Susan & Greg's Disney Tips, Tricks & Suggestions
Okay, we promised our tips, tricks and suggestions, and here they are!
Tickets
If you are buying the tickets on your own, try to buy them before you go. I ordered the Disney tickets online through Disney and got a discount. When you get to the park on the first day, all you have to do is go up to the little ATM-type machines, swipe your credit card, and push a couple buttons. Out pop your passes. Sure beats waiting in the line at the ticket window.
I also ordered our Sea World tickets online before we went. They had a special where we got the adult tickets for the price of a child's ticket. That saved about $11 per ticket! You get a computer printout ticket that you take directly to the turnstiles! Again, no waiting at the ticket window. And there was another surprise. Apparently when you get tickets this way, you get a second day for free. Just take your printout to the window inside the main gate and trade them in! Two for the price of one.
Getting Around
Definitely rent the Disney strollers. The maneuver very well. Almost like a jogging stroller. We used the double strollers, and the boys behaved great together. You can pay for multiple days at one time, and they will give you passes for all the days at one time. Again allowing you to bypass the cashier and go directly to stroller pickup.
Bring along something bright or unique to tie on to the handle of the stroller. It will make it easier to identify your stroller when you go to pick it up in stroller parking. We used a bright pink bandana. We also used a couple of those linkey-doos things for hanging kids toys. An extra advantage to this was that you can clip on light bags. The strollers don't have much storage, so plan on carrying whatever you bring.
My fanny pack came in very handy for helping carry the boys. I've never used a baby sling, but it seemed to work something like that. The pack was big enough that it provided almost a little seat, so not as much arm-power was needed to hold them up. Holding a 25 pound child for a long time is hard enough. But when he falls asleep, he feels like he's 40 pounds! Get a big fanny pack and wear it. I know they look silly. But you're not at Disney to make a fashion statement.
Parks
Magic Kingdom is a must if you have kids. You could probably spend a week there and the kids would never be bored.
Disney MGM was surprisingly great with kids. There are characters to meet everywhere. Lots of kids shows (like Playhouse Disney Live on Stage). We easily spent a whole day here.
Animal Kingdom is beautiful. Most of the rides are not appropriate for little kids. But the safari ride is a must. Get there first thing in the morning. Literally when the chain drops, make a bee-line for the safari ride. Otherwise you will wait and wait and wait later. Animal Kingdom might get boring for little kids after a few hours. Especially if they've already been to Magic Kingdom and they remember all that stimulation! Important note: If you take your child in to the Boneyard playground, be aware that there is a second section that is somewhat hidden. I lost Michael for about 10 minutes because I didn't know that if you climbed up high, you could go over a bridge to a large sand-box type play area. Keep on top of your kids in here.
Epcot. Skip it if you have little kids. We pushed it to make it through lunch. We would have been much better off taking a second full day at Magic Kingdom.
Sea World is a great park. It doesn't have the perfection of Disney, but it is still very nice. The boys didn't have the patience for all the shows. But there is a fun kids play area that Michael loved. However, why pay $60 a person so that your kid can play in a playground? If they're not ready for all the animals and shows, skip it for now. A good place for lunch is actually at the Anheuser Busch Hospitality House. The lines moved quickly, the prices were reasonable, and there was a lot of room to sit. Much more relaxed that your typical theme park restaurant. But skip the beer samples, or limit it to just one. You're here to have a holiday with your kids, not to become a bumbling drunk.
Kennedy Space Center is one of my favorite places. Michael is fascinated by the moon and space. But they don't have much here for preschoolers. As much as I hate skipping KSC on a trip to Florida, I think it is best left for when kids are elementary school or older. The food court is a disaster. It is unorganized, slow, and really expensive. Pack a picnic instead.
Drinks
Bring your own water bottles! They do check bags at the gate, but no one ever commented on our water bottles. And we brought plenty! The standard size Dansani water is $2.25 in the parks, so you'll save a lot of money by hitting the grocery store and buying your own. Even at the Hess gas station by Downtown Disney I was able to get the same size Dansani water at 2 for $2.
Gas
Skip the Chevron stations! It seems that every Chevron station we saw was about 20 cents more than the other stations. Even when they are right next to each other. I don't quite understand that. The Hess stations seemed more reasonable. What was truly amazing was that the Hess stations that were INSIDE DISNEY PROPERTY were still 20 cents cheaper than the Chevrons outside the park!
