It was supposed to be simple. Tate and I decided several months ago that we were going to take the kids to Disney World during Carson’s fall break. The kids, old enough to get our money’s worth of memories, this Disney adventure would be laid back and relaxed, no itineraries, and lazy days spent at the resort pools. Carson and Ella aren’t really even into Disney characters, except for the Pixar variety and they don’t even know what Disney is or what to expect, so we figured we could just skip the character meals and fast passes and all that other mumbo jumbo that quickly turns a laid back vacation into one that included a color-coded itinerary.
Then I went online and oh my gosh, YOU GUYS. YOU GUYS! There are approximately 4.2 million blogs and websites devoted to planning your trip down to strategically planning routes and meal times to get the most out of your Disney experience. I mean, I just didn’t know, not really anyway. These people are DEVOTED, y’all and love themselves some Disney. It was like navigating a foreign land where I didn’t speak the language.
But our vacation was going to be different. Laid back and relaxed, no itineraries…
“Well, maybe I should talk to Shelly,” I said to Tate after an evening of pulling my hair out trying to figure out where we would even stay. “She’s a travel agent and can help guide us. I’ll be sure to let her know that we want a laid back Disney vacation.”
I also started to talking to friends who’ve been to Disney.
“You must eat at ‘Ohana!”
“You have to go to Chef Mickey’s!”
“Do not miss the fireworks, they’re amazing!”
“If you want my travel books, list of favorite Disney planning websites, maps, and itineraries, I’d be happy to show them to you!”
“The Toy Story ride is our most favorite, go there as soon as Hollywood Studios opens!”
“Do you have any reservations for character meals? You HAVE to do a character meal, it’s DISNEY-FREAKING-WORLD for goodness sakes!”
“You’re less than 180 days out, you have made some dinner reservations, haven’t you?”
And there were also the knowing head nods when I explained, “No, no! You don’t understand. We’re not going to do Disney World that way! My kids won’t care about the character meals! Our trip is going to be laid back and relaxed! We don’t want an itinerary!”
Shelly has been more than patient in dealing with Tate and me, obvious Disney World amateurs who didn’t realize that in fact, the no itinerary idea probably wasn’t going to work. She never once told us that we were crazy, she just offered very wise suggestions and ideas based on her personal experiences.
It’s like a rabbit hole, this whole Disney planning thing. There’s just so much I needed to learn, like if you want to eat at a sit down restaurant at Disney World you must have reservations, that’s just how it works. Now I get why people would eye me nervously when I said that I didn’t have any dinner reservations yet. One thing lead to another and the next thing I knew, I realized that since we are spending a decent chunk of money on this trip, it really doesn’t make sense to go willy nilly and end up spending all of our time waiting in lines and missing all the cool stuff there is to do. If we’re going to do Disney, we should DO DISNEY.
Our original idea has morphed into a full blown Disney EXPERIENCE, complete with dinner reservations with 2! Yes, 2! character meals! Even one with Cinderella and Prince Charming (squee!!), the Disney dining plan (free!), and a lovely color coded itinerary that includes seeing fireworks, getting fast passes for popular rides, and seeing a Pixar-themed parade. I could not be more excited!
We’re not telling the kids until the day we leave for Orlando. You guys, we’re going to Disney World!
I have heard this – OMG. Scary.
We were very much the same way this past Spring. Then I went for a doctor visit around November and my doctor couldn’t believe we hadn’t made reservations for anything and started giving me all sorts of websites to check out. We didn’t go nuts but we definitely stepped it up quite a bit and the kids LOVED it!
You are going to love seeing your kids enjoy every moment. And seriously, get to the Toy Story ride first! IT IS AWESOME!
Oh, I am one of those Disney planning nuts! Planning my trip to Disney is almost as fun (for me) as my trip to Disney! If you’re on the Dining Plan, even if it’s “free” (not really, since you’re paying rack rate for your hotel to get it), make sure you maximize your dining credits and have reservations to cover all your table service meals!
The Toy Story ride really is amazing. My kids also loved Big Thunder Mountain and Splash Mountain, both at Magic Kingdom. Our favorite park is Animal Kingdom. It’s a slower paced park and I just love how it “feels” to be there.
Have an amazing trip – don’t forget to take breaks! Tired parent and tired kids do NOT make for a magical time!
