![\"22007403_10155632025665600_9182615737993097807_n1\"](\"https:\/\/cdn2.hubspot.net\/hubfs\/3295812\/Imported_Blog_Media\/22007403_10155632025665600_9182615737993097807_n1.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
The first time I had ever been to the most magical place on earth was almost 2 years ago with my husband\u2019s side of the family. There was 10 of us all together including FIVE<\/u><\/strong> boys aged 10 years old and under. Let me tell you, it was a BLAST! Super crazy busy and tiring\u2026but a trip we\u2019ll never forget.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Now, full disclosure here – I grew up watching Disney movies and all, but I was never what you would call a huge Disney fan. In all honesty, I\u2019ve watched more Disney movies since becoming a parent than I did when I was growing up. So, when we went to Disney World, I was mostly excited for my boys. I was excited to watch them see the castle for the first time! I was excited to see their little faces when they met their favourite characters. I was excited to hear them scream and laugh on rides! And Disney didn\u2019t disappoint. It was amazing! But something happened on that trip that I never would have ever expected;<\/p>\n It was ME<\/u><\/strong> who fell in love with Disney World!<\/p>\n So, after that trip, we decided that we wanted to plan a trip of our own \u2013 just the 4 of us \u2013 and take it all in at a slower pace. And we wanted to do it while our boys were still young and in complete awe of the place. That being said, I\u2019m a grown adult and I\u2019m in complete awe of the place, so you\u2019re truly never too old for Disney! We did our research, planned our trip\u2026and we loved every minute of it! (Minus a few meltdowns of course! More on that later.)<\/p>\n We returned from our trip earlier this month, and since I know a lot of you reading this are thinking it\u2019s just not financially possible to take your family to Disney World, (because I thought that, too!) I wanted to share a few tips I\u2019ve learned from our trip to help make your family\u2019s dreams come true!<\/p>\n Here are 4<\/u><\/strong> things you should keep in mind when planning a trip to Disney World;<\/p>\n RESORT<\/strong> \u2013 For those unfamiliar with Disney, there are 3 types of resort categories; Deluxe, Moderate and Value. We stayed at a Value resort. Yes, because it\u2019s cheaper. But also because it was sports themed and we are a family of sports lovers! We also know most of our time in Disney will be spent in the parks, so why spend a fortune on a resort? You can also stay outside of Disney and probably save a few bucks, but I enjoy the perks that come with staying on Disney property. (magic hours, Disney transportation, free parking, etc.)<\/p>\n TIME OF YEAR<\/strong> \u2013 There are peak times at Disney. If you hate over-spending (and massive crowds) don\u2019t go near any major holidays, (especially Christmas) and stay away during the summer months. The parks are packed and it\u2019s more expensive. Also, keep weather in mind. Florida is HOT! It felt like 43 for the entire week we were there in late September\/early October. We still had loads of fun, but we decided if we were to go again, we would go when it\u2019s cooler.<\/p>\n FOOD<\/strong> \u2013 Disney food isn\u2019t cheap. We chose to go in September during their \u2018Free Dining\u2019 promotion \u2013 which they usually have every year for specific dates August through December. Essentially, you get the Quick Serve Disney Dining Plan for FREE<\/u>! If you don\u2019t think the dining plan will work for you, you can also bring your own food, or pay for food as you go. For this one, I highly suggest you do your research and decide what makes sense based on your family\u2019s size and eating habits.<\/p>\n TRANSPORTATION<\/strong> \u2013 Obviously, flying costs more. But it makes sense if driving 22+ hours doesn\u2019t excite you. The first time we went, we flew down. This last time, we drove. It\u2019s costs way less to drive because gas in the states is cheap. But keep in mind, we like driving and we hate airports. So, we actually prefer driving over flying. But not everybody does. Decide what makes sense for your family and your budget.<\/p>\n If you keep these 4 things in mind when planning your trip, it will definitely help you stay close to your budget. And you don\u2019t need thousands of dollars up front<\/u><\/strong> to book your Disney vacation. All you need is a $200 deposit and then the rest isn\u2019t due until a month before you arrive. You can make payments online whenever you want for however much you want \u2013 as long as it\u2019s paid in full a month before you arrive. It\u2019s super flexible. You can also cancel online before a certain window and get a full refund if for some reason you\u2019re unable to go.<\/p>\n One non-budget thing to keep in mind is\u2026meltdowns<\/u>. They will happen. Yes, it\u2019s the happiest, most magical place on earth, but telling your kids \u201cthere\u2019s no crying in Disney\u201d doesn\u2019t always work. (Trust me!) There WILL be tears, there WILL be whining, there WILL be arguing. It could be due to heat, hunger, exhaustion \u2013 or all of the above. And it won\u2019t be just your kids!<\/p>\n I witnessed a 3-year-old girl dressed up in a beautiful princess dress and sparkly tiara scream her way through the line of \u201cIt\u2019s a Small World\u201d. They\u2019re still kids no matter where they are. Plan downtime. Don\u2019t exhaust yourselves. Take breaks to cool off or have a snack.<\/p>\n I\u2019m not a \u201cDisney Expert\u201d. I haven\u2019t been there enough to be called that. I\u2019m just an average Mom who wanted to let other parents know that\u2026it IS<\/u><\/strong> possible to take your family to Disney on a budget. We did it, and we would do it again in a heartbeat! (Or when Star Wars land opens in 2019!)<\/p>\n I hope these tips were helpful, and if you have any Disney tips of your own \u2013 I would LOVE to hear them!<\/p>\n Have a magical day! <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The first time I had ever been to the most magical place on earth was almost 2 years ago with my husband\u2019s side of the family. There was 10 of us all together including FIVE boys aged 10 years old and under. Let me tell you, it was a BLAST! Super crazy busy and tiring\u2026but<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-744","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-mom-moments","7":"category-parenting"},"yoast_head":"\n