We are going to Disney for a couple of days for April vacation, and the rest of the time will be at the beach. DD is 7 and DS is 2. DD will be great and will just be so happy to be there, she won't care about lines or anything. She's at the perfect age. But, DS I'm concerned about. What will he be able to do? I just started looking for ideas today and thought so many of you here have experience!

I've been and I know to bring snacks for them and a change of clothes if they get wet. Is there anything else special I should know when going with children? Thanks.

By Tayjar on Wednesday, April 2, 2008 - 12:24 pm:

My DS was 2 when we went. He was able to do quite a few rides but only at Magic Kingdom. The other parks didn't hold his interest at all. We did rent one of their big strollers so he could stretch out and take a nap. We went in September and the heat made him more tired than usual, plus all of the excitement.

I hope you enjoy your trip.

By Breann on Wednesday, April 2, 2008 - 12:50 pm:

Lots of the rides are toddler friendly. I'll bet he will love it!

By Eve on Wednesday, April 2, 2008 - 01:05 pm:

Oh good! Now, I am wondering if I should even bother with a park hopper pass and just go to Magic Kindom for 2 days. Decision, decisions! Thank you!

By Imamommyx4 on Wednesday, April 2, 2008 - 02:00 pm:

Animal Kingdom has a toddler area, too. We went when dd was 3. We spent alot of time in that area. But she loves animals. We went on the safari and she played in this big dinosaur bone play area. Disney with a small child is much slower paced. But we had a ball. It was so much fun seeing everything thru her eyes.

By Tayjar on Wednesday, April 2, 2008 - 02:01 pm:

For me personally, if it's only 2 days, I'd stick to MK only. More than that and you will be so stressed as will your kids that you won't enjoy it. We spent 2 days at MK and could have easily spent a third day.

By Kaye on Wednesday, April 2, 2008 - 02:19 pm:

I went when my kids were 5,3 and 1. I was amazed at how much there was available to do. By far MK is where we spent the most time. But I loved animal kindgom too. And the shows at both places are great. Epcot had several shows that my kids loved too. I just got back, the oldest is now 14. I loved the first trip better, it was just more magical. I think everyone should take their kids when they are little to see their little faces as all of this is sooo real. We had a good time, but it was much more ride focused. I would do park hoppers, only because I would want the option to switch parks if one was just way too crazy.

By Boxzgrl on Wednesday, April 2, 2008 - 02:30 pm:

We're going to Disney at the end of this month too. Of course, on a different coast! ;) There's A LOT for the kids to do. Mason will have a blast!

By Debbie on Wednesday, April 2, 2008 - 07:24 pm:

Personally, I would get the hopper passes. Like someone mentioned, if the park you go to is REALLY crowded, you can hop to another one. I would get the unofficial guide. There is a section that talks about the rides in each park. I like that book because it has a description of each ride, and will say if it is suitable for preschoolers, toodlers, young children, etc. You can also see a list of all the rides and decide which ones you really want to do.

We took my oldest ds to Disneyland when he was almost 2. He loved it!! He loved the parades, the rides, the characters. We just went at a slow pace, and had a great time.

You will have a blast!

By Dana on Wednesday, April 2, 2008 - 07:28 pm:

I did not read any of the other posts. DS was not yet 2 when we went. HE LOVED IT AND COULDN"T WAIT TO DO IT AGAIN EACH MORNING! We went for 4 days, and he never took a nap, but was fine without them. We went back to the hotel in the afternoon and headed back out after a short rest. The minute he saw me start to put my shoes on, he would jump in the stroller.

My daughter was in 2nd grade and had a great time, but honestly, it was my son that made the trip so fun. We did EVERYTHING at Disney without hopping anywhere. A great choice for us.

HAVE FUN!

By Zoie on Wednesday, April 2, 2008 - 07:59 pm:

I too would recommend only doing Magic Kingdom if you've only got two days. You'll save money on your tickets, and you can always add the parkhopper option if you change your minds once you get there. We took my niece at ages 2, 4, and 5. I honestly think 2 was the very best time!! She still believed all the characters were REAL and that made the whole thing so magical!

If your kids are REALLY into animals, Animal Kingdom is often the next most highly favored for little kids, but other than the Boneyard which takes maybe an hour for her to get her fill, we don't find Animal Kingdom all that great, personally.

We never do just a two day trip, but if we did, we'd do Magic Kingdom only for sure. We always go for a week, and even on this last trip at age 5, with parkhopping options and her choice of parks, we went to Magic Kingdom for at least part of the day 5 days out of 7.

At Magic Kingdom, your 2 year old should be able to ride everything in Adventureland and Fantasyland except I would recommend avoiding Snow White (too scary for toddlers and most preschoolers). He can ride the train, and do everything in Toontown with the possible exception of Barnstormer depending on his height. My niece was tall enough for it at 2 and loved it.

What you should know is get there a few minutes before the park opens and RUN FOR DUMBO. If your daughter wants to see Ariel, then RUN FOR ARIEL. Know exactly where you're headed before the park opens, and do not waste time doing anything before you've taken care of these two things. Even in the most uncrowded times of year which is when we go, those lines fill up FAST and never go down throughout the day. It's also a good idea to be at Toontown right at 10 or a few minutes before for its opening, and head straight into Toontown Fair and do characters there first thing, as they can also get long lines as the day progresses, though nothing compared to Ariel and Dumbo. Do the princess line FIRST, as it lengthens much faster than the Mickey's Friends line.

Have fun!!

By Karen~admin on Thursday, April 3, 2008 - 07:30 am:

I'd get the hopper pass. Animal kingdom is SO wonderful, and kids love animals. Something you can do there for *down* time is take the safari ride. You will see all kinds of animals in a *natural* setting. And I agree that if MK is crowded, you can spend some time at AK.

I'd plan the most important rides for morning - and ditto racing to them. Fastpass is another option.

Keep in mind, my suggestions may be worth ZERO since I've never been with young kids. :-(

By Jackie on Thursday, April 3, 2008 - 08:02 am:

OMG, YES.. so much to do for a 2 yr old.. I LOVE Disney.. I am a big kid at heart. All my kids have been there starting at 2 . Faith went at 10 months, and then last yr at almost 3..SHE LOVED IT!..right before falling asleep, on many nights, she tells me "Mommy, I want to go back to Disney World" I think most young kids love Magic Kingdom the most. I know that is my most favorite park.
Animal Kingdom is good for the animal lover, but there is A LOT of walking there.

By Cybermommyx4 on Friday, April 4, 2008 - 05:18 pm:

The biggest thing to remember is that what WE find most interesting and memorable about Disney is sometimes NOT what the kids are fascinated with.....we went with all four of ours when the youngest two were 3 and 4 1/2...their favorite ride was the parking lot tram, and a favorite attraction was visiting each and every bathroom in all of the parks and working the automatic flush toilets! They also loved the entrance to Epcot where, at night, they have colored flashing spotlights shine on the pavement, and water fountains. For this we paid $???? However, the memories are priceless !