Part One: Creating Magic Without the Madness: How We Planned a Relaxing Disney World Trip
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Send a professional organizer to Disney World, and she will research all the tips from ALLL the Disney pro’s. I spent months researching and compiling the best and most useful information that actually worked on our trip, so that you don’t have to! This is Part One of how we planned a laid back Disney World trip, but it can totally be applied to other destinations as well!
Travel.
Checked our own stroller & car seat. To maintain our daughter’s comfort level while being in a new place, we checked our own stroller and car seat with our airline. American Airlines will check both items for no additional cost to you, so might as well! I am always weary about using third party car seats that I do not know the history of, and we absolutely love our stroller, so it was a win for us!
Rented a car. This might be a little controversial because everything at Disney is so close that you do not technically need one; however, with a preschooler we are able to make a dash back to the room at a moment’s notice with our rental car versus having to wait on the next bus, monorail, boat, etc. Also, we love the freedom to be able to go wherever we want whenever! We also used Turo versus using a typical rental car company. The car was parked in the garage by our terminal, and we were ready to rock and roll as soon as we grabbed our luggage! When it was time to return the car, we just parked in at our airport terminal and went on our merry way. I don’t think I can every go back to the conventional way of renting a car again.
Activities & Snacks for the little one. Our daughter did great on our airplane travels! I credit some of this to having a small backpack just for her filled with snacks, activity books (sticker books, water wow coloring, and magic markers), and a tablet to be used only on the airplane.
Resort
Where we stayed. When my husband and I last went to Disney in 2021 we were there for a last minute very short trip. We knew when we came back to take our daughter that we were going to do it right! We had seen and researched all of the resorts, and the one that ended up being best for our family was the Grand Floridian. The Grand Floridian is a deluxe hotel on Disney property. I mention “deluxe” & “Disney property” because both of these come with some pretty great perks to be mentioned on the next blog! Most if not all the rooms here have been renovated, and let me say they are truly beautiful!
Walkway. One of the many reasons we picked The Grand Flo was because of the walkway directly linking the hotel to Magic Kingdom! It is about a 10 to 15 minute walk around the beautiful Seven Seas lagoon surrounding by lush greenery. We would often see pretty birds & deer on our walks to and from the park!
Monorail. Disney’s Monorail is a public train-like system that connects 3 deluxe Disney resorts with Magic Kingdom, as well as the Ticket & Transportation Center (TTC). The TTC is where those not staying on one of the 3 monorail properties that want to drive their own car must park and then hop on the monorail to Magic Kingdom. The monorail also has a route that connects to Epcot after a quick transfer at the TTC. Fortunately The Grand Floridian is a stop on the monorail system and allows easy access to both Magic Kingdom & Epcot. We still prefer the walkway to Magic Kingdom and we may consider driving to Epcot next time, as the monorail trip was between 45 minutes to an hour versus a less than 10 minute drive.
Electric Water Pageant. The Grand Floridian is along the Seven Seas Lagoon, so guests of the hotel are able to enjoy the Electric Water Pageant that happens every night on the water! It is a short minute show where sea creatures on barges are lit up and play fun music as they pass. This was an unexpected joy we looked forward to at night!
Fireworks. The Grand Floridian has FANTASTIC views all around, but one of the best is that of Cinderella’s Castle! During the nightly firework show, hotel guests gather around the marina for an amazing view of Cinderella’s Caste withe fireworks going off behind it. They even pipe in the music from the firework show. This is such a special perk of this hotel!
DVC Rental. Now this is something I learned about after our trip and do not have personal experience with; HOWEVER, I have heard only wonderful things about. This gives you the opportunity to stay in Disney’s nicest resorts for a fraction of the price! You can either choose from a preset reservation or submit a request for the dates you are looking at via DVC Rental Store and a Disney Vacation Club (DVC) member will book the reservation for you, and it will be under your name as if you booked it yourself. Bekah Hart is a great resource for learning more about how this works.
Groceries. Since we already have an Amazon Prime membership, we took advantage of Amazon Fresh and had breakfast items, water, & snacks delivered to our hotel. I placed the order the night before and left instructions to leave the delivery at Bell Services at our hotel. Bell Services does this kind of stuff all day long, so they actually have a large refrigerator and freezer where they will hold your groceries until you let them know you are ready for them. You can either pick them up from Bell Services yourself or request a drop off to your room. Every room is equipped with a beverage coolers, and if you upgrade to a Villa you get a full sized refrigerator. Just be careful with the beverage coolers as they do not get as cold as your typical fridge. Shelf stable items are going to be best.
We ordered shelf stable yogurt pouches, apple sauce pouches, breakfast protein bars (KIND), bananas, blueberries, cheese sticks, and bottled water. It was nice to be able to stow an easy breakfast in the stroller and enjoy on our way to the park. Also, Disney is great about letting your bring in your own drinks & food, so we made sure to pack snacks and plenty of water!
How long we stayed. We knew we wanted to take advantage of all 4 parks plus have some time to re-visit parks or explore Disney Springs. We stayed for six nights and it was the perfect amount of time! Our first day was a travel day with a dinner reservation at Disney Springs. Next Day was Magic Kingdom, then Epcot, then Animal Kingdom, then Hollywood Studios. We had the last full day to explore more of Magic Kingdom, and the next day was our travel day!
Love this? Part two is now available as well! In the meantime, check out our Design Days services to get your unfinished space complete! Design Days are available both virtually & in-person ( select locations). Need more than just a little help? We offer furnishing services to complete your room from head to toe! Click the button below to get started!
