Remember a few months ago when I said that I just needed a little bit of time to do some laundry and unpack some suitcases and then I would be able to share some Disney memories with you all? Well, I finally finished the laundry and the suitcases are safely stored away now! Sadly, I know some of you are not really sure whether I am actually kidding, because you know there is a good chance I did just finish the laundry! 😉
Without further ado, here are the things I learned on our trip to Disney World….
1. Flying first class while your hubby and kids fly coach is really the way to start and end every vacation. Thank you US Air MasterCard for those miles!
2. My new favorite word is automagically (used at Disney). As in, it sure would be nice to come home and have the suitcases automagically unpack themselves.
3. Turns out that Abby’s dream to see Disneyworld was a little less exciting once she actually got to Disneyworld. Those YouTube videos had been serving her well enough, thank you very much.
4. Given the nature of Abby’s reaction to all things Disney, can it be any real surprise that we literally had to bribe her to eat lunch with the princesses? Not by saying, if you do this, we will continue to let you live in our family, because no one wants extra tears at the most magical place on earth; but rather saying, if we fulfill your life’s dream and you smile all the way through, we will buy you ANYTHING you want from the princess store right outside the restaurant.
5. The Disney dining plan is totally the way to go. While I am sure Disney is making a killing on this deal, there is nothing more satisfying than receiving a bill for $150 at the end of your meal at Chef Mickey’s, where your older child ate the equivalent of a small value meal at McDonald’s and your younger child ate 3 cherry tomatoes and 2 packages of Saltine crackers, and being able to say “Oh, we are on the dining plan.” Suddenly your bill goes away: AUTOMAGICALLY.
6. I was told over and over again when we booked our trip that we were going at a perfect time of year, and Disney would not “be crowded at all”. If the Disney I visited was not considered crowded, I simply cannot imagine being there when it was busy.
7. Emma was the perfect age to love every single minute of Disney World and all it had to offer, and she could not have been more delightful company.
8. Abby was the perfect age to love very few minutes of Disney World and very little that it had to offer, but the minutes she did love were fantastic.
9. Watching the Electrical Parade with my husband and children, the way my parents watched it with my sister and me, was amazing to me and a memory I will always cherish.
10. My children’s very favorite part of our vacation was swimming in the hotel pool, visiting the Lego store and riding the monorail … all things that could have been accomplished for about $500 within 20 miles of Charlotte.
11. Getting away as a family is of supreme importance to me, as it was exactly what we needed.
12. Just like with any good vacation, the good outweighed the bad, the smiles outshined the tears, the fun eclipsed the frustration.
In the comments, I would love to hear your favorite Disney memories, either as a child or with your own children or tips you may have for anyone traveling to Disney.
“Automagically” needs to become part of my everyday vocabulary. Love it. I have to admit, I’m happy to be past the toddlers-afraid-of-characters-with-giant-heads phase in our family. We’ve done that phase with each of our three kids and it really is enough to make you want to run screaming back to the hotel pool. Unfortunately, with the ending of that phase comes the ending of the break-in-the-middle-of-the-day-for-the-toddler-nap phase, too. Now, instead of a morning at a park, a nice break by the pool during someone’s nap and an evening in the park, we find ourselves going all day long, full speed. Thus begins the mommy-better-plan-her-girls-weekend-getaway-for-soon-after-Disney-trips phase in our family!
Love your memories and so glad you had a great time!
This is a fantastic comment! I love it!
I missed out on the napping phase…it was just go, go, go! 😉
AWESOME tips Ashley! I laughed so hard at some of them, and had the lump in my throat with others. We have yet to do Disney- for the very reason you shared with your Abby! Even though is sounds Magicialicious!!! (How about that word??) Hoping to go next year!
Love that word!
I definitely recommend waiting until you are sure your kids are ready…because it was a lot of money to spend for it to just be okay. Glad you enjoyed this! 
{Melinda} I’ve lived in Florida nearly all my life, so I have quite a few Disney memories. My favorite ride when I was little was “If You Had Wings” which apparently flew off because it’s no longer there.
We also were there during the Bicentennial Parade in 1976 and I remember that well. Mostly because of the hideous 70’s outfits my sister and I were wearing!
As a mom, it’s been fun to stay in the Disney Value resorts and watch my kids ooooh and aaaaah over the same things I did when I visited Disney as a kid. We went there for the first time after Hurricane Charley almost destroyed our house and community eight years ago. Our mantra was (Means family … you’ve been hit by four hurricanes (Charley was the worst) and had your house nearly destroyed … what are you going to do next?” The answer of course … “Go to Disney World!”
This is just such an awesome comment in every way. I love your memories from your childhood, and I especially love what you were able to do with the hard times in adulthood that you faced. Thank you for sharing this.
Very cool post! Never been to Disney myself… but I am glad I read this just in case we ever go …
Great tips 😉
Definitely get there when you can…it is worth it, I promise!
I so agree with you on the dining plan - it’s just so nice to not have to think about the price of that while you are there (cause there are lots of other things you’ll need to think about the prices of!). As for tips - I am so biased because this is my job - but I’d say, use a Disney Travel Agent - there is so much that we can do for you - Disney veteran or Disney first timer - and it’s all free of charge.
