I joined Tour Guide Mike's website and you give him your vacation dates and he tells you everything! Which days to go to which parks, which days the parks are the busiest, where to stand during parades, what activities take place while you're there, etc. For example, he recommends avoiding Magic Kingdom on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Most people fly in to Orlando on the weekend and that's the first park they want to go to, so it's much busier on those days. Makes sense! We ended up going on a Tuesday (by his recommendation) and it wasn't busy at all! In fact, the longest wait time for a ride that I saw was around 10 minutes.
As we got within a few weeks of our trip, I went to Walmart and the 'ol Dollar Tree and bought snacks and disposable ponchos (for all of those infamous pop-up showers that FL is known for... in the parks they cost MUCH more.) I also rented a double stroller from Kingdom Strollers and my mother-in-law and I ordered groceries online that we scheduled to be delivered to our condo shortly after our arrival. I mean you can't get any more convenient than ordering your groceries online! I've read of people shipping some of these things (diapers, wipes, snacks, etc.) to their resort a week or so before they leave but we just packed it all and flew it with us, including diapers and wipes. Since we weren't staying in the park, my in-law's rented a 15 passenger van along with a car seat for Collier and a booster seat, that we were able to pick up at the airport. Florida law says that kids over 4 don't need a car seat but we still wanted a booster.
The best part of the planning was coordinating Disney outfits for the boys! Yes, Noah is too old for Mickey clothes, but while at Disney World anything goes! Even adults wear Mickey and Minnie shirts, hats, etc at the parks so I knew he definitely wouldn't stand out. I actually packed the kids' clothes in a large suitcase together and used gallon Ziploc bags to save space. I put each outfit in a bag and labeled them (ex. Noah - Wednesday) and then put other things such as all of Collier's socks into 1 bag, all pjs in 1 bag, etc. That way when we were hurrying to get out the door in the morning, things could be found easily and I could toss a bag to Jamie so he could help in getting the boys dressed!
I'm trying to think of all of the tips that I read and used to help anyone else that may have a Disney trip coming up. One thing is that when you go on rides you have to leave your stroller outside and as you can imagine, there are 100's of other strollers all lined up together. Its recommended to put something on your stroller to make it stand out from the others so you can find it easily and so that someone doesn't grab yours on accident (and everyone has a Mickey balloon tied to their stroller so that won't work). I bought a roll of that bright-colored printed duck tape and brought it with us. I put a big strip of it across our luggage (since we would have the kids and have to locate 3 large suitcases at baggage claim) and also wrapped it around the handle on our stroller. Voila! No mix-ups for us. I also brought my own cooler. Disney security checks all of your bags upon entry into the parks but they do allow you to bring food and drinks in so you can pack your own snacks or whatever you choose. Another thing to remember is bug spray and sunscreen. Since we weren't in the parks and had access to our own vehicle, we were able to run to CVS if we needed to (and we did) however, I tried to think of anything and everything, such as Children's Tylenol, our thermometer, hats for the kids, sunglasses, swimmy diapers for the pools. I even bought a handheld fan and water spritzer that I found on clearance at Walmart. I found mine for $5 and they sold them in the parks for at least $12. I also packed an extra pair of shoes in case we got rained on and our shoes didn't dry out. I probably over packed, but at least I was prepared! Another thing to remember is Sharpie pens for character autographs. It's easier for them to hold a thicker marker than a regular pen. I've read of some families bringing their own Disney toys and surprising their children with a new toy/surprise from "Mickey" each day. It can also be used as an incentive to keep your children behaving well. I didn't do that but we did end up buying our fair share of toys in the parks. Collier is going through the "MINE!" stage ... but at the same time, it's Disney and you want your kids to feel somewhat spoiled or treated to fun toys that they may not be able to get at home! That's part of the magic of it!
Well, before we knew it, our trip was upon us. After months and months of planning, we were super excited and couldn't wait to arrive in Orlando!
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