To hop or not to hop?

I received an email the other day from a mom wanting to know my thoughts on park hopping with a toddler.

Here is the email:

"Sarah, My husband and I are taking our 17 month old to Disney for the first time this summer. We are debating on if we should do the one park/one day tickets or the park hopper. Do you have a suggestion?-Carrie."


Well Carrie, I personally believe that if you are going to Disney, in the summer, with a 17 month old. 1 park/ 1 day tickets would be your best bet and here is why.

With 1 park/1 day you can take your time and explore the park to its fullest. You can get to the park that morning...leave around lunch (when it is super hot) and return back to the same park that evening to finish your day out.

It is more relaxing and you can enjoy this vacation...which is what a vacation is for!

Thanks for the email!

If you have any questions please, leave a comment or email me and I will be happy to try my best to answer all of them!

Summer Specials!

Disney is running a special right now for summer dates! Go here to find out more!

Tips on preparing your toddler

We all know that a trip to Disney World takes alot of preperations (reservations, packing, dining options, shopping) but one major thing alot of parents forget to prepare is your toddler!

All a 2-5 year old first time visitor knows is that "we are going to Disney World" "Mickey Mouse's House" "Where the princessess live". You might know what these statements mean but 9 times out of 10 your toddler does not!

We all know the feeling you get when you enter the Magic Kingdom! The hussle and bustle of Main Street, the sounds, the characters...all is fabulous and overwhelming at the same time!

I was real concerned on how Madyson would take to the whole situation. She tends to shy away to the unknown. So I prepared her by using the web!

We went to Youtube and searched "Disney Family Vacation". We pulled up tons of movies that families just like mine & yours have made, showcasing their magical trip to Disney.

We watched other kids meet the characters, hug them, love on them, nap in the stroller, eat gigantic ice cream cones, play on pooh's playful spot, wait in line.... We did this for MONTHS before the trip.

My mother kept telling me, "you are overloading her on Disney", but on this...I knew I had too.

The day we arrived Madyson knew exactly what to expect. She had already seen our resort via a tour on Youtube, she knew to look for Nemo all around our room. She was prepared for dinner with the princesses that night and the next day, when we arrived at Magic Kingdom..she took to the characters like they were long lost friends!

Another great thing we did (starting 4 months before) was we got a Netflix membership and built our list of Disney movies (since not all of them are in our collection...yet). This was great because Madyson got to know alot of the characters she would see at the park. And with everyone we met it never failed...she would always say, "Ive seen your movie".

these are just a few of our ideas. I promise the Disney book is coming....its being written just taking a while.