Guess what?
We’re going to D I S N E Y W O R L D!
It was totally a last-minute trip since Kevin has a work commitment in the area, so Harper and I are going to tag along and have a few days of girl time together at Disney.
Since we didn’t anticipate going so soon, as I started to look into planning our trip, I became completely overwhelmed. Most people book these trips a year to nine months out and there are a ton of forums and websites solely dedicated to Disney planning. I haven’t been to WDW since fourth grade and a lot has changed. Thank goodness my husband’s co-worker introduced us to a wonderful lady who plans your Disney trip for free (she makes a commission from Disney). She’s securing our park tickets, fast passes, dining, etc. She is amazing and I’m so thankful for her vast knowledge of all things Disney (she and her family go twice a year!)
Harper doesn’t know we’re going. I think the day before, we’re going to show her a video of Disney World and tell her maybe we can go there soon…and the next morning we will say “we’re going to Disney!” I can’t wait to do all of the princess-y stuff with her and just watch her marvel in it all. I won’t lie, I am also incredibly excited to experience it again myself.
In thinking what I’ll pack for our trip, it will still be pretty hot when we go so I’m all about loose, flowy tops, off-the-shoulder styles, shorts, comfy shoes, leggings, sunnies and of course a backpack to carry around the park/in the stroller.
I have gotten so much advice from friends already about what we should do while at Magic Kingdom and what to bring— if you have any tips, I’m all ears! I already can’t wait to go back with both kids one day!
bathing suit | romper | cross front tee | off-the-shoulder dress | sunnies | leggings (love these glitter ones too—especially for Disney!) | hat | backpack | travel laundry bags | pink maxi (on sale!) | nike runners (more comfy styles here) | white shorts | crochet and stripe tunic/dress (under $40!) | denim shorts (on sale!) | tory burch miller sandals
We are only going to Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom and possibly Universal this time around since we only have a handful of days, but I just can’t wait to see Harper’s face when we get there! I’m especially excited for her to meet her favorite princesses, see some of the shows and go on the animal safari. We will also be there for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween party which is sure to be a blast!
Have a great time! Sounds like you’re limited with time this trip, but I’d recommend taking her to Akerhaus for breakfast at Epcot the next time. Just about all of the princesses are there, and the Norway pavilion just opened a Frozen ride. Can’t wait to see your post about your trip!
Hi Maria! We will definitely plan another trip with the entire family in the future. Since my husband is going for work it will just be Harper and me until our last day so I’m trying to do all the princess-y stuff since that’s what she’s into right now. Can’t wait to take both kids one day 🙂
Hi Veronika,
I commented on your IG about Disney but if you have any specific questions about toddlers and Disney, please do not hesitate to contact me! We have annual passes and go a lot with our three year old so we had tons of trial and error to make the best of our days at the park. I hope you girls have a great time!
thank you so much Maria! I would love to know what rides and attractions your kids liked best!
My son (3 years old) loves small world, Peter Pan, Winnie the Pooh, and little mermaid rides. The haunted house and pirates were a little scary to him since they are dark. He also enjoys the magic carpet ride and dumbo. Peter Pan and Winnie the Pooh are extremely popular so if you don’t get there early, you’ll want a fast pass for those. My daughter is only 4 weeks old but I’m so excited to eventually take her to meet Elsa and Anna and he beauty and the beast attraction! Those are both popular too so if recommend fast passes. Make sure to dress comfortably and for warm weather. I usually wear my lululemon leggings, tshirt, black nikes, and a backpack then dress Lucas in a lightweight tshirt and shorts. I see lots of girls treat Disney like a fashion event but gurrrrl it’s hot here! Harper is going to love Disney! As much as I lived going before becoming a mom, seeing Disney through the eyes of my child is 100x the best 🙂
Omg you had another baby! Going to check your blog now 🙂 congratulations! Thanks for the reccs!
Thank you!
Is there something in particular you want to do at Universal? I wouldn’t waste the time or money going there with smaller children. Its geared more for older kids I think. I live in Daytona and go to the theme parks quite often and did take my daughter to Universal when she was small and there were so many things she couldn’t do. Sea World or Epcot might be a better option. Either way, have a fun trip!
Our planner recommended one show they have there— I believe the frozen one? thanks so much for your comment!
Hmmm, no, Frozen is exclusively at Disney and the only Frozen show is on the West Coast in Disney’s California Adventure.
