magic kingdom Archives • diy mama

by Shelly on May 7, 2019 1 Comment

One Day at Magic Kingdom

What do you do when you only have one day at Magic Kingdom? We were lucky enough to sneak in a mini trip on our vacation to Anna Maria Island. Disney comped us two tickets so we knew we had to make it work. We went for one day two years ago and said I would never do it again. It was so hard for me to leave and I felt so rushed that it wasn’t magical. This time was different because I was prepared. Here’s what I did differently.

Ride Every Ride

I stumbled upon an amazing course called Line Hacks that changed how I do Disney parks. We arrived at the park around 10a and were able to do the following before fireworks:

Haunted Mansion
Pirates of the Caribbean
Dumbo
Enchanted Tales with Belle
It’s a Small World
Mad Tea Party (3 times)
Prince Charming’s Regal Carousel
Meet Mickey, Minnie, Tink, Cinderella and Elena
The Barnstormer
Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid
The 3 o’clock parade

The best part was that we weren’t rushing to do all of these things. We had a super laid back day and were able to choose which rides we wanted while we were around them. My step count was less than half than it usually is because I wasn’t criss crossing the park to get to my fast passes. I highly recommend paying one time for the course and using this every time you go back. If you have older kids or are there with adults only, this would be a really fun way to hit every ride. They have a challenge that is 20 rides in 8 hours (including the big ones) which sounds really fun!

This Won’t Be Your Last Trip

It’s likely that this won’t be your last trip to Walt Disney World Resort. Keep this in mind when you’re planning your trip and also while you’re there. If you get a massive migraine and need to sit out of a few rides, allow yourself some grace. If your toddler has a tantrum while meeting Mickey, he’ll meet him again. It’s hard to keep this in mind when there’s so little time and so much money spent but everyone will have a better experience. Choose two must-do attractions and one snack or meal. Beyond that, go with the flow.

Don’t Make Meals a Priority

Sit down meals take so much time. We did not want to have a lot of snacks because they’re more expensive. While we were there for one day at Magic Kingdom we had Pecos Bill’s. We got a kids meal for our 5 year old because she was really hungry but my husband and I split beef nachos for $13. We asked for an extra container and headed to the toppings bar where we made them full meals by adding lettuce, pico de gallo, sour cream, cheese and salsa. Both of us were unintentionally stuffed. For $6.50 a person at Disney, that’s the best deal I’ve found. We shared a treat in Big Top Souvenirs (giant Mickey Cookie and Mickey rice krispie treat). For dinner my husband and I split a Bacon Macaroni & Cheese All-Beef Hot Dog from Casey’s Corner which came with fries. It was $12 and stuffed us both. Our daughter got a Fresh Fruit Waffle Sandwich with Nutella from Sleepy Hallow and it’s now on our ‘must-get’ list. It was the perfect mix of dessert + fresh fruit.

How do you spend your time if you only have one day in the parks? And which park do you choose?

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by Shelly on January 9, 2015 2 Comments

Disney College Program

Hi guys! A LOT of people get excited when they hear I worked for Disney World. They get even more excited to find out that it was a program through my college, meaning I got to live and work with Mickey for a semester! I get butterflies thinking about my experience as a CP (college programmer) and it was 8 years ago. If there was one time of my life that I wish I could share with all my favorite people, without a doubt, it would be my semester in Disney. Honestly, I did share it with (at the time) all my favorite people because I had a ton of visitors and the friendships I made in the Disney College Program are everlasting. It was a life changing experience.
I’m not sure where to start because I’ve gotten so many different questions about my time in the Disney College Program. The first question everyone asks me: ‘Were you a Princess?!’ Thankfully, no. I think it would be AMAZING to see the love and wonder of all the kids when you walk out on stage (anywhere public in Disney)! I also realize that I would not be a very sweet princess if I was sweating to death, my makeup was running and my feet hurt from walking in heels all day. Another reason why I didn’t pursue my acting career, in order to be a Princess (or any other character), you have to work for at least a semester, plus a summer, and I already had a job lined up for the following summer.

