My Disney Tale with 2 toddlers. The memories oh the memories and the thousands of steps!

Checking out the people mover at DTW

Spending 7 full days at Disney with a 1 year old and 2 year old I have a few tips to make your trip more magical and also recommend some of the best souvenirs at Disney! We were fortunate enough to stay on onsite. I highly recommend staying at one of the resorts that has access to the skyliner. HUGE time saver with kids. One of our splurges was using a Minnie Van (think Lyft for Disney). Yes it is an additional expense but when going from resort to resort with toddlers this will save you a lot of time and a lot of chasing at bus stops. You can save money at Disney by utilizing the Prime Now app for groceries. Seriously Google it, we got diapers, wipes, and pop regularly so that way we didn’t have to work with packing those items. And pop is over $4 a bottle on site so getting cases of pop was a huge saving.

(Day one, Boys ready to go!)

Plan at least one special event. We did 3 special events, which actually made me nervous. Toddlers are unpredictable being out of their normal routine and I wasn’t sure how things would go. With special events you are locked in and pay prior too, so there is no cancellation unless you are 5 days out. We did the Polynesian Spirit of Aloha. This one was hard because it is a dinner show that does keep their interest but they take breaks and it takes a bit for the show to start. So you do spend some time still entertaining the kids before the show starts.

We also did the Dessert Party at Tomorrowland Terrace. I loved this. Great view and you don’t have to find a spot for fireworks but once again we were pushing that day and had to get them in the stroller by the time fireworks came around in order to keep them from running off. Even dessert couldn’t keep them in one spot (sugar, sugar, sugar!).

The last event we did was a character breakfast. This was my FAVORITE! We went back to the Polynesian and seeing Hudson meet Stitch and Mickey was unbelievably priceless. Food was so so but worth it.

The biggest thing we ran into after the first day was we decided to change how our fastpasses would be for the following days based on how late we figured we would be out. Our boys slept really well during the day in the parks so it was nice for us to walk around and get to see stuff while the napped. But they also would pass out during fireworks (who knew?!). With toddlers you really have to prepare your party to be able to go with the flow and don’t get stuck on certain rides or events. We had to accept that sleep was more important that a certain ride.

What was my most surprising thing about our trip? I took my laptop and pro camera. But didn’t use either! I was so immersed in the experience it was just too much to carry around the camera and put it in and out. Yes I would have loved to take more special photos but disconnects was much needed for this vacation.

The most magical moments was seeing Hudson and Finn meet characters. You can’t trade those moments for anything! Going to Magic Kingdom right down an ally on Main St. is the Silhouette portrait cart. This is the most unique and lowest cost souvenir you can get at Disney, $10!!! Per person and you get two copies. I bought the frames for each child which was only an addition $10. I love these. The boys BOTH sat still for the artist, it was like a personal gift to me on the last day of our vacation.

Best word of advice before going to Disney with toddlers… do your arm workouts at least 6+ months before you go. Seriously! Toddler have a mind of their own, strollers or not.