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View Full Version : One day in the parks with a one year old



IloveJack
02-05-2009, 02:13 PM
My dream (read: if we can find any money after bills are paid) is to take my baby girl to WDW for her first birthday. The economy has taken its toll on our family, and we're not going to be able to afford the week-long trip I wanted to take. However, we live 12 hours from Orlando, and I'm thinking about a drive down, two-day trip. We'd drive through the night, spend a day at MK, get a room for the night, spend a day at EPCOT, and then drive home that night.

My question is, what would you do in the MK/EPCOT with a (just turned) one year old? I'm in it more for the photo ops than anything, so I'm sure we'll spend a good bit of time searching for and standing in line for characters.
What can a baby ride?
Should we bother with baby swap for anything?
I'd like to stay the night in one of the new Pirate rooms, as I'm a huge PoC fan, but I'm not sure if the money's worth it. We might just stay at a value resort.
As far as dining, DH will divorce me if we don't have dinner at the Rose and Crown before we eat, but other than that, we'll see. Is the character dinner at the castle just as good as the CB?
Should we spend the money for a one-day hopper and go to DHS (still think of the other DHS when I type that...) to ride TSM? Or will the lines still be so long in October that it wastes our day? I think we might wait on that, cause I know transportation wastes a lot of time, and we only have 2 days.
Anything else I should think of?

AXOAlum
02-05-2009, 05:10 PM
I think its a great idea to celebrate your daughter's birthday at the world. We are doing the same thing in March for our daughter's first birthday. I told my husband that 20 years from now, we won't remember the credit card bills, but we will remember celebrating this milestone at WDW.

As for what to do - we took DD when she was 6 months old (September). We are Disney vets and I can tell you, it was a lot more work than expected. We took DS when he was 8 months old, but he was so much more easy going than DD seems to be at this point. Whereas DS would sleep for 15 minutes and be happy as a lark, DD longs for her 2 hour naps. DS could go with just snacking and a bottle or two, but DD wants full meals. So - all this to say, be prepared for anything. Your DD may be overwhelmed with everything going on, and there is a lot of time lost on hopping (even for the best of vets). You know your daughter best, so think about what she has going on during the day normally and what she expects in the way of structure. You can always add the hopper option later (it isn't discounted when you buy it advanced, correct?) and decide what is best to do for her when you arrive. Good luck and I hope you all have a great birthday trip! :mickey:

Disney Doll
02-06-2009, 07:19 AM
We took DS for his 1st birthday in October. He was terrified of the characters at first and only warmed up to them towards the end of the week so don't be too disappointed if you don't get any character pics. If your DD does well with the characters you might considered scheduling a character meal. We did Crystal Palace with Pooh and friends and got some really cute pictures there. We splurged and preordered the photopass CD since we knew we would want lots of family pics. We also did the private photo shoot at GF for his one year pics and have some really cute beach shots.

Babies can ride more than you think. Of course there is more for little ones at MK than anywhere else so we spent the majority of our time there. We did everything in Fantasyland, POTC, Jungle Cruise, Carpets, Haunted Mansion, and Buzz. In EPCOT DS liked the Nemo ride, Journey into Imagination, and the Mexico ride. Most of all he enjoyed playing in the fountain at EPCOT. We spent about an hour watching him play in the water and got some really cute pictures.

Have fun!

javamama
02-06-2009, 02:52 PM
We took our dd at 8 months, she rode alot of stuff, more than I thought she could ride actually like the pp said. Of course at the MK SW, PC, HM, JC--I think someone took her, CGC, lots of stuff in FL--almost everything I think--she hated Winnie the Pooh for some reason and Mickeys Philharmonic--crazy baby! I could be a little comfused because we went last year too the same month, and my years/trips could be running together--but I think I'm right:blush: She behaved much better at 8 months than at 1 year 8 months--that was for sure--I'm praying this year she's good or else I'm shipping her back home early w/my dh--I'm not spending my trip in the room at the Poly again this year:thedolls:

BTW--I think it's so sweet of you guys to take her down for her 1st birthday, what a great memory she'll have to look at when she's a big girl!!

