Latest / Mom Street USA / 114. Disney World FAQ's for Parents
Transcript
- 0:05Welcome everybody to Mom St. USA.
- 0:07My name is Jackie AKA wishes Mama and on today's episode of
- 0:10Mom St. USA, we are going to be tackling
- 0:13some of the most asked FAQs or frequently asked questions for
- 0:19Disney World. So some of this information is
- 0:22review of things that we've already, you know, dug a little
- 0:25deeper or talked about on our other Mob St. episodes.
- 0:28But I wanted to kind of give A1 stop shop for somebody who may
- 0:33be just starting to plan their Disney trip.
- 0:37And what are some answers from my perspective for these
- 0:41questions that maybe would be helpful for somebody in that
- 0:43situation? You know, we're here at the
- 0:45beginning of the year in 2026. So just wanted to kind of give
- 0:50that basis for anybody that might be just starting.
- 0:52So that is the goal for today. Again, like I mentioned some of
- 0:56these for those of you who have been around Mom St.
- 0:59USA for a while, a lot of this is stuff we've talked about in
- 1:02various different episodes. But again, this is just a one
- 1:05stop shop for people that need it all in one place to help them
- 1:09kind of knockout some of those first questions that come to
- 1:14mind when they start to plan their trip to Disney.
- 1:16So we are focusing today on just Disney World.
- 1:20So if you're someone who is doing Disneyland, maybe we'll do
- 1:23a Disneyland one of these BB next episode.
- 1:27What do you guys think? Let me know.
- 1:29But this is going to be focusing just on Disney World for today.
- 1:33So that is the plan. We're going to be going over the
- 1:36top 15 frequently asked questions that are I guess my
- 1:41top 15 that I feel like I get asked or I see get asked most
- 1:45often. So starting with, we're going to
- 1:49do 3 different categories. So we're going to talk about
- 1:51planning and first time questions just for those kind of
- 1:53generic overview. We're going to talk about
- 1:56Lightning Lanes and some lines. And then we're going to talk
- 1:59about just logistics with kids and strollers and things like
- 2:02that. So kind of three different
- 2:03sections, 15 total FAQs that we're going to cover in today's
- 2:07episode. So starting off in our planning
- 2:12and first time questions category, we're going to jump
- 2:14right into what I think is probably one of the top, if not
- 2:19the number one most asked question about Disney World is
- 2:24what is the best age to take kids to Disney World.
- 2:27So here's the thing. And you'll hear so many
- 2:31different opinions and answers to this question.
- 2:35In my opinion, there is no bad age to take kids to Disney.
- 2:42I have had so much fun with infants at Disney.
- 2:46They couldn't even walk yet I have had equally just as much
- 2:50fun with elementary age kids. You know, it really just depends
- 2:55on the kid and it depends on their interest level when it
- 2:59comes to the things in the parks.
- 3:01A couple things just to keep in mind.
- 3:04If they are under 3, they're free.
- 3:07So I was always someone that tried to take my kids at least
- 3:12once before they turned 3 because that was a little bit of
- 3:17a a good way to save money and to give them some extra
- 3:21experiences that they could have with that money we saved.
- 3:25So saving money on their ticket allowed us to maybe book a
- 3:29character breakfast, things like that when they were free to get
- 3:33into the parks. So that is something to keep in
- 3:36mind. But other than that, there's
- 3:38really no wrong age. There are attractions for all
- 3:43ages at the parks, right? That is part of the reason why
- 3:46the Disney parks were created. So there are attractions for,
- 3:50you know, nine month olds. There are attractions that are
- 3:52great for three-year olds. There are attractions that are
- 3:55amazing for 9/10/11 year olds. So really, there's no bad age
- 4:01and there's really no one answer to the best age.
- 4:04My favorite age I think to take my kiddos was around that 5-6
- 4:09year old age just because they were so in the magic, if that
- 4:15makes sense. They were in every character
- 4:18they wanted to wave to. They loved every show, they
- 4:21loved every ride, they loved all of the the fireworks and the
- 4:25parades and all of that. So that age was a really, really
- 4:29fun age for me personally. But I'm also kind of looking
- 4:33forward to some of our upcoming trips as my kids get a little
- 4:36bit older. They are 9 and seven right now
- 4:39and as they get older, it's so much more fun because they've
- 4:43been several times. They get to be a part of the
- 4:45planning with us, so they get to help choose what rides we do.
- 4:49They get to have their opinions on, you know, where they want to
- 4:53go or what character breakfast they might want to do or you
- 4:57know those types of things. On our last trip that we took in
- 5:01May, we did a big family trip with my extended family, but the
- 5:04last day was like just our family.
- 5:08And we gave the kids free, free reign of the day.
- 5:11And we said, OK, what rides do you want to do now my oldest, he
- 5:16had like a really clear picture of I want to do this right at
- 5:20this park and this right at this park.
- 5:21And you know, he wanted to do expedition Everest and Dinosaur.
- 5:25He wanted to do Cosmic rewind. He wanted to do Tron.
- 5:29He, you know, all of those, those big rides, But then he
- 5:31also had a couple other rides, you know, here and there that he
- 5:34wanted to do. Now my younger one who's 7, she
- 5:38has a harder time remembering what is where.
