how we do disney

First trip to Disney - September 2010

Since the hubs and I have been together, we've been to Disney World A LOT.  Memaw and PawPaw used to live in Florida, so every time we went to see them, we went to Disney World.  I would estimate that the hubs has been to Disney World hundreds of times in his life.  Here are some tips that we have learned, tried and true...

1.  Stay on the park.  I've had people tell me that it's so much cheaper to stay off the park.  Is it really?  If you stay off the park, you have to pay for parking every day, which can run about $20 a day.  You also have no "home base" and will feel obligated to stay on the park all day because of the hassle of getting to parking and driving off the park.  If you stay on the park, you can run back to your room mid-day for a rest and lunch, and easily return later.  Plus, if you stay on the park each of the parks has extra hours at night.  For instance, the day we get there, Epcot is open until midnight for people staying on the park - bonus!  And everything we buy we can have sent back to our room for no extra charge.  Beats dragging around (and losing) shopping bags!

2.  Pick the right hotel for you.  Better yet, stay near the park you plan on visiting the most.  For us, that's Magic Kingdom, hands down.  From the Wilderness Lodge, we can take a boat five minutes to the entrance of Magic Kingdom.  From Caribbean Beach we have a ten minute bus ride.  If you stay at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, it will take you no less than 45 minutes by bus to get to Magic Kingdom.  

3.  Clear off a credit card before you go.  Kids are going to be surrounded by STUFF.  And worse yet, they recognize it all!  Britton loves all things Disney Princesses, so I know the princess dresses will be a big draw for her.  Many times I have witnessed a parent screaming at a kid that he can't have this or that, and such behavior ruins it for everyone.  I don't buy Britton everything she sees, and I employ distraction techniques to get her attention away from all the toys, but I do give in and buy her some stuffed animals and tee shirts while there.  If you just accept that you will spend more than you think you will, it makes life easier on everyone.

4.  Bring reinforcements.  We always go to Disney World with Memaw and PawPaw.  Disney World lends itself to a family vacation, and why not include everyone?  They want to be with Britton while she's meeting Mickey Mouse and riding the carousel, and not just see our pictures later.  Plus, since they've been to Disney World more than anyone I know, they don't mind staying with Britton in the hotel at night so the hubs and I can go back to the parks and ride the roller coasters.  

5.  Choose your visit time wisely.  Everyone knows how crowded Disney World is over Spring Break, but did you also know it's just as crowded the week between Christmas and New Years?  We go every September, on the assumption that most school-aged children aren't taking vacations in the first month of school.  Of course, we also realize that Disney World is never going to be empty unless we rent the whole park for ourselves!  So, being realistic that the parks will always be busy helps.

6.  Don't try to plan too much.  We run the same schedule every visit - park in the morning, then lunch, then back to the hotel room in the afternoon for pool time or rest.  After dinner, we might all go back to the park together for the parade and a few rides.  But we leave it open enough, that if Britton wants to ride "It's a Small World" 4 times in a row, that's ok.  Rushing to do every single ride and every single park will make everyone miserable.  By going once a year, we know that if we can't do a certain ride or park, there's always next year.  Taking the pressure off means everyone has more fun.  Plus, it allows for discoveries - new ornaments at the Christmas Shop or the incredible carbonated Slurpee drinks in Tomorrowland - some things you might miss if you're running from one ride to the next.