Walt Disney World With Small Children

Navigating Walt Disney World With Small Children

photo credit: Disney Travel Professionals

Walt Disney World is probably on every person’s list of places to visit and there’s no wonder why! Disney certainly knows how to entertain and make family vacations amazing. However, there’s so much information that it can be totally overwhelming to try to plan. Don’t worry, I’ve compiled some of my best tips for families with small children that will hopefully help you in your planning.

With so many options, how to we pick where to stay?

There ARE a lot of options. Be sure to have a set budget in mind before starting your search for the perfect resort. Value resorts offer the classic “Disney” feel with fun themes and larger than life statues along with fun pools for the kids! Moderate Resorts are a step up from Value with bigger, softer beds, more pools and better amenities. These don’t scream Disney like the value resorts but you’ll surely find some hidden mickeys and other hidden Disney gems. Deluxe Resorts are top notch. They have the best pools with slides, kiddie areas and other fun activities. If you have young children that will need to nap, check out one of the three monorail resorts.

Make advanced dining reservations and fastpass+ selections.

If you want character dining and the best table service meals during your stay its very important that you make advanced dining reservations well ahead of your vacation. The best and most popular restaurants fill up quickly so you’ll want to try to get in as soon as they open up availability at 180 day before your stay. Fastpass+ is a way to skip select standby lines at WDW saving you a lot of time. It is a completely free service and available to reserve 60 days before your trip if staying on property and 30 days before each day if you stay off property. You may choose 3 fastpass+ selections per person per day ahead of time. Once you use all 3 of the fastpass+ selections you can add 1 more at a time via the My Disney Experience app for smartphones or any fastpass+ kiosk in the parks.

So much to see, so much to do, so little time!

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but you won’t ever “see it all” in one trip, or maybe ever for that matter, so make sure you take time to breathe, enjoy your trip and know that there’s always next time to see the things that you may have missed. Children can get cranky in the heat, crowds and over stimulation so days off are essential. We like to sprinkle a few pool days or half park days in between full park days so that the kids don’t get to overwhelmed. We also like to go back in the afternoon while the parks are super full and crazy hot to nap and then head back to the parks after dinner when it’s cooled down a little and hopefully not as busy.

Memory Maker

If there’s one thing I recommend for families with young children, it’s to get the memory maker! Memory Maker is currently $149 if purchased before your trip and allows you access to all pictures taken by Disney Photopass Cast Members as well as all the rides that take photos. We love to stop and have our pictures taken every time we see a Photopass Cast Member. They add in some special magic shots and take great family pictures!

Oh no! It’s raining! Rain and kids in a small hotel room is no fun.

Raining? Don’t worry! The first thing I will mentions is that it’s Florida. It rains almost every day for a few minutes and then stops so don’t lose hope for a nice day too quickly or for a nice week if you see rain on the forecast every day. However, there may be a day where it’s storming or heavy rain all day long and then that’s where Disney Springs come into play. Disney Springs is a fun shopping district that houses a movie theater and bowling alley plus much more that is perfect for a rainy day!

Other random tips

Make use of the Baby Care Centers in each park for a quiet place to nurse, change a diaper or just cool down with your baby. Decorate your stroller so it stands out from the rest. Stroller parking can have literally hundreds of strollers and cast members are constantly moving them to keep the area neat and efficient so your stroller will get moved. Battery powered string lights works especially well for the evening. And since we were just talking about rain, head to the dollar store and grab a shower curtain. When it rains just throw the curtain over the stroller to keep everything dry. Check out Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique for children 3-12 or The Pirates League for children and adults 3+. Need a night out with your spouse? Disney offers several Child Activity Centers and in room babysitting all at an extra fee. Food allergies or Special Needs? Disney is extremely accommodating and has several services in place for these specific needs. There’s too much information for me to share here but feel free to contact me with any questions and I can guide you in the right direction.

Planning a Disney vacation can be stressful and confusing, but it doesn’t have to be! As a Travel Agent specilizing in Disney desitnations, I will help plan the most magical family vacations. I will help you choose the best resort for your family and your budget, plan all of your dining such as dining plan options, character dining, table service and dinner shows, schedule your fastpass+ experiences and more. It is my goal to find you the absolute best deal I can and save you as much money as possible plus all of my services are completely free! In addition to Walt Disney World I specialize in Disneyland, Alulani, Disney Cruise Line, Adventures by Disney and Universal Orlando.

There are still some Walt Disney World promotions available for fall 2017 which include free dining (limited availability remaining) and a room discount of up to 25%.

Trips booked at least 30 day in advance only need a small deposit and I can set you up with a payment plan.

Be sure to join my facebook group for all the newest promotions, changes and more. https://www.facebook.com/groups/590587627812502/

You can request a free, no obligation quote here: https://goo.gl/forms/kd3kL20V0IIsZWk63

Angie