How to Prepare for Disney with Toddlers
Preparing for Disney is super exciting for both adults and kids! We’re spending December in Orlando this year, and we are ready to see Disney attractions for Christmas. Our daughter has been telling everyone she meets about “Christmas Disney” since June, and we’re thrilled for the holidays to finally arrive.
While we’ll be staying off-site in Orlando for most of the month, we couldn’t pass up four nights at the Campsites at Fort Wilderness. Staying on-resort adds convenience and a taste of the Disney magic right at our doorstep. Here’s how we’re preparing, and hopefully, these tips will help make your Disney trip unforgettable too!
Stay Onsite
Staying onsite at Disney makes getting to the parks much easier and avoids parking hassles - no need to reconfigure the RV or drive the big diesel truck short distances. Plus, it’s convenient for hopping on Disney transportation, like ferries and trams, which makes mornings and evenings smoother. Another perk is that you are allowed early park access, which means fewer crowds and increased flexibility. We’ve heard fantastic things about the Campsites at Fort Wilderness, especially at Christmas, and we are excited to soak in the holiday spirit there!
Purchase Tickets in Advance
We opted to get two-day park hopper tickets for our 4 night stay. This gives us a taste of Disney while allowing downtime to relax at Fort Wilderness and partake in any activities there. Booking park-hopper tickets with your overnight reservation offers discounts and the freedom to move between parks. We’ll also use the Disney My Experience App for convenient, paper-free ticket access, and we are excited about the photo package - I’ll be in some pictures too!
Buy Airtags for Peace of Mind
When traveling with toddlers, Airtags offer a layer of security in busy areas. Attach them to strollers, bags, and even your kids! With keyrings, watch bands and safety pins, the toddlers enjoy wearing them. These compact, multi-use trackers are perfect for RV life, too - handy around campgrounds if kids wander. (Fun fact: Airtags connect to any nearby iPhone to provide location updates - the technology is pretty neat!)
Choose an Easily Maneuverable Stroller
With limited RV space, our stroller setup had to be practical and multi-use. We ultimately chose a Burley D-Lite Double Trailer that with the right attachments, can be used as a stroller, attach to our e-bikes, and can be ran or skied with! While its a bit larger than a standard double stroller, it folds easily and fits in our rear compartment. It falls within the Disney stroller size requirements, i’s versatile for parks and trams, offers sun-protection, provides a lot of storage, and is a cozy spot for toddlers to rest between attractions - we are excited to try it at Disney!
Pack Matching Shirts
Matching shirts seems very Disney and creates adorable family photos. We bought holiday-themed Disney shirts in advance, saving money and adding to the fun!
Prep Toys/Surprises
Disney has endless toys and we know our toddlers will ask for something at every turn! To manage this, we pre-bought a few small items to surprise them with throughout the trip from Amazon (except for those bubble wands we found in the Amazon packages they had access to 🤪). These items are RV-friendly, fun, and perfect for keeping the kids entertained without filling our space with expensive souvenirs. If they ask for a toy, we’ll have a backup ready to surprise them with later.
Here are a few fun items we’ll be bringing:
Disney Stuffies
Plan your Meals Strategically
Whether you choose the Disney Dining Plan or not, having a meal strategy is essential—especially when you’re managing toddlers.
For our trip, we opted not to use the Disney Dining Plan to maintain maximum flexibility. While the plan can save money for some, we wanted the freedom to choose meals that work best for our family in the moment. For example, if we feel like enjoying two table-service meals in a day (like character dining experiences), we don’t want to be limited by the plan’s constraints.
To save money and keep our kids happy, we’ll also bring plenty of our own snacks. This ensures we’re ready for any “hanger” emergencies without having to rely solely on park options. Some families might prefer to bring entire meals to save even more, which is another great choice. Either way, the key is having a plan to avoid meltdowns and make mealtimes seamless.
We’ve also made reservations for most of our meals in advance. You can do this 60 days in advance and we highly recommend you do it early - we did it about 35 days out and were very surprised at how many things were already booked. Disney dining locations generally allow cancellations up to two hours beforehand, which gives us the flexibility to adjust plans if needed. For us, Disney dining is part of the experience, and having reservations ensures we won’t be scrambling for options or trying to order food on the app while chasing kids. By planning ahead but staying flexible, we can sit down, relax, and fully savor the magical moments with our family.
We are planning to do a cost comparison after our trip to see if we would have fared better taking advantage of the Disney Dining Package, so stay tuned!
Start a Countdown
Paper chain countdowns are a favorite in our family! They’re a fun craft project, and they let us talk daily about what’s coming. As we tear off a chain link, we chat about what Disney will look like, how to stay near Mom and Dad, and take deep breaths if we feel overwhelmed. We talk about how sugary snacks and treats will be everywhere, but we’ll choose one special snack per day (our daughter is very sensitive to sugar so we do closely manage this). This daily ritual helps prepare the kids mentally so they know what to expect and can get excited and enjoy the moments without feeling too overstimulated.
Create Vision Boards
We’ve also been working on vision boards for each day of our Disney trip. This lets the toddlers see a preview of what’s coming, helping them focus and look forward to specific things instead of feeling distracted by the overload of options once we’re there. I just screenshot photos and put them in a Google Doc that the kids can scroll through. I’m excited to see how this helps with the experience and will report back!
Lower Expectations and Mentally Prepare for Park Days
In an RV, we’ve learned to manage expectations, and Disney is no different. Be present, go with the flow, and enjoy each moment without feeling rushed or disappointed if things don’t go as planned. Soak in the decorations, the lights, and the kids' reactions to characters. Don’t stress about catching every ride—Disney magic is everywhere! Lightning passes, virtual queues and the rider-switch program can help with specific attractions, but some of the best memories will come from just being together and letting the magic unfold naturally.
Whether you live in an RV or not, we hope these Disney tips help make your trip both magical and manageable! And don’t let anyone tell you your kids are too young for Disney. Sure, they may not remember every detail, but YOU will - and seeing their faces light up with wonder if something you’ll never forget. These moments aren’t just about the kids; they’re about the memories you’ll cherish as a family. So embrace, the magic, take lots of photos, and enjoy every second of the adventure!
Do you have any tips for us?! Drop them below!
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