Should You Buy The Dining Plan or Not?

Planning Your Vacation For Success Part 6

This is a question that I have been asking myself for quite some time. On our first trip to WDW we did buy the plan. I kept scrupulous records of what we bought with the plan and compared it to what we paid. And do you know what? I made out like a bandit. The Dining plan saved me a gob of money. Happy to have the savings on a very expensive trip, I could not wait to use the plan again and this time with much more experience. The next year they modified the plan by increasing the cost and dropping tips from it (The plan had included tips for table service). The next year they dropped the appetizers from the plan and suddenly the above question became much more relevant. Of course that year we had won free air tickets to Orlando in a contest and fortuitously, Disney decided to increase their attendance by offering free dining. Of course, I took them up on it and it was by far the cheapest trip to Disney World I had ever experienced. After that year numerous articles started popping up saying that the Dining Plan simply wasn’t worth the cost anymore. Since I had benefitted from this to a great degree in the past I found it hard to believe. Plus, I have to admit, I LOVE the convenience of pre-paid meals. Never-the-less, I wanted to find out for myself if the Dining plan was truly worth its cost. First, let me admit, that I find that the amount of food on the Dining plan exceeds what our family actually eats. The Standard plan includes: A Quick Service Meal (Drink, entrée and dessert), A Table Service Meal (Again, Drink, entrée and dessert) and a snack (just one item. Such as fruit, drink, churro, etc.) as well as a refillable resort drink cup. Now days they have many other dining options but the only two that I would really consider is the above and the Quick Service dining plan that includes 2 Quick Service meals (as above) and 2 snacks (again as above) and the refillable resort drink mug. Here’s my problem with the plan. It really only allows for two meals (we eat three generally so one meal is always going to be out of pocket) and we never really order dessert. And if we do, we often will order one or two and share. When they offered appetizers we really were overloaded with food (4 appetizers, 4  entrees, 4 drinks and 4 desserts! WOW!) Now the amount of food is less but the cost has increased by quite a bit. Still the security of having the pre-paid meals nagged at me as well as they Disney hype of saving a huge amount of money by going with a dining plan. But for this trip I was committed to going without the plan and seeing how much money we actually spend on food in Disney World. I started by budgeting the amount that I would have spent on the Dining Plan for food purchases so that I did not feel the need to conserve. I really wanted to buy what we want to buy and compare it to what the dining plan had to offer. However, right off the bat I started to notice that I was flying quite a bit under budget. Again, we just don’t often order desserts. As far as the Standard Dining Plan goes, we really don’t feel the need as a family to eat at sit down restaurants either. I had scheduled one for each night but more often than not we cancelled the reservations as our plans changed. (This is a practice that has been made even more difficult now as Disney is requiring a 24 hour notice for cancellations now.) As a result we only ate at a Table Service twice during the week. This means that for our family the Quick Service Dining Plan is, by far, the better choice. Now let me get to the numbers. The Table Service Plan costs $56.94 for those >10 years of age and older or, $18.16 for children nine and under (per night of stay per person at current rates.) Total cost for 7 nights stay with our family of four would be $1364.86. This is the amount that I budgeted for. But, I’ve already stated that this plan really doesn’t work for our dining habits. The Quick Service Plan costs $37.58 for those >10 years of age and older or, $13.32 for children nine and under (per night of stay per person at current rates.) Total cost for a 7 nights stay with our family of four would cost: $882.42. Now, how much did I spend? Total amount on food for the week was $1122.58. But remember, I ate at Table service on two occasions. My table service total was $298.30. (One of those dining experiences was a Candlelight processional Plan that was more expensive than normal so my spending here was not typical of two meals. It was more typical of three meals and on the Standard Dining Plan would be counted as three meals.) So, had I bought the table service, I’d have really messed up because Not only would I have spent $242 more dollars but I would have wasted 4 TS meals when our plans changed during the course of our trip. (or we would not have been able to change plans due to the loss in the TS credits) But if I’m looking at the Quick Service then I have to compare Apples to Apples and deduct the Table Service totals from my total for a Quick Service Spending on my part of $824.28. The Quick Service plan would have cost $58.14 more than what I ended up spending. Now, I didn’t get all those desserts, so there is that to consider. But believe me, my belt is thankful for the savings. Overall, my opinion is that for us and our dining habits, the Dining Plans are not worth the money unless we are getting them free. I’ll not be paying for them in the future. Your dining habits may be different and if so, you may benefit from it. But here’s the tip that I hear echo’d all over the Disney message boards. If you go with the Disney Dining Plan then consistently order the most expensive items on the menus and eat at the more expensive Table Service establishments and you’ll realize that 30% savings that Disney Brags about. Otherwise, you run the risk of just spending too much. Thanks, Steve

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!

