An Open Letter to Parents with Young Children at Disney
Ok, parents, especially parents of little ones, there’s something I want to say to you before you book your next (or first!) Disney Trip. Well, actually, there’s a lot I want to say to you. Before I start, though, I want to make something clear: I don’t hate kids. As a matter of fact, I love kids, and I can’t wait to have a few of my own. But there’s something to be said about children at Disney. They turn into another child altogether when they step through those gates. Disney is there to make money, and from the moment your kids arrive to the moment they leave they are going to be barraged with everything from stuffed Mickeys to balloons with Donald Duck on them to tasty Dole Whips and about 3,000 rides that they want to ride, whether they are tall enough or not. There’s just one problem. All of this, and a child who is unprepared for it and parents who are unprepared to deal with it can only lead to one thing: tantrums. Lots and lots of loud, sound barrier- breaking tantrums. Guess what? I don’t want to hear them every two seconds, especially from the same child. Others agree, according to this article. It also offers great tips to avoid tantrums at Disney http://www.mouseplanet.com/9342/Discipline_at_Disney_Parks . Yes, I know Disney is a place for families, and that families usually have kids. I don’t mind the kids, but I do mind BAD kids. Just like you, I paid a ton of money, took time off of work, and made a lot of personal sacrifices to be here, and I don’t want my $90 dinner at one of the fanciest places to eat at Walt Disney World to be ruined because your precious little Jimmy is screeching because your meal plan does not include a dessert. Now don’t get me wrong, I understand it’s tough to take little ones to Disney, and that the age where it’s best to take them to Disney the first time (between 3 and 6) can also be the worst times for tantrums. I’m not asking you to be perfect, and I know sometimes even the best of kids throw fits at the worst times. I know you can’t possibly buy them every stuffed animal and toy that they want. They aren’t tall enough for Space Mountain, what can you do about it? Well, you can prepare. Do not be a cheapskate at Disney. If you want to take your kids, don’t come with no souvenir money. They are going to see other kids with Minnie dolls and wonder why they can’t have one. Frankly, it’s cruel to take kids to Disney and refuse to by them anything. Now, I know you have to set limits. I know you can’t buy them everything they want just because they want it, but all I’m saying is you’re going to have to break somewhere. The kids throwing tantrums are almost always the ones who have just been told “No” over and over their whole trip. You know how they say you can’t afford to go out to eat if you can’t afford to tip the server? The same is true for Disney. If you can’t afford at least one souvenir a day for your kids, you can’t afford the trip. Period.
Oh, and while we’re on the note of affording things, I want to make something else clear: You are not entitled to certain things just because you paid a lot of money to be at Disney. You are not entitled to things because it may be the only time you go when your kids are little. You need to prepare in advance, end of the story. Do your damn research, parents. You know how many times I’ve seen a little girl crying because it seems like every little girl in the park is dressed up as a princess but her, and her parents had promised her a princess makeover at the Bippity Boppity Boutqiue in Magic Kingdom, only to come and realize reservations are needed? Disney is popular. VERY popular. Your perfect princess is not the only little girl who wants to dress up as Cinderella while she’s on her trip. Wanna know the difference between that your little girl and the ones who are all dressed up? Their parents planned ahead! Those appointments fill up MONTHS in advance, and no amount of pleading or crying to the receptionist, asking if they can’t just squeeze your daughter in at 7:45 is going to change that- because guess what? Your daughter is no more special than the little girl who actually has an appointment at 7:45, and that little girl, whose parents prepared ahead of time, does not deserve to have to have her time pushed back because you didn’t book ahead. Sorry, but your perfect angel is just going to have to hear the word “No”.