- 5:40My oldest, if you've been listening to Mom St. you know,
- 5:42he is a very much a map kid. He wants to look at the map.
- 5:46He wants to know. And he does know, like what
- 5:48rides are at what parks. He can, you know, hear the name
- 5:53of a ride and know what park people are at.
- 5:54So like, that is his jam. So he knew very easily where
- 5:58things were. My youngest had a little bit
- 5:59more of a hard time kind of deciding.
- 6:03And so it was fun to kind of guide her through that and say,
- 6:06oh, remember, you really love this ride.
- 6:07Is that something that you want to do today?
- 6:10And then she could pick, you know, yes or no.
- 6:11And she ultimately chose some things like The Little Mermaid
- 6:14show at Hollywood Studios. The carousel girl has been a
- 6:19carousel lover for as long as I can remember.
- 6:22Her very first trip, she made us rope drop the carousel on our
- 6:26second day in Magic Kingdom. So like the carousel was a big
- 6:29thing for her. So she has some different,
- 6:32different rides that she likes, but that is so fun and was so
- 6:35fun. So I'm really looking forward to
- 6:39those older ages too, when they have a little bit more autonomy
- 6:42over the plans that we make. So really there is so much for
- 6:46any age. It just all is about the
- 6:49approach to your trip and what your group is interested in as
- 6:53far as rides, experiences, those types of things.
- 6:56So that's my best way to answer that question.
- 6:59It's not a real concrete answer, but I feel like some of these,
- 7:02that's just the way that it it happens, right.
- 7:04So the second question that we have is, is Disney World worth
- 7:07it with toddlers and babies? So I just sort of touched on
- 7:10this in the last question, but absolutely 100% there are so
- 7:15many things that your little littles can do at the parks.
- 7:19There are characters, there are shows and experiences and live
- 7:23entertainment that they can enjoy and they can go on a ton
- 7:26of rides. So you've got to think anything
- 7:28that does not have a height requirement is is suitable for
- 7:33infants and toddlers to go on. So tons of stuff at Magic
- 7:37Kingdom. That's going to be where you get
- 7:38your biggest bang for your buck when it comes to park tickets
- 7:41with that age group. Epcot has a lot of really great
- 7:44dark rides and experiences there as well.
- 7:47Animal Kingdom If your kiddo likes zoos and likes looking at
- 7:51animals, Animal Kingdom is a great place for you to take
- 7:55them. Hollywood Studios probably has
- 7:57the least for that age group just because they have the least
- 8:01number of no height requirement attractions, but they have the
- 8:05most shows and a ton of character.
- 8:07So it really just depends on what it is that you're looking
- 8:10for and what you think that your kiddo at that age is going to
- 8:14like. But it is definitely worth it,
- 8:17especially if they're under 3 because they are free to take in
- 8:21and they just tag along with you and go where you go.
- 8:23So definitely worth it at that age.
- 8:26The next question that I have is how many days do families need
- 8:30at Disney World? And this is again, one of those
- 8:34questions that I feel like I am asked constantly online on our,
- 8:39you know, content and social media.
- 8:41And here's what I suggest to families.
- 8:45If it is your first trip but you anticipate coming back or your
- 8:50second or third trip maybe and you anticipate coming back at
- 8:54Disney World, I would say 4 park days is is a solid trip.
- 8:58You'll get to do the majority of what you want to do and still
- 9:02have a little bit of of leeway and rest.
- 9:06Now if you can do 4 park hopper days, that's even better, but it
- 9:09may not be within your budget and that's totally fine.
- 9:12If you can just do those base tickets and do 1 park per day,
- 9:16you will get through mostly everything.
- 9:19Now if this is a trip for you that is like a once in a
- 9:24lifetime trip. You don't know that you'll be
- 9:27back for 10 years. Let's say maybe then I would up
- 9:32that to maybe 6 days in the parks just because Magic Kingdom
- 9:38really could use two days and Hollywood Studios or even maybe
- 9:44Epcot could really use two days depending on your group and the
- 9:47age, right? If you have some like more
- 9:50adults or older teens than Epcot and the Hollywood Studios could
- 9:54definitely use a second day. So I would I would up that
- 9:57number to 5 or 6 if this is like the one time we're going for the
- 10:03next decade. So anywhere from four days to
- 10:07six days. You're in a really good place
- 10:10when it comes to how many days you think you need at Disney
- 10:12World. The next question that I have is
- 10:15when is the best time of year to visit Disney World with kids?
- 10:20So it really depends on a lot of things.
- 10:23One crowd level, right? That's ultimately what this
- 10:27question is getting at, but also whether can be a factor in that
- 10:32as well. The winter months, especially
- 10:35like December into January, February in Florida can actually
- 10:38be fairly chilly. So if you have a group that does
- 10:42not do well in the cold or you've got kiddos that don't do
- 10:44well in the cold, then maybe don't consider that time of
- 10:46year. I understand that, you know,
- 10:49once they get to be school age, that school breaks are a thing
- 10:51you have to work around. And unfortunately a lot of the
- 10:55spring break and if you are someone has like a fall break in
- 10:59October, those weeks are very, very, very busy.
- 11:03So it can get a little tricky there with that.
