[00:00:00] Dana Stanley: I remember when I was pregnant with my third baby and I was really just starting to struggle at the end. ’cause I had two other kids. It was coming down to the end of summer. I’m getting bigger and bigger and just kind of at my limit. And on those days I would make what was called a picnic dinner.

[00:00:23] Dana Stanley: Sometimes it was picnic lunch, and it was really just me not having any energy to make. A real meal for my family, which is a little embarrassing, but I have this huge cutting board slash wood platter, and I would just fill it with things from the fridge if it was like leftovers or maybe I just had to cut some cucumbers and put some hummus next to it, or things from the pantry.

[00:00:53] Dana Stanley: Uncrustables and Clementines and just anything that did not require actual cooking, I would put on this tray and I would make sure to really fill it. And I find myself now that I am home. With that said, baby who is now two years old and his siblings are in school all day, I will make picnic lunch almost every day and this past week.

[00:01:20] Dana Stanley: On our picnic lunch tray, we had, you know, a little bit of crackers, some Turkey pepperoni and some cheese, like sliced cheese. And I was showing cruso kind of the perfect bite. You know, you take, take this cracker and I put a little bit of cheese on it and then I put a pepperoni on it and then you take a bite.

[00:01:42] Dana Stanley: And it got me thinking about kind of that combination of three. And it really does apply to food. Quite a bit, but I’ve also heard it apply to like, if you watch interior decorating and someone is styling a shelf, if you have like. Two candles or two books. It doesn’t look quite right. You should do like groups of three.

[00:02:06] Dana Stanley: And I’ve also heard it referenced writing. So if you are making a list or like tips and tricks, like you would talk about this and then this next thing and then this third thing. Nothing more, nothing less.

[00:02:22] Dana Stanley: Hello and welcome to the Laid Back Magic Way podcast. I’m your host, Dana Stanley:, creator of Laid Back Magic. As a mom of three, I know how tough it can be to find time to plan a Disney World trip. That doesn’t leave you feeling stressed or overwhelmed. That’s why I’m here to help moms like you create Disney vacations that feel even better than they look on paper here.

[00:02:42] Dana Stanley: We’re not chasing perfection, but creating our next favorite memories. So whether you’re brand new to Disney or looking to go deeper into the details, this podcast is your go-to for simple tips, mindset shifts. Real life trip recaps and expert insights to make your trip magical and manageable. New episodes drop every Monday, so be sure to subscribe so you never miss a moment.

[00:03:03] Dana Stanley: Okay, let’s dive in.

[00:03:11] Dana Stanley: For the things that I like to plan while we’re in Disney World, I have a lot of perfect bites. I’ve realized it’s usually like these. Group of three things that all kind of go together. Maybe they are close together in proximity, and I find myself recommending these like perfect bites or three combinations to my members a lot when they ask me questions about like, what would you do on rest day?

[00:03:41] Dana Stanley: Or what should we do? In between park hopping, what should we do in Magic Kingdom in the morning? A lot of times people don’t need help with like the whole structure of the day. It’s kind of like the little chunks or like the little pockets of time where maybe you don’t have this like huge stretch of time.

[00:03:59] Dana Stanley: Maybe you’re only going to the park in the morning and then you’re taking a break, or maybe it’s a travel day and you’re only going at night. Whatever it may be. When you say we are doing these three things, it kind of all makes sense because one or two things just wouldn’t feel like enough. Three is like a really balanced, perfect bite.

[00:04:20] Dana Stanley: So with all of that in mind, I want to walk you through my favorite quote, perfect bites across Disney World. So not necessarily like. My must do favorite things, but just little examples of how to think differently about structuring your day and also maybe use some of these groups of three when you’re not quite sure.

[00:04:45] Dana Stanley: What to do with maybe like a downtime or something empty in your plans to kick this off? Let’s start in Magic Kingdom. So this is actually one of my favorite combos personally, like for myself. This is just something that me and my family really like. And these are in no particular order. In this case, you could like, you could really go in whatever order you wanted, but first is a ride on Jungle Cruise.

