Tips and recommendations for Toddlers 2 & 3yr boys

[blakefamily]

We are traveling at the end of February with friends that have 2 little dudes. 2yr and 3yr. They have never been to Disney or any theme parks. Our daughter is 12, and the first time she went to WDW she was 8. They are concerned with how much the boys will really enjoy. Help me with tips and recommendations. I know they will love it and there are a few obvious ride choices, but Im sure i'm also not thinking of things since our daughter is so much older. FYI, we are staying at Wyndham Bonnet creek from 2/23- 3/2. Thanks guys!!

 

[Rhianna.07]

My biggest tip would be to take a break in the middle of the day. It is going to tire those boys out being there for just a few hours and if you try and stay the full day all I can imagine is a meltdown. If they’re big fans of the characters I would make the time to meet them or watch a parade. I would pick rides for them that visually engage them and have fun effects to keep them interested. Such as Peter Pan, Winnie the Pooh, Ariel’s Undersea Adventure, Dumbo, or Jungle Cruise for example. Epcot might be more difficult because they’re too young to understand all the different countries and it might bore them to just walk around. AK has the amazing animals and a fun Dino play area for them to enjoy and Triceratop Spin which is like Dumbo. HS has the Frozen sing along show and the Muppets show and now Toy Story Land that would be a big interest for the kids. Only thing I’m worried about is your daughter not wanting to do all the “baby stuff”. Although I’m sure she’s understanding, she’ll probably have her own rides she wants to do that the little ones can’t go on. If your daughter is interested in doing the big rides like Space Mountain or Big Thunder, I think your friends should split off and maybe go to Storybook Circus where their kiddos can play and your daughter won’t be bored. Sounds like a fun trip you have planned, I hope you have a great time!

 

[blakefamily]

My biggest tip would be to take a break in the middle of the day. It is going to tire those boys out being there for just a few hours and if you try and stay the full day all I can imagine is a meltdown. If they’re big fans of the characters I would make the time to meet them or watch a parade. I would pick rides for them that visually engage them and have fun effects to keep them interested. Such as Peter Pan, Winnie the Pooh, Ariel’s Undersea Adventure, Dumbo, or Jungle Cruise for example. Epcot might be more difficult because they’re too young to understand all the different countries and it might bore them to just walk around. AK has the amazing animals and a fun Dino play area for them to enjoy and Triceratop Spin which is like Dumbo. HS has the Frozen sing along show and the Muppets show and now Toy Story Land that would be a big interest for the kids. Only thing I’m worried about is your daughter not wanting to do all the “baby stuff”. Although I’m sure she’s understanding, she’ll probably have her own rides she wants to do that the little ones can’t go on. If your daughter is interested in doing the big rides like Space Mountain or Big Thunder, I think your friends should split off and maybe go to Storybook Circus where their kiddos can play and your daughter won’t be bored. Sounds like a fun trip you have planned, I hope you have a great time!

Thank you Rhianna.07 Great tips!! Thankfully these friends are very understanding of the different dynamic between there boys and our daughter, so we are planning to split off for a few rides or even help with the boys if they want to ride some of the more thrilling rides. I think MK and AK are for sure and maybe HS, but not EPCOT. We have planned for myself, hubby and daughter to stay an extra 3 nights at Poly after they head home, that way we can get more designated park time in for us 3. I

 

[Rhianna.07]

Sounds like you have a great plan! And great friends! Enjoy your stay and I hope these extra days are awesome as well!

 

[LongLiveRafiki]

We went with my son a few days before he turned 2 (as well as with our daughter who was 7). We took my son on everything he was tall enough for and he loved it all. Some little ones get scared in the dark rides; my little monster was laughing at the ghosts in HM. We didn't go back for mid-day breaks as there's no way he would have napped back there. He did great and usually took a couple hour nap in his stroller mid-afternoon and we alternated riding the big stuff.

In MK, he really liked POTC, HM, and the Speedway. He fell asleep on the Carousel. Apparently it wasn't exciting enough after all the other rides. I would avoid the Treehouse. Way too many stairs with little ones.

In AK, he adored FOTLK and the Safari, and Triceratop Spin never had a line so he rode that 9 times in a row one night. He was bored at ROL.

We spent the most time in Epcot and his favorites were the play area and light up carpets after the Figment ride, Spaceship Earth, and the entire season pavilion. He also loved checking out the ducks around the lake in each country and getting to run around a bit. He loved Illuminations.

His favorites in HS were the Frozen, Little Mermaid, and Disney Jr shows.

Have fun!

*Edit to add that my son also LOVED the 3 Caballeros ride at Epcot. He thought Donald was playing hide and seek with him and enjoyed "finding" him in each scene.

