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EP 96: Disney With Littles
1.6k Plays1 month ago
We did it! We braved Disney with a toddler and a baby — and lived to tell the tale. In this episode, I’m recapping our trip to the most magical (and chaotic) place on earth with my 3-year-old and 1-year-old. From what worked and what definitely didn’t, to the moments that made it all worth it, I’m sharing it all.
You’ll hear:
- What I’d absolutely do again (and what I’ll skip next time)
- My best tips for navigating Disney with young kids
- How we handled naps, meals, overstimulation, and meltdowns
- The gear I was so glad we brought (stroller fans, I owe you my life)
- Where to cool off and catch a break in Magic Kingdom and EPCOT
- Why mindset matters more than your park itinerary when you’re traveling with littles
Whether you’re planning your first Disney trip or just want to laugh along at the chaos, this one’s for you.
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Transcript
Introduction to the Mom Group Chat Podcast
00:00:07
Speaker
There's no right way to do it.
00:00:12
Speaker
Oh, we're going to get into it. What up, my magical moms? My name is Candice, and I'm here with my best friend, Whitney, and this is the Mom Group Chat Podcast. Hey, friends.
00:00:23
Speaker
Hello. um so excited about today's episode. Yeah, I love that you used magical. Mystical, magical. I actually literally, when I went to start this recording, I thought to myself, I'm not going to sing in the intro because I've noticed that's a thing now Like we almost every time after we I do the little intro, we you and I almost always sing some sort of little song. you And it's like gotten to the point where it's like, is this annoying?
00:00:53
Speaker
Oh, I don't know. like I really can't help doing that. I know. I think I do it a lot. And like, even now I just couldn't help but go into mystical, magical. Well, they sit on TikTok.
00:01:06
Speaker
They, you know, is a umbrella term for TikTok. They say that it's like just vocal stems, like words trigger a memory or something. Okay.
00:01:17
Speaker
I think it's just a vocal stem. Okay. Okay. Hopefully our singing is not annoying, but I mean, I know we don't sing as much as like the toast. They are like always singing. Yeah. Cause I think you can be pinged for like copyright or whatever.
00:01:32
Speaker
If it goes over a certain amount of seconds, I i know that, um, cause the other podcasts that I listened to, which is, this is important. They can only play things for 15 seconds and they're like, you got to cut it off.
00:01:44
Speaker
Yeah. yeah Oh, man.
Disney Recap Announcement and Listener Requests
00:01:47
Speaker
Well, I am so excited about today's episode. This is going to be a full Disney recap, full of tips and tricks, things I learned, things...
00:02:01
Speaker
things I already knew, i guess, technically, but I did learn a lot from our Disney trip. And this is an episode that I feel like I was unsure if we should even do. And then in the past couple episodes, I've definitely mentioned, like, should we do a Disney episode?
00:02:17
Speaker
And the in the DMs, it's been a resounding yes. People want information. I feel like Disney is something that everyone does at some point in their like child's life, like but in the early years.
00:02:33
Speaker
So save this episode for your future Disney trip, and hopefully it will help you your planning.
Disney Tips for Families with Young Children
00:02:43
Speaker
What age range are you saying that these tips and tricks will be helpful for?
00:02:49
Speaker
Definitely most of these are for like, like Four and under, like five and under, I would say. You'd say like kids with napping schedules? Yes.
00:03:00
Speaker
Okay. Kids who still nap. you Okay. I think... I think overarchingly what I learned is that Disney with napping kids like is still very hard to be honest.
00:03:15
Speaker
Like, and don't get me wrong. We had an overall, a great trip and a great time, but I think I still felt like, Oh, if I had waited another year, I think that it would have been even better.
00:03:26
Speaker
That's kind of how I feel. Yeah, I mean, i I don't know. I think any time is going to be great to go. but like, yeah you know how we've said and joked, even though it's not a joke, like doing Graydon's fifth birthday there next year. Like Margot yeah will still be three, so I will still have a napper, you know? so Yeah. like damn, I mean, one of us will have to go back or the whole family would have to go back.
00:03:51
Speaker
So you still get a nap trap. But I think if you go into Disney knowing that you're going to have to carve out time to leave or hell, maybe your kids are fricking savant and naps in the stroller as you go.
00:04:04
Speaker
ah know a lot of people are, couldn't be me, but like there's yeah people that do that. So yeah. Yeah, Evie did take one nap in the stroller um on the first day we were there. She fell asleep probably a little later than she would, which ended up kind of screwing us up.
00:04:22
Speaker
i don't I feel like I should do like a general like here's what we did type thing and then I'll get into what I learned. And I created a big list of lessons.
00:04:32
Speaker
right. This is me. This whole episode. I was relaxing. Relax with my Disney ears on and ah chill. And absorb. um
Experiencing the Contemporary Resort
00:04:45
Speaker
Okay. So we did four days at Disney World.
00:04:49
Speaker
We did Thursday, Friday, i guess three days at the parks. Friday, Saturday. oh my God. Sorry. Thursday, Friday, Saturday. And then we came home Sunday morning.
00:05:03
Speaker
So um we were staying on property at the Contemporary contemporary Resort, which is on the monorail system. So very convenient.
00:05:13
Speaker
We are couple stops to Magic Kingdom and we are the first stop home. Like if once you leave Magic Kingdom on the monorail, the Contemporary the first stop, which is very convenient when you're like trying to get out of there.
