Monthly Archives: August 2014

More Disney Pin Ponderings

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Minnie Mouse Chalkboard PinYou don’t have to be a Disney pin trader or even a pin collector to appreciate what great souvenirs the right pins can be.  Commemorating a special milestone, a beloved ride or attraction, a favorite character – is easy and relatively economical with Disney pins!

We do like to pin trade – as entertainment versus serious hobby.  We love searching out pin boards and books at out of the way locations.  We also like meeting and visiting with Cast Members as we peruse their pin collections.  Mostly, more than anything, each of us loves to find a pin or two that we…gosh, “connect with” is such a weird choice of words here…find meaningful, I guess, would be more what I mean.Disney Pin - Mickey Mouse Animation

I can’t speak for the rest of The Fam, but I can browse rows and rows of pins in stores and spin those pin display racks for a long time and still walk away empty handed.  Then, once or twice during each Walt Disney World visit, I’ll see a pin that just grabs my interest!  Maybe it’s a particularly cute version of a classic character that I’ve never seen before.  Maybe it’s a double pin set (Doug and Mr. Fredrickson, for example) that is too cute to resist.  Maybe, pins with a certain year on them – seriously, I normally don’t care, but this year was an important year in MY life, so having a pin with the year on it meant more to me.  You get the idea.  I love it when I find a pin I’m sure Raymond, Megan, or Joseph would LOVE and I can buy it on the sly and surprise them with Disney's Hollywood Studios 25th Anniversary Pinit later – sometimes, on rare occasions, I can curb my enthusiasm enough to hold on to a pin until Christmas and slip it into someone’s stocking.

If you’ve never visited the Disney Pins Blog, it’s a really fun place to hang out – even for us casual pin traders/collectors.  I particularly love looking at the upcoming releases of Disney Cast Member pins – I formulate plans for how I may score one or two (or five) on an upcoming trip.

Pins come in singles, doubles, collections, mystery sets, and more.  Currently, though, according to the Disney Pins Blog, the color-coded pricing of general pin stock is as follows:

  • GREEN = $7.95
  • RED = $8.95
  • BLUE = $9.95
  • YELLOW = $11.95
  • PINK = $13.95

Think about it – if you’re looking for an easy to carry souvenir, a keepsake, a memento – for a maximum of $13.95, you can take home something durable – a lasting, timeless piece of your Walt Disney World vacation to remind you, in the years ahead, of a very happy and special time.

For my tips on getting started with pin trading, read this.  For an explanation of Chaser Pins, check here.  Want to make pin collecting into an adventure?  Read this.

Do YOU love Disney pins?  What’s your favorite pin?  What pin do you want to get next?

 

So It’s Not the Food & Whine Festival

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View of World ShowcaseI had a moment of panic today when I thought we might have a problem with our upcoming trip to Walt Disney World for the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival.  We might have erred, made a mistake, screwed up, taken a wrong turn.  We have certainly looked forward to this particular trip for years (and years!) – I realized today that our expectations could possibly be a tad too high – we might have set ourselves up to be disappointed.  Food & Wine rookie mistake?  Perhaps.

I’d been determined to use my existing knowledge of WDW vacation strategies along with some tips and suggestions from friends, websites, and podcasts to make sure we have a great time – regardless of the weather, the crowd levels, the price tags.  It is our 25th anniversary trip after all and we want it to be memorable – in a good way. Wine Wall in Epcot's Tutto Gusto

The source of my panic…

Do you know Safari Mike?  He and his buddy Dave McBride host the Radio Harambe Podcast – which is one of my absolute favorite, not-to-be-missed shows (no, it’s not your imagination, I do have a bunch of favorite Disney podcasts).  Anyway, on the latest episode of Radio Harambe, Mike said some rather negative things about the Food and Wine Festival – yes, the very event I’ve been waiting years and years to finally attend!  Imagine my horror – my lonely little self, driving along in the car on the way to work, happily enjoying the show and POW!  Waves of doubt came crashing over me!  What if the trip we’d used as a carrot to keep us going through our children’s teen years was not going to be the magical, epic, spectacular week (alone, at last!)  we were envisioning?

