I hope everyone is staying warm this February. My family just celebrated my son's third birthday, and we got our Disney fix by checking out Disney On Ice in Indianapolis. It was a cute show, and my son and nephew had a wonderful time singing and dancing along. If it will be showing in your city soon, I highly recommend it- it definitely makes for a fun afternoon or evening with the family!
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| (My son and nephew at Disney On Ice) |
One of my readers Kelly recently took a trip to the World, and messaged me with a bunch of great tips that she learned while down there. I haven't yet done a post like this, so it was a perfect topic for my next post! Enjoy- and thank you again, Kelly!
Magic Kingdom
1) The Kiss Goodnight happens almost every night at the Magic Kingdom about 30 minutes after the park closes (I've also caught it an hour after the park closes). It is a sweet audio recording wishing you well, and the castle changes colors along with the recording.
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| (Cinderella Castle is always beautiful- but at night, it's just breathtaking) |
2) For a cool break on a hot day, take your kids to New Fantasyland where they can play in water features at the Casey Jr. Splash N' Soak play area. If that Florida sun is shining, they'll probably dry off VERY quickly after their play time!
3) Kelly wanted me to pass on that there is a quiet path between Tomorrowland near Space Mountain and Fantasyland between the Barnstormer and WDW Railroad that not many know about- this can be much quicker than winding through the busy areas of these two lands! Just be aware that there is a designated smoking area about halfway through. (Edit: Sometime in 2018, I believe this path will close to accommodate construction for the new Tron Coaster that is being built)
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| (Space Mountain lit up for the Halloween Party, Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party) |
4) Kelly also wanted me to pass on that there is a circus tent area in New Fantasyland with phone charging stations and seating in the shade. I've actually never utilized this area!
5) The grassy hub area in front of the castle is a newer area, and it is a great place to let your toddlers run free for a bit to get out some energy before getting back in line for an attraction! Thanks Kelly for this tip!
Epcot
6) If it's raining out when we are in Epcot, my favorite thing to do is to head to World Showcase. A few years ago during a downpour, my husband and I headed to the Mexico pavilion, and enjoyed chips and margaritas at La Cava del Tequila. After a bit of shopping in the pavilion and a boat ride on the attraction here, we went back outside to find that the rain had stopped and the sun was shining!
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| (My hubby perusing the menu at La Cava del Tequila) |
7) Like the Magic Kingdom, Epcot also has a water play area for children between Future World and World Showcase. My son and another little boy had a blast playing here on a hot September day last year while my husband, our friend and I stood nearby and enjoyed our cold Starbucks drinks. Great way to cool off!
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| (Camden and another little boy enjoying the fountains at Epcot) |
8) Speaking of cool- you can enjoy FREE Coke samples from around the world at Club Cool in Future World. You have to try the Beverly- but be sure to take a SMALL sip!!
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| (Different flavors at Club Cool) |
9) Here's another tip from Kelly- be sure to check out Colortopia in Innoventions (located in Future World) with your kids! She states that it's one of her kids' favorites, and the area is never busy!
10) Do NOT underestimate World Showcase dining. Both the quick service spots and the table service locations are some of Walt Disney World's best! Honestly, I would dare to say that you are seriously missing out if you make a trip to Epcot and don't at least grab a snack in World Showcase!
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| (The chicken Shwarma platter at the quick service in Morocco hit the spot!) |
11) Speaking of World Showcase- it truly is so much fun grabbing drinks from around the world! My husband and I always, ALWAYS allow a few hours to do this. Our #1 favorite is the grapefruit beer in Germany, but the Grand Marnier slushie in France is a close #2!!
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| (With our friend trying different drinks in World Showcase) |
Hollywood Studios
12) If you have kids between the ages of 4-12 who are Star Wars lovers, be sure to be at Hollywood Studios BEFORE the park opens in the morning to sign them up for Jedi Training Academy, where they get to face Darth Vader in a lightsaber battle. This is one of Hollywood Studios most popular events for young children, and spots go VERY quickly for this free event!
Animal Kingdom
13) Flame Tree BBQ, one of my favorite quick service dining spots, offers several different combo platters, including a chicken, ribs, and pulled pork meal that easily can serve two! (Similarly, Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe in Tomorrowland at the Magic Kingdom offers a large combo meal as well)
Disney Springs
14) If you enjoy hot sandwiches, do NOT miss Earl of Sandwich! These are some of the least expensive meals on Disney property, and they are very filling sandwiches! My personal favorite is the Holiday Turkey hot sandwich!
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| (The Holiday Turkey sandwich. My favorite sandwich EVER!) |
15) If you are springing for a Disney Dooney & Bourke handbag, World of Disney and Tren-D are two of the best places to buy them! When my husband bought me the Sketch tote, I was picky about finding the perfect placement- I wanted to make sure that a castle was on the front of the bag somewhere. The cast member brought out about 7 bags for me to look at, and I was able to pick out my favorite one. Since the placement on all Dooney bags are different, you want to make sure that you find one you LOVE. Similarly, when I picked up my pre-purchase Princess Half Marathon Dooney last year, I did not love the one I was given- I asked for a bag with Aurora (my favorite Princess) as close to the middle of the bag as possible. You are paying a lot for these bags, do not be afraid to ask for a different one if you do not absolutely love the placement on the first one you see!