 

[dbb727]

Tell your friends not to worry, there is plenty for children of those ages to do, especially at MK, but even at the other parks they will enough rides plus shows, people watching and everyday excitement to experience. When we went last year, my son was 2.5 and daughter 4.5 years old. At first glance, it can seem like the princess stuff dominates everywhere, but really there is soo much else to explore. Here are the things I'd do with boys those ages:
MK
- Meet Mickey! This was a highlight for my son, even though we did other character M&Gs and meals, Mickey was the only one he really talked about.
- Any boat ride, except POC which was too scary for my kids and we probably should have skipped
- Tomorrowland speedway, Dumbo, PPF, Carousel, Barnstormer, WtP, Ariel's adventure, Peoplemover, Aladdin's Carpet
- Tom Sawyer Island (I can never seem to fit this in since the hours are odd but I think its great for young kids to run some energy out)
- my kids loved the playground inside Dumbo and we spent at least 15min there playing, depending on the weather there is also a splash area nearby
- shows: Tiki, Philharmagic, Country Bears - depending on how active they are, they might not want to sit still but these are short and engaging, and can help induce naptime
- watch the Muppets in Liberty Square, I think my husband and I probably enjoyed it more, but there is a re-vamp of Muppet Babies on Disney Jr so they may know the characters vaguely
- Riding on the railroad was big for us, but I think it is currently closed. If it is parked in view anywhere, it's at least worth visiting for a photo op.
- Peter Pan, Winnie the Pooh/Tigger, Gaston all meet outside their rides/areas, maybe Mary Poppins, Tinkerbell, or Princesses if they are familiar with certain movies/characters
- Street Dance Party has some unique characters like Nick & Judy from Zootopia and the Genie from Aladdin
- At those ages, fur characters can be good or bad. My son was pretty hesitant, not full-blown screaming but he wouldn't be in a picture without me holding him. The princesses and other face characters were fine though.
- Pirate's League is an option if they are into dress up/pirates/face paint but at those ages I think it'd be a waste of time and money honestly since there are so many other things to do in MK

At Epcot: Future World has the most options, there is something for kids at each pavilion in my mind
- The talking birds outside The Seas was a huge hit. We rode the Nemo ride at least 3 times plus all the fish tanks, we spent at least 1 hour here. Turtle Talk will probably go over their heads though.
- Character Spot or Disney Visa M&G
- I think there are play areas at end of Mission Space and Test Track that may interest them, so one adult can stay with them there if you are doing rider swap
- WS has a newer suitcase ziploc bag thing for kids, free activity passport basically, it is cute and they can stop and color and get a card at each country, didn't really keep my kids' interest at such a young age but can help occupy them if others are wanting to tour. Also, the miniature trains in Germany and boat ride in Mexico are winners.
- we also did the Bon Voyage breakfast at Tratorria al Forno in order to meet some Princes with the Princesses.

AK:
- Dinoland and Festival of Lion King, Safari, walking the animal trails and walking through Pandora, Nemo show if you have time. Skip ITTBAB. Shame that they closed the train to Rafiki's area, that was my favorite

HS:
- Toy Story Land, meet Olaf, Frozen Sing Along, Muppets show, Disney Jr show and meet Characters (i think it's Doc McStuffins, Sofia and Vampirina currently), unfortunately there is no PJ masks or Puppy Dog pals which are the two shows my son loves.


Definitely agree with taking an afternoon break, especially if y'all rope drop. Even with an afternoon break, my kids were exhausted by 7 or 8pm, so your friends may need to plan to exit early and skip nighttime shows if they feel the kids can't last. Pack plenty of snacks! My kids are generally happy to sit in a stroller while the adults ride rides, shop, etc as long as they have something to eat. My other recommendation would be to plan pool time if the weather permits, the one thing I've learned in life from my nieces and now my own kids, is they want to swim whenever they see a pool, even if they have one at home! No matter how many fun things we do on a trip, they are always begging to go back to the hotel to swim!

 

[blakefamily]

