Impressions of Disney World?

Hi,
I don't want to be a downer but realistically, I think it would be a waste of money and really hard to keep any kind of schedule. Kids those ages can't go on very many rides, there are really long lines for everything and it can be really overwhelming even for big kids and adults. If you go, don't expect wonderful behavior from either of them.

We have some friends that went with their 3 and 7 year old. They told us that it would have been much better to wait until their 3 was at least 5 or 6, they all would have enjoyed it more.

Good luck and have fun no matter what you decide. :)

Hi Jennifer - We are also planning on going in a few months with our 4 and 3(just turned last week). A good resource is www.allears.net From all the feedback we got from friends we are just doing Magic Kingdom for 2 days, as I think the other parks won't be as much fun for the kids at this age. We are also brining in our own snacks and are planning a meal with the characters. Have a great time!
T.

Magic Kingdom is absolutely the right place to go, and 2 days is perfect. Animal Kingdom is more like a zoo, so unless your kids are really in to zoos, pass on it. There is so much to see at the Magic Kingdom. You could easily spend both days there. I highly recommend getting there early for the opening of the park, leave after lunch so the kids can have a nap and relax. Then go back in the evening for the fireworks. For the age of your kids, Magic Kingdom has the most to offer and the most activities for them to be interested in. You will love it too. It's my favorite by far. Have a great time! The disney website has a section lilke 'build your experience'. You specify you have little kids, and they'll tell you exactly where you want to go, what your kids will enjoy.

Hi Jennifer! Well, I'm going to give you some advice a bit different from others. Last January I was suffering from the Minnesota winter blues and just "had to get away!" (All you moms know what I mean!) My daughter was 2 years and 3 months old at the time, though we have taken her overseas traveling, this was our first big Disney experience in mid February, 2007. I booked a timeshare through e-bay (yes, I took a risk, but it was the best experience ever). We had a beautiful two bedroom, two bath, fully equiped villa for only $300 for seven nights - beat that! We rented a car and therefore shopped at a local grocery store, cooking our own breakfasts and dinners and packing our own lunches saved big on $. I, too, highly recommend purchasing a couple of books - the best one is one already mentioned (but be sure to get the "with Kids" version - The Unofficial Guide to DisneyWorld - WITH KIDS. Read it well before you go and it will help you organize your days. Before this trip, the only Disney characters my daughter knew about were Nemo and Winnie the Pooh. So we though that the Animal Kingdom would be a good intro. IT WAS FANTASTIC. We followed the advice of the book and got there at opening and headed straight back to the saffari "ride" - WOW is all I can say! Oh and yes, we drove to the parks, as it was nice to be able to leave on our own schedule and not wait for buses or other transportation. We spent one day at Animal Kingdom, hung around the pools at the timeshare, went to an awesome (if not a bit unusual) petting zoo another day, thought about SeaWorld, but didn't go, and then saved Magic Kingdom for near the end. It too, was great. And I do agree with other writers, you could easily spend two days here. We arrived again at opening - which is really a great experience (you'll need to see it to understand) and again headed to the back of the park. Our daughter is a thrill-seaker, so she LOVES the rides - at least those she could fit on (she's pretty tall, so she got lucky on most). Waits weren't particularly long since mid February is sort-of "off" season - though one Disney Cast Member (employee) mentioned it's the high-season for strollers (meaning there's a lot of youngters and preschoolers). Oh, and on the subject of strollers, we opted to take our own as we also drove to the parks. I'm glad I did, as I'm used to it and so is our daughter. Besides, once you finish seeing a show or getting off a ride, it's like looking for a needle in a haystack!

Anyway, I could go on and on, but all I can say is go with the flow, keep your patience, and realize that this trip is for the kids - parents, we don't get to enjoy vacations until their pre-teens, right?

Feel free to send me a note if you have any other questions. Oh, and one more thing - maybe we'll bump into you. We just booked another trip this February and leave Minneapolis on the 22nd! Hope to see in the most magical place on earth!

My daughter was 4 years old when we took her. She didn't like Epcot but loved Animal & Magic Kingdom. She likes Zoo's so Animal Kingdom was fun for her and they had some good places to eat. I highly recommend getting the Unofficial Guide to Disney World. It has great suggestions on how to get the most out of limited time and reduce your wait times. Check out the pages on the tour suggestions with kids. It describes each ride and what ages it's appropriate for. They suggested going to the teacups and dumbo ride 1st thing in the morning. We got through all the rides in that area in the first hour without much of a wait and noticed as we left that people were waiting over 45 minutes a ride.

We stayed at Coronado Springs on the grounds. It has a nice pool area but it may be cold in February. If you stay at a Disney resort you can get early entry to the park.

My best advice is to stay close by so you can take a break after lunch for naps and then go back for the late afternoon/evening. Plus if you have a car drop by a local grocery store and get snacks and breakfast to eat at the little table in the room. It will save $$ and time.

