Disney rides - Go Anyway Travel Blog

How It Went on our Disney Trip with a Young Toddler

Between the rides, shows, beach, and plane, we nailed three out of four. Who can guess which one went awry (✈️👀)?

If you’re looking for a play-by-play of Disney World with a toddler, you’ve come to the right place. In my last post, I focused on five surprising takeaways we learned during our trip. In this post, my goal is to walk through our experience on the plane, on the rides, at the shows, and at Cocoa Beach. We came away believing that Disney World is absolutely doable with a young toddler, as long as you plan ahead and prepare to be flexible. That way, you’ll have the right tools, strategies, and mindset to respond to your toddler’s needs as they arise. With that thought in mind, here’s how it went for us:

How It Went on the Plane

Let’s go ahead and get the rough patch out of the way! Flying with a baby and flying with a toddler are two very different things. If you’ve read my post about flying with a baby, a few tips do carry over. I would still recommend arriving at the airport extra early, preparing for scrutiny in the security line, and shopping for diapers when you arrive at your destination to save space. What’s changed? Primarily, the amount of sheer energy packed inside our tiny child, as well as her mobility. Here’s how things went on our way to Orlando and how we managed (or failed to manage) that energy:

Handling Pre-Flight Wiggles: We flew out of an airport that was about two hours away from home. You know what that means: Naptime. By the time we checked in for our flight, our daughter was well rested and ready to get moving. We tried to keep this to a minimum as we waited, but looking back, that was a big mistake. Instead of wearing herself out, she ended up taking all that energy with her on the plane. And, in turn, it took all the energy out of me just to keep her half-entertained through the first 2 hours of the flight (as we started descending, her impeccable timing compelled her to finally fall asleep). In the future, we plan to set aside some extra wiggle room — literally, and under careful supervision — while we wait to board. We’ll also avoid long car rides beforehand, whenever possible.

Navigating the Airport: After flying with a toddler for the first time, we’ve come to the conclusion that it makes sense to minimize carry-on luggage and maximize checked bags. Our pre-toddler selves would be very confused by this advice. Don’t you want to save money and time? we might ask our future selves. We would reply that our new goal is to move through the airport with ease, leaving our hands free to push the stroller, grab our wandering toddler, and raid her diaper bag for snacks and toys. This strategy also makes it easier to avoid bumping every single person as we make our way down the aisle of the plane.

Flying Home: The flight home was much smoother for our daughter. We had an early departure and a much shorter drive, so sleep was achievable. In this case, I was the fussy one. We accidentally left our daughter’s shoes in the rental car as we hurried to drop it off, and, although we caught the mistake right away, there was no one at the counter yet who could let us back in to get them. I have no shame admitting that I’m sentimental about these shoes — they’re her first pair. I spent about 45 minutes on the drive home trying to bypass Avis Car Rental’s automated line and reach the right human. I was a polite, but very squeaky wheel, and it worked. I sent packing materials, and Avis shipped the shoes back!

How It Went on Rides

Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway in Hollywood Studios was one of my daughter’s favorites during our family trip in March of 2024, and one of my favorites, as well!

In my previous post, I explained my skepticism about “all-ages” rides. But I’m delighted to report that all nine of the rides we took our daughter on, across all four parks, were safe and enjoyable for our whole family, regardless of age.

Below is a ranked list and brief description of the rides we tried with our daughter (in the next section, I’ll discuss shows). I made my best guess about the ones she enjoyed most and least. No rides were a disaster for us, and most evoked quiet, wide-eyed curiosity. It’s also worth noting that we did Magic Kingdom on our first day, and it took her some time to get acquainted with the concept of rides. Without further ado:

Toy Story Mania (Hollywood Studios): This is an interactive ride, and my daughter was all about interacting! She loved grabbing the blaster and helping Mommy shoot at the targets.
Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway (Hollywood Studios): Disney pulls out all the stops on this ride in terms of surprises and effects, and our daughter was enchanted by all of it.
The Seas with Nemo & Friends (Epcot): Our daughter loves fishies and “Finding Nemo”, so this ride was a no-brainer that she found quite compelling.
Spaceship Earth (Epcot): Our daughter was intrigued by all the scenes with mannequins, as well as the lights at the end.
Na’vi River Journey (Animal Kingdom): This is one of her Dad’s favorites, and she seemed quietly captivated, as well.
Under the Sea (Magic Kingdom): This was our daughter’s second ride. She was still getting the hang of it, but she did point and show some curiosity.
Pirates of the Caribbean (Magic Kingdom): This ride seemed fine in her estimation. She wasn’t super impressed, but I wouldn’t say she was bored.
It’s a Small World (Magic Kingdom): This was our daughter’s first ride in the parks, so confusion was the reigning emotion, as opposed to enthusiasm.
Kilimanjaro Safaris (Animal Kingdom): I’m sure she would have liked this one, because she loves giraffes! Unfortunately, she slept right through it. That said, I was able to hold her comfortably against my shoulder the entire ride.

