We have never been to Disney before...and...we have booked our first trip to Disney for the week of Spring Break next year. We will be marking the days off the calendar =). We are ALL so excited!!! Michael or I never got to go when we were kids...and...we wanted to wait until Jarrett and Blake were big enough to really enjoy themselves.....and that time has come!! So now we all get to enjoy our very first trip to Disney, together!! When we went to Universal Studios this Summer we knew then it was time for Disney too =). Jarrett and Blake had a BLAST at Universal...and could ride almost everything. I absolutely can't wait!!! Michael and I will be like kids again...ha..ha. I will have to ask some of my "Veteran" Disney friends the details of what to do and when to do it! I like to plan out what we are doing before we go somewhere like that so we aren't wandering around lost. I'm a planner like that =).....I think it makes a trip so much more fun when there's a little organization. It keeps Mommy happy too....and what's that saying??? If Mommy's happy everybody's happy.... =)
2 comments:
You all are going to have a great time at Disney!! Can I go too? :>)
Blake looked so cute in his Power Ranger costume at his party. Have fun tonight trick or treating.
Love you,
Christy
I'm so excited that you guys are going to "do" Disney this spring. We went over fall break and had such a good time. So, here are some of my favorite tips and things:
1. www.disboards.com This website is written by people like us and discusses everything from what shoes to wear to how to find the fun stuff that isn't in the guidebooks. Check it often!
2. I, too, like to be organized. So...my favorite guidebook is The Passporter. It is full of information, has pockets to store things in, planning pages, phone numbers and contact pages, etc. That said, I still buy a notebook of 3"x5" cards (on the metal spiral) and list the basic info. that I will need for everyday and every park. That fits in my backpack and I leave The Passporter in the room or the car.
3. You can make meal reservations about 6 months ahead. We like supper at Chef Mickey's in the Contemporary Resort (Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto, Chip and Dale walk through and do photos and autographs) because they have a buffet and a fun dessert bar. Don't forget your autograph book!! (They also ask for a fat pen like a sharpie so that the characters can get a good grip - regular pens are too small. I bought the ones that click open so we didn't have to deal with pen caps.)
4. Make the boys wear their own fanny pack or you become the pack mule!
5. Looking for a cheap souvenir? Press pennies at the machines that are everywhere in the park. A good tip for these - save your good shiny pennies in an M&M tube. It costs 50 cents to press the penny with a picture, so I layered 2 quarters, a penny, 2 quarters, a penny, etc. That way it was all together when you wanted it. All of the gift shops sell a book to collect the pennies in.
6. Make sure you leave time to shop Downtown Disney. There is a ginormous Disney store, a fun Lego store (with a place to play Legos outside), Goofy's candy store, and Once Upon a Toy store. At OUaT you can fill a box of miscellaneous Mr. Potato Head parts for about $20, build your own Star Wars light sabre, fill a skull or treasure chest with pirate "loot", or make backpack dangles for all of your friends (for under $5).
7. Never pass up a chance to have frozen lemonade! :-)
8. Bring something to keep the boys entertained in line...Gameboys were everywhere! (Of course, don't forget the charger !!)
9. Go the the Dollar Tree and buy 3 things - a pop-up laundry hamper for those dirty clothes, as many of those 2/$1 ponchos as you can carry, and glow sticks. The ponchos cost $8 each at Disney and you have to carry them around wet. The 2/$1 kind are cheap and can be thrown away and you start fesh the next day. Love it!
At the pardes/fireworks they sell all kinds of glow stuff. Take yours with you and you have enough extra money for one more frozen lemonade!
10. Read the guidebooks and listen to what they tell you about which rides to fastpass. Just remember that once you get a fastpass, you can't get another one until the time that is listed on the fastpass you are already holding. For example, if your Splash Mountain pass says come back between 3 and 4 pm, you can't get another fastpass until 3 pm. So, check the return time before you commit.
