This was such a fun excursion! We did the driving tour, but lemme tell you mama, bring the good walking shoes cause there was more walking than driving lol. A few other tips: Download the app before you go, as downloading once you get there might be challenging. You can listen to the audio explanations on the app while you drive, which was really informative. If you want a yummy bite to eat when you’re done, we went to the Yorktown Pub which had a gluten free menu! Note that if you go on a busy holiday, the waterfront is CROWDED and it’s definitely a better move to take the trolley from the battlefield visitor center than to try to drive and park. We didn’t do it this time but the nearby Revolutionary War Museum was really great last year when we went, and is on the trolley route too!
Just a friendly reminder: we’re in this together mamas.
If I can help you plan your next Disney Vacation let me know. I get how much you’ve got on your plate, and I’d love to make things easier for you.
Sorry I got a little weepy <3
As a travel concierge and mom, here’s my best advice for doing flights with littles:
1. Have something for them to suck on on the way up and down (a bottle, a sucker, your boob, whatever works, lol).
2. Stuff to do: I put together roughly 7 ziplocks of activities for them to do, that will hopefully hold their attention for about 10min each. Smaller kids won’t last that long, but it’s ok, just keep rotating through, one at a time.
Some of my favorites are aqua painting boards, mess-free markers, a space jar with toothpicks, and silicone popping toys. Once they stop responding to the ziplock activities, I open up the iPad/phone for their favorite show/movies. While they get bored of that, go back to the ziplock activities.
3. Snacks. Little hungry bellies get fussy fast. My favorites are applesauce pouches, cheese, pepperoni, crackers, etc.
Finally, remember that most of the people on the plane are probably also parents, even if they aren’t traveling with them today. If/when your child cries, they aren’t judging you or hating on you. They pity you and are quietly sending their love, because they’ve lived it too.
Honorable mention: I LOVE flying with the Stokke Bedbox. It makes walking through the airport fun, and gives my LO more space to play/nap on the plane.
What are your favorite tips?
#flyingwithkids #disneywithtoddlers #traveltipsandtricks
This post really bothered me…
Just a PSA that you do not have to “go hard” for every Disney vacation. It’s totally ok to go in with a more chill plan and STILL get to do everything you wanted to.
It’s actually one of the reasons I highly recommend Genie+. When used well, it can be instrumental in creating a really magical (and not exhausting) experience.
If you’d like some assistance with planning your relaxing, and highly personalized Disney vacation, just send me a message with the word “trip”.
#disneytravelagent #disneyworld #suffolkva #disneyvacations
How did I accidentally end up at Aulani? Well…
In 2017, my husband was Active Duty military and was gearing up for his first deployment.
We were given 2 weeks prior to his leaving in which to take some time to ourselves.
We decided we would visit his family in Texas and then hop on a Disney Cruise.
Well as we left his family and drove to the airport, we found out our cruise had been cancelled as there was a hurricane that couldn’t be avoided.
So we pulled over in a Target parking lot and started brainstorming options.
We only had about a week left to his leave, so we needed to pivot fast.
After some discussion we said… Hawaii sounds nice. 🤷🏻♀️
We walked into the Target and bought a box and packing tape, and the next day we packed up all our cruise formal wear and costumes and mailed them back to our house, so our bags wouldn’t be as heavy.
We spent a one night layover in San Diego where my husband was able to give me a tour of the ship he would be on for the next 7 months,
And then we were off to Hawaii!
As we walked into our room at Aulani, we marveled at how just 48hrs prior we were on our way to a cruise 🤣
We spent at incredible week enjoying the Lani Wai spa, snorkeling with wild Sea Turtles, watching the Luau, and soaking up the sun.
#readytogoback #aulani #disney #hawaii
My favorite ears! @factoryfiftyfive makes THE best ears ever for Disney trips and they don’t hurt my head.
Sorry I had to drop off quickly, my toddler decided to walk in with no clothing on *facepalm*. I know you mamas can relate 🤣
#disneytrip #disneyears #disneyworld #disneyoutfit #disneytips
The WDW app just changed. This is not a drill.