How It Went at Shows

I’m a bird lover, so I’ve always enjoyed the Enchanted Tiki Room. I was delighted to note that my daughter loved it, as well, on our family trip in March of 2024.

I was truly impressed by our daughter’s attention span at shows across all four Disney Parks. In fact, she preferred some of the shows to the rides. The Enchanted Tiki Room at Magic Kingdom was one of her favorites. Here’s a breakdown of the shows we did:

Enchanted Tiki Room (Magic Kingdom): This was a great option. The line wasn’t too long, and it offered an entertaining pre-show. There was lots of music, and our daughter loved the moving tiki statues. The show was also short — perfect for a little one’s attention span.

Happily Ever After (Magic Kingdom): We took a bit of a risk staying late for the fireworks at Magic Kingdom, and it was definitely worth it. This was our daughter’s first fireworks show, and it will be hard to top! It’s worth noting that she did start getting fussy around dinner time. But as soon as the fireworks started, she calmed down.

The American Adventure (Epcot): I won’t lie — this one put her to sleep. And that’s exactly what we wanted. This show isn’t my personal favorite, but at my dad’s suggestion, we popped in to enjoy the air-conditioning and help our daughter stick to a rough nap schedule. It worked like a charm, so I can’t say I regret it.

Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular (Hollywood Studios): This show was pretty touch and go. Our daughter paid attention during the special effects, but she got restless during the interstitial dialogue. Looking back, it probably wasn’t the best choice for someone so young, if only because it didn’t hold her attention. That said, we did make it through the whole show without having to get up and leave.

Finding Nemo: The Big Blue…And Beyond! (Animal Kingdom): We expected the Nemo show to be her favorite, and she did enjoy it. But she wasn’t wow-ed the way I anticipated. I think she will appreciate this one a bit more in a couple years. For now, she was simply quiet and engaged. On the other hand, I enjoyed this one more than I expected!

How It Went at the Ocean

Our daughter met the ocean with a bit of hesitation and plenty of curiosity. We loved our visit to Alan Shepard Park in Cocoa Beach in March of 2024!

As much as I love Disney, our excursion to Cocoa Beach was among my favorite days on the trip. I had hesitations about taking a toddler to the ocean — especially a toddler who loves to dart and zip. But the sheer intensity of the big, blue water managed to subdue her and fill her with tentative wonder.

She was slightly frightened, so we did our best to find a spot where she felt comfortable. We ended up spending most of our time at the water’s edge playing in the sand. Once she familiarized herself, she got into the zone, filling buckets and shovels and dumping them out. She and my husband built a sand castle (absolutely adorable), and she was happy to stay in one spot playing for much longer than usual. She also loved the seashells I collected for her.

The hot Florida sun was definitely a concern for us, so we came prepared. We brought toddler-friendly sunscreen, chose a swimsuit with long sleeves, and kept her in a sun hat at all times. We also rented an umbrella on the beach, although we probably could have done without it. We made the most use of it as we were drying off and cleaning up before we headed back to the car.

We had planned to visit the Cocoa Beach Pier, but when we arrived, that area was pretty crowded. We made a last-minute decision to settle in at Alan Shepard Park instead, and this was a great choice! The beach was a bit crowded, but not in an overbearing way. And affordable parking was available right along the beach! The beach itself was expansive, clean, and gorgeous: the perfect place to watch my daughter soak in the experience.

What Our Family Learned Taking a Young Toddler to Disney World

Is anywhere truly toddler-friendly anyway?

Most people think of Disney World as quintessentially child-friendly. It’s basically an entire city built with children in mind. And I believe it’s true that Disney offers something for children of all ages. When I was 11 years old, a family road trip to Disney World ignited my love of travel. Years later, my 19-month-old daughter’s eyes lit up when she actually met Minnie Mouse.

That said, there is a distinction between “child-friendly” and “toddler-friendly”, and Disney World tends to lean toward the former. During our family’s six-day Orlando stay in March of 2024, we took a crash course in navigating spaces intended for older children while caring for a toddler. We made some surprising discoveries and confirmed some notions that completely checked out. By the end, we knew enough to improve our tactics and do it all again. Unfortunately, both my husband and our bank account frown on the idea of two Disney trips in one year.

