Taking young children to Walt Disney World can be one of the most magical family holidays you’ll ever have – but if you’ve never been before, you may feel a bit stressed about the pressure to ‘get everything right’.
With four huge theme parks, dozens of restaurants, numerous rides and attractions, it can feel like there are a bewildering array of things to book and organise.
The good news is that planning a Disney holiday is nothing like as overwhelming as it may seem. In fact, knowing you’ve got a few things lined up your kids will love can actually be very reassuring – and form part of the anticipation!
We’ve made numerous trips to Walt Disney World with our own kids, so here are a few of the key things we think you should know.
1) Download the My Disney Experience app before you go
If you’re visiting Walt Disney World, the My Disney Experience app is one of the most useful things you’ll have on your phone.
It has an enormous amount of information to help you plan your day, including interactive park maps and live attraction wait times, so you can see how long you’ll have to wait for your favourite rides.
You can also use the app to order food in advance at participating quick-service restaurants, which can save you having to stand in another queue when everyone is hungry.
But one of our favourite features for families with young children is tucked away on the park map.
If you scroll along the top of the map, you’ll find a little tab that says “characters”, which allows you to see which Disney characters are meeting guests, where they’re appearing and when.
For little Disney fans, this can be just as important as finding the rides.
This summer, there’s even more character fun at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, where you can catch a Wildlife Express Train which takes families to meet CBeebies favourite Bluey – a particularly exciting addition for pre-schoolers.
💡 Our tip: Buy your children an autograph book before you go, or let them take a favourite soft toy with them. Disney characters love signing autograph books – and they are usually brilliant at playing along with children and their cuddly Disney friends.
2. Consider booking a character meal
Character dining is another fantastic way for young children to meet their favourite Disney characters.
The big advantage is that, rather than standing in a queue to meet each character, the characters will often circulate around the restaurant, stopping at individual tables to say hello, pose for photographs and sign autograph books.
For families with young children, we particularly like character breakfasts.
They can often be more cost-effective than evening character meals and, if you have a child who is a limited or picky eater, breakfast can offer a wider choice of familiar foods.
Many character breakfasts run from around 7.30am or 8am until 10.30am or 11am, although opening times vary and some run later, so there is usually a reasonable choice of times.
Most character meals at Walt Disney World are excellent, so we’d base your choice on two things: what your child is likely to eat and which characters they are most excited to meet.
Some of our favourites include:
- Akershus Royal Banquet Hall in Epcot’s Norway pavilion, for dining with Disney princesses.
- The Crystal Palace at Magic Kingdom, where you can meet Winnie the Pooh and friends.
- Topolino’s Terrace at Disney’s Riviera Resort, where Mickey and friends appear at breakfast.
- Cape May Cafe at Disney’s Beach Club Resort, another great option for meeting Mickey and friends in their beach gear.
If your little one has a favourite Disney character, it’s worth checking the current character line-up before booking.
💡 Our tip: If you’re travelling from the UK, consider booking a character breakfast in the first few days of your holiday. Due to the US/ UK time difference, you and your kids may find yourselves waking up very early in the morning when you’re in Florida – so it’s the ideal opportunity to go and grab breakfast with your Disney friends.
3. Research the rides – and don’t forget the shows
It sounds obvious, but don’t assume every attraction at Walt Disney World will be suitable for your child just because it appears in a family theme park.
Some attractions have height restrictions, while others might simply be too dark, loud, fast or frightening for your particular child (Pirates of the Caribbean, for example, involves a sudden drop in the dark at the start of the ride – although the rest is very gentle).
Children’s personalities vary enormously. One four-year-old might happily go on everything they can while another might be terrified by a dark ride or a loud special effect.
It’s worth researching the attractions before your holiday so you know what is likely to work for your family.
We’ve put together a list of 15 moderate and gentle rides for little kids at Disney World if you need some inspiration.
And don’t forget the shows.
Walt Disney World has plenty of entertainment where you can sit down and relax for a while, from Festival of the Lion King at Disney’s Animal Kingdom to Celebración Encanto! at Epcot, as well as long-standing favourites such as The Enchanted Tiki Room at Magic Kingdom.
These can make excellent pit-stops during a busy park day – particularly when you find somewhere with air conditioning.
You’ll find showtimes in the My Disney Experience app, so you can work them into your day without having to plan every minute in advance.
There are also some lovely walk-through attractions where you don’t have to stand in a traditional ride queue at all.
At Epcot, try Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana or The Seas with Nemo & Friends for some slower-paced, water-themed fun.
Sometimes a slightly quieter attraction is exactly what you kids need (and maybe you too!)
💡 Our tip: If you’re not sure which rides your child will enjoy, head to YouTube before your holiday. You’ll find videos of virtually every Disney attraction, so you can watch them together and get a good idea of what to expect. It can be a great way to work out which rides are likely to be a hit with your family – and which ones might be better left for another trip.
4. Check restaurant menus before you book
Walt Disney World is remarkably accommodating when it comes to feeding children – including children who eat a very limited range of foods.
