I heard Andy Andrews speak last weekend, and his talk – along with Christine Caine’s and Angie Smith’s – exuded inspiration, hope, and ridiculous amounts of humor. I loved every minute. Let me also just say Andy has the energy of a dozen Mountain Dew chugging toddlers. For real, people.
Andy handed us several thoughtful take-aways, but one of my faves was how we Christian folks need to get our countenance up. We need to represent. For example, we should smile when we talk. Because when you smile, others looking at you can’t help but smile too. And when that happens, anything you deliver is well received. I immediately thought about why Disney is called the Happiest Place on Earth: Everyone is grinning ear to ear.
Speaking of Disney, the fam and I are headed to Disney World in Florida. We’ll stay at the resort Shades of Green. Last time we went to Disney World {ten years ago}, our boys were two and our daughter was just a twinkle in our eyes. So, any Disney smarts I picked up have probably expired. If you’ve been to Disney World recent-ish, would you mind telling me your trip favorites? Your must-do-this-or-it-isn’t-a-real-Disney-vacation? Also, do you have any advice for what we shouldn’t do? Any tips on how to get the most out of our experience? I’m all ears.
And if it helps, imagine me asking you these questions with a big ol’ smile on my face.
{Thank you in advance!}
{And PS ~ we are spending one day at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, too. Any tips/advice for this park?}
My tip will be to sneak away for a luscious let’s not count the calories dessert with your height challenged Orlando friend, Stacey.
Because no matter how awesome and stressful your time at Disney will be (and it will be both), your time with her will be worth it!
🙂 seriously, pack your comfy clothes. Schedule in down time. Bring your sense of humor. Do less. Laugh more. Cry when your girl meets Cinderella. I do ever single time!
Stacey!! I keep meaning to DM you about this…will do so today.
And thank you for your practical, don’t-expect-too-much advice. As usual, it’s perfect.
Oh wow! There are so many tips that can be given on this subject. The biggest one is to laugh as Stacey said. Cliff and I always talk about the disney magic that seems to start with a lot of families very early in the day. This is the fussing and snapping at the kids, because everyone is tired, and around lunch time it gets worse when you add hungry to the mix. I would recommend setting your schedule to eat at off times. The lines at lunch and dinner get long. Also have a least one sit down dinner that you make a reservation for. Hope this helps and have a great time!
Eating at off times ~ that’s great advice, friend. I do still remember having to wait, wait, wait in the food lines only to wait, wait, wait for a table to open up. I’m hoping having older kids means we can be more flexible with things like that! Thanks for your help, love. I miss you.
Oh wow. I could write a million pages about a good Disney trip. May I humbly suggest the Disney World’s Moms Panel? http://disneyworldmoms.com You can ask any question and they will answer it. (OK, I might just happen to be on that panel!)
And while I’m pimping myself (*blush*) here’s some posts about Disney that might help: http://ohamanda.com/oh-disney/
And now that I have sufficiently spammed your comments, you can email me with any questions if you want. I’d be glad to help: amanda at ohamanda dot com
😉
AWESOME. You are like the one-stop spot for all Disney intel. Thank you!
We went to Disney 7 years ago (I can’t believe it’s been that long), and stayed on site. About a week before we left, I mailed a box (one that reams of paper come in) full of non-perishable snacks to myself at the resort that we were staying in. I had cereal, granola bars, chex mix, etc. in the box…I even put in a box of zip loc bags. When we arrived at the hotel, I asked for the box, and there it was! It was a great way to save money on snacks at the parks.
Holy smokes, that’s brilliant!
My daughter and I went 2 years ago. I guess I would say The Magic Kingdom is more for the little ones. My daughter was 11 at the time and we didn’t find much to do there except for the parades and a few rides. I would plan maybe half a day at the Magic Kingdom more toward the evening hours if your kids are tweens/teens. Make sure you overbudget for food.
Thanks, Christina! Did you happen to visit the Harry Potter park? My kids are just as excited about that place as they are Disney!
You are going to have the best time! We have visited Disney World every year since our son Colt passed away in 2004. He was 3 and loved all things Disney! Our first trip was with the make a wish foundation and you just can’t beat that. Anyhow, our favorite park is of course Magic Kingdom. Always fast pass your favorite ride first! Absolutely make sure you ride Buzz lighyear’s space ranger spin! It’s a blast! The parade and firework shows are amazing so find a great spot ( we usually get in front of the castle on main street) early!
We went a few years ago and when we got back – I wrote a post about the “do’s and don’t’s, likes and dislikes. It’s here:http://www.beautyinthestorm.blogspot.com/2009/10/disneyworld-dos-donts-likes-and.html
Love the pinata. So cute! I haven’t been to Disneyworld since ’09 but I wrote a post “Do’s and Don’ts” at that time. I think you can find it on pinterest under my name – dionnasanchez. 🙂