Episode 8
Toddler Travel Hacks: Making Disney Dreams Come True
Planning a trip to Walt Disney World with toddlers can be both exciting and challenging, and this episode offers essential tips to ensure a memorable experience for the whole family. Tony Desiere and Lauren Mallard discuss the importance of managing expectations, especially when your young child may not fully grasp the magic of Disney. They emphasize the value of creating memories for parents, even if toddlers might not remember the trip later on. The hosts also cover practical advice, such as utilizing rider swap for attractions, choosing the right stroller, and navigating character meet and greets. By focusing on the needs of both the toddlers and older siblings, families can strike a balance that maximizes fun and minimizes stress during their Disney adventures.
Disney World can be fun for the whole family, but what if you're toddler has other ideas? Lauren and Tony give their thoughts on traveling to Disney World with toddlers and how to maximize the magical vacation you've been planning. Everything from strollers to naps, characters to rides, they explain to navigate WDW with the little ones
Takeaways:
- When planning a Disney trip with toddlers, remember that it may be more for the parents than the children.
- Managing expectations is critical, especially when balancing the needs of older and younger siblings.
- Utilizing rider swap can maximize ride experiences for families with toddlers and older children.
- Character meet and greets can be overwhelming for toddlers; gauge their comfort level beforehand.
- Bringing familiar snacks can help soothe toddlers during long waits and busy park days.
- Consider timing your park visit around your child's nap schedule to avoid meltdowns.
Transcript
It's the latest episode of Wands and Wishes, the podcast to help you with your planning to Walt Disney World and Universal Studios.
Tony Desiri:I'm Tony Desiri, along with all the magic travels, Lauren Mallard.
Tony Desiri:Now, Disney World vacation can be fun for everybody, but what if you're going with toddlers who may not realize where they are or what they're doing?
Tony Desiri:If you've got somebody else in the family that's really excited to go to Disney World, you may have to start managing the expectations of that two year old that, again, may not really know what is going.
Tony Desiri:So what are the tips that we like to give you if you're planning a trip to Walt Disney World to help you go with toddlers?
Tony Desiri:All right, Lauren, how are you today?
Lauren Mallard:I am well.
Lauren Mallard:How are you?
Tony Desiri:Wonderful.
Tony Desiri:Wonderful.
Tony Desiri:And I thought this topic was kind of right up your alley because you have three kids at various stages of growth, and I haven't, I didn't get the chance to take my kids when they were toddlers to Disney World.
Tony Desiri:We went to Disneyland when my daughter was two, but it was a huge family thing, so it was less on us than it was anybody else.
Tony Desiri:But this is a question I get asked a lot when I'm helping people plan for Disney vacations, is if they've got one child, they go, at what age am I getting the maximum value for this trip?
Tony Desiri:Well, let's start with that first.
Lauren Mallard:Okay.
Tony Desiri:How do you guide somebody through that?
Tony Desiri:When somebody says, hey, my daughter's two and she likes Mickey Mouse clubhouse?
Tony Desiri:Could we really go on a four day, five day Disney vacation?
Lauren Mallard:Well, yeah, the answer is actually, absolutely, because I get asked this a lot, just like you do.
Lauren Mallard:And so often people will say, well, I just want to wait for a while until they can remember it.
Lauren Mallard:Well, then that timing comes and goes, and then it kind of gets into, oh, well, are they really going to enjoy it as much?
Lauren Mallard:Which, depending on the child, of course, they still can.
Lauren Mallard:But that's why I say if you're thinking about it and you have the means to go ahead and go, and you have the desire to go ahead and go go while they're little, because it really is more for the parents at that point than it is for the kids, and you will definitely remember whether they do or not.
Tony Desiri:All right, so now let's talk about families who have that seven year old that is dying to go and can't wait to go.
Lauren Mallard:Yeah.
Tony Desiri:And then there's also the second sibling, the two year old, the one and a half year old, where you're trying to manage both the seven year old's fun and expectations with, yeah, we're gonna have to stop for a nap or we're gonna have to stop for breaks or whatnot, because the baby or the one year old doesn't realize where they are and needs attention.
Lauren Mallard:That's right.
Lauren Mallard:I think that we have to go into it.
Lauren Mallard:And if you have, um, if you have two parents in the household that are going, obviously, that's ideal.
Lauren Mallard:Now, if you're going down and you're a single parent taking multiple children, then that's going to take some more planning.
Lauren Mallard:And I have seen people do that before, and you have to kind of temper the expectations of that older child because they may or not, may or may not be able to ride things by themselves, and they may have to just go with the flow and do things that everybody can do together.
Lauren Mallard:But let's go back to if, let's say we do have two parents going together, which is most of the time going to be the case, then we have to say, okay, well, while you and Sally are riding Space Mountain, that me and Mickey can't ride or Mickey can't ride, but I can.
Lauren Mallard:We can do this thing called rider swap.
