That's the Way I Like It

Go ahead and sing it out loud. I know you're thinking it!

I love to travel to WDW. I love being there. Here are some of my own preferred ways of traveling, enjoying, and touring Walt Disney World.

1. Arrive at your WDW resort your first night. This is against conventional wisdom, because it costs more money, but I believe it's the better way to go. You can immediately sink into the "magic," and be at park opening the next day without having to wake up at 5am, check out, check in, etc. To me, the slightly higher cost is outweighed by these other factors.

2. Go to WDW with your children. Maybe this is self-explanatory; I don't know. Many people take a "couples only" trip, leaving their kids home so they can enjoy the parks. For me, I would miss them - and they are growing up so fast! I know that I'll have decades (well, let's hope) after my children are grown for Dan and I to travel to WDW alone. Until then, we'll make it a family affair. That being said, I wouldn't mind a little time away from them - say, an afternoon or evening - while we were there, if we could swing it.

3. Eat breakfast in your room. Saves time and money.

4. Be at park opening - always. This goes along with #3. If you eat a quick breakfast in your room, you can be at the park when it opens and maximize the first hour or two the park is open, when crowds are small.

5. Spend as many days at WDW as you can. It takes a significant amount of time and effort just to get there. The price for an extra day's ticket is just a couple of bucks per person. Enjoy the time while you can.

6. Experience the parks and resorts at night whenever possible. They are even more magical at night.

7. Drive to Florida. This is obviously a personal thing. Most people would rather eliminate a limb than drive to FL with two small children. But I love it! I love the anticipation. I swoon when I look out the window, and everything is becoming greener and warmer as we travel south. Plus, we have our own car when we arrive, which comes in handy for Wal-Mart trips and E.R. visits. We also get a big kick out of reading a book out loud together on the way. (Any suggestions for books this time?)

8. Find some alone time. Try to catch a few minutes by yourself. I usually do this at night, or during afternoon naps. I just walk around the resort, people watch, do a little light shopping, or take some pictures. Mostly I just try to "be."

9. Be a magic-maker. Corny advice, I know. But smiles are free, and kind words cost nothing. Why not make a joke with a cast member? Thank them for taking good care of you! Share the joy with other guests, too - say "happy birthday" if they're wearing birthday pins, or surprise someone with Fastpasses that you aren't able to use, etc. Some of our best moments have come in this way.

10. Slow down enough to enjoy it all. You can come back. WDW will be there. Notice how the whole resort includes all five of your senses. Everything is clean and colorful, beautiful and bright. There are lovely smells all around you, from the popcorn on Main Street to the flowers in the Rose Garden. There is spectacular music all around you, energetic in the morning and calming in the evening, themed to wherever you are - the China pavilion in World Showcase or Sunset Boulevard at Hollywood Studios. There are delicious treats everywhere you go. And even the texture of the ground beneath your feet changes: industrial flooring at Test Track, uneven pavement strewn with rocks and twigs at Animal Kingdom, rough boards at the entrance to Adventureland. So many subtle details, all put there to immerse you in a completely real but totally other-world experience.

All this talk of Disney World...makes me want to go again. Specifically, during Free Dining between Thanksgiving and Christmas...