Heading to Disney World...tips?

[countyclothcreations]

ok, we're leaving for Orlando on Wed., I'm a little stressed....air travel (with 3 kids) and amusment parks are not my idea of fun Any experience or tips to share to make the experince smoother and cheaper would be wonderful. help de-stress me
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Meghan step mama to Liam (10) & mama to Quintin (7) and our nursling Rowan 2:

~@ HC ~
~@ Etsy~ mama cloth, wetbags and project bags~open for custom orders!
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[littleknittles]

my BFF lives in orlando, i can ask her some specific questions if you want. she's not really a fan of disneyworld so she wouldn't know stuff about the park but she'd know all the other local things to do. she'd certainly know about cheaper.

i assume you already have a place to stay, but do you need restaurant ideas? local nature park ideas? cheap non-disneyworld fun? lmk and i'll ask her.
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Michele

currently on hiatus from...fun.

[countyclothcreations]

[littleknittles]

ok i'll ask her!
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Michele

currently on hiatus from...fun.

[marisa724]

We just got back from Disney a couple of weeks ago! This is actually a really good time to go -- in between 'spring break' and when the kids are out of school for the summer. It shouldn't be too crowded.

Here are some tips I've come up with from our recent trips (three times since 2007)

- Wear comfortable shoes! Even if you're not a 'crocs' person, I've found they're the best for the parks. Sacrifice style for comfort!

- Plan some down time every day, esp. with little kids. The baby will probably sleep wherever, but even the bigger kids might like to have a little rest mid-afternoon (and you can get out of the hottest sun). We liked to get an early start, then after lunch make our way back to the hotel for a snooze or play in the pool. Then back to the parks in time for dinner and more rides.

- Cheaper -- a lot of the "meals" are quite large -- right near Pooh's ride in Fantasyland there's a hot dog stand that sells a meal with two dogs and a large fries/drink, very splittable. The kids meals all seem to come with 'snacks' that can be stashed and pulled out on line later -- carrot sticks, a cookie, grapes. Definitely look into splitting meals or buying three meals for four people, something like that.

- Fastpasses! The most popular rides in the park have Fastpass machines. You put your park ticket in, and it spits out a Fastpass ticket so you can skip waiting on the long lines and return at a later time. If there's something everyone is dying to do, go to that ride first (we always headed for the Buzz Lightyear ride at MK, or the new Toy Story Midway ride at Hollywood Studios, so fun!) If the line is not too long, hop right on while someone in your party goes with everyone's ticket to get Fastpasses. You can ride, then come right back in without waiting again not long afterwards.

Sometimes you'll get a Fastpass for a while later, esp. with the Toy Story Midway ride (it's brand new). We got in the park at 8:30 AM and got Fastpasses to come back at noon! So we just went about the rest of the day until we could return to Toy Story and ride. It saves you a lot of grief, you can go get a snack instead of waiting in line for 45 minutes with littles.

- Bring comfy clothes that are warm, too -- it'll likely be hot, but if it's a wet/rainy day it can get quite chilly. Jeans and a hoodie for everyone.

- Bring foldable raingear/ponchos. The ones in the park are expensive, and it's nice to carry them with you in case the weather turns bad.

- Do you have a Disney store near you? The shirts/souvenirs in the park are so expensive! We needed a new sweatshirt for DS2 this time, and it was $30!! This trip, I went to the Disney Store near us beforehand and stocked up on $5 t-shirts for the boys, they were just as nice as the ones in the park and I got six for the same price as one in the Emporium on Main Street! Some of the restaurants (the coffee shop on Main St.) will also print out a 20%-off-before-noon coupon if you stop in for coffee or a bottle of water when you first get there in the AM -- that helped take the sting off our $30 baby sweatshirt purchase!


That's all I can think of right now, I'll come back if I think of more.

[hesgimenez]

Bring lots of healthy snacks with you. Stash them at the bottom of your stroller. Also bring refillable water bottles. Water fountains for refilling were aplenty. Those two tips will save you quite a bit.

