A month or so later and finally, here we are. Whew, these past few weeks have been a lot but we’re making it. I wanted to share our Disney World experience before I forgot everything. LOL. Hopping right in because I have lots of information.
Buying Tickets:
As you all know, we are a military family, so we got discounted tickets. You can view specific information here and see any other discounts they may have if you’re not military. *If you are military, make sure you check out the discount and complete the steps before booking flights. You have to fill out and send in a form and the tickets must be sent directly to your home, so it can take about a week or longer. At this time, Disney World park is not allowing 100% capacity so you must reserve your parks and days before visiting. This can be done here.
- Hopper Passes: We had a 4-day hopper pass, so we were able to visit several parks in a day if we chose to. If you’re planning to do the same, you can visit any other park after 2pm. Be sure to take your parking receipt so that you don’t have to pay for parking at both parks in the same day.
- FREE for 2 and under: A lot of people say you spend too much money taking kids to Disney World at a younger age, but I personally LOVED taking Ryann at 2. She was free and really enjoyed “Mickey Mouse House”. (This is what she calls Disney World)
Choosing a Park(s):
We visited all four parks during our trip. Hollywood Studios, Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, and then Epcot. I highly suggest picking your parks according to who will be apart of your reservation. Are you taking the kids? Going with your adult friends? Just you and your partner? My personal favorite parks were Animal Kingdom and Epcot. But, my favorite for Ryann was Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom. To give a little insight (and hopefully help a bit with your selections) I’m gonna tell you my thoughts on each park.
- Hollywood Studios: This park didn’t have many rides and seemed a bit smaller than the other parks. There were a few things Ryann was able to get on but not many because of her height. I personally wwouldn’t go back. With or without Ryann. If you’re planning to do all 4 parks, then cool. If not, I don’t think you would miss out on much if you didn’t visit this one.
- Magic Kingdom: If you’re going with your younger children, definitely pick this park. Most of the rides are sit in/tunnels and Ryann was able to get on almost all the rides. She got on at least ten rides here. As adults though, it probably wouldn’t be a first pick because there’s not a lot of big roller coasters.
- Animal Kingdom: Absolutely one of my favorite parks. For several reasons. It’s a great park for kids and adults. It was kind of like a zoo with a theme park mixed because you can literally walk around and see animals, go to the safari, and get on rides. Also, if you are a fan of Avatar, you would also love this park! (I wasn’t a fan until after getting on the ride. I just recently watched the movie, and I am in love. Lol!) A section of the park is literally designed exactly like the movie. I feel like I could be here all day saying what I loved about this park so, I’m gonna stop here. Absolutely make this a part of your trip though. Lol.
- Epcot: Adult friendly + Frozen. We didn’t do much here because we had kids with us. The Frozen ride was cool, but I probably wouldn’t pick this park if I wasn’t visiting all 4 and was taking the kids. However, if you like to eat and drink? Put this on your list. I am currently planning a couple’s trip back to Disney World and cannot wait to experience Epcot with my husband. It has what’s called “Around the World” and it’s different food/drink stops from places all around the world. Italy, China, Mexico, etc. It was really dope and right up my alley. LOL.
What I wish I knew:
Some of the things listed below we either found out during the last few days, thought about during the trip, and or wish we would have known about before going. So, I’m sharing those tips below so you can know beforehand.
- Parent Swap: This is first on my list because bruh, how did we not know this? Lol. If you’re going with kids, ask about the parent swap when getting on the rides. Parent Swap allows you go back to the front of the line and let the other adult you’re with, get on a ride that the kids can’t get on without waiting in line again. *I advise everyone to get on the Avatar ride.
- Face masks are required for all children 2 and older: I was not prepared for this. While Ryann knows and understands she’s supposed to wear a mask on the airplane, she does not wear masks regularly. She did pretty well but to be 100% honest, after wearing the face masks all day in that heat, my baby’s face was extremely dry and started breaking out badly. So, the last few 2 days, I didn’t make her wear it the entire day. This is definitely something I wish I would have known so I could have gotten her used to wearing masks a little more before we went.
- Food and Drinks: I’m not sure if this has always been a thing or if it’s just due to COVID but, you can bring food and drinks in the park. I highly recommend bringing cold waters and snacks or something for the kids. Having snacks saved us in the long lines or when we were just trying to get to another ride and didn’t want to stop to stand in line for food/drinks. Also, you’re saving your coins, duh!
- Relaxation Stations: It’s exactly what it sounds like! They have stations that are cool where you can sit and relax. It’s social distance safe and highly recommended if you’re in the parks all day and it’s extremely hot! I would suggest finding out where it is in each park when you first get there so you know exactly where to do when you’re ready to relax.
- Walmart for All Things Disney: While I absolutely did spend $30 on a Mickey Mouse bubble maker at the park, I realized after, a lot of the Disney toys, shirts, fanny packs, literally everything was at a Walmart near the Airbnb and we stayed in. I highly recommend visiting a Walmart in the area as they’ll have a lot of cute Disney pieces that you can take into the park. Especially for kids. You know they want everything. Lol. I ended up getting Ryann’s Minnie Mouse purse from Walmart and it was less than the bubbles. LOL.
- Travel Stroller: Highly recommend a decent stroller. If you’re at the parks for 8+ hours a day, kids are gonna want to sleep. We got a BabyZen stroller and although it didn’t get here on time, we use it now and I absolutely wish I was able to take it. It’s super easy to travel with! Here’s the link. If you don’t purchase this one, just make sure you get a good one to travel with. I’ve also linked my Travel Essential list from my Amazon store with all my must haves for traveling with kids. There’s another stroller on there that isn’t as expensive. Here’s another relevant blog post to check out if you are potty training or have a toddler that uses public bathrooms.
Disney Fits:
One thing about me and mine, we gone match and or coordinate. But if you’re reading this, you probably knew that already. LOL. We ordered our matching shirts from an Etsy shop. You can literally search “Disney 2021 (or whatever year you’re planning to go) shirts” on Etsy and a bunch of stuff will come up. We got ours custom made. I wanted to go with “Mama” and “Minnie” because of our brand For Mamas + Minis and plus, we don’t need anything else with our names on them. LOL. Here’s the direct link to the shop I purchased ours from.
Additionally, we ordered the mouse jumpsuits from a shop that I found on Instagram called Pepper Kids. I linked it directly here. We went earlier in the year so it was actually pretty windy one day so we were able to wear them. The owner told me to let you all know about the 20% off code when you send a text. So make sure you check them out on Instagram for more information!
Since it was a bit cold, we weren’t able to wear our bathing suits but if you’re going in the summer and have a pool where you’re staying, don’t forget your matching bathing suits!
Lastly, this goes without saying. We are still in a pandemic, we do need to be save. Please make sure you’re washing your hands frequently, checking people when/if they get in your space, and utilizing the millions of sanitizing stations they have. Bring your own wipes, hand sanitizer, and remember to wipe of the things you’re frequently touching often.
Are you planning to go to Disney soon? If so, I hope this blog post helps! I’ll try to update it as/if I think of anything I missed. If you’re not already, follow me on Instagram! If you’re a mama, follow and check out our Mommy and Me brand: For Mamas + Minis!