While we’re on the subject of telling kids no, let’s talk about ride height restrictions. Yes, I understand Jimmy is 47.75 inches tall and he needs to be 48 inches tall to ride that ride he’d been looking forward to for weeks. I know he’s right there and he’s just so disappointed, but guess what? He still can’t ride, no matter how much you want him to, no matter how much he wants to. Those heights are LAW at Disney. They are there for a reason. Do you want your child to be seriously injured or even killed because he just HAD to ride Space Mountain this time? I understand kids get disappointed. I know that they can’t understand why they can’t ride, but try this: make a list of all the rides your child can ride ahead of time. There’s a great list for Walt Disney World here: http://allears.net/tp/rr.htm . Make sure they know what they WON’T be able to ride and that they understand why. It will save them a lot of disappointment once they get to the park. Just because Disney is a family park catered towards children doesn’t mean every ride is small child friendly. Disney’s ISN’T just for kids, contrary to popular belief, and there are plenty of rides and attractions that are big kids and/or adults only, and yes, that means little Jimmy isn’t allowed, too. If nothing else, at least follow this general list of tips when taking kids to Disney. http://www.disneytouristblog.com/disney-world-kids-tips/ . It might just save you, and the guests around you, a lot of headache.
You might read something I write here and say “Okay, Emily, where did you get that statistic? How can I know that’s true? So…
Here’s a list of some sites where I go for my information!
Resource(s) #1: Disney’s park websites.
Often times, this is the first place one might go when deciding to plan a Disney vacation. It is a place one feels like he or she can trust, and for this reason I like to link to them. These links do two things: a)They offer a verification for what I am saying and b) Allows anyone reading to see that the information I am telling them comes directly from Disney. These websites can give a visitor anything from dining reservations to tickets to hotel rooms and more, but they can be very overwhelming to a person who does not know how to properly navigate the sites. This is especially true for first timers. For this reason, I take the information from these sites and translate them into plain English, but I link back to them so they see where I’ve found the info. Although these websites would really be one “resource,” I’ve included links to all of them since depending on the topic of my post and the viewer he or she may visit any of these sites
Links:
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/
https://disneyland.disney.go.com/
http://www.disneylandparis.com/en-us/#
https://www.hongkongdisneyland.com/
http://www.shanghaidisneyresort.com.cn/en/home
http://www.tokyodisneyresort.jp/en/
Resource #2: Chip and Co
Chip and Co. is one of the largest Disney Parks fan sites in existence. Although they mainly focus on the parks in America, they also are one of the best places to get information on the international parks. They are one of my favorites to link to not only because of their popularity, but because the articles are written by various authors, which offers lots of different viewpoints and opinions. They also offer a very clear and easy to read layout and are also very active on social media. They hold accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, Pinterest, and Instagram. This large presence on social media increases the chance that visitors to my site have already heard of them, and thus will trust their opinion on things. If one hasn’t heard of them, this is a company one can easily interact with and get to know through social media, and will allow him or her to become more active within the community.
Link:
http://www.chipandco.com/
Resource # 3: The Dis Boards
The Dis Boards are one of the largest online communities for forums relating to Disney. They run forums on everything from doing Disney with Disabilities to where to get support for the LGBT crowd within Disney Parks. This is a great resource when I’m posting about a controversial issue, since I can link to a thread that discusses the issue and get real people’s opinions as well as often being able to link to posts that are happening in real time.
Link:
http://www.disboards.com/
Resource # 4: Disdining.com
One of the first things every person thinks about when planning a Disney vacation is dining. How are they going to eat? How much will it cost? Is the dining plan worth it? Disdining.com is a GREAT resource for foodies at Disney! They review restaurants, factoring in whether the place would be good for all adult parties, parties with teens, parties with kids, parties with disabilities, etc. They also review whether or not an eatery’s price is worth the taste and experience, and they let readers know what’s worth it and what they can skip. I plan on linking to them in the future when I do a post around food, possibly centering on my recent experience with eating at Walt Disney World or reviewing the Disney Dining Plan.
Link:
http://www.disneydining.com/
Resource # 5: Allears.net
Allears.net is an all around great fan site. They post a lot more equally between Disney World and Disneyland, which is a huge plus for me when I am looking to link to material for Disneyland since so many sites focus around the Florida park, as it is much larger.
