Disney World During a Pandemic

The first week of May, we went on a family vacation to Florida. What’s a trip to Florida without a stop at the most magical place on earth? I was excited to take my kids to Disney but also nervous about what to expect and how it would be. The last time we visited was September 2019, when everything was still normal. I was a bit anxious about how strict they would be and how the kids would do with the extra precautions Disney had taken due to the pandemic.

I wanted to share our experience with how it went and what to expect in the hopes of helping anyone else planning a trip or thinking about going to Disney soon. Right after we came home, Disney started changing even more by stopping temperature checks and loosening mask requirements. As we get back to normal, I’m sure they will continue to change. So while some things have changed since we were there, I would recommend keeping an eye on their policies so you are up to date with any changes.

Disney Springs

Out of all our Disney stops, Disney Springs was the first place we visited on our trip. I thought it would be a good way to gauge how everything would work while at the parks. The parking garage we initially planned to park at was closed. They kept one garage open, I assume, to help funnel people going in and out to one area.

My first impression of Disney Springs was that they were super strict here, even for kids. They had security and mask checkers throughout the parking garage. They also had a security checkpoint set up in the garage before you enter Disney Springs. They searched bags, checked for masks, and took temperatures. I was honestly surprised to see this. When we went in 2019, there were no security checkpoints to enter Disney Springs at all.

We had our kids in their double stroller. They did make our daughter (who was 3 at the time) wear a mask. Our son was asleep, so they didn’t say anything about him. Once inside, it was packed. They had employees throughout the area to check for masks, but I personally never saw anyone being asked to put one on or fix theirs. So many people had masks pulled down while walking around.

All the shops and restaurants had lines (like normal). They had a huge, long line set up outside for the big Disney Store. They funneled everyone into one entrance and then let people in little groups based on capacity. We didn’t have to wait too long. By the time we walked through the maze of line setup (it looked like a ride waiting line at the parks), we only had to wait a couple of minutes to actually enter the store. Everything inside the store moved smoothly.

We ate at a restaurant, shopped in the Disney Store, and walked around Disney Springs. I hadn’t heard anything about the policies at Disney Springs and had assumed that since it was all outside, it would be more relaxed, but that was not the case. I did understand their measures since it was very crowded. It felt like they were the strictest at Disney Springs than anywhere else.

Disney Springs at a Glance

• Super strict (even for kids)
• Parking lots closed/funneled entrances
• Heightened security/mask checkers
• Packed (even outside)
• A long line to get into Disney Store

Animal Kingdom

This was the first time going to Animal Kingdom for our whole family. Last time we did Magic Kingdom for two days, so this time we decided to do one day at Magic Kingdom and one day at Animal Kingdom. Animal Kingdom was our first park stop on our trip. One of the hardest parts of planning our park visits this go-around was that we had to purchase tickets ahead of time. You also have to make a park reservation for which park you plan to visit on what day ahead of time.

Because the parks still have capacity limits, they fill up fast, so you have to book and reserve ahead of time. On one hand, this was nice because we knew the parks wouldn’t be overcrowded, but on the other hand, it was hard having to choose ahead of time. Normally, we would decide while on vacation depending on the weather and what we feel up to doing each day, etc. I would recommend making restaurant reservations ahead of time as well because they fill up fast. A lot of the little snack and restaurant shops around the parks are closed because of the capacity limits.

Parking at Animal Kingdom was as smooth as normal. We paid for parking upon entering, and they had parking attendants who guided you on where to park. We were able to park not too far from the entrance. Walking from the parking lot to the park entrance, the attendants made sure you were wearing your masks. Getting out tickets went smoothly as well.

As we neared the entrance, they checked temperatures and masks. They asked how old our daughter was, and she had to wear a mask. However, they didn’t even ask about our son. We went through security and entered the park. The park itself never seemed too full. We were able to get any pictures we wanted. You were allowed to remove your mask for photos and put it back on after. There were still lines for rides, but they weren’t too long. I think the longest we waited was about 15 minutes.

It was cool to explore a new park. Our kids loved all the animals, and my highlight was the safari ride. They had a lot of little carts throughout the park with small snacks (ice cream, popcorn, popsicles, drinks, etc). This was very convenient for us, especially for how hot a day it was. Since we had never visited this park before, I didn’t know what to expect. It was a fun day, and I’m glad we went. However, there weren’t as many kid-friendly rides, and there wasn’t as much to do as Magic Kingdom.

