mountain boy mom adventures

Best Rides to Fastpass at Disneyworld

Animal Kingdom July 01, 2019

I want to preface this list with the idea that every family likes different rides. For instance, MOST people love The Hollywood Tower of Terror. My family however, hates it. So while I put it on this list, I do understand that not every family will love every ride. That being said, the rides on this list are the most high demand and most popular ride in the parks.

I will leave a short description of each ride along with height restrictions for each as again, each family has different sized members. For those with smaller children, make sure you keep your child's height in mind.

Magic Kingdom

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train- this is a family friendly roller coaster where you journey through the 7 dwarfs mine. 38 inches height required.

Space Mountain- A dark roller coaster with twists and turns through space. 44 inches height required.

Splash Mountain- A lovely story ending with a large drop where you will get wet! 40 inches height required.

Peter Pan- One of the best rides in Fantasyland and super nostalgic. All AGES!

Big Thunder Mountain- The wildest ride in the wilderness! This is a train style roller coaster. 40 inches height required.

Hollywood Studios

Slinky Dog Dash- Super fast roller coaster with a toy story theme. 38 inches height required.

Rockin Rollercoaster- Better for older kids. There is an upside down corkscrew on this one. 44 inches height required.

Toy Story Midway Mania- Family friendly competition ride. Ride through and shoot at targets to compete against your family. ALL AGES!

Hollywood Tower of Terror- Better for older kids. Series of drops and spooky storyline. 40 inches height required.

Star Tours- A virtual 3D ride through space. Several different story lines. 40 inches height required.

Soon to come: Star Wars Smuggles Run.

Epcot

Soarin Around the World- Hang glide over different areas of the world. Family friendly. 40 inches height required.

Mission Space- Possible motion sickness. This is a trip to space. There is a Green and and Orange level, orange being the more extreme version. 40 inches height required.

Test Track- Super fast ride where you test out a ride vehicle at high speed. Great Cue! 40 inches height required.

Frozen Ever After- Family friendly ride through the story of Frozen. ALL AGES.

Animal Kingdom

Avatar Flight of Passage- Motion sickness warning! This is a virtual reality ride through the world of Avatar. 44 inches height required.

Expedition Everest- Better for older kiddos. Fast roller coaster that does go backwards. 44 inches height required.

Kilimanjaro Safaris- Super family friendly trip into the safari to see real animals such as elephants, lions and gorillas. ALL AGES.

Dinosaur- Super jostling and a bit spooky. Sharp turns and stops. Super exciting! 40 inches height required.

Navi River- Family Friendly ride down the NAvi River. Very Pretty but also very short. ALL AGES.

I hope this helps you figure out what Fastpasses will work for your family. These are the rides that tend to have long wait times on a normal day. Fastpasses are helpful if you wish to ride them.

XOXO

LEAH

Share |

Traveling With Kids Without Going Crazy

adventure travel June 27, 2019

Traveling with kids can be hard and overwhelming. I think we can all agree that we want to do it. We want those wonderful childhood memories for our kids and beautiful memories for ourselves of our children in these magical places! As someone who as embraced traveling with my children from the time they were very young, here are my tips for traveling with kids without going crazy!

1. Choose the right type of trip. A River Cruise with lots of stops at historic sites where you will peruse museums, do some shopping and eat at fine dining establishments... this sounds lovely but a nightmare for young kids especially. I would suggest thinking about the types of things your children will enjoy and make that a priority. Keep in mind how busy you can realistically be given nap schedules etc and plan accordingly.

Things to Avoid with little ones : Adventure sports like ziplines, surfing, sailing, ropes courses, safaris etc.

If you have older kids on the other hand! Go for it! These are the types of things that older kids dreams are made of! My kids want adventure these days so I tend to plan things to get them out and moving!

Suggested Trips for littler kiddos: AirBnB near the beach where you can escape to the house for a nap or to get out of the sun. Theme park travel such as Disney or Legoland. Cruises. All Inclusive Resorts with kids clubs.

2. If your resort has one, utilize the kids clubs. Of course, do your research and feel the place out, but most of these places are super secure and have great staff. This way the kids can have their kind of fun, and you can go adventure or have some super nice dinners without stress. Now that our kids are older, we don't utilize these, but when the kids are little they are a life saver!

