honestly I kinda regret taking our one year old (long post)

[abminer]

DS turned one two weeks before our recent trip. We wouldn't have taken him quite so young, but we joined a group of my extended family and it was a great opportunity for him to spend time with his cousins (it was the first WDW trip for all the kids). We did make some great memories, but we also added to our list of worst public meltdowns.

DS is usually very outgoing, curious, has no fear of strangers, eats like a horse... we thought he'd handle it well. Dniece 5 is usually shy, a scaredy cat... These two kids often reacted opposite of what we all expected.

You know your kid(s) and only you can judge if they're ready for a trip to the World. But here I'll share some things that DS liked and didn't like and explain what I wished we'd done to maybe help someone else going with a child this age:

1. The characters at Chef Mickey's may have given DS PTSD. He ate a lot and seemed interested in watching the characters from a far, but Mickey approaching him triggered abject terror. Every other fur character he saw from then on was a trigger for tears. We all know that some kids like characters and others don't, but I wish we had kept them at safer distance for the first couple days then maybe tried a closer encounter. And yes, we showed him videos of fur characters (Disney sing a long) for months before our trip. I also wish we'd tried some face characters first, but after the Mickey incident we were too scared to try.

2. DS has never been afraid of the dark and for the most part wasn't at WDW, but the only ride he cried on was Peter Pan. Tip* watch the clock, is your baby due for a bottle, milk or a snack in the next 15 min? We had an FP+ but should have just waited until he'd eaten because we still don't know what upset him, maybe getting close to snack time he was just extra sensitive. And speaking of meal times...

3. DS threw mega tantrums at Pecos Bill and Contempo Cafe. We endured a long wait at Contempo (issue with being told they could get us a non-menu item for DS from Chef Mickey's due to an allergy but then it taking 30 min) and long lines at PB (even though we ordered through the app) that pushed past DS' normal meal times. He was so inconsolable at Contempo by the time our food came that we had to take it all to go and carry him out screaming, too.

3. Our whole group took afternoon nap/pool breaks every day. But DS still takes morning naps too much of the time. We shouldn't have tried to make rope drop. We thought he'd just nap in the stroller, but didn't when we expected to. DS and Dnephew 18 months wouldn't sleep when we put them down at normal times, but would fall asleep in carriers or strollers at odd times so they were always off schedule despite our best efforts. I wish we'd split from our group more, attempted morning naps in the room, and stacked our FP+s in the middle of the day when he's most alert at home.

4. Being confined in a carrier or stroller so much was hard on DS. He's very active, but only able to take a few steps on his own so even our attempts at using play spaces failed because he got bowled over. We stayed at BLT and they have a community room with games, and movies. It didn't dawn on us until our trip was almost over to take him there before hitting a park so he could get some energy out crawling around in a safe space. If crowd levels weren't so high in the parks we could have used open, grassy areas more.

There were things he did enjoy. He never giggled on a ride, but he was clearly engaged on these: Pooh, Little Mermaid (why is the soundtrack so loud in there though?), Nemo/The Seas, FEA, NRJ, and IASM was the clear favorite. Of the food we tried, the Chicken & fish nuggets at CHH, dinner food at Chef Mickey's and plain Dole Whips were favorites. He was very visually engaged at BOG if not too interested in the food. And the Mitsukoshi department store in Japan was fun for him, lots to see. He really loved his first haircut at the Harmony Barber Shop - it's very small so no real crowd around to freak him out.

Other considerations:

*we thought to bring outlet covers for our room, but nothing to keep the little boys from opening the cabinets and drawers. We had a couple pinched fingers. But maybe it's just the fixtures at BLT/CR that are so alluring. Still I wished I'd thought to pack some cabinet locks.
*we should have packed some PJs and an overnight diaper in a carry on instead of just a change of clothes and regular stuff. Our bags showed up from ME about 6 hours after our flight landed, which was past bedtime so they all slept in their clothes.

DS came home with a few stuffed animals and what has turned into an awful cold.

We're not trying this again for at least 3 years! But I wish all you parents of babies and young toddlers luck.

 

[emilyrachael]

Yeah, that is a really hard age. We took our son for the first time at 15 months, and that was only because my brother in law was getting married in Florida. It's hard because they're old enough to want out of their stroller/carrier but too young to be able to use the play areas. Plus, you need 'real' food, but they still can't eat just any real food. It does get easier! Once they're stable walking and can communicate a bit more, that helps a lot!

