Magic Kingdom Must See Attractions for Toddlers
Things to Do at Disney for Babies, Toddlers and Preschoolers
Jan 29, 2009
Every parent wants their child’s first trip to Disney World's Magic Kingdom to be perfect. When that child is under five years old, there are special considerations to take into account. Take some advice from Amy Moreland, certified Gifted and Special Education teacher and 7-year Disney season passholder who has taken her four- and two-year-olds to the theme parks 25 plus times since they were born. In a January 2009 interview, she shares with Suite the must-see Disney attractions for toddlers, how to avoid long lines, and some of the best kept secrets for making a toddler or preschooler’s first Disney trip pure magic.
Disney Rides for Toddlers and Preschoolers
Fantasyland is a priority for the under five crowd. Disney passholder Amy Moreland and her husband Thomas have taken their two small children to the Magic Kingdom more times than they can remember, and their tried-and-true system is to get there when the park opens and head straight for the Fantasyland section.
Lines tend to get long quickly in this part of the park, and because most of the rides are close together, the Morelands park their stroller near the carousel and hit the following kid-friendly rides on foot:
- Dumbo the Flying Elephant
- Peter Pan’s Flight
- Snow White
- It’s a Small World
- Cinderella’s Golden Carousel
- Winnie the Pooh
These are mostly slow-moving indoor rides with animatronics that are colorful, whimsical recreations of the stories toddlers and preschoolers have come to love. The Dumbo ride lets kids and parents fly high outdoors, and since that line builds quickly the Morelands often hit it first.
Moreland cautions that Snow White can be a little scary for some kids (the witch pops out a lot and cackles) and suggests that if the Peter Pan line is too long, families can take advantage of Fastpasses, slips of paper which allow ticketholders to come back at a scheduled time later in the day rather than wait in line.
Disney Character Meet and Greets
After Fantasyland, the Moreland family heads next door to Mickey’s Toontown Fair. This section opens an hour after the park does, and offers lots of opportunities for the little ones to meet their favorite Disney celebrities. The Disney princesses are there, including Belle, Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella.
Moreland adds, “Tinkerbell and the fairies are a brand new meet and greet. There are five fairies you can meet, but you can only meet up to three at a time, so you may have to go through the line more than once. The princess line used to be a one-hour line, but now that the fairies are there the princess line has shortened.” She also cautions parents, “To see the fairies you’ve got to be in line right at 10 o’clock or else be ready to wait 45 minutes to an hour.”
Toontown is also where guests can see the one and only Mickey Mouse inside the Judge’s Tent. Minnie is there, too, and Moreland says that while it may seem like a big line, it goes really fast. She also points out that upon leaving the Judge’s tent there are often a group of not-so-common characters hanging around the ramp, such as the animals from Pocahontas or the Aristocats. “You have to look for them,” she says, “but you can go right up to them and there’s no waiting.”
Ariel greets visitors in her grotto near the Dumbo ride in Fantasyland and there are always opportunities to meet others around the park. Moreland advises that if kids want to wear costumes to the park, parents should indulge them. “Even if it’s 85 degrees, by all means, let them,” she laughs. “They are never too hot and the characters do give them more attention when they have costumes on.”
Scary Rides at Disney’s Magic Kingdom
While Moreland’s kids are quite fearless, she admits that there are some attractions that parents might want to avoid. Stitch’s Great Escape is too intense for her four-year-old. Snow White, the Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean might be a little frightening for sensitive kids.
As for roller coasters, riders need to be 40 inches with shoes on to ride Splash Mountain and Thunder Mountain Railroad. If parents aren’t sure their preschoolers are ready for these, Moreland recommends they try the Barnstormer rollercoaster in Toontown first. It has a height requirement of only 35 inches and is relatively short, but it gives kids a good taste of what a coaster is like.
Other Toddler-friendly Disney Attractions
In Tomorrowland, they’ll be too small to ride Space Mountain, but the People Mover is surprisingly a hit. The Buzz Lightyear ride is usually popular as well, although parents should be aware that it’s a video-game style ride where riders shoot a laser gun at targets. Families with a no-gun policy may want to skip this attraction.
Moreland also offers practical advice for taking small children to Disney in subsequent interviews, and her recommendations for Epcot, Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom special events. Some last minute Magic Kingdom advice from this Disney veteran: make use of the Fast Passes, especially for Peter Pan and Winnie the Pooh: “Those lines are just brutal otherwise.”
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