So you are getting ready to go to Disney? Wahoooo! Time to focus on Step 3 of the Stress Free Disney Plan: Packing and Planning.
If you missed the first two parts of this series, follow these links:
PACKING:
1. You can find a super cute and helpful packing checklist here. Adjust accordingly.
2. If you have cute yet uncomfortable shoes, leave them at home. Blisters are not your friends at Disney! Pack some blister band-aids like these just in case!
3. My mom always tells everyone to pack TWO pairs of sneakers. That way if it rains and one pair gets soaked you have a back-up pair. Sound advice! (Note: I can walk a marathon in my Crocs flip-flops so I only pack one pair of sneakers and two pairs of flip flops but I would only recommend this route for HARD CORE flip flop wearers. Not sure? Go with sneaks.)
4. Pack jeans, sweats or leggings, and layers. Unless you are going in the summer time there is a chance you might have some cool weather. (One time we went in February and I only packed one pair of jeans and one hoodie for each family member. It was cold all week and we were in the same outfits in every photo. Not the end of the world but it would have been nice to have some options.) Also, I ALWAYS bring a sweater to dinner because I get chilly in the AC. The rest of my family thinks I am crazy but I would rather take it and not need it then be freezing all night.
5. Buy glow sticks at the dollar store before you go! Last year when I went they even had glow wands with stars on the end (think Tinkerbell!). Buy about twice as many as you think you will need. Some of them may not work and there is nothing worse than being one glow stick short. :(
6. Consider buying some souvenirs BEFORE you go. You can find great deals on Disney merchandise everywhere... from Target to the dollar stores. We let our boys pick out ONE treat while they are at Disney. We try to go to Downtown Disney toward the end of the week where you can find pretty much anything that they see in the parks. If they want to get it on day one we try to push them off a bit but sometimes we just go with it and say, "Ok, you are done."
7. If you are going with a large group or a special occasion (i.e. family reunion or a big birthday), consider having group t shirts made. My favorite spot to do this is CustomInk.com. Nice quality, huge range of sizes and easy to put together a cute design without trying very hard. Fun fact: everybody looks good in aqua. Random but true!
7. If you are going with a large group or a special occasion (i.e. family reunion or a big birthday), consider having group t shirts made. My favorite spot to do this is CustomInk.com. Nice quality, huge range of sizes and easy to put together a cute design without trying very hard. Fun fact: everybody looks good in aqua. Random but true!
8. Feel like getting crafty? There are literally thousands of fun DIY Disney ideas out there. Pinterest is a great place to hunt them down. Here is one my faves (visit my "All Things Disney World" Pinterest board for more ideas. I made the autograph books last year and they were a huge hit!):
DIY luggage tags:
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| http://dixiedelights.blogspot.com/2011/09/disney-bag-tags.html |
PLANNING:
1. As promised, here is my magical formula for lower-cost, stress-free Disney days. As long as you will be at Disney for 4 days or more you will be able to visit ONE PARK each day. That allows you to go with the basic (read: least expensive) "Magic Your Way" park ticket. There is SO much to do in each park that we have never found a need to visit more than one in a day. So here is what we do:
- Find out which park is opening early for the "Extra Magic Hour (EMH)" and choose a DIFFERENT park to visit. Otherwise you will have to be up at the crack of dawn waiting in line with 10,000 other early birds. It will be dark, it might be cold, and it won't be fun or magical for anyone.
- Get to the non-EMH park when it opens or shortly thereafter. Hand all of your park tickets to an adult or trusty teen and have them jog (or run!) to the ride that you MUST go on that day. They can pick up Fast Passes for the whole family. The rest of the family should proceed to your second choice ride/show and by the time you get there, the Fast Pass runner (who can move much faster through the crowds by going SOLO) will meet you there. This way you know that by lunch time you should hit at least two of your favorite rides or shows.
- Grab lunch at the park or back at the hotel. Chill. Swim in the pool. Nap. Don't forget to really take some time to enjoy your resort and your time off. Head back into the park in the late afternoon when it is a little cooler and start checking the rest of your must-do's off of your list.
