Tip 1: Stay on the Disney Property
This trip was just a little "extra stop" for us. We were headed to Florida to spend Christmas with my mom's family and decided that since Orlando was just an hour's drive, why not stop by the happiest place on earth on the way home. We stayed at the least expensive property, The Disney All-Star Sports Resort. All of the All-Star resorts are considered "value" resorts and are the cheapest. The prices at Christmas time go up by 120% so the value resort was still in budget with this jump. If we went back again (we wouldn't go at Christmas) we'd definitely stay at a moderate or luxury resort closer to the Magic Kingdom.
Th All-Star resort was definitely value. We are not hotel snobs at all and normally stay at Hampton Inn/Marriott Courtyard type properties but these rooms reminded me of a Comfort Inn. The rooms and bathrooms were tiny and outdated. It was fine for what we needed but like I said, we probably wouldn't stay there again if we could afford to.
We arrived in Orlando late on Christmas night and decided to stay at the Embassy Suites off-property. This saved a little dough and was smart because Disney allows you to check into your hotel as early as 7am and you get all perks as if you had stayed on property the night before. We packed up from the hotel room, took advantage of Embassy Suite's yummy breakfast and headed over to the All-Star Resort.
my sisters and future brother-in-law fooling around at the All-Star Resort while the kids napped
Tip 2: Check in Online.
We took advantage of Disney's online check in. Unfortunately it only worked for one of our rooms and we had to do the old fashioned check in for the other. This would have been awesome if it worked for both rooms but didn't slow us down too much. With online check in, you can link a credit card to your Disney Magic Band (a bracelet you wear for the duration of your stay that acts as a room key, form of payment for everything Disney, and keeper of your FastPass Plus) and set a pin number. We got to the All-Star Resort, checked in, picked up parking passes for the parks and made our way to Animal Kingdom 30 minutes prior to opening. We decided that we'd unload our luggage during our naptime break.
Tip 3: Arrive at the Park EARLY
I cannot get over how awesome it was to be at the park early. There would be no other way to achieve this photo with a seemingly empty main street on one of the busiest days of the year.
We got to Animal Kingdom 30 minutes prior to the park opening and were able to get right in. We quickly walked to the back of the park to ride the Kilimanjaro Safari. This ride has up to 2 hour waits and we walked right on. During that first hour to hour and a half of the park being open, it was so empty and we rode everything without standing in line.
up close with the animals at Kilimanjaro
no wait to get in at Animal Kingdom
Tip 4: Save your FastPass Plus for the afternoon.
The parks were pretty empty in the morning but crazy busy in the afternoon. We loved that with fastpass plus we could schedule 3 fast passes in advance. I scheduled a few for the morning and we were able to switch them when we got to the ride and realized that there was little to no line.
Scanning your magic band to get in
Tip 5: Get a stroller as wheel chair pass if you have little ones.
Now, I have to be honest, this felt really wrong at first. This is intended for people who have children that are wheelchair/stroller bound. When you get towards the front of the line, you go in a separate area and park your stroller. Basically, the kids get to stay in the stroller right until you are about to board the ride. Normally, you park your stroller at the very beginning of the line and have to carry/watch your kids throughout your wait in line. We did this a few times and then parked the stroller and held the kids a few times. After holding them in line (and having them escape and crawl on the props throughout the line I totally decided that having the pass was extremely valid with twins and I would highly recommend it! You get the pass by visiting guest services at the front of the park and simply asking for it. No need to show proof. They give you a red tag for your stroller and you MUST show the red tag or you will be directed to the general stroller parking.
Tip 6: Take a Comfy Stroller (or one your kids can sleep in)
We brought the BOB and while it was cumbersome, it was also awesome for giving the kids room and space to stretch out. We were able to leave the kids in the stroller for a 2.5 hour nap in the middle of Magic Kingdom. Also- Pack a rain cover for your stroller. We had a quick 20 minute sprinkle and the cover helped the kids sleep through it and allowed us to keep going. I picked up this one and it fit great and saved a lot of money vs. buying the bob brand one. I also loved having the snack trays for little munchies and these linkers from bella tunno saved our sippies and snack cups from being tossed over board. These are my favorites because they are elastic and stretch to fit anything.
notice the sippy cup tossed aside on the bottom right!
you can kind of see the red stroller as a wheel chair tag on the middle of the handle bar.
I wrapped the handle in pink ribbon to make spotting our stroller easier.
Tip 7: Take Advantage of the Playground/Attractions
It was great to get the kids out and moving in the Boneyard of Animal Kingdom. Unfortunately, we didn't make it to Honey I Shrunk the Kids in Hollywood Studios. The kids need time to run around and be crazy. The Boneyard was awesome because it was all padded and not very crowded in the morning.
Tip 8: Consider Driving to the Parks
Depending on where you stay and what your plans are consider driving to the parks. We drove to Animal Kingdom and because we arrived early, we got to park in the front row and walk right it. Our plan for Animal Kingdom was to spend the morning at the park and then leave to head back to the resort for naptime (1-4). Having our car there made it super convenient. We arrived at Hollywood Studios around 4pm and had to park WAY in the back. It took a good 20 minutes to wait on the tram, board (doing it with a stroller and two kids that did not want to sit on their bottoms was ROUGH), and enter the park. We should have taken the bus.
