My dream finally came true, I went to Walt Disney World with my family! We had planned to go when our little man was about 4 months old, but sadly it fell through. After much waiting and planning, we saw an EXCELLENT deal on WDW resorts (Disney Visa Card discount!), so we decided to book a trip! Going into this trip our baby was about to turn 16 months old. We knew that this would be the first of many trips for our family, so we decided to keep everything low-key and just enjoy whatever we had the chance to do. Having that mindset was a LIFESAVER for us! We never got stressed and upset about how things were going, we just rolled with whatever our kiddo was up to. Read on for all the details of our Walt Disney World Trip With a 16-Month Old Toddler!
Planning Our Trip
Rides
Things have changed A LOT since I was last at Walt Disney World in early 2020. There were no more fast pass advanced reservations, only paid Genie + and paid Lightning Lanes. I strongly debated with myself if we should purchase the Genie + for each park or not. I was considering this until we stepped foot on Disney property at our hotel. Ultimately, I decided to not purchase anything (except for the Guardians paid Lightning Lane, which was the 100% right move).
I am so glad I DID NOT purchase the Genie + service for our family because it wouldn’t have made any sense. We did early morning entry (30 minutes early entry to each park since we stayed at a Disney-owned property) and it was PERFECT! There were no lines for any of the rides we went on, and the parks were very empty at that time! This was perfect, especially since we didn’t plan to stay in the parks for more than a few hours in the morning.
Dining Reservations
As for dining reservations, we chose not to book any sit-down reservations. We decided to mainly eat at our resort, quick service, or the Epcot food and wine festival. We also ordered Instacart for Publix groceries and easily had a good amount of food delivered to our rooms. Getting groceries delivered is fantastic, especially if you have a picky eater that needs some specific food to be happy. We had PB&J fixings, fruit, milk, and all sorts of snacks for us and our kiddo to be happy!
Getting to Disney!
Flight to the Magic
The drive from Tennessee is a bit long for our toddler, so we chose to fly to Orlando. This was our first time flying with our babe, and it went… okay! He didn’t scream or throw a huge fit on both flights, so I will count that as a win! Southwest provided 2 free checked bags per ticket (which was amazing with all the stuff you haul with a toddler), and we got to board after the A group. For a short flight, it was all we really needed.
Sunshine Flyer
Once we landed in Orlando we had reservations with the Sunshine Flyer (we had booked a few weeks before our trip). This is another huge change since I last visited the parks, there is no longer a “magical express” to take you to your hotel when staying on property. We chose the Flyer since it was cheap and seemed similar to the old Express service. It was perfect for our needs. The staff was friendly, the ride was quick, and they even called and waited for us when we were late getting to the bus on our checkout day! Now THAT’S amazing service!
Where We Stayed
Ever since our kiddo was about 10 months old I’ve decided we need a separate room for him to sleep in during vacations. It makes it easier for my husband and I to sleep at night and move about during his naps. With that in mind, I booked a Cars-themed suite at Art of Animation Resort on Disney property. The AOA (Art of Animation) suites are some of the least expensive Disney-owned suites on property. With the Disney Visa discount, I got a fantastic deal on the room, which made the trip much more affordable.
The suites have a mini-fridge, two bathrooms, one bedroom, a separate living room with a pull-out sofa (which is where my husband and I slept), and a dining table area with a murphy bed! I felt we had plenty of room for our family of three. They say that the suites can sleep up to 6 guests. I’d say that might be a little cozy, but if you are okay with it they could be good for larger families.
Our room was in the farthest Cars building from the lobby, which didn’t seem like too bad of a walk. I’ve stayed at the Little Mermaid rooms at AOA and that is certainly a MUCH longer walk! There are also parking lots behind the Cars buildings, so if you have a car it would be a very easy walk.
The Skyliner- Our Toddlers’ Favorite Thing!
The Skyliner was also a HUGE selling point for us. The new(ish) mode of transportation between several resorts, Epcot, and Hollywood studios has a stop between Art of Animation and Pop Century Resort. We rode the Skyliner every day and absolutely LOVED it! It was our kiddos’ favorite part of our vacation! We definitely recommend the Skyliner! Though be warned it can shut down during “inclement weather”, which includes lightning within a certain distance from Disney. This means that inclement weather shutdowns can happen while the sky is blue at the parks. We ended up stranded a few times trying to go back to our resort when the Skyliner was down. Luckily there are options (the buses or a Minnie Van) to get you back to your resort.