Tony Desiri:Yes.
Lauren Mallard:So how rider swap works, especially now in the digital age, is we go up, and if you have a lightning lane, everybody that is going to ride has to have a lightning lane.
Lauren Mallard:So there's no cheating of, well, you know, I can buy a lightning lane for dad, but not purchase one for mom because she's going to get to ride on riderswap.
Lauren Mallard:That's not how it works.
Lauren Mallard:So if you all have a lightning lane, you can go up to a cast member at the lightning lane entrance and say, hey, we need a rider swap.
Lauren Mallard:They need to see the child that's in the stroller or the child that's not going to ride.
Lauren Mallard:Once they see the child that's not going to ride, they'll say, okay, who's going to ride first?
Lauren Mallard:They'll send those two in together, and then what they'll do is they will scan the band of the child that's riding the ride so that that child can ride with both mom and dad.
Lauren Mallard:So that child gets two times to ride.
Lauren Mallard:While mom and dad are taking the little to maybe stroll around and have a nap, find a shady spot, get a snack, something like that.
Tony Desiri:All right, so this is important because a lot of people think rider swap is, you know, we're swapping out parents, but the child that is actually riding the ride can ride it twice.
Lauren Mallard:They do.
Tony Desiri:So mom gets a chance to be with the child and dad gets a chance to be with the child.
Lauren Mallard:So both parents get that memory with the child, and then the child gets double the fun.
Tony Desiri:All right, now let's talk about strollers, because you can either bring your stroller or you can rent it at Disneyland.
Tony Desiri:I gotta be honest with you, I'm old, and I remember time when my sister went, when my brother and I were old enough.
Tony Desiri:When my sister went, we were talking strollers that were just nothing more than like a canvas with the hook.
Lauren Mallard:Little umbrella, stroller.
Tony Desiri:Umbrella stroller.
Tony Desiri:And that was pretty much it.
Tony Desiri:And they were tidy.
Tony Desiri:And these are roving apartments.
Lauren Mallard:They really are.
Tony Desiri:I mean, they are gigantic.
Tony Desiri:On our last trip, a couple of weeks ago, my wife and I were just commenting on how advanced stroller technology is.
Tony Desiri:I saw a stroller that had a place for the child to rest, the actual stroller part, but also had a second chair that they could sit and be.
Tony Desiri:Sit on the back and just be a little bit more open and less restrained.
Lauren Mallard:That's right.
Tony Desiri:And I thought, my goodness, does this come with a kitchen and, like, you know, a little foyer?
Lauren Mallard:This was an air conditioner, but they.
Tony Desiri:Are rather large and they can be a little bulky.
Tony Desiri:But is it easier just to rent one at the park or bring one yourself?
Lauren Mallard:Yeah, this is another question that comes up a lot.
Lauren Mallard:So I think that if you are flying down, it usually is going to be easier to go ahead and bring your stroller.
Lauren Mallard:You get to gate check it there, and then you have another set of hands, basically by throwing some things in the stroller in the airport, and then you're not worried about the child running off while you're in the airport.
Lauren Mallard:So in that case, I would say go ahead and rent or not rent it, but bring it with you.
Lauren Mallard:Now, as far as renting goes, there's a couple different options that you have.
Lauren Mallard:So the ones in the park, the way that I usually describe those two guests is they're very similar to, like, what you see at the zoo.
Lauren Mallard:So it's going to be that hard plastic.
Lauren Mallard:It's not what you're going to consider to be super comfortable for your child, but it does the job, and then you're not worried about having it in the room.
Lauren Mallard:Let's say if you're at one of the value resorts, you want to be able to utilize every bit of that space in that room that you can.
Lauren Mallard:And bringing a big stroller can sometimes take up more space than what you really need to do in that regard.
Tony Desiri:Yeah.
Tony Desiri:And if your stroller has a lot of compartments, if it comes with a lot of places, these don't do that.
Tony Desiri:They're pretty simplistic in design.
Lauren Mallard:Yes, but I typically will say, use that one if you're not planning on the child being in it super often and you just want to have a spot for them to have just a moment of respite, just from the heat or just the crowds.
Lauren Mallard:So the other option when renting is through a third party company.
Lauren Mallard:One that I like is kingdom strollers.
Lauren Mallard:Now, in the past few years, Disney has changed their policy.
Lauren Mallard:They used to drop a stroller off.
Lauren Mallard:These companies could drop them off at bell services without the guest being present.
Lauren Mallard:Now that has changed.
Lauren Mallard:They have to meet the guest in person to drop that stroller off.
Lauren Mallard:So it can be a little less convenient as it once was.
Lauren Mallard:But in this instance, they will drop the stroller off, have your family's name tag on it, and these are going to be more that jogging style stroller with the canopy, the more comfortable seat that would recline and come up for the child.
Lauren Mallard:So this is typically the way that I point my guests to.
