How to do Disney World with a Baby, the Ultimate Guide by a former Cast Member

When Jeremy picked Disney World for his thirty fifth birthday journey, I used to be nervous. I imply, we’ve completed Disney World loads of instances – and I used to be there just about each single day once I was a Solid Member. However we’d by no means, EVER completed Disney World with a child. And this journey, we’d be bringing alongside Child A for child’s first Disney journey!

Would she hate it? Would we hate it?! I had no concept, however I feared the worst. We each braced ourselves for a cranky, overstimulated child that we’d be spending 5 days straight entertaining within the parks whereas switching off using our favourite Disney rides.

However to my absolute shock, Child A LOVED Disney World. She liked rides. She liked reveals. She liked characters. She was actually into birds swiftly, and for some purpose, lamps? She liked Solid Members, she liked dancing to music as we walked by means of the parks. She LOVED Disney World! And we liked attending to see it by means of her eyes. Disney with a child is so price it, y’all!

On this (large) information, we’re sharing suggestions and tips for visiting Disney with infants, together with the perfect (and worst) parks and points of interest for infants, the place to remain, and some necessities to pack. Let’s dive in!

Psst: Searching for extra suggestions that can assist you plan your Disney journey? Take a look at a few of our different Disney World posts:

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We even have a Podcast episode all about Disney! A futuristic utopia that’s undoubtedly not a cult. A suicide-themed journey. Lia’s school internship. What do all of them have in frequent? Disney World, in fact! On this episode, Lia spills all of the Mad Tea on essentially the most magical place on Earth, plus insider suggestions from her time as a Solid Member. We additionally clarify our tried & examined Disney Technique (aka STRAT), as a result of ready in lengthy traces for rides is a few Bippity-Boppity-BS.

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Suggestions for Visiting Disney World with a Child

Earlier than I dive in, a small disclaimer: all infants are completely different, and child wants differ wildly by age. Should you learn one thing that doesn’t apply. to you – like in case your child isn’t on solids but, as a result of we spend a lot time fascinated about feeding Child A as of late – be happy to skip it. You already know your child finest!

That stated: whereas Child A was 10 months previous throughout our journey, I’ve additionally completed my finest to include suggestions from our travels with Child A when she was youthful (we began touring along with her round 3 months) within the hopes to make this a extremely useful information even for youthful infants. And actually, y’all – the youthful they’re, the simpler they’re to journey with!

Another factor: I think about us fortunate that in our journey Child A was not but terribly cellular – she’s crawling and standing, however will not be but strolling or crawling lengthy distances. So I didn’t have to fret about chasing after her. In case your child is on that mobility life, you’ll need to take into consideration some baby-wrangling methods (no disgrace in a cute leashed backpack)!

Oh, and eventually – can I simply apologize for the standard of pictures on this put up? Usually I exploit a DSLR digital camera once I’m taking footage for a weblog put up, however all I used to be in a position to handle this journey was to make use of my telephone! Nonetheless adjusting to this complete working/mother factor, y’all. Thanks for not judging me!

OK – onto the ideas for visiting Disney World with an toddler:

• Take heed to Disney music earlier than your journey, particularly songs which are on rides (assume “It’s a Small World” or the Tiki Room). I feel this actually helped Child A get excited on the parks, as a result of she was listening to plenty of acquainted songs! There’s a nice Disney Parks playlist on Spotify that we performed for a few weeks earlier than the journey.
• Splurge on Genie +. Genie+ is a paid service that means that you can e book “Lightning Lane” passes to undergo a shorter line (mainly a paid model of FastPass, in the event you’re aware of its former incarnation). It’s price it with a child, particularly because you received’t want to really purchase one to your infant since they don’t want a park ticket. The longest we waited for a journey throughout our 4-day journey was half-hour for It’s a Small World, and that felt like an eternity – more often than not we just about walked on or solely waited a few minutes. Occupying a child in line sucks. Get the cross.
• Convey a travel high chair for meals. This foldable excessive chair was a HUGE assistance on our journey. We used it in our resort room for all of our meals, and if we’d had area for it in our stroller, we’d have introduced it into the parks too. Whereas all Disney eating places have excessive chairs, they’re not child sized. Child A is extraordinarily tall, and he or she discovered herself chin-heat at most. of the tables within the parks. Unsure if the tables are weirdly excessive or the excessive chairs are weirdly low, nevertheless it made meals within the parks troublesome. This portable high chair that straps on high of a chair at eating places or can sit on the bottom wherever for snacks is the proper answer.
• Babysitting is offered at Walt Disney World through a service known as Kids Nite Out. They will watch your baby whilst you take pleasure in your individual interior baby on the parks! Children Nite Out also can offer you a sitter to accompany you within the parks in the event you want an additional set of palms. Overview: https://touringplans.com/blog/kids-nite-out-your-familys-next-vacation-win/
• You may go to Disney World and not using a automotive seat in the event you keep in a Disney Resort resort. Should you fly with a lap toddler, you possibly can  take a shuttle bus  from the airport, and keep on with Disney’s free transportation between the parks and resorts together with buses, the Skyliner, and boats. In a pinch, you may as well take Minni Vans, which come outfitted with Graco 4Ever automotive seats. That stated, we have been actually glad that we had a automotive as a result of it made attending to and from parks fairly fast (aside from Magic Kingdom, which is a schlep and a half it doesn’t matter what).

