This month, I’m writing a series titled 31 Days of Disney! In this part of the series, I’m reviewing past Disney trips and lessons learned along the way. Today’s post is a review of our third trip to Disney World. We had one child at the time; he turned four a couple months prior to our vacation. If you’re young parents and are considering a first trip to Disney with your little ones, love Disney or just want a fun and easy read, this post is for you!

Quick Summary of Our 2007 Trip to Disney World

In the last Disney post, I told you about the time I joined my husband in Orlando for the tail end of his business trip, how I went to Disney World by myself one day, and how that was the ONLY time I’ve ever joined him on a business trip. So I accidentally lied. Sorry! Apparently, my memory failed me and I needed photo albums to remind me of the truth. There was one other time my son and I joined my husband for a couple days at the beginning of his business trip.

The year was 2007. My husband, our recently-turned four-year-old son and I made our way to the airport mid-week for our son’s first plane ride, his first visit to a Disney park, and our first trip to Walt Disney World as a family of three. We were super excited. Super psyched!

The trip was 5 days long. The first three days, all three of us were together. The last two days, I was alone with my son as my husband was busy doing marketing for a client at the annual North American Veterinary Conference. On this trip, we focused all of our energy on Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom, as our son was still fairly small. And honestly, we weren’t sure if Epcot and Disney MGM Studios (now known as Hollywood Studios) would be appropriate for a child his age. So we kept it simple with parks we knew would be a hit for a four year old. We stayed off property and took shuttles into the parks every day.

All in all, our first trip to Disney as a family of three was great! Highly successful! I have absolutely NO negative memories of the experience. It was great to do Disney as a family for a few days, and it was just as great to do the parks with my son for the last two days while my husband was busy working. I remember a few people being concerned that our son was “too young” for Disney. Sure, he might not remember that trip in the long run, but he had a great time and was totally ready and able to handle a Disney trip at that age.

Personally, I would not want to take a baby, one year old or two year old to a Disney park. But if you’re considering a trip with children three years of age or older? I say go for it if you think you can handle it as parents. Ideally, you’ll want to bring them back when they’re older and can remember the experience more, but believe me, there are preschoolers and all kinds of little ones all over Disney parks!

Lesson 1: Do not be afraid to use a stroller here and there.

I’ll be honest. I really resisted the whole stroller idea on this Disney trip. Our son was four years old. He didn’t need a stroller anymore. But I also knew the reality at hand. We were were walking Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom ALL. DAY. LONG. I couldn’t expect him to withstand a long day of walking and activity without having some sort of opportunity to rest in between. So we did a mix of stroller, no stroller. The first full day, we didn’t get a stroller. The line for stroller rentals at Magic Kingdom was ridiculously long, and I wanted to try without one anyway. He made it through the day just fine. The second day, we rented a stroller. Third day, NO stroller. And the last full day, we rented a stroller again. Mixing it up worked great! My personal recommendation is to try doing Disney parks WITHOUT a stroller when your children are in that questionable age range of four and five years old. If you end up needing a stroller, you can rent one guilt-free, and your child can get a little breather. But no need to pay the extra $ and haul the thing everywhere unless you need to!

Lesson 2: Let your child take pictures!

One way we really got our four-year-old son engaged with the Disney experience on this trip was to hand him our camera and let him take pictures of us! He took this one of us by Cinderella’s castle at Magic Kingdom. Decent enough, right? This trip was back in 2007 when everyone was still carrying around full-size cameras, but now with the age of iPhones, it’s so much easier to hand your preschool and school-age children the phone for a few seconds and have them snap a photo. Photography gets your children engaged. It allows them to be creative. Taking photos might be a great distraction while waiting in long lines. And it might be a good motivator or reward for whatever desired behavior you want to reinforce as a parent. Take note. I’m NOT advocating for childrens’ iPhone use while at Disney parks. Please, NO. I’m going to be incredibly restrictive with my children on our upcoming Disney trip when it comes to iPhones and iPads. What I AM advocating for is getting children involved with picture taking, whether that’s on your iPhone or other small camera. I think it’s a great way to engage young children positively and encourage creativity while you’re on a Disney vacation.

