We are a family of three and are considering going to Disney. Feedback on where to stay, what to do and if this is a good idea with a 2 year old would be very much appreciated.

Thank you.

Some friends of ours went in the spring with their 2 year old and other than liking the characters running around they said she did not get much out of it. The first day, they let her walk around, and the second day the poor kid was so tired from walking the previous day she did not want out of her stroller. I have a 2 year old also and we chose a laid back beach vacation. Most 2 year olds do not like their routine disrupted, need their naps and are prone to meltdowns (especially when they are tired.) Our daughter loved to play on the beach and swim. When we went out to eat we made sure the place was family friendly and to go fairly early before the crowds.

My first visit to Disney was when I was two. We are taking our daughter in November and January when she will be 19 and 21 months. Disney is very doable if you plan it right. Have a plan and be flexible. Make sure you plan plenty of rest/pool time. Listen to your child. I have seen too many parents put their desires to see the parks over their children's needs. The worst thing you can do is try to do the parks commando style. Only you know your child and how he/she travels. The previous poster's friends were fools if they let their child walk all day the first day and not plan for the eventual meltdown. If you decide to go, I recommend staying on site. The All-Star resorts are very inexpensive, and the oversized characters and decor will probably delight your child. Plan to go to some character meals (if you don't think your child will be scared of the characters). Our favorites are Crystal Palace and Winnie the Pooh and friends at the Magic Kingdom, and Chef Mickey's at the Contemporary. There is so much I can tell you. Please feel free to email me with more specific questions. I love to talk about Disney.

General Admission tickets are $41 each for adults + MINIMAL food and drink will bring daily Park costs to $100 a day. Add in transportation, lodging, and meals -- a Disney vacation is expensive!
A 2-year old will just not get that much out of it -- any Disney Park is just too big, too many people, too much noise -- just too overwhelming.
Taking even 4 and 5 year olds was difficult as it's easy for them to get overly tired, and over excited which easily translates to bad behavior and perhaps tantrums which results in the entire family being overwhelmed because their normal routines have been so disrupted. The only way is to stay at a Disney property (more big $'s) so the family can 'do' the Park in multiple sessions throughout the day and early evening.
Been there, done that.

ilisa-Don't know when you last stayed at the All Sports, but we stayed there a couple of months ago and our room had black marks and gouges all over the walls. We asked to be moved and the next room was pretty beat up too. The place is also noisy and you could hear toilets flushing. The next time I go to WDW I will upgrade to the next level.

As for taking a 2 year old-IMO, the parents are getting more out of dragging their kids than the kid is. 2 is too young. Better to wait until they are older and can appreciate it! It is too bad, parents think it's cute to drag their kid all over WDW when the kid is obviously too young to be there!

Ilisa-Just to clarify my friends did not let their child walk around the whole day. They went in the morning and went back to the hotel after lunch so their child could have a nap. They are good parents and not "fools" as you stated. They said, and I agree, a 2 year old is a little young for WDW. Better watch how you phrase things ilisa.

I just have to weigh in here.

We took our kids to WDW last summer. Ages 8, 5 and 2 then. Ilisa is surely correct that you can't push too hard, and you'll have to build the whole day around your child's needs.

But that is why I would never go just with a two-year old. My son just didn't get much out of it (Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, MGM) that made it worth the huge expense. Equally important, he made it so that my husband and I didn't get much out of it either. He couldn't handle anything that was even a little scary. His definition of "scary" was anything dark, noisy, or large, which encompasses many Disney attractions. So one of us had fun with the older kids, and the other one had the chore of the 2 year old.

Upon reflection, part of the problem was that Disney isn't the "real world." So even if you know your kid under normal conditions, it is hard to say how they'll take to being approached by a person in a large Beast costume, lining up to do things, and not getting everything they need instantly. And I won't even get into the huge tantrum he threw while we were on the boat that takes you from the parking lot to the park. Let's just say there was nowhere to hide.

Only you know your kid, of course, and hopefully your child is tougher than mine. But if you're looking for relaxation, wandering around WDW looking for ways not to upset the toddler may not be the ticket. Maybe more fun can be had at the beach, as another poster suggested. You know. Parent lies on beach relaxing while kid digs in sand for 7 days straight. Between Mai Tais, parent helps child dig in sand. Pure heaven.

Just my opinion, of course. Good luck!

If you are bringing only 1 child and a 2year old at that, I hope you are not planning on enjoying any of the attractions yourselves. Your child will get about 10% of what she sees. We took our 2 sons to WDW for the first time at 6 and 8 years old. That was a perfect age. I think 4 is the minimum age especially without older siblings.

Each of the 4 times we went, we saw infants and toddlers who were either fussing or asleep in their strollers. Why bring them along at all?

I agree with Cindy and Bob about a 2 year old not getting much out of WDW.

And Cindy-Don't know if you were being serious or not about drinking mai tais while your kid dug in the sand. When my kids were little, I had to watch them like a hawk so they would not waddle into the water! IMO, a drinking adult and kids near water is a prescription for disaster. If you want a truly relaxing vacation, leave the kids with Grandma!

Yes, I was joshing about the Mai Tai. Well, sort of. Dad watches the tykes while Mom has the Mai Tai. I earned it, don't you think?

