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Disney World Travel Tips

October 20, 2021

We just got back from a long weekend in Disney World for their 50th anniversary and if you were following along on my instagram stories you know it was anything but smooth! Our direct flights from Raleigh/Durham Airport into Orlando on Southwest were canceled after being delayed for 6 hours, and then we scrambled to even find flights the next day. As you know Disney planning takes months to perfect with all the dining reservations and accommodations etc. I did not want to miss another full day of plans, so we luckily found a company to drive us through the night to Orlando. Shout out to Raleigh Taxi services, you made my kids Disney dreams a reality! We arrived at 4am on Saturday morning, and had 3 hours of sleep until our Character breakfast with Mickey. We did make it, two exhausted parents and two excited kids that didn’t even notice. Here is everything I know right now going to Disney World during these crazy world times. PS* I am cohosting a giveaway for a free 3 night stay to Disney + LainSnow swimsuits for an entire family over on instagram! It closes on 10/24, go tag friends!

Where to Stay:

Wyndham Grand Orlando Resort Bonnet Creek:
We have loved staying off Disney property resorts several years now. The Wyndham was in the perfect location to take a quick ride 10 minutes to the park. The resort also offers free shuttle rides for various times. They also have an amazing buffet breakfast on site which made it seamless to eat and hurry the kids to the parks. They have several pools to choose from, including a lazy river and beach front entry for the kids. One of my favorite meals of our trip was at their onsite restaurant Deep Blu Seafood and Grille. You can see all they have to offer on dining here as well. The giveaway I posted is for a free 3 night stay to this hotel + daily breakfast for two. Enter here on this post for instructions!


Tips for Planning a smooth Disney World Trip:

  • Sign up on Mouse Watcher app for all the dining reservations you need to make! It will send you an alert the second one becomes available. We were able to get all our desired dining this way.
  • Order Magic Bands to link all your hotel reservations, wallet and park tickets to your wrist for easy access.
  • Plan your days by the parks, there is no fast pass system in place right now so that might things a little hectic with young kids, but I heard they were releasing a new Disney Genie pass soon to replace it!
  • Reserve a stroller for the kids to be dropped off at your hotel for arrival. This was a game changer for us, we used Scooter Bug!
  • Order outfits and mickey ears ahead of time on Amazon. You can shop all our outfits here.
  • Have some downtown at the hotels for just lounging between parks.
  • Pack extra Masks, they are requiring them when waiting in indoor lines and all restaurants walking to tables.
travel

The Hilton Orlando X Disney World Guide

November 6, 2019

We just got back from Orlando, or should I say Disney World, and man am I beat!  Doing Disney World with toddlers in a weekend trip is exhausting!  Lainey is at a great age (5) but Roman is still in that terrible toddler age (3) where a lot of meltdowns occur very often.  I was thankful for the days we spent at the resort more than the days at the parks this trip.  I do have a few tips and tricks I’ve learned over the years with toddlers I will share below, and you can read my last blog post on Disney with toddlers here!  You can also see all the behind the scenes videos on my Instagram story highlights here.

Where we stayed:  The Hilton Orlando (conveniently located 15 minutes or less from all the attractions, and 15 minutes from the airport!)  Here are several tips on the resorts site to help you enjoy your stay.

  • My first tip is where to stay when doing Disney with kids. I was pleasantly surprised how close this resort was too everything without being overcrowded by the holiday rush for Mickeys Halloween Party (which we did our last night).  Transportation can be arranged ahead of time with your concierge.
  • Book a resort with a water park & outdoor activities for downtime between parks.  The Hilton Orlando has two huge pools, a lazy river, splash pad, slide, and outdoor sports areas all over the property!  It felt more like a tropical vacation when we relaxed at the resort.
  • Plan your days and fast passes as far in advance as possible.  This is key with toddlers that have very little patience for rides and meals.  We filled up every morning at The Hilton Orlando’s daily breakfast buffet at The Bistro. The service and food was amazing!  You can do 3 fast passes per day per ticket.  I like to plan ours first thing in the morning to knock out all the key rides before lunch!  Make sure to mention rider switch if one child isn’t tall enough to ride!  Always go back to the resort to nap :).
  • Bring a Stroller and tie balloons to it as soon as your in the park to easily spot yours! We easily rolled the stroller back into our hotel room each night.
  • Tips specifically for Mickeys Halloween Party:  Arrive to the park early (they let you in as soon as 4pm day of).  Try to go mid week for less of a crowd.  Dress up!  Bring your own trick-or-treat bags!  Hit up the rides when everyone is grabbing candy, there are no fast passes during this time so barely any waits!  If you are visiting other parks, The Hilton Orlando has packages that include Universal Orlando & 4th night free! (Harry Potter was my favorite during Halloween)
  • Get the specialty drinks at the bar, from milkshakes for the kids to patron in a mini bottle, The Hilton Orlando pool bar had the best selections!
  • All and all we really enjoyed our convenient location & hospitality at The Hilton Orlando!  It was the perfect quick weekend trip to get the Disney bug out of our system 🙂  Thank you so much to the Hilton team for having us!

