The next topic in our Disney World with Toddlers series is Where to Stay.

I have only one piece of advice for choosing a hotel when traveling to Disney World with toddlers…Stay on site!

While you may think staying on Disney property is out of your budget, you would be surprised at how low some of the values are compared to off site hotel/motels.

Disney World has 3 main classes of hotels (not including Disney Vacation Club).

Value – The most inexpensive Disney lodging. Themed Resorts that have bus transportation to and from parks.

Moderate – Mid priced Disney themed hotels. Rooms are slightly larger than values and provide mini fridge and coffee makers in rooms. Bus transportation to and from parks.

Deluxe- Most expensive Disney themed hotels. Largest rooms and beds with table service dining available. These hotels are closest to the Disney Parks and provide either monorail, boat, or bus transportation Parks.

The main reason you will want to stay onsite when traveling with toddlers is the convience factor. All Disney hotels provide free transportion to and from the Disney Parks as well as Downtown Disney.

This free service allows you to easily take your little ones back to the hotels midday for naps if needed (and you WILL need them).

Staying off site, you will most likely have to drive to and from the parks and pay for parking, which is very time consuming and exhausting in itself.

The theming in the Disney hotels is also great, it really adds the “Disney Magic” to your vacation experience. Each hotel also has a food court and gift shops, as well as themed pools.

The next topic in our Disney World with Toddlers series is Snacks.

Snacks are essential for your little ones to keep them going through the long days in the parks.

The parks offer a wide array of treats such as ice cream, cotton candy, and rice krispies but sometimes you may not want something so sweet, and a little more healthy. Park snacks can really add up, so bringing your own will definitely be more cost effective.

The most important rule of bringing your own snacks is NOT to bring anything that may melt or spoil. It is hot in Florida!

You can bring a little lunch box or cooler into the parks, just make sure you have somewhere to put it as you are not going to want to carry these things around. Make sure if you are bringing a stroller it has a bin of some sort.

-On our last trip, our favorite snack we brought were the 100 calorie Cheez Its. I wasn’t counting calories, but love the perfect size, packable pouches these crackers come in. I could of bought a big box and did the whole ziploc thing, but when traveling it is just easier for me to buy things prepackaged. Any of these snack packs are good choices.

-Nutrigrain bars are an easy to pack snack, but these can get smooshed if not eaten early on as they get hot.

-Juice boxes are a must. We freeze ours over night in the little freezer compartment of the mini fridge in our room. By the time we give it to our daughter in the park it is defrosted, but still chilled.

-Cheerios or other cereals are a good snack. You can either separate from the big box into baggies, or buy the single serving boxes at the grocery store.

-For young toddlers, the Gerber Puffed Snacks hold up well in their container.

One change we have noticed over the years is more fruits and veggies have become available. Little bags of grapes and carrots are offered in the kids meals. Whole fruits like apples and bananas are available in the parks drink kiosks.

One of our favorite things to do as a family in Disney World is to eat, and we do a lot of it!

We try to eat at different Disney restaurants on each visit, hoping that we will soon have tried them all.

My family always buys the Disney Dining Plan as we do many table service and character buffets on our trips. For us the value is in the convenience.

The good news if you are traveling with a toddler aged 2 and under is that there is no additional cost for them to dine on the dining plan. This is also the case if you are not on the Disney Dining Plan and are paying per meal.

This means if you are eating at a Disney Character meal or buffet there is no charge for a child 2 or under and they may eat off the buffets freely. If you are sitting at a table service restaurant you would have to order them a kids meal (which you would pay out of pocket) or have them eat from your plate for free. Really, this only comes in handy when eating at the buffets where you do not have to pay for them to eat. Ages 3-9 are charged childrens prices and 10 & up are adult prices.

Character meals are by far the most popular for toddlers and young children.

