Category Archives: Disney Travel Tips

Walt Disney World – Picky Eater Survival Tips

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IMG_0403Our family is fortunate in that we don’t have special dietary needs or a single food allergy among us.  We’re highly gluten-tolerant omnivores and can (not that we should) munch on pretty much anything.  One among us, though, has always been an extremely picky eater.  World class picky.  Joseph has, from birth, been the most discriminating consumer-of-nearly-nothing we’ve ever met.  Green foods of any kind? Nope. Squash, cauliflower, gravy, most cheeses, jelly, mayonnaise, mustard, tomatoes, and all pickles are also inedible to our boy.  Casseroles of nearly every variety were once shunned due to being unable to identify every ingredient.  Even bacon!  Yes, bacon, as a breakfast food would not be tolerated.  It will, however, gladly be consumed on a certain fast food chain’s hamburger, but only if that burger also has cheese and ketchup.  Our son is was the child who would order “peanut butter and jelly, hold the jelly” in a restaurant.  The struggle is real, friends.IMG_0640

I once believed that picky eaters were the result of poor parenting. Children offered a variety of healthy, delicious foods and encouraged to try new flavors will not be picky – HA! Clearly, I’d never met the champion of non-eaters. I even resorted to a white lie on occasion when sitting down to dinner…if the food looked even remotely foreign, Joseph would ask, “Have I ever had this before?” and I would say (no matter what) YES!!! And you really liked it!!!Wild Child at Walt Disney World

Walt Disney World – Picky Eater Survival Tips

What did this make Disney vacations like?  When Joseph was little, we decided we’d deal with the eating thing (I suppose I should say the NOT-eating thing) with one basic strategy – we’d make sure he got something he would eat (and enjoy) at every meal, but would not allow his food quirks to keep us from eating where we wanted to eat.  That incredible Disney service and kid-friendly food expertise meant that we’d have help with our plight, including assistance with the “no food must touch” quirk that went along with the picky food choices.IMG_2663

Important:  Picky is NOT the same as a life-threatening food allergy. Allergies mean meals must be prepared in a very specific, careful way. While I’ve seen Joseph gag over an accidental bite of pickle hidden in a sandwich, I would never misrepresent it as an allergy to a restaurant server.  Allergies are extremely serious and it would be wrong to claim one that doesn’t medically exist.

What worked for us:

Buffets were our friends! Chef Mickey’s (Contemporary Resort) and Boma (Animal Kingdom Lodge) in particular were safe bets.  Disney Cruise Line’s buffets are awesome!IMG_2651

We asked for plain (without sauce or gravy) rice, noodles, or potatoes when possible.  Almost every table service restaurant would easily help us put together plain fish (odd to me that fish was always a favorite food, go figure) or grilled chicken, a starch and either fruit or one of the short list of Joseph-approved veggies.  Disney Cruise Line took it to a completely new level.  Those servers do NOT want children to go away hungry – they’ll go above and beyond to make sure even the pickiest diners are happy.

Breakfast was the biggest meal of the day sometimes – and that was okay with us.  The Florida heat is an appetite killer, so if Joseph filled up on scrambled eggs and fruit (and maybe a Mickey waffle or two) in the morning and didn’t feel like eating much later, we didn’t stress out about it.IMG_0791

We lighted up because we were on vacation.  I carried granola bars and pop tarts with me and didn’t mind buying an ice cream treat each day.  We did our best to make sure Joseph had healthy options that he liked, but didn’t sweat it if he didn’t want to eat much – we could go back to arguing about food when we got home.WDW Mickey Pretzel

Now that he’s 20, Joseph eats lots of foods he wouldn’t have eaten when he was little.  He’s an accomplished cook and enjoys trying new recipes.  He’s healthy, tall and slender and looking forward to trying all the food booths at the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival in 2016 (after he turns 21).  If you have a picky eater, I feel your pain!  Keep offering new foods and hang in there!  It does get better and you are NOT a bad parent.

Are you the parent of a picky child?  What works best for you on vacation?

