Disney World Series Part 4: Recap

Read on CNN last Monday, just as we were starting our Disney series here at Bumble of Joy, that Disney World was raising their ticket prices again. In the comments section, there were some people that said that it just isn't worth going there since it is so expensive.

Well, what do I think?

I think they do an AMAZING job creating a magical experience for their visitors, especially young children! And most people will be buying multi-day passes when they visit which are much more affordable. Of course, I'm not saying that I would be bringing my kids there every year. But it is definitely a trip that is worth saving up for and letting the kids experience at least once in their life.

I still remember E3's face during our first parade there and she saw her favorite character, Minnie Mouse. She was just in awe and had a mega-watt smile on her face!

My husband, John, wondered if the kids were a little too young to go there. Would all that money be wasted, since they might not even remember the whole experience?

Personally, I think it was totally worth it. Little kids are less jaded and can fully experience the "magic" of the place. They are just so in awe of all the wonderful details and all the characters. And even though my 3 oldest knew that the characters were just people in costumes, it did not dampen the experience one bit. It actually made them a little less scary.

What sets Disney World apart from many other places? Their amazing customer service!

For example, when we met Mickey, E2 and E3 were actually a bit timid. And even though there was a long line of people waiting, Mickey actually took the time to try and get the girls to warm up to him and made sure we got a pretty good picture together. Even after the pictures were taken, he spent a bit more time trying to engage them so they would have a good experience.

 And when we went on the Pirates of the Caribbean, I actually dropped my lens cap in the boat during the ride. I tried looking for it frantically at the end of the ride but it was stuck in this dark corner under the seats that it must of took at least 15 minutes to locate. Did we get rushed by the employees? Nope! The nice young lady working there was very patient and even offered me a flashlight to help with my search.

So I will leave you with some pictures from our trip and my final piece of advice--it is a place that I think every young child should get to experience at least once and try to go when they are young because it will truly be a magical time!

How H & E1 spent much of the trip.

What are your thoughts on Disney World? Share some of your experiences, we would love to hear from you!

Zi

Disney World Series Part 3D: Epcot Review

On our last park day we spent half the day back at Animal Kingdom. While Zi's family headed back to revisit Hollywood Studios, we wanted to check out Epcot.

Unfortunately we didn't have enough time to really enjoy all of what Epcot has to offer.  Plus it being the coldest night didn't help either and when I say cold we actually wore our heavy winter coats! So in this post we won't have "favorites" with the exception of this being my husband's favorite kingdom. But nonetheless here are a couple highlights. Our first stop was a ride that I knew H&N would enjoy.

The Seas with Nemo & Friends
This was the shortest and fastest line ever during our stay at Disney, we literally speed walk through to the end. But I'm sure the weather factor has a lot to do with this.
We sat in a clamobile and went on an undersea adventure with the cast from "Finding Nemo". The best thing about this ride is at the end they dropped you off inside a huge aquarium. The kids loved seeing the manatee, a live "Nemo & Dory", and scuba divers swimming with the fish. We spent a good hour or two there.

World Showcase
I must say Epcot at night is really beautiful with all the lights from each of the countries. With some imagination, atmosphere and landmarks you could begin to believe you were there. (Ex: the Eifel Tower in France) We stopped in Japan for dinner, nothing like a hot bowl of udon to warm you up!
I thought it was neat that all the employees are actually from the countries. You could see which city they lived in on their name tags. We even did a little shopping after dinner at Mitsukoshi. A very cool Japanese store with something for everyone.

China

Mexico

Canada

I wished I had more to share but this is definitely a kingdom where we want to go spend some more time and revisit. Next time we will be sure to stay and watch the Illuminations: Reflections of Earth Show.

Have you been to Epcot? What are your favorites?
Eva

Disney World Series Part 3C: Hollywood Studios Review

Our first stop was Toy Story Midway Mania. It was a long wait and unfortunately the fast passes were all gone. As you may be able to see in the photo the wait was 105 minutes, I think it increased as we stood in line. We gambled to see if the kids could wait it out... we were about two thirds into the line when N said "Mommy I need to go to the bathroom." (Note we did all go before we got in line) And soon all followed suit and we missed out on this ride. I must say the kids were very well behaved given the length of time we were waiting, even I was getting antsy.

While there are rides in this park, most were not suitable for our kids age group. (2-5 years)
However there were plenty of shows to keep them entertained.

Favorite shows

Beauty & the Beast Live on Stage

Yet another amazing stage performance and a must see! Great for all ages. In fact, this was one of the shows that Zi's kids requested to see a second time.

