Apparently if you take your kid to Disney World four times in five years (Which, OMG. Spoiled much?) (YES.), people get the impression that you maybe know a thing or two about planning a Disney vacation.
Um, no.
Each time we go, I find a dozen things I didn't know, come across ideas for the future, and change my opinion on stuff that I thought I had all figured out. It's kind of funny because Disney World is full of "experts" who are more than willing to do things like argue with you that the 3:00 parade starts at 2:00, are animate that they rode the monorail to Downtown Disney, and are all too willing to tell you that they saw a Tweety Bird t-shirt in the store that morning and where did it go? (All actual "discussions" I had with guests when I worked at Walt Disney World in college.) (People are stupid.)
Anyway, while I'm no expert, a few people have asked me to post some Disney tips. I'm going to do exactly that in the next few days. Which, if you find it boring and annoying, BLAME THEM. It wasn't my idea. I'm just too lazy to write the same email more than twice, so posting it is.
Tip #1: Remind yourself frequently why you're going, and then remind yourself why you're there constantly.
Are you going to have fun? Are you going because you want your kid to have fun? Are you going just to get a break from the every day? It doesn't matter what your why is, you just need to keep it in mind.
For example, there is this thing that I saw when I worked there that used to drive me absolutely crazy. People feel like they have to squeeze every possible second out of Disney World. It costs a crap-ton of money to be there, so they make sure they are there when the first park opens in the morning, drag their kid to another park until late into the night, and then head over to Downtown Disney until it closes at midnight or later. If you think about it, dragging a kid around anywhere (even the happiest place on earth) 16-18 hours in a day is a recipe for disaster. I saw way more disasters than I could ever begin to count. Tired, exhausted kids would get drug all through the store, screaming and crying. The parents would be annoyed and yelling at the kids for being crabby. Then the parent would complain that they were spending all that money so the kids could have a good time, but look at all that sobbing!
The thing is, you're there for the experience. You want to remember that experience as a good thing.
Set yourself up for a good experience (read: RELAXING!) and then be willing to change your plans if you find things going downhill. If you start seeing faces like this:
It is time to regroup. Go back to the hotel (you are paying for it, after all--why not make use of it?), sit down for a meal, do something. Just don't jump in a long line thinking that riding Space Mountain is going to fix it all. Misery multiplies when it's waiting in a line.
(Side track: the story behind the teary photo is that She Who Wouldn't Stop Running once again decided to find out the hard way that I was giving good advice when I told her it wasn't safe to run in the park. She crashed into an older boy at full speed, knocking both herself and him over. He was totally fine, as was she, except that she was horribly embarrassed. Also, she HATES it when I'm right. Thus, sob city for about half an hour.)
So. Relax. Enjoy yourself. Don't stress out. Don't be afraid to change plans if the situation warrants. Know why you're there and remind yourself of it often.
And just have fun.
More tips to come, but if you have a specific question, ask it in comments or on Facebook please and thank you and y'all are the bestest.