The Love for Disney: Chapter 1- The Fairy Tale Begins

Our family in front of Belles castle!

Our Disney story truly came out of nowhere. At no point were we looking to become people who regularly go to Disney. We watched the movies and had even been to the parks a few times when we started having kids, but in the summer of 2021, something clicked, and we were hooked.

As a kid, I had been to Disney twice, and as a grown-up, I think we went once or twice on the occasional family vacation to Florida. But during the summer of 2021, something changed, and we have been hooked ever since! In May 2021, my wife's family took a trip to Disney, and we stayed at the Polynesian Resort. During our trip, we visited 3 out of the 4 parks, and I began to get excited to attempt a trip with just the kiddos, my wife, and me. Disney always seemed unattainable or, maybe better put, unaffordable. But I wanted to at least see what it would take.

There is a stigma that Disney is expensive and not something many people get a chance to do. I believe there is some truth to that, but I also believe there are ways to get around some of the expense. That was my goal when we started planning. I wanted to be able to afford the trip, stay at the resort, eat fun foods, and at least check out 2 parks. We planned on going in Feb 2022 because we knew we could save some costs.

Step 1 was establishing a budget. I didn't want to spend more than around $5,000 for the trip, and I felt like that was a reasonable amount of money for a 6-day vacation. Once we established the number, it was about figuring out how to squeeze the proverbial orange of all its juice. Step 2 was finding a reasonable resort to stay at. Why stay at a resort, you may ask, because it is cheaper outside of the Disney resort? Well, it has everything to do with early entry. Do you know how many rides you can crush before all the other guests arrive!? So it was resort or bust for us!

We ended up going with Disney's All-Star Movies Resort. We found that our kiddos weren't worried about how cool the resort was but were more excited to enjoy the parks. Now, do not get me wrong, we have tried moderate resorts and deluxe resorts, and they do offer a little more of a bougie feeling, but if your goal is to see Mickey Mouse, adventure to Toy Story Land, or transport yourself into a Star Wars universe, then go with the value resort and just have fun.

Disney is what you as the parent make it. If you travel to Disney and you have planned properly and are ready to enjoy the trip, your eyes will focus on the fun, they will focus on your kids' excitement, and you forget about the money (since you've already planned it) and enjoy what Disney has to offer. I have been to many theme parks, and honestly, Disney does it best. Their cast members are legit and really do want to make your trip great.

Alright, step 3 is a big one because I feel like it is where everyone loses their budget. Food, yup, the one thing we need to survive, and it tastes so good! Disney has incredible food. For a theme park, they really go all out; however, you can drop a pretty penny on breakfast, lunch, snacks, dinner, and of course, dessert. What we learned quickly is that the best way for us to save that money was to eat breakfast in the room by bringing yogurt or pastries. You get a small fridge, so why not use it? Simple pre-made breakfasts go a long way on the wallet. Next, we never sit down and have a full lunch. We either packed snacks or got some park snacks to share. For us, to sit down and order a lunch for the six of us would have smashed our budget. We chose to spend our money where it counted, and that was dinner. We chose to put any eating-out money in our budget to the one meal that would have a great experience. It worked out perfectly, and now it's how we do all our trips.

Look, Disney may not be for everyone, but if it is something you are interested in, then you should explore how to make it happen. It has created wonderful memories for my kiddos and also for my wife and me. We freaking love it! It has turned into our yearly vacation. Along the way, we discovered ways to continue to save and also explored what it meant to spend a little more. We have enjoyed every moment of being Disney folks. We have so many more interesting Disney stories to share, and we cannot wait to continue to share them with you!

Stay tuned for chapter 2!

Disney Dad Out!