Category Archives: Disney Travel Tips

5 Obstacles – Walt Disney World Vacation Happiness

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Disney Planning Tips by MailYou’ve done the research, picked the date, booked a resort, purchased park tickets, settled on your mode of travel to Walt Disney World, selected FastPass+ options, and packed the suitcases!  You’re home free now, right?  All you have to do is get this vacation started and have the best time EVER!  I don’t want to burst your bubble and I hate to break it to you, but there are a few obstacles here and there that may mean the difference between an okay trip and a fantastically well-remembered family vacation.  That’s why you’re here, right?  You’re reading this blog to get the scoop on these potential party poopers?  Good, you have me and I have a few suggestions to help you avoid any ugly Walt Disney World vacation pitfalls.  Ready?

5 Obstacles – Walt Disney World Vacation Happiness – AND how to overcome them:

1.  Compromised Comfort – I’d be willing to bet the average Walt Disney World visitor has Mini First Aid Kit for Walt Disney World Travelno idea how much walking, standing, and jostling will be involved in taking this particular brand of vacation.  Sore feet, blisters, motion sickness, overheating, sunburn, soaking from sudden thunderstorms, dehydration, and exhaustion – these must be avoided at all costs.  Nothing ruins a vacation faster than pain!  Make like a good Boy Scout and be prepared.  Bring a travel-sized first aid kit and some rain ponchos, pack well-broken-in shoes and comfortable clothes.  Everyone in your travel party should drink plenty of water throughout the day and for heaven’s sake, be prepared with snacks to avoid becoming “Hangry” (hungry+angry=bad attitude).

Walt Disney World MagicBand2. Blown Budget – Magic Bands are so convenient…until you see the bill from all that touch-to-pay action!  Nothing kills Disney vacation joy like realizing that you’ve overspent.  If money is no object, move on along to the next item on the list, but if you’re like me and want to have a good idea about how to avoid a panic attack at check-out, try some of these strategies (and shout out your own in the comments!):

  • Purchase gift cards just to use for souvenirs and snacks – or consider buying them ahead of time.  You read that right – buy souvenirs and snacks before you leave home and dole them out during your vacation.  Little kids won’t care where the cool toys, books, and new tee shirts come from – they’ll just be excited to have them.
  • Pre-paying for snacks and meals with a Disney Dining Plan really helps with budgeting.
  • Important:  Get a printout of your charges from your resort’s front desk every day or two and make sure your spending is not getting out of hand.
  • Not on a Dining Plan?  Eat counter service (quick service) for most meals and consider eating your table service meals at lunchtime when the prices may be lower.  Buffet’s are the easiest meals to budget due to fixed pricing.
  • Stick with your budget!  It takes some (an incredible amount of) self control, but it’s worth it in the end.  Go home happy – not broke.

Crazy Crowds – If you’re going to Walt Disney World during peak seasons like Spring Break, Walt Disney World Crowds During Star Wars WeekendSummer Break, Thanksgiving, or Christmas – the crowds may be huge!  Knowing that going in will hopefully help you be more patient.  With the exception of Thanksgiving, we’ve traveled to WDW during all of those times and still had a lot of fun – the crowds did not ruin our trips at all, but they did slow us down.  Patience helps a lot as do some alternative plans when the parks just get too crazy.  Consider more resort time – the resorts often have a schedule of special activities to enjoy – ask at the front desk.  Eat outside the parks and try some restaurants at different resorts – gives you a chance to check out places to stay on future vacations.  Having realistic expectations helps – I liken it to the mental preparation it takes for me to Christmas shop on Black Friday!

