Sunday, April 19, 2015


It's that time of year again- I'm fully engaged in planning our next Disney trip!

Normal people just go on a Disney vacation like they would any other- book it and go- but there is a sub set of the population who will not set foot on sacred Disney soil without reading at least three guides,spending countless hours on Disney world message boards, and making spreadsheets,grids plotting each scheduled event from EMH (extra magic hours) to parade and show times thereby ensuring each park day is spent in the best choice for maximizing magical opportunities. This all before making ADRs (advanced dining reservations).

It's advanced vacation recon and not for the faint of heart.

Don't let it stress you, you can jump into a Disney vacation with no reading or planning and have a beautiful time.

Ignorance is bliss afterall and you will be clueless to all your missing out on, while uber planners like myself utilize our knowledge to maximize our time and take advantage of the little known perks of Disney.

We only go once a year so I feel it's my duty to pack all this in for my kids. My friend goes several times a year and is in fact on her way now (jealous) and though she does read up some, and was the one who first told me about the crazy Disney forums I frequent she probably has done less planning/ research than I and this is only my third trip total! Frequency of visits means she can gather this info naturally, though she has read enough to know of many perks beforehand - like the Wishes desert buffet and preferred viewing area.

I don't have the luxury of frequent visits so I go into crazy planning/research mode for about 8 months of the year. And I love it! The only thing better than being on a Disney vacation is planning one.

So since this is occupying about 85% of my brain at this time and i have several friends planning their first Disney trips with their kids I am going to start another new weekly segment-

Another Disney Day.

Playing on their current promotion One More Disney Day, I feel it's an appropriate title.

In this segment I plan on interspersing little vacation tips and tricks I've learned, planning info, any little interesting tid bits about Disney that strike me , Walt Disney World news, and my own trip report I'm writing from our last trip. I wrote it up for our own memories but since I use this blog for that purpose anyway I'm posting it on here. Yes, I'm still writing it!

So Disney fans you'll enjoy this, others maybe don't read on Thursdays...

I'm not pretending all this info is original to me in any sense. I'm merely packaging what I find helpful and interesting for my readers so they don't have to search on their own. I have what's called a marathon nurser in Layla which has left me sitting for many hours over the past 17 months and much of that time is spent researching Walt Disney World, not many have that much time where they are forced to sit and entertain themselves so I will help by wrangling all the massive info from the interwebs in one convenient place- muh blog. You're welcome :) Feel free to pin Anything you find helpful ;)

I was going to leave this as just an intro/ announcement but I'll start with a personal tip that I came up with on my very own.

Disney trips are chock full of memorable moments each day. But as sensory overload and fatigue set in those memories fade away.

What I found to be endlessly useful this trip was to jot everything down in my iPhone . Waiting in line is a great time to do this. Unfortunately I waited often to do it in bed and probably forgot little things but still so much was retained that I would never have remembered. Now months later I can read my notes and the memories come rushing back and I can capture them forever as I write out my trip report. It's worth it! So when your child eats her first Mickey head ice cream- take a picture and write it down in your notes for the day, a cast member gives you some kind of pixie dust- write it down! All the little magical moments are still magical and you'll thank yourself later!




(staring endlessly at Cinderella's castle while waiting for Daddy to pay our Crystal Palace bill...magical)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

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What?! You didnt do ADR for CRT during FD?

I'm in the midst of crazy stressful dining planning for my Disney trip. We just booked this week and I only have 12 days before the 180 day mark to make ADRs (advanced dining resevations) .  Crazy you say?

No. Not when you go when Disney is offering the free dining plan.

While other times you may be able to mosey on up to any kind hostess and be given a wait time for a walk in, if you do this during free dining you're going to get laughed at by the same hostess and by all the other smug guests waiting in the their seat they scheduled 6 months in advance.

You see, free dining means EVERYONE at the Resort hotels is offered the plan with the purchase of the magic your way package (room and tickets) so unless you are an annual pass holder or opt to use another discount you're eating free. This means
              NO. SEATS. ANYWHERE.

And counter service restaurants where no reservations are accepted are like fight club. With babies. And a fixings bar.

Now why is this stressful? Well if only it were so easy to just pick where you want to eat 6 months from now- that alone is a task- I'm not sure what I want to eat tomorrow.
... Or for dinner tonight, I didn't thaw anything out.... I was making spreadsheets for meals 6 months from now.

"No kids idk what we are having for supper I can't figure that out I'm trying to figure out how in the name of Walt we are going to fit in a blasted Boma reservation to keep your dad happy! Eat a banana"

Not only do you have to know what foods sound good on the fourth Thursday of a month half a year away you have to figure out what park you will be in!

And no you can't just go magic kingdom epcot Hollywood magic animal kingdom magic.

No you can't because Wishes is only this night that night and maybe that night and the electro magic parade is only one night the week you're there- thank God coinciding with a Wishes fireworks night....

Oh and extra magic hours are at Hollywood  on this day but oh so is Mickeys Not So Scary Halloween Party (MNSSHP) ... HOW DO I MAKE THIS ALL WORK?!?
(shell out an extra $300 for a park hopper and be done with it)
But if you're husband says "NO I hate Disney transportation we are not park hopping" you make grids and graphs and spreadsheets and scribble all over them.

-You plot out your week and mark down the park hours for each park.

-Then you note which parks have Extra Magic Hours (EMH)- hours only available to resort hotel guests - yippie .

-Then you note down all special events limited to certain nights  - fireworks, parades, shows, parties...



-Cross reference all of them. Making sure to take advantage of all EMH and special events.

*That will give you the best day for each park.... Based on my system .



Some people say don't do EMH parks because they're busy. Those people are insane people who get up at the break of dawn and head to a park . I don't do that. EMH in the evening are a beautiful thing allowing us to ride everything in a few hours with no wait.

You've pinpointed what days you will be where now to figure out restaurants by reading tons of reviews realizing some people think they're the Queen of Disney and no food would ever be good enough for them.

Check out this site for reviews based on the best eateries for kids.it's Disney though so anywhere will accommodate your little monsters darlings.  Even the nicest places have Mac and cheese and chicken nuggets.  Boma the African buffet has a Childs buffet full of American junk food for picky kids.

After you decide what places sound best  while making sure to pick the best character restaurants you have to decide when to dine where!

-Plop them on your grid based on proximity to the park you're in that day.
* Remember if they are in the park instead of a hotel you will need park admission.

-Doodle Mickey heads while husband puts in his two cents (you're planning this not him but humor him so he doesn't argue against  your plan out of spite and feeling left out... But he has no clue how involved this really is )



By now you should have at least most of your meals planned. I always end up tweaking it for weeks changing and canceling them up until a few weeks before for the less popular restaurants. Or cancelling extra reservations on the bus to Magic Kingdom...  Yes I ended up double booked a couple days :p see you need to call early for reservations because there are a lot of selfish indecisive planners out there double booking days ... Don't judge me.

- Sit back, breathe and put the pen down! There are too Many choices and not enough days!

Now technically not all restaurants have to be picked this early and if you're very flexible on times even less need to be. But there is so much to do at Disney and if you don't take that into account early you will miss a lot due to poor planning.

Restaurants that need to be booked far in advance:

-1900 Park Faire- character meal with Cinderella and her step family at Grand Floridian.

This has become hugely popular even harder to book than the castle meal.

-Ohana- Stitch, LILO and Mickey at the lovely Polynesian resort serve a family style breakfast and host games for the kids. The breakfast is very popular but there is also a non character dinner that I could not get an ADR for the life of me last year.

- Cinderella's Royal Table- breakfast, lunch and dinner inside the castle! It's the only way to go up into the castle unless you're some lucky jerk who wins a stay in the suite. It includes a picture with Cinderella. Breakfast and lunch are with princesses, dinner has a show with the fairy godmother and mice. It is two table service credits or many Many dollars.

Chef Mickeys at the Contemporary is a buffet meal with the Fab Five, it's kind of the quintessential character meal with Mkckey that everyone knows about so rather popular and should be booked asap. The food is good the characters are swell- can't go wrong.

