Magic Kingdom Day Two with Toddlers

We split the Magic Kingdom up into two days so that we would have enough time to enjoy the park and never feel rushed.

Just like last time we parked at the Contemporary and walked over for the rope drop. I was able to get us a bit more centered this time. H was just as amazed the second time around when the train pulled in with all his favorite friends.

The plan was to head straight to Tomorrowland and get on the AstroOrbiters, but when we got there the AstroOrbiters were not operational. Jeff took H to go drive cars at the Tomorrowland Speedway. My mom and I took O to ride the Peoplemover. The rides took about the same amount of time, we were able to see the boys in line while we were on the Peoplemover.

We met at AstroOrbiters and only had to wait for one group to go before it was our turn to ride the elevator up for the rocket ride. The boys loved riding the rockets. The higher you go the more the rocket tilts toward the center. In hindsight I am not sure that I should have taken O on it. He laughed the whole time, but I was a little nervous I wasn't going to be able to hold him as we banked to the right!

We had a minor meltdown on our way to use our fastpass at Peter Pan about enchanted boats and flying elephants that really is not worth getting in to here, but once that was resolved we hopped onto Peter Pan's flight and took off over London. When we reached the end of the flight H exclaimed that he wanted to ride the boat with the music and little people, so we walked across the street and right onto Small World. We did get stuck in the final room in a boat pileup, but my mom found a lady's missing shoe in the water and was able to return it to her as we disembarked.

We used a fastpass for Enchanted Tales with Belle. All the children who wanted to participate got a chance. H, with some help from Jeff, played the wardrobe and got to lead the parade of the staff for Belle. H and O got their pictures with Belle at the end of the show!

Haunted Mansion is my absolute favorite ride. H and I have been talking about it since we started planning the trip, so he was game when I suggested we try to ride that next. I may have told him the mansion was holding a ghost party. With that in mind he wasn't scared of anything and was excited he got to go to the party. He did say that one time on the ride was enough. Ha!

As we were crossing The Hub on our way to lunch at The Plazza, the Move it! Sake it! Dance & Play it! Street Party came rolling through. I couldn't get H to join me dancing in the street, but he also didn't want to leave.

Lunch at The Plaza was good. It is one of your only options for sit down dining in the Magic Kingdom. Getting some AC and a nice lunch is a huge recharge for us and the kids. The food is nothing special, but it was good, filling and service was excellent. 

The Plaza: Kids PB&J 

The Plaza: Club Sandwich 

Happily Entertained at The Plaza

We had a fastpass to the Jungle Cruise, which helped the line not be 80 min, but we still waited more then 20 min for the ride. I think I had high expectations from my memory. The way we boarded the boat put the kids and I in the direct sun, so we were hot. The kids were not very amused by the animals and the jokes were over their head. I am glad we included it, but it was a bit of a dud.

Jungle Cruise was our third fastpass and the fastpass kiosk is right next to where Jungle Cruise lets out, so I popped over while everyone else was grabbing the stroller and got another one for later in the day. 

Across the road is the Tiki Room, so we ducked in there for a nice cool spot to feed Oliver and watch the show. The kids loved the singing birds! The DoleWhip after didn't hurt either. I actually tried the float and it was delicious and slightly more refreshing. 

Tom Sawyers Island was a huge hit! We probably should have let H play here both days, he enjoyed it so much. Taking the boat over is fun, but again hot in the open sun. Once you get over to the Island it shady and much cooler. There are tons of bridges, caves and buildings to explore. 

When we finally left the Island we were all ready for some Air Conditioning. We headed over to the Hall of Presidents. I think this is such a wonderful presentation. H instantly fell asleep. I may not have even noticed, except his head hit the arm rest the first time he nodded off.  He is nothing if not persistent, so he rearranged himself and went back to sleep in his chair. O was also a nightmare. He pooped two minuets into the show and was very very unhappy. 

With a changed diaper and an awake toddler we headed outside to find the Parade just coming through. Our stroller was parked outside saving us the perfect shaded spot to watch the Parade. 

We headed back over to the Tomorrowland Speedway with our fourth fast-pass to give driving another try.

After a broken car, it was finally time to take off. With H at the wheel we hit that guard rail as many times as we could! H laughed and laughed. He loved driving so much. Jeff rode in front of us and got a few pictures of the craziness, although you can barely see H in the driver seat.

