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Parenting

10 no-cost, no-line things my kids love in Disney World

It’s easy to be disillusioned by the prices and the crowds, but on a recent trip, our favorite things had neither.

10 no-cost, no-line things my kids love in Disney World
Evan Porter/Upworthy

They say Disney World is the most magical place on Earth. Sadly, not everyone feels that way! A lot of parents half-jokingly call Disney a "nightmare" because of the cost and the crowds, not to mention the fact that the overstimulating environment can sometimes bring out the worst in kids. It's pretty amazing to see a child decked out in Mickey Ears holding an ice cream cone and a cinnamon roll and a new toy still crying because they didn't get what they wanted! And then there's the complexity of planning an efficient trip, which can rival the logistical efforts of visiting a foreign country.

And those things can absolutely be true. But you know what? I still love it, and I'm not ashamed to admit it. If you have kids of a certain age, there's just nothing quite like Disney. There just isn't.

What surprised me on my most recent trip to Disney World with my wife and 4 and 9 year olds girls was how excited we were just to be there. Sure, I was looking forward to checking out some of the newer rides, like Guardians of the Galaxy, but I was only able to get on most of them once, if at all. It didn't matter. The thing that made our trip special was that we were all together and focused on having as much fun as possible in the time that we had together, which is a big shakeup from our regular fast-paced daily routine. Everywhere you look in Disney World, there's an opportunity to have fun and do something you just can't do in the normal world. That's the kind of thing that makes families think it's worth it, and what keeps them coming back year after year.

Here were some of the simple things that proved to be a ton of fun without a long wait or an extra cost:

Disclosure: My family and I were able to attend Disney World for free as part of a recent Magic of Milestones celebration, but under no obligation to provide a positive review.

1. Riding the Skyliner

Lee/Flickr

Hands down, by far, this was my kid’s favorite thing to do and, as long as you can get inside the Disney World complex, it’s totally free. If you've never tried it, the Skyliner is a gondola transportation system that connects a few of the Disney resorts to Epcot and Hollywood Studios. It honestly feels like a park ride and gives you an incredible view of the Disney grounds, to boot.

We never even had to wait in line, though we never tried to take the Skyliner directly back to our hotel as the parks were closing — it tends to get a little more crowded then.

The monorail isn't quite as fun but is still worth a ride at least once. The boat that goes from Wilderness Lodge to Magic Kingdom is also 100% worth checking out for the novelty, as well. Who needs rollercoasters when you have all this at your fingertips!? You could spend at least half a day just riding Disney's various transportation systems in a big loop.

2. Collecting stickers at Animal Kingdom

Evan Porter/Upworthy

We had a blast at Animal Kingdom, and actually found it to be a more slow paced experience which was nice after a hectic few days. You might think the kids would be dying to go get in line for a ride or beg us to buy them things in the gift shop, but no, they were so thrilled to just walk around and do all the Wilderness Explorers activities: Kids get a little booklet and keep their eyes out for cast members dressed as Rangers, who teach them animal facts or do a guided activity with them before giving them a sticker to keep in their books.

Epcot also has something like this called the Kidcot stations where kids can collect little activity cards from around the "world."

3. Pin trading

If you're willing to invest in buying a Disney pin or two, the kids can have a blast trading with Cast Members at every park. Most gift shops in the parks have a pin trading board where they are obligated to trade with you if you offer!

If your kids like Pokemon cards or any sort of collectible memorabilia, they'll really dig this. We didn't do much trading this time around, but we did snag a few pins and will be ready to swap next time.

4. Spotting characters

Any time we were bussing to and from the parks, my kids would stare out the window and yell every time they saw a new character lining the side of another bus. “Pluto! Minnie! Donald!” They were endlessly entertained, they didn’t even have time to fight or complain about being hungry. Can all of our car rides at home be like this?!

The resorts also have character hunts where the kids can look for hidden cutouts of different characters, snap a selfie with them, and receive a prize — which is priceless entertainment when you're waiting in a front desk check-in line.

5. Magic Band statues

Caveat, this one isn’t technically free because you need a Magic Band (a special bracelet that acts as your park pass, resort room key, and more). But man did we have fun running around the parks looking for the semi-hidden bronze statues!

They’re interactive, so if you walk up to them and do a certain motion with your wrist, your band will buzz or light up in different colors. It sounds simple, but you’d be surprised how much of a kick the kids got out of this. When we found one, we had to drop everything to make our bands light up.

