Tips For Experiencing Walt Disney World

My best tips for experiencing Walt Disney World encompasses two things : 1) Have fun planning your vacation days – I find that the planning is half the fun and ; 2) enjoy the days with a mixture of running yourself ragged and slowing down to share the Disney ambiance with your loved ones.

The first thing I like to plan is when we can go back next – which I start thinking about on the last day of a Disney  trip and  is usually planned around my boys sports schedules or my new obsession – RunDisney Races.    Then I plan were we are going to stay.  We like to stay on Walt Disney Property for Magical Express(the free ride from the airport), EMH (extra – yes extra hours I can visit my beloved parks just because I stay at a Disney Resort) and the whole Disney experience or atmosphere.  I use many webstites but my favorite for Resort information is AllEarsnet.com .   I like that it has a “Resort Page” for each Walt Disney Resort with pictures and lists of restaurants and activities at that specific reso

At each resort, I plan what each individual resort can offer to my family.  At the Boardwalk, I think about entering Epcot through the International Gateway and having a Grey Goose Slushy with my husband while watching Illuminations and then walking back through Epcot afterwards.  At the Contemporary, I think about walking to the Magic Kingdom for Park Opening, or riding the monorail to the Polynesian for Ohana dinner.  At the Animal Kingdom Lodge, I think about the sound of my children’s laughter on the balcony while watching the Savannah animals.   Some might think this research is cumbersome but it provides with the information to fully experience our Disney Resort .  I get information about the food courts, the restaurants, pools, tours or other activities that we could experience.     We like to take some time to just relax at the resort – imagine that – and a lot of them can be free options – for example at the Animal Kingdom Lodge each night a fire is lit and you can use night vision goggles to see the animals.  A Cast Member at the fire can answer many questions about the animals and their home country of Africa.   We have really enjoyed this over the years and there is no extra cost for it.    I actually plan days/nights to enjoy wherever we are staying and these moments for our family have truly been “magical”.

Next, I plan our park days based on park hours, Extra Magic Hours and I use the Crowd Calendar from Touringplans.com  to plan our tour of the parks.  This type of planning gives a framework to our trip so that we can enjoy as much as possible or sometimes as little as possible.   It also allows me to plan our Fast Pass Plus experiences (to help us ride our faves – I will get into the nuances of this system at a later day) and ADRs (Advanced Dining Reservations).

One of my favorite parts of the planning is deciding where to eat – I am a mother of two boys and wife to a wonderful man and this is very important to them.  Another website favorite is DisneyFoodBlog.com that helps me plan my ADRS based on menus and reviews of every  restaurant.     On our adult only trip in September 2014 my husband and I did a Food and Wine Experience .   A wine tasting at Tutto Gusto – my DH not a wine guy – loved it but without my research we wouldn’t have known.     Each Disney restaurant has its own experience as if we are being transformed to Mexico in LaHacienda (Epcot) or singing along with Mickey at Chef Mickey’s (Contemporary Resort) to eating quick service at Cosmic Rays.  We have had some of the best times eating at Disney and honestly some places you can’t get into without planning – I always plan O’Hana – all you can eat with three boys #happyfamily.

I have seen some people with extreme planning  – spread sheets -must be at Space Mountain at 10:05 – really not for us – but it works for them.   I have a framework of which park, which food and then if we feel like riding Rock n Roller Coaster three times or stopping to eat ice cream or watching the Jamminators (Epcot)or we are done at lunch time and go back for a swim or I want to shop –  we do.   It works for us.

The other part of my tip I give to others for experiencing Walt Disney World is that you can never see it all so don’t try.  Get up early or stay late for EMH if you are staying on property so that you can see as much as possible – you wouldn’t want to miss Splash Mountain or the Festival of Fantasy Parade.  Plan what is important to your family to see.   You are going to walk a lot.  A LOT.  Plan some relaxing time at the resort pool, sleep in one morning, talk to Cast Members along the way they are some of the most awesome people.   I actually plan time to sit and read a book –imagine that.  Walk around your Disney Resort in the am while it’s quiet.  Pushing your family to their limit all the time makes for a not fun experience.  One favorite time for my kids was a night we rented movies at Old Key West and had popcorn in – we laughed and had so much fun together.  Disney  is about spending time with your family and friends in a way that is not possible at home due to busy schedules – enjoy the little moments – they pass.

