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132. What Kids Really Care About at Disney World · Mom Street USA

0:05
Welcome everybody to another episode of Mobster USAI am your
0:08
host Jackie and on today's episode we are talking about a
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somewhat unique topic we are going to cover what kids
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actually care about it Disney. Now don't get me wrong, the kids
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also care about the rides and the characters and all those
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things that you would like automatically think of when you
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think about what kids might care about at the parks.
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However, there are some other things to consider that your
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children may enjoy also at the parks.
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The goal of this episode is to kind of point some of those out
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to you, but also encourage you to maybe slow down a little,
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maybe let loose of the plan a little bit, let go of the rains
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and just enjoy the time in the Disney parks with your family.
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So let's jump in because I've got some good thoughts for you
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today. So what do kids actually care
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about when they go to Disney, right?
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It's so hard to predict unless you've been there a couple times
1:08
with your kids. And even then, as they grow and
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get older and their interests change, it can be so hard to
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know or anticipate what it is that they might be most
1:23
interested in and care the most about on your Disney trip.
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As parents, we spend months, if not longer, planning the big
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moments at Disney, right. We plan all the dining.
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We plan the resort. We plan the parks.
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We plan the rides and the Lightning Lanes, the
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itineraries, so many things to plan.
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But our kids often don't remember all of that,
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unfortunately, right? Most of the time, they're
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grateful at least, but they typically tend to remember the
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much smaller moments that you have while you're down at the
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Disney parks. So my kids have been very
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spoiled in their lives and they have been several times to
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Disney World and so many of the memories that I have of them are
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not going on rides. I have a ton of us going on
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rides, meeting characters, the things that you typically think
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of. But there are some little
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memories that I have that have nothing to do with that, right?
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I can remember the first time that my daughter tried Dole Whip
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and she became obsessed, rightfully so, right, with Dole
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Whip. And it became a every time we
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go, she's got to go get Dole Whip.
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So we were getting it in the parks for a while.
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But one of the trips we plan to to make a big trip over to the
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Polynesian to grab it over there.
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We went when it was kind of getting a little dark outside.
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So like the tiki torches were on like the whole thing, right.
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And to her, that's like one of the best moments.
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She still talks about when we went to get Dole Whip, she can
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sometimes not remember the name of the ice cream, but because
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she just calls it pineapple ice cream.
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But when we went to get Dole Whip, I can very vividly
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remember my son's first time just walking into Galaxy's Edge
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after he had started watching Star Wars.
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So we had been to Galaxy's Edge a little bit prior to that.
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But in the last year, 18 months or so, he's really gotten into
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Star Wars. And so my husband has been
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watching like the original trilogy and then the prequels
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with him. And I can remember going back
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into Galaxy's Edge with him after we had started watching
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and after he knew way more, and just seeing him light up and
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seeing him look at all the ships and be able to name them.
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And when he saw Kylo Ren for the first time, when we met Darth
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Vader for the first time, like those little things he remembers
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more. He loves Rise of the Resistance,
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but like, he remembers those things just as much, if not more
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than going on the ride for the first time.
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I've told this story before about my daughter.
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Her first trip was 2021, early 2021, when the parks were still
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at limited capacity after the pandemic.
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And we had planned for two full Magic Kingdom days because we
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weren't really sure what the crowds were going to be.
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It was very, very much going into the unknown.
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There were no lightning lanes at the time.
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So like we planned 2 full days at Magic Kingdom, we wanted to
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make sure we gave ourselves enough time.
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Well, the first day we were there, we went on the carousel
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because it's such a fun thing. I had no idea how much my
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daughter was going to just absolutely fall in love with
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that carousel at Magic Kingdom. And so now every time we go to
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Magic Kingdom, she and she says, or we're riding the carousel,
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right? And it's like, yes, yes, yes, of
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course we will ride the carousel.
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But our second day in Magic Kingdom, she insisted, insisted
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she's 2 at the time, insisted that we go immediately to the
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carousel first. So that's what we did.
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You know, there's just so many little stories like that that
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really mean more to kids and sometimes mean more to the
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parents too. But you have to really just like
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stop and slow down and think about it and, and take the
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moment to recognize it. Because what is it that your
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kids think about after a Disney trip?