6. Disney Jr. Dance Party

My 9-year-old has tragically aged out of loving the Disney Jr. characters like Vampirina, Fancy Nancy, et al. But my 4-year-old worships the ground that Doc McStuffins walks on, so the entire Disney Jr. area of Hollywood Studios was heaven for her.

The dance party, a show held several times with a day (that usually doesn't get all that crowded), is really hard to describe unless you've done it. Imagine a club in 2001 except filled with toddlers, then swap Lil John for The Chicken Dance and you've pretty much got it. The DJ does an amazing job getting the kids dancing and laughing, characters show up — it's just an amazing time all around and it was one of the most unforgettable experiences of the whole trip for our little one.

7. The fireworks

Any good day at a Disney World park ends with the fireworks show. These are top-notch shows that rival the best New Years Eve displays in most cities, and you can see them pretty well from almost anywhere in the Epcot or Magic Kingdom parks.

OK, full disclosure: Only one of my kids loved this. My youngest one, who has some sensory issues, found them too loud and got scared, even with noise-muffling headphones. Woops! She said she wants to go back to Disney World as soon as possible so she can't be too traumatized.

8. Bedtime stories

In the rooms at the Disney World resorts (and on the Disney Cruises, as well), the TVs have access to tons and tons of Disney content. But my kids can't get enough of the bedtime stories, specifically. They're short, animated picture-book style cartoons that are narrated as if you're having a story read to you. They have them for Frozen, Tangled, Cars, and a few more.

There's just nothing quite like throwing on a bedtime story while we're brushing teeth and winding down from a huge day of fun. It's just so Disney. Now that we've seen all the stories several times, they almost feel nostalgic, like getting a warm hug. If you can finagle some milk and cookies from room service or a dining area, now you're really cooking.

9. The Cast Members

I once heard someone say that the Cast Members are the magic and I have to wholeheartedly agree. Every single person you meet at Disney is so kind, so helpful, and so great with the kids.

For example, we sat down for a quick bite on our first day at the parks and unfortunately had to wait a bit for our food. We had just flown in that day and were already exhausted from walking around, so the kids were getting a little grumpy. While we were waiting, a man who had been cleaning off tables came by and started asking my youngest what she was coloring, asking about the colors, making jokes, and making her laugh.

That's the kind of interaction you'll get almost everywhere you go in Disney and honestly, as someone with young kids, you can't put a price on it. You won't find it anywhere else. In the end, it's really the Cast Members that make parents want to keep coming back despite the costs and crowds.

10. Just being together

This sounds corny and obvious: As a family, we're literally together all the time!

But our regular life is so fast-paced and can get so monotonous. The weeks fly by with early wake-ups, school, soccer practice, quick messy dinners, bath, bedtime, and waking up to do it all over again. We love our life, it's full of joy and love and as much fun as we can possibly cram in to every week. But there's just something amazing about walking away from all the obligations and responsibilities and worries and just enjoying each other on a level we rarely get to.

Sometimes it takes something extreme to break you out of your routines and patterns — like spending a few thousand dollars on a trip to Disney World. But when you're sitting there watching your little one hug Doc McStuffins like she's a real person, and watch your oldest try and fail to be too cool to get a high five from Mickey Mouse, and you're thinking, Damn I love my family — well, that feeling is well worth it. And you don't even need to wait in a long line — or pay through the nose to skip the line — to get it.


@cosmo_andtheoddparents/TikTok

He wuvs his vet.

Not every dog might jump with joy after seeing their vet out in public. But for Cosmo the Golden Retriever, it was practically Christmas all over again when he spotted his own vet, Dr. Jones, at a brewery.

In an adorable clip posted to TikTok, we see Cosmo in pure, unadulterated bliss as he snuggles with an equally happy Dr. Jones, who, considering he’s still in his scrubs, might have just gotten out of work to grab a quick pint.

Watch:

Ugh, the cuteness is too much to handle! People in the comments could barely contain their secondhand joy.

“He looked over like, “Mom, do you see who this is?” one person wrote, while another said, “What in the Hallmark movie? Adorable!!”

One person even joked, “Did we all check the vet’s hand for a wedding ring? (Said as a married woman. Looking out for you all, or something.)”

According to Hannah Dweikat, Cosmo’s owner, the two actually share quite a history. She tells Upworthy that when Cosmo was but a wee pup, he “gave a scare” after eating a Sago Palm seed, which are highly toxic to dogs, from a plant in their backyard, which of course resulted in him being rushed to the animal hospital and staying there over the weekend.

