I can’t believe we are back and the Disney trip is OVER! I have been dreaming of bringing my child to Disney since before he was born and now the trip has come and gone. And boy what a ride it was!! 6 days 5 nights of non stop moving and now I think I need a vacation from our vacation. I have a lot to say about the trip so I hope you don’t mind that I split it all up into a few parts. Please keep in mind that this is just about my own experience, and that everyone may have a difference of opinion. But here goes on my thoughts traveling with a 3 1/2 year old, my husband, two mothers (mom and mother in law) and traveling 21 weeks pregnant. Not to mention our great friends that were on their Disney trip the same time we were. That makes 9 1/2 (baby in belly) people! It was amazing!

Disney’s Magical Express

Disney knows how to do everything right. This transportation service takes away alot of the stress of travel because they take care of your baggage! Once you drop your bags off at check in at the airport, you don’t touch them again!! They are delivered right to your room! Then, same thing on the way home! You check your bags at the hotel, and Bam! They show up at your final destination. What an amazing feature! That helped so much when we had to much to carry, and we only had ONE kid with us! I can’t even imagine more than that! So way to go Disney. If you get a chance to use this…I say go for it!

Disney’s Port Orleans Riverside

There was no doubt in my mind that I wanted to stay on Disney property. I was deciding between a budget resort and moderate resort, and after some research and finding out the cost difference wasn’t too much we decided on the moderate resort of Port Orleans Riverside. We were in a Garden room, and upon first arrival I have to say that I wasn’t totally impressed. They did have a room ready for us early which was perfect. I was so glad to check in before the 3:00 check in time, but once we got inside our rooms (adjoining rooms with the mom’s), we both found already used and opened shampoo and conditioners in the shower. Didn’t love that. Then…we had to get the mom’s bags ourselves, and when I say “WE”, I mean Captain Awesome had to carry them because they got stuck at the bell service and weren’t delivered. BUT…that being said, the property was great, the pool was great, and I felt that our room wasn’t soooo far away from the main lobby or bus areas. That was a MAJOR PLUS. A big minus was the stairs. We luckily were on the first floor…I HIGHLY recommend requesting this. There are NO ELEVATORS and even on the first floor there are 3 stairs you have to get up which sucks with a stroller…just think if you have to climb up to the second level every day?? I am not sure how the other moderate hotels are, but I found it to be a pain in the butt for us. That being said we were not at the resort much at all. As a matter of fact we got to enjoy it less than I thought! I had planned afternoons at the resort pool but due to all the things to be seen at the park, and the fact that the little man was fine with out the break we didn’t get a chance! So unless you plan on using the resort amenities I would say that where you stay isn’t the biggest priority…but I definitely recommend staying on property.

Disney Dining Plan

We decided to go with the Disney Dining Plan. We got one quick service meal, one table service meal and one snack per day and it was perfect. I personally think we got everything out of the dining plan we could. I had us at character meals and we planned out our snacks and everything. Would we have spent less if we paid for each meal? Maybe…but we are the type of people who don’t like to worry about it. If we got a bill for every character meal we would have cringed, and most likely we wouldn’t have booked them at all. They were my sons favorite! We had more than enough food, and like I said, if you plan correctly it it TOTALLY worth every penny in my opinion.

Garden Grocer

We decided to order food to our room through the Garden Grocer.  Since we decided that we wouldn’t be using our quick service meals for breakfast, we thought ordering some food and snacks to the room. The biggest thing I wanted was water. Yes, the dining plan comes with a refillable mug, but you can only fill it up on the resort. Therefore, since you can pack coolers we decided to have water in our room. We also added things like fruit, yogurt, and snacks to keep this pregnant mommy happy. I packed a cooler the first day, but after that realized that the parks will give you FREE ice water if you ask for it at any quick service. We also didn’t spend much time in the room so we were scrounging to eat the snacks at the end of the trip. I loved having the water and snacks..I did…but there is a $40 minimum plus $14 delivery charge so I am not sure it was all worth it. I keep thinking about it and realize that I am happy I had the items…so maybe it was worth more than I thought. Definitely something to think about. The items get delivered right to your room…great service.