Would it be magical to do Disney World with a toddler and baby? Or, would it be a hurricane from Miss Ursula herself?
My toddler, like so many others, is in her Disney girl era. She is obsessed with Nemo, Dory, Lightning McQueen, Elsa, and most of all, the entire Mickey Mouse gang. So, I thought, what better way to celebrate her birthday than with a trip to the Mouse’s Clubhouse itself, Disney World!
Of course, we were biting our nails with anxiety at the thought of exploring Disney World with a toddler and baby. There were too many worries for us to count.
With a lot of research and preparation (and a little Disney magic ;)), we were able to plan a trip to Disney World that was magical for the whole family- even the five-month-old.
How We Easily Booked Our Trip to Disney with a Toddler and Baby
In my humble opinion, Disney World with a toddler is a summer bucket list must. Most little ones who watch TV are obsessed with one Disney character or another. Taking them to see the characters themselves can make the magic feel that much more real.
However, we are a busy family. The last thing we want to do when planning a vacation is work out every single little detail ourselves. That is why we decided that, this trip, we wanted to book a travel bundle. In our years of traveling, we have found that Costco travel is a marvelous way of booking a vacation.
No, I’m not sponsored or anything. I just really love the service. It is one of the main reasons I have maintained my Costco membership all these years. With the Costco travel bundle, my family was able to book our hotel and Disney tickets easily. It was also an amazing way to save money!
Our Hotel
We stayed in the beautiful and intricately done Art of Animation resort. I think choosing this hotel made our stay so magical, especially because the birthday girl is a HUGE fan of Cars and Finding Nemo- two stories that are huge features at the resort.
The Courtyards
My little one was so excited to meet Lightning McQueen, Tow Mater, and the rest of the Radiator Springs gang. My personal favorite was the Guido and Luigi set-up. I loved how they had the leaning tower of tires and made the resort entrance look like his shop.
Don’t even get me started on the intricacy of the Finding Nemo themed pool. It is the largest resort pool in the Disney World resorts and even has a splash pad for kids to enjoy!
The Room
We decided to stay in the Little Mermaid themed room, which was definitely clean and themed well (although the crooked picture of Eric definitely bothered my brain a bit). While the room is small, there is plenty of space under the beds to leave your luggage. The staff we encountered were so kind and always willing to help.
My daughter loved yelling out “mama, octopus!” (which adorably sounds like armpit in her toddler speak) every time we passed Ursula. She swore the Prince Eric sculpture was daddy and had to touch the treasure chest and dinglehopper every time we passed them.
The Food
We did enjoy breakfast at the resort quite a few times, as well. The waffles were fluffy and sweet, and contained images of characters from Finding Nemo, Cars, the Little Mermaid, and the Lion King. I will say, though, the eggs, bacon, and tater tots were nothing to write home about.
We ate dinner at the hotel the first night, and, I unfortunately, did not enjoy it. I got the Tandoori chicken, which had a decent flavor, but was definitely cooled down a bit too much for my taste. The food is pre-prepped and kept in tins, which means that it may sometimes be fresh and sometimes… not so much.
Ultimately…
Every night, the resort offers a movie night by the pool and every day, there are fun family activities to enjoy. Ultimately, I think choosing to upgrade to the Art of Animation resort added to the magic of our Disney trip, especially for the birthday girl who squealed with excitement every time we passed through one of the amazing courtyards.
The resort is conveniently close to the parks, with transportation on both the Skyliner and buses, depending on which park you are going to. This proved to be critical, considering we would go to the parks in the morning, come back for a nap, and go back until we were over it for the day.
I loved staying at the Art of Animation resort and would highly recommend it to anyone and everyone with little Disney fans.
Was it Worth Splurging on Genie+ at Disney World with a Toddler and Baby?
I personally think that splurging on Genie+ was well worth it. If you have a toddler, you know that their patience is about as short as they are. The long lines also tend to have you waiting in the Sun a lot longer than desirable.
That’s why we decided to just bite the bullet and purchase the Genie+ every day we went to the parks. The price was not too bad, considering how expensive everything at theme parks can be. The price does, however, fluctuate daily.
I was a little frustrated that the rides that were popular at the time were not allowing Lightning Lane usage, but ultimately did not regret our purchase.
The first time we went to Disney World with a toddler, we ended up only riding three rides in two days. I know, I know. It sounds like such a waste. It felt like one, too.
We struggled our first time to stay in line long enough to enjoy the park, and couldn’t stay for long in the Florida heat.
This time around, we were able to ride most toddler-friendly rides around the park (except Magic Kingdom), despite only lasting a few hours at a time.
My Tips for Disney World with a Toddler and Baby
When you have little kids, you learn that the more prepared you are, the smoother things will go. That’s why I want to give you some tips I picked up along the way for exploring Disney World with a toddler and baby.
Prepare for the Weather
Florida is a tropical climate. That means that you don’t only have to prepare for the immense heat, but for sudden rain storms, as well. We did that by bringing:
- High-quality fans
- stroller rain and shade covers
- an umbrella
- ponchos
- rain boots
- cooling towels
- water bottles
Magic Kingdom was the Most Crowded
I don’t know about you, but we are not a family that enjoys crowds. When we went to Magic Kingdom, we were shocked by just how crowded it was. Everywhere we went, we were bumping into somebody else. We thought that getting to the park early and on a weekday would mean we were beating the crowd, but nope! Magic Kingdom was jam-packed always.
I mean, it makes sense. When you think of Disney World, many think of Cinderella’s castle and the amazing parades the park has to offer. Of course everybody wants to make a stop there.
The crowds didn’t completely stop us from enjoying the park. They just made us feel a need to leave a bit quicker than we had anticipated. If you don’t mind crowds, though, you will likely love Magic Kingdom as it is truly a magical experience!
Make Time for Downtime
When I booked the experience with Costco, every day we were there came with a park ticket. If you are purchasing your park tickets individually, I recommend leaving room in your vacation to have some days off, especially if you are staying in one of Disney’s resorts. I mean, they’re all their own amusement parks, with plenty of fun you’ll want to experience.
Have a Plan, But Be Flexible
It always helps to have a plan for your day, whether you have kids or not. Before we left, I did a ton of research on rides for toddlers, activities, and food (because that’s the best part of a vacation, tbh). I found some great articles, like this one that lists all of the rides that are great for all ages. However, it is also important to know that, with a baby or toddler, things won’t always go as planned. Some days, you’ll be up and at ‘em by early entry. Other days, you may not leave the hotel until after naptime (we certainly had days like that). The key to keeping the vacay magical, whether things are going to plan or not, is to check your mindset.
I know that I have a tendency to set a goal list for the day and feel anxious when I don’t achieve everything on it. However, this vacation, I continued to remind myself that we were on vacation, not at work. I did my best to get in a ‘go with the flow’ mindset, and it really worked for us!
In conclusion
Like anything else, the most important part to having a magical time at Disney World with a toddler and baby is your mindset. You have to be determined to have a good time, and not let the inevitable setbacks drag you down. Your whole family will be feeding off each other’s energy, especially if you are all sharing a single room.
We had an amazing time on our little vacay, whether we were the early birds catching the worm or rolling out of the hotel at 2 o’clock in the afternoon. I feel so grateful to have been able to experience such a magical vacation with my family and hope these tips and tricks help you have a great time, too!