A Little Positivity, Please!

[SCDisneyfanatic]

I have been to WDW many times with my now grown up kids. Planning a trip with my sister-in-law who has two young children who will be 6 and 2 at the time of our trip. Although my family always has an amazing time going as all adults, it is going to be so
magical to see Disney again thru the eyes of little children. We plan to do the princess breakfast in Norway in EPCOT and see Mickey Mouse and friends at a character breakfast at Topolinos at the Riveria.

My absolute favorite thing at WDW is watching the nighttime fireworks show at MK. So magical!

Please tell me more about this Princess breakfast in Norway...what's it called and how do we get a spot?

 

[jenrose66]

Can we have a thread where people just post hopeful or positive things about their trip planning?

I’m planning our first big trip as a blended family and am just over the moon happy about it. Picturing standing in front of the castle with our famiy watching a fireworks show - Any fireworks show - makes me tear up

I’m going with my mom in January for 8 days! It’s been 4 years since we went last and I’m turning 40. Looking very forward to seeing some new rides and trying some special treats.

I am looking forward to the new night time shows and I may be in the minority but I’m not bothered by Disney Genie. I am planning on using standby lines and just using the time we wait to be present and spend quality time with my mom. We lost my grandma about a year ago and you just never know how much time you have. I’m grateful my husband encourages me to take this time.

My mom visited last night and we picked out matching castle magic bands. Can’t wait

 

[goofyernmost]

As far as attitude is concerned when trying to wade through a whole lot of detailed needs when planning a trip it reminds me of an old saying we used to use way back in the last century.

When you are up to your butt in alligators it is hard to remember that your original intention was to drain the swamp.

It can sometimes get very confusing and make people transmit negative thoughts. No matter how much fun you might have when you get there you find that trying to get there is sometimes less then fun.

 

[lblume91]

We have a trip booked for Christmas 2022, which is sooo far away but we are all super excited about it! Our three girls grew up going every year or two. As they got older and life got busier, we just weren't able to keep going that often so our last trip was in 2017. Our upcoming trip will include our daughters' significant others, which will make for a whole new experience. I am excited to see all our favorites but also all the things that are new since our last visit. My husband is just looking forward to 'Ohana...

 

[BroadwayHermione5]

As my dad always says, even if something bad happens and as good as it is to go home, we will always look forward to going back!
Hopefully by our next trip in 2023, all the craziness of the past two years will be somewhat forgotten (Covid will never go away but hopefully it will just be something we are conscious of and get boosters for if necessary). Things do indeed change, it is in fact part of the circle of life (no Disney reference intended), but hopefully we can embrace the new changes, decide for ourselves what works for us, and remember we are all just humans trying to enjoy our happy place.

To end on a positive note: I would like to say to the staff at Trattoria al Forno who helped us immensely with all the reservation/plane time change chaos a huge thank you! They truly made the best of the situation and helped us immensely. The excellent food was just a bonus!

 

[Turksmom]

Please tell me more about this Princess breakfast in Norway...what's it called and how do we get a spot?

Akershus and it hasn't reopened yet, but fingers crossed! I scheduled it for the very first thing we did when we took our kids for the first time (after making them think we were breaking into someone else's hotel room T AoA. Surprise trip, they thought we were just looking at the resort before a day at the park.) It was so magical. In the excitement I had forgotten the autograph books and one of the CMs brought over note cards and pens, so we could still get autographs!

 

[Christopher Rydberg]

I have been to WDW many times with my now grown up kids. Planning a trip with my sister-in-law who has two young children who will be 6 and 2 at the time of our trip. Although my family always has an amazing time going as all adults, it is going to be so
magical to see Disney again thru the eyes of little children. We plan to do the princess breakfast in Norway in EPCOT and see Mickey Mouse and friends at a character breakfast at Topolinos at the Riveria.

My absolute favorite thing at WDW is watching the nighttime fireworks show at MK. So magical!

One of the odd ironies for me, since I've been married, my family has made it to Disney 4 times, but we have never seen the typical magic kingdom fireworks. We've done Mickey not-so-scary Halloween and the Christmas party fireworks, but with little kids, those were one offs that we did extended nap times before. We finally have annual passes, not activated ye, but are looking forward to the fireworks

 

[SCDisneyfanatic]

I find that most things in life are dictated by one's attitude. Go into your trip with a positive attitude that you will do what you can and enjoy it all, your trip will be a success. We are taking our 2 granddaughters (4 yo and 2 yo) the week after next. Will the parks be crowded? Probably. Will we get to do everything we want to let them experience? Probably not! But we will enjoy every minute of being with them and being at the place Where Dreams Come True!! They don't know what they have or have not missed...they will just be overwhelmed with everything around them. It's like when you get a child a Christmas gift and they end up playing with the box more than the gift...that's because it all intrigues them. Enjoy your time...breathe through your eyelids when you start to feel stressed...just enjoy being there and being with your loved ones!! Good luck!! May your adventure be totally awesome and completely blessed!!!

