Disney Dreaming

What age is the best to visit Disney? Which parks should we choose? How many days do we need? Where do we stay? Do we need to rent a car? Should we rent a stroller? All of these questions are ones that parents of toddlers are asking as they begin to think about taking a trip to the most magical place on earth with their littles. We've been to Disney World three times now with our boys, and it is true what they say: third time is the charm! This last trip was the smoothest, most enjoyable Disney trip that our family has taken. Let's talk about why!

Staying

First things first- this may be an unpopular opinion, but we enjoyed staying off Disney property. We have done both- staying on property and off- and while staying on property provides an unforgettable theme experience, staying off property is 100% less chaotic.

We stayed at the Drury Plaza Hotel- Disney Springs. The location of the hotel was perfect for a trip to the Disney World Parks as they were only about 10 or so minutes from the hotel. Disney Springs was about a 15 minute walk from the hotel on a mostly shaded path, making it incredibly easy to walk with the kiddos for a quick dinner or ice cream!

The Drury Plaza was a great place for families to stay. They have thought of everything possible to make a Disney trip run as smoothly as possible for families of small children. From the easy check in (took us less than 5 minutes) to the transportation to the parks, this hotel really focuses on helping! We stayed in a 2 queen room with a fireworks view during our stay. The room faced Epcot, and we had a PERFECT view of the evening fireworks around 9pm every night. The beds and pillows were comfortable. The room is equipped with a mini fridge and microwave, and there is a sink outside of the bathroom to use for things like washing dishes, heating bottles, etc...The only room related issue that we had was that housekeeping did not visit until later in the afternoon, so it often coincided with nap time.

The hotel has both a pool (saltwater) and a splash pad, ensuring that kids of all ages have a place to cool off at the end of the long park days. During our stay, we had access to free breakfast each morning and what the hotel calls a Kickback that took place every night from 5:30-7:30pm. The breakfast each morning had several options including eggs, bacon, sausage, Mickey shaped waffles, cereal, etc... There was something for everyone to enjoy and the wait to serve yourself in the buffet lines was always short. The evening kickback consisted of different "snacks" like pasta, mac and cheese, salad, soups, nachos, etc...In addition to the snacks, adults could enjoy 3 alcoholic drinks per day. The Drury Plaza also had free coffee each day in the lobby, a restaurant, outdoor pool bar, convenience store, and arcade. The hotel offers free transportation several times a day to the parks, but they do require you to make a reservation for the bus. I can't share about the quality of transportation provided, as we rented a car, but the bus seemed to be at the front of the hotel at the same time each day.

Overall, I would strongly recommend considering a hotel off property- particularly in the Disney Springs area for a stay with littles. While busy, the Drury provided a comfortable stay with all of the same amenities that you'd see at an on property hotel (pool, fireworks view, transportation) while giving parents a little break from the Disney chaos.

Playing

For this trip, our family decided to opt for individual parks each day rather than park hopping. Our boys are still at the age where a nap is needed in the middle of the day, so to maximize the time in each park, it made the most sense for us. I would recommend this if you have small children, as you can visit each park without the pressure of feeling like you have to fit EVERYTHING into a short morning or afternoon!

Before we get into the nitty gritty of the parks, let's talk about some of the things that you need to help make the days in the park as comfortable as possible. Here are some things that will help to make the trip easy for you and comfortable for your kids:

1. Stroller Rentals: We have used Kingdom Strollers every time that we have visited Disney. They make the experience so EASY! When you order your stroller rental, you will enter the name of the hotel that you are staying at and a designated time for drop off. Kingdom Strollers will deliver your stroller at the designated time and leave it at the concierge desk at the hotel. You will go to the desk with your name and pick it up when you are able. At the end of your trip, you will drop your stroller off at the concierge desk and Kingdom Strollers will pick it up there. Each stroller that we have rented has been incredibly clean and has always come with a rain cover and small cooler which came in handy for the hundreds of snacks our kiddos ate each day.

2. Stroller fans: Disney World gets HOT after a while, especially if you are visiting in the Summer! These stroller fans are a lifesaver for both the kiddos and mom and dad! They wrap right around the handle or the snack tray and provide cooling comfort throughout the day.

3. Sunscreen roller: If your kids are anything like mine, they probably HATE having their sunscreen applied. It is always a battle to get sunscreen on my boys' faces and ears, so this roller has provided an infinite amount of calm for mom! I keep one of these in the car and one in our bag at home, and making sure we had an extra for Disney was a no brainer! Our youngest has sensitive skin, and has no issues with this brand.

4. Sun hats and sunglasses: Like I said before, Florida gets HOT! The sun is so strong and can be such a bother to kiddos without the proper sun gear. Our boys like these sun hats from Target. They are lightweight so they don't cause a lot of sweating, can go in the water, and wash nicely. We also love these sunglasses because they stay on the boys' faces and they fold up nice and small so they can be thrown in mom's purse or dad's pocket easily. It also helps with the broken sunglass arms that typically happen from the toddlers pulling on them!

5. Stainless steel water bottles or cups: Having a leak proof stainless steel water bottle or cup for each kiddo really helped to keep our boys hydrated. You can refill them at any quick service restaurant in the parks, and they can be thrown in a bag or under the stroller if needed without spilling.

