Top Ten Tips for Walt Disney World Planning

     Walt Disney World offers so many different choices to customize your trip for your family so that your experience can truly be one of a kind.  All those different options however can also be as overwhelming as they are fabulous!  These are my top ten tips for making your vacations planning simple and stress-free!

1. Stay on Disney property.  This is an absolute must as far as I am concerned.  There are so many benefits to staying on site like free transportation, Magical Hours at the parks, big time savers like no traffic between the parks and no parking.  Another big plus is that only resort guests are able to purchase the Disney Dining Plan, a big money saver.  My favorite part of staying on the park however is that it just prolongs the magic of your trip!  Each resort is fantastically themed and staffed with Disney Cast Members who offer wonderful customer service.  When you factor in the total savings offered by staying on site, I don't believe you could stay anywhere decent for less money either.
2.  Buy the Disney Dining Plan.  I love the DDP for several reasons.  I think that unless you want to spend your week eating Pop Tarts and mayonnaise sandwiches you can't get much cheaper that the food on this plan!  And it is actually food you want to eat!  The basic plan gives you one counter service meal (like fast food) and one table service meal (like a sit down restaurant) and one snack  per night per guest.  This can be split up any way  you like.  Every restaurant in every Disney park, resort, and Downtown Disney is included on this plan and the cast members make it super easy to order correctly.  As most of you know, food at Disney World is very expensive, but on the dining plan it is a minimum of 25% less.  It is a lot of food too!  Each meal including counter service includes a drink and a dessert in individual container which is great to save for later for a snack!  Also, the great thing about the table service meals is that they include character meals too!  I LOVE character meals because you get to visit with some of the most sought after characters with no wait, the food is usually great, and many times you get free extras like souvenirs or events that your kids can participate in, all in the same amount of time you'd spend eating anyway!  At Disney World, time is money and any time you can combine activities I think that is just great!  There are a few restaurants that are extra pricey that cost two table service meals, so be sure you ask when booking so you can figure out your budgeting.  The best part of the DDP for me is that before I even leave for my trip, I know it is completely paid for other than spending money.  I don't have to worry about planning for a food budget because it's already paid for!  On our last trip we stayed for 7 days with the DDP, and we spent less than $100 total (not including the kids' gift cards) for extras like souvenirs and a few extra drinks not during meal time.  Our food budget would have been well over $1000 otherwise and we wouldn't have been able to do as many character meals.  I would also highly recommend reserving all dining reservations 3-6 months before your trip or there will be no chance of getting into the character meals or the best restaurants.  I'll go into more detail on dining in a later post. 
3.  Bring a stroller.  I know you might be thinking that your kid hasn't used a stroller in years, but a day at Disney World is not a stroll in the park!  If you have a child under the age of at least 6 or 7, a stroller is a MUST!  The average person walks 8.5 miles per day at Disney World and that is a lot for little legs.  If you like you can rent a stroller at the park for about $20 a day, but it is so much cheaper to bring your own or borrow one.  We had several nights when we wanted to stay for the fireworks show and night parades but our 4 year old couldn't make it.  She fell asleep in her stroller, while the rest of us stayed late and enjoyed the parks!  Many hours of whining/tantrums/arguments were avoided by simply bringing the stroller!
4.  Use sunscreen.  This should be a no-brainer but don't think that just because it's October or January that you don't need it.  An ounce of prevention and all that...
5.  Measure your kids.  Avoid a meltdown in the park by measuring your child before you go to see which rides he/she is able to ride beforehand.  You can look up minimum height requirements online and prevent his little heart being broken by knowing which ones will be off limits.  Either talk to them before you go or just avoid those areas.
6.  Avoid peak times.  There is never a secret time at Disney World when you'll completely avoid lines or crowds, but some times are worse than others-much worse.  If at all possible, avoid these peak weeks:  Christmas week, Thanksgiving week, Fourth of July week, and Presidents' week.  If one of these weeks is the only one convenient for you, never fear!  The parks each have a maximum amount of people they will let in per day so there's a limit to how crowded it can be and many ride lines are interactive now so it is actually fun to wait in line!  I just think that if you have a choice, avoid those dates.  The best months to go in my opinion are January and October because of the combination of low crowds and cooler weather.
7.  Wear comfortable shoes.  This also sounds like such common sense but every time I go I see people in 4"wedge espadrilles or even worse-pumps!  Remember you are going to be walking about 7-9 miles a day.  I recommend whatever shoes you would normally wear to the gym or to go jogging.  Don't forget little feet either!  Little girls in princess costumes is adorable, but the blisters she gets from those little plastic shoes that match them won't be.  If Cinderella had to walk through that park, she'd be wearing Asics under that dress too!