 

[Chuck96]

I continue to find these forums pretty positive, although I genuinely understand your plea. It's been a tough few months in general, and a tough few months of announcements. All of that said, it's easy for folks to get frustrated and vent online, and that is tough when you are looking for some energy or advice when planning. And planning is one of the best parts of a Disney vacation for me.

We went at the end of September for a visit to the World. Stayed at a new resort (Beach Club via rented DVC points), rode the Skyliner and Runaway Railway for the first time, went to Boo Bash, did a day at Food and Wine, and mostly enjoyed each other's company. We also watched Happily Ever After for the first time in a long time (before Boo Bash), and overall had a pretty great time. I still have tons of gripes. I still don't think Chapek is the right leader for the company. I still think Disney is overbranding. And I'll make those comments as approrpia

 

[roxymama]

A lot of what I get anxious about are things that I'm trying to plan to make my travel party's life easy or happy so that they keep wanting to come back to Disney...so that I can keep having future trips. I get very caught up in "this new thing ruined my plans to make everyone happy." I think sometimes I need to step back and remember that the whole point is for me to enjoy the trip too. And usually when I remember the "best moments" of past trips; they aren't at a particular hard to get restaraunt or on a ride that I booked FP for months in advance, they are in the moments together when everyone was happy. On a balcony lounging, being goofy in a gift shop, dancing to the piped in park music, telling funny stories late at night to each other, getting giddy to see a character from afar, swimming in the pool, etc. So that's a good reminder for me to get excited about those things.

 

[Delilah1310]

We are headed there for the week pre-Christmas.
SO excited to return to Biergarten, which is a favorite of the whole fam.

And this may sound silly, but I am excited to return to the parks after watching the Imagineering Story - I think just having all the background information will help me see places in the parks in a whole different way!

Safe travels everyone! Hope you all have a great time!

 

[SCDisneyfanatic]

A lot of what I get anxious about are things that I'm trying to plan to make my travel party's life easy or happy so that they keep wanting to come back to Disney...so that I can keep having future trips. I get very caught up in "this new thing ruined my plans to make everyone happy." I think sometimes I need to step back and remember that the whole point is for me to enjoy the trip too. And usually when I remember the "best moments" of past trips; they aren't at a particular hard to get restaraunt or on a ride that I booked FP for months in advance, they are in the moments together when everyone was happy. On a balcony lounging, being goofy in a gift shop, dancing to the piped in park music, telling funny stories late at night to each other, getting giddy to see a character from afar, swimming in the pool, etc. So that's a good reminder for me to get excited about those things.

Love this post. My #1 daughter is a lot like you...she gets anxious about trying to make things perfect for the family. It has taken years, but I have slowly indoctrinated her into the idea that the moments that will mean the most are the ones that are spontaneous. Yes, do proper planning to have a solid plan...I always do that as well. But realize the plan is just a guide not a roadmap. It gets you going in the right direction but a detour here and there can be quite awesome!! For the record: your family greatly appreciates you taking time to plan! Bravo!!

 

[loves to dive]

I'm very excited for our granddaughter's first visit. She will be 5 months old at the time. The rest, not so much.

Went in Sept. with my 5 month old grand daughter and her parents (my son and his SO). It was certainly different as it was the first time I've been with an infant (my son was just shy of 3 when we started going). A lot less time in the parks but she knows Mickey Mouse since she watches it all day long on TV. Bought her her first MM plush toy, a small one, and she wanted it with her at all times.

 

[SullyD13]

Our trip isn’t until May and we can’t wait! I’m eyeing all the 50th snacks. My favorite thing about each Disney World trip is that they are all so different and unique and hold their own special memories, even creating new traditions or “things we have to do every trip now” - even though technically we’re just doing “another Disney World” trip. Also there’s so much to do that we always find something new to us. Last time it was Amorette’s - how I’ve never gone in there before I don’t know but now it’s a must, even if it’s just to stare at the pastry and dessert art. Even not perfect things turn into positive/funny memories - like the freezing storm that hit in January and we had to leave MK after a few hours because we were so cold and ended up hanging out at our hotel and ordering in pizza because of no restaurant availability on site.

