Park Strategy - Magic Kingdom

Ride your favorite rides first, right? Not necessarily...it may be better to ride everyone else's favorite rides first. Why, you ask? Because if you can get into the park early in the morning, and knock out the list of all the most popular rides before the crowds get really bad, you can sit back and enjoy a leisurely lunch, or even get a great seat for the parade while everyone else stands in long lines for their favorite rides.

Let's look at Fantasyland...is your favorite ride Dumbo? Or Peter Pan's Flight? My recommendation would be to get straight in line for those rides first thing in the morning. Do not pass go, do not collect $200, do not stop for the requisite picture in front of the castle (it will still be there later in the day, and the lines for those Photopass photographers will be shorter) - head straight to Fantasyland when you enter the park. The later you get in the line, the longer the line is going to be.

Here's my personal Fantasyland strategy:
*note this is changed from previous strategies based on the Fantasyland expansion, and them moving Dumbo

- Send hubby to get Fastpass tickets for Peter Pan's Flight
- Kiddo and I head to the line for Dumbo (hubby meets us there)
- Ride the Goofy's Barnstormer (sometimes twice, if we have time)
- Grab FP tickets for Winnie the Pooh as we walk past
- Use our FP tickets for Peter Pan's Flight
- Ride It's a Small World
- Ride The Prince's Regal Carrousel
- Use our FP tickets for Winnie the Pooh
- Ride Snow White's Scary Adventures (until it closes on May 31)
- Ride Tomorrowland Speedway -- the earlier in the day you do this one, the better - that line is HOT!

Using this type of strategy, you can ride all of the Fantasyland attractions by about 11:00 am. From there, you can head right or left out of Fantasyland and use a similar technique (get FP, ride another ride, come back to FP ride) to tour the other lands.

This strategy works particularly well in quite a few other areas of the Magic Kingdom park:
Adventureland: Pirates of the Carribean and Aladdin's Magic Carpet Ride combined with Jungle Cruise which has FP

Fronierland: Big Thunder Mountain and Splash Mountain both have FP, so get one, then take a ride across to tour Tom Sawyer Island, then go back and get the other before riding with your FP tickets for the 1st attraction. You can grab a snack, catch the parade (it starts in Frontierland at 3:00), or go ride the Haunted Mansion and/or see the Hall of Presidents while you wait for your 2nd FP time to start.

Tomorrowland: Space Mountain and Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin both have FP, so use the same technique, alternating with Carousel of Progress, Monsters Inc, Tomorrowland Transit Authority and Astro Orbiter.

The age of your group/kids will like determine which direction you head out of Fantasyland. Remember, you have all day, and using this type of strategy, you can ride a group of attractions all at one time. This makes it easier to stop for lunch/dinner, grab a seat for the parade, watch the castle stage show, and meet some characters along the way.

Have a magical day!

Packing List

I used to be the biggest list-maker ever!! Especially when packing for Disney World trips...I would make lists way in advance, and add to them as I thought of everything that we needed for our trips. Then I would use those lists and mark off items as they went in the suitcase. Of course, for a few years in there, we were traveling with a baby/toddler and needed WAY more stuff!

These days, I start a stack of things to pack....usually in our spare room....and just add to it for a few weeks as I remember that we need to bring this or that. So, what is in that packing "stack"?

Here's my current Disney stack, and it's growing every day as we get closer to our trip:

Light Up Toys -- we refuse to buy them each trip, so we pack them and bring them back each time

Light Saber -- same as the light ups - not buying new, just taking the old one back with us

Rain Ponchos - one per person and one or two extra cheap ones for the stroller

Travel Size Woolite - just in case we need to wash something, or to freshen up swimsuits

Granola Bars and Goldfish Crackers

Backpack for the plane -- for my 5 yr old - filled with a few hot wheels, games, books, electronic game

Stroller Bag - we have one of those "gate check" stroller bags to keep it from getting messed up

Sunscreen - very expensive to buy in the gift shop if you forget

Swimsuits and Flip Flops

Camera and Accessories - now that we are passed our last "end of school" event

Extra batteries

Ziploc bags (gallon and quart) - these are good for keeping things dry in rain, packing your swimsuit to come home, etc -- I don't take a whole box, just a handful of each size

Phone Chargers

Other items you might consider: Autograph book and pen/marker, small thermal bag or collapsible ice chest, cinch sac style bag to take to the pool

Of course, in addition to this is all our clothes, shoes, make-up, toiletries, etc....and I'm usually up at midnight the night before our trip getting all that stuff together! :)

Memory Makers!