- 11:08If you have flexibility and you are somebody that you can kind
- 11:14of go whenever your kids maybe have more flexibility with their
- 11:17schooling or they're not quite school date yet, I would highly
- 11:22suggest September. Like mid-september is a really
- 11:27nice time to go after Labor Day, but before all of the craziness
- 11:32of Halloween really kicks up down in Orlando.
- 11:35So like the middle to the end of September is a really nice time
- 11:39to go. And then I would say like the
- 11:43second week of April into the first part of May is also a
- 11:48really nice time to go. Both of those times you're going
- 11:50to have some milder weather and you should have, on average,
- 11:55lower crowds during that time. Now, that can always change
- 11:59because there are some things scattered in there you have to
- 12:02look out for. There are, you know, run Disney
- 12:04events. There are cheerleading
- 12:06competitions at the ESPN Wild Lord of Sports.
- 12:08There are dance competitions at ESPN.
- 12:10So there are other things sprinkled in there that you have
- 12:13to be aware of and just kind of do some additional Googling or
- 12:17ask your travel agent like, hey, are there any events in this
- 12:20time span that I should be looking at to make sure that I
- 12:23know what our plans should be and can kind of plan
- 12:26accordingly. But generally speaking, those
- 12:29would be my 2 suggestions on when to go and when.
- 12:34When is the best time of year to take kids to Disney?
- 12:38And the last question in this little first part that we have
- 12:41is can Disney World be overwhelming for kids?
- 12:46And I really love this question because I think it's so
- 12:50important to think about. And I think it's something that
- 12:54we as parents, and this is, you know, the generic, we definitely
- 12:58not everybody, but we as parents can sometimes forget that
- 13:02something like a Disney park can be extremely overwhelming for
- 13:08our kids, especially if they haven't experienced something
- 13:11like that. You know, if your kids are not
- 13:13used to going to busy zoos or the the County Fair with rides
- 13:18or other theme parks across the country, going somewhere like
- 13:21Disney is going to be total sensory shock for them, right?
- 13:26So just, it can be overwhelming, but there are definitely things
- 13:30that you can do to help, right? First of all, you just need to
- 13:33be aware of your kiddo and what their tendencies are like.
- 13:36My kiddos both have a tendency to shy away from loud noises.
- 13:41So that's something we've that my husband and I have always
- 13:43been aware of when we visited the parks because we, we just
- 13:47know that about them. So we always make sure to bring
- 13:49headphones or know that they're a little bit older.
- 13:51They have just like little earplugs that we bring with them
- 13:54and they just know that they can ask me for them.
- 13:57They typically have their own bags now, but I still carry
- 14:00their their little tiny earplugs just because they are very easy
- 14:05to drop and lose. We almost lost my daughters in
- 14:07the dark walking around World Showcase on our last trip.
- 14:12But that is just something that we know about them, right?
- 14:15The other thing that you can do is do some research on where
- 14:17there are quiet spaces in the parks.
- 14:19And we've actually talked about this.
- 14:21Kate and I did an episode on it quite a ways back.
- 14:24We did an episode on visiting the parks with with different
- 14:29kind of disabilities and things like that.
- 14:31So looking things up like that. And Disney actually has an
- 14:34entire guide on their website. If you search, you know, sensory
- 14:41type of things on their website or you know, disability access
- 14:45on their website, you can find it.
- 14:47If you have a hard time finding it, please let me know, reach
- 14:49out, I can send you that link. But they actually have a whole
- 14:52list of places that they recommend as being more quiet
- 14:56spaces in their park. So as long as you are aware and
- 15:02you know, tuned into what your kiddo may need, then you'll be
- 15:06perfectly fine when it comes to that.
- 15:08And just be aware that more breaks may be needed.
- 15:12Some extra, you know, water breaks or some extra time in a
- 15:15sit down restaurant are always a good idea if you have kiddos
- 15:18that get easily overwhelmed. OK, so the next section that
- 15:22we're going to talk here about is some lightning Lane
- 15:26questions. Because I do feel like lightning
- 15:28Lanes are such a big part of the Disney World culture and there
- 15:32are so many questions, so many questions about lightning lanes.
- 15:36So that is going to be our next little section of FAQs here.
- 15:40So our first question in the Lightning Lane section of this
- 15:44FAQ is just the generic how do lightning lanes work at Disney
- 15:49World? So let's do just a brief
- 15:52overview of lightning lanes at Disney World.
- 15:54Now these next several questions are all about lightning lanes.
- 15:58Please keep in mind that if you need more information about the
- 16:01Multipass system, which is the lightning lane system at Disney
- 16:05World, just a few months ago I did a whole refresher and walked
- 16:10through exactly how to book all of your lightning lanes and
- 16:13where to go and my tips and tricks for it and all of that.
- 16:17Lightning lanes are my thing when it comes to Disney
- 16:22knowledge like that is that is my thing.
- 16:24So if you need help with that, please go to that episode or
- 16:28please reach out to me mom St. usa@gmail.com and I am more than
- 16:32happy to help guide you through whatever you need for your
- 16:36lightning lanes. So all of that being said, let's
- 16:39talk about how lightning lanes work at Disney World.
- 16:41So lightning lanes are the time periods that you can book for
- 16:48return times for the rides at Disney.
