- This was my grandson’s first trip and my 20th trip to Walt Disney World.
- Seeing Disney World from his perspective, I found new magical details, even at the airport.
- Since he was under the age of 3, his park admission and character meal at Crystal Palace were free.
I’ve done Disney World many ways — solo, with my husband, friends, son, a group of nine, and a group of 11 at our Disney wedding.
The 20th trip was a magical milestone, joining my grandson on his first trip to Disney World. Grandpa and Nonna, what my grandson calls me, tagged along with him, Mom and Dad for fireworks, food, a few meltdowns, and crashing a spaceship.
Finding new magical details, even at the airport
I haven’t been to Disney World with a little kid in 11 years. Visiting with my grandson, I saw Disney in a new, much shorter perspective.
It started at the airport. I watched and amused him while the parents and grandpa installed the car seat and loaded the many bags.
Seeing Orlando airport from a 3-year-old’s perspective, I found Disney details I’d never seen before. Cinderella Castle, Mickey, Pluto, and seven dwarfs can all be spotted on the wall in the reserved car area.
3 and under are free
At not quite 3 years old, my grandson was a guest of Mickey Mouse and got free park admission. Anyone who goes to Disney frequently knows free is not a word you hear often.
Courtesy of the author
He also didn’t add an occupant to the hotel room; his meal at Crystal Palace was considered an infant price and free. Crystal Palace was a great first-character meal.
We visited at 11 a.m. and had both breakfast and lunch buffet options. Mickey waffles and prime rib — breakfast of champions.
We hung out with Winnie the Pooh, Piglet, Tigger, and Eeyore. There was plenty of time for autographs, photos, and a bit of fun with each character.
It was also a good test of how he’d do with characters. There’s nothing worse than waiting in line for 30 minutes only to find out your kid is terrified of meeting characters.
Philharmagic is a must-do with little kids
When at Disney World with little kids, you spend a lot of time in Fantasyland. Ask any parent with a toddler how many times they’ve ridden Goofy’s Barnstormer.
Disney PhotoPass
Mickey’s Philharmagic is a must-do for our family. Seeing my grandson grab at Ariel’s ring in “The Little Mermaid” scene and giggle at Donald Duck stuck in the wall brought back memories of my own kids first trips to Disney. They both did the exact same thing.
A Disney first for Nonna
19 trips to Disney World and I’d never been on Astro Orbiter. It was very cool for my grandson and I to have a Disney World first together.
Courtesy of the author
This was the same day Astro Orbiter was going down for a refurbishment. We met a few Cast Members in line that were getting their last rides in before it closed until summer.
Disney magic stopped the toddler meltdown
As part of our planning, we gave the parents a date night. We planned to see my grandma’s favorite Country Bears with the little one.
Instead, we had a passed-out cold toddler in a stroller for a few hours. After some cheeseburger eggrolls, we staked out our spot at Magic Kingdom for the nighttime show Happily Ever After.
Disney PhotoPass
When he woke up to us instead of Mom and Dad, he had a meltdown. It had been a long day, and he was just having none of it. We considered leaving as the screaming got even louder.
Then, those famous first few bars of the show music started, and instantly, the crying stopped. For the next 18 minutes, Disney magic took over. And thankfully, it was long enough for Mom and Dad to make it back.
We made so many memories
We made so many magical memories over our 3.5 days of grandparenting at Disney World. One we are all still laughing about happened on our last day.
After out-of-this-world drinks and snacks at Oga’s Cantina we saw the wait time for Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run was only 15 minutes. Spontaneous decision made! Not only did we all get to sit together, but we also had a job to do.
Grandpa and Nonna were pilots, and my grandson was an engineer. All four adults got super into the ride, laughing, yelling instructions at each other, and trying to help my grandson when it was his turn.
We didn’t do well and crashed the spaceship a few times. At dinner, my grandson looked at me and very seriously said, “Nonna crashed the spaceship. Why did you do that, Nonna?”
He then proceeded to tell our waiter and just about anyone who would listen the rest of the trip and once we were home how I crashed the spaceship so he couldn’t push the button.
Every time I’ve seen him since he asks me why I crashed the spaceship. Fireworks, hugging Tigger, riding his first roller coaster, and it’s that I crashed the spaceship he remembers. And I love it.
