Visiting Disney World with your child
Disney World really is the dream destination for your family vacation, with something to offer kids of all ages. The four parks in Orlando, Florida, are open year-round from 9am (you can double check times on the Walt Disney website) – as a rule, the busiest times are from mid-February to August and from Christmas Day to New Year’s Day. Prepare for crowds and lines – but don’t worry: they won’t detract from the enjoyment!
The parks
The Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios are arguably the most enjoyable parks if you have young children. The Magic Kingdom is perfect for preschoolers, with its fairy tale theme and rides based around classic Walt Disney movies such as
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,
Peter Pan, and
Dumbo. Animal Kingdom, the largest park, reflects Disney’s commitment to nature and conservation and has a mixture of animal exhibits and rides. Hollywood Studios offers a behind-the-scenes glance at movie-magic with live shows and rides.
Gurgle’s pick of the best rides and fun for little kids
The Disney website is a great source of advice on what rides suit which age range from preschooler up to teenager. We’ve picked out the rides we think best suit kids age five and younger but there are a multitude of rides for older siblings and for mom and dad too if you have family in tow who can watch the kids for you.
Keep in mind that many of the rides at Disney have height restrictions – typically a minimum of 40 inches. If you’re pregnant, some of the faster rides may not be suitable for you. Some of the rides also may contain elements that may be frightening for particularly sensitive children – for example, Snow White’s Scary Adventures – so do use your judgment. If you’re afraid of heights you might want to avoid Peter Pan’s Flight.
- Peter Pan’s Flight (Magic Kingdom) Fly high above the streets of 19th century London in a pirate ship, and sweep across Never Land to Captain Hook’s ship where Peter Pan battles to save Wendy and her brothers… and watch out for the crocodile!
- Snow White’s Scary Adventures (Magic Kingdom) Board a wooden mine cart and adventure through the spellbinding world of Snow White and her woodland friends. Boo-hiss at the evil witch and smile at the happy ending as Snow White rides off with her Prince.
- Mickey’s Country House (Magic Kingdom) Visit Mickey’s house and check out his kitchen, bedroom, game room and backyard.
- The Magic Carpets of Aladdin (Magic Kingdom) Sit on Aladdin’s magic carpet and soar around a giant genie bottle while make your carpet go up and down, or pitch forward and back. Watch out for the camel facing the ride – he spits water at the carpets as they fly by!
- Dumbo (Magic Kingdom) Simple carousel ride inside flying Dumbos: pull a lever to make your Dumbo fly high or low.
- The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (Magic Kingdom) Join Winnie the Pooh and his friends Piglet, Tigger, Eeyore, Owl, Kanga and Roo on a very blustery (and wet!) day in the Hundred-Acre Wood.
- Mickey’s PhilharMagic (Magic Kingdom) Awesome 3-d movie following the adventures of Donald Duck tour some of the most memorable scenes from classic Disney movies.
- The Boneyard (Animal Kingdom) Let your child loose in this giant multi-level maze with slides, tunnels, dinosaur footprints and fossils to excavate.
- Pangani Forest Exploration Trail (Animal Kingdom) Take a leisurely hike through lush forestland and spot giraffes, okapi, antelopes, meerkats, brightly colored exotic birds and gorillas.
- Finding Nemo: the Musical (Animal Kingdom) 30-minute stage show including songs from the movie.
- Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular (Hollywood Studios) 30-minute live show that goes behind the scenes of the stunts included in Raiders of the Lost Ark. Includes some nice tongue-in-cheek humor for mom and dad as well as spectacular stunts for little kids.
- Honey I Shrunk the Kids Movie Set Adventure (Hollywood Studios) Shrink down to 2 inches high and adventure through the back yard, climbing across roots and up blades of grass and avoiding those bugs!
- Star Tours (Hollywood Studios) Board your shuttle to the forest moon of Endor – but be prepared for your peaceful ride to be anything but as you dodge asteroids and then get drawn into a space battle!
- Star Wars Jedi Training Academy (Hollywood Studios) This one isn’t on the guide map but it’s located right next to the Star Tours ride. It’s a wonderful chance for little kids to don their Jedi robes, feel the force, and learn how to flex a lightsaber before doing battle with the one and only Darth Vader!
- Disney parades These are a must and very enjoyable, particularly The Magic Kingdom’s afternoon parade, which turns into a street disco around Cinderella’s castle. Join in and shake your tailfeather along with Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, Pluto, Chip and Dale, Buzz Lightyear and others.