00:05:25
Speaker
Oh my God, that is ideal. Like I feel that way. Sorry not to stop you, but I feel that way like on the plane. No, please. That is like the hardest part is waiting to get off. Like my child is um impatient.
00:05:36
Speaker
Yeah, and especially at night when they're like, they're done. They're over-simulated. They are over the parks. To be that first stop is key. Oh, that's a hot tip. Yeah, yeah. Hot, hot, hot. Yeah.
00:05:47
Speaker
I also like the Contemporary because of the range of options for food. There are Chef Mickey's is in there, which is character dining. So you don't if you want to see Mickey Mouse and all of his friends, it's a great place to do breakfast, dinner, lunch, some sort of like- stop along your way because you could see all the, you get to meet all the characters and it's just like checking a lot of things off the boxes at once.
00:06:15
Speaker
Um, I will say fair warning. It is fucking chaotic in there. Okay. It is chef Mickey's is chaotic. It is buffet style. style And then as you're like eating at your table and going to the buffet, all of the characters come around and it's like a dance party every 10 minutes.
00:06:33
Speaker
it's It's chaos. It is. It's just like, it's not, it's great to see their faces light up when the characters come around, but for it as an adult, it's, overstimulation nation down there. Okay.
00:06:45
Speaker
Like Mickey's shaking his ass in my face. I'm like my toddler's throwing food. It's just, it's chaos. ah no um so just fair warning about that.
00:06:57
Speaker
But they also have like a nice steakhouse in there. If for some reason you were able to like get away for like a date night and your grandparents are like the kids, grandparents are there to watch the kids. Like that's something I wish we had time for.
00:07:09
Speaker
ah They also have like a rooftop California ah restaurant. And then the markets in there are amazing. Like not only for souvenirs, but for like snacks and food. I mean, they have a full, almost like little grocery store in there.
Financial Aspects of the Disney Trip
00:07:26
Speaker
Major key. When we had trouble with Alice sleeping the first night, we didn't bring Benadryl with us. And that little shop down there had children's Benadryl, which... They knew. They knew.
00:07:38
Speaker
They know what the parents need. Not their first rodeo. So overall, love the contemporary. eight The rooms are spacious enough. um And the pool is great also. big They have a slide um and lots of space like for families. They have a ah an amazing splash pad zone.
00:08:02
Speaker
So it checks a lot of boxes there. the price range compared to the other properties on site? So it's definitely one of the more pricier ones. I ain't even going lie to you. Okay. um It's not as pricey as the grand Floridian, but I would say it's like in the top tier of price range.
00:08:24
Speaker
So again, it's like you are paying for convenience. You are so a stop away from the park. You are able to like get in and out of there quickly So you're saying stay maybe off property as kids get older.
00:08:41
Speaker
Yes. I think when they're young and little, staying on property is worth it because you can jet home for a nap and have them sleep and then jet back to the park.
00:08:54
Speaker
Whereas waiting, I'm not like waiting for the buses for all these other sorts. We have to take a bus. It's like more of a deal, you know, and a longer process.
00:09:04
Speaker
So, It's definitely like ah as with everything with kids, but especially with Disney, you kind of have to weigh your pros and cons of like what is going to work for you and your family. And I get that the contemporary was pricey and to be fully transparent, we only had to pay for one night. His, this was part of Alice's birthday present to
Magical Moments at Magic Kingdom
00:09:28
Speaker
ah happy birthday. Alice. Yeah. yeah And fan. Hold on.
00:09:32
Speaker
Finn's yelling. Hold on.
00:09:43
Speaker
It sounded like someone was getting murdered. Yeah, he's crazy, literally. um So yeah, my in-laws gave this to Alice for her birthday. And that was like, they booked us at the Contemporary. so And we we just wanted to stay one extra day. So we paid for our final night to like add on to it.
00:10:03
Speaker
So I get that it's pricey, but it's like you pay for the proximity to the park. and And I think like when Vinny and I used to go, just the two of us, we would stay at like Art of Animation or like some of the places that are more...
00:10:18
Speaker
off the beaten path that are you can find really reasonable rates. And also those places are still great for kids. Like to stay in a car's room or Little Mermaid room, like kids love that shit. –
00:10:30
Speaker
so Yeah, so we did the first day at Magic Kingdom and the second day at Magic Kingdom and then the third day at Epcot. And honestly, Magic Kingdom is just so fun and amazing and magical. It's like so fun to see them, like see the castle and the characters and the shows.
00:10:54
Speaker
Okay, so you did the three days. ah You said you did two Magic Kingdoms. One Epcot. Why not pick... Like Animal Kingdom? Like what were your thoughts behind all of that?
00:11:08
Speaker
So I just felt like there was so much we wanted to do at Magic Kingdom. And I think if we were staying one more day, we would have done Animal Kingdom also. ah We have zoo passes here in Tampa. We go a lot.
00:11:22
Speaker
And I feel like it was going to feel like the zoo, you know, which Alice would have loved. Well, rides there kind of older rides at Animal Kingdom.
00:11:33
Speaker
ah To be honest, I wasn't even originally we were going to do three whole days of Magic Kingdom like we were only going to do Magic Kingdom. What changed our minds was um
Highlights of Epcot Day
00:11:43
Speaker
Alice, whenever you asked her like, what are you most excited for for Disney?
00:11:47
Speaker
Her answer was always meeting Anna and Elsa. And the only place to meet Anna and Elsa is at Epcot. So that's the only place you can meet them. And the Frozen ride is at Epcot.
