Our First Disney Trip
We took our first family trip to Disney in 2013. We decided to stay for 5 days in October. Our main reason for October travel is that three out of our four family birthdays is in the month of October. But the added benefit for Disney is that the weather is cooler and the crowds are lighter. Since Reagan was just turning 2 years old, she was free as far as tickets and dining. Since we did not want to be overwhelmed with dealing with kid stuff, we invited my parents and Ryan's mom to come with us. Since we had a large group, I decided it was best to stay at the Art of Animation in a family suite. The Art of Animation opened a little over a year prior so I thought it would be neat to check out all of the hype about the decor. We really enjoyed the layout of the Nemo family suite. With a separate room that I could close the door, napping when at the hotel was great for Reagan. There was a double bed that also folded up to become a table we could all eat at. With two bathrooms, it was nice to have an adult one with just a shower and a kid friendly one with a bathtub. The property is large but the Nemo family suite was centrally located by the splash pad so the walk to the main area for food and drink was manageable. We were not fans of the bus stop. With one stop location, it would get crowded and there was no guarantee you and your party would all make it on a bus together. I know driving is an option, but we feel that transportation is included in the price of the package so why not use it. Overall, I would recommend the Art of Animation resort to families with young kids who love Cars, Nemo, the Little Mermaid, and the Lion King. It is also great for families with young children as I found the pool and splash pad area large enough to not feel overwhelmed with people everywhere.
When we travel from Georgia, we usually try to stay down on the way to Disney. On a good day, it may take us 7 hours to get there but we like the extra time. Plus what kid doesn't like to stay in a hotel just to stay in a hotel? Cooper and Reagan think it is the best thing! Probably because we highly limit screen time to one hour at home but vacation doesn't need rules! Sometimes we will stay in Valdosta and other times we will drive a little further to Lake City or Ocala.
Our first night in Disney was on my birthday so we decided to check out Down Town Disney, now known as Disney Springs. I was able to make reservations for our large party at the Rainforest Cafe. The restaurant is a little tight in spacing with the tables but in general the service was good and the chocolate lava cake was a table pleaser! The kids loved the animatronics. After we took a visit to the Lego store to build racers.
Our first official park day was split between Animal Kingdom and Epcot. At the time, I heard that Epcot would not be "fun" for our kids because they were so small. I highly disagree with that and wish we had spent a whole day exploring the World Showcase. At Animal Kingdom, we started the morning with the safari. Honestly, we have done the safari numerous times now and morning and evening really are the best times. In the morning you are more likely to see the lions, which we got to, and the kids really enjoyed that. Cooper was too little then to ride Everest but it was a hit with my parents as well as Dinosaur. The kids thoroughly enjoyed Dinoland. With the carnival games, Triceratops Spin, and the Dinoland play area, they kept busy plenty. Reagan's favorite part, still to this day, is to go to the dig site and uncover the fossil. We headed to Epcot for dinner that evening to enjoy the Coral Reef restaurant. The food was wonderful and the kids enjoyed the view; a huge fish tank with exotic creatures you could watch while you dined. We were able to squeeze in a character meet and greet courtesy of having a Disney Visa card as well as the Finding Nemo ride and Turtle Talk with Crush.
The next day was to celebrate Cooper's 4th birthday. We spent the day at Magic Kingdom and then ended with dinner at Chef Mickey's. Cooper's highlight was meeting all of the characters, especially his girl Daisy Duck. He saw Woody and Jesse near Splash Mountain, and Reagan enjoyed meeting the princesses at Fairy Tale Hall. Chef Mickey's was an awesome experience! We were lucky enough to get a table that comfortably sat our entire party of seven with a view of Magic Kingdom. The buffet is not my favorite among others that Disney has to offer, but the character experience is fun. Cooper got a special treat from Mickey for his birthday. The characters include Mickey, Donald, Goofy, Minnie, and Pluto. Each stop at your table and sign autographs books.
Our third day was a "free day". I did not plan any parks for that day and luckily it was our only rainy day that trip. We did explore the local outlets. The local outlets have Disney stores with marked down merchandise. For a family on a tight budget, this provides a good alternative to purchasing souvenirs in the park. My children love arcades, especially my daughter with the lights and the millions of buttons to push. The Art of Animation has one of the best arcades we have visited while on a Disney property. Dinner that night was at the House of Blues in, then, Down Town Disney. Before it was revamped to Disney Springs, the bus system was a mess. Where it dropped us off required a run to the restaurant on the west side. Dinner was good but I would not recommend it to families with young children. Nothing inappropriate but would be more fitting for an older crowd.
