Disney Transportation

Disney transportation is a wonderful tool for getting around Disney property. Imagine, being immersed in a world where you can literally park your car on the day you arrive at your hotel, and never touch it again until you check out to drive home. Better yet, imagine parking your car at the airport near your house and not using a set of keys again until you land after your trip. This can all be done through the magic of Disney. It may take a little bit of planning, but it can be a relaxing tool to make your vacation stress free. Now to offer you a few tips to make it stress free.

If you are flying into MCO (Orlando) and staying on property, you get to take advantage of Disney's Magical Express. This is a wonderful service that will pick you up at the airport, bus you to your resort, and even pick up your luggage for you at baggage claim and magically make it appear in your hotel room. All you have to do is take your family, along with your carry ons, and check in at the magical express booth when you land. The rest is handled by Disney. My only suggestion is if you do take advantage of this service, pack a change of clothes in your carry on and any essential medications as it could be three or more hours before you get your luggage delivered to your room. We learned this the hard way the first time we used this service. Although it was August, some of us wore jeans for the flight thinking we would change when we got to the room. Since our luggage wasn't there yet and we wanted to go to the parks, we walked Magic Kingdom in jeans in 95 degree temperatures. Lesson learned and that mistake was not made next time :)

When you fly, unless you choose to rent a car after you arrive, you are forced to rely on Disney transportation. With a little planning, this can be a stress free way to go. Getting from your resort to any theme park is easy. You simply walk to the bus stops at your hotel, find the sign for the park you want to go to, and get in line. Once the bus comes, get on, ride to the park, and be deposited close to the main entrance. Easy peasie. My only recommendation is to allow plenty of travel time. If you are trying to get to a park for opening, chances are a lot of others are as well so the line will be long. There is a chance you may have to wait for a second bus if the line is too long. Disney is pretty good about sending buses in the mornings so you probably won't have to wait long for the next one, but if you are insistent on being there for opening, or if you have a breakfast reservation, allow an extra 10 to 20 minutes in to your travel time just in case. There is one other thing that can slow down the buses in the morning (or anytime). More and more people are using the motorized scooters to get around, which are great, but they can slow the bus loading procedures down. The bus driver gets off and helps the passenger load the scooter. No one else can be on the bus while this happens, so everyone else starts loading once the scooter passenger is loaded. It can add 5 to 10 minutes based on the experience of the bus driver, so another example of why you need to plan ahead if you need to be at the park at a certain time.

Getting back to the resort is pretty easy, and actually pretty relaxing at night. You walk to the bus stops at the park and find the one labeled for your resort. Then you get in line, wait for a bus, and collapse onto it while the driver worries about the traffic around you. There have been more times than I can count where this ride has been taken with my sweet angel sacked out in my lap. Those were the sweetest rides!

So getting to the parks is pretty easy. However, getting to another resort for a dining reservation can be a little trickier. The best thing to do is to find the closest resort to the hotel you are trying to get to for your meal. Then you ride the bus to that park and catch a bus (or ferry, or monorail) to the resort you are trying to get to. Reverse the process to get back to your home resort. A few examples. If you are trying to get to Chef Mickey's at the Contemporary, ride your home resort bus to Magic Kingdom and then either walk or catch the monorail to the Contemporary. If you are trying to get to Whispering Canyon, again ride to the Magic Kingdom and catch either a bus or the water ferry to the Wildnerness Lodge. If you are trying to get to Boma at Animal Kingdom Lodge, ride your bus to Animal Kingdom, then ride a bus to Animal Kingdom Lodge. For this one though, when you leave you will probably have to ride the bus to another park as Animal Kingdom park will probably be closed by the time you are done with dinner. The important thing to remember is that buses do not run from resort to resort so you have to find a theme park as a transfer point.

One final suggestion. If you do have a car and don't like the idea of using the bus system, you can park free at the theme parks when you stay on property. However, I would suggest using the bus system for your days at Magic Kingdom. When you drive to Magic Kingdom, you park in the lot, then everyone has to either take the ferry or monorail to the park entrance. This can really add time to your morning. However, if you take the Disney bus they will drop you off right outside the turnstiles and you only have to walk a short distance to the front gate. This can really save you time in the morning, and when you leave at night.

