Apr 10 2014

Disney World Tips & Tricks – Visiting Disney World With Babies And Toddlers

Taking a baby or toddler on a family outing like the zoo can be very challenging and rewarding at the same time, but taking them to Disney World is a fun family excursion on a grand scale! It is so amazing watching their little faces light up when they experience the magic of Disney World for the first time. But the face that is all smiles one minute can quickly turn to tears and tantrums even at the “happiest place on earth.” I have been taking my boys to Disney World since my oldest son was three years old and my youngest son was just six months old. Here are some of the tips and tricks that I have learned along the way!

Disney World is a huge place so when you are planning your trip, keep your expectations realistic. Don’t expect that you and your kids can do 15 attractions in a single day or everything in one trip. This will only lead to stress and frustration. Do your research and choose the top things your family wants to see, then try to visit about 6 attractions per day. If you see more great and if you don’t, you and your family won’t be disappointed.
Start small with attractions and work your way up. I have a friend who took her young daughter on Pirates of the Caribbean and she ended up being scared to death of the skeletons, pirates and dark. After that, her little girl didn’t want to ride anything inside a building for the rest of the trip! Think about your child’s temperament and check out ride ratings to pick out attractions that you think your kids would enjoy. A great one to start with is It’s a Small World.
If you have your baby or toddler on a schedule at home, try to keep to it as much as possible on vacation. No one can enjoy themselves if you have a little one that is cranky, because they are tired or hungry. You may have to make some minor adjustments to the schedule depending on your kids. Even though my boys would nap at home, they were way too excited to go back to the hotel room and take a nap in the afternoon. So we changed things up a little bit. We would get to the parks as soon as they opened and stay until about 3:30pm. Then we would leave, have an early dinner, give them their baths and have them in bed by 7pm. They just made up for missing naps by having extra sleep at night.
If you have a child under one, bring your own stroller. The Disney World strollers are made of hard plastic and only have a lap belt (no 5-point harness) that is easily unhooked by a child. If you have more than one adult in your party to help you push, consider bringing or renting individual strollers for each of your kids. The rentable double strollers are not that large and are pretty close quarters to expect two tired kids to share without fighting. We often rented a single stroller for one of my sons and then a double stroller for my other son and all of our stuff like jackets and backpack. This was really helpful! Also, it rains a lot in Florida, so be sure to bring a stroller rain cover or purchase a large rain poncho to put over it. You don’t want your little one to have to sit in a soggy stroller all day. Lastly about strollers, don’t leave snacks open and out on your stroller tray. Those Disney squirrels and birds are very resourceful!
Bring your own kid-friendly snacks to the parks. While Disney World has what seems to be endless dining options, sometimes there just isn’t a quick, convenient kid’s snack available. It was so much easier having five or six non-perishable snacks (goldfish crackers, Cheerios, etc.) in little baggies that I could grab and have them munch on while waiting in line.
Bring a backpack to the park with everything you would need for an entire day. Be sure to pack extra diapers, wipes, bottles, snacks, clothes and empty gallon size zip lock bags. You just never know what will happen. On more than one occasion my boys have gotten sick at Disney World and I’ve needed those zip lock bags, that change of clothes and lots of extra wipes. I always put a luggage tag on my backpack and made sure I never put anything of value in it; just kid’s supplies. That way I felt comfortable leaving it in my stroller and if something happened to it, it wasn’t the end of the world. In all of the years I’ve been visiting there, I have never had anything taken from my stroller.
There are Baby Care Centers in each of the four theme parks. While you can feed your baby anywhere and change them in any restroom, these specially designed centers are very nice and there is no charge to use them. They include a place for nursing moms, changing tables, high chairs, a place to prep food and they have baby items available for purchase. Click here for more details.
If your toddler has started potty training, remember that most of the toilets in the parks have automatic flushers. My kids hated those, so you can bring post-it notes with you and just cover the sensor while they are going, that way the toilet doesn’t flush on them and scare them.
Wearing your baby in a front carrier at the parks is a great way for them to have a wonderful view of everything and for you to have your hands free to help your other little ones or to carry things.
Consider renting a car instead of using Disney transportation. The plus side to having your own car is that you are on your own schedule, you don’t have to wait in line for transportation, there is no pressure to get your stroller folded up and onto the crowded bus, you can stop at a store for baby supplies and your kids might nap a little on the car rides. The downside, you will need to bring and install car seats. We did this for years and always felt like it was worth it in the long run.
If you have a toddler that no longer sleeps in a portable crib, be sure to request bedrails from housekeeping for your hotel room bed.
Bring simple childproofing stuff with you for your hotel room. I have always brought outlet covers with me, but then on one trip my youngest son locked the hotel bathroom door and pulled it closed with no one inside while the tub was filling! After an urgent call to maintenance, we found out that the stirrer in the coffee packet supplied with the maker can work as the emergency bathroom key. But to avoid that problem in the future, I always bring one of those foam things that keeps the door from being closed.
Bring a nightlight to use in your hotel room. With the room darkening curtains, the rooms can get very dark.
If your child has a treasured stuffed animal that they want to bring on the trip, consider buying a new one that is similar to it, but that is smaller in size. My boys both love Snoopy and have pretty good-sized ones that they always wanted to bring with us. I was able to find mini Snoopys that I purchased and gave them to take on trips. “Travel Snoopy” went on lots of vacations and we knew if he got lost, it wouldn’t be as devastating as losing the beloved big Snoopy that we left at home.