[00:05:15] Dana Stanley: A reservation at Jungle Navigation Co. AKA Skipper Canteen also it’s called, and a Walk up, the Swiss Family Robinson Tree House. All three of these are in Adventure Land and Magic Kingdom. And Jungle Cruise is just a nice, easy boat ride. And I get asked a lot in our community about Jungle Cruise, like is it worth it with kids?

[00:05:37] Dana Stanley: I do think it is on the. Boring side for kids. It is a, you know, jungle safari style boat tour, but without real animals. So I can’t say that like, oh, if your kid loves animals, it’s worth it. I personally and my husband really, really like Jungle Cruise. It reminds us of just like old school original Disneyland.

[00:06:04] Dana Stanley: I remember riding it in Disneyland as a kid, but the cue isn’t that exciting. It’s not inside. It’s just shaded with some fans, so it can get pretty hot if it’s in the middle of the summer. So I don’t always ride this on every single trip. It just really depends. And this is 100% a lightning lane situation for me, especially if you’re there during a busy season.

[00:06:30] Dana Stanley: It is not the type of ride that you want to wait in the regular standby line again because it’s like not very exciting. So I should say, not just a ride on Jungle Cruise, but a lightning lane for Jungle Cruise. But this combo of all of them together kind of makes Jungle Cruise. Even better because when you are having lunch or dinner at Jungle Navigation Co, you are part of the story of the Jungle Cruise.

[00:06:57] Dana Stanley: So Jungle NCO is like a fictional company who’s in charge of taking guests like you up and down the river. And then when you go into Skipper Canteen, it’s supposed to be like their big. Mess Hall headquarters where they come together and they eat and you know, just spend time when they’re not out on the river.

[00:07:20] Dana Stanley: So when you’re on the Jungle Cruise, there’s going to be a skipper captain who gives like cheesy puns, kind of like dad jokes, for lack of a better way to describe it. And then when you go into Skipper Canteen and the cast member welcomes you there. It’s the same humor, it’s the same style. They’re in a similar uniform because they’re not supposed to be like your waiter.

[00:07:45] Dana Stanley: They’re skippers who are now taking care of you at Skipper’s Canteen. So in this fictional afternoon that we’re having, ’cause I do kind of prefer this around lunchtime in this scenario, is we’ve been sitting for the Jungle Cruise. Now we’re sitting for lunch and you have the kids with you. So the thing that just makes sense to do next is to walk up Swiss Family Robinson Tree House, which is so hard to say, which is literally right across.

[00:08:13] Dana Stanley: So another like. Pro tip slash benefit of this combo is you’re parking the stroller. Once you’re parking the stroller, right up the stairs of Jungle Cruise. Go down, have a ride, go have lunch, go up the tree house. You never have to get the kids in and out of the stroller. And now the kids are getting antsy, right?

[00:08:33] Dana Stanley: Like they need to move, you know, they’re not trapped. They can just. Go up a bunch of stairs and get all of their energy out. Go to the top, look at all the things, to look at all the different rooms, and you still have like that, you know, adventurous vibe of the storytelling of Swiss family Robinson. We, you know, like to stop and read the little plaques and it’s just fun.

[00:08:54] Dana Stanley: So it’s not exactly tied into the story of jungle navigation Co. But it feels like in the same genre. Next up is Epcot and I have two different combos for Epcot. I could probably do 10, but I had to narrow it down. This first one is a Margarita from Choa de Margarita, a ride on Grand Fiesta tour, which is inside of the Mexico pyramid, followed by meeting Donald Duck.

[00:09:23] Dana Stanley: So if you’ve never been to Epcot, about half the park is called the World Showcase. And there are pavilions, IE countries all the way around the world showcase. One of them is Mexico, and this is where this whole combo happens. And again, you can do these in any particular order and you could also swap out meeting Donald Duck for lunch at Laina, which is.

[00:09:49] Dana Stanley: The quick service spot in Mexico. So maybe you’ve already met Donald. Maybe the timing is off. Maybe he’s not meeting there at that moment when you’re there, you could move this around to get lunch. Because the great thing about Grand Fiesta tour this ride is a, is a lot of different things. Number one, it’s Donald themed.

