It's time for a trip to Disney! As Florida residents, it just feels like something we need to do! I have some quick tips & will write more soon!
-Don't try to do too much. This makes everyone miserable, including the children
-WEAR SUNSCREEN. EVERYONE. Even Mama & Daddy! You'll be so glad that you did. The Florida sun is hot.
-We like to have our children in matching clothes so that they are easy to find. This also makes pictures less distracting because you look at the people, not the clothes.
-If you want to experience Character Dining, call ASAP! They will let you schedule it 180 days in advance.
-Take naps. If you are staying on property, use the buses! They are great for a quick trip back to the hotel for a nap or a swim.
-Use a sharpie marker to write your cell phone number on the stomach of young children. This way, if they are lost, they can pull up their shirt (or you can do it at their wrist) and show someone who to call.
-Pack water and snacks in a book bag. This will save you from some whining and it will save you money! On a 4 day trip, we only bought 1 popsicle for our children!
-Plan ahead as much as possible.
-Then BE FLEXIBLE. If children are tired, don't push them to ride a ride. Give them a snack from your book bag or go back for a nap!
-Set a limit BEFORE YOU GO as to what (if anything) you will allow the children to buy in the stores.
-If possible, buy your autograph book in advance. It's fun for the children to have it in hand the minute they hit the park.
-Bring at least one pen per child!
-We buy our girls a silver charm when they go special places. Disney does have these. We buy our son something else.
-If you have young children, you will have to choose between going early & staying up late. Otherwise, everyone will be miserable.
-Bring a stroller. You can rent one there, but they are pricey if you have more than 2 children. I bought a double umbrella stroller for less than it would have cost to rent one. We will take it this time even though we have 3 seven year olds! We will use it for our 5 year old & 1 7 year old. Their little legs get tired and yours are faster!
-Bring your camera and video camera fully charged and ready to go!
-If your child has princess dresses or pirate costumes, bring them and let them wear them to a Character meal. It's fun for the children!
-Take lots of pictures. Come home & create a photo book on Apple, Snapfish or Shutterfly to remember your trip.
-One friend brings little cups so that the family can split one drink. This is smart. This way, you only buy what you need
-Drink lots of water.
-Bring a cell phone for mama & daddy in case you separate.
Enjoy the magic!
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Season’s Greetings, or Saturday Morning at 8:40am
16 hours ago
3 comments:
great post and great ideas! We are headed there in 3 weeks and I can not wait!!! Because we are a large-ish family we always stay in 2br villas... (Boardwarlk, Yacht, Beach Club, Saratoga Springs, Old Key West, Animal Kingdom Lodges have them) And since we stay in a villa we have a kitchen. The first day we get there we take a cab to the grocery store and load up on healthy foods and snacks and tons and tons of waters. This way we can eat fairly healthily in between meals and bring our waters with us. We actually save a good bit of money this way. We always purchase meal plans with our reservations as well. This is another great money saver. With the meal plan we get two sit down, (any restaurant -- including character meals)one park meal and a snack each day that we are there.
These all sound like great tips, I will have to pass them along to my friend who is going for the first time in a couple of weeks. fyi, i have read that writing with sharpies on your kids is not a good idea because of the chemicals. I found (through Sippycups) temporary tattoos www.safetytat.com that you can put on instead. Just another idea!
Have a great trip
Have Fun! If all goes well, you should look into their annual and seasonal passes--they have special rates for FL residents. We love them because they let us go over every few weeks for a few hours--we don't feel like we have to do everything everytime we go--we can pick 2 or 3 rides (and get fastpasses for at least 1) and we can leave before our girls get too drained.
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