Photo Friday – This is One Big Wheel

Walt Disney World’s Pop Century Resort is full of gigantic iconic toys from the 70’s and 80’s.  Our kids were fascinated with them. 

A Parent’s Guide On What To Pack For Walt Disney World

I was searching through some old files on  my computer yesterday and ran across my packing list for our first trip to Walt Disney World.  It brought back plenty of memories for me, but mostly I can say that I am sure glad I no longer have to pack things like fold up potty seats and sippy cups.  Eight years and many trips later I share this list with you and recap what was great to have and what we now leave behind.

 

Things I need on the plane:

I was nervous about flying across county with my 4 yr. old son and 1 yr. old daughter for the first time. Prior to our flight I had read many articles on what to pack and carry on with you to make your flight more bearable for you, your children and of course those around you.  I look back and laugh now at how unhelpful most of that information was.  As a mom I’ve learned no amount of what anyone else says worked for their kids is a guarantee it will work for mine.  It is simply better to thoughtfully consider what my children with will need, desire, and do best with in a cramped plane for 6 hours than rely on what someone else says.  You can read about my analysis of flying with children here.  The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. So take this list as an idea of what to consider for your first trip to Walt Disney World.

• Tickets & Hotel confirmation (Most of this is now handled electronically for the airlines and with Disney’s new electronic Magic Bands.  I wrote about our first experience with the Magic Bands here. You will have all of your information stored right there in the arm band for you.  Just remember to pack them with you if you had them shipped to your home first. I’ve written about this new experience here as well)
• Board Books for Leah (Although these worked great for my son as a baby when we traveled by plane they were not such a hit with Leah she just wasn’t that captivated by them. If I did it again I would make sure they were the open up the flap kind of board books that gave her something to do and see)
• Camera & Video
• Stuart’s Highlights magazine (These are great because they have all sorts of find the hidden object pictures.  However I don’t remember him ever even opening the magazine)
• Diapers & Wipes
• Ipods/Ipads (Yes, yes, yes, and we still take them with us every time we travel. Even the one year old would listen to music and stories with her head phones on, sometimes.)
• Lollipops for take off & landing (Yes again, these were a life saver for me.  Take off and landing is the time when your ears are the most irritated with altitude change and the sucking helps the little ones pop their ears.  Whatever you do don’t forget your lollipops!)
• Extra Clothes
• Insurance Cards
• Stroller (I wish I would have known about The Trouble with Strollers  before I packed ours)
• Kleenex
• Pacifier
• Tylenol and Motrin (Children & Adults)
• Leah’s Blanket
• Head Phones for everyone
• Sippy Cup (as practical and smart as this sounds I can’t tell you how many times I had to pick this up off the floor and how badly I just wanted to throw it out the window.)
• Tip Money (We always check our bags curb side.  I discovered how convenient and wonderful this service was when I traveled regularly with my job before I was a mom.  A small tip is worth every convenience of not standing in long lines inside the airport while trying to juggle two kids.)
• Toys enough for a small surprise every hour.  (I’m sure at the time this sounded like an excellent idea as I read the article that mentioned this idea.  In reality though this was such a big flop I felt ripped off!  Every toy I gave them ended up on the floor in what like two seconds.  I recommend leaving the toys at home along with the writing pads and markers unless you can find those triangular crayons that wont roll off the trays.  I mention these in my article on flying with kids)
• Favorite stuffed animal
• Writing Pads
• Washable Markers
• Snacks: (Snacks were always a hit! anytime they got a little bit whiny a snack always would settle them back down.  Make sure you bring plenty.)
  • Goldfish
  • fruit snacks
  • Crackers

 

Things I want in our Carry on’s:

These were the things I wanted to not check but could go in the bin overhead so that I had them when we got off the plane right away.  If you use Disney’s Magical Express when you check your bags at the airport they will deliver them for you directly to your hotel room.  So, you will not have to worry about dealing with baggage claim and kids all at the same time.  I’ve written more about this great treat in this article along with other ways to plan and prepare for your first visit to Walt Disney World. However, it may take a little time for you to get your bags delivered to your room so I wanted to make sure we had certain items with us that we could use right away like the first item on my list!