00:11:58
Speaker
And then also I was sold because a client of mine who has two young kids who goes to Disney, she was like, Epcot is some of the best places to meet the characters. They're they're everywhere. There are so many characters.
00:12:10
Speaker
And... like it's actually very pleasant for the adults because you could like get a margarita and like walk around. Yeah. And the characters are like what the kids care about. So well you're like, you don't got to tell me twice to go to Epcot, baby. No, I love Epcot.
00:12:25
Speaker
And that ended up being our best day, our most favorite day. But I, I think we had two days of lessons under our belt and we did a lot of things differently on the last day. yeah,
00:12:38
Speaker
So just to give a little bit of rundown of that, we got up at like 6 a.m. on Thursday and drove straight to Disney and straight to the parks. Like we had breakfast with the princesses at 9 a.m. m inside the castle.
00:12:52
Speaker
So we got up super early and just drove and went straight into the parks. And that day we tried really hard to make it to the parade, which is at three o'clock. And this was overall ah lesson we learned. And that is like, just don't try to stretch it.
00:13:08
Speaker
If something doesn't work for your kid's schedule, we tried to stretch it. And it took, to be honest, kind of ruined our day a little bit. It got too hot and they were too tired.
00:13:20
Speaker
By the time they, the parade rolled around, they were like half alive and not doing well. And then when we got back, it just ended up being like too much.
00:13:31
Speaker
We ended up not going back that night because it was everyone was too exhausted. and I if I could go back in time, we would have just stayed until like noon and come back to the hotel and then gone back.
00:13:43
Speaker
either right after the parade. And like, if we miss the parade, like we put too much emphasis on the parade. And they didn't know what it was. No, they don't care. That's yeah. They don't care.
00:13:54
Speaker
So we learned our lesson that first day of like, okay, we need to come home around 12 or one in order for them so like get a ah decent nap. So the second day we did things differently. We were in the park by nine. we were out of there by like 12 minutes.
00:14:10
Speaker
We had a lunch had a lunch reservation at 11.45, I think. And we were done there around 12.30 and we went straight back to our hotel. And that was the first day that we had a good solid time in between.
00:14:26
Speaker
They came back and we were back at the parks around 5. And we stayed through fireworks that time. We like stayed all the way to 9 p.m. Also, god dang, how long they
Lessons Learned from the Disney Trip
00:14:37
Speaker
sleep?
00:14:37
Speaker
No, no, no. They didn't No, but no, no, no. They didn't sleep that How do get to do that? But we just, we like just killed time at the hotel and stuff while we got like, yeah, waited. You relaxed.
00:14:52
Speaker
Yeah, we just relaxed and then went back to the the hotel. I guess one of my other lessons, I didn't necessarily write this down, was that like fireworks – They're so magical for me as an adult and I love it all.
00:15:03
Speaker
But Alice hated them. Hated them. Brady doesn't like them. He's scared of loud noises. Yeah. She was covering her ears and screaming. I actually felt bad. I felt like we were a nuisance to the people around us who were like trying to have a moment. And I was like, we're...
00:15:18
Speaker
And you're stuck in this crowd with a double stroller. So it's not like I can just like leave. It was, it was hard. It was bad. Evie literally couldn't care less. She was just like hanging in the stroller.
00:15:29
Speaker
Did not care. And I was like, damn, we could have just gone home. They're at nine or something. When are they? Yeah, Yeah, I remember that because I remember I've gone on a bachelorette and I was so tired. i was ready to go back and they're like, we're staying till the fireworks. And it was like the worst thing you could have said to me.
00:15:47
Speaker
ah was like, please, please. No, I'm going to go to bed. So then – so that was great. that That day was good. And then the next day was our Epcot day, and we did the pool in the morning. We were at the pool until like 11, which from like 9.30 to 11, I would say.
00:16:07
Speaker
And then we came up – actually, sorry, 11.30. And then we came up, and the both girls went down for a nap, and they both took – Yeah.
00:16:18
Speaker
and then we got up and went to epcot around three thirty boom and that this day was a dream it was so nice we got there we went straight to our frozen ride it was raining this day which a lot of people would be like oh that sucks I swear to God, guys, it was our best day. I don't know why. Like, yes, it kind of was annoying to walk in the rain, but we had raincoats and they were in the stroller. So like they didn't really care. Yeah.
00:16:44
Speaker
And um I think a lot of people leave the parks like it empties out, you know, when it starts to rain. So we got to the Frozen ride. Plus there's so many places to go inside at Epcot. Like there's a lot of a lot of solace to be found inside of Epcot.
00:17:03
Speaker
um And then right after that, we got a drink and we met Anna and Elsa, which was so special. It was the highlight of the trip for sure. There was no one in line. It was so crazy.
00:17:13
Speaker
Like we just, it said a 20 minute wait. We walked in there. We were the first ones to be seen. And then there was no one behind us in line. So we just got to spend unlimited time with the princesses and they were so sweet talking to...
00:17:27
Speaker
Evie like was so cute hugging Anna over and over again. She just kept coming back for a hug. It was so cute. And that was definitely like a highlight of the trip. It was so,
00:17:40
Speaker
I'm trying to think if like, if Graydon was to meet a character, cause you're like, you saying the characters are the most important thing. And I'm thinking Graydon would be like, I'm like, who would he hug? He didn't like anything.
00:17:52
Speaker
Yeah. No, there were a couple times where Alice kept asking like, are the Paw Patrol dogs here? I'm like, no, different world, sweetie, different world. That's funny. um So, and then after that, like we just bopped around. We didn't have any other fast passes. We like went to the Finding Nemo ride, which never has a weight because it's kind of, it's on the older side.
