Walt Disney World Tips, Advice and Recommendations

Disney Tips

• It’s a lot of walking so wear good tennis shoes.  Sandals will not do.
• Bring a car or rent one.  Why spend your time waiting on a bus when you can zoom to the park in your own car?  Imagine holding 4 kids, 2 strollers and 2 bags on a crowded bus-not for me.
• You can take an ice chest in so we always bring a small one and hang it on the back of the strollers.  Water bottles filled with ice work well to keep things chilled.
• Most of the concession stands/restaurants will give you free cups of ice water
• Buy a drink cup from your hotel if you are staying onsite especially if you are a big coke drinker.  We used ours for an afternoon and evening snack.  Pretty good value and gave us something fun to do-go and get a coke!
• Fastpasses don’t expire.  You can use them anytime after the first time listed.  Our first few times as Disney, we didn’t go back to a ride because we thought we had to go between the two times listed.  Nope, just any time that day after the first time.
• Give everyone in your group your park tickets and let them hurry to the main attraction to gather the fastpasses and then meet up.  Saves so much time.
• Don’t sleep in.  Be there when the park opens-the lines are not long and you can get so much done before everyone else shows up.  Disney is not a restful vacation-Get up!
• Use a AAA parking pass.  You can get one if you buy your tickets through AAA or you can get one off of ebay.  You park right behind the handicapped parking if you have the AAA parking pass.  Seriously, you will never have to ride a tram.
• Port Orleans French Quarter is our favorite hotel right now.  It is in a central location and a much smaller resort with many amenities.  Building 3 is preferred-near the parking lot, pool and main building.
• Schedule breakfast before the park opens, it is so nice to get in early and finish just as everyone else is walking in.  And if you are eating early at Magic Kingdom, the walk down an empty Main Street is wonderful.
• Always be at your reservations early.  We have been seated up to an hour early sometimes-it never hurts to try if your dining time is supposed to be later than you want. 

Disney Food
We have ranked the places we have eaten on our last trip and will add on subsequent trips.  But here is what we thought on a 1 to 10 scale (10 being the best and 1 being not worth the time)

• 10-Magic Kingdom Adventure Land’s Orange Juice Slushies.  This is Robby’s favorite dessert and would hop in the car and drive to Orlando just for one.
• 6-Magic Kingdom Adventure Land’s Dole Whip.  Great dessert but much smaller than expected portions which made me sad!
• 3-Magic Kingdom Crystal Palace.  Unless you really like Winnie and Tigger, just go ahead and skip this.  The food is a standard buffet prepared for a zillion people. 
• 7-Magic Kingdom Pecos Bill.  Loved the condiment bar with lots of indoor seating.  I loved the taco salad-absolutely loved it.
• 8-Magic Kingdom Main Street Bakery.  Great cinnamon rolls.
• 7-Magic Kingdom Cosmic Rays.  Large portions with lots of variety.  Also lots of indoor seating with close bathrooms. 
• 9-Epcot Akershaus Royal Dining.  Wonderful for little princesses.  Liked sampler buffet and really great that you see all of the princesses and it is just one dining credit as opposed to the two credits that Cinderella’s Castle takes.
• 5-Epcot Coral Reef.  Not my favorite and probably should have ranked it lower.  I think it had a fishy smell, pitiful service but with decent food.
• 7-Epcot Sunshine Season.  Fairly central location with lots of seating and wide selection. 
• 7-Epcot Mexico Cantina.  Good Mexican food with delicious nachos.
• 6-Hollywood Studios Pizza Planet.  Pretty good pizza that kills hunger.  Nice that it has indoor seating.
• 8-Hollywood Studios Starring Rolls.  Great desserts with huge sandwiches. 
• 9.5-Animal Kingdom Tusker House.  Huge breakfast selection and you see Mickey, Donald, Daisy and Goofy.  This now beats out my Chef Mickeys which I love.
• 8-Animal Kingdom Flame Tree BBQ.  The best BBQ around with plenty of covered seating along the lake just keep walking down the path.
• 7-French Quarter Quick Service.  The food was good, plentiful.  Excellent beignets and quesadillas.
• 6.5-Polynesian O’hana Breakfast.  We weren’t as crazy about O’hanas this year as we were last year but still a great breakfast and well worth it if you go here before the park opens (at least an hour)
• 7-Downtown Disney Wolfgang Pack.  Pretty good out of the park dining.  The service was a bit slow but the food was still good.

