We took the girls to Disney for the first time a few weeks ago and it was a blast. Are we crazy to go to Disney in the middle of July with a 2 1/2 year old and an almost 1 year old - probably, actually absolutely, but I think I've already blocked out all of the temper tantrums and tears and only kept the memories full of giggles and smiles. Eric sponsored some of his principals and administrators at a convention in Orlando and we were lucky enough to go along. Not only did we get to go, but we invited my parents to join us too and they were life savers! Honestly, I don't think we would have attempted Disney without back up, we probably would have skipped the trip altogether. Grandma & Pap saved the day though and joined us in Orlando for an extra long weekend complete with many hours at the pool, a day at Magic Kingdom, and a lot of great memories!
We stayed at a nearby resort that had the most perfect 2 bedroom villas and was only a short drive to Disney. We woke up first thing Friday morning ready to tackle Magic Kingdom! We have been talking about going to "Mickey's House" for weeks now so although I'm sure she didn't fully understand where we were going she was beyond excited! If only she knew what we had in store for her that day...
We arrived at the park right as it opened and immediately went to meet Mickey Mouse. Addie had mixed emotions, she was excited and unsure, all at the same time. This particular Mickey even talked and it was so cool to see Addie's eyes light up when she heard his familiar voice! As soon as he let out the best "hot doggity dogs" Addie decided she was brave enough to ask him for his autograph. A few pictures and high fives later and we were on a Mickey high and ready to start our day at the Magic Kingdom.
We had our first fast pass at the Little Mermaid scheduled for 9:55, so after a rather scenic, sweaty, and loud (Addie was not a fan of having to sit in the stroller, but the rest of us were not fans of carrying all 30 pounds of her in the 100 degree temperatures - who do you think won that battle?!?) walk down Main Street we were off to Fantasy Land. We took advantage of little to no lines and rode some of the rides before our fast pass. We went on the tea cups, Dumbo (twice since she loved the elephants), and Goofy's Barnstormer, which was Addie's first roller coaster! I was pleasantly surprised at how much Bella was able to do with us - the only thing she wasn't able to do the whole day was the roller coaster! Bella smiled and love every second, just as much as Addie did! It was so much fun! I'm sure throughout this part of the day we had at least 3 temper tantrums and a few tears, but like I said I blocked that part out already :)
After the rides we decided it would be fun to meet Ariel before we did the Little Mermaid "Under the Sea" ride. Ariel is Addie's favorite princess and we've watched Little Mermaid more times than I'd like to admit. Any time I tried to get her to watch another Disney princess movie prior to our trip she instantly requested (or should I say demanded) the Little Mermaid instead. The line to meet Ariel was only about 20 minutes long, which was also the longest line we waited in all day. It was the perfect amount of wait time because it allowed Bella to take a 20 minute cat nap in the stroller with Grandma. I could not believe how short the lines were given it was "peak" season. As soon as Addie laid eyes on Ariel she was star stuck, still a little unsure as she held tightly onto Eric's hand, but she sat all by herself which was a big step. Ariel had Addie hold up her mermaid fin and Addie even gave her the sweetest, most adorable hug. It was a princess perfect meeting and one I will always remember! Next, it was time to go "Under the Sea" with the Little Mermaid. We danced along to our favorite parts of the movie and closed our eyes when we saw Ursula and as we walked off of the ride Addie requested "more mermaids" so we did it all again for an encore performance. We literally walked right back on the ride, it was awesome!
We ate lunch, rode the carousel about 100 times, had an unsuccessful attempt at the splash pad, went back for more carousel, and then went to see Belle. We had a fast pass for Enchanted Tales with Belle and it was the most adorable thing ever. It's an interactive story in which the kids (and some adults - Daddy was one of the lucky ones!) get to play a part! Eric volunteered (or was volunteered by me!) to play the part of the knight, which gave Addie enough courage to play the part of one of the tea cups. They both were given huge cardboard cut outs as their "costumes" and away we went to watch the show. Addie did amazing and followed directions like a champ, she literally did anything the lady said! I wish we could have brought her along with us for the rest of the day! After the story, the kids marched around the room in a parade before getting a chance to snap some pictures with Belle. Enchanted Tales with Belle was a huge highlight of our day and Addie still walks around with the bookmark that the "princess gave me" for being in the play.