Epcot's World ShowcaseNever one to sit and brood, I went straight to the source and reached out to Safari Mike on Twitter.  I asked him for some details about the cause of his somewhat sour attitude toward the event at the heart of Raymond’s and my dream trip.  Mike cleared everything right up for me – it seems that if you go to Food & Wine several times, you become quite familiar with its pros and cons.  Mike offered some valuable tips I’ll share with you now.  I’ll be new to Food & Wine and don’t yet have any tricks and strategies of my own – but with Mike’s help, you and I can make sure that our first visit to Food & Wine doesn’t turn out to be food & whine.

Safari Mike’s Advice and Tips for Enjoying the Food & Wine Festival:  China Pavilion in Epcot's World Showcase

1. Weekdays at lunchtime and early afternoon are great times to enjoy the festival – This is good news!  I’d prepared for this by planning to spend Monday afternoon and Wednesday morning/early afternoon at Epcot with no plans other than sampling good eats and drinks and soaking in the festival’s atmosphere.

2. Be prepared for crowds and pricey food – Not much we can do about the crowds except by trying to mostly follow tip #1, but we’re attempting to combat the prices by purchasing a bunch of discounted gift cards in advance.  We can buy $150-worth of cards at our local big box club for $143.  No, it’s not much, but if we set aside the money and stick with the cards for a budget, it’ll keep sticker shock at bay.

Germany Pavilion in Epcot's World Showcase3. Expect a different World Showcase experience – the atmosphere of World Showcase is not as it usually is – don’t expect to enjoy it the same way as during other time of the year.  This is also good news for us since we had a wonderful time enjoying our favorite World Showcase pavilions, stores, and restaurants during our May visit.

4. Hit the most popular booths early – I’m pretty sure I know what these are, but a little extra research is in order.  I’ve read that there will be something like 66 different specialty food offerings available.  If I can narrow that list down to a dozen or so we’d really like to try, I think that’ll be doable.

5. The Food & Wine Festival and Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party are two events every Walt Disney World fan should try.  That’s exactly what I wanted to hear.  Mike may have been the one to throw me into a bit of a panic, but he was also the one to calm me back down.  We are going to Food & Wine and Mickey’s Not So Scary and we are Walt Disney World fans.  I think we’ve got this.

Got any tips and tricks for Epcot’s Food & Wine Festival?  Please leave them in comments! 

Follow Safari Mike (@JamboEveryone) on Twitter.

Read Safari Mike’s blog.

Give Radio Harambe a listen!

Be sure to check out the Jambo Everyone blog, too.

Thoughts on the Disney Vacation Club

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Disney's Contemporary and Bay Lake Tower Resorts

Disney’s Contemporary and Bay Lake Tower Resorts

I get asked from time to time about the Disney Vacation Club.  Seems like a lot of people think about DVC – the pros and cons, the benefits, how it works.  I’m always happy to answer questions – except the one where I’m supposed to explain how it makes good financial sense.  That one, I can’t really answer except like this – if you’re looking for a solid financial reason to make a DVC purchase, you might not find one.  If you’re looking for a good reason to visit Walt Disney World every (or every other) year, you’re a big Disney geek, and you know your children and present or future grandchildren will love many years of future Disney vacations as well – that might be reason enough.

Note:  Interior DVC studio pictures are all from our most recent visit to Walt Disney World – Old Key West Resort.

Distance Between Bay Lake Tower and Contemporary Resorts

Elevated walkway between Bay Lake Tower and the Contemporary Resort

It costs a lot to buy DVC points and then it costs some more every year to pay the annual dues.  Raymond and I joined in 2011 by purchasing points while on a Disney cruise to Alaska.  This was not an impulse purchase by any means – we thought long and hard about it for several years, in fact.  We took a DVC tour back around 2007 or 2008 and were very interested but ONLY if and when we could buy points at a DVC property located on the monorail loop.  Our favorite resort is the Contemporary and when we heard about Bay Lake Tower, we decided it was time to see if this dream could become a reality.  After visiting Walt Disney World more than a dozen times over the past 25 years, we’re pretty sure our love of Disney vacations will never go away.

