There were many hesitations prior to bringing Julia aka "the Beast" to Disney World. One of the many, was her age. Most people, including Carl, felt that taking her to Disney, in particular, Magic Kingdom, should have been reserved for the ripe old age of 5 or 7 but definitely not as early as 2. I, on the other hand, disagreed (naturally) and felt that bringing her to Magic Kingdom at 2 gave us the most genuine and sincere reaction we'll ever get. And I was right after seeing her little eyes bug out after seeing her favorite characters come to life and she loved "jumping into the story books", as she liked to call it when we got on the Winnie the Pooh and Snow White rides. However, bringing a 2 year old came with some issues and so here is my advice if you decide to bring your own little beast...
1 - Never go to Disney during peak times. Waiting 30 -40 minutes on line can be hectic, waste of precious vakay time and extremely difficult on a 2 year old. If you do and even if you don't, I recommend bringing your smartphone. We uploaded several Disney movies and her favorite tv shows (Yo Gabba Gabba) onto Carl's phone. This helped for long lines, long car rides and those desperate "I need a moment" situation.
2 - Don't go park hopping. Most toddler stuff will be at Magic Kingdom - there really isn't much in the other parks unless you decide to go to Blizzard Beach (which we originally wanted to do but unfortunately it was closed for the season) and besides, you can spend all day in one area of the park, especially between meal times and nap times.
3 - If your phone is internet ready, go to Disney's mobile website to find out wait times for all the rides in the park and where specific characters are at. Fastpass never did us any good (unless we wanted to go on the rides at 9 in the evening).
4 - If you really want to make it worth your while and your wallet, go for 2 weeks and pay for a week at Disney (you get more bang for your buck for 7 days worth of Disney tickets). Stay at a place with a full kitchen and alternate days to the park and hanging at the hotel so you can rest your weary feet.
5 - Bring food in - they don't care. The food sucks there, unless you truly enjoy watching your child scarf down greasy chicken strips followed by greasier fries meal after meal.
6 - Don't worry about missing parades - despite having scheduled parades at specific times, they seem to have about 3-4 extra parades in addition to, so we were ALWAYS running into a parade. In fact, parades are the best time to get on those damn rides.
7 - If you want to do a character themed meal while not expecting to eat well but to enjoy seeing your little beast go "WOW, it's Cinderella right in front of my face, alive and talking to me!", then know in advance that you want to go and call in months ahead for "advanced reservations". Otherwise, run your butt over there as soon as the park opens and see if there's any openings.
8 - Your child will get sick. I repeat, WILL GET SICK. Every third child was coughing the same exact cough, Julia was coughing. Julia was feverish every night for the first four days - thus tip number 4, it would've been better if my vacation was extended and we could have taken the time to see the parks rather than squeezing everything in three days and not even full days because Julia was sick and not sleeping well the night before.
Just a warning, Disney seems to have gone down hill in the past several years. I remember going several years ago and being awed and impressed with their cleanliness and ability to keep the maintenance people discreet and hidden. Although I had never gone during peak season prior to now, it was smooth and clearly orchestrated to give you the best experience possible. Not so this time around - the bathrooms were filthy with employees dragging their garbage cans in plain view and the music piping through the sound systems were obnoxiously loud and in your face. It was very Americana. The magic of Disney has gone but at least Julia didn't notice...
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