Also, now if you are not on dining plan they make you pay the full price up front when reserving. Cinderella's table and a few other "signature " dining experiences.  Ouch.


So what are you waiting for?! This is complex! head your browser to this page
(it has a much better layout with all the show times etc and all park hours in one place unlike the official Disney site)
And start plotting out your vacation!

Free dining is now available for vacations most dates August 25- September 29! Check here for details. Rooms are limited and they're going fast! Some resorts are all booked out which is unusual this soon!


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Another Disney Day

I want to start posting my trip report for Disney day segments , but alas it's on my computer and I have no wifi access on the farm (yes I know I say that a lot) so it takes some planning.

Instead I have a small bit of advice and some pictures.

Always buy your child a costume at Disney, if they want one. You will never be disappointed in the smiles and joy that comes from seeing your child dressed as their favorite character. They are pricey but well worth it and the price is well worth it because they hold up for years of play as opposed to department store ones that really aren't that much cheaper.

And they bring moments like this:





























Worth of every cent....



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Disney Pre trip 2011

We had waited three years since our last visit and after six months of saving, planning and disboards reading the time was here – we were headed to Disney World!

The last time we were at “The World” Laci had just turned 5 and Ella was a tiny 9 month old.  Though she had technically been there before and loved it, waving for the first time in her life (at Pluto) screaming in joy at princesses – for me this was Ellas first “real” trip and I couldn’t have been more excited.
Being a three year old means you are obsessed with all things princesses – especially when you have a princess loving older sister and a room full of princess gowns. A normal day at our house consists of multiple wardrobe changes. I have no idea why I have so many regular clothes for the kids as they spend their days wandering about in renaissancestyle gowns provided by the Disney store.  A princess dress is the uniform of their childhood.

This, I knew, would make this trip special for all of us. I cried everytime thinking of those giant blue eyes lighting up as the castle first came into sight, as she saw Ariel, Cinderella and Belle at the three o clock parade and the sheer joy when she would finally get to meet them and hug them. I knew it was going to be magical.
I was a little worried about Laci – being 8. Our last visit she was 5 and still very much enthralled with all things Disney. And while she still is a Disney-phile, the innocent simple faith of childhood is being washed from her eyes and I worried that she would see through my explanation from our first visit that the “animal “ type characters cannot talk because in our world animals don’t talk but Mickey and friends can talk in the cartoon world just like on the movie Enchanted….

Of course the challenge of having Layla just having her first birthday the day before we departed on our Disney adventure weighed on my mind and kind of dampened a bit of my pre disney excitement. Going to Walmart with these three is a hardship what will 7 days in the World be?  The stress of that thought was pushed aside though as I remembered how much Ella had loved her trip as an even younger baby and I knew that despite being a stroller hater on  a normal day would be provided with enough sensory input in Magic Kingdom to make her endure sitting in a stroller much of the day.  The added task would be entertaining three kids at different ages and excitement level.

The day before we left was sheer chaos. It was Laylas birthday and I was determined to not allow her first  birthday be overshadowed by this trip.  It really already had been as most of my organizing/planning faculties had been directed towards making this trip perfect .  In order to not further push her day into the background I spent the week prior staying up til 4 and  5 am trying to get things ready. In a silly notion I had decided I wanted to make the girls adorable custom Disney outfits  like all the boutiques sell.  Great idea- just not a month out from the trip date. So I had to finish all these things, pack, and of course clean the house top to bottom – because everyone knows the cumpulsory need for a spotless house before vacation.
By the day before we left- Laylas birthday- I was a zombie. A severely behind in her duties zombie. We enjoyed a nice day of cake and presents before Tony left for work.  Instead of packing we put together her cozy coupe car. Madness. 








After running to stores to get last minute supplies for the trip and last minute sewing neccessities –no I had not finished their outfits (or mine and Tony’s costumes. Yes costumes for the parents) but was determined to do so, I came back to finish packing. Did I mention I way over pack. It’s a sickness.
We were travelling from MD to FL with three young kids. I felt we needed ample entertainment.  And snacks. Lots of snacks.  Each girl had at least one big bag of toys. Not to mention the Disney stuffed animals they “had “ to take with them (about 20. I am not lying) in a suitcase, our entire Disney DVD collection along with some other kid movies, a cooler, a huge tote of candy; chips; cookies and general unhealthiness, a new thirty one bag filled with coloring books and art supplies. This was in addition to our several suitcases of clothing – including one full of dress up clothes.

Yes my girls dress daily as princesses in the park. If they want to walk around in itchy organza and a full four layer skirted dress in the oppressive Orlando heat- im going to let them. It makes a great photo.
My husband was ready to kill me as he packed the car –even a roof cargo holder- full. There was just enough room for human occupants as we left- 7 hours later than planned.
I popped in a Newsboys dvd and blasted our travel theme song  with the lyric “everywhere we go that’s where the party’s at” and off we went.
We made it a couple of hours and hit Berkely Springs when Ella asked
“is this Disney?” 
Wow were her expectations low!
Ella’s bladder cooperated with my first Target sighting somewhere in VA. Tony had said no to Target and a little voice yelled “I have to PEE” and mommy said “YES that Target has a bathroom! “ 
After scooping up Great buys on cute clearanced shorts and a flip video camera purchase for me to more easily document my trip and make a fun travel video for us to enjoy we finally made It to our first rest stop- just inside NC.
Rocky mount NC was far far from our planned overnight stay in Savannah GA.
   
Tony was not at all happy.

The next day we left at 10 am – again late and continued the venture. Our destination wasn’t Orlando but The Villages – Floridas friendliest hometown.
We were spending two nights with Tonys grandmother before our Disney extravaganza. We didn’t arrive there til about 10 pm but being that we werent under a reservation for a couple days I really wasn’t stressing on how long it took to get there. Car rides are about the only time tony and I have time to talk.
Did I mention all the toys I packed to entertain the monsters on the 16 hour car ride werent touched?

Nope.
 \The couch potatoes were fully entertained the entire time with dvds. Kind of sad really, but I don’t let them watch much tv at home so I suppose they were making up for it. In all honesty I didn’t care I was just glad there was no crying and tearing out of each others eyes. 
Lesson : $100 for a set of portable DVD players will save you from fights and free up three suitcases worth of room on a long trip. Buy them.

The following day we spent a nice day swimming at the family pool at The Villages , chasing geckos and counting hunreds of golf carts.
They even drive those things to Target and Walmart. Amazing.
  It was nice to visit family and have a  day of down time before our real trip began but the anticipation was mounting. Ella spent her pool time reenacting the Little Mermaid – making me sing the entire score. Thankfully we were the only ones there – aside from one young guy sitting in a cabana pretending to read as I made a fool of myself.

^^ the youngest people in The Villages by about 90 years.

 Pointing out geckos.
 Finding geckos and spying on retirees.


                                                              ^^gecko
                                looking for the elusive outer space geckos

After minnie mouse manicures the girls surprisingly went to sleep without issue.  I on the other hand stayed up gluing rhinestones on their outifits. Its not like I would have slept anyway – I was going to Disney the next day!!!
Still having stayed up til about three I woke ready and eager at 6 am. I am not an early riser but the prospect of Disney will get me moving.