[00:10:11] Dana Stanley: So if you have a kid who loves Donald, it’s a really fun ride. Two, everyone can ride it, like little babies can ride it. It’s kind of like a. Slow boat, kind of like it’s a small world, just not as long. I think it’s about like seven minutes fully indoors, ac. It’s great, but the greatest thing about it is there’s no lightning lane for it, so it doesn’t really get that long of a line.

[00:10:34] Dana Stanley: If it does, it moves really quick. I’ve only seen crazy lines during very odd times. Like sometimes you just hit it a little weird, but it always moves really quick, but it makes it really easy. To not plan around. I was gonna say, it’s easy to plan around, but that’s kind of the nice thing about it is you don’t need a lightning lane.

[00:10:56] Dana Stanley: So because you’re not booking a lightning lane, you can truly go anytime. And then kind of my signature move is after riding Grand Fiesta tour, I come outside, I get in line for choa, grab a margarita. My favorite is usually the top shelf and I do this last. Or if we happen to walk over to meet Donald Duck, it’s a win-win.

[00:11:23] Dana Stanley: So I either have the margarita for my walk to the next country. Or for waiting in line to meet Donald, which is actually what we ended up doing exactly on our last trip. While we’re talking about Epcot, another combo I love kind of goes into a little bit of like a resort specific combo, but this would be to go into Epcot from the back entrance.

[00:11:45] Dana Stanley: So there’s two entrances in Epcot. You have the front gate and then you have the international gateway, and you can get to the international gateway a lot of different ways. But most of the time you are going to either be walking from the boardwalk slash Beach club area, or you’re going to be getting off of the Skyliner station from one of the Skyliner resorts.

[00:12:07] Dana Stanley: I love using the International Gateway. It is what I am most used to. It is a lot quieter, it’s a lot less people, but one of the great things about it is part two of the combo is that it puts you right near France, the French Pavilion, which has the very popular Remy’s Oui adventure ride. So I love coming through the international Gateway.

[00:12:31] Dana Stanley: And having a lightning lien for Remy’s waiting for me, hopefully in the morning. And then after we ride, I am getting some type of food in France, which is part three of the combo. And this just depends on the time of day. You have a lot of different options and you can make any time of day work really.

[00:12:47] Dana Stanley: If it’s the morning, I’m gonna get breakfast at the bakery there. If it is cocktail time, I’m going to the champagne bar and getting a glass of, I know it’s pronounced Vve. Like love, but I have to say VV or if it’s dessert time, I have a ton of different options too In France, another park that I have two different combos for is Hollywood Studios.

[00:13:10] Dana Stanley: The first one I kind of lean, oh man, it’s hard. I was gonna say I lean towards the morning, but now I’m not sure. You could really do this like in a morning chunk or an evening chunk. And that is a ride on toy story mania, which anyone can ride. And it’s like a. Kind of like a moving arcade game, if I had to describe it quickly.

[00:13:32] Dana Stanley: Then you have Slinky Dog Dash, which is a medium rollercoaster, kind of geared towards little kids, but it’s still a rollercoaster, and for that I am certainly going to have a lightning lane for it. Maybe not toy story mania. Definitely slinky if I’m writing it, followed by the third part of the combo.

[00:13:52] Dana Stanley: Which is a meal at Roundup Rodeo Barbecue, and this combo is a tiny part of a itinerary I made for my Hollywood Studios guide. It kind of stole it a little bit. There’s more to it, but basically it is a toy story morning. If you have like a toy story kid. This is a great combo. If they’re not tall enough for Slinky Dog Dash, you could swap this out for Alien swirling saucers.

[00:14:17] Dana Stanley: But I really like this, especially if you have kids at different heights. It’s nice to, maybe you have to ride something that has a height limit and then you can kind of come all back together for Toy Story Mania. So you could move these around depending on your kids. And then Roundup Rodeo Barbecue is not my favorite restaurant.

