Neither my wife nor I ever been to the famous Orlando theme parks before. Now that we have a 2-year old daughter, we were wondering if she is too young to visit Disneyland and Universal Studios. Had anyone taken 2-year olds to Orlando? Is there anything for such small kids to see?

Thank you.

You are probably going to get very conflicting answers. On one hand, people will say that they took their two year olds to WDW and had a fantastic time. On the other, you'll hear people saying that they realized that for a two year old Mickey Mouse is a six foot rat.

If you ask me (who has no kids), I would tend to agree with the former view. IMHO, a 2 year old has the capacity to react to colors and sounds, and they would probably like that. Nevertheless, it is not something that they will understand or remember. Considering the expense of going to Orlando, you'd maybe want to wait a bit. I believe that children who are 6-7 would enjoy the parks much more, and the experience will be absolutely memorable.

I personally would never take a 2 yr old to any major theme park. Not enough energy and they need naps too often. I did take my then toddler aged child to just a regular theme park e.g. Six Flags and she seemed to do well, and yes, she took alot of naps in her stroller. That aside, I do think that Disney parks are more suited to younger children over Universal Studios parks. If you don't mind all that, take your daughter. I waited until my daughter was 8 yrs old before I took her to Disney. I figured if I'm paying a few thousands dollars, she's gonna have a memory of that trip when she's 70 yrs old!

We've tried both. I would recommend both. We went to Disney and Animal Kingdom with a 2 yr old and 5 yr old. They had a great time. We went back to Universal Studios when they were 3 and 6 and they had even more fun. Mom and Dad had more fun with the Universal experience as well. I would have to say that kids over 4 will have the great experience at either park. The 3 day pass to Universal is a super deal. Hit one park each day and then the best of both on the 3rd day. A trip to Orlando is going to be more for you that the 2 year old. It's just my opinion based on my experince. I think that the best time to go is at about 3 1/2 to 4 years old. If you want to have fun, you will, regardless of thier age.

I would never take a two year old to Disneyland/Disney World, etc. The lines are too long, it's too far to walk (even in a stroller) and she won't remember the trip a week after you've gotten home. Save your money and take her when she's 5, 6 or 7 and she'll have a blast!

We took our daughter to Disneyland at 1 1/2 and Disney World Magic Kingdom at 2 1/2 and 3 1/2. She was tired from the day, but still talks about it -- she remembers. Universal Studios just doesn't have the magical kid appeal like Disney. If you get there early, or stay late, the little kids rides have shorter lines. Dumbo ride is dumb for a 2 year old (if she's never seen Dumbo and could go on a similar ride at a carnival) and a very long wait. Ariel's Underwater... is a great place when they're hot -- she can just play in the water. Go for it!

Can't speak about Disneyland, but we took our daughter to WDW when she was 19 months and she had a blast. It was very visually appealing to her. We were able to take her on just about everything that didn't have a height restriction. No, they probably won't remember the trip, but then again, they won't remember much of what you do with them at that age. Personally, I think there is nothing like seeing Disney through a child's eyes, when they still believe Cinderella is Cinderella. The key to a successful trip is not to do the parks commando style, keep your child's needs in mind first, and build in plenty of rest time. Use FastPass to avoid lines on the most popular attractions. When we went, the rest time ended up being mostly for my husband and I because our daughter had boundless energy and wanted nothing to do with naps.

How does a 19 month old know what Cinderella is? I think 2 is too young to appreciate. Many at that age are also scared. 4 and above is more on target.

Ok, Dee, I see you are a very literal person. The point being is that young children are not as jaded and believe in make-believe (a concept a child as young as 19 months can grasp). And while many are afraid, many are not. The situation depends on the individual child and only Jim can determine what his daughter can or cannot handle.

Let me try a different approach. Do you expect this to be your only trip to Disney? Are you trying to plan a vacation for you and your wife that your daughter can enjoy also or a vacation for your daughter (if there is such a thing at 2!) that you and your wife will enjoy also?

