Itinerary help with 2.5 yo - first time

[Fantabulously Cherry]

Looks great! And good for you not listening to the "too young for Disney" dribble! I'm taking my 2YO DD for the first time in September and I'm getting those comments too. The most common is: she won't remember anything. My comeback is always the same: LIKE THIS WILL BE OUR ONLY TIME TAKING HER!

As far as naps go, I'm letting my DD dictate this. If she can nap in her stroller, great. If not, We'll go back to the room for a spell. My DH and I have done everything on previous trips, so this trip (and every one after) is all about her.

 

[ajsary]

Your plans are well thought out and flexible, so you should have a fantastic time! I did want to comment that when you check in at Coral Reef ask to be seated close to the aquarium. We went last year when my youngest was 15 months old. They sat us further away and my DD just wasn't impressed, which left her fidgety during the meal. I also wanted to say that at AK if you do rider swap you can always take your LO to the boneyard to play while you are waiting. I think my toddler would have stayed in there all day if we let her. She had freedom to walk around and roam instead of being stuck in a stroller or line, etc. If you are considering T-Rex at DTD know that it can be loud and frightening to some kids. My oldest liked dinosaurs, but T-Rex scared her silly. She refused to sit at the table. The only way we could finish our meal was to have them sit us in one of the quieter areas of the restaurant. We are doing MNSSHP this year with our now 2.5yo. Two years ago we went when she was 10 months old and she just slept on and off in the stroller or in the carrier. I'm not sure how she will do this year, but I'm praying we all have a good time at it.

 

[Wosmama6]

thanks for the tip on T-Rex. I'm going to call ahead and ask for the aquarium seat at Coral... if we don't get that I will be mad that we didn't get into the other million great places at Epcot. DH is deathly allergic to shellfish so the menu is super limited for us (allergic enough that if I order it, forget to wash my hands and touch his face, his throat closes up. has happened before, though we trust disney to see our dietary notes and not cross contaminate)... BUT DS totally loves aquariums, period.

 

[Wosmama6]

So now I am rethinking going to HS at all. If we only have 9-12 in the parks every day, lose that lunch hour from 12-1 to diapers and snacks and QS lunch, maybe we do MK on arrival evening, then Epcot on Monday, MK Tues/Thurs and AK Weds?

 

[GrnArcher]

Children are never too young for the World, 2 and 1/2 is just fine, but keep in mind while you are there to listen to your child. Listen for the signs of a tired child, pay attention, I have seen too many people in Disney try to push through "for the sake of the vacation". It will be much more enjoyable on all counts if you heed your child's signs and take a break, go to your room for a nap, go to the hotel pool for a dip(always a favorite of my kids), catch a show and hold your child on your lap, whatever they find comforting. Disney is an overwhelming experience for people in general, so don't be afraid to tank a plan for some quiet comforting time with your child while your there to relax. I would suggest hitting up the Not So Scary Halloween as well, if your child sleeps, you can enjoy the sights and laughter of Halloween in Disney(a rare treat that me and DW enjoyed this past fall alone and plan on returning next year with the rest of our clan), if your child is awake they will enjoy Heroes and Villians alike roaming through Disney as well.

 

[mandis77]

If you are switching MK days and doing breakfast ADR's might I suggest Chef Mickey's or 'Ohana. They are easy to do (take resort bus to MK then get on monorail) just give yourself enough time. Great characters and great food! Once we actually got a nice bus driver to take us directly to Polynesian so you might get lucky! Definitely arrange to see the FoF parade - it is so awesome! Tom Sawyer's Island is also wonderful for a break from all the "action" and to just run around and have fun. One of our favorite memories! We took our then 2 year old in 2013 and she did so much better than expected. We planned on going back to the resort every day to nap and rest but some days we were having so much fun it was hard to leave. She ended up taking naps in the stroller while either DH or myself took our DD5 on other rides or enjoyed a TS meal. Just be flexible and you will have a great time. Enjoy - there is nothing like watching your child see the castle for the first time.

 

[Wosmama6]

Thansk for the suggestions! I actually just decided to move our reservation to AoA Cars suite so that hubby and I can talk/watch TV during naps/after bedtime. I didn't know that if we stayed at Pop we can't swim at the big blue pool so that ruined it for me. We are goign to spend a lot of time in the pool so I made the choice to pay more for the room and not upgrade to TS. Might even forego the dining plan if a good RO discount comes out. I like to plan down to the minute, but you're right, we should just be flexible.

