Today, my 12-year-old son is sharing 12 tips for visiting Disney World! Typically, he communicates the bare minimum. But when it came to this exercise, he gave me all the information I wanted and more. So here goes nothing! These are the 12 tips my son wanted to share with you after our most recent family vacation to Disney World.

Tip #1: Buy Mickey ears or a Mickey hat.

Tip #2: Get Disney trading pins. Trade pins.

Tip #3: Get a Disney dining plan.

Tip #4: Go on any ride you want. 

Tip #5: Go on the Expedition Everest ride in Animal Kingdom.

Tip #6: Go on the Mission: SPACE ride in Epcot.

Tip #7: Get Fast Passes for rides.

Tip #8: Get the most expensive thing on the menu and get a milkshake to go with it. (Please note, mom would like to add that the only reason he was ever allowed to get a milkshake AND the most expensive thing on the menu is because we purchased Disney dining plans!)

Tip #9: Go to every park. Stay until the parks close.

Tip #10: Stay at Disney World as long as you can.

Tip #11: Stay at a Disney hotel.

Tip #12: Don’t think about when you’re gonna go home.

That’s it, friends! Between my daughter’s 10 Tips for Visiting Disney World and my son’s 12 Tips for Visiting Disney World, all the bases should be covered! If you’re bringing tweens on a Disney vacation, all you need to do is follow their 22 tips for a successful visit. Your children are bound to be happy! You simply can’t go wrong.

If you have anything you’d like my son to clarify or want more detail about any of the tips he’s shared, please let me know! I’m sure he would be happy to answer any questions you have about Disney World from a 12-year-old’s perspective.

Thanks, everyone! Tomorrow and the day after that, I’ll be sharing “Tips for Doing Disney World with a Preschooler.” Oh, yes! After our first Disney World vacation with a three year old, we certainly have plenty of things to say about that!

 

 

 

This post is part of a month-long series titled 31 Days of Disney! If you’d like to read more posts from the series, click here and you’ll be directed back to the 31 Days of Disney landing page. ALL posts from the series are linked within the body of that post. Find a title or topic that intrigues you, click on it, and the post will pop up for your Disney reading adventure!

I also placed the series graphic on the right sidebar of my blog’s home page, so click it anytime and it’ll bring you back to the 31 Days of Disney landing page where all 31 posts are listed and linked.

You can follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/AmyBPederson where I’ll tweet links to all 31 posts using hashtag #write31days. I’d also LOVE to connect on Facebook at facebook.com/AmyBPederson and on Instagram at instagram.com/AmyBPederson.

So glad you stopped by! Make yourself comfortable. Take a peek around the place, and know you’re welcome back anytime.

Today, my 10-year-old daughter is sharing 10 tips for visiting Disney World! Kids get straight to the point. There’s no fluff here. Just the good stuff! So here goes nothing! These are the 10 tips my daughter wanted to share with you after our most recent family vacation to Disney World.

Tip #1: Go to the parades.

Tip #2: Get Disney trading pins.

Tip #3: Eat at the Columbia Harbour House in Magic Kingdom and get fried shrimp.

Tip #4: Take photos.

Tip #5: Go to Hollywood Studios.

Tip #6: Go to the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique and get your hair done. (Please note, my daughter has never done this, but has always wanted to!)

Tip #7: Go to the Be Our Guest restaurant in Magic Kingdom.

Tip #8: Go on the Mission: SPACE ride in Epcot.

Tip #9: Always sit in the back of the shuttle on your way to the parks.

Tip #10: Don’t think about the last day of your vacation.

That’s it, friends! That’s all you really need to know. If you’re bringing a 10 year old on vacation to Disney World, all you need to do is follow these 10 tips for a successful visit! Your 10 year old is bound to be happy! You simply can’t go wrong.

If you have anything you’d like my daughter to clarify or want more detail about any of the tips she’s shared, please let me know! I’m sure she would be happy to answer any questions you have about Disney World from a 10-year-old’s perspective.

Thanks, y’all! Tomorrow, we’ll be sharing 12 Tips for Visiting Disney World (From a 12 Year Old)!

 

 

 

This post is part of a month-long series titled 31 Days of Disney! If you’d like to read more posts from the series, click here and you’ll be directed back to the 31 Days of Disney landing page. ALL posts from the series are linked within the body of that post. Find a title or topic that intrigues you, click on it, and the post will pop up for your Disney reading adventure!

I also placed the series graphic on the right sidebar of my blog’s home page, so click it anytime and it’ll bring you back to the 31 Days of Disney landing page where all 31 posts are listed and linked.

