As I write this, its about 30 degrees outside and I’m dreaming of being in Florida & Disney! ha!
I wanted to hop on today and share a little bit about our experience at Disney and some new things that we learned along the way!
Also, if you’re going to Disney you have to make sure you look the part! I’ve found some SUPER cute Disney looks for you guys. Unfortunately my outfit from Disney is an old Siwy x Disney collab, but I did find some tops that will look just as good!
Prior to going down to Orlando, we were unsure if we were even going to go to Disney because we knew the crowds were gonna be in full force! But, the weather cooled off for a day or two and it was the perfect opportunity to step away from our mornings swimming and head to the parks. I did some research and saw that NYE is the biggest day at Disney all year round. So I knew we woulden’t be going then!
BUT I started thinking…well if NYE is their biggest day, and people are staying to ring in the new year there is no way they are getting their kids up at 7 am to hit the park at 8 am on New years Day! AND I WAS RIGHT. Sure, did it get busy by 12 or 1? Yes. But we got on sooo many rides the first couple hours and it was honestly the most enjoyable time that we have ever had at Disney! Also, this thinking applies to when they have their “Evening Extra Magic Hours”. Everyone will have gone the night before and stayed late and the park should be quieter the whole morning.
Here are a few of my hacks that I’ve learned along the way. I’ve gone to Disney as an adult without kids, and with 1 kid, 2 kids, and 3 kids…so I’ve done it all!
Change your mindset: Honestly this has to be one of my biggest tips. Going to disney is SO different than it was when we were younger. Lines are way longer and you just need to accept this, especially if you are going during a school break. Know that the trip is all about the experience, the atmosphere ! If you get on rides, great. But don’t let it make or break your time especially you go during school breaks. Which brings me to #2.
I’m not trying to be anti-school or anything, OFF PEAK, guys. OFF PEAK is where its at! EVERYTHING is cheaper when you don’t go during school breaks, you’ll save soooo much money and have a better time at disney. If your kids are 3rd grade and younger, I say take them out of school! If you can save thousands of dollars (which you will between flights and hotel) that can go towards their college education, do it! 5 days is not a lot in the grand scheme of things.
Do research before you go! There are so many AWESOME resources out there online that tell you the busiest days at Disney, whats happening at the parks, how fast pass works, and tons of tricks of the trade! Utilize the Disney fanatic web pages.
CHILD SWAP, CHILD SWAP, CHILD SWAP. Y’ALL this is the BEST thing that ever existed and honestly so many people that I speak to know nothing about it! It basically means that if you have a child that is under height to go on any rides (ie. baby-4 year old) your older child gets to ride twice. YES, you read that correctly. For instance, if I go on splash mountain with my son Max who is of height, and my husband has to stay with our 3 year old and 1 year old,. once Max and I get off the ride (we use our fast passes), Max can get back in the fast pass line with my husband (who uses his own fast pass) and he gets to go on AGAIN without using a fast pass because my husband missed out on riding with us because of our younger kids. If you don’t understand it, check out this website which may explain it better. But guys, its seriously the best thing ever and our kids went on double the rides because of the baby!
Which brings me to fast passes. If you’re not a frequent disney go-er, you’re probably like fast pass WHAT? HUH? Basically the fast pass allows you to not wait in line as long! You have an expedited wait (think 5-10 mins) vs 60 minutes or more. You get 3 fast passes to use at a time. Once you use one, you can rebook another. The window of time that you get to use it is one hour and you can only schedule one fast pass ride per hour. Generally I pick the rides that always have the longest waits. For instance, at Magic Kingdom, that would be Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, Thunder Mountain railroad, the Mine train, Pirates of the Caribbean, etc. Make sure you download the Disney App and you can get everything in real time including securing your fast passes, as well as viewing wait times! You can also get all of your Disney vacaation photos uploaded to the app! Sometimes I use the character meet and greet for a fast pass as well, depending on wait times. TIP: MAKE SURE YOU KEEP REFRESHING the fast pass page. If the ride doesn’t show up, don’t give up. Sometimes I input the info like 15 times and every time I get different rides! So don’t login and input the information and think those are the only rides available! Exit out and try again! Do know that reserving some Fast passes on popular rides like I mentioned above a few days in advance will help you secure it because they are tough to get.
This may seem like a lot of work, but I always pack our lunches and bring it with us. Disney is great about bringing food and water into the parks, and I take full advantage. It is extremely expensive to eat there (we are talking over $50 for a family to eat lunch) and I would rather spend that money elsewhere! Also it is a lot healthier! We have a stroller and I just bring the boys school lunch boxes with us, throw it under the stroller and we are good to go! No crazy money being spent, no lines waiting for food and you know what is going in the kids bodies! Even packing lunch & eating out for dinner helps from budget standpoint if you’re staying the whole day! Every meal counts. Also! we always stay in a hotel with a kitchenette so we have everything we need in our hotel to pack sandwiches, fruit, bars, etc.
Take advantage of Disney Springs. Its free, super cute and lots of fun for the kids including the LEGO store!
Speaking of Disney Springs, Restaurants book out quickly there (and at the parks if you do decide to eat out at disney!) , so make sure you plan out if you want to eat at Disney Springs Dinosaur restaurant or Rainforest cafe. Especially if you have a big group!
Go Early: I highly recommend getting to the park early! Any good experience I’ve ever had there has always been when we get there early (think: arriving at parking lot 30-45 mins before rides open) Also, ride lines are short(er) up until about noon or 1 pm so save your fast passes for the afternoon when it is peak riding time
Bring a stroller if you have kids 6 & Under -or rent one at disney. If you want to get bang for your buck, staying there fo 10-12 hours is how you do it! Its a long day of walking for adults much less for kids 6 or 7 and under!
Lastly, if you have a baby, use the baby centers! Its a private place to nurse, change, and have some quiet time while your husband takes the older kids on a ride or to the bathroom. I also like using town hall for a nursing station :)
Disney Fashion
OK. On to fashion…I know I mentioned that the outfit I had on is no longer available but I found tons of cute options for you heading to Disney. Also, make sure you check out Gap Kids for their disney collabs that they have. I get so much there for our kids! Its so cute and great quality!
Have a magical day xo
Alex