Category: family happenings

Why January is the Perfect Time to Visit Walt Disney World

We just got back from our 3rd trip to Disney World (2nd for Landry) and I’m already dreaming of our next trip back. This time around our choice of travel time was based mainly on price. I scored a major deal on accommodations. Of course, because we based where we stayed on price alone, we had one option really. We ended up at the Caribbean Beach Resort which is part of Disney’s moderate resorts. We have never stayed at the Caribbean Beach, and were stoked to check it out. I can’t tell you much about the resort itself, for one because we were literally at the parks from sun up to sun down every single day of our 5 day trip so we were only in our rooms to sleep at night. Secondly, because the resort is currently undergoing major renovations, so not everything is open right now. This post isn’t about a review of Caribbean Beach Resort (stay tuned for a post on that to come). I’m going to get right down to business and lay out for you my 4 reasons why you should consider a trip to Walt Disney World in January.

4 Reasons to head to Disney in January:

  1. Low Season: If you want to save some cash on your Disney vacation or maybe you have a strict budget, low season is something to highly consider. Room rates at resorts are down to entice vacationers after the holidays and when kids are back in school. Here’s a tip for you, and something I always do (except for this trip because we actually bought a Room+Park Ticket package because the price was too good to pass up), book your room as early as possible. As long as you don’t buy a package you can stalk the Walt Disney World website or call up to a week before your arrival to see if there is a lower price on the room you booked or on one at another resort. You can modify your accommodations as many times as you want without a penalty up to as far as a week before your trip. This is one of the biggest ways we save money. I have in the past switched resorts multiple times to get a better deal leading up to even a week before our trip and have saved hundreds of dollars.

    2.  Low Crowds:   Of course with it being January and with kids back in school, Disney World is going feel somewhat like a ghost town. Well, if it’s your first visit, probably not, but to those who have visited during busy times (over the holidays, summer, spring break, etc.) like us, it’s going to feel like you have the parks all to yourself. Just keep in mind, that January is a month where Disney plans more ride closures and refurbishments because of this very reason, so if there are attractions that are not to miss on your list, you’ll want to check the Disney website to see if they will be up and running so you don’t have any disappointments when you arrive.

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* Disclaimer: The weekend we arrived was Disney marathon weekend. The parks were busier and the buses were unreliable for pick up times. In the mornings, the buses from our resort had to take a different route to the parks. After the weekend of marathon weekend things settled down and were less hectic. You can find the schedule for future Disney Marathons here.

 

  1. It’s still Christmas for the first week of January:     Walking into Magic Kingdom on January 6th, we were not expecting it to be Christmas. From the holiday music, to the decorations on Main Street, even the castle was draped in lights. It was the best-unexpected surprise. We got just a tiny little taste of what it would be like to visit during the holiday season, and it was magical.

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  1. 2018-01-06 20.56.12Mild Temps:      Of course, a visit to Disney World in January usually requires packing in layers, if you’re from a colder climate like we are, anything feels warmer than what we would be experiencing here at home. For the first couple of days on our trip we had coats on, mainly at night when the temps would drop after the sun goes down. It did warm up for us each day we were there and by our last day the kids were actually swimming. All resort pools are heated year round. You just never know what kind of weather you are going to get in January, but just pack accordingly and I promise you’ll be riding so many rides you won’t care what the weather is doing.2018-01-06 16.14.07 HDR

I have to be honest, we had never really considered a Disney trip in January before, but our schedule, budget and circumstances all aligned so we bit the bullet. We took our much-anticipated Disney trip in January and we didn’t regret it.

Did I convince you to visit Disney World in January? What is your favorite month of year to go?

 

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Our Week in Isle of Palm/Charleston, South Carolina

Mike injured himself days before we left for South Carolina.  I dropped the GoPro in murky ocean water and then Tanner found it because it happened to brush against his foot.  We celebrated his 11th birthday with an boat and island tour of the barrier islands. Our nephews tried sushi for the first time and liked it, and watching the kids meet the ocean for the first time wasn’t bad either.  Just a very short recap of our relaxing week.  If Isle of Palms and Charleston isn’t on your travel list they should be.  Hope you enjoy the video we made of our time there.  Thanks for watching!  If you like it and want to see more travel videos in the future, you can head over to our YouTube channel to subscribe. Be sure to follow us on Instagram @thesejonesys and Facebook (These Jonesys) as well.

