by Rebecca Rotem
I have been to Walt Disney World three times as a parent. We went for the first time in October 2011 when my oldest was a little over 2. We went again in January 2014 when my youngest was 2 and right before my older one was starting kindergarten, which allowed us to go at a less crowded time. Our third trip was in December 2015 when we had 3 kids – almost 1, almost 4 and 6. We stayed at different hotels each time and learned a lot along the way!
Where We Stayed:
- On our first trip, we stayed off-site at the Marriott Grande Vista. We liked that hotel a lot and got a two bedroom room there for much cheaper than anything on-site. It was about a 20 minute drive to Disney. We spent some time at the hotel pool which also had a kids’ pool area. The good thing about staying off site was that you could escape the crazy that is Disney.
- On our second trip, we stayed at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort. I wanted to stay there because I wanted to be able to watch the Magic Kingdom fireworks from the beach every night. We did – and it did not disappoint!
- On our third trip, we spent two nights at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge. I didn’t pay for any special upgrade, but our hotel room happened to have a view of the Magic Kingdom fireworks, which was really nice! We liked the hotel, and the pool area was fun.
Regarding the debate on whether to stay on site or off, I will say that on site is very convenient. Airport pick up is so easy and they get your luggage which is great! We did not rent a car and just did Disney transport. Driving to parks is not so easy either. You have to park far and have to take the tram to your car. The Monorail to Magic Kingdom and Epcot (from the Polynesian) was super easy.
Quick Tips:
- Kids under 3 are free, so this is a great time to take them!
- Bring a portable phone charger because you will be spending a lot of time on the app while you’re in the parks.
- My favorite snack was the Dole Whip – pineapple fro yo.
- FastPass tips: You can now do FP for many character meet and greets which is cool. For rides with lines that are less than 20 minutes, skip the FP. My strategy was to get FP for rides after around 10/11am. From opening to then, the lines were relatively short. Keep in mind that they do run out of FP for very popular rides.
- The parks are the least crowded Tuesday-Thursday and pretty crowded on weekends, even during slow season.
- If you’re going to purchase Memory Maker, do it in advance and you’ll save money.
- Bring your own poncho. It rains and they are expensive at Disney.
- Make your dining reservations in advance, but remember that most can be canceled up to 24 hours in advance in case you need to make a change, or want to skip a day at the parks to hang out at the hotel pool.
- If you do the meal plan, you should know in advance that kids age 10 and older count as adults.
Favorite Activities:
- Magic Kingdom Park – I suggest getting a FP for Storytime with Belle, Peter Pan, and Thunder Mountain, or getting there early. We really enjoyed the fireworks and the Ariel ride. The kids liked the new Dumbo play area and the Teacups. Our 4 year old liked the Buzz Lightyear ride and Barnstormer (although that ride is like 30 seconds long!).
- Epcot Theme Park – We had to split up here because our 4 year old could do the 40 inch height rides, but our 2 year old was only 36 inches. Our 4 year old liked Soaring & Test Track (definitely do Fast Pass for these if you can). The kids also liked Turtle Talk with Crush and Spaceship Earth.
- Animal Kingdom – We really liked the parade at Animal Kingdom. I suggest getting a FP for the safari or getting there early. The Finding Nemo show is very good. (We also loved Lion King in 2011, but it was closed during our trip in 2014). The kids liked The Boneyard and Triceratops ride.
- Hollywood Studios – We really liked the Beauty and the Beast show and Fantasmic was great. The kids also liked the Disney Jr. show. Definitely FP the Toy Story mania ride – it’s fun and appeals to all ages, so there’s always a long line (though now, Slinky Dog is the hardest FP to get). My husband and 4 year old liked Star Tours. The Muppet 3d movie was cute too.
What to Eat:
The first time we went, I did not make any reservations in advance and we quickly got sick of the counter service food. The second time, I took food more seriously and planned out many of our meals.
Breakfast:
- Cinderella’s Royal Table – We did a 9am breakfast and because Magic Kingdom opened at 9 that day, we were able to enter early at 8:30. We got great pictures in front of Cinderella’s castle and seeing the Magic Kingdom nearly empty was a highlight of the trip! Everyone liked this meal and the boys really liked the swords they got and were enamored with the princesses. We met Cinderella and got pictures with her when we walked in, then Aurora, Ariel, Jasmine, and Snow White were there while we were eating.
- Chef Mickeys – We had breakfast here and Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto, and Donald came around. That was a good character meal, but the others are fine if you can’t get in to Chef Mickey.
Lunch:
- Seasons (Epcot) and Columbus House (MK) – We had quick lunches here and both were actually good.
- Mama Melrose (Hollywood Studios) – We ate lunch here with the Fantasmic dining package (where you also get a FP for Fantasmic seating with your meal).
Dinner:
- T-Rex in Downtown Disney: This restaurant was very crowded on a weekend, so not the best choice for our first night’s dinner. We liked the food here but the meteor shower that occurs every 15 minutes was a little scary for our 2 year old.
- Ohana (Polynesian) – I timed this dinner (7pm) so we could see the Magic Kingdom fireworks there (there is also a Hawaiian entertainer during the meal). I liked it and I’m glad that we did it, but I would only time your meal for the fireworks there if you’re also going to have another opportunity to see the fireworks. It was cool because they piped the music into the restaurant but from what I could tell, almost every seat had an obstructed view of the fireworks due to the trees. The time of the firework show also varies depending on the time of year. Another option is to eat dinner at Ohanas then go down and watch an unobstructed view of the fireworks from the Polynesian beach. Ohana dinner was my favorite meal of the trip – I definitely want to go back there!
- Be Our Guest – It was definitely a cool location and neat to eat in Beast’s castle and see the ballroom and other Beauty and the Beast stuff, etc. But no one else in my group appreciated the atmosphere as much as I did! Beast walks through the ballroom during dinner and he scared my 2 year old, who then ate his whole dinner while sitting in my lap. We had the “gray stuff” for dessert – I thought that was cute.
Favorite Resources
- The Disney Food Blog
- Download the My Disney Experience app before you go
- WDW Prep School Blog and Facebook page.
- Touring Plans – I think the annual subscription to Touring Plans is worth it. I use the crowd calendar to think about when to go. They also have a cool reservation finder feature.
- The DIS boards
We covered a lot of ground on our trips to Disney World, but have really learned that you need to have a balance. Don’t overdo it on the park days (especially in the heat) and schedule in down time at the pool. You can’t do it all in one trip! I recently read that Walt Disney World is the size of San Francisco! I hope our experiences help you when planning your family vacation.
