The Best Choices I Made When Planning Our Disney World Adventure

I started planning our Disney adventure a year & a half ago, with the intention of going in the summer of 2020.  That didn't happen, so I had an extra year to plan, & I felt like I needed it!  Those who've planned before know-- there are about a million & a half details to consider when planning a Disney vacation.  I had lots & lots of time to make tons & tons of decisions.  Here are the calls that I made that I felt really good about:

1.  For me, this was huge-- pick a hotel that offers transportation BESIDES the bus.  We stayed at Pop Century & got to take the tram to Epcot & Hollywood Studios. It's so awesome to be able to switch it up, & it's especially nice right now because you get some safe time riding with just your party.  

 2. You'll enjoy the breaks, too-- don't hesitate to take the breaks.  I planned a day off in the middle of our week & we all enjoyed it. We went to the character breakfast at the Contemporary, road the tram & explored other hotels, & visited Disney Springs.

3. Switch hotels if you want to go to Universal, too.  We chose to move so that we could get in early & it was more affordable to be on property for the speed passes.  It was an even better choice than we thought it would be because I absolutely loved being able to walk back and forth to the park.  We went at the end of our vacation, & my 7 year old got tired.  My husband took him back around 8:30, & my daughter & I stayed in the park until it closed & she got to do all kinds of Harry Potter window magic without a big crowd.

3.5. If you go to Universal, just put aside that $70 & buy that wand. It really does make the Potter stuff feel more magical.

4. Do a Walmart + delivery!!  I ordered a bunch of things delivered before we left.  I wish I'd asked about how we'd get our food before we got down there because I lost some time finding our things when we got there (it didn't help that somehow Walmart's delivery service had me under my maiden name even though I'd been married for 12 years...).  Our hotel had the food delivered to the spot where you can leave luggage if you arrive early.  I scheduled it for shortly after we arrived & was so glad to have gotten all of that stuff affordably.  We ordered things like sunscreen, bottled water, quick breakfast foods (a must!! So much easier to just grab & go & not be fighting & rushing if you're trying to get to a park as it opens), & easy easy snacks like Pringles & apples. 

5. Bring a metal cup to fill with ice every morning.  I brought my Yeti.  We filled it with ice at the hotel & I threw a couple of extra bottles in my backpack.  We refilled each person's cup as needed & everyone had cold water all along.  

6. Order a pack of pins and a lanyard before you go-- this 4-pack of lanyards was an incredible deal over what we'd pay on site.  It was fun for my kids to swap pins with the staff members in stores, & it would have cost a FORTUNE if we bought every pin there.  This is definitely the way to go, & my kids were smart about trading up to pins they loved.

7. Know that you'll forget things, regret some of your purchases, & learn a lot.  That's ok! Adapting is always part of the adventure when traveling.  Have a blast!