So, you think you have a good camera? You've even practiced learning all the settings and the best way to adjust for light, and you just know you will get the BEST pictures at Walt Disney World, right?? Yep, that was me...every single trip...each camera upgrade was better than the one before...

I quickly learned, that it didn't matter what kind of photo equipment I was armed with, the Disney Photopass Photographers were still going to get a better picture than me, and I might as well just accept it! :)

Now, the best news is that these photographers are available at most of the prime Photo Spots and all the most popular characters...and they are FREE! That's right, you can stop at each and every one of these photographers, and have them take your picture in front of Cinderella's Castle, the Tree of Life at Animal Kingdom, with Mickey Mouse....any place you want. 

Once you get home, you can view all your photos online on the Disney's Photopass website (www.disneyphotopass.com), and select a few or a lot to print. You can make photo book, personalized souvenirs, ornaments to remember your trip, and they even let you upload your own photos to include in your albums! The best feature available from Disney's Photopass service is the Photo CD that you can purchase. The Photo CD will include all of your Photopass pictures, and a collection of stock photos of the characters and parks that you visited during your trip.

This CD comes complete with a print release and full sized digital images so you can make as many print copies as you like. The Photo CD costs $169.95, if you order after you arrive on Disney property. There is an opportunity to pre-purchase this Photo CD for a discounted price of $119.95, if you use this link http://www.disneyphotopass.com/previsitoffer.aspx to place the order. This is a great deal! Individual prints can start at $14.95 per image.

So take your fancy camera, or your point and shoot and get all those wonderful memories, but be sure to let the professional Disney Photopass photographers capture those one of a kind "castle" and character shots! That's why they are there! 

Saving money...snacks & breakfast

Before you leave for Disney, take a good look at your hotel's website to see what is included in your room. Do they have a mini-fridge, microwave? Does it have a kitchen/kitchenette? Do they include dishes/silverware in the kitchen? Do you have access to a toaster? Is there a coffee maker in your room? Once you have a good idea what is provided for you in the room, you can start to decide what you might need to bring with you.

Make room in your suitcase for a few snack and breakfast items. We love to bring granola bars, fruit snacks, "on the go" peanut butter packs, cereal and goldfish or other crackers. You can also throw in a pack of bagels or english muffins. The granola bars, cereal or bagels/muffins make a great healthy breakfast. Take along a peanut butter pack and buy an apple in the park to make a wonderful snack. Bring zipper snack bags day, or a snack cup with lid, to carry smaller portions into the parks each day. There are fruit carts in each park, so you always add a piece of fresh fruit for about $1.


If anyone in your family is a regular traveler, for work or pleasure, bring home any of those un-used coffee and stirrer/sugar packets from your other hotels. They are easy to throw in your suitcase to make a quick cup of coffee before you leave the room in the morning. If not, stock up on Starbucks VIA to have some quick, good coffee!

Source: http://www.starbucks.com/coffee/via

If you are staying on property, consider getting a Refillable Mug. It may sound like a lot of money to buy a refillable mug ($13.99), but when you think about buying cokes/water/powerade at $2.50 each, you may be able to save some money by purchasing and using the refillable mug at your resort. We buy them on the first day, and refill on the way to and from the bus stop every time we leave the resort. We get coffee in the morning, cokes in the afternoon and lemonade or some other non-caffeine drink on the way back to the room at night. As long as you are staying at the resort for more than 3-4 days, the mug will more than pay for itself. Just make sure you have a way to carry them around all day (we put them in the stroller bag). These mugs are valid for the duration of your stay at a Disney Resort. They come in multiple colors, so you can keep track of which mug belongs to which family member. And bonus....they make a great souvenir!

