Happy New Year!  I love starting off the new year with something really exciting to look forward to and we are counting the days until we leave for Disney World!  We are leaving mid-January and even though this will be our 12th trip in just as many years, the excitment and anticipation is still the same as it was our first trip.  I have to say, having a little one again does add another diminsion to these feelings. This will Bailey's 3rd trip and it's so much fun to see her anticipation about our trip.  I can't wait to see Disney through her eyes!  When we took her last year, she loved it but she was only 3 and still not fully in tune with everything that was about to happen.  The first time she went, she was 2 and well, even though she does remember a couple of things, that trip was really more for us than her.  This time, she asks every morning if we are going to Disney World tomorrow.  She gets so excited when we talk about the things we will do.  I know she will be so much more aware this time around!  I can't wait to see her face and experience the wonder of Disney with her all over again.  

Bailey is 4 1/2 , and of course, we do expect that not every minute will be filled with wonder.  With little ones, you have to be careful not to over plan and you MUST be flexible!  We usually, tenatively plan each day, with a break in the middle to go back to the resort (we always stay on property) for lunch, nap and much needed quiet time.  It really helps with attitudes, whinniness and melt downs (it's also great for the 4 year old, too).  The following are some important tips for those of you with little ones who may be planning a trip to Disney.  As I said, be flexible.  You must be ready for the unexpected and don't worry too much about trying to see everything that you possibly can each day.  Remember, this is a vacation, and it will be a lot more fun and relaxing if you enjoy your resort and pool, too.  We usually fly when we go to Disney World but we have driven in the past and one time, with Bailey.  She did quite well but we had to break the trip there into 2 days, which took away from our time at Disney.  From our house, it takes about 13 hours to drive to Orlando.  Flight time is 1 1/2 hours, non-stop.  It's so worth it to us to fly.  We always plan our vacations months in advance so we can save, budget and not be strapped when our trip finally gets here.  Bailey had her first plane experience our last trip to Disney and she loved it!  We have a portable DVD player, so, we just took a few of her favorite movies and it kept her entertained most of the trip.  The juice and snacks helped, too.  Once you get to your resort, you can request a small fridge and microwave for your room; I highly encourage doing that. There is a shopping strip mall just outside the Disney World gates with a grocery store.  If your thinking, "I'll bet they see you coming a mile away", you're wrong!  They see you coming 10 miles away but it's convenient and if you plan right you will only have to make one trip.  We usually just pick up breakfast and lunch items; milk, breakfast bars, raisens, bread, lunchmeat, cheese, peanutbutter, etc.  Most of these items are fairly inexpensive and the money you save from not eating every meal in the parks far out weights the initial grocery bill.  If you decide to drive, you can just pick up some of the items at your local grocery store and get the perishables when you get there.  All of the resorts have a good many of these items in their own little "convenience store" but you will definitely pay for that convenience.  The grocery store outside the gates will be a bit more reasonable.  When we fly, we just have a taxi take us to the store.  I know what your thinking but believe me its still less expensive in the long run.  

Looking at each theme parks schedule for the days you'll be there is also a good idea.  Do this ahead of time so you can plan what nights will be your later nights.  Fireworks shows, for instance will always be later in the evening and we try to plan what night to see which show. We plan a longer morning on those days and mid afternoon we go back to the resort for a late lunch and long nap.  Then we head back out around 5:00.  We spend a few hours in the park before the show, maybe have dinner. She is refreshed from her long nap and handles the later night pretty well.  For the next day, we get a little later start so that no one feels rushed to get up early after the late night.

Depending on the age of your little one, you will probably want to have a stroller.  Last trip, we took Bailey's umbrella stroller and it worked just fine.  This time, we will wait and rent a stroller when we get there.  She's outgrown her umbrella stroller but we know she will still need to take breaks from walking and there is no way we will be able to carry her!  Each park has stroller rentals just inside the entrance  You can pay a flat fee for the days you will be there, ahead of time and just pick up your stroller each day when you enter the park.  

Over the next few weeks I will detail some very important tips and helpful suggestions for planning your Disney Vacation with preschoolers.  These are things that my family and I learned from trial and error and hopefully, will save you a few steps.  If any of you have something specific you would like to know about experiencing Disney with a preschooler, let me know and I will do my best to help you with my experiences or point you in the right direction.