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
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 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
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.