My Introduction

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Disney

I am a Registered Nurse and busy mom of 2 boys who came to love Disney later in life – even though I visited Disneyland twice as a kid.  In 2005, after graduating from Nursing School, we went to Walt Disney World for the first time as a family to celebrate passing my Boards.  I did a ton of research at the time reading everything I could – I had a lot of fun planning.  We experienced the Land/Sea trip – staying at the Poly and then cruising on the Wonder for 4 days.  Both DH and I were hooked.   Since 2005, DH and I have visited one to two times a year – sometimes without children (which we highly recommend to everybody)  In 2008 we bought DVC at Kidani and do not regret it for one second.   We also love to vacation on Cape Cod every summer where we fish a lot with our boys.  Our boys are now 20 and 15 and love to vacation with us – we have trained them well.

Why I love Disney?

Why I love Disney?

One of the main reasons I love Disney is the fact that it is a family oriented place with so many activities and dining options. There are so many things for each family member to do together or alone if one chooses. The many options include rides, shows, concerts, fishing, fireworks, bowling, movies, swimming, Run Disney events, parties, adult beverages and especially the numerous first class dining options (considering I have two hungry boys – DS#1 and DS#2 and a husband DH).   We have been going once or twice a year to WDW since 2005 as a family.  We still haven’t done everything.  It’s amazing that my family is always happy there.

Another reason I love Disney is the attention to detail and the immaculate way staff keep the park groomed and clean. You’ve been to Six Flags, the coasters there may be bigger but the Park is one big hot black top and I feel as if I need to swim in Clorox to get the slime off.   The attention to the upkeep of the grounds at WDW is amazing in its detail and really adds to my experience.   It is truly amazing to me that WDW can transform themes such as Halloween to Christmas overnight – a lot of Disney elves must live there.

I also go back several times of year due to the unbelievable Cast Members (CM) who are always going above and beyond to make each of my days really special. At my DVC home Kidani, CMs have begun to recognize us, and make our stay as comfortable and as fun as possible. On the Savannah, the CMs teach African culture and wildlife lessons and answer my boys’ numerous questions. Chris the wonderful CM at Sanaa knows what to recommend from the menu and always knows when a baby is born on the Kidani Savannah. Walter the wonderful CM at California Grill and the head Chef at Citricos made our 20^th anniversary trip truly special for my husband and me.   I could always sense through our interactions with the CM wait staff that they truly love what they do and it shows.   Disney Cast Members go way above and beyond what we normally receive when dining at home and there is really no comparison.

I especially love the various themed Disney Resorts. My family has stayed at the Polynesian, Old Key West, Saratoga Springs, Bay Lake Towers, Boardwalk Villas and our “home resort” Kidani. The Resorts all have their own themes and atmospheres that seemingly transport you to a different time and place. Our very first Disney visit and experience was at the Polynesian Resort which is located right on the monorail – my husband especially enjoyed being on the monorail. Our experience at the Poly began our love of the whole Disney experience, winning over my DH. Each of the Resorts are unique and have different things that we enjoy.   For instance Old Key West has a beachy tropical feel and we adore the pool and Olivia’s restaurant.   Bay Lake Tower has amazing views that are stunning and the food options are among the best on Disney property. The location of Boardwalk allows us to walk to Epcot and Hollywood Studios and watch a football game or two at ESPN. Kidani our favorite is like a Safari in itself with the African animals strolling around and the detailed African buildings make this experience authentic. It also has unbelievable restaurants Boma, Jiko and Sanaa and the pool is so relaxing. We love sitting by the fire at night or sitting on our balcony and watching the animals. Saratoga Springs is close to Downtown Disney (Disney Springs) and we love the Turf Club.

The other thing I love about Disney is their ability to fix a glitch.  I will just give you one example. We were staying at Kidani and our dryer broke. One of the things I love about being a DVC member is ability to book a room that has a washer/dryer – weird I know.  This allows me to bring less clothing with us and have room for souvenirs – shh don’t tell DH.  Anyway, I have a rule about eating dinner out with my boys – they have to dress appropriately collared shirt and khakis. I was drying, DS#1’s shirt one night before our Jiko dinner reservation, the dryer broke. I called downstairs and explained about the shirt rule. They sent someone to fix the dryer and another CM carrying a DVC Polo shirt for him. Above and Beyond – seriously!

The reasons why I go back to Disney so much is the look on DH’s face after he rides Rock n’ Roller Coaster, or the way he runs to Exhibition Everest, the way he loves Ohana dinner, the way he knows to take my picture at the Castle.   I remember the time DS#1 at 14 in Country Bears Jamboree leaned over to me and said “Mom, I love you”.  I remember the way DS#2 walked every single inch of the parks at age 5.   We have traditions about where we want to eat, and what park to visit first or last. I love the time we spend together at TS (Table Service) meals or grabbing CS (Counter Service) so we can ride EE one more time. These family Disney memories we will cherish forever. Guess what? I’m going back soon!!!!