Disney Rich, Cash Poor and Proud

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Grand Cayman ExcursionIt feels incredible to know that we’ve been doing it right!  Well, some of it, anyway.  While we don’t claim to be the best parents ever (there were a few bumps in the road and, just between you and me, we are probably not the parents to come to for potty training advice), it’s nice to know that mixed in with our well-intentioned but certainly not perfect child-rearing decisions, we did one thing right!  We spend all our extra (and occasionally a little more) money on travel.

Disney Rich, Cash Poor and Proud

What makes us right?  Science!  Recent studies have revealed that spending money on experiences is more meaningful than buying expensive or fancy material items.  Most recently, this article caught my eye.  And it got me thinking about our vacations…DSCN3080

In all fairness, it was not all Disney travel.  There was an ill-fated (for me) ski vacation to Park City, short trips to places in nearby states (Texas, Arkansas, and Oklahoma) that were certainly fun, and wonderful visits to see family in Missouri and Illinois.  During the lean years, we spent many of our summer vacations on the “Red Neck Riviera” (Alabama’s Gulf Coast).  All of those places were great!  By far though, our most amazing vacations were (and still are) Disney ones.RM-Maharajah-Jungle-Stop

Raymond and I honeymooned at Disney World and sailed on the Big Red Boat (precursor to Disney Cruise Line).  Then we were parents with extremely limited vacation resources.  As time passed, we made the conscious decision to spend less on “things” and more on vacations.  The more we saw and did, the more we wanted to see and do!  Disney World became our favorite destination followed quickly by Disney cruises that would carry us as far and wide as we could possibly afford to travel.DSCN2852

So what if we drive our vehicles for 10 years or more?  That outdoor kitchen I’ve been dreaming about can wait a little longer.  Would I like a new washer and dryer? Oh, you bet I would!  But that will have to wait until we can no longer repair what we have.  We need our Disney vacation fixes and the memories they provide – long after the vacation is over.  I suppose the telltale truth in all of this is now that our children are adults, they tell us how much they’re looking forward to traveling with their own children someday.  DSCN3249They now appreciate that while they may have been jealous of their friends’ swimming pools, game systems, and trampolines, those same friends may not have dined with Mickey Mouse, zip-lined in Alaska, kayaked in Norway, or saw Michelangelo’s David in Italy…all things we did on Disney vacations.  Some of these trips took years of planning and saving to achieve, but every sacrifice was worth it!IMG_2025

We’ve taken some flack through the years for how much we spend on travel.  (Let’s not even start on the “You’re going to Disney World AGAIN?” comments.)  At the same time, not a single person ever criticized us for not buying our children the latest video game or most expensive sports equipment.  I’m not saying we are perfect parents or that anyone else is wrong for buying their kids whatever makes them happy – I’m just thrilled that in rearing our children, we got one thing right.  We showed them as much of the world as we possibly could, gave them tons of happy family memories, and wouldn’t trade a single moment.IMG_0263

What vacations have been your family’s favorites?  Where are you planning to visit next?

 

Evolution of Disney Vacations

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IMG_2141If you’re a lifelong Disney fan, you may have a good many Disney vacation memories to smile about.  You’ll also maybe have seen the way you vacation at your favorite Disney resort change over time.  Today I’m here to share our family’s experience…how our vacation style has changed over the years.  Perhaps you’ll be able to relate to one (or more) of the stages of the…

Evolution of Disney Vacations

The BK Stage (Before Kids) – We were young, broke and just married.  We didn’t know what we didn’t know, but were crazy about everything – the attractions, shows, atmosphere, the details…the magic that hooked us and made us want to keep coming back!  No plans, no dining reservations, no FastPasses (they had not yet been invented), but we were blissfully happy and felt so fortunate to have had the experience.