• Use the infant care facilities in every park for nursing, altering, snacks, cool-down time, microwave, and to purchase any emergency child provides you will have left at residence! They’re often subsequent to the primary assist facilities too that are additionally essential to find out about.
• Use Rider Swap. One guardian rides whereas the opposite one hangs out with the infant. Simply ask a solid member on the entrance of any journey to assist get you arrange.
• Use single rider, too! Only 4 rides formally have a single-rider lane, however plenty of rides will search for single rider to replenish uneven gaps, which implies you’ll get to journey sooner. Preserve an ear out for a solid member on the lookout for a solo rider close to the entrance of most thrill rides. We bought to journey plenty of stuff with out standing in lengthy traces this manner.
• Minnie Vans come outfitted with rear-facing Graco 4Ever seats. Should you don’t have a automotive throughout your journey, this service is implausible! Mainly, Minnie Vans are Disney-owned SUVs (themed to Minnie) pushed by Disney Solid Members, you can order by means of the Lyft app. They arrive with TWO automotive seats! They’re implausible for getting round Disney property, although they aren’t very low-cost. To make use of them, open up the Lyft app, and select Minnie Van because the journey sort. Simple.
• Swap who does bedtime so one guardian will get to roam across the park solo whereas the opposite one chills within the room with child. We switched off and every had 2 nights free out within the parks!
• Convey hand sanitizer and sanitizing wipes and do your finest. We used sanitizing wipes on each lap bar and wherever child would put their palms on a journey, realizing that lots of of children had just lately put their palms there, too. Mixed with us carrying KN95s masks, none of us bought sick throughout our journey. However simply in case, convey toddler Tylenol/Motrin with you so you will have it available.
• Convey your individual stroller. Those they hire on the parks aren’t good for infants. We suggest one which folds down simply, like this one, since you’ll must fold it up on Disney transport. That stated, you possibly can’t take your strollers inside in every single place, and stroller parking isn’t at all times proper outdoors of the doorway – like, in the event you’re going to The Land pavilion in Epcot, your stroller should keep at Nemo and Buddies. Carriers are useful in these conditions, and so is the Tushbaby.

• Should you make an Advance Dining Reservation at a Disney sit-down restaurant, cancellations need to be made 24 hours prematurely. In any other case, you will be charged a cancellation fee of $10 per person (3 and up). Except you go to the restaurant in individual on the identical day and beg your case, through which case they waive the price. Nonetheless, that coverage is …not superb for infants. But additionally, Disney meals is definitely worth the threat! So drop these expectations by means of the ground and do your finest to only drift.
• Meltdowns at Disney are inevitable, and I’m not speaking about your child. Keep in mind that most marital disputes at Disney could be solved by some mixture of snacks, A/C, sitting quietly for some time, and/or a Mickey Bar.
• Convey Snacks! In case your toddler is round 8 months or older, you’ll want snacks for them in between meals. If not, you’ll want snacks for your self – parenting whereas hangry is rarely a good suggestion! Listed here are our favourite baby-friendly snacks for Disney:
  • Pouches! We love the natural fruit and veggie pouches from Costco. They’re hydrating, pretty nutritious, and assist infants observe positive motor expertise like sucking by means of a straw and squeezing!
  • Freeze dried fruit: soften in your mouth fruit! What’s to not love? Er, aside from the worth. It’s costly!
  • Yogurt melts: Child A loves them, however they’re exhausting to search out with out added sugar, they make child’s palms very sticky, they usually appear to make her spit up. And it’s at all times vibrant pink and has that bitter yogurt scent. They usually stain. Not our favourite snack however works in a pinch.
  • Cheerios. Traditional. Simple. All the time successful. Not a choking hazard. 10/10. We’ve discovered to at all times have a ziploc baggie of cheerios on us always!
  • Bombas or Gerbers puffs. We discovered some natural Gerber puffs which have a sprinkling of veggie powder in them and that made us really feel good although I’m positive they provide little or no precise diet. However they’re enjoyable to eat and assist infants observe their pincer grip!
• Don’t go away snacks out in your stroller, particularly at Animal Kingdom. We noticed just a few uninvited critters making the rounds at stroller parking in Animal Kingdom, and no person desires squirrels and their germs on their strollers! Clear up stray Cheerios and tuck snacks away in a bag to verify your stroller isn’t a goal.

