Most Valuable Tip???

[In Luv with Disney]

One way that my DS (6) and I have saved some money on food is that we share lunch and dinner. The portions are so large that often one cheesburger and fries can feed two people comfortably. Your family is larger and you may very much benefit from it.

I agree...an even better option is to get the DOUBLE hamburger or cheeseburger meal and ask for a second bun. They will probably charge you 40 cents or so for the bun, but so what? You just turned one meal into TWO meals!!!!!

 

[jann1033]

hope this wasn't already posted...get good shoes but get good comfy padded socks also. if you can find some made for walking get them(like at a sports store ...although i got mine at Gabriel Bro for cheap) as they wick away sweat and add that all important layer of cushioning. i went all prepared for blisters last time and due to the socks never got them ( first time) also break all footware in pretrip

 

[jann1033]

I am planning on releasing a balloon with a message on it for her when we go to MK.

this is very sweet ..my father also passed away a yr ago( although he wasn't a "disney kind of guy") but my condolences to all who have lost there loved ones recently.

 

[karma3939]

Your children are the perfect age for Disney in my opinion. I have been going since I was about that age because my grandparents live near Orlando and I must say that Disney was as magical to my sisters and I as the idea of Santa when we were little. Our last trip, just the "kids" went (we were 23, 21 and 17) and we had such a wonderful nostalgic feeling of being all together with our parents and being as happy as any child could be. This is what Disney means to me. It's not about each individual attraction/store/restaurant... it's about how everything interacts as a whole to just bring this entire world of magic to children.

So I guess my tip for you is to try to make it as magical for your kids as possible. Not that it shouldn't be fun for the adults too! But I have seen some families there who look very agitated with each other, most likely fatigue, hunger, etc... and to me, that isn't what the Disney experience should be about. Before you know it your children will be grown up and if they love Disney now, they will love it forever and hopefully always retain a little bit of optimism and wonder that they felt while there.

 

[dcrilly]

Your children are the perfect age for Disney in my opinion. I have been going since I was about that age because my grandparents live near Orlando and I must say that Disney was as magical to my sisters and I as the idea of Santa when we were little. Our last trip, just the "kids" went (we were 23, 21 and 17) and we had such a wonderful nostalgic feeling of being all together with our parents and being as happy as any child could be. This is what Disney means to me. It's not about each individual attraction/store/restaurant... it's about how everything interacts as a whole to just bring this entire world of magic to children.

So I guess my tip for you is to try to make it as magical for your kids as possible. Not that it shouldn't be fun for the adults too! But I have seen some families there who look very agitated with each other, most likely fatigue, hunger, etc... and to me, that isn't what the Disney experience should be about. Before you know it your children will be grown up and if they love Disney now, they will love it forever and hopefully always retain a little bit of optimism and wonder that they felt while there.

I was browsing one of the photo threads here. I saw a picture of a little girl dressed as Cinderella giving a hug to the "real" Cinderella, and the look on the little girls face... priceless. You could almost feel all of her dreams coming true at that point. I showed that picture to my wife who instantly got misty-eyed and we both knew that this trip would be worth every cent saved and every minute of the drive down.

I'm just an old softie I guess.

 

[Greg K.]

Since you are there for nine days (whoo hoo!) you can afford to take a breather now and then.

I know it's hard: but TRY to hit the parks early, and LEAVE at lunch. Take a rest back at the cabin in the afternoon, then go out for a nice meal and more fun after everyone is rested and refreshed.

When we did WDW just last month, that was the strategy we used with my two in-laws (who could sometimes be as testy as toddlers ).

By doing that, and making good use of FP, we were able to avoid a lot of long lines, and kept them happy and rested. We never bit off more than we could chew (i.e., we rarely spent more than three or four hours in the parks.)

The result: after a week down at WDW, they returned home refreshed and happy.

My father in law even said: "You know, everyone I know comes back from Disney World exhausted. But I feel great. Those afternoon breaks were the best!"

He thinks his daughter married a genius.

 

[It's A Happy Day]

A couple things other than the great tips so far:

Prepare the kids - if this is a 1st time for kids & characters let them know about it ahead of time. My DD3 is afraid of Chuckie Cheese but swears she will hug Minnie Mouse. We have been preparing both kids that MM and all the other characters are as big as mommy & daddy and are like CC.

Ask the kids what they would like to do - they don't have to control the trip but they will most definitely have input. And if the kids don't want to go on a ride it's not a big deal. I can't stand to see the terror on some poor little childs face because of a parant forcing them onto ToT, RnR, etc. and telling them to stop being a baby. Yeah, real magic going on there!!!

Dont forget the camera!!! You laugh but we had to run to Walmart on our honeymoon because mine was sitting on the couch back home. And the rechargeable batteries with charger.

Other than that plan now, make a game plan, but expect changes and go with the flow. Have a list of must do's but be prepared to get side tracked when something catches the eye - some of the best magic happens this way. We have scheduled a where each day - park/non park day and 1 ADR per day - ADR coincides with which park we will be in instead of hopping just for a meal - but we are not going with the do or die attitude. Whatever you do and see while there will be magic to youngins - they don't know what they have or have not missed so why point it out and try to get it all in. Best reason for a return trip - even if it's not for 4-5 years from now. Have a great trip and relax.

(PS. Condolences on your dad.)