Animal Kingdom at a Glance

• Buy park tickets ahead of time
• Make a park reservation for the day you plan to visit ahead of time
• Temperature/mask checks
• Busy but not overcrowded

Magic Kingdom

Magic Kingdom day is always my favorite! This trip we actually visited on my daughter’s 4th birthday was so fun. On our last trip in 2019, we went on my son’s 1st birthday, so being able to take my daughter on her birthday too was so special. Just like with Animal Kingdom, you have to purchase tickets and make park reservations ahead of time. Due to capacity limits and restrictions, a lot of restaurants and special activities are closed. The Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique was closed for one, which I was bummed about.

Parking at Magic Kingdom went smoothly, as normal. Upon getting close to the entrance, they had the temperature and mask checks. They asked about both of the kids. My daughter was a trooper about having to wear her mask at all the parks. We tried to give her breaks as much as we could with snacks and drinks. Magic Kingdom was busier than Animal Kingdom, which I expected, but it wasn’t as packed as it normally would have been.

It was easier to take photos on Main Street and near the castle because of fewer people. We were able to ride all the rides we wanted to. Many were 20-30 minute waits, which isn’t too bad for us adults but was a little hard on the kids some of the time. We were also able to do all the shows we wanted. They had plexiglass up in between group sections for all shows, and everyone was seated at a distance.

Magic Kingdom was still full of its usual fun and magic. However, the biggest downside was that there were no character meet-and-greets. The kids and I were really bummed about that. However, they were doing mini character parades down Main Street every 20 mins instead. We got to catch a few of them, and the kids loved them. But it just wasn’t the same as getting to meet them up close. My daughter was sad we didn’t get to see Tinker Bell (we met her last trip, but she was off the day we went this time), but we did get to see her on the Peter Pan ride, so I think that helped.

A lot of the little restaurants were closed, and there weren’t very many snack carts out and about like at Animal Kingdom. We had a hard time finding somewhere to eat when we were hungry and ended up just getting some snacks instead. They were stricter with masks at this park as well, which I expected. We were told a couple of times to make sure our daughter’s mask was over her nose here. I’m so proud of how well my daughter handled having to wear a mask. I honestly think it depends on the workers how strict they are, especially with the kids. As a mom of two young kids who normally don’t have to wear masks, I was a bit stressed about this aspect, but it went better than I thought. I think people are more understanding with little kids and the struggle to have them keep a mask on properly.

Magic Kingdom at a Glance

• Temperature/mask checks
• 20-30 minute waits for most rides
• No princess/character meet and greets
• Regular mini character parades
• Easier to take photos by the Castle
• Lots of restaurants and little snack shops closed

Right after our visit, Disney stopped doing temperature checks, and they have also since relaxed their mask policies and capacity limits. I’m excited for the day we can visit again, with it being like it used to be when we visited back in 2019, and for all the character meet-and-greets again! But even with the changes, this trip was still a blast. We made the most of it and made many memories. Disney really is the most magical place on earth!

6 Dollar Store Fairy Garden Ideas

My daughter’s latest obsession this year is Tinker Bell and all things fairy. I’m here for all the fairy fun! This year we decided to create our own little fairy garden in our flower bed. There are so many cute and fun ideas out there and DIY tutorials on how to make your own fairy houses. I was surprised at how many things I came across in my search for ideas. I wanted to find something that wouldn’t take a lot of time and was also cost-effective.

I got a little frustrated after looking at Walmart and Hobby Lobby and not coming across what I wanted. On a whim, I stopped by the Dollar Tree just to see what they might have…and I never looked anywhere else again. Seriously, the dollar store is your one-stop shop for all things fairy gardens! If you want to make your own fairy garden crafts or use something pre-made, look no further. These are the different houses and items we used from our local dollar store to make our fairy garden come to life.

1. Premade Fairy Houses

This is the simplest way to go about fairy garden houses. The Dollar Tree has a brand called “Fairy Garden” that has premade houses and cute little signs/figurines. The houses are SO cute! We have a flower house, cactus house, apple house, and tea kettle house. I also got some of the cute signs (some say “Welcome”, “Fairy Playground”, “Fairy Crossing”, etc.), and fairy figurines.