00:18:13
Speaker
And, um, we went there and we just got nachos and another Mark or a beer and we just like be bopped around. And, you know, Disney, especially at Epcot, like there's so much for them to see, like, it's not even necessarily that we have to do anything. They were, they were just happy to just be like observing things, you know, there's also a great little outdoor playground area in Epcot by Canada. Uh huh.
00:18:38
Speaker
Never even clocked that. Yeah. So that's a great place to go to. So that day was just like, and we were out of there by seven, like by 645, back at our hotel by like 7, 715.
00:18:51
Speaker
We did bath, you know, bath and bed and it was supreme, honestly. That sounds so fun. Yeah. Yeah. It's almost like when you fill your day with so much plans, it makes it more stressful. And it was the day that you didn't have barely any. Exactly.
00:19:08
Speaker
That was like a big lesson i feel like I learned was that like less is more with Disney with kids with this age specifically because too tight of timelines or too much on the agenda, like is just too much for the little ones. yeah Like it's just too mean, this is also good to know because I mean, obviously as an adult, you've been to Disney, you know what you liked. So you're like, you just want them to experience everything that they can. And then you're just like, they don't know, even know what they're missing, you know?
00:19:41
Speaker
So totally such a good thought. yeah Okay. I'm going to start going through my list of lessons here because and i feel like- And I also want to hear, have like some questions too about like what rides you went on, like what the kids enjoyed, et cetera. Yep.
00:19:57
Speaker
That is one of my things on here. It's like, I have a list of our favorite rides for three and under. oh good. Yep. Okay. I'm just going to start at the top here about what I learned.
Coping with Hot Weather and Preparations
00:20:09
Speaker
First lesson, it's already too hot in May, okay? That the time of year matters. In my opinion, Disney is best between November and April.
00:20:20
Speaker
And really, I would avoid like, you know, second half of December, first week of January, just because it's like crazy and whatever. If you can go in February, like that's the time. Like February is, the weather is amazing.
00:20:35
Speaker
It's not rainy. Like, It was pretty hot for us the first both days. And you live there. And I live there.
00:20:46
Speaker
And I did make a grave mistake the first day. And that is I accidentally left the stroller fans in the car on the first day. yeah Yeah. So that's my second lesson. Don't forget the stroller fans. I accidentally left them in the car on the first day and it low key ruined our day.
00:21:03
Speaker
The girls were so hot. And Alice, like, we tried to sit in front of the castle and watch that little show that comes on every hour or whatever. And I swear to God, Alice looked up to me and she was like, Mommy, it's too hot. Can we go somewhere? Like, she literally asked to go somewhere else.
00:21:19
Speaker
So it's just really hot already here in Florida. And I will not go in May ever again, i don't think. Good to know. Yeah. um Especially because I'm, like, very hot-natured. And that would just...
00:21:33
Speaker
Not that it's about me. It would ruin me. Yeah, yeah. it's It was hard. No, it was low-key miserable.
00:21:41
Speaker
um This is kind of just like a general thing, and it's that keep your expectations low because I think our first day, I had all these big expectations of how they were going to react when they saw the princesses or how they were going to react when they saw the castle.
00:21:56
Speaker
And like because my expectations were so – I thought they were going to be like – god But like their reactions weren't quite like that. but And I, there definitely was a part of me that was a little bit disappointed and I'm like, oh, I shouldn't be disappointed. That's just them like seeing something for the first time and keep your expectations low. Things are going to go wrong or things are going to go differently than what you've built it up in your head. And like, it's okay.
00:22:23
Speaker
That is so funny and so true. I feel like my neck would be like turned toward them the whole time, just like a hawk watching them. Like, yeah, is this it? Is this the moment I'm dreaming of you seeing for the first time? Like, yeah, it's so true. I like.
00:22:38
Speaker
The moment that I wanted happened on the third day with Anna and Elsa. Like that's when that happened. It did not happen at all on the first or second day. it like that. You were so stressed about that character or that princess breakfast. I was because we had to be there and it was first thing in the morning. I was stressed about it.
00:22:57
Speaker
And yeah, i just keep your expectations lower than, than you think. um
Disney Cast Members and Guest Assistance
00:23:06
Speaker
Okay. My next lesson is that the Disney cast members are there to help. Don't be afraid to ask them for anything.
00:23:13
Speaker
Like more often than not, they're willing to help and accommodate. Like I cannot tell you, there are so many times where I would ask for assistance with something or for example, like we needed an extra fast pass to go on space mountain.
00:23:26
Speaker
i just stopped and asked and they were like, yeah, absolutely. We're happy to give that to you. Like they want everyone there to have an amazing experience. So if you see a guest services place, like just stop and ask them, they're going to help you with whatever.
00:23:39
Speaker
And like, Everyone who works there is so nice. Like i just have nothing but amazing things to say about that. And like if you're lost or if you're looking for something specific, more often than not, someone working at guest services can help you.
00:23:56
Speaker
Love. Love. Yeah. The next is that the Disney baby care area in magic kingdom is actually supreme.
Baby Care Facilities in Magic Kingdom
00:24:03
Speaker
I want to live in there. It is so clean, nice, spacious.
00:24:10
Speaker
They've got companion bathrooms. They've got nursing rooms. They've got a full room of changing tables with diapers in every size and wipes and And so supremely clean. They have these like big paper things. And after you're done, you rip off the paper that you used and like, you know, throw it away.
