I am sooooo excited! It is officially official! Ha! We just booked our trip to Disney World for late August!Woo-hoo!
Buying through the Disney website is so simple. I picked out all the options I wanted, it spit out a total, and you have to put down at least $200 to reserve your trip. Done! We did opt for the vacation insurance, only because my hubby is a police officer and, heaven forbid, something should come up and we have to move our dates around.... (I would NOT be a happy camper) But it was fairly cheap, $150 and covers cancellations, moving dates, lost luggage, injuries on your trip and that sorta thing. Normally, I NEVER opt for vacation insurance, but I have also never planned a vaction this expensive, and with so much planning going into it, I could not bare the thought of something going wrong, so I figured I might as well. FYI- if you do purchase the insurance it did not make me pay that fee up front, it rolls it into the total for you.
Once I picked out all my options I then had to enter each family members info, just names really. I then had the option to request a room cloe to any other travelers we will be meeting up with, (my family-in-laws!!!! Yay!) so I was excited to even see that option on there!!! Next you pay your deposit, full amount, or amount of your choosing. I did also opt to make the credit card I payed with our main CC for the trip. Meaning, this is the card that will be attatched to our room, so we can make purchases in the park by using our room keys, etc. Then you get some confirmation emails and numbers and your done!
Once you've put your deposit down you can then go through the next "customizing" step where you are given the option of entering additional info about your family to help cater your trip to you. I was able to enter that we will be celebrating a birthday on our trip (MINE!!), and that it was our first time to disney, and what our primary interests were. You also have the option of adding excursions, tee times for golf and that sorta thing. We aren't planning anything thing like that on our first trip.
So, so, so easy! Of course, I did already know all my travel info, like dates, the hotel I wanted, dining and ticket options. But still only took me about 10 minutes to finish. Now we wait and prep for our amazing vacation! The Disney site did give me some important dates, #1- the date your vacation must be paid in full by, and #2- the exact date you can start making dining reservations .(which I will be doing THAT morning, about 3am!!)
You cannot possibly know how excited I am at this very moment, it's getting so real that we are actually going now! So much fun stuff to get started doing that I have been waiting on for it all to be official- like making t-shirts and buying Tinkerbell gifts!! Okay, I admit, I have already bought some Tinkerbell gifts...but only a FEW, I promise!!
Happy Planning,
Terri
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Tinker Bell Gifts
Disney is magic. Done. But even though you are traveling to the happiest place on Earth there are a few small things you can do to make your trip even more magical and memorable!
I have two small children, both girls, ages 4 and 8 months. So for them, especially my 4 year old, Tinker Bell gifts are right up their alley! What are Tinker Bell gifts, you may ask? They are awesome little Disney-themed gifts that you leave out, from Tink herself, each day of your trip. Of course they don't have to be from Tink, any character or the whole gang will be fine. And there are so many fun ways you can do this!
Some parents print out little notes, pertaining to the activities they will be doing that day ,along with the gifts. And sometimes the gifts themselves pertain to the day. For example, leaving out glow toys when you know you will be seeing a night parade. Or a Minnie Mouse towel when you will be visiting a water park, etc. Gifts can be big or small, I have picked up many of mine at local dollar stores, think small toys, notepads, and things like that.
Our plan is as follows
- Day of arrival: Have a welcome bag FULL of fun goodies including: Autograph book, mouse ear hat, towel, light up toy, mickey mouse plush to sleep with, and maybe some other little filler goodies. I myself, def want to leave a little welcome note from Mickey and the gang!
- Each morning: Have small little "goodie" bags with a small toy or two and maybe a little treat, like a lolipop. As well as a note asking the girls to come to whichever park we will be going to that day.
I am going to make some notes up on the computer and sign them myself and pack everything with us! You can find ALL SORTS of templates for fun Disney notes to your kids on Pinterest, so just look it up. Or just go to my Pinterest Disney board here!:)
This is some fun extra magic that the kids will LOVE. It also can help curb spending on souvieniers, because you can remind the kids that they will be getting a gift in the morning. And it can help control some behavior, with a simple reminder that the characters are always watching in the parks, and they don't leave presents for misbehaving children!
So there you have it, Tink gifts! Pics to come in the coming days/months of all my projects as we do them!
Happy Planning,
Terri
I have two small children, both girls, ages 4 and 8 months. So for them, especially my 4 year old, Tinker Bell gifts are right up their alley! What are Tinker Bell gifts, you may ask? They are awesome little Disney-themed gifts that you leave out, from Tink herself, each day of your trip. Of course they don't have to be from Tink, any character or the whole gang will be fine. And there are so many fun ways you can do this!
Some parents print out little notes, pertaining to the activities they will be doing that day ,along with the gifts. And sometimes the gifts themselves pertain to the day. For example, leaving out glow toys when you know you will be seeing a night parade. Or a Minnie Mouse towel when you will be visiting a water park, etc. Gifts can be big or small, I have picked up many of mine at local dollar stores, think small toys, notepads, and things like that.
Our plan is as follows
- Day of arrival: Have a welcome bag FULL of fun goodies including: Autograph book, mouse ear hat, towel, light up toy, mickey mouse plush to sleep with, and maybe some other little filler goodies. I myself, def want to leave a little welcome note from Mickey and the gang!
- Each morning: Have small little "goodie" bags with a small toy or two and maybe a little treat, like a lolipop. As well as a note asking the girls to come to whichever park we will be going to that day.
I am going to make some notes up on the computer and sign them myself and pack everything with us! You can find ALL SORTS of templates for fun Disney notes to your kids on Pinterest, so just look it up. Or just go to my Pinterest Disney board here!:)
This is some fun extra magic that the kids will LOVE. It also can help curb spending on souvieniers, because you can remind the kids that they will be getting a gift in the morning. And it can help control some behavior, with a simple reminder that the characters are always watching in the parks, and they don't leave presents for misbehaving children!
So there you have it, Tink gifts! Pics to come in the coming days/months of all my projects as we do them!
Happy Planning,
Terri
Monday, January 21, 2013
Dining at Disney
One of my favorite things to talk about? Eating at Disney World!!!
I am a HUGE fan of all things themed....especially restaurants....so I have had so much fun looking through all that Disney has to offer and narrowing it down has been a big task. But alas our selections are made. Let me tell you how I did it!!
