Planning a Trip to Disney with a Baby or Toddler

 

Tips for Disney World with a Baby or Toddler

Disney World is one of those trips that many families have on their bucket list while their kids are still young and believe in all the magic that Disney offers! But the thought of planning the trip—so it’s enjoyable for both kiddos AND parents—can be overwhelming. And when I say enjoyable, I mean making sure your child doesn’t get pushed to the max of overtiredness and have constant meltdowns! (I can’t do anything about the heat or the crowds 😉) In this post, I share all the practical tips for planning a trip to Disney with babies and toddlers!

Who’s Going on This Disney Vacation?

In an ideal world, you will have the same number of adults as children on this trip (or more adults than kids!).

Playing man-to-man defense (sorry, I played basketball in high school!) will make it SO much easier when a baby needs a diaper change, your preschooler needs to go potty, you want to go on a “big” ride that your children are too small for (and don’t want to deal with rider swap), there are multiple trays of food to carry at the quick service restaurants, etc.

Having extra adults like grandparents will make you feel like you won the lottery! They’ll be able to be an extra set of eyes so you aren’t on full alert 24/7 and can relax a bit, and if you get a 2- or 3-bedroom villa for your group, you might be able to sneak away in the evening for a fun Disney date night after the kids are tucked in! And they may even chip in on the expense of the accommodations too…

If you’re like many families and have more kids than adults, it will be easier on you if the oldest is at least 7-8 years old so they can follow directions better and be more helpful. If you’re planning on going with multiple kids under 4-5 years old, it will be A LOT for you to juggle. 😊

If you don’t have extra adults in your party but want some time to spend kids-free, you can book an in-room sitter (it’s recommended to book 14-30 days in advance and is for children ages 6 weeks to 12 years) or have them go to Camp Dolphin at the Dolphin Hotel (for ages 5-12 years old, children must be potty-trained, drop off is 4-5pm and pickup is 9-11pm).

Tips for Going to Disney World with Young Kids

If you’ve never been to Disney, know that you will walk approximately 4 billion steps each day! 😂 But seriously, the last few times I went to Disney World, my daily step count was 25,000-30,000 (which is ~12-15 miles). If you aren’t used to walking that much, DEFINITELY start walking more in the weeks leading up to your trip.

On that note, everyone who is ambulatory should have comfortable walking shoes that are not brand new. This is not the time to break in new ones. Stick this roll-on blister preventor and some band-aids in your backpack just in case!

Pack an extra outfit, pair of shoes and a poncho for every person in your backpack/diaper bag! If baby spits up on you or has a blow out diaper, you will need to change. If (when!) there’s an afternoon rain shower, you’ll want dry shoes. You’ll want the ponchos because kids don’t like to wait inside for bad weather, they’d rather run free where it’s less crowded (because everyone’s inside staying dry!) and jump in puddles. Also, this is a great time to make your way to the next attraction because lines will be shorter! Don’t forget a rain cover (or extra poncho!) for the stroller - they even have double stroller rain covers.

And speaking of strollers, you’ll want one, even if your kids are older. And a comfortable one with lay flat seats for park naps. This post has ALL the tips and tricks for finding quiet places and coordinating naps at Disney.

The week leading up to your trip, don’t skimp on sleep. Make sure your child is getting in all scheduled naps and getting to bed at a good time so you start your trip without being in a sleep deficit.

Plan your travel day wisely so you aren’t all exhausted when you arrive at Disney! Are you driving to Orlando or flying in? Will you have a super early flight to catch or is the flight after bedtime? If you need tips on the travel day to make it as easy as possible (and a packing list!), grab my Travel with Littles Guide.

If you’re not bringing a pack n play with you, be sure to reserve one through your resort. Don’t forget to bring the sheets and mattress pad (2-3 sets so you have a fresh set in case a diaper leaks or you get home too late and don’t have time for a bath!) And remember to bring the bedtime routine items from home: white noise machine, bedtime books, sleep sack and lovey. I also recommend a low blue light night light, because hotel bathroom lights are BRIGHT in the middle of the night!

