What It’s Like to Go to Disney World With a Toddler

I’m not exaggerating when I say my introduction to Disney World is a core memory. When I first stepped through the gates of Magic Kingdom at age 4, it was love at first sight.

Over the next three decades, dozens more trips followed. Going as a little kid was wildly different from going as a zitty teen with my younger brother or a recent college grad dragging my boyfriend along.

However, even as the parks changed, and I changed, my attachment to them remained consistent. That emotional tie is precisely what’s enabled Disney parks to hold firm as the most visited theme parks in the world, even as the price of a Disney trip has become out of reach for many families.

In January, I had the opportunity to visit the parks for a Magic of Milestones media event and thought it was the perfect opportunity to introduce my toddler to Disney life for the first time.

At first, I worried she was too young. Googling “What’s the best age to take a kid to Disney for the first time?” yielded nothing conclusive — some said under a year, while others insisted never take a kid under 5.

Lacking a direct answer, I decided to throw caution to the wind and take my 2-year-old and go for it. Surely she’d have an identical experience to my inaugural visit, I thought.

I was wrong.

Going to Disney World for the first time as a parent didn’t match my expectations at all — and I can’t wait to go again.

Your toddler’s individual temperament will really determine the Disney World rides they can go on

My 2-year-old is a daredevil, but she’s short, so the majority of height-limit rides were out of the question.

I was looking forward to taking her on more of the baby-friendly rides, where you just sit in a slow-moving car and cruise along, waving at animatronics.

What I didn’t anticipate was her sudden onset fear of even moderate darkness.

This kid has never asked for a nightlight in her 27 months of life, but suddenly, waiting in the grotto-inspired line for “Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid,” the dim undersea lighting and slightly spooky ocean sounds were too much for her.

“I scared,” she loudly declared approximately 3 ½ minutes into the wait. We turned around and left.

We actually made it onto the “Frozen” ride in Norway at Epcot, but that was also a mixed bag. I had completely forgotten that Marshmallow, the giant snowman, makes an appearance near the end, and we were wholly unprepared for the freakout.

We avoided dark rides after that.

She did love the Prince Charming Regal Carrousel, which we figured would be the case since she makes a point to ride every carrousel she sees.

The Mad Tea Party teacup ride was also a big hit — we were all happy to just sit in it without spinning.

On the flip side, toddlers will find Disney magic in the most unlikely of places

My daughter’s favorite “ride” was the Skyliner that took us from our hotel to Hollywood Studios.

She couldn’t get enough of it. Every time we rode that thing, she hopped up on the bench to stare out the window, singing loudly (much to the amusement of other families who were shuttled in with us), and screaming the names of all the characters she saw on the gondolas swinging by.

Beyond the rides, I had measured my expectations for other Disney experiences, like character meet and greets.

I’d anticipated that we would need to steer clear of most characters. We’d limited screen time until she turned 2, so she wasn’t super familiar with any of them, and I worried she’d be freaked out seeing them (some for the first time ever) in life-size form. We’d also had an encounter with an Easter bunny the previous year that gave me pause.

Surprisingly, she was only a little apprehensive and warmed up to them very quickly. By the end of the Disney Jr. Play and Dance, she was having a dance party with Minnie Mouse and giving her hugs.

She couldn’t quite work up the nerve to get that close to Goofy, who is much larger than Minnie, but all these months later, she’s still talking about giving Goofy a high-five “next time.”

The princesses were an even bigger hit, and it was such a joy seeing her interact with them. Princess Elena was her favorite, despite never having watched the show.

The live music shows were also a great choice. On my pre-parenthood trips, I’d never bothered to go to them — who cares about abbreviated versions of Disney movies I’ve seen a trillion times? For my toddler, though, they were a major win.

At under 30 minutes, they’re the perfect length for short attention spans and a great primer for some of the movies she hadn’t seen yet. “For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration” was her favorite and has sparked an intense Queen Elsa phase.

The safari ride at Animal Kingdom was also something I’d never done, but we prioritized it knowing my toddler’s love of zoos. It was a major hit.

The fireworks shows were always a highlight of my Disney World trips, but they were too much for my toddler

The “Fantasmic!” show at Hollywood Studios is my single favorite Disney experience, and I’ve always made a point to go multiple times during each of my past trips. However, we didn’t even consider going with my daughter.

She had never experienced a fireworks show before, so to test the waters, we took her to “Luminous: The Symphony of Us,” a 17-minute show in Epcot. We watched from the World Showcase because I figured that was far enough away from the sights and sounds not to be too overwhelming. I was extremely wrong.

My toddler was immediately freaked out by the first boom. Unfortunately, because the show was at 9 p.m. (technically after the park closed), all the stores and restaurants were inaccessible for an escape. My husband ended up taking refuge near a trash can, singing songs to keep her distracted until the show ended.

Part of this was a rookie mistake: We forgot to bring noise-canceling headphones for her. That said, I doubt she would have kept them on even if we had.

After that mishap, we knew to avoid “Fantasmic!” and other fireworks shows, such as “Happily Ever After at Magic Kingdom.”

My toddler ate way more at Disney World than I expected

At home, my daughter is a very picky eater, convinced she can exist on air and the occasional Cheerio alone. It’s a major stressor for both my husband and me in our day-to-day lives, but I made the decision to forcibly chill out and not worry about it while on vacation.

However, instead of the skipped meals and crankiness we were anticipating, we were pleasantly surprised by her slightly more adventurous appetite at Disney World. Now, she wasn’t exactly angling to chow down on a turkey leg, but it was better than I expected.

Her favorites included the Mickey-shaped blueberry muffins at Cinderella’s Royal Table, the pizza at Connections Cafe, and clementines and french fries wherever we could find them.

The biggest win, though, was the Nemo Fin-tastic Cake at Coral Reef, one of my favorite restaurants in Disney World. She’s usually not a sweets girl (much to my distress, as a big Dole Whip fan) and the cake was so cute she wasn’t initially sure whether it was even edible. Once she took the first bite, though, she couldn’t get enough.

Another bonus is that kids under 3 eat free at all-you-care-to-enjoy Disney restaurants. Roundup Rodeo, a new barbecue restaurant in Toy Story Land at Hollywood Studios, was a great option for this — there was more than enough food for all of us, and plenty for my daughter to sample — meaning she’d pretend to try it and then surreptitiously remove it from her mouth.

Portion sizes are pretty big, especially at à la carte table service and quick-service restaurants, so we never went hungry.

What’s the best age to take a kid to Disney World? There isn’t one

I know this isn’t a very satisfying answer, but at the end of the day, the best age for a first Disney trip is extremely variable.

While we were limited in what we could do with my toddler in terms of certain rides, experiences, and restaurants, there was plenty still available to us. And the rider swap option, which allows one parent to wait with the child and then swap to ride without waiting in line separately, was also very helpful in still allowing me to ride my favorite rides.

Do I regret taking my 2-year-old to Disney World? Not at all. It wasn’t the trip I’d imagined, but it was still plenty magical — largely because the things that were magical to her were things I didn’t expect or things I hadn’t even experienced before.

I’m reminded of seeing her face light up meeting princesses or chowing down on a Mickey-shaped treat every time she bops me in the head with her prized Olaf bubble wand.

My only hope is that next time she’ll be brave enough to share a Dole Whip with me.