My advice- wait until the child is old enough to enjoy the attrations and remember the magic. My daughter remembers nothing of the staggeringly expensive trip we took to WDW when she was 4. She also refused to do any of the rides, even the carousel. I, on the other hand, have a ton of great memories of the week. We leisurely saw the sights, met the characters and saw some shows. My daughter set our pace, and so she was happy and lovely company. We went back to WDW when she was 6, and that time she rode some of the rides. She remembers the second trip as the best vacation we have ever taken.

We took our 2 year old this March and she had a fantastic time!
No, she could'nt go on most of the rides unacompanied but hey, shes 2!!
We stayed at a villa and had plenty of out time as the parks are exhausting!!
Try Typhoon Lagoon for sitting on the sand all day while the kids dig in the sand and paddle.
Little ones enjoy the shows and are maybe too young to be scared yet!
Animal Kingdom was great, Lion King show is a must see!!My little girl loved the animals and Pocohantas!
I agree that two years is a little young to take kids, but if you've got the money why not?? You'll love it and so will the little ones,just don't expect to go on the big rides together you will have to take it in turns.
Even if they are too young to remember (I doubt it!),it widens there learning curve!
Remember to take snacks and plenty of juice with you so you don't have to miss meal times!(the parks are very expensive, so take your own).
Hire one of the three wheeler buggies, they are great, you can leave most of your stuff(not valuables of course)0n them while you go into the shows etc.

Have a great time and don't worry about this lot raining on your parade.(Don't miss Epcots!!).

I would have to weigh in on the side of those who think 2 is too young. Of course, you know your own child best, but quite often, toddlers are frightened by costumed characters, rather than delighted by seeing Mickey, etc. I know it's hard because you want to share this with your child. I recall the time we took our girls at 2 and 5 to eat in the Walnut Room at Marshall Fields under the Christmas tree--a cherished tradition for Chicago-area families. All around was chaos, as people trying to build beautiful holiday memories contended with crowds, fussy babies and toddlers, etc. My own memory: trying to coax girls out from under table, where they were happily playing, to eat food, when it finally came.

If you are taking a 2 year old to Disney World, you are doing it solely for yourself, not the child. They will not enjoy the attractions, they will not remember them and they will be uncomfortable and irritated. We saw tons of children being dragged around the parks by mommy and daddy and most of the tiny ones were miserable. On the other hand I was also miserable due to the fact that I had a stroller run up my leg about every 5 minutes.

I would not take a child until he/she was toilet trained, could walk, and didn't need a nap.

What? "Even if they are too young to remember (I doubt it!),it widens there learning curve!"????

Are you serious? Is there really anyone out there who believes a 2-year old will remember a WDW vacation? Is there anyone out there who believes WDW widens a toddler's learning curve? Gimme a break!

There was the school of thought that much of a child's learning took place before the age of 3 and if you didn't nurture/train/school your child before then, they would be dumb and not get into Harvard. There were tons of activities/toys/language classes etc. that were geared toward babies and toddlers with this premise. This was proved to be wrong! But some parents still grasp the concept that a child' learning takes place before 3. They shove their kids into activities and drag them places thinking it is doing their child good when in fact it is not having any significant effect on the little darlings learning or intelligence. It has also been proven that kids need down time and kids need to play!

Obviously, Cat's going to WDW has not widened her learning curve.

Bottom line-Leave the toddler at home or go somewhere where the toddler can be a toddler and not be dragged around by some parent who is in their second childhood!

Truer words were never spoken, Bottom. Why does everyone feel they must rush their child into everything before they are ready? WDW isn't going anywhere, you know. If you aren't taking older siblings (in which case you might have to drag the toddler along), and you still insist on taking a 2-year-old when you could go other places instead, then you might be putting your own desires over the kids' needs, because the kid would definitely rather be at the beach.

Please check out Deb Wills unofficial guide site at www.wdwig.com, she has recently added a FAQ on taking toddlers to WDW that I contributed a few tips to. You can do baby swap on rides, there are lots of places for little ones to get wet & cool off, & the baby care stations at each park are a quiet haven where you can cool down and rest without trekking back to the hotel. You know your child best. We went to WDW with 6yo & 7 month old & the baby was a GREAT traveler. We went again when kids were 4 & 10, this year they are 6 & 12. BEST advice is definitely to plan on a slow pace, and also TAKE YOUR OWN FOLDING UMBRELLA STROLLER! Whenever you decide to go, have a good time.

To all those would be child psycholgists i.e.Bottomline and friends,who obviously don't have children of their own( or wrap them in cottonwool because it's obviously too much trouble to take them anywhere when they are young!!!!).
We all have our own opinions and all children are different,maybe you should go to Disney land Paris, which in my opinion is much better and you don't have disaproving Americans to deal with!!
We seem to like our kids a whole lot more over in Europe!

Cat-I do have children and am not a child hater. There are places that are appropriate to take a child, and places that are not. This is irrelevant to this discussion.

The original poster asked for feedback on whether 2 was too young to take to Walt Disney World. IMO, the answer is a resounding YES! A 2 year old will get little out of WDW, be afraid of the characters, not being able to go on the attractions because of the height requirement and because they are just plain scared, AND, the heat and humidity in Florida, esp. WDW which is surrounded by concrete, can be unbearable. I have been there and I have seen first hand parents dragging overwrought toddlers. Why put a poor kid through that? Just so the parents can get videos and say they took their kid there? IMO, better to wait until the child is older and can handle the crowds, lines, heat and will enjoy the experience!