The Disney Trip

Freedom Flare Co. recommends these helpful tips to make the experience of spending time with your family the core of your exciting magical trip. 

First and foremost- Download the Disneyland App to sync all of your tickets, hotels, book rides, mobile order, book dining reservations, or access Genie+.

ONCE YOU PURCHASE TICKETS, YOU MUST BOOK A RESERVATION FOR THE PARKS ON THE DAYS YOU PLAN TO ATTEND.

 Freedom Flare Company recommends flying into Orange County Airport (SNA), 15 minutes away from the park. 

• SNA has a designated Uber/Lyft location. 
• You can also rent a vehicle here from multiple rental companies. 
• Check to see if your hotel offers a free ride 

Disneyland Resort Pro’s and Con’s      

• Pro’s: Quick and easy access to parks, high quality guest experience, Disney inside and out for full experience.
• Con’s: Expensive. Loud. After all, it’s a fun place for families!

Hilton Anaheim Convention Center is a fantastic alternative.

• Pro's: Inexpensive, with a Disney tram that will take your family to and from for a minimal fee.
• Con's: Loud in the early evening.
   

• If you want to dine at a restaurant inside the parks. MAKE A RESERVATION THE MOMENT YOU BOOK YOUR TRIP
• PARENTS: CA Adventure sells alcohol in their park (expensive but so worth it). The only location that sells alcohol at Disneyland is the Cantina in Star Wars Land. 
• Quick dining: There are food kiosks all over the parks from corn dogs, to healthier options for those with any dietary restrictions.
• SECRET MENU: Disney Parks have secret menu items you can look up online prior. Give them a try! 

• Sneakers, jeans, light shirt, and jacket will get you through any time of year out there. Prepare to walk anywhere from 3-15 miles in a day.
• If it rains or you plan to get wet on on the water rides, the stores sell ponchos. 
• This is one place where politics must be left at the entrance. Refrain from wearing anything that could trigger an altercation. Disney will kick you out with no refunds. 
• Sunglasses, a power stick for iphone, and sunscreen are a must!
• If you bring a backpack, be prepared to show it's contents at the entrance of the park.

• Mobile Ordering via the Disneyland App
  • Use your phone to order food ahead of time and walk up to the window to get your order.
  • PROS- More affordable food, fast access to keep the day flowing
  • CONS- Online menus might not be fully up to date so you can miss out on a limited time item, there is still a line to pick up your food.
• Booking Dining Reservations
  • Through the Disneyland App, Freedom Flare Co. HIGHLY recommend booking 60 days out (the earliest possible), to ensure you get the time and number of people you want.
  • PROS- You can sit down and take a break to dine, most restaurants have a fun unique theme to experience.
  • CONS- Expensive, time consuming, difficult with younger kids, can be penalized $25 if you are a no show or cancel less than 24 hours.

• Favorite Mobile Ordering Spots 
  • The Red Wagon  (Main Street)- The greatest Corn Dog you will ever eat.
  • Mint Julep Bar (Adventure Land) - BEIGNETS!
  • Galactic Grill (Tomorrowland) - Incredible burgers (long line)
  • The Jolly Holiday (Main Street)- Best coffee and desserts in town!
  • Ronto Roasters (Star Wars Land)- RONTO WRAP! TO DIE FOR!
  • Tiki Juice Bar (Adventureland)- DOLE WHIP!
• Favorite Restaurants
  • Blue Bayou (Adventureland inside the Pirates of the Caribbean Ride)- Incredible salads and steak. BONUS- they now serve wine!
  • Plaza Inn (Main Street)- Expensive buffet food, biggest perk is your kids get to meet Mickey's friends while you eat.

BONUS RESTAURANTS IN DOWNTOWN DISNEY

• Tortilla Joes- Require a reservation but we have had good luck with walk up wait time being about 20 minutes on a busy day. AMAZING MARGARITAS and MEXICAN FOOD.
• Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen- New Orleans style food that will soothe your soul! Reservation required but also 20 minute walk up wait time. 

