Planning
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How to Plan a Day in the Parks
(revised 8/28/2024) I’m not a big fan of prescribed touring plans. There. I said it. While I think that a lot of fantastic information can be gleaned from them, touring plans are not a one size fits all kind of deal. Even targeted touring plans for young families, multi-generational groups or adults only, can’t really anticipate your group’s needs exactly. With so many variables like weather, ride shutdowns, and the current mood of your toddler, it is easy to have that plan derailed. Follow to the letter cookie cutter touring plans aren’t for me. However, I am constantly researching the advice given with different touring plans. They can be helpful…
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Best Sources for Disney World Trip Planning
Updated: 2/29/2020 Over the years our trips have benefited from the hard work of other Disney vloggers, bloggers, podcasters and IGers. I regularly follow favorite sources to keep up to date on Disney World and Disney Cruise Line. All of that great information hasn’t cost me a dime. So, in the spirit of season, I”d like to give a little Thanksgiving shout-out to all of those folks who work hard to make my trips to Disney World better. Hopefully, I am returning the favor by pointing you to these great sources for Disney World trip planning. Okay. Now, let’s talk Disney trip planning turkey. I’m breaking it down by specific…
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5 Ways to use the Disney Dining Plan at Disney Springs
For guests who book a Disney World resort hotel and ticket package, there are several different prepaid Dining Plans available for purchase. If you are unfamiliar with Disney World’s Dining Plans, read about the basics here. Not sure if the Disney Dining Plan (DDP) will be a good idea for your trip? Before I get down to our 5 Ways to Use the Disney Dining Plan at the Disney Springs, check out Disney World Splurges to see how the DDP might work for your group. Have the Disney Dining Plan already or plan to? Let’s see if I can help you to utilize your DDP to it’s fullest! I’m all…
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6 Ways to Use the Disney Dining Plan at the Resorts
For guests who book a Disney World resort hotel and ticket package, there are several different prepaid Dining Plans available for purchase. If you are unfamiliar with Disney World’s Dining Plans, read about the basics here. Not sure if the Disney Dining Plan (DDP) will be a good idea for your trip? Before I get down to our 6 Ways to Use the Disney Dining Plan at the Resorts, check out Disney World Splurges to see how the DDP might work for your group. Have the Disney Dining Plan already or plan to? Let’s see if I can help you to utilize your DDP to it’s fullest! I’m all about…
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Disney World Splurges
I stumbled upon a great group of bloggers on Instagram who hatched an interesting plan. Each month, the group picks a topic and everyone writes a blog post with their own take on a Disney subject. The great part is that everyone links to the next blogger’s post at the end of theirs. It’s a great way to spread the word about Disney bloggers. If I’m not park hopping at the moment, blog hopping seems like a fine idea. Welcome to the Disney Friends Blog Hop: Disney World Splurges! Updated: 2/28/2020 Let’s face it. Just going to Disney World is a “splurge” for most of us. Disney World is not cheap.…
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15 Things You Should Know about Disney Cruises
Updated 10/2/2019 Trips to Disney World can involve a lot of planning. Well, at least some planning unless you are a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants kind of person. While planning is part of the experience for me, I found that letting go of the reins a little and leaning into a Disney Cruise was a nice change of pace. Disney Cruises are just…simpler. The only thing you NEED to do is decide the stateroom type and location you want and whether you want the early or late dining time. There is only ONE bleary-eyed at the computer moment needed to secure a boarding time, make reservations at the fancier adult only restaurants and…
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7 Ways to Resort Hop at Disney World
The resorts at Walt Disney World are worth visiting. Anyone can visit ALL of the resorts at Disney World. No reservation or park ticket required. We try to visit a few resorts every trip. I prefer to call it resort snooping, because that is REALLY what we’re doing most of the time. If you haven’t done it yet, what are you waiting for? I understand wanting to maximize your time in the parks. We all want to get the most bang for our buck! However, taking some time out during the heat of the afternoon is often just the ticket to helping everyone make the most of their park days.…
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How to Avoid Long Lines at Disney World
Updated 3/7/2019 While planning our first trip to Disney World, I combed the internet for information on how Disney World worked and how to make it work for our vacation. I saw a lot of catchy headlines like “How Not to Wait In Line!” or “How to Skip the Lines!”. While that sounds AWESOME, for most folks it’s not realistic. Now, I’m not saying that you will NEVER just walk onto a ride. It happens. In the interest of managing expectations though, it won’t happen very often and it most likely will NOT happen on popular rides. For most of us, planning a trip to Disney World means planning that…
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How NOT to use FastPass
(Don’t know what this FastPass stuff is all about and need more information? You can find the basics here.) Unless you are an annual passholder or visit the parks regularly, making advance FastPass+ reservations can be one of the most important parts of planning a vacation to Disney World. You want to be able to insure that your group gets to experience most of the attractions on their to do list during your visit. This is especially true if it is a once in a lifetime or even a once every few years trip. If you are going to take advantage of this Disney World perk, it’s also important to…
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Packing for the World
(Disclaimer: There are some affiliate links here that could send some blog supporting money my way at no cost to you. HOWEVER, I personally use every one of these products on my Disney World trips.) How does packing for Disney World Work? There are a gazillion blog posts and Pinterest pins regarding how to, what to, and what not to pack for a trip to Disney World. In all fairness, it’s not rocket science and is pretty much how you would pack for any vacation. However, you do need to consider packing strategies for your trip as well as for each day in the parks. You may be away…