That is awesome! Have fun!
I had a Disney binder that I used to organize our trip! Books, chat boards, online resources – I was obsessed! But our trip was great and because I had planned it all we enjoyed it so much more!
I could not be more happy to help you with your trip! & for the record, I never your laid back plan was crazy, just a wee bit unrealistic. You had to come to it on your own and you did. Now I can’t wait to see all your fabulous pics of the trip!
OMG I know. We are looking ahead to possibly going in 2013 (girls will be the perfect ages, I think) and just thinking about the planning makes me want to puke. Apparently you cannot be Casual Disney Vacationers. This is very stressful for me! heh
I love that you’re not telling them ahead of time!! I would love to do that… not sure if we could pull it off though!
It made me sick when we first started planning. I’m so glad I got a travel agent (Shelly). I’d HIGHLY recommend finding a travel agent with lots of Disney experience…it makes the planning much more manageable.
how exciting! we love disney and as locals spend a lot of time there
i have to disagree, though… you totally CAN do disney low key.
I’m not saying you can’t do Disney low key, but it’s certainly easier for locals who know they’ll get to go more than once! This may be our only trip and I want to see as much as we can!
I did Disney World low key and it was fine. We actually made peanut butter and jam sandwiches for every day with fruit and saved a lot of money. We just packed it with us.
Before the free dining option came available, we were seriously considering packing lunches. Great way to save money!
Oh my gosh this made me want to have a panic attack! Have the best time! we did Disney “land” on a whim once and it all worked out great. I think planned or unplanned it will be awesome.
Steph
Oh, you have to show us the pictures you take when you tell them. How exciting for you all!
We go every year the last week in March. We no longer do the character dining but do stay on site and love it. We know which rides we need fast passes for and what we need to just relax and enjoy. Your first visit with the kids is a whirlwind but so much fun. Enjoy every minute and try not to stress. It’s suppose to fun. Have a great time!! I can’t wait to see the pictures.
You are doing the right thing! I am an OCD planner of everything, but when we did our Disney trip (it was only a weekend) I let things fall away as needed. It’s better to HAVE all the reservations and fast passes and not use them, then the other way around. You will have a blast. The character restaurants are the BEST.
If we were to miss the character dining, my kids would never know, so I admit that I made those character dining reservations for me! Hope the kids will like it, too.
Here’s the link for my Disney World trip post
http://www.popmommy.com/family-vacations/disney-world-trip-11-part-three
A couple of dancers I was in the company with at UT dance at the Disney parks now and the pictures they post lead me to believe that the parades and shows are not to be missed. Have fun!!
I didn’t know that!!! We will be there, too! You are probably advised-out, but just in case you want my take, I made the link above to a post I wrote after we got back from our first trip.
Planning a trip to Disney is like picking up a part-time job. There is so much to know!
We didn’t tell our kids last time, and they don’t know we are going in October. It was so much fun to get them on video as we drove through the Walt Disney World entrance. The only thing I haven’t done for this trip is get tickets to Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. I highly recommend that if it’s not on your color-coded agenda.
You are making the right choice, the kids are the perfect age to enjoy all things Disney. I have a couple of suggestions for you, being that I am employed by the mouse.
First, Octoberish – if this is when you are going will be better in terms of places being available to eat with and without reservations. BUT reservations require planning your day around them because if you show up late – your table goes away.
There are Apps for phones that will allow you to find out where in the park characters are located – taking advantage of this can allow you to bypass the character meals – which can be quite expensive. There are also apps available that provide wait time for rides.
Explore Animal Kingdom earlier in the day – esp. the Safari Jeep attraction – two reasons #1 first part of the day the animals are all out and visable and #2 the attraction is in the back of the park and it takes a while for the crowd to head there.
Last but not least, pack 2 good walking shoes for everyone. The hurricane season is in that portion of the year and rain is inevitable in FL. One pair of wet shoes = many blisters. I had 7 my first trip.
Visit Guest Services for a 1st visit pin for the kids – that will make it special when the Cast Members greet them by name on their magical adventure! (don’t forget asking is harmless – asking a Cast Member can do things like get you to ride with the engineers of the trains and ships).
Good job to you and Tate! It’s something you will never forget
Thanks for the great tips!!
