The Disney theme parks are a place that was designed for the entire family to enjoy and will have fun experiencing. Throughout the parks you’ll find attractions, shows, character meet and greets, and more the whole family will love! Although the parks were designed as a place for everyone, not every attraction can or will be enjoyed by everyone. Many attractions found within the parks do not have height requirements and can be ridden by the whole family. Others have height requirements or thematic elements best suited for older kids and adults. When visiting Walt Disney World for the first time, you’ll need to consider which rides will be loved by your family or group.
If you are visiting Walt Disney World with toddlers, do not worry, there are many beloved attractions perfect for the littlest visitors to Walt Disney World! To help you determine which attractions will delight toddlers, Pink and Pixie Dust is here with our guide to the best rides at Walt Disney World for toddlers!
Best Rides for Toddlers at Walt Disney World By Park:
Magic Kingdom:
Magic Kingdom is the park with the greatest number of attractions for little ones! Here you will find so many great rides with joyful theming, low thrill levels, and no height requirements (when riding with an adult).
Dumbo
Dumbo is a slow-spinning ride where you will board your very own Dumbo elephant for a flight around Storybook Circus! Riders can control if they would like to fly higher or if they would like to fly low. This is a classic Magic Kingdom attraction little ones will adore! While waiting in the line, kids even have the opportunity to play in an indoor circus-themed playground! Parents will be given a pager and kids can play until it buzzes when its their turn to ride. Little ones will enjoy getting to play on the playground and having to wait less time in a traditional queue!
It’s a Small World
It’s a Small World is a slow-moving boat ride celebrating children and their cultures from all around the world! You’ll visit and experience all different parts of the world on your journey, seeing adorable animatronic children singing the attraction’s title song in different languages! This is a can’t miss attraction for all visitors to Walt Disney World and will especially be loved by the littlest visitors!
Peter Pan’s Flight
Take flight on a pirate ship to retell the classic story of Peter Pan. During this ride, you’ll fly through the Darlings’ bedroom and out over London as you travel to Neverland! When you arrive in Neverland, you’ll have a chance to see all of the beautiful sights and many familiar characters!
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
Board one of Winnie the Pooh’s honey pots and journey through the Hundred Acre Woods. On your journey, you’ll go bouncing with Tigger, visit Owl’s house, and celebrate Wind’s Day with all of Christopher Robin’s friends. This is one of our favorite attractions here at Pink and Pixie Dust!
Prince Charming’s Regal Carousel
This is a classic carousel attraction that can be found right behind Cinderella’s castle! Riders will ride atop of one of Cinderella and Prince Charming’s royal horses around Fantasyland while listening to classic Disney songs.
Under the Sea- Journey of the Little Mermaid
This ride is an adorable retelling of the film The Little Mermaid. While riding in a slow moving clamshell, you will go under the sea and view scenes and songs from the film as Scuttle recaps the story! The Under the Sea scene is a fantastical fun celebration everyone is sure to love!
Epcot:
Frozen Ever After
Frozen Ever After will take you on a boat ride through the magical kingdom of Arendelle from the beloved Frozen films. As you journey to visit Elsa at her ice palace, you’ll encounter some of your favorite Frozen characters along the way singing well-known songs from the film. This ride does go backwards at one point and has a small drop. You may also get a little bit wet!
Living with the Land
Living with the Land is a calm boat ride where riders will travel throughout different climates and visit operational agricultural greenhouses. Throughout this ride, you’ll learn about sustainable agriculture and see how Disney grows many of the foods utilized at restaurants around Epcot!
The Seas with Nemo and Friends
Board a charming pink seashell for a slow moving dark ride through a big blue world, the ocean! During this ride, you’ll help Dory and Marlin find Nemo traveling throughout the ocean, meeting familiar friends along the way. One scene that may frighten toddlers is that featuring sharks chasing after Marlin and Dory, but this scene is very brief. You’ll want to consider if this might potentially be scary for your child.
The Three Caballeros
During this leisurely boat ride, you go on an adventure with Jose and Panchito, two members of the Three Caballeros through Mexico to find the third member of their trio, Donald Duck. You’ll travel through charming villages filled with children celebrating and dancing along your journey, very similar to It’s a Small World! After finding their friend Donald, the Three Caballeros will treat you to a special performance to celebrate!
Hollywood Studios:
Toy Story Midway Mania
This is an interactive ride where you will shrink down to the size of a toy and enter Andy’s bedroom from the Toy Story Films. Throughout the ride, riders will play mini games with Andy’s toys, such as Woody and Jessie, to score points! This ride does require riders to wear 3D glasses in order to see and participate in many of the elements of the mini games.
Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy
In this approximately 20 minute show, you’ll visit where Lightning McQueen is training for his next big race. Over the course of this show, Lightning McQueen will show you how he practices his driving skills as familiar characters from the Cars franchise pop in to check on Lightning’s training.
Disney Junior Play and Dance!
This is a fun show featuring all of your favorite Disney Junior characters! During this dance party, kids are encouraged to dance and sing along to their favorite Disney Junior tunes. For Disney Junior fans, this is a must see!
Animal Kingdom:
TriceraTop Spin
Found in Dinoland U.S.A, TriceraTop spin is a Dumbo-style attraction where you’ll board an adorable dinosaur. During this ride, your dino will take you for a ride slowly spinning in a circle around Dinoland while you control whether you would like to go up or down.
Na’Vi River Journey
Located within Pandora the World of Avatar, this is a slow moving boat ride through this magical world. During this ride you’ll take in the glowing beauty of this mystical land, viewing gorgeous plants, animals, and flowers.
Kilimanjaro Safari
This attraction is a real safari where you will have the opportunity to see a wide variety of live animals, such as giraffes, zebras, okapi, and more! It is very important to keep a close eye on young children during this ride and make sure they remain seated at all times as this is a real safari traveling over various terrains.
For more information about all attractions offered at Walt Disney World, visit the WDW website here.
Tips for Visiting Walt Disney World with Toddlers:
Gauge Interest and Begin Preparing Ahead of Time
If your concerned about your child’s interest in wanting to ride an attraction, it might be helpful to ahead of time gauge their interest and talk with them about different rides. Online you can find many videos of rides at Walt Disney World showing what it is like to experience each attraction. Watching these videos with them and talking about attractions ahead of time can be a helpful way to determine if your child is interested in riding, as well as can help them get excited for their trip!
Don’t Force Your Child to Ride
If your child is afraid of riding an attraction, never force them to ride. Different elements that might not seem frightening at all to adults might be scary to children. If your child expresses they don’t wish to ride, there are plenty of alternative attractions they will enjoy!
Participate in Rider Swap
If your child doesn’t meet the minimum height requirement for an attraction or doesn’t wish to ride, but others in your party would like to, Disney offers a great service called rider swap! To participate in rider swap, you can visit most attractions and ask a cast member about participating in the rider swap program.
Rider swap is a free offering where part of the group can wait in line to ride an attraction while another member of your party waits with those who don’t wish to ride. Those that don’t wish to ride can be individuals of any age, not just young children. After the first group rides the attraction, they can switch to take the place of waiting with the non-rider(s). The individual(s) that did not ride originally can ride the attraction without needing to wait again, being able to enter the attraction through the lightning lane. This is a great service offered to help families and groups all be able to ride the attractions they would like to, without anyone feeling left out. To take part in rider swap, just speak with a cast member before entering the queue for an attraction to request this service!
What is your toddler’s favorite attraction at Walt Disney World? Share with us in the comments below!
Join our Pink and Pixie Dust newsletter for magical updates sent to your inbox each and every week!
