Travel Tip Tuesday

When you go to Disney, you want to have a bag that is easy to carry, and one that you can comfortably carry all day long. It also has to be big enough to hold all of your things that you just HAVE to have, yet easy enough to comfortably hold in your lap on all of the rides. I found the perfect bag (for me). I love the cinch sacks. I have used one the last two trips and can't imagine how I ever managed without one before. They are so comfy to carry and the weight is easily distributed across my whole back so my shoulders don't hurt at the end of the day. The one I found for our Disneyland trip was the best ever!!!! It had a lot of small zipper compartments that held all of my small things on the outside so I wasn't digging all day long for sunscreen, my camera, or antibac. This link isn't the exact one I had, but it is pretty similar. Go get one if you are heading to the parks soon!!!!

Travel Tip Tuesday

Did you know that you can take in a small soft sided cooler to any of the Disney parks? You can put snacks and bottles of water (no glass) in it and keep them handy to avoid costly snacks during the day. However, if you do not have a stroller to put this bag on, I do not recommend doing this. Instead, pack a few snacks in your backpack and go to any counter service restaurant and ask for a free cup of water. This way the water is cold and refreshing and it tastes better than the warm stuff you get out of most of the fountains.

Travel Tip Tuesday

I am going to attempt to start a new trend on my blog beginning today. My plan is to post a quick and easy Disney travel tip every Tuesday. Hope they help!

Today's travel tip is simple. As soon as you know when you are going to Disney, call and make the reservation. You only have to pay $200 for a deposit if you book a package, or pay the equivalent of one night of the stay if you book a room only reservation. Then, sit back and watch for deals. Whenever a good deal comes out, all you have to do is call and have your reservation updated with the deal. Your room is already guaranteed and you will get the deal. You can change your package anytime up to 45 days out from your vacation. Plus, if you only pay the deposit, you can call at anytime and make payments to your vacation, with the final payment being due at 45 days before check in for your vacation.

Quick Service Disney Dining Plan...a new persepective

Well, until a few months ago, I always said I would probably never purchase the quick service dining plan. I could not see the "value" in it. I mean realistically, at every meal we are not going to be able to get our money's worth out of the plan. Our family would not order dessert at every meal, and usually we can get by sharing some meals among the three of us. So, based on this information, when I look at old receipts from past trips, I can't see how we would spend $35 per adult and $12 for my child in food every single day. Seriously, $82 a day for food when I can get a whole weeks worth of groceries for that at home? It can't be worth the value.

Well, after our trip to Disneyland, we discovered a whole new definition and appreciation for the word value when it comes to Disney dining. Our new interpretation for the word is based on convenience and the ability to plan ahead for all dining expenses. The three of us ate several counter service meals at Disneyland. Each meal we usually shared two adult meals between the three of us, and in some cases one adult and one child meal. This also meant a free cup of ice water for my daughter, and a shared large drink (with no ice) between my husband and myself. No matter how hard we tried, we couldn't feed three of us for less than $30 a meal. Ouch. It was painful to pull out that wallet every time and spend that much for either two burgers or two slices of pizza. Plus we were having to agree on a common meal for everyone so someone was always compromising something on the meal choice. Plus, a little while later, one of us would be hungry for a snack. Those were all around an extra $3.00 each. So add those to the other two meals and we spent a minimum of $66 a day on food (not counting our breakfast).


After a few meals, I was desperately wishing we were back in Disney World on past trips where I could just simply swipe a card and the food was "magically" mine. At least it felt magical since I had long ago paid for that meal and I didn't have to worry about how much that meal was. I also didn't have to think, ok, if I choose to add an order of french fries, does that mean I can't get that one last souvenir I want?


When we are on the Dining plan, I know exactly how much all of our meals are going to cost ahead of time and that is one less thing I have to worry about on our magical escape from reality. I have already budgeted that fixed amount and paid for it before I even left the house. So, since my room has already been paid for, along with all of my food, all I have to worry about is expenses for my treasures, and gas to get back home. I will take that mentality any day. The truth is, when I go to Disney, I 100% escape from reality. I get away from it all. This is one more reason I choose the Dining plan. I can eat wherever I feel like at that moment, and not have to worry about how much it is going to cost me. I can walk up, order whatever, and maybe even treat myself to a tasty dessert every now and then. Goodness knows I will walk it off before the day is over!

So, in closing, I have already added the quick service plan to our upcoming October trip. Don't get me wrong, I am hoping against hope that Disney will continue their trend of offering free dining in the fall and we will keep our trend alive and get free dining for the sixth year in a row. However, if they don't give it to me free, I will still happily pay for the plan. With two counter service meals a day, two snacks a day, and a free refillable mug for each of us at our hotel, I think we will get our "value" out of it. It may not be monetary value, but we will definitely value the fact that we can pre-budget our trip and enjoy any food we want, whenever we want it, on our trip.

