{"id":43703,"date":"2016-02-03T12:00:14","date_gmt":"2016-02-03T17:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/?p=43703"},"modified":"2022-05-04T22:38:52","modified_gmt":"2022-05-05T02:38:52","slug":"top-5-tips-traveling-walt-disney-world-toddler","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/top-5-tips-traveling-walt-disney-world-toddler\/","title":{"rendered":"Top 5 Tips for Traveling to Walt Disney World with a Toddler"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"toddler<\/a><\/p>\n

Your friends and family say you\u2019re crazy and are desperately trying to explain that \u201cthey won\u2019t remember any of it\u201d but you\u2019ve decided to take the plunge…and take your toddler to Disney World!<\/span><\/p>\n

Taking a toddler to Disney World is much like taking them anywhere else – the only predictable thing about their behavior is its unpredictability! \u00a0That being said, it can be a truly magical experience to enjoy the Parks through the eyes of your toddler. \u00a0And so, here are my top 5 tips for traveling to Disney World with a toddler (and enjoying yourself!)<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. \u00a0Schedule your trip for the off season. <\/b>There are many benefits of going off season and your little one isn\u2019t in school yet so it\u2019s the perfect time to see Walt Disney World the way it\u2019s supposed to be seen. \u00a0The fall is especially great as the parks close a little earlier in the evening but that won\u2019t bother you because you and your toddler will already be fast asleep long before that happens (see tip #3)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    \"Offseason<\/a><\/p>\n

    Only in the off season do you get crowds like this! \u00a0Ok…it was a pre-rope-drop dining reservation, but you get my point!<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Make a plan but be prepared to improvise.<\/b> \u00a0I\u2019ll never forget our first trip to Disney’s Hollywood Studios with our two year old daughter. \u00a0It was planned perfectly; we were there before rope drop with the ideal route mapped out between the front gate and Toy Story Midway Mania – we were all but guaranteed to beat the rush. \u00a0Only our daughter decided that this was an ideal time to throw a tantrum. \u00a0It\u2019s impossible to know what the tantrum was about, nevertheless there it was, in all its glory! \u00a0I quickly saw all our day’s plans going down the tubes. \u00a0Without too much hesitation, we decided to turn around, head away from the crowds and just take a walk to calm ourselves down. \u00a0We ended up walking the path to the Boardwalk (a first for us) and 15 minutes later our daughter was asleep in the stroller and we were enjoying a nice pastry and coffee from that wonderful little bakery. \u00a0We may have missed Toy Story Mania that morning but we still talk about what a wonderful side-adventure we had on the boardwalk that day. <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      \"Improv<\/a><\/p>\n

      We were supposed to be using our FastPass at the Haunted Mansion but instead lucked into a photo-op with all three Princesses together!<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

        \n
      1. <\/b> Make sleep your friend.<\/b> \u00a0Some toddlers love to sleep in their strollers while others refuse. \u00a0If you are fortunate enough to have a little one that does take advantage of stroller-napping, simply find a quieter area of the park to walk them around a bit, once you see \u201cthat look\u201d in their eye. \u00a0The aforementioned boardwalk path is great. \u00a0The path between Tomorrowland and Fantasy Land is another good one. And, the Tree of Life paths all make great go-to choices for lulling your little one to sleep. \u00a0Days can be long so getting a good night sleep is also important and you\u2019ll want to do your best to stick to your toddler’s regular schedule. \u00a0If they are typically an early riser then look at planning your day around rope drops. \u00a0If they are better at staying out late, then perhaps you will want to stay out later and enjoy some of the evening entertainment.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        \"Toddler<\/a><\/p>\n

        After a long day at the park you can expect your toddler to fall asleep pretty much anywhere!<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

          \n
        1. <\/b> Invest in Disney\u2019s \u201cMemory Maker<\/a>\u201d<\/b> \u00a0(if you can). \u00a0Especially if your toddler enjoys interacting with the characters. \u00a0We\u2019re a frugal family so this is always a tough one for us. But all I have to do to justify the cost is look at some of the memories that these photographers captured for us on previous trips. \u00a0It\u2019s also a wonderful way to ensure that <\/span>all <\/span><\/i>the family members get included \u2026 at least in more photos than the few taken by random strangers using your smartphone!<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          \"Memory<\/a><\/p>\n

          Thank goodness this Memory Maker photographer was there to grab this moment – look at Aurora\u2019s perfect smile!<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

            \n
          1. <\/b> Promise yourself that you\u2019ll go back at least once.<\/b> \u00a0Unless you\u2019re planning on taking a 4-week trip, there is a very small chance you\u2019ll be able to see and do <\/span>everything <\/span><\/i>that the parks have to offer. \u00a0Telling yourself that you will come back (however long that may be) will help relieve some of the stress or fear of missing out, and instead, allow you and your family to enjoy the moments that are being made right in front of you.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

            Which brings me to the bonus tip for those who are still reading –<\/span> Relax, and try to enjoy every moment.<\/b> \u00a0Toddlers are unpredictable and it’s impossible to know what attractions they will or won\u2019t like. \u00a0At Epcot our daughter decided that the fountains outside of the Magic Eye Theater at the Imagination Pavilion were the greatest thing she\u2019d ever seen. \u00a0So we sat and enjoyed watching her play for the better part of an hour, which gave the rest of us the freedom to sit back, put our feet up, and chill out. And isn\u2019t that what vacationing is about? \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

            \"Focused<\/a><\/p>\n

            This day she decided her sleeves were the most fascinating thing around!<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

            Taking a toddler to Disney World is both exhausting and exhilarating. \u00a0Experiencing the magic of Disney through their eyes is something you will never forget and will cherish forever.<\/span><\/p>\n

            \"Eating<\/a><\/p>\n

            Only a toddler can get away with trying to eat Mickey\u2019s nose!<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

            Have you traveled with a toddler to Disney World? \u00a0Let me here some of your tips so I can use them on our next trip down!<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

            Your friends and family say you\u2019re crazy and are desperately trying to explain that \u201cthey won\u2019t remember any of it\u201d but you\u2019ve decided to take the plunge…and take your toddler to Disney World! Taking a toddler to Disney World is much like taking them anywhere else – the only predictable thing about their behavior is…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":113,"featured_media":43717,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wprm-recipe-roundup-name":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-description":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1695,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-43703","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-theme-parks","category-walt-disney-world"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43703","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/113"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43703"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43703\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":85529,"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43703\/revisions\/85529"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/43717"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43703"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43703"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43703"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}