Tag Archives: WDW

Disney Vacation Planning – Using a Travel Agent

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IMG_3280Hello Fellow Disney Vacation Fans!  Recently I was talking about our upcoming Disney vacation plans with some coworkers – In my excitement I was passionately describing our ADR’s (Advance Dining Reservations) and how we were going to decide what park(s) to visit each day and what rides would receive our precious allotment of FastPass+ choices.  I was enthusiastically weighing the pros and cons of crowd levels based on Extra Magic Hours….when I noticed my friends’ expressions!  The emotions clearly on their faces ranged from confusion to horror – finally one spoke what they’d all been thinking – How on Earth would anyone vacation at Disney World successfully if they didn’t know what all that “stuff” was and how to use it?

I’m a veteran of many, many Disney vacations…plus I love (madly, passionately) vacation planning, researching, studying, debating; you get the idea.  Not everyone has the desire or the time to devote to squeezing every drop of potential vacation fun into the weeks, months, and yes, even years of planning leading up to a vacation to the Happiest Place on Earth.  This DSCN3118realization prompted me to invite a very special guest contributor to my blog today.

Please welcome my dear friend Rebecca Kelly.  Rebecca is a Disney travel expert – a travel agent with an Earmarked agency, Fairytale Journeys – who is here today to share with you the advantages of booking your Disney vacation through an agent.  Travel agents do not make money directly from their clients – they make money by booking travel.  Their services are absolutely free to their clients – yes that means it costs you nothing extra to use an agent.  It’s in your travel agent’s best interest to book you the best vacation you can have within your vacation budget – they thrive on repeat business and pour their hearts into making sure your vacation dollars and time give you the very best possible return on your investment.  You can find Rebecca on Twitter @rkellyWDW and on Facebook at Fairytale Journeys by Rebecca Kelly (be sure to “Like” her page – she shares great info!).  Rebecca also has a great Disney blog of her own called Disney With Me – You’ll want to check that out, too.

Advice on Using a Disney Travel Expert – by Rebecca Kelly

Prior to becoming a travel agent myself, I booked two smaller trips on my own and two bigger trips with an agent (alternating each). I actually enjoyed it both ways, but there was something really genuinely neat, an extra element of fun, that went into the two trips with the agents… A shared sense of enjoyment, and an added peace of mind.

Booking a trip through a travel agent may not be right for everyone, but if you’ve ever wondered about it, or been curious as to the benefits of using a travel agent, here are a few of the pro-sides – as someone who has been on both sides of the experience. 🙂

1. First of all, travel agents who work with Earmarked agencies specialize in Disney – meaningIMG_2532 that they take an extensive training course from Disney, which they are expected to stay up to date on, and they get frequent emails about new services, changes, events and more. (We even get trained on MyMagic+!) Plus, very often we’re coming from a background of vested interest – most Disney specialists in travel planning are doing it because they LOVE Disney. So we keep up to date with news and things even beyond what Disney officially sends out, because we want to!

2. This training and self-motivated research means that if you’ve got a question, there’s a good chance your travel agent has an answer. And if not, we know where to look. 🙂 So you can go to your TA for questions about pretty much anything related to your trip, instead of having to Google for your answers.

3. A step up from dealing directly with Disney when you have questions or needs is that you’ve got one person you’re working with the whole time. Your travel agent knows your background, your needs, and what’s most important to you – so you won’t be answering the “And are you going to be celebrating anything on this visit?” question every time you call or email. You can develop a good rapport with agents too – I’ve become good friends with quite a lot of my clients!

4. A good way to think of your travel agent service is as “concierge service without paying for the concierge upgrade.” If you need something done last-minute, we’ve got you.  We’ll wait on hold while you drink Diet Coke and eat peanuts in the lounge, as one friend of mine put it. 🙂  We can call the resort directly with a last-minute request while you’re flying in, or extend a reservation by a day, or whatever needs doing. All of this is free, because travel agents work on commission. There’s no markup, no fees to the client.