• HIDDEN MICKEY: Disneyland has hidden Mickey’s all over! Challenge your kids to look for them and see who can find the most!
• FANTASYLAND: The Sword in the Stone- See if you or your kids can pull the sword!
• FRONTIERLAND: Shootin’ Arcade- Get your quarters ready to exercise your first amendment rights with this fun shooting game! Hit targets all over a scene out of Tombstone, Arizona in the 1850’s.
• ADVENTURELAND: The Enchanted Tiki Room- A Classic, 1950 throwback to clean music sung by tropical birds. Also, an amazing opportunity to rest your feet!
• TOMORROWLAND: Space Mountain- A fun roller coaster with a photo opportunity at the end to capture your family together!
• MAIN STREET USA: The Train- Sit with the family, rest those feet, and take a trip around the park for a different perspective full of surprises.
• STAR WARS LAND: Great for family photos!  

• Gardens at Park Entrance
• Walt and Mickey Statue on Main Street
• Sleeping Beauty Castle entrance to Fantasyland- Carousel/Sword in the Stone in Fantasyland
• Teacup next to the Mad Hatter in Fantasyland
• In Front of the Mark Twain Boat- New Orleans Square
• Haunted Mansion-
• Golden Horseshoe in Frontierland
• It’s a Small World in Fantasyland
• Millennium Falcon- Star Wars Land 

Disney World is next level in terms of walking and size of parks. There are 4 Parks- Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios. Be prepared to walk 5-10 miles a day.

First and foremost- Download the Disney World App to be able to sync up your tickets, hotel, book dining reservations, mobile orders, and genie+.

ONCE YOU PURCHASE TICKETS, YOU MUST BOOK A RESERVATION FOR THE PARKS ON THE DAYS YOU PLAN TO ATTEND.

Flying into Orlando is easy. It's a big airport with trams to get you to and from your gates. The airport is about 30-40 minutes from the parks. 

This one is all about dealer's choice. We personally recommend an old school taxi van to load up the family, items, and not have to worry about waiting for a bus or uber to pick you up. Heads up: Disney is no longer offering their bus service to take you to and from the airport.

Disney offers different styles of hotels ranging from different price points to offer something for everyone. MOST of the hotels are 10 minutes from the parks via bus, boat, or skyline. 

You can find a link to all Disney World Properties below. Here are our top picks! 

• Disney's Polynesian Resort
• Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort
• Disney's Coronado Springs Resort
• Disney's Art of Animation Resort

Repeat after us: MAKE A RESERVATION OR REGRET IT! There are tons of food options, but we suggest a reservation at a sit down restaurant because THESE PARKS ARE MASSIVE, and you're going to want to opportunity to sit down for a good 30 minutes to be able to make it through the day. 

Magic Kingdom

• Be Our Guest
• Liberty Tree
• Crystal Palace

Epcot

• Eating around the world here is a famous concept! Sharing a different small meal from each country! If this is your journey we wish you a fun time and you won't need reservations for this! If you'd prefer to sit down and give those feet a rest here are some great ideas:
• Coral Reef Restaurant (Future World at Epcot)
• Biergarten Restaurant
• Chefs de France 

Hollywood Studios

• 50's Prime Time Cafe
• Sci-Fi Dine In Theater 
• Mama Melrose Restaurante Italiano
• Oga's Cantina 

Animal Kingdom

• Yak and Yeit
• Nomad Lounge
• Isla of Java
• Dawa Bar

The weather in Orlando can vary greatly, from cold, to hot and humid. 

• Shoes: Crocs, or your most comfortable tennis shoes. This is not the time to try out a new shoe.... believe us!
• Outfit: Best to check the weather and prep accordingly- we won't tell you what to dress in other than DISNEY!
• Backpack: A good backpack can hold your belongings
• Poncho just in case it rains- the rain usually lets up so stick it out!
• Sunscreen
• Sunglasses

• EPCOT offers some of the best food and drinks of all the parks. We highly recommend to the 21+ crowd to try the "drink around the world challenge" share a drink with your friend and split one item of food from each country and watch the fun unfold!

