Walt Disney World with Toddlers- Part 2

Hello!

I hope that everyone is enjoying their summer! Here in the Midwest, we’ve been enjoying cooler summer weather- perfect weather for my 3-year old son to play outdoors in! And speaking of my toddler- this month, I am going to review his favorite attractions at each theme park and the Disney Water Parks. Let’s go!

(My son in line for the Tomorrowland Speedway- they sometimes hand out paper Driver's Licenses for kids, which he is holding in this photo)

The Magic Kingdom is the theme park which contains most of my son’s favorite attractions- if you’ve got young children and you have some extra time, I would suggest two days at the Magic Kingdom, as it does take some time to experience all that this incredible park has to offer!

(Holding his new balloon on Main Street USA)

I will begin with the Tomorrowland Speedway, as this is my son’s absolute favorite ride in all of Walt Disney World. Last fall, I want to say he rode it 5 times in one day. I do want to offer a tip, which we found useful- the wait for quick-service restaurants can be quite significant at times (~20 minutes). If you are planning to dine at a busy time (11am-1pm or 5pm-7pm), it may be beneficial for one family member to wait in line for food while another takes the kiddos to a nearby ride- my husband took Camden on the Tomorrowland Speedway last fall while I waited in line for dinner at Cosmic Ray’s, and the timing worked out perfectly- they showed up just as I was sitting down with our meal! Also located in Tomorrowland, my son has always enjoyed Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin. He likes that he gets his own blaster, but oftentimes, he just wants to be in charge of spinning the ride vehicle!

(Waiting to ride the Tomorrowland Speedway)

(In his car on the Tomorrowland Speedway with his dad- he was so excited that he was allowed to drive!)

Next we'll move to Fantasyland, where the rest of his favorites are located (we honestly could spend one full day in Fantasyland alone). I’ll begin by mentioning the Barnstormer, which does have a height requirement of 35 inches. The Barnstormer was my son’s very first roller coaster, which he first rode a few months before his third birthday. This ride is pretty short, and so if you find that your child does not enjoy roller coasters, at least you aren’t on for very long! Located near the Barnstormer exit, the Casey Jr. Splash ‘n’ Soak Station provides relief on hot days to your warm child! This is not a ride, but simply a water play area where your child can cool off and play with other kids.

(His very first roller coaster- The Barnstormer in Fantasyland)

As I sit here asking my son to point out his favorite attractions by picture in the Disney guidebook I am using, he points to the photos of Dumbo the Flying Elephant, and The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, and says to me, “let’s do Pooh and Dumbo”. There you have it, folks! He loves to watch ‘My Friends Tigger and Pooh’ on the Disney Junior channel, and so this ride brings some of his favorite characters to life! On Dumbo, he gets to control how high we go in our Dumbo ride vehicle. I want to point out that these two rides, along with Peter Pan’s Flight, have some of the best queues at Walt Disney World. The best, in my son’s opinion, is Dumbo- here he is allowed to play in a circus-themed play area, complete with slides and a play fire truck! You are given a pager, and your child can play until your pager goes off. Once it buzzes, you are directed to a short line which leads you straight to your very own Dumbo ride vehicle.

(With our good friend's daughter in the queue area of Dumbo playing)

Moving on to Peter Pan’s Flight- which adults enjoy just as much as toddlers, partly in thanks to the nostalgia of this ride, and the fact that the track is suspended above you to make you feel like you are flying like Peter Pan. This is a ride that I do not recommend missing (unless your tot is very scared of the dark- this is indeed one of the darker rides in Fantasyland), and one that I would HIGHLY recommend getting a Fastpass+ for! After flying through Neverland, I would not miss It’s a Small World- this is definitely a favorite of children young and old!

(My son and nephew in line for Peter Pan's Flight- we used a FastPass+ and still had a bit of a wait, but it sure beat the standby line with a wait of over an hour!)

(Intrigued by all of the dolls at It's A Small World)

My son adores the Mad Tea Party, and he LOVES how fast his dad spins our teacup. For those prone to motion sickness (like myself), you may want to get your own teacup, or even bypass the ride- but it certainly is a favorite of many children (I enjoy seeing the joy in my child’s face so much that I do suck it up and share a teacup with my family).

(Ready to spin the teacup on Mad Tea Party)

Lastly, Under the Sea- Journey of the Little Mermaid is another Fantasyland favorite. The music is fun, many scenes, especially the ‘Under the Sea’ scene are bright and colorful, and who doesn’t enjoy getting into their very clamshell ride vehicle?

(Camden's 1st birthday trip- aboard our clamshell ride vehicle)

At Epcot, Frozen Ever After in the Norway Pavilion of World Showcase is an attraction that you should definitely try to obtain a FastPass+ for. This is a cute ride in a Viking ship through scenes of the fan favorite movie- please be aware that there is a small drop in this ride, but my son, who rode at 2 years old, tolerated this drop just fine. Next door to Norway in the Mexico pavilion is a cute, colorful boat ride called the Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros. There is rarely a wait for this attraction, and the Mexico pavilion provides great relief from the elements (plus it’s fun just to stroll through this indoor pavilion!). Please also note that here in World Showcase, you can find some of your child’s favorite Disney characters in their natural countries (such as Snow White in Germany and Belle in France)- see the Epcot times guide, available in the park for exact times of character appearances, and be sure to show up early if you are wanting to meet a character!

(Olaf and Sven in Frozen Ever After)

Over in Future World at Epcot, my son loves the Living with the Land boat ride. He is a fan of any ride in a boat, and he just adores seeing the farm scenes, as these scenes remind him of back home in Indiana. There are two segments to this ride- the first is through different settings, such as a tropical rainforest and a family farm, and the second is through a greenhouse which houses many different living plants. Please note that there is rarely a wait for this continuous journey through the Land.

