Tag Archives: WDW

Walt Disney World – Tips for Going Bagless

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Waiting for Toy Story Midway ManiaThink how much time you’d save if you could avoid the bag check lines at Walt Disney World park entrances!  Be among the first to ride Toy Story Midway Mania before the standby line is more than 60 minutes long!  I often spend a day or two traveling light – footloose and bag-free – on my vacation and, unless you’re still in the diaper bag phase of life, with a little careful planning and the right wardrobe choices, you too can waltz right on in and bypass those nice folks at the bag-check tables.

You will need pockets for this to work.  I divvy up all the items we need to carry among everyone in our group – Cargo shorts, skorts, capris – whatever you like – the more pockets the Travel Sunscreenbetter!

TEN Small Things (to help you tour bag-free):

1 & 2) Mini sunscreen and lip balm – these two are absolute necessities.  Applying the first coat of sunscreen liberally before leaving your room in the morning is a must.  After lunch, a quick touch-up helps ensure you remain burn-free.  Lip balm with a high (at least 30) SPF or a clear zinc stick for lips and face is a great investment!

3) Small camera, no case – Just carry it around by the strap and snap away!

Small Digital Camera4) Pins for trading – Love Disney pin trading?  It’s not comfortable to always have a pin-filled lanyard around your neck all day – especially on days without breaks or super-hot, humid ones.  On a bag-free day, pin a few pins on a cap or visor or just pocket a couple for emergency trading purposes.

5 & 6) Cap and sunglasses – When the summer sun is beating down, I must have at least a visor and some shades.  Added bonus with the cap – no need to worry about carrying any hair styling tools – nobody’s going to see your hair!

7 & 8) Cell phone (and portable charger) – If you plan on frequenting your My Disney Experience mobile app to keep up with, book, or change your FastPass+ selections and ADRs, you will want a portable charger (around $40) or be tied to a charging station for a period of time.  The chargers are usually about the same size as a cell phone – easy to carry and use on the fly.Travel Bandages

9) $2.50 – more figurative than literal, this item refers to the fact that being bag-free comes with a price…in this case, the price of a bottle of water.  I like bottled water versus any other beverage on a hot day.  When I’ve opted not to bring any drinks or snacks into the park with me, I’ve got to suck it up and pay for them.  I’m okay with that.  Sometimes you spend a little money to save a little time.

10) Bag of first aid/medical necessities.  We have a small plastic container that works well, but we’ve also used a mini-ziplock bag to hold an assortment of “in case of emergency” items – travel packs of ibuprofen, antacid, bandages, blister relief etc.  This tiny first aid kit fits easily into a pocket (and has come in handy many times).

Believe it or not, we’ve also carefully (and aggressively!) folded rain ponchos to fit into cargo pocketsCargo Pocket as well!  I still take a small backpack on many days to carry water, snacks, and character autograph items and pens, but from time to time, I just want to get a jump on the day.  Sometimes, no matter how light the bag is, it just feels like a burden and I need a break!  Whatever your reasons for wanting to be bag-free, I hope you found some useful tips here today.

What are your best suggestions for leaving a bag behind?

 

 

 

 

It’s a Small World, Carousel of Progress, and Me

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1964 World's Fair PlateI’m proud to say that It’s a Small World, the Carousel of Progress and I all made our debuts in 1964.  While, technically speaking, I did not attend the New York World’s Fair – my mom took me there (sort of, I was due to arrive later in the year) along with my dad, brother, and two sisters.  I’m sure the wonder and excitement of the fair exhibits helped distract my folks from the (shocking?) fact that they’d soon be starting over, welcoming a fourth child into the family when their three other children were 9, 10, and 13 – but I digress.

The fair made a big impression on my family.  My mom talked about it from time to time often over the years and my sister still has a gorgeous souvenir plate and clearly remembers experiencing It’s a Small World at the fair.  Walt Disney’s influence was huge!  Four of the fair’s exhibits had a tremendous impact on the future of Disneyland and Walt Disney World.  Today’s Disney vacations would not be the same had Walt Disney’s Imagineering wonders not had the sponsorship and presence in New York in 1964.

 “Pepsi Presents Walt Disney’s ‘It’s a Small World'” – a Salute to UNICEF and the World’s Dolls from It's a Small WorldChildren” – This boat ride around the world to the Sherman Brothers’ famous tune delighted visitors.  All the dolls had the same face and they played and sang as they promoted international unity.

In a ride design that would later become the People Mover, Ford’s Magic Skyway was designed by WED Imagineering.  Motorless Ford convertibles moved along a track and took visitors past displays depicting animatronic dinosaurs and cavemen.  So much of this exhibit would become future attractions!

The future Hall of Presidents was started with the World’s Fair’s “Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln” in the Illinois pavilion.  Royal Dano provided the voice for Honest Abe as he recited Mr. Lincoln’s famous speeches.

“There’s a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow” – also by the Sherman Brothers, was the theme song for General Electric’s Progressland.  Inside the Carousel of Progress, visitors followed along as the progress of electricity in the family home was demonstrated by animatronic figures.

