Hi Kyrsten, welcome to planDisney!
My family and I spent Thanksgiving in your home state of Pennsylvania. Everyone was so kind and welcoming - you're going to feel right at home during your upcoming Walt Disney World Resort vacation! The Mayor of Magic, Mickey Mouse, can't wait to give you a warm hug at Town Square Theater in Magic Kingdom Park. You can also catch him in the Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade.
Children under the age of three are Guests of Mickey Mouse and do not require a ticket or theme park reservation. The age of a child at the beginning of a vacation is the age that determines whether or not a ticket is needed. Since it sounds like your youngest will be three when you arrive, they will need valid admission, a theme park reservation, and a method of entry (MagicBand, MagicBand+, admission card, or Disney MagicMobile pass) to enter the theme parks. I do not recommend MagicBands for three-year-old wrists, but I do recommend using the My Disney Experience mobile app to download a Disney MagicMobile pass to an eligible iPhone, Apple Watch, or Google Pay enabled Android phone. You can also stop by one of the ticket windows located outside the entrance to each theme park for an admission card, just be prepared to show confirmation of the ticket purchase, the credit card used to make the purchase, and the credit card holder's photo ID.
Kindly note that children ages three through nine are also charged a kid's price for buffet, family-style, and fixed-price meals. My daughter was excited to turn double-digits but I was not ready to pay an adult price for her meal at Chef Mickey's. We now tend to splurge on one character dining experience each trip and often share meals at other table-service dining locations.
I hope this information helps you plan for your upcoming adventure, Kyrsten. Please don't hesitate to reach out to planDisney with any other trip-planning questions; we're all EARS!
Choose magic,
Jennifer
