Today we get back to a bit of strategy for a low key relaxing Disney Resort vacation. The flurry of news that was D23 is dying down. The excitement of things to be is still hanging in the air. Ole Grandpa feels energized and excited for what’s to come. To be sure things at the parks will be messy and we will have to live with construction walls and ride closures for the next foreseeable future. All worth it I’m sure. So in the meantime the Grandkids are anxious to. do a Disney trip. How can you keep up with their energy and exuberance ? How can you go with the flow if it is like the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon? Well I am here to tell ya what worked for Grandma and me.

Planning

It all starts with planning. As you know Grandpa does not like to over plan. Sure there are things that need to be done in this stage, but try not to over think it. Too much planning can lead to disappointment if things don’t work out exactly as planned. Things happen and plans almost always get screwed up. I don’t remember where this came from, but the old saying that the battle plan is crap when the first shot is fired cannot be more true. This is even more true when you have youngsters with you! You first need to answer a couple of questions starting with:

When

When do we go? Do I pull kids out of school? Can they stand the heat and humidity? What about special events like Christmas or Halloween? Are the parents coming? These are all questions that should be answered before anything else. Since Grandma and I are DVC members we start asking these questions 1 year in advance! We have done 6 months but then the likelihood of getting a room in our home resort is slim. For those not DVC members, timing of deciding when to go is not as critical.

In a previous post I mentioned that we use a couple of crowd calendars to help decide a good time to go. You need to prioritize what is the limiting factor — Kids School Schedule (for school aged kids) or Park Crowding. This is a balancing act. For us the grandkids are still in elementary school. So on our last trip it was decided that Park Crowding was the main concern. We also wanted the kiddos to experience Christmas at the parks so we looked at the Calendars and picked the first 2 weeks in December. For you it may be that you need to pick dates around school schedules. In that case get a few candidate dates in mind and then use the Crowd Calendars to hone in on the right time. Remember more people in the park, the harder it is to keep up with over exuberant kids!

For a reminder here are two to the crowd calendars that Ole Grandpa uses:

• Touring Plans. Helps with all kinds of planning for Disney World and Disneyland
• WD Prep School Walt Disney World Year at a glance.

Where

You Got Your Dates! Now you need to settle on where. Remember a big part of Crushing it is staying on property. It is even more important to do so with kids in tow. You will need a place to retreat and recharge. A car trip with overly excited and overly tired youngens is not something I look forward to! Vacation is supposed to be fun! For non DVC members at WDW there are a lot of choices on property at all price ranges. You can even rent DVC points from places like The DVC Rental Store and DVC Request. For Disneyland the choices are more limited and there are great non-Disney hotels within walking distance of the parks. The keys to where is proximity to the parks, ease of transportation and budget.

Budget

Ok So this maybe the most important consideration. I really should have mentioned this much earlier, but Grandma is keeper of the gold and I tend to not pay attention to budget. I have been remiss. This probably deserves a whole post on budget and how to save money on a Disney trip.

A vacation to any Disney Resort can be expensive. REAL EXPENSIVE. You need to ask your self is this going to be a once in a lifetime experience? OR is it going to be a tradition? When our kids were young we decided to make it a family tradition of going to the parks at least every other year. This is a decision we do not regret. Our kids are now parents and they still talk about the times we spent as a family at Disney. They are anxious for their kids (our Grandkids) to experience it as they did. Time is something you never get back.

PARK TIME!

So all the planning is done, reservations were made, the trek to the parks is over. So Grandpa What’s Next? What’s next is enjoyment through the eyes of the children. Having grandkids in tow makes it more imperative to slow down and go with the flow. You do not want to over whelm them with a military type campaign to ride every ride. We do not buy Lightning Lane(multi or single) as this can make things much less spontaneous and I really hate paying for something that used to be free. A big part of this strategy is slowing down and going where the day takes you.

On our last trip, the grandkids really took to Animal Kingdom. I would have guessed Magic Kingdom, but for some reason they loved Animal Kingdom. Our youngest really liked the Boneyard. (alas soon to be replaced ). The bone yard is a play area with things to climb on, slides, etc. It is massive. She spent hours there. Grandma and I took the opportunity to sit, relax and people watch. The parental units had to opportunity to go ride a few thrill rides and have a little kidless time.

We did not stress over getting to Pandora at a certain time, or rushing to make a Lightning Lane return time. We just chilled. It was not something we could have planned. We had no idea that the boneyard would be such a hit. Everyone got to do the rides they wanted and the kids were totally satisfied. No whining, crying, or fit throwing. Just a great family time.

A “Normal” Park Day

So Grandpa, what’s a normal park day like with the Grandkids with the Crushing It strategy?

The key is THERE IS NO NORMAL PARK DAY. We have a general itinerary that changes with conditions. We pick a park and a target first ride and it is something like this:

• Rope Drop the park. If you are staying on property do the early entry.
• Head to the first target ride and ride it.
• Look at wait times in the Parks app. (one of 2 times I have my phone out)
• Head to the next ride. Take your time let the grandkids take in the sights and sounds.
• Repeat until lunch. Then pick a place and mobile order (other time I have my phone out).
• OR head back to room and eat there. (our go to choice)
• Let the kids play in the pool. Relax and Recharge while parents can do their thing.
• Repeat for evening in the park.

We let the grandkids dictate what they want to ride and do. If the line is “too” long at a target ride, we just pick another. Stressing over what to ride is a real fun killer and anxiety producing, so just don’t do it. Look at the parks through the eyes of the kids. It will give you a fresh sense of wonder and awe.

Often we divide and conquer. Our older grandkiddo loves thrill rides, while the younger one does not. So we split up. I cannot tell you how many times I rode Dumbo or Prince Charming’s Carrousel. It was wonderful! When we met back up, I got to hear all about the wonderment that was Space Mountain from the older one.

When we are tired, we sit and watch people. When we are hungry, we snack or eat. When we are bored, just kidding, never bored. When we pass a ride with a short time, we ride. We seek out things such as scavenger hunts, and other interactive activities.

Be Flexible Have Fun

Often times we forget that the goal is to have fun and build magical memories. Your normal day to day life is filled with enough stress. Don’t let vacation become another stress point. It is about the kids. Let them choose what to do. It may not be what you would have picked, but it will leave a lasting impression. It is not he who rides the most rides wins, it is those who are recharged and filled with wonder do!

Until Next Time.