One of the best things about being a parent is that you get to do all of the fun things that you always wished your parents would do for you. Yes, this includes going to Disney World. As a young girl, I was obsessed with going to Magic Kingdom and, because my parents were nowhere close to being rich growing up, there was no way they would be able to take my three brothers and I there. Instead, we did things like go to AstroWorld in Houston or Hamel’s Park in Shreveport (both of which no longer exist, btw ha!). So, when I got the invite from my girl Janice to go to DisneyWorld, I said:
HELL.ASS.YES.LET’S.GO. *just like that….in all caps, so you know it’s real
Here’s everything I learned:
- DisneyWorld is just as magical as my younger self imagined it would be. However, as a parent, it doesn’t really matter where you take your four-year-old (almost 5) son, because he will always find some type of way to try and ruin the magic for you by refusing to walk while in the park or whine about being hungry and refuse to eat the food you purchase for him. But, it did not even matter because I was DETERMINED to have fun. I applaud myself for being prepared for such behaviors by bringing along a trusty umbrella stroller and packing all of my kid’s favorite snacks.
My son loved the Dumbo ride! Dumbo is one of his favorite Disney characters.
- Orlando is humid AF. I knew Florida was going to be hot, but I was not prepared for the crushing humidity. UGH. That, combined with the heat, meant that I was basically covered in sweat no matter how much water I guzzled. But, back to Point #1, I wanted my entire Disney experience to be magical, so I kept smiling even though there were plenty of times where I wished for an adult stroller complete with hot, shirtless man to push me around in.
We LOVED the food at Satu’li Canteen in Pandora-The World of Avatar!
- Get there early, leave early. As eager as I was to go see, ride and do everything at each of the parks, my four-year-old said otherwise. Disney gifted me with a Park Hop pass (THANKS DISNEY!) which meant we totally could have gone to everything, but then my son was over it and demanded to go back to the hotel and, in protest, fell asleep in my arms during the Lion King show. (Which was awesome, btw and leads me to my next point….)
We headed immediately to the pool upon arriving to the hotel after leaving DisneyWorld each day. It was the best way to cool off!
- Go to all the shows. Not only is there beautiful amazing blessed air conditioning inside the theaters, but it’s clear that Disney has spared no pennies when it comes to putting on these shows. My favorite was Finding Nemo and I loved all of the bubbles that came out at the end. So fun!
Face paint fun! I know my son looks unimpressed, but he really wanted to eat those fruit snacks so… lol
- Everyone that works at DisneyWorld is friendly AF which means they all probably have the best jobs ever. Yes, it was humid and hot and yes, my kid got cranky from time to time, but everyone that worked at the parks were so nice that it was almost easy to forget. There were Disney characters walking around everywhere and I swear even the people that were working the rides were smiling. Also, the guy who does the safari boat ride in the Magic Kingdom is hilarious. It really just might be “the happiest place on Earth.”
Overall, I loved DisneyWorld and can’t wait to take Aiden back again. I might just turn into that Disney mom who brings her kid every year because I love it that much! Have you ever been to Disney World and, if so, what were some of your favorite things about it? A lot of my friends asked me about the crowds and I will admit that yes, there were a lot of people there. But, we got there as early as possible (like 9 a.m.ish) and left both days by 2 p.m. Tell me everything in the comments section below! xoxo