We used our last pre-scheduled fast pass for Peter Pan at 2:00, then we caught the end of the castle show on our way back to the hotel for a much needed break and some air conditioning. Anyone who knows my kids knows that Addie absolutely does not nap unless she is in her crib, so it was a small miracle that both her and Bella fell asleep on the ferry ride back to the parking lot. I guess it was the magic of Disney!
After leaving the park around 2:30, we were back to the hotel by 3. Addie took a quick, much needed nap and Bella decided to hang out and play instead. She napped several times in the stroller throughout the day - plus the stupid sliding glass door on the floor above us was so super loud that even our white noise app didn't cover it up! We ate a fancy dinner of frozen pizza and watermelon and were back on our way to the park at 5:30. We arrived by 6 and started in Adventure Land this time. We went on Aladdin's Magic Carpet ride and used a fast pass for the Jungle Cruise before enjoying some yummy pineapple whip ice cream. We scheduled a fast pass for the Pooh honey pot ride and then rode the carousel another time or two under the lights, can you tell that was a crowd favorite?!? Then, after a short lightning delay we watched the Electric Parade and firework show. We left the park around 10:30 and got back to the hotel by 11. Everyone was beyond tired and we put the girls to bed and may or may not have ordered 4 giant skillet cookies from room service while we watched a movie on the couch as a treat to ourselves for surviving the day!
All in all Disney was fun. It was also challenging, exhausting, and tested my patience at times, but even with that being said the positives out weighed the negatives and we had a good time. Addie did enjoy parts of our day, but was still a little too young to fully take on the Disney experience. She liked the characters at times and was terrified at times too. She did love the rides though! Bella was clearly to young too, but her laid back, easy going personality made her the easy one for sure that day. We created a lot of fun memories and I can't wait to put a little book together to show the girls one day how cool their parents are because they took them to Disney when they were so little and cute. We learned a lot of good tips and are excited to put them to use on another Disney trip in the future, in a few years that is!
With that being said, here are some of my most helpful tips for those of you who are brave enough to take on Disney with your little ones. I am no expert, but I have several friends who are and they helped us make it a fun experience for Addie and Bella. I am writing these down to share, but also so I can come back in a few years and re-read them to help me plan our next Disney trip. Maybe we will even try to tackle all 4 parks next time - would that mean we would earn 4 skillet cookie desserts then too?
-Hands down the best tip we got was to get to the park right when it opens. Short to non-existent lines are so worth waking up early! Who am I kidding though? If you have infants and toddlers they wake up early anyways?!? And apparently they have a pretty amazing welcome show where all of the characters come out and we planned on getting there in time for that too, but in true mommy fashion we were running about 15 minutes late and we missed it. It will be on the agenda for next time though!
-If you are driving to the park, preferred parking was well worth the extra $15. It's an all day pass and probably the smartest purchase we made all day.
-Download the My Disney Experience app ASAP. All of your fast passes, reservations, and photos will be linked to your account. You can also check wait times throughout the day! It's seriously amazing!
-With that being said, book your fast passes before you go! Use your child's interest and map to help you plan out your day. We did Addie's favorites first thing in the morning, Little Mermaid, Belle, and the rides since that is when my little ones are in their best moods. You can book 3 in fast passes advance and then after you use those 3 you can book more, one at a time as you go through your day. Also, utilize rider swap if it works for your family! You can get a fast pass for the waiting person and then your child can ride once with mom and once with dad.
-Don't pay for the Disney photos, just hand off your camera to any Disney employee and they are happy to take your picture.
-Be the cool mom during the Electric Parade and bring your own glow sticks! I stocked up at the Dollar Store before we went and saved tons of money!
-Even though most of your stuff will be stored in your stroller, pack a book bag too. Strollers don't come in line with you so we had our valuables, emergency snacks, and diapers/wipes in Eric's book bag that came on all of the rides with us.
-Bring water bottles, they will give you free ice and there is water fountains all over the place to refill.
-We ended up leaving for a break, but if you stick it out the tomorrow land transit authority or the train ride are good resting places.
-Last but not least, bring back up if you can. Having my parents there made it so much easier and more enjoyable for Eric and I. We were able to take turns riding with Addie and Bella and the girls had so much fun spending the day with Grandma and Pap too.
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