Itinerary help with 2.5 yo - first time

[Wosmama6]

Hi there, this will be our first trip as a family (my DH and I have been multiple times as kids, but it's been 10 years since my last visit and 15 since his) and we are beyond excited and not listening to people who tell us our DS is too young. He will be 2.5 yo when we arrive, and usually goes to bed around 8 but is fine to stretch that to 830 without too much fuss, so we will prob miss fireworks, etc. We are on free dining plan. There is SO much information about disney, and when i've gone in the past, i have planned for the maximum amount of rides/attractions in the minimum amount of time, which I know isn't the way to go with a toddler. So I'm a little lost on the planning. Here's what we have right now.

Flight arrives 9:35 am Sunday Oct 25
Check in/get to Pop Century
QS lunch
cross fingers that room is ready for naptime
Epcot for evening, focusing on Nemo stuff
6:10 ADR at Coral Reef (he loves "ish")
if he's not too cranky, a walk around world showcase
bedtime 830/9 ish

Mon Oct 26 (My 30th bday!!!)
EMH at MK
Tomorrowland and most of Fantasyland
FP+ for Buzz, Mine Train, Winnie Pooh
also try to get Dumbo, Mermaid, carousel, splash park
cross fingers for a last-minute lunch reservation at Be Our Guest
back to Pop for nap, post nap swimming
QS Pop/AoA dinner

Tue Oct 27
HS
FP+ for Toy Story, Mermaid, Star tours
characters: Buzz, McQueen (his favorite)
also try for beauty and beast, shrunk kids playground, maybe great movie ride OR lights, motor, action
ADR at Sci Fi Dine in at 12:25 (can you tell my kid is obsessed w/ cars?)
back to Pop for nap, post nap swimming
**On this day since I anticipate it will be short, we might try to go out for a TS for my birthday, either to Boma or Tutto Italia. Thoughts? Trying to stay in parks because resort to resort transpo is tough & we won't have a car**

Weds Oct 28
EMH at AK
FP+ for kilimanjaro, kali river, nemo musical if possible
also do triceratop spin, boneyard, flights of wonder, rafiki, jungle trek
ADR at Tusker House at 12:45p (counting this as our Mickey meet)
back to Pop for nap, post nap swimming
QS Pop/AoA dinner

Thurs Oct 29
MK
rest of fantasyland, frontierland, adventureland
FP+ for Peterpan, Aladdin, Pirates
also do riverboat, tiki room, aladdin, jungle cruise, anything else we have time to repeat
ADR at Crystal Palace 11:50 (counting this as Pooh meet)
back to Pop for nap, post nap swimming
QS Pop/AoA dinner

Leave Oct 30​

So, where are the errors? What would you change? Doing too much? He doesn't watch Disney Jr so we are skipping that stuff, and he loves pretty princesses, but not enough to stand in line for them. Any restaurants you'd change? Anything I MUST do with a toddler that I'm missing? Thanks in advance!

 

[kcpinwdw]

Looks good. Not too pack, not too many ADRs. I love Boma but it will be a pain without a car, though I don't think it is too far from POP so maybe look into a taxi? And 2.5 is NOT too young, in fact it is just MAGICAL. We took ours at 2.5 exactly and 2.75 and are going back right after they turn 3 because it is an AWESOME time to take them!

 

[bhardy]

Looks good. We took our DD her first time at 2.5 and she LOVED it. And still talks about it and she's 4.5 now. We loved Tusker house. And we are trying Crystal Palace this year. Enjoy... It is so nice to see it through their eyes. Also don't be surprised if he doesn't nap... Mine was so excited she wouldn't nap but we "rested" every afternoon.

 

[Wosmama6]

thanks, y'all! I just learned that there's a direct bus from the resorts to DTD. Any restaurants there worth a bus ride? He's not super into dinosaurs (trust me, I'm trying ) but T-rex cafe? I really don't want to use 2 TS on Wolfgang Puck...

 

[TOBS2010]

We are going to Raglan Road in DTD with our 2.5 year old this summer. We have been there before a few years ago when it was just me and DH. It can be loud---but there is live music and dancing to help keep a little one a little entertained during dinner. The food is good too for the adults!

 

[ammag]

I don't think you need a FP for Nemo? Maybe try for the lion king for the good seats instead? We walked right in to both near showtime with no issues in oct or nov. Then again there might not be anyhting to FP for his age, right?

 

[Wosmama6]

right? not sure we will even need them.
I see that you've done MNSSHP... is it worth the $? For now I've said no simply because it doesn't start til 7 so we'd only get a couple good hours before meltdown time...

 

[jacknsally19]

I think its good to plan a short day at HS. There just isn't that much there... but is there anyway to swap days between MK and HS? Just a heads up, MK tends to be a lot busier on Mondays.

When you are near Dumbo, I would suggest stopping at Pete's Silly Sideshow. There is Minnie, Daisy, Goofy and Donald. Since its your first visit, its tough to say whether your son will love or hate characters. My DD loved all of them from the time she was 12 months... its doesn't matter if she has no idea who they are. So we always spend a lot more time visiting the characters than attractions.

Personally, I kind of hate DTD but I will say that my daughter really loved Raglan Road at age 2. There is Irish step dancing and she found it awesome. At one point, a group of dancers came to her and tried to teach her and she really committed to it. LOL. Also, the food is really, really good. Maybe a good option for dinner (?)

 

[Wosmama6]

thanks!! the reason i did MK on monday was because of the EMH... we couldn't get breakfast reservations at all during the week. we are also doing MK on Thursday just in case. Worth the extra hour or no?

