Disney Post-Trip Debrief
Posted By Jill on February 18, 2009
Jeremy has a list on his blog too, but I assure you I started mine first. But one of us had to work…
We filled a 2GB SD card and could have used more space. We use the highest resolution and quality settings on our camera and came away with almost 330 pictures (including about 6 minutes of video).
Apparently if you are flying to Orlando (at least on Northwest), the flight pre-boarding process does NOT include “if you are traveling with small children.”
Disney (and just about any hotel anywhere) should have free wi-fi by now.
The Photopass system is a great idea but has some glitches to still work out. In fact, had I known how cool this service was, I would have insisted on way more pictures as we entered the parks!
At the All-Star Resorts you will truly get what you pay for. If you’re looking for convenience, you’ll need to shell out the dough. But I would stay there again given the same circumstances. A longer bus ride back at naptime was still better than having to drive back to a hotel off the grounds. An added convenience to the Epcot resort area hotels that are accessible by boat is that if you are traveling with a stroller, the baby can stay in it to ride!
Traveling with a large group is really tricky. I think it helps to have a plan going in and stick to it. Our family (the three of us) had a plan and pretty much followed it for the whole trip, regardless of what the others were doing. Big groups may want to plan ahead of time with everyone’s must-see list prioritized and mapped out by park and by day to save some travel and walking time. Another thing I’d say about that is that big groups should be willing to separate and do their own thing when there are varying interests - it really saves time and sanity!
The guide books we used were very helpful in planning, but besides the notes I had written about the attractions, I didn’t refer much to the itineraries or other information while there. The Crowd Calendar seemed extremely accurate from what we could tell. President’s Day weekend was way more crowded than we expected; the Crowd Calendar indicated it would be.
Character meals are awesome. If you’re looking to get autographs and the kids want to see the characters, this is far more efficient than waiting in line at the entrance to the Magic Kingdom. Another great place is the Epcot Character Spot. One line, five characters in a row, each with a Photopass photographer.
The Disney Dining Plan is THE way to go. $40 a day and I KNOW we ordered much more food than that! We may have spent the same amount per day on food, but we wouldn’t have gotten as much. And besides that, having one sit-down meal per day (make a reservation!) is a good way to make sure we’re getting at least one good meal a day, especially for those of us who can easily get wrapped up in the “magic” and forget to eat!
Before we added the dining plan, we were going to go to the grocery store when we arrived to get sandwich fixings, soda, snacks and milk for the week. We decided to stick with that plan to still pick up soda and milk and get diapers to save some space in the suitcase. That turned out to not be worth the $50 cab ride, but it was nice to have a fridge for the extra drinks the meal plan allowed us to bring back to the room for later.
There is plenty for a one-year-old to do at Disney, but I can’t imagine doing it without two parents and a LOT of energy and patience. And if you’re looking to get the most out of your time, I’d say wait until kids are at least taking only one nap a day at home. Having that rest time back at the hotel really saved us.
Once we got to the parks, I kind of stopped caring about my “must see” attractions because it was all about what Mac would enjoy. Jeremy and I still got to see almost everything on our list thanks to some coincidental meeting up with the group and others willing to watch Mac while we went, or at times when we were taking turns for nap time.
Comments