DISNEY GUIDE 2022
Disney, you may be some shady mother-effers butttt you have my heart! There is just some magic about this place, and I LOVE IT. We’ve taken the kids every 2 years-ish, and Chris and I have even gone by ourselves. I wrote a blog on Disney when we went a few years ago, when Grey was 4 and Mila was 10 months old - here is that if you wanna check it out! Honestly, I think every age is a great age to go to Disney. There is a different kind of magic each time. Even when it’s crazy crowded (We usually try and go at more low-key times, I typically check a Disney Crowd Calendar to see if I can sneak in when it’s less crazy. Twice we’ve gone in the fall after the Thanksgiving rush, but before the Christmas crowd hits hard and it was nice!!) it is still so special. I think because everything there is just so well-done. The “cast members” are BEYOND kind and helpful, it’s ridiculously clean and tidy, everything is beautiful, and every detail is special. And, everyone there is just HAPPY to be there. Yeah, I love it.
I added a lot of info, snaps, plus some Q+A in my Disney I and II highlights on my IG, too!
This was a veryyyyy last minute trip. We booked it two weeks before we left! Disney dropped their mask mandate, I had been waiting for that day!!!!! We headed there with Grey being 7.5, Mila being 4, and I am 28 weeks pregnant. Seemed like the perfect trip to take with the fam before we are outnumbered. ;)
*Note on the mask mandate - there is still a mandate on transportation - meaning flight, monorail, and buses. Here is how we got around it:
Flight: No lie, I was so anxious about this. Mila has never worn a mask, and I’ve heard horror stories of kids getting kicked off planes. I was not going to ‘mask train” her or beg her to wear it. I just explained to her there would be two times she would need to put it on, and then she’d get to see Minnie. We have mesh Cissylala masks, and we don’t wear them in the airport (no one has ever said anything) except through security, and through the gate to board. Once we are on the plane, we snack and drink water the whole time. We are so appreciative of the flight crew, so this time we flew, we wrote notes thanking them and popped $5 gift cards to Starbz in the envelopes and taped YL lip balms to to them. They were SO grateful. And they ignored my maskless children the entire flight:) On the way home, we gave them Minnie-shaped chocolate-covered rice krispy treats from Disney! I brought six with me. As we would board, I just handed the bag to the flight attendant standing at the front of the plane and said “These are for the flight crew! We appreciate you!” Again, they were so thankful. We will start doing this every time we fly, you could tell they don’t get loved on much and I am sure they deal with psychos all the time.
Monorail: No one gave two shits about masks. And there is not a worker on the actual monorail to check. So a few times they’d remind you as you boarded, and I just made a show of getting my mask out and then as soon as the doors closed, put them back.
Bus: We didn’t take the bus, so I don’t know how strict the drivers were. My guess is, like anything, it depends on the person and what kind of power trip they are on.
TIPS TO MAKE YOUR TRIP MORE FUN
There are things that you just HIRE OUT… a travel agent when booking a trip to Disney is one of them!!! There are so many moving parts, things are changing often, and their knowledge and advice will save you time and money. And it is SO nice to have someone who is an expert help you. Kira Gartner has been our travel agent for years, and she is a DREAM to work with.
FB Page: Blue Sky Destinations
Here is a free planning guide for you - you can click here and customize it in Canva! I like having a pretty hardcopy of all my important info!
Also, if you have little kids - you’ll need some survival tips for managing tired and overwhelmed little emotions. Here are my best tips:
+ Embrace the meltdown. It will happen! Expect it, and plan for it.
+ Lower your expecations
+ Rent a stroller. Let them rest. Give them snacks. Make sure they are super hydrated!!! We let the kids eat more fun snacks, vacayyy, obvi, but I always always always order them water. Only once did they each get a fun drink!
+ Bring oils. Seriously. Especially KidPower. I’ll share more of my must-haves later on.
+ Make sure they eat a filling breakfast! I always tried to make sure they had something like eggs, bacon, or yogurt and fruit for breakfast. By the afternoon we were on to snacks, and fries, and mac&cheese sooo I wanted those bellies filled! I will say, Disney is great with having healthy options and sides. They ate tons of apple slices, grapes, carrots, and clementines!