Through all of our learning, I found Disney to be doable and enjoyable with a toddler. The key is to consider the trip through your child’s eyes, regardless of their age. Don’t assume that simply being at Disney will meet their needs, and prepare to adjust along the way as you learn what’s best for them. Hopefully, your child will love some combination of the rides, shows, characters, and new foods. But these features don’t negate the basics: naps, familiar foods, and space to run around.

Based on the sheer number of takeaways I came home with, I’ve decided to split my learning into two posts, focused on “What Our Family Learned” and “How It Went”. In this “What Our Family Learned” post, I’ll share five takeaways that caught us off guard. In my upcoming “How it Went” post, I’ll provide a synopsis of our trip ranging from the plane to the parks to the beach. Without further ado, here’s what we learned:

Build in Time to Run Around

Toddlers need stroller-free time to wiggle. It’s well known advice, but it’s harder to follow at Disney World than you might think. When I describe Disney as more child-friendly than toddler-friendly, this is the example I would reference. We were surprised to find so few dedicated and contained spaces for little people to simply run around. When we took advantage of the ones we did find, our daughter was overjoyed. She loved these spaces easily as much as the rides, if not more.

The first one we checked out was Swiss Family Treehouse in Magic Kingdom. This winding, woodsy attraction is full of opportunities to climb and explore. Note that the path, as the name suggests, makes its way up into the treetops. I’m afraid of heights, so this irrationally bothered me, even though the path was safe and fully protected with guardrails.

Our daughter stretched her little legs, climbing and running to her heart’s content at The Boneyard in Disney’s Animal Kingdom!

The other wiggle-friendly attraction we enjoyed was The Boneyard in Animal Kingdom. Looking back, I found the most smiles in photos of our daughter running around among the faux boulders and dinosaur bones. I expected this attraction to involve digging and sand, but it doesn’t. It’s a spacious, clean spot for running and climbing, and it offers at least a few shaded perches for big people to rest.

Outside these spaces, we did our best to provide closely monitored, stroller-free time whenever it made sense. Our daughter isn’t quite old enough to walk from point A to point B reliably, or hold hands for long durations, so each of these stroller breaks was its own little adventure with plenty of chasing.

The character lines were one, key spot where we ditched the stroller. We separated, leaving one or two adults in line to keep our place, and allowed our daughter to run around nearby. Both times we did this, everyone was very understanding when we squeezed back in line at the last minute. This helped our daughter truly enjoy her precious moments with Minnie Mouse.

Rent — or Bring — a Full-Size Stroller

On previous vacations, my husband and I have noted all the lightweight umbrella strollers around us, while we hauled our more robust travel system. I started to think, are we doing this wrong? So, I finally said to myself, that’s what we should do next time.

Turns out, I was mistaken. At Disney with a toddler, you absolutely want a full-size stroller. This became apparent on day one, when our daughter fell asleep around nap time in an uncomfortable, upright position. If you’re not making a pit stop at your hotel after lunch — we simply couldn’t make time — then you’ll need a stroller that reclines and offers full sun protection.

We ended up renting a stroller through Kingdom Strollers, an off-campus option, after reading that Disney strollers do not recline. We rented the basic Britax City Mini Single, and we really liked it. The price was reasonable — about $65 for three days, including tax — and the process was fairly smooth. We booked online and chose our pick-up and drop-off times. We were able to handle these exchanges in our Disney hotel lobby, which was very convenient.

We didn’t take any great pictures of the stroller we rented from Kingdom Strollers in Orlando, but here’s a shot of it in action at Disney’s Animal Kingdom!

Aside from taking our umbrella stroller to Magic Kingdom on the first day, we might have actually stumbled on the right overall stroller combination. It’s hard to imagine navigating the airport without a stroller, but it’s also strenuous to travel with a large one. Allegiant Air allows you to gate check strollers for free, but we’ve had trouble finding a stroller bag that’s big enough, and we don’t like the idea of stashing our stroller on a plane without a protective bag.

Navigating the airport and short excursions with an umbrella stroller makes sense to us, along with renting the real deal for the parks. If you go with this plan, we also recommend a pair of handle extenders. Our Minnie Mouse stroller has short handles, and our backs don’t like hunching over to push it. This pair of extenders from Wheesir Designs on Etsy solved the problem for us at Disney and at home.

