Palmers Take Disney
Earlier this year, when Jennings was sick and pretty much living in the hospital, I promised him and myself we’d go to Disney World if we’d be able to. I am so very grateful that we were able to keep that promise to him and that he felt well enough to handle a day like a Disney Day!!! Going into this trip, I said we’d do Disney “one time”. After this trip, I am absolutely drinking that Mickey Kool Aid and super hopeful we will be able to go back as a family again. It was truly magical!!
Before and during our trip, I got so many questions on Instagram about how we managed various things as a big family so I’m going to try my best to cover that with you now and I’ll start from the top!
Hiring a Planner
First and foremost, I am your #1 advocate for hiring a Disney Planner. There are many to choose from, so choose carefully but I highly recommend you do this no matter how many people are in your traveling party. Unless you LIKE planning a trip that requires a good bit of planning and waking up early on specific days to make various reservations and tracking when you can book what, you need a planner.
Disney planners understand how Disney works. They know all the latest information on Disney Resorts & Disney Parks. They will help you book your resort and get your park tickets. Good planners, and there are many out there, help you with all the details like dining reservations, stroller rentals, and park strategy (yes, you need a park strategy!) The best part of a Disney Planner?! Their services are FREE. How is that possible?! Disney Planners are paid by Disney. For every trip they book and plan, they earn a commission on that booking. It’s much like the influencer world I am now a part of. It doesn’t cost you anything to use them, they help you navigate the world of Disney and the company pays them for being a representative on their behalf and you WIN! Unless you have lots of time and travel planning expertise, for me a planner is a NO BRAINER.
We highly recommend Lonna with Magic Managed who was our family’s planner and made our trip absolutely magical! If you’re considering going to Disney, get with a planner NOW to discuss resort options, dates and cost. You can secure your resort reservations with a $200 deposit. The earlier you contact a planner, the more options you will have to choose from!
The Reveal
I literally agonized over how to tell the kids. I loved the idea of letting them anticipate the trip (especially Jennings and Caroline) but also loved the idea of an all out surprise. After considering their personalities and a few other things personal to our family, we opted for a total, morning-of departure Disney Surprise. It was absolutely worth it - they gave us the sweetest reaction. If you’re planning this, dial down on your expectations of how they will react. The magic truly is in the trip itself, not only in their reaction to finding out they are going! I hoped my kids would have a sweet reaction, and they did. But if they don’t, it’s not at all reflective of how wonderful the trip will be. Just wait until you’re all riding your first ride as a family - in that moment you will be so thankful you planned this trip. Take in every smile, every laugh and every moment of childlike wonder.
Also, while we’re on the subject of expectations, remember that your kids have zero clue about the investment of a Disney trip and they don’t need to know. That’s the burden we carry as adults, ha! Once you’ve paid, just go in with an open heart and mind and let your children lead. Throw away the trip checklist and “must sees” and see how the day unfolds. Yes it’s good and wise to have a plan - just hold it loosely!
What to Pack
I crowd sourced (thank you Instagram) my packing list and came up with our list. Because this trip was so important to our family, I spent a lot of time in preparation and I’m so glad I did. We had every item we needed and we DID end up needing the items on this list. Click here to see our Disney Packing List! Also check out this Instagram post to read so many HELPFUL COMMENTS about how to handle Disney. I took many of these recommendations into account during our trip and it helped tremendously.
Park Strategy
Your planner will help you so much with this, but we found a lot of success in waking early and going to the park and getting in line just before park opening. Disney Resort guests get access to the parks earlier than non-resort guests, so the mornings are the perfect time to knock out so many rides and experiences. The parks get busier around late morning until the afternoon so that time frame is the time to utilize ride benefits that you have (Genie+, Individual Lightning Lane Selections, etc.) because standby wait times can be about 35-60 minutes long for many rides.
