Disney World Tips, Tricks and Ideas!

Every two years (or so), we take a trip to Disney World in Florida.  Each of my three children have received their first haircut on Main Street USA, so when I find out I am pregnant, my husband usually hints to book the trip!  Which I am happy to comply with!

The one thing I strive for on each trip is making it memorable for my children.  When we go, it’s all about them.  Here are my top 8 Disney World tips, tricks and ideas:

• When we get to the hotel, I sneak into the room first while my husband occupies my children for a minute.  (They usually take the long route from check-in.)  I hurry inside our room to put a gift from Mickey Mouse on the bed, along with a note saying something like, “Welcome to Disney World!  Please join me for dinner at 6:00 pm and wear these special shirts.”  A different character brings a gift each day, which might consist of glow sticks from Rapunzel to new pajamas from Goofy.  If you google Disney Character autographs, you can find them online.  I then copy the autographs onto the note cards.
  
  
• If you are staying on site, keep in mind that most room doors at the resort will be magnetic.  Take the Mickey paint chips (found at Home Depot) and turn them into magnets!  It’s fun to decorate your door!  We also bring dry erase markers for our room windows!  A quick “Good Morning” or “Happy Birthday” greeting will put a smile on anyone’s face!
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• Pack a back pack, and bring in your own snacks and water bottles.  I like to bring nuts, raisins, marshmallows or goldfish.  Something healthy, but not messy.  (Pack an extra ziploc bag for leftovers and bring baby wipes, too!)
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• Visit the dollar stores for Disney souvenirs before your trip.  My children know they can get one thing from the parks for the duration of our trip, but when you pick one thing from each park/day/child, it adds up!  The Disney Store is great for cheaper souvenirs, but Dollar Tree and Family Dollar have a great selection, too!  (Think light wands for the night parades, bubble sticks for passing time in lines, autograph books, plush toys, etc.)  These are great gifts for the characters to give your children.  (See tip #1)
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• Make semi-schedules for your trip, but stay flexible.  I know which park we are visiting on which day, and where we will eat dinner that night.  (This eliminates our need for park hoppers!)  I also know what my children are wearing on which day.  *One day, my children wear matching Mickey shirts.  Another day, they will each wear a shirt with either Donald or Daisy on it.  We will not see all characters in all parks, so I plan accordingly.  We also wear matching “hometown” shirts on one day.  For us, we each wear a LSU shirt one day.
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• Speaking of schedules….make reservations for the restaurants you wish to visit (up to 180 days in advance).  We always buy the dining plan and eat at at least four character meals over six days.  By doing this, we cut meet and greet line times – since we eat with Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Goofy, we don’t have to stand in those could-be-long lines for autographs throughout the park.
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• If you are going to Magic Kingdom, take the monorail one trip.  Take the boat another.  You’ll enjoy them both!
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• Close the park – if only on one night.  I have the best memory of my daughter and I holding hands and running (yes, running) through the park one night.  We were near Dumbo, and heard “last call”.  Despite the crowds in the park that day, the night had brought the people home, and there were only three or four others on the ride with us.  We literally had the back of the park to our self!  We rode Dumbo one last time, took a trip to the restroom (alone!) then took our time heading out.  We weren’t rushed and took amazing pictures that night!

 Make sure you check out my other Disney World tips and ideas.