While that’s every pet owner’s worst nightmare, and certainly a scary situation for the poor fur baby, Dweikat says that “the calm and patient demeanor” of Dr. Jones and his staff put Cosmo at ease. And because of this, “Cosmo has always loved going to see his friends—especially because they give him lots of treats and snuggles.”

Cosmo and Dr. Jones’ buddyship has also blossomed thanks to proximity, as Dweikat only lives down the street from the clinic. “Which means we get to see Dr. Jones and his staff out in public at times and Cosmo takes every chance he can get to say hi,” she explains. This time, however, she was able to capture it all on video. Yay for us!

What makes a good vet?

While not every vet, however gifted, will be able to elicit this type of reaction from their patients, having a calming presence like Dr. Jones is certainly a good sign for pet owners to be on the lookout for when shopping around for their own vet. But that’s not the only quality a good vet needs. According to Saint Matthews University, a vet also needs to have high stamina (both physically and mentally), as well as an ability to tolerate unpleasant situations (you can’t faint at the sight of blood or vomit), a high level of emotional intelligence (maybe all doctors should possess this skill, but especially those who work with animals), adaptability, a sense of enthusiasm, and finally, excellent communication skills.

Dr. Jones seems to have these attributes in spades, and his patients clearly love him for it. None so much as Cosmo, obviously.

By the way, if you’re in need of even more content featuring this precious pup, you can follow Cosmo on both TikTok and Instagram.

Health

Philosopher shares the subtle giveaway that someone is 'not very smart'

When you see this trait, it's time to rethink your relationship.

A man pointing at someone.

Individuals and groups have used scapegoating to blame their problems on others since the term was first coined in The Old Testament and probably long before. We see it all the time in politics, where leaders blame specific groups or ideologies for their country’s failures. We also see it in personal relationships where families blame one person for everyone’s problems or workplaces make an employee the fall guy for a failed project.

In a viral TikTok video, philosopher Julian de Medeiros explains why scapegoating is a sign that someone is unintelligent. He begins by quoting one of the most powerful British union leaders in the first half of the 20th century, Ernest Bevin, who once said: “An unintelligent person is always looking for a scapegoat.”

What's a sign that someone is unintelligent?

“What he meant is that a sign that somebody is not very intelligent is that they always have to blame their problems on other people. Like, it's never something they've done; it's always somebody else's fault,” de Medeiros says in a video with over 230,000 views. “They can avoid accountability; they can avoid introspection and self-reflection, which means that they can avoid growth because it's always somebody else's fault. A smart person is introspective, self-critical, and wants to grow, but an unintelligent person blames other people.”

@julianphilosophy

Intelligent vs. unintelligent #quotes #life #intelligent #wisdom


It can be hard to come to grips with our failures in life, whether they are financial problems, relationship issues or fear of losing control. “There are things that we cannot bear to see about ourselves. ‘I really don’t want to be seen as vulnerable or stupid or weak or greedy,’” Deborah Stewart, a Jungian psychoanalyst, told The Washington Post. “I don’t have to deal with myself if I scapegoat if I blame. That’s the part that most people don’t really know — that they are trying to expel some of their very own feelings by putting them on others.”

People and groups that are made into scapegoats can be put into incredible danger or subject to public disgrace, whether it is the Jewish people during the Holocaust or Anne Boleyn during the reign of King Henry VIII, or Yoko Ono for the breakup of The Beatles.

The big problem with scapegoating.

Those who scapegoat others for their failures can be seen as unintelligent because they refuse to take responsibility for their actions or even recognize where they may have been wrong. When people point their fingers at others, they also ensure that they never learn from their problems and are bound to repeat them. Intelligent people have a growth mindset, and scapegoating is the exact opposite.

Further, when societies refuse to look at the real causes of their problems and instead blame them on scapegoats, they will fail to progress. However, it’s very easy for leaders to fall into the scapegoat trap because it prevents them from being responsible and appears to solve problems when they are actually taking the easy way out.

Ultimately, it comes down to a core question: do you want to deflect blame for your problems by scapegoating someone else, or do you want to accept responsibility and grow from your difficulties? Ironically, those who scapegoat may think it makes their lives easier. However, living a life making the same mistakes repeatedly is a lot harder than accepting responsibility.

Peter Dinklage on "Game of Thrones?

When it comes to actors doing accents across the pond, some Americans are known for their great British accents, such as Natalie Portman ("The Other Boleyn Girl"), Robert Downey, Jr. ("Sherlock Homes"), and Meryl Streep ("The Iron Lady").