Lesson 3: Make sure your child gets plenty of down time in-between visits to Disney parks.

One thing we learned quickly on this first trip to Disney with children was that we needed to give our son down time away from the theme parks. Typically, that meant going back to the hotel and letting him rest, play in the pool or dig in the sand for a while. Our son had a blast at the parks, but the experience felt even more balanced when we were able to catch some down time at the hotel. I’m pretty sure it reset his clock, and rejuvenated him for the next day’s fun at Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom. As an added bonus, the hotel and pool time was relaxing for me and my husband, too; our son was four and at that age where he needed general supervision, but not constant hand-to-hand attention. So as parents, the down time helped us reset for the next day’s Disney fun as well!

If you have any questions about traveling to Disney parks with young children, please feel free to ask! I’m happy to chat and answer any questions, friends!

 

 

 

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.

This month, I’m writing a series titled 31 Days of Disney! In this part of the series, I’m reviewing past Disney trips and lessons learned along the way. Today’s post is a review of our second trip to Disney World. I was 25 1/2 weeks pregnant with our second child during this trip. If you’re considering a visit to a Disney park while you’re pregnant, love Disney or just want a quick, easy and interesting read, this post is for you!

Quick Summary of Our 2005 Trip to Disney World

When we found out my husband was going to be taking another trip to Orlando, Florida, to attend the North American Veterinary Conference running marketing programs for a client, we realized it would be a perfect opportunity for me to join him for the tail end of his trip and have a little pre-baby #2 getaway. In the history of our 1 1/2 year engagement and 17 1/2 year marriage, my husband has done fairly extensive travel for business. This was the FIRST and ONLY time I ever joined him for a portion of a business trip. Never before. Never since.

My husband typically spent a whole week in Orlando for this particular convention. So he flew to Orlando early in the week and went about business as normal. On Friday, I dropped our two-year-old son with his grandparents and made my way to the airport. When I arrived in Orlando, I headed straight for the hotel.

My husband had plenty of business to finish up, including at least one day of work that Saturday, so I knew I’d need to keep myself busy for a whole day. Yes, I was 25 1/2 weeks pregnant. But ultimately, I decided that the best option would be to head to the Magic Kingdom!

We were staying off property at an incredibly large resort, so they had shuttle service to Magic Kingdom. I vividly remember waiting outside for the shuttle outside the hotel that morning. They dropped me at the gates, ferried me over to Magic Kingdom, and I spent the entire day there ALL. BY. MYSELF. For this 25 1/2 weeks pregnant with my second child, introverted Disney lover, it was absolutely perfect. Magical. Highly recommended.

Lesson 1: Let Disney take care of your every need.

Disney trips are amazing on any occasion. Pregnancy is no exception. Disney cast members will go out of their way to make your day magical, ladies.

In 2013, I wrote about a special encounter from my 2005 trip in Letters to the Unthanked if you’d like to read the whole story. Here it is in brief. I really wanted to go on a particular ride, but the line was ridiculously long and I wasn’t willing to wait 90 minutes. So I went to grab a Fast Pass so I could come back later and walk in without waiting, but when I went to get my Fast Pass, the Disney cast member attending the kiosk looked at my belly, smiled, handed me a Fast Pass and said “have a magical day!” It was incredibly magical, and a memory I’ll never forget.

Fast Passes work differently now, so if you go to a Disney park while you’re pregnant, don’t expect the magic to play out the same as it did for me in 2005. My point is that Disney cast members are aware of and accommodate all guests, including you, expectant mama. They will go above and beyond to meet your needs and make magic happen. Ask for help when you need it. Let them love on you. Let them work their magic. Let them take care of your every need.