I hope these tips and tricks for visiting Disney World with a baby or toddler help you to have a magical and less stressful vacation with your family!

How about you? Have you visited Disney World with a baby or toddler? Do you have any helpful hints? Please leave a comment!

Apr 4 2014

Friday Favorites – Best Magic Kingdom Attractions

For today’s Friday Favorites, I am going to share with you my picks for best Magic Kingdom attractions. The Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World is one of my favorite theme parks! It has such an amazing variety of attractions for every member of the family to enjoy. Throughout the years, I have experienced rides with my youngest son when he was just six months old all the way up to my grandparents when they were in their 70s! I love that Disney World has so many options that the entire family can share together. With over 40 different attractions in the Magic Kingdom, it was very hard to narrow my list down. I decided to pick one favorite from each section of the park. And here they are!

Pirates of the Caribbean (located in Adventureland) I absolutely love this ride! It has been one of my favorites since I was a child. This is a 9 minute dark indoor boat ride with audio-animatronic pirates plundering and being generally rowdy. The accompanying song “Yo Ho, Yo Ho (A Pirate’s Life Me)” is so catchy! There are lots of things to see along the way like skeletons, ghost ships, wenches being auctioned, looting, fires, treasure and of course, Captain Jack Sparrow. The attention to detail on this ride is amazing all the way down to the hair on the pirate’s leg as his foot dangles over the bridge above your head. Although, my boys have loved this ride since they were toddlers, I would be cautious with kids that are very sensitive or are afraid of the dark. There is also one very small hill, so small that even my 65-year-old dad who doesn’t like any sort of thrill rides, can ride it with no problems. There are no height restrictions on this ride.
Splash Mountain (located in Frontierland) Even though I hate getting wet and always wear a rain poncho on this ride, it is one of my all time favorites! This is another boat ride, but this one is more flume style, and travels both indoors and outdoors. It journeys over a half of mile in about 18 minutes during which you will see more than 100 audio-animatronic animals telling a story based on the Disney movie “Song of the South.” Again, there is great music in this attraction including the songs “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah” and “How Do You Do?” This attraction includes several smaller “teaser” type hills throughout the ride culminating in a 5-story plunge. The question on this ride is not if you will get, it is how wet will you get. If you want to stay dry, wear a poncho and be sure you tuck it under yourself and sit on it! You must be at least 40″ to ride and children under 7 must be accompanied by an adult.
The Haunted Mansion (located in Liberty Square) This is another wonderful Disney World attraction and one of my must-do’s on every trip. It begins in a room where a little of the back story is given. Then you will move from there to the actual queue to get in your “doom buggy” to experience the rest of the ride. Once in your “doom buggy” you will tour the entire Haunted Mansion and a graveyard. This ride also has a great song to it called “Grim Grinning Ghosts” and it makes the whole thing seem a little more light-hearted. There is nothing particularly gory about this ride and the special effects that are used to simulate the ghosts are really quite amazing! With that being said, as a child, I was terrified of this ride! My young boys are much braver than me and never had a problem with it. If you are going to bring a young child on it, here are a few things to keep in mind. In the room where you begin your ride, it will go completely dark and other guests find it very funny to scream their heads off at that point. This can be very startling to young kids so you might want to prep them for that possibility. Once you actually get inside your own personal doom buggy, they will be comfortable in their own enclosed car with you. There were many times as a child, I just rode through with parents with my eyes shut all the way and I was fine. There are no height restrictions on this ride.
It’s a Small World (located in Fantasyland) This is a true Disney classic so much so that it has been replicated in every Disney resort around the world! Another indoor boat ride, this one travels to all seven continents in a journey of about 10 minutes. Along the way, you will see almost 300 dolls each displaying the traditional dress from their nation while they sing along to the timeless song “it’s a small world.” This ride just warms the heart! As a child, this was my favorite ride of all time. It is almost like being in a time machine when I ride this attraction, remembering my parents bringing me on it and now I’m enjoying it with my own kids! This is a perfect starter ride for very young kids. It is bright, colorful and calm. There are no height restrictions on this ride.
Monster, Inc. Laugh Floor (located in Tomorrowland) Based on the hit movies, Monsters Inc. and Monsters University, this show is sure to get you laughing! The premise is that the monsters have now discovered that laughs produce more power than screams, so they are after your laughter. Through amazing technology, the animated characters on the screen are able to interact with audience members. This show is usually hilarious and can be made even more funny with great audience participation. If you just want to watch and don’t want to be chosen to play along, avoid the seats with what look like desk lights right in front of them. My whole family loves this show!