Some have taken a lot of heat for their cartoonish or just plain weird-sounding British accents, Dick Van Dyke ("Mary Poppins"), Kevin Costner ("Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves") and Keanu Reeves ("Bram Stoker's Dracula").

Some actors, such as Tom Hardy (“The Drop”) and Hugh Laurie (“House”), have American accents so good that people have no idea they are British.

Benedict Townsend, a London-based comedian and host of the “Scroll Deep” podcast, says there is one word that American actors playing characters with a British accent never get right. And no, it’s not the word “Schedule,” which British people pronounce the entire first 3 letters, and Americans boil down to 2. And it’s not “aluminum,” which British and American people seem to pronounce every stinking letter differently.

@benedicttown

The one word American actors aways get wrong when doing an English accent

What word do American actors always get wrong when they do British accents?

“There is one word that is a dead giveaway that an English character in a movie or a TV show is being played by an American. One word that always trips them up. And once you notice it, you can't stop noticing it,” Townsend says. “You would see this lot in ‘Game of Thrones’ and the word that would always trip them up was ‘daughter.’”

Townsend adds that when British people say “daughter,” they pronounce it like the word “door” or “door-tah.” Meanwhile, Americans, even when they are putting on a British accent, say it like “dah-ter.”

“So top tip if you are an actor trying to do an English accent, daughter like a door. Like you're opening a door,” Townsend says.



What word do British actors always get wrong when doing American accents?

Some American commenters returned the favor by sharing the word that British actors never get right when using American accents: “Anything.”

"I can always tell a Brit playing an American by the word anything. An American would say en-ee-thing. Brits say it ena-thing,” Dreaming_of_Gaea wrote. "The dead giveaway for English people playing Americans: ‘Anything.’ Brits always say ‘EH-nuh-thin,’” marliemagill added.

"I can always tell an actor is English playing an American when they say ‘anything.’ English people always say it like ‘enny-thin,’” mkmason wrote.



What is the cot-caught merger?

One commenter noted that the problem goes back to the cot-caught merger, when Americans in the western US and Canadians began to merge different sounds into one. People on the East Coast and in Britain pronounce them as different sounds.

“Depending on where you live, you might be thinking one of two things right now: Of course, ‘cot’ and ‘caught’ sound exactly the same! or There’s no way that ‘cot’ and ‘caught’ sound the same!” Laura McGrath writes at DoYouReadMe. “As a result, although the different spellings remain, the vowel sounds in the words cot/caught, nod/gnawed, stock/stalk are identical for some English speakers and not for others.”

American actors owe Townsend a debt of gratitude for pointing out the one thing that even the best can’t seem to get right. He should also give the commenters a tip of the cap for sharing the big word that British people have trouble with when doing an American accent. Now, if we could just get through to Ewan McGregor and tell him that even though he is fantastic in so many films, his American accent still needs a lot of work.

This article originally appeared last year.

@oldmansrock/Instagram

Truly a once in a lifetime talent.

When we think of badass, alt rock icons of the 90s, few are as singular and unique as Dolores O’Riordan, who gave The Cranberries its signature sound, and who was once described as having"the voice of a saint trapped in a glass harp.”

It wasn’t just that O’Riordan flawlessly blended traditional Celtic singing techniques like lilting and keening into rock music (which in itself is an amazing feat) but that her performances never compromised emotional authenticity for the sake of aesthetics. The result, as any fan will tell you, was something both ethereal and raw all at the same time.

So it should probably be of no surprise that in this resurfaced clip, presumably from the late 90s, O’Riordan’s stunning cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Go Your Own Way” is every bit as magical. As @oldmansrock, the account that posted the video, wrote, “the way that Dolores could challenge the pitch but still stay on key, that is the mark of an accomplished singer.

It sounds dissonant compared to the manufactured material of today, where every tone is perfect, but hers is oh so human, and so very Irish! It is beautiful!”

But don’t just take their word for it. Watch:

If this had you wanting to pull up a Cranberries playlist on your Spotify to listen to for the rest of the day, you're not alone. Down in the comments, the renewed love for O’’Riordan was palpable.

“What sits deep with me is that no one sounds like her. Her voice is unmistakable. Whatever her take on a song/lyric? It was authentically, soul-touching Dolores.

“She was unbelievably talented and the cranberries are criminally underrated.”

“Her Irish vocal sweep ups are amazing.”

