Disney World {with a toddler}

March 2023

Orlando, FL

The MAGIC of Disney is real! I have such fond Disney memories from my childhood and it was so special being able to share this Emma as well! We spent 7 days there (the first & last were travel days) and hit the 3 classic Disney parks - Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and Magic Kingdom - as well as one of Disney's water parks - Blizzard Beach. We also spent a good amount of time at Disney Springs and the pool at our resort!

*Please refer to my first Disney Post for details on planning a trip to Disney World from where to stay, photo passes, etc. This post will have some updates about Genie Plus & Lightning Lanes versus FastPass and will also hit on all the tips & tricks to make the most of your trip with a little one! Things are always evolving and changing in the realm of Disney so make sure to check Disney's websites for the most recent updates!

Check out our other post on how to travel with a baby! Emma was 21 months old during this adventure. And don't forget our other pages for our FULL itinerary & highlight video!

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Tips & Tricks

• Travel Agent: I am not one to ever go through a travel agent or have someone help us plan an adventure so this comes with some weight when I say, I 100% recommend using a travel agent to plan your next Disney trip! Now, not all are created equal; we used one that was specifically recommended to us and I will share her information with you all because she was WONDERFUL!

  • Who: Pixie Mouse Lauren

  • What: She fields your interests & desires for your Disney trip and provides recommendations & resources from where to stay & what parks to visit to what packages to choose & where to eat. Once you decide what you want to do, she then books everything for you!! And my favorite part was the Travel Guide she provided about 1 month before our trip. It contained all of our booking details in one place and had so much valuable information including how to use Genie Plus, ride height requirements, and so so much more!

  • Cost: Free to you! She makes a percentage off your booking costs directly from Disney.

  • How: If you are interested in learning more, you can contact her at lauren@pixiemousetravel.com or find her on Instagram @pixiemouselauren.

• Where to Stay: I recommend checking out the Disney World resorts! There are a variety of resorts for all different budgets

  • We stayed at the Port Orleans - French Quarter resort which was perfect for what we needed. Our location had frequent buses to all the parks as well as access to the riverboat that dropped off at Disney Springs. It was considered mid-range for price, but ultimately we chose it because of the pool and kid's water area!

  • What do you want out of your resort? Convenient access to park transportation? Themed restaurants vs buffet? Pool? Kid-friendly? Luxury?

• Transportation: We utilized the Disney bus system since we stayed at a Disney resort. Otherwise, you may have to rent a car to get around. There were also Ubers available which we used to go pick up milk & a few other groceries.

  • Airport transportation is no longer included by Disney. There are two options to choose from now - Mears Connect and Sunshine Flyer. You can of course still rent a car, Uber, or Lyft if you prefer. We chose to book the Mears Connect bus. I've included a link here with more information on transportation options including cost breakdown, hours of operation, pros/cons, etc!

• Plan in advance! Sit down with your group members and get an idea of each other's interests and expectations for the trip. Some people are thrillers and want to ride all of the fastest roller coasters. Some people prefer to meet with all the characters. Some people get motion sickness really easily and should avoid virtual rides. Figure out what the group vibe for the trip will be and discuss possible plans for the parks in advance. But be flexible! I’ve always had rough plans, but never actually followed them. We chose to do one park per day, saving our favorite park (Magic Kingdom) for the last day, and squeezed a chill day off in the middle where we slept in, hung out at the pool, and then spent the afternoon at Disney Springs.

  • It is also important to consider snacks & lunchtime as well as napping when taking on Disney with a little one. The key to an enjoyable trip is keeping your kiddo well-fed and well-rested!

• Here are a few tips/ideas to help navigate nap time on your Disney vacation:

  • Practice napping on-the-go and start early. The more your little one is conditioned to be flexible with nap time and find comfort & trust in you, the easier it will be.

  • Find a mellow spot - avoid loud rides, big crowds, and especially parades.

  • Set up a comfy spot for your little one. Our travel stroller lies flat for naps and we can use my old nursing cover to block out distractions. Emma also loves contact naps so we like to use the tushbaby while I carry her and rock her to sleep.

  • Utilize key items of your nap time routine to prep your little one. We usually have lunch, then she has some milk, and we use a white noise sound machine. And mom/dad singling twinkle twinkle little star seals the deal for Emma.

  • Alternatively, some people prefer to go back to the resort for a good afternoon nap! Do what works best for you. We wanted as much time in the park as possible and knew Emma had good experience napping on the go.

• Consider adding a "Sports & Water Park" package to your reservation. Pixie Mouse Lauren introduced this to us which was a flat fee to add to our reservation which allowed us to visit any of the water parks or sports parks any of the days we were there!

• Verify opening dates & times for each park. Sometimes parks close early on certain days and you don’t want to miss out. For example, we left Magic Kingdom for our last day and it closed early (4pm) for a “private event.” Luckily that private event still had tickets that we could buy at an extra cost and got to stay for the after-hours Halloween event until midnight! It ended up working out in our favor bc we got a lot of extra time in my favorite park. But this is definitely something you want to look into before planning your days.

• Memory Maker Photo Package: I highly recommend spending the extra money on the photo package - it costs $ for all of your pictures from the entire vacation (but you have to purchase the package at least 3 days in advance). We basically just scanned our magic bands anywhere in the park and got unlimited photos taken of us! Didn’t have to pass our phone around to random people or rely on selfies. We got pictures with tons of characters and in front of major Disney landmarks! And all of the photos automatically upload into the app which makes for easy downloads/sharing.