We finished up our rides with Mickey's PhilharMagic. There was a small wait, but it was so worth it. I forgot how cute this show is. Add that on top of a kid who is experiencing their first 3D show. H dodged everything that came out of the screen. Once we talked him through that he started reaching out for everything. So so so many giggles. It was awesome. 

Everyone was ready to head back so we worked our way down Main Street. H asked if we could do some pin trading and we still needed to buy stamps and mail our postcards on the way out. 

Pin trading is one of the best things we have done on this trip. H loved it. I love that it got him to engage with adults. It provided a good change to practice manners and speaking loudly. He loves trading pins just to trade, but he searched the whole trip for an Ariel pin and finally found one in Animal Kingdom. He was elated.

It was a perfect day in the Magic Kingdom and it wasn't even over! We took the kids back to the hotel and fed them at the Pepper Market, the hotel cafeteria. The food was fine, not great but fine. We got the kids settled with Grandma and Jeff and I headed back out for the night.

Magic Kingdom from the California Grill 

We had dinner reservations at the California Grill, on the top floor of the Contemporary. From there you are able to see the firework show from all of the other parks. They pump the music in for the show as well. (As a tip, we found out you can also watch the fireworks from any of the external stairwells at the Contemporary.)

We actually arrived a little early to the Contemporary so we went out back to the boat launch and took a boat on its full cycle (about 30 min). It was very romantic and totally free!

The food was delicious. Jeff had the pork two ways and I had sushi. We both started with delicious salads. The menu rotates weekly with a major overhaul seasonally. The wine list is extensive. We both ended up having a glass with dinner and another while we enjoyed the fireworks.

They also brought me a Creme Brule desert for my birthday!

Leaving the hotel for the evening we saw these guys heading upstairs - Only at Disney! 

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Animal Kingdom with Toddlers

Another busy day at Disney. We had a blast, but the whole family is exhausted.

8am Tusker House Reservation means having the park to yourself. 

We had an 8am reservation at Tusker House for their character breakfast so we drove directly to the park before it opened. It takes a few min to walk from the gates to the Tusker House, but we took our time and enjoyed having the park to ourselves. 

The breakfast was delicious and such a huge hit with the kids. After a week at Disney H has finally, really, truly, warmed up to the characters. He was delighted to see them all as they came to the table. H loved their safari outfits. O was indifferent to most of them, which was a huge improvement over the previous days. Daisy though was a charmer and O instantly took to her.  Even with the delicious buffet, I got a birthday cupcake and a candle.. which I unwillingly shared with little O.

After breakfast we headed over to meet Mickey and Minnie in their character spot in Asia. We were first in line and had no wait at all. Although we met Mickey several times on this trip it was our first interaction with Minnie. 

It was a short walk over to Africa to use our fastpass for Kilimanjaro Safari's.  Even with the fast pass it was a bit of a wait, but totally worth it. Minutes after getting into the safari vehicle the rain started to pour down. While our stroller was collecting water, the animals were all out enjoying themselves. The highlight though was the baby rhino that chased our safari vehicle!

When we got off the safari the rain had stopped and the sun was back out. We took a little stroll through the Lowland Gorilla walk. Again, all the animals were out playing. The highlight for the kids were the two small gorillas that were playing right against the glass. We probably could have spent all morning watching them. 

We didn't want to miss the Festival of the Lion King show, which we had fastpasses for. We chose to sit all the way in the back row of our section, even though we were let in first, so that we could sit with a backrest and the kids could stand to see the show. H sat stone-faced the whole ride only to exclaim after the show that it was "amazing." O, on the other hand, danced and clapped and signed "more" during all the songs. The family favorite was the jumping "monkeys" that do the ariel tricks. 

We hopped on the train to Rafiki's Planet Watch, a short, narrated, ride that shows you some of the behind the scenes stuff. A pair of bronze elephants greets you when you get off the train. H was enamored and pretended to be their trainer for quite a while. "Do you have any questions about elephants?" he would ask everyone. There is a short walk to the main building where there are lots of displays and activities. The "Affection Station" is also here, where H go to pet and brush goats. 

H would be upset if I didn't also mention that there is an entire display on animal poop. 

Somewhere between the poop display and listening to the sounds to the rainforest, we decided we were not going to rush to make our next fastpass. I logged onto the Disney App and changed the time of our fastpass to a later showing of the Nemo Show. We continued exploring and then headed back on the train. 

