This summer has been so full of travel for our little family, which has been so fun! We took the kids to Disney World in June for the first time ever. Unpopular opinion- I am not a fan of Disney. I know, I know. Take a moment to get over the shock. What can I say? It’s hot. It’s sticky. There’s too many people. And oh my gosh- it’s expensive! I’d rather be at a beach. Nonetheless, Ryne and I have always planned on taking the kids at least once during their childhoods. We had originally planned to take them last winter, but with all the restrictions at Disney we thought it best to wait. And I’m so glad we did because kids had so much fun. If you’re like me and Disney isn’t really your thing, but you’re still thinking about making the trip- these tips are for you!
Stay on property
We stayed at the Grand Floridian in the Cape Coral suite. It had two big bedrooms and bathroom attached by a common room with a kitchenette and a family room. The monorail comes right up to the hotel and takes you straight to the Magic Kingdom, which was AMAZING when we were ready to hit the pool after a long morning at the park.
Book your reservations early
About 10 days before we were due to arrive in Florida, a friend tipped me off that I needed to make restaurant reservations like 60 days in advance. By the time we got around to making reservations, literally every time slot at every restaurant on property was fully booked. Fortunately, Ryne was able to pull some strings and we were all well fed. Fav restaurant was the California Grill at the top of the Contemporary Hotel. So delicious and sweeping views of the park!
Order groceries
Everything in the park is like 6x as expensive as if you bought it from a grocery store. One Uncrustable is $8. We use a grocery delivery service at home, but one of my fav things about it is that we can have groceries delivered to a hotel or Airbnb when we’re on vacay too! Before we even left the tarmac in Denver, we had ordered our groceries on the app to be delivered to the hotel the evening we arrived. To keep our hangry children satisfied without going completely broke we ordered chocolate milk, Uncrustables, mini bagels & cream cheese, fruit squeezes, and a bajillion other snacks.
Come prepared
Packing to go into the park was like packing for a day trip. We had refillable water bottles, cooling towels, cooling fans, sunblock, hats, sunglasses, diapers & wipes, snacks. What we did not bring was cash. In this digital age, I almost never need it. But our first day in the park, their computer systems went down and we couldn’t buy anything without cash. Prepare for everything and double check your park tickets. Let’s just say I didn’t double check mine and It did not end well. Use your imagination.
Make Memories
Even if Disney isn’t your thing, try to make the best of it. Your kids will be excited and that is the best kind of magic!