Disneyland vs Disney World...which is better?

I did it!!! I finally took the plunge and took an airplane ride across country for the trip of my life. As a frequent visitor to Disney World, I have always wanted to make the trip to California to see where it all began. I wanted to see the only park that Walt Disney ever walked, to see the original park that started it all. However, as a very nervous flier, I never thought I could do it. Finally, my husband had three free flights and convinced me to give it a try. When else would we be able to fly all three of us to California for free? The free flights, along with the free car rental let us know that this was our chance. So, I went to the doctor, got a prescription to help me on the flight, and off we went. From the minute I stepped on the plane I knew it was all going to be worth it....and it was. The whole trip was amazing and I am so glad I faced my fears and made the choice to go. I loved every minute of the trip.

So, based on the fact that at least ten people had "warned" me before the trip that I would be disappointed, I didn't have high expectations for the parks. However, from the minute I walked through the turnstiles, I was in awe. I felt the magic as soon as we crossed under the train station. It was so wonderful to see my daughter holding her Daddy's hand, and literally running down Main Street with excitement. She couldn't wait to round that corner and see that castle. Until we rounded that corner, I felt right at home. Everything was so similar to Magic Kingdom in Florida. Then I saw the castle. Was I seeing things? It looked so small. Was that it? Maybe we were just too far away. Then we got closer, and realized, no it was really just a small castle. However, as I got closer and realized that I could actually walk through the castle and see the story of Sleeping Beauty unfold as we went through it, I realized that I loved it even more than the bigger, more regal one in Florida. I mean, I was walking through a castle "built for a Princess". How cool is that? It was the first of just a few differences between the two parks that I actually ended up loving after I finished analyzing the differences.

Another wonderful surprise was seeing Mr. Toad's Wild Ride and Alice In Wonderland in Fantasyland. These are the rides that scream Disney to me. Don't get me wrong, I love the roller coasters and thrill rides at some theme parks, but nothing compares to these rides at Disney. I love getting in a little car and riding through a story while fun and familiar music plays in the background. Some of my favorite rides (at either park) are Peter Pan, it's a small world, Splash Mountain, The Haunted Mansion, and Winnie The Pooh. Of course, you have to add in Space Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain as well, though these are more about fun than stories. These are all true Disney magic in my mind. Nothing compares!!! Luckily all of my favorites, and more, were at Disneyland so we had no shortage of fun rides. Now if they would only build a Matterhorn and Indiana Jones ride at Disney World my vacations there would be perfect!

One of my favorite differences in the two parks was that Disneyland still has the Penny Arcade and Main Street Cinema on Main Street. These were two of my favorite things to do when I was younger at the Magic Kingdom and I was very sad to see them go away in recent years. It was so much fun to share these areas with my daughter. She loved taking a late afternoon break and watching Steam Boat Willie in the Cinema. Hopefully one day those great treasures will return to Disney World again. It is sad to me that they have been replaced with shopping venues.

One of the other big differences was the close proximity of all the parks. It was really wild to be able to stand at the ticket booths and see the entrances to both Disneyland and California Adventure, along with Downtown Disney. It was nice to be able to walk from park to park without spending precious time on buses. Also, one night we walked to Downtown Disney for dinner, then walked right back to the parks for more fun. It was an added bonus. Of course, I don't think I have ever walked as much at Disney World (especially since we walked from our hotel every morning), but there were enough ways to rest our legs throughout the day. It was nice to be able to hop between the parks to try to hit all the big headliner rides before the crowds got too crazy. It actually felt like the two parks were one at times.

So, why did everyone think I would be disappointed? I spent a lot of time trying to figure that out. I mean I thought it was awesome. I thought it was charming. I thought it was wonderful. Who are these people? Why would they think that? Then I really thought about it, and may have come to a conclusion. Maybe those people look for something different in a park. Maybe they look for thrills, or for roller coasters. Maybe they find the traditional Disney type rides boring. Maybe they never stopped to think about the fact that this was the only park that Walt Disney ever walked. These are all the reasons I came up with anyway. However, these are all the reasons that I loved Disneyland. Now, granted, I could not spend the 10 days there that we usually do at Disney World, but I would love to go back one day and enjoy the charm. Until then, I will spend all of my vacations at Disney World enjoying all of their extra parks and fun that they have to offer. I would still pick Florida over California (and not just due to the four hour plane ride), but I know that I won't be disappointed whenever we do decide to go across country again!