I want my kids to go to Disney World when they are still kids, but the whole thing frightens me completely. I completely agreed with you on your approach, but I totally get how wonderful that color-coded itinerary will be. I’ll have to remember that when the time comes, and just let some expert plan it all for me.
Loved it!
I have a friend who is all about Disney planning. I’ve told her that when we go, she’ll plan it. I HATE though that you have to do it so far in advance. I would really like to go this fall, but I guess it is too late to get the most out of it:( Maybe in the spring when Magic Kingdom done with construction?
We’re going in the fall, I don’t think it’s too late…though I wasn’t able to get reservations at all the restaurants that were my first choice. I’ll keep trying, though.
Oh how exciting! My family went when my son was 8. Back in 2000. We had a blast. We planned out everything we wanted to do and left room for thing we didn’t know we wanted to do.
I have to say one of my favorite parts was when I got to see tinkerbell fly form the magic kingdom when the fire works were going off just like at the end of the disney movies. My husband and I reverted back to being kids.
My son’s Sr.year class of 2010 got to choose to go to either New York or Disney and they chose Disney. They all had a blast!
I hope this trips is better than you could ever imagine. Oh and always go to the left in every park. We did and got in the shows and on the rides with only like a 15 minutes wait.
I’m so excited for all of you. My favorite part was the Dr. Sues (however you spell it. haha)
Disney is a bit overwhelming. I recommend giving the kids a souvenir allowance up front (that you carry) and encourage them to plan their purchase for the end of the trip. When its gone its gone. You’ll be bumping into goodies shops at every bend.
So now when we decide to go I can call on you to help me plan, right? ;P
It’s gonna be great!!
OH! Disney is on my must do list. My older daughter will be 10 next June (SIGH) and I’m secretly obsessed with going before then. I can’t wait to hear all about it!
p.s. OK on property or off property hotel for you all?
We are staying on property at the Wilderness Lodge. This may be our only Disney trip so we wanted to live it up!
Hope you get to go by next June!
This does not make me ever want to go there! I’m already an OCD planner and I just think I wouldn’t enjoy it let alone my poor family! I did Disneyland with some girlfriends a couple years back so maybe we’ll just do that in a few years. Considering we live on the West Coast anyway!
Then again, now they’ve added California Adventure it’s getting way bigger than I remember when I was a kid even!
My ex recently married a Bible beater ! My twins are visiting the happy couple this Summer, on a recent web cam call. I asked if they were going to Disney Land. My son said no the W is the sign of Satan and Starbucks gives you cancer !
Oh, man, those first two sentences made me choke on my coffee! But kudos to you for trying a laid back Disney vaycay. We are hoping to take Miss L in a few years, and I’m wondering if we should start planning it already. Hmmm….
Disney scares me for a variety of reasons but mostly because I’m lazy and the planning sites make me want to curl into the fetal position and suck my thumb. My mom lives about 90 minutes from Disney so I’m hoping to do Disney in a low key fashion in a couple of years (maybe when Tessa is 5). Our hope is to spend a day at Disney, spend a day relaxing at my mom’s, spend a day at Disney, spend a day at mom’s – repeat for a week. That way we can spend a few days enjoying the park but have days in between to come down off the Mickey high. We’ll see how that all works out when the time comes. For now, I’m pretending it doesn’t exist.
I laugh, laid back and Disney in the same sentence…
I’ll email my planning spreadsheet. You’ll have to look up the schedule for the days you’ll be there but it’s quite handy for organizing your Reservations.
You’re all gonna love it. Absolutely love it.
Seriously, I have a spreadsheet. Seriously, I use it to death. Seriously, there are also iPhone apps too.
Seriously… Big fun for everyone.
I hate to be the big wet blanket but here goes…
this is exactly the reason we DON’T go to Disney World. It’s impossible to take a laid-back, money-conscious trip to WDW. How can a parent compete with the WONDER! The MAGIC! Who cares if your chicken nuggets cost 11.95 plus cost of a drink? They’re served in a MAGICAL BOWL!!!! If we tell them, “Sorry, no, we only have x amount of dollars to spend today and we are choosing to use our money in smarter ways.” then we get backlash of “WAAAHHHH I WANT IT NOWWWWWW.” commence meltdown. Continue on with parental argument. And… it’s only day one.
We stick to Six Flags. Warner Brothers characters aren’t as magical. Plus that popcorn bucket has refills for just a buck.