Visiting Disney World with children is a rite of passage for many families.
It’s like that scene in The Lion King, where Mufasa sits down with Simba and looks into the distance: "Someday, this will all be yours." For parents, it’s turning to their children and saying, "Someday, you will visit Walt Disney World. You will meet Mickey Mouse. And you will wait in line for two hours for the Ratatouille ride." Okay, maybe you don’t actually say that last part, but you know what I mean.
Visiting Walt Disney World with children is magical, but it requires some preparation. Disney World is beautiful, but it can also be chaotic and fast-paced. For families with young children, that might mean some unexpected challenges. That’s why doing your research ahead of time is essential before heading to Florida to shake hands with Mickey.
This guide will help you with things like:
- Picking the Best Hotels for Children at Disney World
- Bring or Rent a Stroller?
- Breastfeeding at Disney World
- Our Tips for Traveling with Children to Disney World
- Character Dining Restaurants
- What to Do at Walt Disney World with Children
Each topic includes different subtopics, covering meet & greets, the best rides for kids, and more.
Are you ready? Let’s go!
Picking the Best Hotels for Children at Disney World
Picking the right hotel for your family can be really hard and often comes down to personal preference and the age range of your children. With that in mind, you’ll need to decide whether you want to stay at a Deluxe Resort, a Moderate Resort, or a Value Resort. The biggest difference between them is price. Value Resorts offer the most affordable rooms, starting at $160 per night, while Deluxe Resorts start at $540.
Every Disney hotel also gives you the perk of entering the theme parks 30 minutes before they officially open. Deluxe Hotels also come with the Extended Evening Hours perk, allowing you to explore the parks for a few extra hours after closing on select nights. For more information about Disney World resorts, be sure to check out our Resort Categories Comparison guide.
Disney World has dozens of hotels, making the decision even tougher. That’s why we’re sharing our top picks for every budget, highlighting the best Deluxe, Moderate, and Value resorts, and why they might be great for your kids. We’ve also included the starting price per night for each of them:
The Best Deluxe Resorts for Children
- Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort ($750): Often considered the best resort at Walt Disney World, the Polynesian features amazing pools, fantastic dining options (including a character breakfast with Mickey & Stitch), and a monorail that gets you to Magic Kingdom in minutes. Being close to Magic Kingdom is especially important if your kids are under 8 years old.
- Disney’s Contemporary Resort ($650): Another great choice for one simple reason: location. You can literally walk to Magic Kingdom and reach the main gates in about 10 minutes. There’s also a monorail that can take you there. Plus, the Contemporary offers a popular character dining experience, Chef Mickey’s, where you can eat with Mickey and friends. Pools aren’t as great as the ones at Polynesian, and the resort also doesn’t look as beautiful, but you are paying less per night.
The Best Moderate Resort for Children
- Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort ($325): This resort offers great pools, and the Skyliner makes getting around with kids much easier. While it might not be the most exciting choice for adults, kids will have a fantastic time here. Plus, you can’t beat the convenience of reaching EPCOT and Hollywood Studios in just 20 minutes.
The Best Value Resort for Children
- Disney’s Art of Animation Resort ($240): Art of Animation offers Skyliner access to EPCOT and Hollywood Studios, and Disney magic is everywhere in this resort. Standard rooms, themed after The Little Mermaid, accommodate up to four guests, while family suites can host up to six. The resort features three swimming pools and a quick-service restaurant. For the price, it’s a great deal.
Bring or Rent a Stroller?
This is one of the biggest questions parents have when visiting Disney World. Every Disney World theme park offers stroller rentals. A single stroller costs $15 per day, while a double stroller costs $31 per day.
Disney’s rental strollers are made of hard plastic and get the job done. They also make your trip more convenient since you won’t have to carry a stroller around.
However, you can also bring your own stroller. It must be no larger than 31” (79 cm) in width and 52” (132 cm) in length, and stroller wagons are not allowed. The benefit of bringing your own stroller is that your kids are already comfortable with it, and you won’t have to pay a rental fee. The downside? You’ll need to carry it everywhere.
Some guests choose to buy an umbrella stroller at Walmart for around $15 after arriving in Florida, then simply leave it behind at the end of their trip. Another option is renting from Kingdom Strollers, which delivers and picks up strollers at your hotel, resort, or even the airport. They have great reviews online!