Lauren Mallard:It's about the same price as the in park stroller, but you are going to have it the entire time.
Lauren Mallard:So keep that in mind that it's got to go in the room with you.
Tony Desiri:Take those with you if you're park hopping.
Tony Desiri:But the other way, you have to drop the stroller back off.
Lauren Mallard:That's right.
Lauren Mallard:And pick it back up.
Tony Desiri:You have to go, like, go to the park with your receipt.
Tony Desiri:And sometimes when you're pressed for time, you're dropping a stroller off, you're going to another park.
Tony Desiri:You got to stand in line to rent another stroller while you're at Epcot.
Lauren Mallard:That's a very good point.
Lauren Mallard:And one more point on strollers is I'll have people say, well, does my five year old really need a stroller?
Lauren Mallard:Yes, your five year old does need a stroller.
Lauren Mallard:And believe it or not, I've seen some eight and nine year olds in strollers.
Lauren Mallard:Mine don't sit in them anymore.
Lauren Mallard:But I can assure you that if my nine year old daughter had had a stroller at the time that she was nine, she would probably want to just take a squat in it.
Tony Desiri:Yeah, take the philosophical element out of it.
Tony Desiri:Do you want a child to be lagging behind, complaining about walking, or you just put them in a stroller and get moving with your day?
Lauren Mallard:Cause you're.
Lauren Mallard:There's alternative is they're gonna wanna get on your back or anything like that.
Lauren Mallard:So I say six and under.
Lauren Mallard:Definitely go the stroller route.
Tony Desiri:All right, let's talk about character meet and greets.
Tony Desiri:Cause this can be traumatic for kids, but it also can be one.
Tony Desiri:One of the great parts about going to Disney World is getting your two year old with Winnie the Pooh or Mickey Mouse or Donald Duck or whatever.
Tony Desiri:I say to people all the time, how do they do it?
Tony Desiri:Ball games, how do they do at other theme parks?
Tony Desiri:How do they do at.
Tony Desiri:At parades or whatever, when there's Santa Claus or Easter Bunny at the mall, how do they do there?
Tony Desiri:That'll give you a pretty good gauge as to your character meet and greet.
Tony Desiri:Cause there's nothing sadder than seeing a child meltdown.
Tony Desiri:Because Winnie the pooh scared them.
Tony Desiri:Cause he's 5ft tall.
Lauren Mallard:Yeah, that's right.
Lauren Mallard:And, you know, I've had one.
Lauren Mallard:Cora hated characters.
Lauren Mallard:She was three, and so she had gone.
Lauren Mallard:We took her for the first time when she was one and then again when she was two.
Lauren Mallard:Hated them both times.
Lauren Mallard:And so I would say to parents, temper your expectations.
Lauren Mallard:Don't let it ruin your trip.
Lauren Mallard:If your child is scared of the characters, just jump in there, have the photo with them, try to laugh it off, and then eventually they'll come around.
Lauren Mallard:But I would say that if you're really wanting to have a character heavy trip, maybe start with on the first night that you get there.
Lauren Mallard:Let's book a dinner at Chef Mickey's or something like that to kind of ease them into the character experience.
Lauren Mallard:See how they do.
Lauren Mallard:And if they absolutely hate them, then know that you don't have to stand in that 30 minutes long line to meet Mickey at Magic Kingdom yet.
Tony Desiri:Yeah, that's right.
Tony Desiri:And again, you know, for a kid, you may wonder, oh, they love Mickey Mouse clubhouse.
Lauren Mallard:Yeah.
Tony Desiri:These characters are gigantic.
Lauren Mallard:That's right.
Lauren Mallard:They would, you know, think about it from a two year old's perspective.
Lauren Mallard:If you see one of these characters walking in, it's going to look like a monster.
Lauren Mallard:Right.
Tony Desiri:All right, let's get to shows and attractions.
Tony Desiri:Now, if you have a seven year old, eight year old, nine year old, and they just love american history and they want to go to the hall of presidents or the american experience, how would you guide somebody with a child, a two year old, that, a, may sleep through it like adults?
Tony Desiri:Some adults do, or b, maybe just an absolute wreck, just bored, not knowing what's going on.
Tony Desiri:I can't sit through this.
Tony Desiri:I want to move around.
Tony Desiri:But how do you balance out those two.
Tony Desiri:Cause these are, like, 20 minutes shows.
Lauren Mallard:Yeah, I would definitely say if you want to go into it as a family altogether, do it at a time that you think that the child is going to nap, maybe because these are really good opportunities for air conditioning.
Lauren Mallard:And then the other thing I would say is bring snacks.
Lauren Mallard:Try to do that from home as much as possible.
Lauren Mallard:When we go, I try to pack individual things of goldfish or peanut butter crackers or little Cheerio packs, anything that will keep the child busy while they're in there.