Lesson 2: If you’re expecting your first child or have an invitation to leave children at home with family for the day, weekend or week, don’t be afraid to take the opportunity and visit a Disney park by yourself.

So I know it’s a little weird that I went to Disney World by myself for a whole day, especially when I was pregnant. Maybe that was a little out there? Maybe it was a little risky? Maybe nobody else does that? I don’t know. I guess I’m just “that person,” the person who feels totally comfortable doing things by myself. But let me just say, it was totally awesome, totally worth it, totally amazing to do Disney alone when I was pregnant. I never once feared for my safety, or worried something was going to go wrong. It was relaxing. I meandered as I pleased. I took in some afternoon reading with Princess Belle. And I had an amazing time. I always knew I was in the loving and caring hands of Disney, and that if anything were to go even slightly haywire with me as an expectant mama, that Disney cast members would be by my side. Plus, I did have my mobile phone, which helped both me and my husband feel secure knowing I could contact him at a moment’s notice and he could pop right over. I most definitely understand that not everyone has the luxury of going to Disney World for a day alone when they’re pregnant like I did that year, but if you’re local or in Orlando for business, I wouldn’t hesitate a second to recommend the experience.

Lesson 3: Look forward to your next Disney trip with great anticipation!

Okay. I kind of cheated a bit by dating this post 2005. Because actually? I’ve been to Disney World twice during pregnancy. I went to Magic Kingdom that day by myself during our trip to Orlando in 2005 when I was pregnant with our second child. Then I was pregnant again, this time with our third child, when our family of four visited Disney World in 2011. So I have a fair amount of experience doing Disney while pregnant (although admittedly, NOT during the third trimester dog days of pregnancy). Let me give this word of wisdom to pregnant mamas visiting Disney…it’s kind of cool to realize that when you walk out the gates of that Disney park for the LAST TIME when you’re pregnant and realize that the NEXT TIME you come, you’ll have that sweet baby with you. Right now, I’m so excited because I vividly remember walking out the gates of Magic Kingdom in 2011. I was pregnant and teary eyed, fully aware that the next time we come, we’d have that baby with us! Now that baby’s almost four and about to experience Disney for the first time ever. What a cool thing for sentimental mamas to experience. Live in that moment, mamas. That baby of yours is going to love Disney just as much as you did when you were pregnant.

 

 

 

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.

This month, I’m writing a series titled 31 Days of Disney! In this part of the series, I’m reviewing past Disney trips and lessons learned along the way. Today’s post is a review of our first trip to Disney World as a married couple. If you’re considering honeymooning at Disney, love Disney or just want an entertaining read, this one’s for you!

Quick Summary of our 1999 Trip to Disney World

We got married in June 1998 and promptly made a big move from Minnesota to Indiana for work and graduate school. So it wasn’t really a great time to embark on a traditional post-wedding honeymoon. After we got into our new apartment in Indiana, we headed straight for Louisville, Kentucky, for a couple nights away. Louisville was nice, but as you might imagine, wasn’t very “honeymoonish.” Nine months later, in March 1999, we decided to take a second go at a honeymoon and booked our first trip to Disney World as a married couple!

Someone generously gifted us their time share for the week, so we stayed off property at a beautiful resort. While we were at Walt Disney World, we visited the Magic Kingdom, Disney MGM Studios (now known as Hollywood Studios), Animal Kingdom, and Epcot. We also spent quite a bit of time at Downtown Disney, including a night at Cirque du Soleil’s show La Nouba, permanently located in the heart of Downtown Disney.

We had a great time, including lots of relaxation back at our two-bedroom time share suite, which I can see now was entirely too big and grand for two newlyweds. It’s safe to say we had no idea how good we had it! No kids. A huge suite to ourselves, generously gifted to us by someone else. And a whole week at Disney World? Sweet!

(My apologies for the off-color photos. 1999 was so long ago, we were still photographing with film then, so I had to take pictures of pictures for this post!)

Lessons Learned From Honeymooners

Lesson 1: Take lots of pictures of each other when you’re at Disney!