Voyage of the Little Mermaid

We couldn't miss this one since Ariel is one of H's favorites. It was a short 15 minute show with highlights from the movie and some surprises in between. The only thing is I wished it was a little longer but still worthy to go watch.

Fantasmic!

If you plan on staying into the evening be sure to watch this show. This is when those glow sticks and snacks come in handy as we waited for it to begin. Amazing pyrotechnics and water projections throughout this 30 minute show. All the kids got so excited when they saw Mickey and the girls squealed in delight when they saw their favorite princesses. Just a warning to those who kids don't like loud noises, like my H. They might get startled and cover their ears at times but in the end they loved the show. N likes to call this the Mickey show.

What are you favorites in Hollywood Studios?
Eva & Zi

Disney World Series Part 3B: Animal Kingdom Review

The fact that E1, E2, and E3 are all animal lovers, we knew that Animal Kingdom would be a big hit for them.

Favorite Rides & Places to Play: 

 

Kilimanjaro Safaris

E1's favorite animal.

Seeing live animals is something all 3 older E kids enjoy so we knew that this ride would be a big hit for them. We spent 1 1/2 days at Animal Kingdom and each time this was the first ride we went to. The first day we waited for almost an hour, we got there around the early afternoon time . The second day only 10 minutes because it was early in the morning.

A good thing about this ride is you are allowed to have your stroller with you till almost the end, so if there is a long wait the kids would take a nap in the stroller. But you do get "set back" a bit when you go to park your stroller parking towards the end, not a huge deal though.

Now on to the actual ride itself. About 20 people are loaded onto a jeep fashioned to look like one you would sit on in Africa. Granted I've never been on an actual safari in Africa but this is how I imagined it would look like. Each jeep has a guide that tells you about each location and the animals you will see there. There are a few staged "dangers" along the way and it is a rather bumpy ride but you do get to see quite a few animals much to the kids delight. If possible, I would recommend getting seats on the last row of the jeep because you get the chance to turn around and take some pretty good pictures without any obstructions.

The Boneyard

A great area for the kids to stop and play. Granted you didn't come all this way to Disney to play in a playground but this is a nice break from waiting in the long lines. Just beware it might be hard to keep track of your kids since some of these slides can go fairly high unless you want to go on the slides too. I did witness a few parents go down them. But don't worry kids won't be able to run off since it is in an enclosed area and there's a Disney employee at the entrance and exit. H even asked to go here again on our second visit to Animal Kingdom.

Favorite Shows: 

Festival Of The Lion King

A great interactive show that lets you be part of a wonderful festival for Simba and his friends. You will get to hear your favorite songs from the movie and enjoy some wonderful acrobatic performances.

The whole family will enjoy this show, even my hard to impress husband was pretty impressed with the flame twirler in the show. And the kids asked to watch the show again!


Finding Nemo - The Musical

One of the best shows I've seen! A 40 minute "condensed" version of the movie with spectacular singing and puppetry performances. It felt like we were watching a broadway production. The kids soaked up every minute of it. H&N were singing the tunes afterwards. Makes us want to watch the movie again.

It's Tough to be a Bug!
A 3D show where you get to experience what it's like to be a bug with characters from "A Bug's Life". While we waited inside a dimly lit ant hole, H&N wore their bug glasses. As N put them on he said "Ahh I can't see!" haha silly kid. There might be a scare factor to some young children but only for a moment. And if you don't like bugs then you might just jump out of your seat. But don't let this scare you away it's REALLY a fun show to check out. H&N were giggling and talking about what they liked as we headed out the doors.

What is your favorite Animal Kingdom show and ride?

Zi and Eva

Disney World Series Part 3A: Magic Kingdom Review

The largest kingdom at Disney World has tons of great rides and shows, it is hard to pick just one favorite.

So, here are a few of our favorites.

Favorite Rides:

Dumbo

E1 with grandma

This is really a classic ride. Especially fun for preschoolers but really perfect for all ages. They have made some updates to this ride so it is actually "fun" to wait since there is a play area under the big top. But the wait can still get long so it would be a good idea to Fast Pass this if possible.

Didn't get a chance to get a good picture on the ride? They have a Dumbo set up right outside the ride that is a great photo op.

"It's a small world"

Another classic ride. This was one ride that I (Eva) remember when I was younger at Disneyland and now for my kids. They kept on saying "Look at this, look at that!" The lines may be long at times but moves fairly quickly since it loads large number of people on a boat. Just beware that song might be stuck in your head for the rest of the day, hehe.

