The main question I’m asked from families with babies is “What is there for my baby to ride?”. This is a really good question! Traveling with littles can be challenging, even when visiting Walt Disney World but don’t you fear there are plenty of possibilities available. While not all four of the Disney parks have a ton of things for babies to do, Magic Kingdom is the exception! This park was designed with kids of all ages in mind.
This list is my top 11 rides (plus 2 honorable mentions) for babies in Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World. These rides are tame, slow moving rides most of which the child can and will sit on your lap. None of these rides have a height restriction, so they are perfect for babies, kids, parents and grandparents alike!
Honorable Mentions:
Dumbo the Flying Elephant - It seems that this is a staple ride for babies in Disney World! Located in the Storybook Circus area of Fantasyland, you will board your flying elephant, and go on a slow steady ride through the air. This ride does spin, but not too fast, so feeling woozy afterwards doesn’t happen as often. The best part is you can control how high you want to fly with the lever inside the ride vehicle. Inside the big tent there is an air-conditioned playground for kids to play while you wait. You will be alerted when it’s time to board your flight. Guests must be able to transfer to ride this ride.
“it’s a small world” - Located in Fantasyland, also known as the “Happiest Cruise that Ever Sailed” this slow moving gentle boat ride takes you on a 10 minute journey all over the world! With bright colors, dancing figures and a tune known by most the world, this is a ride not to miss! This ride is wheelchair accessible.
Liberty Square Riverboat - I feel like this is an underrated ride, but a great option for your baby! Board the Liberty Belle, a steam powered riverboat, and take a trip along the Rivers of America. Located in Liberty Square and running a cool 17 minutes, you'll listen to a recorded narrator, in the voice of Mark Twain, share memories of Twain’s time on the Mississippi River. This is a great way to enjoy a little relaxation and see Magic Kingdom from a different point of view. The Liberty Belle is a 4 deck boat, with standing and seating room, but seating room is limited. This ride is also ECV/Wheelchair accessible.
Walt Disney World Railroad - (Temporarily Unavailable) This is a must do for any train lover! Hop aboard one of four fully restored vintage steam trains, originally built between 1926 and 1928! Here you can enjoy a relaxing slow 20 minute round trip around the park. There are a few stops, so if you wish to get off you can, but you can ride the loop of the whole park. I think this is a fun way to see Magic Kingdom park and to relax and take a break from being on your feet! This has open bench seating and handicap accessible at certain stations. You can find stops at Main Street USA, Frontierland and Fantasyland (Storybook Circus) areas of the park. This ride is currently closed as the construction of Tron continues. Tron has an opening date of Spring of 2023, so hopefully the railroad will open again soon! I will update this article when it reopens.
Prince Charming Regal Carrousel - This classic carousel is located in fantasyland behind Cinderella’s Castle. This has been in the Magic Kingdom since its opening in 1971! You can choose from 90-wood carved horses or one bench seat to ride on. This ride is handicap accessible and the wheelchair will most likely be put in front of the bench seat. If you wish to ride in the bench seat with your baby and there is a handicap guest also boarding, you can share the area or ask to board on the next ride.
Jungle Cruise - This “dad joke” comedic boat ride through the rivers of Asia, Africa and South America will take you by foliage, and waterfalls on the Amazon. Glimpse gorillas taking over an abandoned camp of the African Congo. See any hippos, hungry lions and ‘sleeping’ zebras on the Nile, finish up your cruise down the Mekong River where you can encounter the 8th wonder of the world, the backside of water! This is a slow moving 10-minute boat ride with bench style seating. Located in Adventureland, you may remain in your ecv/wheelchair to ride.
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh - Climb into your oversized honey pot and travel on an adventure through the hundred acre woods with pooh and his friends! This ride tells the stories made famous in the classic Disney film “The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh” You will encounter scenes with Owl, bounce with Tigger and travel through the world of Heffalumps and Woozles until you reach the end and celebrate with Pooh as he finally gets his hunny pot. Located in Fantasyland, this ride is handicap accessible. Many times you will find Pooh and Tigger visiting for meet and greets right next to this ride.
