Every month we join together with Emily to share what we learned in that month. Because I know myself and I will likely lose track of time and never share about our recent trip to Disney World, I wanted to share what I learned while there. Enjoy!
- To Zig when others Zag. One night, we attended the Mickey’s Not-So-Scary-Halloween-Party and it was tons of fun. However, since our girls are super “scary-stuff-sensitive” we ended up trick-or-treating for awhile (How fun is it to trick or treat in the Magic Kingdom?!) and then just riding rides all night– and we had the best time!! Because of the party, we walked- on most of the rides with no wait time and we did more that evening than a normal day in the parks.
- Getting up early to see the Opening Show at the Magic Kingdom is 100% worth the missed sleep. (ok- so I already knew this one– but wow. So very fun. I even periscoped it this time.)
- Sometimes simple fun is the very best. The Penny Pressing machines gave our girls just as much joy as any other attraction. We bought a little book to keep them in, and we will hopefully add to it one day. Best special souvenir ever. I hope Disney always keeps this simple little fun feature.
- The only thing that would make the Disney’s Port Orleans Riverside Resort ANY better would be if it were on the Monorail line.
The beautiful Disney’s Port Orleans Riverside Resort… so serene and beautiful. The property itself makes for an immediate vacation-mindset. - A Rainy day at Disney World is still a great day at Disney World. We had rainy weather almost every day, but being prepared with rain jackets and a rain cover for our stroller made all the difference. AND, at one point, there was even a little show/ mini parade down Main Street with cast members in Rain Jackets and Boots. So cute.
- The Electrical Parade and Fireworks show is absolutely the best way to end a day at Disney World.
That time I rode Dumbo with Princess Snow White; Sweet Faces enjoying the Electrical Parade; Meeting Tinkerbell; and Extra Magic with Pixie Dust! - Stroller Rental for the Win. We rented a double stroller from Kingdom Strollers for just a few of the days we would be in the parks and the process was affordable and super easy. Even though our girlies are really past stroller age, having one at Disney World was a smart move. Kingdom Strollers dropped off our stroller (with a free rain cover) at the bell stand on the day we needed it and picked it up there a few days later. We even ended up needing it for an extra day and they gave us an extra day for a few dollars more. Easy-Peasy-Lemon-Squeezy!
- Favorite Non- Character Meal of the trip: Boma Breakfast at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. Seriously. The Jungle Juice, the service, the food selections for both Foodies and their slightly less foodie-children– A-MAZING. This will be a don’t miss whenever possible in the future. If you ever have a chance to do Tusker House Character Meal at the Animal Kingdom Park– it’s right up there with Boma.
- A Disney World vacation is one of the only places where Mom gets to relax too. I know, it seems crazy– with all the planning that goes into the trip itself– Dining Reservations, Fast-Passes, and just planning-period. But I would much rather plan ahead and then relax. Being able to arrive and have that wonderful Disney service is well worth the advance planning. (And by relax, I mean get up early- stay up late- have a blast every moment in between, but you know, Relax. 🙂
- Realistic expectations are everything. In the past, we have had marathon trips to Disney– the trips where we go everywhere and attempt to do everything causing us to be 100% exhausted by day three. This time, we purposefully did less and it made a difference. The few days that we chose to spend at the Magic Kingdom (because, that’s the stage we’re in right now– and it’s our FAVORITE park.) were long and crazy fun. The other days we swam in the resort pool, took boat rides to Disney Springs (previously Downtown Disney,) and explored our resort and other resorts. We did different things, we did some of the free things and we enjoyed every minute. However long your trip can be and whatever you have to work with: take my advice, Don’t try to do it all and BE FLEXIBLE. It will make a difference for everyone in your family. When it’s 9PM and everyone’s losing their minds with tired alligator tears, give yourself the freedom to call it a day. I completely understand that whole, “We paid $$$$$ for this vacation and by golly, we’re going to do it ALL!!” but remember, the point of Disney World is a Memorable Fun Trip Together. Don’t miss out on that because you’re all exhausted and hangry. Stop to rest. Stop to Eat. Stop to eat a Dole Whip for crying out loud!!! And have a Magical Time!!!
**We had a wonderful experience, an all around fabulous trip. Much of the ease of planning was due to my friend and travel agent at Kingdom Konsultants, Jennifer. She is a dedicated Authorized Disney Vacation Planner and offers the free service of helping you plan your Disney trip. They also helped us get the Free Dining Plan which Disney was offering at the time. I really appreciated having a professional be in the loop with all the discounts and tips and tricks! Contact her at Jennifer@kingdomkonsultant dot com.
**This post is not sponsored, but is my own account of our super-rad time. Yay!
I absolutely agree with your comment about a rainy day at Disney still being a great day at Disney! Although I’ve never been when it’s been a full rainy day (it’s always been rainstorms passing through), I’ve been surprised at how upset/annoyed/disappointed people are by the rain. While it certainly comes with its challenges, weather has always made for fun stories later – “remember that one time, it was raining while we waited for the parade…” and so on. At that point, I’m just happy to be at Disney.
Also, your reminder to have realistic expectations is so important! Do I want to get a good value out of my ticket? Absolutely. But there has to be a reasonable approach, and for me, that’s choosing one or two “musts” and letting everything else be a bonus.
Looks like a fun time!
As a huge Disney fan this made me a little “homesick” for the happiest place on earth. So much fun reading about your experience and intend to use some of your advice on my next trip!
This is a great post, thank you for sharing! We leave Thursday and I’m trying to figure out how to “do it all” but I need to just enjoy the things we get to do and not stress about what we missed out on.