We have 44 photographs of our week-long Disney World honeymoon in 1999. Only 5 of those photos are of the two of us together. Let’s be real. When you’re traveling as honeymooners (or as a couple) you’re not going to have a lot of photos of the two of you together unless you’re totally into selfies, have a selfie stick, or are willing to ask people to take your picture all the time. Here’s the thing. It doesn’t really matter. Definitely make sure you get some awesome pictures of you as a couple. But go wild taking pictures of each other, too! Just make sure you get a diverse sampling of photos with characters and Disney-themed backgrounds. They’re fun to look through, and many years from now will remind you of simpler days when it was just the two of you! Those photos will remind you how thin you were, how overweight you were, how silly you dressed, how much fun you had, and how in love you were (and are) with your spouse. It doesn’t really matter if you’re photographed together or alone, just be sure to take pictures. They’ll bring back great memories someday.

Lesson 2: Stay up and do all the late-night adult activities you can!

As I mentioned earlier, we took full advantage of Downtown Disney as honeymooners. If you’re traveling to Disney as honeymooners (or as a couple, just the two of you), I highly recommend late nights at Downtown Disney. There are a LOT of things to do, including fabulous restaurants, bars, clubs, movies, shopping and entertainment such as Cirque du Soleil’s La Nouba. We’ve been to Disney World several times since our honeymoon, but we’ve never been able to take advantage of Downtown Disney the way we did when we were honeymooners with no kids. While we’re talking Disney night life, I also definitely recommend taking advantage of Disney’s late-night Extra Magic Hours. Extra Magic Hours are select dates where Disney parks are open extra early and extra late for guests’ extended enjoyment. As honeymooners, you have the distinct opportunity to take Disney up on their offer. Research which parks have late Extra Magic Hours the week you’re there, and go all out! Stay up late! Enjoy yourselves! Have fun! Disney is just as awesome late night as it is during the daytime.

Lesson 3: Raise your hands when they ask for honeymooner volunteers!

There are a few live shows at Walt Disney World that recruit volunteers to participate! One of those shows is “Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular” at Hollywood Studios. Guaranteed. They’ll ask for a whole host of volunteers, including a honeymooning couple. This is your chance. This is your big break. Whether you like it or not, you could be in a live show at Disney World. I’m not sure whose idea it was for us to volunteer (probably my husband’s since he’s the extroverted performer), but we did and found ourselves dressed like this in front of a crowd of several hundred Disney guests. We became part of the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular. It was certainly out of my box, but definitely fun and a great memory and photo op, of course! So if you’re honeymooning anywhere Disney? Listen up, friends! Listen for cast members’ calls for honeymooner volunteers. You might have this one chance to be in a stunt show, or maybe you’ll get some other cool Disney perks you never would have received otherwise. Disney loves honeymooners!

 

 

 

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.

There are probably 100 great reasons to bring your family to Disney parks! Today, I’m covering my top 10. Let’s get to it!

Reason #1: Disney is Great for Kids and Adults Alike

If you’ve never been to Disney, you might be inclined to think it’s just for kids. Totally not true! A trip to Disney is incredibly fun for both kids and adults. Rides and attractions are specially designed to meet the needs of people across the lifespan. Feeling adventurous? Check out the “Rock “n” Roller Coaster” at Hollywood Studios. Traveling with a bunch of tinies? Check out Magic Kingdom’s “The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh” ride. Young (or old) and wild at heart? Spend late nights at Downtown Disney. Traveling with grandkids and need to grab a little down time? Take the “Kilamanjaro Safari” at Animal Kingdom or a leisurely stroll through Epcot. Something will strike your fancy whether you’re 2 or 82. It’s all good!