First off, it should be noted that I have been to Orlando on a business trip and we ate nearly every meal at Downtown Disney, so I am very familiar with that area. I also had the chance to visit Universal's Islands of Adventure on that trip, and we plan to do a day there this time as well.
So on with it!
First off, you need to make your daily itenerary, keeping in mind that you might change the order of these days based on the schedule for the parks when it gets posted, but at least youll have a plan for what to do each day in whichever park your at. This will help with selection of places to eat!
For us we are having 1 sit down meal a day because we are on going to be on the Disney Dining Plan. We are going to alternate wether that meal is lunch or dinner each day. Mainly because we dont know if we will stay all the way to closing each day.
Once you know what park you are going to visit that will help your selection because if you want to eat in the park, you just need to look up which restauarants are in the particular park. Then you can google pics of the ones that look good to you and look on allears.net for menus, pricing, reviews, etc.
I should note that during my research it has come up that the parks you will most likely spend the least time at are Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom, so you may want those to be lunches, or quick service meals with dinner at DOwntown Disney on those days.
Now let me tell you about our selections and why!!
Day 1- Magic Kingdom (Travel day- so will be like a half day in the park)
Eating at: Be Our Guest for Dinner
This is Disney's newest place to eat. It is in Beast's castle and is a replica of the movie!!! My daughter is a HUUUUUGE Princess fan so this is a must for us. The menu look amazing and quite fancy, so I think the girls will get a kick out of it. It seemed very appropriate to start off our trip at 'Be Our Guest' because, well, we are, in fact, going to be Disney's guests!! So that is why we chose this place! We wanted it to be a dinner because we do not know our flight info yet and lunch could have been cutting it too close.
Day 2- Magic Kingdom (Princess day- we will be visiting the boutique for Princess makeovers)
Eating at: Cinderella's Royal Table for Lunch
Since we are doing the BBB that day we HAD TO pick Cinderellas castle. The girls will be done up in true princess fashion, so it is only appropriate that we eat in the castle. This will be so fun becuase all of the princesses stop by and visit the kids. You also get a keepsake frame and photo. This meal will cost us 2 of our dinner credits each to do, because it is particularly expensive, but we will be at Universal one day so it worked out.
Day 3- Epcot
Eating at: Biergarten for Dinner
We are so excited to visit all the countries in this park and plan to have a quick service lunch somewhere that just looks and smells good, but we def wanted to go to the Biergarten. This was a HARD choice, as there are soooo many world-class amazing cuisines to try in Epcot. But my hubby is of German decent and loves BEER! Haha, so we picked this place. It is an all you care to eat buffet and features live Oooompa music from time to time throughout the day! I know the girls will love dancing around to that. You also eat at huge picnic type tables, and often with strangers, because the tables hold like 10 people. So a great chance to meet other Disney goers. The food looks amazing and it just seemed fun. So that is why we chose the Biergarten!!
Day 4- Hollywood Studios
Eating at: 50s Prime Time Cafe for Lunch
I heard about this place a long time ago and KNEW I HAD TO GO!!! It is sooooooo beautifully themed. You eat in your own mini 50s kitchen, complete with black & white tv, showing old shows. The waitresses refer to themselves as your cousins, or aunts and fuss at your to eat your veggies. Go look at pics of the place for SURE!!! The food looks amazing, and features home cooking like fried chicken, pot roast, and meatloaf and I hear the portions are GIANT! I simply can NOT wait to eat here!!!!
Day 5- Animal Kingdom
Eating at: T Rex in Downtown Disney for Dinner
All the places I ate at in Downtown Disney were amazing! I knew we would visit lots on this trip, and I knew I wanted to go to TREX!! It reminds me of a Rainforest Cafe (which we often frequent here in Texas) only it is Dinosaur themed! The place is soooo cool and has a build a bear (build a dino) area! We figured we would spend the least amount of time in AK, so we plan on a quick meal for lunch there and the DD for dinner.
Day 6- Universal Islands of Adventure
Eating at: 3 Broomsticks from the Harry Potter Movies for Lunch
We will most likely not have any Disney meals this day. They have some amazing places to eat at Universal also, including my top dinner choice for the day, Jimmy Buffets Margaritaville!
Day 7- Magic Kingdom
Eating at: Rainforest Cafe in Downtown Disney for Dinner
This will be our last night in Disney unless our itenerary changes a bit...so we plan on eating in DD for Dinner. We have many Rainforest Cafes in Texas, and we are no stranger to them (I love themed places, remember) so I would not typically pick to eat a meal at a place we can already go. But everyone in my family LOVES this place. Its so huge and themed and fun, so we are going to eat here. We know we love the food and atmosphere so why not?
There ya have it! Hopefully we get all our choices. I am schedule to do my reservations in February, and will be up on my computer about 3 am, ready to reserve. I will let you know how it goes!!
Happy Planning,
Terri
I am a HUGE fan of all things themed....especially restaurants....so I have had so much fun looking through all that Disney has to offer and narrowing it down has been a big task. But alas our selections are made. Let me tell you how I did it!!
First off, it should be noted that I have been to Orlando on a business trip and we ate nearly every meal at Downtown Disney, so I am very familiar with that area. I also had the chance to visit Universal's Islands of Adventure on that trip, and we plan to do a day there this time as well.
So on with it!
First off, you need to make your daily itenerary, keeping in mind that you might change the order of these days based on the schedule for the parks when it gets posted, but at least youll have a plan for what to do each day in whichever park your at. This will help with selection of places to eat!
For us we are having 1 sit down meal a day because we are on going to be on the Disney Dining Plan. We are going to alternate wether that meal is lunch or dinner each day. Mainly because we dont know if we will stay all the way to closing each day.
Once you know what park you are going to visit that will help your selection because if you want to eat in the park, you just need to look up which restauarants are in the particular park. Then you can google pics of the ones that look good to you and look on allears.net for menus, pricing, reviews, etc.
I should note that during my research it has come up that the parks you will most likely spend the least time at are Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom, so you may want those to be lunches, or quick service meals with dinner at DOwntown Disney on those days.
Now let me tell you about our selections and why!!
