The Capps Family at Disney World, Florida
Hey Hey Disney Lover!
It may be because I’m a #3 on the enneagram (for those who don’t know what I’m talking about you can take the test here) or it could be that a love for Disney was created on our last trip that I didn’t know lived deep within me.
But, either way, I wanted to put together a blog post sharing our last Disney World vacation. Being a lifestyle photographer of course I had to capture every minute!
So come enjoy the magic!
What We Hit Outta The Park
Dining Plan
This was a biggy for us! Being able to pick out restaurants and order anything on the menu was the best! We each were allocated two snacks for each day we were there which came in handy! Some days we used less and others we used more so it evened out.
Surprises Each Night
Kayden started out with a plush Mickey Mouse that flew on the airplane with him. Little did he know we had gotten the rest of the characters ahead of time and they rode in their own suitcase. Now this suitcase was filled with all sorts of little extras I’ve picked up along the way when they were on sale or just because.
Included in this little magical bag was the rest of the characters he was crazy into. We had gotten enough for each day when we returned from the park.
After getting ready, I’d load the boys up on the stroller and head to the elevators while Keith stayed back. He’s arrange the characters (sometimes holding a balloon we’d gotten the day before, etc.) and always add another character. Normally we’d try to match the character with who we knew we’d see that day.
So when we came home from the park, Kayden had to say the magic words “Meeska Mooska Mickey Mouse” then put his magic band to the door to open and see what Mickey had left him that day.
The smiles we got each night were priceless! He loved exploring who was there and then cuddle with them each night!
Double Stroller
Okay mommas, this was another WIN in our book! Kayden is four and loves to walk so we we’re originally planning on bringing a double stroller. But even with all his little energy, having a place where we could stand or sit was a win! Big crowds, firework shows where we couldn’t see low to the ground, or just moments he got tired of walking and wanted to eat a snack and ride.
Tagging Our Stroller
Now, the stroller parking can get sort of crazy. If there’s a lot of strollers sometimes the Disney Cast will go in and rearrange the strollers, I’m assuming to make more room and easier to get around.
We never had any issues with stealing from our stroller, although we always carried valuables with us, we did have to search for our stroller a few times.
I bought a little Minnie Mouse handkerchief to tie on the handle of our stroller to make it stand out and it did the trick! In a sea of black strollers, the bright pink popped and was easy to find!
Bring Snacks For The Park
I was warned to bring snacks because lines were going to be long and kids would be cranky, you know, all the things. Now, I will say I went a little overboard on the snacks, so next time I won’t bring as many.
But they were a lifesaver at time. Staying at Pop Century Hotel, we had A LOT of bus rides and sometimes had to travel before our next meal so a little snack did wonders. Same for waiting for the fireworks or just in general.
Honestly, our one year old ate more snacks than our four year old.
Glow Sticks
At night, look out because glow stands are EVERYWHERE, with some pretty cool things! I went ahead and bought glow sticks, glasses and necklaces ahead of time at Walmart, Target and Amazon. This helped with cutting extra cost within the park PLUS my favorite it helped me know where my children were when it got dark and they had a blast with them of course!
Watch Disney Food Blog on YouTube
Starting two months before we left for our trip we found this amazing YouTuber, DFB. This girl knows her stuff, I promise!! Just being familiar with some of the things she was talking about and going to her instagram account and screenshotting the items we knew we wanted to try was a big thing.
That way we sort of had a plan on where our snack credits were going along with what to get throughout the day so if for some reason that was in the middle of a melt down, we knew straight where to go!
Extra Cell Phone Charger
Being a photographer I wanted to capture everything. Being a momma, I wanted to video their reactions to everything! Our phones have a pretty good life span on them, but when using the camera/video all day along with texting each other if you get separated or looking at the Disney App for directions, next showing, fast passes, dinner reservation, etc. It drains your battery.
I’m telling you friend, don’t forget your portable charger!
Carabiner
Hooking this giant carabiner to the stroller was a life saver! Totally used this more than we thought. It held our backpack (easier access then under the stroller), our hotel cups that had unlimited refills, shopping bags, etc.