- 16:51So the entire system is called the multi pass system or the
- 16:55single pass system at Disney World.
- 16:57Two different types of lightning lanes that you can get, but
- 17:00essentially they, they are a reserved time that you are able
- 17:04to then return to an attraction to ride with a shortened wait.
- 17:08In theory, the wait is supposed to be 15 minutes or less in the
- 17:12Lightning Lane line. Now, sometimes it varies, right?
- 17:15Sometimes, most of the time it's a walk on.
- 17:17Occasionally it'll get backed up and you'll have maybe a little
- 17:20bit longer of a line, but generally speaking about 15
- 17:23minutes or less. So you do this all on your app,
- 17:27which is the My Disney Experience app.
- 17:30You will log in there with your same login that you used in same
- 17:33e-mail that you used when you made your reservation and you
- 17:36should be able to see your information kind of populate in
- 17:39there. Once you log in O on your A, you
- 17:43will go to do a pre selection when you become eligible.
- 17:48The eligibility window depends on if you are staying on
- 17:51property or not. So if you are staying in a
- 17:53Disney resort, you can book your lightning lanes seven days prior
- 17:58to your check in day for your Disney resort.
- 18:01If you are staying off property at a Disney Springs resort or an
- 18:06Airbnb or somewhere nearby, you can pre book three days before
- 18:10your first park day. Now that is going to be the
- 18:14first day that your park ticket becomes eligible and that date
- 18:18will be printed on your park ticket if you are off property.
- 18:21So whenever you become eligible to book, you will be able to log
- 18:24in, you'll be able to select your day, you'll be able to
- 18:27select your party that you're booking for the people that you
- 18:31want to do that for. You'll be able to select your
- 18:34park, and then from there, you'll be able to select
- 18:36different rides. Now I'm not going to get into
- 18:39all of that again. Go to that Lightning Lane
- 18:42episode that I did a little while back to give you more
- 18:44details on that. But essentially you'll be able
- 18:46to book 3 Lightning Lanes ahead of time on your multi pass.
- 18:50The single passes are like little extra add on rides.
- 18:55There are five of them across Disney World property.
- 18:57They are 7 dwarfs, Mine train, Tron, light cycle run, Cosmic
- 19:01Rewind or Guardians, Guardians of the Galaxy, Cosmic Rewind,
- 19:06Rise of the Resistance, and Flight of Passage.
- 19:10Those five are an extra cost so you can also book those at that
- 19:14same time, but they're just a little bit extra.
- 19:17The multi pass system ranges anywhere from about $18.00 a day
- 19:23to about $40 a day depending on the park and depending on the
- 19:26crowd level for the day. So all of that gets done ahead
- 19:30of time and then day of as soon as you redeem one of your
- 19:36lightning lane times, when you tap into their little Mickey
- 19:39head tap styles that they have, then you'll be able to book
- 19:42another one. So you can always hold 3 multi
- 19:44pass rides at a time. And then your single pass rides
- 19:48are one and done. Once you use them, then you're
- 19:51you're done at that point. So that's kind of the overall of
- 19:57Lightning Lanes at Disney World. Again, I went into much more in
- 20:01depth previously on another episode, but that is kind of the
- 20:06basic rundown of how Lightning Lanes work at Disney World.
- 20:10The next question in our little Lightning Lane section of our
- 20:13FAQs is, is Lightning Lane worth it for families at Disney World?
- 20:18This is again a question that I hit in that episode, but this is
- 20:22kind of a. Complicated blanket answer
- 20:26question, right? There's not just one answer to
- 20:29fit all experiences and all situations.
- 20:32Generally speaking. Let's talk about the four parks.
- 20:35Animal Kingdom. Do I think you need multi pass?
- 20:39Not right now. There is so much construction in
- 20:42that park and there are very few rides in that park right now
- 20:46that you really truly don't get a ton for your money at that
- 20:50park. That being said, I would still
- 20:52consider Flight of Passage as the single pass as a good buy in
- 20:56if you're not going to use multi pass at that ride or at that
- 20:59park, sorry Epcot. I do suggest using it at Epcot
- 21:06if you want Remy, Frozen and Test Track.
- 21:11If all three of those are on your list and you definitely
- 21:13want to get multi pass for that. For that park, Hollywood
- 21:17Studios, you definitely need it. You cannot get on all of the big
- 21:21thrill rides at Hollywood Studios without having it and
- 21:24Magic Kingdom. You need it just for the sheer
- 21:27number of attractions. Now all of that being said, look
- 21:34at your list of rides at those parks.
- 21:37So you're going to want to take a look at all of the attractions
- 21:39in the parks. Figure out which ones you guys
- 21:41want to do and which ones maybe you're going to skip.
- 21:44And that will also help guide you if you are not a big thrill
- 21:47person, If you don't like roller coasters or thrill rides and you
- 21:51just want to do some of the dark rides or the slower moving
- 21:54rides, you may not need it. So it really just depends on
- 21:59your party and what attractions you want to do and also your
- 22:02budget. So on my last trip, we had park
- 22:05hoppers and we were there for several days in the parks and
- 22:08all we opted to do was one day at Magic Kingdom for Lightning
- 22:13Lanes and one day at Hollywood Studios for Lightning Lanes.