We also have an in-depth guide called Strollers, Wheelchairs & More Services Offered by Disney if you want to know more about strollers at Disney World.
Breastfeeding at Disney World
If you’re looking for a private and comfortable place to breastfeed at Disney World, head to one of the Baby Care Centers. Not many people know this, but all four Disney theme parks have Baby Care Centers, making them a great option for taking a break and feeding your little one.
These centers are usually located near the park entrance. In Magic Kingdom, for example, the Baby Care Center is on Main Street, next to The Crystal Palace restaurant and the First Aid station. Each Baby Care Center includes private nursing rooms, feeding areas with high chairs, a kitchen with a microwave, and even a small store selling baby essentials like diapers and baby food.
Our Tips for Traveling with Children to Disney World
Bring a Backpack
Do we even need to say this one? Of course, you’ll need a backpack, for yourself, your significant other, and, most importantly, your children. This is where you’ll store their favorite toys, diapers, medicine, an extra T-shirt, and everything else you need to make your day at the park more relaxed. Remember, you’ll likely arrive early in the morning and stay until night, so pack everything your kids might need to stay comfortable.
Bring Food & Snacks from Home
Yes, food and snacks will also go in your backpack. This is a great tip for toddlers, young children, teenagers, and even yourself. Remember, some Disney ride lines can take one or two hours (*cough* Slinky Dog Dash *cough*), and having something like Pringles or Oreos can be a lifesaver. A quick snack can help keep your kids relaxed and tide them over until your next meal.
Check Ride Heights Before your Trip
Many rides at Disney World have a minimum height requirement that guests must meet before they can ride. Roller coasters, for example, typically have higher height requirements than other attractions.
For instance, you must be at least 38″ to ride Seven Dwarfs Mine Train at Magic Kingdom and 44″ to ride Space Mountain. Tron Lightcycle Run has the highest height requirement in Disney World at 48″.
To avoid disappointment, check the height requirements for attractions ahead of time and plan your strategy accordingly. Good news, we have a Disney World Ride Height Requirements & Ride Switch guide that can help you prepare for your next trip!
Make Use of the Ride Switch Service
The guide above also covers Ride Switch, a service that can save you a lot of time on certain rides if you’re visiting Disney World with children. Ride Switch is designed for attractions that adults want to ride but young kids can't. Just speak to a Cast Member at the front of the ride, and they will assist you.
Like we say in our guide, “The Ride Switch Service separates your party into two groups. Group 1 enters the attraction normally, while Group 2 stays outside with the young party member that can’t ride it for whatever reason. Group 1 rides it normally and comes out. Group 1 now takes care of the young guest, while Group 2 enters the attraction through the Lightning Queue, even if they never had a Lightning Lane Multi Pass for it or bought an individual Lightning Queue!”
Watch Disney Movies
I mean, your kids probably thought of this without me even mentioning it, but watching Disney movies before your trip will make the experience so much more fun. They'll become familiar with many of the characters available for meet-and-greets, as well as the rides based on Disney IPs.
Seriously, almost every Disney movie has a corresponding ride or character meet-and-greet, from Snow White and Frozen to Moana, Toy Story, The Lion King, and many more. And of course, Hollywood Studios has an entire area dedicated to Star Wars fans called Galaxy’s Edge. Star Wars is a great family movie to watch if your kids are around 10 years old… just, uh… just show them the original trilogy. Yeaaah, that’s probably a good idea.
Character Dining Restaurants
Have you watched some Disney movies? Awesome! Then you’re (extra) ready to try character dining at Disney World.
Character dining is essentially a restaurant experience that includes meet & greets, so while you’re eating, characters like Mickey, Chip 'n Dale, or Snow White might stop by your table to say hi.
These experiences are extremely popular and quintessentially Disney, so much so that there are dozens of character dining options spread across the theme parks and Disney World resorts.
Most character dining meals have a fixed price, typically costing around $70 for adults and $40 for children. Be sure to make reservations in advance, as these restaurants fill up quickly.
Here are some of our favorite character dining options at Disney World:
- Akershus Royal Banquet Hall: Found in the Norway Pavilion at EPCOT, this restaurant offers a castle-like atmosphere where you can meet classic Disney Princesses such as Belle, Aurora, Ariel, Snow White, and Tiana.
