Strollers in Disney World

Posted on August 12, 2022 by Michael Luongo

A Walt Disney World vacation involves a lot of walking. So you are going to want a stroller for your kids. They are great for moving across the parks quickly when little legs arent fast enough. They are also great for kids to rest and nap. This is true even for bigger kids. Especially at the end of a long day. Luckily, there are several different ways to access a stroller in Disney World. Of course, it involves some elements of planning. Here is what I have discovered over the years.

With just one child, a small and lightweight stroller is ideal. It’s is great for portability. You don’t want to bring your best big stroller. You can bring your stroller right up to the plane and they will check it there and get it for you when you land. This way you can use it in the airport, which I have found to be helpful.

Another popular option is to rent a stroller from Walt Disney World. Utilizing this strategy allows guests to grab a stroller as they enter the park and drop it off when leaving. This does make bus travel to the park and back to the resort much easier. But there are some drawbacks. Sometimes a sleepy child is best left in the stroller until you get on the bus. Especially if there are lines and a wait it makes it much easier. Also, it gets to be annoying to have to go grab a stroller every morning upon park entry.

My favorite stroller plan is renting through ScooterBug. This company has a partnership with Walt Disney World. They will deliver your rental stroller to your resort on your arrival day. I have used this service several times and have always had the stroller waiting for me when I get there.

This really is the best of both worlds. You get a stroller without having to travel with it and you still get to use it traveling around Walt Disney World. We get a good stroller and the price is reasonable. We request a color other than black, because it makes it easier to find in the stroller parking. ScooterBug also rents electric vehicles for anyone in your party that might have mobility issues. We rented this once as well, and it really madea difference.

So now that you have your stroller in Walt Disney World, what are the best ways to get around. There are many stroller parking locations spread throughout each park. They are clearly marked and easy to find. So guests can park strollers, check out some attractions in an area. With bigger kids, we would leave the stroller for hours at a time and then head back and get it.

An Easy Day at Animal Kingdom

Posted on July 25, 2022 by Michael Luongo

Walt Disney World vacations are packed with fun and adventure. The vacations are super busy. There are 4 unique amusement parks (and 2 water parks). With so much to do, many Disney Families joke they need a vacation after traveling to Disney World just to recover. On out Disney World vacations, we usually allow a day at Animal Kingdom to be a relaxing recovery day. With a few tips, one day at Animal Kingdom is enough.

Animal Kingdom blends an amusement park with a zoo, a conservation initiative and an educational experience. There are many things to do and a few of the best rides in Walt Disney World. Even so, you can experience Animal Kingdom without having to hustle as much as you do at some of the other parks. It does open early and we get there early to get to everything. We open with Expedition Everest and then Dinosaur. We will make a Lightning Lane reservation for Avatar: Flight of Passage. We also see the Festival of the Lion King and Kilimanjaro Safari every trip. Other than that, it is just a leisurely walk through the park. We most often go to all the other attractions, like It’s Tough to Be a Bug Kali River Rapids. But none of these are can’t miss experiences every vacation.

The dining at Animal Kingdom is the least impressive of all the parks. The restaurants are great, but they are very focused in their cuisine and not overly appealing to all appetites. We will eat a quick service lunch, usually at Restaurantosaurus. We wrap up the day at Animal Kingdom by 4 or 5 pm and head back to the resort. We will eat dinner there and finish off the night at the pool. The kids really enjoy just swimming freely. It seems weird to be on a Disney World Vacation and spend time relaxing at the resort and not running through the parks. But it is fun for the kids and relaxing for the parents. It gives every a chance to rejuvenate for the rest of the trip.

Veteran Disney Dads will plan their Animal Kingdom day midway through their Walt Disney World Vacation. That will maximize the benefit of the relaxing day and make for a strong finish to the trip.

Kite Tails at Animal Kingdom

Posted on July 18, 2022 by Michael Luongo

Walt Disney World is full of attractions and entertainment. It can be a little overwhelming at times. There is so much to do and vacationers want to catch everything. There are massive parades and small street performances and everything in between. Then obviously there are the rides and shows. With such a busy day, it is easy to miss things or not even know they are happening. Sometimes we plan on going to a performance, but get lost in the day and miss it. Side note, My Day on the Disney Genie App allows you to put show times onto your schedule so you won’t forget them. Kite Tails at Animal Kingdom is one of these performances that can should be seen, but can be easily missed.

Animal Kingdom is such a large park that it can take a long time to get across. So in order to get to Kite Tails, it does take a little bit of effort. But it is worth it. Kite Tails is a prototypical Walt Disney World Show. It is short at about 15 minutes. But it is creative, magical and beautiful. It seems so simple, yet it is elegant and wonderful. Parents can be intrigued by it, and children love it and they love the characters brought to life.

A lot of attractions at Walt Disney World have such high expectations, that they inevitably leave many guests disappointed. Kite Tails is a fun and quick performance that is enjoyable and it is perfect for what it is. Walt Disney World is constantly creating new shows and working hard to give guests the best they can offer. Remember that when planning your vacation and reading online reviews.