- 22:16So those were the 2 parks that we felt like we needed it at the
- 22:19most. Now that was also though before
- 22:21Test Track opened again at Epcot, so that may have changed
- 22:25things for us in that in that instance.
- 22:28So I do think it's worth it if it's within your budget.
- 22:32If it's going to break the budget, there are definitely
- 22:34ways that you can get around it. You may just have to understand
- 22:39that your list of attractions you're going to be able to get
- 22:41on is probably going to be smaller at that point.
- 22:44So it just depends on what you're looking for and what
- 22:47you're hoping to get out of the trip as far as the number of
- 22:50attractions and the type of attractions you're you're going
- 22:52to do. The next question is, do
- 22:55Lightning Lanes sell out at Disney World?
- 22:58Multi Pass, which is the one that gives you the majority of
- 23:01the rides, sells out on very high capacity days.
- 23:05So holiday weeks like we just got done with, you know,
- 23:09Christmas and New Year's weeks, Multi Pass will sell out at the
- 23:12different parks on those days. Other days, not as frequently,
- 23:17but if you've got a really, really busy holiday weekend, it
- 23:21could. Disney seems to have adjusted
- 23:25the number of multi pass that they will sell for the day more
- 23:30as we have gone into the system now that we're several years
- 23:33into this most recent system that they're using.
- 23:38So I feel like we don't see them sell out as often anymore, but
- 23:41it definitely is still a possibility.
- 23:43So if you're considering it, you really need to make sure you
- 23:46have that decision made before you're eligible pre booked date
- 23:50to make sure that you don't miss out.
- 23:52Now, single passes absolutely sell out regularly.
- 23:56So things like those five that I listed earlier, 7 Dwarfs, Tron,
- 24:00Cosmic Rewind, Rise of the Resistance, Flight of Passage,
- 24:03those will sell out frequently. Any given day that you look at
- 24:08those particular rides, I would say two or three of the five are
- 24:13likely sold out or will be sold out shortly after park open.
- 24:17So those are definitely ones that you want to pay attention
- 24:20to because those ones will sell out a lot more frequently than
- 24:23the other rides. Let's talk about just a few
- 24:27little line things that kind of are adjacent to Lightning Lanes.
- 24:35There's a question that gets asked online about what what can
- 24:39families do to skip lines at Walt Disney World?
- 24:41And that is our next question on here, which sounds a little
- 24:44silly because we just talked about Lightning Lanes.
- 24:46But it is a question that gets asked a lot because I think
- 24:48people know about the different passes from the other parks,
- 24:52like Universal has their express pass, things like that, that are
- 24:56a little bit different. But basically the only way that
- 24:59you can get a shorter line at Disney World is to purchase that
- 25:03Lightning Lane. So there is no other way around
- 25:06it to there's no real, there's no widespread way to completely
- 25:10skip the lines. Either way.
- 25:11You're going to be waiting probably 10 to maybe 15 minutes.
- 25:15And the lightning Lane is is the only way to do that at this
- 25:19time. So our last question in this
- 25:21little Lightning Lane and Lines section is what happens if my
- 25:27child is too short for a ride at Disney World?
- 25:31So Disney World has a process called rider switch or rider
- 25:35swap. You'll see those terms used
- 25:38interchangeably when they talk about it on, you know, online
- 25:41and on the website. But basically what this is, is a
- 25:45policy that they use. So that way if you've got a
- 25:50group or even just two adults and one child and the child is
- 25:53too short to ride, you can see the cast member at the entrance
- 25:58gate and they will hook you up with a rider swap time.
- 26:03What will that happen is whoever is waiting with the kiddo will
- 26:08scan their ticket, whether it's a magic band, whether it's a a
- 26:11digital ticket or a card ticket, they'll scan their ticket and
- 26:15they'll set them up with what is essentially like a return time
- 26:18for a lightning lane. The other person or people
- 26:22depending on your group will then go and get in line.
- 26:25They will wait through the line. They will ride the attraction
- 26:29when they have been done. When they are done riding they
- 26:32will exit and rejoin the group that was waiting.
- 26:36Then the adults or older kids or whoever was waiting that didn't
- 26:40get to go will go back to the ride entrance and scan in at the
- 26:45Lightning lane. It will show the cast member on
- 26:48their their computer that it was a rider switch and they will let
- 26:51you go through just like it's a lightning lane.
- 26:53So the nice thing is that your group then doesn't have to wait
- 26:57for a second standby time, especially for some of these
- 27:00longer rides, right? You only want to do a 70 minute
- 27:03wait for Tron once, right? You don't want to have to wait
- 27:07for the second-half of your party to then do it all over
- 27:10again a second time. So that is a really nice feature
- 27:13that they have that is available and that is like free of charge.
- 27:17Anybody can utilize that. If your kiddo is too short for a
- 27:22ride at Disney World. And that is also the same at at
- 27:25all of the other Disney parks at Disneyland, you know, they they
- 27:28have a similar thing. Universal has a similar system
- 27:32with Ryder swap where you can kind of just talk to the the
- 27:36worker at the beginning of the the entrance and and go from
- 27:39there. So that is kind of our little
- 27:42five question quick lightning lane and line FAQ.
