Disney in Review – What Works

This was our 8th Disney World trip as a family.  We’ve got this down to a science.  Here are my best trip tips.

1. Disney’s Fort Wilderness Cabins – if you have a large family or a child with autism, this is the way to go!  The mobile home sized cabin features a bedroom with a full sized bed and a set of bunk beds, a murphy bed in the living area, a full kitchen (full size fridge, microwave, stove, dishwasher, dishes, pots and pans, dining table for 6), two tvs, and most important of all – space between cabins so your kids aren’t always waking the neighbors!
2. Two-way Radios – if your party needs to split, these make it so much easier. 
3. Light Your Way – a few years ago I was looking for a cool way to decorate our golf cart and stumbled on electroluminescent wire, or EL wire.  I purchased one and discovered it worked best on Adrian’s wheelchair.  When we turn it on, people take notice – and move out of the way!  When we started bringing Zee’s stroller too I bought one for that too.  Now people move out of our way and they know we’re together so they don’t step between us.  It also makes it easier for the girls to spot us and stay with us in the crowds.
4. Don’t Squeeze the Sunblock – Our first few trips we had sunblock explosions in our luggage.  It was contained in the toiletry or plastic bags, but it was still a mess to clean up.  So I started packing the sunblock, along with our other toiletries, in a shoebox.  We haven’t had a sunblock spill since.
5. Outfits to Go – I’m all for doing less work on vacation.  To that end, I roll the kids’ complete outfits and secure them with a rubber band (or hair tie) and place them in a marked plastic storage bag for the trip.  Upon arrival I empty the contents into separate drawers and tell the kids which drawer is theirs.  Each child can then retrieve a bundle from their drawer and dress themselves without my help.  Ahh.
6. Poncho Pouch – Ditto for the ponchos.  Each is rolled and secured with a different color hair tie so everyone can find theirs quickly.  Having a few clothes pins in the bag is also helpful for securing the ponchos to wheelchairs, strollers or squirmy kids.
7. Be Prepared – We’ve learned the hard way to keep a bag with spare clothes and bathing suits in the rental car.  You never know when accidents or water rides will hit you.