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Is it always Tron or Guardians of the Galaxy or Rise of the
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Resistance? Or is it sitting eating a Mickey
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ice cream bar, making a giant mess on the curb of Main Street
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while you're waiting for the parade to come by?
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Is it watching ducks at a resort and watching them swim around?
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We all love Disney decks, right? Is it dancing during a parade?
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Is it playing in a splash pad? Is it going to Storybook Circus
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area and playing in the water outside of Barnstormer?
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Is it having a special moment with a cast member?
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Is it riding the sky liner for the first time?
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All of these things are things that kids tend to care more
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about than getting on every single ride at a park.
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So today we're going to talk more about what kids actually
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care about because it may not be what you're spending all your
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time planning for your trip, which again, I understand as a
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planner, I'm a massive planner. It's so hard to stop and think
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about, well, what happens if or to just sometimes you just kind
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of abandoned the plan, right? You have to be flexible and you
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have to be in tune with what your kiddos are enjoying if
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they're having fun dancing to music in the Hub.
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But you've got a lightning lane for Buzz Lightyear.
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You can be late. You can modify it.
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You can skip it. Let them have their fun.
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Take the time to recognize those moments when you're in them so
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you don't regret looking back at them later and saying, oh, man,
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I wish we had spent more time there.
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Right? So kids truly live in the
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moment. Adults view Disney and the
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Disney parks typically very differently from what kids do.
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Adults, we're focused on the reservations we made, the
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Lightning Lanes, how many rides we can get in in the day.
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The budget. We talked a whole, we did a
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whole episode on budgeting over here on Mom St.
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That's things that I focus on to park strategy itineraries.
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All of those things are what adults tend to focus on.
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But what do kids tend to focus on?
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Again, they live in the moment. They focus on.
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Are they having fun? Are they having a good time or
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do they feel like they're being pulled and pushed around by the
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itinerary? Kids care about snacks.
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What kind of snacks do they get to try?
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Do they get to have a Dole Whip or a Mickey ice cream bar?
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Do they get to have, you know, the special caramel popcorn from
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Epcot? Do they get to have the special
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thing that they saw on the festival menu over at Epcot?
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They care about characters and interacting with characters, and
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that doesn't necessarily mean that you're waiting in a line
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for 45 minutes to meet their favorite Princess.
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That could be just something as simple as waving to them on the
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stage show, waving to them in a parade, getting to see them as
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you walk by World Showcase. So many different options with
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that. Kids care about being silly and
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being kids, right? They want to be able to dance to
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parades. They want to be able to do all
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those things. They want to have the ability to
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twirl and spin when they're listening to Elsa sing Let It Go
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at the stage show. Those are the things that feel
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special to them. Those are the things that they
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look forward to and the things that they remember.
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And those are some of the moments that kids remember most,
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right? Thinking about some other
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moments that kids might remember most characters, and again,
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these are not necessarily character meet and greets.
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Again, I've already touched on this, but waving to Mickey
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during the parade, seeing the new Starlight Parade for the
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first time, I can't wait to take my kids.
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And that's like one of the things that we're going to
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highlight and have it be a priority for us is the new
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parade. Because they haven't seen it in
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person and they are going to freak out.
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They're going to absolutely freak out and love it so much.
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They've watched videos, they've seen photos, but that's
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something that, yes, it's on our itinerary, but it's also one of
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those little moments that kids remember most.
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A Princess making eye contact and waving at them, blowing them
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a kiss. Donald from a parade float
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noticing their Donald T-shirt or hat that they have.
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There was an instance where my son had a Mickey Mouse new emo.
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When he we one of the trips we went to Magic Kingdom and he
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held it up so that Mickey could see it during the festival
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fantasy parade and Mickey blew it a kiss and gave it a hand
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heart from the top of his float. Those are the things that kids
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remember the most. We don't need to be waiting in
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these super long lines. They just want to feel seen,
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right? Which is such like an intrinsic
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human thing. So just something to remember
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and think about. Something else that kids will
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focus more on Unexpected treats. Maybe you noticed that we're
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losing steam, but we're, we're, you know, you and your kiddo are
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trying to make it to the fireworks.