 

[LYSE]

I'm sorry! From what I read it sounds like your biggest problem was sticking with a group and trying to make it work, a one year old dictates what and when you do anything on vacation and any attempt to go against that is asking for trouble.

My daughter is almost the exact same age (went for her birthday) and besides letting her dictate the vacation what makes it easier is she has been walking since 10 months so she's at least able to run around if the crowds permit.

 

[Minniemouse07]

My kids were slightly older (18mo and 2yo) for their first visits, but I think our success was based on being prepared and going w/ the flow.

With the first, we tried going back for a nap and it 100% didn't work. She would fall asleep on the way back to the resort and then be wide awake by the time we got back to the room. The key w/ both kids getting naps in ended up to be using a good carrier and facing them to our chest. It wasn't always at nap time...sometime a bit later, but those carrier naps were always 2-3x the length of the stroller naps (and both were significantly longer than resort naps!). A really good carrier that is comfortable for both you and the child is very important. We used our carriers until about 3+yo!

Waiting for food is difficult for everyone. We brought a ton of small, well loved snacks w/ us to tide them over at meal times or even replace one on the go. Lots of finger foods that they could navigate on their own (and take up time as well). Between our first and second they came out with disposable placemats for toddlers. Those were priceless at WDW restaurants!

I think it is important to provide small snacks throughout the day as well as those carrier naps on the go (Sometimes we would do some quiet rides during naps. Ellen's Energy Adventure used to be perfect for them!) in order to not hit the cranky, tantrum mode.

 

[KrazeeK120]

OP, I’m so sorry you didn’t have a successful trip.

I think a lot of it has to do with the personality of the kid. My son was 18 months when we went and the trip was a breeze. We tried taking him back to the room for nap once and he wouldn’t sleep. The other days, he fell asleep in the stroller pretty close to his usual nap time. He’s always been a super flexible kid, though. And he loved the characters...I actually nabbed a day-of Tusker House ADR after he loved Garden Grill so much. The only ride that was an issue was FEA...he didn’t like the drop.

By the 3rd day of the trip, he was waking up at 5:30 and standing in the crib, smiling at us. We drive to Disney from Illinois. On the way back, we stayed in GA overnight. When we went into the hotel, he started crying. I think he knew we weren’t at Disney any more!

Some toddlers are ready for Disney and some aren’t. It may be helpful to take them on smaller trips before trying to conquer Disney. We had taken our son on a few weekend getaways and a non-Disney vacation prior to our trip.

 

[Lilsia]

We were lucky that our kids were great travelers. We took them at 18 months and 31 months and they actually slept on their first plane trip and gave us no issues. I was very active with them since they were little and took them to the zoo or the mall, etc several times a week so they were used to being in their strollers when I needed them to be. Also as others have said, you need to keep giving them little snacks and drinks all the time, they burn off energy like crazy and get cranky when hungry. A lot of kids are scared of the characters, my kids would not go anywhere near the "face" characters. At least now you know how to go about it for the next trip.

 

[monorailsilver]

Awe...that stinks.

My oldest hated the face characters. She was 15 months. Love the rest though. My middle hated and loved all the characters. He was 22 months. We could hold him next to a character no problem but he had his legs locked around us and was not letting go. My youngest was 2 1/2 and loved it all but she was following her older siblings.

My oldest was still taking am naps before the trip as well as a pm nap but fell asleep at 9-10 due to that-still at 16 if she naps she won’t go to bed! But I stopped the am nap and we returned to our room between 12-1 and she had a good 4 hr nap.

Because it was just DH and I and our kids we were able to plan meals that fit our schedule. It’s hard when you have family that would rather eat at 6 vs 5.

The energizer bunny, our oldest, luckily she was walking, so she pushed her stroller around Epcot. It was quite comical but it kept her busy.

Hopefully your next trip will be better.

 

[abminer]

Once they're stable walking and can communicate a bit more, that helps a lot!

For sure. My 18 month old nephew had his own meltdowns (including a full tantrum on the monorail), but that extra six months of development made him a much happier camper than DS. The 18 month old walked around on a backpack leash sometimes and was happy as a clam to do so. And he can say things like "diaper" and "eat."

...sounds like your biggest problem was sticking with a group and trying to make it work

We knew we'd split up sometimes (especially in the evening) but my parents, "Nama and Papa," had the idea for the trip so the cousins could have this experience together and get to know each other more. The kids loved meals together and the time they spent in the room playing together, but we should have split up in the parks even more than we did. Each day we broke off more than the day before.

