Disney Tips and Tricks to make life easy while traveling with toddlers

 We just got back from Disney and it was a great getaway! I wanted to share my tips and tricks for making traveling with three children as easy as it can be.

First, airport travel is a BREEZE with both CLEAR and TSA Precheck. We did not wait in any lines. We flew Southwest and checked all our luggage. And I also upgraded our tickets to Early Bird to get Group A boarding, we had great seats all together close to the front of the plane.  

 Each kid had a small PBK backpack with the essentials. A water bottle, a charged tablet with downloaded movies, but we did buy the $8 internet access so the kids had access to whatever they wanted on those ipads. I packed snacks, lollipops and yes candy, just in case one freaked out and I needed to bribe for compliance. Each had a small blanket, which made them more comfortable in their seat and Matheson even slept on the plane! Also, a coloring book with magic marker was a big hit. 

My middle child is on the Autism spectrum, so he vomits when anxious, excited, nervous or he eats too much junk food. I was prepared with vomit bags in his backpack and I gave him a chewable Pepto on the way there, but forgot on way back and he did vomit everywhere with 45 minutes left on the flight. Literally, every parents worst nightmare while flying! Luckily, the flight crew quickly helped clean using some kind of spray that instantly got rid of the smell. I had a change of clothes in his backpack that came in handy. Whewww, it was unbelievable, but my husband and I managed the situation like pros. 

I did not bring car seats or our double stroller. Only a small umbrella stroller that we checked at the gate, since Elle is only 2.5 and doesn't walk as fast. 

We used Budget rental and I rented a minivan like we have at home and also rented car seats, which I hadn't done before. It was very easy. When picking up our van, there was a shed and we got to pick out the seats we wanted, installed quickly and were on our way. The car seats where clean and functioned as we needed them to. Now, these weren't the expensive car seats we have installed at home, but Graco and Evenflo brands, so the worked for what we needed them for. 

For Disney, I rented a double stroller from Strollerfy.com. It was delivered to our hotel and picked up on the date I requested. So simple not to drag and pack a big stroller around! I can't imagine doing Disney without a stroller. I packed a small fabric cooler that had waters as buying water at Disney can cost $8-10 per bottle. I also packed a few Disney themed toys that I pre-purchased from Amazon to give the kids as needed. Now, we did buy pricy Disney toys in the park because we couldn't resist, but it definitely saved a few dollars. Especially, the bubble wands that kids love in the evenings. Those can go for about $35 for one at the park, I bought a Mickey and Minnie bubble wand for $14 on Amazon. 

I packed Elle extra princess dresses depending on which park and where we had planned for those Pinterest worthy pictures! She wore Cinderella at Magic Kingdom and Belle when we had reservations at Be Our Guest. (More on that later, yes, it's worth the money and reservation!) She wore Minnie Mouse at Hollywood Studios for our Character lunch. And a mermaid dress for the mermaid ride. I really like Taylor Joelle and Only Little Once for comfortable, cute princess dresses that are well made. No itchy polyester while at the park for 10 hours!

I highly recommend bringing a portable charger for Disney as you will be on your phone constantly and draining your battery. I bought a pack of three Fuelrods on Amazon for $50 (these are $30ea in the parks). The BEST PART is when you have charged your phone, you can easily exchange the used charger in the park at a Kiosk for a brand new one! All three of us needed to charge our phones and then replaced with a new charger. Even the security staff that was searching bags commented on what a good buy those were to have. 

Genie +

This was my husband's only job and he executed it brilliantly. We went during Spring Break and didn't wait in any lines as we used Genie+ and bought lighting passes for all the rides we wanted.

At midnight, you buy your Genie+ for the day and then at 7am SHARP, you make your first reservation. Some rides sold out before the clock hit 7:01am, so you must be on your game. Research the best rides to use those on, as you can't make your next reservation until you have rode the first ride. It is very strategic. Disney requires lots of planning to have a good time. Those that hate to plan will not have the same experience. 

Also, my middle child is on the Autism spectrum. I tried contacting Disney for weeks to get DAS (Disability access), which basically is just two extra lighting passes. I finally spoke to a crew member once we arrived in Magic Kingdom and it took less than five minutes to get setup. I did not need to provide any medical documentation as it's an honor system. This was very helpful as waiting in long lines would have proven tragic for my special needs child. 

Magicbands

Yes, you need them. Every adult/older child should have as it makes life easier in the park. If you are staying at a Disney resort, the band opens your hotel room and you can save your credit card for purchases. If you aren't staying at the park, you can't add a credit card, but it makes it easier scanning your tickets, Lighting rides and using the Picture Maker. 

Yes, buy the Picture Maker for all those memorable photos. Cast members scan your Magic band and you will see your photos in the app within a few hours. Also, if any of the rides take photos, the pictures will automatically be added from each ride.