Under the Sea - Journey of the Little Mermaid

Definitely a must for a fast pass if you want to get on this ride. A cute under the sea adventure with classic songs from the movie.  This was H's favorite and wanted to go back again. And if you want to meet Ariel, she's right next door in "Ariel's Grotto"

Favorite Shows:

Enchanted Tales With Belle

We had no idea what exactly this was when we lined up for it but it turned out to be a rather fun experience. It is an interactive show that is a condensed telling of Beauty and the Beast story.

While you wait for the show to begin, you walk through Belle's father's cottage with nice props. There is a bit of a surprise at the beginning that I won't ruin for you. And then a few members of the audience get selected to be part of the show. E2 actually got selected to be Chip the first time we went. Yes, E2 and 3 enjoyed it so much we actually went to this twice.

It is also a great opportunity for the little ones to meet Belle and get pictures taken with her.

Mickey's PhilharMagic
A 3-D movie starring various Disney characters. The kids loved "grabbing" at flying objects and a few surprises in between.  Don't want to say too much and spoil it. But it will definitely stimulate your senses and give smiles all around at the end of the show. There are times when the wait was only 10-15 minutes, so definitely keep this in mind. It's great, plus a fun experience!

Wishes Nighttime Spectacular

You can't go to Magic Kingdom and not stay for their fireworks show at least one time. And during the Christmas season they also have a light show that happens beforehand which is really amazing and hard to describe in words. Let's just say that it will most likely be the best fireworks show you see in your life! Also, try to get a spot around the front of Cinderella's castle so you can see Tinkerbell fly by at one point in the show.
 
There are so many great rides and shows at Magic Kingdom, please share yours!

Zi and Eva

Disney World Series Part 2: Navigating Tips

Thought this post would be best done in Q and A format. Keep in mind that our group consisted of kids ranging from age 2 to 5.

Q: How many days should I spend per kingdom?
A: Magic Kingdom is the largest kingdom in terms of things to do for both little kids and adults alike, so you can definitely spend at least 2 to 3 days here.
Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, and Epcot could all be a 1 day excursion. But if you have more days on your schedule, there is enough to do at these kingdoms that you could spend another half a day or another full day there.
Got even more time in your schedule? It is actually a good idea to take a break between your excursions to the kingdoms because you will be tired and it would be nice to have time to relax and recharge.

Q: How does Fast Pass work?
A: Few things to know about Fast Pass, a) the kiosks to get Fast Pass for any particular ride or show is never located where the ride/show is, b) you are only allowed to get 1 Fast Pass every 2 hours, c) totally worth it for super popular rides.
With these few things in mind, here are some strategies for using Fast Pass. Find out what ride your group really wants to go on that usually has the longest wait time. Send 1 person in your group along with everyone's tickets to get the Fast Pass for that ride. Everyone else in your group could line up for another ride at the same time to save on time. Have a plan as to what other ride you would like to Fast Pass, so when your 2 hour freeze is up, you could go get the next one.
Usually rides that only take a few riders at a time will most likely have a longer wait time, logically this makes sense right? Say for example, at Magic Kingdom the Peter Pan ride takes only about 3 riders per pirate ship and the It's A Small World ride takes over 20 people per boat, so obviously Peter Pan usually has a longer wait time.

Q: How much is parking? 
A: Parking is $15 at all kingdoms. Once you pay for parking it is good for the whole day at all the kingdoms. Just remember to keep your stub.
*Parking tip: remember to snap a pic of the row and location sign to help you remember where you parked.

Q: Where did you buy your Disney World tickets?
A: Eva's family bought their tickets through her husband's workplace and Zi's family bought it through tickets2you.com. The prices were pretty comparable,both had buy 3 days get 2 days for free offers, with tickets2you.com being slightly cheaper by a few dollars per ticket.

E2 favorite princess-Snow White, signing her book.

Q: Where is the best place to meet characters?
A: Each kingdom has designated spots where you can meet specific characters. The more popular characters will most likely have the longest lines. So if there is a specific character your child absolutely HAS to see, find out where you can see them and we would recommend going there first to beat the crowd. For example, there is a "Princess Fairytale Hall" where you can meet Snow White and Rapunzel at one side and Cinderella and Aurora on another. Rapunzel being the newest princess was more popular, and on our first day at Magic Kingdom had a 2 hour wait. So the 2nd day we went to Magic Kingdom, we decided that we would go there first and had a 30 minute wait instead which was much more tolerable with little children.

