5 Things to Make Your Disney Family Vacation More Magical…and Manageable

Did you know that Walt Disney World opened on October 1, 1971? Since then, it’s become one of the most visited vacation destinations EVER with tens of millions of visitors every single year.

And from what I’ve learned, when Disney does a celebration, they do it BIG! (My kind of place.) So, I can only imagine what they’re planning to do to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Magic Kingdom and Disney World. The 18-month long celebration starts October 1, 2021 to March 2023. So there’s plenty of time to save up and visit for this once in a lifetime party.

Check out Saving For A Disney Family Vacation with These 6 Secrets for some savings tips.

Walt Disney World is pure magic all by itself. But during our recent visit to Disney World, we were able to bring a bit more magic to our family vacation by taking advantage of a few perks that elevated our experience, and in some cases, made it more manageable and convenient too.

Now keep in mind, we were a family of 6 (including a 1 and 2 year old) traveling to Walt Disney World. I wanted to research any and everything that we can do to ensure we spent less time stressing and more time making major memories.

Here are 5 things that you can do to make your Disney family vacation more magical:

1. HIRE A PHOTOGRAPHER

Right now, with the 50^th celebration plans underway, Cinderella’s Castle at Magic Kingdom is looking extra fancy with lots of “EARidescent” details going on. And what landmark is more Disney than Cinderella’s Castle? So of course I wanted to ensure that we froze these moments in time with professional photography.

So I hired Johanna Oakes of Johanna Oakes Photography to capture these absolutely stunning images for us. We paid her park entrance fee and fee for photography and she met us at Magic Kingdom when the park opened. She captured both imagery and videography for us. She even got on one of the rides with us and took photos/video of us enjoying the park.

We typically add photography into our travel budget on all of the major trips we take, so it was well worth the cost, in my opinion, to capture these magical memories.

TIP: Don’t take your photos right in the middle of Main Street where it’s most crowded and everyone is snapping pics. Plan to get to Magic Kingdom at rope drop (when the park opens to the public) and b-line straight to the castle to get a photo right in front of it only 20ft away with your camera low to the ground pointing up. Or you can go to either side of the castle where there are ramps and get amazing shots there too with barely anyone in your photo if at all.

2. UTILIZE STROLLER RENTAL

If you’re traveling with a child 5 and under, you will absolutely need a stroller no matter how independent they may seem to be. There are miles upon miles of walking at Disney, so save yourself the hassle and avoid any meltdowns that may come. Because after all, if you have a toddler, they are inevitable.

For us, with two toddlers, we rented a premium stroller from a company called Kingdom Strollers in Orlando. And I’m sooooooooooooo glad we did.

They dropped the stroller off at our resort and picked it up when we checked out. (There’s an option for pick up & drop off at the Orlando airport too if you prefer that.) It came with a FREE drink holder parent console (holds up to 3 beverages), a cooler bag and a FREE rain cover. Which was major! There were seriously rain showers 4 out of the 5 days we were in Orlando.

The premium double stroller that we rented with Kingdom Strollers (Mini GT Double) was no lie a life saver for our 5-day Disney Family Vacation. It was extremely comfortable for the girls with fully reclining seats that made nap time on the go seamless. Can I get an amen?! And the storage underneath and on the seat backs were the bomb. I’m telling you, we literally fit everything in them!

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So do yourself a favor friends, and rent one of these premium strollers through Kingdom Strollers. Please do not lug your big strollers from home and PLEASE whatever you do, DO NOT rent one of the hard plastic strollers from the Disney Parks. They are, I’m sorry to say, awful. 🙁

Here is my referral link with Kingdom Strollers. Tell them Jasmine with One Fly Mama sent you!

3. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF BABY CARE CENTERS

If you’re headed to Walt Disney World with a child under five years old, your new best friend will no doubt be the Baby Care Center at each park. We made sure we spent time at each center at each park we went to.

Baby Care Centers are QUIET & AIR-CONDITIONED (hallelujah!) sections of the park that are fully staffed and offer a ton of amenities for parents with infants and toddlers.

Basically, they each have furniture for relaxing, feeding, nursing and changing a baby/toddler. They also each have items for sale should you run out of something. Everything from formula to Gerber foods and juices, Huggies diapers and wipes to over-the-counter medications. They have mini kitchens equipped with microwaves, sinks, and counter space. There are private nursing rooms with electrical outlets, changing tables and a unisex restroom. There’s even TVs and kids furniture for your older kids to use. These baby care centers were a much needed respite for long days at the park.

4. KEEP IT FUN WITH A PARKS DRINKING GAME (adults only)

Think Disney World is just princesses and kiddie rides? Think again. Here’s a fun game to play to pass the time and turn the parental magic up a notch. The rules are simple: If you see one of the items on the list, take a drink. Of course you can edit or add your own items to the list to make it fun.

• See a kid crying.
• See a parent sitting on the ground.
• See someone with two Mickey ears on.
• See someone skipping.
• See popcorn on the ground.
• See a kid eating ice cream
• See another couple both with drinks in their hand.
• See a just married t-shirt.
• See a kid pushing a stroller.
• See a kid taking a picture of their parents.

SIDE NOTE: Magic Kingdom does not sell alcohol at the outdoor vendor shops like the other parks do. It is only available at table-service restaurants.

ANOTHER SIDE NOTE: My favorite drink out of all the parks we visited was the Blue Margarita at the Thirsty River Bar next to the Expedition Everest ride at Animal Kingdom.

OKAY LAST SIDE NOTE: Did you know that at a whopping $100 Million, Expedition Everest is the most expensive roller coaster ever made? It’s also the tallest attraction in all of Walt Disney World.

5. MAKE PARK DINING RESERVATIONS

We went to Disney during the summer months, so hot is an understatement. One of the best things that we did was have indoor dining reservations at each of the parks we visited. Some were character dining and some were not. Nonetheless, it was inside and reserved just for us!

Since we ate breakfast on the go and brought our own snack and drinks into the park, we were able to stretch our time there and have a late lunch around 2-3pm each day. It was so awesome to go indoor and have a reserved place to sit without having to scrounge for tables at one of the outdoor walk up places. We were able to rest a bit and chill as long as we wanted without rushing. It gave the kids a chance to relax and got us geared up for the second half our day. My advice to you, make the reservations as far in advance as possible. They fill up quickly!

Like I said earlier, Disney is pure magic all by itself. But, I hope at least one of these tips will help you have a more magical and less stressful trip to Disney! Tell me in the comments below, which of these tips would you use on your first/next trip to Walt Disney World?

Need more travel inspo? Check out 4 Airport Services That Make Traveling with Kids Less Stressful and Saving for a Disney Family Vacation with These 6 Secrets. And for a complete list of must-have travel items, visit the One Fly Mama Amazon Storefront for the goods.

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