Travel Tuesday: Five Things I Like About Walt Disney World

My kids and I are actually fighting over the gifts that were given to me during the Walt Disney World African American Mom Bloggers Mixer. And of course I brought back all kids of cool gifts for them. But there were two things in the gift bag that I wanted for myself: the Mickey Mouse throw that actually has Tyler Family embroidered on it and a photo album that I will use for my pictures from the weekend. But my two year has laid claim on all of her stuff and on my stuff too. From the time she saw it, she said: that’s my blanket and that’s my homework (talking about the photo album..she thinks it is a homework book.) And she carries those 2 items around with her all day. I think that we are actually going to come to blows over that stuff

I could go on and on and on about my weekend at Walt Disney World. But instead, I decided to list the fives things that really stood out to me on my trip.

1. If little Ray-Ray gets tired while he is at the park and starts acting like a complete crazy baby (kicking, screaming, falling out and such..) no need to worry. Just take little Ray-Ray to the Baby Center. It is a place where you can go to feed or change your baby. It is air conditioned, it contains all of the supplies that you would need for your baby from pampers to baby food and it even has a private room for nursing mothers. And several, if not all, of the parks have the baby center.

2. Did you know that Disney has a Moms Panel. They are everyday people who share their personal WDW vacation advice with you and they can help you plan an awesome trip to Walt Disney World. And the key word here is “plan.” I learned that most people don’t do a lot of pre-planning before they actually arrive at Walt Disney World. It’s like they wait until they check into the hotel room and then they decide on which park to go to and where to eat, etc. Then they end up doing all types of crazy things just to get a $5 dollar discount on tickets or spending hours in some timeshare review in order to get free tickets. However if you just take the time to do some pre-planning by going to the Disney.com website and by consulting with the Moms Panel, you will get some great deals and save far more than you would by trying to buy tickets from some suspicious guy with a cart on the side of the road. I learned that Disney has specials that involve free nights in their resorts and free meal plans..etc. Those deals can save you hundreds of dollars.

3. We ate at soo many wonderful places this weekend. But by far my favorite was Jiko – The Cooking Place. Jiko fuses the bold flavors of traditional African, Indian and Mediterranean cuisine at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge. I had the opportunity to taste a variety of the appetizers and for my main meal I selected a Swahili Shrimp dish. They also have a wine list that features one of the largest selections of South African vintages in North America. Please make plans to eat there during your next trip to Walt Disney World.

4. Now listen up…because in this economy we all need a good deal and we also need to take the family on a fun vacation to get away from the stresses of this economy. I had no idea that Disney has value priced resorts such as their All Star Sports Resort. We had a chance to actually tour a suite in one of the value priced resorts. I was very impressed with the accommodations. Everything was new, modern, and clean!!! That description might sound a little simplistic for you..but those are the top characteristics I am concerned about when I stay at “quote” value hotels. But actually they were very nice and they had all of the same amenities of any other upscale resort..such as an awesome, gigantic pool, fun activities planned for the kids, and a food court with healthy selections for the kids. But what else would you expect from Disney!!

5. Disney is Magical for kids (of all ages!!) I had an absolute ball with the Disneymochamoms!! The first night we were there, we took advantage of the extended hours at the Magic Kingdom (another perk that you will receive if you stay on a Disney property.) And we rode rides until almost 1 AM!! I about pee-ed in my pants in the Haunted Mansion ride when one of the monster/ghost things popped up out of a grave. It was like we were a group of young girls in that park. But reality set in at about 12:15 am when one of the moms said: “Let’s get on the tea cups for posterity’s sake.” First of all…nobody young says posterity’s sake. And second of all…everybody started saying…nah…I am tired.. nah..my back is going to be hurting if I get on those tea cups…etc. So we decided to call it a night and headed back to the resort.

I can’t wait to take my kids back to Disney!! BMWK family please share with us your favorite Disney memory. If you have never been to Disney, please consider taking your family so that they can also enjoy this wonderful experience.

About the author

Lamar and Ronnie Tyler are the creators of the award-winning blog BlackandMarriedWithKids.com . They also are behind the Amazon.com bestselling DVDs Happily Ever After: A Positive Image of Black Marriage, You Saved Me and their latest documentary Men Ain’t Boys that explores manhood in the African American community. The Tylers are also the proud parents of four children.

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