+ Supplements every morning with breakfast! Don’t skip! I’ll give more deets later on here too.
+ Taking a mid-day break each afternoon helped a lot. We’d go back, swim, then rest at the hotel a bit before heading back to the park, or park hopping to a new park!
GETTING THERE + STROLLER RENTALS
Disney no longer has the Magical Express (It was pretty freakin’ magic. Basically, you got off the plane and took a bus to the resort. Your bags were picked up from baggage claim for you and put in your hotel. LEGIT MAGIC. Same on the way home, you left your bags at the hotel, and they took them to the airport for you. I miss this service haha) so your options for getting to the hotel from the airport are a car service or renting a car.
We tried to get a car service but they didn’t have availability since it was so last minute. We rented a car, and I bought these inflatable booster seats to travel with. Ideally, I would rent boosters or car seats from the car rental company, but it was such a busy week I was nervous they would run out. We also travel with a carseat on the plane whenever we can! Mila is just past the age where we need to do this, so it does make it easier in some ways to not have to lug a car seat around.
So, we bought the inflatable boosters (Mila is still in a forward-facing carseat at home, but she is technically at the height and weight for a booster - so I felt comfortable doing this for a short ride to the hotel.)
Okay, now let’s talk STROLLERS! We never bring ours from home. We rent!!!!! There’s a few different rental companies to use (Kingdom is one), and they will drop them off at the hotel for you and you have to meet them to pick it up and return it. The company that has a contract with Disney is ScooterBug - this is who we used because they leave the stroller for you at the front!! When you leave, you just drop it off and go. It is SO CONVENIENT.
I brought this stroller organizer and had a custom tag made for it - just for fun!! Etsy has a ton of shops!
Now, remember, make sure the stroller will fit in the rental car if you choose to drive to Animal Kingdom vs taking the bus. We did NOT remember this, and the stroller didn’t fit. We ended up just renting a stroller from the park for the day, and it worked out fine! If you have older kids, that might be a nice option instead of having one with you at all times. My kids are still little enough that even having them walk through the hotel, onto the monorail, and through the gates felt like wrangling wild animals who were slow yet all over the place to me. I like having them contained in the stroller ;)
STAY | POLYNESIAN
We LOVE the Polynesian resort. SO MUCH. It is so beautiful and has a Hawaii/Moana-ish vibe. Awesome pool, good food and drinks, a dole whip place right there, and the grounds are gorg. PLUS - it has the monorail access! So you can just roll your stroller right on, and right off into Magic Kingdom! My fave. You can see the nightly fireworks from the Polynesian too!
Tip: you can rent the DVC villas. FOR THE SAME PRICE IF NOT CHEAPER THAN A REGULAR ROOM!! Basically they are a little bigger, with a kitchenette and two bathrooms. Perfect for using one as a second “bedroom” for a baby with a pack n play!
We stayed in the Fiji house and I really like the location. It was basically right next to the pool, Capt. Cook’s, Pineapple Lanai (DOLE WHIP!), and Trader Sam’s Tiki Terrace. Very convenient to run down and pick up food or a yummy drink!
The pool at the Polynesian is sooooo nice, and we loved coming back here mid-day for a swim and rest. They have a section for the smaller kids that is like a waterpark playground, with two waterslides. Then there is a bigger pool, with a giant volcano water slide, and a zero-entry pool access which I love. The have a pool bar where you can order food and drinks (The Lava Smoothie was a fave - Raspberry and Pina Colada basically. And I also had them make the Frozen Margarita with Lime Dole Whip for me, just virgin. It’s like a frozen lime marg with a tajin-rim. IT WAS A DREAM.)
Trader Sam’s Tiki Terrace is also right there, and all three of their mocktails were sooo good.
For breakfast, we usually did order ahead-pickup from Capt. Cook’s - MICKEY WAFFLES EVERY DAY PLEASE! And right next to the monorail entrance is Kona Cafe - delish lattes and treats!
For dinner, we did order ahead pick-up from Kona Cafe - their potstickers are so good! Capt. Cook’s pulled pork nachos with pineapple salsa on wonton chips was insannnne.