[00:14:38] Dana Stanley: It probably isn’t even in my top 10, and I’m not trying to like put it down. I’m just being honest. It’s not like the best food in the world, but it is a toy story restaurant and I love Toy Story and my kids love Toy Story and I am trying to raise a little. 2-year-old boy Pixar kid. So we will probably be going back very soon and I like really feeling like you are in Toy Story land and you are a toy and just kind of staying in that area for a little bit longer.

[00:15:10] Dana Stanley: And a reservation helps and it doesn’t really matter if it’s lunch or dinner because the reason I was kind of going back and forth with the time of day with this is I know I said like a toy story morning, and I do think that’s better for kids. But I really like riding Slinky Dog Dash at night. I think it’s like 150% more fun.

[00:15:29] Dana Stanley: At night, then in the daytime. So that would be cool too, to have dinner, wait until it gets dark, and then ride slinky with a lightning lean though, don’t forget. And then the second combo, again, kind of stolen from my Star Wars night itinerary, and that is a Star Wars combo. And I have to change this a little bit because things have been closing in Hollywood studios to make room for other things.

[00:15:52] Dana Stanley: So kind of the meet and greets for Star Wars are a little different now. But I would definitely have a single pass for rise of the Resistance and depending on the order, followed by a meal at Docking Bay seven, which like, again, very immersive, and then a ride on smuggler’s run. Which is another Star Wars ride.

[00:16:15] Dana Stanley: But the cool thing about these rides is they’re so different. Like they’re both Star Wars, but they could not be more different. The only downside, and the thing I struggle with is they both have height limits. So I do have a hard time with my kids’ ages right now, being in Galaxy’s Edge, doing all the Star War things and switching off.

[00:16:37] Dana Stanley: If me and Colton both want to ride rise, it can take a long stinking time. So I like to have a game plan for sure when I’m doing this of, okay, who is riding what do we both definitely want to ride both of these things with the girls or like, can one of us take one for the team so we can shorten it a little bit, which nine times outta 10 happens because we go to Disney World often.

[00:17:02] Dana Stanley: But that probably isn’t the case for you and you would both wanna get on. And in that case, I would just make plans to take the littlest one. To do something else, meet a character, see a show, some type of activity that you know that they would like so you’re not just waiting around. Next one might be my easiest combo because I’ve recommended it so, so many times.

[00:17:23] Dana Stanley: I do it almost every single time, and that is over an animal kingdom and sticking to the Pandora world area. Again, this is going to be just a smaller chunk of time, and that is a ride on Navi River journey. A ride on Avatar, flight of passage, and sitting down at Nomad Lounge for Flight of Passage. That is definitely going to be a single pass.

[00:17:48] Dana Stanley: This is and was my favorite ride in Disney. I would say now it’s tied with Guardians of the Galaxy over in Epcot. But before that opened, this was hands down my favorite ride. I still love it and. If we are going to Animal Kingdom, we are definitely riding it, but because this has a height limit, again, the nice thing about Navi River journey, which is not like this epic ride for our family, is we can all ride it and it’s nothing scary.

[00:18:19] Dana Stanley: There’s no drops. It’s very calming. It smells great, so sometimes we will do ride or switch with Flight of Passage while the other parent takes the little ones on Navi River journey, and then we don’t really switch or we end up switching off. We’ve done both and it works out great. And then Nomad Lounge, you’re gonna find that on the right hand side as you’re walking into Pandora world.

[00:18:46] Dana Stanley: And the good and bad thing about this is you can’t make a reservation ahead of time. So usually my move is on the way to Pandora world. I’m gonna stop over at Nomad, get our name on the list, and then we’ll head into Pandora world to ride the rides and just kind of hope that the timing works out, which.

[00:19:05] Dana Stanley: It usually does. Sometimes our table is ready a little bit too soon, and then we’re backtracking a little bit like maybe we get on Navi River and then our table’s ready and we’re like, oh, shoot. So then we go to Nomad Lounge, eat. And then we’ll head back for Flight of Passage, which is not efficient in terms of like how many steps you’re taking, but it is efficient in the grand scheme of things, if that makes sense.

