Here's How To Ensure Your Kids And You Have A Great Time At Disney
With the end of Covid-19 restrictions fast approaching, you might be thinking about where you want to travel next with your family. Has a Disney park been on your wish list? This could be a great time to go! The parks are reopening and package deals back on now could be the time to get something booked.
There are a few things you’ll want to think about when planning your Disney trip. I’ll share my best tips here with you.
Budget
Before you book anything you have to decide on your budget as this will change things, Disney is not cheap but there are things you can do to get the best deals. Check out our podcast episode filled with tips on doing Disney on a budget. There are some great hacks for stretching your dollars and making a Disney trip a reality.
Special Needs Kids
If you have family members with disabilities, Disney will do all that they can to help you have a magical experience. Listen in to our podcast episode about Making Disney Magical for Kids with Special Needs. Be aware that if you struggle with disabilities then you may need to put a little bit of extra time and planning into booking a trip away. You will need to think about if the hotel is accessible and if they have disabled access rooms. This may take a phone call to the hotel if you are not familiar with the resort. You also need to think about how many rides are accessible to you and your family.
Do Your Research - Know Ride Limits
Make sure that your trip to Disney will not be wasted if some of your party members are not old enough or tall enough to enjoy a lot of the rides. Take a look on Disney's website to find ages and heights for all the rides and judge if it will be worthwhile for that.
Disney was made for all ages so there will always be something to do. You have to make sure that if someone wants to go on big rides that another family member will be able to watch the smaller ones who may not be able to go on it.
We have enjoyed visiting Disneyland with grandparents or friends when our kids were young. Then we had plenty of adults on hand to trade-off when some go on bigger rides.
Plan Your Route so you are not walking around aimlessly when you are there it may be useful to scan over the Disney park map so you know roughly where everything is when you are there. This especially matters if you need to find the toilets in a hurry or if you want to find a place to eat.
Make Dining Reservations ASAP
We love eating at the themed restaurants in the park but they run out of reservations. If.you know you will want to eat at a specific place, make reservations as soon as you book your trip.
Consider Stay In A Disney Hotel
If you are going to Disney you should really make it magical and stay in a Disney park hotel. They are themed and all the rooms are decorated to match the theme. They have a little mermaid room, a cars room, and a lion king room to name a few. There are so many to choose from, your kids will be amazed the second they walk through the door. Disney hotels also give guests the opportunity to have breakfast and dinner with some of the characters. Minnie and Mickey is a great example, they come and greet you while you are eating.
Our favorite place at Disneyland Resort is the Grand Califiornian. If you want to be more budget-minded, we also love staying at hotels right outside of the Disneyland gate on Harbor Blvd. We love it because we can walk right to the park and don’t have to deal with parking.
If you are not sure which one to choose then be sure to check reviews from previous guests, they always give the most honest opinions.
Venture Outside The Theme Park
You might think that Disney is all there is to see and do but that's not the case, at all. There is so much to see outside of Disney, water parks for example. In the Florida heat, you do not want to spend all day wandering around parks, you will want to cool off. Floridian water parks are great for this so be sure to visit one or two while you are there. You can also take a trip to Gatorland, where you can see over 2000 alligators. This is just a 20-minute drive from Disneyworld. We went there during Spring Break this year and had a fun time!
We’ve been enjoying Disey as a family since our kids were babies!
Dress for Comfort
Wear sturdy athletic shoes for maximum comfort. You will be walking many miles during the day and the last thing you want is achy feet. Consider bringing layers depending on the season. Evenings can be cool even when daytime is warm.
I hope this gives you an idea of how to make your trip to Disney a success and you make lots of memories along the way.