Traveling with Littles
Do you have a little princess or prince that you think would just LOVE the magic of Walt Disney World, but you are nervous about traveling with littles? It’s no secret that I make as many trips to WDW as I possibly can, but almost all of my trips are adults-only. I recently took what was probably the most magical trip of my life: the first trip with my nieces. “L” was 5.5 and “E” was 9 months. It was completely magical being there with them, but there were also several things that stood out about traveling with kiddos.
Rope drop and early entry
Do it, friends, do it. All Disney resort guests get 30 minutes of early entry at each park each day. I know it may sound overwhelming to get your littles up and moving each morning, but mornings at WDW are golden! Our plan was to be at our mode of transportation 1 hour before early entry started. Most littles are pretty full of energy in the mornings, so it really wasn’t a struggle to get them up and moving each day. We didn’t do formal breakfasts, so we packed bars, dry cereal, and other snacks to eat on the go. We were able to knock out one headliner at each park during this time. Who wants to wait 70 minutes later in the day for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train or Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway? Not me, and we didn’t because of rope dropping at early entry.
Be flexible
We had a pretty detailed plan together about what we thought each day would look like. We had lots of predictions about what L’s favorite experiences would be. At the end of the trip, her top 3 consisted of: Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway, Mickey’s PhilharMagic, and playing at Art of Animation. Who would have thought that playing with a balloon in the resort room or a 3-D attraction would make the top 3?! You can have all the plans in the world ready, but be ok with changing those plans up if your littles are enjoying playing in a splash pad, or watching Cinderella’s step-sisters sass guests in Fantasyland, or even riding the Skyliner multiple times.
Take breaks to eat and drink
I’m sure our logical sides all know the importance of food and hydration and we can probably all answer correctly when asked what happens when we get hungry and thirsty. BUT how many of us are guilty of over-doing it and not stopping for snacks and water? I know I’ve done this many times, and then I end up getting cranky and feeling lousy. We also know it can be pricey to buy Disney snacks every couple of hours. Pack those snacks and bring a refillable water bottle. Once you realize your little (or YOU!) is getting hangry, it will be too late!
Strategic meals
We also realized that evenings in the parks were going to be questionable with a 5 year old and a 9 month old, so we made table-service reservations for lunch, and it was a wonderful decision! We were able to get some energy at lunch, hit another ride or two, and then be ready to enjoy some time at the resort. L’s top 3 included time at the resort and part of that time was having pizza parties in the room or at the pool - and we had to get that mermaid cupcake, too, of course! This way, we didn’t have any pressure to return to the parks in the evenings or tough out a few more hours in order to make our reservation. How many 3pm meltdowns have you seen at the parks? I’ve seen A LOT and it’s not always the littles!
This was the trip of a lifetime for me, and I learned so much about the ins and outs of maximizing a trip with littles. I would love to share more tips and tricks with you! Click HERE to get started with planning a magical trip with YOUR littles!