You can follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/AmyBPederson where I’ll tweet links to all 31 posts using hashtag #write31days. I’d also LOVE to connect on Facebook at facebook.com/AmyBPederson and Instagram at instagram.com/AmyBPederson.

So glad you stopped by! Make yourself comfortable. Take a peek around the place, and know you’re welcome back anytime.

Today was our last day at Walt Disney World.

It was a lovely day.

A loving day.

A simple day.

A travel day, too.

We gifted ourselves five hours of sleep going into today. We got ready, got ourselves packed, and let the kids sleep in a little longer with hopes they’d make it through the long day of fun and travel back home.

Five suitcases were packed. Five carry ons, too.

Five of us lugged the luggage down the elevator, past the gigantic Crush from Finding Nemo, down the long sidewalk, and around the corner to baggage drop off. We kept a camera and one backpack for the day ahead. That’s it. That’s all we really needed.

It was time for breakfast. Nemo waffles for the little one. Breakfast platter for two. Breakfast sandwich for another. And french toast for the last. It was the first time we’d eaten a full breakfast all week. We were novices in our own Disney Resort, novices as to how this quick service thing worked at the breakfast table. (We’ve always chosen to use our dining plans for lunch, dinner and snacks, and creatively piece together breakfast each morning.)

After breakfast, I invited one to stroll and take a few photos around the resort. The other three stayed to finish their meals.

We met by the shuttle that would take us to Hollywood Studios one last time, one last time before who knows when we’ll be back – no sooner than two years from now, no later than five years from now. Six years from now, we’ll have one child in college.

The shuttle was loaded. Full. We were the last to fit on. All five of us stood near the front.

Thankfully, the drive to Hollywood Studios was quick, close to our Disney Resort.

The day was unique. I can’t quite put my finger on it. Sure, we were at Hollywood Studios. But the pressure was off to have a blast, to make use of every hour, every minute, every moment. We knew it was our last day. We knew this was it. We knew we had less than six hours to enjoy this one last time, at this one last Disney Park, before the plane flew us back home. Yet, we didn’t rush around the park like wild people trying to fit in every last ride and attraction we could. 

We let the kids play at the “Honey I Shrunk the Kids” playground for a while.

We visited the Walt Disney sculpture.

We went to a Disney Junior stage show and saw a performance with Sofia the First, Doc McStuffins, Jake and the Neverland Pirates, and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse characters. Our youngest daughter was enthralled. She sat quietly, sang the songs, and loved the bubbles, snow, and gold coins that fell from the ceiling at highlight points throughout the show.

I went on a Muppets 3D attraction with our youngest. The other three went on the Star Wars ride.

Three of us ate chicken and burgers. Two of us ate pizza and salad. We all had Halloween-themed carrot cupcakes for dessert.

My husband and son went on the “Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster,” their favorite ride of all Disney World. And we watched a kooky live performance on one of Hollywood Studio’s main streets.

That was it. Six hours passed in a flash. It was almost time to go back to our hotel to pick up our luggage, grab the last snacks from our dining plan, and catch the shuttle to the airport.

So we returned the stroller one last time, and took a few photos by an old-fashioned truck near the stroller station.

It was time to go.

Tears were shed by three.

My husband huddled everyone together in a tight circle and spoke a word of encouragement. The vacation hadn’t been trouble-free, but we had an amazing time, didn’t we? We have a lot of great memories. We’ll be back.

We had some hugs.

Then it was time to disperse.

Time to make our way to the shuttle back to the Disney resort.

More tears were shed on the shuttle. Then a few more when we sat down for our final snack, and a few more when we sat on the bench to wait for the airport shuttle.

We had more hugs.

Our seventh Disney vacation in 17 1/2 years of marriage went down in the record books today. It wasn’t perfect, but it was fabulous!

Signing off vacation mode for now, friends. Thanks for joining us on our Disney adventure! Be sure to catch the next 13 days of posts for a TON of Disney tips, tricks and favorites.

 

 

 

This post is part of a month-long series titled 31 Days of Disney! If you’d like to read more posts from the series, click here and you’ll be directed back to the 31 Days of Disney landing page. ALL posts from the series are linked within the body of that post. Find a title or topic that intrigues you, click on it, and the post will pop up for your Disney reading adventure!

I also placed the series graphic on the right sidebar of my blog’s home page, so click it anytime and it’ll bring you back to the 31 Days of Disney landing page where all 31 posts are listed and linked.