00:24:28
Speaker
it is like, literally supreme in there um they also have a little waiting area with a tv it looks like a daycare in there with like a little tv playing like a disney movie and toys so if you need a 20 30 minutes away like bring the kids in there to clean or if you need to change diapers you can literally like put your toddler down in front of in that little daycare area there are all these like nice old ladies working in there like watching the kids thing They also have brezzas.
00:24:58
Speaker
They have hot water, milk, any sort of formula thing you need in that. They have a full kitchen in there. It was, oh, also like extra passies, bibs, like any baby care thing you need. It's in the baby care center.
00:25:16
Speaker
It's so supreme. I'd never even heard of that. Where is that located? It's all the way in the front of the park by Main Street. It's by... um ah Gosh, what is the name of the restaurant that we had lunch the second day? It's like where you go to meet Winnie the I mean, it's in Street.
00:25:35
Speaker
Yeah. then It's right off Main Street. Yeah. Never even seen that. See, I've never been with kids or after I've had kids even. I haven't been in four years, so...
00:25:46
Speaker
I've only seen it through like my adult eyes. Yeah. Okay. The next lesson I've kind of already touched on is that staying on property is really, really convenient and that I know it's more expensive, but the convenience is worth it with babies in my opinion. So already touched on that.
00:26:04
Speaker
Okay. This was a big one. And this is what I think was the most difficult part of our trip, shockingly. And it was eating.
Food Challenges for Picky Eaters
00:26:15
Speaker
It was feeding my children on this trip was the hardest part of the trip.
00:26:20
Speaker
If I could go back and do it all over again, i would have packed more food. i would have packed more healthy snacks. I would have packed like even little meals for them almost.
00:26:33
Speaker
Like I just found this to be one of the hardest parts of Disney, to be honest. Alice is very picky. And I feel like whenever we did sit down for a meal, she was overstimulated and tired and she wouldn't eat very much just because she's just over it.
00:26:48
Speaker
So I wish I had packed more healthy snacks or small little meals that she could eat in the stroller during our walks and like during our transporting back and forth.
00:27:00
Speaker
I felt like, to be honest, I have no idea what they ate the whole time we were there. And every time I tried to feed them like a chicken nugget and a French fry, like she would nibble, but it I'm like, what did you eat all week? I i don't know. Like she lived off popcorn and like cotton candy and like treats that my family would buy her. Like, I wish I had packed like oranges and fruits and like something that I would feel good about them eating, you know?
00:27:31
Speaker
i I don't know. I think overall the choices for food in Magic Kingdom is just limited in my opinion. Like that's something I think Disney could do a little bit better is just having a more options for fast eating in Magic Kingdom that are catered towards kids.
00:27:50
Speaker
Because like if you go to like Pinocchio's Tavern, it's like sauerkraut subs and like no one's eating that. Okay. My child's not eating in that. Fish and chips. Yeah. Yeah.
00:28:01
Speaker
Why is it like Disney loves fish and chips? I don't know. That's so funny. um Damn. I didn't even like think of that because Graydon's very picky too.
00:28:13
Speaker
Yeah. It's like you would have had to pull like going to Starbucks and just getting her a smoothie there, you know? no literally. Literally. I like, I wish, ah yeah, I should have prepared more.
00:28:24
Speaker
And I remember when I used to go, cause you know, i used to go as a nanny with Kira and, um, we used to pack all sorts of food. Like we, we came with like multiple lunch boxes worth of food and we ate a lot of the food we brought. You can bring anything in So yeah, I wish I had done.
00:28:44
Speaker
Yeah. bring I wish I had. Yes. I said, i wrote down timing is everything with babies. And I felt like I wish I had just stuck to our normal schedule. And if something worked in our normal wake hours, great. And if not, oh well, we'll see it another time. Because like, we're going to come back to Disney probably once a year ish, you know, once every two years, whatever, like we're going to be able to see these things again.
00:29:10
Speaker
And I wish I had not put so much pressure on like fitting in certain things and just whatever we see, we see. And like, that's fine. I mean, you do want to make the most of it. And I also feel like you're really good about Or they're more like chill about doing that stuff. But I get it when it's hot and overstimulating. It's like, okay, maybe we can't push it as much as we do at home.
00:29:35
Speaker
Totally. I think that's it. It's like, it's the stacking of in like, not inconveniences, but like the things that are already hard, like it's hot. They're overstimulated. They're tired, whatever.
00:29:46
Speaker
Like stacking that on top of this is like what makes it hard. If it was like one of those things, it'd be different, you know? Yeah.
00:29:57
Speaker
um Okay. My next tip is take advantage of the pools. They are just as fun of as the parks and less stress and like still a great way to like enjoy Disney things.
00:30:09
Speaker
A lot of those pools, like the characters come around or they're playing like fun Disney music at the pool. like When we went to the pool Sunday morning or Saturday morning, they had like a deejay ah ah Disney DJ out there and he was like playing games with the kids.
00:30:25
Speaker
It was so fun. So take advantage of the pools. Okay. The next thing I said is that characters are king. That's what the kids cared more about than the rides. Make sure to work them into your schedule as much as possible.
00:30:39
Speaker
You can always check the Disney app to see how long the weights are for those. And we would just try to be like, if we saw a character that had a low weight, we would just do it. Even if maybe i didn't know if they even knew them that well or You know, like my kids don't know the Winnie the Pooh characters like super well, but we had a chance to meet them and we did and like they love them.