2. Wooden Birdhouses

The only downside with the premade fairy houses I mentioned above is that they don’t have a door that actually opens on the houses (something my daughter wanted so the fairies can go in the house). The dollar store also has wooden birdhouses for crafts. We bought one and painted/decorated it ourselves. We use ours as Vidia’s house (she is a wind/high flying fairy in the Tinker Bell movies) and hung it up on a clothesline we had in the garden. This is a fun and simple DIY craft idea, and your kids can personalize the fairy house to their liking.

3. Scent Warmers

We bought a couple of these scent warmers. They are already colored and have different shapes, which are essentially the house windows. They have a big opening that you can put stuff inside and decorate it how you like. You could spray paint them if you wanted to and put flowers or other items on top of them too.

4. Stones

The Dollar Tree has different colored stones you would use for décor or fishbowls. We got some blue and green ones and used them in the garden as fairy pathways leading to all the signs and houses.

5. Cat Bowl

You can’t have a fairy garden without a fairy pond for the water fairies! To create our fairy pond, we simply bought a little cat bowl at the dollar store and filled it with water and some stones (as dewdrops).

6. Garden Decor

We got a couple of windmills, some butterfly garden decor items that you stick in the dirt, a ladybug with a bell that we hung (to call the fairies), and a fun colorful garden stone about friendship to place in the dirt. You could get some garden lights for a little path too.

The sky is the limit when it comes to your imagination. There are so many cute items, and they’re all only $1 at Dollar Tree! We visit our fairy garden almost every day. All you need is faith, love, and pixie dust. Happy creating!

DIY Descendants Birthday Party

For my daughter’s 3rd birthday, I let her pick the party theme all by herself. She actually surprised me with her choice of wanting to do a Disney’s Descendants party. One day, when she was sick and slept with me at night, we watched “Descendants 3” because it was the only kid-friendly movie I had saved on the DVR in my room at the time. She loved the music and quickly became obsessed with it. So when she told me she wanted to do a Descendants birthday, I said, "Let’s do it!" Here are the fun things I came up with to make this theme come to life for her.

Photo Backdrop

Supplies You’ll Need:

• Purple, green & black tablecloths
  
• String
• Happy birthday sign
• Descendants logo, colored
• Tape

Step-by-Step Guide:

1. Drape the purple, green, and black tablecloths over a string. I used a clothesline rope.
2. Hang the rope (with tablecloths) on the wall. I tied it in place around each wall.
3. Hang the happy birthday sign across the tablecloth backdrop. I taped it in place on the plastic tablecloths.
4. Hang the Descendants logo on the backdrop. I taped it in place with Scotch tape.

Photo Booth Props

Supplies You’ll Need:

• Prop sticks
• Purple, blue, black, and white construction paper
• Any Descendants-themed coloring pages you want to use
• Scissors
• Tape

Step-by-Step Guide:

1. Cut out hair shapes for each Descendants character you want to use. I just eyeballed it. I used construction paper for ours. (Purple paper for Mal, Blue for Evie, etc.). If you have a printer, you could also print some and just color them in. I personally liked the construction paper because it is a bit thicker and sturdier.
2. Color in any Descendants color pages you want to use as props. We used a “Long Live Evil” logo that we have colored ahead of time.
3. Tape all pieces onto prop sticks, and now you have a nice handle to hold the hair in place for the photos.

Birthday Shirt

Supplies You’ll Need:

• White t-shirt
• Yellow, red, and purple fabric paint
• Paintbrush

Step-by-Step Guide:

1. Paint a red apple (the Descendants logo) onto the white T-shirt and let it dry.
2. Paint the yellow edges around the logo and let it dry.
3. Paint a purple number (the age of your child) on the apple logo.

Cupcakes

Supplies You’ll Need:

• Cake mix
• Purple icing
• Sprinkles/cake decorations
• Candle

Step-by-Step Guide:

1. Make cupcakes or use cake mix in cupcake shapes.
2. Cover the cupcakes with purple icing.
3. Cover the cupcakes with sprinkles. I used Descendants-like colors: green, purple, and blue.
4. Put a birthday candle on top of a cupcake.

Balloons

I blew up some purple and green balloons to tie into the Descendants theme colors. We also had a giant 3-balloon too.

Descendants Coloring Pages

I printed out some Descendants coloring pages and colored them in ahead of time. I hung them around the house and used them for other themed decorations.

I hope these ideas help to inspire you to throw your own Descendants party and have fun with it. Happy celebrating and creating!