EAT
I mean there are entire instagram pages and blogs dedicated to this topic!!!! I love DisneyFoodBlog. There were so many things I wanted to try but ya know, only so much room in your stomach ha. Here are some of my faves! This is by no means a comprehensive list - I know I am missing some winners on here! I also really just love the classics - the popcorn, the Mickey-shaped ice cream bars…
One of our faves for a date night is California Grill at the Contemporary Resort. SO good. Book close to the time that fireworks are so you can see them! Great wine, steak, yummy sushi! We have used Kid’s Nite Out babysitting service before and they were great!
Magic Kingdom
Mickey pretzels with cheese - I mean, it’s just so iconic.
LeFou’s Brew at Gaston’s Tavern - this is pretty much my fave drink ever. It’s frozen apple juice with a hint of toasted marshmallow, topped with passion fruit-mango foam. Get a giant cinnamon roll to go with it!
Churros with chocolate - YUM.
Corn Dog nuggets at Casey’s Corner - I also loved the mint frozen lemonade!
Breakfast or lunch at Be Our Guest - this is the Beast’s castle!! Hard to get a reservation but I LOVE IT. It is so magical. Snow falls outside, the Beast’s tattered lair, the huge ballroom, the rose with dropping petals, and obvi - get the grey stuff - it’s delicious! It’s a very special place! For dessert, the kid’s had a edible “Chip” cups, edible paint, a paintbrush, and macrons to paint on and then eat. It was so cool!
Animal Kingdom
Tusker House is where we usually do a character dining and see Mickey + friends! We skipped it this time, but usually we always try for a breakfast/brunch here!
Polynesian
I covered this above, but to recap:
Kona Cafe - potstickers!!!!!!! In the morning, their lattes are delish!
Dole Whip
Capt. Cook’s pulled pork nachos, and Mickey Waffles!
Barefoot Pool Bar - Margarita with Lime Dole Whip and Tajin - get virgin
Trader Sam’s Tiki Terrace - all their mocktails were soooo good!
We didn’t do it this time around, but the Luau is SO much fun and so worth the evening and expense!
RIDES
Disney is SUPER family-friendly - meaning all ages can enjoy it!!! Most rides I could ride on while pregnant, and lots of babies in laps on the rides. This is not a place where anyone is going to feel left out.
Genie+ and Lighting Lane is what replaced Fast Pass. It is a little bit of a learning curve, but I did like it. I don’t think I utilized it the best way I could have, but ya live ya learn. Overall, we got to ride pretty much everything we wanted to with very little waiting!
To understand Genie+, I would check out Somewhere Worthwhile and BRBGoingtoDisney - they both have very comprehensive tips and guides on using Genie+/Lighting Lanes plus getting dining reservations!
The general idea of Genie+, is you can reserve a spot in line - and you have a one hour window to use that pass. You can start booking your first one at 7am the morning of your park reservation. You can book another ride as soon as you scan in for your first one OR two hours after you’ve booked your first one - whichever comes first. So this works great if the things you want to do are in the morning - but like for the days we were park hopping, I wanted to book a ride at the second park for the afternoon. That meant that I wouldn’t be able to get another pass for the morning then until a few hours later, and by then a lot of the “good ones” were not for the times I wanted. But generally, it was good!!!
The first full day at Magic Kingdom, we took advantage of having children who wake up at the ass crack of dawn, and went when the park opened. So here is the trick. If the park opens at 9am - they start letting you in at 8am. If you’re staying at a resort hotel, you can start riding rides in certain areas at 8:30am. So, we got there at 8am, headed in, and went to Fantasyland and waited for “rope drop” where they let you in to ride at 8:30am. We got on Winnie The Pooh with no wait, then Chris took the kids on the Merry-Go-Round while I went to wait for them to open the rest of the areas at 9am and got a good spot in the front. Then, they dropped that rope, and we headed to Adventureland to ride Jungle Cruise. We waited about 30 mins right off the bat! It was a pretty good strategy, and if I wasn’t so determined to get on Jungle Cruise, we could have ridden a lot more in Fantasyland with practically no wait.
Again, there’s so much more to do at each park! These are just our highlights.
MAGIC KINGDOM - Can easily do two days here!
SPLASH MOUNTAIN - It’s just the best. Period.
JUNGLE CRUISE - So fun, def a long wait one - so we did this first the day we “rope dropped” - aka got there when it opened
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN - Iconic.
