My husband and I are THINKING about visiting Disney this October with our daughter and my mom.

Realistically are there any rides areas of the four major parks that she will be able to enjoy?

Your comments would be greatly appreciated as we need to make a decision soon.

Scroll down a page or two, there is a lengthy discussion on this very topic.

I'll be the first to state what many are probably thinking but are unwilling to add: 2 year olds are NOT going to enjoy a day at a huge amusement park. Parents seem to feel compelled to take young children there to "enrich" them, when in fact they are really pacifying themselves. Whether it's a keep-up-with-the-Joneses thing or to allay guilt or whatever, 2 year olds ill recollect NOTHING from the experience, and it ends up being a long, hot, trying experience for all.
There. My 2 cents.
Anyone else?

Agree with Brenda. 2 year olds need their routines, are prone to tantrums at the slightest thing and are not capable of standing in line. Take a nice beach vacation and play with your child on the beach instead of dragging an unhappy, cranky toddler around an overcrowded theme park.

Here's an abbreviated version of what I said on the other 2-year-old-to-WDW thread:

Did it last summer. Kid was scared of positively everything (big characters, noise, darkness) and interfered with enjoyment of adults and older children. Tantrums.

Wait 2-3 years until kid is less of an issue and can get something out of it.

I have to agree, from experience, with the previous post. Beacause there is a six year age difference from our oldest to our youngest, we have traveled to Disney with a 2 year old. From start to finish, for the most part, it was not pleasant for her. Wait until she's a few years older and will appreciate the experience.

A great web resource is Deb Wills unofficial guide at wdwig.com There is an "WDW with infant / toddler tips" listing I contributed to. I have been to WDW with a 7 month old & 7 yo, went back later when they were 4 & 11, at 5 & 12, & going back this year with kids now 6 & 13. Kids under 3 are FREE, there are lots of play areas toddlers enjoy, & you can do baby-swap on the rides. As long as you realize you have to take slower pace with toddler, take your own folding umbrella-type stroller, and plan around your child's schedule, you will have fun! My then 4-yo loved Conservation Station at Animal Kingdom, the shows at AK & MGM, and Mickey's Toon-town Fair with Mickey & Minnie's houses you walk thru. You can do baby-swap on all rides - your entire group walks to entrance, tell cast member you are doing baby swap, one person rides, then as soon as they finish second person swaps baby with first adult & rides without waiting in line again. I also took my kids to the Adventurer's Club at Pleasure Island, the cast members there are really good with kids & adults & she loved to see the mask room & talking statue. Whatever you decide - have fun!

It can be done. You just have to be realistic about how much you can do. If you can take your time and follow the 2-year old’s schedule (play, eat, sleep, play, eat, sleep...) you should be okay. We took our 2-year old a couple of years ago to WDW. We had a great time. Sometimes we stopped and rested and sometimes we went forward and she slept through the attraction. It’s all possible if you’re flexible. Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom probably take the forefront with small ones. Epcot is a little spread out and adult-oriented. MGM is fun and has characters about. It depends if your toddler watches TV or movies yet. She will probably like MK’s Fantasyland best where there are many rides aimed at the under 5 crowd. Animal Kingdom and MGM have cool strollers. Pack some juice and small snacks. Enjoy!

p.t. are you just wastng our time here? You have another post looking for a Caribbean destination. That's about as far from Disney as you can get. So which is it?

Don't listen to Anon. He or she is just a crab. Where is it written that a person can't consider more than one place for a vacation? Sheez.

I have to agree with delaying bringing a toddler to major amusement parks. Some people bring a child care provider (It could be a relative!) along to make it less stressful on the whole family. If your mom and the two of you traded off it could work. Even our four year old needed lots of naps back at the hotel and "grounding time". It is an overwhelming magnified experience in the eyes of a child.Come to think of it I was overwhelmed too!

I feel driven to mention that when we were planning a trip to WDW, we booked a short cruise in the Carribean area. It is none of my concern what destinations people are considering. Geez... why are people so grumpy?

