Orlando with Young Children – What to Plan Before You Go

By Lizzie Best

Taking young children to Orlando can create some wonderful family memories.

Seeing their faces when they first walk into Magic Kingdom, meet a favourite character or spot Cinderella Castle can be every bit as exciting for parents as it is for the children.

But let's be realistic.

Florida is hot, the theme parks are enormous, little legs get tired and a 4-year-old doesn't necessarily appreciate that you've spent thousands of pounds on a holiday when they've decided they would rather go back to the villa and play in the pool!

The secret to enjoying Orlando with younger children is not trying to do everything.

A little planning before you leave the UK can make the whole holiday much easier.

Don't try to visit a theme park every day

This is probably our biggest piece of advice.

It's tempting to look at a 14-night Orlando holiday and start filling every available day.

Magic Kingdom on Monday. EPCOT Tuesday. Universal Wednesday. Another park Thursday…

By the end of the first week, everyone can be exhausted.

Theme park days involve a surprising amount of walking, even for adults. Add Florida heat, excitement, queues and a change in time zone and younger children can tire quickly.

Build rest days into your plans before you travel.

A morning around your villa's private pool, a leisurely breakfast and an afternoon doing very little isn't wasting a day of your Orlando holiday.

Sometimes it's exactly what everyone needs.

Think carefully about your first day

You've just flown across the Atlantic, collected your luggage, gone through the airport, picked up your hire car and found your villa.

Your children's body clocks still think they're in the UK.

This probably isn't the ideal moment to launch into an ambitious theme park schedule.

Keep your first day relatively flexible.

Get some groceries, explore the local area, enjoy the villa and let everyone adjust.

Young children may wake extremely early during the first few mornings. Rather than worrying about it, you can sometimes use that to your advantage and get an early start.

Measure your children before buying attraction tickets

This is something worth doing at home.

Many theme park attractions have minimum height requirements.

A child might be desperate to ride something they've watched countless times online, only to discover at the entrance that they're not quite tall enough.

Measure your children before travelling and check the current attraction requirements on the official theme park websites.

It helps manage expectations and allows you to identify the rides the whole family can enjoy together.

And remember – height restrictions are there for safety. Theme park staff won't make exceptions because somebody is only just under the requirement.

Consider taking or hiring a pushchair

Even if your child rarely uses a pushchair at home, Orlando can be very different.

A child who happily walks around the local park may feel rather differently after several hours in a theme park.

A pushchair can provide somewhere to rest and can also be useful for carrying drinks, sun cream and the seemingly endless collection of things families accumulate during a park day.

Just remember where you parked it.

Theme park staff sometimes reorganise pushchair parking areas, so don't panic if yours isn't exactly where you left it.

Take the Florida heat seriously

Young children can become hot and dehydrated quickly.

Make sure everyone drinks regularly rather than waiting until they feel thirsty.

Take refillable water bottles, use sun cream, make use of shaded areas and air-conditioned attractions and consider taking a break during the hottest part of the day.

Lightweight clothing and hats can also help.

Florida sunshine is one of the things we travel thousands of miles to enjoy – but it needs to be respected.

Don't panic about afternoon rain

If you're travelling during the warmer months, you may see rain or thunderstorms appearing on the forecast almost every day.

That doesn't necessarily mean your holiday will be a washout.

Florida summer showers can arrive quickly, produce an astonishing amount of rain and disappear again.

A lightweight poncho can be extremely useful.

Younger children may also find a Florida thunderstorm rather dramatic, so reassuring them beforehand that thunderstorms are a normal part of summer weather can help.

Always follow theme park instructions when lightning is nearby, as outdoor attractions may temporarily close.

Pack a small theme park bag

You don't need to carry half the villa around with you, but a few essentials can make life easier.

Think about taking refillable water bottles, sun cream, hats, a change of clothes for younger children, wipes, any necessary medication and a lightweight rain poncho.

A small portable phone charger can also be extremely useful. Theme park apps are now an important part of an Orlando holiday, and using maps, attraction information and your camera throughout the day can quickly use your phone battery.

Try not to overpack, though.

Whatever you take has to be carried around all day.

Plan meals before everyone gets hungry

Hungry adults can become grumpy.

Hungry 4-year-olds can take this to an entirely different level.

