Disney’s Next Generation Theme Park Experience

Planning Your Vacation For Success Part 5

 

Now, it could be that by the time you read this, Disney will have changed all the rules, but I want to give you our experience with this new Disney program to enhance your Disney World vacation. Called “My Magic +,” the program is designed to help you get the most out of your vacation dollars. Does it accomplish that task? Well, I’ll let you know when our next vacation is over. Here’s what I can tell you though. If you’ve ever gone to Disney World in the past you’ll find that much of what you’ve come to expect is very different. I’ll contrast the way things used to be done with the way that they are now.

1. Making your reservation.

You’ll find this hasn’t changed much. Whether you use a travel agent or book on your own, the process is the same. Booking on your own allows you direct control over your reservation, whereas booking with a travel agent may give you perks you can’t get anywhere else. The Disney World website has been updated for the new program and I’ve found it to be somewhat buggy. It tends to work better with Google Chrome rather than Microsoft Internet Explorer. Until they fix this you’ll want to make sure you have Chrome loaded onto your computer. New to the Website is a feature called “My Disney Experience.” It is through this tab that you make all of your plans and reservations for your trip. Make sure you build a profile for yourself and log in for this feature to really help you.

2. Key to the World Card versus Magic Bands.

Previously upon checking into your resort at Disney World each member of your group would be given a “Key to the World Card” (KTTW) which would serve as your room key, admission media , track meal plan purchases and allow charging privileges. This has been replaced with the Magic Bands. Like the KTTW the Magic band covers all of the above. It is worn on the wrist and can be customized with name and color as well as numerous other modifications that can be purchased in the parks. But the Magic bands go a step further. They also track your Fast Passes (more on this later) The Magic Band is a RFID tag that will allow the guests to interact with the parks in ways that never could be experienced with the KTTW card. Future uses for this technology include use as an interactive game piece, PhotoPass identifier, Magical express voucher and an activator for special effects on rides or in the resorts. At some point between 70 and 90 days prior to your trip you will be able to customize your Magic Bands by logging into the Disney World website and clicking on “My Disney Experience.” (MDE) then selecting “Personalize Magic Bands.” At that point you’ll be able to select which color you want your magic band to be and what name you want placed on it. You can put your name or nickname on the bands.

3. Fastpass vs. Fastpass +

The Fastpasses are changing. With next generation you will be allowed to log in to the Disney World website 60 days before your trip and select the rides that are MUST DO’s for your family. These pre-arranged Fastpasses are called Fastpass + (FP+). This particular plan of Disney’s is probably the most radical of the new program and the most controversial. You will be allowed only 3 FP+’s and you will need to make sure that you are online at 60 days to select for the best times. Disney is also now limiting the FP+’s that you can book. In certain parks where there are not many “E-Ticket” rides Disney will allow you two of these high end FP+’s but not three. That third one will have to be one of the lesser rides. Rumor’s flurry about Disney’s ultimate plan for this perk but as of right now this is what they have offered. Here’s my take on it. On the legacy (traditional) FP’s, one would have to be quick to get one for certain rides because Disney would run out of FP’s, especially during the busy seasons. FP+ allows you to ensure the ride you want to go on, without the enormous wait time attached to it, and you can have this assurance before you even leave your home. I think this is great. But, here’s where it can hurt Disney. Experienced Disney park goers know to be on their computers at certain intervals to make sure they have first pick of popular experiences. The average park-goer does not. I’ve experienced many people with Disney Dining Plans turned away at many restaurants because they failed to make reservations. I foresee this being a problem for the FP+. Sure you’ll be able to pre-arrange your FP’s but you’ll need to be on-time to do it or you’ll be disappointed. This program engenders a degree of planning that I do not believe the average person is not interested in and simply does not understand. However, that’s why you’re reading this article, isn’t it? To have a leg up on the competition.

4. Disney Dining.

Here’s where there is little change to your park experience. You can still make your reservations 180 days in advance. (190 if you are staying on Disney property) But now your reservations are tracked with the MDE site. This helps in planning your days and FP+. You will have all of your plans in one easy to find place. Adding to this convenience is a new program of FP+’s for certain dining experiences. Currently these dinning experiences are not counted as rides on your FP+ so you will still get your 3 ride FP+’s and for now you can set up a FP+ for dining at the “Be Our Guest” restaurant during lunch. So, rather than waiting in that long line to eat at the popular counter-service restaurant you can make a reservation by going to: https://beourguestlunch.disney.go.com

The window for this opens up sometime after your 60 day window so you’ll want to check daily for the best times. Once you are able to log in, you’ll be able to pre-schedule a lunch and miss the line. I’m hoping that they’ll roll this experience out to other eateries as well. You will be able to either pre-select a time or pre-select a time and pre-order your meals. You can even tell them to hold the mayo on that sandwich as well. Very cool. Here’s a tip for you. The site requires a reservation number to get into it. However, it doesn’t take the resort reservation number you were given when booking your vacation. Instead, It wants your Magic Band number. You’ll get that number when you customize your Magic Bands, so make sure you make note of it.

The My Disney Experience App.

Now, what good would all of this preparation and planning do you if you’re computer is at home and you’re in Disney World? What if, you decided at the last minute you need to change your plans and want to switch around your FP+? Or, you forgot your reservation time? Well, Disney thought of that. Now, you can download their app onto your smartphone and track all of your reservations and even make changes to them on the fly if need be. Remember, that article I wrote earlier in the year about technology and travelling? Here’s where it pays off.