 

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Living in the Moment More

I often think about the future and say to myself, “Someday..when the kids are older…”  It’s usually followed by something to the effect of, “I won’t be cleaning up messes on the floor (whether it be toys, milk, pee, etc.).

Someday, I won’t have to buy diapers or wipes anymore.

We won’t need carseats.

I won’t be breaking up an argument and trying to figure out who hurt who.

I won’t be applying sunscreen on them, or making sure they have their floaties on to swim.

I won’t be asking them what color they were on at school today and walking through the school doors, and embracing them with a “Hi! I missed you!”

I won’t be biting my tongue to not lose my patience with the little one who has no concept of time.

I think about the future a lot, and sometimes I wish I didn’t because for every second that I think about the future, whether it be excitement, or worry, it takes away from a second that I had to truly live in the very present with my kids.  Before I was pregnant, I would wonder what it’s like to be pregnant.  Will I get pregnant?  Does it hurt to be pregnant? Labor?  What kind of mom will I be?

Once I got pregnant, I wondered, How is this going to work? What is it going to be like when it’s not just the two of us (husband and I) anymore?  What if something goes wrong?  Who will my baby look like?

I guess, in life, for me at least, the questions in my head about the future never stop.  But I had an epiphany tonight as I stared around at the large Duplo blocks strewn all over the room, the water colors on the table, and the other various toys that have been moved one hundred times during the course of a day, but never seemed to make it back to its original place.  Someday, my thoughts about the future will be replaced with statements about their childhood and remembering what once was.  Someday when my kids are grown and gone, I’ll think to myself, “I remember when the kids were little…”

Someday, I’ll forget what it’s like to have 3 carseats in the backseat and do head counts 100x a day.

Someday I’ll treasure little handprints all over everything (although I secretly do now).

Someday I won’t remember how much diapers cost when we bought them.

I’ll miss combing through my daughters perfect curls.

I’ll miss the love notes my oldest boy and I write back and forth to each other.

Someday I’ll watch strangers interact with their children in the store, and my mind will go to a place when I was in there shoes, taking kids to the store and all the adventures that entails.

Writing this is painful because it’s something I don’t want to think about.  As hard as it is right now, it’s as easy as it’s ever going to be.  Having pure, raw moments with my kids is what I strive for every second of every day.  I’m not always good at it, and more times than not I’m horrible at it.  I might feel like a failure 70% of the time, but when I look at their sweet faces I know I’ve had to have done something right.  But I’ve made a promise to myself to start living in the moment more with my kids, family and those I care about in my life.

My Promise to myself for me and for them:

When my littles ask me if I want to color with them when I’m frantically making dinner, I will say ‘yes’ and not ‘in a little bit’.  Even if it’s for 2 minutes I can color and interact with them.

When they tell me to “Come here” to look at a lego creation and I think I’m busy, I will go and see it.

When they ask if they can help me bake and I’m in a hurry, I will say yes more often.

When my kids ask me to play dress up, read a Pokemon book, paint, whatever it it, even if I’m not in the mood, I will say yes.  

Those are the moments when they engage with me.  When they know that I am interested in what they are doing and know that I want to be a part of it.  Where they know that they are important to me.  For every time I say ‘no’ to having a potential moment with them is another moment passed that would have been special.  It’s one more regret that I will have for not participating, being present and bonding with these quickly growing loves of mine.

This is my promise.  For they will only be little for a short time, but they will be mine and ours forever, and one day when they’re grown and gone, I want to be able to say, I was present in their little childhoods.  I want the regrets of motherhood to be few and far between.  I don’t want to look back and know that I should have been there more.  It might make the transition of them growing up a little less bitter and a lot more sweet.

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