5. In the same vein, when you use a TA, you don’t have to worry that a better rate has comeMM+ADRs out for your trip – your travel agent keeps track of that.  Once promos are announced, we figure out what option will save you the most money and jump on it. This means you can book as soon as you’ve got the deposit ready and you know your dates – you don’t have to wait for a promotion to come out in order to be able to apply it later.

6. Your travel agent can put together the entire trip for you. Are you going someplace other than Disney? You don’t have to make multiple phone calls to get it all lined up; unlike when you work directly with the destination you’re visiting, a TA can book multiple destinations and get the whole thing lined up. Rental car, shuttle pick-up, tours, off-site hotels, dining reservations, your travel agent can put all those things together.  We can even recommend best parks for a particular day, book FastPass+, or make up a customized itinerary for you!

7. But we don’t have to. Anything that you love doing, you still get to do! If making dining reservations is your thing, but you want someone to just line up all your hotel and car reservations, not a problem. The only thing a travel agent HAS to do is be the one to put the booking through and make the subsequent payments. The TA will also be the one to call in any changes to the booking.

IMG_25318. MyMagic+ and the MyDisneyExperience.com site make it a lot easier for you and your travel agent to keep track of your planning. Once your reservation is linked in the system, you can make your own ADRs online – or your TA can. You can schedule your FastPass+ selections – or your TA can.  These are things that you have complete access to at all times, plus an informational backup (in the form of your agent) to rely on if it gets too confusing.

9. An additional little bonus about booking with a Disney specialist is that you are usually booking with a Disney fan.  This means that you’ve got someone to bounce ideas and comparisons off of, and also just someone else to get excited with over the little details of your trip! Sometimes it’s just fun to share that excitement of your upcoming trip, or the things you’ve booked, with someone else in the moment.

10. Finally, it may not seem important to you, but I can promise you it is to us: remember that with every booking, you’re helping out a Disney fan do one of their favourite things. If I can’t be planning my trips every single day, helping you plan yours is the next best thing!

 

Voices of Disney – Remembering Paul Frees

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IMG_5260Along with millions of other Disney vacationers, I am crazy about the Haunted Mansion.  While I’ve only had the opportunity to visit the one at Walt Disney World, I feel certain that all the Disney Haunted Mansions are equally as wonderful.  I’ve written a Haunted Mansion Halloween Homage and a bit about bringing some Haunted Mansion home.  Today I want to revisit my love for the home of 999 happy haunts – specifically, I want to talk about a very important character, without whom our Haunted Mansion experience would be greatly diminished:  The Ghost Host voiced by Paul Frees.

The voice of the Ghost Host is unique and forceful – absolutely perfect for a dark and scary Doom Buggy ride through the spooky rooms, hallways, attic and graveyard of the house at the end of the lane in Liberty Square.  It doesn’t matter if he’s telling me that HE will lower the safety bar, explaining a pause in the ride, or warning me that a ghost may follow me home – the ride needs a host and I can’t imagine any other voice being as perfect.

Turns out, Paul Frees (born in 1920) voiced a great number of our favorite characters from movies, cartoons, DWR2009 079and stop-motion specials over more than four decades until his death in 1986.  Now, maybe you knew all about Mr. Frees other works, but I did not and am so surprised and thrilled to find out my beloved Ghost Host was also the voice of these characters (and many more)…

“Dead men tell no tales” – the voice in Pirates of the Caribbean that echoes this phrase over and over – Paul Frees!  He also did other voices in this ride.

Ludwig Von Drake in Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color (1957 – 1986)…Do you remember him?

Boris Badenov in Rocky and His Friends (1959-1961) and The Bullwinkle Show (1961)  While Rocky and Bullwinkle were, technically before my time – I grew up on the reruns and LOVED Boris and Natasha!!!  Can you believe it?

Santa Clause in the much loved Frosty the Snowman (1969) – wouldn’t be Christmas without this special cartoon, would it?  FYI – he was also in the 1976 Christmas hits Rudolph’s Shiny New Year (as Santa Clause, Eon, and General Ticker) and Frosty’s Winter Wonderland (as Jack Frost).

