Share Your Top 3 Tips for Family Travel

[lotus14]

There are so many tips out there. I thought it would be nice to see some of them in one place. Your tips can be on any Disney topic, from which rides to miss to things to pack. Whatever you feel another family needs to know. Please try to read some of the previous posts and not duplicate tips, if possible.

That being said, here are my top 3 Disney with a Family Tips:

1. Bring 2 pairs of shoes for everyone and pack socks, even if the weather is warm.

2. The TTA in MK is a GREAT place to get off your feet for a minute and relax with the family. Best of all, there's never a line.

3. You'll get a lot more out of character interaction if your child has something to do with the character. Think of something your child can say or something they can show to the character. Just try telling Donald that you think Mickey is really #1 and see what happens!

Thanks everyone! I think this can be a fun thread.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

These, of course, are subject to opinion. YMMV.

1. This can't be said too many times: When your kids are young, take a break at the hottest and busiest part of the day, especially if you go in the summer. Whether that's a nap or a trip to the resort pool, take some time to cool down.

2. Don't sweat the small stuff. So your child didn't get a glass of milk this morning at breakfast, or stayed up later than normal, etc., or what have you. Big deal. You're on vacation!

3. Arrive to the parks early, use FastPasses, avoid lines.

 

[southern_redhead]

Fun thread! Here are mine (we only have one trip under our belt, but we travel all the time to other, un-Disney places):

1. Pack snacks! We took a Pringles can and filled it with Slim Jims, Rice Krispie mini-treats, gummies, etc.. We took 2 or 3 snacks per person (and had six people, you can cram a lot into a Pringles can!) Also freeze a water bottle per person and bring these. This a) saves you money, we still bought ice creams but didn't waste money on junk food or waters and b) saves time, we were rarely all peckish at one time. This way, someone is hungry and you just hand them a snack wherever you are. If we'd had to stand in a line at a cart every time someone needed a snack or drink, we'd never have done anything else.

2. Bring fewer outfits than you need (and pack stuff that you can mix and match to make different outfits), wash 1/2 way through vacation. Bring more underware and socks than you think you'll need. If you only have one pair per day and decide to put on a fresh outfit mid-day, you will either have to wear dirty underthings or run out of fresh ones early.

3. The only Disney-specific tip I have: Character meals are a great way to make sure your kids get personal time with the characters without waiting in lines in the park. We saw the main characters at meals (Tusker House and Crystal Palace), then picked up ones that we saw with short lines (we got lucky and caught Flik, Pochantas, and a few more right as they came out.) We waited in a veerryy long line to see Chip and Dale. The only reason we waited is because we hadn't seen them anywhere else (nor did we see them again this trip.) Also, make sure you hit Camp Minnie Mickey in Animal Kingdom. We saw Thumper and Miss Bunny, Brer Rabbit (the character I had hoped most to see), as well as the "regular' characters that we didn't wait in line to see.

 

[mama2mulan]

These are such good tips! I'll add my two cents worth.

1. Talk to all the CMs you meet and start a conversation with them. More amazing things have happened to us by just being friendly and polite. CMs come into contact with rude people every day but when you treat them with a little extra kindness they go out of their way for you.

2. Learn to go with the flow. What you think your child might like they might not care about at all. Sometimes let them take control of what you are doing and the pure joy of watching them have fun is totally worth it.

3. Try to go off season. The crowds are not as bad so not as much waiting in line and that means less cranky kids.

We leave in 11 days but who's counting?

 

[mrsbono]

2. The TTA in MK is a GREAT place to get off your feet for a minute and relax with the family. Best of all, there's never a line.

What's TTA?

 

[mrsbono]

We're going to take our first family Disney trip next year so my advice is only non-Disney specific.

1. If you have room in your car and a child who is potty trained, take a travel potty. I recently made 6 potty breaks in a 6 hour trip with my 4 year old. I only took her into a public restroom once and that was b/c I had to go. She's never had an accident in the car but I know she would've a few times that we couldnt get to restrooms fast enough.

2. As soon as we get home from somewhere, (or back to the hotel), I unpack and repack the diaper bags. In the morning rush, the last thing I want to worry about is collecting snacks or forget to repack the extra outfit that was used.

3. Everyone is in charge of their own water bottle. I don't have enough hands to carry a diaper bag and 4 waters. When my youngest was too little, we had a "cup leash" on her stroller so she couldnt drop it.

 

[lotus14]

What's TTA?

Tomorrowland Transit Authority (People Mover). In Tomorrowland near Buzz/Stitch. It's a quiet ride up high with lots to see. There are seats across from each other so you can put your feet up. We just discovered this little gem on our last trip.

 

[JDUB]

What's TTA?

Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover. Look up and you will see a open car transporting around Tomorrowland. Goes inside Space Mountain and a little Buzz Lightyear.

 

[momto2js]

For us my top 3 are:

#1: When ever possible, we need a seperate bedroom with a door.