The Stroller Phase – I realize looking back that taking kids in strollers with one in diapers must have been challenging (and involved packing a LOT of stuff!), but I don’t remember that part.  I remember taking our time, seeing and doing what we could while fitting in naps and pool-time at our resort.  The child-swap option for attractions worked well for us and we loved the three o’clock parade.RM-Magic-Kingdom-Parade-Watching-1996IMG_2139

The Character Phase – Meet-and-greets, autographs, character dining – we couldn’t seem to get enough!  During this phase, we seemed to care the most (compared to any other time) about where and when we could find our favorite characters.  Megan was a shy little girl and felt the most comfortable with characters that didn’t talk because it meant that she didn’t have to talk either.  Her happiness meeting Donald, Minnie, Mickey and the rest of the gang stands out in my memory especially for this reason.IMG_1948 IMG_2128 IMG_1942

The Family Motto Phase – This will be different for every family – based on your family’s touring style.  This is the stage when you are free to go, go, go!  No strollers, no naps, everyone’s tall enough to ride everything.  We really liked this phase!  The Green Family coat of arms is made up of three gold stags on a blue shield with the motto:  Virtus Semper Viridis – we convinced our kids that this meant “We’ll rest when we’re dead” and during the post-stroller, post-character phases, we rose early and hit as many attractions as we possibly could before seeing a nighttime spectacular – after which we’d return to our room, collapse, rise and repeat.  IMG_0990 DSCN2522The motto really means “Virtue is always flourishing” but nobody needed to know that, did they.  We felt our five or six days at Walt Disney World was time so precious (and expensive) that to relax at our resort was unproductive.  Right or wrong, that’s how we felt and boy, could we get stuff done!  We’re still especially guilty of living by the (made up) motto when we visit ports on Disney Cruise Line – we make the most of every minute and return to the ship exhausted.In line at Disney

The Empty Nest Phase – Sounds sad and lonely, but it’s anything but.  We can invite our Disney-loving offspring to join us on some trips and sometimes not!  Yes, we’re back to vacationing without kids, only this time we know what we’re doing.  We know exactly when we want to go (and aren’t vacationing around school and sports), we know where we want to stay, how we want to tour, where we want to eat, and now we know how to relax!  Best of all worlds!  We’re really making the most of this phase because in the next one, God willing, we’ll be back to the stroller phase again as grandparents… which actually sounds pretty good to us.Epcot-International-Food-and-Wine-Festival

How about you?  How have your family’s Disney vacations evolved over the years?  Which phase are you in now?

My FastPass+ Rankings

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FastPass+ Mailer EnvelopeThis is our family’s strategy.  We’re all adults, we’re thrill junkies, fans of park-hopping, and are nostalgic about certain attractions based on 25 years of Walt Disney World vacations.  This list ranks all FastPass+ choices into three categories:  Must Have, Might Have, and Do-Not-Care.  The Must-Haves are the attractions that we are going to definitely ride and feel strongly about not waiting in line for (at least once).  The Might-Haves are attractions we like, but will wait in line for if we need to and know we’re probably not looking at waits of more than 40 minutes or so under most circumstances.  The Do-Not-Cares are attractions we either won’t waste a FastPass on, are pretty sure will have short lines anyway, or don’t intend to experience at all.

I should add that because of FastPass+ tiers at Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios, our ranking does not imply that it’s possible to book all our must-haves at a given park in a single day.  We’ll book different combos on different days to end up with at least one FastPass+ for our must-haves during our vacation.

My FastPass+ Rankings

Must Have

Magic Kingdom:

  • Big Thunder Mountain Railroad – This is a fantastic ride!  It’s thrilling, has loads of details, wonderful theming and is long – almost 4 minutes of fun!  The queue is good, but this is one attraction that we’ll book a FastPass for and also wait in line to ride again.Exterior track for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
  • Seven Dwarfs Mine Train – We don’t care how wonderful the interactive queue is – the line will be long and will take up more time than we’re willing to spare for a two-minute experience.  If we can’t get a FastPass, we’re most likely skipping this one.Walt Disney World's Splash Mountain
  • Splash Mountain – Unless I know for sure we’ll hit this one first thing after rope-drop in the morning, we’re getting a FastPass for it.  Unlike Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, we will wait in line if we have to, but always try to book a FastPass every time.

