Disney for Little Kids

Leading up to this trip I was a little nervous that I jumped the gun. My daughter loves Disney everything. She watches the movies, knows all their names, and adores the princesses. But would be too scared to ride the rides? Would she run screaming from all the over sized characters? Would she melt down because she didn't get her afternoon nap? Was I planning a vacation or 6 days of torture?

With all those things in the back of my head I decided I needed to just take the vacation as it was. I didn't do too much planning so that I could be flexible and go on her schedule. I booked a few sit down meals so we could do the character meals. But I made sure to only book one a day so the rest of the day could go however we needed it to. I had a list of what I definitely wanted to do with her, a list of maybe's, and a list of definitely not's. And off we went.

We booked two character meals... The Crystal Palace for dinner and Cinderella's Royal Table for breakfast. If you have a little girl who loves princesses you HAVE to do the Royal Table. It was the most magical part of our trip. Cinderella greeted us downstairs and my daughter's face lit up. She was thrilled to meet her, Belle, Ariel, Snow White, and Aurora. Each princess spends a nice amount of time with your little one. The food was very good and the setting was amazing. You truly felt like you were dining in a castle. Be sure to have a reservation well in advance!

The Crystal Palace was also a lot of fun. Winnie the Pooh, Eeyore, Tigger, and Piglet made the rounds as we dined on a buffet of American style food. Every once in awhile they stop and do a parade. The kids adore it and you're in the Magic Kingdom, so it's very convenient.

We also had dinner at The Cape May Cafe. For breakfast they have characters, but at dinner they have a seafood buffet that is incredible! All the clams you could eat, mussles, pasta, chicken, steak, chicken nuggets... tons and tons of food with a great variety. This was may favorite in terms of food.

And did you know you can get your haircut at the Harmony Barber Shop on Main Street? They do something extra special for first haircuts, so we signed my daughter up. It was a lot of fun! They do take reservations so call ahead.

We read a lot about what rides to avoid with a 2 year old. Snow White, Pirates, the Haunted Mansion, the ride at Norway were all on the "skip" list. Well, we did them all except Haunted Mansion and Pirates was my daughter's favorite! Every kid is different so you won't know how they will react until you try. Do some easy rides first... like Peter Pan, It's a Small World, and Winnie the Pooh. Then try something a little scarier so they don't think all rides are scary.

Napping was a challenge. She didn't nap at all the first day. Who would with all that excitement!?! But the following days she did sleep for short times in the stroller. It may be worth it to go back to your hotel for a nap if your child depends on one to get them through the day.

Overall this was an incredible trip! I didn't feel she was too young at all. She ran to characters with arms wide open, loved going on rides, and was a trooper on long days. I think it will be a different experience each time that we go.. but I can't wait to go back!!