Disney Attractions

• Animal Kingdom’s Lion King show.  It is one of our favorites and always a nice break to sit somewhere cool for a bit.

Travel Tip #22 - Make it through airport security with children and live to tell about it

My husband and I have traveled quite a bit over the past 11 years.  Our youngest, an 18 month old has been to 28 states!  We are always up for adventure and love to travel...by boat, car, train or even plane.  And most of the time, our trips begin in an airport (we usually rent a car and drive over a 1000 miles when we land but that is another post).  But beginning our trips at the airport means that we have to face the scariest and most stressful part of traveling with children.  Can you guess what it is?  Airport Security!  It doesn't sound that frightening when it is just my husband and I traveling.  But when you throw in four kids age 5 and under or any kids for that matter it can be a scary, scary thing.

So how do we make it easier?  Here are a few hints that might make your airport security adventure a little less stressful:

• Be Prepared: I know the TSA rules by heart and I know what I can and can not bring on a plane.  My liquids are packed in the zip lock bag ready to be pulled out.  Our laptops are already out of our backpacks.  My oldest son's inhaler and meds are in a separate ziplock bag.  Any liquids I am carrying on for my lap child are in another bag (yes, if you have a lap child, you can bring liquids on board-they will be inspected by hand).  Anything that I think will cause the TSA agents to search my bag, goes on the very top of my suitcase for easy access.  I even have a list of what I am taking through security: back pack, lap top, liquids, belt, phone, 12 shoes, etc.-this way, I make sure that I don't leave anything on the belt.  And this should go without saying but always, always have enough time for security.
• Accept Help: There are still nice people in this world and sometimes they even offer to help.  I usually smile and decline but in the airport security line, if someone offers any help at all-I take it.  Occasionally, you will encounter a TSA agent who will help put suitcases up on the conveyor belt, push them through or my absolute most favorite help of all: setting my strollers up for me after they have gone through the x-ray.  I have even seen an agent, help a lady retie her baby sling.  Sometimes you get help, sometimes not but don't panic.  You can do it either way.
• Practice, Practice:  We do this quite often at our house.  Not only do we play airplane and practice what to do on the plane but we play airport security to practice what to do then.  We take off our shoes, put our backpacks and lovey toys on the kitchen cabinets and slide them across.  Then we walk through a door way one at a time and stop on the other side (so no one wanders to far off).  Then we grab our things off of the counters and take them to a seat to put on our shoes.  Silly, I know but my 4 and 5 year old could probably get through security faster than some business travelers.  And since we practice no one gets upset about taking off their shoes and everyone knows that their beloved backpacks filled with toys will be handed right back to us.  Another thing that might be good to practice is standing in a line.  Sometimes the security lines are long so practice wouldn't hurt here either.  We have even played "I Spy" while standing in line or passed out candy-anything to pass the time, keep everyone entertained, prevent meltdowns and keep them from rolling around on the floor!
• Be Patient:  This is the tip that my husband I need to work on.  If it was just us in the security line, it would be a breeze.  But when the lines are long and people are inching closer and closer to us, we start to rush.  And inevitably when we do this, we get sloppy and start dropping stuff (like on our last trip when my husband dropped my laptop and it bounced 4 feet away) or we start rushing and we forget someone (no, that has never happened-wink, wink).  Unfortunately, when we start hurrying, we tend to get a little short and snappy with the kids during security because we are feeling that we need to hurry up and move along.  Just be patient-your family paid for a plane ticket like everyone else, you have a plane to catch like everyone else, take care of your family and the people behind you need to be patient too-there is no reason to hurry.
• Just Smile:  I mentioned that some people can be helpful but some people can be down right rude.  When this happens, you have two options-get upset or just smile.  On our last trip, a lady nearly knocked my two boys down trying to cut in front of them in line.  A simple "excuse me" would have been adequate but not everyone was raised correctly so we have to carry on.  You will probably drop something, spill something or have to be searched and your kids will probably trip and fall, have a mini meltdown or even refuse to go through the x-ray.  Just smile and walk on-it can make your trip much more pleasant.  This too shall pass.  