Bus Transportation at Walt Disney WorldOpportunity Overload – There are an incredible number of things to see and do!  There are so many rides, attractions, shows, shops, snacks, characters, playgrounds, pools, restaurants – YIKES!  It can be totally overwhelming, confusing, and logistically challenging.  Research is the best remedy – specifically knowing the following things can help:

  • How to get around and where to go – Park and resort maps are available on the internet, in travel books, and at your resort.  Please, I’m begging you, at least get an idea about where you need to be and how you’re going to get there before you start out on your first day of vacation.  Getting lost and wandering around is horrible.  Missing a FastPass window or restaurant reservation shouldn’t happen with proper preparation.
  • Speaking of FastPasses – Pick what you think you’ll like.  Yes, if you’ve never been Choosing Activities in MyDisneyExperiencethere before, it can be daunting.  There are so many choices, it gets confusing and frustrating.  Again, research will help – especially the various rides’ height requirements if you’re traveling with children.  For a first visit, it’s hard to know what rides are really busy all the time and which ones rarely need a FastPass – you can make yourself crazy.  Go with what sounds fun.  (Check out YourFirstVisit.net)
  • Be flexible, be willing to compromise, take turns.  If everyone knows what to expect ahead of time, is ready and willing to change plans if necessary (rides break down, stormy weather causes some rides to close) and each person gets to select at least one or two special experiences  (ride, show, character meeting, restaurant, pool time, etc.) – there’s less chance of succumbing to opportunity overload.

Too Tired to go On / Disney Vacation TipsFizzled Finale – Doing too much for too long can really toast the end of your vacation, especially if you’ve got a long trip home.  It’s easy to try to pack in so much park action that by the time it’s over everyone is fed up and exhausted (and crabby!).  Pace yourselves, allow for plenty of sleep (and naps, if needed), set aside time for packing to avoid a last minute frenzy.  Make sure there are fun activities for the way home, too.  My grandmother used to say, “Quit while you still want more” and that’s good advice.  If you leave happy, wanting to go back again someday, isn’t that a sign of a really great vacation?

What are your best tips for overcoming the obstacles to Walt Disney World vacation happiness?

At WDW? No FastPass? Please Stand By!

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Magic Kingdom's Big Thunder Mountain RailroadEven if you’ve mastered all the tricks of the new FastPass+ system, I’ll bet there will come a day when you will want to experience a ride or attraction and will need to use the standby line.  I know!  That’s the way it used to be all the time!  I think some of us have been so spoiled by the entire FastPass convenience, we’ve come to believe that a 20 minute wait is practically torture – a vacation-ruining waste of time!  I, for one, don’t fall into that category.  I’m so much more patient and tolerant of waiting when I’m in the Disney Bubble – sometimes, I’m willing to step into line for one of my favorite attractions even if the posted wait is 45 minutes!

Luckily for all of us, those geniuses of Disney Imagineering have come a long way with theEntrance for Toy Story Midway Mania entertainment value of the standby line.  Once just a holding pen with little to see or do as you and your party snaked around and around chain barriers and handrails like cattle, the introduction of a well designed standby line has changed overall ride experiences exponentially.

Today I want to highlight three examples of what I consider excellence in queue creativity.  I chose these three attractions based on their ability to provide samples of the following categories –

  • Existing ride successfully refurbished to provide a vastly better standby experience
  • Brand new ride with a wildly entertaining standby line
  • Not-so-new ride with an original, well-themed queue

Existing Ride:

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad – Refurbished in 2012 to add a new interactive queue:  I just got to experience this highly touted standby experience myself in May and I thought it was absolutely wonderful!  So wonderful, in fact, the line moved too fast for me to fully enjoy all the cool features and activities.  I’ll share a few pictures, but you’ve just got to experience it for yourself.  Seriously – if the wait is 30 minutes, you’ll have a ball!Interactive Queue for Big Thunder Mountain RailroadInteractive elements for Big Thunder Mountain Queue

Brand New Ride:

Ariel in Fantasyland / Magic KingdomUnder the Sea- Journey of the Little Mermaid – New Fantasyland attraction, Opened December, 2012.  From the craggy rocks along the “shore” to the seashells, starfish, and many other tiny details on the outside of the Little Mermaid queue to the really awesome treasures and cute blue crabs that move in and out of different scenes.  Again, this ride moved too fast for me to catch all the interesting things to see and do!  Since the Clammobiles are continuously loading, this line moves fast.  Do not waste a FastPass on this one!Outside Queue / Under the SeaTreasures in the Queue for Under the Sea

Not-so-New with Originally GREAT queue: 

You know what I’m going to pick, don’t you?  Expedition Everest!  We were lucky enough to be at Expedition EverestAnimal Kingdom during this ride’s soft-opening back in the Spring of 2006.  So, EE’s 8 years old now and still boasts one of the (if not THE) most amazing, clever, spectacularly detailed queues in the World!!!  We fell in love at first wait and still try to use the standby line at the Forbidden Mountain whenever time allows.  To me, Expedition Everest set the bar for every new attraction that followed.  This is Disney Imagineering at its finest.

