Disney World with a 2.5 year old

[Drea2500]

Hi! I'm looking for advice on how to do Disney with a 2.5 year old. I may be getting ahead of myself here, but the trip I'm planning is about 2 years away (and DS will be 2.5 then). It will be a celebration of me graduating nursing school and it will be DS's first time going as well as my mom's. The cast of characters will be myself, DH, DS, and my mom (and possibly my dad, but he lives in St. Pete so if he comes he will more than likely drive).

1. What is a good resort to stay? I'm looking for either a value or moderate resort. I was thinking of getting a suite at AoA since it would give us room but I have heard good things about POP.

2. Fly or drive? I know flying is faster but more expensive. We live in Oklahoma so a drive would be about 20 hours or so. If we drive we would rent a minivan so we could have space. In either scenario we would rent a stroller down in Orlando (stroller rental company recommendations welcome!). If we drive we would bring some food stuff and if we flew we would get groceries delivered.

3. How to split up our time? When it was DH and I, we did one day in each park and two days in Epcot. One of the Epcot days we would go to Universal and go through the Harry Potter stuff and later went Epcot for last minute shopping, dinner, and fireworks. However I'm sure DS will want to spend more time in MK.

4. How and when to break the news to him? I know when the trip gets closer I want to surprise him. Again I know this is far in advance but I like to plan.

5. Movies? I plan on showing him some Disney movies before we go. Any absolute must sees? DH really wants to show him Star Wars but I think he will be a bit young for that.

Any other advice for traveling with a 2.5 year old? Any advice is welcome!

 

[srwarden1928]

We are going in October including my 2.5 yo great nephew.
1. We are staying at Pop. I love Pop. It is a great place to stay at a reasonable price keeping you in the magic. (emh, free parking, etc)
2. We ALWAYS drive. Of course we don't have as long a drive as you do, but driving gives us more money for Disney.
3. We will have 5 park days. Two at MK, one each at EP, HS, AK. The MK days will be our first and last days. The last day we will also do MNSSHP.
4. My great nephew has been hearing his mom and I planning the trip from the beginning. I never got into the surprise thing. Plus, he got a Disney gift card for his birthday in April. At least he got one from me--he may have gotten another one.
5. I don't know about which movies he has/has not seen. I DO know my niece has been letting him watch Disney Junior specifically to get him familiar with that. As far as Star Wars, I think the first one might be good to give him a little background. ALL of them might be overwhelming.

 

[keepswimming76]

1. AoA and Pop have great atmospheres for little ones.
2. We always drive to WDW. It's a 15 hr drive for us. WDW is exhausting and we don't want to add any more exhaustion to the trip. You have two years so that gives you time to put money away.
3. With a 2.5 year old MK will be where you want to spend most time. DHS has Disney Jr. stuff which the little ones love and of course most kids love the animals at AK. There are also some shows and some rides he would probably like. Plus a playground area.
4. At 2.5 years of age, I would wait until close to the trip to tell him. He may not fully get the concept of time and be constantly asking about the trip.
5. Look at the rides at each park and what you might want to do and see what movies correspond. For MK I suggest Peter Pan, Winnie the Pooh, Dumbo, Mickey cartoons, and some princess movies like the Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast (maybe). For DHS, Disney Jr shows, Toy Story. I think Star Wars might be little much for someone his age. Maybe find some Star Wars books? My HS is huge into Star Wars (as are our kids now), and we found a Star Wars ABC book and Star Wars 123 book that our daughter loved when she was 2.
For AK, definitely the Lion King and Jungle Book. (our 10 year old son's favorites since he was little) Also Finding Nemo.


Have fun planning!

 

[unrequited23]

1. We stayed at POR and loved it. For our family queen size beds vs. full size beds were non-negotiable. We looked into some agency exclusive deals and saved money vs. waiting for a Disney discount.
2. We flew. It would have been an 18 hour drive with a 2.5 yr old and 5 yr old and my DH would have had to use 2 more vacation days (he gets a payout for vacation time instead of carrying it over.) Our round trip direct flight for 4 including 3 checked bags was $809.
3. Rest days were key for us. Two park days, one rest day. No parks on travel days.
4. My kids wouldn't have done good with telling them they day we were going to Disney. I think you will have to see how your little one's personality develops to see what would work best.
5. There are animated lego versions of the star wars movies that were more accessible for younger kids. Since it wasn't live action, it wasn't as scary. Also there are star wars books at the library for beginning readers that offer a simplified synopsis of the movies.