You can follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/AmyBPederson where I’ll tweet links to all 31 posts using hashtag #write31days, and I’d LOVE to connect on Facebook at facebook.com/AmyBPederson. You can also find me on Instagram at instagram.com/AmyBPederson, and I might even do a few scopes live from Disney World, so follow me on Periscope at @AmyBPederson to see if I get brave!

So glad you stopped by! Make yourself comfortable. Take a peek around the place, and know you’re welcome back anytime.

I didn’t feel comfortable in the navy blue shorts with white polka dots and white halter top I paid way too much for 14 months ago for my 20th high school class reunion. So I took it all off and put on the dress my parents bought me for my 39th birthday.

I was already “DONE” with our three-year-old daughter when we left our room at the Disney resort. She’d already been on time out twice and the day had barely begun.

Her girls got on the shuttle first. They were gorgeous. Stunning little girls. Fair skin and dark hair. Off white dresses and sandals from somewhere much more fancy than Target. Modern day Snow Whites. I imagined photographing them, sun highlighting their hair, their blue eyes piercing straight through the screen. Then came mama. No wonder they were so gorgeous. Her hair was dark, skin fair. She was holding her baby boy. I smiled and invited her to sit in the one open seat next to me. Conversation was easy. A cinch. We talked for 20, maybe 30 minutes all the way to Magic Kingdom. She was rare best friend material, which reminded me of the article I’d read first thing this morning about how difficult it is to make true friends in your 30s and 40s, which reminded me how I’ve been feeling a significant pull to do something more to foster friendship and community. Through conversation and recognition of accents, we realized we lived about 40 minutes from one another. She attended high school at a private school with which I was incredibly familiar. This was their first TRIP to Disney World, the first DAY of their vacation, and their first VISIT to Magic Kingdom. Everyone was incredibly excited. The girls loved my sparkly, silver Mickey Ears. It was a joy and a delight to meet that mama.  

It wasn’t about me. It was about her…and us.

I was blessed to get a front row view of autumn morning dancers in front of Cinderella’s castle.

I was relieved when we only had to wait 25 minutes to get into The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh ride. I was relieved when I remembered that they had lots of activities to keep our three year old occupied during the wait so I didn’t have to hear her whine and complain.

I was SUPER annoyed when our family split up to use two sets of Fast Passes, and then the three year old didn’t want to go on the Dumbo ride. You don’t want to go on the Dumbo ride? What?! You don’t want to go up and down? I was annoyed beyond belief. I took a lot of photos of her crabbiness to remind myself I wasn’t going crazy or making memories up, that she was actually overtired, over-hungry and overstimulated 1/4 of this vacation.

I looked at beautiful Mickey caramel apples, marshmallow Olafs, and Mickey Sprinkled brownies to distract myself and appease my senses.

I changed our Fast Pass, took a deep breath, and enjoyed a ride on It’s a Small World (instead of Dumbo).

I made today’s lunch reservation for  12:45 p.m. way back in August, but failed to realize it was pretty much the same time as our three-year-old’s usual nap time. She was super crabs. Nearly losing it. She had her third bathroom meltdown for the week. And my husband discovered that the “Be Our Guest” lunch wasn’t a sit-down meal like we thought. It was quick service, which meant our day’s meal plan schedule was going to be messed up. This statue resonated with my insides.

I got behind the slowest people in the lunch line. They took forever to order. Then their order didn’t go through the way it was supposed to. They had to call special help, management maybe, to start over with the order from square one. Oh, let me tell you. There were five STUPENDOUS crabby girl photos taken during our wait to get into lunch. We’ll save one of those for the “Tips for Doing Disney with a Preschooler” post.

I was going to get the ham and gruyere cheese sandwich. I decided to get what I really wanted, slow-roasted pork with green beans and mashed potatoes. I decided to get what I really wanted, a chocolate cupcake with chocolate mousse and chocolate frosting.

I wanted to sit in the main “Be Our Guest” ballroom. That’s what I’d envisioned for this meal. My husband chose the dark rose room that had a lot more character and ambiance. He felt bad when he realized I liked the ballroom. I told him it was no big deal, that it was totally fine and good in the dark rose room. I knew we’d be back again another time.

I was incredibly glad I ordered the pork and chocolate cake. It was amazing.

I was blessed to have a husband who offered to take our three year old back to the resort for nap time so I could stay and play with our two older children. He’d go back early for nap time. I’d go back early for bedtime.

I called Disney dining reservations. We needed to make a new reservation for dinner. The Disney cast member was incredibly helpful, but there weren’t any sit-down reservations left for Magic Kingdom this evening. No such luck. In the meantime, I wasn’t fully present for the castle show and missed half of it because I was on the phone trying to make reservations so we could make use of our last sit-down meal for the week.