Ignatz Mouse in Krazy Kat (1963) – If you’ve not seen this very different cat and mouse cartoon series, you really need to check out some samples on YouTube.

Burgermeister Meisterburger – Seriously, it’s TRUE!  Paul Frees is the village villain in Santa Clause is Coming to Town! (1970)

Okay, last one.  Paul Frees was the voice of Crusty in The Incredible Mr. Limpet (1964)…if you missed out on this cinematic comedy classic starring Don Knotts as the title character, well you need to get your hands on the DVD!

So, how many of Paul Frees’ voices did you already know about?

 

 

 

Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean – A Must-do Ride!

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IMG_0816When family and friends ask about must-do rides and attractions at the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World, I’m always tempted to direct them right to the mountains:  Space, Splash, and Big Thunder.  I think “thrills” first and foremost – everything else second.  Wrong way to go.  I should be steering newbies to the best, most quintessential, iconic attractions first.  The most Disney-ish rides of all.  While I have (surprise!) several favorites in that category, today I’m just going to focus on one…Pirates of the Caribbean.  Why?  Multi-generational appeal, superior theming, top-notch effects, and old school Disney style.

The queue for Pirates does a great job setting the mood – you descend into underground caverns.  Stone walls, arched doorways, cannons, cannonballs, barrels of gunpowder – all set just the right tone for what happens once you board your boat.

“Dead men tell no tales” – the haunting voice repeats the words over and over as the ride IMG_0819begins.  You set off on your journey by sailing through several scenes with a multitude of very spectacular effects to take in – if you get to ride twice, pick a different side of the boat each time – there’s so much to see.

Purists may be bothered by the modernization of Pirates, but the 2006 refurbishment kicked the ride up a notch with fantastic new things to see and hear!  The addition of Captain Jack Sparrow and Captain Barbossa (and other Pirates of the Caribbean movie tie-ins) at several points during the ride added more excitement – especially for first-time visitors who have seen the movies.  Those partial to the theme song from the movies will love that it’s now in the ride.  And, guests still get to visit Port Royale and see all of the original and beloved animatronics that make this ride a classic!

Pirates is cool and dark – If you’ve been outside in Florida’s scorching summer sun, this ride is a perfect way to cool off!  There are no major twists and turns and only a little bit of up and down (one big-ish drop) as your boat sails leisurely through the pirate-infested waters.  Before FastPass+, Pirates rarely had a long wait – it’s my understanding that things may be different at this time.  I would still recommend you spend your valuable FastPass+ choices on other rides, but it may be worth trying to fit Pirates in early – at the very least, keep an eye on the wait times via your My Disney Experience smartphone app and catch the ride when the lines are shorter – otherwise be prepared to wait 30 minutes or more.

IMG_1220The gift shop at the ride’s exit is one of the best in the parks.  The unique and plentiful merchandise is as fun as the ride!  Even if we don’t make a purchase, we love to take a few minutes to look at all the pirate gear.  Parents of little boys may want to keep this particular shop in mind when planning souvenir shopping.

If you’re really lucky, you may even run into the real live Jack Sparrow outside the ride entrance!

What’s your favorite part of Pirates of the Caribbean?  Is it a must-do ride for you?  

 

 

Walt Disney World’s Monorail – Five Great Things

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IMG_1008Stated simply, I love the monorail.  I’m pretty sure it’s a family thing, too, since we ALL love the monorail, and the resorts, restaurants, and shops on the monorail loop!  We have stayed at all three resorts on the loop (The Contemporary, The Polynesian, and the Grand Floridian) and became DVC members at the earliest possible time once Bay Lake Tower was complete.  Yes, we can walk to the Magic Kingdom from our DVC “home”, but let’s be honest – it’s the MONORAIL that drew us in.