...we tried going back for a nap and it 100% didn't work. She would fall asleep on the way back to the resort and then be wide awake by the time we got back to the room. The key w/ both kids getting naps in ended up to be using a good carrier and facing them to our chest. It wasn't always at nap time...sometime a bit later, but those carrier naps were always 2-3x the length of the stroller naps (and both were significantly longer than resort naps!).

Waiting for food is difficult for everyone. We brought a ton of small, well loved snacks w/ us to tide them over at meal times or even replace one on the go. Lots of finger foods that they could navigate on their own (and take up time as well). Between our first and second they came out with disposable placemats for toddlers. Those were priceless at WDW restaurants!

We had a very similar nap experience. The hotel nap worked a couple times, but all the kids preferred stroller naps and the little boys both slept in their carriers forward facing a lot! We have some cute shots of the boys looking like rag dolls hanging in their carriers. We use and love the Bjorn One Air, but DSis uses the Ergo 360.

I was like a roving snack cart, but we didn't want DS to live on pouches, puffs, and bars alone. I know WDW is great about accommodating food allergies, but accommodations take time. Now we know. A couple pouch meals wouldn't have killed him.

Some toddlers are ready for Disney and some aren’t. It may be helpful to take them on smaller trips before trying to conquer Disney. We had taken our son on a few weekend getaways and a non-Disney vacation prior to our trip.

DS is a pretty well traveled kid; this was his 4th trip by air and then there have been weekend trips, too. But WDW is so much more stimulation than a trip to Grandma's or a beach vacation and longer than a day at the zoo. We'd also never been at this time of year and the crowds were much worse than any crowd calendar dictated; last Sunday the MK was packed (another discussion there). Next time we may go back to our favorite time, early fall.

A lot of kids are scared of the characters, my kids would not go anywhere near the "face" characters. At least now you know how to go about it for the next trip.

Friends recently invited us to join them for a daytrip to Sesame Place. We will NOT be going. Live and learn

 

[Minniemouse07]

We had a very similar nap experience. The hotel nap worked a couple times, but all the kids preferred stroller naps and the little boys both slept in their carriers forward facing a lot! We have some cute shots of the boys looking like rag dolls hanging in their carriers. We use and love the Bjorn One Air, but DSis uses the Ergo 360.

My kids are old now (12 & 16), but back then I had about 5 different carriers and still borrowed a Beco for the now 12yo. The Ergo and Beco were newish back then and I couldn't rationalize another carrier purchase at the time. It was really great. FWIW, if we were out and about I would forward face him in the carrier but if I knew he needed to sleep I faced him towards my chest to reduce distraction. He fell asleep much quicker that way.

One of my favorite pictures was us leaving EPCOT on an EMH night. I was pushing the 6yo in our single stroller and dh had the 2yo in carrier. The kids had hung in there until we started walking out of the park. We are standing in front of Spaceship Earth and the kids are zonked out.

Friends recently invited us to join them for a daytrip to Sesame Place. We will NOT be going. Live and learn

We live about 45min away from SP. Unless you have a kid that is a HUGE Sesame Street fan, I would skip it. We went a few times w/ the now 16yo because she was very into Elmo, but the now 12yo wasn't so he has actually never been there!

 

[shairpdrh]

Good to hear different experiences. Our kiddo did well at almost the exact same age, but our trips sounded pretty different as we were traveling as a family of 3. She did hate the face characters, so we quickly learned to cut those out of our plans. She was much more interested in characters at 23 months. Hope your next trip is much better whenever you decide to go!

 

[disny_luvr]

I didn’t read through all the responses, but when we took our twins for the first time (they were two), we had a similar experience. My one twin is very strong willed while my other one is super easy going and laid back. My strong willed twin did not like the characters at all, didn’t care for a lot and of the dark rides, and had several melt downs. We weren’t traveling with a large group and kept to our at home schedule, so no nighttime entertainment (back at hotel and in bed by 7:30), midday breaks and naps, breakfast/lunch/dinner at the same time as home (I even packed most of my twins’ food each morning to avoid waiting in line and so they could eat what they are used to), and we still encountered problems. Looking back, we had many magical moments, but I felt like you, and was in the camp of “we aren’t going for x number of years again”. I can’t stay away from Disney, so we did go back when they were four and it was better. I’ll be honest, our favorite trips with our twins have been our most recent ones. They are still into the magic, love the characters (they know there are people inside), they just love everything. We have no schedules to follow (we go in the summer and are often at the parks until they close), no one is afraid of rides, etc. It is just great! We are going in June to celebrate their 12th birthday and we are all so excited. I guess the whole point of my post is, give it a few years, and when you go back it will be better.

