One week to go!!
Next week, Mom and I head to Disney for a Mother/Daughter weekend, and I am BEYOND excited. We did these annually for a few years, until wedding planning and then financial strain put those weekend trips out of reach for a while. We’ve both really missed them, so this year, we decided to try again.
My work situation is different this year, which makes the trip a little bit easier. The last couple of trips we were only able to go for basically 2.5 days, which hardly made the trips worth it, financially. They’re ALWAYS worth it for the Mom/Daughter factor and of course, for the Disney factor, but with airfare and ticket prices, it’s hard to justify the expense for a trip that short. This time, we’re going down on a Wednesday morning and heading home on Monday night, so we have a few extra days to really enjoy ourselves.
And…get this…I’ve even planned a non-park/Rest day in the middle!!! Crazy, right? Seriously, I’m so used to planning quick or short trips, I never allow R&R time…as a result, we usually come home EXHAUSTED. Not this time! I still have a lot of fun planned for us, but I did plan some down time…both in afternoon “breaks” and with our rest day. This trip is all about having fun with Mom—but it’s also important to both of us that we NOT wear ourselves out!
A big focus for us this trip is the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival. My mom is an EPIC gardener—her yards have always been the best in the neighborhood! And Epcot is just SO SO SO gorgeous during Flower and Garden. This trip, I’ve planned two visits to Epcot so that we can really take our time and “drink it all in”.
While we are (hopefully) missing the majority of the Spring Break peak crowd madness, I am expecting significant crowds. Let’s face, Disney just doesn’t seem to ever have slow periods any more…and attraction lines just keep getting longer, even when perceived crowd levels are low. When temperatures are higher, it can feel (at least to us Northerners from cooler climates) more crowded, and sometimes, the heat can raise tempers as it raises body temperatures.
Something that has always helped Mom and I on these trips is EXPECTING it to be crowded and adopting a very relaxed attitude about it. We went one year right in the peak period of Spring Break, that was just the way it worked out that year, and we had a WONDERFUL trip—MAINLY because we had the right attitude! We focused on what was REALLY important—spending time together, soaking up the Florida sunshine, enjoying great meals, and having fun. Did we ride every attraction? Nope. Did we cover every park, stem to stern? Nope. Was it super crowded? Heck yeah! But we just did our best to stay relaxed, and we took lots of breaks to sit down, drink some water (or a glass of wine 😉) and people watch.
I think back to a really crowded trip I did about, goodness almost 20 years ago now, at Christmas time, and I’ll be honest…I did not love that trip. I actually did not visit Disney again after that trip for 7 years. And for a long time, I blamed the crowds, the lines, and the attitudes of others before I realized that it was MY expectations that had led to my disappointment. I LOVE Disney, and I had set such high (and honestly, unreasonable) expectations for that trip, and as a result, I did not enjoy it as much as I could have. I focused on silly “little” aggravations instead of focusing on what was really important…the people I was there with, the magic of Disney, having FUN, and making the best of the VERY crowded conditions.
So that’s my message for today: Traveling to Disney during the holidays, or during Spring Break, or during a very busy and HOT summer season CAN still be a terrific time, you just need to manage your expectations and make choices that make sense for you and your family or traveling companions.
Don’t plan to do “EVERYTHING” on everybody’s wish lists…Pick a FEW priorities to focus on each day…if you’re able to do those things, you’ll all feel like you had a great day…and if you squeeze a few more things in…you’ll feel even better.
If you like attractions, accept that you will be waiting in lines. Lots of them! Even the Fast Pass return lines can get really long on crowded days. THINK about the lines before you go. What attractions are you willing to wait one hour plus for? Are there any? What if EVERYTHING has a one hour wait? What will you choose? What can you do in line to entertain yourselves? We tend to play a lot of Heads Up or Trivia games on our phones…together, not independently.
