Minnie_me
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 19, 2007
- Messages
- 2,223
We went as a family of four in 2007, and we went last week as a family of 3 (I'm a single mom now). My daughters are now 14 and 17, and we HAD A BLAST!
One of my biggest concerns was keeping FOOD spending down. We shipped cereal, granola bars and snacks.....and that helped a lot. But I also often asked if we could get a Kids Meal, even though it says for "ages 9 and under", and they ALWAYS SAID YES! What a savings! My girls and I just don't eat a lot, and we love to get kid-sized meals whenever we can. We also split meals if they weren't kid-sized.
I didn't notice as many scooters as I remembered from last time. But I noticed a lot MORE of the Brazilian tour groups, and some of them were downright RUDE.
We went to Universal Studios first, and were spoiled by their Express Pass system. Disney's Fast Passes just didn't cut it in comparison.
I always get teary-eyed when entering the Magic Kingdom --- it's just so special. I also tear up during Beauty and the Beast - it's so well done! And the Lion King show was breathtaking -- more tears! LOL!
This time, I did ALL OF THE RIDES (not literally, lol, but I didn't sit out for anything while the kids went without me). Loved them all -- what a blast!
My girls brought their autograph books from when they were little, and still got a kick out of meeting characters and having them sign their books.
One thing that upset my girls and I was the number of parents smacking their kids. Not one day went by that we didn't see someone hitting their young child. And I'm not talking a little "I mean business" smack on the butt. One father smacked his toddlers hand 3 times in a row so hard, that he commented later that his fingers were stinging.
Another dad smacked his 5-year old upside the head for whining about a long line. He said he was tired of listening to his "s&*$". Meanwhile, dad went on to cuss and complain about everything under the sun. One mother completely ignored her darling toddler while waiting for a table at Chef Mickey's. Mom's eyes were glued to her smartphone, while the little girl skipped around and sang little songs. When the little girl asked Mommy when they were going to see Mickey Mouse, Mom grabbed her arm so hard, shook her and said, "We're going back to the hotel if you don't start behaving!" and then went back to her phone while the child sobbed (Dad, Grandma and Grandpa consoled her while Mom continued to ignore her). It truly broke my heart.
All in all, it was a great trip. It was fun to be there with my older kids. A couple of times, I sent them off on their own for a little sister-bonding time, and they came back with funny stories (they don't get along AT ALL, so this was really sweet).
One of my biggest concerns was keeping FOOD spending down. We shipped cereal, granola bars and snacks.....and that helped a lot. But I also often asked if we could get a Kids Meal, even though it says for "ages 9 and under", and they ALWAYS SAID YES! What a savings! My girls and I just don't eat a lot, and we love to get kid-sized meals whenever we can. We also split meals if they weren't kid-sized.
I didn't notice as many scooters as I remembered from last time. But I noticed a lot MORE of the Brazilian tour groups, and some of them were downright RUDE.
We went to Universal Studios first, and were spoiled by their Express Pass system. Disney's Fast Passes just didn't cut it in comparison.
I always get teary-eyed when entering the Magic Kingdom --- it's just so special. I also tear up during Beauty and the Beast - it's so well done! And the Lion King show was breathtaking -- more tears! LOL!
This time, I did ALL OF THE RIDES (not literally, lol, but I didn't sit out for anything while the kids went without me). Loved them all -- what a blast!
My girls brought their autograph books from when they were little, and still got a kick out of meeting characters and having them sign their books.
One thing that upset my girls and I was the number of parents smacking their kids. Not one day went by that we didn't see someone hitting their young child. And I'm not talking a little "I mean business" smack on the butt. One father smacked his toddlers hand 3 times in a row so hard, that he commented later that his fingers were stinging.
Another dad smacked his 5-year old upside the head for whining about a long line. He said he was tired of listening to his "s&*$". Meanwhile, dad went on to cuss and complain about everything under the sun. One mother completely ignored her darling toddler while waiting for a table at Chef Mickey's. Mom's eyes were glued to her smartphone, while the little girl skipped around and sang little songs. When the little girl asked Mommy when they were going to see Mickey Mouse, Mom grabbed her arm so hard, shook her and said, "We're going back to the hotel if you don't start behaving!" and then went back to her phone while the child sobbed (Dad, Grandma and Grandpa consoled her while Mom continued to ignore her). It truly broke my heart.All in all, it was a great trip. It was fun to be there with my older kids. A couple of times, I sent them off on their own for a little sister-bonding time, and they came back with funny stories (they don't get along AT ALL, so this was really sweet).
