So we did Disney…or sort of…as much as you can do with a 4-day pass and an almost 4 year-old and an almost 2 year-old! Given these restraints and the fact that I am now 33-weeks pregnant, we actually had a really wonderful trip!
However before we left, I eagerly read as many “real advice” blogs and posts as possible in order to help make the most of every minute! There sure is a lot of great advice from avid Disney goers out there! Some of the links that helped us were:
Handmade Home Blog
All Ears
So, to bring things full-circle, I thought I’d share our trip and advice!
1 – Pack carefully! I packed wayyyy too much for our trip! (In my defense, it was our first big family trip and the last couple years I have been to Orlando the weather has been unpredictable!). Anyway, the resort we stayed at, Beuna Vista Palace , actually had washers and dryers on site, so in the future I will go with less clothes and a plan for a laundry night :) However, I was happy with the amount and variety of activities I packed to keep the boys busy at the airport, on the plane, waiting for our car rental, waiting at restaurants for food etc… Books, colouring supplies, puzzles, toy cars, travel games and our iPad all made the time pass much more pleasantly! I highly recommend a trip to the dollar store so items are “new and exciting” and if they get lost or broken no biggie!
2 – Give yourself 1-2 days to settle in and recover before hitting the parks! Our kids were tired, excited and anxious (and honestly, so were we!) which made for an overwhelming first day! Next time, I’d keep the kids busy at the pool and hotel activities and try to get their sleeping and eating on track before diving into the Disney experience.
3 – When you do start the parks, start your days EARLY! Then around noon, return to your hotel for lunch and naps. After all that, return to the parks! You avoid the high peak traffic at the park and the hottest part of the day doing this. Not to mention, the second wind will help you power through again! (There were a couple days we didn’t actually make it back to the parks, as playing at the hotel pool was a lot of fun too!)
4 - Pack your own food! It comes as no surprise that food is not cheap (and when I say not cheap I mean it…at the Magic Kingdom hotdogs were going for $8.10!). But not only that, most restaurants and food stands only offer grilled and fried foods. By the second day my body was screaming for a vegetable! That’s about the time we found a grocery store and stocked up on things to keep in our room (fruit, juice, milk, cereal etc..) and things we could bring with us (granola bars, water, nuts, dried fruit etc…). I highly recommend this as my biggest and only real complaint is that there just isn’t enough whole, healthy, raw “real” food!
5 - Fast Pass!! These are tickets to ride the attractions without having to wait in line! No joke! They are free and it takes a couple minutes to get them at the attraction you want to ride. It basically prints out a ticket with a given time to return to the ride so you can jump right on! I don’t think we would have been able to see as much as we did without these and I can’t believe everyone doesn’t use them!???
6 - Dress for it! There is A LOT of walking! A LOT! I read on one site you should be accustomed to walking 7 miles/day! (rigggghhhhttt…I wasn’t even close to that kind of shape!) So wear comfortable shoes and clothes! No one cares what you look like! Everyone is looking at Mickey!
7 - Have a plan to see what you want to see but go with the flow too. As much as I like to be organised it was also great to relax and let the kids and our own interest guide us through the parks. There is so much to see and take in. You also might be surprised what you actually end up enjoying the most! (I really liked “It’s a small world” even though I thought it would have been boring…).
Anyway, that is my two-cents! Below are some pictures of our trip so I can reminisce when I need to but feel free to have a look yourself if you’re interested! ;)
Leaving for airport - 4 am!
Finally resting in hotel room 6 hours later!
Then time for a swim
Have to love the baby pools…both boys could play happily!
Warming up with Mommy
After swimming we left for Downtown Disney for dinner and some shopping!
What lil’ one wouldn’t love shopping at a giant toy store!?
After a late night and early morning we were ready to start our first day at the Magic Kingdom!
This was like a ride itself!
The next day, eating breakfast on the go!
Another day of rides and site seeing at the Magic Kingdom
Day 3 - breakfast in bed before the Animal Kingdom
Dinoland USA - Liam was so excited!
Digging for “dino bones”
A “safari”
Another day of smiles!
And then they were done…
Last day at the parks…Hollywood Studios
The last couple days we played at the resort…
and that was a ton of fun too!
So that is a little bit of our trip…we do have about 400 pictures afterall! ;)
We sure look forward to going back some day!! :) :) :)
Kelly | 
Baseball at the park
Spring flowers March 25!
Lights and colours
Boating at the museum