Overall, I have been happy with this process so far. It has been buggy and signing up for those FP+’s could be a lot more streamlined but overall, I got what I wanted for the times that I wanted and in just a few days our Magic Bands will be mailed out to us, so I’ll have them to place under the Christmas tree for a surprise. I guess my next article will be about our experience in Disney World during the Most Busy Time of the Year!

10 Things To Know For A Better First Visit To CarsLand

We couldn't wait for our first trip to see the new CarsLand in Disney California Adventure.  Even though we had traveled all day and were wiped out the first thing we did after check-in was head straight for the park to check it out.  Our first impression left us feeling like we had walked right into the movie. Once there we excitedly went directly to the Radiator Springs Racers ride and found that the line was 3 hours long for standby, and the fast passes were all gone for the day. So, we bit the bullet and got in line.  We waited and, waited and, waited.  In order to pass the time we played word games and checked out the new decor in the queue line which isn't all that exciting. We also said that the next day we would have a better plan for getting on this ride. Here are the things you need to know to make sure you don't have to wait in the standby line if you don't want to.

1. Radiator Springs Racers: This ride is awesome and, anyone over 40 inches can ride. There are a couple of options if you don't want to wait in the standby line. The easiest option is to wait in the Single Rider line. This line is generally about the same wait time as the Fast Pass line. The ride sits 3 passengers to the front seat and 3 passengers in the backseat. This leaves a lot of open seats for them to fill with single riders.  My kids were 8 & 11 at the time, plenty old enough for them to sit by themselves and enjoy the ride. You still wait together as a party in the line and only get separated at the platform. In many cases you may even end up in the same vehicle. We did this option several times and think it is the best way to ride with out a Fast Pass. Your next option is the Fast Pass. These require some real planning to get because they run out of them quickly. To ensure that you get a Fast Pass it is best to get to the park when it opens so that you can go directly to the Fast Pass line. If you were fortunate enough to get an Extra Magic Hour in California Adventure with your hotel package this would be a great way to get to the very front of line.  I’ve written more about the benefits of booking a package with Extra Magic hours in my article on Choosing The Right Place to Stay in Disneyland Resort. The Fast Passes are distributed at the front of Bugsland and the line will wrap back to the front and down Buena Vista Street. Don't be intimidated by the length of the line, as long as you are there by the opening of the park you will get a Fast Pass. Only one person has to wait in the line to get the passes but, in order to get a Fast Pass for every person in your party they must be inside the park.  Here’s more information on How to Avoid Long Lines in Disneyland Resort

2. Luigi's Flying Tires: As you enter Casa Della Tires you see the display of European tires and hear the voice of Luigi in the background. The ride is surprisingly enjoyable as you use your body by leaning and shifting your weight to direct the tire. Watch out for others as you bump and and get bumped on the Air pressured platform. Disney fans may recognize this attraction as a remake of the old Flying Saucer Ride from the early sixties.

3. Mater's Junk Yard Jamboree: This is along the lines of a tilt a whirl or tea cup ride so avoid this if you don't particularly care for those type of rides.  If you are familiar with any of Mater's Tall Tales episodes you may spot some items in the queue line from these stories. A bit of trivia is that Larry The Cable Guy recorded the original sets of music for the ride along with the background musicians Billy Hill and The Hillbillies from Disneyland's Frontierland fame. Listen for the blooper reel that was created from outtakes during the recording session.

4. Sally's Cozy Cone: Sally has transformed her iconic motel into a snack shack for the new CarsLand. You can get treats like Pop - Cone, Ice Cream Cone, Chili-Cone-Queso. It is also the spot where you can meet your favorite Cars Characters such as Lightning McQueen, Tow Mater, and Sally.
 


5. Receive a free Cars pin: At Ramone's House Of Body Art (the souvenir shop) you can receive a free Cars pin by answering a trivia question about the Cars Pixar Movies. Just approach a Cast Member and ask about the pin, they will gladly give you a question to answer.
 

6. Check out the Neon: One of the special Disney touches is when dusk rolls around and the neon lights begin to light up. Station yourself along Route 66 and watch them come on one by one with the background music "Life Could Be A Dream" from the scene in Cars where they cruise the newly paved strip with the neon lit up. Only Disney can integrate a movie/theme park experience so well.

8. Flo's V8 Cafe: Our family enjoyed this restaurant for breakfast one morning. They served a classic diner inspired breakfast with eggs, bacon, and potatoes. Although it is a quick service establishment it does serve meals with dishes and silverware giving it a much nicer feel. There is seating both inside and out and has some of the best viewing of Radiator Springs Racers while you dine. On the inside you will find the walls decorated with memorabilia of Floe's life as a singer back in the day.
 

7. Read the road signs in front of the Radiator Springs Race Track: The signs are styled after the old Burma Shaving Cream adds from the fifties and have a message to read both coming and going from the area. This part of the park is generally less crowded too, which makes it a nice break from the crowds.

9. Fillmore's Taste -in: This snack vender sells items to keep you refueled. From chips and soda to fresh fruit and water. We also found it quite fun to walk around Fillmore's psychedelic dome and let the kids pose for pictures with the different hippie background decor.

10. Shortcuts in and out of the area: Finally, as much traffic as this land gets you're gonna want to know how to get around more easily. There are two back entrances into the CarsLand area. One connects you with Bugsland and then Buena Vista Street through a shortcut located by Hollywood Tower Hotel. This is the quickest way get to CarsLand from the park's entrance. The other shortcut connects you to the food court in the Pacific Warf area by way of the path that travels past the front of the Radiator Springs race track. This is generally a less crowded path and much easier to navigate.  As you travel through these areas to get in out of CarsLand make sure you try some of our Top Disney Treats. Such as the Ghirardelli Soda Fountain and Trolley Treats on Buena Vista Street.  If your lucky enough to go during the Christmas Season check our Top 5 Things To Experience At Disneyland During The Christmas Season.  Have a wonderful first visit to CarsLand.

