Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Travel Tip Tuesday
Another quick tip today as I am still trying to recover from our amazing trip last weekend to celebrate a wonderful birthday weekend at Disney World. I have more posts to come on that, but in the meantime, my tip today is about photo pass cards. Almost every time you get your picture taken with a character, there is a photo pass photographer on hand to take your picture. Even the times we said that we only wanted them to use our camera, we almost always ended up with yet another card with pictures on it. So, first of all, to avoid the fight (and twenty photo pass cards) just have your card available when you step up to meet the characters. That is not my tip though :) My tip is to take a picture of the back of your card. The back of the card has a series of numbers and letters on the back that you will need to enter on the website when you get home so that you can see the pictures online. You don't need the actual card to view the pictures, just the number on the back. So, if you take a picture of that number you don't have to worry about misplacing your photo pass card when pulling out your park passes or fast passes throughout the day!
Friday, November 18, 2011
Quick Service Dining...not worth the money!
A while back I posted about the Dining plan and I think I mentioned that I thought that the Quick Service plan would be about a wash as far as price (you wouldn't save any money), but I thought the convenience made it worth it. I think I even said that if I had to pay for it, I would go ahead and add it just to avoid the stress of having to pull out my wallet at every meal and try to decide the cheapest option for all three of us. Well, my opinion has now changed on that. I am no longer a fan of the Quick Service Dining plan and I will explain why below.
Now, first of all, let me say that we had the plan for free during our 10 day trip in October. Of course that was worth it. Two free counter service meals and two snacks per day per person for free? Of course we enjoyed it. As a matter of fact, we liked it so much that I thought we would pay for it for our upcoming trip in December. So, I called to add it yesterday....and now I am not a fan anymore :(
First of all, the price listed is $30 per day per adult, and $9 per day per child. So, for a family of three you would expect to pay $69 a day. Well, hang on, you have to pay taxes on that. The tax rate is a whopping 13.5%, which brings our total to $78.32 per day in food. For two meals and two snacks per day? Seriously? Who eats that much food? We had a hard time using all of our snacks in October. Most days, we only used one per day unless we wanted a treat (i.e. cotton candy or candy that we didn't need). Also, as a note, the plan is changing in 2012. Soon, you will only get 1 snack per day, and I am sure the price is not going to reflect that change (I can't confirm that though).
So, let's walk through a typical meal for our family. We always go to Pizza Planet. There, each adult gets a pepperoni pizza (8.29 each) and the kids meal is 4.99. My daughter PREFERS water, so that doesn't cost anything as the restaurants give a complimentary cup of ice water. Plus, my husband and I can easily share a large coke (2.49). So, if I use the high tax rate of 13.5% (I don't know what it is in the parks) our total would be about $27.50. That is feeding each of us our own meal. If we spent that at each meal we are spending $55.00 a day in meals. That still leaves us $23 a day for snacks. The highest amount we would spend for snacks a day is $5 per person, so $15 a day. That brings us to $70 a day. We have already saved $8 a day by not getting the dining plan.
Hang on though, there is more. I mentioned what we would get at Pizza Planet on a typical trip. That is with the meal plan (that we always seem to get free in October). When we were there last June (and were not on the meal plan), our family shared two pizzas. Each pizza comes with a salad so my husband and I each had a salad and the three of us shared the two pizzas. That saves $4.99 for the kids meal that we can use later as a snack to get something else if we don't leave "stuffed". Often we can all share a pretzel (with free ice water) in the afternoon, and all be satisfied. There are many counter service meals where we can share meals. I will post on that at a later time. There were many meals where we wasted food because we just couldn't eat it all. Why pay extra to have all that food if you aren't going to eat it all?
Some people may say that you also get a refillable mug with the meal plan. Yes, you do and it really is a nice bonus. However, my family really only needs two of those. My daughter doesn't drink sodas, so all she wants is hot chocolate in the morning. I take some throw away coffee cups and my own hot chocolate packets. Then she gets some free hot water, and has her own hot chocolate. Since we aren't really at the hotel a lot, we only used the mugs in the morning with breakfast, and at night when we returned to the room. My husband is not a huge fan of drinking coke with breakfast, and is not a coffee drinker, so he doesn't use his much either. So, I would rather buy one or two out of pocket with the money I save by not getting the meal plan.
When I was talking to the reservation cast member yesterday, she kept asking me over and over are you sure you want to pay for all of these meals out of pocket? The more she asked me that question, the more determined I came to make the meals work for our family for cheaper than the cost of the meal plan. Now I may even (GASP) leave property for a meal or two. I can go to Giordanno's, McDonald's or even Olive Garden and spend the same amount I would for hamburgers and chicken nuggets at a counter service meal. I will take my coupons and plan ahead and see how much we can actually save. I love a challenge and after spending an hour on my cell phone with Disney to try to figure this out, I am up to the challenge! Bring it on!