But if your child is a particularly cautious eater, it pays to do a little research before your holiday.
Restaurant menus are published online, so check them before making dining reservations. That way, you can be confident there will be something your child is likely to eat when you arrive.
Quick-service restaurants (restaurants which serve over-the-counter meals) can work particularly well for children who prefer familiar foods, and there are plenty of places serving things such as chicken tenders (which is what Americans call battered chicken strips), fries, burgers, pizza and other straightforward options.
We’ve put together a list of some of our favourite quick-service and budget-friendly dining options – and you can use your Disney app to place your orders for specific time slots to minimise waiting.
If you’re booking a table-service restaurant (where you your child has a food allergy or other special dietary requirement, you can also contact the restaurant in advance to discuss your needs.
We’ve found some excellent options for our own limited eater over the years. All of them had amazing theming that children love:
- Space 220 was a particular success for our son. This popular Epcot restaurant sees you ‘blast off’ into space, via a lift, before dining alongside a window full of floating astronauts and space stations. Although the menu is a set three-course one, it’s reasonably comfortable for beige food eaters – my son ate the breaded mozzarella moons for starters (tomato sauce served on the side) and chicken strips and fries for his main. Read our full review of Space 220.
- Rainforest Cafe at Disney’s Animal Kingdom has an enormous menu with plenty of family-friendly choices. Located just outside the park gates, it’s a particularly useful option if you’re finding the park’s children’s dining choices a little challenging for your kids. Plus, kids will love the animatronic jungle animals that ‘come to life’ in a tropical thunderstorm every 20 minutes. For more, see our full Rainforest Cafe at Disney’s Animal Kingdom review.
- T-Rex at Disney Springs has a similar vibe and menu selection to the Rainforest Cafe (they’re owned by the same group) but it’s dino-themed, with a huge, animatronic T-Rex. We found the waiting staff here were so good with kids, plus it’s located near the Lego Store at Disney Springs, which makes an excellent place to go before or after your meal.
Above all, though, try not to stress too much about what your child eats. Remember – you’re on holiday and you can get them back on the healthy stuff once you’re home.
5. Take snacks and water into the parks
You don’t have to rely entirely on Disney restaurants and snack stands to keep your little ones going.
Many parents don’t realise Disney allows guests to bring food and non-alcoholic drinks into the theme parks, so taking snacks and refillable water bottles can be a really useful way of keeping children’s energy levels up.
You can refill water bottles for free at water fountains and bottle-filling stations around the parks.
For UK families, though, there is one complication: you can’t simply pack your child’s favourite snacks into your suitcase and bring them into the United States.
US customs and agricultural rules restrict what food can be brought into the country, so don’t assume that the snacks your child relies on at home can travel with you.
Some families arrange grocery deliveries to their Disney hotel instead. This can be a good way of getting hold of familiar snacks such as raisins and other suitable foods once you’re in Florida.
If organising a grocery delivery feels like more hassle than it’s worth, pack some small Tupperware containers in your luggage. You can then use them for snacks once you’re in the US.
Disney resort shops also sell snacks, while hotel breakfast areas often have things such as fresh fruit and yoghurt.
Having a few familiar snacks in your bag can be particularly useful when you’re stuck in a queue, waiting for a parade or simply taking a break in the shade.
💡 Our tip: We found the portions at some Disney restaurants were more than we could manage – particularly if we’d ordered a starter and dessert as well as a main course. Fortunately, if you ask, US restaurants are generally very accommodating about packing up leftovers for you to take away.
At Maya Grill at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort, for example, we ordered tortilla chips that were simply too much once we’d also had our main courses. Our server kindly packed up the leftovers for us to take back to the hotel, and we later popped them into a snack pot and took them into the park to enjoy while we were waiting in queues.
6. You don’t need Lightning Lanes every day
Lightning Lane can be incredibly useful when you’re travelling with young children – but also expensive. So definitely don’t buy Lightning Lane for every day of your holiday.
However, if your child finds long queues difficult, buying Lightning Lane for one or two particularly busy park days can make a noticeable difference.
For us, Magic Kingdom is the park where it makes the most sense, simply because there are so many attractions you might want to experience.
Some rides also have surprisingly long waits for a relatively short experience. Peter Pan’s Flight is a classic example: the ride itself is lovely, but the standby queue can be considerably longer than the attraction.
If you decide to buy Lightning Lane, make sure you understand the current booking rules before your holiday. Disney Resort hotel guests have different advance-booking privileges from other guests, and popular attractions can fill up. We’ve outlined our lightning lane strategy here to help you plan your ride experiences.
You may also want to consider individual Lightning Lane purchases for particularly popular attractions such as Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure or Frozen Ever After at Epcot.
However, you can use other strategies to beat queues at Walt Disney World that don’t cost you a penny. We’ve outlined some of them in our guide why are Disney wait times so long (and what can you do about it?)