Warning.....closures ahead

As I have mentioned in the past, we always travel in the offseason. Don't get me wrong, this is a wonderful time to visit Disney World. The crowds are light, the weather is usually pretty mild, and we get to experience the wonderful Halloween decorations. There is however, one downside to offseason touring. Disney often takes advantage of the lower crowds and uses this time of year to update or clean up their attractions. Of course it makes sense that they can't do this while people are enjoying the attractions, so they have to close them. Luckily it is usually only for a week or two, but since trips usually average a week, there is a good chance you will miss the ride entirely while they do their updates and will have to wait until the next trip to enjoy your favorite ride. Most years we get pretty lucky and only miss one or two of our favorites, but this year we have several of our favorites that we will unfortunately have to miss :( So, my advise to you is to check Disneyworld.com or mouseplanet.com (read the weekly Walt Disney World Resort update) before you leave for closure updates to prepare your kids just in case any of their favorite rides will be closed during your trip.

Let's start at Hollywood Studios. They are doing a major renovation of the Star Tours ride. They are closing it for months as they change the whole story line of the ride. Don't get me wrong, it will be awesome when it is done, but sadly we will not be able to experience it this year. One other small closure comes with the High School Musical pep rally. This isn't a huge deal, but we still enjoyed watching it last year. The really sad part for us is that they are starting a new show to replace High School Musical that is based on Disney Channel music. Why is that sad? Well, because it doesn't start until a week after we leave so we will miss the new show! We are so close to seeing it, but hopefully it will still be going next year.

As far as I know, there are not any significant closures at either Epcot or Animal Kingdom while we are there. YAY!!! However, the closures are Magic Kingdom are biggies (for our family). The first closure is it's a small world. This ride is one of our faves so it will be weird not to ride it this year. The second closure is one of my daughter's faves, The Mad Tea Party. The third closure is Storytime with Belle. Although we have never seen this show, we were hoping to catch it this year. However, the rumor is that it will resume in the new Beast Castle when the Fantasyland expansion is complete, so I am crossing my fingers for that one. They are going to start a new show (again a few weeks after we are there) based on the new movie Tangled (about Repunzel). I guess we will see that one next year as well. The final two closures are sad for us, as they will never return. As I mentioned they are in the middle of a huge expansion of Fantasyland. When it is done, it will be amazing. They are adding a new Beast Castle and an area that is based on the forest of Sleeping Beauty. These two areas alone are going to be great. However, in order to do this expansion, they are having to close some of the current attractions. Unfortunately, this means that they have already closed two faves, Ariels Grotto and Pooh's Playground. My daughter's favorite Princess is Ariel, and she always loves visiting the Grotto. It always seemed like you were being transformed to under the sea as you waited to meet Ariel. We loved it. The good news is that there is a new area to meet Ariel (and I think Prince Eric) in Magic Kingdom. However, she is in her dress, and not her fins so it won't be as fun for my daughter. Hopefully they will find a way to get her sea legs back on her when the expansion is finished. The final permanent closure is Poohs playground. They have saved the tree from the playground and moved it beside the Winnie the Pooh ride, but the playground itself is gone. Although my daughter is now almost seven and too big for the playground anyway, this playground has a special place in my heart. They opened it up during my daughter's first trip ever when she was almost two and she was able to play on it the very first day it opened. So to see this one go, it tears at my heart a little. Oh well, it will all be worth it in the end and we will find some new favorites when the new Fantasyland expansion is complete!!!

Animal Kingdom Must Do List

This will probably be my shortest blog yet :) I am really not a big Animal Kingdom fan. Don't get me wrong, we go every trip, but there really is not a lot at this park that I just have to do. In fact, we are usually done at this park a little after lunch and have yet to even see the afternoon parade here because we can't find enough to do to keep us at the park until 3:45. We tried really hard to stay for the parade last year, but we just couldn't find anything else to do to keep us busy so we went back to the hotel for a swim instead. I am hoping that we can make it this year and will finally be able to see the Jammin' Jungle Parade....cross your fingers for us.

There are a few fun things at this park. I love love love Expedition Everest, and now that my daughter is able to enjoy it as well, this is our #1 must do first thing in the morning. After we watch the opening ceremony we head straight to Expedition Everest and ride several times in a row. Next we head to Dinoland and take our annual picture in front of the cut out Dinosaur car. After that we ride Triceratop Spin about 10 times with my daughter and maybe play a carnival game or two. This year, I am very much looking forward to taking my daughter on Primeval Whirl for the first time. I mean spinning in circles and roller coasters are two of my daughter's favorite types of rides so of course she should like it as much as I do (or at least I hope so anyway). After Dinoland we will head to either Kilimanjaro Safari to get a fast pass or to Kali River Rapids for a fast pass. Once we do these two rides, we will have ridden everything we care to ride at Animal Kingdom.