What I am getting at is if YOU want to go to WDW and reasonably expect to get back there again when your daughter is older, go for it. She will be entertained, obviously WDW is family oriented so you won't feel uncomfortable in restaraunts, and Disney also has lots of kids programs (not sure if they start as young as 2) and babysitting accommodations if you and your wife want an evening out. As long as you pace yourself according to your daughter's schedule there is no reason that you can't have a great time. I ask if you will go back there again because if this is a one time thing you probably should wait until she is a older to FULLY appreciate and remember it.

I am planning on taking my 1 year old this fall (family coming into town), but I live in Orlando and know we will go more times than he will ever remember as he grows up. We will buy passes so that we can go back throughout the year because it is something my husband and I will enjoy, more than something our son will get excited about at this point.

As for Universal, I don't think it is as small child oriented as the Magic Kingdom (@ WDW). That doesn't mean that there isn't stuff that you can enjoy with your child, but lots of the really fun rides you would either miss out on or have to take turns with your wife.

Dear Jim,
We were just at WDW with both a 5 year and then a 19 month old in February. It was probably the best vacation our family has ever had. We came home with 2 happy girls and one Minnie Mouse freak! (the baby who is now 2) She remembers her trip and talks about seeing the"mice' often. The trick to taking little ones is to know when it is ENOUGH and turn around and go to the hotel for a swim break or a nap. We did swim breaks every day during our day and just relaxed for a couple of hours every afternoon at the hotel. This means you probably won't get to do everything but you will have an enjoyable time. I hope I have given you some good information.

We took our daughter to WDW when she was just over 2 and it was a fabulous trip. We went in October, so extreme heat and long lines were not a factor. Our daughter was not a timid child and she loved seeing the characters and loved the rides. Our goal was a vacation that all of us could enjoy and this was perfect. My husband and I took turns taking her back to the hotel for an afernoon nap while the other person stayed at the park and did more adult type things like Space Mountain. Our son also loved WDW at 2, although he didn't care for the dark rides and hid his face. A few years ago when the kids were 11 and 8, we went to Universal. We were glad we hadn't gone there when they were littler, it was much more suitable for older kids. Of course, the Islands of Adventure part wasn't open yet so I don'r know about that for little ones.

I would recommend going to Universal and staying at the Hard Rock or Portofino Bay. At the Hard Rock you are within easy walking distance to come back for naps, swimming etc. Also you get Front of the line access which means NO LINES, NO WAITING. IMO this makes all the difference between a barely manageable vacation and an enjoyable and relaxed one. We went in March and I can't believe the difference no lines made! Also we were 5 minutes walk away from the parks in great hotels. Check them out!

I took a 2-year-old to DisneyWorld 2 years ago, and we just got back from Disneyland/California Adventure with our now-four-year-old.

I've already detailed on this board the difficulty we encountered with taking a 2-year-old to Disney. My current opinion, however, is that a 4-year old does twice as well as a two-year old. Also, I think Disneyland is MUCH better for young kids than Disneyworld. The Disneyland lines were manageable, the distances walkable, the weather delightful. Also, although Disneyworld has more (spread out over more parks), you can see plenty at Disneyland -- certainly enough to occupy a young child.

So, Jim, if you meant to ask about Disneyland, waiting would be better, but you can probably handle it if you wish.

As for Universal Studios Hollywood, there was almost nothing for young kids to do there, so I'd skip it.

Jim,

I would opt for Walt Disney World (Orlando) vs Universal Studios.

There isn't much to do in Universal for little kids.

Check out this website for great info on Disney.

FYI Disneyland is in California
Disneyworld is in Florida

Oops.

forgot to put the website on

www.wdwinfo.com
www.wdwig.com

I have literally just returned from WDW with my 7 and 3 yr old boys and I reccommend one thing. Don't take your little one on Snow White! We went on that ride first and my 3 yr old (who is not a nervous child) was attached to his father and out right refused to get on anything else until the last day of the trip, when he was dragged on the MGM movies ride kicking and screaming. It wasn't until he made it off that ride that he realized that he would be okay (When he saw the witch in the Wizard of Oz scene we thought he was going to jump out of his seat and run, though!) The little ones just don't get it that the witch will not hurt them so just beware of the Snow White ride.