Link:
http://allears.net/
Resource # 6: Disney International Parks
This source is the “little guy” of my resources. This is a small blog run through Blogspot that does not post often- but what they post is GREAT! They offer details regarding international events, and I like them because their only focus is the Disney Parks outside of America. W ith most major companies focusing mainly on WDW and Disneyland, this is huge for me. This site could be great for images, event info, and pricing info in the future.
Links:
http://disneyinternationalparks.blogspot.com/
Hi everyone! This week I want to talk to you guys about a question I get a lot from friends- should we get Memory Maker on our Walt Disney World vacation?
The answer is almost always a resounding YES! Memory maker is a wonderful tool that allows you to take wonderful photos and get every family member in the picture! Are you always the one who gets stuck taking the vacation photos, so you come home with a bunch of photos of everyone but you? Memory Maker takes care of that problem. You can add Memory Maker before your trip while purchasing your tickets, or once you get to Walt Disney World. I recommend buying it ahead of time, since you do get $30 off. (The actual retail price at the time of this post was $169 ahead of time). Memory Maker can give you photos like
these:
In front of the fountain at Epcot’s Flower and Garden Festival!
This was our second night at Disney World on our last. We NEVER could have gotten this great of a photo by just asking a passerby to snap a shot. You can get photos in all four parks, but it doesn’t end there:
If getting iconic pictures in front of main points in the parks isn’t enough to sell you on thisawesome package, look at this photo:
You could NEVER capture a moment like this, halfway down a water slide, without a Photopass Photographer (the people that load all of your photos onto you Memory Maker account). They were standing right there at the bottom of the slide to catch our super happy faces coming down. Memory Maker works at both Disney water parks, Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach as well as the four main parks.
Speaking of catching happy faces- did I mention Memory Maker includes ride photos? Yep! Say goodbye to the days of spending a half hour in line after the ride for a chance to see your photos, then having to decide if the picture’s good enough to warrant wallets for grandparents, an 8 x 10 for the living room, etc. Now, all you have to do is bump your Magic Band against the Mickey head below your photo, wait for Mickey to turn green and you’re good to go! You can decide on what sizes you want later, even years from now, because Memory Maker allows you to download your digital copies of images so that you can keep them- forever! Just make sure you download them soon after getting home, they’re only active on the Memory Maker website for a short amount of time after returning home. (And hopefully you never have a house fire, but if you do, this is a great failsafe to guarantee the family photos are saved, as you can upload them to Facebook or a dropbox for safekeeping). Another thing I love about the Memory Maker as far as ride photos go is that it’s unlimited, so if your family rides Tower of Terror 3 times, you can pick the funniest picture to display. How many times have you bought the first ride photo you took on a ride, only to have a much better one later on? Those days are beyond you now!
So now that you’re practically salivating over this awesome deal, let me tell you how it works!
Essentially, you buy Memory Maker and have it added to your Magic Band. (If you buy it online with your tickets, it will be automatically discounted and added to your Magic Band). After that, just look for the Disney Photographers all around the Parks. They will have a tripod set up and can often be found near (though at some distance for photographing, obviously) iconic places like Cinderella’s Castle, The Epcot Globe, etc. You can also find them at Typhoon Lagoon (where my above photo was taken) and Blizzard Beach. Just walk up to the photographer after the photo is taken and they will scan your magic band, loading the photo onto it. Then when you get home you log on to your Memory Maker account, download your photos, and that’s it!
*Fun fact! If you are planning a vacation to the “Big Three” in Orlando (Seaworld, Disney World, and Universal) both Seaworld and Universal do similar programs! Here’s a ride photo from Universal’s Photo Connect:
As you can see, we take shooter rides VERY seriously.
All in all, Memory Maker is for just about everyone. If you’re only going for a day or two, or if you’re an Annual Passholder, you may be the exception. It really just depends on how much you care about high quality photos from your trip!
