Absolutely agree to stay on resort and plan 1park/da at that age. If you have a typical early riser, plan to get up early for the 'Magic Hour' where they open the park early for resort guests. This isn't every day at every park so you'll need to check schedules, but for example most days it means Parts of Magic Kingdom are open just for resort guests between 7-8AM.

So for us ideal schedule at 3 would be to get up early and get to park at 7 for Magic hour / when things are quiet with no lines. Crowds start building 9:30/10 ish, so would plan to schedule Fast Passes in that time frame, and then by 12 or 1 we'd all be tired and head back to the resort for nap/swimming/quiet time. Maybe head back to park in evening, or alternatively just get dinner somewhere or let kids play more at the resort pool.

Also of note - the park buses are pretty easy, but resort guests also get free parking in the main parking lot, which can be easy to. We did that our last day before leaving and it worked great - parked pretty near the front, as resort guests we got to walk in during Magic Hour to ride the ferry across to the gates while the non-resort guests had to wait, and even though it was holiday crowds at that hour there were only 10-15 other folks on the ferry boat. Spent the morning in the park hitting popular rides first during light crowds, the. Fast passed some rides midday and were done by ~1 when the crowds were getting big, then road the monorail back to the car. At our kids age they considered the ferry and monorail rides to parking part of the fun.

Do one of the princess meals at Akershaus (I'm not sure how it's spelled) in Epcot, especially if Anna and Elsa are still there.

I recommend the dining plan. Who wants to worry with groceries while on vacation. It is plenty of food. You won't be in the hotel much so do an all star resort. Or if you want to spend a lot of time at mk, stay in the mk loop. Make sure you get a fast pass for Anna and elsa.

Do a lot of research beforehand on how to see Anna and Elsa. When we visited they came in on the train every morning. It was DSs favorite time of the day.

Also, google crowd reports. Basically, the best times to go are after New Year's and before Valentine's Day; after Labor Day but before the Halloween crowds start; and after Thanksgiving but before the Christmas crowds start. It's really very pleasant if you can go during a random time when the crowds are very low. We went once in a "moderate" crowd time period and I enjoyed it much less than I did at the "low" period -- but I really hate crowds and standing in lines.

Second the recommendation on snacks. Hit Trader Joes and buy cereal bars, applesauce packets, etc. We used them for breakfast also. Does your child nap? They really affects whether you want to stay on property or not. The first time we went, my daughter was that age, and we stayed at Wilderness Lodge, which was really close to Magic Kingdon (short boatride away) but cheaper than the monorail resorts. We did get the Park Hopper, and after nap each day we just went back to Magic Kingdom -- the little kid rides were pretty empty later in the day and we could see the fireworks. If you're not napping any more, you might want to stay off property and just get out of there around 3 when the crowds start to get worse.
Get there are opening (what they call "rope drop") every day -- it's less crowded and there's a cute opening show at Magic Kingdom.

Anonymous wrote:With one 3 yo you don't need Park Hopper. Pick one park to see each day. Go back to the hotel midday for a rest and then return later.

Agree, it's too much for a 3yr old. Plus getting from one park to another takes up more time than you think snd really not worth it.

Bring a ton of snacks. I packed a small suitcase with poptarts, crackers, apples, etc to ease how much we'd spend on food.

With one 3 yo you don't need Park Hopper. Pick one park to see each day. Go back to the hotel midday for a rest and then return later.

The people on disboards do know everything.

I recommend a hotel on property, maybe Art of Animation so you have a microwave and fridge. Get groceries delivered to your hotel room (Green Grocerers). That helps a lot with your budget. I think All Star Music has suites as well.

Get Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2015. Most libraries carry it and it's very helpful to start planning.

Disney is not as expensive as Europe.

Definitely stay on property.

Buy hopper tix so you don't have to stay in just one park each day.

Don't try to see and do everything unless you are staying for a week. Just pick some things your kid wants to do, go with the flow and have fun.

Go on the disboards for more info. It's like dcum, but for disney parks, cruises, etc.

Our 3YO DD is in love with all things Frozen, most things Disney and some things Princess. We would like to plan our first ever trip to Disney World with her and love some recommendations on where to stay (inside the park v. a timeshare rental v. a hotel outside the park) and what parks are a must and a good time to go (now that we don't have a school schedule to adhere to yet). We'd like to stay on some type of budget as a family of 3 since I have heard friends/coworkers say they could have gone to Europe instead! Does anyone have any suggestions on any of these questions, as well as websites or boards to check out? I know there are lots of people devoted to Disney vacations, but we only went as children, so we're very out of the loop. Thanks to all.