Okay, it’s your turn – which ride would you nominate in each category?Expedition Everest Queue Yeti MuseumExpedition Everest Train Platform Gear   

 

Walt Disney World – Great Places to Take a Break

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Resing along Sunset Blvd in Disney's Hollywood StudiosSometimes when you’re at Walt Disney World, you just need to sit a spell.  You know, take a load off, rest your feet, relax for a minute.  It’s a good time to enjoy a snack, maybe engage in a little of the primo people watching Walt Disney World affords.  I mean, c’mon, in my daily life I never get the chance to watch folks go by from all over the world – it’s fun!

Here are my most favorite places in the whole Walt Disney World to enjoy a few quiet moments:

Magic Kingdom – Over in Fantasyland, by the Tangled bathrooms – shoot, that doesn’t Fantasyland / Rapunzel's Towersound very appealing, does it?  But you know where I’m talking about, don’t you?  Right past It’s a Small World, in the Tangled rest area, you’ll find seating with charging stations (cleverly hidden in faux tree stumps) and a great view of Rapunzel’s tower, the floating lanterns, and, yes, there’s excellent people watching as folks pass along the path between Fantasyland and Liberty Square.  The handy restroom is just a bonus.

Animal Kingdom – Back behind the Flame Tree Barbeque, above the Discovery River, there’s an excellent seating area with a terrific view of Expedition Everest!  Enjoy lunch or simply sit and rest for a while – it’s usually quiet in the morning or between lunch time and park closing.  Like most of the best places to take five, there are great Disney details to soak up!

Resting in Epcot's Italy PavilionEpcot – There are many excellent places to take a break in Epcot!  For some reason, one of my absolute favorite spots is in Italy.  I love the buildings, the view of the Venetian gondolas on the water, the perfectly aged look of each detail, the very excellent statues – sit along the sides of the Doge’s Palace where the benches are shaded under the palace’s arches.  If you want to snag a glass of wine from the pavilion’s nearby wine shop – it makes the relaxing even more…well, relaxing!

Disney’s Hollywood Studios – This is my favorite place to sit on a cloudy or even a rainy day – Taking a Breat in Disney's Hollywood Studiosdown by Echo Lake, the tables by Min and Bill’s Dockside Diner are the place to rest.  Why I like them so much is purely due to my own happy memories of having a snack or a cold beer and being so happy about being on vacation at Walt Disney World – are there more scenic places to sit at the Studios, sure, but that’s my favorite.  Another good option is anywhere along Sunset Blvd. – especially along the end closest to Hollywood Blvd.  Resting there ups your changes of running into a spontaneous performance by the incredible Streetmosphere actors.

Bay Lake Boat Transportation / Disney's Contemporary ResortOutside the Parks – When I really want to rest and have a few quiet moments of tranquility, I catch a boat and it’s not just any boat.  I want to boat that leaves from the Contemporary’s boat dock (or you can catch one at the Magic Kingdom) and travels over Bay Lake to Fort Wilderness.  I just get on the boat and ride.  Maybe catch a power nap if I’m really beat.  The view is incredible and the experience is a nice change from the busy atmosphere of the parks.

Where are your favorite places to take a break?  What makes them special to you?

Animal Kingdom Lodge – For an Evening Out

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Lobby at Animal Kingdom LodgeWhen we’re at Walt Disney World, there’s one resort we love to visit, even if we’re not staying there – the Animal Kingdom Lodge.  Beautiful and unique, completely different from any other Walt Disney World property, the Animal Kingdom Lodge offers visitors wonderful dining options along with the chance to step out the massive and gorgeous lobby’s back door and experience something amazing – over 30 species of African wildlife roaming around the savannah.