You know your child best. Go if you think she will enjoy it. You or your husband can do the baby swap when she can't ride that certain ride.

My daughter is 3, her birthday is in November. She has been to Disney twice. Both times was the March after her birthday. She still remembers her first time. She remembers things about it we don't!

The first year we had grandparents with us. We went to Epcot & made the rounds, she rode everything. The grandparents went back to the room for a nap & took her, we rode the 2 things she didn't, the Test Track & Body Wars. They came back & she played in the fountains they have. She loved every minute. We knew her limitations & dealt with them.

The next year, we did 3 parks with no grandparents. We even did the E ticket nights! She rode everything, her favorite was the Test Track, her least favorite was the Tower of Terror!! She loves Splash Mountain. She met the height requirement for all of these rides ~ 40".

She will go for her 3rd time this December, for her birthday. She is dying to "eat with Cinderella at her castle"! We will have breakfast there & they have characters circulate among the tables. She loves watching the parades & talking to the CM's. She loves riding in the front of the monorail & the fireworks best of all.

Taking a 2 yr old to Disney is a waste of time, money, etc. Get a baby sitter for the 2 yr old. and take your Mom. She will have a great time and it will be a trip you will always remember. An unwritten rule should be "No one under the age of 8 should be allowed at Disney."
We have 4 children and we have taken them all several times...but not until they are 8.
When you take your mom sign up for some of the great classes they have there now.
Enjoy
Save Disney for 2006.

Anytime spent with your children is never a waste...so that said, if you want to take your two yr old to Disney, do it. We took our two year old last Aug to DisneyWorld and although we'd never go at that time of year again, we had a fabulous time. She is still talking about it. We were there a week and went by her schedule. If she was up early we went early then would go back to our room in the middle of the day, returning at night to whatever park we wanted. We had no itinerary, we just wanted to spend a week together as a family. We live in Calif and have Disneyland passes so Disney wasn't that big a deal for her although she had a good time she loved the water parks best.

We have taken our 2 yr old to Disney. She got into the idea very quickly asking "what's next?" for the most part. Since each child differ greatly, you'll have to figure out where your daugher stand in different areas.

You have "some" control on how much wait you have to go thru if this is a problem with your child. My daughter was so determined to ride the dumbo that she was willing to wait 45 minutes. Same for other rides for small children.

The encounter with characters was a mixed bag. It seemed that the characters much bigger than what she expected scared her while smaller ones like minnie was not threatening. At the encounter with pooh, I saw an even younger child walking right up to him and give him a kiss, what a precious moment to capture on a film.

Jeff and Greg-Just curious if you did all the work while you were at WDW or if you let your wives do the majority of the caretaking? If you did, then you would definitely not want to drag a toddler there again.

Go where you want.
Enjoy your kids and follow their lead.

Don't listen to the cynics, their children are learning daily what their parents think of them.

If you are going primarily for your child's enjoyment forget it. Disney is exhausting, huge, with few age appropriate rides. I took my very well-behaved & precocious kid at 6 & I thought that I didnt go a moment to early.
If you want to see that area, I suggest Sea World & maybe staying at a nice onsite place like Port Orleans which has a pool etc & spend time at least 1/2 time at the hotel. I dont know what beach weather is like but we also stayed at a Disney Hotel in Vero Beach that was quite nice. It is about 3hrs from Disney.
I also have heard nice things about some places in the St Pete area & know there are loads of tourist attractions there.

Good luck.

My friend took her 4 year old son to Disneyworld when he was 2 and to Disneyland when he was 3. They are going back to Florida next month. They all had a great time and he still talks about meeting Peter Pan and Captain Hook. He went on lots of rides and when he didn't ride one parent stayed with him and the other rode. He wasn't at all scared of the giant characters but that could be his personality.

In reply to xxx

My wife and I both took our turns with our daughter and when I asked my wife about it she said I pulled my fair share and y the way my wife would like to do it again just not when it is so hot and rainy. I would do it again too