Disney Planning Tips

Hi there! Happy Wednesday! Or, Merry Christmas Eve Eve ; )

We have been home from Disney World for about 10 days, and my husband and I sat down recently (okay, we tried to talk over the kids while folding laundry, let’s be real) to chat about what worked and what didn’t for us for our three kids under five on our trip. So, today I thought I would share 5 quick tips that might help you if you’re planning to take your young kids to Disney.

1. Use a Backpack

Take a backpack! I am a cute purse or diaper bag kind of girl, but at Disney you want to be hands-free! We took a plain black backpack and my husband and I took turns wearing it. It is SO MUCH EASIER. You won’t be sorry!

2. Wear the Baby/Toddler

We took both a front facing carrier that we borrowed from a friend and our Ergo. We wore Logan, our 11 month old, most of the trip. Even if you have a stroller, pack a carrier.

3. Don’t Rent a Disney Stroller but Rent a Stroller

Disney has strollers for rent, but the prices aren’t cheap and you have to return them to the parks each day. We opted to rent from an outside company, Kingdom Strollers, that is a Disney featured stroller provider. We picked the stroller up at our resort and returned it at our resort! Super easy! Plus we could take it out of the parks instead of wasting time in line every day to rent one and return it. All, the kids could ride from our room to the parks! It was only $70 for the week for a steam cleaned, City Mini Double stroller. We were able to fold it easily for the bus (we grabbed our bags before doing so), and leave it open on the monorail and boats (the boats have signs that say to fold it, but they always said we could leave it open). Also, decorate your stroller with ribbon and a sign so it’s easy to spot in the sea of strollers!

4. Take LOTS of Wet Ones

I bought two packages of Disney character antibacterial wipes at the Dollar Tree and we had regular Wet Ones also. I wiped down as much as possible, and they’re great for sticky hands, too.

5. Take Fruit Snacks and Magic Ink Books

Both of these saved us at restaurants, in line, on the plane…you name it! If your kids are like mine, they’ll fly through the Magic Ink Books, so buy lots! If you check the Target Dollar Section you should be able to find them for $3, but they sell out fast.

I hope that you enjoyed this post! I have several Disney videos coming up on my YouTube Channel, and we have our Disney Daily Vlogs on our Daily Vlog Channel! I hope that you have a very Merry Christmas if you celebrate! And a happy holiday season!

Hi there! Happy Monday!

Right now my family is planning a big DISNEY vacation and we couldn’t be more excited! I am constantly talking and thinking Disney! I want to do a blog series here, as well as a video series on my YouTube Channel on our planning process, tips, packing, custom outfits, and so much more.

Today I want to talk the very basics, things that you can to before you even book your trip, to make sure you take advantage of all that Disney has to offer, and get your money’s worth! I will go into more details on these things in another post if people are interested : )

*Photo credit to WDWlive.com

1. On Property or Off Property

The first thing I suggest is deciding if you want to stay on Disney property or off. *Personally* I think staying on property, while much more expensive at first glance, really evens out once you factor in food. Also, you are completely immersed in the magic. And, you have extra perks like Disney’s Magical Express, the monorail, and the bus. But, perhaps the biggest perk draw for me is that you get FIRST DIBS on dining and fast passes!!!

2. Dining Books 180 Days In Advance

When considering when to book your trip, keep in mind that you can make reservations at 180 days out…yes that’s SIX MONTHS in advance! If you’re staying off property you’ll need to log onto your Disney account or call for each day of your trip! If staying on property, you can book 180+10 so as long as your trip is 10 days or less you can book dining for your whole trip in one go. This is HUGE because dining is *extremely* competitive. Some restaurants, such as Be Our Guest, are so competitive that even if you book at your 180+10 you may not get it. I can get more into the dining and dining plans later, but for now just know that if you want to eat at Cinderella’s Royal Table, Hollywood & Vine, Be Our Guest, etc, you will want to book on or before 6 months out.

3. Make A MyDisneyExperience Account

The MyDisneyExperience site and app are so awesome! You will use this to make dining reservations, view your itinerary, make payments, favorite rides, check wait times, finding characters and again a ton more…it’s so fantastic! The site has tons of information and online help that help you get an idea for your trip. It’s the perfect baby step ; )

4. Research Research Research!

I LOVE researching everything so I love this part and I’m constantly researching everything, but I love researching Disney! I know not everyone loves it, but it’s a game-changer when it comes to planning your perfect magical vacation. I suggest searching things like “Disney Planning Tips” on YouTube or Google to get started. If people are interested, I can go into more details on my planning process.

5. Get Excited!

Ummmm you’re going to be going to Disney?! How exciting is that?! Everybody has a great time at Disney World!

Thank you SO much for reading! Please tell me what blog posts and/or videos you’d like to see about Disney, because I would LOVE to talk about anything Disney ; )