A Pocketful of Pixie Dust

Photo by d4rr3ll

I’ve mentioned previously the English family we saw eating breakfast in Perkins when they should have been in the parks already. Well that family - and many others we saw on that trip - are the reason I started this site. There isn’t a day that goes by at Disney World when you don’t see one family or another complaining that it’s not the magical trip they thought it would be. And it really doesn’t have to be that way!

There are numerous guidebooks and websites that will share the secrets to making a trip to Disney World the magical experience that Walt wanted it to be; yet still people arrive at the gates hours after opening with no plan.

It’s because of those books and sites that I’ve not written as much on this site as I anticipated; after all I use those resources so why wouldn’t everyone else? Why would people come here instead?

But I read a post over on the DISBoards today that made be realise something - the people who use those resources are planners - they already understand that something has to be done before their trips and they are happy to get on the web and search for that information. But there is an element of truth in the saying - you don’t know what you don’t know - and the DISBoards can be overwhelming with it’s numerous threads on the pros and cons of resorts, attractions, restaurants…

So I’m going to keep it simple - and share the basic things you need to think about before a trip… and when you get there and experience the magic then you’ll be ready and eager to hit those other sites to help you plan the second… and the third…
Here’s the post that sums up why you absolutely - definitely - need to plan your trip to visit the Mouse - please don’t let this be your response after that much looked-forward-to and potentially expensive holiday!

the typical day for us went like this:
wake up anywhere between 8-9
get kids dressed and brushed routine
breakfast in the condo
pull out of condo around 10-10:30
hit one of the parks 10:30-11:00 (that is if toddler was not napping, in which case, we would drive around so as not to wake her up
We MIGHT get on one ride before lunch
eat lunch around 12:30 at one of the awful in-park dining venues
toddler naps again, maybe two of us hit a ride while one adult watches her
trudge around the park with kids whining and complaining maybe hit one more ride until it is about 5:00, at which time we pack up and leave to go get dinner (3 nights we hit Carrabba’s - reliable decent food).
we hit the Brown Derby one night (Christmas eve - it sucked and it was a horrible tantrum meal), one night we hit Tchoup Chop in one of the hotels in Universal (an Emeril place) it was pretty good but that was Christmas day and we PIGGED out at a Hotel Christmas Brunch, so not much room for dinner.
two afternoons, we didn’t even go to a park, but played in the pool at the condo (which the kids seemed to like more than the parks)
saturday we had the character breakfast, just a buffet at chef mickey’s. no champagne.

one highlight for me at least was getting to see and take pics with Lightning McQueen and Tow-Mater - full size vehicles.. really cool!

all in all, a total and complete waste of time and money. I hope they have some kind of fond recollection of the excursion. I am not sure when, if ever, I will return to that place.

i now need a vacation…

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