Starting Them Young
Seeing my youngest interact with
Mickey Mouse for the first time brought tears to my eyes. It didn’t matter that
in the future my son would not remember that precious moment, but to me, seeing
his face light up and hearing his infectious giggle was timeless and a memory I
will never forget. One is never too young to begin visiting Walt Disney World!
Why we ventured there while in my second trimester with my second child because
we had a five year old who just had to meet Cinderella and Prince Charming. So
off we went and here is what I discovered on our early treks out to the
Happiest Place on Earth.
Bringing an infant or toddler to
Walt Disney World is not intimidating in the least. Walt Disney World is perhaps the easiest place
to take small children because everything revolves around making people
comfortable and happy. I always found it very helpful pre-planning by reading
all I could and would look forward to receiving my Planning a Trip to Walt
Disney World video, which would detail important features and information about
the resort.
Be prepared to take everything
in stride and follow your intuition. It is very important not to push yourself
into seeing everything, no one can in one visit. We’ve visited eighteen times
and still have not experienced all there is to do at Walt Disney World. Each
vacation is different as family members become older and occasions for
celebrating are different.
I personally, planned my own
trips through Central Reservations because I simply loved the organizing and
appreciated the level of control I had over my reservation, right down to
special resort room requests in order to best meet the needs of my family.
Whatever you decide to do, always be specific about what would make your family
comfortable during your vacation.
Travelling on the airplane was a
little scary, but I tried to book times where I was certain my youngest would
sleep. I would bring our car seat and a couple of familiar objects giving him
greater comfort on the airplane, not to mention security. I would time bottle
feeding so that tummies were full and eyes would become sleepy upon our
departure and it worked like a charm.
We always found it very
convenient to use a light umbrella stroller when we de-planed and our little
one was comfortable too. Once at our Disney resort the stroller was very handy
navigating our resort and we would take it with us to the theme parks. Once at
the theme parks we would rent a double stroller for both children and the
collapsible umbrella stroller would be placed on top. I still brought the
umbrella stroller to the parks because it was handy at the end of a stimulating
and exciting day, especially with a weary little one. It made waiting for
resort buses or the Monorail very bearable.
Every theme park has a Baby Care
Center which we used extensively for diapering, resting, some down time and even
feeding. The Cast Member was very helpful and friendly and the Baby Care
Centers have those emergency items for sale such as diapers, instant formula,
cereals, and standard over the counter medications. There is even a simple
kitchen where you can heat up a bottle, or a meal and feed your wee one in the
large room which houses high chairs, toddler tables and Disney cartoons and
movies on a television set. They even have nursing rooms, huge change tables
and toddler washrooms...it's paradise. The Baby Care Centers were spotless and
always well stocked. We would always make a last trip here before we left at
night and I would clean the kids up, get them in their pyjamas, give them a
bedtime snack or bottle of milk, where we'd pop the youngest in the umbrella
stroller, return the rental stroller, get on the bus or Monorail and whisk them
off to bed.
Selecting a resort would depend
on our itinerary. I would pre-plan which theme park we'd be visiting the most
and I would book the resort closest to that theme park. When they were young we
visited Magic Kingdom often during the vacation because of Fantasyland and
Toontown, thus our stays always found us at a Monorail resort such as the Grand
Floridian, Contemporary or Polynesian. This way, once we returned the rental
stroller, we had our umbrella stroller and our little one rode the Monorail in
comfort, through the resort and straight into our room. It was easy. It
certainly helped walking into our resort room and finding the beds turned down.
Children under the age of three
have free admission to the parks and once there, you can still ride those dare
devil attractions by utilizing the Rider Swap. Simply inform the Cast Member
that you want to do this and one parent gets to ride while the other waits with
the child, and you swap the child without waiting in line twice when the first
parent is done. Also, there is the Fastpass system which is a free service
where you receive a return time for selected attractions, this way you can come
back during your time frame after you've experienced other rides.
Which attractions to visit with
young children? Always check Disney's theme park maps where they list height
restrictions, safety considerations and scare factors, this information will
always be of great benefit and you can even do this from home through Disney's
website. Here, you can plan which attractions you're going to visit and even
print out a theme park map listing your favorites.
Check the park times guide for
character meet and greets and locations and have your autograph book and camera
handy. Disney's Photopass system is amazing, easy to use and affordable and the
Cast Members do take very special, memorable pictures with extra little
flourishes, although they'll also be happy to take a picture of you with your
own camera.
Some of my favorite attractions
with youngsters in tow? I'll list them by theme park.
Magic
Kingdom
-it's a small world,
-Peter Pan's Flight,
-Dumbo,
-The Many Adventures of Winnie
the Pooh,
-Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger
Spin
Disney
Hollywood Studios
-Toy Story Mania,
-Disney Junior Live On Stage,
-Voyage of the Little Mermaid,
-Beauty and the Beast, Live on
Stage (check for showtimes)
EPCOT
-Living with the Land,
-Turtle Talk with Crush,
-Innoventions,
-The Seas with Nemo and Friends,
-Kidcot Activity areas in each
pavillion in the World Showcase
Animal
Kingdom
-Kilimanjaro Safari Expedition,
-Finding Nemo-The Musical,
-The Boneyard,
-Fossil Fun Games,
-Mickey's Jungle Jammin' Parade,
-Affection Station
We always visited the theme
parks early in the day and returned to our resort mid-day to rest and swim and
if moods allowed, we would return in the early evening. I'd always pack a
couple of changes of clothes, large zip lock bags to store wet or soiled
clothes, familiar portable snacks and one small item from home such as a
stuffed friend or blankie. I would always rent a locker so that I wouldn't
weigh the stroller down, which can cause them to tip over. But I have to say,
they are the BEST strollers for those quick, sharp turns and my kids always
wanted to ride in them. I would consider buying a length of stay rental and
keep the receipt, because you save some money overall and if you have unused
days they'll refund your money. Covering the stroller with a rain poncho while
you’re in an attraction will prevent it from getting wet during those surprise
rain showers.
Dining at Disney restaurants is
stress-free because they offer child friendly and popular food items and a lot
of restaurants have Character Meals which keep children entertained. The wait staff
at Disney is the best and they really know and understand kids and time
constraints for distractible little people. You can dine as quickly or as
leisurely as you want and the magic always happens. You really miss that kind
of service when you go back home believe me! Please opt into some kind of
Disney Dining Plan and please, please make your Advanced Dining Reservations
180 days out either by calling 407-WDW-DINE or on-line through the Disney
website. If you’re celebrating anything special this is when you let the agent
know. Disney Florist can help with ordering special items which can be waiting
for you back at your resort.
Many memories can be made with
little people and the amazement and look of surprise when seeing characters is
a real treasure. A photograph and/or video would capture that moment where we
could share that moment with them in the future.
I highly recommend keeping
touring plans simple, not trying to see everything but enjoying what you do at
your pace. We’ve visited eighteen times and there are still things we haven’t
experienced yet. Pre-planning is essential for navigating the parks so that you
can make the most of your visit and once you visit you'll be sure to return for
more.
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