Going to Disney World can be intimidating whether you bring kids or not. I hear many parents unwilling to take their babies and/or toddlers to Disney World for the fear of it being too much plus the fact the child will never remember. Well, I am here to call BS! We took our 1.5 year old to Magic Kingdom and he had an absolute BLAST.
Here are all the details from where we stayed, how we got there, what we did at Magic Kingdom, and a few tips and tricks.
WHERE WE STAYED
For starters, we stayed at JW Marriott in Bonnet Creek. This is one of the few properties on Disney not owned by Disney. One of the best parts: the free private shuttle for hotel guests to/from any of the Disney parks and Disney Springs. This made getting to the parks so, so easy. The resort also features an adult only pool, family pool, small splash pad, mini golf course, climbing wall, and kids play area with a plethora of toys for really any age. The breakfast was expensive but fantastic and the concierge was so, so helpful the few times I went to them for help.
I would say the resort is geared more towards luxe clients, it was not cheap. It worked perfectly for us, but I would definitely say it is a resort for people wanting an upscale feel or families who want the upscale feel but do not need ALL of the resort fun because they will be at Disney World most of their time.
If we would have been in Florida in the warmer months and Baby W be a bit older I maybe would have wanted to stay at one of the other hotels nearby with more options around the pool. If not wanting to stay on Disney property, I was looking at the Marriott World Center. It has a brand new water park and offered so many amenities for children and adults, including a shuttle service to the parks.
GETTING TO MAGIC KINGDOM
Christian and I hopped on the shuttle to meet everyone at Magic Kingdom. We had attended a wedding the night before so Baby W had a sleepover with his Abuela. They met us at Disney World along with the rest of the family. The shuttle dropped us off right at the entrance for the monorail and ferry. We opted for the monorail because it was raining when we got there. I had our passes downloaded on my iPhone in the “wallet” and we were able to walk right in after getting off the monorail. It was so easy!
Christian’s younger siblings got there before Baby W with Abuela, so we went ahead and did Space Mountain while the wait wasn’t too bad. By the time we got off the ride everyone else had just gotten off the ferry. We all met up at the castle, easily one of the most convenient places to meet because it is essentially the center of the park.
MAGIC KINGDOM FUN
The rest of the day was all about Baby W. The older kids did go off to do some of the rides he couldn’t do. It really worked perfectly for everyone. We were able to do the Prince Charming Regal Carrousel, Mad Tea Party, Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room, It’s a Small World, meet Mickey Mouse, watch a parade, Country Bear Jamboree, stayed for the fireworks, and did a magical gender reveal. There were a few other rides I would have liked for Baby W to experience, but we had the mentality of whatever we were able to do, great!
If we are doing Disney we are doing it right! It was a BIG day and schedules were thrown out the window. Heck, baby boy was getting endless amounts of cotton candy until 9PM watching the fireworks. I am BIG on my boys being adaptable wherever we go and this mentality is key for Disney World. Still to this day I have never left to put one of the boys down for a nap in the hotel. I have left dinner because he was DONE, but that’s a story for another time and more “bed time” relevant. Baby W has napped all over the place from strollers to lounge chairs next to pools.
We traveled with our UppaBaby Cruz stroller because we planned on baby boy napping on the go throughout the vacation. It probably will not be an ideal nap, it might be a series of short naps instead of one long one, but I promise it is not the end of the world!
Vacations to us are special times with our kids, so we are not as strict about nap and bed times, we definitely do not have high expectations, we let them have the sugar (within reason), and we have a whole lot of fun!
HELPFUL IDEAS FOR PLANNING
I had a list on the Disney app of all the rides I wanted Baby W to experience, and it was so easy to make because you can filter rides based on height. Another key is maneuvering the park by utilizing the interactive map with wait times.
1 YEAR OLD FRIENDLY RIDES
If we had made a full day of Magic Kingdom I think we would have been able to hit everything I had on my list, but the weather was nasty and it just did not work out. If you are wondering what a 1.5 year old can experience at Magic Kingdom you can reference my list below; however, I highly recommend utilizing the website and Disney World App.
- Astro Orbiter
- Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
- Dumbo the Flying Elephant
- Haunted Mansion
- It’s a Small World
- Jungle Cruise
- Liberty Square Riverboat
- Mad Tea Party
- The Magic Carpets of Aladdin
- The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
- Peter Pan’s Flight
- Pirates of the Caribbean
- Prince Charming Regal Carrousel
- Swiss Family Treehouse
- Under the Sea – Journey of The Little Mermaid
- Walt Disney World Railroad – Fantasyland & Frontierland
* These are the rides allowing ANY HEIGHT. I did not include shows, parades, and fireworks.
* If your toddler is at least 32″ tall you can add Tomorrowland Speedway to the list, if 35″ tall they can do The Barnstormer.
DISNEY GENIE+ LIGHTNING LANE
I was so confused by the Genie+ Lightning Lane while planning our trip and whether it would be worth it not. It also confused me because why get rid of the simplicity of the Fast Passes. So, my opinion, it is stressful and entirely way too expensive. If you strategize with the wait times while you are there I do not think Lightning Lane is necessary.
DINING RESERVATIONS
If you plan on eating at any of the more popular restaurants you have to make a reservation as far in advance as possible. You can make reservations via the Disney App while logged into your account. There were 10 people in our group so making reservations was basically impossible to do last minute; however, there are plenty of places you can walk up and order food without needing a reservation.
I have been to Disney World 3 times, so I am FAR from an expert. This is solely based on my most recent experience. Planning a trip to Disney World can certainly be overwhelming, but it does not have to be! We had a fantastic time and would not change a thing. Sure, he will not remember it, but we know he had the best day. A day we will forever cherish as parents.
All the love,