In the Disney Vacation Club Villas, we get the benefit of a fully stocked kitchen or kitchenette, with microwave/mini-fridge in the Studio rooms, and fully functional kitchen with appliances in the larger Villas. While we do not personally cook meals on our vacation, we do love to bring our breakfast foods and eat in the room before we start the day. It saves money, and keeps our son busy while we finish getting showered, dressed and out the door in the morning. Since we have a mini-fridge, we typically buy milk once we arrive, to keep in the room. The one time we did not have a mini-fridge, we brought along Horizon Organic Milk boxes for our son to drink with his breakfast. They do not have to be refrigerated, so they work great! 

Don't like taking up space in your suitcase for snacks?? Think of it as room for souvenirs when you fly home! :)

Countdown to Disney

How do you and your kids countdown the days to a Disney World vacation? There are so many different ways that you can mark each day. Here are a few ideas for making it a fun part of each day!

Countdown Blocks

Want to get super crafty? Mod Podge a few wooden block and add a little section of Chalkboard Paint to write your countdown!

Cut 3 blocks out of wood (3x3 square, 3x6 rectangle, 3x5 rectangle)
Sand them down a little, smooth out rough corners
Paint them Black
Mod Podge three different Mickey Mouse scrapbook papers to the front of each block of wood
Cut out the Letters with your Cricut (or other cutting machine -- or use Sticker Letters)
Stick on the words: "Days 'Til" on the smaller rectangle, and "Mickey!" on the larger rectangle
Mod Podge over the top of all three blocks
Once dry, paint the Square block with a Mickey shaped (or little square, if you don't trust your painting skills!) with chalkboard paint
Stack them up on your table, mantle, wherever your best "countdown" spot is located
Write the number of days until your trip and Countdown!

Not so crafty?? You can buy them on Etsy HERE

Countdown Plaque

Similar to the Countdown Blocks, you can make a single countdown plaque using the same techniques.

Cut a flat block of wood to approximately 5x7.
Paint it Bright Red
Scrapbook punch circles out of white paper
Scrapbook punch Mickey Mouse Head (or one large and two small circles, if you don't have a Mickey Punch)
Cut letters with Cricut, or use Sticker Letters
Mod Podge all the paper pieces onto the background
Coat the Mickey Head with Chalkboard Paint
Write your Countdown days on the Mickey Head

Again, not so crafty?? You can buy this one on Etsy HERE

Paper Countdown Chain

Make a paper chain (the kind you make at Christmas), and put a fun question or activity on each link.

Questions or Activities:
What's your favorite ride at (each park)?
Who is your favorite character?
What do you want to see first?
Which fireworks show is your favorite?
Who do you want to take your picture with?
What is your favorite transportation (monorail, boat, bus, train) at WDW?
Bounce around the house like Tigger!
Watch one episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (or other age-appropriate show)!
Watch Sing Along Songs - Disneyland DVD!

There are so many ways that you can get your kids (and let's face it, yourself) even more excited about your trip!

Photo Source: vermillionrules.blogspot.com

Mickey Head Countdown

Punch out enough Mickey Heads (using scrapbook paper and Mickey Mouse punch)
Number each one down to 1
Make one extra at the bottom (or top, whichever way you are counting) that has a Star on it
Title says "Days Until Mickey" and was cut out with my Cricut, with a few accent stars

This one was so quick and easy to make, and we have used it over and over.

Where to start?

All of my trips begin with a park plan...where to start? Which park will we visit on our first day at the resort?
There are many things that can play into this decision...everything from what days of the week will you be there? Are there any special events happening at the parks? Are you staying on property or off-property? What day/time do you arrive?

As much as I like to check the days/times/crowds/extra magic hours to decide where to go, I always come back to one thing...

The first thing I want to see is Main Street and that amazing and magical castle at the end of the street!

We are lucky this trip, in that our first full day is a Thursday. When compared to the weekend days, it may actually turn out to be the best day to enjoy Magic Kingdom!

Over the years and the trips, we've definitely had some exceptions to this "rule", but nothing feels more magical to this Disney loving princess than walking down Main Street on that first morning towards Cinderella's Castle!

Where do you like to start?