Hot Hubby and I recently returned from our first trip to Disney World with our youngest grandchildren. Yikes! As a newly blended family, I did not want to be known as the loser Grandma, so I did a little pre-trip planning.
First Step: A trip to Walmart! I scoured the toy aisle for little Disney presents. I found stuffed Mickey Mouse, Race Car Minnie Mouse, Mickey Mouse figurines…you get the idea. Then I put one a day into our park backpack (a normal backpack with a Mickey embroidery glued on). When the lines got long or the children needed a change, out comes a new toy! And because the toys were purchased at Walmart for minimal, there was no major concern if they were lost. We entertained ourselves in line with Catch, Hide the Mickey, Here Comes a Mouse and all sorts of games.
Second Step: The Dollar store! Here I purchased glow sticks, cool blinking Christmas light necklaces and stickers. Once the sun went down, these glow “wands” came out. We had fun freezing and unfreezing Hot Hubby and casting all sorts of magical spells.
Third Step: Snack size baggies and lots of snacks. Most of the snacks were to keep Hot Hubby in a great mood, but they worked on the grandchildren also. The highlight for the children was the Stouffer’s animal crackers. The adults preferred the homemade trail mix (raisins, craisins, cashews and white chocolate chips).
The final step, was getting fast passes for all of the scary rides, and “Switching Off” so that our children (the parents) could ride, while we watched the grandchildren. Their parents were nervous at first, but after the first ride and the grandchildren survived, we had their vote of confidence.
What do you do to make Disney Trips special for Grandchildren?