If there is somewhere you particularly want to eat, investigate whether reservations are recommended and book ahead where appropriate.

For less formal meals, try to eat before everyone reaches the point where they are desperately hungry.

It can also be worth keeping a few familiar snacks with you.

And one of the advantages of staying in an Orlando villa is having your own kitchen.

Not every meal has to be in a restaurant. Breakfast before leaving for the parks, a simple dinner back at the villa or being able to prepare something familiar for a fussy eater can make family life considerably easier.

Allow time for the things adults might overlook

Adults can become very focused on rides.

Young children don't always share that priority.

They may be fascinated by a character walking past.

They might want to spend 20 minutes looking at something you hadn't even noticed.

Give them some time to lead the holiday.

Some of the moments you hadn't planned can become the ones you remember.

Don't underestimate character meetings

If your children have favourite characters, investigate where they can meet them before you travel.

For a young child, meeting Mickey Mouse or a favourite princess can be one of the biggest moments of the entire holiday.

Character dining can also combine a meal with meeting several characters, although it can be expensive and popular restaurants may need to be booked well in advance.

Knowing which characters matter to your children can help you decide which experiences are genuinely worth including.

Understand what happens when parents want to ride

Having young children doesn't necessarily mean the adults have to miss every attraction with a height restriction.

The major theme parks have systems designed to help families where a child cannot ride, allowing adults to take turns rather than everybody repeatedly joining the full queue.

The arrangements differ between parks and attractions, so check the current procedures before travelling or ask a member of staff when you arrive.

This can be particularly useful when travelling with several adults.

Talk about getting separated

Nobody likes thinking about losing sight of a child, but busy theme parks are exactly the sort of environment where it can happen.

With children old enough to understand, agree on what they should do if they become separated from you.

Teach them to approach a uniformed theme park employee rather than wandering around trying to find you.

For younger children, some parents put their mobile telephone number on a wristband or card carried by the child.

Taking a quick photograph of your children each morning can also mean you have an up-to-date picture showing exactly what they're wearing that day.

Hopefully you'll never need any of this – but it's worth planning.

Remember the time difference

Florida is normally several hours behind the UK, and younger children may take a little time to adjust.

They might fall asleep unusually early and wake before sunrise for the first few days.

Try not to plan every evening around staying out late.

You may find that early starts work particularly well at the beginning of your holiday, while later evenings become easier as everyone adjusts.

Build in some pool days

Ask a young child what their favourite part of an Orlando holiday was and don't be too surprised if the answer is:

“The swimming pool.”

You could have taken them to some of the world's most famous theme parks and their favourite memory is jumping into the pool at the villa.

That's absolutely fine.

Having your own private pool is one of the pleasures of an Orlando villa holiday.

A pool day gives children a break from queues and crowds while giving parents a chance to slow the pace down as well.

Always supervise children closely around the pool and make sure you understand the safety arrangements at your villa.

Choose your villa with the children in mind

When travelling with younger children, think about how the villa will work for your particular family.

Themed bedrooms can add to the excitement, but there are other things that may be more important.

Would you benefit from having several bathrooms?

Would grandparents prefer a downstairs bedroom?

Do you want a games room?

Would you use a resort clubhouse and children's play area?

How much time do you expect to spend around the private pool?

And where is the villa located in relation to the places you intend to visit most often?

The right Orlando villa isn't necessarily the one with the longest list of features. It's the one that works well for your family's holiday.

You don't have to do everything

This may be the most important thing to remember.

You cannot see everything Orlando has to offer in one holiday.

We've known people who have visited for years and are still finding new things to do.

If your child is tired, change the plan.

If everyone is enjoying the pool, stay there a little longer.

If you've had 3 busy theme park days, take a day off.

And if you miss an attraction?

There's always next time.

Let Orlando happen at their pace

An Orlando holiday with young children is different from visiting with teenagers or adults – and that's part of what makes it special.

You may ride fewer rollercoasters. You'll probably make more toilet stops. You might leave a theme park earlier than planned and you'll almost certainly hear “Are we there yet?” at some point.

But you'll also experience Orlando through the eyes of someone who genuinely believes the magic is real.

Plan carefully, leave some space in your itinerary and don't measure the success of your holiday by how many attractions you manage to tick off.

Sometimes the best Orlando memories are the ones you never planned at all.