Buena Vista Palace Resort and Spa; Disney with toddler
 

Hello - my husband is going to a conference held at the Buena Vista Palace Resort and Spa for a week in mid-Feb. 2008. I was thinking of tagging along and bringing our son, who will be 19 months old by that time. My husband's company will be picking up the hotel tab and some of the meals. My husband will be spending the days at the conference while my son and I will be hitting the parks. Of course, we realize there aren't a ton of things for a child that young at Disney and have realistic expectations about how long we'll actually get to stay in the parks each day. That being said, does anyone have any comments about this hotel property? Also, any tips about traveling to Disney with a toddler would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance!

You are directly accross the street from Downtown Disney at the BV Palace. If you buy the multi day Disney ticket package that includes transportation, you can catch busses from Downtown Disney that take you to any of the parks.

You can rent strollers at most of their parks if you don't bring your own.

You can find plenty to do at the parks that where your son can accompany. Many 3D movies and rides where your son can sit on your lap.

Keep the park visits short enough that your son doesn't get overly tired and you should both have fun.

Just a warning, the strollers available for rental at the Magic Kingdom are not that comfortable for toddlers. I always prefered taking my own. Also, if you rent you have to leave the strollers at the gate, which means you still have to get all the way back to your hotel with the toddler + any belongings you may have brought into the park. The most important tip I can offer is not to try to see an entire park in one day as we tried to do on our first visit with kids. Now we simply aim for one 'land' usually fantasy land, doing as much or as little as the kids are up to. We usually head back to our hotel by 2 or 3 just in time for a nap. With a 5 year old and a 3 year old, we've only visited the Magic Kingdon and Seaworld. The only other one I would consider is Epcot, mainly because of the new Nemo attraction. Google Disney message boards and you'll get much more informaion. Have fun!!

Both my brother and I went a lot as toddlers and had a great time. I loved it's a small world...could ride it over and over for hours. The key is to take them to the park early in the morning and return to the hotel for a nap and/or the pool after an early lunch around 11:30 (before the crowds).

Actually, Disney is awesome for toddlers. Walt Disney World Resort features "theme parks" - not just "thrill parks". Walt's intention from the beginning was that the whole family would enjoy the experience. As the oldest park, the Magic Kingdom most reflects that goal but there will be good options at each of the parks. I most highly recommend Magic Kingdom, Epcot and Animal Kingdom. You could easily fill two days at Magic Kingdom. Disney-MGM Studios is a good choice if your child is not going to be bored by shows and productions.

The whole family will be able to do these attractions:

Magic Kingdom:
• Its A Small World
• The Adventures of Winnie the Pooh,
• Peter Pan's Flight,
• Cinderella's Golden Carrousel,
• Snow White's Scary Adventure,
• Pooh's Thoughtful Spot (play area),
• Enchanted Tiki Room (show),
• Jungle Cruise,
• Magic Carpets of Aladdin,
• Pirates of the Caribbean,
• Country Bear Jamboree,
• Tom Sawyer's Island,
• All of "Mickey's Toontown Fair" with the possible exception of Goofy's Barnstormer,
• Tomorrowland Transit Authority,
• Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin.
• Parades, fireworks and other live entertainment.

Animal Kingdom:
• Kilimanjaro Safari
• Rafiki's Planet Watch,
• The Boneyard Play area
• 2 Animal Viewing Trails
• Triceratop Spin
• "Festival of the Lion King" (great show)
• "Finding Nemo - the Musical". (great show)
• Pocahontas and Her Forest Friends" ( OK show - geared towards little ones)
• Street performances
• Character Meet-and-Greet opportunities.
• "Mickey's Jammin Jungle Parade". (A favorite of my family’s)


MGM Studios - how well can you keep the little one occupied while trying to enjoy a show? Disney-MGM Studios has some great shows:
• "Lights, Motors, Action!",
• "Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular",
• "Beauty and the Beast Live".
• "Playhouse Disney Live on Stage".
• Voyagle of the Little Mermaid.
• "Muppet 3-D" is not scary - but is a little loud.
• "Fantasmic" will also be fine though possibly a bit scary.

Epcot:
I think Epcot is WONDERFUL when traveling with a little one. Maelstrom (Norway pavilion) and Honey I Shrunk the Audience 3-D might be too loud or scary.

Future World Area:
• Spaceship Earth,
• The Universe of Energy (Dinosaurs & 45 blessed minutes of air conditioning)
• Journey into Your Imagination with Figment
• One of the Innovention pavilions has a lot of things geared for little ones.
• “The Seas with Nemo and Friends” is great for kids – marine life & “Turtle Talk with Crush” are fantastic.
• “The Land” has a character meal
• Princess meals at the Norway Pavillion.
• Character Meet & Greets all through Epcot
• Jammitors are a “Stomp” like percussion group
• The boat ride at the Mexico pavilion is similar to “It’s A Small World” - but is currently closed for refurbishment until April 2.

Keeping a little one occupied may make it hard to enjoy the American Adventure or the Circle Vision movies in China & Canada. If I was going to choose one, I’d go with the China movie. The American Adventure is a good spot for a nap.

World Showcase Area:
• Kids are intrigued by the model train at the Germany pavilion.
• Most kids love wandering through the Morocco pavilion.
• Japan Pavilions - There are Koi fish in the pond. Japan has three great things for kids – “Matsuriza” is a traditional drum act; “Miyuki” is a very neat candy artist, and there is a Japanese Storyteller “Honobono Minwa”.
• France Pavilion - The “Serveur Amusant” (France) is a comedic balancing act.
• Italy Pavilion - Sergio (Italy) is a juggler.
• The Outpost - “OrisiRisi” is the drum circle and African Storytellers (Mon- Fri)
• China Pavilion - Kids always love the Dragon Legend Acrobats because they are children too.
• Some kids will enjoy “Off Kilter” (Canada) – bagpipe rock, “British Invasion” (Beatles sound in the U.K. pavilion) and “MoRockin” (Morocco) – Middle Eastern pop sounding band.
• IllumiNations is the evening fireworks show and it is excellent.

Epcot takes a little advance planning so that you see the entertainment that you want to see - some starts earlier in the day, others a little later in the afternoon. We used www.buildabettermousetrip.com for our plans. www.tourguidemike.com and the Unofficial Guide to Disneyworld are also good.

Thanks for all the great input! Now I don't feel like our son will be too young for Disney, after all!