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Grab a new popcorn bucket for them, grab a Mickey ice cream
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bar for them, grab a cupcake and share it sitting waiting for the
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parade to start. Grab your meal from Casey's and
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if it's not too hot, instead of sitting at a table, go have a
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picnic on the hub grass. Again, if it's not too hot,
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there is no shade on that hub grass, which is terrible, but go
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sit there instead, grabbing them their own refillable mug at your
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resort so they get to have one too, and they get to be a part
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of that and have it be a little unexpected.
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Bonus for them, these instances with snacks can also become the
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memories that you remember from being in the parks.
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They're going to remember. My gosh, mom bought me that
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super cool humba sipper from Animal Kingdom that was so cool.
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And then I got to drink all of my drinks from it for the rest
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of our trip, got to carry it around with its little holder.
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Like, that's so cool. Oh my gosh, We got this really
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awesome Mickey Toy Soldier Christmas popcorn bucket.
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I love it so much. And every Christmas I get to get
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it out and I get to remember the fun times that we've had in the
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parks, right? Those are the things with snacks
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that are way more important than rushing through eating so you
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can run off to the next ride. Something else that kids might
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focus on, or might enjoy more, or actually care about
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unexpected attractions. Something like riding the Main
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Street vehicles down Main Street might be the highlight of their
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day. Getting to go on the monorail.
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My kids are obsessed with the monorail.
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They love the monorail, so we ride it whenever we can.
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The same thing applies to the sky liner or the boats.
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If you've got a kiddo that really likes boat
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transportation, take a friendship boat from Epcot to
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Hollywood Studios one day. Just for something fun to do.
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Take the ferry boat from Magic Kingdom back to the TTC and then
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hop on a monorail and go to Epcot.
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There are so many different things that you can do that are
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just completely unexpected that your kids may just absolutely
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fall in love with Disney buses. My kids are first and second
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trips. They love the buses.
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They were mad when we chose to drive instead of riding the bus
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because the buses are like a novelty, right?
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So when we get to Disney, they want to ride the buses.
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They want to go on the bus and experience that.
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My oldest this last trip wanted to stand on the bus every time,
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even if there were seats, he wanted to stand and hold on
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because he thought that was the coolest thing.
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And he still will talk about that.
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And that's like something he actively would ask to are we
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taking the bus today? He wanted to know.
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So like, things like that are another thing that kids are
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going to care more about sometimes than the rides in the
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parks. Another thing is having time to
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play sometimes. Giving them a little bit of
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extra time to play instead of rushing to the attractions is a
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much bigger deal to them. Let's say you're going to ride
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Dumbo and that playground inside that queue is open.
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Take the extra 1015 minutes and let them run around and explore
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it and play. Don't be in such a hurry that
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you have to get on the ride right away because it's your
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turn and it's time to go. Let them play.
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Same thing with the splash pad. Now you want to plan accordingly
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for splash pads in the parks because you don't want any
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issues with wet clothes throughout the rest of the day.
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The same thing goes for the interactive queues, giving them
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time to play in the Winnie the Pooh line, obviously keeping
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your eye on them and not getting too far away from them in that
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queue, but letting them go explore and play, taking them to
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the new animation courtyard area in Hollywood Studios.
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That area, Oh, it's, I haven't even been and I can already tell
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you that it is absolutely incredible and it's going to be
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one of my favorite spaces in all the Disney parks going forward
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because it's got interactive elements.
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It's got shade, it's got grass, it's got characters just out
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playing with the kids and interacting and having a good
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time. Let them go there and plan a
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while for them to stay and interact because you can play
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duck duck goose with Donald. I've seen videos of Rapunzel
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braiding hair. I've seen videos of Mulan
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teaching warrior poses to kids. It's absolutely incredible.
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Things like that are worth so much more than a lightning lane
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to ride their favorite ride. Spending some time at your
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resort, getting to explore and run around the resort and going
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to arcades and just experiencing what your resort has to offer.
