For toddlers, a change in their surroundings, especially after a long trip, can be frightening. Here are some ways to make their arrival in Orlando a happy time.

You can now breathe a sigh of relief. You’ve made it! You can start enjoying your vacation with your little one.

The first reaction for a lot of families is to check in and go straight to the parks, but there is plenty to do to help you settle in and relax a little first.

What to Do First

When you arrive at your resort, in either your own car or on Disney’s Magical Express, you get your first taste of Disney magic. Just like the theme parks, the detail at the resort is amazing. If you are staying at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, you will feel like you stepped into a hotel on a game reserve in Africa. At Disney’s Port Orleans: French Quarter, you’ll feel like you dropped in to the heart of New Orleans, complete with wonderful Southern hospitality.

Whatever resort you have decided to make home for the next few days, you will need to check in. For a toddler, this is one of the most boring aspects of their vacation. My suggestion would be to have one parent go and check in while the other takes the tot around. The check-in building usually has a gift shop and restaurant. You can always grab a snack, make a pit stop at the restrooms, or do some shopping to keep them entertained.

If it looks like check in won’t take too long, you can always play a quick game of I-Spy in the lobby. There is plenty of detail to keep it interesting.

When checking in, if you didn’t have your MagicBands delivered your home, you will pick them up at the front desk. Even your toddler will have a magic band. They will get the biggest kick out of wearing them just like the adults.To add to the excitment, let them use the MagicBand to open the door to your room.

If you arrive before your room is ready, you can check your luggage with bell services; that way you don’t have to drag it around the resort.

Room Requests

The Walt Disney Resort is huge. There are 36 hotels, with over 30,000 rooms, about 3,000 Disney Vacation Club units, and almost 800 campsites within the boundary of the resort. This gives you a lot of room choices when you check in at your hotel.

Before you leave for your vacation, you will have the ability to do online check-in. This will help expedite the process when you reach the resort.

During this check-in, you can make a room request such as wanting to be closer to the pool or having a room on the first floor. While you can make the request, there is no guarantee it will be honored.

One way to guarantee that you receive a room that is closer in vicinity to the main building or that has a special view is to pay more for a preferred room.

Each family’s needs are different. However, the resorts that I most suggest paying more to have a preferred room are the value resorts (All-Star Sports, Movies, Music, and Pop Century). Many of the resorts have multiple bus stops that encircle the resort. When it comes to the values, they only have one bus stop at the front of the property, which requires a long walk if you are in one of the buildings situated at the back of the resort. This is especially a trek for a toddler.

While you have to pay a little extra for this option, you might want to consider it because at the end of a long day at the parks, you will be thankful you have fewer steps to make it back to your room.

Also, when you are doing your online check in, make sure to request a pack-and-play for your room if you want one. You will also want to mention it at the front desk upon your physical check in.

Continued in "Mousekatots"!

In the eyes of a toddler, a Mickey meet and greet can be the wellspring of nightmares for years to come. Here are some ways to handle the horror.

When you are planning your perfect Walt Disney World vacation, as a parent you can’t help but think about all of the wonderful pictures that your child is going to take with a favorite character. Your little Belle posing with the real Belle in Fantasyland or hamming it up with Donald Duck at the Mexico pavilion in EPCOT.

But, the truth is, your child might not be as excited.

If you look at things from a toddler’s perspective, you are asking your child to go up to a stranger, which is something you tell them not to do all the time, and get close and take a photo.

What also adds to the intensity is that favorite characters on TV who are only a few inches tall are now suddenly larger than life and most of the time their faces are frozen with one expression.

Despite the apprehension, you can do a few things to help make your parenting dream a reality.

Before you head to Walt Disney World, it is important to expose your toddler to costumed characters.

Find out when businesses are having a grand opening celebration or festival and plan to attend or go to a local sporting event. Often times there will be mascots or other characters at these celebrations and it is the perfect opportunity to gauge their reaction. If they have a meltdown, you can take them home right away.

Another way to make the transition a little easier is to introduce a “face character”, like the princesses or a character where you see the cast member’s actual face. By seeing the character’s faces and hearing that person talk, it might make it a little less intimidating.

When meeting characters, never force your toddler to participate in a character meet and greet. I understand how bad you want that picture and how important it is to make a memory. However, if your tot is upset, you don’t want a meltdown. You can walk away and do some other things and come back later if your toddler after your child has a chance to adjust.

Continued in "Mousekatots"!