Dining
If you have kids, you just have to go to the character dining meals! At Magic Kingdom, we went to the Crystal Palace for the Pooh & Friends lunch. This was our third time at this meal. The food has improved dramatically in the past 5 years. And you can't beat the characters! The boys loved it. They even have a little parade through the restaurant with the characters.
At Disney MGM, we went to Hollywood & Vine for the Playhouse Disney lunch. The characters were Jo Jo & Goliath and Leo & June (from Little Einsteins). Again very good food, and lots of fun interaction with the kids.
At Animal Kingdom, we went to the Donald Breakasaurus. This features Donald, Mickey Mouse, Pluto and Goofy. If you like breakfast buffets, this is the place to go! Try to go before 10 am though. We were there towards the end, and the characters were definitely rushed.
In terms of counter dining...
At Magic Kingdom, we had hot dogs from Casey's Corner at the end of Main Street. It's pretty hard to mess up a hot dog. They also had corn-dog-bites, which are another option for the little ones.
At Disney MGM, definitely skip the ABC Commissary. The food is fine, but it is full of televisions playing commercials for ABC television shows. And it's loud. Pretty annoying. For counter service, try the Backlot Express instead.
At Epcot, we ate at the Mexican place. San Miguel, or something like that. The food was fine. But it was so SLOW! They had a horrible time trying to get straight what should go on our tray. We had a simple order. A salad, a burrito, and a kids meal. But they kept putting boxes on and taking others off. When they finally handed me my tray almost 15 minutes later, it was still wrong.
At Animal Kingdom, we ate dinner at the Rainforest Cafe. They are all pretty standard. Any place that has decent crab cakes is a winner to me. They boys really like all the animatronic jungle animals all over the restaurants. And if you're looking for plastic dinnerware to take home for the kids, buy the plates at Rainforest Cafe. They are 2 for $5, and hold up really well, even through daily dishwashing.
Lodging
Sure, you can stay on Disney property. You'll pay a minimum of $79 per night to stay in the All-Star Resorts, and the rooms will be tiny. I mean TINY. Or, you can look right outside the park for better rates and more room. We have always stayed at the Springhill Suites at Marriott Village. Plenty of room for 4 people, with room for kids to play. There is a free breakfast each morning, and it always includes a hot entree and a waffle station. That's a good $20 savings a day for a family of 4! We can zip right over to the parks as well, which are just on the other side of I-4 from the hotel. If we were really up for it, we could walk to Downtown Disney.
So we spent a little less what you would pay at the cheapest Disney resort, got a lot more room AND a free breakfast! But hey, if you want to spend a lot more money for the same amount of room to stay on Disney property, go ahead. It's your money.
Be prepared for...
...lots of walking. And standing. Wear good sneakers that you've already broken in. Make sure they're not tight. You'll be on your feet a lot and your feet could swell. Again, you're not there to make a fashion statement. Dress wisely.
...lots of waiting. Even if there is no wait at a ride, you'll probably still have a 5-10 minute period between first entering the ride and actually getting aboard. It is not uncommon to see wait times of 30-60 minutes. And this was during the down season.
...not seeing everything. It is probably impossible to see and do everything at any park in one day. Don't plan to. You will miss something. Even if you plan to do less than everything, you will still probably see less than you expected. Kids have preferences, things may be slow, and they are big parks for one day.
...ignorant people. The parks are full of people who seem unaware of how to move about in large crowds. You will have people stop in their tracks right in front of you. You will have people step in front of you as you try to take a picture. You will get hit with strollers. If you are a serious Type A personality, you may want to skip the parks altogether! Just try to relax and go with the flow.
...kids being the lowest common denominator. If you go to Disney with little kids, you probably will not wind up on the thrill rides. Having been to Disney parks 7 times now (starting in 6th grade, and including Disneyland CA twice and EuroDisney), I can tell you that the experiences with kids and without kids are totally different. Remember that Disney will still be there in 10 years. Enjoy the kids stuff now. You can do the adult stuff later.
...having fun! At Disney you will find some of the best customer service on the planet. You will see shows that rival anything on Broadway. You will laugh, you will smile, and you will go back to your hotel exhausted at the end of the day!