Walt Disney World Park Days
We decided early on that this trip was going to be low-key, with low expectations, and go with the flow. Our only hard rule was we wanted to get out of the resort and to the parks during early morning entry. For us, it just made sense since our little guy always wakes up early in the morning, so we are usually up earlier than most people anyways. We ended up getting to the parks within early entry each day (it was a bit touch and go for Magic Kingdom, but we made it there about 10 minutes early!).
Note: I highly recommend checking the Disney World app for updated hours and times for the days you are there! It changed on us as we got closer to our trip. I might have totally missed it if I hadn’t double-checked when the park was slated to open the week before we left.
Early Mornings With Our Kid
Early morning entry was CLUTCH! We were able to get in and ride a few rides with no (or very short) lines, plus get great pictures! Also, we were there at the end of August so early mornings meant being slightly less HOT in that Orlando sun. We went to each park (Don’t forget your park reservation!) and left by about 10 or 1030 am to get back to the resort for our kiddos’ nap. Not being in the parks for very long helped everyone stay rested and happy!
Post Nap With Our Toddler
After the nap, we would have some lunch at the resort and head back out to Epcot (and the Riviera resort one day) for a little afternoon snack. The afternoons were more about shopping and snacking, and less about rides and attractions. Even with this limited park time, I was still able to ride some big-ticket attractions like Ratatouille, Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway, and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind! Thankfully my husband watched our kid while I went on these rides. I am so thankful for him! 
Tip – Get Memory Maker
Memory maker! I will always suggest that families get Memory Maker, I LOVE this service! For someone who wants photos and sometimes just forgets to take them, I feel like this is a MUST! When you see a Photopass cast member you simply go up to them, scan your magic band or card, and take a photo. Even though our babe didn’t seem particularly happy in most of the shots, I will always cherish these memories! I am so happy we got it!
Baby Care Centers
Before we left for our vacation I looked up where each baby care center was in the parks so I would know where to go if needed. This was a perfect escape for a little AC when we all needed it, or to just let him run around in a more controlled environment. On our first day in Hollywood Studios, little man was feeling a bit overwhelmed, so we stopped by the Baby Care Center at the front of the park. We were able to cool down, give him a snack, and let him run around. Definitely check these out if you are in the parks with a baby or toddler!
Surprises On Our Trip With Our Toddler
There were a few things that surprised me on our trip. One was character interactions! Since the parks re-opened during COVID the meet and greets have been more limited. Instead, they have characters all around the parks to randomly wave and interact with guests. We had several random interactions between characters and our son that were so charming! Our little guy LOVED the non-face characters (think Winnie the Pooh). He seemed to think that the Princesses (face characters) were just fancy people and didn’t get the hype. Princess Aurora walked by and I got excited and pointed to her and she flirted with our son, and… he was not impressed. I thought it was adorable though! He did get excited for Pooh bear chasing butterflies, Daisy Duck and Minnie Mouse walking by, and Pluto at Magic Kingdom! I did not expect him to enjoy seeing these “friends” so much, and it completely melted my heart!
Another thing that surprised me was his reaction to rides. Though he loved the Skyliner and mostly enjoyed People Movers, he wasn’t into any of the other rides we went on. I’m hoping that it was all so new and he will enjoy them more each time we go to the parks! He wasn’t scared of them, he just shook his head “no” at a few of the points in the rides that he wasn’t enjoying. He really enjoyed The Seas With Nemo and Friends Aquarium area. We didn’t ride the Nemo ride, but we did spend some time in the AC watching the dolphins and fish! He loved it!
Is It Worth Going to Walt Disney World With a Toddler
Some people might say going to Disney while your kid is too little to remember is a waste of money. For some people that might be right! BUT if you LOVE Disney and can keep in mind that your trip will just be a bit different than it used to be, you can have a magical time! Obviously, every child is different, so your experience will absolutely vary depending on your kiddo!
For me, just being in the parks and on property surrounded by the “Disney Bubble” made me happy. After not being able to go to the parks for a few years I was excited, and a little scared, to go back, kid in tow. Luckily we had such a great time, our kiddo did fantastically, and we truly felt like we were “on vacation”. Experiencing Disney with our toddler was so different, but so special! For us, it was 100% worth the cost and we cannot wait to go back! 
Want to read about how we enjoyed some Disney-inspired magic at home? Read all about our Epcot Eat Around the World Staycation HERE!
Don’t forget to check out our review of Disney’s Art of Animation Resort HERE!
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