Tell your friends not to worry, there is plenty for children of those ages to do, especially at MK, but even at the other parks they will enough rides plus shows, people watching and everyday excitement to experience. When we went last year, my son was 2.5 and daughter 4.5 years old. At first glance, it can seem like the princess stuff dominates everywhere, but really there is soo much else to explore. Here are the things I'd do with boys those ages:
MK
- Meet Mickey! This was a highlight for my son, even though we did other character M&Gs and meals, Mickey was the only one he really talked about.
- Any boat ride, except POC which was too scary for my kids and we probably should have skipped
- Tomorrowland speedway, Dumbo, PPF, Carousel, Barnstormer, WtP, Ariel's adventure, Peoplemover, Aladdin's Carpet
- Tom Sawyer Island (I can never seem to fit this in since the hours are odd but I think its great for young kids to run some energy out)
- my kids loved the playground inside Dumbo and we spent at least 15min there playing, depending on the weather there is also a splash area nearby
- shows: Tiki, Philharmagic, Country Bears - depending on how active they are, they might not want to sit still but these are short and engaging, and can help induce naptime
- watch the Muppets in Liberty Square, I think my husband and I probably enjoyed it more, but there is a re-vamp of Muppet Babies on Disney Jr so they may know the characters vaguely
- Riding on the railroad was big for us, but I think it is currently closed. If it is parked in view anywhere, it's at least worth visiting for a photo op.
- Peter Pan, Winnie the Pooh/Tigger, Gaston all meet outside their rides/areas, maybe Mary Poppins, Tinkerbell, or Princesses if they are familiar with certain movies/characters
- Street Dance Party has some unique characters like Nick & Judy from Zootopia and the Genie from Aladdin
- At those ages, fur characters can be good or bad. My son was pretty hesitant, not full-blown screaming but he wouldn't be in a picture without me holding him. The princesses and other face characters were fine though.
- Pirate's League is an option if they are into dress up/pirates/face paint but at those ages I think it'd be a waste of time and money honestly since there are so many other things to do in MK

At Epcot: Future World has the most options, there is something for kids at each pavilion in my mind
- The talking birds outside The Seas was a huge hit. We rode the Nemo ride at least 3 times plus all the fish tanks, we spent at least 1 hour here. Turtle Talk will probably go over their heads though.
- Character Spot or Disney Visa M&G
- I think there are play areas at end of Mission Space and Test Track that may interest them, so one adult can stay with them there if you are doing rider swap
- WS has a newer suitcase ziploc bag thing for kids, free activity passport basically, it is cute and they can stop and color and get a card at each country, didn't really keep my kids' interest at such a young age but can help occupy them if others are wanting to tour. Also, the miniature trains in Germany and boat ride in Mexico are winners.
- we also did the Bon Voyage breakfast at Tratorria al Forno in order to meet some Princes with the Princesses.

AK:
- Dinoland and Festival of Lion King, Safari, walking the animal trails and walking through Pandora, Nemo show if you have time. Skip ITTBAB. Shame that they closed the train to Rafiki's area, that was my favorite

HS:
- Toy Story Land, meet Olaf, Frozen Sing Along, Muppets show, Disney Jr show and meet Characters (i think it's Doc McStuffins, Sofia and Vampirina currently), unfortunately there is no PJ masks or Puppy Dog pals which are the two shows my son loves.


Definitely agree with taking an afternoon break, especially if y'all rope drop. Even with an afternoon break, my kids were exhausted by 7 or 8pm, so your friends may need to plan to exit early and skip nighttime shows if they feel the kids can't last. Pack plenty of snacks! My kids are generally happy to sit in a stroller while the adults ride rides, shop, etc as long as they have something to eat. My other recommendation would be to plan pool time if the weather permits, the one thing I've learned in life from my nieces and now my own kids, is they want to swim whenever they see a pool, even if they have one at home! No matter how many fun things we do on a trip, they are always begging to go back to the hotel to swim!

dbb727 THANK YOU !!! Such great insight and recommendations. We are having a planning session with them today so I will pass this along to them.

 

[Clark W Griswold]

To us that is the magic age of Disney. They’ll be amazed and enjoy everything and because of height restrictions you can soak up more of what they like because they aren’t able to ride the rides with longest wait times. Both of ours at that age could ride the 7DMT and loved it but nothing above the 44” rule. We got them a chip n sale stuffed animal duo the first day and told them if they were good they could hold them all week but they got taken away for any meltdowns or selfishness. They did great. We all took breaks after lunch to avoid the heat and peak crowds. Our youngest napped each time and one day we all did. A double stroller is great for that age.

 

[sponica]

My 20 month old tried to claw her way out of Dumbo....so your mileage may vary with that one...and she liked climbing on every park bench she saw.

Her absolute favorite experience was the country bears...

 

[Darkhaund]

I was at DISNEYLAND on may 2018... my Son had just turned 3.... this is what I did.
My wife and I had to do a little "sacrifice" and do all the rides mentioned like

Peter Pan
Alice
Mr. Toad
Pinoccio... etc etc

At WDW i would recomend similar thiings... do all the rides that they can enter without height restriction.
As for the break in the day... EACH family is different. My son did not need any breaks since he took naps in the stroller and my wife and I swapped for single rides during those times.

For the 12 year old... splitting might be an option or having her do single ride while child swapping.
The idea is for all to have fun

 

[Sha259]

We are traveling at the end of February with friends that have 2 little dudes. 2yr and 3yr. They have never been to Disney or any theme parks. Our daughter is 12, and the first time she went to WDW she was 8. They are concerned with how much the boys will really enjoy. Help me with tips and recommendations. I know they will love it and there are a few obvious ride choices, but Im sure i'm also not thinking of things since our daughter is so much older. FYI, we are staying at Wyndham Bonnet creek from 2/23- 3/2. Thanks guys!!