Tickets
If you are buying the tickets on your own, try to buy them before you go. I ordered the Disney tickets online through Disney and got a discount. When you get to the park on the first day, all you have to do is go up to the little ATM-type machines, swipe your credit card, and push a couple buttons. Out pop your passes. Sure beats waiting in the line at the ticket window.
I also ordered our Sea World tickets online before we went. They had a special where we got the adult tickets for the price of a child's ticket. That saved about $11 per ticket! You get a computer printout ticket that you take directly to the turnstiles! Again, no waiting at the ticket window. And there was another surprise. Apparently when you get tickets this way, you get a second day for free. Just take your printout to the window inside the main gate and trade them in! Two for the price of one.
Getting Around
Definitely rent the Disney strollers. The maneuver very well. Almost like a jogging stroller. We used the double strollers, and the boys behaved great together. You can pay for multiple days at one time, and they will give you passes for all the days at one time. Again allowing you to bypass the cashier and go directly to stroller pickup.
Bring along something bright or unique to tie on to the handle of the stroller. It will make it easier to identify your stroller when you go to pick it up in stroller parking. We used a bright pink bandana. We also used a couple of those linkey-doos things for hanging kids toys. An extra advantage to this was that you can clip on light bags. The strollers don't have much storage, so plan on carrying whatever you bring.
My fanny pack came in very handy for helping carry the boys. I've never used a baby sling, but it seemed to work something like that. The pack was big enough that it provided almost a little seat, so not as much arm-power was needed to hold them up. Holding a 25 pound child for a long time is hard enough. But when he falls asleep, he feels like he's 40 pounds! Get a big fanny pack and wear it. I know they look silly. But you're not at Disney to make a fashion statement.
Parks
Magic Kingdom is a must if you have kids. You could probably spend a week there and the kids would never be bored.
Disney MGM was surprisingly great with kids. There are characters to meet everywhere. Lots of kids shows (like Playhouse Disney Live on Stage). We easily spent a whole day here.
Animal Kingdom is beautiful. Most of the rides are not appropriate for little kids. But the safari ride is a must. Get there first thing in the morning. Literally when the chain drops, make a bee-line for the safari ride. Otherwise you will wait and wait and wait later. Animal Kingdom might get boring for little kids after a few hours. Especially if they've already been to Magic Kingdom and they remember all that stimulation! Important note: If you take your child in to the Boneyard playground, be aware that there is a second section that is somewhat hidden. I lost Michael for about 10 minutes because I didn't know that if you climbed up high, you could go over a bridge to a large sand-box type play area. Keep on top of your kids in here.
Epcot. Skip it if you have little kids. We pushed it to make it through lunch. We would have been much better off taking a second full day at Magic Kingdom.
Sea World is a great park. It doesn't have the perfection of Disney, but it is still very nice. The boys didn't have the patience for all the shows. But there is a fun kids play area that Michael loved. However, why pay $60 a person so that your kid can play in a playground? If they're not ready for all the animals and shows, skip it for now. A good place for lunch is actually at the Anheuser Busch Hospitality House. The lines moved quickly, the prices were reasonable, and there was a lot of room to sit. Much more relaxed that your typical theme park restaurant. But skip the beer samples, or limit it to just one. You're here to have a holiday with your kids, not to become a bumbling drunk.
Kennedy Space Center is one of my favorite places. Michael is fascinated by the moon and space. But they don't have much here for preschoolers. As much as I hate skipping KSC on a trip to Florida, I think it is best left for when kids are elementary school or older. The food court is a disaster. It is unorganized, slow, and really expensive. Pack a picnic instead.
Drinks
Bring your own water bottles! They do check bags at the gate, but no one ever commented on our water bottles. And we brought plenty! The standard size Dansani water is $2.25 in the parks, so you'll save a lot of money by hitting the grocery store and buying your own. Even at the Hess gas station by Downtown Disney I was able to get the same size Dansani water at 2 for $2.
Gas
Skip the Chevron stations! It seems that every Chevron station we saw was about 20 cents more than the other stations. Even when they are right next to each other. I don't quite understand that. The Hess stations seemed more reasonable. What was truly amazing was that the Hess stations that were INSIDE DISNEY PROPERTY were still 20 cents cheaper than the Chevrons outside the park!
