Disney Vacation with Our Littles
School’s almost out and that means hundreds of families will hit the road and take their family vacations. This past December we took our family of four to Disney World and had the best four days ever! My husband had never been to Disney and didn’t know what he was in for, especially because I booked our trip 16 days out (sometimes you just need a spur of the moment vacay!) . Thankfully my cousin and aunt are Disney frequent flyers so we had some help! Here’s what we learned, what we loved, and what we would change for our next trip.
Timeline: 4 days (with an almost 3 year old and a 5 month old!)…
Monday- 1/2 airport, hotel, Magic Kingdom
Tuesday- Full day at the Magic Kingdom
Wednesday- Full day at the Animal Kingdom
Thursday- 1/2 day at Magic Kingdom and 1/2 day traveling
Travel: American Airlines and Disney’s Magic Express
We flew non-stop American Airlines and watched the Lion King on the way to Florida. Flying with two littles for the first time, I was super worried about our flight so I over prepared myself. I downloaded shows/movies off Netflix for Rocker, and had toys, magic crayola markers, new books, and snacks galore! I wore Jagger through the airport with my Ergo and we kept our double decker stroller with us. Thankfully, and by the grace of God, I have nothing negative to report about our airport experience!
In order to get from the airport to the hotel, we took Disney’s Magic Express, which is amazing! I was so thankful that this process was so easy! We literally followed the signs through the airport and got right on the charter bus for our hotel with our magic bands and were whisked away to four days of Disney magic!
Accommodations: The Contemporary Resort/Hotel
My Aunt and Uncle actually recommended this hotel to us and we LOVED it. The front desk gal was very sweet and gave the boys buttons for their first trip to Disney and Rocker got a button for his birthday. There’s this incredibly clean smell that hits you in the face every time you walk in the front doors of this hotel. I know that sounds really silly but Craig and I welcome it especially after sweating at the parks all day.
Our room overlooked Magic Kingdom and was simply perfection. The rooms aren’t themed like some of the hotels, but we weren’t looking for that. We wanted something simple and easy for our family since Rocker was getting his own bed and Jagger would need a pack-n-play to sleep in. The hotel provided the pack-n-play for Jagger, I brought a crib sheet.
Every night around 9 pm the Magic Kingdom has a firework show and a boat light parade which Craig and I watched from the balcony (remember our boys are little and in bed by 8:30). This time with Craig was awesome given that the days are filled with the littles :). I absolutely recommend the Contemporary; we truly loved it and we walked to the Magic Kingdom, which was great since we had a double decker stroller!
Dinner/Meal Plan:
We paid for the meal plan with 1 dinner-1 counter service-2 snacks for Craig and I (the boys didn’t need meal plans.) This was more than enough food and perfect for us. Anywhere you go you can get a free cup of water and it was plenty hot outside that water was a must.
We had counter service for every lunch and dinner at Chef Mickey’s every night. This was intentional for us because by the time we got back from the parks the boys were both worn out and Chef Mickey’s was an elevator ride away from our hotel room. Bonus- Rocker got to interact with Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, and Pluto at every dinner.
The Parks:
Remember, we were total beginners when it comes to Disney so without my cousin’s guidance and fast passes we would have been WAY lost! We used fast passes for everything! The lines were crazy and it was too hot to stand around trying to decide what to do. Rocker and Jagger rode a ton of rides! Rocker’s favorite was the speedway race track at the Magic Kingdom. We rode this one multiple times with a fast pass and a rider swap pass. This was the only ride that Jagger actually didn’t get to do… Jagger rode everything else at 5 months old strapped to my chest!
Recommendations:
1. Take a stroller if you have littles, park it in stroller parking, and ride your rides. It’s much easier to walk around with a stroller than dragging kids.
2. Drink the free water!
3. Download the My Disney Experience App
4. Use fast passes and schedule them for early in the day so you can get more, you have to use 3 before you can get more and you will want more!
5. Take pictures with the Disney people, they will upload directly to the My Disney Experience App connected to your magic bands.
6. Eat a cinnamon roll at Gaston’s (Magic Kingdom)
7. Go on the Safari and the Jungle Boat Tour at Animal Kingdom
8. Go see Cinderella’s castle at night, it’s BEAUTIFUL!
9. Buy the $20 bubble machine for your kid…. just do it.
10. Ride Buzz Lightyear, the tea cups, and Peter Pan (I’m sure the mine train is fun too but remember our kiddos ages)
11. Watch your kids.. watch your kids.. watch your kids
12. Take advantage of the rider swap option if you can’t all ride together
13. Mark your stroller with a bright colored ribbon or something so you can find it when it’s next to 80 of the exact same stroller
14. If you are taking an infant or toddler, bring your Ergo or baby carrier so you can wear them on the rides.
15. Drink a Dole Whip!
16. Take a plastic reusable water bottle or take-and-toss cups for your littles and lots of snacks.
17. Take something for autographs! I bought wooden letters at Hobby Lobby for the characters to sign. They’re now hanging in the boys rooms as a keepsake memory.
18. Don’t go cheap, it’s Disney!
19. Buy minnie mouse ears (they’re $24) and rock them all day every day!
20. ENJOY YOUR TIME! You are on vacation at the happiest place on earth. Make memories, take pictures, eat the calories, have fun, laugh, and soak up the magic.
I could go on and on forever and we only went to 2 parks! If you have any questions, ask! I am by no way a Disney expert but we LOVED every minute of our trip with the boys. I look forward to going again when the boys are a little bit older or just a trip with the husband!