Reason #2: You WILL Experience the Magic of Disney

If you’ve ever been to a Disney park, you’ll notice immediately that Disney cast members bid you farewell with “Have a Magical Day!” Maybe some people get annoyed by that and think it’s all a bit too much, that it’s way too cheesy. Not me! Here’s the thing. Disney magic is real. When you’re at a Disney park you WILL experience the magic in one way, shape or form. I promise. Here’s one example of many. During our 2013 trip to Disneyland, there were a bunch of princesses dancing alongside a princess float. I don’t know why, but for some reason they intrigued me and drew me in. They were beautiful, graceful and magical! I took as many princess pictures as I could, and video as well. The kids were tired, so my husband took them back to the room for rest and swimming. I stayed and had some “mama time” at Disney. What did I choose to do? I followed those princesses straight down the parade route. They’d captured my attention so intensely that I wanted to see the magic all the way through. Sound crazy? Okay. Maybe. But when you’re at Disney, seemingly ordinary things turn magical in a flash. Be prepared. The magic is bound to happen and beautiful every time.

Reason #3: Customer Service is Phenomenal

Disney’s customer service is incredible. Exceeds expectations every time. So let me tell you a little story to prove my point. Two days ago, I made a call to Disney as I was having trouble booking Fast Passes for three days of our upcoming trip. If you stay on Disney property, you can reserve Fast Passes for rides and attractions up to two months in advance of your trip. Fast Passes allow you to skip through to the front of the line! You’re allowed up to three Fast Passes per person, per day. My issues with those three days of Fast Passes are complex to explain, but basically, on three days, the system wasn’t allowing me to split up our family’s Fast Passes. (I’m not bringing our three year old on a ginormous roller coaster!) So I gave Disney a call to see if they could help me resolve the issue. Day 1? They searched and searched and couldn’t figure it out. We moved onto Day 2. Fixed with new Fast Passes! Day 3? Fixed with new Fast Passes! The Disney cast member put me on hold so she could speak with her supervisor. When she returned, she told me they still couldn’t figure out what was wrong with that first Fast Pass, so they issued me and my three-year-old daughter one Fast Pass each good for any one ride of our choosing at any time throughout that day! If you’ve been to Disney World, you know that’s gold. This is Disney customer service. Meeting and exceeding expectations without fail.

Reason #4: Disney Parades are World Class

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Disney parades. Any and all of them. Anyplace. Anytime. They’re all great. When you go to Disney parks, you’re sure to see the most awesome parades you’ve ever seen. They make me tear up every time. Okay. I’m an emotional, sentimental sap. But still. They’re amazing. ALL the characters. ALL the music. ALL the Disney love?! Who wouldn’t love it. If you think…maybe we’ll skip the parade today? NOT a good idea. Never skip the parade. They’re awesome. The best. That’s all I have to say.

Reason #5: You Can Wear Mickey Ears All Day and Nobody Thinks Twice

Have you ever wanted to wear Mickey ears? All day? Every day? Then get yourself right on over to a Disney park. People wear Mickey ears all over the place. I’m talking EVERY. WHERE. YOU. TURN. there are Mickey ears. You don’t look dumb and you won’t look dumb and you won’t feel dumb. Just wear the ears, okay?! You can’t do Disney without the ears.

Reason #6: You Get to Meet All the Disney Characters

One of the most awesome things about visiting a Disney park is that you get to see and meet SO many Disney characters! They pull out all the stops. Whether it’s at a random meet and greet, special character greetings at a designated location, or as part of a character dining experience, ALL the Disney characters make an appearance somewhere or another. Mickey & Minnie. Donald & Daisy. Beauty & The Beast. Elsa & Anna. Chip & Dale. Ariel & Prince Erik. They’re all there. And many, many more! The photo opportunities are gold. Kids love the characters, and I promise you will, too.

Reason #7: You Will Have Fun

I guarantee. You WILL have fun on a Disney vacation. No matter what your age. No matter what your mindset coming into the trip. No matter if you’re an introvert or an extrovert. No matter if you’re a huge Disney fan or not so much. You’ll love it and you’ll have a blast! There’s fun around every corner at Disney parks. It’s simple fun. Beautiful fun. Classic fun. Fun memories to last a lifetime.