Interested in The Villages ( who wouldn't be with the  peeping tom toddlers and herds of golf carts described in this post?) check out Dwellable for more info!
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Disney Trip


After the obligatory photo pass shot on main street with the glorious castle background :
we came upon the  Move It, Shake It, Celebrate It parade
.
Ella was thrilled shouting out character names. Laci had an air about her I just couldn’t figure out. I feared the worst- she was too old for magic.  She didn’t get excited except maybe when she saw Jessie from Toy Story. I was already getting upset.  I was not ready yet for a trip with a kid who didn’t buy into the magic. I held out hope she was just worried about tarnishing some kind of image. You know she just turned 8 and all, she can’t seem like a little kid at that ripe old age…
So I focused on Ella who was bopping about to the lively music and dancing along with dancers waving at all the characters she could.  Since we happened along the parade already in progress, Tony and I got seperated in order for all kids to have prime curb side viewing. He had Layla and was not far away, still in view. I could see her in her stroller bouncing, clapping and screaming enjoying the spectacle as much as a 369 day old little person could.
Several parade performers wished Laci a Happy Birthday and one in particular came up shook her hand and wished her Happy Birthday by name. She didn’t crack a smile acted awkward and above it all. I was trying not to be upset. I hoped it was just her feeling out of place and shy and not that she was going to act non plussed the whole trip.
After the parade passed by we moved quickly towards the castle. We were amazed that cast members were already out in force with these super long grabby claw things removing streamers that were shot during the parade from the trees.
Disney means business when it comes to park cleanliness. Another reason to love the place.
Our first ride, in hopes to loosening Laci up and by virture of going around the castle instead of through it landing us in Liberty Square, was Haunted Mansion. 
Laci fell in love with this ride on our first trip. I fully expected her to be scared out of her wits. I rode it with her her very first time which was mine as well, and to be honest- I was scared myself and admitted so to her to help her feel better about her own emotions.  She did well on it though I didn’t expect her to love it like she did. We rode it so many times that first trip and Ella threw three bright green pacifiers outside her doom buggy.
Haunted Mansion went through a major rehab last year, including a new queue area full of new scenery and interactive features. Die hard fans aren’t happy with the change, as they typically hate any change but it was pretty neat. 
The drawback for us was that we were trying to convince a child who has horrible nightmares already and is scared of her own shadow that it was a bit spooky but ultimately a fun happy ride. 
The new giant mausoleums and above ground interactive tombs did not help our case in the least.
Ella was already terrified and velcroed to my leg.
Haunted Mansion is a Disney classic and an amazing exeperience.
 We wanted Ella to try it just once to not let her fear keep her from having fun, which is why we talked her into it. Some parents may disagree but knowing what lies ahead in it we felt she would be fine so we encouraged her to go on.
 Besides, who wants to split up the family on your first ride on your first Disney Day?
The cast members did not help our case. They are paid to look quite morose and unwelcoming to convey and eerie ambience. They do their job well and Ella was throughly freaking out as we were ushered into the Stretching Rooms and told to drag ourselves to the “dead center of the room” .
Welcome , Foolish Mortals , to the Haunted Mansion! I am your host. your ghost host…
As the door shut with a disturbing creak I felt at  this point the need to pre narrate the experience seconds before it happened. Having the actual narration memorized from our many rides last visit helped.
 “Look at the pretty girl on the tight rope in the painting Ella. She’s holding an umbrella to keep balance”
“yeah shes nice mama”
Stretttch
“Ok in a second youre going to see an alligator under her”
“whaaaat?!”
“ and don’t look at the other pictures. “
Is this haunted room really stretching or is it just your imagination….
“Ok Ella, the lights are about to go out don’t scream”
“what mama why?”
…and consider this dismaying observation: this chamber has no windows and no doors, which offers you THIS chilling challenge… TO FIND A WAY OUT….
“Ella don’t look up , and its about to fake thunder and lightning”
“I hate that “
Of course, there’s always my way muahahha.
After the corpse lights up ( which I never saw on all of our first trip rides!) the door opens and Ella thinks the ride is over. Having a brief moment of relief myself thinking if she made it through the stretching room she could make it through the rest, I realized this was a major set back.
As we are herded into the line to board a doom buggy she starts freaking out and I’m looking for a creepy maid or butler to usher us to the chicken door.  By the time we get close to a doom buggy I’ve managed to be able to distract her with the doom buggies themselves.
“Look, a round car. I wonder where it goes…”
We board and she is fine til our ghost host says he will lower the bar for us. I try to make it seem cool and wondrous -she remains completely freaked out that he did it.
Clinging as tightly as she can to my arm after finding out the ghost host lowered the bar too low for her to climb in my lap, she nuzzles into my arm pit and digs her fingers into my flesh.
The beginning is quite unnerving especially when you don’t know what to expect. Or when youre four and its all real to you.
She enjoyed the ride from the ballroom scene on until our buggy stopped momentarily and that dumb skeleton head in the graveyard popped up right by us in the graveyard. Of course! 
I sang along to Grim Grinning Ghosts but she couldn’t be soothed.  I couldn’t convince her that they were happy haunts despite their cheery tune. This was going to be a challenge!
As Little Leota beckons us back as we exit Ella declares that was the worst thing shes expereienced and will never go on it again.
I felt bad that was her first impression of Disney World rides! Worrying about keeping Laci happy I didn’t think about Ella and that she was even younger than Layla on her last trip so this would be her first real ride. We needed to remedy this situation and quick!
Sadly, Peter Pan as usual was a 45 minute wait. We were not at all willing to do that at this point. Instead we grabbedour first fast passes of the trip for Peter and qued  up for Snow White’s Scary Ride.
Now I am no dummy.
 I realize that the word scary is in the title of this ride but a 4 year old sees a princess ride and you tell me how to dissuade her ! 
Rejecting Pooh and Dumbo we were forced to ride it.
Although nowhere near the creep factor of HM it prominently features the witch. I love Walt Disney and I know he was a genius, but I still have never figured out why this ride which would obviously be a kiddie hit was designed to be scary. I can only surmise it is because the princess culture Disney has marketed in the last decade and a half had not yet begun and both adults and children alike were fans of the movie, but little girls were not so enmeshed in the fantasy world that perhaps having a Princess as the subject didn’t mean a must ride for kids.
After many appearances of the Snow Queen as the Witch (old hag is the official name), Ella declares she hates rides.
 I feel awful and defeated and am wondering how a week long vacation at a theme park  is going to pan out with a child who is terrified to ride!

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Day 1 of Disney- Throw your bags in the room and RUN to the castle.


We actually got on the road within about a half hour of my projected time of 7. I wanted to be at the hotel to check in and get our tickets and get to the park as soon as possible as the Magic Kingdom closed at 7 that day.
We packed up and off we went. The tired children demeanors did not reflect  our destination but my excitement and bouncing made up for their surprising lack of enthusiasm.  I hit play on our Newsboys theme song. Apparently “everwhere I go is where the party is at” applied only to me because you would have thought these nerds were going to get compulsory vaccinations not a ride on the tea cups.
We were an hour from Disney World and I could barely contain myself.  I finished gluing rhinestones and sewing bows on minnie heads on matching dresses.
 Finally I passed out for a few minutes on my pillow. Tony didn’t say anything as the first disney sighn appeared. I was so frustrated. I needed video L
As I searched for my camera I missed the second overhead sign. So much for my opening sequence to the travel video.
Still the kids were not feeling the pixie dust. My irritation at being the only outwardly excited person was mounting.
Then we got lost. 
If you haven’t been there, you don’t realize that Disney World really is a world unto itself.
 Roads zig zag off in directions leading to various destinations of excitement and relaxing resorts.  I was becoming anxiously agitated. Magic Kingdom was only open til 7 tonight and I had to squeeze as much M agic out of that kingdom for our first day as I could and not seeing a sign dedicated to Port Orleans French Quarter- where my keys to the kingdom awaited- was not magic squeezing .

Finally after a call to an amused cast member, we found out what section our resort was in and arrived. Tony went in as I stayed out with the kids- still watching movies… as if this were any mundane stop
After what seemed forever  (to me at least) Tony came back out with a gift from Mickey! He left the girls a bunch of pins to start their Disney World Pin Trading collection.
After we ran the bags to the room, I was a harsh task master. We changed clothes – the girls of course had to change into Disney themed attire. I held off on princess dresses because I knew something  special was in store… and didn’t want to be lugging around two discarded princess gowns…
 we ran to the bus stop to head to Magic Kingdom for the first time on our trip!