Day 1- Magic Kingdom (Travel day- so will be like a half day in the park)
Eating at: Be Our Guest for Dinner
This is Disney's newest place to eat. It is in Beast's castle and is a replica of the movie!!! My daughter is a HUUUUUGE Princess fan so this is a must for us. The menu look amazing and quite fancy, so I think the girls will get a kick out of it. It seemed very appropriate to start off our trip at 'Be Our Guest' because, well, we are, in fact, going to be Disney's guests!! So that is why we chose this place! We wanted it to be a dinner because we do not know our flight info yet and lunch could have been cutting it too close.
Day 2- Magic Kingdom (Princess day- we will be visiting the boutique for Princess makeovers)
Eating at: Cinderella's Royal Table for Lunch
Since we are doing the BBB that day we HAD TO pick Cinderellas castle. The girls will be done up in true princess fashion, so it is only appropriate that we eat in the castle. This will be so fun becuase all of the princesses stop by and visit the kids. You also get a keepsake frame and photo. This meal will cost us 2 of our dinner credits each to do, because it is particularly expensive, but we will be at Universal one day so it worked out.
Day 3- Epcot
Eating at: Biergarten for Dinner
We are so excited to visit all the countries in this park and plan to have a quick service lunch somewhere that just looks and smells good, but we def wanted to go to the Biergarten. This was a HARD choice, as there are soooo many world-class amazing cuisines to try in Epcot. But my hubby is of German decent and loves BEER! Haha, so we picked this place. It is an all you care to eat buffet and features live Oooompa music from time to time throughout the day! I know the girls will love dancing around to that. You also eat at huge picnic type tables, and often with strangers, because the tables hold like 10 people. So a great chance to meet other Disney goers. The food looks amazing and it just seemed fun. So that is why we chose the Biergarten!!
Day 4- Hollywood Studios
Eating at: 50s Prime Time Cafe for Lunch
I heard about this place a long time ago and KNEW I HAD TO GO!!! It is sooooooo beautifully themed. You eat in your own mini 50s kitchen, complete with black & white tv, showing old shows. The waitresses refer to themselves as your cousins, or aunts and fuss at your to eat your veggies. Go look at pics of the place for SURE!!! The food looks amazing, and features home cooking like fried chicken, pot roast, and meatloaf and I hear the portions are GIANT! I simply can NOT wait to eat here!!!!
Day 5- Animal Kingdom
Eating at: T Rex in Downtown Disney for Dinner
All the places I ate at in Downtown Disney were amazing! I knew we would visit lots on this trip, and I knew I wanted to go to TREX!! It reminds me of a Rainforest Cafe (which we often frequent here in Texas) only it is Dinosaur themed! The place is soooo cool and has a build a bear (build a dino) area! We figured we would spend the least amount of time in AK, so we plan on a quick meal for lunch there and the DD for dinner.
Day 6- Universal Islands of Adventure
Eating at: 3 Broomsticks from the Harry Potter Movies for Lunch
We will most likely not have any Disney meals this day. They have some amazing places to eat at Universal also, including my top dinner choice for the day, Jimmy Buffets Margaritaville!
Day 7- Magic Kingdom
Eating at: Rainforest Cafe in Downtown Disney for Dinner
This will be our last night in Disney unless our itenerary changes a bit...so we plan on eating in DD for Dinner. We have many Rainforest Cafes in Texas, and we are no stranger to them (I love themed places, remember) so I would not typically pick to eat a meal at a place we can already go. But everyone in my family LOVES this place. Its so huge and themed and fun, so we are going to eat here. We know we love the food and atmosphere so why not?
There ya have it! Hopefully we get all our choices. I am schedule to do my reservations in February, and will be up on my computer about 3 am, ready to reserve. I will let you know how it goes!!
Happy Planning,
Terri
Disney Planning Timeline
Alright, I have said all along that I recommend a 6 month planning period for Disney World. This is true especially if you want to take the time to plan all the little extra magic and book your restaurants. So here it is- my 6 month timeline!
6 Months Out
- Pick out your hotel, tickets, and dining plan.
- Put a deposit down on your trip and book it!
- Start reading up on places you might like to eat and research them! Allears.net has menus and reviews of every place to eat in Disney! Make a list, you will need it later!
- Order your FREE Disney planning DVD from Disneyworld.com. Even though you are in the midst of planning it has some great tips and it is fun to watch with the whole family to build up some excitement! Also, check out netflix, they have some great Disney Parks shows also!!!
- Start making a daily itenerary of places to eat, extra park experiences, etc. This may change a bit when you finally get to see the park schedules for your visit (if you plan on being in certain parks for extra magic hours, etc.) but will help you to know which places to eat at for reservations, etc.
- Check Disneyworld.com often for the operating hours during your trip. Most likely this will be posted during the week before you need to make your dining reservations. Knowing your itenerary daily beforehand will help, and then you can just move the days around based on which parks open early or stay open late if you choose.
- At EXACTLY 180 days out (roughly in your 6th month) you need to reserve your seat at the restaurants you want to eat at! You may think I am nuts, but rumor has it that even waiting one or two days after this mark will loose you the chance to eat at places you really want. I, for one, plan to be online at 3am (when it is rumored that you can start reserving) on my 180 day mark to pick my places. There will be a whole post on this later!
- Book your extras like the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique or Pirate League!
5 Months Out
- Book your airline ticket. Usually 5 months out is when you can finally book your airline ticket. Often, booking them early will save you some money, but if you need to wait to book your ticket you can! This is just when you can start looking and booking!
-Your Disney DVD should have arrived by now, so be sure to watch it and start building up the excitement of seeing where you will soon be going!
- Go through some of the attractions at each park and make a list as a family of the must-do things for each person! Then get on disneyworld.com and order a set of FREE personalized maps! You can choose all your favorite attractions and they will be mailed to you in a couple of weeks, soooo fun!!
- Start some chore charts for your kids to earn souvinier money! Disney actually has some "Disney dollars" you can purchase for your kids to use at the parks or Disney gift cards you buy can be used in the parks as well.
4 Months Out
-Reserve your stroller. We have a huge double sit n' stand stroller that we do NOT want to travel with, so we have done some research and found a resonably priced one. There will be more on this to come!
- Order groceries for your room! We are doing this through the same company that we are renting our stroller. We are ordering just a few items we do not want to travel with, like donuts, breakfast bars, and fruit snacks. Also cases of water, because you are allowed to bring food and drinks in the park, so these may come in handy and save you money!
