TRAVELLING TO WALT DISNEY WORLD - FLORIDA MAY 2022 -THE PLANNING BEHIND THE TRIP

"Where do I start?" This is the most common question people ask me when booking a Disney holiday. I wanted to share my planning tips with you all as they are super important when going on a Walt Disney World holiday. To maximise and get the best out of your holiday, planning is a crucial part. I have been to WDW over 20+ times, it was my annual family holiday for many years. Ever since I was younger, my Dad always created an itinerary or plan for our trips. This was before the technology came into play, before the Apps and before fast pass even existed! I followed suit with this when I started going on my own Disney holidays with my husband as I felt prepared, organised and I wanted to know exactly what we would be doing each day, where we would be eating so I could plan my outfits of course! Once the App came into play, it was my planning dream. Everything on one App, I could book what was then 'fast passes' in advance, all the restaurants easily and go on holiday without worrying about anything. I just had to follow a schedule which was on my phone.

The first thing I would suggest to do if it is your first visit to WDW, is to research, watch some vlogs and get a feel for where you want to visit and what you want to do. There is soo much to do, so much to see and you probably won't get to do everything on your two week holiday! We always want & need more time! However, you want to enjoy yourself so you don't want to cram so much in that you are rushing & exhausted!

WDW can be busy, especially at peak times. Getting to the parks early & when the park opens (rope drop) gives you a very good chance of getting on multiple attractions before the crowds build up. It also allows you a little bit of time to get those magical photos in front of the Castle or those favourite photo opportunities.

We like to plan our days as below so it gives us a bit of R&R! This is great for us as a couple and when we took Arla as she would usually have a nap in the afternoon either around the pool or in the hotel area in the stroller.

Example DAY 1

Morning: Magic Kingdom eg. 9-1pm

Afternoon: 2 hours by the pool

Evening: Epcot 5pm

Example DAY 2

Pool Morning 10-1pm

Late Afternoon & Evening- Hollywood Studios

And then repeat this format to allow what we call 'Rest Days'.

Here is an example of the Itinerary that I create below:

Over the last couple of years there have been a few updates with the introduction of Genie which can be found on the Disney World App. This complimentary service helps you plan your day by asking you questions and preferences. Ideal for a visitors who haven't been to WDW before, and I highly recommend using this you aren't sure where to start. You don't have to stick to this plan, its a guide essentially and it will suggest attractions, characters, food & drink dependent on your preferences. It updates through the day whilst you are in the park so it will update wait times and recommend rides/entertainment based on this. I recommend reading up on the service on the Disney.world.co.uk website. As I would class myself as a 'seasoned' WDW goer, this isn't a service that I have fully trialled or tested. however I have heard good things from people that have used it and it has been their first time in Disney.

Genie + is the step up/upgrade from Genie and this is a paid service that you can purchase daily. This allows you to save time waiting in line for attractions and shows by using a Lightening Lane (previously know as a fast pass lane). We used this for the first time last year and it was absolutely worth the money! I think about 9 days out of the 14 days we were there, we bought Genie +. We were paying approx $15 per person a day for it, so it was approx $30 for our family each day we purchased it as Arla was free as she was under 3 and didn't require a park ticket. I would wake up each morning in WDW and at 7am I would be able to book our first Genie + arrival window. I would then be able to make a second one either after I had been to that attraction (tapped in) or two hours after this window. Where we didn't go to the park first thing in the morning, I was able to 'stack up' these genie + reservations for the afternoon or evening. Most attractions are available on Genie + however there are a select few that are ' Individual Lightening Lane Entry'. These attractions are usually the newer most popular rides which you can pay individually for, you do not need to have purchased Genie + to buy these Individual Lightening Lanes.

Top Tips when Travelling to WDW with Little ones

- PLANE TIPS - Take lots of activities, games, colouring, personal set of headphones for them & any tablet they use. Keep them as busy as possible! I will go into more detail on the Travel Day blog, however take a change of clothes in case of any food accidents, spillages or if they are unwell. Bring a couple plastic bags for dirty clothes. We also bought a Bedbox and if you haven't heard of them before, they are a storage box which converts into a plane bed that can be pulled along at the airport. They are approved by most airlines, but you would need to check the regulations on the airline you are flying with. With flew Virgin and Arla sat in the middle of us so we had the Bedbox out which bridged the gap in between her and the seat in front. This created a little bed and was great. The way back from Orlando was a night flight so it was ideal for the way home and she slept the whole way back leaning on Nick. They are relatively expensive, so they are a nice to have, but not absolutely essential.