- 27:46The last little section that we're going to talk about today
- 27:49in today's kind of rapid fire all-encompassing one stop shop
- 27:53FA QS for Disney at Disney World is some just kind of general
- 28:00logistic and stroller questions. So that's where we're headed
- 28:04next. So the first question that we
- 28:06have is, is Disney World stroller friendly?
- 28:09And the easy answer to that is absolutely 100% Disney World is
- 28:13is totally stroller friendly. You know, it is definitely built
- 28:18with strollers in mind. So definitely an easy navigate
- 28:23with that. Do keep in mind when it comes to
- 28:25strollers, Disney does have some stipulations on sizes of
- 28:29strollers and they have certain dimensions that you have to fall
- 28:33within. Also keep in mind that wagons
- 28:35are not permitted, so it has to be a true stroller and not a
- 28:39wagon or stroller wagon hybrid or anything like that.
- 28:42So keep that in mind as well when you're looking at what to
- 28:45bring for that. And I did an episode on
- 28:48strollers not that long ago. We also have a great affiliate
- 28:52link for Kingdom Strollers, which is a wonderful stroller
- 28:55rental company down in Orlando. So if you're in need of rental,
- 28:59the link to that can be found in our social media BIOS and I'll
- 29:04put that in the show notes for today's episode as well.
- 29:07But definitely lots of great options for rentals if you need
- 29:10it. You're also obviously welcome to
- 29:12bring your own stroller in if you if you prefer to do that.
- 29:17But yes, Disney World is very, very stroller friendly.
- 29:21The only time it gets a little iffy is like fireworks and
- 29:24things like that can be just a little tricky to navigate with
- 29:27strollers. But that's kind of to be
- 29:29expected when everyone is gathered all together at the end
- 29:33of an evening in in the park. So that's the only time that I
- 29:36feel a little like stuck with my stroller, so to speak, is
- 29:42typically during like happily ever after.
- 29:44If I'm in the hub or on Main Street with a stroller, it can
- 29:47get a little tricky. But other than that, no issues
- 29:50at all with strollers. The next question, again, just
- 29:53logistics and things to ask about when you're taking kids is
- 29:57can you bring snacks and food into Disney World?
- 30:00And the answer to that is yes, Disney very much allows any sort
- 30:04of outside food to be brought into their parks.
- 30:08Again, there are always a couple little stipulations with that.
- 30:11You cannot bring any glass, you cannot bring any alcohol, and
- 30:15you cannot bring any loose ice in there.
- 30:18So all ice must be either in a like a Ziploc bag or like a
- 30:21cooler pack or things like that. If you've got a little lunch box
- 30:25or a little cooler tote that you're bringing in.
- 30:27But we frequently pack full, you know, picnic lunches and things
- 30:32to have in the parks to save us a little bit of money and to
- 30:35help ensure that our kids are going to find something that
- 30:37they want to eat. So that is definitely a really
- 30:40great option when it comes to visiting the Disney parks.
- 30:43If you're concerned about food or you've got a very particular
- 30:48eaters in your crew, that's something that I love about
- 30:51Disney. So that is definitely an option
- 30:54for for you if that is something you want to do.
- 30:57So the next FAQ for bringing kids to Disney is do kids need
- 31:03park tickets at Disney World and what age is free?
- 31:06So we talked a little bit about this way at the beginning of
- 31:08this episode, but under 3 is free.
- 31:11So anybody that is 2, you know, two years old, one year old or
- 31:16not quite one or not one yet, they do not need a ticket.
- 31:20They are free to enter. They can join you on Lightning
- 31:24Lane reservations if they obviously meet the height
- 31:26requirements and things like that.
- 31:29And at any sort of a table service restaurant, they can eat
- 31:34off of your plate for free. So that is kind of the way that
- 31:37that works. Now, once they do hit that
- 31:40three-year old mark, they do need a ticket and their own
- 31:43entrance to get into the parks. Disney does have a lower priced
- 31:48option, a little bit lower. It's not that much lower, let's
- 31:51be real, but a lower priced option for kiddo tickets.
- 31:55So ages 3 to 9 get a discount on their tickets.
- 31:59It's usually about $20 per ticket.
- 32:02I want to say depending on what you're getting now, right like
- 32:05different different amounts of days and different combinations
- 32:08of tickets or different prices. But generally speaking it's
- 32:10about $20 cheaper for your kiddo to enter the park.
- 32:15But yes, they do need park tickets and under 3 is free at
- 32:20Disney World. The next question is what rides
- 32:24at Disney World have no height requirement?
- 32:27Now here's the thing with this. I'm not going to give you a full
- 32:31giant list because that doesn't do you any good.
- 32:35And here's why I say that I'm going to give you the knowledge
- 32:39of being able to find this list on your app because that is
- 32:43going to be a much better way to have that list in front of you
- 32:48when you are going through and planning.
- 32:50So a couple different ways that you can find the ride lists on
- 32:54your My Disney Experience app, but ultimately you can find that
- 33:00with the lightning lanes or you can find it on the map view.
- 33:04So on your My Disney Experience app, you are going to open it,
- 33:09you are going to go to the there's two options along the
- 33:13bottom, which is what I was just saying.