Now, first of all, let me say that we had the plan for free during our 10 day trip in October. Of course that was worth it. Two free counter service meals and two snacks per day per person for free? Of course we enjoyed it. As a matter of fact, we liked it so much that I thought we would pay for it for our upcoming trip in December. So, I called to add it yesterday....and now I am not a fan anymore :(
First of all, the price listed is $30 per day per adult, and $9 per day per child. So, for a family of three you would expect to pay $69 a day. Well, hang on, you have to pay taxes on that. The tax rate is a whopping 13.5%, which brings our total to $78.32 per day in food. For two meals and two snacks per day? Seriously? Who eats that much food? We had a hard time using all of our snacks in October. Most days, we only used one per day unless we wanted a treat (i.e. cotton candy or candy that we didn't need). Also, as a note, the plan is changing in 2012. Soon, you will only get 1 snack per day, and I am sure the price is not going to reflect that change (I can't confirm that though).
So, let's walk through a typical meal for our family. We always go to Pizza Planet. There, each adult gets a pepperoni pizza (8.29 each) and the kids meal is 4.99. My daughter PREFERS water, so that doesn't cost anything as the restaurants give a complimentary cup of ice water. Plus, my husband and I can easily share a large coke (2.49). So, if I use the high tax rate of 13.5% (I don't know what it is in the parks) our total would be about $27.50. That is feeding each of us our own meal. If we spent that at each meal we are spending $55.00 a day in meals. That still leaves us $23 a day for snacks. The highest amount we would spend for snacks a day is $5 per person, so $15 a day. That brings us to $70 a day. We have already saved $8 a day by not getting the dining plan.
Hang on though, there is more. I mentioned what we would get at Pizza Planet on a typical trip. That is with the meal plan (that we always seem to get free in October). When we were there last June (and were not on the meal plan), our family shared two pizzas. Each pizza comes with a salad so my husband and I each had a salad and the three of us shared the two pizzas. That saves $4.99 for the kids meal that we can use later as a snack to get something else if we don't leave "stuffed". Often we can all share a pretzel (with free ice water) in the afternoon, and all be satisfied. There are many counter service meals where we can share meals. I will post on that at a later time. There were many meals where we wasted food because we just couldn't eat it all. Why pay extra to have all that food if you aren't going to eat it all?
Some people may say that you also get a refillable mug with the meal plan. Yes, you do and it really is a nice bonus. However, my family really only needs two of those. My daughter doesn't drink sodas, so all she wants is hot chocolate in the morning. I take some throw away coffee cups and my own hot chocolate packets. Then she gets some free hot water, and has her own hot chocolate. Since we aren't really at the hotel a lot, we only used the mugs in the morning with breakfast, and at night when we returned to the room. My husband is not a huge fan of drinking coke with breakfast, and is not a coffee drinker, so he doesn't use his much either. So, I would rather buy one or two out of pocket with the money I save by not getting the meal plan.
When I was talking to the reservation cast member yesterday, she kept asking me over and over are you sure you want to pay for all of these meals out of pocket? The more she asked me that question, the more determined I came to make the meals work for our family for cheaper than the cost of the meal plan. Now I may even (GASP) leave property for a meal or two. I can go to Giordanno's, McDonald's or even Olive Garden and spend the same amount I would for hamburgers and chicken nuggets at a counter service meal. I will take my coupons and plan ahead and see how much we can actually save. I love a challenge and after spending an hour on my cell phone with Disney to try to figure this out, I am up to the challenge! Bring it on!
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Travel Tip Tuesday
If you are in Magic Kingdom and you are tired of the same old hamburgers or pizza, take a monorail ride over to the Contemporary and enjoy a tasty meal at the Contempo Cafe. This is a really fun place to eat and the break from the parks (and bonus monorail ride) can be just what you need to recharge your batteries without getting too far from the parks. This is an especially good choice if you are on the Dining plan. It is a great value for the plan, and the dessert choices are super tasty. They had some really big cupcakes to choose from that I had not seen in any of the other restaurants that week.
What makes this restaurant so fun is the monorail going overhead while you eat (the Cafe is right next to Chef Mickey's), along with the touch screen ordering stations. You get to walk up and custom order your whole meal, from beginning to end. My daughter especially loved that part and I have to admit that I did too! There were many options to choose from and it was definitely a step above the quick service meals offered in the parks. Definitely a tasty and fun break for us!