- Order your welcome packages. If you want, there are several companies that you an order some pretty magical welcome packages from that will be waiting in your room upon arrival. Us? Well, I am pretty crafty and I am making my own! When we get to our hotel I will run up and set them out before thhe hubs brings the girls up, voila! Much cheaper for us. More on this later!
- If you plan on being that cute family with matching shirts everyday (like me!) start looking for them now, or finding supplies to make them! Disney store often has sales where you can get 2 for the price of one,you can also find some cute patches and iron ons on Etsy.com.
3 Months Out
- Start browsing dollar and craft stores for small Disney gifts! There is a magical idea that I love called "Tinkerbell gifts". Basically you leave small gifts out for your kids each night that Tink herself has snuck in and dropped off. This can help curb the souvinier spending, as you can always remind kids, that Tink will be leaving a special present for them that night. Also, can help with behavior, as you can tell them Tink will be watching for them and does not leave presents for misbahaving children!
- Start looking out for some simple Disney decor! This is a thing. At most Disney resorts the rooms will have a window that looks out to passers-by and people decorate them! So think window clings!! And small things to set in the window! (No tape please)
- If you are interested in Pin Trading, look on ebay and order some pins, sooooo so so so so so so much cheaper!
- If you have little ones look on Etsy.com for some cute, personalized autograph books!
2 Months Out
- Watch your Disney DVD's again!! It is getting close, time to build up some more anticipation.
- Starts a Disney countdown if you havent already!
- Watch some youtube videos of the rides and character meet-n-greets to prep young kids for what to expect. Nothing like waiting an hour to see Mickey then your child be scared!
- Order or find any little things you might need that will be more expensive in the parks. Think hand held fans, panchos for the small daily Disney showers, lanyards for your keys to the world, etc.
- Decide if there are any little things you will need cash for and organize it. For example we plan to leave a small tip each day for our "Mousekeeper" in our room, so we will have envelopes dated, with a few bucks in it for each day. We also plan to have our tip money for restaurants in mind, but if you are eating with a group of 6 or more a 18% gratuity automatically charges to your room, so be prepared!! And finally we will use a cab to go to Universal, so we plan to have cash on hand for that!!
- At your 45 day mark you have to have your vacation paid off, this is a good time to check for reservations at any places you didnt get to reserve initially as a lot of people wont have paid off their trips and will be cancelling, call throughout the day!!!
1 Month Out
- Once your vacation is paid off you will recieve a few weeks or so prior to your trip a package including your Disney luggage tags, (for the Disney Magical Express) and some other coupons and extras, so look for this fun package to arrive!!
- Finish up any projects like welcome bags, Tink gifts, tshirts, etc.
- Start packing! There is a lot to remember so start your bags now!
- You may want to make some signs or tags for your stroller and bags that you will take into the park each day to make it handy to find in the sea of other strollers.
- Watch Disney movies/shows/play games, just get hyped!!!
- Gather all your info in one place! Reservation #'s, flight and hotel info, etc. Most people will make a printout of this and keep it handy, theres also many apps to store the info for you as well.
- Print out or put your daily itenerary in your phone.
There ya have it! I am sure I forgot some stuff, but hopefully I nailed most of it! See what I mean! Disney is A LOT of planning...lucky for me, I love it! Many, many more posts to come about things I mentioned here!
Happy Planning,
Terri
6 Months Out
- Pick out your hotel, tickets, and dining plan.
- Put a deposit down on your trip and book it!
- Start reading up on places you might like to eat and research them! Allears.net has menus and reviews of every place to eat in Disney! Make a list, you will need it later!
- Order your FREE Disney planning DVD from Disneyworld.com. Even though you are in the midst of planning it has some great tips and it is fun to watch with the whole family to build up some excitement! Also, check out netflix, they have some great Disney Parks shows also!!!
- Start making a daily itenerary of places to eat, extra park experiences, etc. This may change a bit when you finally get to see the park schedules for your visit (if you plan on being in certain parks for extra magic hours, etc.) but will help you to know which places to eat at for reservations, etc.
- Check Disneyworld.com often for the operating hours during your trip. Most likely this will be posted during the week before you need to make your dining reservations. Knowing your itenerary daily beforehand will help, and then you can just move the days around based on which parks open early or stay open late if you choose.
- At EXACTLY 180 days out (roughly in your 6th month) you need to reserve your seat at the restaurants you want to eat at! You may think I am nuts, but rumor has it that even waiting one or two days after this mark will loose you the chance to eat at places you really want. I, for one, plan to be online at 3am (when it is rumored that you can start reserving) on my 180 day mark to pick my places. There will be a whole post on this later!
- Book your extras like the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique or Pirate League!
5 Months Out
- Book your airline ticket. Usually 5 months out is when you can finally book your airline ticket. Often, booking them early will save you some money, but if you need to wait to book your ticket you can! This is just when you can start looking and booking!
-Your Disney DVD should have arrived by now, so be sure to watch it and start building up the excitement of seeing where you will soon be going!
- Go through some of the attractions at each park and make a list as a family of the must-do things for each person! Then get on disneyworld.com and order a set of FREE personalized maps! You can choose all your favorite attractions and they will be mailed to you in a couple of weeks, soooo fun!!
- Start some chore charts for your kids to earn souvinier money! Disney actually has some "Disney dollars" you can purchase for your kids to use at the parks or Disney gift cards you buy can be used in the parks as well.
4 Months Out
-Reserve your stroller. We have a huge double sit n' stand stroller that we do NOT want to travel with, so we have done some research and found a resonably priced one. There will be more on this to come!
- Order groceries for your room! We are doing this through the same company that we are renting our stroller. We are ordering just a few items we do not want to travel with, like donuts, breakfast bars, and fruit snacks. Also cases of water, because you are allowed to bring food and drinks in the park, so these may come in handy and save you money!
- Order your welcome packages. If you want, there are several companies that you an order some pretty magical welcome packages from that will be waiting in your room upon arrival. Us? Well, I am pretty crafty and I am making my own! When we get to our hotel I will run up and set them out before thhe hubs brings the girls up, voila! Much cheaper for us. More on this later!
- If you plan on being that cute family with matching shirts everyday (like me!) start looking for them now, or finding supplies to make them! Disney store often has sales where you can get 2 for the price of one,you can also find some cute patches and iron ons on Etsy.com.