If you’ve ridden the monorail EVER, then I’m sure you love it too!  I’m sharing today the FIVE things I love most about this most unique, special, fantastic, dare I say magical mode of transportation in the whole wide World!  Please don’t hesitate to comment with what YOU love most about Disney’s “Highway in the sky”.

1.  The VOICE – and I’m not as picky as some.  I do love the late Jack Wagner’s “Please Stand Clear of IMG_1007the Doors. Por favor manténganse alejado de las puertas.” – the original voice of the monorail system and still the voice that says that particular line.   I’ve loved ALL the voices!  Joe Hursh, voice of the monorail from 2004 to 2012 is probably the one I like the best – because I have incredibly happy vacation memories from those years!  In 2012, voice actor Tom Kane (Star Wars, The Clone Wars) took over…taking a bunch of flack from die-hard monorail fans for being too bland in his delivery.  The first time Joseph looked me in the eye (around age 9) and deadpan, perfectly lip-synced “Por favor manténganse alejado de las puertas” was one of the most memorable, happiest moments of my life as a parent!

2. The SMELL – call me weird, but the monorail has a unique smell and I love it!  Maybe it’s the air IMG_1264conditioner – for sure, on a hot day, the monorail is a cool and relaxing oasis – nearly a destination on its own – the fact that it takes you places while you’re listening to #1 and riding in cool, shaded comfort is just a great bonus!

3. The WRAPS – if you missed “Tronorail” or “Avengerail” I’m so sorry!  The outside of the monorail occasionally gets a totally fabulous new groove.  There have also been wraps for Iron Man 3 and Monsters University.  Inside and out, the monorail often adopts an alter-ego based on Disney’s latest cinematographic endeavors.  It’s just the coolest thing EVER.  Anybody IMG_5265remember when Stich was inside the monorail with you?  Ah, good times.

4.  The EATS – No, the monorail hasn’t started serving snacks, but it can take you to some of the very best, most exciting (and delicious) restaurants on Disney property.  Take ‘Ohana for example – this resort-loop favorite has been, for a long time, one of the hardest places to get into for a meal.  Or, how about Chef Mickey’s?  I’ve waxed poetic a time or two about the wonders of eating with the Fab Five.  Soon, I’m going to post another “Unfair and Unbalanced” review of the resort loop eateries, so stand by for more on that topic.

5.  The CONVENIENCE – even if you are not staying at a resort hotel on the monorail loop, you DSCN0958can’t beat the ease of jumping on the monorail at the Magic Kingdom, making a quick switch at the TCC (Ticket and Transportation Center) and…presto!  Arriving at Epcot!  If you haven’t had the pleasure of riding the monorail into the station at Epcot, you’ve been missing out!  Also, if you ever want to see some truly exceptional Christmas decorations – jump on the monorail at the Magic Kingdom, hop off at each resort for a look-see, and end up back at the Magic Kingdom.  Grownups can do the very same thing for happy hour – hop off at each resort for a snack and a beverage!

One time, six of us were anxiously awaiting the monorail to whisk us off to our ADR at ‘Ohana and we could see it in the distance (Magic Kingdom station) – inching, literally, barely moving forward.  As our ride drew slowly closer we could see what the problem was…not a mechanical DSCN2472malfunction as we would have expected, but a squirrel on the rail!  And that squirrel was running for his life – straight towards all the spectators on the platform now watching the drama unfold with rapt attention.  Surely, that squirrel would jump off the track and head for safer ground….but NO!  He kept on running towards us – the HUGE crowd waiting for a ride – and holding our collective breath in anticipation of what fate the squirrel might face.  As it ran ever closer, the poor thing began stopping every few feet to rest – and we all just quietly looked on!  The air fairly crackling with anticipation.  Finally, AT THE STATION – the poor squirrel leaped for safety and the crowd sighed in relief before, as one, everyone began to cheer!  With that uproar, the monorail came to a stop and shortly, we were off – to enjoy our evening.

Now, it’s your turn!  What do YOU love most about the Walt Disney World monorail system?