Kristen’s Walt Disney World Tips for Families

First, let me start off my saying, I am not a Disney expert. I am a mom, who loves Disney, and who goes yearly with small children. Since my store sells a lot of Disney related items, as well as Disney Autograph Books and Pens , I end up chatting through email with other parents embarking on their trip to Disney with young children. In those email exchanges, I have given and received some great money and time saving tips for that magical trip! So, I thought I would share some of that information with all the browsers in my store. Again, I am no expert, and your mileage may vary with any of this information, but I thought I would put it out there, as one Disney lover to another!

I also have to let you know that while many of my items for sale are suitable for Disneyland (in California) and Walt Disney World (in Florida), my tips are more suited towards Walt Disney World, as that is where our yearly trek takes us! We intend to get to California someday soon, but haven’t yet.

Characters and Autographs

If you have young kids, getting the autographs of every single character they see in the Parks will be a huge endeavor. My son has some sort of Spiderman sense when he thinks a character might be near, and he drops everything to scope them out! The Parks have designated character signing spots throughout them (they will be shown on your park map – grab one on your way in). But, the characters also wander around a bit as well. These lines can get really long, so if you spot a character without a line, grab them while you can (even if you were heading towards a ride or show). Some characters can’t sign the books due to their huge costumes, but don’t worry– they will have a stamp that they will use to “sign” the book. I have lots of parents ask me what kind of pen to use for those characters that can use their hands. Truthfully, I just bring a bunch of regular ballpoint pens and stash them throughout my backpack, pockets, purse, etc. We lose pens quickly. So, I usually don’t get a special Disney one (I do sell them because some people want to have one), but to me, it is just one other thing to keep track of (and if you have little kids, you will have a LOT to keep track of).

I sell the spiral bound books Click Here to see Spiral Bound Books , because you can leave it open to the next open page when you are done with one character and moving onto the next. The first year we had my son with us, we had a non-spiral bound book, and every time we had a new character, I had to flip through the pages to find the next available page. It doesn’t sound like a big deal, but with a baby in one arm, a backpack, a diaper bag, a stroller, assorted hats and water bottles, camera, pens, etc. to keep track of – it got annoying fast. The spiral ones worked a lot better for us.

Character Breakfasts/Dinners

A lot of families like to do the Character Breakfasts. We have done them all over the resort, and they are always fun, because your children will have a little one on one time with each character as they come around to sign their books as you are eating. The only drawback to the breakfasts is the cost. They are a bit pricey ($16 - $20 a head for adults, kids are slightly cheaper, and all over the parks, kids 3 and under are free). If you aren’t big breakfast eaters (my family isn’t) – that is a lot of $ for a couple waffles and coffee. Of course, if you are a big breakfast lover, you’ll be in heaven! It is a nice spread, complete with Mickey Head shaped waffles! What we have started doing in place of the character breakfast is having one character dinner meal at the Liberty Tree Tavern in the Magic Kingdom. It was just a couple more dollars a person than the breakfast, and dinner is a meal we would be eating out (and we generally eat more at dinner than breakfast) anyway. We plan it for a day we will be at the Magic Kingdom for the evening parade, and it is a nice sit down break in the later afternoon/early evening. For our family, it is a better deal for the money. We get a full meal (we will actually eat), the kids get to relax and sit down for a little while before the late (for them) evening, and they get to see some characters.

Pin Trading

Another big thing (more popular with older kids and adults) at the Parks is Pin Trading. All over the Parks you will find places you can buy pins. You are then allowed to trade pins with the cast members who will be wearing them around their necks on lanyards. You just walk up and ask if they will trade with you! I guess you can trade with other park goers as well, but I have never done that. I am not a big pin trader, so I am not up on the etiquette, but I do collect them. They are a neat thing to collect, and it is fun hunting for your favorite characters and styles! Sometimes you can buy starter lots of very basic pins on eBay, and use them to trade at the Parks for pins you see you like better. I am not a really good trader, because once I get a pin, I get attached to it (lol), so I don’t want to trade it. I am more of a pin buyer than trader I guess.

Souvenirs

Disney is filled with magical, sparkling, exciting toys at every turn. I try to buy some small souvenir type things before we leave when I see them on clearance, and hide them in our suitcases. Really, to a 5 year old, the Buzz Lightyear figure from Walmart is as good as the one at the park, which costs three times as much. I then hand them out once in awhile when they start asking for stuff. I also buy new character sweatshirts ahead of time, and bring them, instead of buying them at the park. I just try to anticipate what we will see and want, and get it ahead of time.

The Plan

Spend at least a few minutes each day before going to the parks making a loose schedule of what you plan to do when you get there. Those parks are huge – and you can easily spend hours wandering around aimlessly. I am not suggesting pulling a Clark Griswold, but I do think it is important to figure out the number one thing each person in your family wants to do each day at the park(s) you are going to, and to loosely schedule it. If you have little ones, you will most likely be pushing a stroller and lugging a ton of stuff, so the less footsteps (if you plan your day wisely) the better!

You will not be able to do it all. Don’t plan on seeing everything. Make lists (before getting there – your hotel will have park brochures) of what you really can’t miss, what you want to see, what you would like to if there is time, and what you can do without. There are some good books out there that outline each ride and attraction in each park and have good information on the scariness factor, age and height limits, etc. I would suggest getting one (or borrow one from the library) before your trip. A little planning really can save you a lot of time.

I also suggest, especially with small kids, to have a day or two of rest thrown in there somewhere. Touring the Parks is a ton of fun, but so is vegging by the pool (cocktails optional). We try to plan to a couple of rest days (small kids are happy just playing on a playground or at the pool – you don’t have to be doing something busy every moment of every day). I know the feeling of wanting to see it all, but everyone is more relaxed (especially little ones) if you aren’t running every moment of every day. At least in our family.

Time vs. Money

While I think being wise with your money while on vacation is important, I also try to keep the big picture in mind. Some things I will scrimp a bit on, but you need to remember – a trip to Disney is expensive. I will do as much planning ahead of time as possible, but once I get to my vacation, I want to enjoy it!

So, I don’t spend my vacation time running around trying to save a buck here and there. Time is worth money too, and if you spend three hours of vacation time hunting something down to save $2 – overall, you are losing money. Don’t be pennywise and pound-foolish – enjoy your vacation too!

I could go on for days, but I am going to stop now. I hope this helps a little. Have a GREAT trip! It will be magical I am sure! And, maybe we’ll see you there ;)

Our Favorites:

A few things our family loves:

  Me: Turkey Legs (you will see people walking around gnawing on a turkey leg – those suckers are HUGE, and can be lunch for my entire family!)

  My 6 year old son: LegoLand at Downtown Disney

  My husband: Animal Kingdom – ALL of it.

  The baby: Anywhere she can nap in peace.