Under the Sea ~ Journey of The Little Mermaid - Board your Clamshell and slowly journey through the retelling of this classic Disney tail of The Little Mermaid. You will go under the sea and see an underwater treasure trove, singing fish, meet Ursula, and celebrate as Ariel meets the prince of her dreams. This ride is located in Fantasyland and is handicap accessible. Although it has not returned since the covid-19 pandemic, previously you could meet Ariel with her tail at her Grotto next door. When she returns, I will update this post.
Peter Pan’s Flight - You will board your ‘flying’ ship, the ride attendant sprinkles some “pixie dust”, your lap bar magically lowers and you’re off to Neverland! You will follow Peter Pan and the Darling Children on an adventure of a lifetime as you follow the story of the movie. Located in Fantasyland, this is considered a classic Disney dark ride! It is slow moving and has one small drop. It has no height requirement but if you have kids afraid of the dark, I recommend checking out a few youtube videos of the ride to see if your kids will be scared or not. There are brightly colored scenes, moving characters and music but it may not subside all children’s fears. This ride is not handicap accessible.
Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin - Become a Junior Space Ranger and help fight the evil emperor Zurg with your laser beam as you journey through a galactic space battle. As you make your way through the battle, you will encounter glowing “Z” targets you blast with your “laser beam” cannon to earn points. At the end of the ride, you can rate your score with the scoreboard and see if you are a Cosmic Commander. You do not have to use your canon throughout the ride if you choose not to, you can just sit and ride. This is a dark ride, with a bunch of lighted scenes, but like Peter Pan’s Flight, you may want to check this ride out on youtube to see how your kids may handle it if they don’t like dark places. This ride is located in Tomorrowland and is wheelchair accessible.
Tomorrowland Transit Authority People Mover - Most people refer to this ride just as the Peoplemover. This is a great ride to get some really cool views of Magic Kingdom park. After you make your way up the moving walk-way you will board your tram for a leisurely 10-minute ride elevated above the park. On this narrated tour you will go behind the scenes of attractions like Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, ride through the middle of Space Mountain and through the Star Traders gift shop. This is one of my favorite rides, so it’s not just for infants! It is located in Tomorrowland and is not handicap accessible.
Honorable Mentions!
Haunted Mansion - Hop aboard your very own slow moving doom buggy and with the ghost host, explore all the secrets of the Haunted Mansion and their 999 Happy Haunts. As you make your way through the house you will meet a ballroom party of ghosts, Madame Leota’s séance room and a graveyard of dancing, singing ghosts but beware of Hitchhiking Ghost, as they may follow you home. This ride is located in Liberty Square and is not handicap accessible. This ride lands on my honorable mention list as it may be scary for some kids. There is no height requirement and I find that most babies do not get scared on this ride but some toddlers might! This ride is dark, has some loud noises and scary sounds and contains some mild scary scenes. This is another ride I would recommend checking out on youtube if you think your child may get scared.
Pirates of the Caribbean - Board a slow moving boat for a swashbuckling good time as you sail past Dead Man’s Cove, through a pirate ship battle and a pirate seaside town. Keep a lookout for Capt. Jack Sparrow as you can find him in multiple places throughout the ride! This ride is located in adventureland and while the queue of the ride is wheelchair friendly, you will need to be able to transfer into the ride vehicle, so it is not totally handicap accessible. This does have a small drop and you may get a little wet. It ends up on my honorable mention list as it is dark, can be loud and may be scary for some younger guests. Check youtube for a ride through video so you can judge if this ride would be good for your youngsters.
These are recommendations based on what I think are great rides for babies in the Magic Kingdom. All of these rides are safe for children of any age and height to ride. As I mentioned earlier, if you are unsure about any of these rides, and how your child(ren) may react, you can check out some point of view videos on youtube and decide what may be best for your family.
As a disclaimer, I am not a medical professional and if you have questions about these rides and how safe they may be for your baby, I would consult your medical practitioner.
If you have any questions feel free to leave them in the comments below, if you are ready to book your trip, you can contact me here.
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