My family visited all four parks with two-year-old twins. I did not realize that Genie return times last for one hour. Fortunately, an AllEars video taught me to grab a Genie+ reservation and then keep modifying it to improve the time.
Magic Kingdom: My twins are too short for height-restricted rides. Based on preschooler popularity and line length, my priorities were Peter Pan, Winnie the Pooh, Small World, and character meetups. I made a Peter Pan reservation at 7:00 with Genie+ and entered the park before 9:00 with early entry. Winnie the Pooh had a modest line with an excellent play area for toddlers, and Small World had no line. After Peter Pan, we visited Enchanted Tales with Belle when it opened. Winnie and Tiger were meeting outside the Winnie’s ride, but we did not want to wait 40 minutes.
The main parade was cancelled, the twins were melting down and it started to sprinkle, so we ducked into the Columbia Harbor House for lunch and returned to our nearby hotel for nap time. While the twins refused to nap for two hours, I made a 3:40 reservation and returned to meet Mickey at the Town Square Theatre. The twins then slept through their meetup, and we have pictures as proof. Afterwards, we used Genie to jump on Dumbo, Under the Sea, and meet mermaid Ariel next door.
My twins don’t know most characters besides Mickey, Winnie the Pooh, and Alice (in Wonderland). So they liked the Winnie ride, and wanted to do it again. They liked Small World, and were a little afraid in Peter Pan. IMO Peter Pan is overrated, with racist and dated caricature, and my kids don’t know the story. The twins also liked Dumbo.
Animal Kingdom: This park is large, crowded, and hot. We got 10:30 Genie reservations for the safari. The twins were heating up, so we used Genie and they slept through the Lion King show. Then we trudged to the Avatar ride (paid for individual lightening lane) and went home. Too bad, we would have liked to meet Mickey and Minnie at Adventurers Outpost.
Epcot: We deliberately arrived late. We were unable to get Genie reservations for our priority Remy Ratatouille ride. Mickey was not meeting that day. So we made Genie reservations for Frozen Ever After, but cancelled them due to a rain delay, and were unable to reserve again before evening. Genie was basically useless for us. We saw the Turtle Talk film, but the twins are not old enough to care. Then we went to the Moana water exhibit. The twins loved sticking their hands in fountains and dancing in the splash pad. It was the highlight of the park. After drying and changing clothes, the twins refused to sit in their stroller. So, we bribed them with bubble wands and happily left.
Hollywood Studios: We arrived late due to rain and got Genie reservations for Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railcar. It was surprisingly rough. There was no line to meet Olaf (the snowman from Frozen). Apparently my twins knew him, and one cried when we left. The Toy Story Mania ride was neat, but the twins were too young and did not know the story. They wanted to touch the aliens, but the Alien Saucer ride was very rough.
Next year, I would return only to the Magic Kingdom, and perhaps a water park. I will visit Pete’s Silly Sideshow to meet the characters and consider the Tomorrowland Peoplemover Tram or Disney Railroad. I will not waste time meeting Belle, Ariel, or any unknown princesses.