The required trip to Disney

Warning: Unpopular opinion. Disney isn't for everyone. This is from a dated trip but an honest take on our trip with our 4-year old to Disney.

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7/17/20261 min read

When you have a young child it almost feels like Disney is an obligation, at least it did to us. So, when our daughter was still in pre-school and we could take time off during the school year, we did Walt Disney World in Orlando.

Two things we have learned in all our travels are (1) we're not really Disney people and (2) we are not cruise people. So let me give you permission without having to go through the trouble or expense. It's okay if you do not take your kid to Disney. It's okay if you never go on a cruise. No matter how incredible people tell you Disney is, or how relaxing a cruise is, maybe they just are not your thing. FOMO is real but that doesn't mean you're actually missing out. All that said, here are some highlights and why we won't go back.

Highlights:

  • Customer service at Disney is excellent and Disney parks & hotels are exquisite. On a related note, we also stayed at a Disney resort in Hilton Head and customer service there was also fantastic.

  • Our daughter had a great time meeting her favorite princesses.

  • We loved the Wilderness Lodge and being able to take the boat to the Magic Kingdom was a huge bonus.

  • Someone suggested we rent a stroller even though our daughter was 4. DO THIS. We saw so many hot, miserable children being dragged around by parents who wanted to get the most out of their tickets. We rode our kid around in her stroller and took her back to the hotel when she was tired.

Why we'll skip it:

  • The crowds

  • Being herded to the Disney resort

  • The heat

  • Everything is expensive

Itinerary:

  • Fly to Orlando

  • Wilderness Lodge (boat ride to Magic Kingdom)

  • 6-day ticket, Park Hopper, Fast Pass

  • Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique

  • Two character dinners

The real ouchie, but also a gift:

When we returned we asked our daughter what her favorite part was. She said it was the hotel pool. That told us all we needed to know. Also, clearly the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.