- 33:14If you prefer a map view along the bottom, there's going to be
- 33:18that little like overly with a, with a point at the bottom
- 33:21little pin, click on that. And then at the top, you're
- 33:25going to want to make sure that you've selected which park
- 33:27you're looking at. So in the filter section you're
- 33:29going to select one of the four parks and then along the top
- 33:33you're going to select either. I would suggest selecting wait
- 33:36times because that's going to give you a, a more truncated
- 33:41list of what the actual rides are.
- 33:43So selects wait times and then in the bottom right corner on
- 33:46that app is going to be a little show list option that is going
- 33:49to bring you up a list of all of the different rides that you can
- 33:54then click into to view those hype requirements.
- 33:57So that is one way in which you're going to be able to find
- 34:00those height requirements in the My Disney Experience app.
- 34:04The other way, and I'm going to double check myself as I'm doing
- 34:07this to make sure that I give you the correct information.
- 34:10The other way is from your home screen, you're going to click
- 34:14the little plus button at the bottom and then you're going to
- 34:17click view wait times and show times again at the top.
- 34:21You're going to want to make sure that you are navigated to
- 34:25the correct park, whether it's Magic Kingdom, Hollywood
- 34:28Studios, those types of things. And then you're going to want to
- 34:31make sure that you unselect the option that says show only
- 34:35Lightning Lane experiences. That's what I had to make sure I
- 34:38looked up to make sure I had the right terminology for you guys,
- 34:42because that is going to show you all of the different
- 34:45attractions at that park. From that page, you can actually
- 34:49Scroll down through the alphabetical list and see the
- 34:53height requirements. So for example, if you're in
- 34:56Magic Kingdom, you can scroll through and see that Astro
- 34:59Orbiter is any height because directly underneath it, it says
- 35:02any height. But the next ride down,
- 35:04Barnstormer is 35 inches for its height requirement.
- 35:09So that will give you another way.
- 35:10Again, you can just Scroll down look through, you know Dumbo the
- 35:14flying elephant is any height as I keep going it's a small world
- 35:18as any height and keep going down.
- 35:21Most of the rides at Magic Kingdom are any height.
- 35:24But then let's see I get down to 7 doors mine train and it is 38
- 35:28inches. So that'll give you a a general
- 35:30picture of any of the rides at Disney World that have no height
- 35:34requirement. Like I said, most of the rides
- 35:37at Magic Kingdom do not have a height requirement.
- 35:42Now on the other opposite end, the majority of the rides at
- 35:46Hollywood Studios do have a height requirement that you have
- 35:50to be aware of. So even some of the slower rides
- 35:54like Alien Swirling Saucers has a height requirement of 32
- 35:59inches over there. So really your only non height
- 36:02requirement rides over there are Mickey's Runaway Railway and Toy
- 36:07Story Mania. So from one extreme to the
- 36:10other, your other parks are going to be a little bit kind of
- 36:13some that do, some that don't. If I remember correctly, Animal
- 36:19Kingdom, most of them have a height requirement except for
- 36:22the Safari. So again, your best bet is to
- 36:29look at that list, look at the rides you want to do, note down
- 36:33what has a height requirement and what doesn't.
- 36:35And that list is also going back to our lightning lanes earlier
- 36:38is going to be able to help you determine whether or not you
- 36:41think you're going to need lightning lanes too.
- 36:43So definitely creating that list before you start to look into
- 36:47some of these things like lightning lanes is going to be a
- 36:49really big help for your party. So that's my that, that's my,
- 36:55let me show you how instead of telling you the answer to that
- 36:58when it comes to that FAQ, because I think that is just
- 37:01much more helpful. The other thing you can always
- 37:03do is just a quick Google search of Disney World hype
- 37:06requirements and find a list there.
- 37:08But I like to also know where it is in the My Disney Experience
- 37:11app as well. And then our final FAQ for
- 37:15today's episode is how do naps and rest breaks work at Disney
- 37:22World for kids? And I think this is such a great
- 37:25question to end on because it is so important to think about
- 37:29before you go on your trip. Now your best bet 4 naps bedtime
- 37:37break time is to do your best to follow your kiddos normal
- 37:43schedule. So if you've got a little little
- 37:47that naps in the morning and in the afternoon, hopefully maybe
- 37:51they'll do a stroller nap for you and you can just find a
- 37:54quiet place like we talked about earlier in our when we were
- 37:57talking about if it can be overwhelming or not.
- 37:59Hopefully you can maybe just find a quiet place that they'll
- 38:02be able to continue to nap in the stroller and you won't have
- 38:05to like do a full leave the park, come back situation.
- 38:09A lot of people take afternoon breaks.
- 38:11So you will find that there's a good portion from about two to
- 38:21four or five in the afternoon. We'll take a break, one, because
- 38:26it's a great nap time, 2 because it's the hottest part of the day
- 38:30and it's a great time to visit the pool.
- 38:32And three, because especially during the rainy months at
- 38:35Disney World, those are the most frequent times that you will
- 38:38find those pop up thunderstorms. So all of those things to take
- 38:42into consideration that time of day in the afternoon is a great
- 38:46time to take a break if you are concerned about that.