If the white noise just isn’t blocking the noise well (which can be an issue, especially in Value Resorts with connecting rooms), ask the front desk for a box fan and put it in between where your child is sleeping and where the loudest noise is coming from.

Plan for rest days. Hopefully you aren’t planning on going from rope drop to close every day because your kids will not survive that schedule! Ideally you’ll alternate a big park day with a rest day at your resort. Or if you are planning on doing park days each day, choose to either rope drop and get back to the resort for an early night or let everyone sleep in and then stay up later. (Keep in mind that this strategy doesn’t always work with young children BUT there’s no tired like Disney tired, so you have a chance!) On those long park days, the best strategy is usually taking a break from the parks mid-day to get a solid nap in hotel room.

If you stay for fireworks, remember to bring noise-cancelling headphones for each child and watch them further from the castle and closer to the exit so you can beat the rush when everyone leaves! To help get them through the night until the fireworks start, try to push naps a little later that day and plan for dinner a little later too.

Below I have listed the advantages (and disadvantages) of the Value, Moderate and Deluxe Resorts by location, sleeping space options and whether they have a balcony (so you can have a mini-date after bedtime!)…

Location of Disney Resorts

Depending on the park and resort destination, it can take an hour to get back to your resort after fireworks are over. So proximity to parks—especially the one you may be visiting more often—is helpful! All Disney transportation (monorail, Skyliner, boats and buses) are free for guests.

Deluxe Resorts

Deluxe Resorts will be the easiest to navigate and closest to the parks.

The Contemporary, Polynesian and Grand Floridan are all on the monorail to Magic Kingdom (and it’s a short walk from the Contemporary to the entrance of Magic Kingdom).

The Beach Club, Yacht Club, Boardwalk, Swan and Dolphin Resorts are all close to EPCOT and Hollywood Studios—you can walk to EPCOT (also to Hollywood Studios, but that is a further walk), or take the Friendship Boat.

Riviera Resort is on the Skyliner route so you can get to EPCOT and Hollywood Studios easily. The Skyliner entrance is attached to the building and there’s hardly ever a long line. The Wilderness Lodge is also not walkable to any parks, but has both both service and boat service.

The exceptions are Animal Kingdom Lodge (there is no walkway to Animal Kingdom park), Old Key West, Saratoga Springs. Bus service is the only option for transportation to the parks at these resorts (there is, however, boat service to Disney Springs).

If you’re planning on staying at Deluxe resort, my best advice is to book one near the park you will visit most often.

Moderate Resorts

Moderate resorts, with the exception of Caribbean Beach Resort on the Skyliner, are bus-only resorts.

They differ in the number of bus stops they have. Port Orleans French Quarter, the smallest Moderate Resort, has only one bus stop, whereas Port Orleans Riverside, Coronado and Caribbean Beach are all vast properties and have multiple bus stops. This can be an issue that buses may pass a bus stop if the bus is already full and depending on where your room is located, you may have a long trek to the closest bus stop.

Value Resorts

Of the five Value Resorts, only two are on the Skyliner route (Pop Century and Art of Animation), so you can get to EPCOT and Hollywood Studios via the Slyliner. All-Star Movies, All-Star Sports and All-Star Music are all bus-only resorts.

The All-Star Resorts are the furthest from any of the parks and will share bus service during non-busy times (meaning they’ll stop at all three resorts which will add time to your trip).

The Value Resorts have been updated more recently (in general) than the Moderate resorts. We stayed at Pop Century a couple years ago and my son said it looked like a new Hyatt Place hotel room.

Which Disney Resorts Have Separate Sleeping Areas?

Traveling with little ones in a typical one room hotel room is challenging! Fortunately there are options for family suites and one (or more) bedroom villas in Value, Moderate and Deluxe Resorts.

Value Resorts

  • Disney's Art of Animation Resort: Family suites with a separate bedroom, living room, and kitchenette. The living room furniture converts to a double-size sleeper sofa and table bed. 

  • Disney's All-Star Music Resort: Family suites with a separate bedroom, living room, kitchenette, and two queen-size pull-down beds in the living room. 