A quick stop at the Yack and Yeti quick service restaurant to pick up lunch. My mom ordered the chicken fried rice and an egg roll while Jeff got the daily special which was some sort of yellow curried chicken and vegetables. I ordered the honey chicken and rice and both kids had a bite as well. On the trail between Asia and Africa there is a small path that parallels the main road and has a lovely little hut with four tables. The hut has some fans in it and it was the perfect place to enjoy our lunch. There was even a large rock for H to crawl on while we ate. 

We bypassed the bird show, in the name of time and much to our dismay, to head to the Jungle treck. The tigers and kimono dragon were napping in the shade, but the bats were sleeping with their wings in full view. I've never seen anything quite like it. 

The monkeys were also putting on quite the show. O in particular loved watching them. 

In DINOLand, USA. H and Jeff rode the TriceraTopSpin. We once again got lucky with the rain. The rain started just as we ducked under the cover of the ride and was done by the time H and Jeff got on board. 

We made what I thought would be a quick stop at the Dig Site... 45 min later we emerged. H spent most of his time across the bridge digging up a Mammoth Fossil. We also explored the caves and slides in the dig area. He would have stayed later but heard someone talking about the pool and decided he wanted to go home. 

We made a few more stops to see some birds, baby ducks and even a squirrel on our way back to our car. We returned to the hotel in time to hit the pool for an hour or so before dinner. The hotel pool here is great. H even went down the small water slide with a life jacket on and dad at the bottom to catch him. O likes to stand and play in the water coming down from the "temple" or just cruise along the beach chairs all in a line. 

We drove to the Art of Animation resort for dinner. Their cafeteria, Landscape of Flavors, has so many good options. My mom ordered the Roasted Vegetables, which actually was just pick four sides, but it looked delicious. Jeff and H split the pulled pork which is served between two waffles. O and I shared the Caprese Sandwhich and chips. Everyone cleaned their plates! 

The best part though was walking H through the different resort areas. Honestly, the cars section was the absolute best as the cars are car sized, not super huge like in the Little Mermaid and Lion King sections. H literally thought he was in Radiator Springs. 

This was the perfect ending to a wonderful Disney trip. 

Disney Toddler Touring Plans - Just the Facts

We have a one and three year old. Here is what we actually accomplished each day. To read all the messy details check out the day specific pages.

SeaWorld
Bus from hotel
Antarctic Ride (mild)
Visit Manatees & Turtles
Blue Horizons Dolphin Show
Turtle Trek (Skipped the 3D movie)
Dolphin Pool
Sting Ray Pool
Lunch - Seaport Pizza (ordered ahead)
Tower Ride
Pets Ahoy Pet Show
Shamu's Happy Harbor
Wild Artic (Skipped movie)
Bus home from hotel
Swimming

Transportation Day at Disney 
Bus to The Settlement area of Fort Wilderness
Breakfast at Trails End
Playground and beach at The Settlement
Bus to Parking lot
Drive to Coronado Springs to Check In
Drive to Animal Kingdom Lodge
Animal Enrichment Bead Activity
Animal Viewing
Drive to Wilderness Lodge
Boat to Contemporary
Monorail to TTC
Walk to Polynesian
Dole Whip at Polynesian
Monorail to Grand Floridian
Beach & Music at Grand Floridian
Monorail to TTC
Ferry Boat to Magic Kingdom
Boat to Wilderness Lodge
Dinner at Whispering Canyon Cafe
Drive to Coronado Springs
Swimming and Campfire at The Dig Site at Coronado Springs

Magic Kingdom Day One 
Drive to Contemporary
Walk to Magic Kingdom
Rope Drop at Magic Kingdom
Visit Mickey at Town Square
Meet Mary Poppins on Main Street
Fast Pass Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin
Double Decker Bus Down Main Street
Haircut at Harmony Barber Shop
Ride the Carousel
Ride Dumbo
Ride Winnie the Pooh
Ride Small World
Lunch at Be Our Guest
Ride Under the Sea
Play at Dumbo Playground
Ride Dumbo
Ride Carousel of Progress
Ride the People Mover
Attend the Monsters Inc. Laugh Factory
Visit Ariel at her Grotto
Train from Circus Station all the way around and back to Main Street
Exit the Park and walk back to Contemporary


Hollywood Studios/Epcot 
Drive to Beach Club
Boat to Hollywood Studios
Meet Jake in Animation Courtyard
Disney Jr. Live on Stage Show
Frozen Sing Along Show
Meet Lightning McQueen & Mater on Streets of America
Boat to Beach Club
Walk to Epcot World Showcase
Lunch at Japanese Pavilion Quick Service
O'Canada Movie & Waterfall
Spaceship Earth
Figment
Mexico Pavilion Boat Ride
Germany Pavilion Tiny Town & Train Garden
Gelato at Italy Pavilion
Boat/Walk back to Future Pavilion
Ride the Land
Ride Nemo & Friends
Turtle Talk with Crush
Visit the Aquarium
Character Dinner at the Garden Grill
Walk back to Boat Club
Drive to Coranado Springs.

