Faith, Trust and a Little Pixie Dust

Pregnant and Going to Disney - Part II

2012-02-26T14:05:00.001-05:00

To read part I of this blog, click here.

We've just returned from my second trip of this pregnancy and I have lived to tell the tale! We spent 4 nights and 5 days in "The World" and had a magical time. We really didn't have to make too many adjustments due to the pregnancy, and honestly it went even better than I thought it would. I was, by far, not the only pregnant lady at Disney, and we noticed many, many mommies with bellies!

Before Your Trip
Do make sure you have your doctor or midwife's okay to take a vacation during your pregnancy. For most normal, healthy women, it should be perfectly fine, airplane travel included, during the first two trimesters, and early part of the third. If however, you are considered high risk for preterm delivery or dangerous complications, your provider may not like the idea of traveling far from their care. You also don't want to travel too late in your pregnancy when the possibility of delivery is higher. Keep in mind that just because your chart is labeled "high risk" does not mean you cannot travel, it just depends on why, and ultimately you and your provider need to make that decision together. Technically I am considered "high risk" because, ahem..., I'm shall we say a "more experienced" mom. Okay, I'm old, lets just say it, but that was not a reason my midwife felt I needed to forego a vacation.

Make sure that before your vacation, once you have your provider's okay, you bring with you on your trip a current copy of your prenatal records and your medical insurance card. Just in case something happens, your care will be much better (and faster) if the hospital in Florida has your medical records and all your billing information. I hope to give you some good tips to keep you OUT of the hospital, but its good to always have this information with you just in case.

Safe and Smart Travel
If you are driving to the world, be sure to wear your seatbelt at all times. Make sure to wear it low and over your hips, not up over your abdomen. Drink plenty of water along the way. Take frequent stops to get out of the car, use the bathroom, stretch and walk around. While seated you can do some stretching with your feet to encourage return blood flow. Point and flex your toes, and do ankle circles.

If traveling by air, try to book a non-stop flight to minimize travel time. If you are on a long flight, try to get up and walk up and down the cabin a few times to stretch and discourage the possibility of developing blood clots in your legs. If you can score an aisle seat this will make it easier to get up frequently and use the bathroom as well. You can do the same ankle and foot stretches as those traveling by car. It is not uncommon for airplane travel to cause water retention, so note that your legs and ankles may have increased swelling during the flight. Try to put your feet up once you arrive at your destination.

Pack Prepared
Be sure to pack any necessary medications, prescriptions, vitamins, and over the counter medications in your carry on bags. You may want to bring some doctor approved over the counter "just in case" medications as well such as tylenol and tums. Also, remember that you can bring small snacks into the parks, so you may want to bring some healthy snacks to keep your energy up while touring. Some good suggestions would be dried fruit, baked crackers or nuts.

STAY HYDRATED!
This was also something I mentioned in my first post on traveling while pregnant. Dehydration is a pregnant woman's enemy. It can make you feel awful, cause unnecessary swelling, give you a headache, and even contractions. If you find that you are having swelling, be sure to continue drinking lots of water. Sometimes moms believe if they are swollen, they should drink less, when the opposite is actually true. Try to limit your salty food intake, and keep drinking.

You can bring bottles of water with you into the parks, use a refillable water bottle, purchase bottles of water in the park, or even order FREE glasses of water at counter service locations. If you go to any counter service (AKA quick service) location and ask for a glass of ice water, you can get one free of charge. Yes, it is tap water, but its free, and not much is at DIsney. If you don't like the taste of Orlando tap water, and a lot of peope don't, you can bring those little crystal light/flavored drink packets to add to your water. Avoid caffene as it will only make you more dehydrated. A diet coke, while my beverage of choice, tastes great, it does not actually help you stay hydrated, in fact, it makes you more DEhydrated. As we have a DVC Villa, we had Garden Grocer deliver a case of bottled water to our resort, and so I always brought two bottles of water with me into the parks.

Frequent Bathroom Breaks
If you are doing a good job staying hydrated, you will probably get a world tour of Disney World restrooms. It is also important to empty your bladder frequently, so make the time. You may want to prepare by using the bathroom before getting on any long lines or attractions that may take you away from a bathroom for a while, such as the Liberty Belle Riverboat or American Adventure attraction in Epcot.

Slow Down and Take it Easy
Even if you are an experienced Disney Parks commando like myself, pregnancy is going to require you to slow down a bit. Try to do half days, or take a mid-day break to put your feet up or take a nap. When moving through the parks, you may have to slow your pace a bit. Send someone else to go for fastpasses, while you slowly make your way to another attraction.

Falls
Be especially mindful that as your belly is getting bigger, your center of gravity is shifting, making falls more likely. Watch your footing around the pool and unfamiliar bathrooms. Be sure to use handrails and take your time when getting on and off attractions. You may have ridden Peter Pan's Flight 30 times, but getting into that boat is going to be a bit more tricky this time.

Rides and Attractions

I was too big to actually get on a horse, so I just stood by.

As mentioned in my first post on traveling while pregnant, you will need to scale back some of the usual attractions. You should definitely avoid anything with a G-force, such as Everest, or anything with the would "Mountain" in it. Depending on your comfort level, you may want to avoid other attractions as well. I used my rule of thumb which is if there is no reason to not bring on an infant, there was no reason I could not enjoy the ride. That said, I could see that some mommies might be wary about riding attractions such as Malestrom, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Kilamajaro Safari. Talk to your provider before your trip about any concerns, and when in doubt, sit it out.

There are lots of wonderful things you can do while your family rides attractions you cannot. This may be some of the last time you have to wander by yourself for a long time, so enjoy it! While my older two and hubby took several rides on Space Mountain, I took my younger son on the Peoplemover, and Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin. The night they all went on, and subsequently got stuck on Splash Mountain, I had a leisurely ride on the Liberty Belle Riverboat around the Rivers of America, and then did some shopping throughout Frontierland and Fantasyland. Don't feel like you need to sit on the bench outside the ride. With the ease of cell phones and texting, make plans to meet up after and enjoy the time to explore Walt Disney World on your own.

Aches and Pains
While some ladies sail through pregnancy feeling great, most of us do suffer from what I like to tell patients is a case of APP, "Aches and Pains of Pregnancy". This can range from aching feet, back, hips, pelvic joint pain, carpel tunnel, headaches, and difficulty sleeping due to waking up in pain.

With your doctor's okay, its generally considered safe to take Tylenol (acetaminophen) during pregnancy for aches and pains, headache and the like. I can tell you from personal experience however, that for moderate hip and pelvic joint pain in pregnancy, it tends to not help too terribly much, but at least its something to try.

Bring several pairs of safe, comfortable shoes. To minimize aching feet, you should bring at least 2 different pairs of comfortable walking shoes. Since you may experience swelling of your feet in Florida, make sure they have a little room to grow. Although I did alternate between 3 different pairs, I did find that my feet hurt more than a normal Disney vacation. You also want to make sure your shoes will offer stability and won't increase the risk of slipping or falling.

If you find you have been having pelvic and hip pain before your trip, you may find that better or worse during. I have found for long shifts at work, that a maternity support belt works wonders. It helps to hold your belly up, and your hip bones in and together. Since I have been wearing mine regularly for work, I brought it with me on vacation. Surprisingly, although I did still have some discomfort, especially after sitting down for a while, I found that overall, all of the exercise actually seemed to help the pain! I think my joints feel better than before the trip, and I'm going to try to make a good effort to walk on the treadmill several times a week to keep it up. Good proof that exercise in pregnancy really can be helpful to aches and pains.

One thing I wish I had thought better about ahead of time, was my bedtime pillow situation. I recommend either bringing along an extra small pillow for a belly wedge, or requesting extra pillows from the front desk of your resort. I unfortunately did not think of this until the kids were in bed and I was laying down to sleep the first night of the trip. At that point I didn't want to go downstairs or call for my pillows and risk waking the kids. Thankfully my loving hubby gave me one of his. At this point I really sleep best with two pillows under my head, and one on each side to support my tummy and back when sleeping. That's a lot of pillows. I ended up not getting any extra from the desk however, because we bought one of the ever popular Pillow Pets, a Simba model, for our youngest. I then took his pillow! I slept so much better that night with my full supply of pillows.

Me and the little guy on the PeopleMover, while the big boys rode Space Mountain.

So, while your friends may think you crazy for venturing to Walt Disney World during your pregnancy, it is entirely possible to have a safe and fun trip if you are willing to plan ahead and make a few modifications. So go ahead and book that trip before baby comes, or don't stress about canceling a pre-scheduled trip when you find out you are expecting. Be safe and have a magical vacation!!!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Making it Through TSA Airport Security With Your Children and Your Sanity!

2012-02-01T03:31:00.001-05:00

As I've been packing (okay, trying to pack) for our Disney mid-winter getaway for the past day or two, I find myself trying to mentally prepare for my least favorite part of any Disney trip. No, it's not the crowds, the heat, or the price of a Diet Coke, but making my way, with three kids and a hubby through the Transportation Security Administration checkpoint at Midway and Orlando International Airports. I am in no way trying to complain about the job TSA does. I firmly believe that their purpose is an important one, and that the rules and regulations are there to at least try to keep us a little bit safer in a post 9/11 world. But no matter what, getting the entire family though, and put back together at the other side gives me palpatations. There are some things you can do however, to make it smoother and a little bit less horrific.

Sign for the Family Friendly Line

Some larger airports have special lines specifically for families. If this is available, I recommend it for several reasons, even if you feel the other lines are shorter. First of all, the TSA workers in the family line are ready for families. They will be more accomodating and helpful when you are there with strollers, car seats, and crying 3 year olds who don't want to go through the checkpoint. Also, as you are having trouble getting little junior though the checkpoint, another family behind you who is in the same situation is likely to be more patient than a business frequent flyer who wants to know why you didn't get in the family line.

When you first approach security, you will have to present your boarding passes and photo ID to a TSA agent. Have these items out and ready to hand over. Children under the age of 18 are not required to show ID. After the TSA agent has handed these items back to you, step a few feet forward to make room for the family behind you, and safely place your ID's and boarding passes back in your carry on.

Lets talk about shoes. Thankfully, children under 12 no longer have to remove their shoes through security. I honestly think this was probably one of the most stressfull parts for me. Getting the shoes off is bad enough, but getting them back on was a nightmare. But older kids and adults must still remove their shoes. You may want to consider wearing something that is quick and easy to get off and on. A pair of slip on clogs will be much easier than lacing up those high fashion gladiator sandles. The faster your shoes are back on, the faster you will be able to start putting your baggage and kids back together.
Also consider your attire when traveling. You may want to avoid large belt buckles, jewlery, or hair accessories that might trigger the metal detector.

Put your extra stuff in the bins boys!

When you are still at home packing for your trip, remember the 3-1-1 rule for liquids. All liquids are limited to 3oz, placed in a 1 quart size clear plastic bag. Each passenger may have 1 of these quart size bags. Pack this at the top of your carry on. When you get to the security checkpoint, take these bags out and place them into one of the grey bins.

I think its best to carry on as few liquids as you can, so we try to place as much as is practical into our checked bags. If you will be utilizing Disney's Magical Express service, remember that you may not receive your checked bags for up to 4 hours after you arrive at your resort, so keep that in mind when deciding what to put in your 3-1-1 bag. I usually have one or two 3oz containers of sunscreen in case we either go swimming or to the parks before we get our luggage. I also pack any medications we may need in the 3-1-1 bag in case the airline loses our luggage. If you or your child has a prescription liquid medication that is larger than the 3oz rule, do not place it in your 3-1-1 bag, but declare it at the checkpoint. This has happened to us when one of our little mouseketeers got an ear infection just prior to a trip. If you are a super-planner like me who brings children's benadryl and tylenol in case of a vacation disaster, you should know that both of these childrens medications are now available in meltaway tabs. This solves the liquid problem!

If you are traveling with a small child, you are allowed to bring small but reasonable quantities of formula, breastmilk, baby food and juice through security. This must be declared to security, and they may require you to open the item for furthur inspection.

Gray TSA Bin

Once you are close enough to the actual checkpoint, there will be long tables, and gray plastic bins. Essentially, just plan on putting everything in a plastic bin. Everything. Lots of bins. If your child has a personal bag, stuffed animal, jacket etc... it MUST go in a bin through the scanner.

When you get to the line to go through the scanners, its a good idea to start getting prepared. Get the kids out of the stroller, and fold the stroller. Babies must be removed from car seats and carriers/slings. The baby will go with you though the metal detector, but yes, even your baby bjorn must go into a gray bin and though the scanner. Remove your jackets or sweatshirts. They will ask you to remove even a zip up sweatshirt. It is much easier to remove it ahead of time rather than once it is your turn though the metal detector. If you can put them inside another bag, that would be ideal. Remove anything large and metal that may trigger the metal detector, such as keys or change in your pockets, or large metal jewlery. Get out your 3-1-1 bag of liquid items, or any larger liquids you are bringing for the children. Laptops not in a special "checkpoint friendly" approved case must be removed from your bag. Large electronics like full size DVD players, full size game consoles and the like must also be removed from your bags. Small electronics like cell phones, iPads, book readers, and handheld game consoles can remain inside your other bags. It is possible that it may trigger your bag to be searched further, but it is not required to be removed. The less your carry on is cluttered with things, the easier it is for the scanner to make an assesment of what is in there, and the less likely that you will be subjected to an additional search.

Once all of your items are declared, and loaded up on the belt to go through the scanner, its your turn to proceed through the metal detector. There will be a TSA agent on the other side of the scanner, and they will let you know when to proceed. I have noticed that the order which the agent prefers the family to come through varies. Some agents will call older children through first, so you can stay with the younger child. Other agents will call you though first, and then each child one at a time. Babies and small children will obviously be carried through by you. We always have one of the parents go through as the very last family member, just in case someone needs a little encouragement to walk through the metal detector.

Once on the other side, it always seems like a big rush to put everything back together. I like to get my shoes on as soon as I can. Then I start putting the kids back together. Get their jackets back on, backpacks back on, stroller open and someone (anyone at that point) into the stroller, so I can find my own belongings. Put your 3-1-1 bags back into your carryon, gather any loose items you may have removed such as jewlery or electronics, and off you go! WHEW! MADE IT!

You are now in the so called "sterile area" and have officially survived TSA. It may be a good time to get any additional juice or snacks for your flight. If you haven't flown in a while, you may want to know that while major legacy airlines still give a comlimentary beverage, most no longer serve that nice little complimentary bag of peanuts or pretzels. Southwest Airlines is the only carrier we have flown recently that does give out snacks, and I have heard Delta also offers one. Now that you have gotten through security though, anything you purchase in the "sterile area" can be brought on the plane.

You can now sit back, relax and enjoy your vacation, knowing you have to do it all again in a few days!

Do you have any special tips or tricks for traveling with little ones? Leave a comment!

For more official information on traveling through TSA you can visit their webpage on traveling with children here.

Princess Ella "Everyday Living Life Abudantly"

2012-01-18T16:20:00.000-05:00

I'd like to introduce you to Princess Ella, a huge Disney Princess fan who has accomplished a lot in just her few short months here on earth. She has already been granted a private audience with Mickey and Minnie as well as the Disney Princesses, eaten a Mickey Premium Bar, met Jack Sparrow, been the reason for a "Celebration of Life" party with over 200 guests, had a spa day with mommy, a father-daughter dance with daddy, and played host to an American Girl party in Chicago. She has also had a line of handbags and scarves designed in her honor. She has so many beautiful dresses, that it is not unusual for Princess Ella to make multiple wardrobe changes in a single afternoon!

Princess Ella has touched the hearts and minds of many not just near her home in Northwest Indiana, but around the globe, as family, friends, friends of friends, and even random people on Facebook from as far away as Europe and Africa pray for her and her family every day.

Just a few days before Christmas, Princess Ella's parents received the news that their beautiful daughter was a victim of a genetic disorder known as Spinal Muscular Atrophy, or SMA. Princess Ella inherited the most severe form of this disorder, and her beautiful smile and bright eyes will only be with us for a few more months. While many of us, myself included, have never heard of this disorder, it affects about 1 out of every 6,000 children. In fact, there is a 1 in 40 chance that you are carrying the gene for this disorder. You can visit Families of SMA for a wonderful resource to learn more about this disorder by going to their website www.fsma.org.

Seeing the time that they have left with Princess Ella as a gift, her family came home from the hospital not to die, but to LIVE. In that spirit, they created a "Dream List" and have been crossing things off that list. Things on this list are as simple as going swimming, and as big as riding in a white Cadillac limo. You can visit Princess Ella's Dream List to see what she has been able to do, and what is still hoped for on her Facebook page, here.

One of the things on that list included a trip to Walt Disney World with Princess Ella, and another was a "Celebrate Life" party in her honor, that was held this past weekend on January 15th. At this party I was honored to be able to present a slide show I put together (with a lot of of help from iMovie) to share Princess Ella's special trip with all of her friends. Please be sure to turn off this page's music by scrolling to the bottom of this page and pausing in the pink music box on the lower left, before viewing Ella's video, since it does have music of its own.

Celebrate Ella

Many people have asked what they can do to help Princess Ella and her family. First, prayers for Ella's time left with us to be beautiful and full of life are most welcome. You can also offer up prayers for strength for Princess Ella's family as they go through this experience with her, and maybe even a miracle. If you'd like to support her family as they experience things on Princess Ella's Dream List, and as they are faced with increasing medical bills, there are a few ways you can help. You can donate to Families of SMA in Ella's name by going to their website.

Sweet Princess Ella in a lovely polka dot number.


Now the dress is transformed!

There are two, more creative ways you can help Ella's family. You can buy handbags or scarves! How fun is that? Visit the page for Ella's Legacy Collection on DH Dream Designs: The Passionate Fashionista's web page to learn more about how you can get one of these custom handbags, and help Ella at the same time. One of Princess Ella's mom's dreams on the Dream List, is for Ella to wear a pretty dress every day. These dresses will then be transformed into sweet handbags you can purchase. You may choose one of the dresses Ella already has, or for a really personal touch, you can purchase a dress of your choosing for Ella, and then have that dress made into your handbag. You can see the dress Princess Ella is wearing in the above photo, has been transformed into a darling bag, seen on the right hand photo. I believe the cost of the handbag is $50.

If you're not into handbags, you can still be fashionable and help Princess Ella by purchasing one of two chic scarves from our very own Swirly Sensations!

There are two options. "The Ella" is a floral design and it comes in perfectly princess colors of pink and lavender.

The other option is "The Erica", which comes in Ella's mom's favorite colors red and black, and has a swirled dot pattern.

The scarves will sell for $25 with all of the profits going directly to Princess Ella's family for expenses.

To order a scarf, you may visit Swirly Sensations website on etsy. Purchases on etsy are via Paypal only. You can email me directly for alternate payment methods at my dizkrazkate@gmail.com account.

RNawaymama is also promoting these on her blog Tiny Bits of Magic.

