personal blog
I love Disney, it is one of my favorite places to take the family. My friend Fish Mama is getting ready to take her kids to Disney next month and is looking for advice. If you have a Disney post, or even advice to give her, hop over to Life as Mom and help her plan her trip. If you are planning a trip to Disney, my 30 Days of Disney series might be helpful as well.
My 30 Days of Disney are up! I had a great time sharing my Disney tips with readers and loved reading about all your favorite Disney restaurants, attractions, and memories.
My final Disney tip is simple ~ Have Fun! Going to Disney can be a magical experience for the whole family, but it can also be a stressful one. Many times I have seen parents yelling at their exhausted children to hurry up, quit crying, or be happier. I understand their frustration, Disney vacations cost a good chunk of change and they want to get their money’s worth.
Relax, enjoy yourself, and don’t stress about riding every ride, meeting every character, and watching every show. If your kids are tired go back to the room and take a break. Most Florida hotels have nice pools, use them to cool off and break up your day. Add an extra day on to your vacation to give you a day of down time, where you don’t have to visit a park. It is okay to show up late and leave early, you will have great memories whether you spend five hours or 5 days at the parks.
So repeat after me:
I am going to Disney to have fun.
I am going to Disney to have fun.
I am going to Disney to have fun.
Have a great time at Disney and tell Mickey I said hello!
The magic doesn’t end today. I have started a Disney thread in my forum so stop by and share your knowledge with other Disney fans. Plus if you join in the discussion this week, or any other discussion in the forum you are entered to win a $25 Target gift card from The Blog Frog.
Time to answer some of the questions I have received during this series.
From Mary Beth: I’d love to go and take our girls in the fall, but don’t know if they are really old enough… the oldest will be 4 in March and the three little ones won’t be 3 until August. Any thoughts or suggestions?
I think they are definitely old enough to enjoy Disney this fall. You can also take advantage of the Armed Forces Salute and save yourself a ton of money. If I were going with 4 children under 5, I might consider asking another adult to join you. That way you have another adult to ride with a child on many of the rides.
From Lori– Question…do you have a suggestion for sunscreen? I KNOW we’ll need it!
I would chose a high spf sunscreen that is waterproof. There are a few rides that you will get wet on in the park, plus if you go in the summer you will probably end up pretty sweaty by the end of the day. You could also consider putting your kids in swim shirts, since those keep their protection even if they get wet. My kids often wear their Skinz to Sea World so they can play in the water without worrying about a sunburn.
From Liz and Kellie- how do you nap at Disney?? Do you go back to your hotel or just pick a quiet spot in the grass???
If you have little ones and the park is open late (until 10 or 11pm) I would recommend going back to the room, or perhaps sending one parent back with the nappers and the other parent staying with the bigger kids. You can catch a quick nap on a bench, or (and I know I will get an email about this) take a nap while watching a show in an air-conditioned auditorium. I use to nap in the Hall of Presidents…
From Annette- Just curious if the active/retired service member has to be “present” to use the tickets at Disney?
No, they do have to purchase the tickets, but you do not need to be with them to actually get into the park. You must be with the service member during the ticket purchase.
From Tammy- Do you know if the Armed Forces salute tickets have to be used in consecutive days?
No, they just have to be used before December 23rd for the Orlando parks. I believe the deadline for California was extended until September.
Readers’ favorite Disney websites: Allears.net, Mousesavers.com and Tourguidemike.com
I have decided to end my 30 Days of Disney series with the posts I wrote several months ago when we were visiting the parks. I wrote a post per park, so tonight it is all about The Magic Kingdom.
There is something special about the Magic Kingdom, from the minute you walk under the railroad and on to Main Street a feeling of happiness comes over you. From the ice cream vendor to the monorail driver to Sleeping Beauty, each cast member goes out of their way to make your day magical.
Day 3 started early as we left the house at 7:45 am for the Magic Kingdom. We purchased our Armed Forces Salute tickets and were pleasantly surprised when they sold us all six tickets for $99 each. The promotion allows for five $99 tickets, but they sold us the sixth one for $99 too.
We arrived in the park a few minutes after nine. My first Disney tip is to get there early. The earlier you arrive, the less crowded the park. We were able to ride Snow White, Pooh, Teacups, and the Tomorrowland Speedway before 10 am.
We then headed to Toontown to visit the Princesses. If you want to see the fairies, get there right when it opens at 10 am before it opens. By the time we got there at 10:15 the line was already 60 minutes long. My girls were not interested in the fairies so we waited about 5 minutes to visit Belle, Aurora, and Cinderella.
Second Disney tip: Get a Fast Pass! This saved us so much time. We ended up getting fast passes for Buzz Lightyear, Space Mountain (which is now under renovation), Thunder Mountain, and Peter Pan. The longest we waited with the fast pass was about 10 minutes, but the people without the fast past were waiting an hour.