- 38:49But really just following their their cues, knowing what they
- 38:53need, trying to catch it before we get to the overly tired,
- 38:57cranky situation when it comes to little kiddos is always a
- 39:01good idea. And also just kind of adjusting
- 39:06your own expectations as far as are we going to make it to
- 39:10fireworks or to the nighttime show Fantasmic, whatever it may
- 39:13be? Or is that something that like,
- 39:16Nope, we're going to try that next trip in a few years when
- 39:19they're a little bit older, you know, or maybe you and your, you
- 39:24know, the other adults traveling in your party can alternate.
- 39:27OK, I'll take the kids back today to go nap.
- 39:29You guys can go to Luminous and then, you know, tomorrow night
- 39:33we'll swap and I can go to see happily ever after or, you know,
- 39:36something like that. But you definitely want to make
- 39:38a plan and plan accordingly, but also understand that there
- 39:43rhythm and their normal schedule may or may not work and may or
- 39:48may not be thrown off when you're at the park.
- 39:52So having an idea and then just kind of following their cues is
- 39:57my best advice as far as that goes.
- 39:58Now, logistically, how do naps and rest breaks work the easiest
- 40:04possible thing at Disney? You don't have to worry about
- 40:08exiting and re entering the park, you can do that as many
- 40:11times in a day as you need to. The hardest thing about this
- 40:15ultimately is navigating the transportation and getting back
- 40:19to your resort room at a good time.
- 40:22Because if you have to take a bus from the park back to your
- 40:27resort, that's probably at least 30 minutes that it's going to
- 40:32take you to wait on the bus, take the bus back, walk back to
- 40:35your room and get there, right? At least 30 minutes, sometimes
- 40:39closer to an hour. It just really depends on did
- 40:41you catch the bus perfectly timing or are you stuck waiting
- 40:44at the bus stop for a while? Or are there a lot of people
- 40:48waiting at the bus stop and you have to wait for a second bus to
- 40:50come? Which does happen sometimes,
- 40:52especially in the evenings. Kind of closer to like fireworks
- 40:56time. That can happen more frequently
- 40:59in the middle of the afternoon. That doesn't happen quite as
- 41:01often, but all things to to keep in mind.
- 41:05We always tried to leave at least an hour before we thought
- 41:10our kiddo needed a nap. So that gave us enough time to
- 41:14get back to the room, get them situated, get them laid down.
- 41:17And then after that, my husband and I would, you know, take
- 41:21turns and shifts going to walk around the resort or we'd go
- 41:23fill our resort mugs at the the quick service restaurant or we
- 41:28go sit by the pool or, you know, things like that.
- 41:30So definitely still a ton to do as long as you kind of game plan
- 41:35accordingly when it comes to taking those breaks.
- 41:38But logistically the transportation is hard, but
- 41:41getting in and out of the parks just super, super easy.
- 41:45These breaks and stuff are really, really easy, especially
- 41:47if you're someone who is staying at one of those resorts that's
- 41:50super close to the park you're at.
- 41:51So if you are within walking distance, that is even better,
- 41:55right? If you're or if you're just like
- 41:57a quick monorail ride away at one of the deluxe resorts by
- 42:00Magic Kingdom, that is even even much, much easier for you to
- 42:05navigate. But if you're someone that is
- 42:06going to be taking a bus on the sky liners, not too bad, but you
- 42:10do still have to likely hop off and get back on again, you know,
- 42:16and kind of do those sky liner exchanges at that main central
- 42:19hub. But it just really depends on
- 42:21transportation as far as like timing of that goes.
- 42:25But I really do suggest those afternoon breaks.
- 42:28I think they are very important for everyone's mental and
- 42:33physical well-being when you are visiting the Disney park.
- 42:37So that's kind of my my thoughts and opinions on that one.
- 42:42So all of that being covered now that is the end of our 15 Disney
- 42:49World FAQs that are the questions that we get asked the
- 42:53most of the questions that I see asked the most online.
- 42:56Now, of course, we didn't cover everything.
- 42:58So if you've got additional questions or you want some more
- 43:02information about things that we talked about today, we would
- 43:04love to hear from you. You can always find
- 43:07usmomstusa@gmail.com or you can send us Adm on Instagram or
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- 43:17USA on all of those platforms as well.
- 43:20You can also reach out to us on our Patreon.
- 43:22That is a really good way to get a hold of us as well.
- 43:25And there's some additional information over there.
- 43:28Always sneak peeks about upcoming episodes are posted
- 43:31over on our Patreon account and we love being able to connect
- 43:35with everyone over there and look forward to your comments
- 43:38and and messages over there as well.
- 43:42Coming up on Mom St. the next episode that we do will be going
- 43:46back to the hub with our good friends Duck and Jess.
- 43:49I'm not 100% sure what they've got planned for us next week, so
- 43:54we'll all be surprised when we get there, but I'm looking
- 43:57forward to reuniting with them for our first hub episode of
- 44:022026. But for today, that is it for
- 44:06this episode of Mom St. USA.
- 44:08Thank you guys so much for being here and continuing to support,
- 44:11support and share our podcast and really just uplift
- 44:15everything we're doing here. Your support is so, so
- 44:19meaningful to all of us and it is so appreciated.
- 44:21So thank you guys so much for being here for this episode and
- 44:24I will catch you on the next episode of Mob St.
- 44:27USA. Bye everyone.