The final day we decided to spend at Magic Kingdom for Reagan's 2nd birthday celebration. We made sure she met every princess she wanted to, like Tiana and Ariel. Her favorite ride, and even to this day, is Dumbo. We made sure to ride it a couple of times. It definitely is different from when I was a kid with just the one, but now after the Fantasy Land remodel the lines moves quickly with two sides open. We dined at Crystal Palace. Our experience was fair. We had to wait much longer than 15 minutes after our reservation time. All my husband and father wanted was a beer after a long day at the park only to be disappointed when told no alcohol was served at Magic Kingdom. This has since changed with the opening of Be our Guest and recently at the Crystal Palace and Plaza restaurants. However no beer carts (and I agree with that) like at other parks. The character experience was the cast of Winnie the Pooh (Pooh, Eeyore, Piglet, and Tigger). Overall, Reagan did feel special!
After the trip was over and we returned to reality, we didn't have a Disney hangover. We actually didn't really talk about it until months later when we were encouraged to try it again. Little did we know that next trip during Spring Break 2015 would have us hooked!
When we travel from Georgia, we usually try to stay down on the way to Disney. On a good day, it may take us 7 hours to get there but we like the extra time. Plus what kid doesn't like to stay in a hotel just to stay in a hotel? Cooper and Reagan think it is the best thing! Probably because we highly limit screen time to one hour at home but vacation doesn't need rules! Sometimes we will stay in Valdosta and other times we will drive a little further to Lake City or Ocala.
Our first night in Disney was on my birthday so we decided to check out Down Town Disney, now known as Disney Springs. I was able to make reservations for our large party at the Rainforest Cafe. The restaurant is a little tight in spacing with the tables but in general the service was good and the chocolate lava cake was a table pleaser! The kids loved the animatronics. After we took a visit to the Lego store to build racers.
The next day was to celebrate Cooper's 4th birthday. We spent the day at Magic Kingdom and then ended with dinner at Chef Mickey's. Cooper's highlight was meeting all of the characters, especially his girl Daisy Duck. He saw Woody and Jesse near Splash Mountain, and Reagan enjoyed meeting the princesses at Fairy Tale Hall. Chef Mickey's was an awesome experience! We were lucky enough to get a table that comfortably sat our entire party of seven with a view of Magic Kingdom. The buffet is not my favorite among others that Disney has to offer, but the character experience is fun. Cooper got a special treat from Mickey for his birthday. The characters include Mickey, Donald, Goofy, Minnie, and Pluto. Each stop at your table and sign autographs books.
Our third day was a "free day". I did not plan any parks for that day and luckily it was our only rainy day that trip. We did explore the local outlets. The local outlets have Disney stores with marked down merchandise. For a family on a tight budget, this provides a good alternative to purchasing souvenirs in the park. My children love arcades, especially my daughter with the lights and the millions of buttons to push. The Art of Animation has one of the best arcades we have visited while on a Disney property. Dinner that night was at the House of Blues in, then, Down Town Disney. Before it was revamped to Disney Springs, the bus system was a mess. Where it dropped us off required a run to the restaurant on the west side. Dinner was good but I would not recommend it to families with young children. Nothing inappropriate but would be more fitting for an older crowd.
The final day we decided to spend at Magic Kingdom for Reagan's 2nd birthday celebration. We made sure she met every princess she wanted to, like Tiana and Ariel. Her favorite ride, and even to this day, is Dumbo. We made sure to ride it a couple of times. It definitely is different from when I was a kid with just the one, but now after the Fantasy Land remodel the lines moves quickly with two sides open. We dined at Crystal Palace. Our experience was fair. We had to wait much longer than 15 minutes after our reservation time. All my husband and father wanted was a beer after a long day at the park only to be disappointed when told no alcohol was served at Magic Kingdom. This has since changed with the opening of Be our Guest and recently at the Crystal Palace and Plaza restaurants. However no beer carts (and I agree with that) like at other parks. The character experience was the cast of Winnie the Pooh (Pooh, Eeyore, Piglet, and Tigger). Overall, Reagan did feel special!
After the trip was over and we returned to reality, we didn't have a Disney hangover. We actually didn't really talk about it until months later when we were encouraged to try it again. Little did we know that next trip during Spring Break 2015 would have us hooked!
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