To Boston, To Boston

(Heading home via Tampa International Airport)

And just like that our amazing adventure had come to an end. The girls were thrilled to be able to wear their princess dresses on the flight home (so much easier than trying to pack them) and we were happy to meet some lovely people on the plane. We had a wonderful time on our trip but goodness, was it fabulous to be back in New England where the weather was cooler!

We learned so much on this, our first Disney trip with littles. So many of our friends with littles the girls ages or younger who have not been to Disney yet have asked us to share what we learned. Here are our take aways from this grand adventure:

1.  If possible go when your youngest child is able to remember this trip for themselves (so about five years old). I was a tough sell on this trip as my first time there was on our honeymoon. We knew coming home after that trip (where we saw loads of little ones in strollers) that whoever was our youngest child (and back then I still thought we'd be having four kids) had to be old enough to remember it for themselves, and not just because they've seen pictures or heard other family members tell stories about it. We are both so glad that we waited to take them (eight and six-and-a-half really was perfect). It will truly be a trip that is talked about by all of us for years to come!

2.  Connect with a Disney travel specialist. Our friend Lori over at TMC Travel-The Mouse Connection is fabulous and I am so glad that we had the inside track on things. If it wasn't for being connected with her we would not have known about the Frozen Summer Fun Premium Package and that would have been a total bummer.

3.  Stay on property. We have a timeshare down there, as do Dave's parents, so we felt that it made sense to stay there. In reality staying on Disney property would have made way more sense and probably saved us loads of money too. We wouldn't have had to rent a car and we wouldn't have found ourselves having a strange buffet of the food we didn't eat on the day we were checking out since we always stayed at the park for lunch (or dinner, or both) more often than not. For those that stay on property there are Extra Magic Hours for after the parks close to the general public. Had we stayed on property rather than off we wouldn't have had to get up early (something that the girls are really not used to doing) and we could have gone back and forth to the room via the monorail as needed. We have already said that next time we go it must be with the agreement that we stay on property.

4. FastPasses. Staying on property also allows you to FastPass the things that you must do sooner (60 days prior in most cases) than those who stay off property (30 days prior). We were not able to secure a FastPass to see Elsa and Anna (thank goodness for the kind soul who hooked us up otherwise there was just no way) since we were off property and by the 30 day mark all FastPasses to see them were taken.

5. Consider a Meal Plan. We didn't and we probably should have. The food at the Disney parks is really good and there's a great variety-many of which are healthy options. We had originally planned to head back for lunch each day (and had bought food to eat the condo because of that). In reality we only had lunch at our resort like once.

6.  Buy the Memory Maker package. At $149 I didn't look at this package at all but goodness do I wish I had (especially since if you buy it at the parks the price is $199)! Those who buy the Memory Maker package are able to get all the pictures taken of them in the parks. If you don't buy the package and you want the pictures you have to pay for each picture you want. If you stop at one of the Disney photogs they even have some cool effects that they can do. Want a photo of your child holding Tinkerbell in their hands? The Disney photogs can make that happen for you! This package is definitely a good buy and one to factor into your budget.

7.  If you have little girls budget a trip to the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique into your planning (it should be noted that there are options for little boys at the boutique too). Do know that you can purchase princess dresses at the boutique (and sometimes the dress styles are different than what is offered in the parks). There are two locations: one in Cinderella's Castle and one in Downtown Disney. Call early if you want to take your littles to the location in the Castle. The packages are pricey but you get a lot of bang for your buck. The kids get to take home whatever was used during their make-over (make up, nail polish, hair brushes etc) in addition to things like their tiaras, barrettes and sashes. The fake hair is indeed just that, fake. We suggest steering the kids toward the option with the bun. That sucker lasts for days! If you go and you have a princess dress already be sure that it's on her before she gets in the chair. It will make your life easier if you do! Trust me on this one.

8.  Wearing princess dresses at Disney as a little girl is just plain fun! Seeing them in their princess dresses and watching as each Disney Cast Member acknowledged them as such ("Hello Queen Elsa! Hello Princess Anna!") and curtsied or bowed as the girls passed by in their royal attire is just amazing. Be sure to bring dresses with you, or buy them when you are there, it really is totally worth it! The same holds true for boys. We saw one boy that came dressed as Captain Jack Sparrow and all the Cast Members that he passed by did not miss a beat! 

9.  Consider having at least one total resort day. Our mid-week pool day was perfect and much needed! We didn't spend nearly enough time at the pool (outside of that one day). I do believe that had we stayed on property we would have actually scored much more pool time too.

10. Make sure that you build in downtime for your littles (and yourselves). If you have littles that still nap head back to your room for their naps. And if you have littles who are used to mid-day quiet time head back for that too. It will be beneficial to all involved to have that downtime and then they'll be ready to go back for more. Try to stick to your normal family rhythm of as much as possible. It makes each day go so much better and it makes the return to home much easier too.

11.  Don't feel like you need to be at a fireworks show every night. We saw the Frozen fireworks (as part of our premium package) and then returned at the end of the week for the Electrical Light Parade (we did not stay around for the Magic Kingdom fireworks after). I think if we had done any more than that it would have been too much for all of us.

12. Choose a couple of parks and focus on those. The girls really loved Epcot, and Hollywood Studios was loved simply because of the Frozen Summer Fun day. I think they enjoyed Magic Kingdom but honestly after the awesomeness of the Frozen day everything else kinda paled in comparison. I'm glad that we didn't try to fit Animal Kingdom or one of the water parks in to this week as well.