I had, in my opinion, the BEST job that a CP can have. Ride Operations. I specifically loved my area (Fantasyland, Pooh Side) because of the awesome people I worked with and how excited kids were to ride my rides. I worked Snow White’s Scary Adventures (no longer there), The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and Mad Hatter’s Tea Cups. There are different stations of each ride I’d rotate through during my shift. My favorite position was called Pooh Grouper which was on Winnie the Pooh. Pooh Grouper was in charge of keeping the Fast Pass line flowing quickly and grouping people off to get into the honey pots. I got very efficient at this position which allowed me time to talk to the guests and make their days magical. I’d hand out fast passes to other rides, pin trade, help people plan their day or just learn about them and where they were from. Talking to the guests was, by far, my favorite part about the entire experience.

Housing is the second questions everyone asks about. When I worked there in 2006, there were two apartment complexes that they split all the CPs into. The security was hard core so I always felt safe living there, no matter what time I got off work (often 3 and 4 in the morning.) I had turned 21 the day before leaving for the program so, thankfully, I was placed in a 21+ apartment. My apartment at Vista Way had 6 girls, one kitchen, two bathrooms. It was tough at first. Thankfully, things worked out pretty well because some of my roommates left for work at 4am, others had mid-day shifts and some of us had evening shifts. We never really ran into problems of not having enough space or trying to cook or shower at the same time. I loved how you meet people from everywhere in the world in this program. My roommates were from all over the US and a couple were from out of the country.

Paychecks are always the next topic of discussion. Let’s just say you’re not going to make it big by working as a CP. Honestly, I don’t remember what I got paid, but I think it was pretty close to minimum wage for FL. I kept my house at Purdue, so I was paying rent for two places while I was at Disney, which stretched my paycheck to nothing. Thankfully, I took out two student loans before leaving for Disney, to make sure I didn’t have to be stressed out about the level of comfort I wanted while in the program. I had season passes to Universal Studios and was able to get into the Disney parks free. I was never bored. Ever. I had enough money to go out to nice restaurants when people would visit me, IHOP for breakfast after my shift at 4a and a few trips to the beach.

A lot of people ask about if I got held back a semester by working there. Yes, I did, but a lot of CPs take college courses through Disney University. Purdue didn’t accept the credit transfers so I did not take any classes while there. My roommate, on the other hand, took a full load during her semester so she wasn’t put back a semester. I’m glad Purdue didn’t take the credits because I would have felt the need to take a full load and would have missed out on a ton of experiences.

My family was a bit weary of me working in Disney for fear of losing the magic. Didn’t happen. I have a stronger love for Disney now that I’ve worked there and I still think it’s the most magical place on earth!

What else did I do besides work? Lots! I can hardly remember my time spent at work because it seems like there was so much time spent not working (although it was 50/50.) One of the best things you can do as a CP is to make friends with people who have cars. Living in the apartments, you have 24/7 access to WalMart and all of Disney’s property. I had a few friends who had cars and we’d go to BW3s for karaoke, the beach, and visit restaurants and bars in Orlando. Most of our time was spent on Disney property though. We went to Pleasure Island (no longer bars and night clubs) every Thursday to dance or listen to live bands. We’d go to Universal every other week. We’d pool hop at the Disney resorts (which was one of my favorite things to do because I’m a hospitality major and loved scoping out the rooms and customer service at the resorts.) We also spent a ton of time in the parks. We knew where to eat, what rides to get on during slow times and what shows to see. I was an expert by the time my friends and family started to come visit. We’d cook hometown meals for our roommates, learn salsa, go to CP dances, have highlighter parties at our apartment, play football, play tennis and visit Kennedy Space Center. Again, I was never bored.