[00:19:30] Dana Stanley: If you haven’t heard of Nomad Lounge, I could go on and on about how much I love it, but the thing that I love the most is if you request to sit on the porch, there are booths and they are three sided booths that are just. Perfect if you have kids, because one parent can sit on each end of the said three-sided booth and the kids are all in the middle.

[00:19:52] Dana Stanley: So you have like your stickers or your little travel Play-Doh and your bluey toys, whatever. Kind of like a little playpen in the middle. You can sit on the ends, have your cocktail. Everyone’s happy. Before I wrap up, I have one more combo that is outside of the parks. But it’s really good for a day that maybe you’re not going into the parks.

[00:20:16] Dana Stanley: It could be an evening. Maybe you’re going to animal kingdom in the morning and you leave by two, and now you need something to do the rest of the day, or just the day that you don’t have a park ticket at all, really. And really the way you could think about this is for each mode of transportation in Disney World.

[00:20:33] Dana Stanley: So you have your skyliner. Your monorail and your boats. And in this scenario, I’m specifically talking about the boats around Crescent Lake, which is the Boardwalk Beach Yacht Club, Swan Dolphin area. They’re called the friendship Boats. Not really referring to all of the other boats around Disney, but honestly, you could think of it that way too.

[00:20:53] Dana Stanley: And it’s kind of like a transportation to a. Uh, resort for a drink, really. And that drink could be a coffee, it could be a cocktail. But just to give you a few ideas, if you were staying at a Skyliner resort, you could take a Skyliner ride. If you like the Skyliner, I don’t love the Skyliner, but I know most people do.

[00:21:16] Dana Stanley: You could take a little skyliner ride to the Riviera Resort. And then you could go to Bar River and get a drink or even just a snack. Then you have the monorail. So like the monorail is around three deluxe resorts, so you could really pick and choose anything that you want. I’ve been eyeing the new bar over at Grand Floridian, so I’m picturing like a monorail ride around the different resorts.

[00:21:42] Dana Stanley: You could stop and shop and then end up at Grand Floridian. For a drink there. Or if I didn’t have the kids with me, I would maybe go to Enchanted rows and actually like sit down at a true lounge and enjoy my drink. And then one of my favorite combos is back to the friendship boats around Crescent Lake, if you’re staying anywhere around there.

[00:22:05] Dana Stanley: Or you could take the Skyliner from one of the Skyliner resorts to the station there. Get on a boat to the boardwalk and have a drink at Abada Bar, which pro tip, they also have cocktails to go. So you could even get a drink at the bar and just walk around the lake, which is the best. I do really love doing this at night in particular, but if it was earlier in the day.

[00:22:30] Dana Stanley: You could also do kind of like a swap for coffee and get an ice latte over at the Cake Bake Shop, which I have yet to have, but it is next up on my list. So those are my Disney World quote perfect bites that are just enough. They’re just enough to really like get into the magic of Disney World. But without stressing yourself out and ha taking like an all day approach and really wrap your mind around just these three things.

[00:22:58] Dana Stanley: And before I wrap this up, the point of these perfect bites isn’t that you should like copy the exact combos, which you certainly can. It’s that you don’t need to necessarily add more things for what you’re doing on your trip or like better or newer strategies. Most of the time you need like fewer things that just work really well together.

[00:23:19] Dana Stanley: Hence the perfect bite. As always, you can find the show notes linked below if you wanna see any of these combos written out and come back next week because I am sitting down with a lead back magic member who actually just got back from Disney World, and I’m really excited to hear a bit of a recap of her trip.

[00:23:35] Dana Stanley: I will see you next week.

[00:23:39] Dana Stanley: Thank you so much for joining me on this episode of the Laid Back Magic Way podcast. If you enjoy today’s episode. And it was helpful for you. It would mean the world to me if you’d write a quick review, your reviews, help more moms like you find the show, and I read every single one of them. Seriously.

[00:23:55] Dana Stanley: Thank you in advance. You can find me on Instagram at somewhere worthwhile, and I’d love to hear from you there. DM me if you have any questions about this episode or what you’d like to see in future ones. Until then, keep planning for your next favorite memory and I’ll see you next time.