I finally gave up and decided we’d use our sit-down meal for quick service food. It didn’t really matter anyway. And I didn’t want to miss anymore of my afternoon with the big kids.

Maleficent came to steal and destroy our joy, our dreams, our lives.

Mickey asked us to repeat after him…”Dreams Come True. Dreams Come True. Dreams Come True.” BAM! Kapow! Wowza! Maleficent was gone. The good guys won.

I thought we’d turned a corner into a fun, positive, light-hearted and enjoyable afternoon. I wanted that castle show to be our day’s reset button.

I was caught off guard when one of the big kids had a momentary meltdown as the afternoon parade passed by. I made a pointed threat. “I will not tolerate this behavior. We are at Disney World and there is a very special parade going past us and we are going to stand here and watch it.”

I was pleased when they decided and admitted out loud that they were going to be well behaved and have a good time from here on out.

I started to feel the day shift a bit.

I checked the Disney app for another try at dinner reservations, but still couldn’t find dinner options for FIVE at Magic Kingdom. On a whim, I tried again for THREE and found an opening at “Be Our Guest.” I found a separate reservation for TWO at “Be Our Guest,” but the app wouldn’t allow me to book it. So I headed for the “Be Our Guest” check-in desk and was served by a sweet Disney cast member named Christlove. She made a couple calls and verified, if we come back later for our reservation, tell them we need to ADD TWO to our party, we should get our whole family in without a hitch!

I enjoyed the Carousel of Progress. “There’s a great big beautiful tomorrow.”

I enjoyed the People Mover. The big kids were beginning to enjoy simple, old things. This, I liked.

I realized I’d forgotten something big, something important. I’d forgotten to keep working on a project for my Compassion sponsored child, Meranyelis.

When I visited Meranyelis in the Dominican Republic nine months ago, she made and gave me a bracelet. I brought the bracelet on this vacation and have worn it every day. I’ve photographed the bracelet at all four Disney Parks, kind of like a Flat Stanley, and plan to send her the photos for a virtual visit to Disney World. Magic Kingdom was the last photo I needed to complete the collection. I needed that photo. So I took a few myself and promptly found myself a Disney photographer to do the job right. No need to mess up the main attraction for my Meranyelis. Cinderella’s castle had to be right.

I felt the afternoon take a significant turn after those photos in front of Cinderella’s castle.

The day wasn’t about me. Our Disney World vacation isn’t about me. Heck, life isn’t about me. It’s about serving and loving OTHERS as much as I serve and love myself.

The big kids and I window shopped at a few stores on Main Street.

My husband came back with our three year old who was MUCH HAPPIER after a two-hour nap.

We used our Fast Passes to see Elsa and Anna.

We used our Fast Passes to go on the new Ariel ride in Fantasyland.

We enjoyed a beautiful sit-down dinner for FIVE at the “Be Our Guest” restaurant. We ate chicken and pork, steak and green beans, mashed cauliflower and warm baguettes. I saw Christlove across the dining room. A couple swooned over one another at the table next to us. An older woman celebrated her birthday at another nearby table. The Beast greeted guests in the library next door. It was more than I imagined. Better than I imagined. Totally NOT about me. Totally all about OTHERS. Totally all about US.

 

 

 

This post is part of a month-long series titled 31 Days of Disney! If you’d like to read more posts from the series, click here and you’ll be directed back to the 31 Days of Disney landing page. ALL posts from the series are linked within the body of that post. Find a title or topic that intrigues you, click on it, and the post will pop up for your Disney reading adventure!

I also placed the series graphic on the right sidebar of my blog’s home page, so click it anytime and it’ll bring you back to the 31 Days of Disney landing page where all 31 posts are listed and linked.

You can follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/AmyBPederson where I’ll tweet links to all 31 posts using hashtag #write31days, and I’d LOVE to connect on Facebook at facebook.com/AmyBPederson. You can also find me on Instagram at instagram.com/AmyBPederson, and I might even do a few scopes live from Disney World, so follow me on Periscope at @AmyBPederson to see if I get brave!

So glad you stopped by! Make yourself comfortable. Take a peek around the place, and know you’re welcome back anytime.

Disney’s all about the magic. Everywhere you go at Disney Parks, Disney cast members are telling you to “have a magical day.” But what makes a day magical, anyway?

