If you’ve been following along on Instagram you know my family and I were in Florida this past week. My husband and I are not ready for a full blown Disney trip, however my oldest has been talking about “the castle” aka Magic Kingdom a LOT lately (thank you Disney channel!) With Disney World being an hour and twenty minute drive away from where we were staying, we decided to spend one day at the Magic Kingdom. This seemed like a great compromise for all.
This is our second time doing this type of vacation and I’ve learned a lot on how to maximize the day. Whenever I hear someone talk about visiting Disney World I usually pick up at least one thing I didn’t know so hopefully you’ll discover something new as well!
- Attire: Almost every single person is in some form of Disney clothing, from a t-shirt with Mickey on it to full blown coordinated family outfits! We decided not to do the family outfit (husband was a hard no) but if you’re looking for that I would check out Happiest Tees On Earth! Our girls ended up wearing super cute character shirts instead!
- Baby Center: The Magic Kingdom has a baby center on property equipped with changing tables, high chairs for feeding, a nursing room and store with things like pacifiers, 2 packs of diapers, wipes, baby food – really anything you might need for small children. We lost a binky mid-day and I was so relieved that we were able to buy a new one, it would have been a LONG day otherwise!
- Reservations: We tried to make a reservation for lunch or dinner before arriving and weren’t able to find anything. When it was time for dinner I suggested to my husband that we just try the Plaza Restaurant near Main Street, we got lucky and were able to get in! Having that hour inside air conditioning to sit down and relax was crucial to making it through the rest of the day. My advice is even if they are booked it doesn’t hurt to ask once you get there.
- Souvenirs: There are so many items to purchase in the shops and then on top of that there are stations selling balloons, mouse ears, wands – you name it! Before arriving I had purchased wands for a fraction of the price and gave them to the girls once inside. They didn’t know the difference and that freed up money for them to buy something more memorable!
- Pictures: There are plenty of opportunities for professional and personal pictures in front of the castle, but the best pictures we took were on the paths on the side of the castle. It was much less congested and you still get the full castle in the picture! One more thing, while it’s important to plan outfits for the kids, make sure you feel your best too! I left the hotel in a shirt I wasn’t comfortable in and forgot to put makeup on in the rush leave. That combined with the heat was not a good mix. I’ve heard great things about the Estee Lauder Doublewear for great coverage on humid days!
- Fireworks: Attending the fireworks at the end of the day really depends on the age of your children and how comfortable you feel in crowds. It’s pretty dark and unless you are next to a designated walkway you are pretty much trapped until the end of the show. Both times we have tried haven’t gone well.
The magic of Disney takes me by surprise each time I step on the property. This past visit was a little more difficult with the ages of the girls but totally worth it. Watching their faces as they saw different attractions is truly something I’ll never forget. I can never believe how fast the week goes when I’m on vacation, everyone goes back to work and school tomorrow!
I’ve branched out a bit and you can now follow me on Pinterest! Check out my boards and let me know what you think! Hope it’s a great week!