Planning Your Vacation For Success Part 4

Here’s what we have so far.

Planning for my December vacation is about to enter its final stages. So I want to start bringing together all of the tips that I’ve used so far.

1. Part One (The Rationale). This article highlighted the importance of planning ahead. Maximizing your vacation dollar means that you need a plan.

2. Part Two (Planning and Budgeting). Continues the Rational with my sketched out plan for the trip with break downs on pricing. Knowing what to expect cost-wise is the first step toward budgeting for it.

3. Part Three (Planning Helpers). In this article I went over a lot of the tools and apps that I use when planning a vacation. I introduced Tripit. And in this article I’ll highlight the importance of this valuable tool.

There seems to be people of two minds on air travel. One group that likes to book early and lock in a fair price and another which likes to wait until later when the discount airlines begin to publish their rates to see if a fare war will launch. Believe it or not, a new study suggests that the cheapest tickets can be had about six weeks before your trip. But before you get on your Indiana Jones hat for that adventure remember that snagging that deal may not only be elusive but, darn right difficult to obtain. If your travel plans are during a peak season you need to remember that you’ll be in competition with all of America for those cheap fares. Plus, you’ll need to be ever vigilant about checking the airfares daily or even hourly to see if they are fluctuating. And, when all is said and done you may not have been able to snag a great deal and now you are forced to either cancel your trip or pay peak airfare prices. For my Christmas Vacation, I decided not to risk it and purchased the tickets early for what I believe is a fair price for that time of year. I had not set any plans into stone until I had gotten our transportation hammered out. So, once United had sent me my confirmation email, I quickly forwarded it on to plans@tripit.com and started building my itinerary.

One of the benefits to using Tripit is that you can see your vacation in a timeline sort of fashion. This allows you to see any gaps in planning that you may have or, plans that you have forgotten to make. Now that I have airfare, I forwarded on my reservation for Disney World to tripit as well.

Pre-flight hotel. I live between 2 and 3 hours (depending on traffic) away from any major airport. And since I’m planning on flying cross-country, I can expect the first and last days of my vacation to be nothing but travel. I rarely land across the continent with time to spare for touring. Usually just in time for bed. So I factor in these travel days with my planning. But one thing I have grown to hate is the early morning drive to the airport. If I’m catching a flight at 6 am and the airport wants me there early (1-2 hours) then that means that I need to leave my house between 2 and 3 am to make my flight. Add to that the entire day of travelling and you have one miserable day! That is why I’ve come to love the Park, Sleep, Fly deals that hotels offer. A refreshing night’s sleep prior to the flight coupled with the short drive (via shuttle) to the airport and factoring in that it usually only costs me slightly more than airport parking for the duration of my trip have taught me that saving money isn’t everything. So, I’ve made my reservation for that as well and forwarded it on to tripit.

Now, here’s what it all looks like according to Tripit.

Wed, Dec 25

0800 Park-Sleep-Fly Arrive

La Quinta Inn- San Francisco

0810 Map of La Quinta Inn- San Francisco

Conf #########

Yes, the app includes maps so that you know where to go. Nifty!

Thu, Dec 26

0600 Park-Sleep-Fly Depart

0600 San Francisco (SFO) to Chicago (ORD) Flight ####

1210 Arrive Chicago (ORD)

The app then lists the confirmation number and details of the flight along with all the ticketed passengers.

1600 Chicago (ORD) to Orlando (MCO) Flight ####

1943 Arrive Orlando (MCO)

Conf #######

2143 Disney’s Port Orleans Riverside Lodging – Arrive

Conf ######, Room details and booking info.

Then Tripit gives me a breakdown for the average temps and weather for that time of year.

Thu, Jan 2

1101 Port Orleans Riverside- Depart

1422 Orlando (MCO) to Chicago (ORD) Flight ####

1619 Arrive Chicago (ORD)

1830 Chicago (ORD) to San Francisco (SFO) Flight ####

2101 Arrive San Francisco (SFO)

So, what’s next? Here’s where the fun part comes in. Laura and I have already been discussing the Parks to visit and when as well as the restaurants that we want to eat in. And since Disney allows us to make the reservations up to 180 days in advance, our window will open up early next month. So hammering down these details will become very important very soon.

Disney Theme Parks With The 2 & Under Set

My husband and I have always taken our children to Disney when they were just infants. We do realize that in some ways the trip is more for us than them. We love going to Disney anyway and at this stage they are FREE so why wouldn't we take them. They are probably not going to remember it but as parents we have always been too excited to see their reactions and let them have these experiences we couldn't wait. Another great thing about taking them when they were this age is we were able to go midweek when the park was less packed because we didn't have to work around school schedules. And yes, there are many things for them to see, do, and ride even as a toddler and infant. The first time we took our infant son to Disneyland we realized that having an infant in the park certainly changes your experience. It slows it way down for starters. Instead of rushing from one line to the next hoping to beat the crowds we now found ourselves meandering much more. Actually, a trip to Disney became far more relaxing than it was previously.   The first thing we did learn was how important it was to have a comfortable stroller. Our first trip we tried renting the stroller from the park. We had a free rental coupon and thought how nice to not have to hassle with packing and unpacking the stroller. For an older child the park stroller is fine they simply need a place where they can sit and rest their legs when they get tired but, for infants and toddlers the stroller is their place and it needs to be comfortable. The back needs to be able to lay down for emergency naps and it should be able to hold all of the supplies you need to carry, like your diaper bag. The Disney rental stroller was neither of those. You can read here about other stroller options.