Walt Disney World is one of the most popular places to vacation in the world. With 4 full-scale theme parks at its disposal, it is no wonder that people travel from all over the world for the amazing experience of attending one or more of these parks. With 4 theme parks, two water parks, plus numerous other attractions, such as Fantasia Mini Golf and Disney Quest on Resort Property, one would think that the crowds would disperse nicely and easily all around the resort. In truth, this is absolutely false. Even with constantly raising ticket prices, extras to get into hard ticket events like “Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party”, and ever climbing airfare and gasoline rates, people are still flocking so The Happiest Place on Earth at record numbers. Perhaps most interesting (and most troubling for Imagineers, the people behind the Disney Parks) is that the crowds are steadily increasing year after year, which means that even the slowest seasons are becoming unbearably crowded. The crowds cause 3 hour ride lines and force the parks to be shut down due to being at maximum capacity. This sort of thing can lead to unhappy guests, unhappy cast members, and an unhappy environment. As you can see in the chart below, attendance is steadily rising every year. Even with raising ticket prices, people from all over the world are flocking to Walt Disney World in record numbers. Eventually, the parks will get too full to hold all these people.
So what’s the solution?
For several years, Disney has raised their ticket prices. Undeterred, guests have still entered the parks at record- breaking rates. As you can see from the chart included in this post, Magic Kingdom is by far the most popular park, well on its way to doubling the attendance rates of both Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios. Even for those two parks, attendance was over 10 MILLION in 2013. Since it’s only gone up in the last five years, one can predict it will continue to do so. In which case, we are going to need somewhere to put these people. Where better than a fifth amusement park? When one looks at the numbers, it is clear that Magic Kingdom is by far the most popular. We can see from this that guests like the Magic, the castle, the fairytales, etc. So, how can that be integrated into a fifth park, while making it different enough from the Magic Kingdom?
The answer: The Dark Kingdom.
Of all the rumors going around for potential expansion ideas, this one is by far the fan favorite (and my own). There is a great article on the Dis Boards right now about the potential for this park and what it would entail.
A lot of people wonder why the park never took off. Here’s a great forum listing the reasons why not
Essentially, the Dark Kingdom would be the Magic Kingdom turned on its head. Instead of Cinderella’s (or Aurora’s, if you’re thinking Disneyland) castle in the center, Maleficent’s castle would reign above the park. Rides, attractions, and eateries based on the likes of Captain Hook, Ursula, Scar, and the evil Stepsisters would populate the park. The Dark Kingdom once seemed like a very real possible idea of the Imagineers, but has recently been put on that back burner for projects like Avatarland at Animal Kingdom and whatever they are closing things in preparation for at Hollywood studios (quite honestly, likely Star Wars Land).
It sure isn’t for a lack of space that Disney has kept the Dark Kingdom from becoming reality. Read this great discussion of how much unused land exists and what could be done with it.
The Dark Kingdom has been extremely popular with fans. Any time it is brought up on a forum like the ones I’ve linked to throughout this post or a comment thread it seems to explode with life- with those both vehemently for and vehemently against the park. Some think it would be too much for one park. Mothers of young children worry it would be “too scary,” even though young children aren’t the intended audience for this park. Although the Dark Kingdom never went into development, people have begun to get anxious to see it built, especially with the recent announcement of the already unpopular Avatarland and the depleted look of Hollywood Studios (for now) people have started turning back to this old concept. I personally think this would do really well. People love patterns and parallels. Having a Dark version of Magic Kingdom would add a lot for families with older children (who are increasing in attendance every year) and spark interest in those who haven’t been for awhile. Recently, villain merchandise has really taken off in stores, everything from new makeup lines to villain centric events in the parks (Villains Unleashed) have been embraced. It’s time to build the Dark Kingdom, Disney. They’ve got the idea, they’ve got the support, now all they need is the guts.