One last thing you can do to help if you live locally, is participate as part of "Team Ella" for the Hearts of Gold Mall Walk to support Memorial'shttp://www.heartsofgoldwalk.org/ I think I even heard a rumor that some members of the Notre Dame Football Team will be participating. You can register as an individual, or be part of "Team Ella". Individuals who raise $50 or more are eligible for prizes, and all walkers get a chocolate "heart of gold" from The South Bend Chocolate Company. I regret I won't be able to attend personally, as my family will be visiting Mickey ourselves that weekend. I do want to encourage people to participate though. It's a great cause, and a fun event to get some exercise despite the cold weather in South Bend.

So, I hope you will join us in "Celebrating Ella" as her party hoped. Most of all her family wants to encourage everyone to remember to live each day to the fullest, hug your family, and have fun. Are you "Everyday Living Life Abundantly"? ELLA

Disney's #1 Snack, The Famous Dole Whip

2012-01-05T13:17:00.000-05:00

Sometime in the late 80's while looking for one of my mother's favorite treats, ice cream, we stumbled upon what we thought was a simple soft serve stand. Oh, how wrong we were. This wasn't a simple soft serve stand, but Aloha Isle, the Disney World home of the world famous Dole Whip.

Dole Whip Hawaii Style

What is a Dole Whip? I think one would have to officially just call it a frozen dessert, as it is creamier than a sorbet or sherbet, and fruitier than an ice cream. Really, its just so good let's say its in a class all its own! (It is in fact, not an ice cream as it is lactose free, so the lactose intolerant in your party can enjoy it as well) While Dole Whips themselves come in a variety of flavors, the Disney version comes only in pineapple. You can enjoy your pineapple Dole Whip all by its delicious self, swirled with vanilla soft serve, or in float form with Dole pineapple juice. Everyone has their favorite. While some just have to have the swirl, I prefer it unadulterated in pure pineapple with the pineapple juice float treatment. It is very light, and refreshing, which makes it seem even better in the Florida heat and humidity.

Sampling a Dole Whip Float at Disneyland

The Dole Whip is available both at Magic Kingdom's Aloha Isle in Adventureland, and at Captain Cook's Snack Company at the Polynesian Resort. It is also available in the Tiki Room area at Disneyland in California. The Disneyland location routinely has a 20 minute or more line. The Touringplans.com app "Lines" even has users enter the wait time for their Disneyland Dole Whips, giving it credence as an attraction of its own! At Disneyland however, you can enter the waiting area for the Tiki Room, get your Whip on, and then take it into the Tiki Room to enjoy it in air conditioned comfort. The line in the queue area is just for those getting ready to enter the show, and so the wait can be considerably less than the outside line. Other than those three locations, finding a pineapple Dole Whip in the continental United States is difficult and limited to isolated Mom and Pop ice cream shops. I have heard there is place in Southern California/ Hollywood area that sells them called "House of Dole Whip".

Dole Whip Menu at the Dole Plantation, Oahu

This past summer my husband and I had our first ever vacation without the kids since our honeymoon, and off we went to Hawaii! Of course, I had to get to the Dole Pineapple Plantation if for no other reason than to visit the home of the Dole Whip. At the plantation, the Dole Whip comes in a wider variety of forms. While you can get a simple Dole Whip in a cup, you can also get a cone, have them add fresh chopped pineapple, a pineapple split, or a float in a souvenir cup that becomes a coin bank. While the coin bank float was very tempting, given that my husband and I would have to consume three of them to bring back one for each kid, I went for the whip in a cup with the fresh pineapple. It was just as good as I was used to, if not a little bit better with the fresh pineapple. (The photo at the top of this post is that delicious Hawaiian version) And what could be fresher than getting the pineapple right from the source!)

If you are long way from your next Disney fix, or just need a little Disney pick me up in the middle of winter, you can attempt to make your own Dole Whip at home if you have an ice cream maker. For the most authentic experience you'll need to "dole out" some cash. You can go to the source for the real Dole Whip at United Enterprises here. That option, though the real thing, is a bit more than most of us probably want to spend for a quick fix. You can also make your own from scratch. There are several recipes online, I have had one that was pretty close. While not an exact replica, it was reminiscent enough to make me enjoy the familiarity. Serve in a fancy martini glass, turn up the heat in the house, and put on a Disney movie and pretend your sweating it out in the Magic Kingdom!

HOME DOLE WHIP RECIPE
1 quart Dole pineapple juice
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 cups heavy whipping cream
3 cups sugar
Extra milk or water to add in order to get desired consistency

Mix the pineapple juice and sugar, until the sugar is dissolved Add the cream and vanilla Pour mixture into ice cream maker. For a thinner consistency add water to the fill line, or for a creamier consistency add milk. Follow the instructions for your ice cream maker.

My oldest, then age 7, at Aloha Isle

During a particular sad event in my life, a dear friend made this recipe for me, because she knew that Disney made me happy, and she knew how much I loved the Dole Whip. It was delicious, and a genuinely kind gesture which I will never forget.

If you've never had a Dole Whip, be sure to add it to your itinerary on your trip. Just over the bridge from Main Street USA into Adventureland, on the right hand side, you will see Aloha Isle. Grab yourself a Whip, and take a seat by Swiss Family Treehouse and watch the people go by. hmm...I think I'm going to go find my Cuisinart ice cream maker and put it in the freezer for a few hours.....maybe a quick trip to the market....

It's Official! Grand Floridian DVC!

2011-12-09T15:54:00.001-05:00

For months now rumors have been circulating about a new Disney Vacation Club Resort at Disney's Grand Floridian. Cryptic permits have been filed, ground stakes have been seen, weddings rescheduled from the Wedding Pavilion, even rumors of overhearing Disney Imagineers in the next room at Saratoga Springs discussing the layout of new rooms....

But now, an official announcement! Clair Bilby, DVC's new Senior VP announced yesterday at the annual Condominium Association Meeting, that "Disney's Grand Floridian Villas" will be opening in late 2013. Or will it be "The Villas at Disney's Grand Floridian"? Check out the official artist's rendering.

If you look carefully, you can see the Monorail coming around the corner in the upper right!

With Bay Lake Tower almost sold out, and plenty of new tourists coming to Disney and wanting new DVC resorts to purchase, it makes perfect sense that Disney would be looking for something new and exciting to offer. I can only speculate that like the Villas at the Grand Californian and Bay Lake Tower, the price per point will be quite high, at least $140/pp, and I would also venture to guess the number of points needed to book the rooms will be high as well.

Here's another image released yesterday, an artist's rendering of the possible interior view of the lobby. It appears to be at least 5 stories tall, and has the beauty of the Grand Floridian we already know and love, but with a more intimate "Welcome Home" DVC feel. The announcement states that there will be a total of 147 villas available. This is on the smaller side for DVC. In comparison, Bay Lake Tower has 295 2-bedroom equivalent villas, while Saratoga Springs has over 1,200! The Villas at Wilderness Lodge is will be the next smallest on property, with just over 180 villas.

If you're trying to get a better idea of where this building will be located, check out this image below. I personally was able to see this area while riding the Monorail this past September, and indeed there were stakes in the ground and things appeared to be marked off.

This looks to be a great addition to the Disney Vacation Club. Bay Lake Tower's location on the Monorail line has been very popular, and I would think the Monorail will be a big selling point at the Grand Floridian as well. Although the building will be separate, there should be lovely walkway to connect the DVC building to the main Grand Floridian. Ms. Bilby also mentioned a children's water play area, and I would assume a pool. My children love the water play area at Kidani Village, and I would love to see something like that here.

So, what do you think? Will you be saving your pennies to buy Grand Floridian points?

Now if we could just convince them to built DVC at the Poly.....

My Top Ten Favorite Uses for Disney Snack Credits

2011-12-05T17:00:00.000-05:00

For our annual week long trip to Walt Disney World, we usually purchase the Disney Dining Plan (DDP). Since we have 3 children under the ages of 9, this is usually a good deal for us. One of the things I love about the DDP is the convenience and, let's be honest, snacks and desserts. When not on vacation, we generally do not eat as many sweets and desserts, and so while at Disney I really do enjoy these special treats.

If you are a DDP newbie, its important to know that there are literally thousands of items available to you as a snack credit. Although the official Disney brochure mentions things such as a soda pop, a bottle of water, a box of popcorn or an ice cream bar, the actual options available are much more varied. For more great info, you can check out one of my most popular blog entries, "Ins and Outs of the Disney Dining Plan". Over on the DisBoards, they have a yearly list that tells you items that have been confirmed as a snack on the plan, so check that out here. Anything that is available to purchase with the DDP is also available to those paying cash, so don't despair if you must try some of these yummy items and you are not on the dining plan!

But lets get to the important stuff, the food!

10. Rice Cream from Kringla Bakeri Og Kafe in Norway (Epcot)
Not to be confused with rice pudding, rice cream is exactly as it sounds, a sweet concoction of soft rice mixed with sweet whipped cream. To add to the light deliciousness of this traditional dessert is a strawberry topping. I first tried this dessert at Akershus Princess Storybook Dinner where it arrives family style with chocolate mousse and a marscapone mousse puff pastry. But there is no need to book the $40 buffet to try rice cream as a simple walk across the street to the bakery will find it available to go as a snack credit! If you choose to use a quick service credit to eat lunch or dinner there, you can choose the rice cream as your dessert option.

9. Anything from Boulangerie Patisserie in France (Epcot)

I first discovered this hidden little gem when I was a teen. In order to find it, you need to walk into the back of the France Pavilion, and simply look for the line of people. While hidden, it is not unknown nor unpopular. The wonderful thing about the patisserie is the sheer number of delicious choices. They have everything from fruit tarts, cookies, eclairs, chocolate mousse, and various croissants. If you've had a huge breakfast at Chef Mickey's, and are hungry for just a light lunch, try a ham and cheese croissant. Its a great way to stretch your dining plan credits and make a mini-meal out of a snack. They will package your goodies to-go, and I've been known to walk out of Epcot with a pastry box full of goodies to enjoy later.

8. S'mores Brownie at Sunshine Seasons (Epcot)

I was turned on to this by my dear Disney friend @RNawaymama on our last trip this past September. (You can check out her blog at Tiny Bits of Magic.) I'm already a huge fan of the Sunshine Seasons food court, and I think it is one of the best uses of a quick service meal at WDW. Traditionally, I get the Soarin' Brulee (see #6). Once she showed me that brownie, though, I had to use a snack credit and take one home for later! The brownie has a graham cracker crust, then the chewy brownie on top (chewy brownies are my fav), followed by mini-marshmallows, and then drizzled with caramel and chocolate. Uh, YUM!

7. Cinnamon Bun at Main Street Bakery (Magic Kingdom)

This was another first of mine on our most recent trip. While the boys were riding Space Mountain, we decided a mid-morning snack was in order. While they call this a cinnamon bun, it's more like a cinnamon loaf. It is positively huge, and a great way to split a snack. You can also get this as a breakfast quick service option with a beverage and fruit. Probably not the most economical use of a quick service credit, but if you had extras as we did, well worth it! When I first got it, I figured there would be plenty for all, but once I started eating, it was hard to control myself and leave some for my boys! Unlike some other cinnamon buns I have had, this one was super soft and light throughout. It was just about as close to perfection as Mary Poppins herself.

6. Soarin' Brulee at Sunshine Seasons (Epcot)

I have to admit, that I just plain old LOVE creme brulee. This is not something that I can easily recreate at home, nor is it common to find it at restaurants in our area. There are several places at Disney that serve creme brulee, and the maple creme brulee at Le Cellier is awesome, but a lot more difficult to get. At Sunshine Seasons I can have it as a light and delicious end to my meal, or get it to-go as a snack credit. As far as creme brulees go, it's probably not the best ever, but as I said, I just LOVE creme brulee! It has a nice creamy and light center, with that all important caramelized crust that I love.

5. Zebra Domes at The Mara (Animal Kingdom Lodge)

To be fair, unless you are staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge, these are a little bit difficult to come by. They are part of the dessert buffet at Boma, and if you haven't tried Boma, it is well worth a visit. It is one of my favorite buffets at Walt Disney World. But if you have a hankering for some yummy zebra domes, their signature dessert, look no further than The Mara. The Mara is the Lodge's quick service dining option, located near the pool. And, like many of my other favorites it seems, you can either use a snack credit to get your hands on this yumminess, or you can get it as the dessert part of your quick service meal. Zebra domes are basically a small sponge cake base, with a dollop of light chocolate liquor tasting mousse, then covered in a white chocolate frosting with dark chocolate stripes which gives it the "zebra" name. Now, I must admit I love these, and it seems many others do as well, but some are just not impressed. It's a love it or hate it kinda thing I guess. But again, I can't get them anywhere else, nor can I recreate them easily at home. I'm already planning how I'm going to get my hands on some when we stay at Kidani Village in February!

4. Funnel Cake at Sleepy Hollow (Magic Kingdom)

Who doesn't love funnel cake? While I don't enjoy ending up covered in powdered sugar which seems inevitable when I eat one of these, there is something about that lovely fried sweetness that's too good to pass up. Usually this is my firework/parade watching snack in the Magic Kingdom. Similar to an Elephant Ear, or Fried Dough, a funnel cake is basically the same type of batter that's been poured into hot oil and fried, then lightly dusted with powdered sugar. This is also a great snack to share as it pulls apart easily into smaller pieces for all to enjoy. It's just not "Wishes" fireworks to me at Magic Kingdom, if I'm not munching on some funnel cake. It's important to know, that although you can use a snack credit to get funnel cake with powdered sugar in the Magic Kingdom, the funnel cake stand in Epcot will not accept a snack credit. Strange, but true.

3. Wheezy's Breezy Freezy near Pixar Place (Hollywood Studios)

My middle child seems to get hot rather easily, and he just loves frozen beverages at Disney to cool him down. A few years ago after a fun ride on Toy Story Mania, we discovered this little cart just across the way. They serve both frozen coke and frozen raspberry lemonade, known there as a "Wheezy's Breezy Freezy". Wheezy if you don't remember was the squeaky penguin from Toy Story II. Now we always get at a least one of these, and the frozen raspberry is my favorite of any frozen beverage at Disney. I do think the regular frozen lemonades and other frozen beverage carts are a good use of your credits if you like "Icee" type drinks, and they do wonders to keep you cool on a hot Florida day.

2. Mickey Premium Ice Cream Bar, available everywhere!

Up till a few years ago, I couldn't figure out what the big deal is about a chocolate covered ice cream bar. They sell those at my local Target, right? Well, a Mickey Premium is so much better! Besides the awesome Mickey shape, the ice cream is very rich and creamy, and the chocolate is both of an excellent quality and surprisingly generous thickness. Its simply like the ones in Target only 10x better! Be forewarned though, they can melt quickly and I've found that the melted mess can be a bit much for kids, so sometimes its better to share, or find a shady place to sit and eat with lots of napkins.

1. Dole Whip or Dole Whip Float from Adventureland's Aloha Isle (Magic Kingdom)

I've been enjoying these refreshing treats since I was a kid, and I think my family discovered them by accident while looking for ice cream. But since then, a trip to Disney is not complete without a Dole Whip. Dole Whips are a frozen dessert that reminds me of a cross between a sorbet and ice cream, while not really being a sherbet. It comes in a fabulous pineapple flavor which you can have solo, or mixed with vanilla. You can also have it as a float, as is my preference, with Dole pineapple juice. It is great for a hot day, and is available in only very limited locations in the continental United States.

It is also available at Captain Cook's quick service located inside the Polynesian resort. You can also get a great quick service meal there (try the grown up grilled cheese) and get the Dole Whip (not available as a float) as, you guessed it, your dessert!

Do you have a favorite WDW snack? Any suggestions of what to try on my next trip if I can tear myself away from my old favorites? Let me know in the comments below!

Hints for Traveling with Kids- Part I Safety

2011-11-21T16:22:00.002-05:00

Believe it or not some people actually do visit Disney without children, but since most people visiting for the first time will include at least one child, it's a good idea to be prepared!

A trip to Walt Disney World with your kids is not quite as simple as a trip to your county fair. Some forethought and careful packing can make your trip that much more enjoyable.

Safety

Since Disney Cast Members are taught that safety should be the most important thing in their mind at all times when "on stage" at the resort, I think it deserves to be first when it comes to my Disney advice.

Disney is really very safe for children. Lets face it, if you're going to lose your kid in a crowded public place, Disney is probably the safest place to do so. Disney Cast Members are trained to look for lost kids, and what to do if one is found. I have even heard stories of undercover Disney security staff that pose as tourists that are there for safety and may lend help in a lost child situation. That said, it's a good idea to have a few safe guards in place, should this happen to you.

Safety Badges:
My kids each wear a "safety badge" on their person in case they get separated from us. Now, if I ask my 6 year old his name, and my cell phone number, he will gladly tell me. But if he were to suddenly find himself separated from me at Walt Disney World, was scared, and these same questions were coming from a stranger, I'm not entirely sure he would be able to answer. I also worry that should there be a major accident or separation from my youngest son, would emergency personnel know he is allergic to certain antibiotics. So, his safety badge also contains his allergy information, while my other two sons' say "NKA", medical talk for "No Known Allergies". Can you tell their mother is a nurse?

My boys, in their "Disney Uniform" with" Safety Badges"

My sons' badges are actually (shhh don't tell them) pet tags. I got them at Pet Tags 4 Less. Each boy chose their favorite, in their choice of color. We have a green smiley face, a blue soccer ball, and a gold star. I even bought a purple crown tag to put on our cooler bag in case I misplaced it. You could get more to put on your stroller or camera bag, etc... Single sided engraving is only around $2.50, and shipping is free in the US. I then bought ball chain necklaces for my sons to wear theirs like "dog tags". You could also loop them through belt loops or sneaker laces. Mine just have the child's name, my and my husband's cell numbers, and allergy information. We use these badges now for each trip, or anywhere we go that might necessitate them, such as flying to grandma's for Thanksgiving, etc...

Check out My Precious Kid that sells "dog tags" on a clip.

You can also get them made at your local PetSmart or PetCo.

Make your own tags out of paper, decorate with Disney stickers, and laminate them to stay dry.

Order temporary safety tattoos. How cool is that? Safety Tattoos

Or check out these neat wristbands: Kid ID Bracelets

You can use whatever you like, but just don't rely on a younger child to be able to think coherently and remember your cell number when they are frightened. Also, don't write the information on the inside of your child's clothing. Disney Cast Members are not allowed to remove or look under your child's clothing for obvious safety reasons for both your child and the Cast Member.

Know What Your Child is Wearing
It will be much easier to describe your child to a Cast Member if you remember what they are wearing. You can do this in several ways.

The easiest thing to do is to take a picture of your kid with your cell phone each morning. That way you can show the cast member a photo of the child that day, and get an accurate clothing description.

