{"id":53322,"date":"2017-06-02T12:00:29","date_gmt":"2017-06-02T16:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/?p=53322"},"modified":"2022-04-09T00:58:45","modified_gmt":"2022-04-09T04:58:45","slug":"finding-balance-disney-world-first-timer-vacation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/finding-balance-disney-world-first-timer-vacation\/","title":{"rendered":"The Fanatic, the Reluctant, and the Toddler: Finding Balance in your Disney World First-Timer Vacation"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Disney<\/p>\n

Are you a Disney World first-timer? \u00a0I was over the moon when it came time to plan our first Disney vacation.\u00a0 It was going to be a three-generation trip in the Fall of 2016. \u00a0I wanted to be sure that everyone would have the trip of a lifetime!\u00a0 I threw myself into learning everything I could to plan the perfect Disney vacation.<\/p>\n

Blinded with the dreams of everything our vacation could be, I made one of the cardinal Disney planning mistakes<\/a>.<\/p>\n

I swore up and down that we would do it right \u2013 have naptime built into the day, go to bed early, and make sure we had an afternoon off.\u00a0 Our toddler wouldn\u2019t get overtired\u2026 my husband and parents wouldn\u2019t have sore feet\u2026 we would all feel satisfied and relaxed at the end of the trip.\u00a0 Right?<\/p>\n

I was oh-so-wrong.<\/p>\n

But with every failure comes a lesson or three.\u00a0 I\u2019m glad to say I have takeaways to make our next vacation a little more balanced.\u00a0 And the lessons I learned from there will make the next one even better.\u00a0 All that said \u2013 I hope you can learn from my mistakes!<\/p>\n

Give Yourself Extra Time<\/strong><\/h3>\n

It\u2019s clich\u00e9 to say to plan around your usual schedule when you travel with kids (but oh man is it true!).\u00a0 We knew that our little guy did better in the mornings and would need a nap time.\u00a0 We did our best to keep mealtimes and nap time regular.\u00a0 I even remembered to plan travel time back to the hotel for naps. \u00a0What we didn\u2019t account for?\u00a0 Transition time \u2013 and toddlers need transition time!<\/p>\n

While we as adults may be able to jump off the bus and pass out instantly for an afternoon siesta, that is not the case for most toddlers.\u00a0 A Disney trip is filled with new experiences and different surroundings.\u00a0 We have one of the most chill 2-year-olds I have ever met \u2013 but I knew better than to think he\u2019d sleep in his stroller with all the excitement going on around him.\u00a0 Why did I think he\u2019d be able to settle in for a nap instantly after so much morning excitement?\u00a0 He needed time to slow down, get comfortable, and realize he was tired.<\/p>\n

Lesson learned?<\/em>\u00a0 Just plan the extra half hour and use what works at home when it\u2019s time to slow down.\u00a0 And don\u2019t plan a dinner reservation so close to nap time that you have to wake the little one up!\u00a0 Do NOT wake the little one up!!<\/p>\n

\"Disney
\nOur well-rested toddler\u00a0enjoyed his first character meal experience.<\/em><\/p>\n

Stop Filling the Empty Space<\/strong><\/h3>\n

There is so much to do at Disney World!\u00a0 We\u2019ve all heard that there\u2019s no way you can fit it all in.\u00a0 And yet \u2013 when we are in the depths of planning, drunk on the idea of Disney magic \u2013 we want to fill in every little gap.<\/p>\n

Our trip\u00a0will be during Mickey\u2019s Not So Scary Halloween Party<\/a>?\u00a0 We should totally go!<\/p>\n

runDisney Wine & Dine<\/a> is that weekend?\u00a0 We can fit the expo in on our afternoon off!!<\/p>\n

I can get a Frozen Ever After<\/a> FastPass?\u00a0 Make it happen!!!<\/p>\n

Now don\u2019t get me wrong, I do not regret doing any of these things\u2026\u00a0 My first runDisney event is an amazing highlight of the trip and the year!\u00a0 What I do regret is adding, adding, and adding some more.\u00a0 (And yes, I think this is largely why my husband is reluctant to return.)<\/p>\n

Lesson learned?<\/em>\u00a0 It\u2019s been said before<\/a>\u00a0and it will be said again \u2013 you cannot see and do everything in one (or five) trips to Disney World.\u00a0 Please don\u2019t make yourself crazy trying to.\u00a0 And yes, you need the \u201cdown day.\u201d\u00a0 Whether you spend your time at the pool, playing mini golf, or exploring Disney Springs \u2013 the \u201cdown day\u201d is relaxing and rejuvenating for the whole family!\u00a0 This is why you took the vacation, isn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n

\"Toddler<\/p>\n

Rafiki’s Planet Watch in Animal Kingdom is a great interactive experience for toddlers!<\/em><\/p>\n

Savor the Little Moments<\/strong><\/h3>\n

I absolutely dreamed of seeing my little guy\u2019s eyes light up when we arrived at Magic Kingdom.\u00a0 I had this vision of walking down Main Street \u2013 Starbucks in hand \u2013 watching him just soak in the magic. \u00a0I’m pretty sure that did happen at some point in the trip, but it got lost in the shuffle.<\/p>\n

What did turn out to be the best memory?\u00a0 It was leaving the first character meal.\u00a0 Not meeting\u00a0the characters for the first time, or seeing the castle, or even riding a first ride.\u00a0 It was walking out of the first character meal\u2026\u00a0 We walked past Minnie and little guy looked up, eyes twinkling, and said \u201cKiss?\u201d\u00a0 Oh, holy heart melt!\u00a0 (And yes, Minnie gave him a little kiss \u2013 and he kissed Minnie on the nose\u2026\u00a0 I\u2019m having all the feelings just writing it!)<\/p>\n

Lesson learned?<\/em>\u00a0 The best memories turned out to be the unexpected.\u00a0 For a Type A, obsessive, planning fanatic like myself that can be a hard lesson to learn.\u00a0 But the things that our little one loved the most are things I hadn\u2019t planned on \u2013 like riding the carousel five times in a row because there was no line, brushing the goats at Rafiki\u2019s Planet Watch<\/a>, and playing at the Laughin’ Place\u00a0playground outside of Splash Mountain<\/a>.<\/p>\n

You can always reschedule the next FastPass, but you can\u2019t recreate that moment of pure joy.\u00a0 Sometimes that just happens.<\/p>\n

\"Toddler<\/p>\n

The Laughin’ Place outside of Splash Mountain is a treat for toddlers on the move!<\/em><\/p>\n

What are some of your suggestions for finding balance during your Walt Disney World vacation, especially for a Disney World First-Timer? Share your tips in the comments!<\/em><\/p>\n

Did you like this article? Make sure to share it with your friends! Check below for easy ways to share!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Are you a Disney World first-timer? \u00a0I was over the moon when it came time to plan our first Disney vacation.\u00a0 It was going to be a three-generation trip in the Fall of 2016. \u00a0I wanted to be sure that everyone would have the trip of a lifetime!\u00a0 I threw myself into learning everything I…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":147,"featured_media":53338,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wprm-recipe-roundup-name":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-description":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-53322","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-walt-disney-world"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53322","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/147"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=53322"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53322\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":54268,"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53322\/revisions\/54268"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/53338"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53322"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53322"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53322"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}