Places to go with Kids: Disney World tips and tricks

 

Recently, me and my family got to visit one of the best places to go with kids, Disney World! We had such a magical time, and I really think that Disney World is really a must see when it comes to places to go with kids. To have a great Disney vacation I learned that you must do some planning and research to make sure you get the best out of your travel experience. So I wanted to write a post and tell you guys about some of my tips and tricks for having a great time at Disney! This is part 1 to a series I will be doing all about Disney World!

Here are my tips and tricks for places to go with kids:Disney World

1. Use a Disney Travel Agent! Disney prices are set across the board, so you will not find different prices at different sites or agents, so it really is the best idea to use a Disney Travel Agent .(I personally used the Cupcake Castles Travel agency) When working with a disney travel agent, you are working with someone who exclusively works with Disney properities and can really tell you how to get the best bang for your buck. 
2.  Really consider the time of year you are planning to go to Disneyworld. We made the mistake of going on Memorial Day Weekend, we still had a great time, but I think it would have been better had it been less busy. The best time to go to Disney is during the early part of the year, or right after summer. 
3. Invest in the Disney Dining Plan! Not only can you save 30% on dining options, it takes the guesswork out of planning a food budget! The dining plan Disney offers has 4 different “tiers” of dining options that will fit your needs and budget, and the food there is simply amazing! Not having to worry about how much we were spending on food was a real time and headache saver!

 

(here is an example of the yummy breakfast you can get on one of the Disney Dining Plans)

Keep Reading for Places to Go with Kids Disney World Tips and Tricks

4. BYOB- Bring your own beverage! Disney is one of the few parks that has no problems with you bringing in your own snacks and drinks into the park! Bringing your own drinks with you is a great way to save some money, and some time! (meaning you won’t have to stand in line to get a drink every time someone in your party is thirsty).

5. Break your day in the park in half- A lot of the research I did told me to get to the park before it opened. Well, I think I’m going to have to disagree with this. We got to Magic Kingdom nice and early (8 am) and not only was it super crowded, but it was HOT. Sure it was great to see the parade, until we realised that the same parade happened again 3 more times while we were there. My suggestion is to come early and hit some of the rides you really want, and then take a break! We stayed until around noon, went back to our resort for lunch and swimming, and then came back to the park around 5 pm and stayed until midnight. Not only was it not as hot, by 7pm we had little to no wait time everywhere!

6. Stay on Disney Property!- If you can afford it, I highly recommend staying on disney property. As one of the top places to go with kids, Disney really knows there stuff, and it was a really awesome part of our stay. One of the big perks of staying on property is the special magic hours. These magic hours allow 1 park a day to either open an hour early, or stay open up to 2 hours late just for people that are staying on property! Another great perk is being able to use Disney transportation to and from the airport, and anywhere on disney property (including the downtown disney area) Plus, you get to fully immerse yourself in the Disney experience!

This was the view from our hotel room at the Pop Century Resort!

7. Make sure to visit the Downtown Disney Area! I know that everyone goes to Disney World to visit the parks, but I highly recommend not missing out on all the fun you can experience at Downtown Disney. They have some great dining and shopping options, including the worlds largest Disney Store! They have it set up super cute, and have an awesome candy store! My favorite part is the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique located in the Princess room of the World of Disney store! (I will be writing an article all about it, so watch out for it!

8. Unless you are a HUGE Star Wars Fan, avoid Hollywood Studios like the plague during Star Wars Weekends!  When we went to Disney, I knew it was Star Wars Weekends, but I had NO idea that is was such a huge deal. We did not even get to enjoy our trip there because it was so packed. Lines for rides were a 2 hour wait or longer, and you could hardly breath through all the people. We did get to get pictures with Darth Vader which was fun, but oher then that it was a bust.

How cute is this!?

9. Invest in a Photopass! Disney offers a pretty awesome service called a photopass. If you wait until you get to the park, an unlimited pass will cost $199, but if you prepay the cost goes down to $160. This is a great service because when you take your own pictures, someone is always left out of the picture! Disney has photographers all throughout theirs parks and property and they do a great job! If you don’t want to purchase a full photopass that is fine, the disney photographers will still take your pictures and you can get 2 pictures for $10.

10. Buy essentials ahead of time! We were a little unlucky when it came to our health. We all got colds! Which is fine because we braved it anyways, with the help of some medicine we got from our resort. Did I mention that said medicine cost $12? Yep. We didn’t plan on getting sick, so we didn’t bring any medicine with us, and we paid the price for it. So, plan for the worst, and hope for the best when it comes to packing. Make sure to bring along some medicine, ponchos, umbrellas, and any other extra things you might need, even if you don’t need them it’s better than paying the uncharged prices at your resort. Also, there are companies that offer grocery delivery services, which will save you a ton of money, check out my review for the Orlando Theme Park Shoppers!

There you have it, my Places to go with kids: Disney World tips and Tricks.

I hope you learned something from a few of my mistakes! I’m planning on breaking down some of the larger categories to consider while on a disney vacation and writing post on my experiences and how to make the best out of your trips, so watch out for them! My main tip is Plan for the worst, and hope for the best! Even with careful planning and research, not everything may go right. Just remember why you are there (in our case, our daughters 5th birthday) and make sure to have FUN! don’t sweat the small stuff.

What kind of tips and tricks do you have for DisneyWorld? Let me know in the comments below!

-Rachelle

Topic: Places to go with kids