I have to say that the next time we go I will definitely be using a Disney Travel Agent, so this is a great tip Katrina!
You finished your laundry? Wow!
Only the trip laundry…regular laundry is unending! 😉
Only the trip laundry! LOL!
LOVE Automagically! We went to Disneyworld and Disneyland - both were fun trips - and both were about the same ages as Abby for one and Emma for the other. I will always remember Pirates of the Carribbean for Austin - his dream come true, It’s a Small World ride, and him getting to meet “Belle!” So many great memories of that trip with Austin - and I even had a day to myself at Epcot, which was a nice surprise. Loved everything about it! So glad you made some great memories with your crew!
I think next time we will try to do Disneyland…I really enjoyed it a lot with Emma. I kind of liked the fact that it was smaller. And less crowded. I love these memories of Austin.
They make me happy!
We have never been, but I keep dreaming! Definitely need more “automagically” in my life-for so many things!
I could not agree with you more…could use more of it myself! 😉
I liked this, good column.
Thank you so much!
Agree with Dining plan. also, as much as can be planned ahead - do. Including(especially) lunch reservations. Nothing worse than waiting to get hungry, then waiting an hour on some line for a burger. Amelia one yr later mentioned to my mom that the best part of our disney trip was not having to think, bc mom planned everything out for us! Made my heart soar! because an hour on the phone with some disney rep planning every lunch and dinner, character breakfast, based on where we thought we’d be, who had extra magic hours, which day MGM had Fantasmic, etc, is a HECK of a lot of work. ANd it paid off!
Awww, I love this comment!
There is nothing better than when all the hard work as a mom actually pays off!!
Man, I LOVED going to disney world as a kid. Glad you had a good time overall!
Thank you so much! I only went once as a child, and it was definitely fantastic!
Oh I haven’t been to Disney world since the kids were younger. I bet it has changed a lot. And flying first class is the best isn’t it? I have only done it twice, but what a difference. I have always loved Disney. We have Disneyland about 20 minutes away and I want to check out the California Adventure Redo this summer. Your daughters’ faces express the excitement and happiness of the trip! Love those family vacation memories!
I would love a follow-up of how the California Adventure redo looks, as I really enjoyed it when we were there a few years ago. You are lucky with Disneyland close by, I bet that is great!
Flying first class alone sounds heavenly!
It was. I won’t lie! 😉
Loved going to Disney as a girl. Cannot wait to take my little chickadees (5, 3, 1). Maybe next year!
Y’all will have fun!
When Ben and I went on our anniversary trip, my favorite part was swimming in the pool.
Honestly that makes me feel better!
Disney is my absolute favorite place to bring my kids on vacation. It is magical in every sense of the word (including making a lot of money disappear). We went to one of the parks and spent the extra money to get the Fast Passes and it was worth it. My kids love the hotel pool and our favorite thing to do is go to dinner in Downtown Disney. Glad you guys had fun!
I remember going to Disney for the first time in the fifth grade in June. It was hot, rained every afternoon, and there was so much walking! I remember liking sea world better, go figure! Can’t wait to get my kids there. Just thinking we might have some Abby moments with Austin but I don’t think that will stop us from going!
I love your list! Flying first class is definitely a great way to start the trip! Last year my baby and I flew to our destination while the rest of the family road-tripped. It was awesome! Visiting from Sharefest.
Ahh, Disney with young kids. It kind of feels like a waste because they do get so tired and don’t eat much. When we went all our boys were under six, and we were on a Make-A-Wish trip, as our oldest had cancer. While the circumstances that brought us there were sad, the situation was perfect - no waiting in lines and we didn’t feel guilty about leaving early when everyone pooped out. I’d love to go back again and see more when our boys are a little older.
It sounds like you had a great time. Maybe that’s where I’ll go this year for the family vacation (around Thanksgiving maybe). I’ll definitely remember to check out the Disney Travel Agents and the Dining Plan. My favorite Disney memory is the spinning teacups! We only got to spend one day the last time we went. My boyfriend has NEVER been, so this idea has been moved to the top of my list!
Automagically is my new favorite word! It sounds like a great trip overall. And the negatives just add to the blogging options.
Thanks for sharing. Stopping by from SITS. Have a great weekend.
Thanks for all the tips since we are going for Christmas. I’m glad you recommend the dining plan. We just had our 180 days out and I was on the phone at 6:55am ready to make my reservations. Guess it paid off since I got all of my choices and dining times. My 1 of only 2 memories of Disney was about 6 years ago. The doctor I worked for was about to turn 50, and Disney was his favorite place on the planet. So he surprised us for Christmas and flew us all down there for the day. We had our own Disney Tour Guide for the day. Very expensive I hear but the way to go. “Daniel” picked us up at the airport, bypassed all parking, got out of a van, walked behind a gate, and we were standing in front of the castle. Being that we only had about 6 hours there, Daniel kept us hopping. He would walk us right up to the ride, byplassing the long lines to get on the ride. Then we had lunch in Cinderella’s castle which was amazing. Rode a few more rides, again going right up to the front of the line, and then back to the airport. It was incredible and definitely a day I will never forget.
I would also love for dinner and bath time to happen AUTOMAGICALLY on a nightly basis around here.