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Other little things that are a little bit more play based are
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always a good idea, right? So prior to this episode, I did
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ask for some of our lovely Mom St. community members to chime
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in on different things that they've seen or experienced kids
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doing at the parks. And our good friend Melissa
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talked about something that is a little bit more play based that
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I wanted to mention. She said not her kids or
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grandkids, but on a recent trip a young family had made about
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400 friendship bracelets to give out to cast members.
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We watched the little boy hand them to the cast members at the
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Indiana Jones show, and not only were the cast members wicked
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happy, but it brought her a lot of joy just watching the whole
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interaction. She told him how happy it made
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her and he gave her one of the bracelets also.
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It brought tears to her eyes. She was so touched by his
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gesture. And he was probably about 5 or 6
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years old. And she said it's been on her
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wrist ever since. And it's just a little
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friendship bracelet that says chip on it and it's the colors
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of the the chipmunks and it's got a little Mickey head charm
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on it. So things like that are just way
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more important for kids in the parks.
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Something else that kids actually care about at Disney,
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or may care about more than what you anticipate, is being
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included. This can be so important to your
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kiddos, whether it's their first trip or their 10th trip.
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Giving your kiddos the ability to be included, it can be just
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as basic and simple as letting them tap into their lightning
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lane, let them scan their magic band, let them hold the map or
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show them on your phone how to navigate picking the next ride
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or even planning the day and helping to be a part of that.
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On our last family trip, on our very last park day, we gave the
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kids the day and we told them, we said whatever you guys want
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to do, that's what we're going to do today.
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So you guys pick. We picked where we were going to
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start based on opening times and what they kind of wanted to do.
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And then we kind of just said, OK, have at it.
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We don't have any lightning lanes.
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You guys just are going to pick what we're going to do.
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They had a blast. They had so much fun.
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It didn't matter what we did that day.
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It just mattered that they got to choose right.
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They just wanted to be a part of that and hearing from our
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community. Our good friend Kristen also
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said something similar. She said.
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So for me, my kids have gone to Disney enough times, 8, seven
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and eight times. They really only want to focus
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on the things that are new when we go or the things that they
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have missed in prior trips. They are now 15 and 12 and they
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have their favorite things that they always want to do.
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Each of them get to pick a dining experience and a must do
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ride that they have been to before, but they've really
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they've become really accustomed to enjoying the newer and not
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experienced things at Disney. When we go, they like to
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experience new rides. They're not as much into shows,
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but a new places to eat. We went to eat and stay their
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way around the different resorts in Disney Springs.
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They of course like to beat their previous scores or whoever
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they're riding with on things like Toy Story Mania or the new
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Buzz Lightyear Space Rangers spin, but even now they really
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still like to be involved in the planning.
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I'll even catch my teenage boy before a trip watching Disney
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food blog to get ideas. My husband and son went this
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month after a baseball tournament and they got to
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experience all of the new all of the new things at the parks,
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which they both really enjoyed. But I think their favorite part
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was going to the Oak Trail to golf.
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It's a really affordable thing, especially if your teenager is
18:03
under 18, which we talked about that actually just the previous
18:06
episode, but she mentions that her son's clubs were $11.00 to
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rent because he's a minor, even though he's over 6 feet tall.
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Now. When they were younger, the
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stories would have been way more focused on reacting to
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characters, the magic of the nighttime shows.
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But they've kind of grew up as Disney kids and these things I
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described above are now their favorite parts.
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So being active involved, getting to choose, getting to
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make those choices and having a say in what you do, I think is
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so important. Not only just to give them a
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voice, but to give them those special memories whenever you're
18:37
in the parks. It makes them feel more grown up
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and give them more responsibility, which can be
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really magical and special for them.
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Let's talk about now maybe some of the best small moments that
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you might be able to find while you're at the Disney parks.
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But I'm going to start this section off by a a message from
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our good friend Rhonda who talked about her her 2 girls who
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are older now but have very many or have a ton of Disney memories
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and experiences. So Rhonda said our girls are
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older, but they too have some very vivid favorite Walt Disney
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World memories. Pin trading.
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Our eldest used to feel badly about walking away if the cast
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members didn't have a pin she wanted.
