The things that Disney World taught me...

There are things that this vacation to Disney World taught me both about Disney itself and revelations about myself & my family.....

First, about Disney -
(And let me begin by assuring you that I, in no way, profess myself to be any kind of Disney expert.  These inside tips that I learned are what most people discover when they plan their Disney vacations.  I'm putting things in writing so I can remember when it's time to go again.  And also, this vacation worked best for MY family.  There are several ways "to do" Disney; what I'm about to share worked best for MINE)

1.  Way back when Shane & I started to talk about even taking the kids on a Disney vacation, we determined then to have it paid for before we even booked it.  Mission accomplished.  To me, our vacation was much more enjoyable to anticipate and to experience knowing it was paid in full from the time of booking.

2.  Again, when Shane & I began to talk about a Disney vacation I told him I wanted to "go BIG", modestly of course; nothing outrageous or ridiculous.  I simply wanted a nice place to stay on Disney property.  I wanted the Meal Plan.  I wanted the Park Hopper.  I wanted a long vacation, enough days to take our time and enjoy ourselves, not feeling rushed.  Originally I wanted to fly and not drive, but that's another lesson I learned from Disney :-)  I recommend each of those.

3.  The Meal Plan - it's a must if you plan on doing any Character Dining.  Otherwise, a family of 4 will spend $200 on eating dinner at Cinderella's Castle.  And breakfast at the Tusker House with Donald Duck and friends will set you back a good $100 as well.  On our meal plan, we received one Table service meal (including Character Dining), one Quick service meal (a.k.a fast food), and one snack per day.  This was PLENTY of food.  The meals and snacks carry over from day to day, so there were some times when Shane & I split a meal, or let the kids eat off our plates, and kept those unused meals to use at a later time.  And you get a lot of food.  I could eat one Table service meal a day, along with a snack & I was good to go.

4.  To me, breakfast is the best meal at Disney.  Maybe it's because breakfast food is one of my favorites.  But yum, we ate some good breakfast. 

5.  There are plenty of things to ride and enjoy for pregnant mommas.

6.  Character Meet-n-Greet - after the first few days, we were kind of over it.  Character dining saved us a bunch b/c those characters we were certain to get pictures with and autographs.  But some of the lines got rather long, and the kids were ready to go ride & play.  Parker, in particular.  Probably b/c it's difficult for the boy to stand still, and b/c a lot of the characters he wanted nothing to do with.  Avery, on the other hand, was much more patient and could have stood in some longer lines.  But daddy Shane was tired of it as well.  More than likely due to the fact that he had to deal with Parker's wrath :-)  I regret not getting to Rapunzel; that's my big regret...but the line was hideous.  So you kind of have to pick and choose who's a "must" on your list, and how long is too long.

7.  It's going to rain at some point on your Disney vacation.  It's ok, though.  It will go away. 

8.  With little ones, have a plan.  Be flexible, of course, but know what rides and activities are most important and go there first.  Plan your course of action.  Buy a Disney book & read it & follow the advice.  Probably depends on your personality, but it was worth it to me.

9.  Magic Kingdom was our favorite.  Animal Kingdom probably came in next, followed by Hollywood Studios.  Epcot was fun, just not my favorite; we didn't even make it to any of the countries (did we really miss out?)

10.  I told Shane the next time we go to Disney, I want to take a break in the middle of our week to just chill.  Sleep late.  Enjoy the pool or your resort's amenities.  Take it easy.  Again, this would only be possible it you're able to take a nice, long vacation.  So we'll see.

11.  And in reference to #10, a Disney vacation is definitely not a rest & relax type of vacation.  We were all "dog-tired" every night.  Now we were certainly up & raring to go the next day, but it's a tiring trip, especially with little ones.

12.  Be prepared - there's a hint of sadness & depression upon departure.  Granted, I was anxious to get home & see Carter, but I can't imagine how I would have been if I had had him with me without anything back home to look forward to.  I was sad to leave.  The kids kept asking when we could come back.  Shane's response was "when
Carter is 3 years old and at least 40 inches".  I guess we'll have baby Cross #4 left at home with Grandma to look forward to coming home to next time!

13.  Take a stroller.  I'm not sure at what age kids can manage without one, but if you have a 3 year old and 5 year old, take a stroller!

Now the things that Disney taught me about myself & my family:

1.  Avery & Parker travel well in the car.

2.  My kids still need naps.

3.  I can survive being away from Carter for a week (probably because of where I was during our separation)

4.  I'm not sure if it's genetic...but I'm thankful Avery (in particular) and Parker have inherited their mother's love of rides and rollercoasters!

5.  A lesson I've learned over & over - don't get disappointed when my kids don't meet my own made up expectations of them.  e.g. it's ok if Parker didn't even want to take a picture with Lightning McQueen & Mater; no big deal; don't make him do it.

6.  Family vacation is precious time wherever you go.

7.  I'm getting really good at packing.

8.  Reading brainteasers that I bought on the dollar aisle at Target is fun & helps pass the time for Shane & I while driving.  I particularly enjoyed getting the answer right and Shane getting it wrong (is that bad of me?)

9.  Missing out on rides at Disney b/c I was preggo wasn't bad at all.  I thought I'd be feeling sorry for myself, but not at all.

10.  As fun as Disney was, there's no place like home!