Okay, I have a HUGE request to ask of all you fabulous readers. You guys are often excellent sources of information and I could use some help.
Next month we are surprising The Cutes with a trip to...
DISNEY WORLD!
Now Carrie Beth has been a time or two with her little ones, but this will be our first visit with the kids. We had planned on doing this trip last year for Cute's fifth birthday, but then Baby Cute surprised us, and bringing a three week old to Disney just didn't sound like our kind of fun - so we tabled it.
Fast forward to this year, and we came up with the same basic idea. We are surprising Cute for his birthday (because less toys and more fun - keep in mind that whole New Year's goal thing we've got going on), but we had no idea the amount of planning that had to go into it. Eek!
We have a few major things already planned, but overall I am feeling a little overwhelmed at all that there is to do there!
So help a mommy out and tell me all your Disney tips and tricks!
What parks do you like best (especially for younger kids)?
Where do you like to stay?
What are your favorite places to eat?
Anything we MUST do?
Are character meals worth it?
What are your favorite shows?
(and...)
Where do you find all the cute matching outfits?
First, you have to just tell yourself you can't do/see it all. Pick the age appropriate parks and attractions. I recommend Magic and Animal and if time, Epcot. 4 days was enough when my twins were 5 yo. You will not spend much time in your room so I think budget is fine. Remember budget at Disney is still nice and nicer than other places definition of budget. Take advantage of the early hour at the designated park and get fast pass when you can. Try not to
ReplyDeleteRush through the day and enough yourself. I had to stop myself many times and tell myself it wasn't a race to do it all!
Thank you!!! I keep telling myself that they are young and they will think all of it is just so cool! Animal Kingdom is at the top of the list because it seems from what I read maybe the easiest with even the littlest ones?
DeleteYes! It was so cool! Some of the rides may not be appropriate. I checked out the book "Disney with Kids 200?" From the library and took notes. There is a new edition out every year and it is written by a mom. I swear I felt like I had a Masters in Disney before we left. Oh, just to give you an idea -
DeleteWe stayed in a moderate priced resort and drove and didn't use our car at all for the 4 days. We used the Disney bus, monorail, etc. Everything - hotel, meals came to 2300 for 4 days. We brought our own water bottles and some breakfast and snack foods. I thought that was pretty good because people had said we couldn't do it for less than $5000. Not true!
Check out Emily's blog, she is a Disney LOVER and you are sure to find some great tips and tricks... http://www.journeyofparenthood.com/
ReplyDeleteOh definitely going to have to check her out!! I love getting to hear from another mom's perspective! Thank you for sharing! Now off to read... :)
DeleteAs a Floridian, we traveled to Disney often with small children. First, I believe if your children still nap spend the money and stay at one of the resorts on the monorail( polynesian, contemporary, grand Floridian). You can easily travel to the park in the morning, go back to the hotel for a nap and a swim then back to the park after an early dinner. If you have a car Orlando is a great place with fairly inexpensive restaurants. Disney is not. The variety of food will get to you after a few days.
ReplyDeleteTarget always has some of the cutest Disney themed wear. Especially in the girls section. Sometimes Old Navy has some cute options too that are inexpensive.
ReplyDeleteHey Disney for family is our speciality if you're looking for help in actually getting the fastpasses and restaurant bookings once you've chosen what you want? Pop on over and have a look at us if you like :) http://www.meticuloustravel.co.uk/disney
ReplyDeleteHappy to give you some tips, does your son have a favourite movie? what sort of budget?
We would agree Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom - MK is Disney, you can't miss that, and AK is a more laid back park. For fun for the adults though you may want to think about Epcot, eating and drinking around world showcase isn't one to miss, and Epcot its pretty interactive so still something for the kids!
In terms of where to stay, I'd need to know the budget..a monorail resort, as mentioned above, would definitely be a bonus.
I could go on forever, email me on zoe.young@meticuloustravel.co.uk, if you'd like to go into more detail.
If not, best of luck with the planning, hopefully the above helped a bit!
Zoe