Guess what?!
We’re going to Disney World again…and this time, it will be all four of us and we can’t wait!
I realized that I never really blogged our last Walt Disney World trip other than sharing a few photos, so I thought it would be fun to reflect back on it and share some highlights as we look forward to this next trip.
I have to say the best decision we made when planning both Disney trips is using an authorized Disney vacation planner. My husband found Lori of Minnie More Vacations through a co-worker and she is a godsend. She is legit the fairy godmother of Disney planning and made our trip perfect, especially since it was planned very last-minute. Disney planners coordinate your entire trip for you at no cost and make a commission from Disney for doing so. Lori booked all of our fast passes, dining reservations, airport transportation needs – basically everything to make your trip to where you just show up and have a full itinerary/all of the logistics figured out. As a bonus, Lori goes with her own family a lot and knows all of the ins and outs of each park and can make fantastic recommendations.
I know that some people find tremendous joy in planning their Disney trips way in advance and waking up at 6 a.m. to make dining reservations as soon as they’re able to, but that’s just not for me. I want to have the best experience possible, but truly, we don’t have the time to do that ourselves. Lori takes care of all of those details for you (with your preferences in mind, of course). We are so lucky to have found her! (by the way, this isn’t in any way sponsored- just want to share our wonderful experience).
Okay, now back to our first trip. Harper was 3 years and 4 months old when we went and it was a great age for her and she actually enjoyed all of the rides and wasn’t scared at all. I loved roller coasters as a kid, so it was a delight to see her loving them as well. I’m curious to see how Lincoln will react and praying all of the fun stuff will be distracting enough to keep the meltdowns at characters walking around the park at bay. He does love Pluto, but a life-sized Pluto…maybe not so much, ha 🙂
If you recall, Kevin was in Orlando for a work conference, so Harper and I did a few days at WDW/Hollywood studios/Animal Kingdom on our own and Kevin joined us on the last day. We stayed at the Four Seasons Orlando, which is absolutely stunning with amazing grounds and phenomenal pools, a lazy river and splash pad pool for the kids. They also host a character breakfast there that is so wonderful (with Mickey, Minnie and Goofy).
Our first day was spent at Hollywood Studios during the day and then Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party that evening, which was amazing! Definitely a must-do if you’re there in Sept/Oct.
I’m going to make a better effort to document the days of our trip this time so that I can provide a full review of our Disney World experience. Our entire family will be together this time and we will be going to Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom during the time we’re there.
Here are some highlights from our first trip!
At the Four Seasons pool…(Harper’s hat is by The Beaufort Bonnet Company)
Hollywood Studios- Lunch at Hollywood and Vine
Meeting Sofia the First
Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween party!
Harper in front of her favorite roller coaster
Meeting Belle at Magic Kingdom…
Character Breakfast at the Four Seasons Orlando…
Animal Kingdom Tree of Life…
Meeting Rapunzel
Getting princess-ified at Bippidy Boppity Boutique
Meeting Ariel in her Grotto
Dinner at Cinderella’s Castle…
I can’t wait to share our next Disney adventure with you all! I would love to hear any tips and favorite experiences you’ve had there. I am also looking for shops that sell cute Disney themed stuff so please share those with me as well!
Hi Veronika! We’re going to Disney for the first time as a family in a few months, too. I’ve been getting things ahead of time to save some money while at the parks, and Gap’s Disney line is the best quality/style for sure! Can’t wait to hear more about your trip!
That’s so exciting!! I can’t wait to hear where you guys stay this time! I go to WDW frequently (twice this year so far…!) and I think the best resort for kids is the Polynesian. The monorail is so convenient and the pools and restaurants are super for kids.
The only bummer with Hollywood Studios is the fact that it’s a massive construction pit right now! Toy Story Land will open Summer 2018, but until then, there’s not a ton open. I can’t remember if you did the Frozen singalong with Harper, but that’s definitely a hit with the little ones.
I wholeheartedly agree that using a Disney travel planner is a must!!! It’s just too easy to send an email to one person and know they’ll take care of exactly what you want instead of having to call Disney or spend time online yourself.
We went to WDW for 5 days in February and came all the way from France 🙂 it was awesome, so was Florida!
I had a lot of fun planning our trip, booking the restaurants and fastpasses. I think the best things I did was buy the Photopass, rent a stroller for our almost 4 year old (at the time), and sleep in a Disney hotel 🙂
How fun! Planning to use a Disney vacation planner as well! Have you seen the rose gold Minnie ears?
I have! 🙂 so cute…but I love the classic ones!
Oooo! How fun! I have only been to Disney World once when I was 11 years old. I am currently in the beginning stages of planning my 30th birthday trip to Disney in October 2018. Will you be staying on property this time? I considered using a travel agent, but decided to rent DVC points in order to stay at a fancier resort (Animal Kingdom Lodge) for a fraction of the cost that Disney charges. Another way to save money is by buying Disney gift cards with your Target Red Card. You get 5% off! Also, I know you like podcasts and I would HIGHLY recommend Resort Loop. The hosts are hilarious and have the best advice.
Oh I love that there is a podcast! will check it out, thanks 🙂
We are staying off-property the first few days at the FS again and then we will be staying on-property for the rest of our stay. Can’t wait!
I’ll be curious to hear what you think about the podcast! Their episodes about the food are my favorite!
We went to Disney October 2015 with 4 kids and then February 2017 with 5 kids. Both times we used a Disney planner and stayed on Disney property. I highly recommend staying on property with young kids, it just seemed easier for us. Port Orleans Riverside is nice and the suites at Art of Animation are great for large families. I also highly recommend Magic Maker for photos so you can get pics of the whole family together. They scan your band and done!
It’s our splurge once a year vacation or every other year so we budget for it and go all out…meal plan with character meals, etc. They kids have a blast and my older ones love Star Wars and the Pirates ride at MK. Trick or treating was awesome!
We are planning our next trip 2019 when Hollywood Studios Star Wars Land will be done. So exciting!
Kel- We are staying on property for most of our trip (at Port Orleans)- I can’t wait! We LOVE the character meals as well– have a few of those planned 🙂
It sounds like Star Wars land will be so amazing! I can imagine Disney with five kiddos is quite a lot to manage but it sounds like you have everything planned perfectly!
have a great day 🙂
Port Orleans is awesome! It’s so great. The water area is beautiful and the restaurant is decent as well!
Have a great trip!
Thank you! We are excited to stay on-property 🙂 I’m so glad to hear good feedback about this hotel. There are so many nice ones, but man, some of them were like $600 a night!
Staying at a Disney resort is the best! I have two girls 11 months apart and we’ve been to WDW almost every year since they were 3 and 4. (They are 11 and 12 now) It’s so much fun to watch them grow and their interests change from princesses to Star Wars and being able to go on every ride!
Every family has their own way of planning what works best for them… Just enjoy and try something new each time you go. We try to stay at a different resort each time. Also different resorts are better for different ages. Disney seriously is my favorite vacation spot.. Family friendly, clean, and lots to do for everyone! As far as Disney merchandise… Download the Disney parks shopping app. Gives you almost all their merchandise and a map of the locations you can find each thing… Have fun!