“Do I really have to make reservations so far in advance?”

Planning Your Disney Vacation for Success Part 5
The Short answer is “Yes.” Let me take you back to Part I and our tale of Max. Being the fly by the seat of your pants type of guy is certainly one way to go. But, in the Disney World it can mean that you are scrambling at the last minute for reservations to whatever restaurant you can get rather than the one you really want. On our first trip to Disney World we had the Disney Dining Plan and as a result I had planned out every meal we would have during our 7 day stay. It was more than a few times we walked into a restaurant, announced ourselves and had a seat to await our table only to listen to the staff turn away a half dozen diners who did not have reservations. I looked at my wife and said, thank goodness I was thinking ahead, otherwise we’d be two frustrated parents with hungry children! Do you need to plan EVERY meal like I did? No. But, if you are looking forward to dining at some pretty special restaurants with some one-of-a-kind experiences, I heartily recommend that you pre-plan.
How far ahead should you be thinking? Believe it or not, as far ahead as 180 days! Yes, that’s right you need to know where you will be dining 6 months from now. This becomes even more critical if you are visiting during the peak seasons. Now, I will not purport to be a Disney Dining expert. There are dozens of dining experiences I have never been a part of. You’ll need to do the research on your own for the restaurants that will attract you and your family. Go ahead… I’ll wait. You’ll find there are hundreds of choices. Here are a couple of sites that can help you with your decisions. www.allearsnet.com www.disneyworld.com/dining www.wdwinfo.com www.disneyfoodblog.com Now, some dining experiences are so special that planning those 180 days out is mandatory. If you are staying onsite then your window opens up at 190 days! Here are a few suggestions I have. · Character Breakfast: Cinderella’s Royal Table. Imagine your daughters delight as she sits down to have breakfast with her very favorite Princess inside Cinderella’s very own castle! This is the stuff dreams are made of and it is a one-of-a-kind experience that you can only have in Disney World. But, be prepared to be at your computer at exactly 6am EST 180 or 190 days prior to the date you want to attempt to secure the reservation. These reservations literally book up within minutes of coming available.

· Character Breakfast: Princess Breakfast at Akershus in Epcot. Did you miss the window for Cinderella’s Royal Table? Then don’t worry, you can try this Princess breakfast. It, too, will book up but not nearly as fast as eating in the Castle. I’ve been to this breakfast and it was definitely worth doing.

· Character Breakfast: Chef Mickey’s. Want to have breakfast with the Big 5 of Disney? Then Chef Mickey’s is for you. It is located at the Contemporary Resort near the Magic Kingdom and it is always a hit with the younger crowd.

· Dinner Show: Hoop-Dee-Doo. This is a must do in my opinion. This old time vaudeville/ wild west type show will have you rolling in the aisles with laughter. It is worth it to purchase one of the tables near the stage as you often become part of the action. The food is delicious and all-you-can-eat. Whatever tickles your fancy, understand there are literally hundreds of people out there who want to dine at the same restaurant. Securing those reservations in advance will make for a much easier trip for you. Now, for our December vacation I’ve decided to go without purchasing the Disney Dining Plan. This will be a first for us, so, I’m trying to keep costs down. We’ll eat at counter service mostly. No need to make reservations for that. However, since we will be in Disney World at the very busiest time of the year, I do recognize that any table service dining I want to have will NEED a reservation. My first choice was a brand-new restaurant called “Be Our Guest” it is located in Belle’s village in the newly remolded Fantasyland area of the Magic Kingdom. It is said to be a real treat. Well, I was a bit tardy in making my reservations (I was on a Disney Cruise) and as a result… No Go! Absolutely no reservations available for the entirety of my trip! Luckily, the restaurant operates as a table service during the day so we’ll plan on lunch. I did score reservations for the Sci-Fi Dine-In for dinner. This is a restaurant where you eat in tables that are themed as 1950’s cars all parked at a Drive-In Theater which shows a steady stream of cheesy movie shorts. Very Fun! We also got a reservation for the Biergarten Restaurant with is themed as a non-stop Oktoberfest celebration in Germany. This reservation gives us a lot of bang for the buck as it is part of a package deal that gives us priority seating to The Candlelight Processional which is a nightly recitation of Jesus’ birth usually by a famous person. Our night will be Amy Grant. For the rest of our dining… we’ll be playing it by ear and I’ll write a column about our experiences with that plan when we return. Now, once I got my email confirmation, I simply forwarded it onto Tripit and instantly it becomes part of my itinerary.

