WE SURVIVED DISNEY!!! And I am excited to report back that Hudson was as close as a 3-year-old can get to behaving like an absolute dream. I didn’t think it would work out that way – he skipped naps, ate lots of sugar, and was worn out, but I think in his brain it registered that these were magical and special days, and he fully soaked them in and enjoyed them. It was incredible to see! Disney does have a true magic to it – yes, it can be pricey, and yes, you have to have a lot of patience, and do a lot of planning and research beforehand, but I am so so glad that we decided to go before the baby is born, even if I had to pee at every other bathroom and stop to sit here and there. Before I forget everything (because it is A LOT) I wanted to regurgitate everything I learned in the process of planning this trip into one post for all of you to reference, and for us to reference when we decide to head back with baby 2!
Before I jump into it, I just wanted to put this out there first, because it is the number one question I usually receive – what age is a good age to bring your children to Disney World? I’ve seen responses from all of you that are ACROSS THE BOARD – Some of you brought babies! 1 year olds! Some said it is useless before 5! Matt and I both agree that a little bit over 3 is a very great age, especially if you want your kids to be completely amazed by the characters, and to believe that they are real. We saw a 2-year-old squirming to get down and run away in one of the lines we were in, and looked at each other in agreement that we were very glad we waited the extra year. By 3 Hudson understands waiting his turn, he’s more patient, he understands so much more and he can also ride a lot more rides that require 38 inches of height. I personally wouldn’t spend all the money to bring a baby, and I feel 3 is a GREAT age, so when baby 2 turns 3 we’ll probably head back. I also wanted to say that we have never been to Disney Land (on our list!) so I can’t offer much insight on how the two parks compare!
In order to get to Disney World, we road tripped from Miami with my in-laws. We rented a mini van so we could all fit, which was much more convenient for us!
WHERE WE STAYED
We stayed at the Disney Wilderness Resort. We picked it because we loved how it felt like a Lodge, and we wanted to stay at a Disney resort to get the full experience. We also loved the option to take a boat to the Magic Kingdom, which it sits closest to. We booked the hotel and tickets about four months prior to our trip. The rates definitely vary, and we checked back in a bit to try to grab the most affordable price that we could – we ended up getting the room for $360 per night. My mother-in-law went to book about one month later, and it was already $100 more. So I’d suggest booking as far in advance as you can! For the park tickets, we opted for the 1 park per day option, and we committed to spending full days in each park. My parents and in-laws who are Florida residents were able to trade their tickets in because there’s a new promotion for Florida residents, where you get park hopper passes for the same price. So if you’re a Florida resident, definitely double check!
PARKS WE VISITED + RIDES WE USED FAST PASSES ON
Just as an FYI, if you’re staying in a Disney Resort, you can book your fast passes 60 days prior to your trip, and you should mark your calendars! The spots fill up! You can book them in your ‘My Disney Experience’ on Disney’s site. I believe (and don’t hold me to it) that if you’re not in a Disney resort you can book the fast passes 30 days prior to your trip. I’d double check, and pre-book fast passes, because if not you may not get the rides that are the most convenient for your time there!
Day 1: Disney’s Hollywood Studios
We opted to spend 1 day in Hollywood Studios, mostly because Hudson loves Toy Story, and we really wanted to check out the new Toy Story land. After visiting, I’d say we could have only spent 1/2 a day in Hollywood Studios and used more time in Magic Kingdom. It’s very “show heavy” meaning there’s not THAT many rides that work for toddlers, so we spent a lot of the day in shows. Hudson really enjoyed it, but from the adults perspective, we were pretty burnt out on shows by the end of the day. The rides we went on that were all toddler friendly were: Alien Swirling Saucers (Hudson loved this!), Character meet and greet with Olaf, Frozen Sing-Along, Meet Minnie and Mickey, MuppetVision3D and Toy Story Mania. We skipped Star Wars because it wasn’t super toddler friendly. Overall, the park itself doesn’t have that many toddler-friendly rides, as I mentioned above, but the shows and character meet and greets are great with kids. One other thing – we attended a Character Dinner on our first night (I’ll share more on it later in the post) so we felt like character meet and greets at parks were somewhat overkill. Hudson LOVED meeting Olaf, but by the time he met Minnie again it wasn’t as exciting. So definitely be aware of how often your kids are meeting each character!
