When deciding to go to Disney World with a baby, I knew that I would be taking it easy and definitely not “doing it all” – or even remotely close to “it all.” I think that was key to having fun!
So, what did we do and where did we eat? And how was it really with a baby? Let’s break it down!
- Day 1 – Travel Plus Dinner on the Boardwalk
- Day 2 – Epcot
- Day 3 – Magic Kingdom
- Day 4 – Character Breakfast and Travel Home
Day 1
Our first day was a travel day, and Bebe napped on the plane. (It was a bit of a battle and usually naps are 2 hours+ but luckily Bebe napped for about an hour.) We arrived at the Disney World Swan, got checked in, got the crib delivered, and settled in. If we are in a room with two beds (which we were), I typically use the second bed as a staging area for all of Bebe’s things: diapers, wipes, outfits, PJs, sleep sacks, food. You name it, it is on the bed. This makes it a lot easier for me to see if I’ve forgotten anything we need before heading out for the day!
I had made a dinner reservation in advance at the Flying Fish, which was walkable from our hotel, on the Boardwalk. I also looked at all the menus for all restaurants I chose beforehand on the My Disney Experience App, to make sure there were options for Baby.
Flying Fish was definitely one of the pricier restaurants for kids (as you can see by the menu), but can I say how completely impressed I was with their kids menu? I was prepared, when booking Disney World, to have to order adult menu items for Bebe to avoid a pure chicken nuggets diet, and I was blown away! That night, Bebe had salmon with fresh fruit, steamed broccoli, and seaweed infused bread (Bebe’s first seaweed!). This started off the trip on a great note and I continued to be impressed by the Disney restaurant offerings the whole trip.
Epcot Day
I was probably most excited for Epcot. It is easily walkable from our hotel, and I’ve always loved the countries. I had three FastPasses booked, and that was all I intended to ride (no waiting with a 15 month old, please and thank you…). I had scouted out the rides in advance to see what was toddler appropriate, and the MyDisneyExperience app tells you all about height limits for each ride. I also wasn’t sure if Bebe would even like the rides, so I figured we would just see what happened.
In the morning, I packed up my little cooler with fruit, cheese, and milk (all of which I brought from home on the plane or bought in the hotel coffee shop!), and slathered us both in sunscreen. I also packed a little cotton tote with extra items that I didn’t want to cart in my backpack – change of clothes for Bebe, a muslin swaddle for sun protection, extra diapers, and so on – and stuck it in the stroller too. One thing I did NOT realize however was … stroller parking at the park. Rookie mistake!
Bebe and I arrived at the Land Pavilion first thing, to have breakfast at Sunshine Seasons. (No reservation required, it is a counter service restaurant.) We were full of hope for our first Disney day. Then I was told I had to park the stroller way away from the Land Pavilion, and schlep my cooler, backpack, and baby by hand into the building. Friends, Bebe weighed 25 pounds at this stage. He was not a tiny guy, and although he could walk, he had zero powers of reasoning or direction and was akin to a drunken sailor.
But we persevered, and Bebe and I made it for breakfast (nothing special, we had eggs and fruit) and then to our first FastPass ride: Journey Into Imagination with Figment. (I would be lying if I said I could tell you what this ride was about. I think it’s from Honey I Shrunk the Kids? I have no idea. That’s probably completely wrong.) I was actually nervous when we walked into the building and I realized… rides are dark. Would Bebe be freaked out? Luckily for us, nope! He relaxed on my lap and was generally calm, curious, and at times politely disinterested in what was happening. The best thing about Figment was a great indoor play area after the ride. Bebe ran all over, and we got a break from the heat and sunshine while waiting for our next FastPass ride. (And my arms got a break from carrying Bebe.)
After Figment, we rode Nemo, again with success! Bebe enjoyed the ride but the biggest hit was for sure the huge aquarium in the Seas Pavilion. Bebe loved running around and seeing the fish through the glass. We then collected our stroller (I missed you, stroller!) and headed to the countries side of Epcot aka World Showcase. We happened upon Winnie the Pooh in the UK, so I took a chance to see how Bebe would do meeting a character. He LOVED Pooh, but only if mama was holding him. Understandable. We ate lunch at Chefs de France, where we AGAIN had many healthy options for Bebe (!), and headed back to the hotel for a nap. I may have also taken a nap. My arms were very sore.
