Two weeks ago, my parents treated us all to a vacation trip to Disney World in Orlando. (Thanks again, guys, love you!) Me, my husband, my daughter (age 4), my son (age 2), and my mom and dad. Quite a crew! We had THE BEST time. Now you may be thinking – wasn’t it stressful? Yes, there was some stress. But the magic trumped the stress and made us all feel and act like kids again. It was the best.
I’d like to share some of my tips for getting there and enjoying your trip with little ones.
Travel Logistics
My dad did an amazing job of planning the trip so it would be as seamless as possible. For that, I am truly grateful. I think he would tell you these tips: Stay in a Disney resort if you can, the closer to the park the better. The easier the journey to the park, the quicker you’ll get there and begin enjoying it. Budget for either the hotel or the Disney park meal plans. Knowing where you’ll eat, and what options are available especially for the kids, makes that aspect more enjoyable.
What I would add is – plan your travel to Orlando around the kids. The best gift we gave ourselves was airline tickets. The prospect of driving to Orlando with a 2 and 4 year old made my mind melt. Jet Blue is VERY kid friendly and has direct flights to Orlando for reasonable prices. Each passenger gets a TV screen and they have kid channels. Kids get pilot wing stickers, and snacks periodically throughout the flight and upon request. First bag flies free. It rocked and the kids still talk about Jet Blue.
Itineraries
We had tickets for 4 days. I found that the Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios have the most to offer little ones. There are more rides and shows geared for young ones, and you can easily spend 2-3 days in each of these parks. We spent 2 days in Magic Kingdom, 1 in Animal Kingdom, and 1 in Hollywood Studios.
People kept telling us to plan our trip so that the kids napped in the afternoon and then we could go back for nighttime fireworks and parades. That never happened. And the kids never got naps. There was just too much in the parks I knew they would enjoy, and it seemed too energy draining to leave the hotel again. But folks do it. We’re just low stamina folks I guess. But I hear the nighttime events are quite spectacular.
Enjoying Yourself
Get the brochures a day ahead of time and circle the things that are MUST DOs. Master the Fast Pass as soon as you can. It took us a day to get a hang of that. Even when there’s a block of time when you’re waiting or walking from one place to another, we found there’s always something magical or not on the map…. like a parade, or a street magician, or a character.
For us a stroller was a must. We brought our own but rentals are available. Scooters are also available at $75 per day! Stuff your backpacks for unforeseeable circumstances. Extra clothes. Bathing suits for the water areas. Sun screen is a must, rain slicks, and maybe a jacket depending on time of year.
If you don’t get to see something for a certain character in one park, you may be able to see them in another. For example, Magic Kingdom has a new Beauty and the Beast section in Fantasyland but if you miss it you can see the Beauty and the Beast Stage Show in Hollywood Studios.
If you can swing it and your child REALLY loves a certain character, the character meals are AWESOME. We had lunch with all the princesses in Cinderella’s Castle. That was by far the highlight of our trip. The food was top notch. While we were all star struck, it was simply priceless to witness our kids basking in the princess glow and our daughter, in her Cinderella costume, hugging Cinderella, Aurora, Snow White, Ariel and Jasmine – her favorite movie stars. Awesome.
In general, you need to go in owning and being ok with these truths: You will wait in some lines. The lines may be long. Things will be expensive (but not all things). You may not get to do everything you want to do. Your kids will whine and fight with each other. They may not nap. Not every moment will be magical. Gone are the days when the popular characters are out in the open. You will have to wait to see them and get their autographs.
Tattoo those on your brain, and then be prepared to be amazed. The moments that ARE magical, and there will be many, will knock your socks off and make you want to cry. You will remember the first time your child saw Monsters, Inc., and stare in disbelief as she gets to hug Sully in real life. You will forever remember when your son went up to Winnie and Pooh and compared his yellow shirt to Pooh’s yellow fur and told him “Me have yellow too! It my favorite color!” and Pooh hugged him. You’ll get excited when you find out that Pocahontas is in the park today, remembering how much YOU loved her and that movie when it first came out.
Those moments alone were worth waiting in all those lines. Some time during the trip, my daughter asked my mom – “Grandma, can we come back in a few years when I’m still little before I don’t like this stuff any more?”
All I could think when we left was, I hope we’re able – and have the stamina – to fulfill her dream, and that our kids never get too old to love Disney.
About Mary Beth Cox