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| (My very first Disney Dooney and Bourke handbag) |
Walt Disney World Resorts
16) Resort-hopping is one of my absolute favorite things to do at WDW! At Christmastime, this is even more of an amazing experience, as the resorts are decorated BEAUTIFULLY for the Holidays! Two of the most impressive resorts at Christmastime, in my opinion, are Wilderness Lodge and Animal Kingdom Lodge. Also, don't miss the giant gingerbread house at the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa!
17) The Electrical Water Pageant is a fun and free show the whole family will enjoy! At 9:00pm you can catch the show from the beach of the Polynesian Village Resort, at 9:15pm you can catch the show from the beach at the Grand Floridian, at 9:30pm from the Wilderness Lodge beach, at 9:45pm from the beach at Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground, at 10:10pm (or at the conclusion of Wishes on nights when this fireworks show is at 10:00pm) from the beach outside the Contemporary resort, and at 10:35 from outside the Magic Kingdom on nights the Magic Kingdom is open later.
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| (My family loves the Electrical Water Pageant) |
18) If you are staying at the Polynesian, or visiting for dinner or to wander the grounds, please note that if you are headed to Epcot from here, it is much faster to take the walking path over to the Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC) and catch the direct monorail to Epcot than to take the resort monorail around the loop over to the TTC.
19) If you are doing some shopping at the parks, please be aware the Walt Disney World resort guests may have their packages shipped to the resorts for FREE! My family loves utilizing this service and picking up our purchases the next day at our resort gift shop!
20) There are SO many fun things to do on a day not spent at the parks. Please check out my blog post here for some of our favorite non-park Disney activities!
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| (Enjoying the amenities of the Disney Vacation Club resorts) |
General WDW Tips
21) If you have young children and will need a stroller, please consider using a rental service such as Kingdom Stroller Rentals. You simply pick your stroller up at Bell Services upon arrival at your resort, and drop it off here at the end of your trip. We always choose to pay the extra $15/ $20 for insurance- that way, if our stroller becomes lost or stolen, another stroller is brought to us free of charge at the park we are at!
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| (Camden's first trip at 8 months old- the first time we used Kingdom Stroller Rentals) |
22) My personal favorite 'hidden gem' restaurants at WDW often have reservations available anytime, and may even be accepting walk-up diners. Turf Club Bar & Grill at Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa offers delicious steaks, lamb, and fish entrees, and the restaurant overlooks a beautiful golf course. Citrico's at the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa is a Signature Restaurant offering fabulous appetizers, entrees and desserts in a grand setting; and Biergarten in Germany at Epcot offers plenty of German fare that the whole family will love! I think sometimes ethnic foods may scare diners away from the World Showcase restaurants, but my picky son found PLENTY- hot dogs, pretzel rolls, and more kept him full and happy at our dinner here!
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| (After dinner at Biergarten- they gave us to-go cups for our beer so we could go catch Illuminations: Reflections of Earth) |
23) If anyone in your family is celebrating a special event such as a birthday or anniversary, be sure to pick up a celebration button in the lobby of your resort or at the theme parks. You will be wished well by cast members throughout the day, and you may even experience a little bit of 'pixie dust'!
24) My husband, who doesn't love the heat, loves the Frogg Togg Chilly Pad that I bring to the theme parks when we visit during the hotter months. This towel stays cool for hours, and he enjoys keeping it around his neck to stay a bit cooler, especially during the hottest part of the day.
25) I love listening to Disney music in the weeks (and months!) leading up to my trip- Sorcerer Radio is an app that plays music from the theme parks, resorts, water parks, and shows day and night. I just love it!
26) Keep in mind that at quick service dining spots, adults may order off of the children's menu for no additional charge. At breakfast, I don't like a lot to eat, and often the children's breakfast items are just the right size (and much cheaper than the adult portions!).
27) If you are not getting the PhotoPass+ package, you can still get beautiful photos taken by the Disney photographers. What I do is I tell them I'd like a photo taken, but can they also take one with my camera. They'll take several with their camera (that are available on the Disney app for purchase), but then they'll take one with my camera as well. Once in a while I'll buy a photo from Disney, but more often than not, I'm very happy with the (free) one on my phone or camera!
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| (A beautiful photo that a Disney PhotoPass photographer took) |
28) I ALWAYS buy some cheap $1 disposable ponchos at Wal-Mart or Target to bring with us before the trip. If you wait until you are at Disney, you'll pay an arm and a leg for a poncho. When I only pay $1 for one, I don't feel bad throwing it away at the end of the day, and that's one less thing to carry around!
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| (I know this photo is a bit blurry- but as you can see, we've always got some cheap throwaway ponchos on standby!) |
29) The My Disney Experience App is amazing! You can make your FastPasses ahead of time, and then once you have used three in a day (or the times for those FastPasses have passed), you can pick new ones right from the app! You can also make your dining reservations on the app, check out where characters are in the park you at in, check out ride wait times, etc.
30) Speaking of the My Disney Experience App- if you are on your trip and caught without a dining reservation, check right at 24 hours from the time you'd like to dine- reservations must be cancelled 24 hours ahead of time if the party will not be utilizing that reservation, and often, a lot of reservations open up within this time period!
I hope some of these tips have been helpful for your family! As always, please feel free to email me with any questions or comments at dana_aimee@hotmail.com. Happy Travels!