“She was just brilliant!!! Incredibly talented as well as a lovely and kind human being. I love and miss her. I don't know how anyone can have a bad word to say about this. I thought it was brilliant, both her live cover and studio cover. I wish people weren't so stubborn. I can accept covers no problem if the singer is talented enough, and she most certainly is. ❤️”

“A keening Irish queen. Her voice will always stir me.”

“An actual once in a generation talent”

“Also a master of the microphone. She knows exactly where the sweet spot is for every note.”

“She could melt your heart with that voice, or completely blow you away. Missed dearly, but never forgotten ❤️”

This cover would go on to be a part to the Cranberries’ third album, To The Faithful Departed, which was released in 1996 and became the band’s highest-charting album on the US Billboard 200, and was praised for its darker tone as well as its themes of grief and loss.

After O’Riordan died from drowning due to alcohol intoxication in January 2018, the Cranberries would disband in 2019, but they released their final album, In the End, that year. It was comprised of some of O'Riordan's unfinished demo tapes.

While O’Riordan met the same tragic fate that befalls many artists, especially those in the music industry, her spirit lives on in her art. Because she put so much of herself into her craft, even bite-sized clips of her performances, many years later, inspire those who listen to it. That’s something worth celebrating.

By the way, you can catch a full video of the cover below.

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

Joy

A poet wrote about meeting her younger self for coffee and launched cathartic viral trend

Women are creating healing "I met my younger self for coffee" poems as they reflect on how far they've come.

If you could meet your younger self for coffee, what would you say?

Life is complex and our feelings about our lives even moreso, which is why we humans so often turn to art as a means of processing it all. Poetry in particular has the power to distill complexity into a beautifully simple form, allowing us to succinctly express feelings that are difficult to describe. As Robert Frost wrote, "Poetry is when an emotion has found its thought and the thought has found words," and a skilled poet can help us all find words for our own thoughts and emotions.

A poem by Jennae Cecelia from her upcoming book "Deep in My Feels" has kicked off a viral wave of poetic expression as women reflect on how they've grown and changed since they were younger. Cecelia's poem begins, "i met my younger self for coffee at 10:15," and goes on to describe a lovely, compassionate interaction with her younger self, all while contrasting that younger self with the woman she has become.

People loved the poem so much they used it as inspiration for their own "meeting my younger self for coffee" writing exercises, and the various iterations, at once so personal yet universal, have taken TikTok and Instagram by storm. Some are just written on blank backgrounds as images. Others are videos with the poem overlaid and music in the background.

But what they share in common is the sentiment of wanting to let our younger selves know it was going to be okay. That life is hard but there are good things coming around the corner. That whatever she's feeling or going through now will someday just be a memory.

Some poems have come from women who are still young but fully adult now, speaking to their teen selves.

@jasbethany_

I’d do anything to talk to my 15 year old self 🥲 #nostalgia #coffee #youngerself

Others come from moms in the thick of parenting, reassuring their younger selves that their dreams of having a family have come true, while others show that they took a different path than they planned and it turned out fine.

@katrice_taylor

🤎 #imetmyoungerselfforcoffee #momtok #momsoftiktok #blackmomsoftiktok

The trend is moving people to tears, offering hope to people who are still in those uncertain younger self years, when the possibilities of life seem endless and yet so much feels impossible. Many are finding solace in seeing people's before and after stories, as they serve as a reminder that life is malleable, that the future isn't set in stone, that people can endure and overcome.

@puffy817

Why did this trend heal a little bit in me while I wrote it IB: @Jennae Cecelia Poetry #coffeewithmyyoungerself #parati

Many resonate with the message that whatever struggles we're dealing with now we likely won't be in the future. And, of course, there will always be new struggles we're dealing with but with age and experience we hopefully learn about our own strength to endure. We also hopefully still have dreams to catch.

Cecelia says she is glad that her poem has inspired so many people to create their own versions of it, adding a rightful request to be credited for her work. She shares that the poem is part of a new collection of poetry that she describes as "a dream come true." Her previous poetry books have been self-published, but for this book she landed a deal with a publisher and is thrilled by the idea of having her book available in bookstores and not just online.

"This book is personal" Cecelia says. "It’s a reflection of love, loss, growth, and all the emotions we’re sometimes afraid to name. It’s a reminder that vulnerability isn’t just okay—it’s necessary. Inside, you’ll find poems that sit with you in life’s highs and lows, including the one about, 'meeting your younger self for coffee'—a favorite in the collection."

You can find "Deep in My Feels" for pre-order on Amazon and you can learn more about Cecelia and her work at jennaececelia.com.