Disney will let you know that you should make dining and FastPass+ reservations to get ready for your Walt Disney World vacation, but I have a few helpful tips of my own!
My blog post about "Important Disney World Dates" ![]() There have been many times when I’ve spoken with parents about their going to Disney World with their kids and the response has been something to the effect of, “The kids aren’t old enough yet” or “I want to wait until the youngest will remember the trip.” I’ve never really given it a lot of thought before, but I always knew that I disagreed with this train of thought. To each their own, and obviously somebody’s financial situation needs to be taken into consideration before planning a trip, but personally I’m a huge advocate of taking small kids on a trip to Disney! Why, you ask? Well, I’ll tell you... Often times there are multiple children in a family and the parents want to wait until the youngest can do everything before going on a family trip. For convenience sake, this really isn’t necessary. There are lots of rides you can take small children on (heck, even an infant!). In the event the older child wants to go on a ride the youngest can’t, there is always something near by for one parent to do with the little one while the other rides with the older. I realize this only works if there are two adults. :) There is also the rider swap option. One adult and child go wait in line for a ride while another stays behind and does something else with the little. When they get to the front of the line they ask the cast member for a ride swap. After they get off the parent gives the ride swap to the the other (the one who DIDN’T ride before). Then the parents switch places and the second parent and child get to ride the same ride, this time without the wait. The idea of memories is something I always think about when discussing this topic. I think it would be wonderful to have memories of your kids at Disney when they were small. If you wait until the youngest is older, the oldest isn’t small! I’ve even seen pics online of Mickey and Minnie holding babies. Let me tell you… those parents that now have those pictures think it was TOTALLY worth it. Adorbs! People always want to wait until the child “will remember the trip”. I might not remember specific details from my first trip, but when I went back the second time, I remembered the first. Even if your child doesn’t remember any of the trip - you will! If the older kid is the perfect age but you’re feeling the younger kid might be a little too young to remember, I don’t think that’s the point. It’s a family trip. Whether the youngest will remember it or not, they’re still part of your current family dynamic as a small child. I kind of think of it like celebrating a baby’s first birthday (or second, or third…..). You don’t wait to celebrate until the child will remember their cake and presents. That’s not necessarily the point. They enjoy it at the time, and YOU will have the memories and pictures to show them when they are older. I understand the logistics of traveling with a small child can be a bit daunting. Disney World magic or not… little kids are still a lot of work. Disney has really done everything they possibly can to make it as easy as possible for you. You can get a crib or Pack ‘n Play for your baby to sleep in at the hotel. Or, you can even see if a side rail for the bed is available. If one is they will let you use it! Traveling with diapers a problem? Take enough to get you there and then order more from a pharmacy in Orlando that delivers. Worried about feeding your baby or the heat? There are baby care centers in each park. They provide quiet, air conditioned spaces for small children that need to be fed, changed or even take a nap. That’s just my two cents worth. Like I said, to each their own. I just wanted to point out to someone who can’t fathom why you’d want to take a small child to Disney World, why and how it can be done! Due to the length of this post I think I’ll post a second article about what rides and attractions you can actually do with very small children. For the last video in my "favorites" series, I share my personal favorite Walt Disney World money saving tips.
It's time for another episode of my "favorites" series! In this video, I talk about my favorite things to do at each Walt Disney World park.
![]() There are exactly three gazillion posts on the internet about how to save money at Walt Disney World and how to do Disney on the cheap. While I agree this is a very worthy cause, the deluxe resorts aren’t getting the representation they deserve. And so, I give you a post dedicated to the Disney World Deluxe Resorts. The deluxe resorts are by far my favorite, and thus, they’re my specialty. People who have not stayed in the deluxes may not know why they cost as much as they do, what the big draw is or what club level really means. Hopefully I can sort some of that out. :) There are eight resorts in the deluxe category. Part of the expense of these resorts is staying closer to the parks, so I thought I’d list them according to the park to which they are closest as well as the transportation options to that particular park. Magic Kingdom
Epcot (but also near Hollywood Studios)
Animal Kingdom
As you can see, deluxe resorts are really the upper echelon of the Disney hotels. That being said, there is another piece to the deluxe hotels that needs to be discussed. Club Level. I heard angels sing when I typed that… I hope it translated into my writing. :) Club Level is a room category/service that is available only at the deluxe resorts. They are significantly more expensive than non-Club Level rooms, so what’s the fuss? I’ll break it down for you. First things first, how many rooms at each resort are part of Club Level? By staying Club Level, you have access to floors at your resort that require special access. Previously, your room key was required in the elevators, I imagine these all have been changed out to magic band use, but have not visited all to confirm. :)
You have access to concierge staff to help you with, basically, whatever you need. Taking care of dining reservations both before you arrive as well as once you’re on property can be handled by the concierge staff. You also have food available to you throughout the day. Each has a breakfast spread, light snacks throughout the day (chips, crackers, pretzels, veggies and dip, cookies, soda, tea, lemonade, etc.), appetizers and wine (these could be used as a light dinner - don’t come with a lumberjack appetite and expect to get stuffed). The evenings (my favorite) have wonderful dessert offerings. There is also self serve beer and liquors at this time. Everybody is welcome to stay Club Level at any of the resorts and they are all pretty laid back, however, there seems to be a little bit more decorum here than in other areas of Disney World. Don’t expect to reenact your 21st birthday in college by serving a rowdy group shots after visiting the parks. :) Your room will also have robes for use during your stay and you will have nightly turn down service with a small treat. Hopefully this helped answer some of your questions, or explain the difference between the different categories of hotel at Walt Disney World. I will also post a couple of pictures from each category to help you see the difference! For the fourth episode of my Walt Disney World "Favorites" series, I share my picks for the best show at each park.