Third Disney tip: Eat a huge breakfast before you get to the park and pack snacks and water. I am not sure what Disney’s food policy is, but we took some granola bars and cheerios for snacks in our backpack and when they checked it they didn’t say anything. Eating a large breakfast allows you to delay lunch. Lunchtime and parade times are the best time to go on rides.
We ate lunch at a place called the Harbor House. It is between Fantasyland and Liberty Square. It is one of the few places you can eat a semi-healthy lunch at the park. It is also less crowded than a lot of the more well known places and has ample seating. The kids had macaroni and cheese, apple slices and grapes. I had a tuna salad on wheat and it was as good as Panera. The total cost for our family of 8 was $50. Now I realize that is not cheap, but the kids ate fruit, drank milk (not soda) and everyone was full. We ate lunch late enough so that we didn’t have to eat dinner at the park, so I thought we got a good deal. On the park map is restaurant is listed as serving fish baskets and soups, but there is more to choose from on the menu. It is worth checking out.
About 7:30 pm we were all pretty tired so we decided to skip the fireworks (we can see them from my in-laws backyard anyway) and crowds and leave before the park closed at 8pm. This was a great idea for our family because we made it from Tomorrowland to our car in about 25 minutes.
We have Epcot and Animal Kingdom coming up next. We have only been to Animal Kingdom twice so I am excited to check it out.
Teacups
The Step Sisters and Mother
One of the step sisters went to go visit our son, who did not want to have his picture taken with her.
Tomorrowland Speedway- where you don’t need a license to drive.
Warming up to Cinderella
A family favorite- Buzz!
You are never too old for Mr. Lightyear….
Our relaxing lunch at the Harbor House, overlooking Thunder Mountain.
Where’s Jack Sparrow when you need him?
Magic Carpets (this ride was a favorite!)
Winding down on the carousel.
Our last day was spent at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. I had pretty low expectations going into the day because I didn’t remember liking the park very much when we had our season passes years ago. After a full day at the park I was pleasantly surprised, they really had something for everyone.
We started the day by separating. The littler kids and I went to visit some characters while the big kids rode Tower of Terror and Rock’n Roller Coaster. I must tell you there are a ton of character greeting spots at the park and the lines are minimal.
The littlest Tower of Terror rider.
We then went to see the Playhouse Disney show. I chuckled while we were watching this show because my children have only seen these shows on television a handful of times but knew all the catchy phrases and songs. This is a fun show for the younger crowd.
There is also a character greeting outside of the theater.
We went to get fast passes for the Toy Story ride and on the way stopped to see Prince Caspian. As you can see our oldest was thrilled to meet him!
The “show” for Prince Caspien is a little lame, basically you watch a recap of the movie. I would skip it unless you are a die hard fan.
We spent some time at the “Honey I Shrunk the Kids” playground. This is a fun area to let your kids burn off some energy. Be careful though, it had rained the day before and the flooring was very slippery.
Some time during the day we happened upon the Power Rangers. I don’t think my children have ever seen an episode of the Power Rangers, but they were loved posing with them. We probably spent 30 minutes going from Ranger to Ranger.
The kids were so excited about the Power Rangers that they spent the rest of the day practicing their moves.
We also saw Scully.
The Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular was a family favorite since Dad was chosen to be an extra! This is really an awesome show, especially if you have little boys! They will love all the fire, guns, and action! After seeing several shows where people are chosen from the audience I think that you have a better chance of being picked if you are wearing bright colors and wave your hands like a madman!
Most of the family rode the Star Wars ride. It got mixed reviews from the kids.
We had lunch at a great place called the Studio Catering Company. It is close to the playground. They had great food for a small price (well, a small price for Disney). They actually had healthy choices on the menu. My husband had chicken with beans and rice, I had a chicken ceasar wrap, and the kids had macaroni with grapes and carrots. It was $50 for all 8 of use to eat.
After lunch we rode the most popular ride the in park, Toy Story Midway Mania! This is a cool ride! Everyone loved it, but if you want to love it like we did, get a fast pass. The line was about 50 minutes on a slow day at the park.
My only regret of the day was trying to see the block party. Even though we had good seats, the block party actually was very difficult to see. Not to mention people pushing their way in front of the kids to get a better view for themselves. My advice, skip the block party and go see a show. You won’t be missing anything.
We had great seats for the Beauty and the Beast show… front row!
Even though they were tired, my girls loved this show, and there is enough of Gaston and the Beast to keep little boys attention too.