I LOVE Universal, I live in the northeast and yet always have Universal annual passes. BUT. As beautiful and well-themed the Universal parks are (especially the Harry Potter areas), there is really not much of anything for a princess-obsessed toddler. Most of the attractions are 4D simulators or roller coasters with height limits that Harper will be well below. There’s probably only 2 or 3 attractions in each of Universal’s parks she could do, and I doubt that’s worth $100 for a one day one park or $150 for a one day two park ticket. If you’re looking to fill an additional day, Epcot has a brand-new Frozen ride and other attractions that Harper would probably love.
I bet Harper would love an appointment at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique to get dolled up as princess in Magic Kingdom. Other great rides/shows include Mickey’s Philharmagic, Enchanted Tales with Belle, lunch at Be Our Guest, it’s a small world, Peter Pan’s Flight (basically anything in Fantasyland!).
At Animal Kingdom, Kilimanjaro Safari is soooo cool. (There are flamingos ;)) It’s Tough to Be a Bug can be scary for little kids; there is a large and intimidating animatronic of Hopper, and there’s a “stinger” that pokes you in your seat. Animal Kingdom is soooooo incredibly hot and I would recommend planning a lunch at Tusker House (Disney characters!) or Rainforest Cafe to have a midday, AC’d solace from the heat.
I love dressing up for the Disney parks–flowy tops is definitely the way to go! I wear loose but cute tops, denim or tailored shorts and either Reef flip flops or Croc (no judgment, they don’t look like Crocs!!) sandals. For nighttime part touring, I like flowy cotton sundresses.
Thank you so much 🙂 we are trying to get her a booking at bippity boppity- so excited about that! 🙂 appreciate all of your feedback!
I echo that. We took my son a few months back, he is almost three. There was hardly anything for him to ride. For such a steep price tag, I would hold off until she is able to really enjoy it. There were even Dr. Seuss rides he was too short for!!
Since my husband will be there for work, we do not have hotel costs so we are saving a lot just in those costs. We are just going for a few days of girls fun. I don’t have unrealistic expectations and we will just try to do as much as we can 🙂 I have a ton of friends that have been with children Harper’s age or younger and they all enjoyed it. We will go back again one day when the kids are older for sure!
Awesome! Just wanted to give you a fellow toddler mom’s perspective, but sounds like you have it all figured out! Have a great trip!
You’re going to have a blast! We live in the area and have annual passes so we are there a few times a month…my number one suggestion is to not wear sandals to the parks. Your feet will hurt SO much from walking on the concrete all day. The Nikes are your best bet! There is a place right by the carousel that has Princess meet and greets, in the air conditioning!! You can get fast passes for it and usually it’s Anna and Elsa or Cinderella and Rapunzel. My daughters are 4 and 2 and it was pretty magical for them. Bring lots of snacks! Hope you girls have a great time!
Oh don’t worry I am just bringing those for the resort! No way I will be wearing them during our actual time at magic kingdom 🙂 I cannot wait for the princess meet and greets!
You’ve probably already seen them but check out michele1218 few videos on Disney, her fiancée is an expert or something!
love michele! we met a couple of year ago at a conference:)
Would love to hear feedback about the Not So Scary Party. We are headed there in October and want to know what it’s all about!
Hi Veronika! We are also Disney locals 🙂 I would suggest doing Bibbidi Bobbed Boutique if you can get Harper an appointment she can be a princess for the day it is the cutest and they take her photos! Just a little FYI if you go to Animal Kingdom be prepared for NO a/c anywhere not even in a store everything is outdoors. I never forget one time we went in August and had to leave because the heat and humidity was too too much. If you have time check out the new Disney Springs so many very cool stores. Something I have always wanted to do when you meet the princesses… take a frame matte and have the princesses sign it and then you can hang it with a photo of Harper. Hope this little info helps. Have lots of fun!
This is so helpful thank you! I have heard about disney springs but I really don’t want to shop when we are there (other than a few things for Harper) is it disney shopping or regular stores? I just feel like with the limited time we have there I want to do as many shows and rides as we can 🙂 thoughts?
*Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique
Disney Springs is both they have Disney stores and now they have other stores Sugar Boo is just one etc. some quick bites to eat Earl of Sandwich is one it is amazing our favorite we go there every time. If you have one evening maybe an hour or two you can see the whole thing. There are the most rides in Magic Kingdom for Harper’s age…also very cute shows in Disney Hollywood Studios lots of Disney Jr. Not sure if you knew this already you can download the My Disney Experience App. and get lots of ideas too. It will tell you the park hours wait times etc. it’s very interactive 🙂
Have fun!! I love Disney as an adult haha. I didn’t read the comments thoroughly, but get there right when it opens. You will get to do so much more in a short period of time. Stay or go back for the fireworks show at night if you guys aren’t too sleepy. The Grand Floridian has a princess tea that is supposed to be magical. My aunt, who is now retired, worked in the tea room and said little girls LOVED it.
