Disney World is our favorite vacation spot. Our toddler accompanied us for her first trip this past spring and it is safe to say that she loves it as much as we do. Disney offers four amazing theme parks and two water parks. We have never taken time to visit the water parks, so we will be focusing on the parks in this post. Disney goes above and beyond to make sure they have attractions for people of all ages and all ability levels. Today, we want to share some rides, attractions, and experiences at Walt Disney World that are amazing for toddlers.
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
In this ride, you are invited to join in on one of Winnie the Pooh’s many adventures. You get to ride in a honey pot through the 100 acre woods. Little ones will love getting to see Pooh and all of his friends. We rode this ride several times during our last trip and our toddler giggled through each ride. As a bonus, there is a fun play area at the rides entrance.
Tomorrowland Transit Authority People Mover
This one might sound like an unexpected choice, but it is an amazingly underappreciated ride. It is a train like ride that takes you around Tomorrowland. It offers wonderful views and a bit of a rest from a hectic day in the parks. Our toddler loved it.
Pete’s Silly Side Show
Pete’s Silly Side Show is a circus themed character meet and greet. It is a fun, upbeat environment and the wait times are typically under 25 minutes. The line is inside and air conditioned, so it is a great little break from the heat. This area is also home to an amazing gift shop.
The Seas with Nemo & Friends
This ride is super cute. When the ride ends, you are in a real aquarium that offers plenty to explore. There is even a shark themed play area. We went back to Epcot one night specifically so our toddler could revisit this ride and the aquarium.
Spaceship Earth
We love space ship earth and we were excited to share it with our toddler. It’s a 15 minute ride, so we were worried that it wouldn’t keep her attention, but it did. She loved the interactive ending.
Frozen Ever After
Frozen Ever After was new to us on our last visit. It is in Norway in the World Showcase. It is a must for any Frozen fan. It’s a very pretty and fun boat ride. It is a bit rough though, so it may scare some toddlers. Our toddler really liked it overall. She didn’t love getting her head a tiny bit wet, but she got over it quickly. This ride brings a wait time of at least an hour most days, so we highly suggest getting a fast pass in advance.
Toy Story Mania
This is Mr. Not So Crafty’s favorite ride. We did not get to take our toddler on it while we were visiting Hollywood studios because it was closed for much of the morning, but we are still adding it to our list of rides that toddlers will love. It is colorful and interactive. This is another ride that you may want to get a fast pass for because the line does get pretty long.
Animation Courtyard
Animation Courtyard offers a variety of toddler friendly character meet and greets. They each have a separate line (or at least they did when we were there in the spring) so it can eat up a bit of time, but there was not in Hollywood studios that interested our toddler.
ABC Commissary
So this isn’t a ride or an attraction, but it is an extremely toddler friendly restaurant. They offer a huge selection of dipping sauces, which I think is a dream come true for most toddlers.
Kilimanjaro Safaris
This ride is always one of our fast passes at Animal Kingdom. If your toddler likes animals, you will not want to skip this. You will see a variety of wildlife up close. This is a ride that is fun to ride multiple times each trip because it is always a unique experience.
The Boneyard
The Boneyard is a playground designed for kids 10 and younger. It is decorated as a dinosaur bone dig site. It features a sandpit, slides, swings, caves, and so much more!
Adventurers Outpost
This character meet and great spot is currently home to Mickey and Minnie in adorable safari themed outfits. This was our toddler’s favorite place to meet Mickey and Minnie. We fast passed this character experience, but the wait time is usually only around 30 minutes, so you could also just wait in the regular line.
We would love to hear from you! Have you been to Disney with a toddler? How was your family’s experience? Did your small child have a favorite ride?
We went to Disney this past summer with kids ages 3, 4, 5, and 6! They loved Toy Story Mania and the Kiliminjaro Safari. We also did the Star Wars Jedi Academy and they all loved it (except the 3-year-old since he was too young).
My dad is so excited for my daughter to be old enough to do the Jedi Academy! I’m hoping they still have it when she is old enough, because she has a few years to go.
I have been to Disney world once with friends and ti was amazing! My son has never been to Disney. He would love the animal kingdom
My daughter slightly enjoyed animal kingdom, but it wasn’t her favorite. It is my favorite park.
This is great, because we are going in December with a 4 and 2 year old. I can’t wait to see the magic again through them!
December is a great time to visit! I hope you have a wonderful trip.
Our granddaughter is 9 months old. I can’t wait for the time to come when we get to take her to Disney World.
What a great list! We are planning to go with a 3 year old and it is so hard to know what is best for that age, so thanks!
We hope you have a magical trip!
What a great post idea! So often when I see Disney travel tips posts, they are geared mainly toward visiting with older kids, or occasionally with infants – this is the first toddler edition I’ve seen!
We head to Disney tomorrow!!! Can’t wait. My daughter just loves toy story land so we will definitely be going back to check out slinky dog
Have a great trip! Slinky dog is a great coaster. My little one was too small to ride it, but my husband and I got a fast pass, so we just took turns riding it.
I pinned this the other day and hadn’t had a chance to read it, but now I’m so glad that I came back to do just that! What a great itinerary for young toddlers! If I may ask, how long was your trip with your toddler? How many of these events did you do/see in a day? Adventures with toddlers can go downhill quick, I know from experience!
We spent seven days and eight nights at Disney World. We spent three of those days at Magic Kingdom, because it had the most to offer for young children. We only spent a half day at Animal Kingdom and just over a half day at Hollywood studios. We did a whole day in Epcot and then returned for a few hours on a day that we only did a partial day in another park. We let our daughter guide our trip. She was not overly verbal at the time of the trip, but we went on her mood. We took some time in between over stimulating rides or experiences to just sit and have a snack or rest.
My son’s favorite part of Disney World are the spaceships and troopers, my favorite is Animal Kingdom.
My daughter was not a fan of the storm troopers. Animal kingdom is my favorite park too!
I can see why toddlers love it. Your post makes me want to go. Great info.
It is a wonderful place for adults too!