Thankfully, we didn't lose Grumpy

A bit more work, but a lot more fun, have a daily kid "uniform". We dress our three sons the same on each day of our trip. You can order personalized Disney tees online, get matching shirts from the Disney Store, get basic matching shirts on sale from Michael's Craft Stores in bright easy to see colors, or check out Jiffy Shirts online and order a few for your kids. Bright designs are easier to spot in a crowd, and you can point to your other child and say, "Little Johnny is dressed just like that"! For one of our trips where we were with friends and a total of 8 kids, we bought lime green shirts from Michael's and did an iron on of each dwarf plus Snow White. When we thought we lost one of the children, (really he was just with his mom and we had all gotten separated in a rain storm), we were able to say to the cast member, "he is wearing a shirt just like those, with 'Grumpy' on the front".

When our then 2 year old walked out the exit of Dinoland's "Boneyard" playground, a passerby swooped him up and brought him back in. She took one look at me in my matching shirt (and probably panic stricken look on my face) and said "This must belong to you"! While I'm not saying you have to match your kids uniforms, you can if you like, and it does make staying together a bit easier.

Make Sure Your Child Knows What to Do if Lost (And You Too)

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Mom and dad, you should remember this too! If you realize your child is missing, try not to panic. Find the nearest Cast Member (remember that badge right?) and ask for help. You have never done this before, they do this every day. A friend who did lose her child at Disney told me how she forgot my advice, went into panic mode, and began running down the street calling her child's name. Out of nowhere, a Cast Member grabbed her arm and said "Ma'am, its okay, we will find your child". In fact, Disney had found her lost child before she had even realized the little one had gotten out of the stroller and wandered off, lured by the sparkling beauty of a Disney Pin kiosk. Remember, keep calm. Find help.

Be Prepared in Case of Medical Issues

Be sure to have your medical insurance card with you on the trip. Bring extras, or copies of any essential prescriptions your child may need. While its probably not the end of the world if they lose their seasonal allergy medication, an asthmatic child who loses their rescue inhaler on Space Mountain should probably have it replaced.

Each Park has a first aid station staffed by Registered Nurses, and should you have any medical problems at all, you should ask Disney for help and advice before trying to handle it yourself. Rather than going back to your room and scanning the phone book for local hospitals, ask Disney would they recommend. You are not the first person to need medical attention while on vacation at Disney World, and it may take you an hour to figure out where the closest place to go is, and how to get there, while a Disney Cast Member could have helped you answer that same question in less than 2 minutes. They can also call you a reliable cab quickly if transportation is needed.

You can have prescriptions filled, and get over the counter medical supplies from Turner Drugs. They will even deliver to your Disney resort for a small fee. Turner also has a list of medical providers including walk-in clinics and doctors who will come to your resort as a concierge doctor as seen on USA Network's "Royal Pains".

Know that at Disney World, Safety is #1

Safety is the most important thing to Disney Cast Members, and because of this you should be prepared that they will ask your children not to run, climb on things, or sit or stand on things they shouldn't. On a trip last year, my mother rolled her eyes at me when I would not let my sons sit on the hand rails at the "Oh, Canada!" circle 360 movie. Other kids were doing it. As soon as the Cast Member started her talk, she immediately asked those kids to get down.

Those white tape lines they put on the ground for parades are there for a reason, so don't get huffy when they ask you to follow the rules. I once stood next to a family who was upset that Disney was not allowing them to stand where they wanted, because it was the crosswalk for the parade. They kept going on about "They're so uptight and stick to the stupid rules, this place is no fun", let me tell you what's not fun, your kid getting run over by a group of people crossing the street through the crosswalk when she is where she shouldn't be. So don't take it personally, the reason Disney is such a safe place to vacation is because they enforce the rules. Play safe and have fun!

This is Part I of what will be a static page under "Basic Planning Advice for Beginners", but I will be loading it a small part at at time, and posting it as a blog post in segments.

You're Pregnant and You're Going to Disney World? Part I

2011-11-09T21:28:00.002-05:00

It seems I often get astonished looks and comments for taking a Disney trip under one situation or another that is deemed by others to be some form of vacation liability. For those who have never been to Disney, or who have only been there on one ill planned trip, going to the "Most Magical Place on Earth" under anything but perfect conditions sounds like an insurmountable task. Well this year I have three such trips planned with which to gain the admiration of others. At the end of September, I traveled with my family and friends to Disney during my 8th week of pregnancy. This upcoming February, we have a long winter weekend escape planned to Disney while I will be turning 27 weeks, and next September, well I'm sure you can guess that one....Disney with a 4 month old!

For a brief moment, I almost thought I wouldn't be taking our September trip. Just three days before we were to leave, an early ultrasound showed some bleeding between the baby and my uterus. As I was sitting there in the Doctor's office, I was sure she was going to tell me to cancel my trip, but thankfully, I was allowed to go! I had to be more careful to not lift anything heavy like my luggage, and not to ride anything which involved any G forces. I also had to change my planned 5K run for Mickey's Halloween Family 5K, into a 5K walk. But all in all, these were pretty minor modifications. I had no intention on going on anything with a G force anyway just because of being pregnant in general.

Overall, the trip, from a pregnancy point of view was a definite success, and for anyone who may be undertaking such a trip soon, I can offer some experienced advice. I must mention that I have three sons already, and I am a registered nurse in labor and delivery, so this is my area of expertise!

Looks like they've got room for one more prisoner!

Nausea
Okay, this was my number one fear and concern regarding this trip. I, like 85% of pregnant women do get "morning sickness". Honestly, whoever coined this term should be locked in a fiery prison ala Pirates of the Caribbean. It should be called "morning, noon, and night sickness". And while it wasn't a nausea free trip, I did at least keep it in check.

With my other pregnancies I just followed the "suffer and carry on" approach to nausea, but this time I did request some pharmaceutical assistance from my midwife. I thankfully had a prescription for an anti-nausea medication called Zofran. This is a common medication given for nausea, and is considered safe in pregnancy. Each morning, I would set my alarm to go off about 20 minutes before I needed to get up. I would then take my Zofran, and eat some crackers and peanut butter. I wondered if mousekeeping at Bay Lake thought I was a total pig for having food next to the bed but, oh well. This helped tremendously, and I think was the single best thing I did for the trip. Even on the morning of the race, which necessitated at 5am wake up, I felt reasonably okay.

Its also a good idea to not let your stomach get too empty or too full during the day. I recommend carrying a small snack or two with you. You might not be able to stomach an entire soft pretzel, but a quick couple of crackers, or a granola bar can keep that nausea at bay. Now this may not work for you, but for me, I have always found during pregnancy, that cool, icy things seem to help. Thankfully Disney is full of frozen beverage stations. The raspberry lemonade is my all time favorite aka "Wheezy's Breezy Freezy" at Hollywood Studios, but blue raspberry Fanta or regular lemonade also hit the spot. It seemed to keep the nausea away, and did wonders to help me keep cool and hydrated.

Get enough rest! Being over-tired can make the nausea much worse. So either go to bed at a reasonable hour, or try to take a mid-day nap if you know you will be up late for fireworks or other evening event.

Hydration
I can tell you from numerous night shifts as the triage nurse on the labor and delivery floor, that dehydration is a pregnant woman's enemy. Its a sure-fire way to feel lousy, get a massive headache, or even give you preterm contractions. You should aim to drink 64-80oz of non-caffeinated fluid daily. If you are at Disney during a hot time of year, you should be drinking even more than that. Being over-full can make your tummy upset, so its best to sip on your beverage throughout the day rather than drinking large amounts with your meals.

I made good use of both bottled water, and my resort refillable mug. I would freeze a bottle of water in my freezer overnight, and bring it into the park each morning. I would also fill my mug on my way out of the resort with either Powerade

Rest and Relaxation
Its important to get enough rest, especially at the beginning of pregnancy when fatigue can hit a level you didn't think possible. Mix that with the exhaustion that a week at Disney can bring on, and you'll be sleepwalking down Main Street in no time. If you are aiming to be at the park for rope drop, AND stay up late for an evening show, a mid-day break is essential. Even if it means returning to your resort by yourself without friends and family, try to get out of the parks for a few hours each day and nap. Also try to plan a day mid-trip where you are getting to bed early. I like to plan our Animal Kingdom day for the middle of the week, and after leaving the park at 4pm or so, we head back for a swim and an early bed time.

Rides and Attractions

"Expectant Mothers Should Not Ride"

Disney is fastidious about safety, and you will see signs on many rides with warnings for pregnant mothers. You would obviously want to skip anything that may make you nauseated. While normally a Tea Cup fan, I abstained this trip. I also had to close my eyes on Nemo in the room where all the bubbles are circling around you! Talk about dizzy!

You should speak with your doctor or midwife before your trip regarding what type of rides you should or should not go on. My rule of thumb is: "If they'll let me take a newborn on the ride on my lap, I'm okay to ride". So I did go on Kilimanjaro Safari and Pirates of the Caribbean. The only exception I made to this was Soarin' as I know from being on it before that it is very smooth, and is not dangerous to me in any way. The reason you could not bring an infant is due to the fact that you are elevated many feet into the air. If you are prone to vertigo or motion sickness though, you may want to avoid this one. I did forgo all other rides with height restrictions. The wonderful thing about Disney is, that there are rides for everyone. So while the dads and kids were going down Splash Mountain, I was able to visit The Tiki Room, and Mickey's Philharmagic. There are plenty of pregnancy safe things to do at Disney, so don't feel that you need to miss out and spend the week on a park bench.

Medical Issues
If you are further into your pregnancy, I would bring a copy of your prenatal records with you in case of an emergency. Your doctor or midwife should be able to make you a copy at your office visit. I will be doing this for our February trip. Should something go wrong that necessitated a visit to a hospital or urgent care clinic, your caregivers will be thankful you have them. And of course make sure you have your health insurance and prescription card, as well as your doctor or midwife's name, address and phone number.

Remember that each park has a Baby Care Center and a First Aid Station. Pregnant Moms are welcome to take an air-conditioned break at the Baby Care Center, and if you should have any medical problems or concerns while in the park, go directly to First Aid. It is staffed by RN's who have seen it all, and are there to help. (and they have stickers)

Turner Drugs http://turnerdrug.com/
Many travelers don't realize that there is a full service pharmacy right next to Walt Disney World property that will deliver to your Disney resort. They will deliver prescription and non-prescription drug store items for a nominal fee. If you should need a prescription filled while you are there, your doctor may call it in to Turner Drug or, if you have a written prescription, the front desk of your Disney resort can fax a form and a copy of the script, and Turner will deliver to the front desk for you. Turner is also a good resource if you need over the counter medications such as tums, Tylenol, or cold remedies that are recommended by your doctor. We have used Turner Drug on two separate trips and have been very happy with the service. Be aware however, that they do not accept insurance as they are dealing with a tourist population. They will however give you the necessary paperwork if you would like to file your own claim upon request.

You Can Do It!
Going to Disney while expecting is very doable and not something you should be afraid of. Just be prepared, drink lots of water, and slow down. And most of all have fun. You can dream of all the wonderful things you will get to do with new baby on another trip. Part II of this report will follow this winter after our February trip. I'll be getting big and turning 27 weeks while we are there, so that trip may be quite a bit different for me!

Have you visited Disney while expecting? Leave a comment and let us know how it went. Feel free to share any additional tips you may have!

This post is part of the Disney Blog Carnival . Head over there to see more great Disney-related posts and articles.

Part II of this post is complete, check it out by clicking here.

Why You Need a Stroller at Disney For Your 6 Year Old

2011-11-01T22:14:00.000-04:00

The Stroller Brigade. Boys riding ages 6, 3, and 1

One of my big tips I give to families planning a Disney vacation is to bring a stroller for older children. While everyone plans on a stroller for the 3 year old, most families don't even consider bringing a stroller for an older child, and this can be a BIG mistake.

While an average 5-8 year old may not need a stroller to take a walk to the park, or a shopping day at the mall, more than one day at Disney will exhaust even the toughest of kids. On average, a person walking around a Disney Park will walk upwards of 5+ miles a day. A DAY! If you are really going for a "We're gonna go on every ride and get our money's worth" type of a trip (I really must discourage you from this type of plan), you can make that upwards of 10+ miles. Add to that standing in line, the heat, and overall over-stimulation of Disney and you have a tired (read cranky) kid who will have no qualms about complaining to you that:

1. My feet hurt.
2. I'm tired of walking.
3. I want to ride in (insert younger sibling's name here)'s stroller
4. Will you carry me?
5. Can I ride on your shoulders?

So, at this point, lots of parents are thinking, "I really don't want to drag a stroller to Disney for my 7 year old". Let me tell you this, dragging a stroller is a lot easier than dragging a 50lb 7 year old around all day.

Strollers do come with benefits after all.
1. Many kids are able to take a cat nap in a stroller, or at least fall asleep in them on the way out of the parks at night.
2. Strollers can provide an easy place to store non-valuable items you don't want to haul onto Space Mountain, like rain-ponchos, water bottles, etc...
3.Your child will have a good little seat to sit in to watch the parades and fireworks, and parades.
4.You will have the stroller to help you move faster and safer with the kiddos when crowds are thick, or you are racing through an airport to make your connection.
5.You won't have to listen to the complaints listed above.

A tired princess after a long Disney Day in a Disney Double Rental

I really cannot emphasize enough that most parents over-estimate their child's ability to handle the amount of walking involved in a Disney vacation. If you have a child ages 8 or under, you will want to seriously reconsider the stroller situation for that child. If there are more kids than adults who can push a stroller, the older two may take turns, or you can consider renting or bringing a double stroller.

If you do heed my advice and decide to have a stroller, there are several ways to go about it.

Bring a stroller from home
This works well if you have a lightweight, easy to fold, collapsible stroller already, or if you have a friend willing to loan you theirs for the week. Even if you don't have one already, it may be more cost effective to purchase one prior to your trip. Even a $20 umbrella stroller from Babies-R-Us or Walmart will do the trick. If you have one older and one younger child, you can consider a "Sit-N-Stand" type, just be aware that some older models can be fairly heavy, or difficult for a little one to climb into the front. Florida law states that all strollers must be folded up on the buses, and Disney absolutely enforces this on its buses, so be sure that you can fold it easily and that it is not too heavy. Bringing a stroller from home is often the least expensive option, and it allows you to use that stroller at the airports and getting to your resort.

Buy one when you get there
If you have a car, you can always take an excursion to Walmart, Costco, or Target in Orlando, and pick up a stroller there. If you are without a vehicle, you can purchase a Kolcraft stroller at many of the Disney gift shops and at the entrances to the parks. We did end up purchasing one of these on our last trip (long story), and although it was $50, it was a pretty good umbrella stroller. They are all the same, black and red (Mickey colors!), and come with a reclining seat, umbrella awning, storage bag, and cup holder. They seem pretty sturdy for the money, and we rather liked ours. They same one on Amazon retails for $48, so Disney didn't totally mark up the price. They are usually for sale right near the entrances to the parks, we bought ours at the "Newsstand" right past the turnstiles at Magic Kingdom.

Rent a stroller from Disney
You can, and many people do, rent strollers from Disney. These strollers are hard plastic, have an awning, and come in single and double sizes. The benefit is you don't have to bring one from home, and you can pick one up at each park as you enter. For those that don't want to deal with one in the airports, or who don't want to have to store one in their hotel room, this is a good solution. The down side is that they are really better for toddlers and school age children, and not well suited to babies. They do not recline and can be a little uncomfortable. They also look like about a million other Disney strollers, so finding yours in a crowd can be tough. And people have been known to just take your Disney stroller, when they can't find their own. If you are renting one from Disney, or you get there and realize you should have brought one and are now at the mercy of renting one from Disney (I swear this is the majority of the rentals), try to tie something bright and different to your stroller to make it easy to find in a crowd. A bright hair ribbon, or glow necklace at night. Others are less likely to take your stroller if it has something personal left on it, like a diaper bag or sweater. This option can be expensive though. A single is $15 a day, and a double $31. If you pre-pay for your length of stay, the price drops a little to $13 for a single and $27 for a double.

Rent a stroller from an outside company

There are several companies in the Orlando area that offer stroller rentals. I would recommend Magic Strollers, from the family that started Owner's Locker. You can rent both single and double strollers, and they will deliver them to your resort on your arrival day, and pick them up when you leave. You don't even need to be there, as they will leave and pick up your stroller with Disney's Bell Services at your resort! A single stroller, which is much nicer than Disney's if you ask me, is $15 for the first day, then $8 for each additional day. A double is $25 for the first day, then $9 for each additional day. By renting, you get the convenience of the stroller at your resort. If you have a bit of a walk from your bus stop to your room, this can be very nice getting a sleepy child off the bus late at night, in that you can just pop them in the stroller and wheel them right up to their bed!

Whichever method of getting a stroller to Disney is best for your family is up to you. If you still have any doubts about taking a stroller for an older child I simply cannot emphasize enough how much better it will make the vacation. YES, your 6 year old NEEDS a STROLLER. They do. They really, really do. If you came here looking for tips and tricks for a better Disney vacation, this is one of them. I had friends who went recently who decided to bring one umbrella stroller for the 6 and 7 year old to share, who ended up running to Walmart half-way though the trip to buy a second stroller. On our most recent trip, our newly minted 9 year old rode in the stroller on several occasions.

Bring the stroller.....


Strollers make perfect stadium style parade seating!One of our strollers is missing from this photo, 4 adults = 4 strollers!

Yes, really!

The Great Fanny Pack Debate: Functional Accessory, or Fashion Faux Pas?

2011-10-25T22:52:00.000-04:00

Our most recent trip to Disney was peppered with the occasional well placed jab about my beloved fanny pack. Yes, you heard me right, while at Disney, I have succumbed to the fashion crime that is the fanny (or hip) pack. I could try to argue that the name "hip pack" carries with it a claim of coolness, after all, its hip right? But this argument seems to fail in the presence of fashionistas everywhere.

I am as of yet, unfazed by the criticism of friends, and resolved to continue using the fanny pack for at least the near future. Do I like the way it looks? Of course not. But while at Disney, I am there to enjoy myself to the fullest amount, and honestly that tacky hip pack makes my life much easier, and more comfortable.

That fashion no-no on the right is me, with the offending fanny pack.

Lets face it, everyone needs to carry a few essentials with them to the parks. My pack always contains a basic wallet with ID, my Tinkerbell Disney Visa, my KTTW card, cash, annual passes, and DVC card. I then usually also have sunglasses, hand sanitizer, and a cell phone. These are things that need to be carried on your person. I can't leave my cell and wallet with the stroller! And frankly, carrying them in my pockets is just uncomfortable, and I'm always afraid something like my iPhone will fly out on a trip down Splash Mountain.

Could I carry these things in a fashion forward cross body bag? Of course, and indeed I have, but it's just not as convenient. With a cross body bag, you must either rest it on your lap, or slide it to your side on a ride with a harness. When its on my lap, the bar doesn't always come down far enough to offer safety to my little ones riding with me, so I feel I need to move it to the side. This then causes the lap bar to pull on my purse strap, which pulls on my once broken shoulder, and honestly I find it uncomfortable. And it could still fly up and bounce around. I could take it off, and put it in the little basket area in front of me, but then I could forget it, despite the "Please gather your items and take small children by the hand" warning. Also, when traveling with small children who often wish to be lifted up, doing so also causes the cross body bag to pull uncomfortably on my shoulder.

