A Guide to Walt Disney World with Preschoolers {Giveaway!}

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We are getting SO excited for our Disney trip in just 10 days!! While I’m at some media events, Mr. Mom Endeavors will be own his own with our two little guys in the park, so I’ve been making lists and doing some planning for him. Plus, I’m not entirely sure why–maybe because we’re spending 3 full days there (the most I’ve ever spent in a single Disneyland trip) or maybe because we’re going as our own little nuclear family for the first time ever– but I’ve found myself doing more research/planning for this trip than any other time we’ve gone! Thankfully, I’ve been getting some help from a great Disney planning resource– “Beyond the Attractions: A Guide to Walt Disney World with Preschoolers”.

When you live on this (west) side of the country, people talking about Disney vacations most often means Disneyland. However, for many of you, a Disney vacation only means one thing–Walt Disney World in Florida! But, no matter which Disney Park is your go-to destination, like us, many visitors are traveling to a Disney park with at least one preschooler in tow. I personally believe the Disney experience is super fun & magical at any age, but obviously, what you can experience & how it’s experienced can vary greatly depending on age! Thankfully, Lisa M. Battista (author of Beyond the Attractions) has created a great guide with the youngest little travelers in mind!

Here’s a brief synopsis of what the book covers to give you a rough idea:

The first few chapters cover all kinds of planning & prep information–perfect for getting all those logistical things taken care of (tickets, travel, transportation, gear, packing, touring the parks, etc).

Next up is all the fun stuff– attractions (especially those geared toward preschoolers/family), hidden activities (things average Disney travelers might not know about), dining, recreation, parades & character greetings!

The last few chapters cover some important topics (like child safety) and special resources, including seasonal events, FASTPASS information, and some comprehensive lists. You’ll find lists covering Must-DO activities, character greeting locations, dining & recreation rates, a planning checklist, and a packing list. As a list-lover, I found this section especially awesome!!

This will actually be my 3rd time traveling to a Disneyland with preschoolers. Our first time with a kiddo in tow was when Big Brother was about 27 months. Experiencing the park through the eyes of such a little guy was, dare I say…magical. I know he won’t remember it, but his daddy & I certainly do.

The second time was last August and we had an even littler guy in tow. Big Brother was a few months over 4, while Little Brother was just 16 months! There were some challenges with Little Brother being so young, but he still did great for the most part. And, seeing those little barely-toddler legs dancing to the parade was one of the cutest things ever!

So, we’d absolutely LOVE to do Disney World one day (and unless we wait a really long time), we’ll likely have at least one preschooler. This book will be a FABULOUS reference. And, even though the book is specifically about Disney World, I actually found NUMEROUS tips & suggestions perfect for Disneyland too! The child safety section certainly applies either place, as do many of the tips on strollers, FASTPASSES (& rider swap), entertaining the kids while waiting in line, and the packing lists! Even though I consider myself an experienced Disneyland traveler, I’m thrilled with some of the tips & ideas I’ve picked up by reading the book. Plus, it’s given me lots of things to look into at Disneyland that I hadn’t thought to do before!

If you’re planning a Disney vacation with little ones, I definitely recommend snagging a copy of “Beyond the Attractions: A Guide to Walt Disney World with Preschoolers”. You can head over to the Beyond the Attractions website & order a copy for 30% off the regular price. The guide is available in paperback, plus on Kindle & Nook! Or…you can WIN IT!

Giveaway Has Ended

One lucky Mom Endeavors’ reader will win a copy of “Beyond the Attractions: A Guide to Walt Disney World with Preschoolers”!!

Congrats to lucky comment #6!! Katie, hope your husband (or you) get some great tips from the book! 🙂 Enjoy!

To Enter: CLOSED!

1. Just leave a com­ment telling me what kind of Disney vacation you’re planning and/or how you’d most benefit from reading the book.

Get extra entries (leave a sep­a­rate com­ment for each)

2. Share about this give­away on the social media chan­nel of your choice, then leave a link to your “share” in the comments.

3. Fol­low @Momendeavors on Twit­ter.

4. Follow @DisneyExplorer on Twitter.

*If you’re not already a fan, be sure to like Mom Endeav­ors & Beyond the Attractions on Facebook!

(up to 4 entries per per­son): Give­away will end on June 11th at 10pm PST. Win­ner with a valid entry will be selected at ran­dom using random.org and be noti­fied via email (win­ner will also be posted on this post). They will have 48 hours to claim their prize before a new win­ner is selected. Open to U.S. Res­i­dents, 18 years and older.

Disclosure: I was received a complimentary copy of the book for the purposes of review. All opinions are my own.

