So in Part I, you read the riveting saga of how and why my parents agreed to meet my family (Party of 3, at that time) at Walt Disney World. In this post I will include my Top 4 Reasons why I recommend that your family does so, too!
My parents live in a different state, so they flew down separately and met us at the All-Star Movies Resort, where we had booked our 7 day package (3 of them FREE! THIS is what I lose sleep over ... please, please, PLEEEASE bring that off season deal back, Disney!! Please and thank you.)
If you have not been to WDW, they have "value" resorts with affordable prices that I guarantee will pleasantly surprise you. They are a hustling, bustling blast and frankly have more Disney theming than the other, more expensive resorts on property. I'll save that analysis for another post.
If you have not been to WDW, they have "value" resorts with affordable prices that I guarantee will pleasantly surprise you. They are a hustling, bustling blast and frankly have more Disney theming than the other, more expensive resorts on property. I'll save that analysis for another post.
Let's get to the report, shall we?
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| My mom and dad bought those Minnie Ears especially for ME - but did I get to wear them? Jeeez. |
Top 4 reasons to bring grandparents along on your WDW trip:
1. Babysitter for that Date Night Out.
I know you guys figured this one out on your own. Ah-hah! You're absolutely right. My husband and I are officially Childcare Challenged, and we never, ever have date nights. Shame, shame on us. I know, right?
We were able to head to EPCOT for their 3 Extra Magic Hours one evening, just the two of us! Never would have done that with a bedraggled, exhausted 4 year old along.
So we strolled romantically through the countries, in the dark, at our own pace. No "will you carry me?"...."I'm tiiiiired!"...."Can I have another 50% cupcake/50% frosting from Germany the SIZE OF MY HEAD??" (ok, my wording, not hers). Peaceful, selfish bliss!
As a side bonus, the evening produced my favorite Disney picture of the two of us ... you have to get a PhotoPass shot in front of Spaceship Earth (the big white ball) if you go to EPCOT at night. "We took a picture earlier today." No, no. That one doesn't count. Looky here ...
I know you guys figured this one out on your own. Ah-hah! You're absolutely right. My husband and I are officially Childcare Challenged, and we never, ever have date nights. Shame, shame on us. I know, right?
We were able to head to EPCOT for their 3 Extra Magic Hours one evening, just the two of us! Never would have done that with a bedraggled, exhausted 4 year old along.
So we strolled romantically through the countries, in the dark, at our own pace. No "will you carry me?"...."I'm tiiiiired!"...."Can I have another 50% cupcake/50% frosting from Germany the SIZE OF MY HEAD??" (ok, my wording, not hers). Peaceful, selfish bliss!
As a side bonus, the evening produced my favorite Disney picture of the two of us ... you have to get a PhotoPass shot in front of Spaceship Earth (the big white ball) if you go to EPCOT at night. "We took a picture earlier today." No, no. That one doesn't count. Looky here ...
Told ya. Wicked cool.
2. Everyone gets to do more of what they like.
Let's face it, in any given cluster of 5 people at Magic Kingdom - they all have things they love, or refuse, to do.
So Nanna accompanied my daughter on rounds 4, 5, and 6 of "it's a small world", and I actually had a wild-ride companion (my dad) to go with me on Space Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Yay!
This flowed surprisingly well, and a good time was had by all.
Let's face it, in any given cluster of 5 people at Magic Kingdom - they all have things they love, or refuse, to do.
So Nanna accompanied my daughter on rounds 4, 5, and 6 of "it's a small world", and I actually had a wild-ride companion (my dad) to go with me on Space Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Yay!
This flowed surprisingly well, and a good time was had by all.
3. Eliminate multiple crabby drivers in a single car - take the bus!
This one falls more under "Why pick WDW for an extended family trip?". And it's a plus that didn't occur to me until the 1 day in the middle of our trip when we rented a car to go see the ocean. Bam! There was the irritable tension back again.
Oh, it came from me ... I'll admit. My dad wasn't driving the right speed. He didn't select the right parking spot. Blah, blah, blah ... minor transgressions, all.
But it made me realize how stress-free it had been to have us all hop on the bus, all day every day, to get where we wanted to go. This is a HUGE perk of staying on property.
This one falls more under "Why pick WDW for an extended family trip?". And it's a plus that didn't occur to me until the 1 day in the middle of our trip when we rented a car to go see the ocean. Bam! There was the irritable tension back again.
Oh, it came from me ... I'll admit. My dad wasn't driving the right speed. He didn't select the right parking spot. Blah, blah, blah ... minor transgressions, all.
But it made me realize how stress-free it had been to have us all hop on the bus, all day every day, to get where we wanted to go. This is a HUGE perk of staying on property.
4. Go Celebrate Something Together!
This trip allowed us to celebrate our joint wedding anniversaries in a most festive style - their 40th, and our 6th. Boy, you put that little Mickey and Minnie "Happy Anniversary!" button on and the well wishes just pour in steady! Fun, fun, fun! I can't say enough good things about this aspect of our experience. Disney really tries to make you feel special.
They have many fun buttons, for many varied occasions that call for celebrating. I'm sure your family can find something to celebrate at Disney together, too!
They have many fun buttons, for many varied occasions that call for celebrating. I'm sure your family can find something to celebrate at Disney together, too!
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| Celebrating with surf 'n turf at Narcoosee's - followed by firework watching from the deck. THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT! |
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If you missed Part I of this story, you can read it here "Don't Forget the Backup ... Bringing Grandparents Along to Disney"
Coming next week ... "The Modern Day Prince Charming"
Sounds like you had wonderful trip! It's been a really long time since I've been to WDW!
ReplyDeleteSorry ... I am a little slow on the uptake. Am just figuring out that I should have been responding to the people that were kind enough to post a comment!
ReplyDeletealissa - thanks for reading. I am obviously a big advocate of WDW vacations! You should give it a shot again sometime, it's surprisingly fun even as a grown up :)