• Swimsuits
• Cover-ups
• Hats
• Arm floaties
• Swim Diapers
• Sunscreen
• Sunglasses(Kids) (Adults)
• Make up & Hair accessories (God forbid that somehow this very important stuff should somehow get lost and not arrive!)

 

In Our Checked Luggage:

And finally everything else.

• Sand Toys (Some of the resorts actually do have beaches and how fun it would be to spend sometime at them and play with the sand toys, will you actually do it though?  We didn’t.  Leave them at home)
• Extra Swimsuits (Kids) (We used the clothes line in the shower in our room and never once needed more than one swim suit)
• Extra Swimsuits (Adults) (Never needed them)
• Phone Chargers
• Ipod Speakers
• Diapers and Wipes
• Diaper Rash Ointment
• Juice Boxes
• Bagels
• Pop tarts
• Cream Cheese
• Popcorn
• Pullups for night time
• Swim Diapers
• Beach Bag (I have found that having a tote bag is rather handy for going to the pool)
• Huggies Wash Cloths (Huggies makes disposable travel washcloths already infused with soap. I did their hair and everything with this cloth. They were the greatest things for giving my kids quick baths at night)
• Drain Stopper (Because some tubs stoppers don’t always work and I didn’t want to get stuck)
• Adult Shampoo & Cream Rinse (Use the hotels unless you need something special)
• Lotion
• Fingernail Clippers & File
• Ziploc Bags (These always come in handy for something either packing up loose items or keeping soiled clothes away from everything else in a diaper bag.)
• Rain Ponchos (These are very important to us.  We use them almost every trip even if it is just to make sure we stay dry on the water rides.)
• Waterproof Camera
• Fold up potty seat (It’s up to you but we used ours!)
• Extra Kleenex packets
• Disposable Bibs (Or an easy wipe off bib)
• Light Weight Jackets (Kids)
• Light Weight Jackets (Adults)
• Allergy medication (Kids & Adults)
• Neosporin & Band-Aids
• Spray & Wash Stick
• Pop Up hamper (We always take one with us because it keeps our room so much neater and when we are ready to do laundry it is easy to carry to the laundry room)
• Q-tips

Okay so now it’s your turn to tell me what you make sure you pack for your trips to Walt Disney World or any where!

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

Photo Friday – Fantasyland in the Magic Kingdom via Snapseed

One of my favorite apps is Snapseed and they recently added a new feature HDR Scape.  It takes my pictures and makes them look like paintings.  I think I could make myself into a real artist this way.

Walt Disney World’s Magic Bands

 

We just got home from our trip to Walt Disney World during the Christmas break and I have been looking forward to telling everyone about our experience using the new Magic Bands at the resort. 

Right from the start we were excited about having the bands for the main reason we planned our trip as a surprise Christmas gift to our kids and because we had the bands shipped to our house ahead of time they were something very tangible to wrap up and put under the tree.  The bands came in our own color choices with our names (first names) printed on the inside.  If you wait to pick your bands up at the resort you can only get them in the color grey not nearly as cool as pink, blue, gold, and green.  Check out our video of the kids unwrapping them on Christmas Day.

Using our bands at the resort was absolutely wonderful.  They are made of flexible rubber and are waterproof, you can wear them swimming, in the shower, and never really need to take them off.  Our son left his on the whole time the rest of us took them off at night to sleep.  When we checked in they had each of us tap our bands to their electronic pad so they could be set up to unlock our room.  For my husband and I ours were set up so that we could pay for our purchases using the bands along with a personal pin number we chose right there on the spot.  I loved having the ability to not carry anything around with me at the resort and still have the flexibility to purchase and get back into my room with just the band. 

The bands were also our tickets into the parks.  I love the way it streamlined the entrance gate. Each guest just walked up and tapped their bracelet to the pad and waited for the green signal.  It was very quick and we never had any problems with them working properly. 