- Cinderella’s Royal Table: Similar to Akershus but located inside Cinderella’s Castle at Magic Kingdom, this dining experience is pure Disney magic. The setting alone is enough to make your kids feel like royalty.
- Tusker House: Situated in Animal Kingdom, this restaurant features Mickey, Donald, and Goofy in safari gear. The food is also surprisingly good, offering a mix of classic dishes and African-inspired cuisine.
- Story Book Dining at Artist Point with Snow White: Located at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, a resort near Magic Kingdom, this experience lets you dine while meeting Snow White, the Evil Queen, and two of the Dwarfs.
- Topolino’s Terrace: this is a breakfast-only dining experience at Disney’s Riviera Resort, and many say it serves the best breakfast at Disney. The characters here wear unique, artsy outfits. Mickey is an artist, Donald is a sculptor, and Minnie is Emily in Pari– uh, I mean, an elegant poet or something.
What to do at Walt Disney World with Children
The Best Rides at Walt Disney World
There are hundreds of rides for children and teenagers at Walt Disney World. However, choosing the best ones for your family can be tricky, as it depends on personal preferences and height requirements.
For an in-depth look at the top rides for kids at Disney World, be sure to check out our specialized guides.
- The Top Kid-Friendly Rides at Magic Kingdom!
- The Top Kid-Friendly Rides at EPCOT!
- The Top Kid-Friendly Rides at Hollywood Studios!
- The Top Kid-Friendly Rides at Animal Kingdom!
Well, just for fun, let’s list what I think are the top three rides at each theme park that don’t have a height requirement.
For Magic Kingdom, I’d say the best rides for children of all ages are Haunted Mansion, Jungle Cruise, and Pirates of the Caribbean. But the truth is, there’s so much to see here, with plenty of rides that don’t have height requirements, like Peter Pan’s Flight, Under the Sea – Journey of the Little Mermaid, and It’s a Small World.
At EPCOT, you should definitely check out Spaceship Earth, Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, and Frozen Ever After. EPCOT also has a lot of fun meet-and-greets with Disney Princesses, so keep an eye out for those too.
For Hollywood Studios, my top three picks would be Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, Beauty and the Beast – Live on Stage, and Fantasmic!
And for Animal Kingdom, my top three rides without a height requirement are Kilimanjaro Safaris, Festival of the Lion King, and the playground known as The Boneyard.
Meet & Greets
You’re going to Disney World, so of course, there will be plenty of opportunities for meet-and-greets. And we’re not just talking about Mickey Mouse and friends! You’ll also find Star Wars and Toy Story characters at Hollywood Studios, Disney Princesses at EPCOT, and plenty of cute and friendly animals at Animal Kingdom.
Most meet-and-greets happen naturally as you explore the parks. You might come across a line of people on the street waiting to take a picture with Mickey or Snow White, for example. However, some character experiences take place in designated spots that function almost like a ride, requiring you to enter a standard queue to meet them.
Always keep an eye on the My Disney Experience app on your phone. It provides up-to-date character meet-and-greet times for the day.
For a complete list of character meet-and-greets, be sure to check out our Meet & Greet Guide to Walt Disney World.
Fun Events for Kids at Disney World
Disney World also has tons of fun events at theme parks, and some of them are great for kids. Let’s list some examples:
EPCOT Passport
You can buy this fun passport at EPCOT for $17, and then it’s time to visit all 11 pavilions! Each pavilion has a Kidcot stand where a cast member will stamp your passport, give you a postcard, and write something cool in their native language. The passport also comes with stickers, and once you’ve collected stamps from all 11 countries, you’ll receive a surprise sticker!
Wilderness Explorers
This free activity takes place at Animal Kingdom! Start by visiting a Wilderness Explorers kiosk to pick up your special booklet. Then, explore the park, complete tasks, and earn stickers for your book. There are more than 40 stickers to collect, and it’s a great way for kids to learn more about nature while having fun!
A Pirate’s Adventure – Treasure of the Seven Seas
This fun, interactive experience takes place in Magic Kingdom, near Pirates of the Caribbean. Start by heading to The Crow’s Nest to pick up a talisman, then use your park ticket or MagicBand to complete a series of five puzzles. It’s like a treasure hunt, and kids have a blast solving the challenges in this underrated attraction!