What makes this restaurant so fun is the monorail going overhead while you eat (the Cafe is right next to Chef Mickey's), along with the touch screen ordering stations. You get to walk up and custom order your whole meal, from beginning to end. My daughter especially loved that part and I have to admit that I did too! There were many options to choose from and it was definitely a step above the quick service meals offered in the parks. Definitely a tasty and fun break for us!
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Travel Tip Tuesday
I have to share a tip with you today that I have mentioned in passing in a previous post. After our trip a few weeks ago, I must put a lot of emphasis on this one. We almost always stay at Pop Century and I have to say that there are never enough plugs in the room that are easily accessible for charging. I like to lay everything on either a counter or table each night and charge them together. I like all the items to be in one central place so that I don't forget them the next day. This trip we had two cell phones, plus at least one camera battery (between two cameras) charging every single night. There was no way we would have been able to charge all them as we needed to (unless we wanted them hanging out of outlets in random places around the room) without our wall adapter. We took a little square adapter that plugs into the outlet and allows you to plug in up to four items at a time. It was nice because it was a small item to pack, but saved us so much headache. It will now reside in our luggage permanently so that we have it at every hotel we go to from now on!
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Travel Tip Tuesday
If you use the professional Photo Pass photographers in the parks, they will give you a little card with a number on the back. Then, every time you get another picture taken, you give the new photographer that card and your latest picture is added to the card. This is the card you will take home and use to view your pictures online. Therefore, you will need that number on the back. I suggest taking a picture of that card on your own camera. This way, if you happen to misplace that card, you will still have the number when you get home and you will be able to view your pictures on the website!
Friday, October 14, 2011
What a Magical Trip
We just got home from our trip yesterday and it was AMAZING! It was probably one of the best trips we have had yet. I am still in the middle of trying to get back in our routine and have mounds and mounds of laundry to do, but I couldn't resist sharing this picture. It is a picture of us as the First Family on October 1st at Magic Kingdom. We had the most awesome experience being able to help them open the park on the day of the 40th Anniversary Celebration. I will post more details later, but I had to get this out there in the mean time. I have a lot of posts in my head, but they will come later. In the meantime, here is our first picture of the trip! More to come soon.
Monday, September 26, 2011
Time for a snack!
Now that our annual trip is almost here, I have really started focusing on where I want to eat while we are in Disney World. Usually that means I am researching sit down restaurants and reviewing menus six months out. Well, this year we have decided to just stick with the quick service plan since it is free during our stay, and also because we are going back again in a few months. In the past, we always had the regular dining plan so our big focus each day was on our sit down dinners. We would pretty much just eat wherever for lunch and didn't look into menus too much. That is all changing this trip though. Since we will be there for 10 days, we will get really tired of hamburgers if we have to eat them twice a day! There are many options though outside of hamburgers and pizzas for counter service. So, it is my mission this week to find those options and make a plan! However, as I have started this planning, I find myself focusing more on what two snacks I will have each day. How sad is it that I am more excited about the snacks than the meals! :) So, I thought I would share with you my plans for using the snack credits today.
Let's start at Magic Kingdom. There are so many options there, but we definitely have our favorites. My hubby loves the Dole Whip floats at Aloha Isle. If you have ever been to Disney, or read any blogs or websites, you have probably heard of Dole Whips. I usually prefer just the pineapple ice cream by itself, but my hubby likes the float. He gets either vanilla or orange ice cream in pineapple juice and it definitely is pretty tasty. Another favorite snack spot in Magic Kingdom is at Sleepy Hollow in Liberty Square. They have our favorite snack, especially during the light parade or fireworks. We love to get funnel cakes here. They are super yummy and big enough to share. They also have a super yummy frozen drink that I love called the Liberty Swirl Slush. It is a frozen drink that is a mix of blue raspberry and Fanta strawberry that is super tasty!!! This year there is a new treat in I believe Frontierland that I am super excited about as well. The Mickey shaped soft pretzels!!! I love pretzels, and eating them in the shape of Mickey is extra fun and exciting. We had these at Disneyland in March and they were fun to eat! If none of these options appeal to you, then stop by the Main Street Bakery and I am sure you can find something you will love that has been freshly baked....a gigantic and gooey cinnamon roll, a homemade sugar cookie as big as a mini pizza, or a slice of cake...there is something for everyone for sure.
On to Hollywood Studios. There aren't a lot of must haves for me here. I usually get a plain pretzel here, or one of those super popular Mickey ice cream bars since there aren't any park unique snacks that I just have to have while here. There is a fun place to stop here though. I like to walk into the Starring Rolls Cafe and browse all of the yummy pasteries and snacks here. There are muffins, bagels, etc here if you want something somewhat filling, or they also have the fun items as well...the Mickey Mouse rice krispy treats, chocolate covered marshmallows, cookies, etc. Every once in a while you also get lucky and get to watch them making some new snack. Lots of fun!