We decided to drive to Magic Kingdom with the plan that we would leave at naptime to head back to the resort. By the time you park (and we were parked as close as we could thanks to arriving early), catch (or wait) for the monorail, and then walk into the park, you are talking at least 20 minutes (and that doesn't include waiting for the tram to take you to your car if you have to park far away). During the afternoon it was a 25 minute wait for the monorail. We made the decision to have nap time at the park once we realized it would be at least an hour round trip to the hotel and back. It worked great for our family. If your kids won't sleep in the stroller I recommend leaving in PLENTY of time to get back to the hotel in time for your kid's scheduled nap.
taking the tram in
Tip 9: Get the Disney Experience App for your Phone and use the park Wifi
We burned through the batteries on our iphones because we used them so much for information and pictures while at the park. Make sure you take advantage for the park's wifi. The disney experience app is great for changing Fast Pass Plus times, figuring our where you're going, finding food, and checking on ride times. Try it out a bit before you go. There is a tiny learning curve to it.
me being a total dork and following the built in GPS to take us to our next location
Tip 10: Disney PhotoPass
We didn't take advantage of this but I would definitely do it when we go on our BIG trip. You pay a fee upfront and you get all of digital pictures from your trip. I think its around $180? There are photographers all over the park. They do not bother you at all but are super happy to take your picture if you ask and will also take pictures on your camera. I would definitely recommend paying for the photopass if you have children old enough to take character pictures. We only did pictures with Mickey and Jake because my kids were not that into it but it was helpful to have another photographer while we walked the kids up to the characters. We also got that awesome shot of our family on main street. All the pictures are linked to your Magic Band and each time you get your picture taken they just scan your band and the pictures are added to your account.
Tip 11: Skip the Characters if Your Kids are Too Little
We had the oppotunity to meet Jake because the line was so short. Holden was ok with it but Emma Cate HATED it. We also decided to meet Mickey because I had an extra FastPass Plus that I needed to use. I would not have waited in the hour long line to meet him though! If you can spend two days at Magic Kingdom, I would suggest spending one day focused on the rides and one day focused on meeting the characters. The lines for the characters get out of control and I would DEFINITELY fass pass this!
Tip 12: Make Dining Reservations EARLY
Our trip was super last minute and we didn't make dining reservations in time. We ate quick service for all our meals which was fine but it would have definitely been nice to have some nicer dining options. Get ready to spend some dough on dining. We will probably do the meal plan next time we go just to avoid the sticker shock. Most meals were $12-$15 per person for drink and meal and aorund $8 for a kids meal.
We did end up eating at Be Our Guest restaurant for lunch, which I highly recomend. We had to wait 25 minutes to get in but the kids were napping and we didn't mind the wait. The food was GREAT and not the normal stuff you find at Disney (think Quinoa salad, grilled fish, french onion soup). You order at the beginning and find a seat and then the wait staff brings the food to your table. They magically know where you are sitting :)
Tip 13: Bring Snacks and Water
We are BIG water drinkers around here and paying $2.50 for a Dasani water bottle stung a little. I ended up bringing my nalgene and filling it often. Florida water is pretty yuck for my taste. We brought lots of snacks to keep the kids happy and I filled several snack cups to keep in my backpack. We did a lot of cheddar bunnies, fruit snacks, chex mix, apples, and cheese sticks. Milk was easy to find in the park.
Tip 14: Get Starbucks EARLY
There is a starbucks at the entrance of Magic Kingdom. Its in the Main Street Bakery and the line was 30 minutes long by the time we got there. Make a quick stop when you enter the park to pick up your latte! They also sell all of their traditional breakfast items so you can eat and drink while you make your way to Fantasyland.
Tip 15: Forget Bedtime
Luckily our kids are great at staying up late. We kept them up til 9 on both nights we visited the park. They also got up early (6-6:30am). Nap time was the only thing we really wanted to keep consistent. With all the stimulation, the kids had no problem staying up late and fell asleep the minute their heads hit the pack n play.
Tip 16: Babysitters
We didn't take advantage this time but next time when we go we plan on getting a babysitter at night. Luckily, I know a "princess" that was willing to come to our hotel to babysit but I've also been told that the Disney ChildCare service is awesome (abet a bit expensive). On our next trip, I would plan to take the kids to the hotel at bedtime one evening, put them to sleep, and have a sitter come watch them while they are sleeping so that the adults could enjoy and evening out. On our evening out, I would hit up the bars and restaurants at Epcot. We skipped Epcot this trip because of the lack of activities for young kids. This is top of my list for next time!
Tip 17: Don't Plan on Sleeping A Lot
We didn't get a ton of sleep and it was great. Disney is a great place to "go on adrenaline". We like to maximize every minute of our time. We don't think of Disney as a place to rest and relax. I am of the go, go, go mentality. Maybe on our next trip when we stay for a longer period, we'll build in a day of rest but for a 3 or 4 day trip I recommend living it up!
The last day of our trip we got back to the hotel at midnight (we went back to the hotel at 8:30 to put the kids down and my Dad and husband decided to stay at the hotel and watch football, while my sister and I headed back to the park to ride more rides).
I'm glad to help if you have any questions! I seriously spent hours researching and we truly had the most amazing "quick" Disney trip! Can't wait to go back again.
bookmarking this!
ReplyDeletegreat post! looks like you had fun! love that stroller!
ReplyDeleteYou are sooo brave!!! As much as I can't wait to take our 2 to Disney....I really don't think we are ready for that. lol My 2 wouldn't even stay in their strollers....maybe 5 minutes if we're lucky. haha
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