Many people carry the very cool backpack. Well, that means I have to take it off my back every time I want to sit down on a ride or in any type of seat with a back. Not convenient, and honestly, I'd probably accidentally leave it somewhere. Also, I just don't need something as big and heavy as a backpack. The little fanny pack is just the right size!

High Fashion Fanny Packs are back! See, I AM fashion forward!

The nerdy fanny pack however, is essentially hands free. I have no need to take it off, it doesn't pull on my shoulders, it is out of the way of all of the ride restraints, it doesn't get in the way when I am holding children, and I can't leave it behind on a ride or at a table. Do I pay a price for this convenience? Perhaps. I know our good friends who travel with us feel very cool standing next to me at parades and fireworks, but other than that, I find no downside. I am not trying out for America's Next Top Model, nor am I trying to pick up a handsome Jungle Cruise Skipper. For me, Disney is about having fun with my kids, hubby and inner kid, not worrying about what complete strangers think of my fashion sense. Okay, well maybe not always. While attending the Disney Moms Panel Meet and Greet, I basically used the fanny pack as a shoulder bag, and did NOT wear it on my waist. In this situation I didn't NEED the convenience of the fanny pack, it was just the bag I happened to have so it went with me.

So for now, I will be a proud member of the Disney Fanny Pack Family. Have no shame fellow fanny packers! Unite for the hands free convenience this "Glamour Don't" provides!

My 35th Birthday at Disneyland,
note, I wore a cross-body messenger
bag, as not to embarrass my friends!

So...do you fanny pack? Why or why not? If anyone wants to email me a photo of your proud fanny packing self, send it to DizKrazKate@gmail.com, and I'll try to post some next week! Or if you have the perfect solution to the fanny pack vs. fashion dilemma let us know and/or send me a pic of that!

WDW 40th Anniversary Trip Report- The Old Ball and Chain's Version

2011-10-21T23:34:00.001-04:00

DisKrazKate is my wife and thought it would be interesting if I wrote a trip report. To put my opinion into perspective, I would say I am not Disney Krazy like my wife. Disney World is a great vacation spot but my ideal vacation is Hawaii. Which as her loyal blog readers know, we went to Hawaii this summer and we toured Aulani before it opened. That being said nothing is better than skipping around Disney World’s Magic Kingdom with my kids. There is something about the pure joy in a 6 year olds’ smile, being a goof ball with his Dad. My position is, if you are there you might as well embrace your inner kid. My first trip to Disney World was with my wife and kids during the Year of a Million Dreams so that kind of sets what my expectations are for Disney service. Our home resort is Kidani Village in Animal Kingdom, which we bought into 3 years ago at the same time our good friends did. I believe my wife and friends had secretly planned the attack in advance, when they ambushed me into buying Disney Vacation Club. I will admit this was the best thing I ever caved in on. Having DVC forces us to vacation. Even better, we frequently get to do it with our closest friends and family.

Before we even left home, the vacation juju was working against me as many people in my office were getting sick, and decided to pass it on to me earlier in the week. So on the Friday before we left, I went to my doctor to make sure it was not something more than just a cold. My doctor thought it was just something viral going around. Since I was going on vacation, she wrote a prescription for a Z-pack just in case things did not clear up by that Sunday. We left on Saturday and by Sunday afternoon I still was not 100% so I decided to get the script filled. After using my iPhone, I found that I could complete a form and have it and the script faxed to Turner Pharmacy. Turner will deliver to the resort as long as the original script at time of delivery is at the front desk. This was really convenient as we went out to enjoy the park instead of going to the pharmacy or waiting around the resort for the delivery. When you go to pick up the script from the front desk, make sure they check the safe as they originally did not find my script because it had been placed there.

The author, his wife DizKrazKate and the RNAWAYMAMA extended family at Epcot

After an 8 day trip to Disney World where we stayed at Bay Lake Tower, the overall vacation was a resounding success and everyone had a great time. We celebrated our friend’s 40^th and we celebrated Walt Disney World’s 40^th. I think it will be pretty cool to say we were there for the 40^th. I consider the trip such a success because I helped convince our friend’s 11 year old to start riding Big Thunder, Splash, Space Mountain and Test Track. In addition to that, my youngest was tall enough to ride all but Space Mountain and my middle child got to ride Space Mountain for the first time. We now have a group of roller coaster junkies.

Look, Mom! I'm tall enough!

I do have to give kudos to our friend’s wife. She found a great gift for his 40^th birthday that we all got to share in. While trying to find a unique experience at Disney to do, she discovered that you could rent a boat from Disney to go out on Bay Lake to watch the “Wishes” Firework show. This turned into quite an adventure. As we were making our way to the dock at the Polynesian, we came across a pontoon boat. It had a banner on it that said, “Happy Birthday” and her husband started cracking jokes about it being for him. That was not the correct boat, but when we got to the end of dock where our boat was supposed to be, it was gone. After finding a cast member and some anxious waiting by our friend’s wife…the boat she had rented returned to the dock. It turned out the party that rented the pontoon boat had some how made their way on to our boat. The boat was beautiful, it had 3 bedrooms, 2 showers, etc. The boat quickly took the 14 of us to about the center of Bay Lake in front of Cinderella’s Castle. We just made it for the “Wishes” fireworks. They piped the sound track to “Wishes” over the sound system on the boat. It was absolutely spectacular to watch the fireworks from the lake. After the fireworks were complete, we cruised around the lakes and also watched the Electrical Water Pageant. Disney did make it right by cutting the price in half.

Arriving at the Contemporary Resort was a disappointment in contrast with arriving at Kidani Village. At Kidani, they greeted us by name while at the Contemporary they just guided us to the check-in desk. The Contemporary is no different than any other hotel that you would go to in any other city, which was a let down. Over the course of the week little things stood out that made Bay Lake Tower look like it was poorly conceived and poorly put together. Even though it is only a few years old the furniture looks cheap and it is already showing the wear. The doors to the bathroom look like they were cheaply hung closet doors. The very least the doors should have been true pocket doors. The trim work that was added to prevent people from seeing you using the toilet looked very cheap and in one case was not even completely painted. The wall behind the counters and the stove in the kitchen had some glass like or plastic surface that had obviously been damage at some point because Disney had hung some brushed metal on the one side and used 3M double sided foam tape to hang it rather than replace the damaged section. Our friend’s room was missing an electric outlet cover. I will say, I really liked the comforter that was on the master bed better than the one in Kidani. My other big issue with Bay Lake was there was no way to get to the Contemporary without getting soaked when it rained. Rain blew through the walkway and as we went to go through the doors from the walkway into the Contemporary water poured down.

Middle child coming down the water slide at Bay Lake Tower

By far the pool and splash pad at Kidani surpassed Bay Lake Tower. The splash pad at Bay Lake Tower was a Mickey with 3 or 4 spots shooting up water. Kidani has a slide, water cannons, several spots where water shoots up and other fun things in the splash pad area for toddlers. The pool itself was fine and comparable to the pool at Kidani. However, the steps leading up to the water slide at Bay Lake Tower’s again seemed like it was poorly put together. Screws were only half way in and algae was growing all over the steps.

For our friend’s actual 40^th birthday, we went to the top of Bay Lake Tower to watch the fireworks. It definitely gives a different perspective on the fireworks. It is not quite as magical as watching it from Main Street USA or Bay Lake. It was interesting from an engineering perspective, to see the different areas of the park where fireworks are launched in order to make the magic. Our only big issue with the rooftop was there were mosquitos everywhere. One might think that citronella or some other tactic could be used to keep the mosquitos away. I mean with all the engineering marvels that Disney accomplishes, one would think that they could keep mosquitos away from one of the signature selling points of Bay Lake Tower.

This trip included riding Star Tours for the first time since the ride was remodeled. The 3-D version is fantastic. The kids loved it, including our 4 year old, who got to ride it for the first time. We were told there are 50 different versions of the ride so that is really cool. Also every kid will be wishing to be made the “Rebel Spy”. Our oldest got selected and has been talking about it every since. So not to spoil it, I will leave it at that.

On day 7 of our trip was the 40^th anniversary of Disney World. I was signed up to run Mickey’s Halloween Family Fun Run 5k, but decided not to run it because I was still not feeling 100%. I did rally and took my 3 sons to the park opening, arriving there at about 6:45 am for a 9am opening. We were one of the first 1500 people in the park and were allowed to enter the park before the official opening. We each got a wristband to buy something, we were not told what. We made our way to the castle for the 10 am presentation. I honestly thought Disney would make a bigger deal about the 40th given what the Year of a Million Dreams was like. Instead, for our efforts all we got for free was a button, but pretty much everyone that came into the park got the button. The presentation was fun but I am not entirely sure it was worth getting up at 6:45 am.

40th Anniversary Parade

From the presentation at about 10:30 am, we started making our way toward Frontierland. On our way, I saw two lines forming at the Diamond Horseshoe. One was for our wristbands and the second line was for those who did not have a wristband. By this point, we had heard there would be special shirts, art and pins for purchase. It was only a half hour before we were to be let in so I decided to get on line. The line was already 100 yards long. Thus began the saga of waiting in line. Shortly after getting in line my wife had to head off to a Disney Mom’s Panel event at Epcot. 11 am came and went, noon came and went and rumors were flying that they had run out of shirts. Even a couple cast members were saying it. The line barely moved. Having already waited 2 hours, I could not leave the line…call me stubborn, and I knew my wife would be very disappointed. She did give me an out at this point but I was determined. We finally got in the door around 1 pm. I was able to buy 8 Mickey 40^th pins, 2 per wristband. I bought a handful of ladies t-shirts and men’s t-shirts for our group. There were some nice lithographs for sale and the artist was signing them. Basically, you could by 2 of each of the special pins and then you could shop for shirts, art and other memorabilia.

My general impression of this saga was that Walt would not be happy. First there were no kid’s sizes. I am sorry but this is Disney World, it was made for kids and adults. Secondly, we were told we would be let in at 11 am and it turned out to be after 1 pm before I was let in. I know there was another couple 100 yards of people behind me. My friend stood in the standby line for 5 hours to get the pins. The slow line was partially due to small size of the space. Disney had only 8 cash registers open and 6 were dedicated to the pins and 2 were for all other merchandise. Cast members were being pulled from other parts of the park to help because there were not enough staff members there. At one point, I saw someone in a wheelchair unable to fit between the cash registers. As I told a cast member, I did not blame them but this was poorly planned. I know it was by choice that I stayed in line but I never thought it would be that long. The issues were clearly on management, that failed to plan. They needed a larger space, better layout for traffic, and they needed kids sizes. Also, Disney should have just given the pins out to the first 1500 people. I am sure they spent more money on prizes during a week of the Year of Million Dreams then they would have spent giving out pins to the first 1500 people. I also felt like there was some misleading information, because with the exception of the pins and art signing, the shirts and other memorabilia turned out to be the same at other stores including the shop in the Contemporary. I am glad I got the pins for the kids but I felt terrible because they basically stood in lines from 6:45 until 1:30 pm. I decided to cave in that night and bought the boys the Mickey pirate ship they had been asking for, because they had been so good in line. I hope Disney figures out how to do this better in 10 years for the 50^th.

The crew on Splash Mountain. No worries, the Grim Reaper is actually DS6!

The final fun story from the trip comes from that night. The two dads took the 6 older kids to Thunder and Splash. While getting on Splash Mountain, I decided to video the ride. There were a total of 8 of us. Three boys were in the front seat. I was in the second row with my youngest son. My friend was in the third row with his 11 year old son and his 6 year old daughter. The fourth row was empty. As we went down the big drop, I realized my hat was still on as it flew off with my 40^th Anniversary button attached. I heard my friend yelp seconds later. It had hit him in the face but for some reason he did not hang on to it =). As it turned out, his son sitting next to him had left his grandfather’s Brewer’s hat on too, and it flew off as well. As we entered the station, the cast member let us stay on the ride since there was no one else there. I told the cast member that tweedle dee and tweedle dumb had left their hats on and lost them at the big drop and asked if there was any way to get them back. The cast member said sadly no, that the hats were probably gone. I was disappointed, as I had not only lost my hat but I had also lost the 40^th Anniversary button. My friend’s son was disappointed too, because he had lost his grandfather’s hat. However, in true Mickey Mouse Magic, my friend’s lovely daughter handed me my hat as we left the loading area for the second time. It had evidently hit her dad in the face and fell to her feet. My friend quickly looked back in the fourth row but could not see the Brewer’s hat. Again Mickey Mouse Magic was on our side. Having gone down, the big drop a second time and as we exited the log boat, he looked down and there the Brewer’s hat sat in the bottom of the fourth row.

All in all it was a very successful vacation and I am looking forward to staying at our home resort of Kidani Village this February when South Bend is covered in 2 feet of snow.

The past can hurt. But the way I see it, you can either run from it, or learn from it. -The Lion King

2011-10-14T12:24:00.000-04:00

While my quest to be part of the 2012 Disney Moms Panel is officially over, I'm putting my Mouse Ears back on and looking to next year's applications for the 2013 panel.

I can't lie and say I took it in stride, I was in fact, rather sad to get the "Thank you for your application" email rather than the "Congratulations..." email. I rather surprised myself with how hard it hit me. While at the Notre Dame vs. Air Force game in Notre Dame Stadium, I received a text from @RNAWAYMAMA that she had received her email. Now because there are 80,000 other fans in the stadium, getting access to texts, phone or internet can be very difficult during a game day. Although I received her text at 5pm, it had actually been sent an hour earlier. And of course, even with moving all the way to the outside edge of the stadium, I could still not get to my email. I resorted to trying to call my hubby at home. I was able to get through, and he had the unpleasant job of telling his Disney obsessed wife she did not make Round 2.

While I was of course initially bummed, I was able to go back into the stadium and watch the second half of the game. I was doing quite well I thought, and handling it like a big girl. (Notre Dame getting a big win over Air Force probably helped a little bit too). I didn't actually get that sad until at home and I opened up the DisBoards and Mouseowners and read all the excitement of those who had made it. I was truly happy for them, but their excitement reminded me of just how excited I had been last year, and just out of the blue, here I was getting a bit tearful. I'm just going to blame it on my changing hormones:)

After my 15 minute pity party however, I am moving forward. I was happy to learn of one Round 2 semi-finalist that made it to Round 2 two years ago, but did not last year, who has now made Round 2 again. You know when things don't go the way you wished, you start thinking worst case scenario? I was sure that I had said something on this year's application that was so bad I got put on the "never ever" list. But when I learned other people have been in the same situation and later made further rounds, I am back on the bandwagon and ready to see what next year brings.

I've got a whole year to really work on expanding the blog, and gaining more followers. I'm setting a mini-goal of getting 10,000 views before the Moms Panel applications next year, and I'm hoping to maybe get to attend the Disney Social Media Moms Conference this winter. Next year I'll have two more trips under my belt, including a trip while quite pregnant, and a trip with a newborn, so I"ll be that much more qualified! For those of you who made Round 2, I offer my sincere "CONGRATULATIONS" and wish you luck as you await the results for Round 3. For those of you hanging out with the cool people like me who didn't make it this year, don't give up hope, and I'll see you next fall!!

All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.- Walt Disney

DIsney Moms Panel Meet and Greet

2011-10-07T16:19:00.000-04:00

This past Saturday I was lucky enough to be on property to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the opening of Walt Disney World. There were numerous events going on all weekend, including a Haunted Mansion celebration, a runDisney meet and greet, Lou Mongello's 40 hour broadcast, and a Walt Disney World Moms Panel Fan Meet and Greet!

About 2 weeks ago, while waiting for my son to finish his piano lesson, and checking out Facebook on my iPhone (thank you Steve Jobs), I saw a post from the Disney Parks Blog that there would be a Mom's Panel meet and greet on October 1st. Since we would already be there, I made a quick call to @RNAWAYMAMA to make sure she too was interested, and made a speedy RSVP. While I received a confirmation that they received my request, the response made it sound as if I may or may not be allowed to attend, and that a final invitation would be sent via email. Well let me tell you I was on pins and needles to see if we would get that invite!

Move forward almost 2 weeks, and we are already having a blast at Disney. Again checking that trusty iPhone, I see I have received the official invitation via email! Hooray! The email contained both the official invitation and a copy of a photo release. I was able to use the business center at the Contemporary where we were staying to print out our paperwork.

Castle Forecourt during 40th celebration

This was a LONG day for us. We were up and in a taxi for Animal Kingdom at 5:50am to participate in Mickey's Halloween Family Fun Run 5K. After the run, we made a bee line for the Magic Kingdom to be part of the birthday celebrations. We were able to see some of the festivities before we had to leave the hubbies and kids and dash back for a quick pre-meet clean up. Next stop...Epcot!

After arriving at Epcot, we found the media table that was set up for the event near the turnstiles. We were able to check-in, and we received blue wristbands for admittance to the party. While we both had annual passes, they did have one day park tickets available for those that did not, and I thought this was a nice touch. Originally the meet and greet was to be held at the Yacht Club, but was moved to the Odyssey a few days prior to the event. I was excited to check out the Odyssey since my last trip inside was as a teenager when it was actually a restaurant.

Upon arriving at the Odyssey there was yet another table where we turned in our photography wavers, and could have gotten the blue wristband if needed. I presume this was for folks who might already be in the parks, or entered via the International Gateway. There was actually a Cast Member stationed at the door to make sure that unsuspecting park guests looking for a restroom didn't wander into the party. We felt very special and exclusive!

For a former fast food burger place turned party spot, the Odyssey was looking good! As you may have noticed on recent trips, the windows of the building are all covered, giving the interior a nighttime party atmosphere. To really give the room that magical Disney touch, there were these beautiful pink sparkle trees throughout the room. I don't know how to describe them other than to say they looked as if they had been sprinkled with pixie dust. They reminded me of something you would see in one of the new Tinkerbell animated movies that have come out on DVD. And really, what adds Disney magic like light up pink sparkling trees?

Daisy and Donald with the moms and dads of the panel

There was a very nice buffet of hors d'oeuvres, soft drinks, wine and beer, and...my favorite...Mickey Premium Ice Cream Bars. Ok, they had those Mickey Ice Cream Sandwiches too, but I'm a Mickey Premium girl at heart. For those that had brought their families, there was a balloon artist there, who was probably the best I have ever come across. My favorite was a giant diamond ring made with lots of very small twists and turns in the balloon. Very cool.

Quite a few Moms Panelists and Panelists Emeritus were there (I don't know if that's their official title, but that's what I'm calling them!), as well as Laura Spencer. The panelists were wearing the coveted pink polo (or blue as the case may be), and so were easy to spot. The panelists did a great job mingling with the fans, and within a few minutes we had already met Dianne from CT. What a sweet and friendly person she was, and I felt so much more at ease having her come and introduce herself, rather than us walking up to the panelists and saying "Hi! I think you are so cool and amazing and I want to be you!". That might be a little creepy.

