Disney with a Toddler: You’re On Their Schedule

We just came back from ten days at Disney World with a Toddler! It was her first visit and a very new experience for us, her parents, to visit the parks with a child in tow (or more often leading the way)! In the upcoming weeks I will be talking about our experiences, but I’m going to lead off with the single most important thing you can do to make it a happy, magical experience for everyone:


Stick to their schedule. Every morning we’d let her wake us up when she wanted to wake up (unless we had morning breakfast plans of course!), get ready, then head to one of the parks. We knew going into this we were going to be limited with what rides we can do (she’s not yet two and I’m pregnant!) and we became very aware that nap time was not to be messed with. So we’d get to the park in the morning, let her run around, ride one or two rides (if we were lucky) then by 12:30 at the latest we’d be headed back to the hotel for nap. Nap could last anywhere from 1-3 hours and we just let her sleep and set that schedule. Afterwards it was time for some lunch and a dip in the pool, then depending on her mood and how energetic she was, it was off to the parks again until 6 or 7 pm when we would come home to start getting ready for bed.

This was not the go-go-go! vacation we were used to where we tried to cram in as many rides and shows as we could and spent every waking moment in the parks and that was an adjustment to make, but it was WELL worth it to have a toddler that was CONSTANTLY HAPPY the entire time we were there. She was well rested and willing to try anything because of it and it made for a happier, more relaxed vacation for all of us. The only times we ended up with a mildly cranky baby was when we made a mistake and schedule a reservation during nap time–totally our fault and not hers!

And I have to say more than a few times we joined her on that afternoon nap to recharge!

So remember when you are traveling with kids: stick to their schedules. Take a break in the afternoon back at the hotel–and never make going back to the hotel a threat, make it fun! “Let’s go back to the hotel and swim and come back later!”–it’s going to lead to far fewer tantrums and breakdowns and if you’ve been to the parks before, you don’t want to be those Disney Parents that are dragging a screaming child down Main Street trying to get the most out of their day. That doesn’t make for magical memories!