Starting off let me just say I was totally in love with our hotel. It made the vacation extra enjoyable for the adults in our party because it was like staying at a fabulous Westin in the middle of the park grounds. Instead of feeling overly "themey" it was just nice, relaxing and modern (which is the magic word for me when it comes to hotels). So (this one is really for my military friends whose hubby's travel so much) but...
TIP # 1 HOTEL: If you aspire to have an affordable Disney vacation in your future have your guy start staying at hotels within the SPG (Starwood) family and become a preferred guest. We had no idea that the Dolphin and Swan were technically SPG hotels but were tickled pink when we found out and were able to use points to pay for out entire stay.
Other Tips I have may out me as being totally obsessed with a "good deal" but I'm okay with that...
TIP #2 STOCK UP ON ESSENTIALS: Upon arrival we rented a car to go to our hotel and made a stop at Target to grab water, soda, cereal, fruit etc. for our hotel room (we usually do this on family vacations which saves a lot on breakfast, snacking etc.) I'm sure this isn't that great of a tip but it did mean significant savings over the course of the week.
TIP #3 OFF SITE SOUVENIRS: While we were at Target we took advantage of their giant "Disney Souvenir" section. Grabbing t-shirts for our girls, Carter a visor, and Autograph book. These things were at least double the cost when I saw them at the park so score one for the the thrifty mom!
(Carter, the castle, and her Target special a $4 Minnie Visor she was crazy about!)
TIP #4 BYOSnacks: We realized after our first day that the Parks allow you to bring in snacks, bottled water, etc. This was valuable and meant we really only ate/spent money on one meal each day in the Park, another nice way to save a buck!
Speaking of meals, we decided early on food was not our main attraction/reason for being at Disney. That being said we still wanted to enjoy what we ate and here are a few of our favorite places to grab a bite:
MAGIC KINGDOM
The Liberty Tree Tavern: We had lunch here and it was a nice change of pace from the burger and fry fare served at a lot of other venues. Nate and I actually split a lunch and it was perfect for sharing (Turkey, mashed potatoes, and a salad in case you were wondering).
The Plaza: We had dinner here and again it was nice to have options other than typical "fast food". I had a Chicken Salad sandwich that was served on a croissant and Carter had grilled chicken strips. Overall "healthier" fare than other things we were grabbing throughout the day. They also have great ice cream for dessert. We ate here after Carter's makeover and it had a "nicer" feel than a lot of places we went.
EPCOT
Teppan Edo: We had lunch at this Hibachi Grill in "Japan". While it was nice and definitely felt more like a "real" restaurant than a lot of places it was pricey in comparison to our other choices. The food was fine but not great. Overall I would say save your money and hit up Benihanna when you get home!
THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
Flame Tree Barbecue: We had lunch here and I would highly recommend it. Everything we at was great (Chicken and a Pulled Pork sandwich). They also have an amazing fruit plate that we shared. Great "fast" park food.
We spent out last day in the Animal Kingdom...
We weren't sure what to expect but I would definitely recommend spending a little time there. If you have to pick and choose I would hit Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios and then the Animal Kingdom (in that order). If you have to miss something this would be the place I would eliminate. We did enjoy the Safari...
And Expedition Everest (seen in the background)...
But there aren't a ton of attractions which is why my next tip could come in handy...
TIP #5 USE YOUR FAST PASSES: What is a Fast Pass?? Well, it is something that comes right along with your park admission (meaning it's free!!) There are kiosks that look like ATM machines next to most of the attractions that incur large wait times. All you have to do is scan your card at a kiosk and it gives you a ticket with a return time (a window of an hour) for later in the day. You can go enjoy other rides and then come back and move quickly to the front of the line. While you can only have one (or sometimes two if you work the system) it is super valuable for the attractions that sometimes incur waits of 60 or so minutes, especially when you're with small kiddos!
While I'm on the subject of "lines" let me go ahead with my next thought...
TIP #6 CHARACTER SITING: Characters are a huge part of the Disney experience and getting an autograph can be quite the accomplishment. We quickly learned that you could spend a ton of time waiting in line to "meet" a character. If your kiddo' is a die hard fan I would suggest holding out for autographs until Epcot where they have a Character Spot. You will spend a significant amount of time in line but are rewarded with meeting all the staple characters at once (Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald, and Pluto). This eliminates spending large parts of the day waiting in line to see just one character. Unless of course you get lucky and happen upon someone just as they are hitting their "spot" like Carter did with Pinocchio...
We were lucky she wasn't too keen on waiting and if she saw a long line for a character was happy to walk on. She was thrilled just to see them which I why I suggest HIT THE PARADES!! They are great, you can see everyone in one place, and it's a good excuse to get off your feet!
And with that I think I've hit the highlights. As I'm writing Nate just looked at me and said, "It was such a great trip." It really was, we had a ball.
I would also say (and this is really just my two cents so take it or leave it) we are so glad we didn't attempt this trip earlier with Carter. We feel like it was valuable to wait until she was old enough/tall enough to ride everything and enjoy being there (and I'm praying she will remember some of it!) While I'm sure going with small kiddo's could be a blast I think it would be a totally different experience. Going with a 5 year old meant less work for us (no strollers, diaper bags, etc.) which made things a lot more enjoyable!
If Disney is in your future I hope you have an awesome time. We can't wait to go back with the whole fam, but not until Emme is 46 inches tall...grow baby grow!!