 

[mcjaco]

I went with my 2.5 year old twins back in November. Great age for a trip. Biggest thing you can remember......it's all about the kid's schedule, not yours. You'll miss things you want to do, and you have to live with it. We spent more time in the Pooh queue, and lost our place multiple times, because they just wanted to play there. Oddly, my kids hated Peter Pan, but they like the movie. The biggest hits were It's a Small World, and Little Mermaid. Pirates was.....okay, mostly after the drop. Peoplemover was a big hit too. And bring swim trunks! We couldn't get my two out of the Casey Jr. water area. They loved it.

As for the other parks (and my two are obsessed with McQueen too), here were their favorites:

Epcot:
Living Seas, Imagination, Living with the Land, El Rio del Tiempo.

DHS:
Honey I shrink the Kids playground......two hours in there! Animation building, Little Mermaid. Running up and down the Streets of America.

AK:

Dinoland playground.....two hours in there, Triceratop Spin, Safari.

 

[mandis77]

Almost forgot - do not miss Mickey's Philharmagic! My 2.5 yo went bananas for it! We ended up seeing it twice that trip.

 

[Wosmama6]

Really? I heard it might be scary?

 

[mandis77]

It's dark and loud (it's a movie) but not really scary. We really enjoyed it. Now, I would not recommend It's Tough To Be a Bug at AK, that scared the crap out of my kids. We also really liked Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor and the People Mover in Tomorrowland. At EPCOT, the Nemo ride and Turtle Talk with Crush are must do's.

 

[DeniseR]

Looks great! And good for you not listening to the "too young for Disney" dribble! I'm taking my 2YO DD for the first time in September and I'm getting those comments too. The most common is: she won't remember anything. My comeback is always the same: LIKE THIS WILL BE OUR ONLY TIME TAKING HER!

As far as naps go, I'm letting my DD dictate this. If she can nap in her stroller, great. If not, We'll go back to the room for a spell. My DH and I have done everything on previous trips, so this trip (and every one after) is all about her.

Your plans sound exactly like ours! We are taking our twin grandkids and the plan is the same as yours! Also going in September!

 

[DisneyCAL]

You could try a restaurant at one of the deluxe resorts around the resort monorail for your birthday. Just take a bus to TTC or MK and take the resort monorail or a boat.

With regards to a 2.5 year old. Our last trip was when our twins were 2.5! Their prime hours were in the morning so take advantage of the parks at that time. They definitely crashed around 2-3 in the afternoon but our kids don't like strollers so they did a lot of walking. Hope you have a magical trip cause the the smiles on their faces at WDW is priceless!

 

[FiggyFan]

We are planning to take our 2.5 y/o twin grandkids down in late Oct. You have given us a lot of good ideas, thanks. Having taken our grandson down when he was 8months old, I can't stress enough to SLOW DOWN and enjoy Disney though the eyes of you kids.

 

[Wosmama6]

yes, i am trying to build in as much "stare at that random statue in awe" time as possible

 

[ofcabbagesandkings]

We took our almost 3 year old to the World at that exact time last year. It's a great time to go and he still talks about meeting Pooh and Mickey for the first time. We had hoped our room would be ready for a post-flight nap but it wasn't ready until 3pm, so we went straight to MNSSHP. The park was PACKED. DS did fine but we had a long break to have dinner at BOG to get us out of the crowds and the heat, which was lucky as he was having a meltdown before we went in. MNSSHP was fun but I think it's skippable at that age. I wish we had done an evening in Epcot for F&W instead. For us it was just a way to get more park time as we only had a 2.5 day trip, and we were at the Contemporary so MK was right next door.

 

[Wosmama6]

Did you go before mnsshp or right at 7? We were thinking MK on Sunday before mnsshp but might rethink that now

 

[EPHomie]

Remember that the gates for MNSSHP open at 4, so you can get some extra park time in. we're taking my son next year when he is 2.5 and we plan to take advantage of the lower crowds at 4. That way if he doesn't make it until midnight, I still think we'll get our money's worth.

 

[Wosmama6]

We aren't going to MNSSHP simply for $$ reasons. with the buy a 4 day pass get one day free thing, that covers our whole trip, so a hard ticketed event doesn't make sense for us. just wondering if going to the park from 3-7 whether it will be slammed or average crowds.

 

[Fantabulously Cherry]

Your plans sound exactly like ours! We are taking our twin grandkids and the plan is the same as yours! Also going in September!

Sweet! We'll be there 9/12 - 9/19. I hope y'all have a magical trip!!