13.  Keep in mind that tickets now expire fourteen days after first use. That is unless you purchase the No Expiration option. They will still honor unused days from years ago though so if you have tickets from back in the day do bring them with you.

14. Be prepared to be choked up watching your kids experience Disney and all the magic that comes with being there. On the Frozen day alone there were like four distinct times were I was choked up or in tears watching the girls. It was something that I was not at all ready for! The magic of Disney really is incredible! There is a reason that they are the best of the best in this field and it's beyond obvious when you are at the parks. Love is in the details and that certainly holds true when it comes to Disney!

Thank you to all who had a hand in making this trip to Disney simply magical! 

Thanks also to all of you who have been reading about this wonderful adventure. We hope you enjoyed these posts! It was fun to relive them and share these experiences with all of you, though I must admit I'm looking forward to returning to sharing only one blogpost each day!  xo

Frozen Summer Fun

 When we were planning this trip my friend Lori shared a link on her Facebook page about the Frozen Summer Fun Premium Package. Lori also happens to work for TMC Travel-The Mouse Connection so she has the inside track on all the fabulous things going on at Disney. The timing of Lori sharing about this Disney add-on and our trip couldn't have been better. When Dave got home that night I showed him what she had posted, and he agreed that we definitely needed to do our best to make this event happen for our family. He consulted with his parents to make sure they were game and then made a call to Disney. Amazingly enough the customer service person he spoke to (who had also just learned about the Frozen Summer Fun package when he arrived at work that day) was able to book it for us that day. It was a total score as we learned that they sold out of these packages within one week! I'm so glad that we didn't hesitate at all. We knew we were in for a treat but we had no idea how stellar this day would be until we experienced it for ourselves. And what a day it was!

After we checked in and were given our credentials we had a wee bit of time before the opening parade. We arrived at the snow playground and the six of us were totally in awe! The girls (being the good New England girls that they are) just could not understand how it was possible that there was snow in hot Florida in a building! 

In the snow playground each group of kids was given ten minutes to play. When their ten minutes was up these two guys would appear and rake the snow! What a sight!

 We didn't skate but we sure had fun watching the zamboni clear the ice!

A family picture and then it was time to head back for the parade. 

 We arrived back in the VIP seating area and quickly discovered that not only did this package get you great seating it also got you free refreshments (in this area) too! There was a frozen lemonade stand in this area and Dave and his Dad went over to get a couple. It was then that they learned that the frozen treats and water were free! Totally perfect as we were definitely in need of something to help us cool off! Just about the time we all finished our frozen lemonades the parade began. 

 Kristoff!

 It was the moment we had all been waiting for- Queen Elsa and Princess Anna arrived (and this mama got choked up for the first time this day)! The crowd went wild! 

 Once Elsa and Anna were on stage we in the premium seating area were invited to get practically at stage level. Talk about incredible! I have no pictures of the girls seeing them at this point as they were right there at rope level and I was farther behind (but still had a visual on them, of course). 

 Along with premium seating and refreshments, we were also given a choice of which Frozen Sing-a-long to attend. We chose the first showing as we figured it would be a fun way to cool off in the early afternoon. We arrived for the show on the earlier side as we had heard that seating was first come first serve.  There was only one other couple there and we got to chatting with them. Turned out one of the guys was an art teacher by day and Disney expert at night. We all hit it off and before we knew it we had hatched a plan to meet up the next day at Magic Kingdom to meet Elsa and Anna. 

 More awesome seats and more Disney magic. The looks on the girls faces just say it all. 

 The narrators. 

 Grace and Emma were both completely transfixed! 

 And yes, for those wondering we all sang, we all laughed (this mama once again got choked up) and at the end it even snowed! Truly magical. 

 In between the parade and the sing-a-long we headed over to one of the shops to purchase princess dresses for the girls. They couldn't believe it when their Grandma Joan asked them if they'd each like a dress. Would they?! She didn't have to ask them twice! We agreed that they definitely needed to wear them when we returned for the VIP party and fireworks that night. 

 This is easily one of my most favorite pictures of these two (in general and from this trip). From the moment we stepped on Disney property (to the moment we left) everyone who saw them in their dresses greeted them and bowed. "Hello Queen Elsa! Hello Princess Anna!" At firs the girls really didn't know what to make of it, but by the end they had totally gotten used to it! 

 We arrived and checked back in at the premium package area. We knew that there would be "decadent desserts and beverages" but this we did not imagine! Disney truly knows how to throw an amazing party! The food and drinks were in endless supply! 

While we ate and socialized there was a really awesome cover band on stage. The name of the group escapes me but they were fab! They played 'till dark and then it was time for the show and fireworks to begin. 

(Photo by Dave's Dad)

Elsa and Anna returned to stage, there was more singing, more snowing, more tears (on the part of this mama) and the whole night was capped off by some truly incredible fireworks. 

Ever since that day I have been trying to find the right words to convey how truly amazing the entire day was. It was more than we ever could have imagined. The four of us adults kept remarking that this package was worth every additional penny (it truly was). Just when we thought it couldn't possibly get any better it would! The wonder, the magic, the attention to detail, it was beyond our wildest dreams! This day will be on that I carry with me forever. Thank you for such a magical day, Disney. xo

Don't forget to check in later today to see our post about what we were up to today.