10 Best Toddler Attractions @ Walt Disney World

What are the best things to do at Disney for me? This is what everyone at the park is thinking based on their current situations. We now consider ourselves experts having been passholders and want to help you out with tips for navigating the parks. From time to time we post those thoughts here. Today, we will go over the ten best attractions for toddlers. Disney can be a blast for you alone, but with kids, it is taken to a whole different level.

We will focus on the boy toddler, but most of these are great for girls as well. The focus is on the boy toddler is because we have a boy, but most of these are awesome for girls too. Additionally, the focus will be on freebies and not on add-ons you can purchase (character dining etc.).  Before we start the list, let's start with an honorable mention and that being the Boneyard in Disney's Animal Kingdom (pictured above). This attraction is an honorable mention because as cool as it is, it is a playground and not a ride at the end of the day. So with that in mind, here is the list......

10. Disney Jr. Live on Stage (Hollywood Studios)

This is a fun attraction that managed to make the list and would be higher for some. They have a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse part, a Doc MsStuffins part, a Sofia the 1st part, and Noland's favorite, a Jake part. This is an awesome little show that they do throughout the day at Hollywood Studios. It is pretty neat and I recommend checking it out whether you have boys or girls. It would be higher on the list, but it has the most uncomfortable seating arrangements at Disney. Not a fan of sitting on the floor at 6'3.

09. Mad Tea Party (Magic Kingdom)

This ride should probably be even higher because it fills my son with pure joy. Everytime we ride it, he has the biggest smile on his face. He absolutely loves riding this amazing attraction. I mean just look at him, he is absolutely thrilled on this ride. He loves the spinning teacups. It is probably the most iconic ride in the park too other than maybe Dumbo. They always show this one in the commercials and it is one that everybody knows. The best thing though about Mad Tea Party is that it usually has a wait time of less than 30 minutes.

08. Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin (Magic Kingdom)

This ride is awesome for boys and girls, but especially boys. They get in a spinning ride and they get to shoot stuff. Each boy also gets in a ride with a character from Toy Story that is most likely their favorite. Our little guy loves Buzz and Rex and I think most boys are very similar. Not to mention that when he hears that drum in line, he dances everytime. Another great feature is that Buzz is able to be met right outside of this ride with a very short line usually. Love It!

07. The Three Caballeros (Epcot)

No picture for this one, but it is easily my favorite thing to do at Epcot with the little guy. The country of Mexico is easily my favorite in the World Showcase as well. The whole atmosphere is awesome! We love this ride because of the characters throughout and the singing during the ride. It is just an awesome experience. Of course it does not hurt that Donald Duck is the star of the attraction.

06. Finding Nemo the Musical (Animal Kingdom)

Not as cool as the other musical at Animal Kingdom, but just awesome. This is a really great show that you just must do. Jenna and I find ourselves singing the songs everytime we watch Nemo and they aren't even in the movie. In fact, we just sing them randomly sometimes. Jr. wasn't as into this as some other things so it is only 6 on this list, but he was a huge fan. His favorite part (like most of us) was when Crush entered the musical. Just Go with the Flow.....

05. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (Magic Kingdom)

Toddlers love Pooh. If you are a parent of a toddler and your toddler doesn't know Winnie, you are doing it wrong. Now, this one might be controversial because it replaced Mr. Toad's Wild Ride (which I loved), but Pooh is more marketable and our family does like Pooh better. It has all the characters from the original Pooh movie including a lot of stuff on Gopher. My son's favorite Disney character is Pooh so obviously this ride is usually at the top of our list. Outside, you can meet Pooh and Tigger @ a Thotful Spot. Sometimes as was the case in the photo below, Eeyore and Piglet are there as well.

04. Peter Pan's Flight (Magic Kingdom)

This ride routinely has a line that is about an hour long or more. Peter Pan is one of the most popular rides in Disney. It is something that usually either needs to be a Fastpass+ selection or hit really early before the park gets busy. There is a reason for this. The popularity is because this ride is awesome. It is simple, but it is awesome. Each person gets to ride a pirate ship. Any boy that loves Peter Pan, Jake, or just pirates will love this ride. If your boy is like mine and loves all three, then you are in for a real treat. This is definitely a Disney must do.

03. Festival of the Lion King (Animal Kingdom)

Who has a boy that says their favorite movie is The Lion King? I do, I do! This is easily his favorite show in the park. It has the main songs from his favorite movie, the three main characters of the movie and a lot of animal effects. This is just the perfect show and the actors are AMAZING! I can't believe that I did not do this show before last year. See it soon are you are missing out!

02. Toy Story Mania (Hollywood Studios)

This is the most popular ride in Walt Disney World. Don't you want to see why it is the most popular ride at this wonderful resort? This is just such a fun and interactive ride. It is fairly new and they are going to be doubling the size of it due to popular demand. Seriously, this ride cannot get much better. It has most of the characters from the Toy Story movies and is just a great time all around. You do not want to miss this thrilling attraction.