 

[happymommy]

I'm sorry you had such issues!

My sister took her youngest at 11 months one trip (both our families were there; she has 4 kids at the time they were ages 13 years to 11 months). Her youngest did great, only napped in the stroller (never went back to the resort).

My kids have been going since 2 and 4, and my youngest did amazing even at 2. We never tried to force naps at Disney; they always took a long nap in the stroller (we had a good double one) every afternoon, and went to bed at their normal time (which was 7-8pm at the latest), and then we stayed up another hour or so. I don't really recall any meltdowns, but I kept a bag with juice boxes, safe snacks (my oldest had severe dairy and egg allergies, anaphylactic), and also a change of clothes down to socks at the ready. I didn't mind if they snacked a bit more than normal, as at least I could have safe foods at the ready (no Mikey bars for him, but he could do the fruit ones, although messy thus change of shirt). I was a pack mule, but it was worth it. I'd rather they had a few Ritz crackers and were happy than wait for a meal and be crabby. Vacation time we throw some rules out. Luckily my kids hated soda!

 

[Shanti]

DS turned one two weeks before our recent trip. We wouldn't have taken him quite so young, but we joined a group of my extended family and it was a great opportunity for him to spend time with his cousins (it was the first WDW trip for all the kids). We did make some great memories, but we also added to our list of worst public meltdowns.

DS is usually very outgoing, curious, has no fear of strangers, eats like a horse... we thought he'd handle it well. Dniece 5 is usually shy, a scaredy cat... These two kids often reacted opposite of what we all expected.

You know your kid(s) and only you can judge if they're ready for a trip to the World. But here I'll share some things that DS liked and didn't like and explain what I wished we'd done to maybe help someone else going with a child this age:

1. The characters at Chef Mickey's may have given DS PTSD. He ate a lot and seemed interested in watching the characters from a far, but Mickey approaching him triggered abject terror. Every other fur character he saw from then on was a trigger for tears. We all know that some kids like characters and others don't, but I wish we had kept them at safer distance for the first couple days then maybe tried a closer encounter. And yes, we showed him videos of fur characters (Disney sing a long) for months before our trip. I also wish we'd tried some face characters first, but after the Mickey incident we were too scared to try.

2. DS has never been afraid of the dark and for the most part wasn't at WDW, but the only ride he cried on was Peter Pan. Tip* watch the clock, is your baby due for a bottle, milk or a snack in the next 15 min? We had an FP+ but should have just waited until he'd eaten because we still don't know what upset him, maybe getting close to snack time he was just extra sensitive. And speaking of meal times...

3. DS threw mega tantrums at Pecos Bill and Contempo Cafe. We endured a long wait at Contempo (issue with being told they could get us a non-menu item for DS from Chef Mickey's due to an allergy but then it taking 30 min) and long lines at PB (even though we ordered through the app) that pushed past DS' normal meal times. He was so inconsolable at Contempo by the time our food came that we had to take it all to go and carry him out screaming, too.

3. Our whole group took afternoon nap/pool breaks every day. But DS still takes morning naps too much of the time. We shouldn't have tried to make rope drop. We thought he'd just nap in the stroller, but didn't when we expected to. DS and Dnephew 18 months wouldn't sleep when we put them down at normal times, but would fall asleep in carriers or strollers at odd times so they were always off schedule despite our best efforts. I wish we'd split from our group more, attempted morning naps in the room, and stacked our FP+s in the middle of the day when he's most alert at home.

4. Being confined in a carrier or stroller so much was hard on DS. He's very active, but only able to take a few steps on his own so even our attempts at using play spaces failed because he got bowled over. We stayed at BLT and they have a community room with games, and movies. It didn't dawn on us until our trip was almost over to take him there before hitting a park so he could get some energy out crawling around in a safe space. If crowd levels weren't so high in the parks we could have used open, grassy areas more.

There were things he did enjoy. He never giggled on a ride, but he was clearly engaged on these: Pooh, Little Mermaid (why is the soundtrack so loud in there though?), Nemo/The Seas, FEA, NRJ, and IASM was the clear favorite. Of the food we tried, the Chicken & fish nuggets at CHH, dinner food at Chef Mickey's and plain Dole Whips were favorites. He was very visually engaged at BOG if not too interested in the food. And the Mitsukoshi department store in Japan was fun for him, lots to see. He really loved his first haircut at the Harmony Barber Shop - it's very small so no real crowd around to freak him out.