 

[Heidi K]

We've taken two of our kids at that age and it was just magical. I strongly recommend taking a nap every day and sticking as close to his normal sleep schedule as possible.

1. We stay at values and really liked the All Star Music family suite when we had a napping two-year-old. It was great having a separate bedroom. More expensive than a single room, of course.

2. Our drive would be longer than yours and so far we haven't done it. We've only flown.

3. I'm not sure how many park days you have, but definitely spend the most time at MK. For that age, our next favorite park was Epcot, then AK, then DHS.

4. You can't really surprise a two-year-old because they have no concept of WDW. When we got to the Buffalo airport on our first trip with kids, our son thought we were there! But you can talk about the trip in the weeks leading up and share your excitement.

5. We watched these live action singalong movies that were filmed at WDW and they really prepared our kids to meet characters. Wish I could remember what they were called. I would also have him watch some Disney Junior shows. A lot of the full length movies are pretty intense for that age.

Have a great time planning!

 

[Drea2500]

Thanks for all of the advice! I'm leaning now toward either AoA or all star music suite. That way we have a bit more room. And as far as Star Wars goes, I saw a 5 minute Star Wars Stories book at Walmart and grabbed it. May start him on that.


Also, I tried to get a general idea of how much a suite would cost at AoA for the time of year I'm going but it said party size exceeds how many could be in the room (me, DH, DS, and my mom). I thought that the number I put in would have been ok. It will price it if I put 2 adults and 1 child down.

 

[Mousemommy1]

We leave in 16 days, and our youngest is 2.5 (though this will be his 4th trip).

1. We are staying at the Poly, it's wonderful to have monorail access w/a little one and stroller (we have previously stayed at the CR, GF and AOA with him as well)

2. We fly - because there is no way we are doing a 24 hour drive with our 3 kids.

3. We will have 7 days in the parks, and we park hop, so it's all pretty equally spread out.

4. We talk about Disney all the time and things that we are going to do there. DS always says he is going to "have breakfast with Mickey" but has no concept of time, so you know....when it happens, it happens.

5. Movies, DS has seen Cars, Finding Nemo, and all of the Star Wars movies. He watches Disney Junior so is familiar with all of those characters.

 

[33Legend]

I am going with a 2.5 year old (along with 11 other family members). He loves SW and knows all the characters although he has only seen select parts of the movies. He knows about the trip and talks about it all the time. I am also showing him YouTube videos of the rides so he can prepare. It's always a bit of of guessing game with little ones and they are all different.

Planning long breaks each pm for nap. Staying at Pop. Happy planning!

 

[MJB87]

I am going with a 2 year old also and we will have him sleep in the stroller.

 

[StraightToDumbo]

5. We watched these live action singalong movies that were filmed at WDW and they really prepared our kids to meet characters.

We watch the 90's one at WDW. Cheesy but good preparation.

 

[margot31]

We didn't let our son know we were going. We arrived at like midnight (drove and that is a whole different story as to why we arrived at midnight with it only being a 3 hour drive) but it wasn't till we got to the park. We just let him take everything in. Prior to that we did ask him if he would ever want to meet mickey. Since he LOVES watching mickey mouse.

We took our double stroller since we also had a 6 month too. We would let our son walk around a bit to help with getting the energy off. Epcot was actually a great one (at least the time we went) since we have to walk from country to country.

We never went into the parks at night. We had to give that all up. Knowing our son that if he didn't get a good night sleep he would be a wreak the next day. So we were back in our resort room by 7 and putting him to bed around that time too.

 

[StephanieCL]

We went last year with my 2.5 year old and it was awesome!!

1. We stayed at POR which is a MOD but I heard that the themeing of the value resorts adds to the fun for littles.

2. We never drive so I am no help here. I do recommend Kingdom Strollers and using Prime Now (if you have Amazon Prime) for grocery delivery. No fee and regular prices on groceries (many of the other grocery delivery services are marked up)

3. Definitely will need more time in MK. I would recommend 2 days for MK. Epcot was actually the least favorite for my DD last year, there just isnt as much for a little to do here as the other 3 parks - it may be great for older children as they can learn more at the different countries. As a disclaimer - we went during food & wine and it was packed.