Was I not the luckiest girl, to work for The Mouse and meet some of my best friends to this day? I love sharing my experience with college kids looking to go into the program or other Disney fanatics! If you have any questions about the Disney College Program (application process, furnishing the apartment, travel, perks etc.) or Disney World vacations, I’d LOVE to help! PS, I’m super excited because a lot of us are going back to Disney in 2016 for our 10 year reunion! I’ve already seen all of the people in the photos above, plus a few others from my program, but we’ve not all been together since 2006.
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by Shelly on April 23, 2014 6 Comments

Magic Kingdom Attractions for Kids

This is the second post of my Disney Attractions series and it is going to be all about the top Disney attractions for kids at the Magic Kingdom (in my opinion.) I’ll go through the attractions according to how I go through the park, again, rather than my favorites. These attractions are geared towards young kids but can still be fun for the adults riding with them. 🙂 Again, if you have any questions regarding anything Disney, don’t be shy, ask away!

When we go to the Magic Kingdom we always take the same route (the same one described here.) If you are a kid, there’s nothing better than feeling like you’re the center of attention. Disney is GREAT for making kids feel special! The Harmony Barber Shop is a great first stop in making your kids feel like the main attraction! You can also check out The Pirates League or the Bippidi Bobbidi Boutique for an even more unique experience (but with more attention comes a bigger price tag.)

I’m not going to mention any character meet and greets in this section. All of them are awesome! The characters and princesses are very attentive and give kids plenty of time to talk. First stop–Adventureland! The Magic Carpets of Aladdin are essentially the Dumbo ride but you can ride with 4 people rather than 2. The Jungle Cruise is a great ride for kids to explore nature from a boat and spot their favorite animals. The tour guides say ‘punny’ jokes throughout the ride to keep the adults engaged and the kids laughing. Pirates of the Caribbean is a classic that kids will recognize from the movies. It is dark though, so beware if you have children who are not fond of dark rides.

‘Drink up me ‘earties, yo ho. Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate’s life for me…’ sorry…that song ALWAYS gets stuck in my head! After Pirates we head to Frontierland where we get a Fastpass for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and go ride Splash Mountain while we wait. There’s a high chance that your kids will get wet on this ride, along with any cell phones or cameras that are not in a ziplock bag. We always ride this ride early so we have time to dry off throughout the hot day. If you don’t want to get wet you can always wear a poncho. 😉 I also think Tom Sawyer Island is really fun for kids to run around and explore. There is no longer a hidden paint brush, but if you mention that you looked for it to the raft captain, they’ll likely give you fastpasses for your family. 😉

*Tip: Remember to measure your kids’ height and check the requirements before waiting in line to take them on rides. Nothing worse than a disappointed child who had their hopes up to ride a certain ride. Also, if you have a smart phone, be sure to get the Disney Experience Mobile App. This mobile app tells you the wait times for attractions throughout the parks as well as allows you to make dining reservations.

The next must-do attraction is the only attraction we like in Liberty Square- Haunted Mansion. Going through the ‘fun que’ will actually put you behind by a couple people but we always go through it anyway! The Haunted Mansion is a scary ride for children who are afraid of the dark, however, most children think it’s a ‘funny scary.’ Congratulations b/c by this time you’ve survived taking your kids through almost half of the park!

Now is where the REAL fun for your kiddies begins! 😉 Since the Haunted Mansion is right next to Fantasyland, we head on over to Peter Pan’s Flight to get a Fastpass and go ride It’s a Small World while we wait. It’s a Small World is KEY in a successful break for your kids b/c it has air conditioning, has small lines, is full of glitter and lets you rest your feet!! All great things in my book. Once we wave adios at Small World we hit up Peter Pan (ALWAYS get a Fastpass for this ride or you WILL be let down. The line is deceptive because it swirls all over the place.) After Pan we go watch Mickey’s PhilharMagic which is one of my FAVORITE attractions in all of Magic Kingdom. Please do not overlook this attraction. Your kids will love it!