HAUNTED MANSION - one of my faves. Mila loved it, Grey hid the entire time. Oops.
ALADDIN - right next to Jungle Cruise - Chris and the kids did this twice!
DUMBO - Mila loved this so much, and the best part is the kids play in a playland inside while you wait. So genius.
PETER PAN - I don’t even like Peter Pan stuff that much but this ride is sweet. Super long waits and very popular.
WINNIE THE POOH - The line is actually super fun and interactive, and the ride is super cute. Both kids loved this.
SMALL WORLD - I loved this as a kid, but it’s like 10 minutes long, and I knew Grey would be bored so we skipped it this time! But I do love it so much!
SPACE MOUNTAIN - one of my faves. Skipped it bc I am preggo and neither of the kids are tall enough.
ANIMAL KINGDOM - We did a half-day here, and I looove it. Again, not as much to do as Magic Kingdom, but MK is the best soooo what are ya gonna do.
KILIMANJARO SAFARIS - it’s a safari. with real animals. it’s so cool. the crocodiles are MASSIVE. Go early and all the animals are super active! We used a Genie+ for this right when it opened!
NA’VI RIVER JOURNEY - they opened Avatar world here and it’s SWEET even if you have never seen the movie. It is pretttty magical.
EXPEDITION EVEREST - This is closed right now but it is my fave rollercoaster EVER.
GORILLA FALLS EXPLORATION TRAIL - GREAT for when you want your kids to chill or nap. Lots of animals to see and a pretty little walk.
DINOSAUR - a little creepy and rough but the kids loved it and so do I!
The Dinoland area is really fun - some cute rides, a playground, and a “carnival” type vibe
EPCOT - We wanted to do Frozen Ever After and Ratatouille but couldn’t get a pass for the times we were trying for. Next time!
HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS - We skipped this for this trip, but last time we went we loved these rides.
TOY STORY MANIA! - Was super fun and you shoot these balls at different targets. Mila LOVED IT too.
ALIEN SWIRLING SAUCERS
TOWER OF TERROR - This was the big thing. I was so excited to take Grey on it (andddd a little nervous) - turns out… HE IS MY CHILD AND LOVES SCARY RIDES!!!!! He is still talking about how “the falling ride” was his favorite.
FROZEN SING-A-LONG - I thought this would be characters singing, but it’s more watching songs from the movie and singing along with a little show. The kids seemed to like it, but were a little bored. I sang every word though sooooo whatever.
WEAR
I LOVED these Disney bags from Freshly Picked - I wore the belt bag every day and it had tons of room.
Grey wore the mini Mickey backpack in the airport! Plenty of space, has a few compartments (even an insulated one), and was easy for him to manage.
For travel, I got the new Fawn Square bag and LOVED ITTTT! I used this in the airport, and took it to Animal Kingdom with us. It has a bajillion pockets and zippers and compartments. I wore it as a backpack but it can also have a shoulder strap. My fave part though is the handle on top - it is just so convenient to grab - especially on the airplane when it was tucked under the seat. I could not recommend this bag enough - it’ll be one I use a ton once the baby is here too. And obvi, it’s cute AF and doesn’t look like a diaper bag. 🙃 You can grab the Stroller Hooks here to attach it to your stroller!!!
The COOLEST disney tees - Subtle Dust
Zara has a really great disney collection!
For shoes - the kids lovvveeee Native Jefferson’s. They easily slip on, are cool, easy to clean, can get wet, and never give them blisters ever! Perfect for hot days walking around the park.
And of course - ears! Tap the pic to shop my faves! They have TONS at the park, but I like to go prepared 💁🏻♀️
MUST-HAVES
Oils. Yes. FOR THE LOVE, DO NOT GO TO DISNEY WITHOUT YOUR FREAKINNNN OILS.
I kept a small zipper bag from Modern Makerie in the stroller, and the had a smaller bag with these roll-ons in it:
+ Kidpower - our “happy oil” - calming, soothing, makes for a great day and tames tantrums.
+ Owie - for cuts, scrapes, boo-boos, and blisters
+ TummyGize - to roll on upset bellies after too many mickey-shaped snacks!
