Tips for A Succesful Day at Magic Kingdom

My family and I just returned from our Spring Break trip in Orlando.  We went to the Magic Kingdom on one of the days we were there.  This is our second time visiting the park with kids.  This time my kids were 8, 5, and 20 months.  My husband and I agreed that this time was a complete success with a fun-filled day with very low stress levels!  Here are my tips, planning is definitely the key!

1. Check the crowd calendars before you plan a day and go on a "green" or "yellow" day.
2. Load the My Disney Experience mobile app on your phone and watch the crowd levels several weeks before you go.
3. Order your tickets ahead of time, if you are just going for the day, there are no discounts, so I recommend just getting them off of the Disney site and having the cards (or bands) in hand when entering the park.
4. Make your FastPass+ selections as soon as possible (we did Splash Mountain, Thunder Mountain, and Space Mountain).
5. Make a dining reservation for dinner.  This was a lesson we learned from our last trip, a big meal at dinner will refresh you and your family like you would not believe (we went to Tony's Town Square).  This gave my family the energy we needed to make it to parade,
6. Reserve a stroller ahead of time for all kids 5 and under.  I highly recommend the City Mini we rented from Simple Stroller Rental.  The Disney strollers are not comfortable at all for your kids, my little girl was able to take a nice nap after lunch!
   
    
7. Get there early, ideally you should be in the park for rope drop, we got there right at opening at 9 am, check park hours here.  If you are driving, allow at least 30 minutes to park, ride the tram to the Transportation Center and then ride the Monorail/Ferry into the Magic Kingdom.
8. Pack a backpack with snacks, water bottles, and other needed items.  I recommend using gallon size zip lock bags to organize the bag.   I had a bag of snacks, water bottles, diapers/wipes, and an extra change of clothes for the baby.  It makes the bag check area go so smoothly!
9. Buy a backup charger for your phone, I used this one for my iPhone and it worked great!
10. Follow the recommended ride path here, it will help with the crowds!
11. Book a breakfast/dinner with characters and avoid the character meets at the park unless the lines are short.  You get a much better experience at the meals (I recommend Chef Mickey's)!

What other tips do you have a for a day trip to the Magic Kingdom?

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2014 Goals - March Recap

Its April 1st, so that means it is time to check in on our goals for 2014. I am quite proud of my progress so far.

I am making a real, conscious effort to set goals in 2014 and stick to them. The best way I can think of is to hold myself accountable on a monthly basis. Be sure to check back in the first of every month to see my progress as well as link up your progress.

1. Relationship with God - Do one activity a month to strength my relationship with God (going to mass on Sunday does not count).

I wrote a letter to my oldest son regarding his relationship with God and how proud his Dad and I are of him in preparation of his First Communion.  He will open the letter during an upcoming preparation day at church.

2. Relationship with my Husband - Go on one date night a month with my husband. Plan an overnight trip of at least 2 nights away to take in 2014

We did dinner out and our Saturday night bowling league and we had a lunch date one day during the week.

3. Family Time - Do one activity as a family once a month. Take one family vacation and one long weekend getaway in 2014.

We did a family bowling day in celebration of my oldest son's great report card!

Vacation #1 is booked for April!!!

 

Long weekend is booked for June!!

4. Relationships with my Kids - Do a one-on-one activity with each child each month (3 a month).

I did a school field trip with my oldest son.

I took my middle son on a shopping trip to Target where he got to pick out a stuffed animal.

I took both boys swimming at the recreation center on a cold Sunday.

5. Declutter - sell at least 5 items per month.

I sold a laundry basket of clothes to a consignment shop for $20 store credit.  I also sold 5 other items this month for a total a $18

6. Debt - Pay off Debt #1 and reduce Debt #2 by 50%

Debt #1 is paid and reduced Debt #2 by 15%.

7. Me Time - Say "no" to one extra commitment a month. Do an only me or "girls night" activity once a month.

I said "no" baking for a school function this month.  I did a "me only" shopping trip and bought items for "me only" for our upcoming vacation.

8. Budget Buster - Keep library fines to under $5 for the entire year (this is so hard for me).

YEAH!  I am so excited, 3 months and no library fines!  My process of checking my account online first thing Monday morning is really working for me!

 

9. Work/Life Balance - Friday at 5 pm - until Monday at 8 am - do not check work e-mails (I am off the clock).

Unfortunately, I am on a major integration project for work which has really overloaded me this month.  I had to work on a Saturday and Sunday night one weekend to get caught up on e-mails, however I did this after the kids went to bed!

10. Have an online business (this idea has been in my head for over a year) fully functioning by the end of 2014. I need to take one giant step every month to achieve this goal!

I did not make any additional progress in March, I had way too much going on at work this month!

How are you doing on your goals thus far? Feel free to leave a comment or link up!