However, my favorite part of the Magic Bands was the Fastpass+ options.  Before we even left home my husband and I plotted out which days we would be in the what parks and then chose three rides we wanted Fastpasses for.  The Magic Bands set us up with Fastpass+ times for each of the rides we wanted on the days we asked for.  Since we were at Disney World during the busiest time of the year having the prearranged Fastpasses for us really made a difference in our overall experience at the park.  We didn’t have to wait in the Fastpass Distribution lines and we didn’t have to worry that if we didn’t get there early enough they would be out of Fastpasses for the day.  Our Fastpasses were timed at great intervals so that we could pace ourselves through out the parks.  My husband and I truly feel that if we had not had our Fastpasses before we got to the park we would have not ridden on as many rides as we did and we would have had to wait in long lines.  As it turned out at the busiest time of the year we never waited in a line longer than 30 minutes. 

Before we left we also arranged for a few dinners at some nice sit down restaurants.  You can read about how having preset dinning reservations is a great way to plan for a better Walt Disney World trip here. Our dinning reservations were linked to our bracelets as well.  Once we got to our restaurant we tapped our bands to check in and then we were quickly seated at our table. 

I came away absolutely in love with my Magic Band and think that they should put these at every resort and even on the Disney Cruise Line.  It was such an easy way to vacation.

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!

Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party

It’s that time of year again and one of my favorite things at Disney is the Halloween Parties. With the fall décor, parades, fireworks, dance parties, and extra villainous characters it is a treat to enjoy.

Although the party has what seems to be a steep price tag for only an evening’s worth of entertainment we were pleased to find out our tickets got us into the park at 4:00pm even though the party officially starts at 7:00pm. So, for about the half the price of a full day ticket we can spend about a half of a day in the park.  Another thing to keep in mind when buying tickets is not to wait until the last minute to purchase them. The ticket prices are usually higher when bought the day of the event rather than when bought in advance, and there is a good chance the event will be sold out. 

Because this is a ticketed only event, you can take advantage of the thinner crowds once they begin to usher everyone not part of the party out the gates at 7:00pm. This makes it the optimum time to ride some of the big, popular rides without the long wait.  For the thinnest crowds possible it is best to go on a weeknight.  Once 7pm hits the park begins to transform with special decorations added and the Trick or Treat stations are quickly set up.  I was surprised at how fast the atmosphere changed. 

At first glance, the Trick or Treat lines and character meet lines can appear very long but from our experience, they moved quickly.  The Trick or Treat stations gave out handfuls of candy and so we really only needed to do one of the stations before our Trick or Treat bags were overflowing with goodies. 

Ultimately, it is night filled with meeting characters rarely seen in the parks.  You will see Snow White with all 7 of the dwarfs, all of the Pooh Characters posing for pictures together, ghostly characters in front of the Haunted Mansion to interact with and entertain as you wait, and of course the many villains of Disney.  For the first time in 2013, Jack Skellington and Sally from “Nightmare Before Christmas” will be posing together in the town square.

Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party

One of the highlights of the night is the “Boo To You Parade” it opens with the Headless Horseman riding by and features The Villains of Disney. My personal favorite is The Grave Diggers they appear as an army wielding their shovels.  Our kids loved this parade so much that they were willing to watch it twice that night.  Don’t forget to catch the special firework show “Hallowishes” in front of the castle with “The Villains Mix and Mingle” Show directly after.

The Grave Diggers in the “Boo To You Parade”

Whether you choose to come in costume or not is a personal choice but if you do make sure that it is comfortable and easy to wear.   My kids quickly shed their costume hats and boots for much more comfortable crocs and sandals guess who got to hold the discards?  Are you kidding! We got a locker. 

On the West Coast in Disneyland Resort, the party is called “Mickey’s Halloween Party” and it takes place within Disneyland.  There is not quite as much going on as the party in Disney World but it is still fun and has many great character opportunities, a firework show called “Halloween Screams” and a “Mickey’s Costume Cavalcade” parade as well.  Halloween time is truly is one of our favorite times to go to Disney.

“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.

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.

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