Category Archives: Disney Travel Tips

Memory Maker – Nailed It!

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Finally!  After several tries (other reviews here and here), we figured out how to best utilize Memory Maker.  The results of our group effort on our last Disney World vacation were our best yet!  We came home with a huge number of pictures and the vast majority of them were great.img_0679

Memory Maker – Nailed It!

I believe it was the combination of learning from prior mistakes, Disney photographer improvement, and teamwork that resulted in our success.  We came home with well over 150 good photos (many of them excellent).

I’ve summarized our tips for best results…

Have a plan – As a group of seven, we wanted to get lots of pictures without wasting precious vacation time.  Teamwork helped!  We worked together to find photo ops with short lines that would result in pictures that were both fun and quintessentially Disney.img_0676

Maximize character meet & greet opportunities – Schedule at least one character meet up with a FastPass, if possible.  We highly recommend the Character Spot in Epcot.  You won’t know which characters will be there, but no matter what (or who), there will be excellent photo ops.  Throughout your vacation, watch for characters and get in line if the wait will be fairly short.  Don’t forget about the Star Wars Launch Bay in Disney’s Hollywood Studios for pictures with Chewbacca and Kylo Ren.img_0674

Link Magic Bands, then ask for help – It may look like you’re all linked correctly in My Disney Experience, but we found that not to be the case.  Megan and I were the ones who had our Magic Bands scanned by the photographers most of the time and several of her band’s pictures were missing from my photos.  We took advantage of a Photo Pass kiosk to get help while we were at Disney World, then I still had to call for more help after we got home.  This is inconvenient, but worth the effort! (The Cast Member who helped is at the kiosk admitted that this is a well-known, common problem.)img_0667

Learn where and when ride photos will be taken – If you’re experiencing an attraction for the first time, it’s hard to know where pics will be snapped.  Ask a Cast Member before you board or check out the pictures from your first ride and use subsequent rides to strike a pose, smile and wave, or be clever in your own way.img_0668img_0675

Stop early and often – Just say YES when you see a photographer with a short or no line, no matter where they are.  Early in the day when you’re still fresh and looking good is a great time to stop for just a few seconds.  Photographers will be in lots of places other than in front of each park’s icon, so keep an eye out.  Some of our favorite pictures from this trip were taken just as we were exiting Kilimanjaro Safaris.img_0671

Ask about Magic Shots – Photographers won’t always tell you when they can add a little extra magic to your pictures and it never hurts to ask.  Maybe it’s our imagination, but the abundance of Magic Shots seems to be ever increasing.  Personally, I loved meeting Sebastian in Fantasyland this time.img_0673img_0669

img_0677Ham it up!  Have fun, be silly, let your inner child out to play.  You’re at Walt Disney World!  Don’t ruin family photos by being the stuffy one who is merely suffering through.  There’s no better place to have a great time – be sure to let it show!  Maybe you wouldn’t want your work friends back home to see you acting foolish with a Disney princess, I get that, but your family will cherish the memories and will love looking back through pictures even more if you relax and embrace the unique type of fun a Disney vacation offers.  If you’re anti-Disney, I can’t help you, but you could at least try not to ruin pictures with your crabbiness.img_0672img_0680

Overall, we’ve seen a big improvement in the quality of pictures taken by Disney photographers.  They snap more candid shots than they used to and have gotten really good at lining a group up and taking several clever shots quickly.  If you’re on the fence about investing in Memory Maker, hopefully these tips will help you decide. Oh, and the videos that are included with rides like Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and Tower of Terror are wonderful!

Have you had success with Memory Maker?  Where were your favorite pictures taken?

Disney World! Always New Things to Try

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Walt Disney World – Trying new things and revisiting old favorites is what makes every visit different from the one before.  I’m committed to adding something new to every trip…our most recent Disney vacation was no exception.

Disney World! Always New Things to Try

Most of the items on this list rate their very own review in the future (please stand by).  Today I’m going for a quick rundown of what was new (to us) and what our initial impressions were.  Please feel free to weigh in on what you’re looking forward to trying for the first time on your next Walt Disney World visit.