Magic Kingdom Day 2
Drive to Contemporary
Walk to Magic Kingdom
Rope Drop at Magic Kingdom
Tomorrowland Speedway Cars/ Peoplemover for the little guy
Astro Blasters
Fastpass Peter Pan's Flight
Small World
Faspass Enchanted Tales with Belle
Haunted Mansion
Dance Parade in front of the Castle
Lunch at The Plaza Restaurant
Fastpass Jungle Cruise
Tiki Room
Tom Sawyer Island
Hall of Presidents
Festival of Fantasy Parade
Tomorrowland Speedway Cars
Mickey's PhilharMagic
Walk  down Main Street and back to Contemporary

Animal Kingdom 
Drive directly to Animal Kingdom parking lot
Check in with Tusker House breakfast representative at gate
Walk to Tusker House
8am Character Breakfast at Tusker House (Donald, Daisy, Mickey & Goofy in Safari Clothing)
Meet Mickey & Minnie at the Character Spot
Fastpass Kilmanjaro Safari
Lowland Gorilla Walk
Fastpass Festival of the Lion King
Train to Rafiki's Planet Watch
Affection Station (petting zoo)
Explore Rafiki's Planet Watch Pavilion
Train back to Africa
Lunch at Yack&Yetti Quick Service
Jungle Treck
Triceratops Spin
Bone Yard
View a few animals on our way out of the park
Swimming
Dinner at Art of Animation
Walk around "Radiator Springs' section of Art of Animation



Here is where we ate at Disney:
- Breakfast at Trails End, The Settlement in Fort Wilderness
- Dinner at Whispering Canyon Cafe, The Wilderness Lodge
- Lunch Be Our Guest, Magic Kingdom
- Dinner by the Pool, Coronado Springs
- Lunch at Japan Pavillion Quick Service, Epcot
- Character Dinner at Garden Grill, Epcot
- Lunch at The Plaza, Magic Kingdom
- Dinner at Pepper Market,  Coronado Springs (Kids & Grandma)
- Dinner at California Grill,  Contemporary (Mom & Dad)
- Character Breakfast Tusker House, Animal Kingdom
- Lunch at Yackn'Yetti Quick Service, Animal Kingdom
- Dinner at Landscape of Flavors, Art of Animation Resort

Hollywood Studios & Epcot Split Day with Toddlers.

We had pretty ambitious plans for today. The goal was to hit a few things at Hollywood Studios and then make it over to Epcot for lunch and the rest of the day.

We parked at the Yacht and Beach Club and hopped on the Friendship boat over to Hollywood Studios. Jeff had to run back because I forgot the Ergo in the room but he actually made it back in time to catch the same boat that we were on. You can also walk to both Epcot and Hollywood Studios from here, but we thought the boat would be more fun. You do not have to fold your stroller on the Friendship boat, which can be a huge bonus with kids.

Here come Jake & Sophia. 

We went directly to the Animation Corridor of Hollywood Studios to meet Jake and see the Disney Jr. show. These were literally the only two things on the agenda for the morning. Jake and the other Disney Jr characters come out at 9:30. We were first in line to meet Jake. H was so excited... until it was time to walk up and meet him. H maintains that they were playing hide and go seek. He later named this as his favorite part of the day - go figure.

The Disney Jr. show was perfect for our little ones. You sit on the floor and its set up like a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Show but they also tell stories from Jake, Sophia the First, and Doc McStuffins. The characters are all puppet size and are just perfect for the kiddos. There are lots of fun interactive things that happen in the 20 min show. 

With all our objectives met at Hollywood Studios and an hour to kill before we met up with a friend we offered H some options and he chose to go to the Frozen Sing A Long. We hightailed it to the other side of the park and made it in time for the 10:30 show. There are some story tellers that tell a shortened version of the show and they stop at all the songs to have you sing along. Anna and Elsa appear in the show. It was a hit with the whole family. H loved the songs and seeing the characters from afar, the adults loved the punny show (and singing along.) If you fast pass this show you will be able to sit in the middle, we sat on the side and our view was just fine. 