Studio at Disney's Old Key West

Old Key West Studio

So, we’re on that Alaskan Cruise (which I highly recommend, by the way) and decide to take time on an at-sea day to listen to the DVC presentation and see if there were any specials available for Bay Lake Tower.  The fact that we won a drawing at the presentation for $500 in on-board credit certainly seemed like a good sign!  I’ll spare you the details, but we ended up with 220 points for, I think, the next 48 years.  Turns out, 220 points is not quite enough (we’d like to add on about 100 more) – more on that in a minute.

First, a cautionary tale…

Sitting Area, Studio at Disney's Old Key West

Old Key West Studio – sitting area

We met a super friendly, Disney-loving family from Ireland on our Disney Mediterranean cruise last summer.  No doubt the entire family loved Disney – you could tell.  Mom, Day, son, daughter – all Disney fans.  During an excursion in Italy, while waiting to leave Pompeii, Mrs. Irish-Disney-Mom confessed to me that they had purchased 320 DVC points and were considering selling them on the resale market.  Seems it was an impulse purchase made a couple of years prior and while they still intended to take Disney vacations as often as possible, airfare to the U.S. was too expensive to go every (or even every other) year and using points for anything other than WDW isn’t the most economical use of the points (in spite of what those DVC sales presenters lead you to believe).  Moral of the story – don’t buy DVC points while swept up in the magic of a Disney vacation – consider this purchase carefully…many point purchases are as expensive as a new car.

My tips & things to consider before purchasing DVC points:

Studio Balcony at Disney's Old Key West

Old Key West Studio Balcony

Do purchase points at the home resort you really love (if at all possible).  The 11-month booking window at your home resort (versus 7 months at other resorts) can make a big difference over the years.  You may not want to go at peak times now, but in the future it may become really important.  Christmas at Walt Disney World – including opening gifts there on Christmas morning – is a big dream of ours.  We’ll appreciate that 11-month window when the time comes to plan that trip.

Kitchen area of Disney's Old Key West

Old Key West Studio Kitchenette

Don’t buy DVC points if you really want to vacation elsewhere (using the exchange capabilities with non-Disney resorts world-wide through RCI) – While we’ve never done this, I’ve heard it is definitely not the best, most economical use of DVC points.  Reports vary on ease of booking, value, and if certain RCI resort options are on par with Disney quality.  There’s also no guarantee (if you love RCI) that Disney’s relationship with RCI will continue way into the future.

Even though it’s more expensive than buying resale, buying directly from Disney will give you the most flexibility with your points.  If you wanted to use them towards Disney Cruise Line or Adventures by Disney vacations, the points cannot have been purchased on the resale market.  Resale-purchased points can only be used at DVC resorts – which works out really well for a lot of people.  We were concerned that someday – out in some unfathomable future time – we’d want to have more flexibility.

Studio TV, Disney's Old Key West

Studio TV at Old Key West

Here’s how we’re using this year’s points:  6 nights (last week of May) at Old Key West, 7 nights at Bay Lake Tower (home resort) in mid-October, 35 points leftover going towards a 4-night stay at Bay Lake Tower for the Princess Half-Marathon weekend in February, 2015 (extra points needed coming from 2015’s points).  If we’d had more points, we would have stayed at Bay Lake Tower in May instead of Old Key West.  We love our home resort and it would be our first choice – thus the reason we want to buy more points.  However, more points means higher annual dues, so once again, we’re thinking it over before jumping in again.

Unused points from one year may be banked for use the next year.  Need extra points?  Borrow from the next year’s points.  Banking and borrowing are common and important to get the most out of a DVC investment.

You get to choose the accommodations that work best for your particular travel party.  Need a room for two?  Get a studio or a 1-bedroom unit.  Need room for 8?  Get a 2-bedroom unit that has a full sized kitchen and living room (with fold-out couch and chair).  Get what you need, whenever you need it.  You’re not locked into one size or one particular time of year.  Having a kitchen, washer/dryer and more room do give you a home-away-from-home vacation experience.  Mousekeeping comes only every 4th day to collect trash and replenish toiletries, towels, and kitchen supplies.

