My husband, Ryan, and I went to Walt Disney World once before we took our kids. It was sometime between 2003 and 2005. I know this because it was pre-Facebook and we don’t have any photos! We both have only faint memories of the trip but what we do remember is that it was so awful it kept us away from Disney for over a dozen years!
Here is what we learned from that first awful trip and how we used it to make our first Blueprint for Magic.
Or first trip to Disney
Ryan’s mother was living in Tampa at the time we were visiting around July 4th. She thought it would be fun to take her adult children (and me) to Disney for a day so we drove down to Orlando on the morning of the 4th. We bought our tickets at the gate.
Our first mistake
We did zero planning. The extent of our planning was this: the night before, I looked online at the Walt Disney World website and we decided that among the four parks, we were all most interested in EPCOT. I read about the FastPasses, which at the time were distributed as paper tickets from machines throughout the park. We thought we were prepared. We weren’t.
What we remember
- I *think* we rode Spaceship Earth, Soarin’, and Test Track.
- It was hot and crowded.
- For some reason, we just walked around World Showcase but didn’t explore the pavilions.
- It was hot.
- We had a good dinner at the Rose and Crown pub.
- We accidentally wandered out the International Gateway and had to go back into the crowds to find our way to the parking lot.
- We spent the night at a cheap motel off-property with itchy sheets and an awful mattress.
Why Our Second Trip Was Better
Our second trip to Walt Disney World was different for many reasons. We were staying on property, it was a few days longer, we had two small children with us, etc. We stayed at the Swan – so there were no hidden Mickeys in the carpet, no Mickey waffles in the morning.
BUT there is one thing that differentiates these two trips. The thing that allowed us to experience the Disney magic that we missed on the first.
We had a plan
Would it surprise you to learn that only 2% of people have an advanced plan for their Walt Disney World vacation? The vast majority just show up and wing it! This makes our first trip similar to what most people experience at Walt Disney World. Fortunately, we learned from this mistake and I knew the second time, though many years later, that if we tried to “wing it” with two kids, all four of us would all end up having daily tantrums. I knew that a plan would reduce our stress and provide some structure so we wouldn’t be left to wander around guessing at what to do next.
More importantly, we had a Blueprint for Magic.
I started planning by using the common resources. I found websites with generic touring plans and I started using them to map out our days. However, I quickly realized that with our temperaments and personalities, those touring plans would guarantee exhaustion or frustration.
So I readjusted my focus and decided to plan just enough to reduce stress but not so much to leave us drained at the end of each day. I wanted to make room for the magic.
The Blueprint we used was not perfect but each day had a clear goal and everyone in the family knew the plan for the day and knew that we were not going to do everything. This preparation allowed us to relax while in the parks. I am convinced that it is in those relaxed moments that you notice and feel the Disney magic. And it is in those moments that you have the ability to create magic for your family and other guests.
Blueprints for Magic was created because I believe a magical Walt Disney World trip requires a thoughtful and informed plan. There are a lot of websites that will help you create an itinerary or “touring plan”. But you don’t just need a plan for riding the most attractions, you need a plan that is designed for you.
You need more than a generic touring plan. You need a Blueprint for Magic.
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