I again can barely contain my excitement as our bus rolls along the ten minute drive from Port Orleans to Magic Kingdom. Thankfully we did not have any stops to make since we were staying at French Quarter. I don’t know that I could have handled it!

As we sat down and I asked Ella if she could believe we were headed to where Cinderella’s castle was she gave me a huge smile and her giant blue eyes lit up bright as she nodded excitedly.
Laci seemed very reserved and still unexcited.
This is definitely not acceptable behavior on the bus ride to Magic Kingdom the first day of a Carey Family Disney Vacation- or any of the trip for that matter!!
I couldn’t figure out what her deal was, and it was bumming me out so I focused on Ella. Layla was far too young to get the anticipation- I knew though I would have beautiful moments with her as well, but she had no idea at 1 year 3 days what she was about to experience.
Ella, however, was the prime age. Still, distracted by Laci’s attitude I’d glance her direction every now and then to see if any emotion crossed her face as I talked to Ella about all that we were going to do that day and pointing out sites along the way. I became increasingly disappointed by Laci being compltely non-plussed by the whole thing thus far. I was worried she was already too old, fears exacerbated by Tony expressing his sadness we hadn’t returned sooner and that he shared the same suspicions that it just wasn’t going to be magical for her.
I spotted Space Mountain before any  other bus passenger and excitedly pointed it out to Ella.
Still nothing from Laci. Mild patronizing interest perhaps.
I had to just let her have whatever experience she was going to have and not let it ruin this long awaited moment so I picked ella up on my lap and whispered (a loud whisper that all surrounding could hear, so that Laci didn’t feel left out- or the middle aged woman with no kids who had been watching our interactions with a kind smile and genuine interest in watching Ella experience the magic for the first time ) that Cinderella’s Castle would soon be in view.
Ella bounced a little, still understated excitement compared to what I expected, and started pointing out random things –none of which were a castle belonging to anyone. 
Soon I spotted the spires. I squealed “Look Ella the spires the spires” and before she could spot or figure out what the heck a spire was, the castle dipped out of view. She was extremely excited at this point and squeezed my hand.

“look Ella its Cinderella’s castle!” as it peeked into view again briefly.
“mm hmm” she said nodding, clearly not seeing anything except possibly Space Mountain.
Laci looked so underwhelmed I could have screamed.  Didn’t she realize where we were headed?   Is she told old for all this? Did we already have our last and only magical Disney vacation with her? Why didn’t we come last year, I could have waddled around very pregnant if I knew she would have out grown it.

Then came the music. My favorite part of the ride. We were receiving the royal proclamation (on a mass transit bus) that we were entering Walt Disney’s Magic Kingdom.
I got butterflies in my stomach and grabbed Ellas hand pointing out the now very visible castle as we heard:


 It is one of my favorite sounds in the world. Even just thinking about it wells up such excitement in me that even Christmas morning as kid cannot compare to. I LOVE THAT RECORDING!!!!

Im tearing up watching Ellas face brighten, everyone near us is watching as a child’s first trip to Magic Kingodm is one of the most wonderful parts of childhood. It is.
Everyone has sense enough to let the super emotional mom and three princesses exit the bus first. Unfortunately, the girls stroller royal carriage is a bit cumbersome to unload so we have to wait for Tony anyway as he plays Royal Coachman and unloads the two seater. We zoom off the bus and Ella and I are halfway to the turnstiles before I realize that Tony has to haul the stroller. Sigh. He’s still at the bus drop off point. Slowly we skip back as I throw things all over in order to get the stroller open and things settled and us onto Main St USA.
My husband is many things, fast paced is not one of them. He moves at a leisurely rate at all times and is very laid back. Disney World with me is not the time to behave in such a manner. You would think this was a vacation or something.
FINALLY we are moving back towards the glorious destination. I am way ahead with Ella and Tony thankfully picks up his pace, probably not so much to appease me as to beat the occupants of the two busses pulling up at that moment.
I know the drill. I unzip the bags and have them at the ready. No reason to spend anymore time in line than need be.
The  beautiful thing about September is there is no long line to get in and wait, wait, wait.


 However the three people ahead of me in security are KILLING ME. THREE people? And what the heck, they don’t even have their bags open.  WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE? UNZIP YOUR BAGS PRIOR TO QUEING UP. (do that. Do it when you go. Do not wait til the guard asks you . Get all your crap out of your stroller and hold it precariously in one hand as you unzip with the other. Be prepeared and get out of there for the sake of everyone. Disney minutes are precious. )
Like a good Disney guest I had my stuff prepared and set down with a smile. The older gentleman seemed somewhat stern, I was a little off put as Disney Cast Members are exuberantly happy. Sacchrine sweet and joyous to an odd degree.
He checks our bags without much conversation, or verve or vigor… and I smile and say thanks- genuinely but impatiently. He stops and asks Laci – by name to step up. He needs to talk to her.

He asks her what her business here today is. She is not saying anything. I make a joke trying  like “uh oh Laci” just trying to get her to react in some way and to make sure she knows this is light hearted and shes not being dragged off to Disney jail. (it exists)
I receive a “shut up” glance from the cast member. Im teetering on yelling “don’t steal my magic little man” as he continues to question an unreadable Laci when he asks her to hold out her hands.
 I think ive figured out his game.
Laci is hesitant so despite being told shut up by his eyes I tell her to go ahead hold out her hands.
He informs her that he was left a message for her from his boss and was to give her the message along with something else left for her.
Shes getting irritated or nervous, Im not sure which.
He asks does she know who his boss is?
She  barely shakes her head no.
“Why, Mickey Mouse  of course” he replies.
“Mickey told me to wish you Happy Birthday Laci and to welcome the Magic Kingdom” as he says this he dumps a load of our favorite Mickey head shaped sparkly confetti into her hands.
I tear up (I think we are at three and have yet to enter a park) and  thank him, instantly forgiving him for the side eye he shot me.

Aside from the continued amazing treatment from random cast members while weve been at Disney barely two hours, it warmed my heart because on our last trip, our first trip,  Mickey confetti were both  a joy and a huge pain.
Laci was just enthralled by the sparkly Mickey heads laying about the streets of Magic Kingdom and picked them up as we walked along – constantly. It was cute to begin with and quickly begin burdensome and perhaps dangerous- have you seen how some of these mothers wield strollers?  They should be required to have a dangerous weapno permit and there is my princess crouching down in full royal attire in busy pathways stopping short at the sight of sparkle shaped like everyone’s favorite mouse.
On our last day as we are terribly sad about leaving , we walk through the turnstile and are stopped by a castmember wearing oversized Mickey hands. He tells laci to close her eyes reaches into his pocket and just before throwing it over her head tells her to open them. He then gives her a huge handful of her very own, that she does not have to pick up  off the sidewalk.
So it was as though Mickey saw her coming this trip and left these Mickey heads just for her.
Magic.
We passed security and the creepy digital fingerprinting we were home free!
 Smiling cast members wearing over sized Mickey hands waved us to the magic that awaied.  We walked under the train station and came out in a whole new world.   Immediately we see Daisy in the town square.  The kids waved hello but were unsure, so we kept  walking.

Another Disney Day- Disney on a budget. (It can be done!)


How can we afford to go to Disney?




Lets face it - the economy sucks and gas prices (auto or air) are insane and surely will soon begin the summer spike.

So many of us are wringing our hands wondering how to stretch dollars for normal everyday things let alone being able to give our family amazing vacations.

Or heck, at this rate - even mediocre ones.

So what's a fun loving, Disney obsessed parent to do?

Our financial situation is burdened with the sudden " hey we are going to adopt from Haiti" - monumental cost with plenty of unknowns (a d according to Murphy's law- if I plan a vacation it's going to turn out I need to be in Haiti that week)

I'm not sure what's in the cards for the Carey vacation this year.

We definitely are sidelining all discretionary spending, saving to put money into this adoption. ( my most repeated phrase lately - "adoption is expensive y'all" and it so is...)

I definitely know we nixed our Myrtle Beach annual beach trip, as my husband groaned in disappointment.