Stitchahula
02-06-2009, 04:05 PM
She can do all the rides that don't have a height restriction. she would probably get a kick out of some of the ones she might recognize like peter pan ect.. If you have her stroller and she will sleep in it, then instead of going back to the room for her nap just let her sleep in the stroller and you can do the adult rides by doing the baby swap. It's so much fun seeing it through their eyes it's like seeing it for the first time again. Have fun.

KylesMom
02-06-2009, 05:13 PM
We'd drive through the night, spend a day at MK, get a room for the night, spend a day at EPCOT, and then drive home that night.
If this is your plan, I would urge you to think about how tired you will be - and if your DH, yourself and DD would be able to enjoy a marathon of this magnitude on that small amount of sleep. Personally I would skip the Pirate Room at CBR and spend the money instead on an extra night at a value resort to rejuvenate before heading out. Even if you are used to going days on end without sleep, Disney has that extra "WOW" factor which can exhaust the marathoner in us all.

There are ample things to do for a one-year old at MK as another poster mentioned. As a note, Cinderella's Round Table does not have an actual character meal for dinner - only breakfast and lunch.

With regard to DHS, I can't say that I'd spend the money on a park-hopper if Toy Story Mania is the only thing you'd really be doing at this park. This is one thing I don't think your DD would be able to do, either, with the lurching and spinning of the car.

However, I can see getting the hopper option if you spent 1/2 day at another park and the other 1/2 day at Epcot (so you can have dinner at Rose & Crown for DH). Even at 27 months, there were only a few attractions/characters at Epcot that DS was interested in. The rest of the time we spent there was for DH and I while DS was sleeping in his stroller.

Let us know what you decide to do. What fun you'll have celebrating your DDs 1st birthday at Disney World! :mickey:

TINKinTX
02-10-2009, 04:12 PM
We just took our 16 month old and had so much fun.....but if we had a late night one day , we'd sleep in the next. You know your baby the best, so plan accordingly. We did take naps in the stroller. The best thing we did was to have an unplanned character meal at Chef Mickey's....we have our daughter on tape dancing in her high chair to the music when the characters come out dancing. Best memory we have actually. We couldn't get an ADR , but two different times we walked right up and were able to have dinner.

At MK, we rode Dumbo first thing. For photos, there is a stationary dumbo you can take pictures at just outside the ride. Great photo-op. She hated the carousel. She loved everything else....Small World, Winnie the Pooh, Mickey's Phil, etc. But.....don't forget the parades. At this age, it was almost better than the rides. We planned our whole day around those things and made sure we got a front row stroller seat. Was worth the wait.

Epcot was good but we went at Christmas so the Santas were a big thing. Loved Nemo and where you get off the ride....the aquariums....loved it. We did a lot of character photos at Epcot...chip and dale, etc.

Have fun and take lots of pictures. I took a ton, but still wanted more.

TINKinTX
02-10-2009, 04:14 PM
ooops. I almost forgot. The best souvenir for a one year old. We found this everywhere but bought it in DTD. It's a book that looks like a little golden book....I'ts called "The story of Disney Bear....a day at the magic kingdom". It shows Mickey and the bear at lots of the rides. My daughter begs us to read it to her often and delights in recognizing the rides...Dumbo, the castle, etc. It's the best thing we could have got her and it was under $4.

GoofyMom09
02-11-2009, 08:02 AM
You will have so much fun with your daughter. Turning 1 is such a big deal, for both Mom and Baby. What better way to celebrate than at Disney?

I have two small kids (1 and 3). I have taken my daughter before when she was about 1. I would suggest not getting the park hopper and just spending your days at MK and Epcot. My daughter enjoyed Jungle Cruise and Small World the best out of all the parks. For dinner, I recommend Crystal Palace for kid friendly food, a great atmosphere and great photos.

