With three boys all 5 and under, this took some preparation.
After spending the night down the road and having fun at the indoor waterpark, we made our way over to Disney's All Star Movies Resort, which was so fun for the boys. We went straight to the pool along with everyone else there because while it may have been cold and rainy in Georgia, it was hot and sunny in Florida!
That evening we went to Disney Springs because I had made reservations at Planet Hollywood. This is where staying in a Disney hotel comes in handy. There are multiple ways of transportation that take you pretty much everywhere you need to go. Yes, it is annoying to take the stroller apart in order to get into the bus, but the stroller is absolutely essential with the little ones. Honestly, even my five year old took advantage of riding on the back most of the time we were at Disney.
Dinner was definitely needed with us being in the sun all day. The older boys split a kids cheese pizza, my husband had a burger, and I had the Spinach and Berries Salad with Chicken. My youngest helped me eat the berries and chicken while nibbling on other small bites from the other plates on the table. The atmosphere was fun and entertaining with the shows on the screen and costumes on display. We had zero trouble going to sleep that night after dinner.
The next morning, we didn't set an alarm. We didn't make the kids rush. We simply let them wake up on their own and get ready. I brought so many snacks, we just made coffee in the room and ate energy bars for breakfast. I shop at Aldi mostly; I had their Elevation Performance Energy Bars on hand. I packed a couple of apples, oranges, extra energy bars, a couple of baby food pouches and a couple packets of Liquid IV (electrolytes) to mix with waters once we arrived. I threw in a few diapers, a packet of wipes and sippy cup for my youngest, and a small bottle of sunscreen. I made sure we applied sunscreen before leaving the room too. Then, we were off!
"...we didn't set an alarm. We didn't make the kids rush. We simply let them wake up on their own..."
The stroller I used is one that was a gift from my two best friends. Fun fact: I didn't plan my last baby. I thought the idea of a third was nice, but I hadn't actually made a plan for it. Then, he happened! I needed a new stroller badly, and my sweet friends bought me this Evenflo Travel System for my third baby. I purchased the Stroller Rider Board and couldn't be more happy with the purchase. It makes life so easy with three tired boys. When my youngest still fit in the baby car seat, I could lock it in up top, have my middle in the toddler seat up front and my oldest on the Rider Board in the back. It's a heavy load, but it certainly works.
We went to Magic Kingdom first and went straight to the Mad Tea Party ride, which is always a perfect option for the young ones. They had an absolute blast being able to control the spinning on their own. Next, we went to the Dumbo ride because what kid doesn't want to ride a flying elephant?! There is a little Splash N Soak Station close by, which is conveniently next to the bathroom. Believe it or not, it was already time for lunch after just those two rides. So we strolled over and through Liberty Square to get some lunch at Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Café. My husband had the taco trio, my oldest had the kids cheeseburger and fruit, my middle had the mac & cheese with fruit, and I had the Sun Bonnet Trio Strawberry Salad with Chicken. My littlest ate off of everyone's plates like always. We completely lucked out by picking outdoor seating because right at noon, a parade began, and the boys couldn't be more thrilled!
Once the parade was over, we decided the boys needed to run around a bit because they had been clinging to the stroller the entire time so far other than the rides. We hopped on the log raft to the Tom Sawyer Island, which is full of all the things little boys love. There's tunnels, forts, bridges, and more. They had so much fun adventuring around while my husband and I just followed along behind them. Even my youngest was tagging along with the older boys.
We decided to make our way to the next park because it was already 2pm, and the kids could use a little down time. However, we did have to make a pitstop at the little Frontierland Shootin' Arcade because my oldest is really into the idea of hunting right now. My youngest had fallen asleep, so we rode the monorail around (you don't have to collapse your stroller on the monorail). The older boys stared out the windows in amazement as we rode through other Disney Resorts. After we got off, we had to wait for a bus to go to Hollywood Studios, which meant I had to wake up baby man in the stroller, but it was okay because by then he'd been napping for an hour.
Immediately, we went straight for some ice cream when we arrived at Hollywood Studios. It was much needed after so much walking in the heat. We decided to book it to Toy Story Land because my three year old said he wanted to meet Woody. The first thing we saw was Buzz Lightyear, so we quickly got in line to meet him and take a picture. So simple and so fast. No complaints. Then, we turn the corner where Woody was going to be. The line was pretty long and in the sun, but we thought for sure it wouldn't take too long. Midway through, my husband left to get us some adult beverages and the kids some waters. Yes, they have alcohol at Disney World, and yes, the Grown Up's Lemonade at Woody's Lunch Box is worth the splurge in the hot sun! By the time we made it to the front of the line, my three year old had had enough and was in a mood (I can't blame him). So, our picture with Woody is priceless to say the least. The older boys took off with my husband to ride the Toy Story Mania! ride while my littlest and I went to the Disney Junior Dance Party!
The day was winding down, which meant we needed to take it easy on the boys. We went to the Lightning McQueen's Racing Academy, which is a sit down and watch experience. It's absolutely adorable, and the boys really enjoyed it. Disney always does such a great job of making you feel like you are inside the movie. On our way out, we went in and out of a few shops and allowed the boys to pick out one $15 toy each. My husband and I grabbed one more drink (I got a ranch water), and we headed for the bus to go back to our room. We ate dinner at the food hall at our hotel, where I was able to eat baked chicken with green beans and mashed potatoes. All three boys split a cheeseburger and chicken tenders. We ended the evening at the pool where the kids swam and let out any leftover energy they may have had. Thank goodness they have life jackets available for anyone to use because our kids were way too tired to try to monitor swimming. Needless to say, we all slept wonderfully that night!
Honestly, there really isn't anything I would have done differently with the ages of our kids right now. Maybe as they get older, I'll look into reserving our spot in line for bigger rides that have long waits. For now, this was absolutely plenty for them. Pushing them around all day was plenty for me as well. The sweat, the time, and the drive is all worth it because the kids had an absolute blast. The magic in their eyes was priceless to witness. I'm already trying to plan our next trip down so we can take them to Animal Kingdom. Stay tuned for when I finalize those plans!
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