That being said - as we were walking around the park I kept saying "Next time we go back we need to remember..." I probably said it about a dozen times or more. So, I'm writing down everything I can remember about our trip and all the tips I want to remember for next time! Some of them will sound kind of silly, like why didn't you think of that before you went, but I'm just going to chalk it up to being such an impromptu trip that I didn't have TIME to think of the little things (seriously, we booked the hotel two days before we left!). So here we go:
We stayed in a motel just outside of the Disney parks, and it was a decent motel. I wasn't grossed out to be sleeping there or anything, but next time, I'll definitely be planning our trip on the down times and staying in the park. The motel I found on hotels.com had a base price of $35. After all the fees and taxes, it was $55. Add in the $17 it cost us to park and it probably would just be better to stay at one of Disney's economy hotels and have the constant shuttles to and from the park for free. I know most of the surrounding motels/hotels offer shuttle service, but I don't know the frequency of how often and how late/early they travel. I know the Disney hotels offer shuttles until after the parks close (which depending on the season and the park, can be after midnight).
We packed a lot of snacks and sandwiches for the park, which was great because we spent a minimal amount on food at the park.. but next time, I'm making the sandwiches ahead of time, because in the end my loaf of bread got completely smashed and it was kind of a hassle to make them in the park.
Find out if there are any activities going on in the parks, and go to a different one.. Unless of course you really really want to be there for the activities and you don't mind crowds. This past weekend was one of their Star Wars Weekends, so it seemed like the park was empty just because lots of people were going to Hollywood Studios (or what used to be MGM for those who haven't been there in a while).
It took Jack a couple rides before he really figured out that waiting in line would get him on to this really fun ride, but once he figured it out, he was wonderful waiting in line. He'd just hold our hand or play with the stickers that you'll see employees handing out in the gift shops. But... if you sense a meltdown coming soon, don't take your kid into a line that has cool stuff to play with while you wait (Dumbo, Winnie the Pooh) because they will have a complete temper tantrum when you pick them up and move forward in line. Now, it's really awesome if you kid seems to be getting bored, to go to these rides because they have some freedom to really play. Dumbo was the best because the put you in this giant play room that looks like a circus and give you a buzzer. You let your kid play until your buzzer goes off or they're ready to be done playing.
Park tickets are now plastic, like a credit card, and they have a fancy little code thingy you can scan with your cell phone and it will open up the My Disney Experience app. From there you can connect everyone's card in your group and register for the Fast Passes without even going to the rides. You automatically get three different rides, and then you can check out a station (they're everywhere around the park, just look for the FP+ signs) to get more. We barely had to wait to go on Buzz Lightyear, Peter Pan, and it's a small world... Which is obviously great with a toddler. The longest we stood in line was probably half an hour, and I definitely think that was Jack's max. I ended up holding him a lot and entertaining him by singing songs and playing silly games. Over half an hour of that and we probably would have had several meltdowns.
Use the rider swap and have a plan of when you're going to use it. I had briefly read something about the rider swap on a pinterest blog, but couldn't really remember the details about it... So when Jack finally fell asleep, Josh and I kind of were in a "what do we do now?" mode.. And when we get into that kind of a zone, it's hard to make a decision. We weren't really sure how it worked, and if it was really worth it.. But finally about half an hour into Jack's nap, we decided to pick a ride and try it out. Josh really wanted to ride Space Mountain, so of course we were directly across the park from it.. All you have to do is walk up to the line with your kid who isn't big enough for the ride, ask for a rider swap, and one person waits in line. Once that person is done with the ride, the next person gets to go through the Fast Pass line instead of waiting again. And the best part is, if you have more than one kid, say ages 6 and 3, the 6 year old can ride the ride with the person waiting AND the person switching. Win-win for the 6 year old! I wish we had started doing that earlier, because we probably would have been able to do 3 rides while he was napping instead of just 1.
Going to Downtown Disney first. The plan next time is to drive in the morning, check into the hotel, and hit up Downtown Disney. There are TONS of huge gift stores, and we figure it'll be better to get the souvenir shopping out of the way so we're not wasting time in the park doing it. One of my things is always buying a Christmas Tree ornament on every vacation we take, and I spent a good 15 minutes in Magic Kingdom trying to decide which one to buy. Turns out I could have bought the same ornament at Downtown Disney. Everything you can find IN Disney (seriously, EVERYTHING), can be found in Downtown Disney - and if you're not staying IN the parks, parking for Downtown Disney is free, so it's perfect if you arrive later in the day and don't want to go into the parks for the evening but need something to do. Next time, since Jack will be older, I'll buy something for the characters to sign there instead of waiting until we get to the park.
Sunscreen. Seriously, sunscreen. I know, this is a given, right? But seriously, know your skin and understand Florida.. And DON'T try a new product. Use what you KNOW works. All summer I've been using Jack's 50+ sunscreen. Granted he was mostly covered in the stroller for half the day, but he only slightly got darker in his legs. He didn't even get red or pink. He just has a short line from his legs sticking out of the stroller. Me, on the other hand, have these incredibly attractive blotchy spots from the sunscreen not working. Why? Because I tried something new. I bought (at Josh's request) "regular" sunscreen (aka non-baby sunscreen). It came with a free small spray sunscreen bottle. And I thought "Hey! That'll make applying quick and easy for us!" Besides the fact that you really have no idea if you've gotten even coverage, that crap doesn't stick to your skin if you are physically sweating. Seriously, it was 90+ degrees and not a cloud in the sky. Let me tell you, my shoulders look awesome. I should have just used the baby sunscreen and I would have saved myself a lot of pain. Oh, and bring aloe. Even if you think your sunscreen will properly protect you.
In the next week or so, I'm going to make a complete list of items to pack for a Disney trip. That way, whenever our next Disney trip is, I can just pull up a list, make a few adjustments if necessary (like Jack is out of diapers so we need underwear instead, etc) and just go from there. I'm a list person, and because this trip was so quick and unplanned, there ended up being a lot of miscommunication between me and Josh. Like, I didn't realize I had to pack his tennis shoes. He didn't pack them, either. He walked the park in Adidas sandals. Not ideal, at all.
Next time, if we want to stay for the fireworks, we're going back to the hotel in the middle of the day to nap and rest. We left the park around 8:30, 9:00. Fireworks are at 10. And I so badly wanted Jack to see them, but he was getting so exhausted, (as were we) I don't think he would have made. And since we left before the fireworks and night parade, we had a heck of a time getting out the park. People started sitting and getting comfortable for the parade and fireworks around 6:30, 7:00. That meant to get out, we were weaving between crowds and people who didn't care that they were blocking walkways. That being said, if you're going to stay to watch the fireworks, stay toward the back of the park. Besides the fact that the lines were getting shorter and shorter the closer the time got, it was way less crowded.
Oh! If you buy your tickets online (totally not necessary unless you're doing some sort of package and it makes more sense to), be sure to go up to the ticket window and let them know if it's your first visit or your kids first visit or someone's birthday, etc., because they give you adorable free buttons! I'll be writing on Jack's and sticking it in his baby book! :)
That's all I can think of right now. If I realize I've missed something, I'll be sure to update this and let y'all know.
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