We may have stayed at the Animal Kingdom Lodge only once, but we make sure we spend an evening there on every Walt Disney World vacation.  We make our visit to this spectacular resort fit into our plans in one of two ways:  If we’re dining at Boma, we head straight there from the Animal Kingdom Park (a relatively short bus ride) at the end of the day.  Boma’s casual and relaxed atmosphere makes it fine for us to eat there in our park-touring attire.  If we’re eating at Jiko, we like to dress a little nicer, so we’ll make time to go back to our resort and clean up before striking out for the Animal Kingdom Lodge – which may take an hour (or more) to reach by Disney transportation – sounds like a time drain, but believe me, it’s worth it!

We try to arrive at least 60-90 minutes before our dining reservation.  This gives us plenty of time to stroll through the lobby, go out onto the savannah overlook, take in the views from every angle, talk to an African Cast Member about their home country, and see how many different types of animals we can spot.  There are chairs available for relaxing while checking out the animals.  If you’re traveling with children and looking for Victoria Falls Lounge lamp detaileducational opportunities, the savannah overlook is an excellent one.

Before dinner, we like to stop for a beverage at either the Cape Town Lounge and Wine Bar (near Jiko) or the Victoria Falls Lounge (overlooking Boma).  Both of these watering holes offer wonderful selections of African wines and beers (and non-alcoholic options).  Not sure what to order?  The bartenders are knowledgeable and friendly – they’ll be happy to help you with your drink selection.  It’s the perfect way to relax, unwind, and soak up the atmosphere so special to Animal Kingdom Lodge.

Our entire family loves the food at Animal Kingdom Lodge!

Boma – Flavors of Africa:  This buffet is unlike anyplace else at Walt Disney World!  There is Boma at Animal Kingdom Dinner - Meal Selectionsabsolutely something for everyone.  Picky eaters in your group?  They’ll find plenty of choices.  Adventurous appetites?  Yes, indeed – this is the place!  I love trying new foods and my biggest problem at Boma is making sure to save room for dessert.  I love the soups and salads (especially the watermelon rind salad – it’s delish!), then I love the amazing variety of African-inspired dishes from which to choose.  Finally, the dessert selection, which includes the much-loved Zebra Domes, offers a wide variety of different confections – sure to please anyone with a sweet tooth.

Giraffe on the savanna at Animal Kingdom LodgeJiko – The Cooking Place: A bit fancier than Boma, I’d put Jiko on par with the likes of the California Grill (at Disney’s Contemporary Resort) or the Flying Fish Café (at The Boardwalk).  While there is an extensive kids’ menu, this is my recommendation for families with older children or couples out for a romantic evening.  The service is excellent and the meal is paced for enjoying more slowly.  If you’re like us and enjoy wine with dinner, select a bottle with your server’s assistance, or have a pairing with every course to sample a few different types of African wines.  The artisanal cheese platter is our favorite appetizer here and no entrée has ever disappointed.  Even our picky eater (Joseph) loves eating at Jiko. (This is a signature dining experience and does have a dress code – read more here.)

Sanaa – Designed to recreate the feeling of a spice market, Sanaa (located in the resort’s Kidani Ostrich on the savannah at Animal Kingdom LodgeVillage area) offers a variety of dishes from chicken, beef, and lamb to fish and vegetarian selections.  Raymond and I will be experiencing our first dinner at Sanaa in October and cannot wait to try the highly praised Indian-Style Bread Service appetizer.

If you want an evening away from the parks to relax and enjoy some excellent food and amazing sights, a visit to the Animal Kingdom Lodge is an excellent option!  It’s also a great way to check out the resort for a potential place to stay on a future visit to Walt Disney World.

Have you visited Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge?  What are your favorite things to do there?

Firepit on the Animal Kingdom Lodge's savannah overlook

Exterior Rooftops / Animal Kingdom Lodge