Disney World with Infants: Which Parks Are Finest?

One factor I want we knew earlier than our journey is which Disney World parks are finest to go to with an toddler. Because it seems, not each park is equal on the subject of visiting Disney with an toddler. Some parks skew extra towards adults, some extra towards older youngsters. Some parks are sorely missing in shade and air-conditioned indoor areas to take naps or cool off.

To my shock, there was a transparent winner as the perfect Disney World park with an toddler: Epcot! Epcot has the perfect stability of baby-friendly points of interest

Hollywood Studios with a Child

Hollywood Studios does one factor higher than the opposite parks: dwell reveals. Child A LOVED the Magnificence  and the Beast dwell efficiency. And that was … about it. The remainder of the park simply isn’t actually designed for infants. That stated, it is perhaps price a day go to only for the few points of interest it does supply – or so that you and your accomplice can do rider change and journey all of the actually great things.

Finest points of interest and rides for infants at Hollywood Studios:

• Magnificence and the Beast Dwell on Stage: Child A misplaced her rattling MIND singing and clapping alongside at this present. The dancing and songs originally are enjoyable and upbeat and actually well-done, visually – assume 1930’s period showcase dance numbers. However she kinda misplaced curiosity when issues bought unhappy and gradual (“story as previous as time” will not be a child bop, it seems). Fortunately we sat on the finish of the aisle so we might make a fast getaway. This was undoubtedly Child A’s favourite exercise at Hollywood Studios.
• Halfway Mania: We have been involved about bringing her on this journey as a result of it’s 3D, and we have been afraid it would make her nauseous with out the glasses on. However she liked going across the observe and didn’t appear bothered by the blurry, non-3d photos on the display. She needed to tug the string to shoot too! Nevertheless, she didn’t like a few of the loud noises, and cried and squirmed a bit in the course of the loudest half – breaking plates – however settled after we stopped and lined her ears for a bit. This one undoubtedly verges on overstimulating, nevertheless it’s kinda not that enjoyable in the event you aren’t in a position to be aggressive and play towards your accomplice.

… and that’s it. Yeah: this park actually wasn’t designed for infants.

Rides to Skip in Hollywood Studios: 

• Mickey’s Runaway Railroad: We held Child A on our laps for this journey, however none of us loved it a lot. The journey is very loud and slightly too intense/scary for her. She bought scared at many of the “battle” components of the story and all of us hated the automobiles dancing – I assumed she was going to fall out at one level. Overstimulating, loud, jarring – this journey is only a lot.

Suggestions for Hollywood Studios with a Child

• There’s a pleasant place to nap on the entrance to Galaxy’s Edge proper on the border with the Toy Story part. It’s a quiet facet space with ambient fowl noises enjoying and no loud noises, and it’s off the primary path so there aren’t any crowds. There’s additionally a conveniently positioned bench.
• One other nice nap spot is within the tunnel on the opposite facet of Galaxy’s Edge. It’s absolutely shaded and has a pleasant breeze and ambient spa music (I suppose Star Wars is all about ambient spa sounds). It’s the proper afternoon nap/nurse spot, although you’ll see that plenty of dad and mom have the identical concept – it’s not as quiet as the opposite spot we discovered.
• The Child Care heart is on the very entrance of the park and also you’ll have to chop the Visitor Relations line to get to it, which is irritating and inconvenient. Not price it, actually.

Hollywood Studios Verdict: if you must choose a park to skip, that is the one. It’s simply not the perfect park for infants!

Epcot with a Child

Ahhh, Epcot. My favourite park. And never simply as a result of this was *my* park throughout my time as a Solid Member, once I labored at Soarin’ within the Land Pavilion. I imply positive sure, there’s plenty of blissful nostalgia tied to the park for me. But additionally? I LOVE journey – hey, that’s my job now – and an entire half of Epcot is all about celebrating journey and letting you step foot into immersive miniature lands representing completely different nations. The World Showcase is sort of a mile of pure journey gas, and I completely find it irresistible.