00:31:00
Speaker
So the characters are what they care about at this age the most. curious because I feel like Graydon's the opposite. it's I'm like, i don't know. I think he might like Mickey, but I could be totally wrong and he would love like anybody. But I'm like, I don't know if he would even want that.
00:31:18
Speaker
Really? Yeah. Wow. Wow. Okay, well, we'll have to test that theory out. Like he would like cars, but I don't see a car zooming around.
00:31:30
Speaker
Yeah, yeah, I don't know about that. Like if Tow Mater showed up, he'd be like, holy shit. Yeah. Um, okay. The next thing I wrote was the double stroller was a saving grace. I was kind of hesitant to bring my giant Bob jogger stroller. Cause it's a big bitch. Okay. It's a, she's a big bitch and it was amazing. i would bring it every time it fit everywhere. Like we didn't have an issue in and off, in and off the monorail, literally all the places it, it goes 10 out 10 would bring it every time.
00:32:07
Speaker
smart The only thing I wish I did differently with the stroller is to get a rain cover. I didn't have a rain cover in that day that we were in the rain. ah it still protected the girls from getting wet, but then our stroller was pretty like soaking wet the rest of the day. And I was like, I wish I had a rain cover. But I mean, that's just like And imagine if you are flying there and it got wet, that sucks. Yeah.
00:32:30
Speaker
Yeah. Okay. My next tip is that the popcorn bucket is the best money you can spend at Disney. So you buy it once. I think it's like $16, but you can refill it the entire, the entirety of your stay. Like even if you're there multiple days for $2.
00:32:46
Speaker
So that is the best snack you can get. Like my kids literally lived off popcorn the entire time we were there. Is it like pirate's booty or like actual popcorn? No, like actual popcorn.
00:32:59
Speaker
I don't know if they're allowed to read that. My kids always eat popcorn. Yours not? No, I don't think you're supposed to feed it to them before a certain age. because they It's like the number one choking hazard in children.
00:33:16
Speaker
Like the kernels getting stuck. Ruh-roh. Well... My kids eat popcorn all the time. Like, I bet people are going to be like, oh, shit, she put the popcorn. Sorry. like cat and hot dogs are like, they're not supposed to.
00:33:32
Speaker
Damn. Well, so sorry. my kids ate popcorn. And if your kids, once they hit popcorn age, it is still the best money you will spend in Disney. Okay?
Snacking Strategies with Disney Popcorn Bucket
00:33:42
Speaker
Hey, I know people do, but I'm too scared to feed it to them.
00:33:46
Speaker
I definitely, i do know that it's a choking hazard and I definitely do like try to watch them, especially Evie more, but I definitely am chill about that, I guess. I don't know.
00:33:59
Speaker
Okay. And this kind of goes with it being hot, but seek out some shaded rest spots, specifically the play area inside the Dumbo ride um or any of the indoor like shows slash like indoor areas like the Seas with Nemo at Epcot. um The Mickey's Fill Her Magic show is great.
00:34:21
Speaker
um So any of those like inside areas indoor areas are a plus, especially in the heat. My other tip is that ah something I learned is that just let them roam. If there's like big open areas where they can just like roam, like that Evie would get real, like, what's it called? Like sick of sitting still. Yeah. Like stir crazy.
00:34:47
Speaker
So we would just let her out and let her like be bop around. And that was like enough to like keep her busy, you know? my God. Yes. This age is probably like so hard for them. Like, yeah, sitting is probably great for a little bit, but they got to roam.
00:35:01
Speaker
And anytime we would get in line for a ride, especially if we had a, um, like a fast pass, a lightning lane where you, you know, you kind of still have to like walk the fast pass line and there's lots of like, you know,
00:35:14
Speaker
winding whatever we would let we would put Evie down and let her wind through the the line because it would keep her busy and just like give her a place to go Here's a question.
Efficient Use of Fast Passes
00:35:25
Speaker
um Did you have to wait in any lines or did you only do rides with the fast pass?
00:35:33
Speaker
We only did rides with the fast pass unless they had 20 minutes or less. That was like our thing. We didn't want to wait. Yeah. I was thinking like if I had to wait for any amount of time with Graydon, I'd lose them.
00:35:48
Speaker
Yeah, ah exactly. So that was our thing. We waited. We only did fast pass rides. And then once you use one fast pass, you can book another. so you can book three to start. And then as you use them, you can re like book new ones.
00:36:04
Speaker
And the truth is, is that most of the kids stuff, like it's all available. Like the stuff like Tron and Guardians of the Galaxy is taken. But like all the little kids stuff is available, you know?
00:36:18
Speaker
Yeah. Okay. True. And which rides? Or are you not there yet? I'm not there yet, but I can do that now if you want. ah Okay. So cute. I wrote, this was a big lesson for us, is that for toddlers and babies, shows are not the move, at least for us.
00:36:35
Speaker
We thought they would be, but the standing and waiting for to be let into the theater was some of the longest waiting we had to do. And then having to sit still in a seat in a theater did not work.
00:36:50
Speaker
It did not work for us. That was some of our worst moments at Disney was waiting for the turtle talk with crush rat a show. Oh my God. And then Evie could not sit still in that turtle talk thing. Oh my gosh. And then we also did the, cause, um, Alice loves monsters Inc. We did the laugh floor show with, um, Mike It did not hit. evie couldnt It was really Evie. Evie could not sit still. Like she wanted up. She was like having a moment.
00:37:22
Speaker
That would have been Margo too. So the rides, yeah, the rides and the characters were a much better like fit. Yeah. um Okay.