One thing that I do want to go over before I set you to making your reservations is one very important consideration. When do you make your reservation? It’s actually a very good question and can really impact your choices. Once you’ve decided which dining experiences you want, you should now consider when to make the reservation. I start by deciding which park I’ll be in on which days. The factors to consider about this are simple. Look at the extra-magic hours (EMH) that are being offered. There are a few opinions on this. Some say you should avoid EMH as those days are busier than most. However, if you are staying on-site then taking advantage of those extra hours will mean that for a few hours during the day, the park will be very sparsely populated and hitting some of those hard to get to rides becomes much easier! See https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/calendars/ Next head over to The undercover tourist (http://www.undercovertourist.com/planning/when-to-visit.html) and determine which parks are expected to be the busiest. You may want to arrange your travel schedule around these times. Now that you know where you’ll be you can make your dining reservations to ensure that you’ll not have to hop around the Disney World property. New this year! MyMagic+. What the heck is this, you say. Well, it is yet another way you can make sure you make the most of your Disney World Vacation. Now, it is still in testing phase so how it ends up looking after the full-on roll out will be anyone’s guess. Nevertheless, here is how it is sizing up. Imagine wearing a bracelet, which is the Magical Key to everything in Disney World. Want to enter your Disney Resort room? Simply tap the Magic Band (bracelet) onto the door and it magically opens. Want to enter a park? Tap your Magic Band onto an entry portal and you’re in. Want to pay your bill at a restaurant? Your server will approach your table with an iPhone and you’ll simply tap your band onto the phone and your account will be charged. It will be the same with buying things in the shops. If you’re familiar with Disney World in the past you may ask, “How is this different from my Key To The World Card?” “It did all these things.” Yes it did, but in addition to these timesaving features, MyMagic+ will be adding something new and exciting. Fastpass+. You’ll be able from the comfort of your home make ride reservations similar to the fastpassess you get in the park. Sixty days prior to your vacation you log into your account and select the Must-do’s for your party and you’ll not need to worry about whether you’ll be able to do those things. The Fastpass+ is limited to 3 per day and it only applies to certain rides and they are not always the same rides that are covered in the Fastpass system. Also, becoming a part of the Fastpass+ system means you’ll not be able to get a standard fastpass, but it does offer something Fastpass does not. Now, Shows, Parades and nighttime extravaganza’s are a part of the process. Therefore, you’ll be able to see some of those without the long wait of holding a place on a walkway. However, Disney doesn’t end it there. If you have a smartphone you can manage your dining reservations and Fastpass+ reservations using an app on your phone called “My Disney Experience.” Again, on our return, I’ll write all about our experience with this new service. That’s it for now. My next planning milestone will be the 60 day mark where I’ll be making my “MyMagic+” reservations. Planning Your Vacation For Success Part 1 Planning Your Vacation For Success Part 2 Planning Your Vacation For Success Part 3 Planning your Vacation For Success Part 4

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.