We visited The Magic of Disney Animation in order to find Mr. Incredible. If you don’t want to go on the tour you can enter the gift shop, go all the way to the back and follow the hallways to the characters. (Note: you can now visit the characters from UP at this location)
We also saw the Little Mermaid show as well as went on the Great Movie Ride. The Mermaid show is great and the Movie Ride was interesting, although could scare little kids.
We left the park a little before closing time. We had a fabulous day, the kids loved all the kids and shows and the park was not too crowded. I highly recommend this park as one your whole family will love!
I have decided to end my 30 Days of Disney series with the posts I wrote several months ago when we were visiting the parks. I wrote a post per park, so tonight it is all about Epcot.
Today we headed out bright and early for Epcot. Arrive early so you will be able to speed through the lines the first hour or two the park is open. We started with Spaceship Earth while my husband went to get fast passes for Soarin’.
We then walked to The Land and rode the boat through the gardens and by the time we were done we could ride Soarin’. I stayed behind with our two year, but the unanimous decision was this ride is a “must-do.” During the morning we visited most of the pavilions in Future World.
A few Future World tips. Get to the Character Spot early. This is a chance to meet Micky, Minnie, Donald, Goofy and Pluto. We happened upon this building on our way to The Land. It is marked on the Epcot map and easy to find. There was no line to see any of the characters and the kids were able to spend a good amount of time visiting with them. This is the best place to see the characters in the park and it is free.
Visit Club Cool, this little oasis gives you a chance to taste sodas from other countries. I did not see it on the map, but it is directly across from the large fountain on the same side of the park as Imagination! It is all you can drink, for free. The kids think this is better than getting ice cream so I highly recommend stopping by.
Don’t forget to visit Turtle Talk with Crush. This fun interactive show was the highlight of our day. (The kids are still talking about it 6 months later!)
After visiting most of Future World we headed to the World Showcase. This part of Epcot is a little less appealing to toddlers. We skipped most of the films because we knew we would be dealing with fidgety kids. We did watch several of the street performers. They are always excellent and you can find show times in your guide.
After much debate we ended up eating in America. I do not recommend this as a dining option… but we were nearing meltdown with the little one and we made a strategic decision to go with hot dogs. In my opinion the food was overpriced and didn’t taste very good at all.
This kids did participate in a little parade with the fife and drum players in America. They were awarded copies of the Declaration of Independence for participating and they held them tight for the rest of the day.
We rode the Grand Fiesta Tour in Mexico and the Maelstrom in Norway two times each. There were no lines on any ride we went on today so by 5:30 we had visited almost everything in the park. Since we have Animal Kingdom tomorrow we decided to head back to my in-laws so everyone could get a good night’s sleep.
Here are a few pictures from Epcot.
At the Character Spot… the much requested picture of me!
With Goofy
Trying to get a picture with all the kids…
The Nemo ride ~ I was seriously unimpressed by this ride. You sit in a shell and watch bits of the movie as you slowly move through the ride. I was very glad we did not wait in line to ride this, it would not have been worth it!
Another picture of “goofy”
This fun little photo-op is in The Seas.
Club Cool, all you can drink soda, for free!
The fountain across from Club Cool.
I have decided to end my 30 Days of Disney series with the posts I wrote several months ago when we were visiting the parks. I wrote a post per park, so tonight it is all about Animal Kingdom.
I must admit my dad talked me into a trip to Animal Kingdom. I had visited twice previously, the first time I don’t really remember and the second time it was about 1oo degrees and not very fun. This time it was a cool day and we were joined by my sister in law, 3 nephews and my father.
My one tip for this park would be if you have a toddler, use a backpack carrier. If they are seated up high they will be able to see all of the animals. We ended up buckling and unbuckling our toddler out of the stroller constantly throughout the day so she could get a better view.
Animal Kingdom is a beautiful park. Most of the walkways are shaded and the landscaping is gorgeous! We arrived early and headed to the back of the park for the safari. Most of the animals are more active in the morning so we wanted to see as many as possible. There was no wait for the ride and we were able to see all the animals moving around except for the lions, but apparently they don’t move around much anyway.
As you are walking through the park be on the lookout for Divine (or Devine) the living tree. She is hard to spot, but basically it is a woman on stilts covered in leaves. She hangs out in the landscaping, and is really fun to watch.
Photo by thecrystalskull
Be on the look out for character spots as you walk through the park. Right after the park opens is a great time for meet and greet. The lines are short and the characters are plenty.
After the safari we picked up fast passes to Everest and explored Asia. We walked on a few nature paths and saw more animals. When it was time for the big kids to ride Everest I took the smaller ones to Dinoland. This place is like a fish out of water, it is loud, bright, and a bit obnoxious. We rode the TriceraTop Spin several times, so many I actually lost count. The park was so empty the attendant allowed us to stay on the ride instead of exiting and getting back in line.