At the recommendation of others (thankfully!) we decided to rent two double strollers for our four children. Caroline is 8, Jennings is 6 and the twins are almost 4. This ended up being a game changer decision for us. The kids were so much more content in the strollers being pushed around from ride to ride and it really helped us keep everyone together in the crowds. Trying to manage four children walking in those crowds would be very difficult. The kids didn’t mind riding in the strollers at all and it saved their energy for what ended up being long and full days!
Our plan was to go back to our hotel mid-day for a break, but the kids really just wanted to keep going all day and I think the strollers played a big part in that. Our point of view was that this trip was all about them, so we knew it would be physically tiring for us and we were ok with that. We were energized and excited to make these memories together and not really deterred by the physical wear and tear on our bodies! Ha! All of this said, If you have kids 8 or so and under, I think having a stroller seat for every bum is a great decision! Every decision requires taking your family dynamic and number of children into account, how hands on each parent will be in helping, etc. but this approach absolutely worked for us!
Disney Resorts
We had originally hoped to book a value resort because we felt strongly that we didn’t want to spend a lot of money on a hotel room we would never be in, but after further consideration and thought, we ended up moving to a luxury property simply for the incredible convenience it offered. If you have several small children and have the financial ability to do so, staying at a property very close to the parks is absolutely worth it. You ultimately will get convenience, but then you will also get the benefits of a luxury property (service, amenities, décor, etc. will all be top notch!) We chose to stay at the Grand Floridian and it was a dream! It’s such a beautiful property and has a new walking path to Magic Kingdom. We went to that park twice so we were able to really take full advantage of that benefit. There is also the monorail as well! We loved walking though.
We chose to have a rest day and that also was a great decision, not only because it made our trip more relaxing and restful but because we were able to enjoy the resort! The kids absolutely loved their pool day.
I hope one day we could return to the Grand Floridian. It was literally perfect in my eyes. I cried when we arrived and I cried when we left! Yes that is a true story. I mean, just look at this place.
Legoland
If you have a LEGO lover, Legoland in my opinion is a must do. Everyone who knows anything about Jennings Palmer knows that he is obsessed with LEGO and that LEGO got him through a lot of really, really tough days. He saw an ad for Legoland while we were living in Memphis and it was then that I was resolved to take him as soon as he was healthy again. It was the first chapter in our magical trip and I am so glad we added it on!
We arrived to Legoland first and stayed the night at Legoland hotel. I would compare the experience of this hotel to that of a Great Wolf Lodge. It’s no Disney Resort, but still super fun for the kids with lots of LEGO building, nightly entertainment, dance parties and not to mention the actual theme park.
We were there on a November Monday and it was quiet. We never waited in lines. It was the perfect start to our trip! You could absolutely do Legoland in a day, though there were things we didn’t get to enjoy because we only stayed that one night. There is a small pool/waterpark to enjoy, but we didn’t find time for that. However, we were able to ride all the rides we wanted to at Legoland before heading to Orlando to check in to the Grand Floridian for our Disney Week! Side note: food at Legoland is really bleh. Someone warned me ahead of time so that helped. Theme park food isn’t great anywhere really!
What to Wear
Like I said, I’m really drinking the Disney Kool-Aid now and I had so much fun getting dressed for Disney. Even in November, shorts and a t-shirt worked great for most days. If you’re going in that timeframe, just pack a sweatshirt for cooler nights and mornings for all members of your family!
You really need to consider your shoes before you go. Comfortable shoes are so crucial to a happy day at the parks. I did a good bit of research on the best shoes and landed on these Tevas. I am so thankful that I invested in these. They were incredibly comfortable, cute with shorts and ideal for the rain that is inevitable with the Florida weather!
I had so much fun finding all the clothes we wore; I’ve linked some of our outfits for you below! Just a reminder, when you shop my links, I earn a small commission. If you like these recommendations, shopping my links is a way to support me!
Kids Classic Mickey T-Shirt | Zip Closure Fanny Pack | Disney Princesses T-Shirt | “Mom” Minnie T-Shirt | Women’s High Rise Jean Shorts
Mickey Ears, Mom & Dad Mickey Shirts, & Other Disney Must Haves
Magic Kingdom & LEGO shirts by Sew Stinking Cute
My Mickey Lollipop and Cupcakes Earrings were made by Amber Brown with @charlieonpark and my Minnie Studs were made by @Grays_Goods. You can follow these woman owned shops on Instagram to see all their jewelry options!
