You may think we are crazy for taking 2 year old triplets to Disney World back in April, but I do not regret it one bit. We actually set our expectations low and everything went so much better than I thought it would. Here are my top tips for traveling to Disney World with 3 toddlers in tow.
1. Go right before their 3rd birthday. Did you know that kids are free 2 and under? That saved us $1000 right there. This was the ideal time for a toddler. They were old enough to understand and comprehend the "Magic" yet still young enough to save us a little money. They got into the parks free and they also ate at all the buffets for free. It was the PERFECT time for my girls.
2. **FAST PASSES** This is my ultimate tip and I have to split it into multiple parts.
A: Get fast passes. Period. We saw so many people waiting in lines that if they had gotten fast passes wouldn't have to. Who wants to wait in lines with 3 toddlers?... not us. The most we ever waited was 20 minutes to meet Ariel and that was because we hadn't mastered our fast passes yet.
B: Kids under 3 don't have to have fast passes. That's right. They just go through the line with YOU even though the ride or meet and greet is for them.
C: In combination with B... With most of the rides, more than one "under 3" can go with 1 adult. We had 5 adults, so by using fast passes, the girls were able to go again and again with different adults in our party. For instance, Brian and I would go on Dumbo with all 3 girls, then MeMe and Grandpops would take them immediately after that with their fast passes, and if 1 or 2 of the girls wanted to go a third time, Nana could take them on Dumbo. We did this multiple times in the 3 days we were there and it worked out great.
D: Once you have used your 3rd Fast Pass, and as soon as you scan your Magic Band to get in the Fast Pass line on any ride, pull out your phone to begin booking your next fast pass. We could normally get a fast pass for a ride that was 30-45 minutes later. Perfect timing after the kids have rode the ride 2-3 times, a bathroom break, and walking to the ride. This was the KEY for us to hardly wait in any lines.
E: Most of the time the cast member would let us through if it was 10 minutes before our Fast Pass time.
F: You only need 1 Fast Pass to get all 3 children in for meeting characters. For instance, those hard to get Fast Passes like Meet Anna and Elsa; only one Fast Pass popped up so I was able to grab it for myself. While walking up to the cast member to scan Magic Bands, I asked if it was okay for me to bring my husband since I was taking 3 toddlers. She said of course, and let us all through. Having Brian there wasn't going to slow down anything for Disney, if anything it was going to speed things up to have another adult to wrangle toddlers. The girls were able to meet their favorite characters more than once and each time got better for them because they were more comfortable.
3. Take help. It would have been really difficult for Brian and I to take the girls by themselves. Especially with potty breaks and 1/3 being scared of some of the rides. We brought 3 grandparents. They enjoyed being there for the girls' first time to Disney and we enjoyed having them there to help us along the way.
4. Pack your kids favorite foods and snacks. My girls are so picky, so bringing food I knew they would eat saved us from tantrums and spending money on food they wouldn't eat.
5. Strollers. We brought a double and a single umbrella stroller. My MIL made these beautiful signs for them so they wouldn't get lost in a sea of strollers. We attached some personal battery operated fans to keep the girls cool. It was definitely a necessity while we were there.
6. Go to at least one character meal. The toddlers are free once again. The cost was a little steep for adults but the food was really good and the characters were always great with the kids. We did Park Fare at the Grand Floridian and The Tusker House for lunch at Animal Kingdom. Both had amazing food.
7. Get to the park before it opens so you can watch the opening parade. It gave the girls a good glimpse at what they were about to experience. Also, we did breakfast in the room or on the go every morning. We didn't want to waste an hour or so finding a restaurant to sit down and eat.
8. Catch the parades. Some of the girls' favorite memories are seeing all the characters at the parade. They still talk about Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather and Maleficent's Dragon.
9. Nap or not to nap? I had plans to take the girls back to the hotel 2 of the 3 days in the park. Did that happen? Nope. I had every day planned out, even to the point of what order we were going to ride the rides. We followed it for the most part, just packed in A LOT more. The girls took turns napping in the strollers the first 2 days and then miraculously on the 3rd day, they all napped for 2 hours at the same time in their strollers. It was perfect. All of the adults got to sit and rest. I enjoyed some ice cream and got re-energized for the rest of the day. The girls slept hard so we found a cool, dark, and quiet spot. They were ready to go and happy after that. We were at the park that day from 9-9:30 PM and the girls did amazing.
10. Do what interests your child. We rode Dumbo a million times. My husband said he had never met characters before and it seemed like that was all we did. They loved the sand pit in Animal Kingdom so we camped out there for awhile. Its not about doing everything, its about keeping a smile on your little ones' faces.
11. Give in. I'm not one to give in very much to my kids and we run a tight schedule, but something about Disney made me "Go with the Flow" a little more. For instance, to keep everyone in our group and around us happier, I gave in and carried Samantha a large portion of the time we were there. She is definitely a Mama's girl and would kick and scream if we tried to put her in the stroller when she didn't want to. I took one for the team and hauled her around Disney World. My back might have hurt a little more and my legs were worn out, but it was totally worth it for a happy child.
12. Don't be afraid to let your kids try new things. The girls were a smidgen past the height requirement for Barnstormer. It is a short and thrilling first roller coaster. Samantha rode it 7 (Yes seven) times because she LOVED it. Taylor would have rode it that many times but our first stop there she was sleeping. Mallory rode it twice. The first time she was petrified, but after watching Sam ride it again and again, she built up the courage to do it again and had fun.
13. When you get home, make them photo books. I gave them each their own photo book for their birthday with highlights from our trip. I used the same template but switched out individual photos. The girls love them and even this morning Taylor was reliving her wonderful time at Disney World. They were only 2 when they went, but I'm hoping these books will help them remember some of the special memories they made at Disney World.
14. Take a little time to yourselves. If you are lucky enough to have reinforcements like we did, enjoy a little kid-free time and ride the "Big" rides. Brian and I were exhausted by the end of that day, but the last few hours alone were a lot of fun.
Enjoy the moments with your little ones. Remember their faces when they see Cinderella's castle for the first time or their giggles on their first roller coaster. Stay up late to see the Parade of Lights and eat ice cream while you talk about meeting your favorite princess. I'm so beyond happy we decided to make this trip. It was unforgettable and something I will treasure forever.
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