- PACK LOTS OF SNACKS - Do kids ever stop snacking, not really! I took so many snacks on our holiday for before we had breakfast, in the parks, I always carried snacks for Arla. I find oat bars were ideal as they have nutritional benefits, they contain a bit of sugar to give them a boost!

- STROLLERS - You will need a lightweight & foldable stroller. This was essential on this trip as the parks are so large. You do so much walking and your legs are going to ache! Think about your little ones. On average we would do approx 20k steps aday which is alot! Arla would often nap in her stroller and we had a reclining one so it was almost like a little on-the-go bed for her. The benefit to have this also was that it has a storage basket underneath so great for putting a changing bag and essentials, water etc. I would recommend adding a ribbon or something distinctive to the stroller so you know its yours. Confusion can happen and you don't want to walk off with someone else's stroller after going on a ride... it can happen and I remember our family doing this once when I was younger as it was a Walmart one! You need to bare in mind that you will need to fold the stroller up when you use the Disney buses. It can be kept up on the monorail & the Skyliner. You may want to have cupholder for the stroller - you will appreciate it when you want to quickly hydrate. If you're child is going to be napping in the stroller, I would suggest bringing a very lightweight blanket to put over their legs to prevent them burning.

- TODDLER SLEEPING - Before we went to WDW I was a little worried about how Arla was going to sleep. She was 2 and a half and only ever slept in her own cot at home. She has always been an excellent sleeper and we are really strict with a routine and bedtime. She likes routine and I knew on holiday that our regular routine was going to go out the window. I wanted to try and emulate her routine as much as possible, however on some days it was not possible. I found that telling her in advance of the holiday that she was going to sleep in a 'special holiday bed' got her excited, and it was evidently less nerve racking for her when we arrived in the hotel room. We packed all the same things she had in her bed at home, her toddler pillow, soft toys, sleep sack & we took her night light. The cot really mimicked her cot at home. The hotels are great in WDW and if you request a crib or a pack and play, they will be able to supply one. Most resorts at the minimum have a pack and play which is great. The cots are smaller then a standard Cot, and just about big enough for Arla. We positioned it on the side of the bed next to me, so she could see me next to her and she felt safe. She slept super well and most mornings we had to wake her! She was really exhausted from the parks, swimming and walking each day. I hope that puts your mind at rest if you are concerned about how your little one will sleep, however they are usually so tired at the end of each day, they can't wait to get into bed!

CLOTHING - This maybe obvious, but take shoes that you know they are comfortable in. They will be doing a lot of walking and the last thing you want is complaining, or blisters. If you get new shoes for the trip, try and get them to wear them in a little. We took trainers, jelly shoes, sandals and its important to remember that if it rains or downpours when you are there, their shoes will be soaked and will take a day or so to dry off again. Always take a hat to the park, the worst thing you can do it get sun-stroke or end up with severe dehydration as it can be dangerous.

GENERAL DISNEY TIPS FOR PLANNING...

You can order items from AMAZON to be delivered to your Hotel!! If you sign up to Amazon US Prime, you can get items delivered to your Disney World hotel. We did this and it was amazing. We had Nappies deliveries & wet wipes and we needed a lot of these for two weeks and of course we didn't want to pack them in our cases. The front desk were amazing and brought them up to us. We had to pay a hotel handling charge of $15 per package but it was definitely worth it not to have had to pack them in our cases. Have a look into this option a month or so before you go to make sure the product you want is stocked on Amazon US. This was also really useful for us on the trip as we had PRIME for the duration of our holiday which meant that if we urgently needed something, we could get in delivered next day to our hotel. We had to order some plastic beakers for Arla and it was great!

Take an umbrella & disposable ponchos. These come in soo handy because every time I have ever been to Orlando, its rained at least once and its normally very heavy and quick, but its enough water to drench you! The great thing about disposable ponchos is that you can pop them off and throw them and you stay dry! They protect valuables, they are thin in your bag and ideal if you don't want to get wet on the wet rides! We would usually dry ours out on the balcony if we are near the hotel and reuse them.