We are so lucky that my grandparents have a condo in Florida where we can spend our summer vacations! Also, it's only a couple hours from Orlando, and ever since Evan Lilly was 2, we make the drive over and spend a day at the Magic Kingdom in Disney World. Eventually, when she is older we will plan a big Disney vacation, but for now the one day is perfect! As we are in the process of planning our trip for this year I thought I would share some tips on how to do Disney in a day! Even if you have a big Disney vacation planned you might find some of these tips helpful. But just a heads up, Evan Lilly is still young, so this is definitely geared more for parents with toddlers or around that age.
Arrive Early
We get to the park early!!! We do this for multiple reasons. One, we go in the summer so we try to get in some time with the cooler morning temps. Two, at Magic Kingdom there is a train that brings the characters to the main entrance each morning for a performance before the park opens. The show begins 15 mins before the park opens. Lastly, and possibly the best reason: we beat the crowd! We can see quite a few characters and ride lots of rides before the lines start building up.
First, we get our castle picture. It's kind of nice to get a pic without all the people in the background. You can tell in the pictures we arrived a little earlier the first year compared to last year. Since Evan Lilly is young we head straight to Fantasy Land! Here we can knock out Ariel's Grotto, the Ariel ride, seeing Minnie, Donald, Daisy, and Goofy, It's a Small World, Dumbo's ride, the teacups, and the carousel (I might be forgetting something) without any lines. The Peter Pan ride is very popular, so we usually use a fast pass for this one which brings me to my next topic......
Fast Passes
Fast Passes are a life saver, especially if you figure out exactly how to use them! If you aren't familiar, fast passes are used so you don't have to wait in line. You might have seen the bracelets people wear while at Disney. These are their fast passes. If you are only there for a day you will receive a card, very similar to a hotel key. Before each ride or character visit there is a regular line and a fast pass line. Once you set up your fast passes, you will have a time range to show up and skip the long lines.
Selecting Times for Fast Passes
Since we knock out so much first thing in the morning, I usually set up our fast passes around the 10-11 o'clock hour. When you purchase your tickets, you automatically get 3 fast passes to set up. Since we only go for a day, we can't set up our passes until 30 days out. However, if you are staying at a Walt Disney Resort you can select your fast passes 60 days before. You must use ALL three fast passes and then you can get more, one at a time. Typically we use our first three fast passes for the Peter Pan ride and the other two to visit Princesses. It always amazes me how fast the princess lines build up!! After knocking out all three fast passes, we break for lunch! We also start planning the afternoon. At this point we start to make our way through Tomorrow Land and head over to Liberty Square and Frontier Land. Fantasy Land and Tomorrow Land definitely get most of our attention but that's because we have a 3 year old! Haha!! And I'm not sure we have ever really made it to Adventure Land. That might all change this year, as Evan can ride all the rides now! Woo hoo! Back to fast passes...... So, you get to the park, use all your fast passes, and want to start to add more.... but how????? This is what is awesome and to my next topic.....
My Disney Experience: The Walt Disney World App
Yep, there's an app for that! With the My Disney Experience app you can have everything at your fingertips! You DEFINITELY want to download and register with the app before you arrive. Not only can you add on your other fast passes throughout the day, you can keep up with your breakfast/lunch/dinner reservations (if you have any) *Note- There are other places to eat in the park where you do not need a reservation. You can also see all your pictures that the Disney employees take of your family throughout the day.
Ok, I know that was a lot, but if you have littles I hope you found it somewhat helpful! Just a few more tips that I researched before we went and most I found out in our past two years going.....
1. There is stroller parking everywhere! I was so worried about what I was going to do with E's stroller when we got on the the rides but don't worry Disney has this under control. There are also stroller attendants in the "stroller parking lots!" Obviously, they don't want you to leave anything valuable in the stroller.
2. If you are going in the summer, take a hand held fan. It gets hot!!! They sell some at Disney around $20-$25, but you may want to hit up Target for one that's $8.....just sayin!
3. If you are there for the daytime parade....again, it gets hot! Have something to sit on! The sidewalk is scorching!
4. I took Evan's princess dress inside the park. I literally put it on her to see the princesses and took it off when it was over. LOTS of parents were doing this!
5. You can bring in your own drinks and snacks. In fact you can bring in a small cooler. We do and fill it up with water bottles.
6. Don't forget sunscreen! I also pack a little first aid kit, ponchos, and extra clothes for Evan Lilly. Thankfully, Chris doesn't mind carrying around a small backpack, which we can also put in the stroller.
Just a few pics from our past two trips!
Ok, that's all I got for now! Do y'all have any tips or suggestions? I'm all ears!!!! =)
Y'ALL!!!! I just ordered this adorable little outfit for Evan from Cecil and Lou. They are my favorite online boutique for babies and children. How cute is this?!?!
I am really liking this one for myself =)
Disney Tank
XOXO,
We went to Universal and Islands of Adventure for our honeymoon in November 2012 and then had to go back for our two year anniversary once the new Harry Potter stuff had opened. Going in November is super helpful because it's not at all crowded, and we had a BLAST (no kids at that point). We are small children at heart, so it was right up our alley. Read more Here.
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