We will try to see a show or two if we can time them right. There are two fabulous shows at this park that I highly recommend seeing. One is Nemo, and the second is Legend of the Lion King. Both of these are phenomenal and very much worth seeing. So, if you have a few minutes and want to take a break from the Florida heat, these are both great shows!

We don't really have a favorite lunch spot at Animal Kingdom. We have eaten at Pizzafari several times and it is pretty good and last year my husband had some BBQ from Flame Tree BBQ which he liked pretty good as well. I would recommend either of these two as a decent option, especially if you are like us and don't like to eat anything too adventurous (like some of the food of Asia or Africa). Give us simple sandwiches or pizza and we are usually pretty happy. We did want to try the new picnic in the park option last year, but we chose not to since you couldn't special order the food. My husband wanted to try a sandwich, but didn't want the veggies on it, or the mayo based sauce. They wouldn't let him order it special, so we sadly passed and went a different way. I am hoping that they either have more options this year, or that they finally allow you to order the sandwich without the special sauce. If not, we will once again probably eat at Pizzafari :)

OK, my dear husband brought up a good point after reading this post. I must point out there is one ride that we usually avoid like the plague at Animal Kingdom. My husband and I used to enjoy Dinosaur until our little angel came along. We took her on it when she turned four because she was the required 40" and we had forgotten all the specifics of the ride. This was a BIG mistake. This ride terrified my baby girl. It was a combination of darkness, jerky movements, and big overly scary dinosaurs that are a little too real that did it for her. She will probably never ride this one again. So, as a public service announcement, I urge you to experience a ride first and look at it through the eyes of your child before having them ride it if you are at all unsure whether or not your little one will like it. Sometimes, just because they are tall enough, it doesn't mean they are old enough.

Is the Dining Plan Worth the Money?

First of all, what is the dining plan? Well, it is a very convenient program that Disney has created that allows guests to bundle all of their meals into one easy package. There are several different plans to choose from, but I would say that the two most common ones are the quick service plan and the basic dining plan. The quick service plan allows for each guest to have two counter service meals and two snacks per day, plus they get one free resort refillable mug per person on the plan (29.99 per adult and 8.99 per child). The basic dining plan allows for each guest to have one counter service meal, one table service meal, and one snack per day ($41.99 and $11.99 for most of year, though this price depends on the time of year you visit). I believe I saw that the prices are going up in 2011, but I don't know how much. If you get a counter service meal (walk up restaurant where you serve yourself) on the plan, each person gets a drink, entree and dessert (or one combo meal). If you get a table service meal (sit down restaurant where you order at a table or a character buffet) on the plan, each person gets an entree, drink, and dessert. One note, every person in the room has to be on the same plan.

So, now you now a few basics about the plans. Now back to my original question...is it worth it to buy a plan? This depends on your goal for being on the plan. Is your goal to save money or is to take a lot of hassle out of your trip and to add a little convenience?

If your goal is add some convenience to your trip I would suggest the dining plan for you. One of the main advantages to having the dining plan is that it is a great tool in helping you to budget before your trip. You know how much you are planning on spending for food before you even leave home. This takes a lot of the guesswork out of budgeting when you begin planning your trip. All that is left to budget for is souvenirs, a few bonus treats, and transportation costs. Plus, while you are on your trip, you simply show your Key to the Kingdom card (your room key and park pass) at the restaurant and you don't have to open your wallet. If you are on the basic dining plan and eat at a table service restaurant, you will have to pay gratuities (if there are six or more in your party, this will be automatically billed to you). There are two options for paying for gratuities. You can either pay out of pocket or if you set up charging privileges on your room key, you can charge the tips to your room.

If your goal is to save money on dining, I would not normally suggest the dining plan, unless your family is full of really big eaters. If you would normally get a dessert at every single meal (including counter service meals), then you will probably save some money on the dining plan. We have had the dining plan on our last four trips and have kept the receipts to see how much we were saving on the plan. When I first looked at the receipts I thought wow, we saved almost $200 by simply being on the dining plan. Then I looked at the receipts a little more closely and realized we probably only realistically barely broke even. The reason I say this is because I would not normally get a dessert at any meal. If I were to add an extra item to my entree, it would be an appetizer. Also, the entrees are so huge, I can never finish them (and seeing as we always head back into the parks, taking a doggie bag with me isn't feasible). Also, since it seems like we are always eating while we are there, I have a hard time spending all of my snacks. Because of the fact that I don't really eat the snacks or desserts, when I took those items out of the equation, we barely broke even.