Lauren Mallard:And the theaters are probably gonna say, no food or drink, but they're not gonna check your bag before you go in there.
Lauren Mallard:So always have some sort of snack, maybe even a sucker.
Lauren Mallard:Give them something to kind of just, like, keep them busy while they're in there, and then that way nobody gets stressed out.
Tony Desiri:I've broken this rule of mel as an adult.
Tony Desiri:I've broken this rule.
Tony Desiri:I'm always stealing a little snack that we keep in the little bag.
Lauren Mallard:That's right.
Tony Desiri:When I'm in one of these shows.
Tony Desiri:But that being said, let's get to the nap.
Tony Desiri: e if your child is napping at: Lauren Mallard:No, they shouldn't.
Lauren Mallard:And I've had so many clients that say we try to stick to a really strict schedule, and that is understandable.
Lauren Mallard:I get it, because I have been there on multiple occasions with the child completely melting down.
Lauren Mallard:But it's going to look different when you're on vacation, especially when you're in a theme park, because even if you're on the monorail now, it's not as easy to go back as it is just to go upstairs to their bedroom to take a nap.
Lauren Mallard:So allow yourself plenty of time.
Lauren Mallard:If you do want to take that afternoon break, then I would not leave 15 minutes before.
Lauren Mallard:Before your kid needs to be down for a nap.
Lauren Mallard:Leave an hour before they need to be down for a nap, and then count another hour on the way back to get back to the park.
Lauren Mallard:So you're looking at maybe three or 4 hours of a break.
Lauren Mallard:Or utilize the baby centers, because there's a baby center in every part where you can go.
Lauren Mallard:It's air conditioned.
Lauren Mallard:There's rocking chairs, there's even cribs in some of them that you can lay your child down and kind of let them take just a little rest while you're in there with them.
Lauren Mallard:You can't leave them in there, but you just stay in there with them while they're taking a little rest while the big kids are on something else or during the parade.
Lauren Mallard:It's kind of more of that, like just rest and go situation.
Lauren Mallard:Just see what you can do on the go.
Lauren Mallard:And then that's different, too.
Lauren Mallard:I've said before, I like to go back earlier and have an earlier bedtime.
Lauren Mallard:Some people don't want to do that.
Lauren Mallard:And I get it.
Lauren Mallard:You don't want to push your kid through nap time if you're going to keep them out late.
Lauren Mallard:But just kind of.
Lauren Mallard:Again, I think the word of the show today is temper your expectations.
Tony Desiri:Yeah.
Tony Desiri:And I love those baby centers because they have in them a number of things you may have missed or you may need snacks to sunscreen, to a variety of different things that you can purchase while you're there going, oh, yeah, I forgot this or that.
Tony Desiri:And they are really a godsend.
Tony Desiri:I've heard so many people say, oh, gosh, thank God I knew where that baby center was at that particular moment.
Lauren Mallard:And I would say, too, don't get overwhelmed with, like, an ambitious itinerary.
Lauren Mallard:I send my guests itineraries and just don't think that you have to stick to it like it's a bible because you may only get through four attractions for the entire day when you have a two or three year old, not 14 attractions.
Lauren Mallard:So just remember, it's about the experience, it's not about how much you can get done.
Tony Desiri:Is park hopping too much with a toddler?
Tony Desiri:It's transportation.
Tony Desiri:Bus folding up the monorail.
Tony Desiri:Do you recommend that a family with a toddler bounce?
Tony Desiri:Park to park to park.
Lauren Mallard:So I think that it depends on where you're staying.
Lauren Mallard:So a lot of times what I'll tell people is if they are, if they have toddlers and they know they're going to have a magic kingdom heavy trip, then if they have the budget to stay on the monorail, then park hopping would be beneficial.
Lauren Mallard:In this case only because they can pop into magic Kingdom in the evening or the afternoon just for one or two things.
Lauren Mallard:But don't think.
Lauren Mallard:Think of it as every day we're going to try to hit two parks because it's.
Lauren Mallard:That's a little too ambitious.
Tony Desiri:All right, let's talk snacks.
Tony Desiri:If your kid loves goldfish, Cheerios, gummies, whatever, the park might not have this.
Lauren Mallard:That's right.
Tony Desiri:So please bring the snack of that would absolutely be familiar to your toddler.
Tony Desiri:Don't think you'll pick something again.
Tony Desiri:If your kid loves everything, you might be able to find it.
Tony Desiri:But it's better to just bring the snacks in that your child knows that they like and will calm down when you give it to.
Lauren Mallard:That's right.
Lauren Mallard:We always bring a ton at one point or another.
Lauren Mallard:I would pack a whole suitcase full of just snacks that I knew my kids were going to like.
Lauren Mallard:And even things like little juice boxes.
Lauren Mallard:Because if you're checking a bag and you're flying, you can go ahead and pack those juice boxes and have them and put them in.