VIDEO GOES LIVE JULY 8 at 12:00 PM CENTRAL In Episode 3 of my Walt Disney World "Favorites" series, I share my favorite restaurant in each of the four theme parks.
VIDEO GOES LIVE JULY 7 AT 12:00 PM CENTRAL In Episode 2 of my Walt Disney World "Favorites" series, I share my favorite queue lines. That's right, sometimes the lines are an attraction themselves.
VIDEO GOES LIVE JULY 6 at 12:00 PM CENTRAL Welcome to the first episode of my Walt Disney World "Favorites" series. In this video, I share my favorite rides from each of the four theme parks.
![]() Planning a Disney trip is daunting… I get it. It is an expensive trip and many people don’t get to go frequently, so when they do, they want to make sure their vacation is perfect. Well, nobody can obtain perfection, not even Walt himself! However, I thought it might be useful to some people if I put together a list of important Disney dates to assist you in planning your perfect trip. I know I would have found this list helpful MANY times and hope you do too! The numbers I have listed below are the number of days from the first day of your vacation, unless otherwise specified. 499 Days How far in advance it is possible to book a Disney hotel. You are not able to book online until the prices are released for that time frame, however. At 499 days you are booking a “room only” reservation, and the deposit is the cost of one (current) night’s stay. Once package prices come out you then change your reservation from “room only” to a package. In my experience prices seem to come out in late summer (August-ish) for the following year. 180 Days When you are able to make dining reservations. Depending on where you wish to eat as well as the time of year you are planning on travelling, it may or may not be necessary to make these reservations as soon as possible. Obviously dining reservations for the busier times of year (think when kids are off of school) will fill up faster than during slower times of the year. In addition, the more popular restaurants (CINDERELLA’S CASTLE!) will fill up sooner than less popular restaurants. I’ve heard of women waking up early and sitting on the phone, just hitting ‘redial’ over and over until they get through to make a reservation for this restaurant. You are able to make them online as well. :) 60 Days When you are able to make your Fast Pass + selections if staying on Disney property. This can be done through your My Disney Experience (abbreviated MDE) account that you will create through the Disney website. You will then link your account to your reservation. This is where you will customize your Magic Bands and make your Fast Pass + selections. 45 Days Final payment due for Magic Your Way package reservations. 30 Days When you are able to make your Fast Pass + selections if you are not staying on Disney property. This would be 30 days from when you plan on visiting that particular park. 10 Days The deadline for customizing your Magic Band online to receive it before your trip. If you customize it between 5 and 9 days you will have to pick it up when you check into your Disney hotel. 3 Days If you still have not received your Magic Band(s), contact Disney at this number: (407) 939-4357. 0 Days Room-Only Reservation final payment due upon check-in. Oh yeah, and VACAY TIME! 14 Days from your theme park ticket’s first use This is your deadline for upgrading your ticket package (ex: if you originally purchased a 5 day Park Hopper ticket and would like to increase it to a 7 day Park Hopper ticket, you have 14 days from the first day you used the ticket initially, to upgrade your ticket package). In addition, if you do not use all days on your ticket within 14 days of the first day of use, they will expire (unless you have the “No Expiration” option). 60 days before - 30 days after annual pass expiration The number of days you have to renew your annual pass. |
AuthorBrittany is a Disney fanatic and an agent with Magical Journeys Travel. As a College of Disney Knowledge graduate, she has plenty of expert tips to share. Brittany can help you plan a spectacular Disney vacation and ensure you get the best deal possible... for free! Archives
October 2023
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