- Get dinner at the park or wherever you want and then play bedtime by ear. If our kiddos (or we) are tired, we call it a night and get to bed early. This is a vacation, NOT a forced march. (Bonus: If you stay at my favorite spot, the Beach Club Villas, you can see Epcot's fireworks from many of the rooms so even if the kiddos are in bed, you can grab a glass of wine (that you had delivered with your groceries! See Part 2.) and chill on your balcony and take in the show. Maybe even try requesting a room with a fireworks view. You never know!
2. If you are staying at a Disney resort, you have the option of signing up for the Disney Dining Meal Plan. Some people love it, some people are wishy washy about it. Here are my thoughts: If you have kids that eat table food (i.e. not babies), it is a GREAT deal. Depending on what time of year you go, it only costs about $15 a day for kiddos on the Standard Meal Plan. That means one sit-down meal, one "quick service" meal, and a snack. (To view the "2013 Standard Meal Plan" brochure, click here.) Also, if you are traveling with extended family or any large group, it makes things super easy. No stressing about who can afford what. Will that restuarant be too expensive for Joe and Schmoe? It doesn't matter because if they are on the Standard Meal Plan they can pick whatever entree they want from the menu and pay the same daily price as everybody else. (Note: We have never done the "Quick Service" or "Deluxe" dining plans so feel free to weight in on those in the comments.)
3. Fun with Meal Plan Snacks: Every time we go to Disney I challenge my family to find the most expensive "snack" to get with our meal plan. There is a huge range of things you can get as your "snack" credit so keep your eyes peeled. My favorite way to use it is to get something super yummy at the bakery (like a chocolate croissant) and then have it as my breakfast in the morning in the room with the milk I had delivered from Garden Grocer (see Part 2 of this series for more info on that). It is like a free, amazing breakfast without even leaving my room or getting out of my PJs!
3. Fun with Meal Plan Snacks: Every time we go to Disney I challenge my family to find the most expensive "snack" to get with our meal plan. There is a huge range of things you can get as your "snack" credit so keep your eyes peeled. My favorite way to use it is to get something super yummy at the bakery (like a chocolate croissant) and then have it as my breakfast in the morning in the room with the milk I had delivered from Garden Grocer (see Part 2 of this series for more info on that). It is like a free, amazing breakfast without even leaving my room or getting out of my PJs!
4. You can find EVERY menu for EVERY restaurant in the parks and at the hotels here. Find what you like and what works with your park plan (if you are eating at a park you will want to make sure you are visiting that park that day, obvs), start plugging in your meals into the cute little planner below. Or just write it on a post-it note. Up to you. Make your meal reservations as early as you can. You can always make changes to them later but they tend to fill up fast. If you like to eat dinner at 4:45 you will be fine. You can make reservations starting 180 days before your vacation (you read that right!). You can make them over the phone or online. All the info is right here.
5. Keeping track of your reservations can get a little tricky. You can use the official My Disney Experience app (for the whole iFamily and Androids)! More about this app in Part 4 of the series) or just write them down on paper. Here is a cute download you can print at home.
5. Keeping track of your reservations can get a little tricky. You can use the official My Disney Experience app (for the whole iFamily and Androids)! More about this app in Part 4 of the series) or just write them down on paper. Here is a cute download you can print at home.
Meal Planner:
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| http://hisfrugalservant.blogspot.com/2012/10/31-days-meal-planning-trackers.html |
Whew! That was a lot and there is still so much more I could write but I am going to leave it at that for now and share more with you in Parts 4 and 5!
Have a fabulous day! 8:) <---- that is a smiley with Mickey ears on!
)
my kiddos' checklists and use magnets to attach them to our oh-so-attractive 1977 kitchen door. It would be just as easy to hang them on your fridge or pin them to a bulletin board! I also added a magnetic dry erase marker (like those found in 
) and we were good to go!
