Magic Kingdom:
Epcot:
Spirit of Aloha:
Monday and Wednesday we went to Epcot. I highly suggest going to Epcot for more than one day if you really want to see everything. Epcot has two parts to the park and it's hard to see it all in one visit, especially if you want to ride rides AND visit the world showcase. My absolute favorite thing to do is travel around the world in Epcot. Also, my favorite ride is located in Epcot. It's called Soarin'. We went during Flower and Garden Festival and it was special this time. They had extra food stands set up all around the World Showcase and we tasted something from every country. They also had bushes shaped like every Disney Character you can think of and beautiful flower displays at every turn. There was even a butterfly display. I highly suggest going during Flower and Garden Fest.
A lot of people think that there isn't much to do for kids in Epcot. I disagree. Scarlett loves the World Showcase and many of the rides there. Each country has a Kid's Cot Station where the kids can color and do crafts. Not only is it fun for the kids, but the adults can taste food and drinks from each country. We used our snack points to eat around the world. The guys wore shirts to document drinking around the world. It was such a fun day. We also ate a dinner at Akershus in Norway. I am Norwegian and I never leave without buying some souvenirs or treats from this country. Another thing that I love about visiting around the world showcase is that the people working there are actually from the countries. Such a fun experience. Flower and Garden Festival did not disappoint. The foods were amazing and we left that place stuffed!
We also spent two days at The Magic Kingdom. You can definitely use 2 days there as well. We finally got to eat at the desirable Be Our Guest restaurant and I suggest eating here. Make sure to get your reservations in as soon as you can...it's very hard to get into. Cinderella's Table was wonderful too. We did this restaurant last time we came as well. It's located in the castle and it's another hard place to get into. A lot of people ask me how we don't get exhausted always on the go. Or ask how the kids keep up? I tell them this: Plan on a melt down or two. The kids are overwhelmed with all of the stimulation. Not to mention bed and nap times are often interrupted or skipped. Scarlett had 2 or 3 melt downs and I made sure to anticipate this and not let it ruin the trip. Kids are little and a Disney vacation can be overwhelming for them even with all of the fun things happening. We brought a double stroller. I recommend a city mini or similar style when traveling to Disney. The City Mini's are extremely easy to fold up and unfold for getting on and off of transportation boats/shuttles etc. They also lay back well. Although they do rent strollers there, it's a waste of money if you ask me. We bring ours right to the plane and gate check it. It's there waiting for us when we land and then we don't have to carry children through the airport. We bought a Baby Jogger 2nd hand and absolutely loved it! The great thing with these or the city mini strollers are that they can hold children up to 6 or 7 years old. I put my 4 1/2 year old and my 9 month old in it. You can find similar here. Or you can try craigslist. Scarlett is almost 5 but even she wanted to get in the stroller at times. Disney is A LOT of walking! She napped in there occasionally as well. Also, bring ponchos or stroller rain covers. Depending on when you go, it there can be showers. Walmart or Amazon sell them for 1/4 the price of what you will buy them for in the Parks. Be sure to bring something to tie to your stroller to distinguish it from others at the parks. Apparently everyone there knows that the City Mini is the best stroller to bring because 70% of the strollers there are those. Take breaks when you can. Fast Passes and dinner reservations can have your schedule busy. When we have a bit of free time I take the kids to the Splash Pads or Water Play areas to just free play. When the kids nap we do the adult rides and utilize the Rider Swaps. When they are awake we do the family friendly rides.
We bought tickets for the Spirit Of Aloha Dinner Show this time. Food was good and the show was entertaining. Scarlett loved the Fire Act and all of the singing. I would recommend this show for anyone who wants to try something different.
As for some tips for traveling with little ones or just in general. Here are a few things I do: We brought baby food pouches for Maxwell. He isn't fully eating regular food. They were easier to feed him when we were on the go. I brought these here. They also sell these really cool spoons that you can twist onto the pouches here. Another great tip for babies in Disney is utilizing a delivery service for food/diapers for the hotel rooms. We used GardenGrocer.com to have waters and diapers delivered to our room before we even got there. That way we didn't have to pack a bunch of diapers. You can also use that for baby food. I didn't because I buy all organic for Maxwell and I couldn't find a large variety of organic baby food there. Waters can also add up if you buy them and I am not fond of the tap water in the parks....it's really gross tasting. I drink A LOT of water, especially since I'm nursing, so we had bottled waters delivered as well.
We also brought a backpack along so that when we went to the parks we could bring everything we needed for the kids. Inside we packed: Extra change of clothes for each kid. Sometimes a bathing suit if it was a hot day and I knew Scarlett was going to want to get wet in the water play areas (they have these in all of the parks). I suggest taking a little while to let them free play in these. I found that they helped with tantrums when I let her play freely once in awhile. Diapers, wipes, hair elastics, Motrin or Advil, sunscreen, sun hats, baby food pouches and disposable spoons, waters and our id's. Again, with the magic bands we had no need for any cash or cards. A credit card or debit is linked to the magic bands with a pin code so you can buy anything in Disney with your band. Just make sure to link a card to your band with your travel planner. You can leave wallets/cash ect. in the hotel room safe if you brought it. Some people like to go back to the hotel rooms to let their kids nap. I think this is a big time waster. That's why I utilize the strollers. If you absolutely must bring them back to the hotel to nap, make sure to pick a hotel that is close to the parks you will frequent the most. My my Disney agent helped me with that as well. They also know the best way to get to the parks. Some resorts offer boat rides, some offer monorail and some only bus transportation. Other resorts are only a short walk to parks.
As for packing, bring 2 outfits per day for the kids. I know that sounds like a lot but it's really not. Their clothes are smaller and don't take up as much room. You would be surprised how much you can pack in one suitcase! Don't forget comfortable shoes. It is a bad idea to buy new shoes for the trip unless you know how they fit and feel. A lot of shoes/sandals need to be broken in to be comfortable. Disney is A LOT of walking so comfortable sandals and shoes are important (especially for the kids). I also bring blister bands in my backpack. My favorite shoes for the kids are Saltwater Sandals, Birkenstocks, New Balance or Nike Sneakers, and Teva's. Look at the weather the week before you go so you can plan accordingly. We went the first 2 weeks of March and it was in the 80's. The week before was much chillier. Spring is unpredictable there as far as temperature goes so use the weather apps to help you.
I let the kids pick a couple souvenirs. I usually have them do this when we go to Disney Springs since all we really do there is shop and eat. This saves you from carrying items around the parks/resorts on other days. Make sure you bring water/juice for the kids to keep them hydrated. I have seen so many kids passed out (literally) at the Parks from heat exhaustion and dehydration.
Here are my favorite Restaurants:
Le Cellier's SteakHouse in Epcot
Cinderella's Table in the Magic Kingdom
Ohana in the Polynesian
1900 Park Fare (For Breakfast) at the Grand Floridian
Rose Crown Grill in Epcot
Yak & Yetti in the Animal Kingdom
Be Our Guest in MK
The Crystal Palace (for breakfast) in MK
Sci-Fi Diner: Hollywood Studios
Earl of Sandwich at Disney Springs
WolfGang Puck Dining Room at Disney Springs
Jiko at Animal Kingdom Resort
RainForest Cafe in Animal Kingdom
Sanaa at Animal Kingdom Kidani Village
Erica King: Personal Pixie Dust Vacations
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Feel free to message or comment me any other questions that I may not have covered! Also check back next week for a Tips From A Pro post by my Disney Planner :)
Disney World 2016 Part I post Here
Ya'll are darling! I can't even stand Maxwell and his cheeks!
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