+ SniffleEase - hotels, airplanes, and travel make us sniffle-y. I roll this on their chests and dab on their noses. Mila woke up are screamed “SNIFFLEEASE!!” in my face in the middle of the night sooooo ya know it works.
+ Wellness roller - Daily mustttt have all the time, but even more so when you travel. Normally we roll this on feet and spines daily, but when we travel it’s twice a day.
+ Bandaids!
For myself and Chris - we used the kids roll-ons, but I also keep a Deep Relief roll-on for sore muscles, head tension, or to cool down. I brought a mini CBD muscle rub too, and wore Valor for stress and calmness in my RoadKillGems roller necklace!
I always had a Thieves Hand Sanitzer with us, plus Seedlings Wipes, Thieves Hand Sanitizer Wipes, YL Insect Repellent Wipes, the YL Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50, Lavaderm Mist, and lots of lip balm!
Back at the hotel, we diffused lots of sleepy oils at night (here’s the travel diffuser I love), but focused on those tree oils! Oh, and we used Breathe Again roll-on at night!
For the kids, they got Tranquil or SleepyIze roll-on at night, plus an ImmuPro to help them sleep and support those immune systems! We take a travel sound machine with us too!
Daily supplements were Ningxia for us all!
+ For the kids - Kidscents MightyPro (pre/probiotic that tastes like a pixie stick!), MightyZymes (digestive enzyme), MightyVites (multivitamin), and Super C Chewable (vitamin C!)
+ I took Ningxia, Super C, my beef liver capsules, Super B, garlic capsules, and my gummy pre-natal (it’s all I can handle right now ha)
+ Chris took like nine thousand things, he’s a freakin beast. I know he had AgilEase, Ningxia, Super C, Super B, and Essentialzymes in there somewhere 😂
Grab them here and make sure my referral ID 2217849 is plugged in - I’ll get ya hooked up with our community, tons of resources including classes, protocols, safety info, how-tos, and recipes - plus a super cute welcome gift and both our Modern Handbook and Modern Kids book!
PACKING LIST
Since we were taking a short trip, I was determined to fit everything into carry-ons! We used two small carry-on suitcases, the weekender backpack from Prim & Clove, the Fawn bag, and Grey carried the mini Mickey back from Freshly picked! You NEEEED packing cubes!!!! They help so much! Here is how I organized everything.
FAWN BACKPACK:
masks / lanyards
magic bands (these are used to unlock your room, buy things, get into the park)
portable chargers
mila’s ipad and headphones
water bottle (empty)
snacks
sunglasses/kids sunnies
hand sanitizer
hand sanitizer wipes
tylenol (we avoid taking this, BUT I also always keep it with us when we travel. There is NOTHING like a raging heat-headache when you’re on a vacay with your kids and can’t rest)
lip balm
paci on clip (yeah Mila still uses a paci when she’s upset and sleeps 😅😅😅)
poncho for rain
stroller clips (these attach to the stroller handle and then attach to my backpack!)
GREY’S MINI MICKEY BAG:
ipad + headphones
crayons/pen/notebook
water bottle (empty)
snacks
SMALLER BAG (just kept this all together so I could throw it in the bottom of the stroller when we got there!)
sunscreen/insect wipes/lavaderm
baby wipes
bandaids/owie/sniffleease/tummygize/kidpower/immunity roller
deep relief/valor
silicone straws (disney uses paper straws. the worst.)
PRIM & CLOVE WEEKENDER BACKPACK:
inflatable boosters
Me + Chris’ dopp kits (toiletry bags)
makeup bag
ANNIE’S CUBE:
sandals/hat
cover up
swimsuit
4 shirts
2 shorts
undies/bra/socks
sleep pants + tee
flatiron
CHRIS’ CUBE:
all his stuff lol
KID SLEEP CUBE:
kids jammies
toothbrush + toothpaste
nighttime rollers (cypress/sleepyize)
pull-ups
paci
mila pillow/bunny
KID SWIM CUBE:
kids swimsuits
goggles
KID CLOTHES CUBE:
Each kid had their own cube with their clothes for each day
EXTRAS CUBE:
chargers/cords
portable diffuser
oil bag
portable sound machine
Minnie ears
thin muslin mickey blanket
stroller tag/zip ties
belt bag
SUPPLEMENTS CUBE
supplements for each person, each day
ningxia packets