In our recent epic 2.5 hour wait for Flight of Passage at Pandora in Animal Kingdom (TOTALLY WORTH IT—ONCE….I won’t ever wait that long again, but we completely felt it was worth it the first time, since we did not have a Fast Pass for it that morning), we ended up playing with the two families traveling together that were in line with us. We had a great time getting to know them, they were a lot of fun, and it definitely made the time pass faster. If you’ve got little kids, (or adults with low blood sugar concerns) making sure you’ve got snacks or water bottles in your bag can also be really critical in a long line.
The big thing for us when the crowds are high and the lines are long: take in the “non-ride” based attractions….Disney has SO much more to offer than rides! See the shows…check out the live music. For example, have you ever taken the time to watch the Jamminators perform in Epcot? They are TERRIFIC, and lots of fun!
There are several live performances in the streets of Animal Kingdom you can check out if you pay attention. I LOVE the Streetmosphere players at Hollywood Studios, and could happily spend hours watching them do their thing (most of these are 10-25 minutes). My point is, there is a LOT of “free” entertainment at each Disney park that often gets missed in the rush from attraction to attraction. Watch a caricature artist at work (or get one done…they’re very fun!). LOOK for the little things that make Disney so special…I think you’ll find so much more joy when you do this, rather than focusing on moving from one attraction to the next.
Take pictures. Have fun. Be SILLY. Remember: One of the BEST things about a good vacation are the memories that make you smile–sometimes even YEARS later–when you’re back at your desk at work, or watching your 175th soccer game of the year, or thinking about someone that’s no longer with us. Make sure you are capturing those memories–in your heart and with your camera! (Or phone. Or photopass guy. You get the idea!)
On hot days, I try to make sure we spend some quality time every couple hours in either an air conditioned restaurant or an air conditioned shop. Spread out your souvenir shopping…A little here and there will help keep you cool and get you out of the crazy crowds for a little breather. Note: The shops tend to be VERY crowded at the end of the night—You’ll be happier if you do a little shop exploration throughout the day.
Tip: Did you know that you can have your items shipped directly to your resort if you’re staying on property? This is a great benefit—then you don’t have to carry your bags around with you all day—OR worry about losing them! This won’t work if you’re heading home within a day or so…usually the merchandise arrives within 2 days, but if you check out before it arrives, that would be a problem. Alternatively, you can request your merchandise to be taken to the front of the park to be held for pickup at the end of the day. There is no charge for these services!
Don’t be afraid to take breaks! There is nothing wrong with heading back to your hotel after lunch or after the parade for a couple of hours to rest, go swimming, take a nap or just to get out of the crowds for a while. Trust me, if you’re getting aggravated? You NEED a break! Sometimes people get wrapped up in how much they are spending on their tickets for that day, and they feel like they have to spend every minute at the park to justify the expense…but I’ve learned (the hard way, I have to admit!) that you’ll get more VALUE from your experience if you adopt a bit more relaxed and positive attitude. Take a break here or there, whether that means sitting down and drinking some water and having a Mickey bar, or taking the bus back to your resort for a couple hours–just get everyone off their feet and let them cool off and relax a bit. It will make a BIG difference in everybody’s moods, and their ability to enjoy the rest of the day.
Finally: Spend some time at the end of every day talking about the highlights of your day. What were each traveler’s favorite activities of the day? What was the best meal? Did anything really funny happen? I make envelopes for each day and print forms with some basic questions on them to help us to jot down these memories—super helpful later when you are putting together photo albums, or even just trying to remember and talk about your wonderful trip.
And there’s a bonus–when you take a few minutes to really think about the best moments of the days, those great moments take up more space in your memory, and the little irritations or aggravations fade to the background. Focus on what matters, LOOK for the happy and trust me, you will find it! They don’t call Disney the Happiest Place on Earth for no reason….it really IS…but we each bring our attitudes with us into the parks, and it’s up to US to make sure we are READY to be Happy. Know what I mean?
Mom and I are SUPER excited for our trip next week and we are DEFINITELY Ready to be Happy!
Happy Dreaming!
Brooke