#2: Be very careful what you pay for in advance (You just don't know what will happen on any given day)

#3: The kid you have at home will likely be the same kid you have on vacation except for really tired. It is not resonable to expect your fidgety 2 year old to sit down for an extened TS meal every day just because you are on vacation.

 

[M&M's]

1. It's been said already, but it needs to be driven home; middle afternoon naps or breaks back at the resort. The busiest times in the parks are late morning to early afternoon, and that is also the hottest time of day. What better thing to do than leave the parks to refresh. If you do this, take note of the families leaving the parks as you return. I guarantee you'll see a lot of whining or crying kids with parents that have that "look" on their face. At the very least, have a stroller that reclines and has a canopy so your child can nap in that.

2. Rent a car if you can afford it. The cost is worth it just for the late nights when you don't have to wait for a bus or any time your child is sleeping. You don't have to juggle carrying a child trying to sleep and any bags you have as well as a folded up stroller and possibly have nowhere to sit on the bus. A rental car allows you to put a sleeping child from the stroller to a car seat. It also eliminates that jarring light that comes on for each time the bus may stop before your destination. The car also gives you more freedom to *gasp* leave WDW property for any reason like a quick trip to a grocery store for a pack of bottled water.

3. This came from my wife: For your children, put complete outfits in separate gallon ziploc bags when you pack. Each morning, give your child(ren) two bags and let them choose which outfit they want to wear. No arguing, the outfit is already complete, and you can get to the parks that much quicker.

Good thread. I've already seen quite a few tips I'm going to remember.

 

[momofrrr]

Here are my three

If the kids are old enough let them help plan. Mine love to make dining choices.

If it rains, just keep going. By the timeyou get to the car/bus you will be wet anyway. Plus, so many people do leave the lines are shorter once it stops.

I have learned to not carry a purse. We have invested (less than $20) for a generic backpack and I make everyone take turns carrying it so that I am not the pack mule. It is a medium sized, solid black so everyone gets a turn.

 

[burnurcomputer]

1) A stroller can save your life when you have a tired toddler. Its a place to nap, stroll, and get to see fun things in a safe enviroment.

2) Naps are great for small children, and adults. Leave the park and destress. The World is very overwhelming for small child (and as an adult with ADHD) so meltdowns can happen both ways.

3) Force hydration. No one wants to go to the hospital for dehydration, bit def. not when you are on vacation! Make manditory hydration breaks for everyone and do not leave your spot untill everyone has had something to drink. My kids have a tendancy to not drink and get so grumpy or even mild lethargy that we had to make this a rule for us.

 

[turtlegirl25]

Here are a few that haven't been mentioned:

1. Keen sandals for everyone.
2. Clif bars for snacks; they don't melt and my kids liked the brownie one
3. Touringplans (dot) com

 

[lotus14]

1. It's been said already, but it needs to be driven home; middle afternoon naps or breaks back at the resort. The busiest times in the parks are late morning to early afternoon, and that is also the hottest time of day. What better thing to do than leave the parks to refresh. If you do this, take note of the families leaving the parks as you return. I guarantee you'll see a lot of whining or crying kids with parents that have that "look" on their face. At the very least, have a stroller that reclines and has a canopy so your child can nap in that.

DH and I were just at WDW without the kids for the first time and we learned so much about bringing the kids for next time. We would be walking through the park and suddenly see a whole bunch of kids sleeping in strollers. You could totally tell when it was little kid nap time. And then in the evening, there would be a second wave of kids sleeping in strollers. The ones who didn't nap the first time, I suppose!

DD's will be 5 and 8 next time and it worked so well to take a break during the day last time at 2 and 5 that we'll definitely be doing that again.

 

[happydisneyfamily]

1. Take mid-day naps/breaks and give the kids a chance to rest. It always gave my kids a chance to get off there feet, take a swim if they wanted, and just get re-energized for the afternoon and evening.

2. Sometimes let the kids lead and tell you where they want to go in the parks. It just makes it a lot more easy going and less stressful than running around trying to get to every ride on your list.

3. Go with the flow. It's okay to switch out the plan or to skip that character meal. There is so much to do and see and you are in such a wonderful place to begin with that it really is not a big deal if you don't make it to something you scheduled.

 

[lisagirl88]

Here are mine:
1. I would second the person who said having a separate bedroom for the parents. DH and I had a suite last visit and it made a HUGE difference especially on the 2 nights when we decided to come back from the parks at 8 so our boys could have an early night. We were able to shut our bedroom door, watch TV and plan the next day without keeping the kids awake. It didn't cost an arm and a leg either because we stayed at ASM.

2. The quick service restaurants give you a HUGE amount of food. If you have little children just share your lunch or their siblings lunch with them. No need to buy a separate meal.

3. Make sure to figure out fastpass before you go. Fastpass allowed us to only wait in 1 line that was longer than 1/2 hour on our whole trip!!!

one more- on our last two days we picked our top two rides(there were 4 of us) and made sure to get on those rides at least one more time.