Last week we visited Magic Kindgom for the day, and while our family would have preferred a longer stay, especially now that we are new Disney Vacation Club members, it was fabulous nonetheless.  In September 2010 we visited for a week, staying at Port Orleans Resort and are planning a trip for 2012 at Animal Kingdom Village. In the meantime, this mini-trip was a perfect way to recapture the magic.

I concur with Beyond the Attractions: Disney World with Preschoolers that any age is perfect for Disney World with attractions for toddler and teenagers alike. The toddler/preschooler age group is unique, however, and we’ve gathered a few tips along the way. Since our recent trip focused on Magic Kingdom, we’ll start with that particular park.

1. Ditch the Minute-By-Minute Iteneriry

While having a plan can help maximize the fun, an extremely detailed plan is better saved for a visit with older children. For instance, though we planned to start at Adventureland, our daughter’s new favorite princess, Ariel, arrived just as we entered that section of the park. Immediately ditching our original plan, we waited for pics with she and Prince Eric and left Adventureland to make our Princess FASTPASS, coming back later in the day.

2. Use FASTPASS!

It’s hard to imagine a trip to Disney World with using the FASTPASS system. Essentially you grab a pass at more popular attractions with typically longer waits and return within the time specified, skipping the longer line and using the quicker FASTPASS one. Bonus Tip: If your FASTPASS time is 3:00-4:00 p.m., for example, you can get a 2nd pass at 3:00 to another attraction to maximize your FASTPASS usage since, in general, you can only have one out at a time.

3. Take Advantage of the New Mickey & Princesses FASTPASS

For the first time visitors are able to use a FASTPASS for a Mickey meet and greet and, during construction of the new Fantasyland, even the Disney Princessess. We’ve waited over an hour for each Princess meeting so this was by far the most exciting development on this trip!

4. Managing Naptime at Magic Kindgom

Ideally, an early start will allow for a mid-day break. During our week-long stay, we returned to the resort each day where our toddler took a nap and preschooler swam in the pool with her dad. Since this was not possible during the day trip, we again re-arranged our plan with the little one fell asleep. Dad strolled through the park while the girls visited two of our favorite attractions, “it’s a small world” and Mad Tea Party.

Another strategy which works helps beat the heat as well, is to intersperse inside and more relaxing attractions such as Peter Pan’s Flight and Carousel of Progress with outdoor favorites like Dumbo the Flying Elephant.

5. Parade Strategy

Everyone loves a parade, and each day at Magic Kindgom you can catch special events which allow little ones to see all of their favorite characters all in one place. Unfortunately, waiting for parades and firework shows can trigger melt-downs without proper planning. New coloring books and bubbles are two easy ways to distract during the wait, but my #1 tip is…avoid the wait. Many arrive extremely early for prime spots, so instead we’ve begun to skip the cue and find a place to watch just before the parade or fireworks show. We’ve managed to snag excellent viewing spots overtime making long waits not worth the effort.

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