This next trip will be our third trip as DVC and we couldn’t be happier with our decision to join. We’re from California and Disney World feels much more magical to us.

 

[b00kbug]

We have our Welcome Home trip booked for August - can't wait!

We really bought into it because my son has multiple food allergies, and Disney is the first place we felt we could breathe and just be normal for a while. Since our last trip, my son has grown out of a few allergies, so on our August trip, he'll be able to have his first Mickey ice cream! I cant wait!

 

[AnnabelleTheTalkingTree]

While I think it's natural that some (myself included) are feeling a little disheartened by some of the recent changes, don't let it ruin your experience. Disney is a wonderful vacation, a wonderful memory, and a wonderful experience.

I have traveled a fair bit, but even as an adult there is no vacation that gives me that kid-on-Christmas-morning excitement like Disney does! Last trip I CRIED on the way to the back to the airport. For reference, I am a grown woman. It was my first trip there as a parent, and that experience was just like nothing else. Watching your children experience the magic, seeing the looks on their faces when they see their favorite characters..... I am literally getting teary right now just thinking about it. You are going to have a fabulous time!

My best advice is just.... don't expect to do everything. Disney World is roughly the size of San Francisco. You wouldn't go to San Francisco and expect to do everything in one trip. Same applies to Disney. Remember it's vacation - be flexible, don't sweat the small stuff. Make sure to eat MANY MANY Mickey waffles, get Memory Maker if you can afford it because those pictures are priceless.

I'm so excited for you, your first trip is going to knock your socks off!

 

[loves to dive]

We have been going for nigh onto 37 years. My son went his first time when he was just shy of 3 and has gone at least once every other year since, and some years he has been once a year. I was a single mom so it was a tradition for us. For the past 10 years, I take at least one solo trip a year (did have to skip a year for Covid).

Has it changed in 37 years, well of course but then so have I and certainly so has my son. Is it better or worse? Not for us, it's just different. We still love it, higher prices, masks or no masks, hard to get ADRs, long lines, makes no difference to us, we are at Disney. I went in April solo, my first trip back since Feb. of 2020 just before the close down and just about cried when I drove onto property. Then you had to wear a mask at all times even outdoors, it was fine. Lots of things weren't open and there were no shows, it was fine.

I was there again in Sept. with my son, his SO and their baby. It was my son's SO's first time at Epcot. Are there a lot of construction walls? Yes, did she mind? No. She fell in love with Epcot, she had only been to the other parks once and that was all in one day so obviously she hadn't done a lot. Did she get to ride a lot of rides? Of course not, we had a baby so could only be in the parks about 3 or 4 hours in the morning and a couple of hours early evening. She still loved it. We aren't planners, which helps right now so we just did what we could, did child swap a few times and I stayed with the baby a few times without child swap so they could ride rides I really didn't need to. It was hot, it was crowded, tempers may have flared between mama and daddy, the baby had one night when she was going to cry no matter what (I sent them to the hotel bar and stayed with her, standing in front of the TV with cartoons on since that was the only thing that semi calmed her for about a hour and half until I got her to sleep), things were closed, you had to wear a mask on rides in 90 degree heat. Did we have a good time? You betcha, she loved it, the baby loved riding Figment and CoP and the Safari and seeing the little parades.

I'm going back, solo, in December and even with all the challenges and changes, am still looking forward to it and know I will still enjoy myself.

 

[mommy2mrb]

Going over Christmas (finally)! Cancelled trip last Christmas. Know it’s going to be crazy (been many times) just excited for the food, decorations and having the time with my DD.

 

[Aimeedyan]

We live fairly close and go often (several times a month, many of which are long weekend overnight trips) and I honestly still get excited every time we drive under the Walt Disney World sign. It never gets old for me, even with park changes I don't like.

We leave again this weekend for another 4 day trip and I can't wait!

One of my favorite things is to watch the "1st trip" people react to the things I know are coming because I've seen it/ridden it 400 times.

 

[CBMom01]

We are headed there for the week pre-Christmas.
SO excited to return to Biergarten, which is a favorite of the whole fam.

And this may sound silly, but I am excited to return to the parks after watching the Imagineering Story - I think just having all the background information will help me see places in the parks in a whole different way!

Safe travels everyone! Hope you all have a great time!

The Imagineering story and Behind the Attraction had the same effect on me