Lauren Mallard:In your room.
Lauren Mallard:You're going to have a mini fridge, which they do not call it a mini fridge.
Lauren Mallard:They only want to call it a beverage cooler because I guess they don't want the liability of if things can't stay cold enough.
Lauren Mallard:Right, true.
Tony Desiri:Good point.
Lauren Mallard:But in my experience, we've always gotten, like a half gallon of milk delivered from a grocery delivery.
Lauren Mallard:Cause my kids were all milk drinkers when they were young.
Lauren Mallard:Cora still is.
Lauren Mallard:She's four.
Lauren Mallard:She wants milk at night.
Lauren Mallard:Now, here's an interesting point that kids with young, or people with young kids can relate is Cora, my four year old, still drinks her milk warm.
Lauren Mallard:So what we have to do at night is either, listen, I've gone to so many lengths to do this.
Lauren Mallard:So there's a keurig in the room.
Lauren Mallard:Usually I will heat up just a cup of hot water and stick the cup of milk into that hot water.
Tony Desiri:That's a good idea.
Lauren Mallard:In order to give her warm milk at bedtime.
Lauren Mallard:The other thing is usually the quick service.
Lauren Mallard:Food courts in all the resorts will have a microwave.
Lauren Mallard:So you can take that cup down there, whatever you need to do.
Lauren Mallard:So if you have a situation kind of like mine, where you kind of have to pivot and make things work, then just, you know, look around and see what you can find.
Tony Desiri:All right, so we've talked over a couple of things.
Tony Desiri:Rides now, can you go on rides with a two year old?
Tony Desiri:And which ones would you say?
Tony Desiri:Hey, look, watch out for this one.
Tony Desiri:But, yeah, jump on.
Tony Desiri:It's a small world.
Tony Desiri:It shouldn't be that much of a problem.
Lauren Mallard:That's right.
Lauren Mallard:Anything that does not have a height requirement, then anybody, any age, infant, newborn, elderly, anybody can go on anything as long as there is not a height requirement.
Lauren Mallard:Now, you will see, and this is nothing pertaining to today's show, but I say that, that anyone can go on any ride.
Lauren Mallard:Now, even if something doesn't have a height requirement, it may have some health.
Lauren Mallard:Health warnings and things that you might just want to be able to be cautionary.
Tony Desiri:Yeah.
Tony Desiri:And so again with the toddler.
Tony Desiri:And if we're talking about a seven year old along with a two year old.
Tony Desiri:That rider swap thing is absolutely gold.
Tony Desiri:I highly recommend that, especially if you're not 100% sure about even some of the.
Tony Desiri:Even some of the more innocent looking rides that have some dark elements, too.
Tony Desiri:Peter Pan looks fun.
Tony Desiri:And then you get to the point where there's a couple of dark.
Tony Desiri:It's dark.
Tony Desiri:And some kids don't really handle that all that particularly well.
Lauren Mallard:That's right.
Tony Desiri:If you go to Disneyland and you ride Pinocchio, that can be very scary.
Tony Desiri:Snow White's ride out in Disneyland can be very scary.
Tony Desiri:So I advise people who are going for the first time, just read up on these, watch YouTube videos.
Tony Desiri:It may spoil some of it, but, you know, whatever.
Tony Desiri:But if you're really concerned about a ride that appears to be something fun and cartoonish, is there scary elements into it?
Lauren Mallard:Just check all these rocks or noises for, like, the fireworks at night.
Lauren Mallard:I've seen kids, a lot of kids wearing the noise canceling headphones.
Lauren Mallard:So think about that.
Lauren Mallard:Think about your child, what might trigger them.
Lauren Mallard:And, yeah, just plan accordingly.
Tony Desiri:Now, what about parades?
Tony Desiri:If you're going to a parade during the day and you're like, I got to get a spot, a good spot.
Tony Desiri:But I'm also going to wait 40 minutes for this.
Tony Desiri:And I don't know if my two year old wants to wait 40 minutes for a parade.
Lauren Mallard:So the first thing that I would do and that I suggest is, depending on where you're gonna stop to watch the parade, look at both sides and look at where the sun is and see which side is gonna be in the shade.
Lauren Mallard:Pick that side always.
Lauren Mallard:And then grab a snack for your.
Lauren Mallard:For your kiddo.
Lauren Mallard:Get an ice cream cone or something that's gonna just keep them busy until the parade comes.
Lauren Mallard: p, let's say the parade is at: Tony Desiri:Okay.
Tony Desiri:I have a debate with my wife about this.
Tony Desiri:I go, why don't we watch things at Liberty Square?
Lauren Mallard:I know.
Tony Desiri:And she goes, I don't know.
Tony Desiri:Cause I like it on main street.
Tony Desiri:I go, yeah, but you get there 30 minutes before the parade starts, and we're waiting another 30, 40 minutes until that thing actually arrives to us.