We met quite a few of the moms and dads including Dianne, Kaylene, Ritzy, Angelo, Erin, Kim, Ca'Sandra, and Kay. Each and every one of them was gracious and friendly to the fans, and I truly felt welcomed. I was even able to have my photo in front of the Moms Panel backdrop, and so even if not chosen, I can add that photo to my Moms Panel wannabe collection. Who knows, perhaps it will bring me some good Moms Panel luck.

My good luck wannabe photo

After coming down from the stage for my wannabe photo, I noticed another familiar face in the crowd, and was just thrilled to realize it was Deb Willis from Allears! I always recommend this site to those planning a trip, and I use it myself frequently to keep up with the latest Disney happenings and events. My weekly Allears Newsletter makes me smile every time it appears in my inbox. I was able to sneak in and introduce myself to Deb, and I can truly say she was also a genuinely sweet person. I can imagine it must be hard to have Disney obsessed people the world over know who you are, and constantly coming up and introducing themselves. I realized it's a lot like being a politician. You meet some neat people, but also some not so nice folks, yet you must always smile and maintain the pleasantries. To top off my quick hello with Deb, she gave me a pack of Allears Trading Cards which I have been really coveting, and meeting Deb was one of the definite highlights of the entire trip.

To round out our afternoon, we were able to sneak an introduction to Laura Spencer, Social Media Manager for Walt Disney World. She is know to fellow Mom Panel applicants as one of the original members of the Moms Panel, who now works for Disney and is basically in charge of the Moms Panel. She is living the Disney dream, by starting out as a volunteer of sorts, and ending up a Disney Cast Member. Meeting her was quite a treat, and I was impressed as she met other attendees that she even recognized some fans by their twitter handle. It was apparent she truly loves the Disney experience, and has great people skills. At one point in the conversation, she brought up the fact that one of the wonderful things about Disney is that people from different places, different backgrounds and in various family situations can forget all that and just be together in their love for Disney World. We can all have fun at Disney, even if we may lead very different lives at home. I think this truly does sum up the Walt Disney World experience, and is a great answer to the continual question, "Why are you going there again?".

It really was an amazing afternoon for a Disney freak like myself. Getting to meet some of the well known members of the online Disney community in person was just so exciting! The only down side to this event, was that my desire to be on the moms panel has grown to a new level I didn't even know I had in me!

To poke a little fun at myself, I told my husband it was like the Disney nerd version of a Star Trek convention. If ever given the chance to attend one of these events, I highly recommend it. Here's to hoping that next year I'll be there as a panelist!! (I look really good in pink)

ETD: 60 Hours and Counting....

2011-09-21T21:10:00.000-04:00

In less than three days, myself, the hubby and our three boys will be settling in for an 8 night stay at our home away from home, Walt Disney World! In my usual obsessed Disney mom fashion I have been packed for days, and everything is ready to go.....

Uh, no. Here we are with less than 60 hours to wheels up, and I honestly have practically nothing done. This is very unlike me, and I am trying not to go off the edge with stressing about what yet needs to be done. I guess, realistically I could be laundering and packing RIGHT NOW. But, I'm not. You'd think after 9 years of working as a night shift nurse, I wouldn't even need sleep anymore, but alas, this is not true. After working on a night, off a night, for what seems like 2 weeks, I'm a sleep deprived mess. So I am finishing one last post before the trip, gonna hit the hay early, and will make tomorrow a marathon preparation day!

Beautiful Bay Lake Tower, part of the Contemporary Resort near the Magic Kingdom

But before tomorrow's long day of laundry, packing and the obligatory mani/pedi, I thought I'd give a little preview of our well planned trip. I may not be well packed, but I am always well planned. Getting up at 6am, 180 days in advance well planned.

The cast of this 8 night tour includes myself, DH, and DS's ages 8, 6, and 4. To make it even more fun we are traveling with our good friends, @rnawaymama, her DH, their 5 children ages 11 to 4 months, and @rnawaymama's parents Nana and Poppy. This brings us to a grand total of 14!

We are having our own Disney vacation "pre-show" of course, with a trip to see the 3D version of The Lion King on Friday night. Saturday we have flights out with a planned arrival at Bay Lake Tower around 2pm. We have a 1br Lake View Villa booked with our DVC points for 8 nights.

Planned highlights of our trip include our first stay at Bay Lake Tower, checking out the newly revamped Star Tours attraction (probably multiple times considering ALL the kids love Star Wars), our first time dining at Mama Melrose's, Ohana's, and 1900 Park Fare, the Epcot Food and Wine Festival, Mickey's Halloween 5K, and hopefully a surprise or two!

The number 40 seems to come up a lot for us on this trip, as one member of our party will be turning 40 during our trip, Walt Disney World itself will turn 40 on October 1st, (we plan to be at the Magic Kingdom to celebrate), and my youngest DS who is 4, will be enjoying his first ever trip to Disney where he will make the 40 inch hight requirement!

Additionally, on the Moms Panel front, @rnwawaymama and myself have RSVP'd to attend a Moms Panel Meet and Greet at the Yacht Club on the 1st. We've yet to receive the final confirmation that we can attend, but we are quite hopeful that we will be able to go and meet current panelists, as well as other hopefuls such as ourselves from the DisBoards! I think reporting on this event in itself will require an entire post!

Stay tuned for a full trip report when we return, or you can follow me at twitter @dizkrazkate or my fellow Moms Panel hopeful and former guest blogger @rnawaymama for real time updates and pics!

Becoming Part of the Magic. Let the Nail Biting Begin!

2011-09-14T10:08:00.000-04:00

Can't you just see the name "Kate" on the Back of those mouse ears?

That time of year has come around again. The time where Disney World fanatics around the world work themselves into a tizzy of nerves and excitement. It's Disney Moms Panel Application Week! This week marks the 5th year that Disney has opened the worldwide search for their elite Moms (and dads, and I think one aunt) Panel. The process opened on Monday the 12th, and will run until Friday night the 16th, or when the limit of applicants has been reached. In the past, the number 20,000 has been thrown around as the maximum number of applications accepted, but this year's exact number is unknown.

Unlike in prior years, this year they are specifically looking for moms and dads to apply to represent not just Walt Disney World, but also Disneyland, runDisney, Adventures by Disney, Disney Cruise Line, and Disney Vacation Club (DVC). They are apparently, only accepting so many applications for each of these catagories.

Let me assure you, that on Sunday night, I was already getting quite nervous about what questions would be waiting for me in the morning. The application consists of just a few questions, and those questions are limited to no more than 100 words. And there is no cheating on that one. If you type in more than 100 words, it will only submit the first 100, and the rest of your answer WILL be cut off. Each year the questions are different, but the idea is the same, make yourself stand out above 10,000+ other applicants in only 200-300 words.

"Gawrsh Mickey! Only 200 Words!"

This year you were asked a simple true or false question, followed by 2 short answer questions. The first question wanted you to state your favorite resort, and why it was so. The second question wanted to know what resources you use to help friends plan their vacations, as well as learn new information and trivia for yourself. I was hoping that I could apply to be either a Walt Disney World Mom, or a Disney Vacation Club Mom, but unfortunatly, the application would only allow you to apply for one. I gave strong consideration to the Disney Vacation Club(DVC) spot, but decided to go for the general Walt Disney World catagory. Although we are very happy DVC owners, we have only stayed at 3 different DVC properties, and I have yet to use our points for a Disney Cruise or traded our points through RCI. On the other hand, I am currently packing for lucky number trip 13 to Walt Disney World, and my 14th visit is already booked for this winter. I have traveled to Walt Disney World on family trips as a kid, on Magic Music Days trips as a teen going with friends, a mother-daughter only trip in my 20's, family trips as a mom, as well as trips with extended family and friends. And so I decided my overall expertise was more applicable to a general WDW Mom, rather than as a DVC Mom.

As the application process is still open, I don't want to share my answers at this point, but perhaps next week....

A Little Pixie Dust Please!

For now, I have nothing to do but wait for the Round 2 notifications to come out. Although Disney says they will not be able to recognize everyone that did not make the panel, in past years they have sent out a polite "than you for applying, but..." type of email. I was truly shocked to not receive that email last year, but instead was told I was moving on to Round 2. I scared the mouse ears off my husband by literally screaming in bed as I read the email. I know that if chosen, I would be "Fantasmic" at helping people plan their ideal Disney vacation, but getting that across in so few words is a challenge. I have no idea what part of my application made them decide to give me a chance, but let's hope I was able to show some of that magic in this year's answers, and be chosen for one of those prized pixie dusted positions!

So send as much pixie dust as you can find this way everyone! And I will update the blog as the process continues.

Planning Tips, Tricks, and My Best Disney Secrets- Part III

2011-09-08T14:16:00.000-04:00

This blog entry is the third installment of my planning page "Disney Planning and Touring How To Guide". I will be posting a little bit at a time to the home page. If you'd like to read the touring page in its entirety now you can click here to view it.

Touring Plans 101

Once you are getting closer to your actual trip, you can work on a touring plan for each day. Just like scheduling what park you are going to for the day and having ADR's prevents the old "Where are we going today?" and "Where should we eat?" debate, having a touring plan prevents having an entire family huddled around a park map deciding "What should we do next?".

There are several ways to make or get a touring plan for each park. You could look at a Disney guide book and park map and decide on your own which attractions you would like to take in, and in which order. I would not recommend this unless you are an experienced WDW traveler.

My best recommendation is to use TouringPlans.com's tour plans. This website was born out of "The Unofficial Guide To Walt Disney World" books. I really feel they are the best guide books out there for Disney. If you're only going to buy one, this is that one. See it here on Amazon.

I personally have used and always recommend these touring plans. The first year we went with kids, I decided to use their guide for families with small children. My family thought it was a little nuts to have the day so scheduled, but it WORKED! My family thought me a genius! It used to be that you were mostly limited to the several touring plans located in the back of the book, but now with their website, there are many many more plans. You're bound to find one that fits your family. TouringPlans.com's plans are well thought out and well researched by their own in-park teams to figure out the best way to see the most of the parks in the least amount of time. That first morning in Magic Kingdom, without EMH, we were able to see the opening show, then rode: Dumbo, Carousel, Peter Pan x2, Small World, Haunted Mansion, Mickey's Philharmagic, have an ice cream break, Winnie the Pooh, the Teacups, the Barnstormer x2, AND ride the train to the front gate all by 11:45. And this was in the summer!

Screenviews on TouringPlans.com's app "Lines"

I won't re-post their plans here, as they belong to them, but the small $11-$12 subscription is well worth it. I do believe they have a free touring plan for each park available on the site. Choose which plan appears to be best for your family, and print it out. If something on the list is not appealing to you, just skip it and move to the next attraction on the list. Now, don't turn into a drill sergeant with those plans, but use them as a guide. You will save time just by having a plan, and their plans in particular are designed to save you time based on when certain rides have the longest or shortest waits. If you do not want a subscription, but are interested in their plans, you can almost always find a copy of "The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World" at the library.

You can download their app "Lines" for free, and as long as you have a subscription to the website, you can login to the app, and get all that handy information on the go! Plus it gives you current wait-times for rides, and FastPass return times. Before you hike across the park to get FastPasses you can see if there are even any left!

While at the Most Magical Place on Earth

Rope Drop

Rope Drop (RD) is the moment that Disney literally "drops the rope" and lets everyone into the park for the day. Yes, they actually do drop a rope! (okay, maybe they don't "drop" it, but there is a rope) Making Rope Drop means you are there when the drop happens, and are one of the first people let into the park. To really get the most out of your time at Disney, you must make Rope Drop. Do you need to be the person AT the rope? No, of course not, but you should be part of the crowd behind those folks. You can accomplish in that first hour, what will take most people 2 to 3 hours to do in the mid-afternoon. RD is the least busy time of day. Do not sleep in, you can go back for a nap later!

At the Magic Kingdom, there is an opening ceremony where Mickey arrives on the train, and everyone counts down from 10 to open the park with the "Family of the Day". Instead of the crowds of 20,000 to 50,000 that will share the park at 3pm, there may only be a couple hundred to thousand at opening. If you'd like to watch the opening show below, pause this blog's soundtrack prior to playing the video.

There is also an opening "show" at Animal Kingdom, and a little countdown at Epcot. Hollywood Studios also has a little coundown, and then honestly it is slight chaos as everyone chooses Toy Story Mania or Star Tours as their starting point. Rope Drop is the ideal time to pick your top two rides and get a Fastpass for one and ride the other!

How to Use Disney's FastPass System

FastPass is a great way to help make your wait times for popular rides shorter. While this type of system also exists at Universal Studios, theirs has a fee, where at Disney the service is FREE! (Shhh...a lot of folks don't know this....more FastPasses for us!)

Once a ticket has passed through the turnstiles, it can be used to get a FastPass for select rides. What I suggest is having one family member be the "FastPass runner", and be responsible for all park tickets in the group. (Please don't actually run!) That person can then go by themselves to the FastPass ride kiosk to get the passes for the entire group. Then the runner can rejoin the group at a pre-determined attraction.

While at the FastPass Distribution Kiosk, you put your park ticket or KTTW card if your tickets are on there, into the FastPass machine. It will drawn in and read the ticket, then spit it back out. This is to make sure you don't forget your ticket! Pull out your ticket, and then the machine will spit out your FastPass into the slot below! Your Fastpass will have a return window of which you are to return to ride the ride. That time may be in an hour, or 8 hours, as they are distributed on a first come first serve basis. It will also have printed in small letters at the bottom, when you can get a subsequent FastPass. Usually that time is in 2 hours, or the time at which you can use the FastPass, whichever comes first.

Now, the following is a source of debate. Although Disney will strictly enforce the return time on the pass, until recently they did not enforce the expiration time on the pass. Some feel this it is wrong to return after the window, others feel it is not a big deal. Since I have personally heard two Cast Members at a FastPass return line shouting to the crowd that it is okay to return after their FastPass time has officially expired, I felt it was okay. However it has been reported that changes are coming to Disney involving Next Gen technology. In preparation for this new system, Disney is now instructing Cast Members not to tell guests they can return after the pass has expired. It appears as of this date, they are still not stopping people from using them after the expiration time, but they will if it is very crowded. At this point it is up to you to decide if it is worth the risk or not. We may try it during our upcoming trip and I will report back. I'm not sure entirely what this "Next Gen[eration]" techology entails, but I suspect Fastpasses may become available for Resort Guests only, or perhaps Resort Guests can make a reservation or sorts for a certain number of Fastpasses per day.

Here is a quickie video on using the machines. Don't forget to pause this blog's soundtrack at the bottom of the page.

My oldest after a long Disney day

Take a Break. Take a Break! Take a BREAK!

Disney can be an overwhelming place with lots of people, lights and noise. Even for an obsessed Disney person like me, it can be sensory overload. I highly recommend if you are staying more than 2 days in the parks, that you incorporate a mid-day break. This is probably one of the single best pieces of advice I can give. The only exception to this is a day at Animal Kingdom. Since the park closes early, this is the only day I don't recommend leaving and coming back later.

Ideally you are staying on property, and can take a quick bus ride back to your resort. Nap, swim, do both, whatever, just get out of the parks for a few hours. If you have small children, or even elementary school kids, a nap is a good idea. While none of my boys nap at home, all are required to nap at Disney. Honestly, they are so tired from getting up early and going all day, staying up late for fireworks, they all seem to nap just fine! You can either grab lunch in the park, and then head back to your resort, or grab a quick lunch at your resort before your swim/nap time. Then return to the park in the late afternoon/early evening. We are usually out of the park by noon, and returning around 4 or 4:30pm.

If you are adults who don't or can't leave the parks easy, or a family with kids who just needs a break, you can try to find some down time nearby. Ideally you'd like to find some air conditioning, and a place to sit, escape the crowded parks, and just get a break from the overstimulating place that Disney can be.

At the Magic Kingdom:

My oldest son with my Mom and Dad on the WDW Railroad

The Magic Kingdom has the best places to get a quick rest. Get on the Walt Disney World Railroad. Just stay on and ride around as many times as you need. Its cool and much quieter than the rest of the park.

Ride the Tomorrowland Peoplemover. It is a slow and cool ride, and often it is not very busy and the Cast Members will allow you to stay on board.

You can leave the park entirely and ride the Monorail. It is also cool and quiet. You can ride to Epcot and back or the Resort Monorail Loop as much as you would like. If you would like to get off, you can explore some of the hotels on the loop, either the Contemporary, Grand Floridian, or Polynesian.

At Epcot:
You can also jump on the Monorail to the Magic Kingdom, and ride back and forth as much as you would like.

At Epcot, the Monorail actually goes through the park!

You could exit Epcot via the International Gateway (between Great Britain and France) and walk to either the Boardwalk, Beach Club, or Yacht Club resorts and wander, or just find a bench to sit down and rest.

The American Adventure is a 25 minute animatronic stage show that is cool and dark, several of my family members have fallen asleep during this show. It really is a very moving show, and I highly recommend experiencing it, even if some members of your family are not up for the history lesson.

At Hollywood Studios:
This park is a little more difficult to find peace and quiet. If you can't return to your resort, you can take the long walking path to the Yacht and Beach Clubs, or board a Friendship Boat to the Beach Club or Boardwalk.

At Animal Kingdom:
Usually I think it is better to just push through the day and leave around 3 or 4 o'clock for a restful late afternoon and evening. If you really need a break, first consider the Finding Nemo Musical. It is inside and air conditioned, and it lasts around 45 minutes.

If this is not an option, you could always bus over to Animal Kingdom Lodge and explore the resort and animal viewing areas, or sit down in the large lobby and take a rest.

Coming soon, the fourth and final installment of this page "Do You Have Your Exit Buddy?".

Planning Tips, Tricks, and My Best Disney Secrets- Part II

2011-09-06T15:54:00.003-04:00

This blog entry is the second installment of my planning page "Disney Planning and Touring How To Guide". I will be posting a little bit at a time to the home page. If you'd like to read the touring page in its entirety now you can click here to view it.

Decide Which Park or Parks You are Visiting Each Day

Disney generally releases its park hours 6 to 6 1/2 months ahead of time. Once park hours are posted, you are ready to start your planning! If park hours are not released yet, you can look at the previous months' hours as a guideline for what the park hours may be while you are there.

The Mouse himself during Fantasmic!

The best place to begin choosing a park for each day is whether or not you have Park Hopper. If you have the Park Hopper option you can visit one park in the morning and another in the afternoon. If you have skipped the Park Hopper option, you need to pick the number one most important park for each day.