Make Time for a Big Breakfast

At Disney, you’re sure to be enticed by at least a few interesting food options…unless you’re under three. Our daughter’s adventurous days of trying new foods without a battle have, for the most part, unfortunately passed. At Disney, she turned away a surprising array of child-friendly favorites, including mac & cheese, roasted potatoes, and ice cream.

But one thing she absolutely loved was her predictable Disney Resort breakfast at the All-Star Music Resort. Every morning, she enthusiastically fueled up on blueberry muffins, scrambled eggs, and bananas. That’s a huge meal for a little girl!

This may not be the best photo, but here’s the breakfast we relied on each morning before hitting the parks. It’s got all our daughter’s favorites, plus some carbs and coffee for mom and dad!

Knowing she would reliably eat these foods, we consistently made time for breakfast at our resort, sacrificing our plans to rope drop. And it was definitely worth it. Starting the day with a big meal helped deter our worries when she picked at (or, more accurately, threw aside) her lunch or dinner.

Expect Genie + Confusion

I’ll say right up front that I am not a fan of Genie +. I am a self-proclaimed Disney Adult, and I’ve visited Disney multiple times as a grown-up without kids. In the past, Genie + might have made more sense for me (although I doubt my 20-something, millennial self would have paid for it).

As a toddler parent, Genie + just doesn’t seem family-friendly. It caters to adults navigating the parks without children, as well as locals who have the time to practice and (maybe) families with older children. At the very least, it caters to parents with different learning styles than mine. I say this because I learn by doing. And it’s hard to think while you’re doing anything and caring for a toddler at the same time. Even though I did research beforehand, Genie + was complicated and stressful to use when it counted.

I should note that this post is not meant to explain Genie +. For that, I would recommend the blog, Mouse Hacking, and this amazingly succinct TikTok video that came out right after our trip. In a couple sentences, Genie + is a paid service that allows you access faster lines, called Lightning Lanes, mostly (but not exclusively) one at a time. This is done through a menu of time slots on the My Disney Experience App.

The first day we used Genie + was at Hollywood Studios. I pulled the app open bright and early at 7:02 a.m. Time slots for rides open up at 7:00 a.m. sharp, and those two minutes ended up being crucial. I missed all the morning and afternoon slots for the new roller coaster, Slinky Dog Dash. Believing I could only book one ride at a time — we later learned there are exceptions — I passed on the evening slot. And because the stand-by line for Slinky Dog was always over an hour, I missed it altogether.

One of my only regrets from our family trip to Disney World in March of 2024 is buying Genie + just a couple minutes too late on our Hollywood Studios day and missing my chance to ride Slinky Dog Dash. We opted not to wait in its more-than-an-hour standby line on our trip with a toddler, but we enjoyed admiring the ride from the sidelines.

But this is where the tone of my review changes. Once we got the hang of Genie +, it definitely came in handy. Our toddler was, understandably, not a fan of long lines. I’m sure we avoided dozens of fussy moments and, ultimately, rode on more rides as a result of the service. It also came in handy when we left our daughter with grandpa to check out a few rides on our own, cutting down on unnecessary time apart.

Strangely, we enjoyed Genie + the most at Animal Kingdom, a fairly low-stakes park. We were able to zip on and off pretty much any ride we wanted, and we walked onto Expedition Everest twice: Once in the morning with Genie + and once in the late afternoon, before the park closed. There was less pressure to reserve rides quickly, but we still benefited from shorter lines.

If you can afford it, I would recommend building in a Genie + “practice day”. Use it at Animal Kingdom or Epcot before entering the ring at Magic Kingdom or Hollywood Studios, so you don’t miss any favorites.

All-Ages Rides Really Are for All Ages

Our daughter absolutely loved Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway during our visit to Disney’s Hollywood Studios in March of 2024. It was also one of my favorites!

Before we arrived at Disney, I had trouble envisioning exactly how our wiggly toddler would stay safe and secure on any ride. I was very dubious of the term “all-ages”. But this wasn’t false advertising. Disney World has roughly two dozen all-ages rides, not including shows, character greetings, and other experiences. Our daughter rode and enjoyed nine of these.

At the parks, the mechanics of riding with our daughter just clicked. She sat on my lap, my husband’s lap, or her grandpa’s lap every time. The process of boarding with her was always intuitive. We didn’t run into any issues holding her and getting safely seated, and I consistently felt like I was able to keep her snug and secure.

Our daughter surprised us by preferring the all-ages rides at Hollywood Studios. You can read more about each ride we did and the rest of our experience at Disney World in my upcoming “How it Went” post!