That afternoon, rejuvenated from nap time we headed back to Epcot, where we made our way to Norway. It was fun to walk through the whole World Showcase! We finished the day with the Frozen ride (again dark, again Bebe did fine!) and dinner at Via Napoli, where I was actually extremely impressed with the quality of my pizza. If we didn’t have nap time to contend with, we could have ridden more rides at Epcot because there were more baby-friendly rides available. As it was, three rides worked out just fine for our schedule and allowed Bebe lots of playtime in between!
And I was grateful to be able to simply stroll to the hotel after the long day, and so happy we were walking distance from Epcot!
Magic Kingdom Day
I knew this was my most complicated park day, and I resolved to go with the flow as much as possible. That was good, because our Uber made us a bit late for our breakfast reservation at the Contemporary Hotel, and then the Contemporary Hotel made us wait for our table. You know what Bebe is great at? Waiting. By the time they seated us, I was a bit annoyed. Turns out I don’t go with the flow THAT well. The restaurant manager came up to us and offered us a few extra FastPasses due to the wait. I knew we were only spending the morning at MK, but I figured I would see if I could use them.
After breakfast, we loaded up the stroller and walked to the Magic Kingdom. Our first ride was Winnie the Pooh, and I hoped Bebe would love it since he enjoyed meeting Pooh. It was really fun, and I liked being in a lighter ride (as in, not physically dark) so I could see better how Bebe was taking it all in. Our second FastPass was for The Little Mermaid ride, so I left the stroller at stroller parking by Pooh, and hefted 25 pounds of Bebe over to the next ride. (I was getting very strong by this point.) Bebe has never seen The Little Mermaid, so I made sure to sing him the songs during the ride. I’m sure it was very educational for him.
We only had one FastPass left, so I decided to see if the extra FastPasses from breakfast could get us on any other rides. I couldn’t figure out how to use them, so I asked a random Disney employee passing by. After looking at my app, he let me know that, unlike the FastPasses I booked ahead of time which have a specific reservation time when you show up, my new FastPasses were the kind you don’t need to make a reservation for – you just take your FastPass card (or wristband) and scan it at any ride and go into the FastPass line!
I knew I only wanted to spend the morning at MK, so I decided spur of the moment to try to make the most of the new FastPasses! Bebe and I booked it around the park it for a couple more rides – Peter Pan, Pirates of the Caribbean (I figured this is the last time I’ll be riding for a while, since Bebe didn’t know what was going on and wasn’t scared yet), and It’s a Small World. We ended up having so much fun, and such a busy morning! It was a nice treat to have those extra FastPasses, because the park was fairly crowded.
One weird thing I have to mention is that I could NOT find an age appropriate book for Bebe as a souvenir. Anywhere! I looked on the Boardwalk, at Epcot, and at Magic Kingdom. Plush toys and clothes everywhere, but very few books and zero board books. I found this so odd, and it is definitely something I would recommend to improve.
Around noon, Bebe and I headed back to the Contemporary, where we caught an Uber back to the Swan. We ate lunch in our room, and went down for a much-needed nap. We played in the room and then with some other kids on the green at the Boardwalk before heading for dinner at Trattoria del Forno on the Boardwalk. The staff at Trattoria del Forno were so sweet to Bebe at dinner!
Last Day: Character Breakfast
After dinner and putting Bebe to bed, I scanned the My Disney Experience app to figure out breakfast for our last morning. I decided on a character breakfast, since we hadn’t done that yet, and it would give us a good activity for our last day. I picked the Bon Voyage breakfast, which features Ariel, Prince Eric, Rapunzel, and Flynn Ryder (yes, I looked him up), and was at the Trattoria del Forno, same as the night before. (We wore OUT that Boardwalk and there were still restaurants we didn’t even go into.) The adult menu was a bit indulgent but I was able to get eggs and fruit for Bebe, so once again I was a pretty happy customer. Bebe LOVED Ariel, because he is my son and has great taste, and I loved that movie too. Mr. LOTG came and met us after breakfast, and we were THRILLED to see him!
Overall, I think my lowered expectations about what (and how much) to do every day helped both Bebe and I have a fun weekend. We definitely had some surprises that were not welcome (looking at you, no strollers in the buildings rule) but also some fun surprises (great menus and Bebe liked the rides!). I am so glad we took this trip together, especially considering the quarantine that followed. I can’t wait to take him back to Disney or perhaps to Disneyland next time!
To learn more about my Disney World hotel and transportation strategy, check out this post!