This is our strategy of how we make it through security:  We have practiced and are ready to go.  As we approach security, our laptops and liquids are pulled out.  My husband is in front and I'm in the back with the kids in between us.  I immediately start reminding everyone to listen to us, stay in line and give my youngest a reminder that we are going to take off our shoes and put our stuff on the belt-just like at home.  As we near the bins, the kids start taking off shoes while my husband gets a bin for shoes.  The kids then take off back packs and putting them on the conveyor belt while pushing them forward.  Once everything is on the belt, I take the baby out of the stroller, leaving my husband to fold the strollers and make sure everything gets through the xray machine.  The kids line up and walk one by one through the metal detector and then grab their backpacks off of the belt.  If a blessed TSA agent has set up my stroller, I can plop the baby in it and start hanging bags off of the back (if I have to maneuver the double stroller off of the belt and open it while holding a baby, it is just not pretty). Once the kids hands are full, I pick a spot and tell them to go there-like a bench I can see or stand up against a wall.  Then I take what I can (including the shoes) and meet the kids.  They start putting on their shoes and we wait on my husband who is bringing up the rear.  Now if some of our luggage, liquids or medicine have to be inspected, then we do switch spots.  My husband has a huge fear of the TSA agent opening up the suitcase and seeing my Victoria Secret undies and not his whitey tighties.  Once he returns, we finish with shoes, repack our laptops and liquids and take a deep breath because we have made it and our vacations has begun!

Okay, airport security is scary but it takes about 10 minutes of your trip.  Once you pass through security, you have faced the hardest part of the trip and have nothing left to do but enjoy your travels.  Remember my tips: be prepared, accept help, practice, be patient and just smile.  Just relax and you can do it. When things get too stressful, look up because in just a few feet you will have made it through the pearly gates and into the airport terminal.  Trust me, traveling with your children is so worth a few stressful minutes.

I Don't Think I Would Take My Kids To New York City

A year or two ago, a friend of mine was asking for travel advice since she was taking her infant to New York City for a few days. And I am afraid that my reaction scared her. I was shocked that someone would take their kids there and I might have even said that I wasn't ready to take my kids. I did give her some advice and tried to encourage her and was silently a little skeptical that she would still have a good time. Well, since then I have eaten my words and even had a change of heart about the whole thing.

Would you take your kids to NYC? What planning would it take? How would you need to be prepared? My 3 kiddos were 3 and under when we headed off to the Big Apple and we made it just fine. Were we prepared? yes. Did we know where we were going? yes. Did we know what we were going to do? yes. Did my kids know and understand certain rules? yes. We were only in New York City for a day but we had plans and kept those strollers moving. And our rules, you ask? Well, they are 1) listen 2) obey and 3) stay in the stroller. Oh, we did let them get out and run around every once in awhile-but definitely not in Times Square!

Even though my kids are small, we had read stories about NY and they were able to recognize the Empire State building and the Statue of Liberty. Since they knew what they were seeing, they were much more interested in it. They were also excited about seeing taxi cabs and riding on the subway-the little things in life are what make great vacations. We didn't even need to ride the subway since we were just on it for one stop, but in my son's eyes our trip would not have been complete without that ride. They are still talking about it.

So, moral of the story is hop on that plane and visit some big city. Yep, it is hard work but it is worth it. Your kids will always remember it. Heck, my kids are still wondering how the taxi cabs we see in our city came all of the way from New York City!

Coke in My Baby's Sippy Cup

You have always heard pick your battles. But when it comes to flying, anything goes. When I step foot on an airplane, my mission is to keep my 3 little ones happy. If they are happy, I am happy. But if they happy, everyone else on that plane will be happy too. Ever been on a plane when there is not a little one happy?

Before we had kids, I remember my husband putting his fingers in his ears because a child was screaming behind his seat. And this last week, we saw a child throw a huge fit and he finally calmed when we found a toy car out of my son's bag and handed to the boy. This could be another post. What could stop a meltdown? candy, bribes, new toys, stickers, juice. Whatever it is, have it with you and have lots of it with you. That is why my airplane diaper bag/back pack weighs 20 pounds!