11. I put my cell phone in Andrew's fannypack (in a plastic bag, of course). I also went online and bought a cool silicone wristband (like those the kids wear to support causes) with both of our cell phone numbers on it. To keep it from driving him crazy, he wore it around his ankle. Go to www.sayitbands.com and they are about $5 each. Good to have anytime you are in a crowd.
12. When you line up to ride the monorail, always ask the cast member standing there if you can ride up front with the driver. It's great fun and the best view!
EPCOT
There is a mask that the boys can get and decorate at any of the countries. Then, as you visit all of the countries they will add a "dangle" that represents their country - and write the boys' names or hello in the appropriate language. There is also an official passport that can be stamped but it costs $10 and the mask is free! Guess which one I chose - neither ... I did both! LOL!! The only problem with this is that you end up carrying everything.
Soarin' was THE coolest ride - don't miss it! Make sure you get the fast pass first thing!
There are places where you can send a photo e-mail home to yourself. They were fun to have when we got back.
MGM
If you have Star Wars fans, this is so cool. Ride Star Tours, then shop the Star Wars gift shop at the end of the ride. Right outside of the shop is the new Jedi Training Academy stage. Line up at the taped off line about 15 minutes before the show and keep the boys right up front no matter how much people push. Obi-Wan will come out on the stage and start asking for volunteers - make the boys jump up and down and wiggle a lot to get their attention. He picked about10 kids to come up on stage, don a Jedi brown robe, learn a light sabre routine and then.....Darth and the Clone Troopers appear. Each child gets to "battle" Darth one-on-one. It is soooo much fun!!
We had lunch at the Sci-Fi Dine-In and it was cool. They had convertible cars set up with tables. You sit inside the car to eat while you watch funny sci-fi movie trailers and old "go to the snack bar" blurbs from drive-in movies. It was a hoot!!
Jarrett will love the animation studio program. They start you in a room with an animator telling you a story - and you can then go to the studio and learn to draw a Disney character - taught by a Disney animator. I learned how to draw Donald Duck!
Animal Kingdom
I highly underestimated this one. So many people said don't bother, but we loved it and ran out of time here. You do walk A LOT though! The rides aren't as flashy as the other parks, but the animals and info. are great.
There is a Rainforest Cafe just inside the entrance - which we didn't discover until AK closed and we were on the way out. Stop by and see if you can make a reservation for supper (don't know if you can) as you go in, then you have something to look forward to as the crowds all leave.
You get SOAKED on the Kali River Rapids ride !!! You must wear shoes, but we took flip flops in the back pack and put them on for the ride and put our real shoes in the back pack. Keep a ZipLock handy to protect your camera!
The Lion King show was spectacular - unless you're a male of any sort. They'll love it but they'll never admit it!!
REALLY look at the Tree of Life. Extraordinary!
Magic Kingdom
What can I say - this will be the day you feel like you have really been to Disney World. When we took Andrew the first time, we just did 3 days in Magic Kingdom and nothing else. Start and/or end here to really get the Disney "feel".
Make sure that you let the Disney photographer get a shot of the family standing on Main Street with the castle behind you - hokey, but a must do!
About half way down Main Street on the right, there is a small alley where a young man cuts silhouettes. He did such a great job with Andrew - and the whole thing, framed, was about $15. I love this little souvenir just for Mom. (When we went several years ago, he was near the Liberty Tree Tavern.)
The Disney photographers will take pictures all over the place. So, if you do LOADS of photos by them, you can buy the photo CD for about $125 with all the pictures and print whatever you want, whenever you want. If you don't do LOADS of photos, the prints you want to buy will be about $13 each from their website. MORAL - either takes LOADS of their photos so you get your money's worth on a CD or make sure you get everything you want on your own camera!
You will also get SOAKED at Splash Mountain - and Rob lost his ball cap as the ride dropped. Keep your camera in plastic!
O.K. - so here's my basic list. Hope you find something helpful. If I think of anything else, I'll send it later.
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