After singing along with Jasmine we go to my VERY favorite spot of Disney– THE Castle! It’s a great time to get up close and personal with the castle for a picture break! Disney has PhotoPass cast members that will take your picture with their DSLR cameras and you can buy them online once you get home. You can also ask them to use your camera to take a picture to make sure Mom AND Dad get in the shot as well! Don’t forget to bring change for the wishing well. 😉

Once we get all of the pictures of ~~our home~~ the Castle, we ride Prince Charming Regal Carousel because there’s never a line, I like running around until I find the perfect horse and I love the music. Every kid[at heart] loves the carousel. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh is a MUST, not only because I worked that ride, but because it’s SO DARN CUTE! The line is really fun too! After eating cake with Pooh and his friends we always take a spin in Mad Hatter’s Tea Cups! Be sure to plan your meals accordingly so you’re not full when you go on this ride. This is not a suggestion…I’m telling you this as a friend. 😉

NEW FANTASYLAAAAAAND! THIS is a whole new section of the park that they’ve expanded over the past few years. New Fantasyland has taken the place of Toontown and is completely new, other than The Barnstormer (which I recommend b/c it’s a gateway roller coaster…not quite as big as Thunder or Space but bigger than the normal kiddie coasters.) If you get a Fastpass in this area, get it for Under the Sea- Journey of the Little Mermaid or (if it’s open) Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. Journey of the Little Mermaid is a very similar ride to Winnie the Pooh so if you’re short on time, choose your kid’s favorite character.

The top attraction that I would recommend for kids to see in New Fantasyland is Enchanted Tales with Belle. SO CUTE! Parents, if your kids like Beauty and the Beast in the slightest, you won’t regret this. The classic ride– Dumbo the Flying Elephant is now back in this area and is twice as big with two sets of flying elephants. The ‘line’ is also a fun place to let your kids run around at the circus playground while you wait. Another place to let your kids burn off some energy or cool off is Casey Jr. Splash N’ Soak Station.

Honestly, everything in Tomorrowland is awesome! 😉 I’m such a fan! If there’s one I wouldn’t do (have never and will never do) it’s Stitch’s Great Escape. I’m not a fan of Stitch and I’ve heard he burps at one point and it smells like coney dogs. 🙁 Sorry if that just grossed you out…I just wanted to prepare you! Astro Orbiter is the same concept as Dumbo and Aladdin but up reeeeally high. Kinda cool to do at night but not worth the wait if your kids didn’t like one of the other two rides. I am a fan of all the other rides in Tomorrowland but if you’re running low on time I would recommend three above the rest. Monster’s Inc. Laugh Floor, Space Mountain and Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin. Monster’s is a comedy show put on my Mike and will have both you and your kids belly laughing! Space is a classic but is dark, fast and usually has a long line so make sure it’s the right choice for your family before getting in line (or getting a Fastpass.) Buzz is dark but very fun for little kids because they get to be in control of a laser gun to shoot Zorg! Buzz is always very crowded so if you’re to get a Fastpass for anywhere in Tomorrowland, this is where you should get one.

I had to check back at the list of Magic Kingdom attractions because I felt like I just named every single one of them! I didn’t…but I came close! They’re all so good and I wanted to mention all of the rides above b/c you’ll better be able to decide what your kids like and weed out the rides that are too big for them right now. Also, if you don’t think Disney World is worth the money or vacation time…you’re very wrong. It’s a place filled with magic and wonder for people of ALL ages. Seriously, it makes me tear up just thinking about how many people have felt special at the Happiest Place on Earth!

I won’t be doing a post on character meet n’ greets so if that is something you’re interested in, send me a message. 🙂 Next week’s series post will cover Attractions for Adults at EPCOT! What are your kid’s favorite rides? Any they love that I missed? Anyone else feel like a kid when they go to Magic Kingdom? *Tip: wearing Mickey ears WILL make you happier while at Disney. 😉

One Day at Magic Kingdom

Ride Every Ride

This Won’t Be Your Last Trip

Don’t Make Meals a Priority

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