Now, for the last four years, plus our upcoming trip in October, we have been really lucky to get the dining plan for free. So, obviously, that makes it worth it for sure. We usually stay at Pop Century, which means that had we not booked our upcoming trip on a bounce back offer, we would have to pay $10 per adult and $2 for our child to upgrade from the free quick service plan to the basic dining. For $22 a day, I still would have jumped at that opportunity. I would probably never choose to have the quick service plan (even if it is free), but will definitely pay to upgrade to the basic dining plan. We love having the opportunity to enjoy some table service and character meals every day. That being said, we will have to continue to work the numbers each trip to see if it is worth it to purchase the dining plan for our family. Of course, I will always cross my fingers that Disney continues their tradition of offering free dining during our fall break and then the decision will be an easy one for me :)

One special note, if you decide to go with the basic dining plan, I cannot suggest strongly enough the importance of making your dining reservations for your table service meals as soon as possible. Reservations can be made 180 days out from your check in date. I know a lot of people detest trying to plan when and where they want to eat in six months, but if you don't make your reservations and get the restaurants you want, then the dining plan is not going to be worth it for you.

For additional information on the various plans, check out one of my favorite websites (touringplans) here http://www.touringplans.com/tp2/UG2_index.php?PageID=94. Also, check out the Disney World website here http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/reservations/dining/ to see the different restaurant options or to book a reservation. Happy dining :)

Why Disney World ?

I have so many people ask me about my obsession with Disney World. Most people just don't understand how I can go every year and not get tired of the place. When I tell people I am excitedly planning a trip to the World, many look at me and say, "but didn't you just go? How can you be so excited about going again? Aren't you tired of it"? To those people I just laugh and say "No way"! Every year is a brand new trip and we experience things in whole new ways, or find new things that we have never done in trips past. I have a dear friend who tells me over again that she doesn't get it. She does not enjoy Disney (gasp) and only goes for her kids. She would rather go to the beach and relax for vacation. As a matter of fact she usually goes to the beach for a week, then will squeeze Disney into one day during her trip. I have challenged her to give it one more try, but next time to go in the offseason (or at least not during Spring Break week) and to go for several days so that she can tour at a more leisurely pace. I am not giving up on her and hope to convert her yet. I just don't get how anyone can not enjoy Disney. I don't know exactly when my obsession grew so deep, but I think it mostly started on our honeymoon in 1998. That was such a fun and magical trip and as soon as we got home I was ready to go again. Our next trip was in 2000, then we didn't go again until 2005 (my first trip with my daughter who was almost two at the time). That was when I fell head over heals in love with Disney World. Seeing the magic of Disney through the eyes of a child is amazing and our trips ever since have been so wonderful. We have been blessed to return every year since she turned three and I hope that the tradition continues. Disney World is the one place that our family can go together and have the time of our lives. We can literally forget about everything else and immerse ourselves in the magic.

The excitement I get calling Walt Disney World every year to book the trip never grows old. This is probably the only place I call that I look forward to being put on hold. Something about hearing that ding ding ding that I think is supposed to represent fairy dust and then listening to official Disney World music while I wait for a cast member to help me is just amazing. I still get chills calling them every year. Sometimes I look for excuses just to call them so that I can experience being put on hold (yes I know I need help).

Once I book my trip, I start a countdown calendar for my fridge. It has the total days and weeks until the trip that I get to cross off every day and watch my trip grow closer and closer. Once we hit the 100 day mark, my daughter and I make a chain link countdown that she uses to visually track the days until our trip. She loves to get up every morning and pull a link off. This helps her so much being almost seven years old. She can see each day how many days we have left and her excitement grows as the chain shrinks. It is fun for all!

I then spend my days visiting my favorite websites (see links to the right of this page) and get a little dose of Disney news each day, or look at menus, hotels, deals, etc. It is a nice break and it helps me with my planning. By the time my trip comes, I have planned my days in the parks, made my dining reservations, and have my daily itineraries. I sometimes drive my husband crazy with all the info, but for the most part he also really enjoys the daily Disney discussions that we have. My daughter is turning into quite the planner herself, and could probably help most adults plan their trips. She makes Mommy proud :)

Tips for a successful trip

Many people ask me what are some tips for successfully enjoying a trip to the World and still maintaining your sanity. I often laugh and say how much time do you have? There are so many ways have fun at Disney, but it is so easy to get overwhelmed, especially for first time travelers. The parks are so big and there are so many things to do that I can easily see why many people say they just don't know where to start. So, here are a few of my tips for those of you who may be feeling a little overwhelmed on where to start.