  1. Mad Tea Party.  Yes, that’s right, Raymond and I have never, not once, taken a spin on this most iconic of Magic Kingdom attractions.  Now we can say we’ve done it. Aaaaaaand that’s pretty much all I have to say about that…for now.on-the-tea-cups
  2. Disney Springs’ new offerings.  We didn’t have a great deal of time to spare, but we did manage to grab lunch at Morimoto Street Food (new walk-up counter service at Morimoto Asia) and check out a few of the new stores in the new retail shopping section.  Lunch was great, the stores were okay.  In spite of all the fancy, new high-end offerings, I found myself pulled back to my old favorites like the Marketplace Co-Op and Disney’s Days of Christmas.  That’s where I spent my money.  schweitzer-falls-fanI was inordinately happy with my Schweitzer Falls t-shirt buy…can you blame me?tiffins-exterior
  3. Animal Kingdom’s Nomad Lounge and Tiffins – Guys!  We give these new places a resounding, unanimous vote of approval!  I promise more details later, but if you’re on the fence about trying one or both…get off the fence on the side of definitely going.via-napoli-pizza-slice
  4. Epcot’s Via Napoli – Raymond and I enjoyed a special dining experience here during the 2014 Food & Wine festival, but had never made a regular ADR for a meal here until this visit.  I’d been skeptical of reviews that said the pizza was fantastic (Disney pizza is typically anything but fantastic) and the food excellent overall, but I’m a believer now and cannot wait to go back!  We were very happy!sci-fi-dine-in-menu
  5. Disney’s Hollywood Studios’ Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater – All I can say in my own defense was that I thought it would be unique and fun.  Yeahhhhh….not so much.  Didn’t hate it, but now that we’ve given it a try, there’s no need to go back.  For the price, service level, and menu, there are too many superior choices…we’ll put this in the “once and done” category.  I’ll go ahead and add that for us, the service was subpar and the seating less than ideal for a party of more than four.frozen-ever-after-figures
  6. Frozen Ever After – Raymond and I managed to score a FastPass for this and ride it on the first day of our vacation.  I hate that we couldn’t get FastPasses for the rest of our party!  This attraction is outstanding.  Let’s not debate its suitability for the Norway Pavilion in Epcot and just focus on the experience alone…wonderful!soarin-new
  7. Soarin’ – This was THE one thing I was most looking forward to.  I’ve always been a fan and could not wait to check out the new version.  I was both delighted and disappointed in equal measure.  Have you ridden it yet?  What did you think?

Okay, now it’s your turn.  Have you tried any/all of these yet?  Where do we agree and disagree?

Things People Do at Disney World That Bug Me.

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I’m not normally a very detail-oriented person.  I don’t usually take much notice of stuff going on around me. Thanks to having had Megan and Joseph to raise, I can shut out just about anything when I need to (love you guys!). So, when I’m on vacation, it takes a lot to break into my consciousness and become noticed. I’m focusing so much on having fun and checking out Disney magic, looking for Hidden Mickeys, listening to background music, etc. I people-watch in the most casual way and rarely notice negatives about strangers. I consider this a good thing! Walt Disney World offers some of the best people-watching to be found anywhere. However, if you want to bug me at Disney World, there are a few sure-fire ways to make it onto my radar!

