Disney is a wonderful choice for families with little ones, yet a first trip can feel overwhelming. Wondering what to bring, where to sleep and how to make the most of each day with young children? You’ll find it all right here!
Over six years ago I wrote about our family’s Disney trip, and the response asking for my tips was huge. I’m sorry it has taken me so long, but after several more visits I finally sat down to share everything I’ve picked up along the way!
Our Past Disney Trips
My husband and I booked our first Disney vacation as grown-ups when our daughters were 6 and 2. We wanted our eldest to experience Disney World during the “magical age” of 5 to 6, when kids believe in it most. Our toddler was still free, since children under 3 don’t need a ticket.
We knew nothing going in, so I threw myself into researching Disney. Looking back, it was a very successful trip. My do’s and don’ts are listed below, but my top advice for first-timers is to work with a free Disney Travel Agent.
We rely on our friend Ellen Duncan at Magic on Main Travel. She has been fantastic at helping us plan the trip, book our dining reservations and figure out how Genie+ works. (Not sponsored, we just adore her!) If you don’t already have an agent you trust, I’d strongly suggest emailing Ellen!
In 2021 we returned for a make-up trip after our 2020 visit was cancelled. It was a lovely, quieter stay since many attractions were still closed. The parks were calm, which suited us fine, as we had no Fast Passes and Genie+ had not launched yet.
In 2023 we travelled with my brother, his wife and their three kids. I mapped out the days and showed them all our favourite spots and rides! It was a hectic trip, but my husband declared it our best one yet! We rode Tron and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, the two newest rides at Disney World. I also tried Genie+, Lightning Lanes and Individual Lightning Lanes for the first time, and I’ve shared some tips on those below!
Disney Tips, Sorted by Topic
Choosing Where to Stay
So far I have stayed at three Disney resorts: Caribbean Beach, Art of Animation (the Little Mermaid room) and All-Star Movies.
1. Art of Animation
On our first visit we stayed at Art of Animation, one of Disney’s value resorts. We had originally booked Caribbean Beach, but because it was under renovation, we switched to Art of Animation. That saved us $700, and our room had a Little Mermaid theme, which was charming. The two main downsides: we were always the final bus stop before the parks, and our room sat 3/10 of a mile from the bus drop-off. It was also VERY small, and I wasn’t fond of the shower curtain beside the bathroom sink. I probably wouldn’t book it again.
2. All-Stars Movie Resort
Later that same year, I visited for a weekend with my best friend and we stayed at the All-Star Movies value resort. Having learned from Art of Animation, we requested a preferred room, which was close to the main lobby and the bus stops, a real perk. It was a solid value stay. The only downside was that buses served all three All-Star resorts, so the rides to and from the parks could be quite long.
3. Caribbean Beach
We visited in March 2021 and again in April 2023, staying at the Caribbean Beach moderate resort both times. I absolutely LOVE it!!!!!
It sits on the Disney Skyliner line, so getting to Hollywood Studios and EPCOT is quick. It is also close to the Riviera Resort, home of the highly sought-after table service restaurant Topolino’s Terrace. I also enjoy the Riviera’s quick-service spot, Primo Piatto.
The Caribbean Beach pool is wonderful, with two slides, a zero-entry area and a kiddie splash pad. My kids can happily spend hours there! It is also a beautiful resort. We enjoy the Jamaica and Aruba rooms because they are near the Skyliner and the pool, but next time I’m planning to request a preferred room in the Martinique area!
Next time I’d love to try the Beach Club or Yacht Club resorts for the Storm-a-long Bay pool and their closeness to EPCOT and Hollywood Studios!
Character Dining Experiences
So far we have dined at these sit-down character meals:
- Cinderella’s Royal Table in Magic Kingdom (greet Cinderella, Ariel, Jasmine, Snow White & Aurora – lineup may vary)
- Topolino’s Terrace breakfast at Riviera Resort (greet Mickey, Minnie, Donald & Daisy)
- Tusker House in Animal Kingdom Breakfast (greet Mickey, Donald, Daisy and Goofy)
- Bon Voyage Adventure Breakfast at Trattoria Al Forno in Disney’s Boardwalk Inn (greet Ariel, Prince Eric, Rapunzel & Flynn Rider – as I write this, it still hasn’t reopened since the pandemic)
- Dinner at Be Our Guest in Magic Kingdom (“greet” the Beast)
- Akershus Banquet Hall Breakfast in EPCOT (greet Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, Belle & Ariel)
- Lunch at The Crystal Palace in Magic Kingdom (greet Pooh, Eeyore, Tigger and Piglet)
On our first trip we put character meals at the top of our list. They were costly but wonderful. I’ll walk you through each one we tried, though I admit we overbooked a bit: we met Ariel three times, and Cinderella and Rapunzel twice each.
