We are a theme park family that loves living near so many world-class attractions and experiences! Part of my blog will share my insights, stories, and memories of raising our girls in Central Florida. This may help you plan your next vacation or grow to learn what it is like raising a family near the world’s most famous mouse.
Growing up in Miami, FL allowed me to visit Disney World more frequently than if I had lived in another state. Orlando was only a 3 to 4-hour drive, and we could go for a quick weekend trip easily. As a child, I went to Magic Kingdom, Epcot, and MGM (as it was known then). I was also able to visit Animal Kingdom once it opened.
When I went to Magic Kingdom with my family, I knew how special it was. My parents did not have the means to do character meals or extra unique experiences. For me, just being inside the park, riding the rides and viewing the castle was all I needed as a child. It was special indeed. It is incredible how special those trips were without all the “extras.” My parents though worked hard so that I could better myself and one day do more for my family than what they were able to do for us. This is not to say my parents did not do enough for me. They did, but they wanted us to be successful so that we could have many of the life experiences they were not able to provide.
When I started dating my husband, our first trip together as a couple was to Orlando, Florida. We went to Universal Studios and Magic Kingdom on a cold January weekend. I will never forget it. I learned that my boyfriend was terrified of roller coasters. I rode them with ease and rode them alone throughout our first years together. He would not be scared of them forever, but it took a few years of us dating for him to overcome his fear.
After that, we went to Disney more times than I could count. We would spend our time between Universal Studios and Disney World. Back then, my husband loved to snack on the churros and turkey legs. My go-to snack has always been the Mickey ears ice cream bar. You can get quite full eating just delicious snacks at Disney World! Make sure to save room for meals if you plan on eating lunch or dinner at the parks!
One of our favorite memories was walking near the Haunted Mansion when we spotted the churros. My husband had to have one. If you have ever seen the churros at Magic Kingdom, you know how long they are! My husband purchased the churro and handed it to me. I began walking away as he paid. As I was walking, a bird swooped down and took the churro right out of my hand! We could not believe it! A tourist that was filming his family caught the entire thing on camera. It is a fun memory that we still talk about to this day. Be careful of the birds when you visit Magic Kingdom!
My first character meal experience was with my husband (then boyfriend). We had a Thanksgiving meal at Liberty Tavern in Magic Kingdom. It was excellent! The food was an all-American feast, and Mickey and Minnie were dressed in their best pilgrim attire. After that, I was hooked on character meals! I wanted to experience more of what Disney had to offer and learn more about Disney than I ever could. We honeymooned in Disney World for a week in 2010, and it was, pun intended, magical!
Now that we have a family of our own, we continue to build more memories with our girls. Disney is not cheap, but we feel it is worth it for the experiences we share. It helps that we live in Orlando so we do not have the pressure of having to do everything in one day. We can go when we please and stay in the park as long as we want. It is a blessing! Here are some tips as you plan your Disney vacation:
Download the Disney My Experience App! You can book your fastpasses, manage vacation photos taken by cast members, view park maps, and even order food! We order all our food off the app when we are not doing a sit down/table service meal. When we arrive at the restaurant, we find a seat and then head over to the mobile order section to pick up our food. No waiting and a huge time saver. This is fantastic if you have little ones! Note: not all restaurants offer mobile ordering, but we love the ones that do!
If you can come to Disney in January or February that is ideal! Not Martin Luther King Jr. Weekend and not President’s Day weekend, but outside of those weekends, January and February are excellent times to visit Disney World. Fewer crowds and cooler weather. Some attractions like Splash Mountain often close in January for refurbishment, but I still find it worth going during this time of year due to the lower crowds and less heat. If you can avoid Disney World in June, July and August, please avoid it. It is sweltering, humid and over-crowded. I only recommend the summer months if you plan to take it easy and spend half the day back at your hotel pool.
Book any character meal well in advance. 180 days is normal when booking character meals such as Chef Mickey or Cinderella’s Royal Table.
Book your fastpasses as soon as you can. You can book your first three fastpasses back to back. Then you can obtain more once you use the first three. There are two ways you can work your day. You can arrive at rope drop and do hard to ride attractions like Dwarf Mine Train first, starting your fastpasses a bit later, say around 11 am. Arriving at rope drop will afford you time to do an attraction like Mine Train as well as a few others before starting to use your fastpasses. This, of course, is not always feasible with little ones. For that reason, the other plan works well too. You could use your first three fastpasses as soon as possible back to back and then start obtaining new ones once you’ve used the first three. Do what is best for your family!
Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party is a great way to experience Magic Kingdom with lower crowds and less heat since the party is at night. You can enter the park as early as 4 pm the day of the party. The parties in September are ideal for lower crowds. The closer you get to Halloween, the higher the crowds. The same is true for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. Ideally, it is good to go in November. As you get closer to Christmas, it gets much busier! Nothing beats the decorations at Magic Kingdom between Halloween and Christmas! Walking down Main Street during the holiday season is truly magical!
With the little ones, planning is necessary! Be sure to pack snacks and an extra water bottle or two. If your little one is getting autographs, you can purchase your autograph book ahead of time on Amazon. Much cheaper than inside the park! Pack raincoats and pre-purchase them as well via Amazon or Target. Less expensive than inside the parks. If you are coming to the parks anytime between April-September, you will need sunscreen. While I know sunscreen is a year-round thing, you definitely need it during April-September, as it is HOT!
If your family likes popcorn and you will return to the parks, buy the popcorn bucket. Refills are only $2, and you have a souvenir in the bucket itself.
If you want to do all the attractions in Magic Kingdom and you have little ones, plan to dedicate at least two days to that park. Epcot, Animal Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios can be done in one day if you arrive early and plan ahead.
Booking a character breakfast will not guarantee you early admission to the parks. They usually let you in only about 10 to 15 minutes before your reservation time. What it does guarantee is that you will be able to get some stunning photographs with a nearly empty park!
Mouse ears are all the rage! There are a pair of mouse ears to suit everyone’s taste. I am currently obsessed with mouse ears, and my collection keeps growing! You can purchase them inside the parks for about $24.95. You can also scan Instagram and Etsy for custom made mouse ears. I frequently post pictures of my ears on my Instagram with tags on where you can purchase your own.
If your phone tends to drain its battery fast, bring an external charger. Disney does have charging stations throughout the parks where you can plug in, but you have to stay with your phone. Having an external charger avoids this. You will use your phone…A LOT. You will use it for the My Disney Experience App, taking pictures, ordering food and assisting you if your child has a meltdown (have their favorite video on standby).
Pack Ziploc bags for diaper changes or to keep items dry on the rides where you may get wet. You can also use Ziploc bags for distributing snacks. Do not forget the hand sanitizer!
There are baby care centers in every park. USE THEM. Especially if you have little ones still in diapers. They have AC, free water, bathrooms, changing stations for baby, TVs, books and even private nursing rooms. They also have a shop where you can purchase items you may need like Tylenol.
Lastly, if your little one tends to wander, get them an ID bracelet or ID necklace. You want something that will quickly identify them and includes your phone number so that you can be reunited should you become separated.
Have fun and expect that things will happen that are out of your control. Rides may be closed. It may rain. A tourist may get on your nerves. Remember that you are at Disney World, making memories that will last a lifetime! Do like Elsa and “Let it Go!” Enjoy every moment of the Disney story you write with your family!
Be sure to check out my Instagram @shepensblog to follow along with us on our Disney adventures!