Things People Do at Disney World That Bug Me.Walt Disney World Summer Crowd

  1. Ignore Your Kids – I’m not talking about the run-of-the-mill ignoring bad behavior or whining, I’m talking about refusing to interact with you kids when they’re being good, are excited by the wonders of Disney World, and want to share it with you in the only way they can – by making excited exclamations and asking questions. Pay attention! They’re only young once! Put that cell phone, camera or tablet away connect with your offspring! While you’re doing that, please keep them from touching me (see #4).Tomorrowland-Crowds
  2. Completely Disregard Every Other Guest – You are not alone. We are all at Walt Disney World to have fun and yes, we all paid the price of admission, same as you. You alone have not earned the right to litter, walk, sit, or stand right in the middle of crowded locations, jump to the front of the line, or generally disrupt others with your drama, cheers, chants, or domestic disputes.  If you don’t play well with others, Disney World is not the ideal vacation destination for you.RM-Photographer-DHS
  3. Take Out a Cast Member – There’s a right way to complain about a problem. If you’ve had bad service, have been short-changed, overcharged, or been the victim of unusually bad circumstances, you should complain…the right way. What you should not do is lose your temper and vent your spleen on a Cast Member who neither caused your distress nor can do nothing to fix the situation. To lodge a legitimate complaint, see this. Otherwise, remember you chose to vacation with thousands upon thousands of other people and manage your anger!  You only end up making yourself a horrible spectacle to those around you.RM-Festival-Of-Fantasy-Mime-From-Tangled
  4. Enter My Space – I have a small personal bubble. If I know you and I like you, I’m comfortable with you standing close enough beside me for our arms to actually touch. But, when a large tank-top-wearing sweaty guy presses his hairy arm against me, I’m bugged. A lot. Or when a kid behind me in line touches the back of me in any way, I’m irritated. Why can’t this kids parents keep him from touching my butt? I don’t think allowing me to have, and remain alone in, my little area should be that big of a deal.RM-Mizner's-Lounge
  5. Smack When You Chew – I’m certain I have Misophonia (a.k.a. selective sound sensitivity syndrome). I didn’t know it was even a thing until recently, but I do know that for my entire life, certain sounds drive me absolutely crazy. Smacking your food, popping a gum-bubble with every chew, slurping a beverage…are you familiar with how irritating this can be? Are you a fellow Misophonia sufferer? I can almost not even be in the same room with a person consuming a bowl of cereal. I know it’s me, not you, but that doesn’t make me less creeped out by those sounds you’re making.

How about YOU?  What do people do that bugs you on a Disney vacation?

 

Walt Disney World Lagniappes

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Here in Louisiana, we’re very familiar with the concept of lagniappe (pronounced lan-yap).

At Oxford’s online dictionary, Lagniappe is defined as “something given as a bonus or extra gift.”.  ORIGIN:  Louisiana French, from Spanish la ñapa.

We like to think of it as anytime you unexpectedly receive a little something extra.

Disney World clearly understands and embraces the idea of lagniappe and I’ve created a short list of my favorites.

Walt Disney World Lagniappes

RM-Disney-Any-kind-Celebration-Button

Celebration Buttons and Surprises – When you book a reservation at a Walt Disney World resort or restaurant (by phone), you’ll be asked if you’ll be celebrating anything when you visit.  If the answer is YES, you’ll most likely receive a celebratory lagniappe!  Upon checking in at your resort, you may be presented with a complimentary celebration button (if not, just ask for one!).  In a restaurant, you’ll often receive an acknowledgement of some type that will make your dining experience even more magical!RM-French-Regional-Lunch-Dessert

Photos with your camera – While we’ve purchased Memory Maker a few times (before it came with our Annual Passes), we’ve always appreciated how willing Cast Members and Disney Photographers are to take our picture with our own camera or smartphone.  Some of these pictures have been among our favorites and It’s a great way to immediately share your happiness with friends and family on social media.Chewbacca-Meet-and-Greet

Electrical Water Pageant – If you’ve seen it and didn’t absolutely love this adorably cheerful nighttime spectacle, I’m afraid I simply don’t understand.  This nightly parade of floats on the Seven Seas Lagoon is awesome! The floats are made of dancing light effects and the music is perfectly peppy! Plus, you can watch the pageant from outside the parks – just visit the boat dock at one of the Magic Kingdom resorts at the appropriate time. (Get all the details about times and best viewing spots here.)  Since this is a free show with no park ticket required, it’s a perfect first day activity if you’re not going to a park. It may be only 15 minutes long, but this little show’s a gem – don’t miss it!electrical-water-pageant-serpent-2 electrical-water-pageant-fish

Random Character Interaction – Lately Disney news has been full of performer contracts being cancelled (Most recently Scoop Sanderson in Magic Kingdom), but there are still prime opportunities to happen upon some extra special Disney magic in the form of wandering or unexpected characters (like the Dapper Dans!). Keep your eyes peeled!RM-Dapper-Dans

Thank You Card – When you get home from your Walt Disney World stay, the surprises keep coming!  We’ve received a very nice thank you card after the last few visits that includes Disney artwork suitable for framing.disney-thank-you-minnie

What are your favorite Walt Disney World lagniappes?