Dining
If you have kids, you just have to go to the character dining meals! At Magic Kingdom, we went to the Crystal Palace for the Pooh & Friends lunch. This was our third time at this meal. The food has improved dramatically in the past 5 years. And you can't beat the characters! The boys loved it. They even have a little parade through the restaurant with the characters.
At Disney MGM, we went to Hollywood & Vine for the Playhouse Disney lunch. The characters were Jo Jo & Goliath and Leo & June (from Little Einsteins). Again very good food, and lots of fun interaction with the kids.
At Animal Kingdom, we went to the Donald Breakasaurus. This features Donald, Mickey Mouse, Pluto and Goofy. If you like breakfast buffets, this is the place to go! Try to go before 10 am though. We were there towards the end, and the characters were definitely rushed.
In terms of counter dining...
At Magic Kingdom, we had hot dogs from Casey's Corner at the end of Main Street. It's pretty hard to mess up a hot dog. They also had corn-dog-bites, which are another option for the little ones.
At Disney MGM, definitely skip the ABC Commissary. The food is fine, but it is full of televisions playing commercials for ABC television shows. And it's loud. Pretty annoying. For counter service, try the Backlot Express instead.
At Epcot, we ate at the Mexican place. San Miguel, or something like that. The food was fine. But it was so SLOW! They had a horrible time trying to get straight what should go on our tray. We had a simple order. A salad, a burrito, and a kids meal. But they kept putting boxes on and taking others off. When they finally handed me my tray almost 15 minutes later, it was still wrong.
At Animal Kingdom, we ate dinner at the Rainforest Cafe. They are all pretty standard. Any place that has decent crab cakes is a winner to me. They boys really like all the animatronic jungle animals all over the restaurants. And if you're looking for plastic dinnerware to take home for the kids, buy the plates at Rainforest Cafe. They are 2 for $5, and hold up really well, even through daily dishwashing.
Lodging
Sure, you can stay on Disney property. You'll pay a minimum of $79 per night to stay in the All-Star Resorts, and the rooms will be tiny. I mean TINY. Or, you can look right outside the park for better rates and more room. We have always stayed at the Springhill Suites at Marriott Village. Plenty of room for 4 people, with room for kids to play. There is a free breakfast each morning, and it always includes a hot entree and a waffle station. That's a good $20 savings a day for a family of 4! We can zip right over to the parks as well, which are just on the other side of I-4 from the hotel. If we were really up for it, we could walk to Downtown Disney.
So we spent a little less what you would pay at the cheapest Disney resort, got a lot more room AND a free breakfast! But hey, if you want to spend a lot more money for the same amount of room to stay on Disney property, go ahead. It's your money.
Be prepared for...
...lots of walking. And standing. Wear good sneakers that you've already broken in. Make sure they're not tight. You'll be on your feet a lot and your feet could swell. Again, you're not there to make a fashion statement. Dress wisely.
...lots of waiting. Even if there is no wait at a ride, you'll probably still have a 5-10 minute period between first entering the ride and actually getting aboard. It is not uncommon to see wait times of 30-60 minutes. And this was during the down season.
...not seeing everything. It is probably impossible to see and do everything at any park in one day. Don't plan to. You will miss something. Even if you plan to do less than everything, you will still probably see less than you expected. Kids have preferences, things may be slow, and they are big parks for one day.
...ignorant people. The parks are full of people who seem unaware of how to move about in large crowds. You will have people stop in their tracks right in front of you. You will have people step in front of you as you try to take a picture. You will get hit with strollers. If you are a serious Type A personality, you may want to skip the parks altogether! Just try to relax and go with the flow.
...kids being the lowest common denominator. If you go to Disney with little kids, you probably will not wind up on the thrill rides. Having been to Disney parks 7 times now (starting in 6th grade, and including Disneyland CA twice and EuroDisney), I can tell you that the experiences with kids and without kids are totally different. Remember that Disney will still be there in 10 years. Enjoy the kids stuff now. You can do the adult stuff later.
...having fun! At Disney you will find some of the best customer service on the planet. You will see shows that rival anything on Broadway. You will laugh, you will smile, and you will go back to your hotel exhausted at the end of the day!
posted by Susan | 9:55 AM
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