Some tips I just posted on another thread:
Do:
-purchase ponchos at your local Walmart or dollar store if you're going in the summer. (Last August it rained almost every day during our trip-- part of that may have been the approach of TS Faye. ) Don't forget a brightly colored poncho or tablecloth and some clothespins for your stroller.
- pre-buy the kids some sort of fannypack or something to hold their stuff. I got the kids fannypacks for about $6 at
www.beltoutlet.com (warning: the "kids" fannypacks are TINY! Go up a size if your child is 5 or up.)
- pre-buy or make an autograph book for each of your kids. Ours were $6 at
www.laughingplacestore.com Bring along a sharpie.
-Another fan of the meal plan. We were able to enjoy family time together over a dinner table-- it's just not the same with counterservice. And with 2 kids under 10, it was a bargain!!! Where else can you feed your 8 year old for $10 per day, including a restaurant meal???
- I did a photoshare with my sister and my friend. I'm another mom who won't let strangers have pictures of my kids. But we ended up paying only $33 a piece for our CD.
- a real trip saver in August: misters. We got mistymate ones at BJs at 3/$15 last summer. They would have been a bargain at triple the price. We used 2 or 3 at a time for our family of 5, and refilled them at water fountains. They kept all 5 of us comfortable in the sticky August heat.
Don't:
- feel as though you have to buy into everything that everyone here raves about. Many people here hit WDW every year or so. So maybe their kids need something extra to spice it up. For our family at least, an Illuminations cruise, a trip to the Bibbidy bobbity boutique-- those things are unnecessary expenses. Would I take them if offered for free? Sure. But my kids will never miss them
- Please don't feel that any one event or parade or ride is a trip-maker. Be willing to walk away from anything if it will cost your family happiness. Case in point: last year, Spectromagic went on hiatus on day 2 of our trip. So day 1 was our only chance to see it. But the kids were out of bed at 4:30 am to catch the flight. There was no way they could stay awake long enough to make it to Spectro. That's OK-- they never knew what they missed, and neither did we. Seeing that would have been at the cost of 3 cranky kids and 2 cranky adults--- way too high a price.
and yes I said the same thing, what am I doing booking a trip like this in this economy.........But what the heck its paid for and why not!!