I'm still holding out hope that my feet will grace the threshold of Cinderella's castle and even better - Belle and Beasts for the first time!


How can we (and you ) make this a possibility?

Here are my budget planning tips:
Go during value season.


I don't want you to because that is when I go and I love the low crowds.

But if you're pinching pennies- this is a no brainer.

Google value season, it's going to be at Inopportune times for most people but that is why they're value - not many people can make it .

- watch for specials and jump on them because they're available to only a limited number of rooms. They may still have rooms open, even in the hotel you're looking at

- but the specially priced rooms may book up.

* right now they're booking for April 15- mid August at 30% off rooms. Probably select rooms... Also the % may be less in certain resorts - often the 30 is for deluxe resorts.

In the fall there has been free dining for the last eleven years. It falls mid August through September. It requires an in resort stay and a ticket package to qualify.

The last few years this has been extended during November and December- but with limited days.

-
She is really 3 but Mickey says she's 2 for one more week !!


If you have a child on the precipice of a Disney age milestone get there before their birthday!
2 and under eat play and stay free (eat free on meal plan that is

- in table service restaurants) so you don't have to buy tickets or count them toward your room occupancy limit.

10 years old is an adult.

Really ? I know I I know, but being a Disney apologist I get it .

At ten average sizes kids can ride all the rides and so enjoy the park fully.

And have you seen a ten year old eat ? They can wipe out the buffet at Chef Mickeys ! So it behooves Disney to charge adult for the meal plan as well... I guess :/

With that base knowledge I can explain this tip.

If you check in at Disney the day before your child's birthday - Mickey turns a blind eye at the rolling over to a new age.

So say Suzy is 3 on April 13. Check in on April 12 and little

Suzy gets a free pass to lie about her age for the duration of your Disney stay.

She will be considered, for all intents and purposes 2.
This means she doesn't count toward your room occupancy.


Why is that a major boon?

Value and moderate only go to a four person occupancy.

This really is a let down because the next level of hotels, whether they be deluxe or the new Magic of Animation Suites - are a huge price jump. (Even though the new suites are considered "value" ahem.)

So if you are a family of five you can save yourself a nice chunk right in the hotel by coming when Suzy doesn't count.

* a few rooms in Port Orleans Riverside fit 5 using a Murphy bed. Mmhmm lotsa comfort right there....

If you are paying for the Dining plan it is a bonus because two and under are ineligible so you won't be required to purchase for the toddler when buying your package.

They will get free food in sit downs- but you'll have to provide for snacks and counter service .
We've always gotten by with just buying one or two counter service out of pocket to feed the toddler.

And we always have snacks left over at the end of the week.

Also no park tickets are required for two year olds at the parks and water parks! Obvious huge savings!

On the 10 year old front- same thing applies. Check in the day before their birthday and they stay 9 all week.

10 year olds pay adult tickets and adult meal plan.

You save a huge amount per day this way.

This is my plan for this year.

My 2 year old turns three the week we always go.

So instead of stating our vacation on the normal Saturday we will get there on Thursday because she will turn three on Friday- if we get to go...

-
Ask for Disney funds in lieu of gifts.


If you're like me, your kids have more than they play with and you regret buying stuff after every holiday and birthday.

Instead, consider asking gift givers (at least close family like grandma) for money for your Disney fund instead.

Last year my mother in law offered to pay our gas - we drive from MD to WDW - for us as mine and Tony's Christmas gift .

That was a huge help! We could breathe a little easier and add some $ to the girls souveneir accounts.

This year we are thinking of asking people instead of her buying a ton of gifts if they would give their portion or at least some of it ( grandmas like to wrap some presents you know!) toward our trip.

Since we will possibly be putting large sums of money into this adoption we have decided the only way to go may be using what we would spend (waste) on Christmas toys and put it toward our trip.

The kids will get a couple things from "Santa" and nothing from us . The trip will be their gift .

They're ok with this btw.

-
less days of magic :(


Look I love to be in Walt Disney World.

I have planned our retirement.

I will be a photo pass photographer and part time Main St character and Tony can be a bus driver full of misinformation or whatever he wants.

Retiring in Disney.

I think about Disney World more than any grown adult should and even before I set foot inside I dread the final day.

I dance around as they check us in and giggle at all the characters.
Parting is indeed sweet sorrow and I sing " and now it's time to say goodbye..."

I love it .

My goal this year was to do a double week and really enjoy our resort some.

The was before we found our we would be adopting...

Instead we will be doing less than our normal 7 days.

But hey, a little Disney is worth more than none right?

I think we are doing five full days with the fifth being our departure day and driving as far as we can once we leave that evening.

You just may have to do less days.

Here's the thing.

The more you play the less you pay.

By days 6,7 8 your park tickets are ridiculously cheap.

I messed up and had to add on day 7 one time - for two adults and two kids - I laid a whopping $24.
Total.
Four tickets.
$24.

So on the ticket front you aren't going to save much but you will save on hotel costs.

it's not be the Poly -but it will do


Hotel.

Downgrade.

You love the Polynesian.

Yeah who doesn't ?!
I will stay there one day.

Declared .

(This year was also supposed to be Poly year :( )

There are noticeable differences in all levels of Disney hotels. But let's face it - you're at Disney for the parks and if you're there for less days you definitely aren't hanging out at the hotel much.

All of the hotels are clean, even at value price they have to abide by Disney standards so its not like you're staying at a motel 8 .

If its downgrade to a value or don't go - do the value .

You're so tired when you reach your hotel anyway it doesn't matter where you are.

Put the Mickey ears down
.

I don't want to talk about how many stuffed animals we have acquired on WDW vacations.

And thank you SOOO much to whomever in marketing came up with the baby versions swaddled in blankets....

Disney = nostalgia and even for adults it's hard to say no to an adorable item in the endless gift shops rides dump you into.

What we did this year was we gave the girls a flat sum from us and if they had birthday money or whatever cash we added that to their individual account and got them each a gift card our first night.

Our first night when they already made purchases....

Having "their" own money definitely cut Down on the Gimmies ( I have to admit they're not the type to throw tantrums to buy something anyway ) and they judiciously spent their money .

They each had their eye on an item or two they had to have - items that were found in every park- and they waited til the end to buy them.

If we were at a park that had park specific items - the yeti at Expedition Everest - they bought that item then otherwise they waited and bought maybe one item a day, actually less .

They knew if they wanted - for laci it was the dog from Nightmare Before Christmas- they had to reserve x amount to get it- therefore the thousand items that would have appealed to them lost their luster a bit!

Another thing that helps is buying clearanced items through the year (Disney store does a big sale january and I believe July) and saving them for the trip .

Each day while we are at the park a character stops in and leaves a gift.

Knowing they have something waiting for them really curtails the need for spending on exiting the park.

Usually I end up in the room before them or stick around a minute while dad gets the stroller set up outside - so the kids don't see the gifts put out. Or you can leave a note and work it out so you Mousekeeper does it
If it sounds gratuitous - well it kinda is .

But we started this tradition on our first trip when I scored a ton of dirt cheap items at the Disney outlet near my cousins house and its become a beloved tradition.

You don't have to do this but it's an alternative to in park souvenir buying without feeling like your kid is missing out.

Also if you're going to do this- consider that it's going to become a tradition because you're kids are going to wonder long before you get there what items their favorite characters will leave them.

Another thing I've done on subsequent trips to cut down on the in room gift expense is to leave notes from characters inviting them to the various character meals and occasionally a little trinket.

- A note from Mickey inviting them to Chef Mickeys the next day along with a dollar store Minnie Mouse bracelet from Minnie.

- A wax sealed invitation to Cinderella's Royal Table or the Bibbidi Bobbity Boutique or both together. It's great to get the BBB appointment just before your Cinderella's Royal Table reservation and go right from one part of the castle to another.




- An invitation from Lilo and Stitch for Ohana breakfast with Leis or something Hawaiian themed.