00:37:34
Speaker
that I'll do this and then I'll do the our favorite rides and attractions. um I wish I would have been more diligent about hand washing and wiping things down because we went home with souvenir germs from Disney and got pretty sick.
00:37:50
Speaker
Like literally – Sunday we got back, we all started come down with something. And i definitely was too chill. I did not. I mean, obviously, if we ever went to the potty, I washed their hands. But like, other than that, I was not.
00:38:05
Speaker
I'm just let's be real, guys. Like, I'm just not really a germaphobe. Me neither. I would have never. been I wouldn't wipe anything down on a daily basis. Yeah. i just And I know there are moms that are crazy about that. i'm just i It's just nodded ah just not something I think about. No. And I wish I would have been i like i because they are touching so much. I wish I would have wiped their hands or wiped their snack tray more or washed my hands more. i don't know. but Yeah, that sucks. What can you do?
00:38:37
Speaker
For me, that's one of those things. I'm like, let's see. how these daycare germs be working. How are y'all's antivati? Yeah. Even if they came back with something, I'd be like, well, just another week here in the Williams household.
00:38:51
Speaker
yeah Yeah. No, it took us down. It did not do well for us. ah Okay. And then here are our favorite rides for like three and under, four and under.
Favorite Rides for Kids Under Four
00:39:04
Speaker
um Number one, top spot under the sea with Ariel. We literally wrote this four times.
00:39:10
Speaker
And it's not so kidding. Nice in there and dark. oh my gosh. It's so nice. i would have shut my eyes, I think. Chill. ah No, like every time we did. And it was the, ah Alice wanted to just do it again and again. So I would just...
00:39:23
Speaker
Try and get us back on it. Oh my God. It was so air conditioned and nice. Love. She what's up. Yeah. The carousel that's like in the middle of fantasy land, the big classic carousel. Oh, interesting. She loves, they both love that.
00:39:41
Speaker
And it almost never has a weight. So that's a win. um Peter Pan. She loved. I was nervous about that one because it gives the illusion that you're up in the air.
00:39:53
Speaker
Yeah. But no, she loved it. She absolutely loved it. Winnie the Pooh, You're in the Honey Pot. She loved. And I'm happy we did that one before we like saw the Pooh character. So she like put two and two together and was like, oh, yeah, I remember these people. Because like, I don't think she really knew Winnie the Pooh before that. I don't know.
00:40:18
Speaker
And then this was a sleeper because I did not think they were going to care about this ride at all. But it ended up being a favorite. And it's the it's a small world. Damn it. I have the cutest video of Evie on that ride.
00:40:30
Speaker
She loved it. The songs. She was like bebopping. it, Evie. She loved it. I know. I will say it's been redone. so It was redone in 2024.
00:40:42
Speaker
So hey it's different than you remember. It's look it's more updated. I'm intrigued. It's got some new like zhuzh to it. Still the same like dolls and singing, but like it's more visually appealing in my opinion. Okay.
00:40:59
Speaker
And then the other two favorites are at Epcot and that's the Finding Nemo ride. a plus it's similar to Ariel where you like sit in a shell and, you know, go through a dark. Yep.
00:41:11
Speaker
There's a really cool part with the jellyfish where they have all these jellyfish around you. It's fun. Yeah. And then Frozen Ever After, the new Frozen ride. I say new, but it's like, oh my God, it's fun.
00:41:23
Speaker
It's fun. it I will say that one does have a tiny bit of a drop. It's in a boat and you do a little bit of a drop. It was like Alice's first drop. Kind of like in Pirates of Caribbean. It has a tiny drop.
00:41:37
Speaker
Yeah. And so I said to, I asked Alice if she liked it and she was like, yes, I loved it, but I didn't like the down part is what she said. Yeah. So just, but she was fine. And like, she's got to be exposed to those things at some point, you know?
00:41:53
Speaker
Yeah. You gotta. So yeah, that's our, that that that's my list. Those sound good. Did they do Dumbo? Yeah. it It was closed for renovations, sadly.
00:42:05
Speaker
Okay. I could see that one There were a couple things we tried that um did not work, and one of those being the teacups. Oh.
00:42:15
Speaker
Yeah? No? Yeah. I sent you a picture of us in front of the teacups. We were literally waiting to get on. The problem with the teacups is, I don't know if you've been to Disney, but when the teacups stop, it makes a very loud noise.
00:42:28
Speaker
It's like... I can't even, it's like, and like slows down, but it's so loud. And we were waiting there, waiting to go on. She was down. we were talking about how fast we were going to spin. She was all in. And then the loud sound came and she was like, Oh, Hannah, uh, uh, uh.
00:42:47
Speaker
She was like, I'm not getting on there. Not a chance. And she threw a fit. And I was like, all right, I'm not fighting with you on this. We're going to go. That's like one of those expectation ones where you want the picture or video of y'all spinning. Yeah.
00:43:02
Speaker
But that's a me thing. really wanted it. That's a me thing. Right. That's not on you, Alice. That's not on you, my girl. Oh, wait. This is a very important tip, actually.
00:43:13
Speaker
i learned that pictures, if you want any pictures of your kids, you have to do them right when you get in the park, okay? Because if you try later in the day when it's hotter or they are already overstimulated or tired, you're never going to get a photo.
00:43:27
Speaker
Ever, ever, ever. You have to do them right Right when you get in the park, take pictures immediately, get them out of the way, get the family photo that you want, whatever. makes you happy too because you're done.
