Tips for Surviving Disney with an (almost) 2.5 year old:
1. Be prepared to spend money. I know this seems like common sense. Everyone warned us how expensive Disney was, but we were still a little flabbergasted at the price of food in Disney. It was like we were eating Ruby Tuesday's or Chili's every night and only getting McDonald or Burger King quality food. Additionally, at one character dining experience, the waitress got our bill wrong and handed us a bill for 2 adults, 2 kids (once over 3, you have to pay for your child's meals) and it was over $100! For breakfast!
2. There are LOADS of things for toddlers to do at Disney (rides, character experiences, Disney Junior shows, parades, fireworks, Toon Town, etc) but it really depends on your little's personality. Had Brooke been afraid of rides and characters, it wouldn't have been a hugely enjoyable time. If she was the type to get overstimulated and overwhelmed easily, again, not so much fun. But she was totally fearless, rididng the Haunted Mansion with only minimal "I'm scared Mommy" and every other ride we must've gone on at least twice (with the exception of Little Mermaid, It's A Small World and Dumbo, which we rode <5 times.)
3. Be prepared to wait in line. A lot. We went in an "off season" so the lines were very tame, about 45 minutes at most. However, that is a loooooong wait for a toddler.
4. Bring your own water bottle. We purchased those with the water filters on the top and it saved it tons of money that we would've spent on bottled water. I've seen people bring in their own food to eat for lunch and snacks, but as an out-of-stater, this was hard for us.
5. We chose to stay a longer time so that we could see and do everything that we wanted to (no way in heck were we paying so much money to get to CA and only stay for 3-4 days and see half of what Disney had to offer!). Staying a longer time also allowed us to go back to the hotel for long naps without feeling rushed.
1. Be prepared to spend money. I know this seems like common sense. Everyone warned us how expensive Disney was, but we were still a little flabbergasted at the price of food in Disney. It was like we were eating Ruby Tuesday's or Chili's every night and only getting McDonald or Burger King quality food. Additionally, at one character dining experience, the waitress got our bill wrong and handed us a bill for 2 adults, 2 kids (once over 3, you have to pay for your child's meals) and it was over $100! For breakfast!
2. There are LOADS of things for toddlers to do at Disney (rides, character experiences, Disney Junior shows, parades, fireworks, Toon Town, etc) but it really depends on your little's personality. Had Brooke been afraid of rides and characters, it wouldn't have been a hugely enjoyable time. If she was the type to get overstimulated and overwhelmed easily, again, not so much fun. But she was totally fearless, rididng the Haunted Mansion with only minimal "I'm scared Mommy" and every other ride we must've gone on at least twice (with the exception of Little Mermaid, It's A Small World and Dumbo, which we rode <5 times.)
3. Be prepared to wait in line. A lot. We went in an "off season" so the lines were very tame, about 45 minutes at most. However, that is a loooooong wait for a toddler.
4. Bring your own water bottle. We purchased those with the water filters on the top and it saved it tons of money that we would've spent on bottled water. I've seen people bring in their own food to eat for lunch and snacks, but as an out-of-stater, this was hard for us.
5. We chose to stay a longer time so that we could see and do everything that we wanted to (no way in heck were we paying so much money to get to CA and only stay for 3-4 days and see half of what Disney had to offer!). Staying a longer time also allowed us to go back to the hotel for long naps without feeling rushed.




way cute post!!! i love it:) im sorry i would have emailed you but your contact page didnt have an email come up. would you like to trade buttons? just let me know:) thanks
ReplyDeletexo
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Hi Lori!! Thanks so much for leaving such a thoughtful comment on my blog yesterday! And I am SO glad I read your Disney tips today. We are planning a trip next Fall and I can use all the advice possible!! Lovely blog!
ReplyDeleteWow, she lasted 45 min in line? That's awesome!
ReplyDeleteshes sooooo adorable!
ReplyDeleteThose are great tips! I don't have kids yet, but I'm pretty sure we will wait till they are like 5 to go see Disney world. And bring grandparents along too to help haha
Its a crime to charge so much for food. blah
i can't wait to take our Moo...looks like she had a great time :). its so much money though!! *yikes* i'm learning that kids are expensive in general.
ReplyDeletecheers.
She is so adorable. I love the picture of her in the fish basket haha
ReplyDeletegiveaway!
I love disneyland. Looks like you had a blast. We all went last year and yes, it is SOOOO expensive!
ReplyDeleteaww, looks like you guys had FUN! I can't wait to take our little guy there in a couple years. we should meet up ;) see you in december?! :D
ReplyDeleteOh, btw, when we went to WDW we made pb&j every day and brought snacks and water/milk to save money. We tried to just eat 1 meal a day in the parks. We did pretty well on not spending too much money. :)
ReplyDeletethanks for stopping by my blog and commenting yesterday! looks like you guys had a blast at disneyland -- you got some fabulous pictures =) as someone that's been to disneyland a billion times (with and without little ones) i'd say your tips are spot on =)
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment on my blog! I got our ruby slippers at WalMart so you could check there :)
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for stopping by! Your little one is so adorable:) and I can totally imagine, when I have a child I probably wont be able to stay up that late either =D
ReplyDeleteGlad you had fun. I cant wait to take my kids to disney!
ReplyDeleteCool pictures and glad you had fun.
ReplyDeleteThanks for commenting on my blog - how did you find my blog. I love to receive comments. Looking forward to keeping in touch
these are good tips for anyone who hasn't been to disney and is making the trip there! I live on the central coast of california so we got to Disney at least once a year...we went to disney world for the first time just a couple weeks ago, and man was that an experience!
ReplyDeletethanks for checking out my blog! yours is awesome!
Love her face on the twisty-turn ride! That right there makes it all worth it. Tea cups?
ReplyDeleteI'll bet your little girl had so much fun!!!
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