3. Know your kids. If you know your child gets sensory overload quickly, you may not enjoy going to a theme park like Disney. As much as it pains me to say, Disney is not for everyone. Some kids really have a hard time if they have sensory issues or are on the spectrum. Know what your child can handle.

4. Let the naps happen. Some kids will sleep anywhere! Mine were this type. If your kids are, go with it. Bring a stroller or plan your car riding around the naptime and let them nap while you are getting to your next destination.

5. Keep it fun. We try to do one kid "fun" thing each day. If were are going to some super stuffy museums, we make sure to sprinkle in a bike ride or something fun so that they never feel too bored. Now that they are getting older, this is getting easier. Our boys now enjoy museums as much as we do so its never an issue. I would argue that traveling with kids can be MORE fun because you will do things you wouldn't do on an "adult" trip. Let yourself be playful and childlike!

6 Let them help you plan. Letting them have a hand in the planning of your vacation is a sure fire way to get them excited and get the buy in for the activities. you can order visitor guides from different places, or let them peruse websites. Our boys love to look through pamphlets for areas we are planning to visit. If you know anyone in the area you are visiting you can have them send you a handful so they can get excited. When in Disney we let them help make our plan through the parks.

7 Remember your kids will still be your kids. If your kid cries when they are tired, he or she will still cry when they are tired. It is vacation not a lobotomy. Set your expectation to a realistic level and know that there will be hiccups.

8. If you are driving pack entertainment. We like to do road trip bags. I plan on doing an entire post for this, but briefly, you put one thing in a bag for each hour of your trip. This helps break up the time. Little things we like to pack are, card games, fidget style toys, snacks that they usually don't get to have such as fruit snacks, art supplies that are car friendly. Keep a look out for this post!

Remember, these are magical memories. Even the tough times when traveling can turn out to be a funny story a few months or years down the road! Each time we travel we have an opportunity to make a deposit in the memory banks of those little minds.

XOXO

LEAH

Share |

The Best Things About Nantucket

Beaches June 11, 2019

Share |

What to pack for your Disney World trip

Disney May 16, 2019

We have discussed at length both via the blog and the podcast what take into the parks with you. But what about what you should actually pack in your suitcase to take to Walt Disney World with you. Here are some things I never leave home without when traveling to Disney.

1. Good Walking Shoes.

I personally like to switch my shoes up everyday. This means I need to take MORE THAN ONE pair of comfortable shoes with me. I find if I wear the same ones everyday my feet get more sore. Here are my two favorite shoes to take to Disney with me.

These Reebok Classic shoes are super comfy and they don't look clunky like a lot of other tennis shoes do. They give you an extra little spring in your step also.

I love Sam Edelman sandals. There isn't much too them which makes them comfortable for me after wearing tennis shoes a couple days in a row. They have an ankle strap so they stay on and don't tire your calves. Not to mention they will look super cute with those Disney outfits you have planned!

2. Hand Sanitizer

People are gross and there are people everywhere. Those people touch everything. Millions of people go to the parks everyday. I personally don't want all of their germs. I am not crazy hand sanitizer mom or anything but it is nice to have especially before the kids eat a churro!

I am obsessed with the Honest Company hand sanitizer. It smells so good that I don't mind spraying it. Plus I know it is made with natural ingredients so I don't worry about slathering my kiddos hands with it.

3. Collapsible Laundry Hamper

Hotel rooms can get crazy. I mean its vacation, everyone has let their hair down a bit. I still like to try to keep the room a little bit tidy. I love this hamper because it folds up and can be packed in our suitcase, plus we use it for other trips.

Very few things have cost so little and have had such a great pay off. If you buy one inexpensive item, I would say this would be it!

4. Snacks for Breakfasts

We don't like it miss out on our extra morning hour in the parks so we tend to not eat breakfast most days. My husband and I are usually fine with fasting, but the boys need some food before we have our mid morning park snack (read churro or cookie lol).

These bars have protein in them so I know they will hold the boys over for that first few crazed hours of ride excitement in the super empty parks. No one wants to stop and eat and I feel ok with that if they have something before we go to park. I've mentioned before that we don't do the meal plan. While we do enjoy some delicious Disney park food, we aren't huge eaters. We like good healthy food, and generally don't eat a big breakfast. These bars help the boys stay nourished.

5. Huge plastic zipper bags for packing.

When planning out specific outfits for our family, it is important to me to keep those in tact. My boys would just go haphazardly rummaging through the suitcase if it were up to them. To keep it orderly and also keep everything fitting in suitcase properly I started using these huge baggies for each outfit. I write on the side which park (because that matters!) we are going to when they wear that outfit. There is never an argument in the mornings over what to wear.

