There is SO much information on the internet related to tips for taking a Disney Cruise or Disney Parks trip. I highly recommend reading some basic tips and things to know, but I also want to provide some tips that I never saw or may be considered unconventional. 

Don’t overpack

One of the biggest things I have learned about planning a Disney World trip, and now a cruise, is that there are a plethora of recommendations for miscellaneous things to pack. I am not talking the basics, I am talking extension cords, hangers, hampers, matching t-shirts, all the things. Not only can it make it really overwhelming to have a long list of things to buy and pack, but it means spending money on things that don’t matter to your family memories and can impact the ease of your trip. I rarely buy anything extra for our trips, and we survive just fine. We usually travel with two carry on bags filled with one packing cube per person, a bag for dirty laundry, and two toiletry bags. I bring the bare minimum of makeup, no hair styling tools, everyone wears a pair of tennis on the plane and pack one pair of sandals. I truly believe this mentality leads to less stress before your trip, but also on your trip because your room is less messy, and packing to go home isn’t a daunting event. 

Focus on the kids

I went into our Disney cruise thinking the kids would just live in the kids club while my husband and I went off and did our own thing. In reality, my daughter wanted to do other activities with us, meaning less adult time. It can be really hard if you’ve set up your mind with one expectation, and then need to switch. When we travel with our kids, we really try to tailor our expectation that we are going to follow their lead, even if it means we have to switch off taking alone time or missing events because kids aren’t up to it. This is especially true for a Disney trip. Also, as much as you are able, just say yes on these types of trips. It doesn’t make you a bad parent to give in, it won’t make your children turn into selfish adults that don’t know the value of money. Give yourself the permission to loosen up and just let them be kids. 

Don’t try to do it all

There are so many activities on cruises and in the parks, and many times the activities overlap. First, I recommend NOT telling your kids everything. Because they won’t be upset missing something they didn’t know exists. Second, it is easy to fall into the trap of thinking a certain activity/event is going to be THE memory your kid remembers. Turns out, kids remember the smallest most random things – my daughter remembers our taxi cab with a disco ball when we went to the Virgin Islands. Don’t stress you and your family out if your pre-planned activities don’t work out or don’t make sense in the moment. Lastly, if this is a one and done experience for you, don’t put that stress on yourself to go all out. Because while you are thinking “this is the only time we will do this” your kids are thinking “this is my first time getting to do this!” and everything will be special just because of that. 

Don’t worry about the pictures

This one is even hard for me. It is really hard to want to capture all the moments, and have all the pretty family pictures to post on social media and for the Christmas cards. The reality is that it is really hard to find your kids in that right mood to take a family photo, especially one without goofy or upset faces. In fact, I look back most of our Disney trips and we have no family pictures, and most of the kids ones are goofy. But I have learned to love the goofy pictures, and when I realize I don’t have a family picture, I remember it is because I am trying to live in the moment with my kids and follow their excitement. Disney does a great job of trying to make family photos easy, so try for the family pictures when the mood is right, but if it doesn’t happen, take the ones of your family living in the moment. 

Join in on the fun, or don’t!

This one might be the most unconventional, so I saved it for last. The one thing I love about all things Disney cruise and parks, is that it is really easy for adults to join in on the fun with their kids. It is just good, family fun. The vibe, the environment, the activities, everything usually just gets you in the mood to enjoy life like a kid without all the worries of the world. Here is the caveat, parenting is also exhausting and this is your vacation too. It is OK to use those moments when your kids are having a blast, to just sneak off and relax. You do not need to live every single moment with your child. For us this means encouraging kids club and not feeling guilty when we aren’t spending our family vacation together. Or maybe it means your partner is swimming with the kids and you read a book on the chair. Or you bring the kids to a show and your partner can go grab a drink and enjoy music at the lounge. Do not feel guilty for building in self care or missing out on family moments.