If you’re searching for a relaxing vacation, Disney with toddlers ain’t it…but if you’re ready to make some sweet memories, Disney is the place! We left with tired bodies but full hearts from being able to spend the week with our family in the “most magical place on earth”!

I also left with lots of tips and advice for any of you taking your littles to Disney!  As a toddler mom, these are my top tips for Disney with kids.

GENIE+

GENIE+ is #1 on my list! I would 10000/10 recommend Genie+ for Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios. If you are wanting to ride the adult rides you may need it for the other parks, but for our littles we didn’t need it in Animal Kingdom or Epcot!  Pairing early rope drop with Genie+ made a world of difference.  Learn from me, and don’t get stuck in a 2 hour line for Mickey’s Runaway Railroad with two tired kids at noon…it’s almost impossible to get out of line once you’re in there…but you can! Get Genie+ instead! We also used Genie+ for the parade at Magic Kingdom where you can get in a reserved area. It gave us “front row” seats, and was well worth it!

STAY ON DISNEY PROPERTY

We stayed in Disney All Star Movies Resort, and it was perfect! There are several perks for resort guests like early rope drop and transportation! We rope dropped everyday which made for early mornings but lower wait times, and resort guests get in 30 minutes earlier than everyone else. It even made it so we could ride at least one ride in before using our first Genie+ selection! The buses to and from the parks were SO convenient, and we rarely had to wait more than about 10-15 minutes! We also were able to come back at lunch each day for a nap super easily which made full Disney days much easier!

SNACKS & ACTIVITIES

I know this sounds obvious, but pack lots of snacks (then pack some more!)! If you’re waiting in line, bring lollipops to keep them occupied. Mealtimes aren’t what your kids may be used to, so keeping lots of snacks on hand helped us to avoid a few meltdowns! My sister-in-law even brought hard pencil boxes full of little activities like stickers, notepads, fidgets, etc. to keep her littles occupied while in line and on the bus! We also had the Quick Service meal plan and used it both at the resort and at the parks!

ENJOY YOURSELF

There’s no tired like Disney tired, and I had to remember that if I was exhausted that meant my kids were too! We definitely had LOTS of tantrums and meltdowns, but being able to see all of the joy and excitement our littles had made it all worth it!  If we go back, we will take it so much easier.  No early rope drop, a day in the middle of our trip to just chill, and do whatever the kids want.  Since this was our first trip to Disney, we wanted to make it worth it and do EVERYTHING.  Now that we have, we’ll take it easy next time!