#wdw #wdwvacation #MDE #disneytravel
This is not a drill!
#disneyworld #mde #disneytips
Look at the artistry on these eggs! Which one is your favorite?
#easter #grandfloridian #disneyworld #eggs #magickingdom #disneyevents
I have a dear friend who I met while he was a Skipper and one night I went to visit him while he was on one of his last boats of the night. My group got a private boat tour and I will never forget the magic of that experience. These Cast Members do such an amazing job at keeping everyone engaged and safe from the dangers of the jungle ;-)
Did you know about this fun Easter surprise?! My favorite is the cake cookies with the thick icing on top! And for my clients who are traveling around Easter time, I love to help them arrange for Easter Basket deliveries (from the Easter Bunny of course!).
I just finished explaining this to a client of mine. Measure your child ahead of your trip and find out which rides they will be too short for. Take the time to prepare yourself and your child (age appropriately) for which rides they will not be able to ride. Please do not stuff shoes. The rules are in place for safety reasons. Thank you for coming to my TED Talk. ;-)
In short mama, “I know things”, lol. If you’d like some help figuring out all this intricate stuff, I’m your girl and I’d love to help you plan your next magical experience.
Where would you like to go?
I know that the reason you might be waiting to book your next Disney parks trip is because you want to see if a promotion will come out, but mama, you’re shooting yourself in the foot by doing so. Why? Because as room availability goes down and prices go up, sometimes the promotion that comes out still costs more than it would have if you had locked in the price months ago. And if a promotion comes out that WOULD save you money, I can apply that to your reservation, no problem. In fact I did this for a recent client and saved them over $1000!
Sadly Disney Cruise Line doesn’t work quite the same way, BUT I’ve got a great tip for you in Part 2!
What you didn’t know about Disney’s Wilderness Lodge Fireworks View rooms:
Thing 1: Below the tree line in the photo, you’re going to see a backstage area that isn’t all that pretty. So if you’re the type of person who wants to see a pretty vista when you go out to sip your coffee in the morning this is not the right fit for you. I’d recommend a Grand Floridian or Polynesian Theme Park View room.
Thing 2: You will likely not have a view of Cinderella Castle due to the treeline. You MIGHT be able to see Space Mountain. This is a “Fireworks View” room, not a “Theme Park View” room, so don’t worry if you don’t see much during the day.
Follow me for more Disney tips!
These are seriously SO helpful for me as a mom.
I follow Big Little Feelings (their course on “Winning the Toddler Stage” is amazing btw), and a key component of reducing tantrum length and intensity is releasing your own reactions.
Which, for me, is super hard to do when my anxiety level is skyrocketing due to the screaming.
These Loops help me to still be able to hear my toddler and husband, while filtering out the super high decibels that are such a struggle for me.
In short, my stress level stays lower and I’m able to “be there” for my toddler.
Be sure to let me know if you try them!
Oga’s Cantina is one of our favorite stops whether in Walt Disney World or Disneyland. Did you know the characters make appearances here? Let me know in the comments!
Here’s a few tips for using Genie+:
1. Don’t rely on when the app says you can make your next reservation. You should memorize the timing rules to get the most reservations possible.
2. Choose park days with lower wait times overall. This trickles down to your Lightning Lane wait time, and less waiting = more fun.
3. Learn how to modify reservations and “slide” them, so you don’t have to run across the whole park for something unless you really want to.
If you’d like to learn everything you need to know about Genie+, I’m teaching a live complimentary Masterclass on Jan 8-12th at 12 EST. Just send me a DM to get registered :-)
This delicious Peppermint holiday snack is found at Hollywood Scoops in Hollywood Studios. It’s called a Candy Cane Shake and normally it comes with the cake donut on top, BUT if you need to eat gluten or wheat free, just ask for it on the side! My husband enjoyed his “free” snack, while I enjoyed my peppermint milkshake 😋
