March 2011
Panic temporarily set in last week when my husband gleefully reminded me that our family’s Walt Disney World vacation was just six weeks out. You may think that being a Walt Disney World veteran I would take it all in stride and share his unrestrained jubilee. Wrong. Yes, I was beyond excited that our long-awaited vacation was just around the corner but planning and packing for the kids falls under my area of responsibility and I knew it would not be as simple as throwing everything into a suitcase the night before. Getting everything together that my five-year old would need for the trip wouldn’t be too difficult but my toddler was a different story. Research had to be done and retail purchase would need to be made.
Although I’ve visited Walt Disney World with a toddler before and have some necessities, experience has taught me to look at every trip with fresh eyes. My toddler has a different personality that my older son and with that comes new challenges that would require new solutions; I couldn’t assume the exact same strategies and items would work for both children.
Summer Clothes Check
The realization that our trip was around the corner immediately spurred me into action. First up was a clothing check. Luckily, my two-year old has enough new (well new to him, anyways) clothes that shopping for summer clothes for him was unnecessary except for a new hat and sandals since they are not so easily handed down due to wear and tear. My five-year old was a different story. I dutifully made a list of the clothes he would need and knocked it out in one shopping trip which is easy enough since almost anything goes with khaki, gray, and navy blue!
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A Walt Disney World vacation means lots and lots of walking and by lots I mean 5+ miles a day. Your feet will need some TLC and I’m here to help.
Before Leaving Home
To get the most out of your Walt Disney World vacation, you plan your dining, lodging, and create a plan of attack for hitting the parks. Planning to take care of your tired dogs should be no exception.
Shoes
Plan on wearing comfortable, well broken-in footwear on your trip. It sounds obvious but every trip I see people wearing awesome, but very impractical, shoes that put my sensible sneakers to shame. After a brief moment of envy, I know that my sensible sneakers will get my feet through the trip without protest.
If water rides such as Kali River Rapids are part of your touring plan, pack some quick-drying footwear such as flip flops to slip-on before the ride. A quick change into your dry walking shoes after the ride and you’ve avoided the issues of wet footwear rubbing against your feet.
Create a Touring Plan
A touring plan is a list of attractions and shows you plan on seeing at Walt Disney World along with the order you plan on crossing attractions off your list. Depending on your group and your touring philosophy, this touring plan can be a loose collection of attractions and the general time of day you plan to visit or it can be a precise list planned in 15-minute increments, updated with a little help from Lines or another attraction wait time app. Touring plans are designed to save you time waiting in line but they can also save your feet. Being familiar with the park layout, the location of the attractions you want to visit, and show times will save a lot of aimless and unnecessary walking trying to get to your next attraction.
Train
That’s right – start training for your Disney World vacation a few weeks before your trip. Daily family walks are a great way to reconnect with loved ones, talk about your upcoming trip, and help prepare your feet for the workout they’ll soon be put through.
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This is the age-old Disney question – how much and what to bring with you to the Disney parks. As you have read often at Chip and Co, the answer is… it depends. There are three main factors to consider – who you are traveling with, your budget, and how prepared you like to be for every eventuality.
The Necessities
In my book, it is only necessary to bring four things to the park for a successful day of touring. Must-haves are your “documents,” sunscreen, water or other beverages, and a touring plan.
Documents will vary for each guest but include your Key to the World, park pass, DVC membership card (for discounts), Tables in Wonderland card (for a dining discount), Photopass card, and ADR numbers. I learned the hard way that you should also bring your driver’s license if having an adult beverage is on your agenda. Although I am closer than forty than thirty, I was carded on my last trip and didn’t have appropriate identification so don’t assume you’re too old to be asked for ID! Note: Magic Kingdom is a dry park.
Convenience is at the top of my list when choosing a way to keep my documents secure. Because I use my park pass often to get a FASTPASS, I don’t want to fumble around trying to find it when there are attractions to ride and characters to meet! A lanyard is a great solution to keep everything together and handy. As Brenda points out, be sure it has a closeable top.
No matter what time of the year you travel to Disney, sunscreen is not optional. The dilemma of how to reapply sunscreen often without carrying a bulky bottle of sunscreen to the parks emerges. Luckily, almost everything today is available in a smaller, travel version and sunscreen is no exception. Travel sizes of sunscreen or sunscreen wipes that come in a sealed pouch can be slipped into a pocket.
Water is a must during a day of touring the Walt Disney World theme parks. However, whether you bring it with you or not to the parks really depends on budget; you can purchase beverages in the park or use a snack credit from your Disney Dining Plan. Because most families prefer to use their snack credit on an actual snack and purchasing enough bottled water in the parks for a family can be very expensive, I’m adding water to a list of must-brings to the parks.
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