Just outside the Frozen theater you can "meet" Lightning McQueen and Mater. Again, H asked to get in line and meet them. He did not want to touch them but he liked seeing them up close. They don't talk but they do make some car noises specific to the two cars. The line moves really quickly so this was a good time killer. 

We met up with our friend and hopped on a boat to go over to Epcot. The boat makes so many stops and is actually quite slow so we hopped off at the Yacht and Boat Club dock and walked the rest of the way. We beat the boat to Epcot by a bunch, but by riding the first stop we were able to stay out of the sun. We entered the park through the World Showcase gate. 

We had lunch at the counter service restaurant at Epcot. Mom had sushi, I had the shrimp tempura udon noodles, Jeff and the chicken curry rice bowl and our friend had the teriyaki plate.  Everyone thought it was delicious. The kids ate a bit from everyones plates and a bunch from the snack bag. Half way through lunch the drum show started so I walked H down to check that out while others finished their lunch. 

We headed back around World Showcase toward Future World.  We stopped in England to take a picture in a phone booth and in Canada to see the falls. Mom took H to the O Canada movie while Jeff and I took a break in the shade with O. It must have gone well because H came out asking us to take him to Canada "for real." 

It was time to use our fast pass for Spaceship Earth. H liked the ride, although it is quite dark in spots and he kept asking if this was a "show" or a "ride." We checked our lines app and headed to Journey into the Imagination. The line was under 10 min, but was the longest we had to wait all day. 

We had later dinner reservations, so we decided to walk back around the World Showcase to Italy for some Gelato.  O fell asleep in the stroller so Jeff, H and I rode the boat in Mexico while mom walked around with sleeping O. We stopped in Germany to see the miniature town, complete with trains. Finally, in Italy we got our gelato. It was just what we needed on such a hot day. We sat in the limited shade to enjoy our treat. Each of the countries have craft station where you can decorate a "Duffy" cutout, H was not at all interested, but we saw lots of kids partaking in the fun.

To get back to Future World for the remainder of our fast passes H, my mom and Jeff hopped onto one of the Friendship boats, going from Germany back to Future World. The boat launch was crowded so instead of waiting with sleeping O, I walked back. I actually arrived back before the boat. 

We fast passed into The Land and hopped right on the boat. This ride was a big winner with the whole family. H wanted to ride it again and again. He loved seeing all the vegetables and fruits growing. He also loved the section when the boat goes through the fisheries. We then hopped over to Nemo and Friends and used our fast pass there. At the end of the ride the characters are super imposed onto the actual fish tank and it is so cool. We hurried into Turtle Talk with Crush. H was not interested in participating, but we did sit down on the floor with him and he was super engaged watching the kids talk to crush. 

We spent about an hour in the fish tanks. There were divers interacting with the dolphins. They have all the real animals from Nemo in the tanks and H loved finding them. They were also feeding the manatees while we were there. O just loves to stand up against the glass and gaze into the tanks. 

We had a 5:45 dinner reservation at the Garden Grill in the Land pavilion for O's birthday party and character dining. It was honestly a bit of a disaster. When we arrived they were swamped so we were given a pager and had to wait about 20 min. H did some pin trading. We sat on the floor and talked about the characters coming to visit. 

Get me away from this guy...

When we were finally seated the bread, salad and water were slow to come to the table. We were nearly at critical melt down with both kids when Dale stopped by the table. H wanted nothing to do with him and O crawled back up Jeff to try to get away! We did get an autograph and by the time Chip stopped by H was brave enough to give a high five and O petted his hand. 

When food arrived everyone stabilized. My only complaint is that the table is so small for the amount of food they are trying to put on your table. We were constantly trying to reshuffle to make it work, plus getting up for the kids to meet the characters. The food was excellent though and there were 

good healthy options. 

With food in everyone's tummy we had excellent visits with Mickey and Pluto. We actually got to visit with everyone a few times so that was nice. The boys were giving high-fives to everyone as they came around by the end. 

We did have to ask them to bring our desert and O's cake toward the end. We were starting to loose it and were on our third rotation around the restaurant. O lit up when he got his cake and they happily boxed up the rest for us to take home. 

We walked back around world showcase and all the way to the Yacht & Beach Club and hopped in our car. We had toyed with staying for the 8:30 night time show but that was honestly a pipe dream. The kids were worn out and so were we. All three boys were fast asleep when I heard the fireworks from Epcot going off.