I just commented on Instagram lol! But we also went in October and I am from San Antonio so it’s almost the same weather as Houston which I was born there! The weather in October in Florida is actually not hot ! It was very nice weather! At nigth it does get a little windy and feels fresh, so if Harper gets cold easily maybe a very ligth sweater! When we went to animal kingdom is was drizzling through out the entire time so make sure to have good quality rain jackets (we had the plastic emergency bags which was so hot to use) and it gets so humid ! And the safari ride is amazing! Idk if we got lucky or what, but the lines to meet the princess where not bad at all, the only crazy lines where Anna and else , and sadly Anna wasn’t very friendly which made me a little upset. ( my daughters favorite at the time) my daugther was still two and we didn’t have a stroller and it wasn’t too bad but my husband did carry her on her shoulders a lot. But I would recommend a backpack for sure as you are doing , much better than a shoulder bag!
The day we got to Florida, we went straight to Disney for the Halloween party also, we met Tiana and there was no line at all. She was the sweetest! It was a little confusing and also dark when we got there and very crowded , so I suggest looking over the map before you get there for the Halloween party.
I would recommend renting the strollers from magic kingdom strollers, i think it was called. they were so easy. they dropped off and picked up from the hotel and it was just so affordable and easy. Also, I wore my slip on sketchers mom shoes with with memory foam and they were really awesome for that trip.
We did two days at disney and one day at animal kingdom. the new frozen exhibit just opened at epcot. I would be excited to see that. Also, do NOT go on the lilo and stitch ride in tomorrowland, it is way too scary and weird for a little one. we learned the hard way and had to get the man to let us out. Also, bring a poncho or umbrella in case it rains.
Thank you— these are great tips! We will for sure be renting from Kingdom strollers 🙂
We went on a very last minute trip there as well, and I was also very overwhelmed before hand. Then I came to the mindset that Adelaide had never been and had no expectations, so let’s just go and have fun. We ended up having a blast. Animal kingdom was kind of like a fancy zoo… If you can swing Hollywood studios I would recommend it!
Would you recommend that we just do the safari part of animal kingdom and move on to other attractions? Kevin will be able to spend some time with us on our last day there so I am debating getting him a park hopper pass so we can do the safari and other stuff later in the day.
The safari last like 10-15 min? I honestly think the one I saw at six flags was just as good, if not better. It just seemed like the most outdated of the parks. Hollywood studios had tons of great kiddie rides and frozen attractions, toy story etc
Thank you! I had not really considered hollywood studios— I will ask our planner to look into it!
Oh, also! You can bring whatever food or drink you want into the parks. We had breakfast at chickfila and then brought our fountain sodas into the park on the parent console of our stroller and they didn’t care at all!
The amazing thing about Mickey’s Not So Scary are the costumes. This is the night where a majority of the “retired” characters and characters that do not normally make an appearance come out, so it is a photo overhaul kind of evening. A lot of the individuals that attend actually work at the parks, so their costumes are stellar and wayyyy over the top. People love showing off their costumes, so even if they are not a “disney” character, do not be afraid to ask them to take a picture with Harper. Surprisingly, those were my favorite pictures. I agree with getting a map, there is so much to look at and so much going on, it is easy to get turned around and with it being dark, you will want to know what you want to hit. It can be a long show for kids, but besides the Safari, the Finding Nemo musical is fantastic and very interactive (I am hoping it is still there, they are building an Avator park back there and I heard rumors that’s where it’s going). The Dinosaur Extinction ride may sound cute, but it can be quite terrifying, so I would stay clear of that one. Definitely download the app (I think I mentioned that on your Instagram as well) because even though you may have things planned, just by word of mouth and walking around you will want to maybe explore other things or revisit and the app makes it a lot easier plus you can see the wait times for everything and navigate your time that way. Lastly, you definitely want to make an appointment at bibbidi bobbidi boutique, Harper will looooove the treatment. There are plenty throughout the park, but many a princess likes her treatment done in the one that is actually in the castle. My hubs and I are annual passholders and there alllll the time so I feel I could suggest for hours, so I think I will try to cut it short…
This is great feedback, thank you! Can you tell me which exact app it is? Is it the my disney experience one? thank you!
Gah! Sorry about the late response. Yes, it is the Disney Experience! I hope you and the kiddos have the very best time!
Hi veronika, can you please tell me who you used as your planner and would you recommend it?
email me— veronabrit at gmail dot com!
Hi Veronika- I know this is an old post, but do you have an update on your Disney experience. We are going to disney next month with my 4 year old. Thanks for sharing!