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...

  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...

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...

This is the first year I have purchased Annual Passes in the many years we have visited Walt Disney World.  When you decide if you want to purchase a standard pass or an annual pass ask yourself a couple questions: 1. Are you a Florida resident?   (there are significantly more options if this is the case, none of which I am going to cover here so go here to see what you qualify for https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/passes/ )   2.  How many days are you planning to visit in a one year period?   This is the most important question, annual passes when first purchased are valid from your activation date (first day in the parks) for one full year.   (Example, I purchased my annual pass in March but don't activate until my vacation on July 10; my pass is good from July 10, 2018-July 9, 2019.) 2018 Pricing for the current Annual Pass (Platinum/Plus) is $849/$949 for ages 3+.  The difference is that the Platinum Plus includes unlimited access to...