As far as lodging you can stay off
site to save some serious coin- we feel staying onsite makes our vacation but if I had to choose between staying off site and not going I would suck it up and stay off site.

There are surprisingly nice rentals nearby for low prices.

You may want to skip chains to get better prices.

Check out Dwellable

I found this site because they liked one of my blogs on The Villages and asked to use it.

I was surprised at the beautiful lodgings - houses, condos and amazing amenities that cost less than a moderate at Disney.

When my kids are a little older and easier to get to the parks I think we will go this route. You can rent entire houses for the amount you'd pay for moderates - with your own pool!

One option is renting points off Disney Vacation Club members.
I've never done this but considered it last year.

You need to do your own research on it because I don't know enough to recommend a seller.

Disboards has a board on point buying.

People buy and sell on there and you can get a crash course on what it all entails. They also out poor sellers and recommend good ones.

This isn't a bargain dollar budget idea but more a way to stay at the deluxe resorts and time share properties for less than you'd pay out of pocket.

Also, compare sellers- they set their own points so you'll find a wide range . Don't just go with the first person you find.

- Pack your own food .

Garden Grocer will allow you to set up an order in advance and schedule it to be delivered for your arrival.

We usually now just stop at target or SAMs in Orlando or The Villages, but when we flew we had orders shipped to our room.
We had things like diapers and baby food, beverages, bottled water and snacks in our order.

Peanut butter and jelly and some bread isn't a bad idea.

All rooms now have mini fridges so you can feed yourself in your room if you must.

The park allows you to take your own food in, so don't hesitate !

The suites have kitchens - even the new value Art of Animation suites.

At a lower price point than the rest of the suites you'll find in Disney the extra price of paying for a suite would like be off set by you food savings.

- Bring your own strollers.
In park stroer rentals are about $40/ day.
Insane.

If you don't have room to haul one pick a cheap one on your way to the park and leave it at the front desk for them to offer to another family coming as check out .

Disney on a budget- it can be done!

Really we don't spend more on Disney than we do on a beach trip.

You can cut extras out during the year to pay it off a little at a time. It's all about what you want more.

For me this:






Is worth more than eating out every week.

If I can do both - I will.

But if not- steakhouses lose out big time to my kids smiling up at

Mickey Mouse!

Happy planning!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Considering an off site stay? Check out Dwellable for beautiful, affordable accommodations to kick your feet up in after a long day hanging with The Mouse!



Another Disney...YEAR!

It's that time again!!!
Christmas is over so I need my next big planning/excitement fix . Ella's birthday is this month and all the ideas I've found are intoxicating- however something else keeps creeping into my brain....
WALT DISNEY WORLD!!!!!












I'm Incurable.
Maybe it's the annual New Years Eve promotional announcement during Rockin' New Years Eve.


Or maybe it's because the girls dance studio is currently there with the older girls for competitions and posting gorgeous photos.


Quite likely it's because that my cousin and her husband came in to visit yesterday and having just returned from the Most Magical Place on Earth and wanted to compare notes.


More than likely its just the allure of Disney World is strong enough on its own to make fans continually dream of going back. Well played, Uncle Walt, well played.


And so it begins....


As I just mentioned Disney just announced their yearly promotional- and what fun it will be!

This is the year of Limited Time Magic.

Initially it's sounds kind of disappointing.

Limited? At Disney World?!

But what it really means is Limited time Special magic.

Normal everyday magic still abounds-limitless.

The Limited Time Magic is comprised of special events, souvenirs, guests and activities sprinkled throughout the year- lasting only a limited time. Many cases lasting a week- sometimes a day as September 13 when Villains will roam the park. And yes, that 13th is a Friday....

Some magical events Disney has alluded to include week long celebrations of special days.

In fact, Wdw had a week long Bling in the New Year week that ended last night. One feature of this celebration was characters appearing in their New Years party garb.

Disney in its first announcement says :
True Love: Celebrate romance and enchantment throughout Valentine’s Week with special moments and entertainment geared to lovebirds. Disney Princes join their Princesses to meet park guests in special settings, prix fixe menus turn up at select restaurants and Valentine’s collectibles will be offered for the week.

Independence Week: It’s red, white and blue as Disney Parks salutes America with a 4th of July Fireworks Party — for an entire week, with patriotic lighting bathing the Disney castles on both coasts. Mickey Mouse appears in his patriotic finest and guests will find special USA shirts, Ear Hats and other limited-edition souvenirs.

Long Lost Friends Week: Lesser-known Disney characters will move from the shadows to the spotlight meet-and-greets on both coasts. Photo opps with characters that could include Flik, Clarabelle Cow, Remy, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum will surprise and delight guests. And Disney guests even have the chance to vote online for which characters they want to see.

Pirate Week: Why talk like a pirate one day when you could celebrate these scalawags all week long? The adventures of Jack Sparrow come to life like never before during a bicoastal buccaneer bash in which Disneyland and Walt Disney World become pirate-palooza: pirate bands, pirate meet-and-greets and more.
Dapper Dans Sing Boy Bands:

The Dapper Dans, the iconic quartet from Main Street, U.S.A., will add a special finale to their show, claiming the title of the “Original Boy Band” and delivering a medley of hits from One Direction, *NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys.

Unleash the Villains: Friday the 13th in September 2013 is a special day, so Disneyland park and Disney’s Hollywood Studios are staying open until the 13th hour (1 a.m.). Maleficent, Captain Hook, Jafar and other Disney Villains host a dance party, complete with limited-edition collectibles and other nighttime mischief.

Golden Horseshoe Revue: The fabled Frontierland show returns to Disneyland park for one month only, bringing back the corny jokes and enduring songs that were often enjoyed by Walt Disney himself.

Read more

What I gather is if you to to WDW during any random holiday- expect a weeklong theme geared to that day.

Weeks not having a holiday will have random pixie dust sprinkled on them.

I'd love to see some of the characters they hint about as our autograph books are nearly complete with the usual characters. In general I think they need to be either adding or rotating in some different characters from time to time. Even if just on weekends. Limited time magic or not!


Most experiences will be kept secret but announced the Friday before they begin. Limitedtimemagic.com is supposed to update with each announcement.

What possibilities would you like to see in this promotion?

I think in October a Haunted Mansion week would be great with the hitch hiking ghosts walking about and the infamous Lady with the parasol in the crocodile mouth doing meet and greets.

Maybe Nightmare Before Christmas characters making their rounds? Currently they appear at other parks (Disney land and Paris) but not WDW. Much to my 9 year olds dismay.

In addition to the magical events Disney announced a new sweepstakes . Go to http://disneytimesweeps.com/
To enter.

One vacation will be awarded every day in January! Good luck and May the pixie dust be with you!!

If that wasn't enough (is it enough?) 2013 has been deemed the Year of the Ear.




Each month a new special limited release set of ears will appear.
January kicked off with five new couture ears. See them here http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2013/01/five-new-disney-couture-ear-hats-kick-off-year-of-the-ear-at-disney-parks/
These are my favorite:




If you've been wavering on whether To go on a Disney vacation this sounds like it could be an exciting year to try!

There will be more promotions to come, keep an eye out for the free dining promotion that has happened the last eleven years from mid August through September.

It makes a Disney vacation much make affordable.

Also discounted room rates up to 30% are offered at various times.

Currently spring vacations February 18- March 23 and April 2 - June 14 are being included in this promo.


Check it out Here
You can book your Disney vacation up to 500 days in advance and make payments if that works best for you. You can change dates, rooms etc without a fee up unil 45 days before your check in date!

Remember some Limited Time Magic will be announced or hinted at- so if its important to your vacation keep checking on it.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Another Disney Day- Port Orleans Riverside Royal Rooms Review and video


I'm in the dreaming/planning stage of a Walt Disney World vacation and as such I'm reminiscing over past trips.

I also have many friends dreaming/planning as well which includes asking me questions/ advice.

To streamline that process for them and me I'm going to jot down some thoughts.