Planning Your Vacation for Success Part 3

Planning Helpers
Okay, now let’s get away from the actual vacation for a while. I want to get into the technical side of vacation’s both hardware and software. The savvy planner knows how to use technology to their advantage. The internet is a great tool but like any tool you must know how to use it before it works for you. Let me start with Hardware. Here are the tools you’ll want to invest in. 1. Smartphone. Hey! We’re in a new century here. If you haven’t already moved over to a smart phone, then get thee to a cell phone dealership and buy one! Now that you have one. Start looking for apps. The ones that you want are mostly free and I’ll go over them in depth in Software. But you will want to have access to a lot of information on-the-go and the best way to do that nowadays is to have a smartphone. 2. Portable computer. Most of us have one of these. But you want to make sure that this is really portable. I used to have a laptop. And I occasionally took it on vacations. But to tell you the truth, it was way too heavy and I ended up loathing carrying the thing across the airport. I have a rule, anything that is big, bulky or heavy will nearly always get left behind and not utilized. You have a couple of choices in today’s market. A traditional laptop or a tablet computer. If you go traditional laptop spend the extra money to make sure that it is really lightweight. Also, I’ve found that some of the smallest form factor laptops have non-standard displays and resolutions. This will cause you all kinds of issues when you are trying to use it. Make sure the display is large enough to be useable. Tablets are my favorite. If you invest in a Tablet make sure that it is using the same OS as your Smartphone. Usually apps are cross-compatible between the phone and the tablet so that if you buy an app for your phone, you’ll be able to use it on your tablet. Tablets are wicked light so throw it into your backpack and forget about it because you’ll never feel the weight of it. You can use your smartphone for portable computing but the screen is small and often times the storage capacity is small. A laptop or tablet allows you to access the internet on a bigger screen for ease of use and as a side benefit you can upload your pictures to it and free up room on your camera. 3. Camera. Yeah sure, your smartphone has a camera on it. But usually smartphone cameras leave much to be desired. They are miserable in low light situations, have no ability to zoom whatsoever and they are rarely waterproof. There are great cameras out there which are very sensitive in low light, have a very handy zoom and you can take them with you to the pool or snorkeling. Invest in one. You’ll be glad you did. BTW, the newest thing in cameras is the ability to utilize Bluetooth. With Bluetooth you can take a great picture with your camera and send it to your smartphone for instant uploading. Now for Software: Apps, apps and more apps! There are a lot of freebies out there that will help you plan for and book your vacation. Here’s my list of must haves: 1. Travel website software. Travelocity and Expedia both have their own apps out there that will help you plan and track your vacation. I use these mostly for getting quotes. When I look into a vacation, I will get quotes from every conceivable place and compare them so that when a good deal does come my way, I recognize it. It’s easy to get sticker shock on an item that you have no real idea of it’s worth. But If you know exactly what it is worth, that cheap deal that you would have passed up does not look so bad. 2. Airline apps. More and more the airlines want you to buy your airfare directly from them. That way they don’t have to give anyone a slice of the pie. But be careful, if you are not shopping about you don’t really know what is a good deal. I load up everyone of them I find. Also if you set them up with your email address they’ll send you deals that they think will appeal to you. The Southwest app has what they call DING fares. Occasional flash sales that you can grab for a quick weekend away. 3. Travel Planning software. I use a fantastic little app called Tripit. It will track all of your vacations in a single place without so much as a keystroke from you. (well almost) Anytime you make a travel reservation, you simply forward the confirmation email to plans@tripit.com and magically all your reservation information populates to the app. It really is awesome to behold. 4. Budgeting software. TripBook is an app for iOS. It allows you to track your spending while on vacation so that you can keep on budget. There are probably dozens out there that do the same thing. I suggest you try them out until you find a format that you like. Simply put, you cannot expect to adhere to a budget unless you know where you are in relation to that budget at all times. 5. Tipping calculator. Seems like a simple thing, right? Well, if you travel to multiple countries you find that American conventions for tipping are not always appropriate outside of America. A good calculator not only calculates tips but will guide you on the proper amount to tip. I use a program called simply “Tip.” 6. This one is a little outside of the travel realm but still very useful. If you’re anything like my you quickly realize that you have far too many passwords and log in information than you know what to do with. I use an app called mSecure. Remember one password and it’ll remember all the others for you. 7. Trip Advisor- This one will give you some reviews on hotels and eating establishments. Certainly worth a look. Of all of my software the one that I find is of the biggest use is Tripit. I used to carry all my confirmation printouts in a folder where-ever we went but Tripit has freed me from that burden. All the dates, times, confirmations numbers, addresses and directions are all contained therein. It also tracks multiple trips for future planning. If you are a paid member of Tripit, you’ll find that the program will track your vacation information and inform you of any changes. (such as flight delays or gate changes.) So now as I go forward planning our Christmas getaway I’ll start to refer to the tools that I use for making and tracking reservations.

Planning Your Vacation For Success Part 1

Planning Your Vacation For Success Part 2

Planning your Vacation For Success Part 4

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

10 Ways to Plan For a Better Walt Disney World Trip

 

 

 

 

If you are planning or thinking about an upcoming trip to Walt Disney World here are some favorite tips to help your trip be more enjoyable and stress free.  You may also want to check out my article on what to pack for your trip here.

1. Magical express: Disney offers free transportation to and from the Orlando International Airport when you are staying in one of their hotels. This services includes free baggage pick up and delivery. Once you check your bags at your home airport you won't see them again until you check into your resort. Most luggage arrives within 2-3 hours of your check-in so pack your necessities in your carry on such as swimsuits and sunscreen and any medications.
   