3 Months Out
- Start browsing dollar and craft stores for small Disney gifts! There is a magical idea that I love called "Tinkerbell gifts". Basically you leave small gifts out for your kids each night that Tink herself has snuck in and dropped off. This can help curb the souvinier spending, as you can always remind kids, that Tink will be leaving a special present for them that night. Also, can help with behavior, as you can tell them Tink will be watching for them and does not leave presents for misbahaving children!
- Start looking out for some simple Disney decor! This is a thing. At most Disney resorts the rooms will have a window that looks out to passers-by and people decorate them! So think window clings!! And small things to set in the window! (No tape please)
- If you are interested in Pin Trading, look on ebay and order some pins, sooooo so so so so so so much cheaper!
- If you have little ones look on Etsy.com for some cute, personalized autograph books!
2 Months Out
- Watch your Disney DVD's again!! It is getting close, time to build up some more anticipation.
- Starts a Disney countdown if you havent already!
- Watch some youtube videos of the rides and character meet-n-greets to prep young kids for what to expect. Nothing like waiting an hour to see Mickey then your child be scared!
- Order or find any little things you might need that will be more expensive in the parks. Think hand held fans, panchos for the small daily Disney showers, lanyards for your keys to the world, etc.
- Decide if there are any little things you will need cash for and organize it. For example we plan to leave a small tip each day for our "Mousekeeper" in our room, so we will have envelopes dated, with a few bucks in it for each day. We also plan to have our tip money for restaurants in mind, but if you are eating with a group of 6 or more a 18% gratuity automatically charges to your room, so be prepared!! And finally we will use a cab to go to Universal, so we plan to have cash on hand for that!!
- At your 45 day mark you have to have your vacation paid off, this is a good time to check for reservations at any places you didnt get to reserve initially as a lot of people wont have paid off their trips and will be cancelling, call throughout the day!!!
1 Month Out
- Once your vacation is paid off you will recieve a few weeks or so prior to your trip a package including your Disney luggage tags, (for the Disney Magical Express) and some other coupons and extras, so look for this fun package to arrive!!
- Finish up any projects like welcome bags, Tink gifts, tshirts, etc.
- Start packing! There is a lot to remember so start your bags now!
- You may want to make some signs or tags for your stroller and bags that you will take into the park each day to make it handy to find in the sea of other strollers.
- Watch Disney movies/shows/play games, just get hyped!!!
- Gather all your info in one place! Reservation #'s, flight and hotel info, etc. Most people will make a printout of this and keep it handy, theres also many apps to store the info for you as well.
- Print out or put your daily itenerary in your phone.
There ya have it! I am sure I forgot some stuff, but hopefully I nailed most of it! See what I mean! Disney is A LOT of planning...lucky for me, I love it! Many, many more posts to come about things I mentioned here!
Happy Planning,
Terri
Purchasing Your Disney Vacay
Did you know how user-friendly Disney World's website is? It is awesome, I love it. It really appeals to the planner in me! Now- to be fair there are tons of awesome travel agents who can take care of all the details for you, and allow you to make payments, etc. But I prefer to plan and handle these things myself and save a few bucks. Disney's website lets me do this and also allows me to make payments.
Disney can be expensive! Especially if you want to go all out...one way to help ease the blow is planning far in advance and making some managable payments. On Disney's website you can basically create your dream vacation, put down a $200 deposit to hold it, and then make payments when and how much you want- bam! Awesomeeeee!
Here is a break down:
1. Look for specials!!! Late August/September is when Disney usually offers the FREE dining plan (which is a HUGE savings) but throughout the year they also offer free nights/discounted rates and more! So check out those specials! Also, sign up for the email list and they will email you the specials!
Extra tip: When I first started planning my vacay I went through the process of creating several different vacations on the Disney website before finally picking one and saving it (which can be done if you create an account with them) and then I just left it saved for a few weeks while waiting until I could put the downpayment down. During that wait I guess Disney noticed I had saved a vacation and they sent me an offer to book and get a reduced rate on the hotel I had picked! Whoo! So try it!
2. Picking out what you want- we have talked about resorts....but then Disney will want you to pick out your tickets!
You will have several options, how many days, park hopper, water parks, holiday experiences...
How many days?? Well, it is honestly not much more money to add days, so I would suggest getting a ticket for every day of your stay, including the day you arrive....the parks do stay open late on occasion! One exception would be your last day if you are traveling early like us...we are using are last day as only travel, because there will not be enough time to visit the parks. :(
We are staying 8 days/7 nights and purchasing a 6 day ticket. Allowing for 3 days at Magic Kingdom, 1 at each Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom and then 1 day offsite at Universal, then our travel day.
We chose no park hopper, mainly because our kids our younger and it will take us time to get through the parks, for sure. I know we can spend an entire day at each park, but if you have teens or older kids you may want to consider oark hopper, or if you can only stay a few days.
We also chose no waterpark optition. Again, we live in Texas, next to the nations #1 waterpark (its like 3 waterparks....), so we didnt care to visit one.
3. Dining plans!!!!
Okay, there seems to be a lot of mixed feelings on Dining Plans, apparently they dont save you that much money. But for us, it seems very convienent! We love eating out on vacations and are planning one sit down meal each day. And several of them are expensive character experience meals, so for us we will most likely save a pretty penny by purchasing the plan, and we wont have to worry about buying each meal, as it is just a credit on your room key.
Again, if your vacation is shortened you may not want to waste your time or money on eating at sit down places a lot. I have read that it can take an hour and a half each time you eat at a sit down restaurant. But again, we have the little kiddos and that is a welcome break in the day!
They do offer different dining plans. The quick service plan includes 2 counter service meals a day (think walk up and order places) and 1 snack a day. This would be good if your want to go, go, go.
The Dining Plan is 1 counter meal and 1 sit down meal and 1 snack a day, again, this was our choice.
They also have a deluxe plan with more sit down meals, but I feel that is going overboard on time unless you are coming to Disney to eat!
Also, you can add this in your vacation package and have it paid off before you go, an added bonus for us! We do plan to have some light groceries delivered to our hotel room, like snacks and breakfast bars, but more on that later.