A really wonderful perk is access to dedicated DVC travel planning specialists to help you book your trips and they are super knowledgeable Cast Members!  You also get a dedicated web site to help you figure out what resorts are available when you want to travel.  DVC members also receive a variety of discounts all over Walt Disney World are allowed to purchase the Tables in Wonderland card which saves 20% at bunches of Walt Disney World restaurants (and bars).

For official information on Disney Vacation Club, go here.

Are you a DVC member?  What’s your home resort?  If not, have you considered a DVC purchase?  Where would you love your home resort to be?

 

 

Five Reasons to see Guardians of the Galaxy

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Tickey stubs / Guardians of the GalaxyLet’s just start this off with a small confession.  While I love Disney’s Marvel movies, I had practically no desire to see Guardians of the Galaxy.  Zip.  Zilch.  Barely registering on my curiosity scale – the previews did nothing to help.  It just didn’t look that good.  There was no identifiable hero, a talking raccoon, and a big bare tree with a face.  Yeah, that looked great.  The other Marvel movies had drawing power!  Thor – now who wouldn’t want to go see a Thor movie?  Captain America – the Cap’s got everything going for him – tragic past, extreme patriotism, a true hero – you know what I mean.  Then put a bunch of the Marvel guys together and the Avengers!  Outstanding entertainment!

Back to Guardians.  So I felt I needed to see it strictly because it was a Marvel movie.  I have a Disney blog – people might expect me to mention the movie or something.  Raymond seemed excited about it, so we’d hit the matinee, see the 3D version, and at least I’d get a tub of popcorn and a Mr. Pibb out of the deal.  Space, misfits, sci-fi adventure, whatever.  It was raining – good time to kill a couple of hours indoors.  I was just this side of “let’s get this over with”.

I must publicly offer my sincerest apologies to Guardians of the Galaxy for judging the movie based purely on the previews.  I was wrong to make stereotypical judgments solely formed on The Standard Movie Snacksthe fact that the movie was set in space and appeared (to me) to be built on a somewhat ridiculous, overdone theatrical premise – misfits forced to band together take on a defeat a common foe.  I was imagining a Marvel version of Armageddon, but with CG characters that I wouldn’t be able to like.  Boy, was I ever wrong.

Guardians of the Galaxy is a fantastically entertaining adventure.  Well-developed characters with meaningful backstories combined with a real, intriguing and substantial plot – plus comedy – the good, old fashioned kind that relies on well-written lines and perfectly timed delivery.  Need more to get you to fork over the price of a movie theater ticket?  Here you go:

Five reasons to see Guardians of the Galaxy:

1. You were raised in the ’80’s.  This movie is full of great music and loads of ’80’s references that ’80’s kids will absolutely love (and appreciate).

2. You love a good space/sci-fi adventure – the kind where you’re on the edge of your seat one minute and laughing out loud the next.  Our fellow movie-goers were clapping, cheering, and laughing hysterically throughout the entire film.  Reminded me of the first time I saw Star Wars way back when it first showed in theaters in 1977.

3. You are a fan of characters with rough-exteriors and marshmallow hearts.  Film history is full of movies where misfits and imperfect (even not-so-nice) characters decide to do the right thing – resulting in self-discovery and friendship along the way.  This is what makes The Avengers a great movie and what is at the core of Guardians.

4. You adore the well-delivered one-liner.  This should have been #1 probably – at least for me.  I am a huge fan of memorable one-liners and this film delivers.

5. You like movies with a lot of heart.  Any time what should be an absolutely ridiculous situation pulls a genuine emotional response from me, I’m sold.  The fact that characters of the completely computer-generated variety can bring a tear to my eye is the sign of well-made, well-played movie.

Man, this spoiler-free movie reviewing is tough!  I could go on and on.  Was this movie perfect? No.  Would I give it 4 out of 4 stars?  Almost – it’s a solid 3-and-a-half.  Is does deliver a whole lot of fun, adventure, action, and heart.  Well worth the money I spent to see a 3D matinee.  Beware:  there’s a little bit of bad language and some violence, but it’s good entertainment for worldly kids 11/12 and above.

Have you seen Guardians of the Galaxy?  What did you think about it?