4. Maybe like a present? A Mickey stuffed animal? I'm no help. I tell my daughter right away lol

5. I would coordinate movies with any character meals you have! We loved character meals for my toddler and would recommend them. Definitely the best bang for your buck on the dining plan as well. She got to meet all the characters without waiting in line. We did Akershus Breakfast (Snow White, Belle, Aurora, Cinderella), Crystal Palace Breakfast (Pooh & Gang), 1900 Park Fare Bfast (Alice, Mary Poppins, and White Rabbit), Ohana Breakfast (Lilo & Stitch!), and Tusker House (Mickey, Daisy, Donald). My daughter LOVED Chip & Dale even though I'm not sure she recognized them. Same for Pooh & Gang, she loved even though we never watch Pooh.

Planning is the best advice. My husband and MIL thought I was crazy for all the planning I did but when we there they both were super impressed when we were able to walk right on rides and into our dining reservations.

 

[monorailsilver]

1. What is a good resort to stay? I'm looking for either a value or moderate resort. I was thinking of getting a suite at AoA since it would give us room but I have heard good things about POP.

Not sure, I have only stayed at one value and one mod and I didn't like either. Not because of any specific reason, well a few but it all boiled down to me being spoiled growing up. But I have read lots on here how people like the values suites.

2. Fly or drive? I know flying is faster but more expensive. We live in Oklahoma so a drive would be about 20 hours or so. If we drive we would rent a minivan so we could have space. In either scenario we would rent a stroller down in Orlando (stroller rental company recommendations welcome!). If we drive we would bring some food stuff and if we flew we would get groceries delivered.

I vote for flying if it is economically feasible. Granted renting a car can be the price of all your RT tickets and would you stay overnight somewhere? So add that plus the gas, plus the exhaustion once you get there. We drove to FL (ft Myers) in 2010 from CT. It was a long drive! We were tired and thankful we just had a beach vacation a head of us. But we had to drive back. Our youngest of 3 was 5 at the time. We said we'd never drive again and we haven't. Although I would if we could spend a week driving to and from and then 2 weeks in Disney but I don't have the time or money for that!

Also, if you fly, you may want to bring your stroller, one less thing to hold onto, the child's hand, and he can sit vs you carrying him when he gets tired.

3. How to split up our time? When it was DH and I, we did one day in each park and two days in Epcot. One of the Epcot days we would go to Universal and go through the Harry Potter stuff and later went Epcot for last minute shopping, dinner, and fireworks. However I'm sure DS will want to spend more time in MK.

Not sure how long you are planning on going for or what time of year, just plan at least one non park day. We are going in August 2018, currently the 1st-12th and I have it so we have 5 park days, actually I hunk I am doing 6 park days, one water park day and the rest are pool days. But as far as parks, we go to them all. Our main parks are MK and Epcot so we spend the most time there.

4. How and when to break the news to him? I know when the trip gets closer I want to surprise him. Again I know this is far in advance but I like to plan.

Not sure if a 2 yo will get the impact as much as a 3-4 yo. Not saying it's impossible. Unless you start showing him continuous WDW stuff and him wanting to go. I have never surprised my kids, we just plan and go.

5. Movies? I plan on showing him some Disney movies before we go. Any absolute must sees? DH really wants to show him Star Wars but I think he will be a bit young for that.

Not really sure if there are any must sees. At around age 2, my oldest lived Mary Poppins and Cinderella. It was my nap time! I was pregnant with my 2nd and I started to take away her naps then (if she napped she'd be up until 10pm) so she watched movies while I slept with her next to me on the couch. Pure bliss.... maybe some Disney channel shows just to get him to know the characters and not movie specific. FYI, my favs are Swiss family Robinson, 20,000 leagues under the sea, herbie movies, flubber, shaggy dog/da, apple dumpling gang (not sure if that's Disney), petes dragon (original). I think a movie would be too specific at this point. I mean how many Peter Pan (etc..) things are there in the park? I would try to stick with the classic characters/cartoons with Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, goofy, you know the gang.

Any other advice for traveling with a 2.5 year old? Any advice is welcome!

Laundry, bring detergent, pack less and wash daily. Yes it's vacation but it's just easier (i.e. Less baggage to carry). Table toppers, if they still make them and the toilet set covers if he is PT at that time. Lysol wipes and a bag of wet wipes (yes I would Lysol wipe the High chair and the table before putting down the table topper). Take breaks, let him 'smell the roses'.