Start with planning your day for Hollywood Studios based on Fantasmic. During most of the year, Fantasmic is only offered on certain nights, generally Sundays and Thursdays. Sometimes during busy seasons they will offer it on more nights, or twice per night. If it is only offered on Sundays and Thursdays, one of those nights will need to be your Fantasmic night if you wish to see it. If you are not going to view it, avoid Hollywood Studios at all cost on those nights. If there are two shows available in a single night, the later show will be less crowded.
Look at the Extra Magic Hours (EMH). If you are off-property, you should not go to a park that is having either morning or evening EMH that day. Choose a park with NO Extra Magic Hours.
If you are on property, choose the park with morning EMH. Yes, I know getting up early does not sound like vacation, but you can get more done in that first hour than you can get done between 12 and 3 pm.
Evening EMH can be tricky. For the Magic Kingdom especially, I think it can be even more crowded. Stick with morning EMH, and try to stay away from evening EMH, especially at MK.
Watch out for nights that a park, especially Magic Kingdom, closes early. This is often because of an after hours party like the Halloween or Christmas party. Avoid Magic Kingdom on those days unless you are attending the party.
Also, Magic Kingdom does not offer both the parade and fireworks on every evening during slower times. If you want to see both, take that into account while planning.
Animal Kingdom closes early. Generally 5pm or 7pm. This allows for a shorter touring day, and you can have a quieter night. This may be good to schedule in the middle if plans allow to get a mid-week rest.
Finally, consider that subscription to TouringPlans.com. While it usually posts the crowd estimates for the upcoming few weeks for public use, a subscription will give you access to a year's worth of crowd estimates. It will rate the estimated crowds for a day on a scale from 1 to 10, and it will also recommend the best and worst parks to visit on any given day. If, for example, you are deciding between Animal Kingdom or Epcot on a certain day of your schedule, TouringPlans.com may recommend one over the other.

Tinkerbell's Nightly Flight Over the Magic Kingdom

Now, will you be able to make a schedule that follows ALL of the above guidelines? Probably not. But it will help you decide which parks might work better for your family on any given day. It's not supposed to be perfect, just better than going without a plan. You don't want to show up at the Magic Kingdom on your only day there, to find out the park closes at 7pm and there are no fireworks after you promised your Tinkerbell obsessed 4 year old she would get to see Tink fly.

Making Advance Dining Reservations for Your Trip

Now that you know which park you will be in or near on each day of your trip, its time to plan your dining for each day. If you will not be eating at any table service restaurants, and will be eating at your resort, room or off-site, you do not need to worry about this.

If you do plan on eating a sit down meal on property, you should make Advance Dining Reservations (ADR's or "ressies") as soon as possible. Most can easily be canceled, so its better to at least make some kind of reservation that fits your plan, rather than waiting. If waiting for family who says "I don't know, let us think about it", is going to make you not get a ressie at Chef Mickey's or Ohana's, just make ressies and you can change it later! Certain places are very popular, and fill up very quickly, and Le Cellier, or the Fantasmic Dining Package may be totally booked exactly 180 days in advance. I always call or get on the computer at opening exactly 180 days in advance and I have NEVER been able to book that elusive Fantasmic Dining Package! If you are more than 180 days out, I recommend getting up and loading Disney's Dining Reservation Page at 0600 Florida time on the 180 day mark to get the places and times you really want.

I have heard stories of people writing scathing reviews of how much they hate Disney World because they promised their granddaughter she could eat with Cinderella, and then when she showed up at the castle expecting to eat she was told they were booked. Disney ruined their granddaughter's dream.

I'm sorry, but that's not Disney's fault.

Dear Husband at Halloween Time with Chef Mickey!

If you are relying on Disney Transportation during your stay, be cautious about making ADR's at resorts other than your own. It can be very time consuming to travel from one resort to another, and it might take up too much of your time, or be a big hassle to change buses with kids. If you really want to eat somewhere at another resort, keep travel time and your daily location in mind. If for example you would like to hit the buffet at Cape May Cafe at the Beach Club Resort, plan this for a dinner on the day you are visiting Epcot. If you are going to Chef Mickey's at The Contemporary for breakfast, or 1900 Park Fare at The Grand Floridian for dinner, plan this for a day you will be vising the Magic Kingdom. You may also consider the cost of a Taxi for early morning breakfasts at other resorts. The cost will be around $25, and it may be worth the time savings. Or just make life easy and make all your ressies within the park you will be visiting, or your own resort!

At this point you should have a plan of which park you will visit each morning and afternoon, your evening entertainment if any, and your sit down meal for the day. Here is a copy of my spreadsheet I used for our trip in August 2010.

The DizKrazKate Family Walt Disney World Vacation

Disney Vacation Club-Kidani Village, 2 Bedroom Villa, August 4-10, 2010

6 adults and 4 children- Disney Dining Plan

Wed. Thurs. Fri. Sat. Sun. Mon. Tues.

bkfst	@airport in Chicago	In our room	In our room	Chef Mickey’s @ 7:15	In our room	In our room	In our room
morning	Fly to Orlando! Mickey Here we come! Magical Express to Kidani Village	Epcot	EMH @ Studios 8am TOY STORY MANIA!!!!	Magic Kingdom	EMH morning @Epcot 8am	EMH morning @ Animal Kingdom 8am	Resort airline check-in, then to Magic Kingdom
lunch	Quick Serve@ The Mara	Le Cellier@ 11:30	Quick Service @ Studios	Snacks @ MK, Dole Whips, Funnel Cake, etc	Quick Service @ Epcot	Tusker House @ 1:15pm	Tony’s Town Square @ 12:00
afternoon	Nap/rest/swim at resort	Nap/rest/swim at resort	Hollywood Studios	Nap/rest/swim at resort	Nap/rest/swim at resort	3:15 Reserved seats Nemo The Musical	Magic Kingdom, then Magical Express to MCO
dinner	Whispering Canyon Cafe, Wilderness Lodge @ 5:10	Quick serve @ Hollywood Studios	Boma @ 5pm	Quick Serve @ Columbia Harbor House	Princess Dinner, Norway in Epcot 5:15pm	Quick Service @ The Mara	Quick Service take out @ MCO
evening	Magic Kingdom!	Hollywood Studios	Relax at Resort, enjoy animals, resort activities	Magic Kingdom	Epcot	Disney Family Photo Session at Jambo House @7pm	Fly home to Chicago-Midway
special	Rides while lines are short during parades and fireworks	Fantasmic! 9pm	Poolside movie at Kidani 8pm!	Nightastic @10p Main St. Electrical Parade@11pm	Illuminations, Reflections of Earth 9pm	Last night swim, waterslide	Good-bye Mickey
Notes, ADR#’s etc….

** To choose which park for each day- Find what nights Fantasmic is showing, make that a Hollywood Studios evening. Use Extra Magic Hours morning hours as much as possible. If there are still multiple good choices for each day, consult Touringplans.com for best/worst parks ratings.

It can be a lot of information, and you can copy the above if you like, or create your own method. For an easy way of keeping track, you can buy a PassPorter book.

You can also get one from Amazon. It is a great tour guide with pull out maps, and full color photos. In the back are their famous PassPorter pockets where you can record and store information such as plans and ressie numbers for each day of your vacation. I highly recommend it.

Planning Tips, Tricks, and My Best Disney Secrets- Part I

2011-08-31T21:02:00.000-04:00

This blog entry is the beginning of my planning page "Disney Planning and Touring How To Guide". I will be posting a little bit at a time to the home page. If you'd like to read the touring page in its entirety now you can click here to view it.

Planning your Magical Disney Vacation is a big part of the fun! Even experienced Disney folks like myself spend a good deal of time planning out a trip. I've jokingly often said "If you are not prepared, Disney World will eat you alive". This page is designed to help you avoid that, and develop a plan!

DizKrazKate's Disney Tips in a Nutshell

Do not show up to Walt Disney World with the idea you are going to "wing it", especially with kids. If you do "wing it", do not complain about your trip when you return. You have been warned.

Decide which park you are going to on which day of your trip and make dining reservations appropriately.

Use EMH mornings if you are a Disney Resort guest, avoid all EMH if you are off property.

Use Disney's FastPass system to your advantage.

Disney is not the time to sleep in. Get up and be at the parks before they open.

Take a break in the afternoon.

Decide which attractions you want to hit and have a touring plan for each day.

If you have already seen the parade or fireworks once, skip them the second time and hit the rides with low crowds.

Consider a subscription to TouringPlans.com. Full price will cost you around $11, but it gives you access to crowd level calenders, daily touring plans for all types of vacationers that you can print out, and access to their smart phone app that gives you in park wait times. It's worth every penny!

Think about what you would do if you didn't know any better. That's what everyone else is doing, so do the opposite!

Mouse Ears and Running Shoes

2011-08-22T17:18:00.000-04:00

Hello. I’m Marge, Disney pro and a runDisney enthusiast. This fall, I will be participating in the Disney Family 5k, my fourth Disney sponsored race—not too bad for someone who has only been running for three years and is not a local resident. I thought with the Disney Wine and Dine Half Marathon Weekend only six weeks away, I would share my experience from last year’s Halloween Family 5k, in hopes to answer any questions new participants may have.

First off, yes I am crazy. During last year’s Wine and Dine Half Marathon Weekend, I participated in both the Halloween Family 5k and the half marathon on the same day. It was an amazing experience, probably would have been more enjoyable had I not been six weeks pregnant and suffering from horrendous morning sickness (don’t worry, my doctor gave me the okay to run both races). I was quite excited for the 5k, as I would be participating with my two boys, my husband, and my dad. This race was to be my son, Nolan's (age 6) and my dad’s (age 56) first ever 5k run and it was my son, Nathan’s (age 10), first race after breaking his foot over the summer. The day started out way too early, as we arrived to our Disney resort very late the night before. Getting checked in and four kids settled for the night is no quick task. By the time we were able to close our eyes, it was mere four hours before the alarm would be brutally tearing us from our restful slumber.

It's not too late to register for the 2011 race!

We knew we would need to take a taxi from our resort to the start line at the Ticket and Transportation Center. Transportation was only provided from select host resorts. This is true for all Disney sponsored races, so it is a good idea, before you even register, to make a transportation plan. You don’t want to wake up on race morning expecting to take a Disney bus to the start line only to discover the busses do not run that early.

The night before, I checked with Bell Services to see if I needed to call for a taxi in the morning or if there would be a few waiting in front of the resort. I was assured that there would be plenty of taxis available early the next morning. Much to my dismay, there weren’t ANY taxis outside of our resort that morning. However, the gentleman at Bell Services quickly phoned the company and a taxi was there within minutes to take us to our race. While waiting, I wanted to confirm the location of the start line (I was certain as to where it was, as I had my pre-race instructions in hand, but I always like to double check). When discussing the race details with the gentleman from Bell Services, he informed me that the start was at Epcot. So of course, I panic. I have instructions in my hand that tell me one thing and an employee telling me another. I thanked him for his help. After a minute of deliberating, I decide to go with my gut feeling and trust my pre-race instructions. So off we went to the Ticket and Transportation Center (unfortunately the taxi driver had no idea where to take us….but that is a whole ‘other story).

My instincts proved to be right. We immediately saw the crowd as we approached the center. This was a good lesson: Always know where the start line is located before you venture out. My guess is the Bell Services guy was looking at the Wine and Dine Half Marathon (which was later that day) information, which did in fact require participants to board a bus at Epcot.

We immediately located the packet pick up area and were able to get our packets, affix our race bibs, and check our bags very quickly. The bag check was most convenient. No one wants to have to run with their room key and cell phone, let alone that plastic bag that contained all of your race things. By the time we had all made one final “pit stop”, it was time for us to line up.

The Family 5k was not a chip timed event. This means that you are not competing for anything, it is really just for fun. However Disney does require a 16-minute per mile pace and if you are unable to maintain that pace, you will be picked up and transported to the end of the race. Disney’s pace requirement is more generous than most 5k races in order to allow participants to stop for character photos.

We don't know these folks, but don't their costumes look great?

We were well entertained during our wait for the start. There were so many unique costumes. I was actually surprised by the number of participants in costumes. Personally, I get too hot and sweaty while running, but if the mood should strike, and you wish to wear a costume, rest assured you will not be the only one. Just remember, Disney will not let you run with a mask. That is for safety reasons and quite honestly, masks are creepy anyway.

The appeal of doing this race, other than the obvious “I’m running at Disney World and I get a really awesome t-shirt that I can use to brag to all of my friends back home” appeal, is that the race course took you through the Magic Kingdom. There were of course, along the way, many opportunities for a meet and greet with beloved Disney characters. There were quite a few Disney Villains on the course, keeping with the Halloween theme. The main appeal, at least for me was being at the Magic Kingdom while the park was closed. Even with all of the participants, the park seemed empty, quiet, and pristine. It felt as though you had the park all to yourself. It was really a unique way to experience the Magic Kingdom. Even though I was running, I could see things without the distraction of hundreds of people in front of me and was able to experience the park in a way that I had never before.

Since this was a looped course, we finished just about where we started. At the finish line, we were handed our Mickey pumpkin Halloween finisher’s medals and refreshments. The medal was made of rubber and had a pumpkin Mickey. The Medal itself said Mickey’s Halloween 5K and hung from a green fabric lanyard which also had the race info and the date. The REALLY cool part of the medal was that it had an orange flasher that joined the Mickey medal to the lanyard. It was quite the quality flasher, as the ones on the boys’ medals still work (and I know Nolan turns his on every night when he should be sleeping)

The author and her four "Prince Charmings" after their 5K.

Upon crossing the finish line, it was quite easy to find my dad and Nolan (they had run ahead of us), which was great because we did not designate a post race meeting spot. When all of us were reunited, we were able to get a post-race photo of all of us with our medals. The post race refreshments were decent. There was plenty to drink, bananas, and we each received a bag with some candy and a muffin. Our transportation back to Jambo House was covered by Disney since the busses were then operating. It was a quick monorail ride to the Magic Kingdom where we were then able to board a bus back to the resort.

It was a fun experience, so fun that we have signed up to do it again this year. This year’s course, however, takes you through Animal Kingdom. Having run another race through Animal Kingdom at night (Expedition Everest Challenge, 2009), I am excited to see what it will be like to run through during the day, although I am sure that no other race will ever compare to running through the Magic Kingdom.

So important things to remember when it comes to Disney races:

Sign up EARLY. Races tend to sell out quickly. At the time of this post, the 2011 5k is 60% full.

Read and re-read your pre-race instructions. Print out a copy to take with you to the race (you can toss it out when you get there). That way you know, without a doubt, where you’re going and when to be there.

Make a transportation plan if you are not staying at a host resort.

Utilize the bag check area. That way you do not need to run with, or worse lose, your “Key to the World” card and cell phone.

Make sure, if you are running with others, that you designate a meeting place at the end. You don’t want to miss your post-race photo opportunity to capture this experience.

Have fun and savor this experience—it will be like no other.

It's not too late to register for this year's Halloween 5K, its part of the 2011 Wine and Dine Half Marathon Weekend, you can visit the offiicial site here: Wine and Dine Half Marathon Weekend Registration

Faith Trust and a Little Pixie Dust would like to thank guest blogger Marge for her contribution. You can see myself, Marge and our families at this year's 5K. You can find Marge on Twitter at @RNawaymama.

Our Tour of Aulani, Disney's New Resort on O'ahu

2011-08-09T21:40:00.011-04:00

In just a few weeks Disney is set to open its newest resort, Aulani Resort and Spa on the island of O'ahu. This is actually Disney's third resort that is not connected to a theme park. Disney also owns resorts on Hilton Head Island in South Carolina, and Vero Beach in Florida, about a two hour drive from Walt Disney World. Aulani is located at Ko'Olina on O'ahu's leeward side (west) and will have 359 resort rooms, 460 Disney Vacation Club (DVC) villas, 4 restaurants, a private snorkeling lagoon and activities galore for adults and kids. Whew! That's just the beginning!

My husband and I were recently on the island of O'ahu, and of course I HAD to see Aulani. While the resort doesn't open until August 29th, like all good timeshares, Disney has a sales office on site. Sales presentations are available to the public and DVC members. We are DVC members at Animal Kingdom Villas, and I called the day before to arrange the visit (technically its a "sales presentation").

Aulani as seen on the drive up.

The drive to Ko'Olina is about 30-45 minutes from the downtown Honolulu/Waikiki area depending on traffic. It took us about 30 minutes during a non-rush hour time. The building itself is massive, and you can see it from the highway from quite a distance. According to the driver from our sunset cruise later in the week (a Hawaiian rumor mill version of a WDW bus driver), the road was recently repaved in anticipation of Aulani's opening. As a matter of fact, shortly after the Ko'Olina exit, the lovely fresh pavement ends! Once you do take the exit, you are brought to an actual gate to the entire Ko'Olina complex. They didn't seem to be at DEFCON 2, but they did ask where we were headed. At one time Ko'Olina was forgotten marshland, but it is now a planned complex that hosts a public beach, a golf course, condos, the Ko'Olina Beach Villas, Marriot's Ihilani Resort, and several shops and restaurants.

The sales video

While the DVC preview center is now open inside the resort itself, our tour was scheduled for the last Friday before they moved in, so our tour originated in a suite above the Hawaiian BBQ restaurant. Our guide (Disney talk for timeshare salesperson) was Andrea, and we liked her very much. We were offered soda or water, and led to a sales office. While waiting for Andrea we were able to view a short video on the new resort. While I don't have access to that video, below is a neat video from You Tube that shows many of the artist renderings and a virtual fly over of the resort. I will say that the virtual images do not do the resort justice. The pool area in person was fantastic. You will need to pause the music from this blog at the bottom of the screen or you will be bombarded by both audios simultaneously.

After some small talk and our introductions to Andrea, we were introduced to our fabulous, high fashion, OSHA approved, construction zone attire. They had told me I would need closed toe shoes (I had thankfully brought sneakers for hiking Diamond Head), and long pants. Who brings long pants to Hawaii? Not us apparently.

Even Mickey is ready for Hawaii

Andrea took us on a quick spin in the golf cart over to the front of the resort. Unfortunately, they requested that we not take photos of the grounds or resort other than the room. I can tell you that it was very impressive. As per usual Disney standards, the landscaping was lush and coming together quite well considering the resort doesn't open for another month. There was a small water feature in front, with torches lit with Hawaiian kukui nuts. Andrea informed us that this was a traditional use of the nuts in early villages.

The entrance to the resort and the lobby reminded me quite a lot of Peter Dominick's Animal Kingdom Lodge and Wilderness Lodge. The size however, was smaller than I had anticipated from the artist renderings. It was on a scale closer to Kidani Village than Jambo House.

Lighting is one of my favorite aspects of Disney Imagineering, and Aulani did not disappoint. The interior of the lobby was illuminated with hanging lanterns designed to look like Hawaiian ipu gourds that were traditionally used to carry water. The photo below was the best I could find of something similar.

Hawaiian ipu gourds for water

We were led past the check-in desk toward a model room. Behind the desk is an arrangement of many smaller pieces of art that were contributed by Hawaiian children specifically for the lobby of the resort. Opposite the desk is a children's waiting area with a TV that will show Disney cartoons to keep the kiddos busy while you get checked in to the resort. Anyone want to bet on "Lilo and Stitch"?