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She learned very quickly from numerous and wonderful cast
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members that it was no big deal, however.
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She'd usually buy cheaper pin sets to trade though, because
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all of her pins were her favorites.
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Right? Anytime you get a pin, it's hard
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to decide if you want to trade it away, she said.
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I love this one because it's very unexpected.
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Both girls loved the Carousel of Progress.
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They were fascinated with the history and they loved the song.
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I love that so much. My kids are the same way with
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Spaceship Earth. Never in 1000 years would I have
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thought that Spaceship Earth was going to be something that they
19:56
were that obsessed with. But they love, love, love
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Spaceship Earth, and it's one that they asked to go on every
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time we go to Epcot. Part of it, I think, is the
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novelty right, of being in. Side of the giant Epcot ball.
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But they also just really like the attraction, which is so
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interesting. Rhonda also mentioned that the
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both girls loved watching the top seven must sees at Walt
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Disney World on resort TV in the hotel room.
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I also love that one because my kids are the same way.
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We love watching like the Parks TV stuff that's on the resort
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TV's in your hotel room. Also said our youngest still
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talks about how much she loved the people mover and she lists a
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great movie ride RIP as her nostalgic favorite.
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And she also mentions our eldest was 11 the first time we
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visited. And she said she used to love
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seeing all the younger kids who had been to the Bippity Boppity
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boutique as something fun to to experience.
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And she also mentioned a favorite story involves a Walt
20:56
Disney World bus driver. We were getting on his bus at
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Caribbean Beach Resort and he opened the door, looked at our
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girls and loudly announced Epcot.
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It's not a request. And they still laugh about it
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and repeat it to this day, which is such a fun little moment to
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have together, right? So thank you, Rhonda and Kristen
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and Melissa, who sent in stuff for me to include in this
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episode. I love getting to hear people's
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little magical moments and things like that as well.
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And our good friend Anna in the live chat here is saying my mom
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and I have so many traditions, but Epcot will be our favorite
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always. We've made trips just for Epcot
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before, which I love that right? You got to get your magic where
21:35
you can get it. So let's talk about some little
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small places in the parks that you can maybe find some extra
21:41
magic over at Animal Kingdom. Doing the Wilderness Explorers
21:46
activity with your kids is a really fun way to find a little
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bit of extra magic with your kiddos as you're walking around.
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Making sure you take the time to walk through the animal trails
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and looking at all of the animals, reading some of what
22:02
the descriptions are, talking to the cast members that are kind
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of stationed periodically throughout.
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They always have a ton of really great insight and that just
22:11
makes the trip more special. And you can do that at Animal
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Kingdom. Not only can we follow some of
22:17
these stories of like babies being born on the safari and
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different things like that online, but then we can actually
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go see them and point them out. You know, the baby giraffe
22:28
Tucker, that was born a few years back was really, really
22:30
popular. Everybody wanted to go see him
22:32
on the safari. I just saw this week that
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there's a new baby and Coley cattle on the safari and that's
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the first baby they've ever had at Animal Kingdom.
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So getting to go see that after you've, you know, seen it on
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Instagram or TikTok or wherever. But things like that are super
22:50
fun. Stopping to listen to any of the
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live performers at animal Kingdom.
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There are several like street masphere style performers.
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There's the drummers in Africa. There's a whole band over kind
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of at the entrance to, well, what is it's kind of what used
23:07
to be Dinoland USA, what will be the Tropical Americas on that
23:10
side. Also all of the live performers
23:13
that you can see. The other thing over at Animal
23:15
Kingdom is taking the time to go out to the new Bluey experience.
23:19
That one's a little bit more of like a true attraction, I guess
23:23
I would say. But it is newer and they do have
23:25
like a kangaroo walkthrough out there as well.
23:28
So taking the time, it's a little bit of a hassle, right,
23:31
to get on, you know, wait for the train, get on the train, get
23:33
out there and doing all of those things.
23:35
But I think it's definitely really worth it over at Animal
23:37
Kingdom. Animal Kingdom has lots of
23:39
little nooks and crannies around the Tree of Life too, that you
23:41
can go and explore and look at the different animals.
