Hakuna Matata

Hi all,

I'm still over here daydreaming about our most recent trip to Disney world. I have a list of days I'd love to visit on (such as thanksgiving), and I figured that I would create another list for you all. This list is meant to give you a glance at some of the best tips that I have followed each time we have visited Disney. 

Fast pass-

Make sure you get a fast pass to the rides that have long wait times. The fast pass allows you to skip the line at a later time. 

DON'T get them for: 

The teacups, A small world, Muppet Vision 3D, Gran fiesta tour, triceratop spin, The seas with Nemo and friends. 

DO get them for: 

Star Wars millennium falcon, Slinky dog dash, and Tower of Terror, Kilimanjaro safari, Na' vi river journey, Avatar flight of passage, and expedition Everest, Frozen ever after, Test track, and Soarin, Seven dwarfs mine trail, Big thunder mountain railroad, and Splash mountain. While Jedi Training doesn't require a fast pass, I would recommend signing up your child first thing in the morning since these slots can fill up pretty quickly. Noah participated for the second time this year and really enjoys it.

The force is strong with this one!

*I highly recommend arriving at rope drop or as early in the morning as you can; this will allow you to have VERY minimal wait times. We arrived at 8a and rode about 75% of the rides with a less than five minute wait time. If you can't get there that early, consider doing your more popular rides while others are generally dining (i.e., between 11a-12:30 or 3-5)*

We arrived right around 8:30 AM and we got the castle all to ourselves for pictures!

Here we didn't get to Magic Kingdom very early, but still the crowds weren't too bad at 9:30 AM.

Rides to go on if you need a break: 

Animal kingdom-

Kali river rapids (generally the wait is short, and the ride gives you a chance to cool off) 

Festival of the Lion King (YOU GUYS, please do not miss this. It's definitely on my top list of things to do. It's such a great show, and you get to sit down in AC) 

Magic kingdom-

The people mover (bonus: lovely views of the park)

Walt Disney's carousel of progress( AC BABY! You'll thank me later)

It's a small world (it will keep the little ones entertained and grant you a few minutes for a break) 

Epcot-

Living with the land

The seas with Nemo and friends (bonus: you get to stay in AC for a while after the ride while learning about sea life)

Spaceship earth

Hollywood Studios-

Muppets vision 3D

For the first time in forever (I loved this show)

Indiana Jones epic stunt spectacular

Winnie the Pooh is so cute!

Since you're going to be spending almost all day at the park, you're going to have to take bathroom breaks. Something that I didn't find most people talking about is the bathrooms. Not all bathrooms are the same. When you're hot and sweaty, you want to be able to take a bathroom break in a clean and cold restroom. This is just my opinion, but if you're like me, you'll appreciate the next topic.

Bathrooms:

Animal kingdom-

Pizzafari and Flame tree barbecue restroom (across from flame tree bbq)

Magic kingdom-

Restroom near it's a small world, Peco bill's tall tale cafe restroom, aunt gravity's galactic goodies restroom.

Hollywood studios-

Black spire outpost, Star Wars launch bay, Walt Disney presents restroom

Epcot-

Restroom in Norway (keep this one in mind, many of the restrooms in the world showcase do not have AC), the land restroom, spaceship earth restroom. 

Mouse Tips:

Water-

Stay hydrated! Don't forget to ask for free ice water at quick-service dining locations. We brought ice tea mix when we visited the first time so that when the kids were sick of water, we added some ice tea (you could take crystal lite packets, Koolaid packets, etc.) If you're staying onsite at a Disney resort, invest in the refillable mug! 

Grab a celebratory button-

They have different types of buttons such as- birthday, anniversaries, first visit, and more. Cast members notice your button, and sometimes you even get freebies. When we visited on Devon's birthday, he received a lot of free treats and cast members sang happy birthday to him in China at Epcot. 

How sweet of them :)

Pictures:

Don't be afraid to ask a cast member to take a picture of your group. It can be difficult getting everyone in one shot. Most people will help if you politely ask. Otherwise, you can invest in purchasing a photo pass. For one price, you get all your pictures attached to your Disney account. Disney tried to make this extra magical, and they've included interactive features that they insert in your photographs.  

A very nice couple offered to take our picture so that we could all be in it!

I hope this helps your stay be the most magical experience you have. And above all, please remember, your child isn't the only one that's going to have a meltdown. Everyone else's kids do too. 

With love,

Carolina