From One Mom to Another: Tips on Disney, Races and Kids

So you wake up and look out your resort window and it is a torrential downpour.  You have two options, curl back up in bed and wait out the storm or throw together your park bag with a couple extras and head out.  We always chose a park day.  Rain days are less crowded because many locals don't drive in and there are plenty of people who chose the wait it out option.  If you are going to do a rain day here are a couple advantages and a couple pieces of advice.  Do note that some rides, shops and shows will not run if it is raining hard or there is lightning in the area, but this isn't the majority.  On our last trip during Spring Break it poured in the morning and early afternoon on our Animal Kingdom day.  Let's start with what to wear and pack to make sure this doesn't go sideways: 1.  You'll need a rain coat or poncho.  I bring a rain coat for rainy days and save my $.99 poncho for the water rides.  My mom brings an u...

 Sydnee is 6 in this photo. I have been traveling with my family to Disney for more than a decade. My first trip as a parent was in 2003 when my eldest daughter was 4 and my son was 2.  I took my mom, my best friend and my sister with us to Disneyland.   At the time I was on active duty stationed in Washington, DC and my mom and sister lived in Montana so I didn't see them that often.  We had an amazing time and the Disney trips soon became a tradition.  Many of my friends ask me when is the best time to take the trip and who should go. Is Nana too old for Disney?  Should we wait until the baby is older?  Are my teens going to be bored? The short answer is MAYBE but probably not.  In today's blog I will give you pros and cons on these and some other frequently asked questions. Lets start with some basic questions you should ask yourself.  Is this going to be a once in a lifetime trip?  What is the goal of this...

When you go to Walt Disney World you can expect to spend some serious cash but not everything is super expensive.  Here is a list of 5 things that are free or low cost extras that can add magic to your trip. 1.  Water - OK, so water may seem silly but it is hot in Florida and you can get thirsty.  I always bring a water bottle with me and fill it up but you don't need one.  Any quick service restaurant (and Starbucks) will give you a free glass of ice water.  Starbucks and a couple other restaurants have big crafts of water just sitting out where you can fill your water bottle.  PRO TIP: don't love the taste of tap water?  Pack some flavored water packets or the small squirt bottles and mix your own lemonade, etc. (Bottled water is available for purchase and is about $5-7 per bottle.) 2.  Souvenirs - You can get free park maps, free celebration buttons, and stickers to take home.  My kids love collecting stickers and you can get th...

  Going to Walt Disney World with small children is delightful and magical but can also be trying.  If your kids are anything like mine there is a point in time where they just won't stand in line any more.  Most people will tell you it's time to head back to our resort for a nap or an afternoon at the pool but what if your hotel is a long drive or maybe you have older kids that don't want to go back the resort? When I travel with my full family I have kids from 3-19 and we occasionally stay off property so we don't want to spend 2 hours of our day driving back and forth.   Here are a couple thing we like to do instead of heading back to the resort.  Each park has an area where kids can just run around and burn off some energy and you can just sit, relax and post those cute character photos on Instagram.  This is a the toddler slide.  This the excavation area where the kids play in the 'sand' This is water f...

Walt Disney World offers an option to make ride reservations in advance, called Fast Pass+.  These Fast Passes+ (FP+) are available starting at 7am Florida time (Eastern time zone) 60 days in advance of your trip if you are staying on Disney property or 30 days in advance for everyone else.  Using a FP+ allows you to use a special line queue that has a wait of 15 minutes or less (most of the time).  Here is a quick step by step tutorial of how to make a FP+ reservation and a few ways you can maximize them. (Make sure you tickets are linked to your account.) Step 1:  Decide which park you want to go to each day as your primary park.  You get 3 FP+ to start and they all have to be at the same park.  (In this example we will use Magic Kingdom.) Step 2: Review dining reservations.  I write them down so I remember where and when.  Step 3: Log into the My Disney Experience App.  Here is the start screen (on iOS)....

You can see several of our outfits in these pictures from June. I'm wearing my backpack in the bottom left. I love to travel and I really enjoy traveling with my kids. When I fly I normally choose by price and flight times.  The budget airlines that fly out of my local airport charge for everything, especially luggage. So I have learned to pack in carry on.  It helps that I travel where it is warm most of the time but not always. That being said, here is how I pack for a seven day trip without checking luggage and having spare room for souvenirs.  Everyone in my family packs the same stuff but here is where we start.  My luggage: 1 hard sided carry on - get one with wheels and an expanding zipper 1 medium sized back pack - I like one a day pack style rather than a school style 2 vacuum seal bags - Get the self sealing kind that you roll to get the air out Here is a work outfit. Clothes I bring: 7-10 outfits - ...

In this photo Jake and I both have lanyards with our pins on. Photo: Disney Photopass  What is Disney Pin Trading?  If you have never been to a Disney Park you may not know or you might not understand it even if you have why people are walking around with pins on lanyards and display pouches.  Disney sells pins, most are the size of a quarter that you can wear, display, collect and/or trade. But why? People collect things for different reasons, pins are the same.  Here's a couple reasons you might want to buy some collectible pins. Reason 1.  They are a fun souvenir that doesn't take up a ton of space in you luggage and are easy to display. Reason 2.  If the pins are limited editions or rare they may increase in value just like any other collectible. Reason 3.  Pin trading is fun and can be done anywhere in the park.  It is a great way to pass the time and gives you a chance to interact with Cast Members and other...