Category Archives: Disney Travel Tips

Disney World Arrival Day

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Oh, the possibilities! The World is your oyster! What to do first? What will that Disney World arrival day bring? Let’s talk about the options, shall we?

Arriving the day before you want to use your park tickets – We’ve been fans of this in the past and I want to emphasize that time spent outside the four Disney World parks is not time wasted! Here are my top three recommendations…Raglan-Road-Irish-Dancers

  1. Disney Springs is full of wonderful places to shop and eat! And NO ticket required! Personally, We LOVE Raglan Road for that first night’s dinner…great food, music and entertainment. Just walking around the expanded Disney Springs is interesting and fun. Usually there’s live music and entertainment plus plenty of shopping and those magical Disney details to get you feeling all relaxed and vacation-ish right away.RM-Fort-Wilderness-Pool1
  2. Explore and relax at your resort. Swimming and other outdoor activities are great options. Staying on Disney property? Shopping, dining, pin trading even – all excellent choices. Some resorts offer outdoor movies and S’mores-making too! Think about it, you grab dinner and find a lounge chair in front of an outdoor movie screen to enjoy one of your favorite Disney movies before turning in…looking forward to kicking off the rest of your vacation the next day!Good Morning at the Grand Floridian
  3. Wander the World! Get the lay of the land at your own resort and then go exploring! Take a bus from non-monorail resorts to Magic Kingdom, then hop the monorail and check out the sights, shops, and grounds of the three resorts along the route. Make advance dining reservations (ADRs) for a character meal at Chef Mickey’s in the Contemporary or 1900 Park Fare in the Grand Floridian. At the Polynesian Village Resort, you can’t go wrong with dinner at the super-popular ‘Ohana.1900 Park Fare / Drizella and Anastasia

If you’re headed for the parks, make some FastPass+ choices in advance and consider booking an in-park dinner to make that first day even more special. We used to make Magic Kingdom our first stop on every visit and back in the day, Cinderella’s Royal Table was our dinner choice. What could be more magical than eating in Cinderella Castle? The view is spectacular! Each park offers plenty of rides and restaurants to choose from – take your pick and kick off your vacation with tons of fun! If your family can make it into the later evening hours, end that first night with a show like Fantasmic in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Illuminations in Epcot, or Wishes in Magic Kingdom.RM-HalloWishes

Whether you arrive early or late, with first day park plans or not, there’s always a way to begin your Walt Disney World vacation in a special way!

What are your favorite first day activities? Do you have any traditions?

 

 

At Disney World? Take Five! Best Places to Relax

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Sometimes, in spite of our best plans and intentions, we want to go, go, go! to see and do all there is at Walt Disney World, but reality kicks in. Be it in the form of a run-of-the-mill meltdown, overheating, overeating, too little sleep, sore feet – the list is long – something interferes with our momentum. ‘S Okay though! Disney World knows and Disney World understands! We need options! No matter the situation – you can cool off, calm down, take a load off, or nap!

At Disney World? Take Five! Best Places to Relax

In the Parks…RM-Hall-of-Presidents

Hall of Presidents – While I love this attraction, I get that it is definitely thrill-less. Let Morgan Freeman’s narration lull you into a state of relaxation. Little ones (and you) can easily nap during this nearly 23-minute show in Magic Kingdom’s Liberty Square. The seats are comfy!RM-Ellen-and-Bill-Nye

Ellen’s Energy Adventure – Rumor has it that this outdated and underappreciated attraction is on the chopping block in the near future, so take advantage while you can of this glorious 40-minutes of air-conditioned prime napping opportunity! I’m not kidding – yours truly has snoozed (often involuntarily) on every visit. Once Ellen’s gone, we’ll have to take 5 at Epcot in the France Pavilion’s movie theater and chill during Impressions de France for 18 minutes of calming music and scenery.RM-Voyage-of-the-Little-Mermaid

Voyage of the Little Mermaid – This 17-minute show in Disney’s Hollywood Studios seems a lot longer when you’re in the theater. It’s wonderfully dark and cool, the story’s familiar and without anything unexpected. Tired feet, full belly, cranky offspring – no matter the ailment, Ariel and her adventures are soothing.

Finding Nemo The Musical – A whopping 40-minutes long, this attraction in Disney’s Animal Kingdom provides a wonderful opportunity to escape from what is arguably Disney’s hottest park. While this show does revisit Nemo’s familiar story, it does so in a unique way, by adding musical numbers. Details here. I’ve not been a huge fan, but certainly appreciate the prime rest and relaxation opportunity afforded in this little oasis set between Asia and Dinoland U.S.A.

Outside the Parks…Disney-Friendship-Boat

Take the Boat!  If transportation from points A to B by water is an option, choose it! Go from Magic Kingdom to Wilderness Lodge, grab the boat from Disney’s Hollywood Studios to the Epcot area, set sail from Disney Springs to and from the Port Orleans resorts…doesn’t matter where you’re going, a boat-ride is the ultimate in relaxation!  Personally, I’ll hop aboard the Liberty Belle in Magic Kingdom just for the scenery and to escape from the crowds.

Now it’s your turn! What is your most favorite place to take 5 at Walt Disney World?

 

 

Easy Disney Vacation Mistakes

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Little “uh-oh” or colossal error, Disney vacation mistakes are made every day.  Here’s a look at some we’ve made that took little effort yet produced major detractions to our vacation happiness.  Luckily, we’ve learned the error of our ways and you can too.

