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How To Survive A Week At Disney World (And LOVE it!)

20 Comments 28 April 2009

Waiting in line to meet Tigger!

Waiting in line to meet Tigger!

If you follow me on Twitter, you probably realized that I recently returned from vacation at “The Happiest Place On Earth”. Which, for the record, in late March, is also “The Most Crowded Place on Earth”. But you know, the first one sounds way better. Don’t get me wrong here, I am by no means a Disney basher, I am a Disney lover. I’ve been taking trips to Walt Disney World since I was an infant, and I don’t plan to stop anytime soon. We are actually DVC members, and Annual Passholders – so yeah, you could say I like it there.

My trip in a nutshell? Had fabulous weather, rode a few roller coasters and some other awesome rides, got stuck on a few rides, re-developed a love of riding the monorail,

Little AG in her Micralite Stroller, under the Protect-A-Bub Sunshade, with Tigger

Little AG in her Micralite Stroller, under the Protect-A-Bub Sunshade, with Tigger

loved watching Little AG love on Winnie the Pooh (and Tigger too!), and spend time with my family.

I just wanted to share with you a few quick tips on things that made our lives so much easier!

  • Micralite Fastfold Stroller: I reviewed this stroller last summer after our trip to Europe, with then 17-month old Little AG. I loved it. This stroller hung in there through thick and thin in Europe, and it didn’t disappoint us in Disney either. First of all, the stroller has such a unique design that it is truly eye-catching. I swear, I was like a walking advertisement for that stroller, because EVERYONE wanted to know where we got it. So much so that even my parents knew the name and started telling people about it when they asked. The back of the seat is mesh, so it was nice and breathable in that hot Orlando weather. Oh, and when we had to park it outside of rides and things it was super easy to spot afterwards because no one else had one like it! Awesome!
  • Protect-A-Bub Sunshade: Did I mention hot Orlando sun? Yes, it was hot in Florida, I even ended up with tan lines from my flip flops! The Protect-A-Bub sunshade is made to extend the sunshade of your stroller, and it also keeps out almost 100% of the UV rays. Little AG fell asleep in her stroller under this sunshade many times, and we were comfortable knowing she was fully protected from the sun while we walked around the parks. It folds up really nicely and fits in it’s own little pouch so it was easy to throw in our bag each day.
  • CARES: Kids Fly Safe Harness: Have you ever lugged a carseat and a 2 year old through an airport? If so, then you will totally appreciate the CARES aviation harness. For kids that meet the approved weight limit, it can be used in place of a car seat to keep your kiddos strapped in safely. it is a 5 point restraint, making it much safer than the seatbelt alone. We have used ours COUNTLESS times now, and I am a tireless advocate for this product. Something else I’m an advocate of? Saving my arm muscles and patience, and possibly a lawsuit from when I accidentally smack someone with the car seat while struggling down the aisle. It’s the only FAA approved harness for take-off and landing, and if you are frequent fliers like us (Little AG has her own Frequent Flier numbers on all of the airlines) then you will really appreciate this product.
  • Neat Solutions Germ-Free Products: These products kept me sane, and kept Little AG’s little fingers off of yucky tables, and her body off of yucky changing tables. Neat Solutions are just that — products that make your life a little neater and a lot less germy. And with all of the germs that are to be had in a place full of kids…let’s just say you have to do your part! However, I do want to say that Disney does a great job of keeping things clean, even with TONS of people milling around. One of our favorite features of the parks are the Baby Changing Stations — air conditioned places with tons of giant, cushy changing tables that are sanitized after each use, wipes, diapers, and formula are all for sale for a very nominal fee – they even have nursing rooms. I was so impressed and so thankful for this service, which can be found in each of the parks!

Been there, done Disney? Check out my review of the Sandestin Resort on Florida’s Emerald Coast!

Your Comments

20 Comments so far

  1. Maureen says:

    I love Disney World, When we went there were 27 of us.. That’s right, we went En Masse.. it was fun, and cheaper due to so many group discounts. I loved it..
    I would also say that a Group of Kiddos at my house would love the Little Sprouts Bounce House almost as much as they would going to Disney… They would trust me.. LOVe it..Thanks!

