Lightning Lane, Virtual Queue, firework schedules, dining reservations, park hopping, phew I’m getting tired just thinking about it all. We’ve all experienced that moment, trying to ensure we maximize the value of our vacation, but what is the true meaning of value when it comes to our family trip?
During my family’s first trip to Walt Disney World, we were working on a very tight schedule. We park hopped, we darted through the gates for Extra Magic Hours, and we made sure we were never late for a FastPass+. Dining reservations? We secured them all. There was one little detail that was missing. Every evening upon returning to the resort, after fireworks of course, we would walk past the pool and my daughter would ask to go for a dip. Our response was “maybe tomorrow night Hunny, we have another early morning, you get to meet XYZ”. She would respond with an enthusiastic “okay!”, then off to the room we would go to rest up for another long day in the parks met with the same question upon our returned. By our very last night, we walked her down to the arcade then down to the pool and watched her swim her little heart out. And as I sat there with her baby sister asleep in the stroller, I realized that this was her vacation after all. We took our girl out of school to relax and have fun, not to run around on another schedule all day. She just wanted to be a kid, and kids need to have down time and run around, but also relax just like we adults do. Being at Disney and seeing all the magical things was so amazing in her eyes, but just staying in a Disney Resort and going to the playgrounds, pools, and arcades was also just as spectacular to her.
Fast-forward to 8 magical Disney trips later, I’d say we have learned a bit about the kind of vacationers we are. Sometimes the girls want to wake up early and run straight to Slinky Dog Dash for Extra Magic Hours, ride Tower of Terror and Rock’n’Rollercoaster and leave me in the dust, and other times they want to sleep until 10 am and get to the parks later in the afternoon. These days we don’t park hop as much as we used to, and we definitely don’t stay in the parks from rope drop to fireworks. We like to go back to the resort and swim in the afternoon, maybe head back to the parks after dinner. We thoroughly enjoy our table service meals, especially if they have a good theme, and we’ve decided the hotel amenities are what adds value to our vacations. We relax our muscles most nights in the hot tub, where we always make new friends, especially if someone is listening to an LSU game nearby, and we try to stay at a different resort each trip.
Some of our favorite things happen right at our resort. Such as trivia nights by the pool, outdoor movies under the stars, morning yoga sessions, s’mores around the campfire, the Electrical Water Pageant, and of course, savoring a Dole Whip while watching the fireworks from the beach at the Polynesian! So, take it from me; when planning your next Disney vacation, remember to also schedule some time for rest and relaxation.
Passports and Park Maps 