Other considerations:

*we thought to bring outlet covers for our room, but nothing to keep the little boys from opening the cabinets and drawers. We had a couple pinched fingers. But maybe it's just the fixtures at BLT/CR that are so alluring. Still I wished I'd thought to pack some cabinet locks.
*we should have packed some PJs and an overnight diaper in a carry on instead of just a change of clothes and regular stuff. Our bags showed up from ME about 6 hours after our flight landed, which was past bedtime so they all slept in their clothes.

DS came home with a few stuffed animals and what has turned into an awful cold.

We're not trying this again for at least 3 years! But I wish all you parents of babies and young toddlers luck.

I'm sorry you had some rough times on the trip. I'm personally in the wait until they are older camp in regards to taking infants/toddlers to WDW, but know that other people have other opinions. I remember how terrified my son was of department store Santa at age 2, so I hate to think how he would have reacted to a human-sized rodent at that age.

In regards to the counter service dining tantrums induced by long waits, I'll add that my son is gluten-free, and we've found counter service dining at WDW to be a mega time-consuming PITA if someone is gluten-free. By contrast, table service restaurants at WDW handle allergies seemlessly. This is why now we stick to table service pretty consistently at WDW. We typically have table service breakfast and dinner, and just a snack instead of a full lunch.

I hope you and the kids have a great trip when they're older.

 

[MickeyWaffles]

That is too bad. Every kid is really so different!

We took DD when she turned 1. We were back a little over a year and a half later for our DS first trip shortly after he turned 1. Their reactions to characters were both positive but different - but DD LOVED them and DS was a bit more cautious. They both enjoyed rides especially IASW, Dumbo, Pooh and PP. Country Bears was a big hit for both too, among other things like the FoF parade.

Stroller was a little issue with DD - she was right on the verge of walking and in anti-stroller mode. But, we had 8 adults on that trip so plenty of hands to help carry her! The benefit of traveling as a large group DS didn’t walk until later and he very much enjoyed sitting in the stroller (and DD was 2 on that trip and liked the stroller again.)

We were lucky to get our food quickly at all meals on both trips except one at Via Napoli. The food took an hour to come out from when we ordered. It was a later reservation - we normally eat all meals at WDW early to avoid crowds and hungry meltdowns and of course the one later reservation was a big fail. I spent most of the time outside the restaurant with 1yo DD. On DS first trip I knew better than to make any late reservations.

I am sorry it didn’t go as you had planned! It is so hard to know how your child will respond or react at that age. There are so many factors. Weather, change in environment, change in sleep schedules, etc. We ran into some typical 1yo things but overall had 2 really great experiences and would do it again in an instant.

I hope your next trip is better!

 

[ChadsGirl]

I can totally relate, OP. DH and I had been on many trips just the two of us before we had our daughter and we thought we could handle it. We took her for a week at 15 months and it was not very much fun. The napping situation was the worst. We stayed at YC. Afternoon naps at the hotel did not work. She would kinda sleep in the stroller at the parks but nowhere near long enough. The result was that she was constantly overtired throughout the whole trip. By the end of the week she (and we) were a mess. Plus she wasn't walking yet, so I totally agree with the point about not being able to burn off energy and being stuck in the stroller.

We went again 5 months later for a long weekend to visit my brother and we rented a condo at Windsor Hills. That made a world of difference IMO--she had her own bedroom, coming and going was more easy, we had a kitchen, etc. Plus we knew what to expect and to take things easier.

I chalk it up as a rookie mistake, assuming that we could just throw her in a stroller and push on like we always could. If anyone ever asks my opinion about whether to take a child at that age, I would say 1) Don't do it, 2) if you really want to, consider staying offsite in a condo, 3) Adjust your expectations and be prepared to go with the flow.

I am sure your next experience will be better now that you know how that particular child reacts! And that it will only get better as they get older.

PS. My daughter is now 3. We just did another few days at Windsor Hills in January to coincide with my brother's wedding and did a few park days. It was still a lot of work but we had way more fun than that first trip!

 

[ChadsGirl]

I will also add that while she wasn't particularly scared of anything, she also didn't really care. She didn't get excited about looking at things, seeing characters, etc like we thought she would. She was just kinda meh about the whole thing. So we were disappointed about that too. It was more like we were there for us (not that there's anything wrong with that though!) and she was just along for the ride.