And on the opposite half of the park are lands celebrating Earth and area. And, er, the Guardians of the Galaxy, which … actually, doesn’t match in any respect, nevertheless it’s an superior new journey so we’ll go along with it.

Anway: the park is beautiful, effectively laid out, filled with fascinating issues to see and do, and – drumroll please – the BEST Disney World park for infants!

Why did we rank Epcot on the high? For starters, 3 phrases: AIR CONDITIONED PAVILIONS. There are TONS of pavilions all through the park, and most of them are big and air-conditioned. There’s additionally ample seating – like Connections Cafe, which is basically an unlimited Starbucks crammed with benches and tables – each indoors and outdoor.

The Child Middle is conveniently positioned within the excellent heart of the park, with a big, snug nursing room that has area for a number of households. And there’s a large number of baby-friendly actions, from baby-friendly rides to a big playground to a implausible aquarium. Epot makes it straightforward to entertain or nap a child on a sizzling Florida day!

Let’s get to the tea:

Finest points of interest and rides for infants at Epcot:

• The Seas with Nemo and Buddies: 10/10 excellent child journey and Child A LOVED it. Darkish! Cool! Enjoyable! Fish! Songs! Nothing scary or loud or jarring. And afterward, AN AQUARIUM! Child A misplaced her thoughts on the aquarium and we returned right here many times. One guardian stayed on the aquarium with the infant whereas the opposite one rode Soarin on the Land Pavilion subsequent door, and the Guardians of the Galaxy journey close by. Child A might have stayed right here fish all day lengthy (and with the A/C, we have been blissful to remain right here too). There are tons to see in right here and it’s an awesome spot to chill off for some time. Plus, that is additionally the place you’ll discover Turtle Discuss with Crush which is one among our favorites, although we sadly didn’t try it out with Child A this time.
• Grand Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros: This was one among Child A’s favorites! Numerous scenes of Mexico and upbeat music, and the tip portion is mainly simply It’s a Small World however with extra of a deal with Mexico. Plus, there’s just about by no means a line, and you must undergo the Mexico pavilion to get right here which is completely beautiful.
• Frozen: I feel she wasn’t a fan of the songs switching each scene, however Child A did get pleasure from this journey. She particularly liked the large backward drop (it’s actually not that huge of a drop, however it’s to a child!) and appeared to benefit from the music too.

Rides we didn’t have time to expertise however I guess Child A would have loved:

• Spaceship Earth: I completely love this journey, however we fearful that Child A would possibly discover it boring because it doesn’t have a lot music. Nonetheless, we absolutely deliberate to attempt it … till we realized we’d need to stroll alllll the way in which again to the very entrance of the park after we have been already within the World Showcase near the Skyliner. Too far. I’d give it a attempt in the event you enter on the huge ball, although!

Rides to Skip in Epcot 

• Figment: That is undoubtedly a baby-friendly journey when it comes to the mechanics of the journey (good and gradual, enjoyable), however the journey itself was simply okay. There was plenty of speaking and all of it went over her head. And admittedly, there wasn’t sufficient music to maintain her , both. This journey is extra geared towards barely older youngsters.
• Dwelling with the Land: One other journey that Child A simply discovered kinda boring. There’s plenty of speaking about vegetation and the setting and such (not thrilling for a child, however very cool for the remainder of us) and there’s no music. That stated, a really small child would doubtless get pleasure from this gradual, enjoyable journey.

Suggestions for Epcot with a child

• Make a lunch reservation at one of many eating places within the World Showcase. Choose a delicacies from the 11 nations and e book a desk for lunch! The meals right here is phenomenal – the entire Cooks are professionally educated and from their respective nations. Your servers will likely be from the nation you’re consuming in, too.
• Connections Cafe is a huuuge Starbucks filled with tables and benches! It’s an awesome place to chill down and rejuvenate.
• The fountain in Morocco – not the one on the entrance, the one within the Riad contained in the plaza – is a superb place to chill down within the shade and do some refreshing water play, or a pleasant shaded nap with built-in white noise.
• Epcot has a really good child care heart, proper in between the World Showcase and the remainder of the park. There’s a giant snug nursing room with plenty of chairs and footrests. It’s cool, darkish, and quiet – the proper spot for a nap. (Epcot is filled with good nap spots!)
• There’s a giant playground outdoors of the Creations store. Even when your infant can’t play simply but, they’ll most likely get pleasure from watching huge youngsters enjoying!