Our Favorite Attractions & Experiences
We chose to do two days at Magic Kingdom and one day at Hollywood Studios because of the age of our kids. I didn’t feel like I had to do all the parks. I really was focusing on the trip being fun and not on us getting all the things in! Every family’s choices are different! I loved having two Magic Kingdom days for my 8 year old, 6 year old, and two almost 4 year olds. We also LOVED our Hollywood Studios day. I hope I can bring them back in a year or two and take them to Epcot and possibly Animal Kingdom!
Favorite Rides at Magic Kingdom
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train was a raging HIT with all my children. Disney does such a great job with their roller coasters! They are fun and thrilling, but not scary for littler ones. They are absolutely perfect and this one was a favorite!
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad - same as above, such a fun ride!
Peter Pan’s Flight - this was a sweet favorite of all my kids but especially Jennings!
Tomorrowland Speedway - Henry’s Favorite!
Astro Orbiter - it’s so fun to see the park from up high!
Splash Mountain - a classic favorite of ours! (It was not Jennings & Henry’s favorite - as evidenced in the picture below!)
Favorite Rides at Hollywood Studios
Slinky Dog Dash - rode it as many times as we could!
Frozen Sing Along - Charlotte loved this!
Mickey’s Runaway Railway - we rope dropped this ride that morning! (Rope drop means you get to the park right when it opens and get in line for that ride first!) This was surprisingly fun and brought a lot of unexpected joy! I love how Disney does that! They really did make me feel like a kid again.
Favorite Meals or Experiences
We did two character meals and for our trip that was just the right amount. The kids got to see Minnie and friends at Hollywood & Vine in Hollywood Studios and we got to have lunch with Cinderella in the castle, which was really all for Charlotte, my super girly, princess loving girl. The character meals are expensive. Super pricey in my humble opinion. That said, I saw the benefits! Our planner advised for us to do the character meals as lunches and this was a perfect recommendation. It allowed us to get a sit down break in our park days, make really sweet memories and enjoy a more relaxed meal. The food at the character meals was delicious both times! I was also just really thankful to sit down and be served😊 The thing to consider is that right now characters are not interacting directly with children. It’s sad and I hope that returns soon. So I’d say if you’re going one time and going all out - absolutely do it. But if you’re a Disney regular- it could be skipped until hopefully one day this gets better!
Our first evening at Magic Kingdom we experienced their Dessert Party where you have dessert in Tomorrowland and then a reserved space for the fireworks. This was really special and I loved having this the first night. I loved not having to worry about having a spot! We got a grand view of the fireworks and lights show just in front of the castle and it was perfect. The fireworks made me cry!! But I cry a lot these days! 😊 On our second Magic Kingdom night - we just rode rides until the fireworks began and caught a glimpse of them with a tree in the way of our view. With the music it was even still magical then and big kids loved it. (Twins had fallen asleep!!)
I honestly can’t think of an experience that we did that I would not do again. We had a good balance of busyness and rest and not too many things that were reserved or scheduled. I absolutely would hire a planner again because they have the inside knowledge of the latest and greatest Disney tips and strategies!
I sincerely hope if you have a trip coming up or if you are considering one that you found this post helpful! If you did, leave me a comment below and share this post with a friend! Also, ask me any questions you have below in the comments that I didn’t cover and I’ll do my best to answer!
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❤ LP
PS: Number one thing to bring: A grateful and flexible attitude.
There is so much magic at Disney - but your children will feel even more magic if YOUR attitude is one of flexibility, gratitude and willingness to adapt to any hiccups or disappointments. Rides shut down, weather isn’t always perfect, sometimes you have to go talk to a Disney cast member to solve a problem. All of these are minor setbacks in your day. Expectations kill it all. Make a plan but hold it loosely and see how the day unfolds!