Now, let's talk about the parks! While all of the Disney World Parks are a fun experience, we have a few favorites. Magic Kingdom comes in at #1 for providing the best experience to younger toddlers and Epcot ranked a close second for us.

Magic Kingdom

Magic Kingdom is always the first park that we choose to visit with our family. If you have younger children (7 and under), Magic Kingdom has the greatest number of rides available for them to ride. That, combined with the parades and character experiences make it the perfect park to start your Disney trip with. Don't forget to check out the Baby Care Center (located near Casey's Corner) when you arrive to be sure that you have a safe, air conditioned place for diaper changes, cold water, and rest breaks!

Magic Kingdom has a lot of fun rides for kids of all ages (including my husband), but they offer a large number of rides that are accessible to younger kiddos because they do not have height requirements or allow them to ride with a grown up. During our visit we were able to get on 16 different rides with one or both of our boys. Our boys loved almost every one as they had not been on many rides up until this trip, but there were definite favorites. Some of the best (in their opinion) were Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, It's a Small World, and Peter Pan's Flight.

Another fun thing to look forward to at Magic Kingdom are the parades and character experiences. During our visit we were able to experience both the Festival of Fantasy parade and the Move It! Shake It! Mouskedance It! Street Party. Both were fun, but the Festival of Fantasy parade was more engaging for our kids. For about 10-15 minutes, large colorful floats carrying Disney favorites ride down Main Street. People do start lining up along the street early, so be sure to know where you're going to post up BEFORE the parade nears. This will help to eliminate the need to rush to find a comfy spot right before!

While rides and character experiences are at the top of our list when we visit Magic Kingdom, our kids REALLY look forward to the snacks. We had LOTS of snacks. Here were our favorites (in no particular order) based on both taste and cost:

• Cheshire Cat Tail at the Cheshire Cafe in Fantasyland

• Nutella and Fruit Waffle Sandwich at Sleepy Hollow in Liberty Square

• Dole Whip from Aloha Isle

• Hot dogs from Casey's Corner (make sure to share, they are HUGE)

The last big thing to talk about when it comes to Magic Kingdom is the Happily Ever After fireworks show. The show doesn't start until it is dark outside, so don't plan on seeing anything light up the sky until about 9:30pm. We found it helpful to take a trip back to the hotel at around dinner so that our kids could relax and take a break from the heat before heading back to the park for the firework show. Once the show started, it lasted about 20 minutes. The best place to view it is as close to the castle as possible, as they project videos and pictures onto it during the fireworks. It does get kind of loud closer to the action, so I would recommend a set of noise cancelling headphones for younger kids.

After the fireworks, you'll need to take the monorail or the ferry back to the parking lot. The ferry tends to be quicker and less congested, so plan to use that if you're trying to get back to the hotel as quickly as possible for a (very) late bedtime.

Epcot

Epcot is our second favorite park for young kids and the second park we visited on our last Disney trip. While Epcot doesn't have as many rides as Magic Kingdom, there are still plenty of activities available to keep them busy for the day.

We went on every ride available at Epcot during our trip. I do have to share that the rides here are a lot less action packed than what you will experience at Magic Kingdom, but still a lot of fun. Our kids enjoyed Remy's Ratatouille Adventure, The Seas with Nemo and Friends, and The Gran Fiesta Tour the most. Spaceship Earth and Living with the Land were close seconds, but they don't have a Disney character attached to them so they weren't as exciting for our littles.

Outside of the rides, Epcot has some cool experiences for kids. The new Moana Journey of Water was by far the favorite of our entire trip. The boys loved being able to walk through and learn about each area while having an opportunity to interact with water in several different ways. Not only is it fun, but it is so pretty. The greenery and flowers throughout were something that mom and dad enjoyed too! Another fun experience is the aquarium that lives in the Nemo area. There are a few rooms with different opportunities to see many different water animals and fish. It was busy, but even so, we were able to see everything there was to see even allowing the boys to circle back to their favorites. Something else the boys enjoyed were the Kidcot stops that were spread at different countries throughout the World Showcase. Each stop had an activity for the kids and an opportunity to earn a sticker to put into their little "suitcase".

While rides and experiences are plentiful at Epcot, one of the main reasons to visit is the opportunity to learn about different cultures and the snacks. We visited during the Flower and Garden Festival, so we had a chance to try things that aren't typically on the menu. However, even without the festival, there are many opportunities to try some unique treats! Here are some of our favorites:

• School Bread from Kringla Bakeri

• Pretzel Bread Pudding at Sommerfest

• Kaki- Gori (shaved ice) at the Japan Pavilion

We didn't make it to the fireworks on our second day because we had some TIRED kiddos, so I can't speak to where to watch them in the park. We did watch the show from our hotel room, and it did not disappoint! The show started around 9:15 and lasted about 15 minutes. We heard some music accompanying the fireworks even from our hotel, so I am sure that it is loud in the park and would recommend the noise cancelling headphones again.

The nice thing about the end of your day at Epcot is how close the parking lot is. You are able to access the car quickly for a fast transition from the park to bedtime!

Hopefully our experiences and recommendations will help to make your trip less stressful. Please reach out if you have specific questions about the Disney World Parks or other Orlando activities. We'd be glad to share!