Fast Passes
Voyage of the Little Mermaid – This show was adorable – we found that the lines were not super long, so may have swapped out this fast pass for something else like the Alien Swirling Saucers.
Toy Story Mania!– This was hands-down our favorite ride of the day, and the lines are super long, so DEFINITELY use a fast pass here!
Frozen Sing-Along – Also very long lines, and would suggest using a fast pass!
Day 2: Magic Kingdom
We spent our 2nd day at Magic Kingdom, and instantly fell in love with how many options for rides there were. I truly love Magic Kingdom, and could have happily spent both days there, or come back for a third day! I love that there’s classic “adult rides” like Space Mountain, but then there’s a lot of rides for toddlers as well! We booked our fast passes for the afternoon, beginning around 1PM and we got the the park at open at 9AM, and found that the lines were not too bad until around noon. We did go on a weekday though, so it may be different on weekends. Here is the lineup of rides we took Hudson on for the day: It’s a Small World, Barnstormer (this was Hudson’s favorite ride and his first rollercoaster – he cried when it ended because he wanted to go again), Dumbo, Enchanted Tiki Room, Pirate of the Caribbean (I would not suggest this for your toddler, we didn’t realize how scary it was), Tea cups, Under the Sea With Ariel, Peter Pan’s Flight and Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin. There’s a handful of other toddler-friendly rides that we didn’t have time for! The options were endless!!
Fast Passes
Pirates of the Caribbean – Like I mentioned, this ride is a bit scary and Hudson didn’t love it!
Peter Pan’s Flight – The lines were like 55 mins + all day for this, so we were glad we used the fast pass. It was not our favorite ride though.
Buzz Lightyears Space Ranger Spin – This was another ride that constantly had longer lines! Hudson also was a little scared of the robots on the ride, but I am glad we went, and it’s a pretty long ride!
WHERE WE ATE
Night 1: Chef Mickey’s Character Dinner at The Contemporary Hotel: We knew we wanted to bring Hudson to a character dinner, and we booked it about 2 months out. Most time slots and dinner reservations were taken by that point, so be diligent about booking Character Meals if it is something you’re into. Honestly, it was VERY expensive. I believe about $60 per person. We had no idea it would be that price beforehand. The meal is a buffet style, and the characters come around and hug your children, and sign autographs. I think I would do it again for a few reasons – for one, Hudson LOVED it so much. It was so adorable seeing his reaction to everyone coming up to him. You get more dedicated one on one time with the characters than in the park. It also saved us time in the parks – the lines for the character meet and greets can be super long in the parks, and because we experienced this dinner on our first night at the resort, we were able to skip meeting characters in the park for the most part. I think it’s a decision to think about!
Disney’s Hollywood Studios: Backlot Express: We ate at this restaurant because it was quick, and had some semi-healthy options. Hudson ate PB&J, apples slices and carrots – we loved how kid friendly all the meals were!
Night 2: Whispering Canyon Cafe at the Wilderness Lodge: We opted to eat at the hotel restaurant for our second night after a full day in the park! The food was great, and the servers were hilarious. We did make reservations in advance!
Magic Kingdom: Pecos Bill: We ate lunch here, and enjoyed the Mexican-inspired food! They had salads and tacos and a ton of healthier options, plus food for the kids.
FINAL TIPS
After living through a few days at Disney, I wanted to share some of our final tips that we discovered! This is just what worked for us!
I think that is everything! If you have any other questions, just let me know in the comments below!
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