The last few years of life at Just Get in the Car headquarters has been … rather eventful. We had our third child, we’ve moved homes, and we have lived with two 90+ grandparents. Each of these things alone can be overwhelming, so you can imagine what it has been like with all of this at once. Our children have had a lot of life change, and we had been talking about how we could regroup as a family of five and have some fun and together time, away from the chaos of our new normal.
What would be something that the kids would appreciate, enjoy, and reminisce about as a wonderful experience? A ‘Hey, we know, life has been crazy, but we are going to do this awesome thing and you are going to love it’.
You might have already guessed what we landed on, a quintessential must do for every family, according to a lot of people!
Yea, you know what we decided on. Disney.
I hadn’t been to Disney since I was fourteen years old, and Shawn hadn’t been since he was a kid, either. In fact, Shawn went into this expecting a boat load of kid chaos and kid-centric activities, and pretty much went into ‘endure and survive’ mode prior to our experience. I think his opinion is slightly improved since our trip.
It is safe to say though, that we made a great choice. We had a really good time, and will definitely be planning another trip in the future. In fact, if we don’t make it back soon, it will be a real tragedy, considering how often our children talk about it.
I did learn a few things as a result of our first family trip to Disney, and perhaps these lessons may help some of you have a more enjoyable experience if you are planning your first trip.
- A thought out and anticipated ‘surprise’ might not go as expected.
We had an elaborate plan for surprising our kids with the news that we would be going to Disney World. We knew they were going to reallllly love Disney, and that the trip would be amazing. We knew that they would find our clever scavenger hunt on Christmas morning intriguing. What we did not fully process or expect was that they had never been to Disney, they had no concept of what to expect, and that the trip was several weeks in the future – so, their reaction was lack luster, at best. We were expecting accolades and jumps for joy, but instead got ‘Oh, cool, are there any more presents to open?’ This put a real damper on Christmas morning for me and Shawn at least. All that planning for a rather disappointing and anti-climatic reaction. Womp Womp.
Two things about this – now, if we surprised them with the news that we would be going to Disney again, we know their reactions would be much more enthusiastic. They have been, they saw, they enjoyed immensely. And also, next time, I would surprise them the day of, if possible. I think that would be super fun and way more exciting for them then having to wait it out.
Have you ever done a Disney surprise?
- If you exhaust and starve your kids, they will melt down.
Our first park day was overwhelming. Although we had a wonderful itinerary from the amazing ladies at 2 Dis Chicks, there is no amount of planning that can prepare you for finally launching this elaborate vacation. And the kids, and adults too, were on sensory overload. By the end of the day, our kids were fried. Although we did eat, it was a long, hot day. We probably did not provide enough fuel on a regular basis, or find enough quieter areas to take a mini break. We know now that at least one of our kiddos needs those sensory breaks to stay sane. We ended our first day with threats of flying home. It wasn’t pretty, and now we know to make a point to schedule regular food, drink, and break-breaks.
- I really enjoy easy, fun vacations – even if they are manufactured. In fact, when they are manufactured by talented engineers – er, Imagineers, and experts in hospitality and the customer experience – you are bound to have an amazing experience.
If you have a reluctant Disney goer in your party, or if you are that reluctant person, try to keep an open mind. Sure, Disney is a manufactured experience – it is not a historic landmark, a beautiful beach, or an otherwise organic experience – but it is still pretty amazing. If you can’t find something to entertain you or something that you find enjoyable in the Disney complex, then I humbly suggest you take a hard look at your life and your attitude, sir, or madam.
- Not everyone does Disney at the same level of intensity, and that is ok. This is your vacation, and you do not have to do all.the.things. In fact, that would be virtually impossible.
When you are planning a Disney vacation, you will get all kinds of advice. It typically involves getting up at the crack of dawn, eating at off hours, and maximizing your time to ride the most rides, see the most shows, meet the most characters. We knew that we were not those people. Before we went, I knew that we could not keep up that kind of schedule, nor would I want to on a vacation. I like to come home feeling rested and rejuvenated, not exhausted and weary ( I mean, I don’t, but, I like to).
It took us until the last day of our five day trip to find our own groove, and to be ok with it. We canceled our morning breakfast reservation, got to the park around 10 or 11, did quick service meals instead of sit down (though we landed a walk in sit down dinner at the very end of the night), and rode the most rides and had the best day. Be your own people, people.
Do you, and your Disney vacation will be amazing.
What Disney tips do you have? Need some inspiration, check out this blog post our friend Tracey did sharing all about her adventures in Epcot with her toddler.
-Kristin
Totally agree with all of these! Especially the part about not everyone doing Disney at the same speed. I like to take my time and enjoy it. I don’t want to run from one ride to the next, to the next! I would have a meltdown before my kids. 😉
I love Disney!!!
Haven’t been to disney yet but I appreciate your tips.
Glad you took your children to Disney, I believe if possible all children young and old should go. I’ve been to Disney World many times…like over 40 times. We lived in South Florida and this was a regular trip with family and as I grew older did many trips with friends and in more recent years my own family😀
I completely agree with eating regularly (low amts of… if possible no sugar) although ice cream, Disney baked goods and other delights are sooo tempting! Pick one!
Also find nooks and crannies for naps and resting. When our children were young and also if you or older adults need a time out rest, don’t rule out taking a trip back to the hotel to refresh: nap or even shower if it’s hot. If your hotel is to far, we’d hop on the monerail and go to the Floridaian hotel and the kids would nap, it’s quite and cool and they had great couches to sit in.
I’ll write some more another time…probably post later, I didn’t realize how much I know but hopefully these tips will help out for now!
If you starve your kids, they will meltdown. Hahaha
#truestory
Great advice here! I remember the first time we took our daughter. I think she was 4 or 5. We left the park by 5 each day. A couple of days, after some downtime, we returned for a late dinner and fireworks.
I haven’t been to Disney in 19 years, and I would guess it’s changed a lot in those years. A trip now would be like the first time I would imagine. I love your post and I’m putting a Disney visit on my travel wishlist!
Fun! I’m glad I inspired you 🙂
I love Disney! He was a very interesting guy and he built a great park!
Great tips for first timers at Disney! When we took our kids we always made sure we left the parks before 6. Any more than that no one had any fun.
Love that quote, “Do you, and your Disney vacation will be amazing!” Probably the #1 tip! Disney can become overwhelming and overstimulating so agree there is no shame in making adjustments with your planned itinerary. (A great reminder for me!)