Friday Five: Disney Style!

WOOP WOOP!  It's the first Friday of May!  This month of one hundred times crazy for us.  Among other things, we have an out of town wedding to attend, a dance performance, baseball tournaments out of town, the end of the school year, Chad's trail race, and a beach trip.  I think I will probably be sleeping in hotel beds more nights than my own bed. Oh well- I love every minute of it!  That's how I roll! (cue FL/GA Line and Luke Bryan singing)

Anywho, for my Five on Friday with April, I am posting my top five tips for a successful trip to Disney.  We went to Disney for Spring Break (still need to blog about that) and I thought I would share what worked for us:

O-N-E
Put your itinerary on a spreadsheet.  Shrink it way down, print, and laminate.

You can't tell by the picture but I put the park(s) we planned to visit, ALL reservations (Fastpass + and dining), fireworks and parade times, crowd levels, and all park hours on one piece of paper and we kept it in our backpack.  If you do this, I promise you will thank me.  If you want a copy of the template I used, shoot me an email and I will be happy to share it with you.  tinatnvol@gmail.com

T-W-O
Pay for the subscription to the Touring Plans Site.
I would probably bear hug the masterminds behind this site.  This site is full of inside information- how crowded the parks are, which parks to visit, which to avoid.  They also have an app- get it and use it!

T-H-R-E-E
Make your fast pass + and dining reservations as soon as you book your trip (or 180 days out).
We didn't get to eat at Be Our Guest but had no problem getting reservations at other places.

F-O-U-R
Try not to over schedule yourself.  Allow time to explore your hotel.
We stayed at Animal Kingdom Lodge and they had so many fun things to do.  We could have literally spent a day just hanging out there.  Don't forget to schedule pool time!

F-I-V-E
Immerse yourself in all things Disney.  Live It Up!
You want a Dole Whip for dessert after breakfast?  Go for it!  You want to ride Expedition Everest 4 times in a row (like my six year old)? Do it!  Oh, and you must buy Mickey ears!  If your daughter wants to wear a sequined crown ALL WEEK, let her!    You Only Live Once!  A bonus tip: Don't waste time getting ready in the morning with full hair and makeup.  I decided I'd rather be hanging out in the parks as opposed to making sure my hair was fixed only for it to be messed up on the rides.  I do wish I'd done a little more to it most days.  Oh well!

I am seriously considering becoming a Disney Travel Agent.  I love, love, love Disney and I would love to share that love with others!  {How many times can I use the word love?}

Hakuna Matata!