2. Orlando stroller rental: Here is a tip that I wish I had known about on my first trip to WDW. This company will have a stroller waiting for you upon check-in at your resort and when your trip is over just leave it with your hotel baggage claim and they will pick it up there. I’ve written more about this great service here.
   
3. Advanced dining reservations: this was something we did do right on our first trip. We took the time to plan out what days we were going to be in what parks then looked at the dining choices. For full service restaurants reservations are recommended. With small children it is the difference of waiting 5-10 minutes for your table vs. 45-60 minutes for walk-ins. Disney offers some of the best dining experiences from character dining to, dinner shows, themed dining and even fine dining.  For all of these reservations are recommended.  I really delve into this topic more in this article “Do I Really Have To Make Reservations”"?” Another question that is asked a lot is “Should I Buy The Dining Plan?”  and then Utilizing Your Dining Plan.
   
4. Park Hopper Tickets: Unless you are a frequent visitor to the Walt Disney World Parks the park hopper tickets are not really necessary. With careful planning you won't need them at all. Disney World is very big and although Disney provides excellent transportation it can easily take you up to an hour to get from one park to another. Plan your day so that you are maximizing your time in each park. I’ve written more about Park Hopper Tickets in this article Planning Your Vacation For Success Part 2
   
5. Water Parks: Disney has two outstanding water parks. Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon. The cost to add these onto your Disney World package is very minimal. However, if you only have one day to go the water parks then it is more affordable to buy them separately from your package. These water parks are fun for the whole family however many of the slides do have a height requirement so you may want to view their websites to determine if this will suit your family.
   
6. Extra Magic Hours: These come with pros and cons. You decide.
   
   • Pros: During the Extra Magic hour only guest staying at the Disney Resorts are allowed in so the crowds are smaller for these times. It also means that you have a longer day in the park sometimes up to 3 hours.
     
   • Cons: Although your actual Magic Hours can be smaller crowds the argument is said that overall throughout the day those parks are busier and have more crowds.
     
7. Package Delivery: guest services provides complimentary package delivery to your resort. While paying for your item in the park ask to have it delivered to your resort. It usually takes about 24 hours to be delivered so keep your departure date in mind.  Also, you can have larger bulky items shipped to your home for a fee.
   
8. Think outside the parks: Disney World could be a wonderful vacation location even if you never stepped foot inside a theme park.  There are dinner shows, special events, and experiences all through out the Disney Resort Property.  There is a Richard Petty Driving Experience, fishing, world class golfing, scuba diving, and segue tours just to name a few.  Special events such as Haunted Hey Rides at Fort Wilderness during the Halloween season, and Holiday Sleigh Rides during the Christmas season.  Even Atlanta Braves Spring Training opportunities. One of the events our family enjoys is Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party.
   
9. Check out Disney’s special offers: Since we like to take our vacations during the slow season we also know that we are already saving on our hotel cost but before we book our trip we check to see if there are additional discounts being offered.  A good deal may decide when we take our vacation. Here’s the big tip though even after we have booked we continually check back on the website to see if new offers have sprung up.  By doing this we have saved big on deals such as free dining plans or extra days on park tickets.   Another way we save money is to use our Disney visa and earn Disney Reward Dollars.  You can use these to pay for anything Disney related on your vacation. Here’s how to Save 5% On Your Next Disney Vacation 
   
10. Disney’s Fast Pass: On Disney’s biggest and most popular attractions they offer a Fast Pass.  It allows you to come back during a one hour time slot later in the day for this ride and stand in the much shorter line.  The catch is that you can only have one outstanding fast pass at a time. The Fast Passes are undergoing a change at WDW they now how the Fast Pass+ system and I’ve written about our experience with the new system in my article on Disney’s Next Generation Theme Park Experience.  Your Fast Pass+ will now include even your dining reservations.  All of your Fast Pass Plus options will be embedded into your Disney Magic Band check my article on our first time with using them. There are still some great tricks to know such as the Rider Switch Pass. When you have children that don’t meet the height requirement this pass works like a fast pass for the person who has been waiting with the small children for their other party at the exit.  The person who waited with the children can enter the Fast Pass line instead of the stand by line.  Maximize your Fast Passes with these rides by only getting one Fast Pass for the person who stands in line first.  This will allow you to have two outstanding Fast Pass Rides at a time.  Now with the Fast Pass+ system this will require some careful planning ahead of time to make the most of your Fast Passes.