We go to Disney World every year. Jill Robbins I’ve been visiting Disney World with my husband and sons for seven years. My family never misses the chance to pin trade, find hidden Mickeys, or eat Mickey ice-cream bars.
We’re always in line before the park opens so we can be among the first guests to enter. Mickey ice-cream bars are a total must. I have at least one Mickey ice-cream bar every time I go to Disney World.
Jill RobbinsThere’s always a new snack to try at Disney World, but a visit isn’t complete until I’ve had a Mickey ice-cream bar. I love Dole Whip and all the Mickey-shaped food, but I never skip on the ice-cream treat. I love pin-trading with park employees and fellow guests.
Sometimes park employees have boards full of pins to trade. Jill RobbinsPin-trading is a fun way to interact with Disney park employees (referred to as cast members) and other guests. We have a huge pin collection at home, so before we set out to Disney World, we decide what pins we’re taking with us to trade.
My kids have struck up friendships with other kids through pin trading, and it’s a fun way to collect souvenirs that don’t take up much space back home. We’re usually on the hunt for specific types of pins, like Disney villains or “Star Wars” characters. We search for “hidden Mickeys” at all the parks and resorts.
Hint: One hidden Mickey is in the clouds on the drawing. Jill RobbinsThere are “hidden Mickeys” (three circles that look like an outline of Mickey’s head) throughout the parks and resorts. They can be challenging to find, and sometimes, we get clues from cast members or Google.
Getting to the park for rope drop lets us line up for popular rides faster. We make a dash for the line we think will be the longest throughout the day. Jill RobbinsRope-dropping refers to being in line before park opening so you can be among the first to enter.
Our strategy is to queue up 30 minutes before opening and decide as a family what ride is first priority. We’ll head to that ride right when we are allowed in. Sometimes this minimizes our wait, but other times we run into lots of other guests with the same plan.
We make sure to plan at least one non-park day. Disney resorts, especially the deluxe ones, have beautiful, themed pool areas. Jill RobbinsWe enjoy the parks and resorts equally.
The deluxe-level resorts at Disney World, where we usually stay, offer many activities and great pools, so we carve out time to relax and enjoy the amenities. I think Memory Maker is worth the extra money. If a PhotoPass photographer asks you to pose a certain way, the result is usually a Magic Shot.
Jill RobbinsAside from pins, we’re not souvenir people. But I always buy Disney Memory Maker. The service provides digital downloads of our vacation pictures and videos (taken by the PhotoPass employees around the park) and ride photos for a flat rate of $199.
You can purchase Memory Maker online any time during or after your vacation. But you save $30 if you buy at least three days in advance. If you qualify for Disney’s Armed Forces Salute (military discount), you can get Memory Maker for $98.
But you have to buy it in person at Disney World. We have a list of must-do attractions we ride every trip. Seven Dwarfs Mine Train is one of our favorites.
Jill RobbinsWe always like to check out the newest attractions, such as Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, which opened in Epcot in 2021. But we also make time for our favorites — a tie between Seven Dwarfs Mine Train at Magic Kingdom and Avatar Flight of Passage at Animal Kingdom. I like getting pictures of my boys with the characters.
Meet and greet with Timon from “The Lion King. “Jill RobbinsMy kids are probably outgrowing meeting characters, but so far, they haven’t refused me. Character meet and greets changed a little throughout the coronavirus pandemic — no hugs or autographs — but those added safety measures were dropped earlier this year.
No trip is complete without a fireworks show. If we’re not in the parks for fireworks, we make plans to catch them from outside. Jill RobbinsWe make it a priority to catch at least one fireworks display or nighttime spectacular during our visit.
It’s a magical way to end our day. Pro tip: If you want to beat the crowds and catch the show, sometimes we’ll head out of the parks and find a spot where we can still see the fireworks going off. The Play Disney Parks app is a great tool for keeping everyone entertained in long lines.
The app lets you interact with things in some lines. Jill RobbinsThe Play Disney Parks app debuted in 2018 and offers fun features that make waiting in line go by faster. There are also location-based settings that allow you to interact with your environment in certain queues.
One downside to using the app is it eats up a ton of your phone’s battery, so make sure you’re charged or have a portable charger. We split up to make sure everyone rides their favorite attractions. One of my kids is more fearless than the other so we split up for the more thrilling rides.
Jill RobbinsMy two sons are complete opposites when it comes to rides. One is all about the thrills and the other is timider. To maximize time in the park when lines are long, our family of four often splits up to keep everyone happy.
We always make sure to try one new thing on every trip. Blizzard Beach has a fun winter theme, which makes for a really unique water park. Jill RobbinsYou might think as many times as we’ve been to Disney World that we’ve done it all, but there’s always something new to try.
Since we visit frequently, our stays are usually on the shorter side. But we like to set aside some time to try something we’ve never experienced, whether it’s a water park or a new ride. Read the original article on Insider.
From: insider
URL: https://www.insider.com/best-things-i-do-at-disney-world-with-children-2022-7