Easy Disney Vacation MistakesYellow Monorail / Walt Disney World

Underestimating Travel Time – This is big.  We still struggle with this one sometimes.  Getting from place to place in the humongous Disney Bubble can take a lot longer than expected.  If you’re heading to a park for early breakfast reservations or leaving a park for lunch or dinner reservations, plan ahead and know what the worst case scenario will be time-wise.  If you end up arriving early to a restaurant, you can often be seated early.  We once badly underestimated how long it would take to get from Magic Kingdom to Disney Springs (monorail to the Contemporary then bus to Disney Springs) and we were terribly late for our dinner at Raglan Road.  The stress this creates is not good when you’re trying to relax on vacation.Walt Disney World MagicBand

Self-inflicted Sticker Shock – If you choose to use the Magic Band charging feature, you may want to consider limiting it to only the members of your party who are responsible for paying the final bill.  Use budgeting mechanisms such as Disney gift cards for souvenirs or Food & Wine festival booth purchases.  Stay out of gift shops if your willpower is low or if you have trouble saying no to your little prince or princess.  For sure, research restaurant menus online to get an idea about prices before you go.Drink-Menu-Raglan-Road

Dreadful Dehydration – It is ridiculously easy to become dehydrated in Florida.  Dehydration doesn’t just make you thirsty, it can make you cranky, give you a headache, make you feel exhausted and can even make you crave sweets when you’re not even hungry.  Start every day with a big drink of water, carry water with you or take advantage of the free ice water available at quick service counters in the parks.  Snack on fresh fruit and veggies with high water content instead of salty, dry snacks like pretzels, crackers, or chips.  If consuming adult beverages, drink water between servings.These Feet are TIRED

Doubling Back (over and over) – This can add miles of walking to your day.  Whether you’re a super-planner with very structured touring plans or prefer to freestyle it around FastPasses, familiarizing yourself with what rides and attractions are located in which areas of the park is worth a few minutes of research.  You can do this from home within the My Disney Experience app or, if you’re not into major pre-planning and don’t want to fool with the app, simply grab a park map when you arrive.  Try not to go back and forth from one end of the park to the other over and over.  When you have time between FastPasses and want to squeeze in extra attractions, use the app’s wait time feature to find something nearby with a short standby line.Kali River Rapids Boat

Water Ride Woes – This may sound silly to some of you, but others will appreciate this – Consider the damage water rides like Kali River Rapids (Animal Kingdom) and sometimes Splash Mountain (Magic Kingdom) can do to your appearance.  Imagine you’re having a lovely day at Animal Kingdom, looking forward to your dinner at the new signature restaurant, Tiffins.  You can become 100% drenched, I’m talking soaked to the skin, on Kali River Rapids.  Unless you plan ahead and wear a poncho on the ride or come to the park with a complete change of clothes and don’t care about your hair and/or makeup, this ride has the potential to make eating a nice meal less than magical.

we’ve made all of these mistakes and a few more! What lessons have you learned the hard way at Disney World?

5 Disney World Survival Kits

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On a short trip into a Walt Disney World park with older children (or none at all), it’s possible to go in free of cumbersome bags or backpacks.  The rest of the time?  Not so much.  Supplies are necessary.  The right supplies…imperative.  Personalized to your travel party’s particular needs, the well-prepared survival kit can save the day.

5 Disney World Survival Kits

Need one or need them all, survival kits are best packed in appropriately sized zip-lock bags carried within your backpack or carryall.  This way your supplies are protected from rain and water rides alike and all contents are sorted by their respective purpose.

  1. Weather Warrior Kit – Think sunscreen, caps or visors, lip balm with high SPF, rain ponchos, hairbrush & barrettes/ponytail holders, blotting papers, and wet wipes.  Sun or rain, this kit’s designed to keep you both comfortable and safe from sunburn and soaking rain (or Kali River Rapids).  It also allows you to touch up a bit before sitting down for a meal.Kali River Rapids / Disney's Animal Kingdom
  2. Tenderfoot Kit – If you are prone to blisters or sore feet, it’s best to think ahead.  You may need a dry pair of socks, moleskin, anti-chafing balm (like Body Glide) or even an easy to carry change of footwear.  No matter the park, you’ll be covering a lot of territory – best be ready to address the situation before those dogs start barking.
  3. Anti Hangry Kit – Hungry + Angry = Hangry.  When you’re having fun, it’s easy to ignore the early signs of hunger until it’s too late…suddenly folks are starving and you’re right in the middle of the line for Expedition Everest.IMG_2511Not to worry if you’re prepared!  Choose snacks that won’t melt in the Florida heat.  We like granola bars, Goldfish crackers, trail mix, hard candies and mixed nuts.  Consider some juice pouches if you have little ones along.
  4. Line Survival Kit – While Disney’s interactive queues have done wonders for the wait, there are still plenty of opportunities for boredom to set in (I’m looking at you, Soarin’).  Think age-appropriate activities that won’t run down your smartphone or tablet battery.  Trivia books, Hidden Mickeys Guide, small toys or puzzles, you get the idea.  You know your family and what they like – be prepared for impatience an pack accordingly.
  5. Mini Medicine Chest – This one’s been my savior on many occasion.  Skinned knees need a bandage, upset stomachs need an antacid, headaches and allergies need relief.  Thinks basics in small quantities and you won’t be sorry you planned ahead.Mini First Aid Kit for Walt Disney World Travel

How about you?  Are you a Disney World veteran?  What’s in your survival kit?