Magic Kingdom is gorgeous at night. And every evening they perform an electric parade and a light show casting beautiful shadows and images off the castle. It's truly magical 😍

This ride was created by a Boston native- Aerosmith. Rockin Rollercoaster is terrifying. You are seated in a stretched Cadillac and shoot straight into a black tunnel with 80s rock blasting in your ear. Turned upside down and inside out you will literally see your soul ascending to your Heavenly Father. Kenzie loved it of course 🙄

Once we settled in our room we took a ferry to Downtown Disney and had lunch at the T-Rex restaurant. It just finished downpouring and my daughter was trying to smile through the dampness.

We stayed at Port Orleans Riverside in the bayou area and it was the cutest room. A lot of salamanders, but still cute and country!

Planning For The Big Adventure

Planning a trip to Disney is a part-time job in itself. If this is your first time going to Disney, prepare to spend plenty of hours comparing and contrasting resorts, hotels, flights, dining options, theme park packages and more! I didn't realize how involved the overall process of planning a trip to Disney required. With that said, I would suggest giving yourself a solid year to prepare for your trip from beginning to end. Here are few things I did to prepare for my family's magical trip :-)

 1. Talk to friends and family- it's good to connect with individuals that have experienced planning a trip to Disney. I've spoken to dozens of friends and family and learned something useful from everyone!

2. More money doesn't mean more fun- If you decide to stay in a Disney Resort prepare to shell out serious cash for lodging. Disney offers tiered resorts-value, moderate and deluxe, but in all honesty, the lowest tiered resort can seem kinda pricey depending on the time of year you decide to travel. To save some $$$, try looking outside Disney World for hotels and resorts. The price difference is worth entertaining if you're strapped for cash. Many hotels outside of Disney offer shuttle services to Disney theme parks which is great for saving on renting a car and parking at the theme parks. Keep in mind, you don't have to stay in a deluxe resort to experience Disney's magic. Most of your day will be spent in parks or in a pool relaxing. So try spending less on lodging since most of your time will be spent discovering Disney World!

3. My Disney Experience App- Disney really hit it out the park with their app. The app has many features that allow travelers to book dining reservations, Fast Pass, theme park maps and waiting times are all available through the app. Trust me when I say that the app will be your savior while visiting Disney!

4. Book during off-season- There's a science to knowing exactly when to travel to Disney. If you really think about it, there isn't a "good" time to go to Disney. It's busy all year round and most people are considering going during the time you're trying to go- when it's not crowded! But there are certain times where being in the parks are more bearable than others. For instance, Christmas, spring break and end of the school year are the busiest times to travel. When we went on our first trip to Disney we went at the end of July. It was hellishly hot and uncomfortable and the lines were easily over 2 hours long with a fast pass. The trade-off was that the prices to stay in a moderate resort was $100/ night! A family can go in the end of July into September and pay rock bottom prices for resorts, BUT you will have to deal with Florida's summer heat waves and unpredictable thunder-showers. To circumvent the drama, try going Disney in October and January where the lines are shorter and the weather more pleasant. The obvious trade-off would be taking your kids out of school, but let us be honest, the kids won't mind missing a week off from school and you will be forever known as the coolest parents on the block! If you don't want to interrupt your child's school year and don't mind the heat, then July and August would be the best option to save a few hundred dollars on lodging, but be prepared to sweat standing still and hour-long waits for major attractions and dining!

5. Create an itinerary- Most people create itineraries only to not abide by them when they get to their destination. However, Disney is something where a solid schedule will do everyone some good. Disney is packed with activities and attractions that can't be fit into one trip let alone a day. So try and pick activities that you know you can realistically attend and afford. When we went to Disney we planned everything from the dining to which park we were going to spend the day. Disney offer park hopper tickets where you can go to multiple parks in one day. I opted out of using park hoppers since its more money on top of the base park ticket and there is a lot of coordinating and limiting your time in parks due to the rush of wanting to see multiple attractions at different locations. A week stay in Disney warrants a 4-day base pass. This will allow everyone to enter one park a day and have days in between to rejuvenate and enjoy the resort amenities.

These are just the BASICS to planning a successful Disney World trip. I will post more tips in tricks in the future. Stay tuned!

Welcome!

Welcome to my blog! My name is Nik and my blog is dedicated to me and my daughter's (Kenzie) adventure to Walt Disney World in Orlando Florida! Most people experience Disney during their childhood, however, my first trip to Disney was in 2013 at the tender age of 31 years old. Granted my first trip to Disney was through the lens of a paying adult, I was still able to experience the Disney Magic that is celebrated by many Mouseketeers around the world! Throughout the blog, I will post pictures of 4 of the major Disney theme parks- Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios (my favorite). I will also give some tips and tricks on how to maximize your first-time visit to Disney. There are many ways to miss out on magical moments if not fully prepared for your trip. Hopefully, this blog is peaks your interest and you come along on a magical ride through me and Makenzie's trip to Disney!