If I could do it again, I’d choose three different meals for characters and use Lightning Lanes to meet the rest. Character dining is a relaxing way to meet everyone, but the costs add up fast.
The Best Character Meals
1. Topolino’s Terrace
The charming Topolino’s Terrace breakfast at Riviera Resort is, without question, my favourite character breakfast! Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Daisy are perfectly outfitted in painters’ smocks. The service and food are excellent, and the kids’ waffle dippers are a big hit! We ADORE it!!
It’s ideal for a rest day or any day you don’t plan to arrive at the parks very early. It is within walking distance of our favourite resort, Caribbean Beach, which makes it an easy choice for us.
2. Cinderella’s Royal Table
Cinderella’s Royal Table in Magic Kingdom has become our second-favourite character meal. We book lunch there as a long midday break during a big Magic Kingdom day. The princesses are fantastic, and nothing feels more “Disney” than dining inside the castle. We’ve been twice and really enjoy the food! Order the Grilled Tenderloin of Beef as your main!! And the Clock Strikes Twelve dessert is the best!
3. Bon Voyage Adventure
After our first visit, my top character meal was, by far, the Bon Voyage Adventure Breakfast at Trattoria Al Forno in Disney’s Boardwalk. Rapunzel, Flynn Rider, Ariel and Prince Eric joined us. It was lovely and the characters were adorable.
Rapunzel is my daughter’s favourite princess, so this was extra special for her. She arrived in her full costume and wig, with Pascal perched on her shoulder. Flynn Rider was hilarious. He struck his signature smolder and joked that he hoped I’d got his nose right. Very funny if you know the movie by heart.
Another plus of the Bon Voyage Breakfast is that you don’t need to use one of your park days. Since it’s at the Boardwalk, my daughter and I went on our day off and took a Lyft to and from our hotel. Very quick and easy! The food was good too, and it’s served a la carte rather than as a buffet. I ordered the King Triton Shipwreck al Forno and saved half for my husband back at the resort. It was very filling!
NOTE: The Bon Voyage Adventure Breakfast has not reopened since the pandemic. When it does, it will be the first meal on our list to try again!
Least Favourite Character Meals
Hands down, the worst character meal was Hollywood and Vine Diner at Hollywood Studios. Yes, we got to meet Minnie Mouse. But the food was below average and cost more than anywhere else we ate. For the four of us, we paid over $200 for mediocre buffet food. No thank you!
I now have to add Be Our Guest in Magic Kingdom to this list. I’ve been three times, and since the Beast now only waves at you from a corner of the room, it just isn’t worth the price. I love the atmosphere and the rooms, but I wish they still offered their cheaper lunch. That would make it worthwhile again for me.
Dining Still on Our Wish List
- ‘Ohana at the Polynesian Resort – We would love to try the breakfast and meet Lilo and Stitch. I’ve also heard great things about the all-you-can-eat meat dinner. There are no characters, but the festive Polynesian setting makes up for it.
- Chef Mickey’s breakfast at the Contemporary Resort – I hear it’s fantastic for meeting the Fab Five!
How We Structured Our Days
If your toddlers won’t nap in a stroller, I strongly recommend our approach. We got up early and aimed to reach the park before “rope drop.” (Search for Disney World rope drop if that term is new to you.) We went straight to the rides that didn’t need a Lightning Lane, since the crowds are lighter early in the morning.
We ate lunch in the park, stayed until early afternoon, and then returned to the hotel for a nap once the parks got really crowded. I wished our room had been closer to the lobby, since trudging a long way with overtired toddlers after six hours in the park was no fun. If you have toddlers, it’s well worth paying extra for a preferred room near the bus stop and lobby.
After naps, we returned to a park for dinner or to use the rest of our Fast Passes, and stayed until 9 or 10 pm. One night we stayed until Magic Kingdom closed at 1 am.
Now that our kids are older, we usually stay in the parks from opening to closing. We do, however, book a big sit-down meal and shows for the hottest, busiest part of the day: early to mid-afternoon.
Favourite Rides
When our kids were little, our absolute favourites were Barnstormer and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, both in Magic Kingdom.