The number of snacks are almost endless at Epcot. I don't even think I could begin to mention them all. Each country has their own special treats that allow you to get a taste of their culture. I haven't even begun to try them all yet! There are two especially fun places to stop here if you want to try a lot of different things. Norway and France both have bakeries with a number of different tasty treats. Since we usually visit during the Food and Wine Festival, we get to use our snack credits at all of the festival booths and try even more tasty treats. My favorite is the pretzel dog in Germany!!! OOOHHH I so can't wait. I hope it's there this year as well. If you aren't very adventurous and don't want to use your snack credits on food from other countries, but are hungry in World showcase, never fear....America is in the middle of the countries! When you get there you can get a funnel cake, a pretzel, or popcorn to help you make it the rest of the way!
Finally is Animal Kingdom. This is another park that isn't bursting with my favorite snacks. I tend to stick to old faithful here as well. I get the Oreo ice cream sandwich or Mickey bar to get me through. Though truthfully, we aren't usually here long enough to need a lot of snacks. My daughter loves to snack here though as they always have her favorite frozen Minute Maid lemonades. She loves those things and always looks forward to them. As far as my daughter is concerned, as long as Disney keeps the Mickey bars and frozen lemonades, she will be just fine and will never go hungry! Hopefully we find some new favorites on this trip for all of us since we will each have two snacks a day. If we don't though, we all have enough favorites already so that we won't go hungry in the future!
Let's start at Magic Kingdom. There are so many options there, but we definitely have our favorites. My hubby loves the Dole Whip floats at Aloha Isle. If you have ever been to Disney, or read any blogs or websites, you have probably heard of Dole Whips. I usually prefer just the pineapple ice cream by itself, but my hubby likes the float. He gets either vanilla or orange ice cream in pineapple juice and it definitely is pretty tasty. Another favorite snack spot in Magic Kingdom is at Sleepy Hollow in Liberty Square. They have our favorite snack, especially during the light parade or fireworks. We love to get funnel cakes here. They are super yummy and big enough to share. They also have a super yummy frozen drink that I love called the Liberty Swirl Slush. It is a frozen drink that is a mix of blue raspberry and Fanta strawberry that is super tasty!!! This year there is a new treat in I believe Frontierland that I am super excited about as well. The Mickey shaped soft pretzels!!! I love pretzels, and eating them in the shape of Mickey is extra fun and exciting. We had these at Disneyland in March and they were fun to eat! If none of these options appeal to you, then stop by the Main Street Bakery and I am sure you can find something you will love that has been freshly baked....a gigantic and gooey cinnamon roll, a homemade sugar cookie as big as a mini pizza, or a slice of cake...there is something for everyone for sure.
On to Hollywood Studios. There aren't a lot of must haves for me here. I usually get a plain pretzel here, or one of those super popular Mickey ice cream bars since there aren't any park unique snacks that I just have to have while here. There is a fun place to stop here though. I like to walk into the Starring Rolls Cafe and browse all of the yummy pasteries and snacks here. There are muffins, bagels, etc here if you want something somewhat filling, or they also have the fun items as well...the Mickey Mouse rice krispy treats, chocolate covered marshmallows, cookies, etc. Every once in a while you also get lucky and get to watch them making some new snack. Lots of fun!
The number of snacks are almost endless at Epcot. I don't even think I could begin to mention them all. Each country has their own special treats that allow you to get a taste of their culture. I haven't even begun to try them all yet! There are two especially fun places to stop here if you want to try a lot of different things. Norway and France both have bakeries with a number of different tasty treats. Since we usually visit during the Food and Wine Festival, we get to use our snack credits at all of the festival booths and try even more tasty treats. My favorite is the pretzel dog in Germany!!! OOOHHH I so can't wait. I hope it's there this year as well. If you aren't very adventurous and don't want to use your snack credits on food from other countries, but are hungry in World showcase, never fear....America is in the middle of the countries! When you get there you can get a funnel cake, a pretzel, or popcorn to help you make it the rest of the way!
Finally is Animal Kingdom. This is another park that isn't bursting with my favorite snacks. I tend to stick to old faithful here as well. I get the Oreo ice cream sandwich or Mickey bar to get me through. Though truthfully, we aren't usually here long enough to need a lot of snacks. My daughter loves to snack here though as they always have her favorite frozen Minute Maid lemonades. She loves those things and always looks forward to them. As far as my daughter is concerned, as long as Disney keeps the Mickey bars and frozen lemonades, she will be just fine and will never go hungry! Hopefully we find some new favorites on this trip for all of us since we will each have two snacks a day. If we don't though, we all have enough favorites already so that we won't go hungry in the future!
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