Lauren Mallard:That's right.
Lauren Mallard:As a matter of fact, I really love to watch it from frontierland.
Tony Desiri:I love it yeah, absolutely.
Lauren Mallard:So if you watch it from there, and then if you're, let's say you're watching it on the side right there in front of splash, mountainous or not splash mountain anymore, Tiana is bayou adventure.
Lauren Mallard:And then you can immediately turn around, not have to cross the street, and go ride both Thunder Mountain and Tiana's while everybody else is watching the parade.
Tony Desiri:All right, so now let's talk about the family that's got the two year old that they feel is ready for Disney World.
Tony Desiri:Well, we've got four parks, and we've got some parks that are geared a little bit more towards an adult engine.
Tony Desiri:How do parents get the most out of a Disney world vacation when they know that their two year old may not really enjoy ECG?
Lauren Mallard:Sure.
Lauren Mallard:You know, and I get this question, a actually, I was asked this question today by a guest that's going next month, and Disney has done a really good job of strategically putting things in Epcot that make guests have to go there with little kids.
Tony Desiri:Right.
Lauren Mallard:I'm speaking about frozen.
Lauren Mallard:Obviously, frozen ever after is in Epcot.
Lauren Mallard:It is the only park where you can meet Anna and Elsa.
Lauren Mallard:So what I would do is I would center a lot of the day around things like that for the kid.
Lauren Mallard:And then after we've done frozen and after we've met Anna and Elsa, maybe grab a snack, and then the parents can stop in some of these shops in the world showcase, because there are some things still in those shops that the kids might enjoy, even if they're little bitty kids, that they can still kind of get a couple minutes out of there.
Tony Desiri:Take your kid on grand Fiesta tour.
Lauren Mallard:Just do it, please.
Tony Desiri:Just.
Tony Desiri:You gotta do that.
Lauren Mallard:Definitely.
Tony Desiri:So what about animal kingdom?
Tony Desiri:I mean, that's another park kids just would gravitate towards and be really fun.
Tony Desiri:There's not a lot of great rides there for little, little ones, but there's so many different animals, so many different exhibitions that they can see.
Lauren Mallard:I think, too, with animal kingdom, it kind of depends on how much time you want to spend there, because you can spend an entire day there, or you can spend just a couple of hours, if you are willing to do more the zoo type activities there and willing to take that time out of your day, there really is a lot to learn and see that with the guerrilla exploration trail, with Rafiki's planet walk, with all the different things that, to be honest, I don't take time in my family to stop and do, but I've got some guests that absolutely love doing that with their kids.
Tony Desiri:All right.
Tony Desiri:Now, parents who go down there and they're maximizing their own vacation, trying to handle an eight year old and a two year old when it comes to these extra magic hours.
Tony Desiri:I remember telling the story of my daughter was just beat one night.
Tony Desiri:There was no more out of her.
Tony Desiri:All her energy was drained.
Tony Desiri:But luckily for me, that night was a Monday, and my favorite team was playing on Monday night.
Lauren Mallard:You could enjoy it, too.
Tony Desiri:I said, let's go back to the hotel.
Tony Desiri:I'm fine.
Tony Desiri:But we also talked about, maybe we're gonna have to swap this out.
Tony Desiri:Cause my son was a go go, go person, and if we were gonna get these extra magic hours, we didn't want him to go to waste.
Tony Desiri: 't gonna be rolling around at: Lauren Mallard:I think you gotta be willing to say, hey, we don't have to spend every waking moment together.
Lauren Mallard:And we can make this fun for everybody.
Lauren Mallard:Because sometimes those one on one experience with your kids, I've talked about it before, can be some of the best memories that you make on the entire vacation.
Lauren Mallard:And also, I think, too, is you got to know your family.
Lauren Mallard:You got to know what is going to tick everybody off.
Lauren Mallard:Or, you know, let's say dad.
Lauren Mallard: Dad's had enough by: Lauren Mallard:let dad go back with the youngest.
Lauren Mallard:And that way he's getting a little me time, and the bigger kids are getting to stay out later.
Tony Desiri:All right, so now I want to ask you about harmony barbershop.
Tony Desiri:Have you done Harmony barbershop?
Lauren Mallard:Yes.
Lauren Mallard:All three of my kids got their first haircut.
Lauren Mallard:I was going to talk about this if you didn't mention it.
Lauren Mallard:So I think this can be one of the main, the main draws for taking your kids young.
Lauren Mallard:So there is a barbershop inside magic kingdom called Harmony Barber shop, and they offer a first haircut experience.
Lauren Mallard:It is really not expensive.
Lauren Mallard:All three times when I did it, it was like $25.
Lauren Mallard:They got a first haircut.
Lauren Mallard:Mickey ear hat.
Lauren Mallard:We got a lock of their hair.
Lauren Mallard:They get their hair fixed.
Lauren Mallard:The pixie dust.