Epcot Verdict: palms down the winner of Disney World’s most baby-friendly park! From the massive air-conditioned pavilions to the ample seating to the centrally positioned child care heart to the baby-friendly rides and points of interest, we discovered ourselves returning to Epcot many times.

Animal Kingdom with an Toddler

Animal Kingdom is a implausible park for infants, particularly in case your infant has taken an curiosity in animals like ours (she’s a giant fan of birds, particularly). It’s lush and inexperienced and filled with locations to see animals – plus some enjoyable rides, too.

For folks, there’s additionally my favourite journey, Everest, which occurs to have a single-rider line that’ll get you on nearly instantly. It’s nice to journey in the course of the child’s nap! There are just a few different nice thrill rides too, however there are many points of interest and reveals for infants.

The caveat? There aren’t many locations indoors to flee from the warmth – and Animal Kingdom is definitely about 10 levels hotter and extra humid than the opposite parks by design, for the wildlife – type of like of a tropical rainforest. So we suggest visiting Animal Kingdom very first thing within the morning and leaving earlier than or proper after lunch. Right here’s the tea:

Finest points of interest and rides for infants at Animal Kingdom:

• Kilimanjaro Safaris: That is such an awesome attraction! You’ll be on a giant open-air truck driving by means of the savannah and seeing animals up shut – nearly like a zoo however with none of the enclosures. Child A LOVED Kilimanjaro and was clapping for all of the animals! This journey is finest early within the morning when the animals are most energetic and being fed, so head straight right here very first thing when you arrive. Every journey is completely different so it’s nice to journey again and again, too.
• Na’vi River Journey: A bioluminescent deal with for the eyes. All the pieces on this slow-moving river journey was completely lovely, magical, glowing, and nature-y. The music is calm. It’s an entire vibe. And I feel this was Child A’s FAVORITE journey in any of the parks. She was completely enchanted all the time and in no way scared. This journey is certainly price a Lightning Lane cross.
• Pageant of the Lion King Present: Child A loved the lion king present, however misplaced curiosity in the course of the slower components and appeared overwhelmed throughout a few of the villain songs. We ended up nursing many of the present (it’s a protracted present) however might simply have left as an alternative.

Rides we didn’t have time to expertise however I guess Child A would have loved:

• Wildlife Specific Prepare to Rafiki’s Planet Watch: The Wildlife Specific Prepare is a peaceable 7-minute journey – a journey in and of itself – to Rafiki’s Planet Watch, a quiet, air-conditioned pavilion devoted to the preservation and conservation of animals. You’ll see some fascinating stuff right here and a few animals. Most of it would most likely go proper over child’s head, however hey, there’s A/C! If you’re prepared, take the practice again to the remainder of the park.
• Winged Encounters – The Kingdom Takes Flight: Just like the Tiki Room however with actual birds (and fewer singing). I feel Child A would have actually loved seeing the colourful macaws hovering and swooping overhead!
• Animal Encounters: From lions to tigers to gorillas (oh my!) there are TONS of locations to see animals right here! There’s even a petting zoo. I want we took extra time to stroll by means of the opposite animal sections. Actually, we might have fortunately spent a number of mornings at Animal Kingdom.
• Drummers of Harambe: Child A is a giant fan of drumming and dancing to a beat, and this dwell road efficiency within the Africa part of the park would have been superior for her to see. They pull up huge youngsters to bounce too which infants love to look at! I want we’d made it a degree to catch one among their present instances.
• Finding Nemo: The Big Blue… and Beyond: This dwell present is filled with huge colourful tune and dance numbers! In case your infant enjoys music and dancing too, this will likely be a giant hit.

Suggestions for Animal Kingdom with a child

• For lunch, Tusker Home is nice. It’s character eating with Mickey and associates (Child A was tentatively within the characters as soon as they began enjoying peekaboo along with her) and the meals is buffet model, with plenty of baby-friendly meals and yummy meals for everybody.
• Napping right here and being right here within the afternoon is a problem. It’s 10 levels hotter and extra humid than the opposite parks. And there aren’t any huge, quiet indoor locations with A/C to chill off and chill out (aside from Rafiki’s Planet Watch). When naptime hit, it took us fairly some time to search out a great place. We finally discovered some picnic tables underneath a tree that was kinda shaded and quiet… after which some loud a** water present began up and I about misplaced my f***king thoughts.
• The Child Care Middle is centrally positioned and fairly good. It has personal nursing rooms, which is useful in case your child is definitely distracted.

Animal Kingdom Verdict: It is a nice baby-friendly park in case your infant enjoys animals, and there are many baby-friendly rides, points of interest, and reveals. However go away earlier than midday or simply after lunch, when the warmth turns into insufferable. The animals are most energetic early within the morning anyway.