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I’m Sara, a mom to three adorable boys living in the Arizona desert. As a former teacher, I love sharing my passions with others. So, have a look around for creative inspiration about cooking, creating, celebrating, traveling with kids, and more everyday mom endeavors!

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28 Responses

  1. We just bought our weekday annual passes to wdw and can’t wait to use them in the fall. Jack is a pretty experienced Disney traveller for a two year old but we are finding all kinds of new things to do. This book would help us in our quest to find things at the parks more age appropriate.

  2. this is fantastic, we are planning a trip for easrly september and he can wait to see the cars “land” lol.
    thanks for the chance,
    mary

  3. We are planning our Disney trip for March 2014 and our son will be a little over 3 (turns 3 on the 4th of March) and I could use all the help we can get…

  4. My husband would really benefit from this book, because he has no idea how to entertain our 2 young (& over-excited) children who are too short to ride, when I’m on ride with my oldest (and tall enough) daughter. So I ended up on missing out on a few rides that I really wanted to go on (i.e Soarin’) for the sake of my husband, since being left alone with 2 kids was too overwhelming for him. Actually, I think that this book would help me out, too 🙂

  5. I hope you have a wonderful trip with your little guys! We have 3 little guys and we are heading to wdw this summer. We are so excited we are going to surprise the boys . A guide to Disney world with preschoolers would be an incredible gem as we have preschoolers and we want to give them magical memories!

  6. We’re planning to go to disneyland with the kiddos next summer. This summer got too crazy. Might be nice though, as they’ll be 2 & 4 by then. Would love an insiders guide, and yes, I’m a list lover too! Thanks so much.

  7. We go to Disneyland a lot and have been to Disney World only a handful of times with our three year old daughter. We are planning an Disney World visit in October and I would love to read this book to prepare! Although I’m a Disneyland pro, I’m a little intimidated by the larger park!

  8. Hopefully we will be taking our 3 kiddos next spring! I would love to know all the little secrets, making their trip to Disney amazing.

  9. we live near orlando and have never taken my oldest. I would love some tips and tricks since we plan on going a lot more often next year.

  10. We’re planning our first trip to Disney World this September with our boys, ages 5 and 2. My husband and I went once about 11 years ago and we both went several times as kids. We’re starting the trip by taking the Auto Train from Lorton, VA to Sanford, FL…we thought that would add to the adventure and excitement of the whole trip. 🙂 We’ll be there 7 days and 7 nights and will be staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge. The plan is to hit Downtown Disney the day we arrive, DHS on day 2, AK on day 3, Epcot on days 4 & 5, and finally MK on days 6 & 7!! We are all super excited…I think we’re about to hit the start to our 100 day countdown mark! I think this book would help anyone planning a Disney trip. There is soooo much info out there to weed through and I’ve heard that good, well thought out planning can help you make the most of your time at the Happiest Place on Earth! Happy planning to everyone!

  11. We are going to DisneyWorld for Christmas this year! We are so excited to take our 3 children as well as my nephew. Our oldest and 2nd both got to go in 2009 when they were 4 1/2 and 4 mo. During that trip we only had to entertain the oldest which wasn’t too hard of a task. Now 3 years later the kids are 7 1/2, 3 1/2 and 2 1/2 with my nephew at age 4. Our family could really benefit from this book because I am so nervous about how to handle our kids during wait times in line. Also, we have one child that likes to run off in a crowd so learning child safety will be huge for us! If it tells me where to find all the bathrooms too for my newly potty trained kids, it would be my #1 planning tool! LOL! Thank you for the opportunity!

  12. We are taking a trip to Walt Disney World in August. It is a last summer hurrah before our kids go back to school after Labor Day. We have an 8 year old and a 4 year old. We love to go there for longer periods of time and take it slow and leisurely. We go back to the hotel in the afternoon for a cooling-off dip in the pool and some resting time before heading back to the park in the evening when it is cooler and a little less crowded. We LOVE Disney!!!

  13. No trip planned yet, but we definitely want to take our little one to Disney World once she gets a little older. Sounds like it would be quite helpful to have many of the tips in this book.

  14. We are heading to disneyland in September for 3 days with my daughter who will be 3 in October and my little guy turns 1 in September. So excited!

  15. I found your awesome disney roundup post on pinterest and saw your link to here! How random that this is a book I was looking at buying for our trip to DisneyWorld this Saturday. It’s our first time with all four of my boys and I’m more than a little nervous about what to do with my two preschoolers while my older two want to ride the big rides. This book would be great! Good luck on your trip 🙂

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