I think typically aside from time of visit (which I recommend September ) the first thing people think about is lodging.
I highly recommend staying on
property.

You get the ease of being in the resort itself and no extra traveling.

You get free bus transportation all over Disney property meaning no parking lot fees or driving yourself.

Parking lot fees are also waived for resort guests in the event you choose to drive yourself some.

We did some driving this year and it worked out nicely and was a nice break from

Extra Magic Hours are also a perk for resort guests.

Typically a park will open an hour earlier or stay open three hours later for resort guests only.

Going in an off season this especially helpful as the parks tend to close 9-10 pm.

Aside from being in the parks with less people some parks have special extra magic hours only events.
Disney Hollywood Studios has a character dance party.

This was one of our favorite parts of the trip as the kids got tons of one on one time with characters- even Mickey and Minnie.

This last trip we were fortunate enough to stay in the Port Orleans Riverside Resort newly renovated Royal Rooms.

Right off the bat, having three princesses , I knew Royal Rooms would be a hit.

The resort itself is a beautiful sprawling (largest moderate resort) Southern estate. The Sassagoula River winds around the old plantation style mansion dotted grounds while riverboats - which transport guests to downtown Disney or the sister resort French Quarter- float by.
This gives the resort a much needed laid back relaxed feel.

Normally I am all about rushing to the parks- dont wanna miss a moment- but this resort made me want to take my time and stroll leisurely - not speed walk- down the winding paths to our various destinations.

We stayed in the Magnolia Bend which is one of the beautiful mansion style buildings. It even had a court yard with a fountain and reflecting pool type water feature.

The courtyard also had Tianas throne which I really wanted picture of the girls in but they were always raring to reach the parks or pool.

The Royal rooms are gorgeous and the most opulent of the moderates we have stayed at. The rich colors give the room a note of elegance that other moderates (while still very nice) on Disney World property lack.

The headboards alone, in a rich wood with led firework display, make the rooms a must see.

The carpets are a deep blue accented with a built in Aladdin's flying carpet.



Aside from the many pictures of the Princesses on the walls ( they depict the princesses visiting
Tiana at her new resort and show the princesses in a new light) there are many nods of the hat (or mouse ears) to the popular Princess movies.


Aladdin is represented not only in the rug but the faucet as well in a magic lamp shade.

There is a bench with feet seen in Beasts enchanted castle in Beauty and the Beast.



Ariel is represented in the shower, but as my girls requested when we were there, ill let you find those on your own if you go. (And you should!)

The comforters provide more princess touches, covered in the various crowns of the Disney princesses.

It seemed every moment in our room the girls were finding new "hidden" details and were so excited each time. Watch them explore and get a visual of the room
Here

This is the first year we've visited a pool while at Disney. POR pool includes a lazy river and a small, but fun, waterside. Also cast members come out and do activities with kids as well as DJ playing all the kids favorite Disney songs.

Games, balloon animals and dance parties and sidewalk chalk disney character drawing were all a part of our couple hours at the pool.


The girls loved it and it added some excitement for us on our arrival day since we had no park tickets because we decided last minute to leave The Villages (where we were visiting great grandma) and start our disney adventure a day early .

We loved the pool area and relaxation of the resort so much we decided to possibly add a couple days to our stay on our next trip to experience the resort fully.

The food court at Port Orleans Riverside is large and not over crowded. The food was quite good for counter service meals and we ate there twice as opposed to park counter service Everytime which is our typical routine.

The resort also has a table service restaurant that gets fine reviews, though I can't confirm not having eaten there.

The Royal Rooms accommodate families of 4. If your child is 2 and under they do not count toward your occupant capacity.

We like the room so much that we are considering going a week earlier than we normally do because our youngest turns three just before our usual week and will make us Ineligible to stay there again. If we get there even just a day before she turns three, in disneys eyes she remains two during our stay so I think that is our plan!

I (and my 3 princesses) highly recommend the Port Orleans Riverside Royal Rooms for anyone thinking of a moderate resort desiring more theming and a touch of extra magic.
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 http://magicaladventuresbymandy.blogspot.com

Another Disney Day - Disaster Edition aka The Rule of 3 OR How Suits ruined my fun

Disney and disaster shouldn't go together in my world.

But I fear they do.

The disaster I'm referencing is the highly advertised My Magic + and Fast Pass +.

If you've missed the massive marketing campaign Fast pass+ is the next generation of Fast Pass.

If you've missed Disney for twenty years Fast pass is a system in which a guest would put in their park ticket at a ride they didn't want to wait in line for. In return they would receive a paper ticket with the ride name and a return time to come back and bypass the line.

There was a one hour time frame on that ticket but up until 2 years ago when they began preparing for the new system it wasn't enforced.

You could only get one ticket per 2 hours or if your fast pass return time was sooner than 2 hours you could grab another. Also if you were really in the know there were a few rides that weren't connected to the system and you could grab those in addition to the others.

And since return time was never enforced if you did a tiny bit of research before your trip you knew you could grab fast passes with abandon and ride whenever you darn pleased by passing stand by lines altogether.

Ah, but all good things must come to an end.

Enter Disney executives who think they know what the guests want.

This system is working perfectly well, they said, let us tinker.









Only Tinker fairies should be allowed to tinker.










Some execs realized that not all guests realized that fast pass was included and wanted a system that included all. It was seen as an unfair advantage that those of us who did some research not only knew about the fast pass system *which was talked about frequently at disney parks it was no secret* but also knew how to work it to get many fast passes. Totally within the accepted framework and rules mind you.

So they spent billions. Yes billions and we got Fast Pass +


Now we have a system that looks shiny and new and exciting on the outside but is broken on the inside. 

There are points that I love.

Wristbands 
aka Magic bands.
 Because Disney.

I lose things so its nice to have my room key/park ticket/credit card fastened to my wrist and linked to my very own fingerprint.
Score one Disney suits.

Plus you can pick the names that are engraved on them. I wanted to change  mine to Lady and Tony's to Tramp but they processed faster than Pooh eats a pot of honey. 

Plus you can  play super hereoes.

In theory magic bands are fabtastic.

We were there during testing and the blasted things didn't work. We had all kinds of issues - with Tony's anyway.

When they worked. Amaze.

When they didn't - I wanted to be very undisneylike.

They caused lots of stress the first two days and I even had my crew up for park opening for the first time EVA and we missed it because I was at the front desk 5 times after Tony had already been there once. Cast members kept daggone chasing me and forcing me back to the hotel lobby. I am not lying.

It sucked.

A bus stop worker boy took pity and gave me a super secret fastpass because I just looked like I was going to cry. He was all on the down low about because our stop had a bunch of Grumpy dwarves and he didn't want to be bum rushed.

They tell me the bugs that kept knocking us out of the system causing our bands to cause angry sad frustrated feelings are mostly worked out. So you're welcome.

On one call with a particularly unhelpful hotel worker as i waited in line for a late Sofia the first  on Layla's birthday as tony was stuck at the restaurant because it wouldn't scan our dining plan I told them I was done helping them test. The park workers were brilliant. They knew how to fix things with pixie dust. The hotel workers were so over the system they didn't even try to figure things out and so I decided to stop playing too. We used our bands in park and didn't use them at the hotel anymore. Because they didn't work there.

So. not so magical these bands.

They're also a bit sweaty but I am weird about wearing accessories. I like to rip them off as soon as I'm home. I'm  not a big fan of the feel of accessories so it may be me.

Also you have to line up mickey heads which is harder than it sounds apparently because it causes lines like this :



I don't buy that people are having THIS much trouble lining up Mickey heads but Fast Pass Plus fans are claiming these super long lines are due to just that and that when you get past the first Mickey head match point theres no line. Still. There used to be NO line for Fast pass you just walked on after flashing passes real quick at a person.

Back to the good:

You can switch around your fast passes using the My Magic + app.

Bad news the blasted app crashes all the times and is all kinds of buggy.

Disney is awesome at just about everything - but their sites are always clunky and buggy as are the apps.