Moderate Resorts

  • Disney's Coronado Springs Resort: One-bedroom suites with a separate bedroom and a queen-size sleeper sofa. 

  • Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort: Cabins with a bedroom that has a queen bed and bunk bed, plus a living area with a double-size sleeper sofa. 

Deluxe Villas and Resorts

Disney Villas at the Deluxe Resorts 1-, 2- or 3-bedroom suites with full kitchens, living and dining areas, a washer and dryer and separate sleeping areas. There are also studio villas that are larger than an average hotel room, only have kitchenettes and typically one of the beds is a sofa bed.

Bay Lake Tower at the Contemporary

Boulder Ridge Villas at Wilderness Lodge

Copper Creek and Wilderness Lodge

Jambo House at Animal Kingdom Lodge

Kidani Village at Animal Kingdom Lodge

Beach Club Villas

Boardwalk Villas

Old Key West Resort

Polynesian Villas

Riviera Resort

Saratoga Springs Resort

Villas at the Grand Floridian

Alternate Option

Depending on your needs and size of your party, getting two connecting rooms at a Value Resort may be a great option and less expensive than a villa. You won’t have access to a kitchen or washer/dryer, BUT you’ll have two bathrooms to get kiddos bathed and ready for bed quicker and four real (not sofa) beds!

Which Disney Resorts Have Balconies?

If your child will be going to bed a couple hours before you’re ready to hit the sack, you won’t need to hide out in the bathroom with your wine tumblers if you have a balcony! 😉

Currently only some of the Deluxe Resorts have balconies (the Value and Moderate Resorts are motel-style where the door leads to exterior hallways). And keep in mind that some balconies are not usable because they’re Juliet-style balconies.

These are the Deluxe Resorts with balconies (or if on ground floor, with a patio):

Grand Floridian

Animal Kingdom Lodge

Beach Club Resort (Some rooms have reduced-sized Juliet balconies on the resort side.)

Yacht Club Resort

Contemporary (the Garden wing does NOT have balconies)

Boardwalk Inn

Wilderness Lodge

Polynesian Village Resort (Some rooms in the longhouses on the second floor have Juliet-style balconies, including Aotearoa, Fiji, Hawaii, Niue, Rarotonga, Samoa, and Tuvalu. The ground floor rooms have patios, and the third floor rooms have covered balconies.)

Some of these Deluxe Resorts have balconies:

Rivera Resort

Saratoga Springs Resort

Old Key West Resort

Also, the cabins at Fort Wilderness Resort are an option if you bring some camping chairs to sit outside your cabin!

If having a balcony is a must-have, either you or your travel agent should call to make that a top request on your reservation.

Do You Need Park Hopper Passes at Disney World with Kids?

Because Disney isn’t already expensive, many people opt for the one-park-per-day passes. That’s often the easiest way to go, especially if you have little kids, but there are advantages of having Park Hopper Passes:

  1. Your Elsa-obsessed child can go on the Frozen ride every day

  2. You plan on going back to your resort at nap time in the middle of the day so it’s just as easy to go to a different park in the evening

  3. You can get out of the “park food” rut of nuggets and pizza and get better options in EPCOT

  4. If the park you chose that day seems too busy, you can try a different park that has a lower crowd level

  5. You only have three park days but want to visit all four parks

  6. You have the flexibility to revisit whichever park is most fun for your family

  7. This is a one and done trip for your family so you want to get as much out of your park tickets as possible!

And lastly, the biggest tip…if your child isn’t sleeping well at home and still needs your help to fall asleep and stay asleep, fix that BEFORE your trip! It’ll be so much more enjoyable and you’ll be less stressed about the whole sleeping situation! If your trip is at least two weeks away, we can get your child on a better schedule before you leave - schedule an evaluation call HERE!

Disney World Trip Advice with Toddlers

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This post is for informational purposes only and may not be the best fit for you, your child and/or your personal situation. It shall not be construed as medical advice. The information and education provided here is not intended or implied to supplement or replace professional medical treatment, advice, and/or diagnosis. Always check with your child’s physician or medical professional before trying or implementing any information read here.

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