01. Kilimanjaro Safaris (Animal Kingdom)

The best ride at Disney though is Kilimanjaro Safaris. It is our favorite, always will be our favorite, and the whole family loves it. This is the closest you can get to a real African safari without leaving the country. I have heard it on numerous occasions and it is free with park admission. Try getting closer to a hippo than you get on this ride, it just doesn't really happen. Now, try all the thrills you normally get on this ride added with a boy that loves animals. A boy that is learning to talk and gets excited by every new thing he sees. You try riding this ride with that boy like I did, and you will never want to get off. That right there is the Magic of Walt Disney World Resort. That magic is summed up in this one experience that you will never want to end.

Hope you enjoyed this list and that you get to enjoy all the wonderful attractions at the fantastic Walt Disney World resort. As always have a wonderful weekend and stay tuned next week for more awesome tips.

-Noland

Characterpalooza at Hollywood Studios

In the past year, Noland and I have been going to Walt Disney World a lot. We both have learned so much about how to navigate the parks and meet characters that we can even have a full day with several rides and character meet and greets during the busy times. We've also gone for an afternoon and accomplished more than some people do in a whole day.

Have you ever watched the TV Show called The Middle on ABC? Well, on their 2014 season finale, they won a trip to Disney World. It's a long story and I don't want to ruin the episode but the first day they go to Disney, they run into many misfortunes and don't end up riding anything. In fact by the time they agree to get into one of the many long lines, they jump into a line of people who happen to be walking out of the park. It made me laugh so hard because I know that I've been to Disney and felt that way before. Have you  ever gone to Disney World and felt completely overwhelmed? I know that the first few times I went to Disney's Magic Kingdom, my mom only managed to get me to ride a couple of rides. I met a few characters too but that may have been around the times when characters would just walk around. And according to the pictures, my brother and I rode Dumbo...

And here we are in front of the castle.

It can be hard to navigate a place if it is your first time going or you have only been one or two times before. After all, each park is large, it's hot outside, crowded, you are trying to read this large map to figure out where to go, and what is the best way to get there, all while your toddler/ little one is (or multiple kiddos are) crying because he/she is hungry or thirsty. Okay so that is a little bit over-dramatic, but it can be challenging. I get it. Since we've managed to figure it out, we have decided to start sharing some Disney World tips and tricks on this blog occasionally.

Today we are going to talk about Characterpalooza at Walt Disney World's Hollywood Studios (previously known as MGM). I'm starting to believe that Hollywood Studios could be one of the best places to meet characters. As an adult, it has two of the best rides (in my opinion) in all of Walt Disney World Resort: Tower of Terror and Rockin' Roller coaster) and it has a TON of characters and a secret meet and greet that I'm going to telly you about called CHARACTERPALOOZA.

What is Characterpalooza? Well it is a gathering of characters that happens at Hollywood Studios! It will not be listed on the map or times guide but it happens almost every day.

Up: Noland and Noland Jr. meeting Stitch Below: The Evil Queen from Snow White, and Pocahontas.

What characters will be at Characterpalooza? There is no telling which characters will show up at Characterpalooza, I hear it changes from time to time but, we did see some characters that you could not see anywhere else. We happened to run into Characterpalooza on Tuesday, July 24, 2014. They had about 14-15 characters out. Here are the list of characters that were out when we arrived: Stitch, Evil Queen (from Snow White), Pinocchio, Gepetto, Queen of Hearts, Mary Poppins, Penguin (from Mary Poppins), Chip, Dale, Pocahontas, Meeko, Minnie Mouse, Mulan, and a couple of Army Men from Toy Story.

Above: Here is Minnie Mouse interacting with some people in line and the Queen of Hearts posing for a picture. Below: Mulan ran out of time to meet with all her fans so she went by and talked to each of them before she left. We met Chip. Noland Jr. didn't look at the camera but he was smiling!

 










When is Characterpalooza? According to Kenny the Pirate, it all depends on Fantasmic (a nighttime extravaganza featuring music, pyrotechnics, video projected on water, fiber optics, lasers and many more effects at Disney's Hollywood Studios).

• If Fantasmic isn't scheduled, Characterpalooza will NOT happen.


• If one Fantasmic show is scheduled, Characterpalooza will occur at 4:30 p.m. near Echo Lake, and 5:30 p.m. on the Streets of America.


• If two Fantasmic shows are scheduled, Characterpalooza will happen only at 6:00 p.m. on the Streets of America.

So the next time you travel to Disney's Hollywood Studios in Orlando, make sure to check out Characterpalooza and meet some characters that you may not see anywhere else in the parks. 

Below is Noland Jr and I meeting Pinocchio. Gepetto was there too but stepped away by the time is was our turn in line.

How long is Characterpalooza? Characterpalooza is usually in about half hour increments. When we met the characters, they were out for about 30 minutes. We didn't get pictures with every character but we did get to interact, meet and take pictures with about 4-5 of them. 

Hollywood Studios has many other characters that can be found on the park's times guides such as: Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, Green Army Men, Jake from Jake and the Neverland Pirates, Sophia from Sophia the First, Phineas and Ferb, Wreck-it-Ralph, Vanellope von Sweets, Woody, Buzz, Sorcerer Mickey, Mr. Incredible and Frozone from The Incredibles, Lightning McQueen and Mater from Cars, Sully, Mike Wazowski from Monsters Inc/Monsters U.

This is outside of Toy Story's Midway Mania. The green army men hang out there.








Here are the Nolands meeting Jake from Jake & the Never land Pirates by the Disney Junior Stage show.

Hope that helps in planning your vacation!

-Jen