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Here's an interesting fact: in Disneyland Park there are 55 attractions listed and 40 of those attractions are for any height and appropriate for toddlers and infants. And, in Disney California Adventure there are 36 attractions and 28 of those are for any height and appropriate for toddlers and infants. Basically, there are far more things they can do than can't. Some of our toddlers favorites were: In Disneyland Park: · Casey Jr. Circus Train: What beautiful scenery as you wind through the miniature storybook land. · It's A Small World: We loved watching our children’s eyes light up when they took in all of the amazing dolls and music. · Whinnie The Pooh: A great quick ride with hardly ever a line make sure you don’t pass this one up. · Pirates Of The Caribbean: This ride still lets you hold your infant in your lap.  · Haunted Mansion Holiday: Normally this ride might be to frightening for young ones but the during the Holidays they tone it down quite a bit and have more fun with it. Fun places for them to get out of the stroller to stretch their feet were Tom Sawyer's Island, Innoventions, Big Thunder Ranch, Tarzan's Tree House (ground level), and many places in Toon Town.
                   Toon Town                                   Tarzan’s Treehouse

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In Disney California Adventure:
· Disney Junior Live On Stage: This was a highly interactive stage show with the kids favorite Disney show characters. · Heimlich's Chew Chew Train: The kids would always look forward to sniffing the air as we went by the giant cupcake where they pipe a sweet smell out into the ride. · King Triton's Carousel: Strategically placed at the exit of California Screaming DCA’s hit roller coaster ride. · Monster's Inc.: “I’m watching you” This great ride ends with a interactive Rozz making conversation with the riders.  Fun places to let them get out and stretch their feet were the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail, and the Princess Dot Puddle Park (just bring an extra change of clothes), and Dancing with Disney where you can get out on the dance floor with some of their favorite characters.
 
     Princess Dot Puddle Park                Disney Jr. Live on Stage   

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For the rides that they couldn't go on my husband and I used the switch pass. You can get a switch pass for any ride that your child with you is to short to go on. Just ask the cast member at the entrance to the ride. This allows for one of you to stand in line while the other stays with the child then when they come off the ride you are able to take your switch pass and go through the fast pass line to take your turn. We quickly learned that we could use this to our advantage and get extra fast passes. Normally you can only have one fast pass at a time but, by taking advantage of the switch pass then I could have a fast pass with my ticket and my husband could have one with his ticket. We found the best time to take advantage of this was when our infant child was sleeping in his stroller. When we were in WDW we found that they have many play areas for toddlers. Most of these were strategically placed at the exit of major rides where they could stretch their legs and play and while we waited for the others to come off of the rides. 
               Play Area in Epcot
My husband and I always looked for the quiet corners that weren't very busy. We found a perfect place in Epcot one year with water fountains that spurted at different intervals. Steve and I were happy to be off of our feet and away from the crowds, and the kids enjoyed playing with the water fountains. We stayed in that spot just relaxing for at least an hour. Another place we really enjoyed was Hollywood Studios Back Lot where we just strolled through the sets, posed for pictures, and just relaxed a bit while the kids enjoyed pretending they were in the movies.
           Fountains in Epcot                                     Hollywood Studio’s Back lot On our first trip to WDW when my daughter was just 20 months and my son was 4 years old my husband did a great job with prearranging all of our dinning plans and making sure that we had reservations. This kept us from having to wait to be seated or having to stand in long lines to get our meals. It was very nice to be able to have this already decided too. During peak seasons it can be very hard to get into certain restaurants. Even in a place as busy as Disney we discovered there are some quiet places that we could go find to help our child to take a needed nap if we were not able to go back to the hotel. Some of these were: · Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln as a mom it has moved to the top of my list. It is dark and quiet and about 20 minutes long. I could almost always guarantee my tired toddler would be asleep at the end of this attraction and I could easily lay him in the stroller and cover it with his blanket to keep the sun off of him and the noise level down so he could sleep. · Main Street Cinema was another good place to hold and rock my child to sleep. · The Train ride around the park with it’s gentle rocking motion could also bring on a nap at times. · The Tiki Room is nice and dark and peaceful.  At least you could sit for about 15 minutes and even enjoy a Dole Whip frozen dessert.  · Disney’s Art of  Animation in DCA is a very peaceful and quiet place where you can sometimes score a seat and rock your child to sleep. · If all these failed we would just walk and push the stroller until he fell asleep.  Nap time was always something we looked forward too. With the two and under set there will inevitably be a melt down at some point. When my daughter was 20 months we took her to WDW and on our last day there we had scheduled a dinner in Cinderella's castle, it was at that moment that she finally decided to have her meltdown.  After nine long days of nothing but Disney parks and stroller rides she was not going to tolerate sitting in a high chair for dinner. She and I quickly exited the dinning room leaving my husband and 4 year old son. We went back to the hotel and spent the evening just the two us in the quiet room eating and going to sleep early. It was just what she needed. When the meltdown happens we have learned to just roll with it and don't fight it. Be flexible and take them out of the situation where everyone will be happier. We also had to do this on our first Mickey's Not  So Scary Halloween Party when she got tired and cranky at 8:30. It was a disappointment to me to leave early but we enjoyed our night together in the hotel room eating snacks and watching a movie before falling asleep. Be sure to have a way where you can split up if necessary and get back to the room. This is a great case for staying on Disney property. If there is no shuttle and you're all in one vehicle this puts a big kink in the splitting up option. One of the best hidden secrets at Disney parks is the Baby Center.  It is a quiet place to change a diaper or an outfit. They have rocking chairs, and a nursing area. They even are well outfitted with emergency supplies or things you may have forgot to pack. I ran in there one time when I forgot to pack baby food for my six month old. Another thing that our family would do is plan our days in the park where on some we would be there early when it opened and then leave early for a good nights sleep.  Then on days we would go in later and stay late. This was nice to do and kept us from feeling like we had to cram so much into one day. Mouse Planet has a great column on Parenting In The Parks that will also provide you with some great tips. All in all we wouldn’t change a thing about how and when we took our children to Disney.  We have created some wonderful family memories along the way and have some great stories to tell our children about as they grow up. We always took a traditional picture in the ride vehicle outside of Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride.

