Disney on a Dime - Part 1: Preparation

You can go to Disney. Its "The Happiest Place on Earth!" You know you want to go, but are not really sure about it because your bank is not as loaded as you'd like it to be or your kids are little, take naps and have occasional tantrums. Well rest easy, my friends, because old Hughesey is going to give you a little lesson on how to do Disney. We are not "experts," but we have been enough times to write an informal blog about our experiences. We have weeded out the bad and the ugly and are sharing the "good" part with you!

Part 1 = Preparation and Packing

We have little kids and a small budget. These steps have helped us in many ways: save money, take it easy, have enough "supplies" to get through a week of vacation.

Bring the kids' food. Don't buy it at the parks. It saves money and keeps life (and the potty) "normal" for the kids. And yes, Disney does allow this food into the park. We pack it in our backpack and enter without a problem.

Stock up before you drive up. Several days before the trip, we go to Walmart to buy food. All the food that we can bring for the kids' meals AND some snacks for the big kids. We buy things that don't have to be refrigerated. Our food covers breakfast, lunch, most of dinner for the kids (we bring the fruit,veggies, drink and buy the meat), and snacks for everyone. Our stock looks like this:

• bread


• juice boxes (apple, OJ, milk - yes, milk. Lil' Milk brand doesn't have to be refrigerated)


• fruit cups


• applesauce cups


• veggie cups (peas, carrots, green beans...the plastic cups are even microwaveable!)


• peanut butter


• jelly (the only thing that should be kept on ice)


• chips


• pretzels


• granola bars


• fruit snacks


• bottled water


• powerade


• More to come on feeding kids in the park....

Buy the souvenirs BEFORE you arrive at the park. After stocking up on the groceries, we stock up on gifts for the kids. We were able to buy a Disney outfit, hat, shoes, and necklace/lanyard for each child for the cost of buying one souvenir at the gift shop. Walmart has Disney brand merchandise with the favorite Lightning McQueen, Princesses, and Mickey/Minnie characters. Its like seeing Christmas morning all over again when the kids discover these surprise gifts. More on that later. But for now, just know that its better to buy BEFORE than to buy at the park.

Pack lightly and do laundry if you need to. Yes, I did just say that. Its better to pack lightly than to try to fit your entire closet into a suitcase. And then that suitcase into the car.... especially when you are packing extra food, supplies, a stroller, kids, your spouse.... ok you get the point.... This means that you will also take small amounts of laundry soap and stain remover. Bring it. You may not end up using it, but it sure beats paying $5 for a single use size detergent! And NO, laundry at Disney is NOT the same as laundry at your house. You will not spend all day doing it! Just one load, or maybe two. They have lots of coin operated washing machines and dryers. You will only spend an 1 1/2 hours or so doing laundry... enough for a wash and a dry... just about the same as your child's nap time. (Its a good idea to take naps. More on that later.) Or maybe you will do it as you all swim in the pool. (At Pop Century the laundry area is right by the pool... very convenient! Not a big deal... and a great relief when their new clothes are covered in chocolate ice cream! Not to mention how much a person can sweat in the summer in Orlando. It was 98 degrees when we were there! Our clothes were happy to be washed! And if you just need to freshen an item or two, wash them in the sink. Wipe the sink with a disinfecting wipe (which you will bring after reading the next item), add a drop of soap and water. Hang to dry. Whalaa! Clean clothes to wear again tomorrow.

Bring disinfecting wipes. Little hands touch everything... and there are many things to touch! We wipe down the table, chairs, counters, phone, remote control, door knobs, sink, and even the bathtub if we are feeling particularly germie. It is a relief to know that it HAS been cleaned and the kids can roam free.

Other notables to plan on packing:

• camera, video camera


• stroller (do bring your own if you can. the rentals are NOT comfy for little ones, and are expensive $12-$24 per park/per day!)


• 2 pairs shoes (you never know when it will rain)


• poncho (ditto above)


• kids' sippy cups (1 for each child. extremely useful for keeping hydrated in the park)


• dish soap (just a little bit to wash out the sippy cups that are bound to be thrown from the stoller or roll on the nasty restaurant floor.)


• your own pillow


• kids' pillow, blankie, stuffed animal... a piece of comfort from home.


• You don't have to bring the pack and play. Disney does have these. We have used them. They are nice. They set it up in the room for you, and put clean sheets on it just like the bed. But if you feel best about your own you should pack it.
  

Tip for the crib/bed dilema:

Our daughter sleeps in a crib at home, but hates pack-n-plays. So we brought an inflatable air mattress. We put it on the floor of the hotel room, requested and extra set of sheets. She was sleeping happily with her pillow and blanket from home. Yes, it did take a few times of walking her back to bed before she learned to stay there. It helps that the kids are soooo exhausted by the time bedtime rolls around, they don't get up. This is a helpful transition for us. We plan on switching to a big girl bed pretty soon!

Check back soon for Part 2 - Arrival, Getting started at Disney