The marvelous wonders on display at the fair had staying power!  Clearly Walt Disney thought a great deal about what he had seen and learned from the experience – Epcot Center was originally built to showcase much of the same types of attractions and exhibits as the World’s Fair, which focused on the future of technology in daily life.  The fair also had a “World Showcase” of sorts featuring many countries including Spain, Vatican City, Ireland, Denmark, Sweden, Pakistan, Thailand, Philippines, Austria, Greece, Japan, Mexico and more! The fair’s “Unisphere” looks very much like the globe we see in “Illuminations, Reflections of Earth”.

Recently, the New York Times published a great look back.  Fifty Years After the New York World’s Fair, Recalling a Vision of the Future.

Did you or your family attend the 1964 New York World’s Fair?  What memories or souvenirs do you (or they) have?

Why We’re Purchasing Disney’s Memory Maker

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Selfie at Walt Disney World

Maybe selfies would be better if I had longer arms

Please note: The advance purchase price for Memory Maker has increased to $169 (from $149) since this post was originally published.

As you may be aware (it seems to be all I talk about lately) – The Fam and I are headed to Walt Disney World next month.  ADRs (Advance Dining Reservations) have been booked for a while, FastPass+ rides and attractions have been selected, touring plans have been meticulously mapped out.  Park tickets have been purchased – annual passes for Raymond and I, 6-day park-hoppers for the offspring.  Everything and everyone has been entered and linked in My Disney Experience.  All set.  Until Raymond said, “What about Memory Maker? Do we want that?”  Oh, Gosh, I’d overlooked it – completely forgot that PhotoPass had been replaced with the new Memory Maker program.

Great Disney Photographer in Epcot

Disney Photographer – a good one!

Did we want to fork over the advance purchase price of $149 (buy early and save $50, purchase at Walt Disney World, $199) for all the theme park photos we can gather?  That’s a pretty steep price.  The Disney photographers are variable in their photography skills – some are super awesome and some are just okay.  We’d have to take the time to have a big bunch of pictures taken for a decent chance of getting $149-worth of good pictures.  What’s the most I’ve spent on PhotoPass photos in the past?  About $50 – not counting the photo book I ordered for $75 for Father’s Day a few years back. So, back to the question at hand – to shell out some pretty substantial clams or not.

I actually didn’t hesitate.  YES!  We must have Memory Maker!  And do you want to know why I enthusiastically insisted we part with the cash immediately?  Ride photos (which we rarely buy) and PhotoPass pics are practically the only ones we have with ME in them!  No kidding.  I take nearly all the My Feet on Vacation at Walt Disney Worldpictures – there are literally thousands of pictures of Raymond, Megan, and Joseph.  Pictures of me? Yeah…not so many.  I’ve resorted in recent years to taking pictures of my feet and my shadow sometimes – proof that I was actually there.  Once in a while, someone will offer to take a picture, but not very often and I have been reduced, in a desperate moment, to taking the dreaded selfie – I never like the odd angles and how close up they are – I’m no spring chicken and those close-ups are NOT flattering.  Maybe my arms are just too short.  So – off we go next month to rack up hopefully a hundred pictures in which I will appear!  Me!  As seen on vacation with my family!  And that will be, as they say in a certain television commercial…Priceless.

My Feet Waiting for Winnie the Pooh

My Feet rode Winnie the Pooh

So what about YOU?  Who takes your Disney vacation photos?  I’d love to see one, so go share on Living a Disney Life’s Facebook page, okay? 

Magical Memories – The Magic Store in Downtown Disney

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Magic Masters in Downtown DisneyGone but not forgotten!  The magic store (Magic Masters) in Downtown Disney was, hands down, one of our top must-do’s on every Walt Disney World vacation.  Easy to find along the West Side shopping district, the giant top hat and magic wand on the store’s front were iconic.  When we heard that the store would not be renewing their lease and would leave forever in September, 2011, we were crushed.  Oh, the fun times we’d had in that store!

Designed to look like the library one might find in a magician’s home (Houdini’s to be exact) – complete with fireplace and bookcases, and enchanted tools of the trade, this store was…well…magical.  No matter when we visited, a magician was on hand to demonstrate sleight of hand.  Those magicians were true showmen.  Not only would they flawlessly amaze and astound onlookers with their magic, they were true performers…drawing audience members into their show skillfully and cleverly until Magic Masters in Downtown Disney 3every single person in that tiny, crowded space was breathlessly hanging onto the magician’s every word and gesture.  Then…presto!  The line at the cash register would form…as if by magic!

So many tricks and tools of the trade could be purchased in the confines of that enchanted store!  We never, ever left empty-handed.  The beauty of the whole setup was that you could see a real magician perform a trick flawlessly – then learn the secret!  When you purchased tricks, you received coaching right then and there on exactly how to get it right.  With a little practice at home, friends and family would be genuinely impressed by your skills in prestidigitation.

Magic Masters in Downtown Disney 2After TEN years, Magic Masters in Downtown Disney closed its doors.  Of all the things that have come and gone at Walt Disney World, this one shop, which had meant so much to our family during each of our visits, was one that had a huge impact on us.  We miss it still and will certainly reminisce about the happy times we had there for many years to come.

Do you remember Magic Masters?  What former Walt Disney World store or attraction is the one you miss the most?