Drop the Rope

Posted on July 11, 2022 by Michael Luongo

Some Walt Disney World vacation tips are more impactful than others. One of the most important tricks implemented by veteran Disney Dads is the rope drop.

The term rope drop means entering an amusement park right when they open. At Walt Disney World rope drop is an event in and of itself. It seems the secret is out. There is a line to get through security and then another line to get through the gates. The only way to effectively rope drop at Walt Disney World is to get there early. Really early. And that distinction makes all the difference. If you don’t arrive early enough, you will not get into the park with enough time to beat the initial crowds. We try to get there at least 30 minutes before park opens. That’s enough time to get off the bus or other transport and get to the front of the park 15 to 20 minutes before open. And that 15 minutes is crucial. If you don’t make it in before that initial rush, then you practically lose most of the advantage of the rope drop. It may seem trivial, but that 15 or 20 minutes makes all the difference. For example, with an 8:30 park open we will get there at 8. Usually we will then be through the gates and in the park right around 830, because they do open the gates a few minutes early. If we were to arrive at 8:30, we might not get through the gates until after 9. So we just lost a half hour in a sparsely populated Disney World. Even worse, if we arrived around 9, it would probably take close to an hour to actually get into the park.

When we get into whatever park we are going to, we have a plan for which rides we are going on. It will obviously be one that will have a long line later in the day. We also consider which ride we might have a lightning lane reservation for first, because we don’t want to miss it by trying to start on the other side of the park. So just like the rest of your Disney Vacation, you need a plan, and it needs to be flexible. Usually we can go to 2 attractions back to back with little wait time. This is especially true for resort guests who currently can enjoy a half hour early admittance. Some of the most popular rides attract a massive crowd immediately. One such ride is Avatar: Flight of Passage. Pretty much everyone rope dropping Animal Kingdom goes there. So if you are not one of the first in line, it might be something to avoid. I have seen waits up to 45 minutes as soon as the park opens. We usually go the other way in Animal Kingdom. We can ride Dinosaur and Expedition Everest both without any wait.

Walt Disney World parks do not empty out early like some other amusement parks. You can not hope to ride Space Mountain multiple times in a row at the end of the night. The wait times decline, but never is there no wait. That makes the rope drop so much more important. It gives guests their best chance to enjoy a ride or two with an amazingly short wait.

Dress for Success

Posted on June 19, 2022 by Michael Luongo

Planning a vacation to Walt Disney World can be challenging and there is certainly much to think about. Park reservations, dining reservations and park hours are all things to consider. But Disney Dads know that getting everybody’s clothing together is one of the most fun planning ritual.

We made a regrettable mistake on our very first vacation to Walt Disney World. We did not pack Disney attire and just wore common shirts. Sadly we didn’t know any better. We didn’t know that wearing Disney themed clothes enhanced the magic so much. Don’t follow in our footsteps. Everything is better in Disney clothes. The characters interact with you more. The pictures are amazing.

There is one more way to take the magic to the next level. Matching shirts for the whole family. Yes that’s right. You may be hesitant and it may sound unusual, and you may think “we aren’t those people”. But it is so much fun to be those people.

Minnie Van Service

Posted on June 14, 2022 by Michael Luongo

Walt Disney World offers many different ways to get around the property. Almost all of the options are free. But there is an official paid car service that many people do not know about. It is called Minnie Van and it is operated by Lyft. This program began a few years before the Covid-19 pandemic, but was suspended in 2020 and 2021. It returned to action in June 2022. So what exactly is it?

The Minnie Van service is easy to use. It is operated by Lyft and it works just as easily as using Lyft anywhere else. The app and program are very user friendly so don’t worry about having to learn something new. I recommend setting up the Lyft app and creating an account before your vacation if you anticipate using it. I would even set it up just in case of an emergency or unplanned difficulty. You don’t want to he fiddling with an account creation if something requires immediate action.

The Minnie Van can be very helpful to complement the Walt Disney World Transportation system. At park open and close, there are usually busses arriving frequently. However, mid day and off times there can be a bit of a wait. The Minnie Van can be called in to save some time and provide a more convenient and comfortable experience. This is a great option when park hopping or for a quick return to the resort. Animal Kingdom is a great park to start the day in. It opens early and you can do a lot by lunch, and move to another park. But it is a long ride to Magic Kingdom from there, and a Minnie Van can be a nice way to save some time. I don’t want to leave Animal Kingdom and see my bus just left and now I have to wait 20 minutes for another one. That really throws a wrench in the day.

The Minnie Van service is operated by Disney and Lyft. The driver is a friendly and knowledgeable Disney employee. The Minnie Van can hold up to 6 guests and has 2 car seats available so it should accommodate most families. We don’t use it as a primary mode of transportation, but there were times where it made travel so much better.

Disney By Dads

Ideas for planning your Disney World Vacation

Tag Archives: Animal Kingdom