Epcot

  • Soarin – This attraction deserves a better queue.  So popular – it’s a great experience (even in its current badly-worn condition) with a queue so torturously boring we cannot make ourselves wait for this one.  FastPass or just pass.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

  • Toy Story Midway Mania – We LOVE this attraction – It’s all me. I’m the reason we don’t wait in line for this one. I hate the queue with an unequaled passion.  I’ve gotta have a FastPass and I make it a priority!Entrance for Toy Story Midway Mania
  • Rock’n’ Roller Coaster – The queue’s pretty boring and usually extremely long and hot (most of it being outdoors).  We’ll wait if we have to in the early morning, but will always book at FastPass in advance, at the earliest possible time, to get at least one ride in our super-stretch limo without the long wait.Famly Pic on Rock'n' Roller Coaster
  • Twilight Zone Tower of Terror – We actually love the queue for this and will book a FastPass AND ride it with a wait. We cannot get too much of this one.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom

  • Expedition Everest – Love this attraction!!!  Since we’ll ride it multiple times, having a FastPass once or twice saves time.  The queue’s the best, so we’ll also wait in the stand-by line at least one time too.RM-Expedition-Everest-Sign
  • Kilimanjaro Safari – We always ride this first thing in the morning without a FastPass…then we’ll ride later in the day at least once during our vacation and we use a FastPass for that later adventure.

Might Have

Magic Kingdom

  • Haunted Mansion – Unless we’re there during peak season, we will monitor the wait on the My Disney Experience app and hit this one when we’re looking at 30 minutes or less.  Don’t get me wrong – this is a must-do ride, but we’ve found we don’t need a FastPass for it.Walt Disney World's Haunted Mansion
  • Pirates of the Caribbean – Like Haunted Mansion, we are riding Pirates on every vacation.  What makes us pass on the FastPass most of the time is that the queue is inside, is cool and dark, and totally bearable.
  • Jungle Cruise – I love the punny humor of this attraction.  We don’t care for the queue (boring, long, hot) yet won’t burn a FastPass unless it sort of falls in our lap.  We’d like to take the Cruise on every trip, but if it doesn’t work out that way, we’re okay with it.WDW Jungle Cruise Jeep
  • Space Mountain – Similar to how we feel about Jungle Cruise with two notable differences – the queue isn’t horrible (indoors, cool and dark with a few interactive elements), but Raymond and I feel the jerkiness of this ride more now than we used to (I KNOW! We must be getting old!), so we kind of hesitate to use a FastPass for it when we don’t love it as passionately as we once did.
  • Enchanted Tales With Belle – I want to see this!  We’ve yet to fit Belle into our plans.  Gotta change that next time we go.
  • it’s a small world – Not everyone in our family loves this attraction as much as I do. RM-It's-a-small-world1
  • The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh – It’s cute, but not a must-do, we’d rather see if we can work out a trip to London and Neverland on the next attraction on the list.
  • Peter Pan’s Flight – If we see an opportunity to add a FastPass for this one, we’ll usually take it.  It’s cute and fun and the line’s normally crazy long.

Epcot

  • Spaceship Earth – Sometimes we have a FastPass, sometimes we don’t.  This is absolutely a must-do for us, but we don’t have to have a FastPass.RM-Spaceship-Earth-Early-Backup-System
  • The Seas With Nemo and Friends – We usually end up with a FastPass for this at least once, but we like this ride.  The line’s usually pretty short and we’ll happily wait in line, no FastPass necessary.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

  • Star Tours – It’s popular and we’d rather not wait in too long a line for at least one of the times we ride (which might be several, depending on who’s in our travel party).  If the wait’s not bad, we’ll ride without a FastPass.Star Tours Queue, Disney's Hollywood Studios
  • Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular – Really no need for a FastPass, but sometimes we end up with one in our selection for a particular day.
  • MuppetVision3D – Same as Indiana Jones, but we’ll see this with our without a FastPass and, except for extreme crowds / peak seasons, never need one.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom

  • Festival of the Lion King – We have waited on may occasions for this, but will certainly book a FastPass if we can.
  • Dinosaur – Like some of the other attractions -if we end up with a FastPass in the mix for the day, we’ll ride Dinosaur.  If not…no big deal.  It’s not a must-do.Dinosaur Ride Photo
  • Primeval Whirl – I believe a FastPass in our lineup was the reason we ever gave this ride a try in the first place.  Who knew we’d find it weirdly adorable?  Not a must-do for us though.

