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Disney Planning – What Are You Wearing?

Florida, Travel, United States

Disney Planning – What are you wearing?

What you are wearing to Disney is a huge question. The interwebs LOVES Disney Bounding and no doubt, I also find the cosplay meets every day fashion quite a treat (my stepdaughter and I will also be Disney Bounding in the Magic Kingdom in October). Then there is being practical to deal with the weather. Orlando is notorious for heat and rain, making a normal day hot, muggy, and sopping wet. Then there is the shoe question, if one is walking seven to ten miles in a day, what does one wear to ride rides, play in water, and stay comfortable.

For our trip to Disney, we are keeping things simple but cute. My stepdaughter’s Epcot day will be a tanktop and shorts. Her shoes for every day (including one day at Universal Studios) will either be Sanuk sandals that wrap around her face, or tennis shoes (my preference is the tennis shoes, she’s 12, so we’ll see who wins). For our magic kingdom day, she will be wearing a Minnie Mouse Disney Bound that is a red Mickey shirt, black Minnie overalls skirt (shorts underneath), Minnie mouse socks (with tennis shoes), and Minnie Mouse ears.

My Magic Kingdom bound (I have to miss Epcot) will be Mulan. I have a Mulan tanktop with the original movie poster, grey chinos, a green jacket (rain coat), and Chacos for my feet. I also bought an epic Mulan Backpack, and some cute jewelry and hair accessories along with earrings to spice up the outfit. My goal is to have fun with the outfit, but also be comfortable for the day, as there is no point in dressing up but being miserable and uncomfortable all day.

My little cousin Ivy, who is five, got a very cute Minnie Mouse tutu outfit for her birthday that I may have been involved in…she will wear tennis shoes with this, and shorts under the skirt (just in case we get tired of the poof). She also has a pair of ears that match my stepdaughter’s.

Other people may choose to show of former Disney swag, shirts, ears, etc. Kids under the age of 14 are allowed to dress up for their day in the park. If you are going to an after hours event, like Mickey’s Not so Scary Halloween, adults are allowed to wear costumes as long as they meet rules on layering, length etc.  For more details, click here.

All around, I think the best advice, is plan to be practical, and wear what will bring you comfort and joy. If you want some inspiration, hit the Pinterest and Instagram for millions of options!

Happy Travels!

Disney Planning – What are we Riding?

Florida, Travel, United States

More on Disney

Once you have selected which Disney parks you want to visit on which days and with who, you will have to narrow down the rest of your ideas. Gone are the days of visiting a theme park and riding everything or eating everything in one day. In this digital era, you will need to plan, plan, and plan.

Probably one of the most important things to figure out is if everyone can ride everything. Like most theme parks in the world, you need to be tall enough to ride, healthy enough to ride, and within other size requirements. Naturally, this will make it harder for young kiddos, and bigger adults. My husband is 6’4” and a lot of things are not built for people of his height. I am 5’2” and many times things are not adjusted for my short (roller coaster pads sometimes give me headaches as I am jostled around). If you are plus sized, some of rides will be downright uncomfortable, so it’s important to read reviews and make a list of rides that work for your group. For a good list and information, click here. For those with health conditions such as heart, back, and neurological, pay attention to warnings and do your research before you travel. There is nothing more disheartening than telling your kiddo that they can go on Splash Mountain, but they have not quite hit the required 40”.

My personal tip, if you are traveling with littles, is to go to the Disneyland, click here, and Disney World, click here, websites and review every single ride and their height requirements. Make a list of everything that is small person friendly and then pick what are the top rides for your group.

Also, as a side note, don’t try to push the rules and make the kids seem taller, these size guides are for your child’s safety and enjoyment and you will likely get caught!

IF you are not traveling with vertically challenged people, then select what rides you have not done, look the most fun, or are considered “classics”. I am looking at you Pirates of the Caribbean.

Once you have a list of rides, arrange them in a hierarchy of what is the most important. For my upcoming trip, it will be Splash Mountain, Space Mountain, Haunted Mansion, and Pirates of the Caribbean. As I have never been to Disney World I have set plans on these. Mostly, I NEED that photo of my stepdaughter and I coming off Splash Mountain! However, your priorities may differ, maybe you need to see Ariel in her Grotto, or Dumbo is your jam, totally fine. My tip is to get the My Disney Experience App and review what is the most popular on a similar day you are visiting. So if you are going on Tuesday in October, look at Tuesdays and see what have the longest wait times through the day. From there you can select were you can use your FREE Fast Passes.

Fast Passes are essentially a line skip option, or a reservation for a ride. Everyone gets 3 selections to start their time in Disney, pick 3 and use them, then get 3 more for your day. Passes can be cancelled and altered throughout your time in Disney and you can make initial reservations 30 days ahead with tickets. If you are staying on property, you can make reservations 60 days in advance.

Perhaps the most important part of all of your activities planning is so you get to see your top activities, and save time waiting in line. Fast Passes allow you to skip the 2-hour wait for Frozen Ever After and get on with your day.

As an additional tip, if you can’t get a fast pass for what you want, monitor availability throughout the day to see what may become available as people cancel or alter their Fast Passes.

Happy Travels!

Disney Planning – Getting Started

family, Florida, Travel, United States

I have never been to a Disney Park. A weird admission from a travel and media geek like myself.

See my parents didn’t really love theme parks. I don’t think my dad went to a single one with us as kids. And the biggest theme park I had been to before 2015 (I was 24) was Elitch Gardens in Denver, Colorado.

It wasn’t that my dad didn’t like fun, or even Disney movies. In fact he adores the music from quite a few of them, it was the crowds and the noise and the heat, and most importantly, the cost.

When you’re living below the poverty most of your childhood, a Disney vacation is at the bottom of the list.

Therefore, at the age of 28 I am taking on the work of planning a day at the Magic Kingdom at Disney World!

What I thought would be a simple planning of a day or two has turned into months of opening dates and reservations and hourly details. It’s insane.

Therefore, what has been a deep dive into planning a Disney World vacation, and at times a headache, has lead me to thinking that other people could use some guidance. Over the next few weeks I’ll be sharing my tips and tricks to figuring it all out, saving money, and having the best time possible! I look forward to helping others along the journey.

Happy Travels!

Part 2