(My son and our friend's daughter on Living with the Land)

My son’s final Epcot favorite is The Seas with Nemo and Friends, in which we board a clamshell, and are taken through different scenes through one of Camden’s favorite movies! The neat thing about this ride is that even though the Finding Nemo characters are on a screen, behind them are aquariums showcasing real ocean-life. We have done a FastPass+ for this ride several times, as during popular times, there can be a wait for this cute ride.

(Camden was too busy looking at all of the fish to find his way into our photo here on The Seas with Nemo and Friends)

Over at Hollywood Studios, my son has two definite favorites- Toy Story Midway Mania and Disney Junior Live on Stage. Toy Story Midway Mania is another ride that I would highly recommend using a FastPass+ for. This ride in an interactive, 3-D adventure through different scenes featuring virtual Midway-style games. This ride also happens to be one of my husband and I’s favorite Walt Disney World attractions! Disney Junior Live on Stage is a cute show featuring characters from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Doc McStuffins, Sofia the First, and Jake and the Neverland Pirates- 4 of the most popular Disney Junior channel shows.

(Our little family waiting for our turn on Toy Story Midway Mania)

(Watching the show at Disney Junior Live on Stage)

I want to mention that even though we’ve never done it, as my son has not expressed interest, there is a Frozen sing-a-long show called For the First Time in Forever- A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration. I’ve heard good things about this show, and so if you have children who love Frozen, this may be a must-see!

Over at Animal Kingdom, my son always has a roaring good time playing in The Boneyard, located in Dinoland U.S.A. This area is basically a playground with a giant sandbox for digging up dinosaur fossils- it provides a great break for parents, while kids can use up some of that never-ending energy they seem to have! He also enjoys Triceratop Spin, which is pretty much the same ride as Dumbo over in the Magic Kingdom, only you are in a dinosaur rather than an elephant.

(In Dinoland U.S.A. on my son's 1st birthday trip)

My son also loves Kilimanjaro Safaris over in Africa. This 20-minute ride in an open-air safari vehicle allows you to see lions, giraffes, rhinos, and more! My family always used to do this ride first thing in the morning, as we thought this would be the best time to see the most animals, but last February we made it the last ride of our day at Animal Kingdom around 5:00pm, and we saw tons of animals at that time (keep in mind that in the winter, the sun sets early- I wouldn’t think that at 5:00pm in the middle of the summer, you’d get to see as many animals, as it’d still be very sunny at this time). This is a good ride to use a FastPass+ for.

(Riding the Safari at 1-year, 8-months old)

Pandora- The World of Avatar has recently opened here at Animal Kingdom! I don’t know much about the two attractions here, but I do know that the next time we visit, I’ll be trying to obtain a FastPass+ for the Na’vi River Journey. This is the one new Pandora attraction without a height restriction.

If your kids love Mickey and Minnie Mouse, may I also recommend obtaining a FastPass+ for Adventurer’s Outpost, where you can meet the main mice themselves in their cute safari gear? Don’t mind if I do!

(He loved the characters when he was 8 months old!)

I also want to mention that my son loves the Disney Water Parks! At Typhoon Lagoon, Ketchakiddee Creek is full of water fun, made especially for his age group! He especially loves the mini-rapids ride and the water slides made especially for kids under 48 inches tall! Castaway Creek is another favorite- this is the lazy river at Typhoon Lagoon, and while they do have rafts especially for kids, he prefers to sit on his daddy while enjoying the ride! The Surf Pool can be fun for small kids, but I would recommend staying near the shore, as the waves here can get pretty high!

(Castaway Creek at Typhoon Lagoon- photo from www.Pinterest.com)

At Blizzard Beach, Cross Country Creek is the lazy river here, which is always fun for kids of all ages! Tike’s Peak provides watery fun for kids under 48 inches, and features, among other things, a snow-castle fountain to play in. Melt-Away Bay is not as spectacular as the Surf Pool over at Typhoon Lagoon, but is still a lot of fun. My favorite attraction at Blizzard Beach is the chairlift up to Mount Gushmore.

Located below is simply a list of my 3-year old son’s favorite attractions, by park:

Magic Kingdom

The Barnstormer

Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin

Casey Jr. Splash ‘N’ Soak Station

Dumbo

It’s a Small World
Mad Tea Party

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh

Peter Pan’s Flight (FastPass+)

Tomorrowland Speedway

Under the Sea- Journey of The Little Mermaid

(My nephew in line for Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin)

Epcot

Frozen Ever After (FastPass+)

Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros

Living with the Land

The Seas with Nemo and Friends (may want to use a FastPass+)

(Camden testing out the cars outside of Test Track in the Chevy Showroom)

Hollywood Studios

Disney Junior Live on Stage

Toy Story Midway Mania (FastPass+)

**For the First Time in Forever- A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration (We have not done this, but your family may want to)

(Getting ready to ride Toy Story Midway Mania)

Animal Kingdom

Adventurer’s Outpost (FastPass+)

Kilimanjaro Safaris (FastPass+)

The Boneyard

Triceratop Spin

** Na’vi River Journey (FastPass+ if interested in this brand new attraction here at Animal Kingdom)

(The Tree of Life at Animal Kingdom)

Water Parks

Castaway Creek- Typhoon Lagoon

Ketchakiddee Creek- Typhoon Lagoon

Surf Pool- Typhoon Lagoon

Cross Country Creek- Blizzard Beach

Melt-Away Bay- Blizzard Beach

Tike’s Peak- Blizzard Beach

I hope that this post has helped those of you headed to the World with your precious little ones! As always, feel free to contact me at dana_aimee@hotmail.com with any Disney questions! Happy Travels!