Our favorites are:

Chef Mickey’s – Located in the Contemporary Resort, Mickey & Friends (buffet)

Crystal Palace – Located in the Magic Kingdom, Winnie the Pooh & Friends (buffet)

Cinderella’s Royal Table – Located in Cinderella’s Castle Magic Kingdom, Cinderella (not a buffet)

Akershus Royal Banquet Hall – Located in Norway World Showcase Epcot, Assorted Princesses (not a buffet)

The best advice I have for eating at these restaurants is to book early. Currently you can book 180 days from the first night of your reservation. This may seem like a long time out but these character meals book up fast…especially Cinderella’s Royal Table in the castle.

Some of our other favorite, non character places to eat at Disney with a toddler:

Coral Reef – Living Seas at Epcot

Boma – Animal Kingdom Lodge (buffet)

‘Ohana – Polynesian Resort (Breakfast is a character meal)

Whispering Canyon Cafe – Wilderness Lodge (lots of fun!)

The number for Disney Dining Reservations is 1-407-WDW-DINE

In less than a week we will be taking out annual family vacation to Disney World and I couldn’t be more excited. We first took our daughter to Disney when she was around 1 1/2 and had one of the best vacations ever. Since then I have been a Disney planning addict and have tons acquired tons of tips on making a Disney vacation with your toddler even more magical!

This is going to be a multi-part series of post, this one beginning with strollers.

Disney World with Toddlers – Stroller Tips

A stroller is an absolute MUST for any parent with a child 6 and under at Disney World. 6 years seems kind of old for a stroller, but not at Disney World where little feet get tired real fast from walking all day.

You have 2 options at Disney for strollers- Rent one or bring your own.

The current stroller rental prices at Disney World are:

Single or infant (newborn to 9 months) strollers: $15/day or purchase $13/day length of stay rental.

Double strollers: $31/day or purchase $27/day length of stay rental.

Obviously if you are staying a week or more at Disney, these stroller prices can really add up.

The most cost effective route would be to bring your own stroller.

About 2 years ago we purchased the Maclaren Volo especially for our Disney Vacations.

This particular stroller is a single and a lightweight umbrella type, but more sturdy. The best part is that it accommodates a child from 6 month to 55lbs! We have already gotten our moneys worth using this stroller on multiple trips. Retails for around $100.

My biggest tip is to NOT bring a clunky travel system type stroller that is difficult to fold up and maneuver (Graco Type). If you dread taking it out of your own vehicle you definitely will be dreading it at Disney. We learned the hard way our first year. An umbrella type with a shade and some storage is best.

Strollers will need to be completely closed up when riding the Disney World bus system. Keep this is mind as it gets cramped in the bus and you will often be standing. Big strollers just make less room for everyone.

If you have multiple children the Disney Double Strollers are great because they really can fit a ton of stuff, and since double are more expensive to buy retail you might want to weigh the pros and cons of renting vs buying. Of course if you already have a stroller there is no extra cost to you to bring it. Buying 2 umbrella strollers is also an option.

Another upside to brining your own stroller is always having it with you. You cannot take Disney strollers out of the parks, so you will have to carry your little ones to your cars, bus, or on the monorail back to your hotel. You also will not lose any time waiting in line to rent your Disney stroller.

An upside to renting a stroller would be if someone happens to “walk off” with your stroller, you can simply get a new one. If someone “walks off” with your personal stroller you might be out of luck. I think this is a real concern for 1st time visitors as they assume this may happen often. In all the years I have been to Disney I have never seen or heard of someone actually getting their stroller stolen. I see tons of Maclarens, Peg-Perego, and even a few Bugaboos (though those usually carry infants, and are not left unattended) in the stroller parking areas.

Think of a creative way to customize your stroller so it will be easily identifiable to you in the sea of strollers. Use this tip especially if you will be renting. A colorful scarf is one idea.

The Disney rental strollers are hard. If you do end up renting bring a blanket to lay down in the stroller for your child to sleep.

If bringing your own stroller also bring a rain poncho or stroller cover in case of rain. Stroller parking is usually out in the open and with the unpredictable Florida weather you do not want to get anything wet.

Have fun and plan your stroller situation prior to arrival. You can always rent or buy an umbrella stroller in the hotel gift shops if you really need one once you get there.