Walt Disney World Trip
October 19, 2019 - October 24, 2019
Myself, DW, DS2, DS3months
Hotel Accommodations:
POFQ - 1 night
OKW - 4 nights
Park Tickets:
Park Hopper
The primary reason I am writing this trip review is to illustrate for others similarly situated with small children how you can go to WDW with youngsters and still have a great time! I have heard over and over again (before and after the trip) about how “brave” my wife and I are for taking a 2-yr old and 3-month old to WDW. Plus, what’s the point of taking such young children to WDW??? After all, the kids aren’t going to remember the trip…Let me assure you that we had an amazing time and, while the kids may not remember the trip in 5 or 10 years, it was special for us to spend time together in such a great destination.
Day One (Arrival/Hollywood Studios):
We arrived at POFQ by car on Oct 19 around 1:00pm. Grabbed lunch at the quick service location at POFQ and ate outside. Initial impression of the resort was very positive. Well-themed, very clean. The quick service food was good. Grabbed some beignets after lunch as well. Room was not ready until around 3:00pm, so we walked around the resort and relaxed next to the Sassagoula River. This allowed DS2 to get some exercise. Once inside the room, we got situated and relaxed after the long day. Of course, we decided to get the kids in the car and drive over to Hollywood Studios, as we were pumped to see Galaxy’s Edge. It was raining a little bit when we arrived to HS. Our schedule that evening was limited because we were tired and had the two kids.
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Meet and Greet with Olaf - DS2 loves him
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Star Tours (FP, only me)
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Tower of Terror (FP, only DW)
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Mobile Order @ Ronto Roasters - highly recommend
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Walked around Galaxy’s Edge, which was beautiful at night; crowds were fairly light
Day Two (Magic Kingdom/Disney Springs):
We decided to take advantage of the EEMH that was available everyday during our trip. Best thing ever, especially since we wake up early anyway with the kids. Left POFQ around 6:35am by car, arrived at TTC around 6:50am, Monorail to MK, walked into MK at 7:10am. This happened to be a MNSSHP day, so MK crowds were very low. Here is what we were able to accomplish:
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Winnie the Pooh (walk on)
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Little Mermaid (walk on)
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Dumbo (walk on)
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POTC (walk on)
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BTMRR (walk on); DW and I took turns
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Monorail to Poly for 9:40am ‘Ohana Character Breakfast
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Arrived at ‘Ohana at 9:40am, seated about 15 minutes later, really enjoyed the all-you-care-to-eat meal, especially not having to mess with buffet with two small children
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Monorail back to MK, arrived at MK around 11:30am
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Peter Pan’s Flight (FP)
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Mickey’s Philharmagic (walk on)
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Space Mountain (FP, Rider Switch)
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Grabbed Mobile Order Dole Whips for everyone at Aloha Isle, then got good spot in Frontierland for Festival of Fantasy Parade at 2:00pm
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Seven Dwarfs Mine Train (FP, only DW)
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Country Bear Jamboree (DS2 and me)
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Jungle Cruise (FP)
We left MK before 4:00pm, so we could go check in at OKW and join DW’s family there. Once we were checked in and rested for a couple hours, we jumped on the boat to Disney Springs and enjoyed Raglan Road for dinner, always a favorite place in Disney Springs
DAY THREE (Animal Kingdom/Epcot):
We got a little bit of a later start on this particular day. Stopped at Starbucks location in AK before beginning our day. Today’s schedule of events:
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Hike around Gorilla Falls, see the animals
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Expedition Everest (FP, Rider Switch)
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Kilimanjaro Safaris (FP)
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11:15am Tucker House Character Lunch, enjoyed this a lot; good food; if I had to nitpick about anything it would be that it is quite noisy in the restaurant, but the buffet area wasn’t busy at all surprisingly
We made a point to take a break on this particular day, so we went back to OKW for nap time. DS2 and I went to the pool for a while in the mid-afternoon. For the evening, we decided to hop to Epcot. Here is what we did the rest of the evening:
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Meet and Greet with Winnie the Pooh
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Bought new onesie for DS3months in UK, since he had a little “wardrobe malfunction”; I happened to meet Alice from Alice in Wonderland in the gift shop, which was unexpected
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We picked up some pizza from the Via Napoli pizza window outside and ate in the piazza; DS2 enjoyed running around there; pizza was good quality
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Spent the rest of the evening leisurely walking around World Showcase
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Frozen Ever After (FP)
DAY FOUR (Magic Kingdom/Hollywood Studios/Epcot)
Our plan was adjusted due to TP’s projections for the next day. We wanted to hit MK again, so we decided to do EEMH again on a party day (again!). Also hopped to HS and Epcot later. Pro Tip: Do NOT attempt to park hop to three separate parks in one day with 2 small children. Ambition is nice, but lessons were learned that day. That being said, we accomplished a lot:
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Walked into MK at 7:05am; hit Starbucks first for coffee/breakfast
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Peter Pan (walk on)
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Little Mermaid (walk on)
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Dumbo (walk on)
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Haunted Mansion (walk on)
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Mad Tea Party (walk on)
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Winnie the Pooh (FP, DS2 and me)
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DW and DS3months went to Baby Care Center, DS2 and I hung out at Casey’s Corner and enjoyed Main St show
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Splash Mountain (FP, Rider Switch)
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Enchanted Tiki Room (DS2 and me)
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Be Our Guest Lunch; We did not have reservations, but were able to just walk in and order our food; this was our second time here and we loved it again; French Dip sandwich was great, lots of food, good value compared to other quick service lunch options in my opinion
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SDMT (FP, only me)
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Bought some treats at Main Street Bakery
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12:45pm Monorail to TTC and drive back to OKW for afternoon break/naps
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Drive to HS for 4:30pm Oga’s Cantina reservation; met DW’s family there
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Oga’s Cantina - fantastic experience, enjoyed drinks and interaction with waitress/other cast members
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Slinky Dog Dash (FP, Rider Switch)
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Drive to Epcot
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Quick service dinner in China
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Crowds were too much to handle in Epcot that evening, plus DS3months had enough for the day, so we went back to OKW and went to bed
DAY FIVE (Epcot/Disney Springs):
Decided to get an early start and head to Epcot again with lower crowds in the morning. Great choice! Here is what we did that day:
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Meet and Greet with Pluto just after walking in main entrance
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Breakfast at Les Hailles in France pavilion; it was basically empty and food was excellent
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Meet and Greet with Goofy and Minnie Mouse near International Gateway
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Soarin’ (FP, only DW)
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Nemo and Friends (FP)
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Frozen Ever After (FP)
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Spaceship Earth (FP)
We then headed back to OKW for afternoon break. Got quick service lunch at OKW, which was surprisingly good. Took boat to Disney Springs that evening and ate at Wolfgang Puck Bar and Grill (pretty good). Of course, ended the day with some soft-serve ice cream at OKW.
Overall, it was a great trip. While we accomplished a lot, we never felt rushed and were able to enjoy watching DS2 experience all of the magic of WDW. I hope that our experience going to WDW with a 2-year old and 3-month old gives some of you confidence that you can enjoy a WDW vacation with very small children just like we did.
We are already looking forward to our WDW trip in October 2020 - another split stay…Poly and AKL!
If you have any questions about our trip or how I planned everything, feel free to reach out.