Magic Kingdom with an Toddler 

After we have been planning our journey and searching into which Disney Park has essentially the most rides with out top necessities, Magic Kingdom appeared like it will be the most suitable choice for us: there are TONS of rides which are applicable for all ages! … Nicely, in principle, anyway.

What we truly found was that the beloved Magic Kingdom was one of many WORST Disney Parks for infants. It’s crowded as hell, takes longer to get to than some other park, doesn’t have many choices for cooling off, and people all-ages rides? Lots of them are so outdated that they’re simply not protected to journey with an toddler. Many of the attraction of Magic Kingdom is all in regards to the characters and beloved Disney properties, which frankly, infants don’t care about in any respect.

Right here’s the tea on Magic Kingdom:

Finest points of interest and rides for child at Magic Kingdom:

The winners for us in Magic Kingdom have been colourful, slow-moving rides with upbeat, acquainted music:

• Underneath the Sea – Journey of the Little Mermaid: That is a darkish conveyer belt journey in a transferring clamshell. Child A LOVED the Underneath the Sea scene, which is vibrant and colourful and enjoyable. It helped that we’d been enjoying the tune for her within the weeks main as much as our journey so she instantly acknowledged it. The Mad 
• It’s a Small World: We truly waited longer for this journey than the rest throughout our journey – and we had a Lightning Lane cross. The journey itself is quarter-hour lengthy, so with a 30-minute wait this finally ends up being fairly a time suck. That stated, Child A LOVES the tune (we’d been enjoying it for her) and was REALLY excited on this journey. She completely liked it! It ended up pushing her bedtime again about an hour however I feel it was price it to see her clap with glee and dance for 15 straight minutes.
• The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh: This darkish journey was nice! There are some small light up-and-down hills. The music is generally very calm, and the colourful/trippy Huffalumps and Woozles scene was Child A’s favourite. It’s undoubtedly price a lightning lane cross!
• Tiki Room: One other attraction that we prioritized primarily based on Child A’s music preferences. And she or he was actually into most of it! Plus, it’s good and lengthy and had fantastic A/C, so we relished the chance to sit down in cool air for some time. After which get a Dole Whip (which we needed to eat out of her sight).

As a result of the traces in Magic Kingdom are SO lengthy, we didn’t get to journey all the pieces we needed to. We want we might have ridden on Folks Mover, a slow-moving practice that lightly glides round Tomorrowland – excellent for infants! And we want we’d had an opportunity to attempt Buzz Lightyear Spin since Child A loved Halfway Mania (principally).

Different rides we thought of however finally determined to skip because of lengthy traces and Child A’s chance of having fun with them have been:

• Jungle Cruise: no music, the journey principally consists of speaking and jokes that might simply go proper over her head
• Pirates of the Caribbean: frankly she might need loved it due to the music, however we didn’t really feel like standing in a protracted line
• Haunted Mansion: Child A will not be a fan of music in a minor key – I feel she will be able to inform it’s imagined to be spooky/scary/off – and he or she doesn’t like issues which are chaotic and loud. I feel she would have loved the large graveyard music scene, and located the remainder of it both boring or scary.
• The Mad Tea Get together: Child A didn’t actually appear to get pleasure from fast-paced spinning or transferring. She’s extra into the visuals, music, and gradual, light rides. So we’ll wait on this one till she’s slightly older.

Rides to Skip in Magic Kingdom

• Prince Charming Regal Carousel

Child A truly loved the carousel. That stated, that is simply your commonplace carousel. It’s older than the parks, so it’s not terribly Disney-themed (although we did get to see the Ugly Stepsisters from Cinderella using it and insulting onlookers) and, extra importantly, there is just one baby-safe seat: a single bench amidst a sea of carousel horses that infants can’t safely journey. 

If there isn’t any line, give it a whirl. In any other case, reserve it for a county honest.

• Don’t journey Peter Pan’s Flight. 

For causes that nobody quite understands, Peter Pan is the preferred journey in all of Magic Kingdom with wait instances persistently topping 60 minutes. It’s a very common journey, so my working principle is 1) nostalgia, 2) child attraction, and three) poor ride design that didn’t account for the demand it will be experiencing 70 freaking years after being constructed.

Mainly, this journey has lengthy ass traces. And Child A was not impressed – the journey is a sleep and never price a Lightning Lane cross.

Worst of all, it’s downright harmful for an toddler. How did we notice how unsafe Peter Pan’s Flight was? As a result of we have been despatched by means of the journey and not using a lap bar on our child. Which was terrifying. And very harmful.