Yes, I know kids will throw fits. But I have no sympathy for you unless your child is special needs or unless I can tell that the parent/parents are doing everything they can do to calm the child. Don't just sit there is your kid is melting down, stand on your head and get that kid to be quiet so he doesn't freak my kids out and make them start crying.

So yes, my 13 month old drinks coke out of his sippy cup on airplanes. Don't stare at me and think I am a bad mom. It is not my kid screaming, my kid is happy. He may have cavities but he is quiet and happy and I know that makes you happy too!

Will it Fit?

Flying 1400 miles, driving well over 1000 miles, 7 nights in 5 different hotels, 3 kids, 3 car seats, 2 back packs, 1 diaper bag, 1 ice chest, 1 pack n play and how many suitcases do I take? That is the question. Well, since my airline and most other airlines charge per suitcase-how many do I take. So here is the plan: carry 1 small suitcase on and check 1 very large suitcase. Will it work? I don't know.

Since we are changing hotels so often, I hope to pack everything we need for one night in the small suitcase. Each night, I can grab the bags with the next days clothes in it and put them in the small suitcase. That means-5 people (yes, 3 of them are little people) in 2 suitcases for 1 week. We are going to do 1 night of laundry so I can narrow down the clothes we take by 1/2. But with little kids, that is still a lot of clothes since I have to be prepared for any drip, spill or accident.

Should pack 7 outfits (one for each day), but since we are doing laundry that bumps it down to 4 outfits. So the plan is 2 outfits in the big suitcase, 1 in the small one and 1 each in my diaper bag. Math...eeek. Now, I need to multiply all of that by 5: 10 outfits in the large suitcase, 5 in the small one and 3 each in the diaper bag (hopefully, my husband and I can keep our clothes accident free). And again I ask, will it work? We will see, preliminary packing starts tomorrow!

Packing List-Carryon

When I pack my carryon for an airplane trip, here is what I am packing. Remember that I am packing for a 5 year old, 4 year old, 2 year old  and an 18 month old (along with a very few things for me)

• Diapers
• Pull Ups
• Extra Clothes
• Bibs
• Wipes
• Gas Drops
• Cups
• Formula Packets
• Bribes
• Candy
• Snacks
• Taggie
• Pacis
• Burp Rag
• Baby Food
• Rice Cereal
• Spoons
• Bottles
• Formula
• Crayons
• Trash Bags
• Driver's License
• Sunglasses
• Lip Gloss
• Credit Cards
• Water Bottle
• Make Up
• Brush
• Light Jackets

Reason to Take the Kids 2 - Quality Time

Have you ever heard someone say that they don't travel because they don't want to take their kids out of school or they don't want to miss their baseball games. I know school is important so maybe you don't want to take your kids out of school to go on a trip. But here is my thought on the issue: your child will gain more from spending a week with his parents than anything he will learn in school during a week. You should take your kids with you because the quality time you will spend together is priceless...it may be alot of time spend in planes, cars, lines and hotel rooms. It is not what you do that makes traveling special, it is who you do it with. Spending time with your family is so worthwhile. There are only young for a few years so load up the car and get going.

Reason to Take the Kids 1-Memories (mine, not theirs)

"Why would you bring them? You know, they won't remember any of this." Ever heard that? We did on one of our last trips and my husband almost came unglued. It was no shocker to us that our 18 month old, 2 year old and probably our 4 and 5 year old would barely remember our trip. From our last few trips, the memories that my kids have talked about the most are swimming in the hotel pool, eating a donut and Dad giving them candy. We can do all of that at home and don't have to travel far to make those memories. My kids remembering a trip is not the reason we take them on our travels. There are many reasons but the main reason is a selfish reason: we want to have tons of memories with our kids. They may not remember a bit of Chicago but I will always remember my child throwing down her spoons to clap at the House of Blues. Our kids will be grown and gone before long and my picture albums may have all turned yellow, but we have made so many memories while traveling. So take your kids the next time you travel and it may be a completely different experience than you had expected but you will have a ton of wonderful memories of your trip.