Disney Tips + Faves.

Hey Y'all! I've been promising you all this blog post for quite some time now, so here it is! As you all may know I am a little disney obsessed. We are WDW pass holders and are at least in the parks twice a month if not more. My love for Disney really grew once i became a mother. I promised myself that I would always find a way to keep the magic alive for my child. If you follow my instagram account you have seen the amazing disney vacations, weekend staycations and daily visits we have had throughout the years. I have put this post together in a few different sections ranging from the the WDW parks, favorite snack all the way to our favorite resorts. I hope you all enjoy this post and remember some of these tips and tricks for the next time you visit WDW!

Know Before You Go:

 Whenever I know we will be heading to Disney World, I immediately get our fast passes for each day we will be there! If you do not know what fast passes are, its a free perk Disney offers on the Mydisneyexperience.com with the purchase of a ticket or Annual Pass. The fast pass service lets you reserve up to three select attractions per day. You can make your selections as early as 30 days prior and 60 days prior if you have a resort reservation. (Fast Passes apply for each WDW park.)  A few more things i've learned throughout my disney trips is do NOT attempt to get everything done in one day. With all the crowds and wait times things will take a lot longer than anticipated. If you start your day with low expectations and let the day play out, Disney is such a magical place, it will end up being the best day ever. Next, always be prepared for any type of weather, here in florida you never know when its going to down pour or sprinkle rain. TIP: I have found bringing a large zip lock bag with an extra change of clothes for your kids is a total mom hack. Therefore when it rains, your child will have a dry outfit in the bag and then the bag becomes a place to put their wet clothes in. Another TIP: Since we visit Disney so often, I always bring a toy from our past visit with us or i'll pick up a few fun glow sticks from target's dollar spot. So when she wants to buy a new toy or have something at the firework show, i've got something already! (Yes we do buy new stuff here and there, but it's more cost efficient when you aren't buying multiple toys every visit.)

The Parks:

MK happens to be one of my absolute favorite parks at Walt Disney World. It also happens to be one of the busiest parks (everyone else's favorite too!) There is also Animal Kingdom, Epcot & Hollywood Studios. When heading to the parks I believe in some type of plan even if its just for one day or seven. If you want to make the most out of your day I suggest getting to the parks early! When the park opens, the goal is to head towards the most popular rides first. TIP: If you are the opposite and you get to the park late, know that You can get in line for an attraction up until the park closes. So if the park is closing at 9 pm, as long as you get in the line at 8:59 pm, you will still get to ride! TIP: Disney also has a selection of FREE special occasion buttons that you can wear around the parks. They have everything from Birthday to Anniversary. You can pick up your button at the Town Hall in each of the parks. If you are a mama especially to a little one, each Disney park has a baby center which is an absolute lifesaver! If you ever need diapers, wipes, an extra binky, sunscreen anything for children they have it for much cheaper than in the actual disney stores. Last but certainly not least each of the parks offer select EMH (extra magic hours). For those who don't know what that is, EMH is on designated days, a Walt Disney World theme park will be open an hour early and two hours later to those who are staying at a WDW resort. I personally love the EMH at night, chances are I'm not going to wake up at 6am to make it to a park for an extra hour, but i will stay up late and enjoy the entire park with those who are just staying at the resorts. (aka- a lot less crowded)

Must Have Snacks:

At Disney World you are allowed to bring food and drinks into the park which I love! Aside from all the treats we do try on our visits, I ALWAYS pack snacks for us. Know that you can get FREE water at any of the snack stands or quick service restaurants throughout the parks. TIP: If you are eating at a quick service through out the parks and your child has left overs, I always ask for a large empty cup with a lid and I will put her leftover nuggets and fries in there so when she wants them in a few, they are fresh and ready to eat! Disney does not give out boxes at their quick service resturants. So this was a great mom hack when i figured it out. I can't tell you how much food we would throw away when she said she was done and then 10 min after we left she wanted food...ha. On that note, here are just a few of our favorite must haves around the parks.

• Dole Whip, at Frontierland in Magic Kingdom and Disney's Polynesian Resort
• Mickey Premium Ice Cream Bar, available at any Disney park 
• Turkey Leg, available at any Disney park
• Mickey Candy Apple, multiple locations around Disney World
• Giant Mickey Frosted Cookie, Circus Tent in Storybook, Magic Kingdom
• Fruit and Nutella Waffle Sandwich Get it at Sleepy Hollows, Magic Kingdom
• The Grey Stuff Get it at Be Our Guest Magic Kingdom
• Ohana Bread Pudding, Polynesian Resort Ohana Dinner

Resorts:

We are Florida residents and only about 35-45 min away from Disney World depending on traffic. No matter what, If theres a way for us to stay at disney for one night or even three, we do it! It always turns into the best little staycation away from home. Staying on property comes with some awesome advantages, which include 1. Accommodations to fit most budgets. There are 25+ Disney Resort hotels to choose from! 2. Close proximity to the parks. 3. Complimentary transportation and parking. 4. Extra Magic Hours that give you early or late access to the parks with smaller crowds. 5. Early FastPass+ reservations. 6. Complimentary MagicBands ( which we LOVE) and of course Disney magic! We love to enjoy the wonder and attention to detail that makes everything about Disney oh so special. Like with most things at Walt Disney World Resort resorts, the more you pay, the more you get. The resorts are categorized in three different categories: value, moderate and deluxe. Value is going to be the cheapest and smallest rooms on property, mostly just a place if you want to sleep and don't expect to spend much time at your resort. Value will get you a little more for your money, better accommodations around the resort. Lastly, deluxe is going to be the nicest resorts around with top notch accommodations. The rooms can be pricey depending on the time of year you are staying but you will leave feeling your money was well spent. Some of our all time favorite resorts we have stayed at so far:

• Animal Kingdom Lodge (D)- One of the best themed resorts at Walt Disney World, capturing the essence of an African savanna lodge. What we love the most about this resort is how close the zebras, giraffes, antelopes, elks, gazelles and exotic birds come incredibly close to the resort. For the best views of the free roaming wildlife, we always book a Savanna View room.
• Yacht Club Resort (D)- Is probably one of the most adult feeling Disney resorts we have stayed at. One of the reasons we love this resort is it is in walking distance of Epcot's back entrance. They also have one of the best pools on property. Storm-Along Bay Pool (shared with the Beach Club resort) is nothing short of amazing, providing fun for all ages. This is a great resort for anyone who will spend time at the resort - rather than spending all of your time in the theme parks.
• Port Orleans French Quarter (V)- New Orleans themed and certainly the most picturesque places to stay within Walt Disney World without breaking the bank. The rooms aren't amazing, but exploring around the resort is. Also with this moderate resort it isn't as crowded as the values, which we loved.
• Art Of Animation (V)- The newest value resort and the most popular! You won't be disappointed at this resort, it is SO fun and colorful. Themes include, Cars, Lion King, Finding Nemo suites & The Little Mermaid standard rooms. This resort has three pools to accommodate the large crowds. One of our favorite features is in the nemo pool, you can hear dory and demo talking when you are underwater. My daughters absolute favorite!

We have pretty much stayed at all of the WDW resorts except for the Polynesian, Contemporary, Grand Floridian, Saratoga Springs and Wilderness Lodge! They are all next on my bucket list.

I hope you all enjoyed this post! If you'd like to see similar posts then comment below and let me know some next topics you'd love to read about. Have a magical day!