Sheila Gallant-Halloran

Walt Disney World for a late September/early October holiday. What could be better? Sure, we took our (then) 8-year-old out of school, but we'd arranged homework and assignments with her school in advance. Our (then) 1-year-old had an amazing amount of energy for her first trip to see Mickey Mouse - and going when the "free dining" promotion was on turned out perfectly.

Of course, the highlight of the trip was going to the "Mickey's Not So Scary Hallowe'en Party," and having the kids (and mom & dad) dress up in costumes to go Trick-or-Treating in Magic Kingdom park. What a wonderful experience to see the special Hallowe'en parade and fireworks. Even Winnie-the-Pooh dressed in costume!

We stayed at the Contemporary Resort - one of our favourite spots, because it is not only on the Magic Kingdom monorail line, but it is within easy walking distance of the main gates (that's about 8 minutes walking with two small kids).

While at Disney, we took in all our favourite dining and show experiences, including: the Fantasmic! dinner package at MGM Studios (now called Hollywood Studios) - which is a wonderful show in the outside amphitheatre (includes projecting movie clips on water "screens"), we snagged a breakfast reservation (the hardest to get) with Cinderella at the Magic Kingdom castle, we hooted and hollered at the antics of the dinner show & even played the washboard at the Hoop Dee Doo Musical Revue at Pioneer Hall, and we joined Mickey Mouse and friends at Chef Mickey's for breakfast.

Other highlights of the trip - my pre-teen visited Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique for a diva make-over (two ladies working on her at the same time - one doing her hair, with the other doing her nails and makeup), and my little one had her first haircut at the barber shop (another great treat that includes a set of Mickey ears that marks the occasion, besides the scads of "pixie dust").

We made a point of seeing each theme park's parade and fireworks at least once (Magic Kingdom's "Once Upon a Dream" daytime parade is a very different adventure than its "SpectroMagic" night-time treat - as well as the "Boo to You" parade during the Mickey's Not-So-Scary-Hallowe'en Party). We had park hopper passes so we could come and go according to the crowds, and the events we most wanted to take in at each park. And, we did every ride imaginable - oodles and oodles of times. Nothing like those "extra magic hours" you get by staying at an onside resort - you can leave when it's crowded, and come back later.

When our youngest was too little or not interested in a ride, we also participated in the "child swap" program - so one parent could stay with the baby, while the other rode with the pre-teen. This was particularly useful for riding Soarin' in Epcot - one of our favourite spots. However, riding together in the rides in Magic Kingdom's Fantasyland was absolutely amazing - and all four of the kids in our family (gotta count mom and dad in there) loved Dumbo, It's a Small World, Mad Tea Party, and Peter Pan.

Visiting Walt Disney World is truly a wonderful family holiday - we return as often as we can, and never grow tired of it.

Disney is such a fantastic spot, you can have a ball going by the seat-of-your-pants, and just showing up. However, you can have an absolutely FANTASTIC time with a little bit of advance planning. WDW is big (over 47-square-miles), and it encompasses much more than just the four major theme parks!

Having two princesses of my own, I know all of the ins and outs to travelling with wee ones. And I've also planned many family reunions with families of every makeup. There's so much to do for kiddies, parents, singles, young couples (and honeymooners), or grandparents. I'd love to help you plan the perfect getaway for your family.

I help all my Disney clients with itinerary planning - according your family's vacation the same attention-to-detail that I give my own family. I build each client an excel spreadsheet, outlining the parks regularly scheduled hours, as well as those "extra magic hours" that are available only as a special perk for Disney on-site guests. And I then plug in all scheduled parades and fireworks, as well as any advance dining reservations I've made at your request.

Call me! I'm eager to help "share the magic" with you!