While walking toward the room, my husband was already scoping out Hidden Mickeys. Apparently, while unannounced to me, we were having a contest as to who could spot the first one. Guess who won? Since much of the art of Polynesia is more angular than curved, this poses more of a challenge to the Imagineers. We did find, in several locations a possible Mickey whose validity was much debated by my hubby, myself, and Andrea. It was however, made up of three squares, rather than three circles. All three squares were standing on their corner, but it was obviously one large square, with two proportionally smaller squares above and to the sides. For the sake of marital harmony, we decided that it was, indeed, a Mickey.

Then, finally, THE ROOM! We were shown a 2br suite on the north side of the resort. We were both very impressed, and felt it cozy and comfortable with many touches of Hawaii and Disney. One word of warning, if you do not like dark rooms, such as Animal Kingdom Lodge, you may not like the lighting in these rooms either. While we really appreciate the dark comfort of those rooms, many do not. We felt the overall feel of the room reminded us quite a bit of Animal Kingdom, and given that Joe Rhodie was the Lead Imagineer of both Animal Kingdom park, and Aulani, I guess that's not too surprising.

And now, the photos!

Studio bedroom. I like the two different colored walls. Hidden Mickey anyone?


Nifty lamp on the left portraying a surfing Mickey. This space felt crowded.


Other portion of the studio with TV console and sleeper sofa.


Full kitchen and banquette with view into studio. Hidden Mickey anyone?


Full kitchen and tableware. Over the table lighting is of the same style as the lobby.


Flat screen TV in main living area with a view into the studio. The lanai is to the left.

The TV cabinet is actually a murphy bed in disguise!

Master Bedroom. My husband loved the Hawaiian quilts.

View from the master bedroom into the master bath, leading back toward the main entrance and kitchen.

Glassed in steamer shower with built in seat in the 1 and 2 bedroom villas. My hubby's favorite part.

Bathroom in the studio portion of the room.


View into the master bedroom from the bathroom.

During our tour, I spoke to our guide about some of the features and amenities that will be available at Aulani. While there will not be a Magical Express, Disney will have contracted transportation available, similar to the Disneyland Express in California. One of the four on-site restaurants will be a family friendly buffet featuring character meals. As is common in Hawaii, Disney will contract with local tour operators and guests will be able to sign up for many different types of excursions such as island tours, snorkeling tours and the Dole Plantation. They will also offer Adventures by Disney tours of their own, and while pricey, are unique and should be outstanding.

From the balcony of the model room, we were able to get a good look at the pool areas. The lagoon did seem rather small to me for such a large number of rooms. In addition to the private snorkeling lagoon was a very large pool with two volcano themed water slides, a large kids water play area, a lazy river, and a conservation pool that you can snorkel in (with reservations). Although the lagoon was small, the overall water recreation area was quite large.

Aunty's Beach House

What impressed me most was the activities for teens, tweens, and the kids. Named Aunty's Beach House, this supervised clubhouse for children ages 3 to 10 will be part of your resort fee! While some extra special programs or crafts may have an additional fee, the main part of the club will not. The club will have video games, movies, dress up areas, and an outdoor play area. Tweens will have special tween only movie nights, and special activities just for their age group. Teens ages 13-17 can hang out at "Painted Sky", a teen only spa. More than a spa, it also has video games, a juice and yogurt bar, and will host teen only events. With all these activities for the kids, mom and dad can actually enjoy a dinner or swim to themselves.

One of my favorite little details of the resort are the menehune. The menehune are part of Hawaiian folklore. They are magical little people who sometimes like to play tricks on you. Think mischievous Hawaiian smurfs. Only not blue. Anyway, you get the picture. Disney has hidden statues of these little guys throughout the resort in easy, and not so easy to find places. Hopefully you will continue to find new ones throughout your vacation and on subsequent vacations.

What does all this cost? You probably don't want to know. A standard room runs in slow season from $399 and up. Yikes! But already there are specials and discounts available, but Aulani will not be for those on a tight budget.

As for DVC, Aulani is pricey in both the price of points, and the number of points needed. The base price is currently $120 per point. There are always promotions of course. Interestingly, although they would place any points we might want to purchase on hold for us, they weren't actually selling points! Due to some small legal change in the contract, they couldn't actually sell us points that day, and Andrea did not know when exactly they would be selling again, but hopefully by official opening day. Disney Vacation Club is known to be slightly less pressure than many timeshare presentations, and although we were interested in Aulani we were upfront with Andrea that we were unlikely to purchase additional points that day. During our tour, if you were a current DVC member and added on, the prices on a per point basis were as follows:

50 to 100 points: $116
100 to 125 points: $108
125 to 150 points: $104
150 to 250 points: $102
250 and up: $100

A studio villa with a parking lot view at the slowest time of year will run you 126 points for the week. A 1 bedroom ocean view room will cost you 322 points for the same week. In comparison we can get a 2 bedroom view of the savanna at Animal Kingdom Lodge during that same week for only 272 points, and fly all five of us to Orlando for the same price as two of us to Honolulu.

Andrea also informed us we were "pre-approved" for an add-on. Gee, thanks Mickey. But we decided we weren't up to putting down that kind of money right now, and hopefully someday we will stay here with the Disney points we already own. While I'm already itching to stay there, I don't think we'll make it back to Hawaii for at least a few years.

I really don't think too many people will be disappointed in their stay there. I'll be anxious to learn more about the place after the opening, and I'll be sure to post some update information this fall, and if anyone is taking an upcoming trip I'd love to hear all about it!

It All Started With a...

2011-07-22T13:15:00.000-04:00

It All Started With a ~~Mouse~~ Vacation!

Some of you may remember my almost, but not quite, adventure of applying to be on the Disney Moms Panel last fall. Advancing from tens of thousands to the semi-finals was exhilarating, and although I didn't make it to the finals, knowing that Disney actually thought I might make a good candidate was a great consolation prize. My friends' encouragement that they just knew Disney HAD to choose me, solidified my belief that I could and someday hopefully would make the panel! Unfortunately, despite one friend's thinking, I did not get extra credit for traveling all the way from Indiana, and much to her surprise, there really are more Disney obsessed moms and dads out there as crazy about Walt Disney World as I am. And now, making the panel is my biggest goal.

I know some of you are thinking, "What the heck is the Disney Moms Panel?" Its an online panel of both moms and dads who help answer future Disney guests' questions about planning their trips. You can see the current moms and dads and check out the site HERE. Some of you who know me well, know that I'm already a kind of a local Disney Mom Panel of my own. The Disney moms and dads on the panel however, get to do it officially! While not Disney cast members, they still get to be a recognized part of the pixie dust. When I advanced to the semi-final round, I found this awesome video of the training weekend from 2009, and with all my heart wanted to make that panel! (note if you watch the video, you may need to pause this site's music, found at the bottom of the blog)

Since not making the cut last fall, I have been thinking of (okay, plotting) a way to be chosen for the 2012 Disney Moms Panel. One of the questions they have asked the past several years has been focused on the use of social media. They have specifically asked if you have a blog. And several of the current panelists do. So I decided to "join the jamboree", and start my own Disney vacation planning blog. I spend a good deal of time helping friends plan their vacations, and also friends of friends, people online, and complete strangers I meet in Target for that matter. Why not start saving all that information I type out and email to people, and put it all in one place? And so this blog was born!

I have already created several pages of basic Disney planning advice. If you or someone you know is planning a trip, have them take a look. They can also email me, and ask me any questions about planning they may have. I still have a few pages I want to get up, specifically one on Do's and Don'ts, and one on touring plans.

In addition to the static pages(listed to the left as "Basic Planning Advice"), I will be doing blog entries from time to time, hopefully one every one to two weeks. These entries will be more about Disney planning, but also about fun Disney things such as book reviews, Hidden Mickey's, restaurant reviews, new attractions and information, and trip reports. I also plan on having some of my Disney obsessed compatriots write guest blogs. I'm hoping to have one coming soon on runDisney, as well as my own post with personal photos and information on Disney's newest resort hotel and spa, Aulani, on Oahu, Hawaii. There are quite a few blog entries already, composed of prior trip reports I have posted on Mouseowners. On the left side panel of the page I have also added links to the sites I most often send people to such as MouseSavers, MouseMisers, and The Unofficial Guide's webpage TouringPlans.com.

So please, share my site with family and friends that might be thinking of a trip to Walt Disney World, or who just love Disney in general. If they are interested in coming back they can register and sign in with Google as a follower of the blog, or even submit their email at the top of the blog, and they will get new posts sent to their inbox. Anyone can email me anytime with questions at dizkrazkate@gmail.com.

Thanks everyone! Have a Magical Day!
Kate


Me, age 13, with my family, after returning from performing at Disney's Magic Music Days in August 1989		.


The next trip at age 15, at a character breakfast at The Contemporary, second trip for Magic Music Days, Aug 1991.

First trip to Disneyland, CA. With my Notre Dame roommate Adri, March 1995.


First trip with the kids and hubby, summer 2008. We won Year of a Million Dreams Fastpasses!

First Trip as Disney Vacation Club members. Animal Kingdom's Kidani Village Sept. 2009

35th Birthday at "The Original" Disneyland, CA. June 2011

Ins and Outs of the Disney Dining Plan

2011-07-14T21:35:00.007-04:00

Depending on how you like to dine, the Disney Dining Plan (DDP) can save you some money. Even when you are not saving a lot, it can be worth it for the convenience. It is only available to Disney Resort Guests. In recent years Disney has offered free DDP during slow months as a promotion. There are three types of DDP: Quick Service, Regular, and Deluxe.

DizKrazKate's Disney Tips in a Nutshell

The Quick Service plans allows for 2 quick service meals, and 2 snacks per night stay. You also get a resort refillable mug. In 2012, you will only get 1 snack per day.

The Regular DDP gives you 1 quick service, 1 table service, and 1 snack per night stay. In 2012 it will also include a resort refillable mug.

The Deluxe Dining Plan includes 3 meals per night stay (either quick or table), 2 snacks and a resort refillable mug.

The Premium and Platinum DDP are the same as the Deluxe, but are part of the Premium and Platinum levels of vacation packages.

Dessert is included, however appetizers are only included in the Deluxe plan.

The DDP does not include gratuity at table service restaurants.

Alcoholic beverages are not included. If you wish, you may add the Wine and Dine Plan to any package that includes dining for an additional fee in 2011. This will not be available for 2012.

Some people are confused because they think they are getting allotments "per day" when you are actually getting them "per night stay". If you have a 6 night, 7 day vacation, you only get 6 sets of allotments, not 7.

I think the DDP used to be a better deal than it is now, but we continue to get it because we do still save money, and you can’t beat the convenience! The DDP isn’t for every family, and you’ll have to decide if it’s right for you or not. If you are staying on property, have at least 2 children between the ages of 3 and 9 and plan on eating all of your meals out, it’s probably a good idea. If you are on a tight budget and are going to eat a lot of meals in your room, are just adults, always order an alcoholic drink and an appetizer, or have picky or light eating children (or adults I guess!) over the age 9, it might not be such a good deal for you. Additionally, if you cannot stand being tied down to dining reservations, and only like to do things as you go along, the Regular or Deluxe DDP is not for you. If you purchase those plans, you must make reservations, or risk not getting a table at anywhere you want to eat, and losing a lot of money.

If you like the idea of pre-paid dining, but don't want the DDP, you can consider purchasing a Disney Gift Card and put your food budget money on the card. Then you can use that card to pay for your dining while at the parks. It is accepted at most restaurants, but not all food kiosks.

How does it work?

The DDP is a basically a pre-paid meal plan. You get a certain amount of allotments, or credits, per night of your stay. The credits are in one big pool, so you can use them in any order you wish. For example if you have 2 adults staying a total of 3 nights on the regular DDP, you will have 6 table service credits, 6 quick service credits, and 6 snacks. If you want to have two snacks on one day, and none on your last day, that is fine. You can use the credits whenever you wish, but they do expire on midnight of your day of check-out. Any unused credits are gone. With a little thought there is no reason for credits to go to waste.

Two of the plans for 2011, and all the plans in 2012 include a resort refillable mug. This allows you unlimited free refills on soft drinks, coffee and tea at your resort hotel. Just make sure you understand the free refills are at you resort hotel only, not at the parks.

All the credits for a room are lumped together, and can be accessed from anyone in that room's Key To The World Card (KTTWC). Simply present the card when you go to pay for your meal or snack, and the credits will be deducted from the pool. This can be super convenient for teens who might venture off on their own. They can get a snack or meal without needing to carry cash.

Keep in mind, kids must order from the children's menu where available. Also note that some very nice restaurants, most notably Cinderella's Royal Table, and dinner at Le Cellier are considered "Signature" restaurants. These will require 2 Table Service Credits, and are usually not an economically wise choice.

Where Can We Use It?

Disney Dining Plan Icon

The DDP can be used at over 100 restaurants and food kiosks throughout the resort including the theme parks, water parks, Downtown Disney, and the hotels. Upon check-in at your resort you will receive an informational pamphlet on the DDP that lists the eateries that are currently accepting the DDP. You can also look for the handy icon that Disney places on the menus next to snacks that you can purchase with the DDP. Pretty much anything under $4, and quite a few things that cost more than that, are considered a snack in Disney's eyes. You can see this year's pamphlet by clicking here for the 2011 info.

What Does it Cost?
For 2011 the prices are as follows, are on a per night basis and are listed as Adult/Child:

Quick Service Plan- $34.99/$11.99
Disney Dining Plan- $45.99/$11.99 (regular season)
                               $47.99/$12.99 (peak season)
Deluxe Dining Plan -$78.99/$21.99
Wine and Dine Add on - $39.99

For 2012 the prices are going up a bit, along with the addition of the resort refillable mug to the Regular DDP, and the fact that the Quick Service Plan with only have 1 snack per day rather than 2. And alas, for you wine drinkers out there, no more Wine and Dine add on. It is being phased out apparently.

Quick Service Plan- $34.99/$11.99 (no change! Yea!)
Disney Dining Plan- $51.54/$11.99 (regular season)
                               $53.54/$12.99 (peak season)
Deluxe Dining Plan- $85.52/$23.79 (regular season)
                               $89.52/$25.79 (peak season)
Wine and Dine Add on- No Longer Offered!

Is it Worth the Money?
That depends.

Let's look at the Quick Service (QS) plan first. For a family with 2 adults and 2 kids between the ages of 3 and 9, your cost in the regular season will be $93.96 per night stay. If you add up the price of food for one day:

Early morning snack/breakfast using your refillable mug and a snack credit:
Dad: Danish and Coffee $4.39
                                Mom: Coffee Cake and Coffee $4.59
                                Kid 1: Cinnamon Roll and soft drink $4.59
                                Kid 2: Oatmeal and soft drink $4.29
Lunch at Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe at Magic Kingdom using 1 quick service credit each:
                                Dad: 1/2 Chicken and BBQ Rib Combo and drink: $16.68
                                Mom: Turkey Bacon Wrap $11.08
Dessert for Dad and Mom $7.18
Kid 1: PB&J meal $4.99
                                Kid 2: Turkey Sandwich meal $4.99
Afternoon Snack at Magic Kingdom using 2nd snack credit.
                                Dad: Mickey Premium Ice Cream Bar $3.50
                                Mom: Popcorn $3.25
                                Kid 1: Dole Whip: $3.19
Kid 2: Funnel Cake $4.29
Dinner at Columbia Harbor House:
                                Dad: Fried Shrimp and drink $12.38
                                Mom: Fish and Chips and drink $9.98
Dessert for Dad and Mom: $7.18
                                Kid 1: Chicken Nuggets $4.99
                                Kid 2: Macaroni and Cheese $4.99

Total Price $110.53. So your savings for the day is modest, but still, $16.57 for 7 nights is now $115.99! You may save more than this if you tend to get more expensive items on the menu, or less if you tend to get the least expensive, or use your snack credits for something small like a bottle of water or small soda. If you don't normally get dessert at the quick service places, your savings would only be around $57 for the week.

Now the Regular DDP. For 2 adults and 2 kids between the ages of 3 and 9, your cost would be $115.96 per night stay. For convenience we will use some of the meals from above. Remember you only get 1 snack credit, so you are on your own for 1 meal. (Tip: eat cold cereal or bagels in your room).

Lunch at Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe at the Magic Kingdom using 1 quick service credit:
                             Dad: 1/2 Chicken & BBQ Rib Combo w/drink: $16.68

Mom: Turkey Bacon Wrap w/drink $11.08

                             Dessert for Dad and Mom $7.18
   Kid 1: PB&J meal $4.99
                             Kid 2: Turkey Sandwich meal $4.99
Afternoon Snack at Magic Kingdom using snack credit.
                             Dad: Mickey Premium Ice Cream Bar $3.50
                             Mom: Popcorn $3.25
                             Kid 1: Dole Whip: $3.19
   Kid 2: Funnel Cake $4.29
Dinner at The Crystal Palace Character Meal with Winnie the Pooh and Friends using table service credit:
                             Adults $36.99x2 is $73.98
                             Kids $17.99x2 is $35.98

Total for the day is $169.41 for a savings of $53.45 for the day. If you ate this way every day your savings would be around $375. If however you ate at somewhere less expensive than The Crystal Palace, like The Plaza for example, your spending for the day might only be $122, and savings might only be $6 that day. You really save the most money I feel, on the kids. If you have more than two kids, as I do, the DDP becomes even more of a value. Most of the buffets and character meals, cost more per kid than the actual cost of the DDP for the whole day! That kind of savings really adds up.

Either way, you can save a little or a lot of money, and it certainly is easy and convenient. Also, for some families it can be helpful to have their meals pre-paid before they go.

Making Advance Dining Reservations (ADR's)
Disney does not make "Reservations" the way you may be used to. You may and should make ADR's for all your table service meals at the world. However, it's more of a call ahead seating than a reservation. You still may have to wait 10 to 20 minutes for your table. If you do not have an ADR however, especially during busy seasons or free dining promotions, you may not get a table at all. You will often see signs saying "Not accepting walk up's at this time". We have an acquaintance who sent us a text while at Disney, that he hated the place. They couldn't get a seat at a single table service restaurant. Well, if you have no reservations, and go during Spring Break, that is what happens. It's supply and demand. If you are purchasing the DDP, or especially if you are getting it during a free dining promotion, you really MUST make ADR's. ASAP. Like yesterday. If you decide to just show up with no ADR's you may find yourself frustrated, and wasting a lot of money using your table service credits at quick service locations, because you cannot get a table. If you are the type of person that needs to make plans on-the-fly, and cannot be tied down to reservations, DO NOT buy the DDP.