First of all, decide how long you will be there, and how many days you want to spend in each park. Know before you go that you probably are not going to be able to see everything. We were there for 11 days last year and still did not experience every attraction (though truthfully there are actually a few rides and shows on property that we really don't care to see). This leads to the second part of this tip. Sit down with everyone in your group and make a list of everyone's must dos. Maybe know the top three things in each park that each person feels like they would be disappointed if they missed experiencing. Then make a plan for the day to hit those attractions first. Do the big headliners early in the day, then go to the others once these are knocked off. Once you check all of the must dos off your list, start enjoying the other rides that you may not have thought of.

Second of all, get to the parks early. I have heard many people say, "I am on vacation, I don't want to get up early". To all of you, I say thank you. You make it possible for my family to experience all of the headliners in each park before the lines get long. You make it possible for my family to experience all of Fantasyland in the morning with no lines so we can walk on and off the rides over and over again. For those of you do get up with us, I strongly suggest getting to the parks before rope drop and enjoying the opening shows. These are so cute and really set the tone for the day. Each park has a different show, but they all include characters and some singing. My daughter loves these shows and we all look forward to seeing them each trip.

Finally, plan your days, but don't try to plan every minute. As soon as you know you are going to Disney World, plan what restaurants you want to eat at and what parks you want to visit. Call 407-WDW-DINE or go online and make your reservations 180 days out if possible. As you wait for your trip to arrive look through books and visit websites to see what attractions you want to see. Make your list with the group to find the must dos and plan your days accordingly. BUT, leave time to experience the true magic of Disney. There are so many fun things that pop up that you could never plan. Your kids may enjoy spending hours in the fountains, or decide they want to drop pennies in the wishing well by the castle, or may even find out that the performances in World Showcase in the different countries are hidden gems of entertainment. Don't plan every minute so that you have time to experience these small things. They may very well turn out to be the best memories you take home with you.

Where do I start?

So you have decided to go to Disney. What should you do first? Buy a copy of the best book in the World....The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World. This book will quickly become your best friend. It has the best information of any book I have ever read about Disney World. Even though a lot of the information is the same from year to year, I still buy the newest copy every year. I love sitting down with a hot cup of coffee every morning and reading a small section every day. It is so informative and also entertaining. It truly is a great read. I recommend buying it off the web as it is so much cheaper. Use pricegrabber.com or bizrate.com and search for the lowest price. I don't remember ever paying over $14.00 for it, shipping and all. The website for this book (touringplans.com) is a good planning tool as well. It has planning information on it that you can access for free, such as restaurant reviews, hotel reviews, blog posts, etc. They also have a premium subscription you can purchase for $10.95 that will allow you access to a crowd calendar that tells you the best days to visit each park, detailed touring plans to help you plan your days, and access to their mobile system called lines that will allow you to check wait times for attractions in the parks while you are on vacation. If you buy the book, you get a discount on this subscription rate. So buy the book, then check out the website for more assistance.

The next step is to decide when you are going to go. We have become very big fans of traveling in the fall. If it is at all possible to go during the off season, I highly recommend it. We are blessed that our little girl gets a two week break in the fall, two weeks at Christmas, and two weeks in the Spring. Of those breaks, her fall break is the only time that falls into off season touring so it is a no brainer for us. The temps are great, the crowds are low, and we love the Halloween party and decorations.

The next thing to do is decide where you are going to stay. You have two options you have to decide on first....on property or off. This is a hard decision for many, though not for our family. We always stay on property. My husband and I both used to stay off property when we took our trips with family before we were married...but then we stayed on property for our honeymoon and will not go back! For us, it is amazing being totally immersed in the magic of Disney. I will write a new post on this topic at a later date.

Once you know when you are going and where you want to stay, go ahead and book your stay (especially if you are staying on Disney property). If you book a package (room plus park tickets) through Disney, you pay a $200 deposit which is fully refundable up until 45 days out from your trip. If you change 5 to 44 days out you get all but $100 back. If you only book the room portion and no park tickets, your deposit is only the cost of one night, and you have until I think 5 days out to cancel for your full money back. The great thing about booking early is that you are guaranteed the resort that you want. Disney is wonderful in that they will allow you to change your reservation up until I think 45 days out if a better deal comes out. Disney always seems to be running some kind of special so chances are good that you will get some kind of discount during your trip. I will post later about this as well.

I think I have rattled enough for now. My mind is racing with all the information I want to post so I will save that for another date. For now, get the book and enjoy all it has to offer. Happy planning!