4. You will then have the option of choosing to add your flight. You should know if you do choose to add one, they do not seem to offer southwest, which for us is an option that is non-stop! So we are booking our flight seperately. You can also not book your flight out as far as your vacation in many instances, because most airlines only have a schedule for about 5 months out, and again, I say you need 6 months minimum for Disney Vacation planning. And finally, if you do book your flight through them, be prepared to pay for the flight in full along with your $200 deposit at checkout, you can not make payments on the flight with the rest of your vacation.
5. Finally you can arrange your airport transfer. I have read awesome things about Disney's Magical Express, and its FREE! Once you check in your bags at your home airport, you will not have to pick them up again until you arrive back home after your vacation! Disney hadles all checked bags and they magically make their way straight to your hotel room within a few hours! Wowza! No waiting at the baggage carousels!! Once your arrive in Orlando you will follow the signs and the Mickeys on the floor to your bus, and then you will get dropped off at your hotel. Once at your hotel you can go drop off your carry ons in your room and then head straight to the parks, they take care of your checked luggage! On checkout day you get to check into your flight and check your bags at your hotel, so no fuss at the airport! I LOVE this, and its FREE! So why not? So be sure to choose this option on your vacation planning, it has the option to enter your flight info later when you know it!
Hope this helps you understand booking your vacation through Disney's website. I found it very easy to use, and will always use this option! Soon to come: the Disney planning timeline!!
Happy Planning,
Terri
Disney can be expensive! Especially if you want to go all out...one way to help ease the blow is planning far in advance and making some managable payments. On Disney's website you can basically create your dream vacation, put down a $200 deposit to hold it, and then make payments when and how much you want- bam! Awesomeeeee!
Here is a break down:
1. Look for specials!!! Late August/September is when Disney usually offers the FREE dining plan (which is a HUGE savings) but throughout the year they also offer free nights/discounted rates and more! So check out those specials! Also, sign up for the email list and they will email you the specials!
Extra tip: When I first started planning my vacay I went through the process of creating several different vacations on the Disney website before finally picking one and saving it (which can be done if you create an account with them) and then I just left it saved for a few weeks while waiting until I could put the downpayment down. During that wait I guess Disney noticed I had saved a vacation and they sent me an offer to book and get a reduced rate on the hotel I had picked! Whoo! So try it!
2. Picking out what you want- we have talked about resorts....but then Disney will want you to pick out your tickets!
You will have several options, how many days, park hopper, water parks, holiday experiences...
How many days?? Well, it is honestly not much more money to add days, so I would suggest getting a ticket for every day of your stay, including the day you arrive....the parks do stay open late on occasion! One exception would be your last day if you are traveling early like us...we are using are last day as only travel, because there will not be enough time to visit the parks. :(
We are staying 8 days/7 nights and purchasing a 6 day ticket. Allowing for 3 days at Magic Kingdom, 1 at each Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom and then 1 day offsite at Universal, then our travel day.
We chose no park hopper, mainly because our kids our younger and it will take us time to get through the parks, for sure. I know we can spend an entire day at each park, but if you have teens or older kids you may want to consider oark hopper, or if you can only stay a few days.
We also chose no waterpark optition. Again, we live in Texas, next to the nations #1 waterpark (its like 3 waterparks....), so we didnt care to visit one.
3. Dining plans!!!!
Okay, there seems to be a lot of mixed feelings on Dining Plans, apparently they dont save you that much money. But for us, it seems very convienent! We love eating out on vacations and are planning one sit down meal each day. And several of them are expensive character experience meals, so for us we will most likely save a pretty penny by purchasing the plan, and we wont have to worry about buying each meal, as it is just a credit on your room key.
Again, if your vacation is shortened you may not want to waste your time or money on eating at sit down places a lot. I have read that it can take an hour and a half each time you eat at a sit down restaurant. But again, we have the little kiddos and that is a welcome break in the day!
They do offer different dining plans. The quick service plan includes 2 counter service meals a day (think walk up and order places) and 1 snack a day. This would be good if your want to go, go, go.
The Dining Plan is 1 counter meal and 1 sit down meal and 1 snack a day, again, this was our choice.
They also have a deluxe plan with more sit down meals, but I feel that is going overboard on time unless you are coming to Disney to eat!
Also, you can add this in your vacation package and have it paid off before you go, an added bonus for us! We do plan to have some light groceries delivered to our hotel room, like snacks and breakfast bars, but more on that later.
4. You will then have the option of choosing to add your flight. You should know if you do choose to add one, they do not seem to offer southwest, which for us is an option that is non-stop! So we are booking our flight seperately. You can also not book your flight out as far as your vacation in many instances, because most airlines only have a schedule for about 5 months out, and again, I say you need 6 months minimum for Disney Vacation planning. And finally, if you do book your flight through them, be prepared to pay for the flight in full along with your $200 deposit at checkout, you can not make payments on the flight with the rest of your vacation.
5. Finally you can arrange your airport transfer. I have read awesome things about Disney's Magical Express, and its FREE! Once you check in your bags at your home airport, you will not have to pick them up again until you arrive back home after your vacation! Disney hadles all checked bags and they magically make their way straight to your hotel room within a few hours! Wowza! No waiting at the baggage carousels!! Once your arrive in Orlando you will follow the signs and the Mickeys on the floor to your bus, and then you will get dropped off at your hotel. Once at your hotel you can go drop off your carry ons in your room and then head straight to the parks, they take care of your checked luggage! On checkout day you get to check into your flight and check your bags at your hotel, so no fuss at the airport! I LOVE this, and its FREE! So why not? So be sure to choose this option on your vacation planning, it has the option to enter your flight info later when you know it!
Hope this helps you understand booking your vacation through Disney's website. I found it very easy to use, and will always use this option! Soon to come: the Disney planning timeline!!
Happy Planning,
Terri
When, How Long, Where?
Alright, so you are going, but when?
There is a lot to take into consideration here. But my honest opinion is the ANYTIME is the BEST TIME to visit Disney! No one does holidays like Disney! If you go when it's hot they have two waterparks! If you wait until the spring you can catch their garden festival! There is always something going on...
Now to pick the time that is right for you, you need to think about:
- How old are the members of your group? My kiddo's are young, not yet in school. So we plan to go when school is in session, hoping to avoid some of the crowds. I know a lot of families do take their kids out of school, so we are planning to go the last week of August. We want the feel of visiting in the summer, and that is when a lot of kids first go back to school, so hopefully parents wouldn't be pulling them out that point in the year.