Reason #8: Disney Parks are Beautiful

Disney parks are stunningly beautiful. The grounds are immaculately clean and well kept. Between the rides, the attractions, the characters, the stores and Main Street buildings, the flowers, trees and beautiful landscapes, there’s a visual delight waiting around every corner. I’m incredibly visual and Disney pleases my senses without fail. If you wanted to do nothing but walk around and simply take in the beautiful sights, that would be worth the trip in itself. This doesn’t even begin to describe Disney’s lovely resorts, also incredibly well kept and a visual delight for guests of all ages. Want to step inside a beautiful world like no other? Bring your family to Disney.

Reason #9: You Get to Ride the Tea Cups! 

Who could resist a ride on the tea cups? They’re awesome. Classic. A must see, must do on any trip to Disney! I’ve seen the tea cups knocked off at non-Disney amusement parks and carnivals. Friends, they’re just not the same as the REAL Disney tea cups! Are y’all with me? Disney tea cups are part of the grand Disney experience. Spin slow. Spin fast. Let the cup take the lead. Whatever floats your boat. There are so many incredible rides at Disney it’s crazy. The tea cups are one of those classics you simply cannot miss, most definitely part of the memory making for a lifetime!

Reason #10: Everyone Should Experience Disney at Least Once in Their Lifetime 

Disney is amazing. That’s all there is to it. If you haven’t had the opportunity to visit a Disney park, I highly recommend making the trip at least once in your life. There’s nothing like it. Nothing. That’s why we go back time and time again. So bring your spouse. Bring your kids. Bring your grandkids. Bring your parents, your cousins and your friends. Bring your whole family. It’s a blast. It’s magical. It’s totally worth the trip.

 

 

 

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.

Well, friends! It’s October 1st, which means it’s time for the annual 31 Days writing challenge! Every October, more than a thousand writers choose a unique topic and write about it for 31 days straight. Yes, this is a crazy challenge. Most definitely NOT for the faint of heart. But we do it anyway. Because we love writing. We’re passionate. We have something to say, something to share. We’re inviting you into ALL the love, ALL the crazy, ALL the wild and free fun and tears. We want our writing to inspire you, change you, move you, entertain you, and bring delight to your days.

I participated in the 31 Days writing challenge for the first time in 2013. My series was titled Letters to the Unthanked. I absolutely LOVED the series and still do. Basically, I went back through my life, put together a list of people I hadn’t thanked properly, and wrote heartfelt thank you letters to each one. The series was enjoyable and surprisingly therapeutic to write. Readers responded incredibly well to the letters. In fact, many of the letters continue to rank among the most read posts on my site. I’d do the series again in a heartbeat. LOVE.

In 2014, I participated in 31 Days with a series titled 31 Dreams from the Street. I approached and briefly interviewed strangers on the street, asking them one question. “If you didn’t have to worry about money, what would you do with your life?” The series was fascinating, and there was definitely something for me to learn on the journey. But to be honest, it was incredibly challenging to continually put myself out there in the faces of strangers. I experienced plenty of rejection. It required a lot of hard leg work. When all was said and done, I didn’t end up loving the series and was pretty sure I WASN’T going to participate in 31 Days in 2015.

But you talked me out of that idea.

In my 2014 reader survey at the end of November 2014, all but ONE of you indicated YES, you thought I should write another 31 Days series in 2015.

I let that sink in a bit. I wasn’t so sure I wanted to do this 31 Days thing again!

Then ONE idea came bursting forth! It was honestly the ONLY idea I had, the ONE and ONLY way I was going to write a 31 Days series this year.

You see, we’ve been planning a family vacation to Disney World for 18 months now. Our trip is THIS MONTH…in October…during the 31 Days writing challenge! And if you know us well, you know we’re huge Disney fans.

So that was it!