Save 5% On Your Next Disney Vacation

It’s a great feeling knowing your saving money on a family vacation especially in a theme park where everything seems to cost more than you can imagine.
We’ve discovered a simple little way that we can save 5% on our Disney Vacations by combining two of our favorite things our Target Red Card along with Disney Gift Cards.    Disney will let you pay off your booked vacation using Disney Gift Cards and when you buy these at Target you save 5% when you use your Target Red Card.  Once you have your vacation paid for you can also purchase them to use for food in the park, souvenirs, and Photopass purchases. 
Here are few details you need to know:

• Hold onto your cards until after your vacation until you may need to have a refund
• Also hold onto your receipt until after you use them incase one of them is not activated
• Highly recommend the debt card as opposed to the credit card since carrying a balance will virtually eliminate your 5% savings
• For redeeming them towards a cruise you simply give these to your travel agent
• When booking yourself you can redeeming them online at the Disney website.
• Tips for using them on the cruise:
  • If you want to use the gift cards to pay off excursions make sure you apply them to your account the first day so that your excursions don’t go directly to the credit card. 
  • Only give them as many gift cards as you think you will use because getting a credit returned to you at the end of the cruise is more difficult.

So now you can be even happier when visiting the happiest place on earth.

Photo Friday–Disneyland Astro Orbitor

Steve and Stuart in 2003.  Wish we could have some of that time back again.

Planning Your Vacation for Success Part 2

Planning and Budgeting. Let’s say I was planning on a Christmas vacation to Disney World (WDW). I would already have my where and when mapped out. Since this is a vacation over a peak season, I know that I’ll be paying peak prices. I’ll need to cut corners somewhere but I also need to have a realistic budget. Normally, I like to stay a Port Orleans: Riverside but since I need to save some money; I’ll opt for a value resort. I’m in luck; Disney just opened a new resort named Art of Animation. This will be a fun place to stay. So now I go to the Disney World website and use their tools to estimate my costs. (www.disneyworld.com) Then enter the dates that you’ll be staying and the number of family members and ages of children into the places provided. Then select the resort that you are planning on. Let’s go back to our fable about Max. He went to his travel agent and just bought what was offered to him. But there is considerable customization that goes on that influences the price that you pay. Max bought all seven days worth of tickets even though he’ll be travelling on two of those days. I won’t make that mistake so on the next page I’ll select the radio button that is next to 5 days. For my dates that saves me nearly $200. Next Max also bought both the Park Hopper and Water Park options. If you are going to the parks during the summer and think that you’ll spend more than two afternoons at the waterparks then this option may be for you. But I have to say, the Park Hopper option at WDW is really not a good deal unless you really think that you’ll use it. The parks at WDW are spread far apart and take quite a while to “hop” from one to the other requires a lot of time that is best spent exploring the park you’re in. As a result I’ll be making my tickets with “No Options.” Now I find my reservation will cost me a little over $2600 and that is a realistic number to “start” with. If you go to the next page you’ll find that you can add air and meals to your reservation. Never book air through Disney. It’s marked up and you’ll have no control over your reservation. We’ll go over air later, but now, what about the Dining Plans. These are a matter of personal preference. If you are lucky enough to be going during the times that they are offering “Free Dining” then by all means take it! It will save you LOADS of money. If you are paying for it ignore the savings that Disney promises. The dining plan, at best, is a break even proposition. Here are the options:
 

“I’m happy as long as there are cupcakes with every meal.”

There is Quick Service dining which is 2 quick service meals,(QS) 1 snack per person per night and 1 refillable mug per person. Each meal consists of a drink, a meal and a desert. If you are like most families and do not always get a desert with a meal, you’ll find these meals to really be a lot of food for each sitting. Besides you may have already noticed that there are only two meals per day and we usually eat three which means that I’ll be out of pocket for one of those meals. The snack is one item only. A Soda, an Ice Cream, a Churro or Popcorn. Our family have always pooled our snacks. Popcorn and fruit which can be shared and a soda which can be shared. This will add $900 onto my stay. The Disney Dining Plan includes one Table service (TS, sit down and be waited upon) one QS meal, one snack per person per night and 1 refillable drink per person. Most of the rules are as above except the table service. You’ll get your drink, meal and desert as with the quick service, but you will have to out of pocket the servers tip. Also remember, you’ll need to make reservations to the better dining establishments. Particularly during free dining. The restaurants will be very busy and the waits LONG! Table service credits can be pooled together to qualify you for signature dining events like the Hoop-dee-doo or Princess dining in Cinderella’s castle. Selecting this one will set me back about $1300. Plus I’ll still be out of pocket for breakfasts. Disney Deluxe Dining Plan. Finally three meals a day. You choose. TS or QS. 2 snacks per person per night and 1 drink mug per person. This is the really “no more money out of pocket” option. But it’s a lot of food and a lot of money. This option will add over $2300 to my reservation. Finally, The Disney Premium plan which gives you all of the above but adds loads of recreational activities. You will have unlimited use of the WDW recreational activities such as golfing, fishing, watercraft rentals and carriage rentals just to name a few. One admission per person for Cirque Du Soleil: La Nouba, preferred section for fireworks viewing, theme park tours and children's activity centers. This adds a whopping $5000 to my bottom line!  