And remember – sometimes it’s worth paying for a little queue-saving help on the rides that matter most to your family and simply accepting that you’ll have to queue for everything else. It’s all part of the Disney experience!
7. Learn about Rider Switch and Single Rider
If you’re travelling with a young child who can’t – or doesn’t want to – go on some of the bigger attractions, don’t assume that means the adults have to miss out too.
Disney offers two fantastic schemes that (in our view) not enough parents know about but they can make a huge difference to your experience of the parks.
Disney offers Rider Switch on some rides and attractions.
One adult can stay with the child while the rest of the party rides. The adults can then swap, allowing the second adult to experience the attraction without having to wait through the entire queue again.
It’s an absolute godsend for families with young children and we’ve written more about it in our article what is Disney’s Rider Switch?
There’s also Single Rider, where available.
Instead of joining the normal queue, you enter a separate queue, which is used to fill individual empty seats in ride vehicles. This means you won’t necessarily sit with the rest of your party – you’re effectively filling a spare seat alongside other guests – but it can dramatically reduce the amount of time you spend waiting.
We used Single Rider for the Star Wars attractions at Hollywood Studios. While one adult waited with our son, the other joined the Single Rider queue, then we swapped.
Both of us were able to experience the rides in around half an hour, compared with standby waits of more than an hour.
Without Single Rider, we’d probably have missed the chance to go on these rides. Sadly, single rider isn’t available at every park, so do check with the cast members.
8. Download the Play Disney Parks app
Yes, it’s another app – but this one can be brilliant when you’re travelling with children.
You will inevitably spend some time standing in queues at Walt Disney World, so anything that makes those waits easier is worth having.
The Play Disney Parks app contains games and interactive experiences designed to be played while you’re exploring the parks and waiting for attractions.
Our son particularly loved the Star Wars experiences at Hollywood Studios, which gave him something to do while we were riding attractions he wasn’t able to experience.
And then there was the Soarin’ geography quiz.
The game divides guests into teams and displays the results on a big screen while you’re waiting. Our son became so hooked on trying to get his team’s score up that, by the time we reached the front of the queue, he was almost reluctant to go on the ride!
He came home from Disney absolutely fascinated by geography – something that even made it into his school report.
So who says Disney can’t be educational?
9) Don’t try to do everything!
I cannot stress this enough. Disney parks may be open from early in the morning until (in some cases) late at night – but that doesn’t mean you have to be on the go all that time.
Perhaps the most important thing to know before taking young children to Walt Disney World is that you don’t have to do everything.
In fact, we would strongly recommend you don’t try. If you’ve done rope drop for example (this is what Disney regulars refer to as the park opening – we have more tips on rope drop strategies here – don’t hang around all day for the evening entertainment.
This is particularly important advice for UK families at the start of their Florida trip, where 10-11pm in the US is the equivalent of 3-4am in the UK.
Go easy on yourselves and your kids. Take breaks and find quiet spots to take breathers in the parks. See our tips on the best quiet places to escape the crowds at Walt Disney World for more pointers on where to relax.
If you start early, choose a cut-off point to return to your resort and spend the evening chilling by the pool or watching a film (Disney hotels often host outdoor screenings of classic movies).
Take an off day, where you simply lie by the pool or splash around with the kids. It’s so important to recharge.
You may not see very attraction and you certainly won’t eat at every restaurant. But as long as you love your holiday, it really doesn’t matter.
Walt Disney World is an amazing place to visit with little ones. Seeing their faces when they meet a favourite character, spot a familiar film character or experience a ride for the first time is what makes a family Disney holiday so special.
Do a little planning before you go, but don’t feel that you need to plan every second.
A few more practical things to know
- Consider hiring a pushchair Even if your child hasn’t used a pushchair for years, you may be surprised by how useful one can be at Disney World. There’s a lot of walking involved, and tired little legs can make the end of a long park day challenging. You can bring your own pushchair, or hire one when you arrive – Disney rents single and double pushchairs (strollers) at all four theme parks and Disney Springs. One thing to know is that you can’t take hired pushchairs out of Disney parks, but if you’re park-hopping, you just keep the receipt and pick up another at the next park.
- Know where the Baby Care Centres are Even if you’re past the baby stage, it’s worth knowing where the Baby Care Centres are in each park. They’re useful for feeding, changing and caring for babies and toddlers, and can provide a quieter place to escape the crowds for a while.
- Don’t underestimate the Florida heat Florida can be hot and humid, particularly in the summer months, and young children can struggle with the heat. Make sure everyone drinks plenty, take regular breaks in the shade or air conditioning, and don’t be afraid to abandon your carefully planned itinerary if everyone is wilting.
- Make a plan in case you get separated Disney is busy, and it’s surprisingly easy for a child to disappear into a crowd for a moment. It’s worth talking to your children beforehand about what to do if they can’t see you – and making sure they know how to identify a Disney member of staff (known as cast members). We’ve got a full guide to how to prevent your kids getting lost at Disney World – and what happens if they do, including some simple precautions you can take before you even enter the park.
