| Staying at Art of Animation with 2 and 5 year-old kids. We’ve got stroller rental, grocery delivery, ADRs, and Fast Pass reservations. Any tips for us? |
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We just went with a 4 and 7 year old. You sound like you have a good plan already. Fast pass helped us a lot. Managing bathroom breaks- “after this ride we are going to the potty”etc. we found last minute food reservations impossible. Winnie the Pooh breakfast was their favorite- I would not have predicted that.
We actually had a great time. I expected more meltdowns and temper tantrums but the kids did well. We were flexible and just tried to manage expectations. |
| grocery delivery - can you tell me about this? Don't quite undersatnd |
You can order groceries delivered to your resort. One place is Garden grocer. We've used them before, they are great. When you get to the hotel, bell services can bring them to your room. We order breakfast stuff - some yogurts and bars, etc. we also order fruit and other snacks. Plus water. I find the water at WDW unbearable, the smell is overwhelming, and I end up just using bottled water, so purchasing ahead of time saves money there. The fridges are small, so think about that, and they don't (at least mine haven't) have freezer sections. |
Take breaks. Also - My kids loved the pools, so I built time in for them and they loved it. |
| Download the app. Very helpful! |
Portable phone charger cuz that app drains your phone battery! |
| I hit up Dollar Tree before we go every time and get a bunch of little Disney-themed items—stickers, figurines, washclothes, etc. Then every morning they wake up and their outfits are laid out for the day and on top is a “present from Mickey.” It is helpful for a few reasons: 1) the clothes are already out and we don’t habe to fight about it (I have budding fashion designers of both sexes so this is important) 2) When they beg for a ton of crap in the parks we can just say, “well, we’ll see what Mickey brings you...”. it really cuts down on the begging for crap. We always get one souvenir per kid in the actual parks and it is their Mickey present on the last day. |
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Some of the quick service places have mobile ordering now (using the Disney app). It doesn't work with the dining plan (it charges to your credit card) but is a huge time saver from what I hear.
You can also use the Disney app to make additional fast passes from your phone after you've used your 3 scheduled ones. |
| rain ponchos, consider ordering snacks drinks from a local grocery store and have them deliver to your hotel, Like Goodings |
| Instead of bottled water, get a bottle with a built-in charcoal filter. Improves the taste of the water fountain water without all the waste of disposable bottles. And you don't have to carry multiples to get through the day. |
| autograph books to get signatures from the characters they are so expensive there |
Genius! |
| Wash your hands. Even if they didn’t have to go we took our kids to the bathroom to wash their hands on a regular basis. |
If you do this, bring sharpies. Characters can’t hold pens in those mitts. But avoid this unless your kids are super into it. The character lines are soul sucking. Bring high energy snacks for when people get cranky (eg trail mix) and for eating in line for rides. Check adrs 2 days ahead for cancellations if there are reservations you wanted and didn’t get. The app is essential and is a battery drainer. Do rides early before crowds get there. Crowds are also light at night during the shows—if your kids nap, that’s a good option to go back late and ride more. Manage expectations on souvenirs. |