Mistake #1 – Falling in to the “Frozen” trap!
Like most families, we to have experienced the Frozen craze in our house. The one and only thing my niece wanted more than anything was to meet Anna & Elsa. This was when they were still at Magic Kingdom and the wait was upwards of 6+ hrs. I decided that if we got there early enough and were at the front when the park opened we would be able to be right up there in line. I had the route all planned out and new exactly where we had to go. Boy was I wrong. We were almost trampled when the gate opened and by the time we got to the Anna & Elsa there was already a 4 hr. wait. Moral of the story- don’t be in a rush to check out the “new” stuff. It will still be there next time.
Mistake #2 – July = Death!
This was just an awful experience all the way around. Temperatures in the high 90’s and the humidity was horrible. We were barely able to spend a half a day at the parks because we were so miserable. By the time we made it back to our hotel rooms we all had headaches and were exhausted, with no interest in doing anything else.
Mistake #3 – Around the World in 1 Day!
Thinking we could make it around the world and enjoy all the parts that Epcot had to offer in a ½ a day was a big mistake. My thought going in was Epcot is more for adults. My first experience with Epcot was drinking our way around the countries for New Year’s. Surprisingly, I underestimated all the fun that my young niece would have at Epcot. She was really got excited to get the stamp in each country and color a little bit on her stick mask. I thought it was neat to explore all the various stores/restaurants representing all the countries, but I often felt like we were rushing from one site to the next so we could fit it all in.
Mistake #4 – Room Service – Not!
After a long day at the park I thought it would be a great idea when we got back to the Art of Animation to stop and get our food in the food court and take it back to our room to eat. We could kick off our shoes and relax. The trek back to our room was anything but relaxing. Our arms wer loaded up with food, drinks, stuff we had with us from the day and a very tired and crabby non cooperative 6 year old. Never mind the fact that we were in the Little Mermaid section, which is quite possibly the furthest one from the dining area. If I had it to do over I would have eaten in the dining area or made sure we ate at the park before leaving.
Mistake #5 – Go, Go, Go, You Can Do It!
I catch myself doing this time and time again. You know since you’re only going to “x” park for half the day why not fill that second part of the day with a full evening at Disney Springs. Yea, that never seems to work. You forget to calculate the extra travel time involved or your exhaustion from being on the go all day. Our last trip we wanted to hit everything in the 4 days we were there.
Our original plan was:
Day 1 – Magic Kingdom
Day 2 – Epcot / Swimming at Hotel
Day 3 – Animal Kingdom / Disney Springs
Day 4 – Hollywood Studios / Universal City Walk
We never made it to Disney Springs or Universal and ended up only swimming at the hotel on the last day because we spent more time at Epcot then planned (see Mistake #3)
Mistake #6 – What little girl doesn’t want to eat in a castle?
Apparently my niece…While it was a great adventure the first year, doing it 2 trips back to back just a year apart was a bad idea. We should have used the dinner credits on somewhere we had not been before the second year. The experience didn’t change from the first visit. Same princesses, same pictures and same food which she wouldn’t touch (other than dessert). If you have a picky eater, this is probably not the place for you. It’s a fun experience, but not something I would go back and do again until my other niece is old enough to go with us.
Mistake #7 – Starting Too Early
One thing I regret most was not taking a late start on some of the days. We would arrive at opening and go, go, go but by the time 6 or 7 pm rolled around we would be exhausted and my niece was whiny and wouldn’t be interested in staying for whatever nighttime show/parade/fireworks were taking place. We went 3 years in a row and she still has not seen Fantasmic (which is amazing) at Hollywood Studios.
Mistake #8 –What Am I Going To Do With All This Stuff!
By the 3rd year in a row we still had not learned our lesson. Every year I would say we are not going to bring home tons of souvenirs and every year we would spend an hour refolding and/or cramming our dirty clothes in to one suitcase so we would have the other for all our Disney memories/purchases. You wouldn’t think those princess dresses would take up that much room, but they do. Plus don’t forget the hat for grandpa, t-shirt for grandma, book for mom, coffee for dad, stuffed animal for the baby sibling…etc. It takes up a whole lot of space.
Did Right #1 – Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique
The first time we went, I had looked in to BBB and thought people must be nuts. Who spends that much money for a little dress and a hairdo? Nope, not doing it. Well after that first trip to the gift shop that year and the purchase of the dress, shoes, wand, etc., we ended up spending just as much money as we would have had we done the “princess” experience. On our second visit, we decided to give BBB a try at the Magic Kingdom location and she loved it. The smiles I got while she was picking out her dress, getting her hair done, nails done, etc., were worth every penny. She got to walk around the park all day feeling like a princess. Plus, there was so much stuff in her hair she was able to wear it up for the next 2 days and we were still picking glitter off her clothes a week later!
Did Right #2 – Memory Maker
This was well worth the money. It was so nice not having to worry about pulling out my camera or juggling it with everything else I was holding. Also, I’m not one to get my picture taken (I hate it), so had we not had this I would have been the one taking the photos and not been in any of them. With this I was able to be in the pictures with my niece and now we have many wonderful memories together that we will never forget.
Did Right #3 – Disney Immersion
In the past to minimize our cost we have always stayed off site, rented a car, brought snacks and ate outside the parks (except character planned meals). This time I decided since this trip was for my niece’s 6th birthday we would go all out. We stayed on site, purchased the dining plan, memory maker, Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique and utilized all the onsite perks. We arrived at the airport and climbed on the Disney Shuttle Bus. No need for waiting in lines for the rental car or getting lost on our way to the hotel (yep that happened the 1st year, we went an hour out of our way). This trip we stayed at the Art of Animation. What a beautiful hotel…We were fully immersed with Disney all around us. On our walk to our room we started out floating along the Australian current in Finding Nemo, ventured through the Pride Lands of Lion King before arriving Under the Sea at our Little Mermaid Room. Rooms are beautifully decorated and spacious. We had a wonderful view. We woke upon her birthday morning to a message on our phone wishing my niece happy birthday from Mickey. Every day we would get ready to venture out not worrying about transportation, parking, and meals. It was all taken care of for us. While the extras almost doubled what we paid the year before, it was well worth it to give her the full Disney experience.
(Thanks, Jennie)