31 Days of Disney!

So here we are, friends. About to embark on a month-long exploration of all things Disney.

For not wanting to write a 31 Days series this year, 31 Days of Disney is an enormous undertaking. As you all know, Disney is gigantic. Massive. Highly commercial. Highly successful. Known by pretty much everyone. So I feel the weight of this series. In many ways, writing this series is like writing a book. But I also feel the excitement! This is a fun topic. It’s highly relevant to many. And I have an opportunity to share with you my love, OUR love for Disney.

I’m going to approach this every which way, all month long. My #1 goal for this series is to provide relevant, useful and inspiring content for you.

So let’s get a move on! 31 Days of Disney it will be!

I’ve divided the month into three sections.

The first nine posts of the series will serve as an ice breaker! Let’s talk about all the reasons to bring your family to Disney. Let’s talk about our favorite Disney memories. Let’s review the six Disney trips our family has taken and lessons we learned along the way!

31 Days of Disney

Top 10 Reasons to Bring Your Family to Disney

Disney World 1999: Lessons Learned from Honeymooners

Disney World 2005: Lessons Learned from a Pregnant Lady

Disney World 2007: Lessons Learned from First Time Parents

Disney World 2010: Lessons Learned from First Family of 4 Trip

Disney World 2011: Lessons Learned from Disney Two Years in a Row

Disneyland 2013: Lessons Learned from Disneyland Newbies

Our Favorite Disney Memories (And Yours!)

The middle nine posts of this series will be written LIVE, in real time, immediately before and during our family’s trip to Disney World! This is going to be a challenge, friends! I’m going to have some very late nights and early mornings. But I’ve blogged live during week-long trips twice before, in Haiti and the Dominican, so I’m certain I can pull this off. I love the experience of writing in the heart of the moment. In the first two posts of this set, we’ll review packing for and traveling to Disney World. Once we’re on the trip, it’s hard to say how I’ll be inspired! This section of the series is least planned, which excites me to all ends. I love the magic of Disney, and can’t wait to share the inspirational stories that are bound to happen while we’re there.

Packing for Disney

Traveling to Disney World

Her First Magic Moments

We Need More Magic

Animal Kingdom is Awesome (Despite the Crabs that Snuck In)

Love Lessons from Epcot

Mini Magical Moments at Hollywood Studios

The Secret to Enjoying Disney World and All of Life

A Simple, Lovely, Loving Last Day at Disney

The last 13 posts of the series will be loaded with Disney goodness! I’m going to share ALL of my favorite Disney tips, tricks and favorites with you. I’m super excited for this part of the series because it’s so content rich and has enormous potential to help a whole host of readers navigate Disney. Fasten your seat belts, friends. This is good stuff! If you plan to take a Disney vacation, this part of the series will be an incredible resource. (Just send me some more late night and early morning prayers, please. This is a lot of writing and content to wade through in a short period of time!)

10 Tips for Visiting Disney World (From a 10 Year Old)

12 Tips for Visiting Disney World (From a 12 Year Old)

Tips for Doing Disney World with a Preschooler

Tips for Feeding Your Preschooler at Disney World

Photographing Your Disney Vacation

Best Places to Rest at Disney World

Secrets to Making Magical Moments on Your Disney Vacation

Tips for Meeting Characters at Disney World

Best Restaurants for Families at Disney World

Taking a Break to Chat About Our Favorite Disney Songs

Reasons to Stay on Disney Property

Our Family’s Experience of Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party

Disney Pin Trading Secrets for Families

So there it is, friends! There you have it.

31 Days of Disney!

Join me on the journey, will you? It’s certain to be magical.

 

 

 

This post serves as the 31 Days of Disney landing page. ALL posts from the series will be linked within the body of this post. It’s simple! Find a title or topic that intrigues you, click on it, and the post will pop up for your Disney reading adventure!

I placed the series graphic on the right sidebar of my blog’s home page, so click it anytime and it’ll bring you back here where all 31 posts will be 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.