Lauren Mallard:And the staff there is so good with kids.
Lauren Mallard:All three of mine, I think one of them maybe didn't cry, but the other two were just disasters in there.
Lauren Mallard:But they'll do the first haircut however much you want.
Lauren Mallard:If you just want a tiny bit cut off just for the experience, they'll do that, or they'll do a full blown haircut.
Lauren Mallard:And it really is some of the best money spent and some of the best memories that you can make.
Tony Desiri:You mentioned something earlier, which I think is really important is a lot of times people think when they go, they're going for their kids, but a lot of times you're going for you.
Lauren Mallard:Oh, you're absolutely going for you.
Tony Desiri:You're going for you, too.
Tony Desiri:And even though they may not remember the first time they met Mickey, you'll remember the first time.
Tony Desiri:You'll remember the first time in harmony barber shop.
Tony Desiri:You'll remember the first time they rode Peter Pan's flight or things like that.
Lauren Mallard:Yeah.
Lauren Mallard:How good or how bad that it was.
Lauren Mallard:You'll remember if they were absolutely just a wreck.
Lauren Mallard:Or you'll remember if they're smiling and laughing.
Tony Desiri:Water parks.
Tony Desiri:Would toddlers do well at the water parks?
Lauren Mallard:So we actually took our two oldest ones when I think Graham was three and Lily was two.
Lauren Mallard:It's not something I would do again, I think we did it at the time just because our ticket included.
Lauren Mallard:It certainly would not pay for a waterpark ticket when they're that young, because there's very little, really, that they can do unless you have an older kid that really wants to go.
Lauren Mallard:There is enough to keep the younger one entertained while the, all the older ones are having fun with mom or dad.
Lauren Mallard:But it's not something, to be honest with you, if.
Lauren Mallard:If it's not high on your priority list, I would skip it.
Tony Desiri:All right.
Tony Desiri:Dining now.
Tony Desiri:Kids under three eat free.
Tony Desiri:But at the same time, there's this.
Tony Desiri:If you know your family, whether or not is my kid last in a restaurant, if we go to Applebee's, can they sit through an entire meal?
Tony Desiri:This is going to be a longer experience than your typical Applebee's.
Tony Desiri:So how do you recommend in terms of people who want to.
Tony Desiri:How do I eat a Disney world with a two year old?
Lauren Mallard:So I always, always recommend, and I do this.
Lauren Mallard:I take a small backpack into a restaurant.
Lauren Mallard:I like to do things like if, like, like when I'm taking a flight with a really young kid, I will take things that they've never seen before.
Lauren Mallard:Take some things from dollar tree that they can play with.
Lauren Mallard:I don't like to just resort to watching a show on the phone.
Lauren Mallard:We will do that.
Lauren Mallard:I'm certainly not against it, but if they've got something that they are not used to playing with, that they can just get out at the table and play with a little bit, then I definitely think that it is worth it to bring that along, ask for their food to come out first, because a lot of times they'll bring their food out first, and then they can, they can eat and then they are happy and they can play.
Lauren Mallard:But I think for me personally, I know that I need that sit down meal time.
Lauren Mallard:And so it's important for us to do that as a family.
Tony Desiri:And crowds, this can be crowded, this place.
Tony Desiri:Lines can be long and kids can get unruly.
Tony Desiri:I didn't realize this just kind of a little bit of a tangent.
Tony Desiri:I didn't realize as we were just down there that they've done, they did away with the yellow rain ponchos.
Lauren Mallard:Yeah.
Tony Desiri:And I, and I had no idea why.
Tony Desiri:And then somebody had sort of mentioned.
Lauren Mallard:Is there a reason?
Tony Desiri:Yes, there is a reason.
Tony Desiri:They went with a clear poncho because kids were getting lost.
Tony Desiri:So if a kid was lost and you said, my son has a green shirt and brown pants or brown shorts, they go, yeah, good luck.
Tony Desiri:Here's all these people in yellow ponchos, rather, now they can see that.
Lauren Mallard:That's brilliant.
Tony Desiri:I didn't realize it.
Tony Desiri:I grew up with the yellow poncho.
Lauren Mallard:Yeah, same.
Tony Desiri:I must have had ten or eleven.
Lauren Mallard:Of them with the Mickey on the.
Tony Desiri:Podcast, Mickey on the back over the years.
Tony Desiri:And then we were down there and we saw a bunch of people with clear ones, and I just sort of threw out a question and then it was answered by somebody just overhearing me.
Tony Desiri:And I didn't realize that.
Tony Desiri:But again, crowds, be careful of this because you can lose your kid and whatnot.
Tony Desiri:But if you go to a baseball game, you go to a football game and you bring your toddler with you.
Tony Desiri:How do they handle big crowds?
Tony Desiri:Big, because it can be intimidating.
Tony Desiri:Again, you talking about size when they look and see just an ocean of people down Main street.