23:46
And if you've got kiddos that are really into animals, see how
23:48
many you can find, right? How many of the animals on this
23:51
section of the Tree of Life can we name?
23:54
And there are guides online that you can look up that show like
23:57
what animals are where and they name all of them.
23:59
So like you can pull one of those up and have it ready to
24:02
go. So that way you can see it for
24:05
for reference if you need to when you're doing that with your
24:08
kids. So again, those are just a few
24:10
of the many, many spaces at Animal Kingdom that you can find
24:13
maybe just a little bit of, of magic for you and your kiddos.
24:16
So let's talk about Epcot. What are some of these little
24:19
small moment places that you can find taking the time time in
24:24
world Showcase to do the kid cot station that can be so much fun.
24:29
Being able to visit all of the countries, talk to the cast
24:33
members that are there. You know, I I'm so glad that
24:36
after the pandemic, they brought back the international cast
24:39
members that are working in those different pavilions, but
24:43
taking the time to do those little activities kind of
24:46
coinciding with that taking an hour or two to do any of the
24:50
scavenger hunts. We talk about the scavenger
24:51
hunts all the time over here on Mom Street.
24:53
I love the Epcom scavenger hunts just for myself to do.
24:57
They're so much fun. So that can be something really
25:00
fun to do. Taking some time over by the
25:04
imagination pavilion to play in the jumping fountains that are
25:07
over there, you know, and the looking at the upside down
25:10
waterfall that exists over near the exit of figment.
25:14
That can be really fun. Same thing goes for of course,
25:17
the Moana journey of water. That's a little bit more of a
25:19
popular attraction, but taking the time to go through that.
25:22
My kids absolutely love that attraction.
25:26
So taking the time we, we visited it several times on our
25:29
last trip because they just loved it so much.
25:32
Again, watching the performers in World showcase or catching
25:35
the Encanto show up at that stage near, you know, near the
25:38
center of World discovery. Is that what that one's called
25:41
now? I I'm still, do you think that I
25:43
would learn these names of Epcot by now, but it's just, it's
25:45
taking me a lot longer than it did previously.
25:48
But catching any of the performers, you know, the
25:51
drummers in Japan and the voices of liberty singers in the
25:59
America pavilion, the there's like a juggler in Italy.
26:03
There's so many different things that you can find out in world
26:06
showcase and just taking the time to stop and listen and
26:10
check it out, I think can be super fun.
26:12
And then Epcot has a ton of play areas too, which I've talked
26:15
about them previously on on an episode where we talked about,
26:18
you know, the, the play areas and different things to do with
26:20
your kiddos. But I've got us a lot of them.
26:23
So taking the time to let your kiddos explore, you know, the
26:27
the exit of mission space is a is 1, the exit of the Finding
26:32
Nemo ride when you go into the aquarium, they they've not only
26:36
got aquarium stuff, there's a play area in there as well.
26:39
The exit of Figment has all those interactive different
26:42
places that you can do all of those places are really great
26:46
spots to find a little extra magic, a little unexpected magic
26:51
in in the small moments and just let your kids have a good time
26:55
being kids in the parks right over Hollywood studios.
26:58
A couple things that you can consider for some of these small
27:03
moments. Taking the time when you are
27:05
walking through Toy Story Land, find some shade because it's
27:08
lacking there and it's very hot. But and checking out the green
27:12
Army drum corps that comes by with their drums and marching
27:17
through that is such a fun little like slept on experience.
27:21
I feel like that it's one that I would definitely put on this
27:24
list for sure. We talked about animation
27:27
Courtyard again. I think that space is such a
27:29
great way to find these little magical moments over there.
27:34
Also going to see the Disney Junior show that is over there.