Barnstormer is a kiddie roller coaster tucked into the far right corner of Magic Kingdom. On both days we spent in MK, we headed straight there and rode it several times. We rode Mine Train twice, once with a Fast Pass and once during Extra Magic Hours at night.
Other Rides We Loved (rides that need a Lightning Lane are marked LL):
- Magic Kingdom Rides: Thunder Mountain Railroad (LL), Peter Pan’s Flight (LL), Under the Sea Adventures of Little Mermaid, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh & Splash Mountain (LL)
- Animal Kingdom Rides and Shows: Flight of Passage (ILL), Na’vi River Journey (LL), Expedition Everest (LL), Kilimanjaro Safaris (LL), Festival of the Lion King
- EPCOT Rides: Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind (ILL or VQ), Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure (LL), Soarin’ Around the World (LL), Frozen Ever After (LL), Test Track (LL), The Seas with Nemo and Friends.
- Hollywood Studios Rides: Slinky Dog Dash (LL), Toy Story Mania (LL), Rise of the Resistance (ILL), Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway (LL), Tower of Terror (LL), Frozen Sing-Along Show
Understanding Early Entry
Guests staying at a Disney resort can enter the parks during “early entry,” which starts 30 minutes before official opening.
The best approach is to be at your resort’s transport stop one hour before early entry begins. For instance, if Magic Kingdom opens at 9 am, early entry starts at 8:30 am, so you should be at the bus stop by 7:30 am.
Is Memory Maker worth the money?
Absolutely! Disney photographers are at every character greeting and throughout the parks, ready to capture your magical moments. Memory Maker gives you unlimited photos taken in and around the parks, all saved to your Disney account.
I can’t recommend it enough! You don’t need to lug a camera around or stress about getting the shot. Let them document your magical visit. If you buy it more than 3 days before your trip, you’ll save some money.
Daily Gifts from Minnie Mouse
I didn’t want to spend a fortune on toys at Disney, so I shopped beforehand and bought small gifts for my girls to open each day of our trip. I went a bit overboard and tucked a note from Minnie into each one, with a clue about that day’s plans. They LOVED it.
I picked up activities such as colouring books, ImagineInk books, Water Wow books, small plush toys, glow sticks for our Magic Kingdom day, mini playsets (ideal for keeping them busy while waiting for food at a restaurant), Doorables figurines, t-shirts, pajamas, sunglasses, and Minnie Mouse or Mickey ears,
Renting Strollers at Disney
I strongly recommend renting a stroller for kids aged 7 and under. If you have just one child aged 6 or 7 who is a strong walker, you might manage without one. Our 6-year-old definitely needed the stroller, and the 2-year-old was an obvious yes. We rented a double Bob stroller from Kingdom Strollers, and it was fantastic.
The heavy-duty stroller was a lifesaver. We later rented a single Bob stroller from Kingdom Strollers for our daughter when she was 6 and 8 on our last two trips. That was our final trip with a stroller, which makes me a bit wistful, because where will we stash all our stuff?? Ha!
Even if your child won’t use a stroller every day, if you think they’ll struggle to walk 10+ miles several days in a row, and they FIT in one… get one!
What to Pack for Disney with Children
- Packing Cubes – I was doubtful about how useful these were, but a Disney trip changed my mind! Packing for several people in one suitcase, then moving everything into the hotel drawers, was SO simple with packing cubes. Disney resort rooms are small, so organisation is essential. We’d never managed to keep everyone’s things so tidy before our last trip. Give each person a different colour and be amazed!
- Belt Bag – aka a fanny pack! It has replaced my crossbody bag because it holds the essentials and I can keep wearing it on most rides. It’s easy and lightweight, and I love not having to keep my phone in my pocket.
- Pop-up Laundry Bags – These keep dirty clothes neatly contained in the hotel room and are easy to carry down to the laundry room if you’re staying more than a few days. We did laundry on our day off mid-trip and it worked brilliantly! You don’t need to pack as many outfits when you know you can wash and dry them.
- Trash bags for bringing home dirty laundry.
- Stroller hooks. A friend suggested these and I honestly thought they were an unnecessary buy. I was wrong, they were so handy! I deliberately chose water bottles with loops so we could clip them to the stroller handlebar, and that’s exactly what we did. On our latest trip we also used the hooks to carry anything we bought during the day!