Safari
TriceraTop Spin
Then our two year old and I stayed behind as everyone else rode Dinosaur. I do not recommend this ride for children under 10 or maybe even 12. My four year old was tall enough to ride so we let her go and all the kids were terrified. So much so that it almost ruined our entire day. We ended up buying ice cream for everyone in order to stop the shaking and crying.
A few of the kids would have been content to stay in the Fossil Playground for the entire day. I don’t have any pictures of this fun playground because I spent the entire time keeping up with the two year old. It is a great place to go and take a break with the little ones.
We saw the Lion King show and the Nemo show, which are both excellent. Nemo is an amazing puppet show and Lion King is a singing/ acrobatic/ dancing carnival. The kids and grown ups loved both shows.
Photo courtesy of armadillo444.
The only negative about the entire day was that Animal Kingdom’s hours were from 9-5. Although we saw almost everything it would have been easy to spend another day there. It was great fun and I can’t wait until our next trip!
More pictures from our day.
When visiting Epcot don’t forget to visit the Kidcot Fun Stops. These fun craft stations geared towards preschoolers are located throughout Epcot.
This was a great activity to keep my preschooler entertained while the big kids rode the big rides. In the World Showcase your little one can interact with Cast Members and learn about their native countries while making beautiful masks they can take home.
The Kidcot locations are:
Kidcot Fun Stops in Epcot Future World:
Kidcot Fun Stops in Epcot World Showcase:
Working on her Kidcot craft in The Land Pavillion while the big kids rode Soarin’.
Photo courtesy of Brian Wilson
If you want the Disney “experience” but don’t want to pay Disney prices consider stopping by Downtown Disney. This area, located on Disney property does not charge admission and is filled with fun shops, restaurants, a movie theatre (not free), and entertainment.
There is a Lego Imagination store, which is sure to keep your kids busy for hours, as well as the largest Disney character store on earth. This store is fun to just walk through and look at all the merchandise, even if you don’t spend a cent. There is also Design-A-Tee shop, which allows you to design custom apparel. Other stores include Art of Disney, Virgin Records, a Kitchen Store, and a Christmas shop.
If you are hungry, consider dining at T-Rex, a dinosaur-themed family eatery serving lunch and dinner amid prehistoric creatures, fun displays and merchandise. This restaurant includes a Paleo Zone, where you can go on an archaeological Discovery Dig, pan for treasures in Discovery Creek and get schooled in prehistory on the Paleo Screens. There is also a Build-a-Dino workshop, similar to Build-a-Bear.
You can also take a boat from Downtown Disney to Old Key West or Saratoga Springs and dine at one of the many restaurants. The boat ride is free and the restaurants are usually not crowded.
If you want to spend the big bucks, enjoy a performance at Cirque du Soleil. It is truly an incredible experience. They occasionally run Florida resident discounts of around 20%. Performances are held from Tuesday through Saturday at 6 p.m. and 9 p.m.
Downtown Disney is accessible by bus, if you are staying at one of the Disney resorts. Or by car, and parking is free.
Hours for Downtown Disney are:
Shops open 9:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday – Thursday
Shops open 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Friday – Saturday
Restaurants open daily 9 a.m. – 11 p.m.
You can easily spend the entire day at Downtown Disney and enjoy all the shops and architecture without spending a dime.
Photos courtesy of Twinkie420, indigoskye, Joe Chang.
When you are planning your Disney vacation, check out these sites for great insider tips.
Disney’s Official Website: Park hours, maps, dining, hotels, this site has it all. The one negative about this site is that it uses Flash player so occasionally it loads slowly.
DW Insider: Written by a former Disney employee this site has everything from pet care information to sample itineraries to help you plan your trip.
WDW Info: Another great resource complete with Disney message boards so you can ask questions from other Disney fans and frequent visitors. This site even maintains a list of churches located close to the parks.
Intercot: This site claims to have the most Disney info on the web. I don’t know if that is true but this site does have a wealth of information. There is also a very active discussion board on this site. There is even a discussion thread for Disney rumors, sounds interesting.
DIS Unplugged: An all things Disney blog. I thought this site was fun to browse with interesting Disney tidbits and reviews. One of the best features of this site are the numerous pictures in each post.
Walt Disney Boards: While I think the DIS Unplugged messages boards are more comprehensive, this board has a few threads which are very informative. You must check out the Disney refurbishment discussion. Are you planning your summer vacation around your love of Space Mountain? Don’t bother, it is closed until November of this year. This board will give you all the details on hotels, rides, and shows that are currently or will be undergoing renovations.
Disney Coloring Pages: Print out Disney coloring pages for free on this site. This is a great way to keep your little one occupied while traveling to Disney or to occupy them during down time in your hotel room.
Do you have a favorite website for all things Disney?