 

[Carlymouse]

Love this post because we are taking our first Disney trip with my daughter, who will be 2 going on 3 during the trip, and I am all about figuring out how to make it best for her age.

1. Our in-laws have a time share off-site, so we're doing that, but AoA sounds great based on the research I've done for future trips. Disney podcast are a great resource. After Dis Unplugged, Beyond the Kingdoms on YouTube is a great resource. There is also a couple with a podcast Addicted to the Mouse and videos on YouTube under WorthMelting4

2. We are a 24 hour drive and doing it over a winter break, so we're flying, but we've done drives out east and if you have the time and it's a substantial savings, it could be worth it.

3. We are doing 6 days total. 2-3 days in MK, 1 in HS, 1 in AK, and the final day we may decide based on daughter's interests after the first several days. I am scheduling our final character meal at Tusker House in AK.

4. Our daughter at 2.5 now doesn't have a real concept of time far in the future. Our trip is right after Christmas, so we're going to have a Christmas present that when she opens it will be an invitation from Mickey and Minnie to come to their Magic Kingdom for a visit. Any time we watch Disney movies and the castle screen comes up we tell her that that is where all the characters live (be it the fab five, Moana, Toy Story, etc.). We've taught her that it is called Disney World and that is where they all live. That's the extent of how we're prepping her so that when we say we're going, she'll know it's a place where she can visit all the beloved characters.

5. She has only seen segments of the real Star Wars movies, but we've done lots of Star Wars counting books or golden books that are available, so she's knows all the characters. She loves the new 5-minute Forces of Destiny cartoons that are available on YouTube, especially Ghosts of Echo Bay, a BB8 one and the one with Ewoks. She really likes Toy Story, Aladdin, Alice in Wonderland, the excerpt of Snow White with forest creatures, and Moana. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse is also well-loved. We've tried others, but the listed ones have stuck the most and certainly give her a pretty deep character knowledge. She does also like Sofia the First, so I think we'll do the Disney Junior show in HS along with some Star Wars meet n greets.

 

[ofcabbagesandkings]

1. I would stay at POP, the rooms are newly renovated and should still be in good shape for your trip. You might even luck out and get free QS dining for your dates.

2. I would fly. When our DS was that age, we flew and it made for an easy short trip. My youngest hates his car seat and I would never attempt a 20 hour drive with him. 6 hours has been hard.

3. How to split up our time? When my oldest DS was 2 turning 3, we did MK and AK. At AK, he loved the animals, lunch at Tusker House, and seeing the Finding Nemo show.
But by the time your trip happens Toy Story Land should be open at HS, and Epcot will have the Remy ride too.

4. How and when to break the news to him? We waited until a month out.

5. Movies? I plan on showing him some Disney movies before we go. Any absolute must sees? My DS had seen Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Winnie the Poo, Finding Nemo, and Dumbo at that age. Enough to give him context for characters and rides.

Any other advice for traveling with a 2.5 year old? Rent a good stroller from Kingdom Strollers. Pack snacks and a change of clothes each day. Hydrate! Splurge on Memory Maker. We will forever have a video of DS riding his first rollercoaster. Sunblock! Clip on stroller fans. Have fun!

 

[StephJaxmom]

We've taken two of our kids at that age and it was just magical. I strongly recommend taking a nap every day and sticking as close to his normal sleep schedule as possible.

1. We stay at values and really liked the All Star Music family suite when we had a napping two-year-old. It was great having a separate bedroom. More expensive than a single room, of course.

2. Our drive would be longer than yours and so far we haven't done it. We've only flown.

3. I'm not sure how many park days you have, but definitely spend the most time at MK. For that age, our next favorite park was Epcot, then AK, then DHS.

4. You can't really surprise a two-year-old because they have no concept of WDW. When we got to the Buffalo airport on our first trip with kids, our son thought we were there! But you can talk about the trip in the weeks leading up and share your excitement.

5. We watched these live action singalong movies that were filmed at WDW and they really prepared our kids to meet characters. Wish I could remember what they were called. I would also have him watch some Disney Junior shows. A lot of the full length movies are pretty intense for that age.

Have a great time planning!

Would love to know the names of the live sing a longs if you can think of them. I hadn't cartoon ones as a kid and loved them.