travel

Disneyland Halloween & Our Stay with Ayres Hotel

October 23, 2018

I am officially Disney’d out (maybe for at least a year).  My husband is a Disney fanatic, so for some reason we have been to Disney (Land & World) 4 combined times now in the last 4 years with toddlers!  It definitely gets better/easier every time, but boy I can’t wait for the next age when they are older and calmer (no tantrums/no naps).
See my first blog post on Disneyland & DisneyWorld here.

We decided to do Disneyland for one day since we were visiting my sister (who lives in LA) this month.  We have never done Disney for Halloween season, so it was special in that way too.  We went on an off day (thursday) that wasn’t “Mickeys Halloween Party” and the crowds seemed pretty low!  Maybe when they are older we will do the trick-or-treating event one night.

We also chose to stay with Ayres Hotel Anaheim due to the convenience to the parks, and needing to have a break for toddler naps!   It is ranked as #5 hotel in Anaheim, you can see the reviews here.

Here’s what we loved about Ayres Hotel:
Location- This is the main reason we chose this hotel (It is within minutes to disneyland & the Honda Center-across the street)  The hotel provides shuttles to and from Disneyland for your convenience via transit as well.
Beds- Very comfortable and black out curtains (for the kids).  We came back during mid-day for nap-time, everyone slept 3+hours, the rooms cooled down instantly and were very clean.
Amenities- They have a pool onsite if you have the time to use it, we didn’t!
Service- This is key, since my husband is in the service industry.  Everyone was very nice and responded to any of our needs quickly!

Heading to Anaheim? Click to Book your stay with them now!

Here is Our Halloween DisneyLand Itinerary for One day:
(Book your tickets through the app prior to arriving for sake of time, and make sure to chose MAXPASS!)
7am- do extra magic hours if staying on property.
8am- Arrive if no magic hours, We ate at Plaza Inn (make this reservation 90 days out!)  With toddlers, this was the quickest and a sure way to have a good meal while seeing all their characters! (Minnie, Mickey, Pooh, etc).

Then We followed this by Touring Plans (one day with small children guide). With the MAXPASS at disneyland, you can reserve “fast pass” as soon as you enter the park every hour (ex. 9-10am one, 10am-11am another etc).  We got fast passes for Haunted Mansion, It’s a small world & Buzz Lightyear.

  1. Peter Pan’s Flight
  2. Dumbo the Flying Elephant
  3. Alice in Wonderland
  4. King Arthur Carrousel
  5. Casey Jr. Circus Train
  6. Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride
  7. Mad Tea Party
  8. Storybook Land Canal Boats
  9. Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin
  10. Gadget’s Go Coaster
  11. Mickey’s House and Meet Mickey
  12. Minnie’s House
  13. Rest

    Eat lunch In this step, set the time at which you’d like to eat lunch.

  14. it’s a small world
  15. Mickey and the Magical Map
  16. Meet Disney Princesses at Royal Hall
  17. Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters
  18. Walt Disney‘s Enchanted Tiki Room
  19. Pirates of the Caribbean
  20. Haunted Mansion
  21. Mickey’s Soundsational Parade

    Or whichever parade is being performed on the day of your visit.

  22. Rest

    Eat dinner


*Key things to note for Halloween Season:
-Haunted Mansion is decorated differently only this time of year! So that ride is a must.
-Take the famous Pumpkin picture as soon as you arrive if you want it, lines get long (we waited about 15 minutes to take ours).
-Grab the pumpkin Mickey Shapes beignets right by Haunted Mansion (Mint Julep Bar)! Only seasonal and so good!

You can shop our entire family’s disney attire on the @liketoknowit.app here!