Thanks for the raglan road tip. They do have highly rated food and my DH and I will need some kind of reward for all this toddler wrangling

 

[jacknsally19]

right? not sure we will even need them.
I see that you've done MNSSHP... is it worth the $? For now I've said no simply because it doesn't start til 7 so we'd only get a couple good hours before meltdown time...

I did it last year with my DD... I was sick that day so I am totally biased but I wasn't all that impressed. We were there the same week that you will be there and it was really crowded at the party. I thought it was way worse at the party then during the day and I ended up speaking to someone at the parks the next day who had the same thought. I mean it was really difficult to see the parade (also there was a lot of construction), which was supposed to be a big draw but the fireworks were pretty great. You know for about the same price as the Halloween party, we also did the Pirate and Fireworks cruise at the Contemporary and I thought that was far more enjoyable. (particularly if your kid is a big fan of pirates or Jake and the Neverland Pirates - which was the case with my DD)

Personally, I would suggest skipping it particularly if you know you will return. Also, you could see the spectacular firework show by watching right next door at the Contemporary.

 

[Wosmama6]

thanks for the tip. we will definitely return. i went every other year or so as a kid (those 18 hour drives from VA to FL!), once in college and I'm itching to go back. We had a memorial day parade for our small town and he freaked OUT with total joy. I cannot even imagine how much he will love Disney (fingers crossed!!)

 

[jacknsally19]

thanks!! the reason i did MK on monday was because of the EMH... we couldn't get breakfast reservations at all during the week. we are also doing MK on Thursday just in case. Worth the extra hour or no?

Thanks for the raglan road tip. They do have highly rated food and my DH and I will need some kind of reward for all this toddler wrangling

I mean totally your call but MK always tends to be a bit busier on Monday since there are a lot of arrivals on Sunday and people want their first stop to be MK. The other issue in Sept/Oct is that MK has nighttime entertainment on Mondays vs Tuesday when everyone needs to leave at 7 b/c of the party. The shorter day encourages people to avoid MK... so Thursday will be awesome for you. I mean it can be kind of a big difference but if you are just planning to be there in the AM its not as big of a deal. That being said, I wouldn't get too psyched about EMH - it can be a bit of a challenge getting out the door with a toddler as early as you'd like. The sleep patterns tend to be off at WDW and it can be a bit tough getting ready in the morning. At least, I have never made it to rope drop with my DD despite the fact that she wakes up at 6:45 at home.

 

[jacknsally19]

thanks for the tip. we will definitely return. i went every other year or so as a kid (those 18 hour drives from VA to FL!), once in college and I'm itching to go back. We had a memorial day parade for our small town and he freaked OUT with total joy. I cannot even imagine how much he will love Disney (fingers crossed!!)

Well then make sure you plan on seeing the Festival of Fantasy Parade at MK. Its awesome. We watched it both days the last time we were there!

 

[Wosmama6]

thanks for the suggestions! I will add festival of fantasy to our list and will definitely consider trading MK dates. My kid got up at 5 this morning. "Mommy, cook!" If he sleeps in when we want to be somewhere early, that will just be... well, toddlerish

 

[Meeko5]

We will be there the same days! I originally was planning on taking advantage of Emh Too, but the more I've read I decided to skip the morning ones and am following park recommendations from easywdw. We are doing MK on Tuesday and Thursday to take advantage of hopefully lower crowds due to the NSSHP. Our days will probably be similar though otherwise

 

[Wosmama6]

well, after this thread, i did some more research, and i have to say the advice is right on... we are switching to tuesday MK and will try to get a breakfast reservation to get to the park early.

the food is important to me at least because though ive been to disney at least a half dozen time in my life, it's never been on my own dime, and it was always in the "watch the timeshare presentation for discount tickets, stay offsite and eat PBJs all week" style of trip. I have never eaten in a disney restaurant. Not even sure we ever bought a snack from disney... so I am pretty set on getting the reservations I want, even if I have to hit refresh 100000 times between now and Oct

 

[Meeko5]

SAME! I'm also stalking ADRs that week...May the best mom win

 

[han22735]

You may truly be surprised at how your little one acts around nap time and later towards bed time. Our dd's first trip last November she just turned 3 and was used to 1.5-2 hour naps at home lasted all day and into the night no problem and never got cranky even on a MVMCP night where we were out till almost midnight. I think they pump something into the air that keeps the magic going...

 

[Wosmama6]

i'm hoping that's true! Would be nice to spend more time in the parks but don't want to push it.

 

[CamandLaineysMom]

We went when my son was 2.5 and are headed back this year. He is 6 and my daughter will be 2.5. As others have said, your son may or may not nap. Some days he napped in the room, other days we could tell he was not going to go back and rest so we pushed the stroller around and enjoyed the parks while he napped there. The first day our flight was early and I thought for sure he would fall asleep in the room but he was just way too excited. He fought the nap for 2 hours until it was time to head out to dinner.

I saw you also asked about MNSSHP. We did it on our last trip and will be doing it again. Granted, we were there in late September so the party is probably not as crowded. I personally think it is worth it. The parade was amazing and he still talks about it. They also had dancing with the characters and he remembers and talks about dancing with Woody. He made it through HalloWishes and then fell asleep in the stroller. I will say we were lucky that he didn't have any meltdowns. On the days we could tell he was really tired we tried to leave the park immediately so he wouldn't fall asleep on the bus and then be wide awake once getting back to the hotel. Some days he fell asleep in the stroller and we just rolled with it. He stayed up later all week and was still up bright and early in the mornings. We were lucky that time. I'm sure my daughter will be a whole different story though so my fingers are crossed that it goes well for us. You just never know.