  2. Tina says:

    We once went to Disney the week of Christmas and it was incredibly crowded!

  3. AutumH says:

    If by some chance ever I get to take a trip to Disneyland with my children I really thank you for the tips. My husband says our kids are too young but I disagree, I think an 8 and 6 are great ages to take them and I’m usre our youngest won’t remember it at all because he’s only 1 but still. I’ve been trying to get him to take us to Sea world at least, so hopefully theses tips can come in handy for that trip if we do go.

  4. Dana says:

    Disneyworld is great. My parents took us there when we were kids. We have mostly gone to Disneyland with our own kids. I am hoping we can do the “World” this summer. The Neat Solutions recommendation was a good one. Thanks

  5. gillian says:

    i’ve yet to take my 5 year old to disney…will certainly revisit your site when i do! thanks for the tips!

  6. Naddez says:

    My family is planning a trip to Disney World this year. Thanks for the review!!

  7. dreamer says:

    I’ve never been to Disney, but I will definitely take my son when he’s older!

  8. amanda says:

    Disney is the best! I’ve been more than 6 times.. any tips/hints for beginngers can make a huge difference!! =)

  9. Huguette E. says:

    Great tips, thanks!

  10. Callie says:

    We went once. We happened to be in Orlando for a week of buisiness, and said, “Hey, lets go to Disney World for one day.” Bad idea. It was packed, we didn’t realize they were having their new year’s celebration. So there were about onehundered-thousand extra people there. (We had five little kids there) We figured we’d at least get to see the huge fireworks show, uh-uh. Didn’t happen either. Around 7pm one firework flew into the air, and then boom, some kind of monsoon came through. And it rained for about four hours straight. It started to flood. It took us about five hourse to actually get out of the park and back to our cars.

    =P

  11. rachel0 says:

    We were thinking of taking the kids to Disney but tried Seaworld, since there’s one within an easy drive of us first. DS2 didn’t fare so well, so we’ll be waiting until he’s older. But I would love to convince DH to become a DVC member now!

  12. Amy B. says:

    I would love to go to Disney World. My hubby says I have to wait a few years.

  13. Betty N says:

    Four of my grandchildren live in Orlando so their parents take them to Disney often but for shorter times so everyone doesn’t wear out. And they can go at the non-busiest times to avoid the biggest crowds.It is a great place to visit.

  14. Paul says:

    Only been to Disney Land Paris,that was great!! Planning on going to Disney world….kids (and me!)will love it

  15. Angela says:

    I love Disney World too, although we haven’t been able to make it down there in the past couple of years. I was actually looking into going down there again yesterday. I’m thinking of planning a nice surprise vacation for the kiddos!

  16. Tamara B. says:

    You couldn’t have picked a better time to go and thanks for the update.

  17. Kris says:

    I second the September plan for Disney. We went last Sept. and barely ever waited in a line (oh yeah, we waited for autographs with characters!). LOVE DISNEY!

  18. michelle says:

    Great review! I would love to visit Disney World! We decided to wait until our girls are a little older. We are sticking to our local Disneyland for the time being. Today I just posted about Disneyland on my blog.

  19. Erika says:

    Yes! My thoughts are that is PERFECT! My favorite time to go is end of September/beginning of October – as a matter of fact we did a trip that overlapped the two months in 08. No lines, still warm enough to swim — perfect. AND, my FAVORITE resort is Beach Club. It is in a big circle with Boardwalk and Yacht Club, the pools are the best in Disney (and probably all of Orlando — SAND BOTTOMS!), it has a sand beach, a great kids program (think movie nights and smores on the beach) and at night there is so much to do/eat just by taking a quick walk over to Boardwalk. Oh, and I did I mention the convenient back-entrance into Epcot from the resort as well as accessing MGM by boat too? Love it, I think you are right on track with timing, resorts, everything! Feel free to contact me if you need anything or want any suggestions! Your girls will LOVE it!

  20. Thanks for the Disney review. We are planning our first trip with our 5yr old twins. We’re thinking end Sept/beg of Oct. and looking into the Beach Resort. Any thoughts?


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