You see, most flying rides are outfitted with a harness for security. The journey I used to work on, Soarin’, has a harness, a number of security checks, and even a video digital camera on each seat, which Solid Members monitor constantly all through the journey on the lookout for any kiddos making an attempt to wriggle out – that’s a fall threat from 50 toes. If anybody is getting too wiggly, Solid Members can hit the emergency cease button on the journey and convey it again down manually.

However Peter Pan was inbuilt 1955, earlier than anybody considered security rules on rides, I suppose. So although your car goes manner up into the air, it simply has a lap bar, not a harness. The lap bar routinely lowers about .5 seconds earlier than you allow the sight of a Solid Member – which isn’t sufficient time to make sure everyone seems to be safely seated. There’s additionally no lap bar examine (which just about each different journey within the parks has). 

So, what occurred to us? Child A was seated on the Tushbaby dealing with me after we boarded the journey. Jeremy was wiping down the lap bar with hand sanitizer and I used to be on the brink of flip Child A round and sit her on my lap, when – shock! The lap bar closed, and we took off. Earlier than we had an opportunity to get Child A seated underneath the lap bar. She was simply sitting on me, above the lap bar. 

We screamed for assist, however the journey took off so rapidly that no person heard us. And, as we discovered, there aren’t any video cameras. So no Solid Members might see that Child A was squirming round making an attempt to see and pushing backward off of me with surprising energy whereas I clung to her with each arms for pricey life, realizing that if she twisted out of my arms, she would fall. (Keep in mind: this can be a flying journey. We have been up within the air. Simply holding our child. With nothing to maintain her from falling.)

Actually? It was fucking terrifying. As quickly as we bought off the journey I burst into panicked sobbing and it took fairly some time to relax. We made an incident report with the affected person Solid Members, however aside from that there wasn’t a lot we might do. 

The incident experiences go to the higher-ups, and I hope it will get escalated to whoever makes choices about upgrading rides, as a result of this journey is frankly horrifyingly unsafe. There must be a protracted sufficient time frame between the lap bar reducing and take-off for Solid Members to do a security examine. My guess is that they’ve prevented doing it as a result of the journey already has such lengthy wait instances and that may add main time, nevertheless it’s completely vital. This journey is horribly outdated.

So, till it’s up to date? Don’t journey Peter Pan’s Flight with an toddler.

• Additionally keep away from the Dumbo the Flying Elephant journey, and its copies, in case your child is cellular.

That is one other older Disney journey that takes fliers up into the air … in a automotive with open sides, and nothing safer than a lap belt. A crawling, squirming child might simply and rapidly decrease themselves to the ground and slip proper out the facet of the automotive. (In case your child will not be but cellular, you don’t have anything to fret about as lengthy you retain a decent grip on them.)

So, yup – yet one more older Magic Kindom journey that isn’t protected for infants! I do know, I used to be shocked too. Disney is often the highest of the road on the subject of security – I imply hey, I even have footage of myself as a Solid Member in entrance of one of many many indicators backstage that claims Secure D Begins with Me (see them in this post)! WHERE IS THE SAFE D ON OUTDATED MAGIC KINGDOM RIDES, Disney!?!?!

Anyway. Because you’re avoiding Dumbo, go forward and add the Flying Carpet journey and Astro Orbiters, too. And Triceratop Spin in Animal Kingdom. They’re literallly simply the identical journey with completely different theming.

Extra suggestions for Magic Kingdom with a child

• We ate lunch at Tony’s Town Square, which is true by the doorway of the park. Child A likes pasta, we like pasta, we simply figured we’d have some first rate pasta. We have been NOT ready for a way shockingly good it was. I imply!!! It was AMAZING. I extremely suggest the Orecchiette With Spicy Italian Sausage and the Butcher’s Steak, which was a few of the finest steak I’ve had in a very long time (and Child A liked the crispy roasted yukon potatoes.) We additionally ordered a Bellini to take the sting off the entire Peter Pan fiasco, which was scrumptious. 
• Storybook Circus is an entire part in Magic Kingdom crammed with kid-friendly stuff (although kid-friendly doesn’t additionally imply baby-friendly). You may choose up a practice to journey across the park right here, which is a pleasant enjoyable journey in and of itself. However most significantly, there’s a splash floor. On sizzling days, a splash floor and a crawling child are a match made in heaven. However aside from that, this space is generally for older youngsters.
• Child care heart: Magic Kingdom’s Child Care Middle is by Principal Avenue, which is … kinda removed from many of the park, actually. There are benches out entrance and the middle itself is admittedly cute and well-themed. It’s an awesome quiet place for a snack or a diaper change. It’s not as nice for nursing although, as a result of there are solely 2 personal nursing rooms. 