P.S. Here are two forums where the Dark Kingdom was discussed within the last few years. It is interesting to see people’s different stances on it (and the conflicting information people seem to believe surrounding it):
Fastpass. Advanced Dining Reservations. 180 day mark. Hopper Pass. Monorail loop. What does it all mean? Whether you’re going to Disney for your first time or your one hundredth time, it can be incredibly overwhelming and confusing to plan a trip. Going to Disney certainly isn’t cheap- and the last thing you want to do is spend thousands of dollars to wander around a crowded theme park in one hundred degree heat and humidity in a confused haze wondering if you’ll ever find a place to eat that isn’t already full and why some people are getting to go in a faster line! Walt Disney World’s Website and Disneyland’s Website, though awesome resources, aren’t always the most first-timer friendly sites, and one may find him or herself needing a more plain English explanation of what’s going on!
That’s why I’m here!
From ages four to fourteen, I went to Walt Disney World four times. At ages thirteen and fourteen, I was given the great honor of performing on a Disney stage as a participant with dance in Magic Music Days, a program that brings some of the most talented young performers from across the country to perform at the most magical place on earth. This experience became especially precious to me after a career ending injury took me off the stage for good at age 15. The last stage I ever performed on was a Disney one, and I can’t think of a better way to end a career.
At fifteen, I got to go to Disneyland for the first time- wow! What an experience! To see Walt’s light on and to see the original Sleeping Beauty Castle is a breathtaking experience for any Disney fan. To talk where he walked- to see what he saw… there’s nothing like it!
My next Disney experience didn’t come until I was twenty years old. I took my then boyfriend (now fiancé!) to Walt Disney World for the first time. I knew he was the one when he started crying when he saw Main Street USA and Cinderella’s Castle for the First time. He’s not an emotional guy, but he was just blown away in that moment. That time, we stayed at my mom’s timeshare, and though it was beautiful, I think it was the last time we will ever stay offsite.
And now here I am at almost twenty two, just weeks away from my next Disney Trip to Walt Disney World! This one’s a little different for multiple reasons. 1) We are getting our Engagement Photos taken in Epcot. 2) This is the first time Kevin (my fiancé) and I will be doing the entire vacation alone and 3) Drumroll please…. WE WILL BECOME ANNUAL PASS HOLDERS! We are moving to Atlanta in May. Since we will be barely 6 hours from WDW, we decided it was time to take the plunge and buy some APs!
Plans for the future: Our Annual Passes will surely afford us to become experts very quickly on everything related to Walt Disney World, and we plan to make an effort to visit Disneyland at least every other year as well (including a possibly, our honeymoon). Oh, and did I mention we’re planning a wedding on Disney’s private island Castaway Cay during a cruise on the Disney Magic in 2016? Yep. So… lots of future plans are on the way there as well! If you have a question that I haven’t answered on my blog, you can contact me via my twitter (embedded in the home page) or you can also check out Chip and Co, a professional Disney fan site.
Disney is a wonderful place, and with the proper planning, it can be a truly carefree vacation. Trust me when I tell you, with every passing year it becomes less and less possible to “just wing it” at Disney World! Nothing breaks my heart more than seeing a little girl all excited to meet her favorite character or dine at Cinderella’s Castle, only to be disappointed because her parents didn’t know you need to have VERY advanced reservations to eat at the castle or check the times for character meet and greets. It can be disappointing for all-adult parties, too. There are great resources one can use to ask real people for help, such as The Dis Boards, but even these can be full of acronyms or terms like ADR and 180 day mark that can confuse those who aren’t seasoned veterans. And if you are one of those seasoned veterans, you may still want to get your Disney fix in a way other than watching your vacation planning video on repeat (Don’t lie, we all know you do it!) No matter whether you’re a first timer or a pro, I hope to be able to provide you with some useful info and interesting material that will help you from the magical moment you decide to plan your trip to the final “See ya real soon!” As you pull out of Lake Buena Vista Drive or Disneyland Drive. Let’s get started!