Obsessed with these. If you don't mark them up too much you can use them over and over. I certainly have. They come in a pack of 12 which is enough for six outfits for my two kiddos.

6. Travel Jewelry Organizer

I personally love to accessorize my Disney outfits with some fun Disney jewelry. When traveling it is nice to keep them organized and all together. This helps them from getting tangled together with bracelets and necklaces, and can even help you not lose items.

This is another low ticket item that will make such a huge difference in your travel experience. Here is a pic of mine filled with my jewelry choices for my last trip. Each was for a particular Disney outfit for our trip.

7. Speaking of Jewelry

There are some super high end jewelry pieces out there revolving around Disney and I personally love to find fun pieces to wear to the parks. The awesome thing is that there are some super affordable options out there if you are just going to Disney once but want to have something fun to wear with your outfit. Here are a couple super affordable jewelry pics that will make any outfit look extra Disney.

Each of these jewelry pieces are under $20. Trust me, as someone who has the actual pieces, these knock offs are pretty darn close to the real deal. You will only know because you ordered them online and know how much they cost! What a great way to add some Disney style.

8. Foot Care

There a millions of steps in the parks. Be prepared and have this on the ready in your hotel room. If you or your child rub yourself raw the day prior, you can protect your foot for the next day with some moleskin.

Additionally, if your feet are just plain tired this epsom salt foot rub will help you out. This stuff really is a lifesaver about the third or fourth day.

9. Medications you may need.

I have mentioned before that we do not pack stuff like this with us into the park as we want to get right through that security line and into the park. They of course sell things like ibuprofen in the park if you may need it so there really is not a reason to pack it in. That being said, having things you need in the hotel room is another story. I know I personally need some digestive help here and there when traveling and that is not something you can find readily available at the resorts or around the parks. Here are some things that we pack in our suitcase just in case.

10. Umbrella and Rain Ponchos

Orlando is known for unpredictable weather. Bringing your own umbrella so you have it if the forecast changes will for sure save you money.

Both of these umbrellas would compliment any Disney outfit! They are super affordable and oh so very Disney, without being overtly so.

These rain ponchos are not only helpful for unsuitable weather but also for riding rides like Splash Mountain and Kali River Rapids! Get one for each member of your family just in case. These come in a six pack!

There is my Disney travel list! These items are all things I don't leave home without, especially when traveling to Disney. I hope this helps you prepare for your next Disney vacation.
XOXO
LEAH

Share |

Best Rides to Fastpass at Disneyworld

Magic Kingdom

Hollywood Studios

Epcot

Animal Kingdom

I hope this helps you figure out what Fastpasses will work for your family. These are the rides that tend to have long wait times on a normal day. Fastpasses are helpful if you wish to ride them.

XOXO LEAH

Traveling With Kids Without Going Crazy

XOXO

LEAH

The Best Things About Nantucket

Here are the best things to absolutely love about Nantucket.

1. You have to Ferry or Fly to get there.

2. Beaches.

3. Restaurants.

4. Cobblestone Streets.

5. History. For such a small island, it is littered with museums.

6. Shopping.

7. Sconset.

8. Transportation.

XOXOLEAH

What to pack for your Disney World trip

We have discussed at length both via the blog and the podcast what take into the parks with you. But what about what you should actually pack in your suitcase to take to Walt Disney World with you. Here are some things I never leave home without when traveling to Disney.

1. Good Walking Shoes.

2. Hand Sanitizer

3. Collapsible Laundry Hamper

4. Snacks for Breakfasts

6. Travel Jewelry Organizer

7. Speaking of Jewelry

8. Foot Care

9. Medications you may need.

10. Umbrella and Rain Ponchos

There is my Disney travel list! These items are all things I don't leave home without, especially when traveling to Disney. I hope this helps you prepare for your next Disney vacation.XOXOLEAH

About Leah

Follow Us

Disney Budget Disney Big Podcast

Shop My Disney Favorites

Pinterest

Labels

recent posts

Blog Archive

XOXO

LEAH

XOXO
LEAH

There is my Disney travel list! These items are all things I don't leave home without, especially when traveling to Disney. I hope this helps you prepare for your next Disney vacation.
XOXO
LEAH