00:43:39
Speaker
Yes. The work here is done. Because we made that mistake the first day. we We had to go straight to that princess breakfast so there was no time for photos. And then we tried after that and I literally couldn't get a photo.
00:43:54
Speaker
All the cute photos I have of us are from the second day. I don't have...
00:44:00
Speaker
Well, this has all been very enlightening.
Decisions Around Bippity Boppity Boutique and Family Size
00:44:03
Speaker
I think I only have like one question, which I don't think you did, but how hard is it to get like that bippity boppity experience?
00:44:12
Speaker
So I opted not to do that. That was a a lot of a big question. A couple people asked me in the DMS. I opted out for that only because
00:44:24
Speaker
It's expensive. And we were already doing the the princess thing. i don't think it's that hard to get, actually. Okay. If you are planning, I would say, 60 to 90 days out, you can get it, I think.
00:44:37
Speaker
For those that don't what it is. Yeah. For those that don't know what it is, it's like a little boutique salon experience inside of the castle where the girls get their hair and like, quote, makeup done where I think they just put a little bit of glitter on their face and stuff. But They get like their hair and makeup done and then they get to like meet a princess and dress like a princess.
00:45:03
Speaker
yeah So cute. They basically get like a princess salon experience. um Do they like come in a dress or do they keep the dress? Is that but part of the buying process? Because I feel like I would have a hard time getting my kid out of it if you're only borrowing it.
00:45:20
Speaker
I don't think you're borrowing it. I think it's part of the experience they choose a princess dress. Okay. No wonder it's expensive. Yeah, it's expensive. You're buying a gown. No, like if you're doing Bippity Boppity Boutique, I think it's in like the $300 to $400 range. Okay. Like it's way pricey.
00:45:37
Speaker
my God. Long girl. yeah Yeah. I opted out for it because i know that there will be times where she would like it even more in the future. And Alice already throws a fit about me brushing her hair. I just had this vision of me paying all this money.
00:45:52
Speaker
And then these people trying to brush her hair and her being like screaming. I'm like, that's like a five six year old thing. I think maybe. I think so. Yeah. Like they also, you also with Disney, like you kind of, if you're going to come back, which I assume a lot, like, but like I said, I think a lot of people do this once or twice, once a year, once every two years, you got to leave some things to like, look forward to, you know, want to leave mystery.
00:46:18
Speaker
Yeah. God. So, you know, like one day they'll want to do the hall of presidents. Yeah. i got it You're in for a treat. You're in for a treat.
00:46:30
Speaker
Mama gonna take a nap. Yeah, literally. um So, yeah, that was it. I mean, if anyone else has any more specific questions, I'm happy to ask.
00:46:42
Speaker
Also, I know we have... a lot of moms in here who are very well versed in Disney. Okay. So I might drop a question box and be like, after you listen to today's episode with, are there any tips that you have that I didn't say? And we'll share them on our Instagram of, of tips. I maybe didn't cause like, also ah we need some tips for older kids and stuff like that. So share the wealth people.
00:47:10
Speaker
Yeah. Let's drop a box. Y'all send us like ideas, things, but I think this was great. Like, I mean, I'm potentially planning my trip for Graydon that Chris, I still have not talked to him about it.
00:47:24
Speaker
Maybe he's listened to the pod and he's like, okay, we're in, but we have not talked face to face that I'm coming next year. Well, one for your birthday and two for Graydon's fifth birthday. Yeah, exactly.
00:47:36
Speaker
He doesn't know.
00:47:39
Speaker
Gotta start saving now. Yeah, no, for real. I will say I did tell Whitney this, like being there at Disney, like made me for real question. Have having a third because I'm just like, how the fuck do you do this with a third kid?
00:47:54
Speaker
ah We couldn't even be in that hotel room. We'd have to splurge for a suite in order for us all to, to fit. And like, how are you doing that?
00:48:05
Speaker
Like, how is that working? I don't know. that's That's a whole different beast is going with a third kid. i just don't know how you do that. Truly. I know that um our friend Taylor left their youngest back with the grandparents and took the older two. So maybe it's like a little switcheroo until they get older, you know? Yeah. That's a decent thought. Yeah.
00:48:27
Speaker
Which is, I mean, unfortunate. And they're going to look back at pictures and be like, where the hell was I, mom? Yeah. Yeah. And you're like, you don't even remember. I'm also thinking about this Bippity Boppity Boutique and me having two girls. like I If have a third and I have a third girl, you're telling me I'm so i'm dropping a grand at Bippity Boppity Boutique?
00:48:44
Speaker
You're Bippity Boppity not doing that. I'm not doing that. That's Christmas birthday. Especially when I'm good at hair and makeup. We have Bippity Boppity Boutique at home.
00:48:55
Speaker
Okay? No, you're going to roll in there. like, i wait, how'd where'd you get that one done? You're like, that was Salon Candi. That was Literally. That's funny. But i loved this idea and I'm so excited to freaking go one day. So thanks for all the wealth of knowledge.
00:49:13
Speaker
You're so welcome. um And I love you guys. And I hope if you do go to Disney with your kiddos, it is magical and amazing. And yeah.
00:49:27
Speaker
Love it. Love you guys. All right. Love you. Bye. Bye. Thank you so much for being a part of our mom group chat. New episodes drop every Tuesday. And don't forget, the group chat is blowing up on our Instagram page. So make sure you're following along over there.
00:49:42
Speaker
All right. Gotta go. My toddler just put something in her mouth.