Lauren Mallard:Yeah, that the main takeaway here, I would say, is if you have the budget to do so, this is where it's important to buy the lightning lane, because the less time that you're going to spend in line with that kid, the more they're going to be able to handle the day.
Lauren Mallard:But let's say at night at fireworks, if you know they're going to hate the crowds, maybe try standing a little further back towards the entrance so that you can make a quick getaway.
Lauren Mallard:Just look for ways you don't have to be in the hub to watch the fireworks.
Lauren Mallard:So maybe try to think of ways that's going to help your child.
Lauren Mallard:But a quick little aside on the lost child thing, I do have a little experience with this.
Lauren Mallard:Thankfully, it was my oldest kid and I wasn't worried about, like I wasn't necessarily worried about never finding him again, because I thought, well, he's old enough.
Lauren Mallard:But we got worried enough that we asked somebody, you know, help me find my kid.
Lauren Mallard:So on our last trip, Graham was.
Lauren Mallard:I guess he was ten at the time.
Lauren Mallard:We had stopped in Hollywood studios at the restaurant, and I said, I'm gonna go in here with the girls.
Lauren Mallard:And Chris had gone over to get a coffee at the Joffrey's.
Lauren Mallard:And I guess Graham didn't tell him he was going in the restroom.
Lauren Mallard:Well, he went in the restroom, and then the girls and I came out of the restroom, and Chris was still in line for coffee.
Lauren Mallard:And I looked around, didn't find Graham.
Lauren Mallard:Well, I guess Graham didn't know that we had gone in the restroom either.
Lauren Mallard:So when he came out, he knew we were heading to Indiana Jones next.
Tony Desiri:Oh, okay.
Lauren Mallard:And he thought, you know, big kid, he was just gonna head on over there.
Lauren Mallard:Cause he thought he knew where he was going.
Lauren Mallard:Anyway.
Lauren Mallard:Anyway.
Lauren Mallard:Well, after a few minutes, I stopped and asked somebody at one of the blue umbrellas.
Lauren Mallard:I said, hey, my kid.
Lauren Mallard:I'm not panicking, but I don't know where my kid is.
Lauren Mallard:And they immediately asked me what he was wearing, what his name was.
Lauren Mallard:And then they got out their iPad, and they whatever, and there's a whole protocol for that, and they are serious about it.
Lauren Mallard:And within two minutes, I think Graham actually found a security guard, too.
Lauren Mallard:So it kind of was organic the way that it happened, but they would have found him very, very quickly.
Tony Desiri:That's a great point, because if you have older kids that do what Graham did, my son did, too, where they feel like, oh, I'll just venture over here.
Tony Desiri:If they're in a moment of, I don't know where I am, and I don't know where they are, go to a Disney personnel.
Tony Desiri:They really do know how to do that.
Tony Desiri:They are experts at this kind of thing.
Tony Desiri:This is what they do.
Tony Desiri:They're very good at moving people in lines, and they're good at finding people.
Tony Desiri:Absolutely.
Tony Desiri:All right, so that is going to do it for us on this edition.
Tony Desiri:Anything you want to add to the toddler episode?
Lauren Mallard:I think we covered it.
Lauren Mallard:Take your little kids.
Lauren Mallard:It's so much fun.
Lauren Mallard:Yeah.
Tony Desiri:Do not be intimidated by some of the things you may hear about toddlers breaking down and screaming, you know, your child, if you feel like this is an experience that they would like, please do it.
Tony Desiri:Because, again, the memories that you make young, one of the memories I have of my daughter, she's 19 now, was my father carrying her out of Disneyland when she was two years old at the end of the night.
Tony Desiri:Oh, yeah.
Tony Desiri:That's another thing to mention about.
Tony Desiri:If you are going to the, to the buses at the end of the night or maybe you're staying off property, it is a good little clip once you drop your stroller off that you may be renting, you may be carrying your child at the end of the day.
Tony Desiri:But some of those memories I still have.
Tony Desiri:I remember my son riding a big thunder mountain with his uncle Phillip.
Tony Desiri:And I took Amberly on the carousel.
Tony Desiri:You know, those were the kind of things that we just did as, so don't miss them.
Tony Desiri:And they're priceless because when they're older, you know they'll enjoy it, but it's better when they're two or three.
Lauren Mallard:It's really, that's the truth.
Tony Desiri:All right, if you'd like to reach Lauren, please do so.
Tony Desiri:All the magic travels, you can reach me@travelwithtonydmail.com.
Tony Desiri:dot we'd love to help you plan your trip and also hit us up if you have ideas for the podcast that you'd like us to explore and help you with your tips and planning.
Tony Desiri:Again, leave us a five star review if you like what we've been doing.
Tony Desiri:We'll be back next week with another edition of the Wands and Wishes podcast.
Tony Desiri:And again, thank you for listening.