27:38
I cannot wait. The end of the summer, the rest
27:40
of that space is supposed to open up and there's going to be
27:42
a new playground that is Alice in Wonderland themed back there
27:45
also. So any of that space is great to
27:49
just take some time, let your kids lead the way, let them
27:52
figure out and decide what they want to do while you're over
27:56
there. Oh and also viewing and looking
27:58
for any characters in the Star Wars areas in Galaxy's Edge
28:04
primarily, but also Darth Vader tends to hang out around Star
28:07
Tours now. But finding some of those more
28:11
obscure characters like looking for VI Morati, which if you
28:15
listened to our Star Wars episode with Stevie back a few
28:19
months ago, you'll know who VI Morati is or looking for Ray or
28:26
Chewbacca or any of those characters while you are walking
28:31
around in Galaxy's Edge can also be a really fun little moment
28:35
that you can take to just slow down.
28:37
Let your kids experience something completely unique and
28:41
magical while you're in that park.
28:43
And then ending with Magic Kingdom.
28:44
I already talked a little bit earlier about a few of these,
28:47
but doing the having a picnic in the hub grass, whether that's
28:52
you bring your food in or you grab food from like Casey's is
28:55
super close or you grab it from somewhere else that's maybe a
28:58
little bit far away and bring it to the hub grass.
29:01
Again, there's not a ton of shade, which is really
29:02
unfortunate. But if you can do it when it's
29:05
not super hot or you can find a little corner that's got some
29:07
shade and get lucky with that. But having a picnic in the hub
29:11
grass or just letting the kids run around and play in the hub
29:15
grass can be a super fun, magical time and give mom and
29:18
dad a moment to have a break. And maybe mom and dad can split
29:22
a sundae from the Plaza ice cream shop that's right on the
29:26
end of Main Street there while the kids are running around and
29:29
grabbing a bite here and there from your ice cream sundae
29:32
watching the train or riding on the train, right.
29:36
My kids love the train. I it's a little bit of a bummer
29:38
right now because it's just a shuttle train that runs between
29:41
Fantasyland and Main Street and you don't get the full loop.
29:44
But we love the train. So either sitting and watching
29:47
the train or riding on the train.
29:49
Same thing goes for like the monorail, sitting and watching
29:53
the monorail go by. My kids love to do that.
29:55
We'll sit on those like planters that are out out right outside
29:59
of the gates of Magic Kingdom and just like hang out there.
30:02
They love watching the monorail go by.
30:03
Again, it's the the what we view as like the silliest little
30:07
things, but it's so impactful for them stopping and listening
30:12
to the Dapper dance or stopping and listening to the Main St.
30:16
Philharmonic marching band that they have any of those things
30:19
are really great options as well.
30:21
Something else to note if you are someone that's got a trip
30:24
between now and like Labor Day, they are doing the cool kids
30:27
summer again, which means there are a ton of characters out
30:31
during early entry in Fantasyland and in other parks
30:35
as well. You'll find some extra
30:36
characters, but in Fantasyland at Magic Kingdom you can find
30:40
those. So spending your 30 minute early
30:43
entry going and talking to characters.
30:45
We did that on one of our last one of our Magic Kingdom
30:48
mornings on our last trip and my kids got to meet like 8
30:52
characters in a span of like 20 minutes and it was unbelievable.
30:57
And my kids still talk about getting to just like walk right
31:01
up to Mickey who was walking around and I have like the best
31:04
videos and photos. My kids got to meet Rapunzel and
31:08
Flynn. Flynn Rider was with her and my
31:11
son had a little crossbody bag on that he was carrying.
31:15
And Flynn and my son compared what was in their satchels
31:21
together. So like those moments, you just,
31:24
you just have to let them be and let them happen, right?
31:27
And, and really, truly enjoy them in the moment when they're
31:31
happening because you never know.
31:33
What might be the biggest memory that sticks with your kid as you
31:39
recap your trip and talk about it after you to get home?
31:42
Right. So I will leave you with this as
31:44
we kind of wrap up this episode for today.
31:47
Some things to just consider that maybe as a parent or an
31:52
adult that is going with kids to the parks that you should maybe
31:55
just remind yourself to not stress about.
31:58
And this list is also for me because I'm such a type A
32:01
planner when it comes to the Disney parks with my kids.
32:04
This is something that I need to just remember and relax.
32:08
And if one of these kind of strikes a chord with you, just
32:11
remember on your next trip to take a step back.
32:14
So some things to stop stressing about as we end this episode.
32:18
Missing one ride in a park. It doesn't matter.