Do Not Care

Magic Kingdom

  • Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid – It’s cute and we’ll always try to fit this in our schedule.  The queue is as entertaining as the ride.  We’ve yet to need or use a FastPass for this one.Under the Sea - Journey of the Little Mermaid
  • Ariel’s Grotto – We’ve not been here before.  Have you?  Would you use a FastPass?
  • Barnstormer – Nope.  It’s 57 seconds of kiddie-coaster and doesn’t currently fit into our touring plans.
  • Tomorrowland Speedway – *cough, cough* We prefer to watch this from the PeopleMover as it makes its way around Tomorrowland than actually “race” around the track.
  • Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin – We’ll ride this if the line’s not too short, but won’t deliberately book a FastPass – if one ends up in our lineup, so be it.RM-Buzz-Lightyear-Space-Ranger-Spin-Interior
  • Princess Fairytale Hall – Never been and won’t be going until we have a little on traveling with us again.
  • Mickey’s PhilharMagic – This is certainly a must-do for us, but doesn’t need a FastPass.
  • Dumbo The Flying Elephant – I’m honestly not sure how the rest of my family feels about this ride.  I almost rode it once.  Can’t imagine booking a FastPass for it.
  • Monster’s Inc. Laugh Floor – We love this attraction, but don’t find the line long enough to make a FastPass necessary.
  • Festival of Fantasy Parade – We’ll wait in one of our favorite spots.  The FastPass viewing area isn’t all that great to us.RM-Festival-Of-Fantasy-Skull&Ship
  • Main Street Electrical Parade – Booking a FastPass so late in the day means you’ll never use your allotted three and get the option to book another.  Plus, even if we had a FastPass, there’s a good chance Raymond and I will be too tired to wait up for this.
  • Wishes Nighttime Spectacular – We love Wishes!!!  Like Festival of Fantasy – we’ll wait for it where we can find a place and don’t need a FastPass for it.
  • Mad Tea Party – Too much potential for motion sickness.  Pass.
  • Magic Carpets of Aladdin – We don’t want to ride this one.

Epcot

  • Living With the Land – Line’s usually short and it’s not an every-visit attraction for us.
  • Test Track – Only occasionally do we care to do this one.  If we get the urge, we’ll try to get a FastPass.RM-Living-With-The-Land-Produce
  • Illuminations – I don’t mind waiting in a prime location IF I want to see Illuminations.  The FastPass+ viewing area was not that great to us the one time we tried it – although being able to arrive last minute and have a spot was pretty cool.
  • Mission: Space – Not unless a double-dog-dare is involved in some way will I be on this ride ever again.
  • Turtle Talk – I like crush, but am probably not wasting a FastPass on him.  Maybe someday when we have grandkids.
  • Journey Into Imagination With Figment – Figment’s cute and if the line’s not long, we’ll jump in.  Otherwise, we’ll pass.Journey into Imagination with Figment
  • Captain EO – NO.  Not under any circumstances.  No.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

  • Beauty and the Beast – Live on Stage – We’ve seen this many times.  Unless Megan begs to see it again, we’ll pass altogether or wait for it…no FastPass necessary.
  • The Great Movie Ride – The line’s usually not too long.  This isn’t a must-do attraction for us – if we get the chance and have time, we’ll get in line.The Great Movie Ride
  • Fantasmic – We’ll get there early if we want to see this.  Or we’ll do the meal package (at participating restaurants), but we won’t be booking a FastPass for it.
  • Lights Motors Action! Extreme Stunt Show – This falls in the “once and done” category.  We saw it once and that was enough.
  • Voyage of the Little Mermaid – Sure, we’ll watch this if we have time and the opportunity presents itself, but no with a FastPass.
  • Disney Junior Live on Stage – We’ve never seen it.  Aren’t planning to anytime soon.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom

  • Kali River Rapids – We don’t dislike this ride, we just hate getting completely soaked on it.
  • It’s Tough to be a Bug – We like this one, but don’t need a FastPass for it.Kali River Rapids Boat
  • Finding Nemo – The Musical – We really don’t feel a FastPass is necessary.  If we check the app and the line is short, we’ll head that way.

Wow!  If you’re still reading, thanks for sticking with me this whole time!!!  What jumps out at you as completely opposite of what you’re family does?  I bet if you have little ones your ranking is totally different.  When you book your FastPasses, what are your top picks for every visit?