 

[cmarsh31]

My kids are old now (12 & 16), but back then I had about 5 different carriers and still borrowed a Beco for the now 12yo. The Ergo and Beco were newish back then and I couldn't rationalize another carrier purchase at the time. It was really great. FWIW, if we were out and about I would forward face him in the carrier but if I knew he needed to sleep I faced him towards my chest to reduce distraction. He fell asleep much quicker that way.

I'd probably consider a place like Sesame Place with a kiddo used to being worn. We wore my now-13 DS some, but my now-10DD exclusively. She didn't go in a stroller at all until she was about a year old. We did Williamsburg VA, Disney, and Washington DC with her between the ages of 2-4 and she was almost always on our backs in the Beco. When she was in the stroller, she would ask to go on our backs when she got tired! We have pictures of her at 4, sound asleep on my DH's back as he walked around on a conference call! Same in Disney. It was insanely hot (August) but she was much more comfortable on our backs - she did NOT like being at knee level with all the big adults.

I wouldn't start using a carrier for the first time at any of these places, but they definitely made a huge difference for us.

 

[NJlauren]

I agree with all the comments every kid is different. We have taken DD 4 times between DL and WDW she is almost 4. I’m pregnant and worried baby 2 won’t do as well. I think every stage has pluses and minuses so don’t write it off just yet for 3 years see how your feeling, 6 months a year 2 years from now.

For sure. My 18 month old nephew had his own meltdowns (including a full tantrum on the monorail), but that extra six months of development made him a much happier camper than DS. The 18 month old walked around on a backpack leash sometimes and was happy as a clam to do so. And he can say things like "diaper" and "eat."



We knew we'd split up sometimes (especially in the evening) but my parents, "Nama and Papa," had the idea for the trip so the cousins could have this experience together and get to know each other more. The kids loved meals together and the time they spent in the room playing together, but we should have split up in the parks even more than we did. Each day we broke off more than the day before.



We had a very similar nap experience. The hotel nap worked a couple times, but all the kids preferred stroller naps and the little boys both slept in their carriers forward facing a lot! We have some cute shots of the boys looking like rag dolls hanging in their carriers. We use and love the Bjorn One Air, but DSis uses the Ergo 360.

I was like a roving snack cart, but we didn't want DS to live on pouches, puffs, and bars alone. I know WDW is great about accommodating food allergies, but accommodations take time. Now we know. A couple pouch meals wouldn't have killed him.



DS is a pretty well traveled kid; this was his 4th trip by air and then there have been weekend trips, too. But WDW is so much more stimulation than a trip to Grandma's or a beach vacation and longer than a day at the zoo. We'd also never been at this time of year and the crowds were much worse than any crowd calendar dictated; last Sunday the MK was packed (another discussion there). Next time we may go back to our favorite time, early fall.



Friends recently invited us to join them for a daytrip to Sesame Place. We will NOT be going. Live and learn

I do want to comment on Sesame Place, we are about an hour away and have season passes and have since DD was under a year. It isn’t remotely the same thing as Disney. It’s small, all outside rides with one show that is inside. If you get a good deal on tickets I would go, it’s a good judge of how your DS will do, without overwhelming him. Obviously this is my opinion but honestly by June/July it could be a good test for him. It is much more like a zoo then WDW, size wise and overwhelming wise at least in my opinion.

 

[katyjeka]

Thanks for the review. I'm sorry your little one had meltdowns and the trip wasn't exactly what you'd hoped for. We have been pretty lucky with our girls as they travel well but we've had our share of surprise moments with them. WDW is an exhausting, expensive vacation. For little ones it can be very overwhelming. Our oldest was very comfortable around all characters, our second couldn't be bothered, our third loved the princesses, and our youngest walked around calling the princesses "spooky weird". One of them screamed on Its a Small World and laughed on Space Mountain. Another freaked out in Carousel of Progress and loved Tower of Terror(no kidding)! My only advice, wait a year or two and give it another try. I bet your little one will act totally different and you will have a fantastic trip. Kids, you've got to love them!!!!!!

 

[goodeats]

We had to take a break from having DL annual passes when my younger daughter was between the ages of 1 and 2. It was just too difficult for me to handle her and my three year old and it wasn't fun for anyone. Waiting in line was the most difficult part. She wanted to run around and not be contained. We had success with one of the leashes, but then she figured out how to take it off!