Perhaps it’s an experience, a feeling, a memory seared forever in your mind. Perhaps it’s meeting your favorite Disney characters, or perhaps it’s about enjoying the company of the characters with whom you’re traveling. Perhaps it’s crossing paths with someone special. Perhaps it’s love and attention, a moment to breathe, someone who noticed and complimented you on the beautiful Snow White shirt you’re wearing today. Perhaps it’s someone who saw you needed help and gave it to you. Perhaps it’s a kind gesture, top notch service, extra fills on your Coca-Cola at dinner, or a kiss by The Tree of Life. Perhaps it’s that extra special song that touches your heart and moves your soul when Cinderella’s castle is lit up late at night. Perhaps it’s beautiful landscapes, a late night swim at the pool, or an early morning walk on the waterfront of your Disney resort.

I don’t know what the magic is for you. I don’t know what the magic would be for you. I don’t know what the magic’s been for you. I don’t know the magic you wish for, the magic you long for, the magic you need.

From the tiny girl in a Rapunzel costume to the Grandpa in a wheelchair to the mom sporting four kids, the magic’s different for everyone. You can’t say, name or claim anyone else’s magic. It can’t be forced. It is what it is, and it will happen whenever it wants.

Some Disney magic is grand and obvious. You can’t miss it unless you’re sleepwalking through life.

Other Disney magic is mini and subtle. You might miss it if you’re distracted. You might miss it if you pass right by. You might miss it if you don’t slow, stop, look and listen.

Today’s visit to Hollywood Studios was all about mini magical moments.

A photo of everyone in our family smiling at the same time!

A great big hug from her favorite princess, Sofia the First. 

A girl who ate well and said “That was a awesome meal” after a fun lunch with Disney Junior characters. (Yes, she ate more than the chocolate covered marshmallow.)

An awesome live singing of “Let It Go” that reminded me why I loved the song in the first place. If you’ve heard your fair share of “Let It Go,” just GO to a Disney Park, and GUARANTEED, they’ll make you love it all over again.

A mini model of Sleeping Beauty’s Castle at Disneyland, and a walk through a building honoring the master dreamer, Walt Disney himself. I’m a sucker for all things Walt Disney. This building is awesome in my book. The whole display MUST stay.

Of the hundreds of thousands of people at four Disney Parks in Orlando today, I had another chance (or not-so-chance) encounter with these two lovebirds we saw get engaged at Epcot yesterday! An opportunity for me to tell them how lovely and sweet it was to witness their special moment. An opportunity to give them my contact information so I could share a few favorite photos of the proposal.

A heads up from a Disney cast member from Haiti that a dragonfly was making a permanent home on my back….when I’d mentally noted earlier that I’d seen a LOT of Disney employees from Haiti. Disney and Haiti. So NOT alike. But both, my loves.

A Disney cast member who appeared with a bubble wand shortly after a major blowout with a three year old who didn’t want to wear shoes into the bathroom. I needed to recover somehow; I’d decided I was on a mission to photograph beautiful things. Whatever I saw that was beautiful? It was going to be photographed. Period. Less than a block later, we crossed paths with this lovely cast member and her bubble wand. (Notice, she STILL wasn’t wearing her shoes.)

A stadium full of people who sang Happy Birthday to a man in the front row who was in a wheelchair. That was followed by the man passing out lollipops to as many kids as he could in the front few rows. That was followed by Belle and “there must be more than this provincial life.” 

A silent waiting room for The Great Movie Ride while a special reel about “The Wizard of Oz” played. Everyone quietly and thoughtfully singing along with Judy Garland’s “Over the Rainbow” as we shuffled towards the ride’s entrance.

And…the one and only photograph of me and my husband from this vacation…by ourselves…so we could remember where the magic began!

Mini magical moments added up to one GRAND day. Perhaps that’s what life’s all about. Mini moments. All added up into one beautiful day, one beautiful week, one beautiful year, one beautiful life. 

 

 

 

This post is part of a month-long series titled 31 Days of Disney! If you’d like to read more posts from the series, click here and you’ll be directed back to the 31 Days of Disney landing page. ALL posts from the series are linked within the body of that post. Find a title or topic that intrigues you, click on it, and the post will pop up for your Disney reading adventure!

I also placed the series graphic on the right sidebar of my blog’s home page, so click it anytime and it’ll bring you back to the 31 Days of Disney landing page where all 31 posts are listed and linked.

You can follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/AmyBPederson where I’ll tweet links to all 31 posts using hashtag #write31days, and I’d LOVE to connect on Facebook at facebook.com/AmyBPederson. You can also find me on Instagram at instagram.com/AmyBPederson, and I might even do a few scopes live from Disney World, so follow me on Periscope at @AmyBPederson to see if I get brave!

So glad you stopped by! Make yourself comfortable. Take a peek around the place, and know you’re welcome back anytime.