You could easily spend both days at the Magic Kingdom if you want to save the Wild Animal Park for when they're older and can better appreciate it. I haven't been to the Animal Park, but I have heard good things about it. I would skip Epcot at this age--I personally think it is for older children. I would get there early in the morning before it gets crowded and if your kids still nap you might want to consider going back to your hotel for an afternoon rest and returning to the park later. Take advantage of the fast passes! They are great for the busy rides. I would go into it with fairly low expectations because your children are so young--don't try to see and do everything. Most kids have a meltdown at some point because they just get so excited and tired and there is so much going on. Staying at a Disney resort is certainly the most convenient, but also the most expensive. They sometimes also offer an hour in the morning at the parks before the rest of the public is allowed in. We stayed at a hotel right outside the Disney properties and took the hotel shuttle to the parks--that worked out very well. It also saves quite a bit of money. We stayed at either a Hilton or a Marriott, but there are a variety of hotels right outside the park. I know someone who swears by the Holiday Inn which has themed rooms, bunk beds and video games. Have fun! Oh, there are family travel websites that can give you all kinds of tips about Disney for different age groups, including which rides to go on and when.

My parents took us to Disneyland when we were 8, 6, and 1. It was fun for a little while but then we just wanted to go back to the motel and swim. If you have your heart set on going, be sure to have back-up activities (like swimming) planned.

We went in September with our 3.5 year old and 16 month old. We stayed on property at the All-Star Music Resort and had an amazing time. The all-star resorts are great, they are very family friendly and have the convenience of the transportation to any of the parks. They remind me of a motel set up. They had these amazing family suites where there are 2 bathrooms, a kitchenette with a mini fridge, 1 bedroom and a living room/family room with pull out beds for the kids. It was great because we could get the kids to bed and go into the bedroom and close the door and stay up for a while and not worry about keeping them awake. If your 2 year old is still in a crib all they have to offer is a pack'n'play. They had life jackets at the pools too which came in very handy.
I have to say the Animal Kingdom was my least favorite park. Partly because it was so hot when we went in September and there is no shade and few places to go into to cool off. It might be a completely different experience in February.
Magic Kingdom with little kids is very fun! The only downside we had was having the 16 month old meant that one of us had to take him back for a nap (he was still doing 2 at home at that time). The rides for the kids are all pretty much the same but they loved them. Another thing to consider is that there are things there that you will likely not be able to do with kids in tow just because they could be frightening for them. But you can always take turns.
They have rental strollers (hard plastic seats basically) that you can use at any of the parks. They aren't the most comfortable looking things but they are very easy to move around and you can leave it without worrying about it being taken by someone.
They also have wonderful maps showing all the kid attractions in each park. When you get into the Magic Kindgom you walk under the archway and then head off to the left. There are bathrooms right there and a building where you can get park maps. Just tell them you need a toddler/pre-school map (or you can print them off onlline).
Sorry for the long response. Have a great time, your kids will love it!

We recently went with our 4 1/2 and 3 year olds for 5 days but really I suggest one day at the park and one day to relax-two full days at the park but going back to back might be overload.
Good luck

We took our daughter to Disney when she was 2 years and 9 months. It was not the best trip I've been on. We were meeting friends from England there and actually were leaving both kids at home. Two weeks before we were to leave my mom broke her ankle and could not care for the kids. We found a friend to take the 9 month old and decided to get a ticket for our older one.

The first full day there we spent 8 hours at Sea World. She could not get enough of it. She also enjoyed her new English friends as well. The next day we went to Disney World and ended up carrying her out kicking and screaming because two days in a row was just too much. Our daughter was not the only child I saw screaming that day. I just remember commenting to my husband that most of the people we seen with strollers actually planned their vacations when we brought ours last minute.

We are not in the process of planning a trip their with our English friends and we are looking at next October when the girls will almost be 5 & 7.

Everyone has their own idea of a fun vacation and when it is the right time for their kids to go to Disney. Tons of people take their little ones every year. You just need to be flexible and roll with what comes your way.

We also took one day to go to Cocoa Beach and see the ocean. She had the time of her life.

No matter what you do...have fun.

My family was at Disney the last week of August (yes, very hot.) Both my girls (6 & 4) loved Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom. I was actually surprised that they even liked Epcot this trip. I was there when my oldest was 2 and her favorites then were Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom. The safari is the best as well as the Lion King show and the Nemo show. We took our own stroller and the girls napped in the stroller as we walked along seeing everything. Both times my family stayed onsite at All Star Movies and Pop Century and I would recommend Pop Century over the All Star resorts. One reason is that the pool is heated there and the ones at All Stars is not.

The books are good, but I found just as much information on the parks by doing a google search 'Disney world information' and looking at a few of the websites with hints and park info.

We didn't particularly like the animal kingdom and we were warned before we went, but saw it anyway.

Epcot was phenominal!!! With kids that little though, I'd stick w/ the Magic Kingdom. My step-daughter was 8 at the time so she was old enough to enjoy everything. We are waiting until our kids are just a bit older to go. We took them to DisneyLAND last year when one was 4 and the other was 20 months. There was plenty for them to do and see.

I would also suggest buying a book. They are very informative and fun to read! The Unofficial Guide is very good, but if you can find one, I would highly suggest the Passporter Guide to Walt Disney World. It will tell you all the tips and even how much food items cost at each restaurant.

I personally have been to Disney World more than 20 times and my 14 month old son has been there twice. (That wasn't really planned, though, it just happened...we're not really Disney nutty people.) The biggest thing is not to expect to see everything. It sounds like you have a good handle on that since you plan to go when the kids are older. I also would recommend staying "on property" in one of the Disney hotels. They range from very affordable to quite pricey, and it is very convenient to be so close and to use their transportation.

No matter what, you will all have a great time! I love seeing little kids at Walt Disney World. They find it so magical. It can be quite magical for the parents, too. I was brought to tears by how excited my 1 year old was on the Nemo ride at Epcot. Have fun!