Magic Kingdom Verdict: We thought this park can be successful as a result of it has essentially the most all-ages rides, nevertheless it’s crowded, the rides are slightly outdated and missing in baby-proof security checks, and it’s heavy on the characters and film properties which infants actually don’t care about. Plus, it takes longer to get to and from MK than some other park. Price a visit for it’s a small world and a few of the reveals, however not a lot else.  We’re wanting ahead to experiencing Magic Kingdom with Child A when she’s older.

Full Listing of Child Rides at Disney World

After we have been researching for our journey and on the lookout for issues for infants to do at Disney World, we struggled to discover a full listing of baby-friendly, all-ages rides at Disney World. So, to save lots of you time, right here it’s.

I marked the rides that we loved essentially the most with 10-month-old Child A in daring and put those we suggest skipping in italics. Our two favourite parks at Disney World for infants are Epcot and Animal Kingdom, which I marked with asterisks.

The place to Keep at Disney World with an Toddler

I will not be a Solid Member anymore, however I nonetheless have plenty of ~opinions about all issues Disney, and many suggestions to your subsequent journey. One in all my very sturdy opinions? It’s best to undoubtedly keep at a Disney World resort, even in the event you’re on a decent funds! It’s SO price it.

From the $$ you’ll save on parking and a rental car (thanks to Disney’s airport pick-up service and large free transportation community) to the unimaginable comfort and Additional Magic Hours, the resorts are WELL price it. And much more so, in the event you can rating a reduced charge 😉

There are undoubtedly methods to attain a deal at a Disney Resort, if the place to look. Often, you could find Disney World resorts listed on resort deal websites – significantly for low season dates! We as soon as scored a keep at Port Orleans for underneath $150/night time. Whee! So simply in case, have a look – we noticed a BUNCH of them listed just lately on  Hotels.com  and  Priceline ! That’s how we as soon as scored a keep at Port Orleans for underneath $150/night time. Whee!

The time of yr that you just’re visiting and while you e book issues, too. Disney quietly runs deep reductions on low season bookings (often January by means of April) round October/November, so maintain a watch out and  check their special offers page frequently. 

And eventually, final minute bookings can web you STEEP reductions! I’ve seen rooms hovering round $150 per night time about 3 days prematurely. You may often rating one by means of  Priceline . My advice is to e book a good-enough resort by means of  Booking.com  so you possibly can cancel it as much as the day earlier than your journey, then maintain checking  Priceline  simply in case you possibly can rating a last-minute room at a steep low cost.

We’re huge followers of staying at on the Worth resorts, which actually supply the perfect bang to your buck. Artwork of Animation, one of many latest resorts, is a implausible place to stick with a child. There’s a big pool – it’s truly the most important pool at any Disney World resort –  with a child space and a giant sprayground, plus 2 different swimming pools for good measure. There’s all kinds of meals, and the theming is fairly cute (we ended up getting upgraded to a Automobiles-themed suite).

And better of all, you’ll have straightforward walkable entry to the Skyliner, which takes you in airborne pods to Epcot and Holywood Studios. Of all of the Disney World transportation choices, the Skyliner is by far the perfect: you’re seated with a pleasant view, it’s not crowded, and there’s a cool breeze. Child A liked using on the Skyliner (and so did we!)

 This resort can be thought of one among Disney’s funds choices – nevertheless it’s actually the perfect of the funds choices. A detailed second is Pop Century Resort, which is true subsequent door and likewise has entry to the Skyliner.

I hope you discovered this (large) information useful for planning your journey to Disney World with a child! Do you will have questions that we may help reply? Drop us a remark beneath!

Psst: Searching for extra suggestions that can assist you plan your Disney journey? Take a look at a few of our different Disney World posts:

Want you may journey to Disney with out leaving residence? We created an immersive virtual Disney world tour so you possibly can make a journey from the consolation of your couch!

We even have a Podcast episode all about Disney! A futuristic utopia that’s undoubtedly not a cult. A suicide-themed journey. Lia’s school internship. What do all of them have in frequent? Disney World, in fact! On this episode, Lia spills all of the Mad Tea on essentially the most magical place on Earth, plus insider suggestions from her time as a Solid Member. We additionally clarify our tried & examined Disney Technique (aka STRAT), as a result of ready in lengthy traces for rides is a few Bippity-Boppity-BS.

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