You can make ADR's for up to 10 days of your vacation, starting 180 days before your check-in day. You can find some handy online tools for calculating your 180 call day, like this one, click here. You can either call, or use their online dining reservation system. I prefer the online system, found here. The online method is much faster, and you can get access to the reservations at 6am Eastern Time, rather than waiting for the phone lines to open at 7am Eastern Time. If you are wanting a hard to book place such as Cinderella's Royal Table, Chef Mickey's, Le Cellier, or O'Hana's, that extra hour can make the difference. (Tip: try to book hard to secure reservations towards the end of your trip, as the farther out towards the end of the 10 day window you get, the more likely you are to get a table. And book in order of restaurant popularity, not chronologically day by day.)

Disney Dining Plan Tips and Tricks

The quick service plan is not a big money saver, but it is convenient.
The regular DDP can save you some $$. Only 2 meals may scare you, but trust me there is plenty of food.
The Deluxe DDP is honestly A LOT of food, too much really, and a major time waster as you spend a good deal of time in restaurants. By the time you finish at one, you have a few short hours and its time to eat again!
If you have more than 2 kids between the ages of 3 and 9, the DDP can be a really money saver, especially for buffets and character meals.
If you have the Regular or Deluxe DDP, you really need to make Advance Dining Reservations ASAP. At the 180 day mark is preferable. If not, make them as soon as you can, popular times and places fill quickly.
Try to book the hard to secure reservations towards the end of your trip, as the farther out towards the end of the 10 day window you get, the more likely you are to get a table. And book in order of restaurant popularity, not chronologically day by day. This only applies if making ADR's on the 180 day mark.
You get the best value for your table service credits at dinner and buffets.
Consider eating at off-times, such as an early lunch at 11:30, late lunch at 1:30, or early dinner at 4:45, especially with kids. You will find it less crowded in the restaurant and get faster service. Additionally, you will then be in the parks doing attractions, while everyone else is eating at a more popular time.
If you have kids, consider buffets. There is a larger selection of foods, and faster service. It's hard for a cranky kid to wait to order, and then wait for the food to arrive. At buffets, you are often eating within 5 minutes of sitting down.
At quick service locations, know what you are entitled to and decide before you get to the cast member to order. (Others behind you in line -like me- are hungry) Each person gets an entree and side, or combo meal, drink, and dessert. Kids meals automatically come with healthy options like grapes and carrots, and milk, juice or water, but you can get a soft drink, fries or a cookie as a substitute by asking. Its in the fine print at the bottom of the menus.
Know before you go! While the Disney literature uses popcorn, ice cream bars, and bottled water as examples, there are hundreds, thousands even of items you can get as a snack. Look for the DDP icon next to items that are snacks. Also, check out the DisBoard's "List of Confirmed Snacks".
Kids must order from the kids menu. Ahem. Skip this if you think you may be morally compromised... look away now! (at quick service places, the credits are all the same, so sit your kids down with mom, and order them whatever you want if they are tired of chicken nuggets, or you need more chicken nuggets to share with an under 3 kid).
If you have a stroller or wheelchair to store bags, keep a small cooler bag with you, and Ziploc bags. The plan can have a lot of food, and you can put your dessert or a kid's uneaten bag of grapes in your cooler bag for a snack later!
Kids under the age of 3 cannot have the DDP plan purchased for them. They can however eat from everyone else's plates, and at buffets they can eat for free! Most menu type places will usually bring the wee one a beverage for free.
Snack credits can be used for a pastry or muffin in the morning as a breakfast. Get your coffee in your resort refillable mug and you are set to go.
If eating at a quick service at your resort, get your beverage in your refill mug, and use the beverage you are entitled to with your meal credit to get a bottle of something to go for later.
Some quick service places will automatically give you a medium soft drink with your meal, but you can have a large drink if you ask!
Also at some quick service places, especially at the resort hotels where you may be choosing some pre-made things from a cooler case, they will often let you swap a dessert for a side salad or fruit, as long as the price of the swapped item is less than $4.
If for some reason you end up with an extra table service credit or two, most but not all quick service places will let you use it there. You are not getting your money's worth for sure, but in a pinch, it's better than letting it go totally to waste.
If you have extra meal credits, consider getting a quick service to go on your last day, and taking it to eat once you get to the airport.
Have extra snack credits? Pick up some souvenirs to take home for friends such as Mickey shaped rice krispie treats, lollipops, cotton candy, cookies, or any other pre-packaged food item less than $4!
If you want to spread your quick service credits out to have enough for both arrival and departure day, some places have rather large menu items that 2 adults could share. Share on 2 days and you have gotten an extra day out of your credits. Try the 1/2 Chicken and BBQ Rib Combo at Cosmic Rays at Magic Kingdom, 1/2 Chicken or 1/2 Slab of Ribs meals at Flame Tree BBQ at Animal Kingdom, or split a sandwich, share a large soda pop, and use a snack credit for an extra side of fries.
For the best dessert options with your quick service credit, use it at resort hotels, Sunshine Seasons or Kringle Bakery at Epcot, or Starring Rolls at Hollywood Studios. Zebra Domes at Animal Kingdom Lodge's Mara, a creme brulee at Sunshine Seasons, or a rice cream at Kringle Bakery top the chocolate cake in a cup you get at most of the quick service places.
Don't waste a snack credit on a bottle of water or soda. Bring a refillable water bottle, or bring your resort refillable mug with you to the park and ask at any quick service for a cup of ice water, it's FREE! Pour it in your bottle or mug and you've got free water to go.
If you like the idea of pre-paid dining, but don't want the DDP, you can consider purchasing a Disney Gift Card and put your food budget money on the card. Then you can use that card to pay for your dining while at the parks. It is accepted at most restaurants, but not all food kiosks.

One of my favorite uses of the snack credit is the famous Dole Whip and Dole Whip Float. YUMMY!

Benifits of Staying on Property

2011-07-02T14:23:00.011-04:00

Except in a few rare circumstances, I always recommend staying on property. When you take into account all the benefits of staying at a Disney Resort, the possible small increase in price is well worth it. Often a Disney Resort is not more expensive at all, but can actually be more affordable than off-site depending on how you travel.

DizKrazKate's Disney Tips in a Nutshell

Free roundtrip transportation via Disney's Magical Express between Orlando International Airport (MCO) and your Disney Resort.

Free Magical Express Luggage Service where Disney will pick up your bags at baggage claim and "Magically" deliver them to your room in 3-4 hours. (Actual pixie dust not included)

Free transportation throughout the Walt Disney World Resort via buss, Monorail, and boats.

Access to Disney's Extra Magic Hours, where you may enter a park up to an hour early, or stay up to three hours later than off-site guests.

Ability to book the Disney Dining Plan, and sometimes even get it for free during certain promotions!

Free parking at all Disney Theme Parks.

Ability to book hard to secure Advance Dining Reservations ahead of off-site guests.

Delivery of your park purchases to your resort room.

Convenient use of Disney's the Key To the World Card for your room key, park ticket, dining plan, and charges.

Resort Refillable Mugs

Resort Airline Check-in (RAC) at your resort where you can check your bags and receive boarding passes for your return flight

If you are the type of family that is content with public transportation, staying on property and using Disney's free transportation is a big money saver. It alone can save you hundreds vs. staying at an off-site hotel. Disney will provide you with free round-trip transportation via motor coach from Orlando International Airport to your Walt Disney World Resort via their Magical Express. If you wish to use it, Disney will also provide free luggage service to those using the Magical Express. Before your trip, you will receive bright yellow luggage tags. These tags go on your checked luggage. At the airport, you can skip baggage claim and go straight to the Magical Express! Disney will claim your luggage and transport it to your resort hotel. Your luggage will then "Magically" appear in your room in 3-4 hours. What a treat not to have to haul your luggage! Do keep in mind that your luggage does not travel with you but on a separate truck, and it won't arrive until after you do. So pack what you may need in the immediate future in your carry-on, such as park tickets or sunscreen. We often arrive late morning or early afternoon, and I pack swim suits and sunscreen so we can swim at the resort pool while we wait for our room to get ready. Usually when we get the text message our room is ready, we go to our room and find our luggage already there. One thing to keep in mind though, is that the luggage service is not available after 10pm. If you arrive after 10pm, you will need to claim your own bags, or be content without them until the following day.

While visiting the parks, you have unlimited free use of Disney's Resort transportation buses, boats and monorail. If you consider cost of a rental car from Orlando International for a subcompact from Avis is $360 in the month of August, plus parking for 6 park days at $14/day for total $84, plus gas at $3.50 to $4.00 a gallon, your total additional cost of staying off property with a rental car is an additional $500 for a week! That means, whatever fantastic deal you found off property.... add an additional $70 a night to that price. Disney Resorts are sounding pretty good right now aren't they?


This DVC member got the DDP in July 2010

When staying on Disney property, your room key is that and so much more. Disney calls it your Key to the World Card. Besides opening your room door, it is your park ticket, and it can be used to charge purchases and meals to your room, gain entrance to Extra Magic Hours, and if you are on the Disney Dining Plan, it is used to charge your food to the plan.

Disney Resort guests are eligible to participate in Extra Magic Hours (EMH). On most days one of the parks opens an hour early or stays open up to 3 hours late for Disney Resort guests only. You will be required to show your Key to the World Card (KTTWC) to gain admittance to the park in the morning or to any attraction during evening EMH.

Only Disney Resort guests can purchase the Disney Dining Plan (DDP). This is a pre-payed meal plan that gives each person a certain number of meal credits per night stay. Depending on how you dine, this can be a money saver. It certainly can be a convenience and time saver, and frequently it can be had at a discount or even for free during promotions for slower times of the year. Click on this link for more on the Disney Dining Plan.

Current 2011 Mugs

A Resort Mug Refill Station

You may also purchase a Resort Refillable Mug to use at your Disney Resort. This mug runs around $14, or is included in the DDP starting in 2012, and can be used for unlimited soft-drink, coffee and tea refills at your resort for the entire length of stay. Usually Coke products, some form of Powerade, Minute Maid Light Lemonade, and sometimes ice tea, in addition to hot coffee and tea are available depending on your resort.

If you are trying to secure that hard to get princess breakfast at Cindy's or dinner at the ever popular Le Cellier, staying on property can give you a leg up. Disney's Advance Dining Reservations (ADR's) open to booking 180 days in advance. However, if you are a resort guest, you may make dining reservations for your entire trip, up to 10 days, starting 180 days from your check-in day. This means if you are checking in on a Sunday, 180 days prior to that day you can book ADR's for that day, plus the entire following week up to an additional 10 days. If you are off-site, you can only book 180 days in advance, one day at a time.

One benefit we frequently use is the resort package delivery service. Sometimes when you find that perfect gift, you are tempted not to purchase it because the idea of lugging it around the park all day like a pack mule is totally unappealing. If you are a Disney Resort guest, you can make your purchase and have it delivered to your resort by the following day! You simply fill out a simple form, and sometime the following day you will receive a message on your resort room phone that your package is ready for pick up in the resort gift shop. The only important thing however, is to not use this on the last day or two of your trip as your purchases may not get to your resort until the following afternoon. For big, hard to pack items, or an item you do find on your last day, Disney can ship them for a fee directly to your home!

Disney even makes going home easy. Most major airlines participate in RAC, or Resort Airline Check-in. Each Disney resort hotel has a RAC desk. The morning of your departure you can go to this desk and get boarding passes and check your luggage. If you have any luggage fees, you will need to call and pay for the bags the night before. Once your bags are checked you won't see them until your home airport. No need to lug them to the airport. You can use this service with or without using Disney's Magical Express. We always use this service. If we are going into the parks for a few last hours before our Magical Express bus, we leave our carry on with bell services. When we return, we pick our carry on bags, and are ready to go to the airport. No dragging of luggage required! (Dragging the kids home is bad enough!)

I'm sure you can see there are multiple great benefits of being on-site. On top of all the practical perks, we just enjoy being "part of the magic" while at Disney. How can you beat Mickey Mouse on your soap and in your swimming pool? Or walking to a park from your resort? Or getting up in the morning and drinking your coffee while watching giraffe? We don't think you can.

There are So Many Resorts! What is the Difference, and Where Should We Stay?

2011-07-01T20:17:00.004-04:00

Disney has several tiers of Resort Hotels, with corresponding prices, trying to figure out where to stay can be a large part of the vacation planning fun, but also a tough decision!

DizKrazKate's Tips in a Nutshell

Stay on property!

If you are on a tight budget, you want a Value Resort. Best bet is Pop Century, or if you have little kids All Star Movies.

If you are on a more modest budget, choose a Moderate Resort. Best bet is Port Orleans. If you can afford it, I recommend the Moderates over a Value

If budget is not an issue, Disney’s Deluxe Resorts are beautiful. All are excellent choices.

For families or groups of 5 or more, click here for my page on "Where to Stay for Larger Parties of 5 or More".

Value Resorts

Pool at Pop Century Resort

These are Disney’s answer to a tight budget- running from $80-$150. The four value resorts include the 3 All Stars, and Pop Century. These resorts sleep up to four, except for the family suites at All Star Music that sleep 6. Soon the “Magic of Disney Animation Resort” will open in Summer 2012 that will also contain family suites. The rooms are smaller and basic, but a good price. There are nice pools, but no waterslides. Food courts, but no sit down restaurant. They are perhaps a bit louder due to the fact that groups of band students, cheerleaders and sports teams often stay at these resorts. I have stayed at All Star Movies, and for $100 a night with a discount over spring break, it was worth what I paid. I would stay there again for the price.

Moderate Resorts

Pool at Port Orleans

If the budget allows I do recommend a Moderate Resort. The three moderates are Caribbean Beach, Port Orleans or Coronado Springs. Moderate Resorts run $155-$230 depending on the season. Moderates are still basic hotel rooms, but have sit down restaurants, pools with waterslides, and are generally better themed and more extensively decorated and landscaped. Port Orleans is considered to be the nicest, and rooms in the Riverside section have trundle beds to sleep up to 5.

Deluxe Resorts

Lobby of Wilderness Lodge

Disney has a number of Deluxe Resorts. These resorts have elaborately decorated rooms, expansive pools with waterslides, several with zero entry pools, fine dining, room service, health clubs, valet parking and all the other usual hotel services. If the values and moderates are a Holiday Inn Express, the Deluxe Resorts are the Hiltons and Marriots. My personal favorite to date is Animal Kingdom Lodge, but all the Deluxe Resorts are fabulous. Prices range from $250 for a basic room up to $2,000+ for presidential suites and the like.

Savannah at Kidani Village

Disney Deluxe Villas- Disney Vacation Club

The villas are part of the Disney Vacation Club family, and are available to rent through Disney or members. They include Deluxe Studios with a kitchenette, 1br, 2br, and even 3br Grand Villas with full kitchens and separate bedrooms. These are great for larger families and groups. They can even be a good deal for a moderate budget family. I would however, never recommend renting them direct from Disney unless you get a very good promotional deal. It can save you quite a bit of money to rent Disney Vacation Club points from a member. I recommend Dave's Disney Vacation Club Point Rentals. I have used his service to rent my own points, and he is a reliable businessman, endorsed by the BBB. You can click on the link to his site on the left side of this blog. For more information on Deluxe Villas and renting points, see my page on “Travel for Larger Families and Groups”. All these resorts are beautiful as well. Old Key West is the best value, but I love Kidani Village at the Animal Kingdom Villas. Bay Lake Tower, or Wilderness Lodge Villas are great if you will be spending a lot of time at the Magic Kingdom, and the Beach Club is a good choice if you love Epcot. We have owned Disney Vacation Club since 2009, and we just love it!

Mary at Mousesavers.com does an excellent job giving very extensive information on the different resort costs, benefits and promotions. I love her site and use it frequently. Check it out!

Mousesavers.com

Understanding Disney Tickets

2011-07-01T13:20:00.004-04:00

Disney tickets can be very confusing, and are not as simple as a novice may think. Disney calls their ticket program “Magic Your Way”. I think a lot of people misunderstand the ticketing system, and either spend too much, or not enough. I will try to make it simple to understand and make the right decision for your family.

DizKrazKate's Tip in a Nutshell

Get a multiday pass, at least a 5 day, and take your time to enjoy the parks. You don't save much money by only getting a 3 or 4 day pass.

If you are on a budget, or this is your first, or will be your only trip to WDW, skip the Park Hopper and the Water Park Fun and More options.

A one day adult Disney Ticket for one park for one Day as of June of 2011 including tax is $90.53. A 6 day ticket is NOT 6 x $90.53. Many families will see the one day ticket price, and make the assumption that the above statement is true. Then they try to save money by deciding , “we’ll just get 3 day tickets, and skip a park or two to save money”. In fact, a 3 day Magic Your Way Base Ticket is actually $247.08, or only $82 a day. It gets better. A 6 day base ticket is, in comparison, is only $275.84. Yes, I use the word “only” rather generously. So the admission price difference per adult between 3 park days and 6 park days is only $29! You get more bang for your buck by staying longer, paying only $45.97 per day. This is how Disney gets it’s line “The more you play, the less you pay per day”.

The point I want you go get is that to get the most value for your vacation, stay longer, and take it easy. Trying to cram 4 parks into 3 days will not make for a fun vacation. It will make you exhausted, hot and crabby. If you have 5,6, or even 7 days to spend in the parks, you can take it easy, have time for a mid-day rest, or even do half days in the park with time for swimming and relaxation.

Now let’s talk about the Park Hopper option. Park hopper allows you to visit two or even more parks in a

single day. A Base Ticket allows you to only enter one park per day. You can come and go from that park as much as you need, but your ticket will not allow you to enter a different park. This is where the Park Hopper come in. I’ll admit I like the flexability of a Park Hopper. We usually have annual passes which allow for park hopping. If you have the money to spend on it, and want it, go for it! If however this is your first and maybe only trip to WDW, and/or you are really trying to go on a budget so your spouse doesn’t strangle The Mouse, the Park Hopper option, while nice, is not necessary. It adds $58.58 per person to the ticket. For a family that really adds up! Will it makes some things easier? Sure. Can you still have a magical Disney vacation without it? Absolutely!

What about “Water Park, Fun and More” option? This also adds a flat rate of $58.58 to each ticket. I’ll admit we have never purchased this option. My kids at ages 8, 6, and 4, are small enough that I have not felt ready to take them to one of the water parks or to DisneyQuest. The pools at Disney are great, and the Moderate category and up all have waterslides of their own, so you can still have awesome pool time without the water parks. If you are on a tight budget, skip it.

If your kids are older though and/or going to one of the water parks is a must, this may be a good option. If you are just going to 1 water park on 1 day, skip this and buy that ticket separately. If you will be making at least 2 trips to the water parks, Disney Quest or golf at Oak Trail, or are staying in the area for more than a week, this may be a good deal for you. The Water Park Fun and More option will add one day of extra fun for EACH day of ticket you purchase. So if you purchase a 6 day Magic Your Way Ticket, with Water Park Fun and More Option, you get 6 park admissions AND 6 water park/Disney Quest/Oak Trail Golf Course admissions to be used with-in 14 days. If you are taking a 10 day trip, this would get you six days in the parks and the other four could be used to do other activities. This is a good deal for the right family.