The Most Magical Place on Earth

Walt Disney World with Kids 2012 by Kim Wright Wiley

After a week at Disney World, Heath and I feel like we need a vacation! Even though we technically went in the 'off season' there were crowds to push through, lines to wait in and we even missed an attraction here or there because it was just too busy. I hadn't been to Disney World in 22 years and it is now a completely different place. I can not stress enough that if you are planning to brave Disney with your kids then you must be prepared, especially if this is your first time.

The best place to start planning your trip to the 'Magic Kingdom' is with a good and thorough book. One of my very good friends is a seasoned Disney traveler and recommended this book to me when we started planning in April for our October Disney trip. Yes, you really should start planning 6 months in advance if at all possible! Hotels book quickly (there is a hotel offering an incredible military discount with rooms that sell out ONE YEAR in advance!), reservations for the Princess Breakfast at Cinderella's Royal Table go fast and there are a number of other things that you can experience with your family that pay to plan ahead.

This book walks you through every detail about Disney from hotel and dining reservations to what to pack to which FastPasses to get at each park. There are detailed maps of each park and information about every attraction from height requirements to 'Scare Factor' to appropriate ages for the ride. Kim Wiley goes into detail about each show and which parts may be scary for little ones as well as which adult rides are located next to kiddie attractions so your party can split up if the adults want to brave the 'Tower of Terror' while the kids romp on a playground.

I spent a lot of time on websites and even checked out a couple of other books but really feel that for our family with two young children this resource was priceless. I'm sure people thought I was a crazy tourist walking around the park with my nose in the book and my detailed printed notes from the book resting on top of our Cadillac sized double stroller. All I can say is we all had a great time and there is nothing that we regret missing out on. The vacation went smoothly and everyone in our party from my 60+ year old parents to my danger seeking, need-for-speed husband to our 4 and 2 year old princesses was happy. I, on the other hand, am exhausted but everything was worth it to see the complete and utter look of shock on our 4 year old's face as she saw Cinderella's Royal Castle for the first time...an expression I will never forget and was definitely worth the months of planning.