My Disney Experience app: Speaking of the app… download it! This will be your best friend along with your magic bands. The app includes hotel info (if you stay at a Disney resort), meal plan updates, transportation timetables, uploads all your pictures, and has maps of all the parks with live wait times for the rides. This is also where you will coordinate everything Genie Plus (see below)!

• Genie Plus: The FAST PASS no longer exists. Disney has replaced it with Lightning Lanes and the Genie Plus service. Learning how to best utilize both is a science and an art! Make sure to familiarize yourselves with all the rules. I've included a link to Disney's Genie Plus information page here. If you choose to use Pixie Mouse Lauren, she provides you with a pdf travel guide explaining it all!

• Genie Plus does come at a cost and you have to book it each day you wish to use it. The cost varies by the day and ranges from $15-$40 per person per day. Of note, kids under 3, who don’t need park tickets, also don’t need Genie+ or Individual Lightning Lanes. You can purchase it as early as midnight of the day you plan to use it. It can sell out, but usually purchasing it around 6:45 AM is early enough and allows you to make your first Lightning Lane reservation at 7 AM. If you want to utilize Lightning Lanes, you must book Genie Plus. Most all of the Lightning Lanes are free, but each park has 1-2 Individual Lightning Lanes which can be purchased at an additional cost (with or without Genie Plus). I've included my favorite Genie Plus/Lightning guide here.

• Individual Lightning Lanes: These can be booked with or without Genie Plus. There are typically 1-2 per park. Currently, they are as follows:

  • Magic Kingdom — Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, TRON Lightcycle / Run

  • Hollywood Studios — Rise of the Resistance

  • Animal Kingdom — Avatar Flight of Passage

  • Epcot — Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind (Epcot)

• General Lightning Lanes: You must have reserved Genie Plus for each person in your group that will be using a Lightning Lane. You can book your first Lightning Lane at 7 AM and then you can book your next one once you:

  • You use that Genie+ Lightning Lane booking OR

  • You wait two hours from when you made your last Genie+ Lightning Lane booking EXCEPT

  • The two-hour clock doesn’t start running until the park where you made that booking opens

• We recommend rope-dropping a moderately popular ride and then booking a Lightning Lane for immediately after. Also keep an eye out for popular rides, their Lightning Lanes will book up faster and the times will run later in the day until they are sold out. If you play your cards right, you can end up using 4-6 Lightning Lanes per park! As I said, it's an art and a science.

• Consider taking an early or late lunch and hitting some popular rides while most people are breaking for lunch. We also found wait times significantly decreased during parade times.

• And the golden rule - always wait out the rain at Disney World! Grab a bite to eat indoors, ride an indoor ride (Small World, Pirates of the Caribbean), etc. Or make some fun memories splashing in Disney puddles! The wait times afterward will be so much shorter!

• Again, I've included my favorite Genie Plus/Lightning guide here.

Dining Packages: Disney just brought back dining packages, but unfortunately they were not available when we traveled earlier this year. Check out my first Disney post for more information on the dining packages!

• Here are some of our favorite dining options from this trip:

  • Cinderella's Royal Table: Iconic, multi-course meal in Cinderella's Castle with princesses including Cinderella, Jasmine, Aurora, Ariel, and Snow White.

  • Mickey Soft Pretzel

  • Cape May Cafe: Buffet brunch at the Beach Club Resort. Included iconic Mickey waffles with Minnie, Goofy, Daisy & Donald in their beach costumes.

  • Pork eggrolls at Lotus Blossom Cafe in China at Epcot

  • Margaritas & Empanadas at La Cantina de San Angel in Mexico at Epcot

  • Hollywood & Vine: Buffet dinner in Hollywood Studios with Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, and Pluto

• Emma was initially not a huge fan of the characters (Mickey, Goofy, etc). She actually sat in my lap and cried during our first meal... However, by the end of our trip, she was shouting their names and running to give them hugs when they came to our table. Be flexible, don't push it on your kiddo. Just act as you would normally around the characters and show your little one there is nothing to be afraid of. It also helped to do a bunch of character meet & greets throughout the park so there was more space rather than just at a table where they towered over her.

• Pack prepared when going with kids! I've included a link to our Amazon List of all the things we loved having for our Disney Trip. I've also listed below everything we brought with us to the parks every day:

  • Stroller

  • Baby carrier (Tush Baby)

  • Diaper bag: diapers, wipes, medical bag, bottle, stroller cover

    • Milk: shelf stable vs Voyager powder packets vs insulated thermos

  • Snacks

  • Refillable water bottle

  • Stroller fan

  • Toys:

    • Water Wow painting book

    • Elsa doll

    • Glow sticks

  • Magic bands

  • Autograph book

  • Hat & Sunglasses

  • Sunscreen

• Stay up to date with Disney news before your trip! Things in the realm of Disney change so fast. I found the best way to stay up to date was by following Disney World experts on Instagram. They also post great food recommendations, rope-dropping tips, and other tips for tackling Disney with little ones. Here are a few of our favorite accounts:

  • @allearsnet

  • @pixiemouselauren

  • @magicalplacesfamily

  • @perfectingthemagic

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XOXO, Tom, Katie & Emma "The Wandering Olivers"

Disney Itinerary