What do we HAVE TO SEE!?!?

[Momof2toddlers]

Taking my 2 year old son and 4 year old daughter to Disney in July. What are some restaurants/character dining/rides/attractions we should definitely do??

Our kids favorites are: Frozen, Little Mermaid, Lion King, Finding Nemo

 

[katyjeka]

If this is your first trip focus on your kids favorites. It will be a little warm in July so remember to give them some downtime. We have been visiting for over twenty years with our kids and have learned what you see isn't as important as how you see it... not sure if that makes sense. Take your time and enjoy the little things that are around each corner. To often people rush from ride to ride and miss the magic WDW holds. Have a great trip.

 

[Momof2toddlers]

If this is your first trip focus on your kids favorites. It will be a little warm in July so remember to give them some downtime. We have been visiting for over twenty years with our kids and have learned what you see isn't as important as how you see it... not sure if that makes sense. Take your time and enjoy the little things that are around each corner. To often people rush from ride to ride and miss the magic WDW holds. Have a great trip.

Makes a lot of sense thanks! Any suggestions on things that we "must do"??

 

[ENJDisneyFan]

"Must do" suggestions for each park (based on their ages and the favs you mentioned):

MK - Peter Pan, Journey of the Little Mermaid, Dumbo, Festival of Fantasy parade, meet Talking Mickey
AK - Nemo show, Lion King show, Kilimanjaro Safari
EP - FEA, meet Anna & Elsa, meet other princesses around WS
HS - TSMM, Frozen Sing Along, Voyage of the Little Mermaid

As far as restaurants, I would def recommend at least one character meal w/ Mickey and gang. My favorites are Tusker House at AK or Garden Grill at Epcot (Mickey, Pluto, Chip & Dale). Akershus at Epcot is another great option for your daughter to meet princesses. BOG is fun to see inside Belle's castle, and if you go for dinner you can meet the Beast.

 

[Arielfan98]

What sorts of characters do your children enjoy? What is your budget? I'm in the camp who would prefer to do character dining in lieu of waiting in long lines/reserve FP+ to visit characters. Therefore, I love dining at Garden Grill for breakfast which is a really good character dining spot, but they don't have the entire gang there. Really, it depends on what you and your kids like as others have stated.

 

[Momof2toddlers]

What sorts of characters do your children enjoy? What is your budget? I'm in the camp who would prefer to do character dining in lieu of waiting in long lines/reserve FP+ to visit characters. Therefore, I love dining at Garden Grill for breakfast which is a really good character dining spot, but they don't have the entire gang there. Really, it depends on what you and your kids like as others have stated.

Frozen, Little Mermaid, Lion King, Finding Nemo

 

[Arielfan98]

Those characters are best seen through shows/meet & greets in my opinion. If you do decide on character dining though I do recommend Garden Grill so the kids can meet Mickey. Food is served family style so you won't have to get up and down like at a buffet line. Another classic is Chef Mickey's.

 

[KenHutch]

Another vote for Garden Grill. Every time we have one the characters have made at least 3 trips to see us before we were done.

 

[Pesky]

"Must do" suggestions for each park (based on their ages and the favs you mentioned):

MK - Peter Pan, Journey of the Little Mermaid, Dumbo, Festival of Fantasy parade, meet Talking Mickey
AK - Nemo show, Lion King show, Kilimanjaro Safari
EP - FEA, meet Anna & Elsa, meet other princesses around WS
HS - TSMM, Frozen Sing Along, Voyage of the Little Mermaid

As far as restaurants, I would def recommend at least one character meal w/ Mickey and gang. My favorites are Tusker House at AK or Garden Grill at Epcot (Mickey, Pluto, Chip & Dale). Akershus at Epcot is another great option for your daughter to meet princesses. BOG is fun to see inside Belle's castle, and if you go for dinner you can meet the Beast.

Couldn't agree more with this list given your fav movies. I'd add the following:

MK -- IASW (iconic and very kid friendly), carousel, Philharmagic (look at it to make sure your 2YO could sit through it), train, Winnie the Pooh ride, Aladdin's magic carpets, tea cups, Tomorrowland speedway, maybe Buzz Lightyear and Jungle Cruise. I'd look into PotC to see if that would be okay for them. I'd also go and meet Ariel. Take a look at the other M&G there to see if anything looks interesting. For some downtime, consider Tikki Room. If the 4YO also wants to try a "bigger" ride, Barnstormer is a cute little entry coaster.
AK - definitely the FotLK. Consider letting them play in the dinosaur dig area too. If they like Dumbo and the carpets, hop on Triceratop Spin. There are some great magic shots to get if you get PP with Lion King shots. Also look at character M&G -- Baloo and King Louie are usually fun.
EP -- Nemo ride, Turtle Talk with Crush (super cute)
HS -- add in some character M&G like with Olaf. Also look into Disney Junior Live -- designed especially for their ages and good time for you all to sit and them to run around.

Now that is for your kids. Remember you can do rider swap if you want to try out some of the bigger rides for yourself and the single rider lines can go quickly.

We did lunch at Tusker House and loved it. Definitely work in BOG. We just did lunch there (so no characters) and it was one of the kids' favorite restaurants. Food I found is a step up from usual fare. At dinner you can have wine too if you like. Also a lot of folks like Crystal Palace which is all of Pooh and the gang. Coral Reef in EP has a huge aquarium for the kids to watch. At Sanaa at AKL, there is a huge window overlooking the savanna so the kids can watch the animals while you eat. TREX cafe in DS is fun but it can be very loud so I'd investigate before jumping into that. SciFi Dine In might be fun if the darker area will be okay for the kids. They might think the car seating is fun. I've heard some people like Biergarten for kids (never been so can't opine). I would consider Sunshine Seasons at EP for a quick meal with a lot of choices. Whatever you do, factor in some pool time in July. Have fun!

 

[2Pirates2Princesses]

Based on my experiences, the shows and parades at Disney are so magical for toddlers and preschoolers. The Disney Junior Live show at HS is so much fun and the Festival of the Lion King show at AK is mesmerizing. Turtle Talk with Crush at Epcot is super cute (and a great break in the air conditioning!). Since you are going when the MK fireworks start later, I would definitely try to at least catch the Festival of Fantasy parade at MK if your little ones aren’t able to stay awake for the fireworks.

 

[Betty Rohrer]

my grandkids did not like Nemo show but loved Lion King. Disney Jr show make sure you are not repeat not close to stage as puppets are up on top and if too close littles can not see them. one thing my daughter and have done for the littles is make their own, not the family, photobook. have a grandson who can tell you all about the trip he took as a baby. of course he does not remember but know from the pictures in his book what he did and can tell all about it

 

[Dsnyrnnr]

Definitely check out the frozen sing along show at HS - it’s great for all ages and it will give you a nice break.