packed us a lot that I had brought from home, but the kids wanted the popcorn and ice cream at the parks and we were okay with that. Eating as they went kept their energy up and avoided meltdowns.
*There are nursing stations at all the parks where you can go cool off, change and feed your baby and relax. I didn’t use any and ended up just feeding Brooks when we went to the sit down shows and during meals, but that would have been a much more relaxing experience.
Restaurant Recs
There are tons of options
Chef Mickey’s at Disney’s Contemporary Resort (character dining)
California Grill at Disney’s Contemporary Resort
Sleepy Hollow at Magic Kingdom
Columbia Harbour House at Magic Kingdom
Storybook Treats at Magic Kingdom
Hollywood Brown Derby at Hollywood Studios
Docking Bay window 7 at Hollywood Studios
Tusker House at Animal Kingdom (character dining)
Pizzafari at Animal KIngdom (order ahead and pick up)
Best Rides and Attractions for Toddlers and Small Children at Magic Kingdom
Peter Pan’s Flight
Jungle Cruise
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Poo
Small World
Meeting the Disney Princesses at Fairytale Hall
Under the Sea – Journey of the Little Mermaid
Festival of Fantasy Parade
Dumbo the Flying Elephant
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
Meet and Greets with Princesses
Walk through Cinderella’s Castle
Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
Astro Orbiter
Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover
Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor
Best Rides and Attractions for Toddlers and Small Children at Hollywood Studios
Toy Story Mania
Alien Swirling Saucers
Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
Meet Olaf
Lighting McQueen’s Racing Academy
Walking around Star Wars Land
Star Wars the Adventure Continues
Beauty and the Beast Live
For the First Time in Forever (Frozen Sing-a-Long)
Disney Junior Dance Party
Best Rides and Attractions for Toddlers and Small Children at Animal Kingdom
Kilimanjaro Safari
Triceratops Spin
A Celebration of Festival of the Lion King show
Finding Nemo: The Big Blue & Beyond show
Navi River Journey (may be too small)
Wilderness Explorers (self-guideded activity journey)
Boat Ride in Pandora – The World of Avatar
The Boneyard (dig for dino fossils)
Maharahah Jungle Trek and Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail (walking trails but you can bring strollers)
It’s Tough to be a Bug – A Bug’s Life (loud and a little scary so depends on your kids and their ages)
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