Do not let the in-laws bully you into going non-stop. When you get to each park decide what you MUST do. And do those things. Along the way you can do other things too, but you want to make sure that you can do what you really want to. Some rides aren't the best for the littles, even if they are geared towards them. Like Snow White. A lot of children might find it scary.

I know exactly what the PP was talking about, the place w/the hotdogs and fries. They are actually McDonalds fries. The place is in Fantasyland I believe-where Dumbo, It's a Small World is. When we last went that is the only food we bought-snacks and our water saved us-and then ice cream at night.

Have lots of fun!
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~Heather~

Wife to J 9/00 Mama to K 12/05 4 years old! three furries

[countyclothcreations]

thank you ladies, these are GREAT tips! I'm glad to hear about the water fountains, and I hadn't thought about ponchos and cool weather.

keep the tips comin'!!
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Meghan step mama to Liam (10) & mama to Quintin (7) and our nursling Rowan 2:

~@ HC ~
~@ Etsy~ mama cloth, wetbags and project bags~open for custom orders!
Blog

[Shanna the She Devil]

My advice is to quit fretting and roll with it. Hundreds of millions of people have gone before you with further distances, more kids, etc and lived to tell about it. It's vacation- enjoy it!
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Shanna, wifey to the love of my life, Mikhail, and mom to my gorgeous boy, Seamus.

"I love watching you knit, it reminds me of pictures downloading on our old dial up modem" -Homer Simpson

[marisa724]

AWWW, Shanna! The fretting is the best part of the Disney vacation!

I actually think I enjoy these trips more than any other vacation because there are so many details to think about.


Definitely refillable water bottles -- the disposable kind are the best for this kind of thing, because they're light. The stainless steel ones are just heavy for lugging around.

We brought along a lot of our own food, because Joey is gluten-free. In the room we had granola bars, peanut butter, single-pack applesauce, raisins, etc. It was nice to be able to eat something quickly and get going in the AM. We picked up fresh fruit at the snack bars in the park, or at 'buffets' (stashing them in our backpacks).

Speaking of gluten-free, I don't know if this is a consideration for you, but Disney is great for folks with food allergies. Almost every restaurant has options for GF, dairy-free, soy-free, etc. If you want the list of foods/restaurants, PM me your email address -- you have to contact Disney Dining in the weeks before your trip, but I still have the email.

Anyway, you'll have a great time! It's good that you're going with so many other grownups, because as Heather said some rides are not for everyone, so it's nice to be able to split up and meet back up again so everyone can 'get their way'. (I rode on "Pooh" about 30 times with my DS2, while my husband rode "Buzz Lightyear" the same number with DS1.)

[sjccheerdoll]

I worked at Disney for a year. I can tell you pretty much anything you want to know, except for stuff that they've done within the past year or two that's new.

The Tomorrowland Transit Authority is a GREAT place to relax with the kids, especially if there's a light drizzle. If it's pretty empty, just tell the attendants that you'd like to keep going around.

If you go to the Main Street Bakery in the MK on your birthday (make sure you get all the appropriate buttons - birthday, anniversary, just-married, honeymoon, special event, first visit to Disney, etc - either at your Disney hotel or at guest services) they'll give you a free cookie. It was bigger than Pirate's head and SO good.

There is a Wal-Mart and a Super Target on Hwy 535/Vineland Road. The Wal-Mart is a Super Wal-Mart and contains a Sonic. They have the misting fans and pretty much anything else you'd need - if you're renting a car, definitely stock up there.

Child Swap is awesome - you ride the ride (with or without kids) while another adult stays with the kids, and then they switch. A kiddo who rides can ride with each adult (I loved this when my brother was little).

All of the parks have nursing/changing stations. In MK it's at the end of Main Street, to the left near the Crystal Palace. In EPCOT it's just before you enter World Showcase on the left-hand side, by Mexico.

Maps are AWESOME. Get them. Study them.