“Oh how do I choose between all of these options"?”

Now, since I am going during peak season, I’m trying to cut corners so I’ll probably limit myself to just one or two table service meals and mostly Quick Service. Question is… Is it worth it to me to get the Quick service dining package? Well, let’s look at the breakdown. Breakfast: At the Resort: American Breakfast platter (scrambled eggs, breakfast potatoes, turkey bacon, chicken sausage and biscuit $6.79) Drink Refillable mug Lunch: At Magic Kingdom Be our Guest Restaurant: Turkey Sandwich and Drink $12 Dinner: At Magic kingdom: Liberty Tavern, Cheese burger and Fries with a drink $17 If this is what I can expect to pay everyday plus or minus some then I can expect to spend about $36 per person per day for a total of $864 plus the refillable mug cost of $15 for a total of $880. Now let’s plan on snacks. Drinks cost about $3 and assorted items like popcorn, ice cream, chips etc. can cost between $3 and $5. Lets average it at $4 so two “snack items per person per day” adds $168 to my costs for a total of $1048. Now, I thought that I might make two table service meals during the course of my stay. So I’ll subtract two days worth of $17 dinners per person. So now I’m in the neighborhood of $900. Add a dinner for 4 in Epcot for $150 and another in Hollywood Studios for 4 for another $150. (including tips) So we have a total food bill at $1200. Now before you start in on me with the “well, that’s comparable to the Disney Dining Plan. Remember that I have factored 3 meals and two snack items per day. This is more comparable to the Deluxe Dining Plan except that I have fewer table service meals and an extra $1100 in my pocket. Had I simply gone with the Quick service Dining plan I’d need to add $3 per person per day to make up for the lost snack and 4 breakfasts plus the two table service. The final total on that would be about $1140 See, about break even. The only difference is that Dessert per meal. If I take advantage of that the Quick service Dining plan saves me money. Now It can be argued that one could save the desserts and use them as snacks. Then use the snack credit as a drink. Now your cost drops to $1060 and you are seeing a slight savings with the Disney Dining plan. ($140. About $6 per person per day) Now, because I want the freedom to snack on whatever I want when I want plus I don’t want to lug around the snacks until I’m ready to eat them, I’ll go it without the dining plan. Flights: Here’s where I’m gonna pay! Travelling during peak seasons means that you’ll be paying peak prices. Again, I opted not to make Max’s mistake of letting Disney book my air for me. When I checked their website, Disney added $2709 onto my bill for the airfare. That’s about $677 per person. By doing my own checking about I was able to find my air for about $520 per person including all the taxes. And remember, I’ve got to pay for the luggage with Disney increasing my costs by another $200. On my own I was able to use my United Credit Card to gain me free luggage and increasing my savings. Here’s my tip o’ the day. Use www.google.com/flights to search. I was able to see fares that I could find no where else. While spending $2075 on airfare when I’m used to spending $1400 was a bitter pill, it was much better than $2900! So as of now my budget for this trip is as follows: $2600 (Lodging and Park Tickets) $1200 (Food) $2075 (Flights) $5875 Subtotal Now compare that to Disney’s final quote of $6434 (including $200 for luggage not included in the quote) Saving me $560. Incidentals to plan for: Park Sleep Fly Hotel. You’re best bet is to find hotel near your airport that does park, sleep fly. This will combine you parking fee with a night at a hotel prior to your flight for a savings. Usually, you can count on saving at least the cost of parking your car. I usually pay about $150 for a restful nights sleep before the flight and 7 days of parking. The hotel will provide you with a shuttle to the airport so you can just relax.

“Now you’ve got me thoroughly confused”

Transportation dining: Eating at airports is not cheap. Add this expense to your budget. Off-budget expenses are the things high credit card bills are made of. Count on about $100 per day of travel for a family of four. Souvenirs: You can go crazy with this one. Remember, the cost of the Souvenir is only one part of the cost. If you buy too much you’ll need to ship that stuff home too. At the cost of another piece of luggage and paying the airline $35 to carry it home. Disney will ship items home to you but if you have young children you’ll have to hear the constant cry of “When is it coming!” I limit my kids to one souvenir per vacation. Plus small nothings you can expect to spend about $100 per person. (of course those toys that you buy yourself may be more but try to be realistic with the amount) Current budget: $5875 from previous $ 150 Park sleep fly $200 travel food $400 souvenirs $60 misc. Tips Trip budget = $6700 If you notice, my out of pocket expenses are probably not too far from the Disney’s quote (or even Max’s final tab) but it incorporates so much more which will definitely add to our enjoyment. As my planning progresses, I’ll add my experiences in future posts.

“We did it! We planned the perfect vacation.”

Planning Your Vacation For Success Part 1

Planning Your Vacation For Success Part 3

Planning your Vacation For Success Part 4

Planning Your Vacation for Success.

