Last week we took a family vacation to Walt Disney World in Florida. This vacation was filled with fun and action for all of us! We enjoyed every minute and here are a few things I learned along the way...
1) You can purchase souvenirs a head of time. Since it was our first visit and we tried to experience every part of the parks, we really didn't have any time for shopping. We bought small themed presents and wrapped them in advance that the kiddos could open every night. Example: The kiddos received Winnie the Pooh and Friends figurines on the day that we met the Winnie the Pooh, Piglet, Tigger and Eeyore. 
2) Character buffets are expensive but worth every penny of not waiting for hours in individual lines to meet the characters. While eating breakfast at Chef Mickey's we got a little bit of one-on-one time with Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Goofy and Donald Duck!
3) Our kiddos were just as excited to meet Raffiki as Mickey!
4) If DW knows that you are celebrating an event, they will go out of their way to make you feel extra special. We received a complimentary mini-fridge for our room for the week. Our family received extra free pictures with Belle. One afternoon, the kiddos received free fruit bars while we were exploring Hollywood Studios. Mommies received flowers on Mother's Day. We also noticed that DW made a big deal about birthdays, honeymoons and anniversaries.
5) Before coming I was concerned that the kiddos would not be able to participate in much because of their height/age but was pleasantly surprised at the amount of activities relative to their age group. Caden's first roller coaster ride was Barnstormer. He loved it and we wish he could have gotten to ride more but he was 1/4" too short to ride the larger roller coasters... I had heard of people stuffing shoes but we didn't have success with this. Too bad manufacturers don't make super thick shoes for boys as they do for girls!
6) Our youngest was so tired, it was difficult for her to be as excited as the rest of us from moment to moment. When Charlotte met Pooh and Piglet she was so thrilled to receive their kisses. But by the time Tigger came by, she became inconsolable. However, CK did perk back up for Eeyore.
6) All the classic rides are still magical at DW. Here we are on the Tea Cups near Alice and Friends. We were waiting for a Fast Pass ticket (a ticket you receive at a ride with a long wait so that you can experience other rides with less of a wait) to kick-in on the Winnie the Pooh ride and look who hopped on and rode the ride with Charli Kate and I... the White Rabbit!! We were so excited to experience this moment :)
7) The Electrical Parade is every night before the Wishes Nighttime Spectacular. It is put on very late at night and very worth the wait! Our kiddos often fell asleep in our arms in between and after events. A GREAT tip we received was to bring lightweight umbrella strollers because they have to be folded whenever you get on a bus, which we did atleast 4 times per day. There are plenty of safe and convenient places to park strollers. There are even stroller attendants who care for the parked strollers :)
8) The cast members never break character. They each did a great job of trying to adapt to the character's personality. It adds to the magic of the park. WE LOVED THIS ELEMENT!
"Faith, trust and pixie dust!"
"Whoso pulleth out the sword of this stone and anvil is rightwise king born of England."
Epcot had the coolest multicultural area. There was so much yummy food to choose from. We also saw many cool topiary displays all over the parks while visiting during the Garden Festival.
9) Everyone goes gooey over the princesses. Everyone. Even our Caden, loved flirting with the ladies. The morning that we met the storybook princesses, Cade and Charli Kate both agreed that Snow White was their favorite. Ryan was lost to Belle's charms and I felt like a little girl again when I saw Cinderella, Aurora and Ariel.
Ahh, Daisy... one of our favorites :)
Practicing archery before meeting Merida, the princess from this summer's Disney movie, BRAVE!
We met so many characters. There are too many pictures to post. They were everywhere we turned. It was so magical to bump into Cinderella's Fairy Godmother one morning!
10) Value resorts are very clean and significantly less expensive. We stayed in the All-Star Music Resort and liked it. But next time we will stay in a moderate resort. One interesting thing we learned was that we didn't love the least expensive food or the most expensive food. The best food was the moderately priced food. This goes the same for the lodging. The value resort was okay and the deluxe resort would not be appropriate for our needs but the moderate resorts will be a perfect fit for a follow-up trip!
11) The shows were amazing! We loved seeing all of the costumes and theater productions. Take the time to see them all if you can!!
If you are looking for a relaxing family vacation, this would not be for your family. If you do not like the outdoors and warm climate, this trip is not for you. The kiddos were very tired and we walked everywhere. This is a vacation where we did everything with the forethought of our children needs and we loved every moment. Sure, Ry and I rode a few roller coasters but we enjoyed seeing everything through our kiddos eyes, more. It really is the "most magical place on earth" and I don't know why it took us so long to get there. I would call our first DW trip... a beautiful success!