Q: How did you get to Florida?
A: Of course this is all dependent on where you are coming from. We were going down to Florida from Pennsylvania so both our families decided to drive. It is about a 15-16 hour drive from where we live. With at least 2 drivers it is totally possible to make it in one straight shot. But on the way down, Zi's family made a couple of stops in Raleigh, NC and Savannah, GA and Eva's family stopped in Savannah, GA. On the way back, both families did a straight shot back through the night. Driving through the night makes it a little easier in the sense that the kids slept for most of the trip. But can be difficult for the drivers since they have spent a full week at Disney =)

Questions we didn't answer here? Feel free to ask in comments.

Zi

Disney World Series Part 1: Packing List

Our families spent the last week of 2013 and the beginning of 2014 at the most magical place on earth--Disney World!

Since our return, it has been a whirlwind of getting the kids back into their school schedule, getting our lives back on track, unexpected new car purchases for both our families, and LOTS of snow days, that it has taken us almost 2 months to put together this series about our trip. Despite the long wait, we hope that this will be a helpful series for all who plan to make a trip to Disney World.

This is what you can look forward to in our Disney World Series:
Part 1: Packing List
Part 2: Navigating Tips
Part 3: Ride and Show Reviews by Kingdom 
           A) Magic Kingdom
           B) Animal Kingdom
           C) Hollywood Studios
           D) Epcot
Part 4: Recap

A quick note before we start, the children in our group were aged 2 to 5, so many of our tips and observations will be most appropriate for this age range.

Now let's get to it, here is our recommended Packing List (obviously this is not every single thing you need to bring):

1) Stroller For Each Child--one of the best advice we received before going to Disney World was to make sure we had a stroller for each child. The days will be long and the kids will get tired and most likely nap at some point. So it very nice to have a place for them to do so. It is also nice to help carry things like food and water since those things can get heavy. That being said, make sure the stroller is relatively light weight, since there will be times where you need to pack it up and carry it, so you don't want to be lugging around a huge stroller.

2) Pack Lunch and Lots of Snacks--park tickets aside, the thing you will be spending the most money on is food at Disney World. So it is definitely recommended that you pack at least your lunch and lots of snacks. If you are able to, go ahead and pack dinner too since you will most likely be spending all day at the parks. And as parents of little children know, they will need snacks. So pack lots to keep the kids fueled throughout the day. There are also water fountains in the park, so go ahead and bring water bottles that you could refill while you are there.
There is a size restriction to the coolers that are allowed in the parks, so make sure you check Disney's site for those dimensions.

3) Make Your Own Autograph Books--one of the fun experiences about Disney is that children get to meet their favorite characters, get a picture taken with them, and have them sign their autograph books. But honestly, most lines are pretty long for these character meets, especially if they are popular, so you probably won't meet too many. So why spend over $10 for an autograph book when you could have a DIY version that is just as cute. Both Eva and I just bought inexpensive notebooks and decorated them for our kids.

E2/3's autograph book being signed by Marie

 4) Ponchos/Raincoats--being in Florida, you can expect some rain while you are there, so it is always a good idea to pack ponchos are some lightweight rain gear for everyone in your group. Great place to look for these are Walmart or Target. Didn't get to pick some up before your trip? No worries! There is a Walmart and Target close to the park that you could easily pick some up. And honestly, the kid size ponchos at the park are not too expensive, they are about $8 which is what you would pay for a decent poncho elsewhere.
Going along with the ponchos, it is a good idea to have a couple of large trash bags or umbrellas. These could be used to cover your strollers while they are parked. And yes, you will be parking your strollers quite a bit.

Zi with Mickey and wearing one of the extra kid ponchos =)

5) Disney Merchandise--no matter how hard you try to avoid it, kids will want to buy something from the many many stores at the park. If your child has a character or princess that they are really fond of then it is a good idea to purchase some merchandise ahead of time from Walmart, Target or maybe even a consignment sale. It will most likely be cheaper than getting it at the parks.
Based on personal observation, the items that are seriously over priced at the park are the clothing (t-shirts, hoodies), dress up clothing (especially the princess dresses), and large soft toys.

6) Backpack and/or Messenger Bag--with kids to keep track of and all the things you need to pack, it is a good idea to have a bag that can carry many items and keep your hands free. Both of our families had at least 1 backpack. Zi also had a messenger bag with multiple compartments which made it easier to keep track of items, like park tickets, photo passes, pens, autograph books, and hand sanitizer.

7) Glow sticks--one of the things that really catches children's attention are all the glowing toys that Disney pushes once the sun goes down. So the best way to combat your child's urge to throw a tantrum because they just got to have one is to bring some of your own glow sticks. They are much more affordable from a dollar store or places like Five Below.

Got something to add to our list? Please feel free to share in comments!

Zi