- Disney photo opportunities You’ll have to line up for these and don’t lose heart if Mickey or Pluto suddenly disappear – they will only have gone to have a drink and will be back right away! Professional photographers are on hand to take commemorative snaps you can view later and buy if you wish on the Disney photo website.
Tickets
Most online travel websites (as well as Disney’s official website) sell a range of tickets with various options for the number of days and parks you can visit. Price differences aren’t that great between websites but do remember that if you’re a Florida resident you can get a discount. A Park Hopper ticket is the most flexible option – it enables you to visit more than one park on the same day. Depending on how long you plan to stay you may want to purchase tickets for the water parks (Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon), which also have great attractions for young children.
Getting there
The parks are located on I-92 (off I-4) in Orlando and are very well signposted. If you’re flying into Orlando, you can rent a car (essential if you’re staying off-site and plan to see other area attractions). If you’re staying at a Disney hotel, Disney’s Magical Express is a complimentary service that will collect you, claim your luggage on your behalf, and transport you to your room, but you will need to book the service at least 10 days in advance. If you’re driving to the parks, parking is $12 per day and your ticket is valid at any of the other Disney theme parks for that day.
Accommodation
You can choose to stay at one of the Disney hotels, which provide shuttles to and from the parks, and offer early entry to the parks, but unless you’re splashing out for one of the deluxe hotels we recommend you stay off-site to get better value for money. Renting a villa will be less expensive and gives you the opportunity to self-cater, which will save you a small fortune as ‘eating’ in at Disney will be very expensive (gurgle editor Kate rented
this villa and fund it convenient, comfortable and reasonably priced). Lodging off-site also gives you more opportunities to visit other area parks and attractions such as SeaWorld and Aquatica.
Disney tips
- The most important thing you can pack is sunscreen. The Florida sun is brutal and most of the parks are exposed apart from Animal Kingdom, which has plenty of shade. Reapply it often, particularly to the back of your neck and your ears, and make sure your child is slathered in it.
- Get there as early as you can – well ahead of opening time, even if it means a wait, so you can avoid long lines at the rides. Even the water parks are packed by noon.
- Make a note of where you are parked! This is vital as otherwise it will take you a long time to find your car when you return to the parking lot but it’s something a lot of people forget to do.
- Tag your child so they don’t get lost. Use a proper child ID tag or bracelet with your cellphone number on it and make sure your child knows who to approach for help if they get lost (a mom with children or a Disney official).
- In the Magic Kingdom especially, don’t be tempted to loiter at the stores in Main Street as you enter the park – head straight for the rides you want to go on and save the shopping for later on, otherwise you will find long lines.
- Take a siesta If you’re staying on-site, go early morning and then take a break back at your hotel in the early afternoon before returning to the park at dusk – the crowds ease off after 4pm.
- Take advantage of the FastPass system – those rides that offer this are marked on your guide map. Get FastPasses for all of the rides that offer them and come back at your allotted time to avoid lining up – fill in your wait time by lining up for the rides that don’t offer FastPasses.
- Take a bottle of water each – you will sweat and dehydrate quickly in Florida’s heat and humidity, especially if you visit during the summer. Refill your bottle from the park’s water fountains. And don’t be tempted to spring $17 each for Disney-themed spritzer fan bottles – you can purchase these off-site at one of the many grocery or drug stores for less than $10. Off-site ones are usually smaller too, so they’re easier for kids to carry.
- If you visit during the summer take a pacamac or rain poncho. Again, buy it off-site as it’ll be way cheaper – plus it will mean you can actually find your child amidst the sea of Disney rain ponchos if it does start raining.
- If it rains, take advantage of the weather and head for the outdoor rides, as the lines will be much shorter. Indoor attractions fill up rapidly if showers strike.
- Find out when parades are and if you’ve already seen it or aren’t interested in seeing it check the lines at one of the more popular attractions, as they’re generally shorter when the parades are taking place.
- If you’re traveling as a large family group, consider purchasing cheap walkie talkies so you can split up and still track each other down if necessary.
See also gurgle’s tips on
vacation safety for babies and toddlers, and
traveling with a toddler.
The information in this feature is intended for educational purposes only. If you have any concerns about your health, the health of your child or the health of someone you know, please consult with a doctor or other healthcare professional.
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Last Modified: 28/06/2009
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