Walt Disney's wife, Lillian, made it her mission to ensure that Moms and Dads with infants and toddlers would always have a safe, quiet space to feed, change, and buy any item that may have been forgotten! She introduced Baby Care Centers to the original parks, which now extend to one in each existing park. To ensure you have the most magical time possible outside of those care centers, check out my tips and tricks below.

• Formula (if you don't breast feed or pump)
• Formula Container - **FREEDOM FLARE FAVORITE LINKED HERE
• Sun Hat
• Baby Carrier- **FREEDOM FLARE FAVORITE LINKED HERE
• Stroller - 
  • Disney Stroller Rules Linked Here 
  •  Double Stroller rec: City Mini Jogger Double Stroller LINKED HERE
  • TIP: Disney rents single and double strollers for the day for those parent's with toddlers whose feet may tire.
• 3 outfits per day (in case of accidents)
• 3 bibs per day (just in case they soak through)
• Box of Diapers (better to have more than not enough, take an entire box with you so you can reload each day).
• Wipes
• Diaper bag
• Sunscreen
• 4 Muslin Cloths (oversized even better to cover the stroller for a good nap)
• Extra pacifiers
• Pack and play (some hotels have them on hand!)
• Portable White Noise Maker - **FREEDOM FLARE FAVORITE LINKED HERE
• Stroller fans (2) - **FREEDOM FLARE FAVORITE LINKED HERE
• Blankets (2-3) for nighttime and for your pack and play
• Sleep sack - **FREEDOM FLARE FAVORITE LINKED HERE
• Noise cancelling headphones- **FREEDOM FLARE FAVORITE LINKED HERE
• Baby Sunlgasses- YES! This may sound extra, but having sunglasses will help darken the atmosphere, allowing your baby to take better naps while she's in the stroller on a sunny day.

These are your greatest ally in finding a cool, calm, quiet space to feed your baby, change their diaper, make bottles, pump, breast feed, take your toddlers potty (they have toddler size toilets). This is also where you go to find lost kids. There is one in each park. 

• Disney World Resort Locations LINKED HERE
• Disneyland Resort Locations LINKED HERE

We absolutely love the care centers and the women that work there!

The key to having a great time, is to not get too caught up in the exact timing of feeds and naps. Stick to those general feed times, but don't stress or ruin your time at the Magic Kingdom over 30+ or - minutes. 

Any Disney ride that has a height restriction, will allow one spouse to wait in the line, ride the ride, and then swap with the other spouse so that everyone has a chance to enjoy the ride, without doubling up on wait times!

We didn't waste our money (or time) with this, because of the unpredictability of having both an infant and a toddler, and that most children's rides are not included in this service. The day they put DUMBO or PETER PAN's FLIGHT on that list, we will highly recommend it!

To sit at a restaurant or to not, that is the question! The pro's and con's are listed below. If you do choose to sit at a dine in restaurant, SET YOUR CALENDAR for 60 days in advance to be able to book your special place!

• PROS
  • You get guaranteed sitting space to rest those feet and gather up the troops.
  • You can pick your time to fit your schedule and needs
  • Disney restaurants typically offer something unique and special you can't get anywhere else but that location. 
• CONS
  • If the family is struggling with tantrums, feedings, overall mood, and you want to cancel the day of, Disney will charge you $25. There is a hack work around for this, but  we will save that for our podcast.
  • More expensive menu than grab and go food.
  • You will feel rushed. The Cast Members will be very polite, but are also in a steeple chase to get people in and out as quickly as possible to fit those reservations.
  • Sometime's the street carts just have more exciting food!

The way to go in Freedom Flare's opinion.

• PROS
  • Quick line if ordered from mobile app.
  • Generally more affordable prices
  • Amazing foods such as turkey legs, corn on the cob, corn dogs, churros, popcorn, burgers, hot dogs and more!
  • You can set up a mobile order to pick up at your convenience.
  • LINK OF MOBILE ORDER/CART STATIONS HERE!
• CONS
  • Seating can be limited, and patience required for a spot!
  • Limited experience (restaurants will have themes)
  • Lines can be long if you don't use the mobile order app.