Guest Blogger: Disney World Survival Tips - Part 2

Disney World Survival Tips - Part 2
Guest Blogger: Laura Lueloff

 If you missed Part 1, click here

Top Attractions and Ones to Skip

Because of the ages of our kids (3 & 6) we decided to focus only on the Magic Kingdom for 2 very full days.  This way we could repeat their favourite rides, take our time and really enjoy the park to its fullest

There are 4 primary areas in this park that are ideal for this age group and they are tall enough to be part of just about everything

The only element that we skipped over intentionally was lining up for character viewings/greetings.  A prime example was a 1-hour line up for a meet & greet with the characters of the movie Tangled.  Disney sets up characters throughout the parks for your child to meet very briefly.  If you are lucky to be the first few in line that is great, otherwise I would plan to skip over it.  Your child might spend about 2 minutes between a hug and an autograph with the character.  What we did instead was book two character meals (Cinderella’s castle for lunch and Chef Mickey’s for breakfast).  This provided the kids with ample opportunity to spend some time with the characters and not have to wait in line while they could be on rides! 

Top 10 attractions within Magic Kingdom for 6 & under

• Peter Pan’s Flight
• Small World
• Tomorrowland Speedway
• Astro Orbiter
• Pirates of the Caribbean
• Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger
• Mickey’s PhilHarmagic (indoor 3d movie)
• Big Thunder Railroad Coaster
• Parades (daytime & evening) and without a doubt ...
• the evening Fireworks show (a MUST)

How Young is too Young for Disney?

• After our recent experience I would wait until your youngest is at least 3 yrs old.  It might just make the overall experience easier to handle for the whole family.  If they are still napping and are not tall enough for rides – long days at a Disney park might not be ideal.
• Maybe “practice” the park experience with your kids at places such as Canada’s Wonderland or Marineland
• Sometimes young kids are frightened of the characters and they are everywhere at Disney – so this would be something to prepare them for as well
• Disney rents buggy-type strollers in singles & double size.  We opted for the double stroller on both days, which was a blessing.  The kids still walked alot, but were able to take some well-deserved breaks as we travelled through the expansive park – highly recommend either bringing your own or renting

Should you Book Disney Accommodations as a Package or a la Carte?

• We booked a la carte and were thrilled with how it turned out
• We stayed at an off site resort, which was less then 10 minutes from the parking lot at Magic Kingdom.  There are many to choose from and ours was the Sheraton Vistana Resort – the entire resort has been recently renovated and it was perfect for a family
• Our resort offered condo-type accommodations and we chose a 2-bedroom, 2-bathroom suite with a full kitchen and living space. It was perfect for us to be able to prepare all of our own meals and have lots of space for all of us. The resort also had 7 swimming pools, 6 playgrounds and many activities for the kids, which really made the 4 days we were not at Disney quite wonderful and relaxing!
• We rented a car through a discount site –  http://www.hotwire.com/ - which helped with our budget and wanting a car to get around

Unfortunately, I am not able to offer advice on booking a package deal through Disney as I have not done so.  I do know their resorts are situated within the park and you are able to get around very easily via the monorail or resort shuttle systems.  We knew early on that we were only planning 2-3 days at the parks, which helped with our decision to be off site.  If you are planning to visit all the parks and be back and forth between them for the majority of your trip then a Disney Resort might be a better option.  They offer special park benefits, dining plans and other options, which do make them appealing.

As you can tell our experience was incredible, without a doubt we are planning to go back. If your kids love all the Disney movies and characters as mine do you cannot go wrong with Disney.  Whether it is Toy Story, Cinderella, Cars, Mickey & Minnie or even Star Wars – they have it all!  Kids and even grown ups will be in for a thrill of a lifetime!  The best advice is just to plan ahead – even if you are not a planner, become one for your Disney trip.