- Holidays? Like I said, they have so many magical experiences and parties for just about any holiday so that is always going to be fun, however it is usually more crowded, according to just about every thing that I have read. So for us on our first time, we wanted to skip a holiday experience...that will come on one of our next visits!
- Summer? You do get the fun a waterparks, but you also get the immense heat and humidity! So go for it, but plan on some extra's to keep cool, like hand held fans, swim suits, caps, sunscreen, etc. To me, I feel like visiting a theme park in the summer is how it is intended, it's the way it was meant to be. So again, we chose late August...we had considered Spetember, but noticed that it is the rainiest month and went back to August!
- Least crowded? Well, apparently Disney is always pretty crowded, but some times of year are less so. All that I have researched have shown September and January/February as the least crowded times to go. But I have also noticed on Disney's website that a lot of rides/parks are closed for refurbishment during those times, so you could miss out. Again, it seems that most attractions are up and running in the SUMMER! The busiest time, but everything will be prefect! A true Disney experience!
Alright so we are going wuth late August. Right when school goes back into session, but still the summer feel, and an added bonus is my birthday happens to fall in the week we will be there! So woo-hoo for that!
Next up- HOW LONG?! Answer- FOREVER! Haha, just kidding...
Again, many factors to consider:
- Is this your first time? If so, you may want to take it all in, like us. We want plenty of time to walk the parks so that we do not feel rushed.
- How long can you leave your life back home? Can you get off work, how long can your kids miss school, etc.
- Are you planning on visiting all the parks? There are 4 parks, and 2 water parks. That is a lot. According to what I have read you especially want a lot of time in Magic Kingdom. For us we are planning 3 days in MK (1 of which will be the day we arrive and won't be a full day) and 1 day each at Animal Kingdom, Epcot, and Hollywood Studios. We don't care to visit any waterparks, as we live in Texas and very close to the nations #1 waterpark, Schlitterbahn. But we do however want to tear ourselves away from Disney for 1 day to go to Universal's Island's of Adventure (I am also a big Harry Potter Fan!)
-How old is your group? If you have older kids and teens you can most likely skip a lot of meeting the characters/ baby rides/ etc and zip around the parks at higher speeds. I however have a 4 & 1 year old, and I have read the line for Rapunzel is usually 2 hours long. So we will need to plan for a slower pace!
My family? We chose to go 8 days, 7 nights...the last day being a travel day, not seeing any parks.
Where? Where o where o where?!?!
I have done my research here people. And I must say, stay at a Disney resort! For sure!!!! So many extra perks:
-Free shuttles
- Extra hours in the park
- Free baggage/airline check in
- Again, its just that much more magical, I have read that the staff at Disney are wonderful, this goes for hotel staff as well!
This being said there are still a couple of options...first off, I don't think I have mentioned it, but you really need at least 6 months to plan if you are like me and want to get the most Disney goodness you can. But if you give yourself a year you get a whole other option- timeshares!
I don't know a lot on the subject. But I have read you can save tons of money by renting from time share owners who arent using their property at that time. These are still Disney hotels, and I understand you still get many of the Disney perks- but much cheaper. This would be a great option for large groups, as the time share properties are usually nicer/bigger.
But back to us- I have read that there are 2 ways to go.
#1- Value resorts
This is what we chose. Our kids are young, and these resorts tend to be a little more over-the-top themed. Like a "Little Mermaid room," which is right up our alley. These resorts also include food courts which are good for faster/cheaper foods. Downsides: They seems to be quite a ways from the best parks so you do have to take the free buses, and I hear the wait can get long, but so long as you plan that extra 45 minutes in your day it is not big deal to me!
#2- Deluxe resorts
If you want more of a hotel feel and nicer amenities/bigger rooms this is the way to go. These resorts are often very close to some of the best parks, sometimes walking distance or have other modes of transports like the monorail or boats! They usually have nicer restaurants on property!
But what about the Moderate Resorts? From what I have read, the amenities don't seem to be much more than the Value resorts, so I have read that these are the biggest money waste. It is better use of your buck to stay at a Value resort, or if you want the nicer experience spring for the Deluxe. Again- not my opinion, but the opinions of several bloggers I have read!! But does make sense to me.
Okay, so we have chosen to stay at the 'Art of Animation Resort,' it is Disney's newest resort that boasts beautifully themed rooms, and family suites! We are going to be staying in the 'Little Mermaid' room, which my oldest daughter is THRILLED about! Biggest bummer, is no fridge, but we will make do!
So there you have it, the when, how long and where! Soon to come: purchasing your vacay!
Happy Planning,
Terri
There is a lot to take into consideration here. But my honest opinion is the ANYTIME is the BEST TIME to visit Disney! No one does holidays like Disney! If you go when it's hot they have two waterparks! If you wait until the spring you can catch their garden festival! There is always something going on...
Now to pick the time that is right for you, you need to think about:
- How old are the members of your group? My kiddo's are young, not yet in school. So we plan to go when school is in session, hoping to avoid some of the crowds. I know a lot of families do take their kids out of school, so we are planning to go the last week of August. We want the feel of visiting in the summer, and that is when a lot of kids first go back to school, so hopefully parents wouldn't be pulling them out that point in the year.
- Holidays? Like I said, they have so many magical experiences and parties for just about any holiday so that is always going to be fun, however it is usually more crowded, according to just about every thing that I have read. So for us on our first time, we wanted to skip a holiday experience...that will come on one of our next visits!
- Summer? You do get the fun a waterparks, but you also get the immense heat and humidity! So go for it, but plan on some extra's to keep cool, like hand held fans, swim suits, caps, sunscreen, etc. To me, I feel like visiting a theme park in the summer is how it is intended, it's the way it was meant to be. So again, we chose late August...we had considered Spetember, but noticed that it is the rainiest month and went back to August!
- Least crowded? Well, apparently Disney is always pretty crowded, but some times of year are less so. All that I have researched have shown September and January/February as the least crowded times to go. But I have also noticed on Disney's website that a lot of rides/parks are closed for refurbishment during those times, so you could miss out. Again, it seems that most attractions are up and running in the SUMMER! The busiest time, but everything will be prefect! A true Disney experience!
Alright so we are going wuth late August. Right when school goes back into session, but still the summer feel, and an added bonus is my birthday happens to fall in the week we will be there! So woo-hoo for that!