My husband and I are going pretty much at the exact same time as you and your friends and we also have a 2 year old!(28 months when we get there) We will be at the World 2/24 through 3/3, staying in Windsor Hills. We have been to Disney before, but never with our son, so I have been researching tons to find the things we would like to do.

Overall, we plan to keep the visit very low key and not try to do too much. Which means we aren't making a ton of FP+ reservations and wont be focused on trying to get on all the big ticket rides. We also plan to try to keep to his normal schedule as much as possible. He still needs one nap per day, usually between 1 and 3pm and for about 1-2 hours. If he is tired enough he will nap on the go, so we are taking our full recline umbrella stroller for him to nap in while we are out, if we don't choose to go back to the house. We are doing at least 1 sit down meal per day (usually dinner) because we know my son does well with them and they also serve as entertainment for him. But we plan to do most all breakfasts at the house. We were on the fence on whether to rent a crib or use the twin beds with rails at the house for sleep, as my son still happily sleeps in his crib at home. We have decided to rent the crib just to create that extra layer of familiarity for him during his bedtime routine, which we will be recreating completely each night we are away. We also plan to do his bedtime routine and head out late on those firework nights so that we can put him right to bed after we get back to the house.

I'm sure you will get tons of recs for fun toddler friendly rides, and there are TONS of them, predominantly in MK. Our must do list include Winnie the Pooh, and any flight ride at MK, Turtle Talk in Epcot, Navi River and the Safari in AK, and TSM at HS and the Cars experience in HS if it is open when we go. But for us, I know my sons NEEDS time and space to run, so we will be actively spending most evenings after nap in a free play space. In MK there is Tom Sawyer Island, in AK there is the Bone Yard, in Epcot there is the Wreck it Ralph playzone. And in HS I'm sure he will enjoy looking around TSL.

There really is so much for kids of all ages to do that they can't go wrong and their kids will NOT be bored! I expect my sone to sleep like a champ from pure exhaustion.

 

[blakefamily]

Thanks for the info and tips. We have decided on a day at MK and day at AK. With a rest day in between. We will start at opening and go until they show signs of being done. May do a break in afternoon and come back for evening fireworks, but gonna play it by ear

 

[Sha259]

Thank you Rhianna.07 Great tips!! Thankfully these friends are very understanding of the different dynamic between there boys and our daughter, so we are planning to split off for a few rides or even help with the boys if they want to ride some of the more thrilling rides. I think MK and AK are for sure and maybe HS, but not EPCOT. We have planned for myself, hubby and daughter to stay an extra 3 nights at Poly after they head home, that way we can get more designated park time in for us 3. I

I think it would be a real shame to skip Epcot for the 2 and 3 year old, even if they only go one day. They have the outdoor plan area and they would miss out on the Training Lab, Shark world, the coral reefs, Imageworks, and Innoventions! I have a toddler boy myself, and I am taking him places that he can see flashing lights and touch buttons, Epcot is great for that! And Turtle Talk with Crush! Any toddler would love that experience.

We got park hoppers specifically so that we could play it by ear and choose our evening park based on crowds and how my son was feeling after nap. We might actually end up in Epcot most nights if it's one of the least crowded of the parks.

 

[dbb727]

Thanks for the info and tips. We have decided on a day at MK and day at AK. With a rest day in between. We will start at opening and go until they show signs of being done. May do a break in afternoon and come back for evening fireworks, but gonna play it by ear

I agree with this. I just realized y'all are offsite, so in that case I would try for stroller naps vs. leaving the parks bc inevitably my children would fall asleep in the car but then awaken and not go back to sleep once in a hotel. I know this varies per family/child and by day so you just have to play it by ear.

On your rest day, I'd consider a character meal at a resort so then you don't have to wait in lines at parks for as many characters. I'd choose breakfast at Wyndham Lake Buena Vista(select mornings), Garden Grove @ the Swan, 1900 Park Fare @Grand Floridian or Ohana breakfast @ Poly.

 

[blakefamily]

I agree with this. I just realized y'all are offsite, so in that case I would try for stroller naps vs. leaving the parks bc inevitably my children would fall asleep in the car but then awaken and not go back to sleep once in a hotel. I know this varies per family/child and by day so you just have to play it by ear.

On your rest day, I'd consider a character meal at a resort so then you don't have to wait in lines at parks for as many characters. I'd choose breakfast at Wyndham Lake Buena Vista(select mornings), Garden Grove @ the Swan, 1900 Park Fare @Grand Floridian or Ohana breakfast @ Poly.

Good thought about possibly falling asleep in car and then waking up when they get to resort. We have a breakfast planned for Park Fare on a non park day!