Part 1. The Rationale Here’s a little fable about a guy who did not plan much for his vacation. Max made his vacation plans in the happy-go-lucky way that most of us do. He first went to a travel agent and asked for a Disneyworld vacation. The agent showed him all of the options to his selected trip and how Disney makes this vacation easy and “all-inclusive.” After reeling from the sticker shock Max booked his vacation and $6200 dollars later walked out of the travel agent thinking that all his travel and vacation worries were over. Here’s what he bought with his $6200. 1. Air Travel to and from Orlando from San Francisco. 2. Bus travel to and from the airport and Walt Disney World (WDW) 3. Hotel reservations at a moderate resort for 6 nights. 4. 7 days of park tickets. (park hoppers with waterpark options) 5. Standard Disney Dining plan (one table service, one counter service, one snack per person per day and one refillable drink mug per person.) So now he believes he has it all together. All he needs to do now is wait for his date and go on vacation. Disney will do the rest. Well, let me tell you about how Max fared on his worry-free vacation. Max figured that he was pretty much done with vacation planning so when his vacation date came he was packed and ready to go. But as the date neared he realized that his flight was for 6:00 a.m. and he lived 90 miles from the airport. That meant that he would have to wake his family up by 3:00 a.m. to make that flight. The solution: Rent a hotel room near the airport. Off budget cost: $150. Now he parks his car at the airport. That adds $10 per day. The luggage fees at the airport were a shock to Max’s system as well. Since they brought a meager 4 pieces of luggage the transportation costs of them added $200 to Max’s credit cards. Another added expense that Max didn’t count on was food for travelling. He realizes that he’ll spend about $100 in food during their travel days for his family of four. Now, touchdown time in Orlando is nearly 7:00 p.m. and by the time Max and his family arrives at their resort it’s well after 8:00 p.m. and everyone is so tired from their exertions that they do not wish to go to the Amusement parks so late. Max realizes that he not only wasted one day of admissions but it occurs to him that he purchased tickets for their departure day as well. Since departure is at 11:00 a.m. they’ll not be able to use those tickets either. So 2 days of amusement park tickets for 4 people go to waste. The good news, Max finally got a chance to read about his Dining plan. Initially, Max panicked as he thought that he had again bought too many days (he couldn’t of course use the dining plan credits on his travel days) Now he realizes that he has 7 table service credits, 7 counter service credits and 7 snacks per person. Since Max’s family, like most, eats three times a day those extra credits will come in handy. The way it works out, Max will only need to pay out of pocket two meals during their stay at the resort. That worked out to about $100 more dollars that he wasn’t planning to spend on food. The time in the parks were great though. However, weather was pretty hot and humid. Disney had thought of this and added plenty of indoor queues. But, the thing that bugged Max was that he didn’t know to make dining reservations ahead of time. When presenting at the entrances to the restaurants, he was frequently being told that there were no reservations available. Max and his family usually took their dining credits to those restaurants that had room. Unfortunately, those tended to be the establishments that were unpopular due to poor service or poor quality of food. Max began to feel ripped off by the dining plan. He also noticed that each meal included a desert. Like most people, Max and his family, really did not eat a desert at every meal. After a bit of addition he realized that the amount that he would have spent normally would have actually saved him money over the dining plan that was supposed to save him money. During the vacation, Max got into a conversation with another visitor. He learned of all kinds of other experiences that were at the Disney Park that he never had heard of. Luau’s, BBQ’s, Dinner theaters, and character breakfasts. Max was beside himself. How come no one told him of these things!

The same $6000 that he spent went so much farther for this fella who used his dining plan credits to an obvious advantage. Examining his expenses, Max realized that he spent over $600 more than he had budgeted but he had also overspent on park tickets and food. And in the end felt ripped off because his vacation was not really what he thought it would be. Now, I had called this a fable, but time and time again I hear of people’s experiences and they often come home with the same sad story. They overspent and under-enjoyed. I’ve found that there are some very non-vacation related steps that increase your enjoyment of a vacation immensely. Planning, is a step that we often take far too lightly. A day-trip to the mountains can be “winged” a multi-thousand dollar vacation should never be. Know, where you want to go, when you want to go there and what you want to do once there. Some vacations require a little framework while others, like our Disney World Vacation, require a great deal of scheduling to maximize enjoyment. Once you have an idea of what the vacation is all about, you need to build a realistic budget. I wrote Max’s story based upon our first WDW vacation. While that was a great vacation (mainly due to my research) I did crazy overspend on it. Since then I’ve learned what I should splurge on and what I really can do better for myself. But the main point about budgeting is that it is very difficult to enjoy a vacation while concurrently worrying about how you are going to pay for it. I pledged long ago that I would never go on another vacation that I hadn’t paid off before I walked out the door. That pledge has kept me going on great vacations without ending up in the poorhouse. Scheduling you vacation seems like you are taking your work with you. Truthfully, knowing how long you have on vacation and what you will realistically be able to accomplish within that timeframe will help you enjoy without feeling rushed or that you missed too much. It sets expectations right where they need to be. An added benefit of knowing in advance what you are going to do and scheduling it means that you will not be a victim of opportunists. People who are at the last minute looking for something to do will oftentimes overpay for what they find. If you plan ahead (an sometimes pre-pay) for adventures you will find that they are a lot cheaper than what is paid off-the-cuff. In this series I plan on taking you through the planning and execution of one of our typical vacations. I’ll share with you all the steps that I take and why they are important. And since I like to be honest, any pitfalls that I encounter.
      
Planning Your Vacation For Success Part 2

Planning Your Vacation For Success Part 3

Planning your Vacation For Success Part 4

LEGOLAND: Is It Worth The Trip?