DEFINITELY go to Downtown Disney and hit up Candy Cauldron (my old stomping grounds!). They make the best caramel candied apples... just sayin'. The chocolate covered strawberries, apples, and fudge are all made on-site and they have a kitchen window.

Earl of Sandwich... definitely get the Earl Grey Lemonade. It's to die for.

Don't get sucked into pin trading. If you do, yellow lanyard cast members can trade with anyone, and green lanyard cast members can only trade with kids.

Water rides fill up FAST on hot days - get fastpasses for them first thing.

Animal Kingdom is the hottest park (and it's the only one in a different county *trivia*) but it also has the most shade and the most "water" stuff. Everest is AMAZING if anybody likes coasters - we got to ride the cast preview and it was incredible. There's a tea stand near Everest that has killer Silver Needle tea. I definitely recommend that.

Rafiki's Planet Watch is really cool, and you need to take a train to get there! Very good for kids.

Try to take as little stuff as possible in the parks, because they make you show them EVERYTHING for security. When I took Pirate, *HC ate my text* I brought very minimal stuff and stashed it in a large bag that I also used as a purse. Be prepared to have to unzip and show everything. Clear bags are great for stashing stuff. When I'd go to the park alone when I worked there, pre-Pirate, I'd make sure anything I took fit in my pockets, and I was very careful about what I'd bring on inverted coasters. Glasses, cell phone, and my cast member lanyard with my ID/park pass. That's IT. They have separate lines for people without bags.

If you want a romantic hour or two, find out when the fireworks are for Magic Kingdom. Go to the Polynesian about 1.5-2 hours before, have an appetizer or two and get dessert to go. Go down to the back beach at the Polynesian, snag a hammock, snuggle up with your honey, and watch the water parade (so cool) and then the fireworks over MK, which you can see from the hammock. I loved that. The creme brulee is delicious.

Instead of an address book, buy a light-colored Disney t-shirt and bring a few Sharpies. Have a flat surface with you and have the characters autograph the shirts.

Characters - Please don't let them be abused. It's a really hard job (BTDT) but it's awesome to see little kids smile like the character is the greatest thing in the world. Characters can't hold your kids, btw, and they must have their hands showing in all photos.

Definitely utilize Disney buses/monorails/etc, even if you have a rental car. It's a pain to park. You can also take transport to a different hotel if it's near a park, if you want.

DEFINITELY go to Whispering Canyon Cafe at the Wilderness Lodge. Hands-down my favorite kid-friendly restaurant. They have ONE bottle of ketchup and when someone asks a waiter for it, they yell across the room, "WHO'S GOT THE KETCHUP?!" and they make you walk over and give it to them. They also do a kids' Pony Express ride with hobby horses around the room. And they have fun events... um, Pirate's dad and I won a kissing contest there.

If you have any specific questions, please feel free to PM or post.
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Elly
uberyoung knitmaven mama with to the Pirate

[Miasmama]

I just want to second buying stuff at your local Disney store before you leave. We bought sunglasses, t-shirts and a small gift for the kids. It was so nice not to feel pressured into spending a ton more money in the stores there. I also brought sandwiches and other snacks for the kids to eat while we waited in line. I would recommend games or something of that nature for lines as well. Even a 10 minute wait seems like a long time with little ones.
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Kristin~~ Mama to Mia, Wyatt and Mathieu.

[countyclothcreations]

wow, thanks Elly! that's a lot of insider info. and good to know about the nursing stations because DD doesn't nurse well in public, she's waaaayy to nosey.
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Meghan step mama to Liam (10) & mama to Quintin (7) and our nursling Rowan 2:

~@ HC ~
~@ Etsy~ mama cloth, wetbags and project bags~open for custom orders!
Blog

[sjccheerdoll]

[crystalanne79]

this thread is really making me want to go to Disney! We are waiting until our kids are old enough to remember but I want to go so badly!!!
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Crystal WAHM to Emma & Liam, loving wife to Scott.
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[Seun Designs Inc.]

This thread is awesomeness!