I agree with the earlier post about the hotel room. I would stay at All Star Movies (your little one will love the pool and the dalmations) and stay the extra night to recover:mickey:

5togetherWDW
02-11-2009, 08:09 AM
My 2 boys were always comfortable at WDW - at 1 they seemed happiest when we were in areas where there were less crowds, so we could let them balance / toddle. (They were there as infants, babies, and toddlers -- when they were younger, they were happy anywhere they could nurse -- which is actually most places at WDW :secret:)
I would recommend focusing on Epcot (actually one of my older son's first words) and skipping spending the time going over to the Studios.
When we were last there, they were not allowing any babes in arms or toddlers on TSM. The ride is fun -- but VERY jarring -- some adults have balance troubles as it spins. They were allowing parents to swap -- but it just isn't the same.
My children are old enough now that they can ride most everything with me. But, when they were little -- I found that baby swap wasn't for me. When they were that young, I wanted to watch the baby and see his joy -- so, the few rides I did without, I spent wondereing what he / they were doing . . ..
There are an amazing number of things that your baby will be able to share with you.

Disney Doll
02-11-2009, 05:12 PM
With regard to DHS, I can't say that I'd spend the money on a park-hopper if Toy Story Mania is the only thing you'd really be doing at this park. This is one thing I don't think your DD would be able to do, either, with the lurching and spinning of the car.


I also wouldn't get the hopper just for this one ride, but if you want to you can take your DD on the ride. My DS rode it on his birthday trip and enjoyed "helping" mom with the gun.

I just saw the previous post and wanted to add that DS rode again at 15months just a few weeks ago. Maybe it depends on who's working? I don't know, but I've never seen any restrictions against little ones on TSM and it's no more jarring than a ride in the car IMHO.

IloveJack
02-27-2009, 03:12 PM
Thanks for all the advice! We actually decided to take part in the free dining promo and stay longer. it'll make things tight for a while, but it's been my dream to take mychild for her 1st b-day since DH and I decided to start our family. Thanks again!

disneymama09
02-28-2009, 02:45 PM
We took our daughter for the 1st time at 16 months. Magic Kingdom is by far the most toddler friendly park. It has the biggest selection of fun family rides for little ones. As far as Studios goes, their really is only one fun thing Play House Disney Live on Stage , is really fun. Especially if she watches the Disney Channel at all. Toy Story Mania won't be as fun for her, unless she likes glasses, I had to hold the glasses on to my Two Year olds face, because they wouldnt stay up. She really couldnt fire the cannon too well... Buzz in Magic Kingdom is alot better, My daughter enjoyed using the joy stick to move us around.. and the blasters are easier to shoot. :party: Happy Birthday to the little Princess

Tigerinvestigator
03-05-2009, 10:54 PM
I sympathize with your situation. We are struggling to find the money to go this year but are still hoping something will happen so we can. Here are my suggestions, having travelled with three girls who were one over the years:

1) Stick with the MK and Epcot since you are so tight on time. Don't try to do too much or you will crash and burn. Go at a slow pace and enjoy the time you have there.

2) Don't bother with a park hopper with your schedule.

3) Two places which are somewhat expensive but less so at lunch that my girls have always loved are Garden Grill (best one on one with Mickey at WDW-also chip dale and pluto), and Crystal Palace (Winnie the pooh and friends make great photo ops).

4) Rides not to be missed at MK: Small World, Peter Pan, Winnie the Pooh, Philharmagic, and I would try Country Bears (One year olds do much better than older kids). For the adults don't miss Pirates of the Caribbean and the three mountains Splash, Big Thunder, and Space and Haunted Mansion.

5) Rides at Epcot not to be missed: Under the Seas with Nemo, JITYI with Figment, and the Mexico boat ride. For Adults: Soarin, Mission Space, Living with the Land, Spaceship Earth, Test Track, and the American Adventure.

6) I like the idea of saving your money and staying an extra night at a value resort. They have the best props for photos with the giant disney icons (really cute with a small infant). You could even use the extra time to visit Downtown Disney and extend your stay.