Our recent trip to LEGOLAND was a somewhat new experience for us. After spending most of our vacation time in Disney related parks and venues for the last ten years this was definitely stepping away from our comfort zone. However, before the kids grew out of the LEGOLAND age range we decided to take the plunge. Besides the feeling of being a fish out of water in a radically different park there were several observations that I made that may help you decide if you want to head to this theme park.
First I want to start with what I liked about this park. While walking through the park, it was very apparent that they do spend time on many aspects of presentation. For the most part the trash was kept to a minimum, and the vegetation was lush, green and well cared for. But what really impressed me were the bathrooms. I frequently saw attendants in the restrooms cleaning efficiently. The bathroom fixtures were modern and in good repair. I will go on record as saying that their bathrooms beat Disney's in nearly every aspect. In fact, I have noticed a definite slide in the bathroom maintenance at Disney. This last trip I even saw not one, but two urinals covered in plastic trash bags. But, I digress this isn't a review of Disney. Overall theme is another strong suit for this park that I think that they do moderately well. There are plenty of very fun Lego creations that cover this park. All of them expertly done and impressive and if kept up they would be a reason alone to come to this park. Another strong point of this park is that they hit their target demographic dead-on. My kids absolutely went crazy over this park and they could see no wrong with it until I pointed something out.
The rides, while not very appealing to more sophisticated tastes, are precisely suited to the likes and tastes of the very young all the way up to the preteen. Which, brings me to the one thing that always accompanies rides: the queues. Again Lego understands its target audience and in most of the queues there were Lego play stations placed.

So, while the parents wait patiently for the front of the line, the kids are happily occupied building the creation of their dreams. With all the inspiration peppered about the park and all the play stations to whet their appetite, I have to give them major kudos for marketing. There are areas all over that you can buy Lego play sets. In addition they have presentations that are designed to interest your child in some of the more advanced Lego products. Of particular note is the Mindstorms activity.

Children can program their own Lego robots to perform surgery on a simulated patient. This activity was fun for parents and children alike and really showcased this premium product. Inexplicably, you could not buy this play set in the park so it seemed to us a very wasted opportunity to strike while the iron was hot. One of the biggest strengths of this park is it has a second park within it. For a slight up charge you have to opportunity to take advantage of the LEGOLAND Waterpark. There are waterslides, a lazy river and wading pools with play structures within. Plus a new addition called Pirates Reef that consisted of a log flume ride and water war zone. So during a hot summer afternoon in a theme park this is a welcome break to chill out. Genius! My last bit of kudos goes to price. Currently LEGOLAND has a promotion that gives you two days with a park hopper to the waterpark and cost about $275 for a family of four (2a2k). At Disneyland that'll barely cover two people for two days. Affordability means a lot in this economy and if you're looking for a deal, this is it.
Now before I get to what I didn't like about the park, I have to point out a few things that I just couldn't explain. I mentioned the waterpark before but there was one thing that I thought they really messed up on. There's a water splash zone located in the LEGOLAND park but inaccessible from the LEGOLAND water park. It was quite odd that we could not easily go from the waterpark to the splash zone even though they were directly adjacent to each other. So, when my kids wanted to play in the other area that they could easily see, we had to check out of the waterpark then walk around to the splash zone. Worse, was that the ink that they employ for re-entry into the waterpark was water-soluble and after just a bit of playing in the water the ink was gone and I feared that we may not be able to go back to the waterpark. Luckily we did not have to test that as the kids were through getting wet for the day. The other thing that I couldn't quite figure out was the character trading stations. This is obviously to compete with pin-trading in Disneyland but it seemed somewhat odd with plastic interchangeable Lego pieces. My last head scratcher was the parking. There was an up sell to the parking scheme. So you could park with all the commoners or pay a premium price and park in the preferred lot. Now, while that's mildly annoying the real rub was some sort of deal they have with Volvo. If you're driving a Volvo into the park you can park in the preferred lot for the commoner price. Inexplicable. And now for what is wrong with the park. I know that I have already commended them on cleanliness but there were a few glaring omissions on this front. First, while trash was cleaned up, it really appeared to me that they needed to spend some TLC on their pavers. Disney keeps theirs clean. I assume with regular steam-cleaning but the LEGOLAND pavers were dingy and stained with some areas showing a lot of gum build-up. Also, while they kept the trash up, they were not so conscientious about emptying the trash cans. I saw a number of them overflowing. The next deficiency I have to mention is also closely tied to one of my compliments. I mentioned about how much I enjoyed the Lego creations, but that said, they need to spend a lot more money maintaining these creations.
The hot southern California sun beats these sculptures up and for a park that hangs its hat on them, it seems unforgivable. The plastic was often broken, sun-bleached, water-stained, and in some cases peeling. The simple addition of overhead sunscreens would go a long way toward alleviating most of their problems. My next gripe is closely related to the previous one. Broken interactive displays. Fancy displays are nice but if you're not going to keep it up then it's worse than a cheaply made sign. My last criticism is posted wait times. They were never right! Here's an example, one ride that we wanted to go on posted a wait time of 60 minutes but the line appeared short, we passed thinking that maybe it was one of those trick lines that appears short until you round the corner and see a mile long line. The next morning we looked at the same ride and it boasted a 30 minute wait time with a much longer line showing. Again we passed because the line we could see appeared to be long enough to not want to mess with much. Later as were getting ready to leave the kids talked us into one more try at the ride. This time it showed 40 minutes and the line appeared the shorter than the 60 minute line. We got in and waited 60 minutes. It seemed completely arbitrary to me.
Now, for the part that I absolutely hated, up sales. Everywhere! It was tiresome. I can understand a small amount but LEGOLAND took it to extremes. Before we even got into the park we had been hit up for a premium parking space, a timeshare and photographs in front of and uninspired entrance. Once inside we were again hit up for photographs, only this time the photos were MUCH pushier. Traveling about the park we were treated to a nearly endless supply of carnival type games for a fee, or sales of cheap trinkets for anything but a cheap price. All that said I want to reiterate that my kids had a great time and would love for me to consent to return. So I can't diss this park too much. I do have to say that LEGOLAND is a park that tries hard and succeeds mostly with its target demographic. If you and your family can overlook its flaws then the bargain basement price guarantees a good time.
Steve