However, when it works its so awesome to be able to use your smart phone to grab a fast pass or change it.

While we were there we were able to jump on rides we had fast passes scheduled for because the standby wait was low. Now mind you, we were in a very small group of people using the system so we were able to get what we wanted. Now that everyone is using it don't expect to be able to switch your ride reservations so easily.

So if you book Splash Mt. at 1 and get there and standby is 15 minutes which is basically walk on and you think hey lets change this fast pass to something else- you may not be able to .

So the positive of not running around grabbing paper fast passes becomes a negative because there don't seem to be enough to go around now.

Add to that:

WHO THE HECK WANTS TO SCHEDULE RIDES?!

Its bad enough I have to know what I want to eat 180 days out which then dictates what park I am in- now i have to not only schedule my dumb rides but also schedule them around my dining reservations.

Spreadsheets are not magical Disney.

How are you supposed to know what ride is going to need a fast pass at three thirty 10 saturdays from now.

You cant.

And that is what I found out in testing.

I changed almost ALL my fast passes in Magic Kingdom everyday.

I had to change many in Hollywood Studios because of a rain storm that last for hours.

Yes now your fast passes can be rained out because you picked your ride time weeks in advance.

I hate this.

Another thing touched on above - it seems like to park goers that way more people are using fast pass which is making fast  pass lines look like stand by lines very often.

So the massive marketing campaign is working and more people are aware of the fast pass system.

The bad news- its making fast pass much less fasty passy.

One more plus- they made everything or darn near everything fast pass able. So its nice that rides that used to be stand by only can  be fast passed but typically those rides only had a couple busy times a day  you could always catch them later and do you really want to use a fast pass on a lesser ride when: wait for it...

You only get 3 THREE 3 FAST PASSES. THREEE.

I can't even type my sadness, frustration and disgust at that number.

And can you believe they have the nerve to send you a survey that asks if three is enough.

No Disney no its not. Of course its not. What the heck.

Of course if you're Joe Schmoe who previously bumbled about Disney World thinking you couldn't use fast pass and glared at all of us smarty pants who listened to the girl at check in and the girl on the disney inoformation channel that comes on everytime you turn your tv on (hey stacey) or the people at the turnstiles or wording on the ticket, or wording on the signs by the big metal machines labelled fast pass...

then yes I guess you would be darn tootin thrilled about 3 whole rides fast passed.

Joe Schmoe- go to six flags.

But for the rest of us who knew how to use fast pass *read above* we are now having to rethink our whole Disney vacation just to ride a fraction of what we used to.

Now if you made it this far, I'm going to give you some tips.

First.
Go follow Kenny the Pirate on facebook.

He's had a blog for a long time on Disney world and recently moved to Orlando (lucky pirate) and goes often and is writing out strategies for Disney world in general and fast pass so you can tour like a boss.

A boss with giant circular black ears.

Next.

If you can't get all of your people a ride reservation at the same time try
 booking one or two at a time at a staggered rate.
 (via Kenny the Pirate)

The fast pass has a window of return of an hour so

If Mickey gets a Splash return time of
1pm
Minnie and Pluto get one at 1:10
Goofy gets one at 1:20
and Daisy and Donald get one at 1:25

The entire group can still ride together.

Their window to ride together however is 1:25 (the latest starting time) and 2 Pm (the earliest ending time which was mickeys)
pluto fell out

A bit of organizing (spreadsheets aren't magical Disney suits) and much less window of opportunity

But look they're happy

and dry. They mustve worn ponchos on Splash.

So that is a big tip right there because it can be hard to find times for popular rides for your whole fam. That one will be a life saver.

Another tip:

Skip extra magic hour parks.

Boo hiss I love extra magic hour days. But fast pass + is killing them.

How?

Because those parks are naturally busy on those days.

Now that we have 3 THREE 3 measly fast passes to use our best bet is to go to a less crowded park - which will NEVER be the extra magic hour park.

Consolation - they keep cutting the hours back so its not so great now anyway.

Hit rope drop. (disney nerd speak for get up early and get there for park opening)

I always balked at the rope drop crowd.

We are on vacation we want to sleep in after walking miles and magical miles in oppressive heat .

But now....
 I can't do extra magic hour parks to make up for our late start so we have to get up early.

We actually had a lot of breakfasts this year because we had a late start scheduling (by like 2 weeks) and lunch and dinners were all booked up at our favorite spots. This forced us to rise early.

But I have to say, its nice in the morning . Crowds are low. Heat is manageable.

Mornings are nice.

Now you have no choice.

Go in the morning.
                                                They're so happy to see you so early.
                                                    There is a little opening show to 
                                                                   reward your early birdyness.

If your crowd gets sleepy head back for a swim and a rest and come back around 4 or 5. We aren't big break fans - and I do recommend driving the days you plan on taking a break because otherwise so much time is eaten up with the busses -  but it is nice to take a little rest and go back refreshed. Open to close at disney for 8 days isn't possible with little ones. At least not pleasantly possible!

If you got up early and take a short break you'll still get in just as much time as if you'd slept in and stayed til close.

The other option is have a lunch or late lunch at a sit down restaurant. Explore the resort its at ride the monorail, those things will rest and refresh without heading to your hotel. Not as much but a few die hard days won't ruin your vacation.

Don't park hop.

If you aren't an Annual Pass holder, you're paying $70 a day to park hop. You aren't saving much at all you're nearly paying for 2 tickets . Plus you're spending extra time travelling between parks.

Now Disney wants to take all your fast pass rights away at the second and subsequent parks you visit in a day.

That's right currently (may change) you can only use fast pass + at one park per day.

So no you cannot book splash at 10 am and Soarin at 5 pm.

That stinks and really takes the incentive of park hopping away.

Who wants to leave a park, ride a bus and then go stand in stand by lines all evening?

Dumb.

Of course if you use all your fast pass + in the morning and remember you get 3 THREE 3 paltry fp now so its entirely possible you'd blow your whole allotment in the morning then you'd be standing in stand by lines all day anyway no matter what park youre in so go ahead and hop.


Oh and btw, you wouldn't be able to book Splash and Soarin ANYWAY because they now have tiers (didn'twhile I tested).

These tiers mean you not only get only 3THREE3 stingy fast passes they are now going to tell you how to use those fast passes. YES. Disney wants to micro manage your life.

You can get one tier one* read good * ride. Splash, soarin, big thunder, toy store mania...

Any ride you really really like. Pick one thats all.

Then you get a tier 2 ride. Still good rides but meh. I rode it once already on this visit I'm good.

Then you have to pick a tier 3 ride - which is a ride you'd never fast pass before because there were no standby lines to begin with.

EXCEPT NOW THERE IS!

Because Disney is forcing people to pick tier three rides things like The Great Movie Ride, Muppets 3d, and Star tours (all things my kids like to ride) are no longer walk ons.

This is just like Snow White's poison apple. It kills all the magic.
ALL THE MAGIC.

 I hate it.
 boo. hiss.
Never had to boo nor hiss Disney before.
Dark Days folks.


I don't like fast pass as it is.

At all.

It seems they tried to reinvent a perfectly good wheel and made it square instead.

But it is Disney so I hold out hope that what we see now is not the final product. PLEASE.

A solution that would make me happy right off the bat would be more fast passes per guest.

Not sure if the higher load of people using the system allows for this but it would go a long way to soothe my sore feelings over this.

Make the app better.

There's no reason for it not to work.

Disney really had something if they had kept the frame work in place from old fast pass and just made it all digital.

Keep it exactly the same and instead of running around grabbing paper fast passes you just check your app or the kiosk to see whats available and book it. One every two hours.

Awesome.

Happy Disney Veterans and clueless visitors alike.

I'm hoping that once all this testing is done that is the system we will have and this micro managing system with fast passes doled out by Scrooge McDuck will cease.

Dont be a fast pass miser Disney.

And FOR.THE.LOVE. get rid of tiering.

Its not nice.
Certainly not magical.