32:21
Your kiddos will never know because you're a smart parent
32:25
and you did all their favorites first.
32:27
So by the time you get to the end of the day, that one ride
32:30
that's leftover doesn't matter. This one is big for me.
32:33
Having the perfect lightning lane strategy.
32:35
OK y'all know how much I love doing lightning lanes and how
32:38
it's like it's my thing but when I'm there with my family I
32:41
cannot stress about that, right? I can stress about that on when
32:46
I'm helping other people with their trips.
32:47
When it's my own trip, I need to not stress about it as much.
32:51
Stressing about seeing everything.
32:53
You will not see everything unless you take 2 full weeks in
32:58
the parks every day and that's just exhausting.
33:00
So don't stress if you miss something.
33:02
Again, prioritize and you'll be fine.
33:04
Don't stress about staying until park close every day.
33:08
This used to be a really big one for me until like the last trip
33:13
that we went. I think on the last trip that we
33:16
took with my family, we only we did Fantasmic because my kids
33:21
obsessed with fantastic. We did fantastic twice actually,
33:24
but we didn't do any of the other fireworks shows.
33:27
My kids didn't care to or didn't want to or it rained or they
33:31
just wanted to go back to the room.
33:32
So we said OK and just stop stressing about feeling like you
33:36
have to have every minute scheduled it.
33:38
It's just, it's just not necessary.
33:41
Don't give yourself more stress than you need to, right?
33:44
And just remember your kiddo probably won't remember that you
33:47
missed riding under the sea with Ariel, but they will remember is
33:53
eating popcorn sitting next to you on the curb waiting for the
33:56
Starlight parade to start. Sarah in our live chat is saying
33:59
everyone takes on Disney differently.
34:01
Just slow down and enjoy the magic that it is.
34:04
Exactly. And Kristen in our live chat is
34:06
saying, you're so right on this. They always remember the things
34:09
you typically don't spend extra money on.
34:11
And Kristen also said I had to change what I like to do, which
34:14
is start early, stay all day and be at the parks till the end.
34:17
They like to take a break between 2:00 and 5:00 and swim
34:20
at the pool which is exactly like especially as as they get
34:23
older and can make some of those choices.
34:24
That's that's perfect. Exactly.
34:27
Rhonda shared a fun moment here in our live chat.
34:29
Riding 7 dwarves, mine trained over and over in the pouring
34:32
rain made us all laugh. I love that those memories are
34:35
just so much fun. Yeah Zach I'm the same way Zach
34:39
in our live chat as saying as someone who grew up rope dropped
34:42
a firework show. I really struggle with the
34:43
midday resort break. It's so hard.
34:46
But sometimes it's so necessary just to have the right attitude
34:52
and have the the right mindset for everybody in your group
34:55
going forward. So I totally get that, Zach, and
34:58
I'm with you. But sometimes you just got a
34:59
shift. You just got a shift, right?
35:01
So as we kind of close this episode, I hope that I gave you
35:05
some fun things to think about. And just remember when your kids
35:09
are adults, they probably won't remember every ride that you got
35:13
to go on at Disney, but they'll remember how it felt, right?
35:18
They'll remember the ice cream you ate, the music, the parade,
35:23
the character that waved at them, the silly moments with
35:26
their family. Sometimes the magic isn't in
35:29
those headline attractions. It is in the moments in between
35:33
them. So that is my words of wisdom
35:36
that I leave you with for today. Thank you guys so much for being
35:40
here for this episode of Mom St. USA.
35:42
Coming up next, we are returning back to the Hub with Duck and
35:45
Jess. So definitely join us next week
35:48
for that. But for today, thank you all for
35:51
your support. Thank you for being here.
35:53
If you've got additional questions or you want to share
35:56
some of your moments, I would love to hear them.
35:58
Please reach out to me, Mom St. usa@gmail.com or at Mom St.
36:02
USA on all of our social medias, including our Patreon, which
36:05
again is a great place to connect together with this
36:08
community. Thank you guys so much for your
36:10
support and being here. And I will see you on the next
36:12
episode of Mom St. USA.
36:15
Bye.