Great buy!
Walking Shoes
I bought two pairs of tennis and flip flops. Being a little hesitant on wearing flip flops I wore my tennies the whole time except the last day because it was calling for rain and I didn’t want to walk around in wet soggy socks all day.
Target had an amazing pair that were lightweight and memory foam sole. All I can say is Hallelujah! As much walking as we did (I think we averaged around 20,000 steps a day) my feet held up brings stinkin’ well!
Magic Photo Pass
Again, as a photographer this was a biggy for me because I wanted to bring my big fancy camera. But also knowing that would be an extra item I’d have to carry on the rides or while dining due to leaving our stroller in the stroller parking only I settled for my phone.
But you best believe I took advantage of the Photo Pass. Any time we saw one without a long line, I’d jump on in. I loved it. They’d take our picture, scan our band and they were on the app ready for us!
Best. Money. Spent.
*Plus Disney adds some fun little videos including your pictures as well.
Arrive Early to Parades
People take this seriously. We didn’t really realize it until we happen to be at the right place at the right time for a parade and just claimed our spot.
If you don’t want to be the 5th layer back of people, then arrive 45mins-1hr early. Seriously.
*a little trick I did for the kids was when we got a good spot I just propped up my phone against the stroller and videoed the whole thing for them to watch over and over. That way I got to enjoy the parade myself and watch the magic take over our little kids as they saw everything come to life!
Disney Jr. Encyclopedia Autograph book
Growing up I had an autograph book that just had plain white pages and as we saw different characters we had them autograph. Thats awesome and I still have it to this day… 26 years later!
But for my littles I wanted something a tad more interesting I know they would cherish and want to look at over and over.
We got the Jr. Encyclopedia Book, so each page has a different character (I think pretty much everyone is in there). Then as we saw them we’d turn to their page and they autograph it.
I’ll also be adding the date underneath the signature so I can remember what year we went and how old the boys where when they met that character.
Both boys LOVED this. It gives the characters story and now that we’re back home they go through it and look at everyones signature and just point, smile and laugh at who they met!
What We Could Have Done Better
Staying Closer To Magic Kingdom
We have nothing bad to say about Pop Century other than we felt like we wasted a lot of time on the buses and going through security for different things.
Our next trip, although it’ll be a little more, we want to stay at one of the hotels on the Monorail.
This will also allow us to get to our hotel easier so we can incorporate some quiet time, pool time or maybe slip in a nap without losing a lot of travel time.
Name Tag On Stroller
Although the handkerchief was GREAT, we saw some really cool laminated name tags that were zip tied to their stroller. This is just an extra measure I’ll take next trip to make our stroller stand out a little bit more. It might help us find it in the dark a little quicker.
Better Ponchos
It’s not a Disney trip without a little rain shower. We got caught in a couple, not to bad until our last night when we made the choice to stand in a completely down pouring of a thunderstorm. Great memories for sure and we’ll talk about that for years!
But beings we got the real cheap ones there were a few rips that happened just the normal wear and tear.
Next trip, we’ll probably invest in a little thicker ones so water didn’t drip down our backs or in the arms.
Research Restaurants Menus Better
Beings we’ve never visited Disney World before, we went on others recommendations for food. What we didn’t really think about, was everyone loves different types of food. For us, we don’t eat anything that use to live in water, weird I know.
A lot of the restaurants had tons of fishy foods, so just research the menu to make sure you’re getting the best for your money.
Research Disney Events So You Can Plan What Park What Day
Here’s another thing we didn’t think about researching before we went. During the week we were there Disney was also hosting a Runners Marathon, which is totally cool but it definitely increased the traffic.
Along with marathon, the food and wine festival was going on at Epcot. Which is great, but not so much for little, little kids. We were constantly watch the kids to make sure people weren’t spilling drinks on them.
Just make sure you know what all is happening within the park events so you can best plan your vacation and what parks to go to on what days.
A List Of Our Must Buys
Ponchos
Double Stroller
Mickey Attire
Carabiner
Tennie Shoes
Wrist Band Holder