Next up- HOW LONG?! Answer- FOREVER! Haha, just kidding...
Again, many factors to consider:
- Is this your first time? If so, you may want to take it all in, like us. We want plenty of time to walk the parks so that we do not feel rushed.
- How long can you leave your life back home? Can you get off work, how long can your kids miss school, etc.
- Are you planning on visiting all the parks? There are 4 parks, and 2 water parks. That is a lot. According to what I have read you especially want a lot of time in Magic Kingdom. For us we are planning 3 days in MK (1 of which will be the day we arrive and won't be a full day) and 1 day each at Animal Kingdom, Epcot, and Hollywood Studios. We don't care to visit any waterparks, as we live in Texas and very close to the nations #1 waterpark, Schlitterbahn. But we do however want to tear ourselves away from Disney for 1 day to go to Universal's Island's of Adventure (I am also a big Harry Potter Fan!)
-How old is your group? If you have older kids and teens you can most likely skip a lot of meeting the characters/ baby rides/ etc and zip around the parks at higher speeds. I however have a 4 & 1 year old, and I have read the line for Rapunzel is usually 2 hours long. So we will need to plan for a slower pace!
My family? We chose to go 8 days, 7 nights...the last day being a travel day, not seeing any parks.
Where? Where o where o where?!?!
I have done my research here people. And I must say, stay at a Disney resort! For sure!!!! So many extra perks:
-Free shuttles
- Extra hours in the park
- Free baggage/airline check in
- Again, its just that much more magical, I have read that the staff at Disney are wonderful, this goes for hotel staff as well!
This being said there are still a couple of options...first off, I don't think I have mentioned it, but you really need at least 6 months to plan if you are like me and want to get the most Disney goodness you can. But if you give yourself a year you get a whole other option- timeshares!
I don't know a lot on the subject. But I have read you can save tons of money by renting from time share owners who arent using their property at that time. These are still Disney hotels, and I understand you still get many of the Disney perks- but much cheaper. This would be a great option for large groups, as the time share properties are usually nicer/bigger.
But back to us- I have read that there are 2 ways to go.
#1- Value resorts
This is what we chose. Our kids are young, and these resorts tend to be a little more over-the-top themed. Like a "Little Mermaid room," which is right up our alley. These resorts also include food courts which are good for faster/cheaper foods. Downsides: They seems to be quite a ways from the best parks so you do have to take the free buses, and I hear the wait can get long, but so long as you plan that extra 45 minutes in your day it is not big deal to me!
#2- Deluxe resorts
If you want more of a hotel feel and nicer amenities/bigger rooms this is the way to go. These resorts are often very close to some of the best parks, sometimes walking distance or have other modes of transports like the monorail or boats! They usually have nicer restaurants on property!
But what about the Moderate Resorts? From what I have read, the amenities don't seem to be much more than the Value resorts, so I have read that these are the biggest money waste. It is better use of your buck to stay at a Value resort, or if you want the nicer experience spring for the Deluxe. Again- not my opinion, but the opinions of several bloggers I have read!! But does make sense to me.
Okay, so we have chosen to stay at the 'Art of Animation Resort,' it is Disney's newest resort that boasts beautifully themed rooms, and family suites! We are going to be staying in the 'Little Mermaid' room, which my oldest daughter is THRILLED about! Biggest bummer, is no fridge, but we will make do!
So there you have it, the when, how long and where! Soon to come: purchasing your vacay!
Happy Planning,
Terri
So, You've Decided to go to Disney...
Okay, if you're like most red-blooded Americans than you have probably, at one time or another, in your life thought that you would like LOVE to go to Disney World! Or maybe you have gone and now want to go back! Well, I am right there with ya! I personally have never gotten to experience Disney World, but am a HUGE fan! My husband and I actually had going there on our baby bucket list, but it never happened before the kiddos came, and I am kind of glad. I know that going as a family is exactly what Walt made the parks for, and it is going to be that much more magical now that we are finally going!
So, you've taken the first step in deciding to go. But Disney World is unlike any other vacation out there. If you have googled Disney World Vacation Planning, then you have seen the thousands of sites, blogs, etc. all dedicated to Disney! Well I personally have spent hours scouring them and I am going to include my own first time planning, as well as what I've learned from them here!
First off- you do not just show up to Disney! You literally may not be able to eat at the restaurants you want if you don't book them 180 days in advance! Not to mention all the cute, magical experinces, such as Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, that book up months in advance! There is so much to take into consideration:
- When to go
- Where to stay
- What kind of tickets to get
- Reservations
- Extra experiences
- To match your clothes (yes, this is a thing....I fully intend to do it too!)
- Tinkerbell gifts
- Welcome gifts
- Pin trading
- Ordering groceries
- Renting strollers
And that's just to name a few on my brain right now! So I am going to take you on the journey with me through all of this. Giving you a real, first time planning experience to read through.
WARNING: I have caught the Disney bug. I am crazy, obsessive, and planning like a maniac. People are finding it hard to be around me because it is ALL I can talk about! So if you're like me, you will LOVE this. Not so much? Then you get to reap all the benifits of my obssesiveness and can scroll past my Disney talk!
Alright, here we go! That is my introduction and if you are still with me then you will want to continue on to the next post! :)
Happy Planning,
Terri
First off- you do not just show up to Disney! You literally may not be able to eat at the restaurants you want if you don't book them 180 days in advance! Not to mention all the cute, magical experinces, such as Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, that book up months in advance! There is so much to take into consideration:
- When to go
- Where to stay
- What kind of tickets to get
- Reservations
- Extra experiences
- To match your clothes (yes, this is a thing....I fully intend to do it too!)
- Tinkerbell gifts
- Welcome gifts
- Pin trading
- Ordering groceries
- Renting strollers
And that's just to name a few on my brain right now! So I am going to take you on the journey with me through all of this. Giving you a real, first time planning experience to read through.
WARNING: I have caught the Disney bug. I am crazy, obsessive, and planning like a maniac. People are finding it hard to be around me because it is ALL I can talk about! So if you're like me, you will LOVE this. Not so much? Then you get to reap all the benifits of my obssesiveness and can scroll past my Disney talk!
Alright, here we go! That is my introduction and if you are still with me then you will want to continue on to the next post! :)
Happy Planning,
Terri
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