- Snacks and Drinks. You can bring food and non-alcoholic drinks into the parks, which I strongly recommend. Sometimes people get hangry, restaurant queues are long, and it’s handy to pull out a pack of peanut butter crackers right there. I also like keeping bottled water in our room. When we drive, I pack it in the car. When we fly, I order Amazon Fresh and have it delivered to our resort, and the hotel’s bell service will bring it to your room for a small fee.
- Portable Phone Charger – Using the Disney app through your park days is a must, and your battery will drain faster than usual. Pick up one or two portable chargers so you never have to stop to charge your phone!
- Filtered Water Bottles. We used our refillable filtered bottles every single day and they were the best investment! We brought stroller hooks and simply clipped them to the handlebar. Free water is available at all the quick-service restaurants. My only advice: choose one with an attached lid and a loop so you can hang it on the stroller.
- Glow sticks and glow necklaces. Once night falls, vendors sell fun glow sticks and light-up toys. You can save a little money by bringing your own while still giving your kid that magical feeling!
- Disposable Ponchos. It’s Florida, and it WILL rain at some point. We were so glad we packed these, and having them on hand meant we never had to hunt for one. They’re also far cheaper than buying ponchos in the park. I loved being able to toss them when we finished instead of stuffing a wet jacket back into our bag.
- Backpack. Each day we packed a backpack with ponchos, snacks and kid essentials. I also packed a spare set of clothes for each of us in case of an accident or a very soggy ride. My husband usually carried the backpack while I wore a crossbody sling bag. On our latest trip I used my belt bag, my husband wore the crossbody, and the backpack went in the stroller storage. Just keep anything valuable on you at all times.
- Soft Sided Cooler. Disney only permits soft-sided coolers at Disney World. If you want to bring perishable food or keep drinks chilled, this is a useful option. We had one on our earlier trips, but I think we’ll skip it this time since the girls are older and we can pack shelf-stable snacks and refill our water bottles. **If you rent a stroller from Kingdom Strollers, it comes with a cooler you can use during your visit to Disney.
- BitBelts. Magic Bands can slip off surprisingly easily, so I recommend buying some BitBelts to keep yours secure. I forgot mine last time, and my youngest’s Magic Band kept falling off!
- Magic Band Watch Adapters – These silicone cases slip onto your Apple Watch and hold the puck from your Magic Band, so you don’t have to wear two separate things! I love using a Magic Band in the parks, and this keeps my watch and band together in one spot!
- Dish Soap & Bottle Brush. Handy to keep in the resort room in case you need to wash anything, such as your water bottles.
- Blister BandAids – These special plasters are made for blisters. On this trip every single person in my family needed them, except me! I honestly don’t think we could have kept going each day without them. Get the toe-sized ones too!
- Multiple Good Walking Shoes. You’ll walk A LOT at Disney. (Think 10 miles a day.) I’d suggest packing at least a couple of comfortable walking shoe options in case one pair causes blisters. We brought trainers and Keen sandals for every family member, and I even wore my Birkenstock sandals some days because they are so comfy. On days with heavy rain forecast, we wore our Keens so our feet could get wet and still breathe.
Must-Have Planning Services
Even with all the advice I’ve shared and the help of a Disney travel agent, there are two services I wouldn’t visit Disney without!
Wish Upon a Planner – All Access Pass
I started following Ali from Wish Upon a Planner after our first trip. Her data-driven plans helped me get around the parks better than ever! My husband was amazed on our second visit by how much more I knew about everything, and that’s truly thanks to Ali’s plans. I highly recommend everything she produces! If you’d like a preview first, just follow her on social media.
Standby Skipper
I’ll be singing this app’s praises forever! It’s a third-party app that links to your Disney account. Once you’ve bought Genie+ for the day, you give Standby Skipper your ride choices, and the app books your Lightning Lanes for you!
Unlike the old Fast Pass system, the new queue-skipping setup, Genie+/Lightning Lanes, moves in real time. You end up on your phone SO much more than before, and when you’re trying to enjoy your family and holiday, that’s the last thing you want. This app gives your time back. It doesn’t guarantee bookings, but it booked rides for me that I could never have got on my own. The price is totally worth it!! Join their Facebook group and you’ll see what I mean!
Closing Thoughts
I’ve tried to cover everything that helped me on my first Disney trip. Honestly, I could spend hours reading Disney blogs and learning how to schedule our days. But if you’d like to relax on your first visit and let someone else handle the planning, I can’t recommend Ellen Duncan at Magic on Main enough (a free service when you book through her). (Not sponsored, she’s simply the one we use and love!)
Let me know in the comments if you have any other helpful tips or questions!
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