8.  Stay hydrated!  While you're not allowed to roll in huge coolers or picnic baskets, snacks and drinks are permitted in the parks.  I like to bring a water bottle with us and refill them regularly at water fountains.  You can also get free ice water throughout the parks.
9.  Limit your kids' budgets.  Disney World is definitely a magical place, and they want to make sure you have EVERY opportunity to bring home a piece of the magic!  I think you should be realistic about your spending budget for souvenirs before you go or you can easily spend $500 on what really amounts to junk.  I know you're probably going to love riding the Maelstrom at Epcot, but how often are you going to wear a t-shirt with Mickey wearing a viking helmet?  A great little secret is that the Disney Store and Disney Store.com sells Disney Parks gift cards good at all Disney Parks and all Disney store locations .  I had my family give my girls gift cards for their birthdays before our last trip and this was their spending money while they were there.  They knew that once the cards were used up, there would be no more shopping!  It worked great and they even came back with a few dollars left on them to spend at our local Disney Store.  What ever method works for you, be sure to give yourself a realistic budget and stick to it!
10.  Use the Disney Services.  Your park tickets may seem expensive, but please remember all the free perks they come with!  All Disney guests have access to the PhotoPass program.  Disney employs photographers throughout each park and in other areas of the property to take your picture for free!  The first time you use it, the photographer gives you a photopass card that you keep.  Every time you use a PhotoPass photographer you give him the same card and they link the photos to your account.  This is a great way to make sure you get those family shots with the best backdrops.  The photographers are also happy to take pictures with your phone or cameras as well.  When you get home, you can access your photos on your computer with a special code on the back of your PhotoPass card.  The other big program at Disney is FastPass.  As far as I'm concerned FastPass is the best thing to happen to Disney World since Mickey Mouse!  Your park ticket looks like a credit card, and at most of the popular rides in all four parks there is a FastPass distribution booth.  You simply insert your card and the machine will spit out a ticket with a specific time for you to come back to that ride with little or no wait.  The great thing is that you don't really have to go in the specific time, it just has to be after the start time!  For example:  if your ticket says to return between 12:00-2:00 you may return any time after 12:00 until the park closes.  You can get more FastPasses two hours after that or immediately after the previous FastPass has been used.  I recommend always having a FastPass in your hand to get on the most rides per day.  And you don't all have to be there- you can send your husband to get your entire family's FastPass while you do something else!  I like to get a FastPass, then get in line for another ride and ride it, then ride the one with the FastPass, then get another FastPass for something else, then repeat!  Don't forget to grab a FastPass right before each meal too.  By then time you get done eating it will be time for another ride!  Another great Disney service is their Celebrations program.  Upon check-in, you will be asked is you are celebrating anything-Birthday, 1st Trip to Disney, Special Accomplishment, or just celebrating being there are all options!  You will all be given pins to wear in the parks and all day Cast Members will recognize you and your little ones for it!  My 4 year old was thrilled on her first trip when random CMs would greet her with "welcome to the Magic Kingdom, Georgia.  Are you enjoying your first trip?"  She felt like such a celebrity getting all that attention from people she didn't know!  The cutest thing was when we met Peter Pan, he said something like "This is your first trip Georgia?  What took you so long?!?!  You must have had to save up a lot of fairy dust!"  I love this program because even though there are thousands and thousands of people there, in that moment your child feels like he or she is the most special one in the whole park and it suddenly brings this huge place down to one very personal experience.  


I hope these tips can help you begin thinking about Disney World!  It's so important to not get too overwhelmed, although this is easier said than done!  Remember, this is all about having fun and there is no way you can mess it up!  If you're going to Disney World you're going to have a great time no matter what!  If you ever have more questions or feel like you need some help, feel free to call or e-mail me anytime!

Harmony Barber Shop

Located right next to the Emporium Gift Shop in Main Street USA in the Magic Kingdom, you'll find a little gem called the Harmony Barber Shop.  This is actually a real working barber shop modeled after classic barber shops popular during the turn of the century.  The HBS is a super special place for your tot to have his or her first haircut package for just $19!  They will cut hair for any age from infant to adult with prices from $15 for under 9 up to $17 for 9 and up.  They also feature special services like styling with confetti and colored gel for $7.50 or pixie or pirate dust for just $5!  This is a great money saving alternative to the Bippity Boppity Boutique or the Pirate League and just as fun!  While you or your little one is getting special treatment treatment, you'll be entertained by their very own Barber Shop Quartet, The Dapper Dans.  The HBS is full of antique turn of the century decor, and the working cash register is from 1912.  We can make reservations for you up to 180 days in advance, or they take walk-ups on a first-come first-serve basis.  Next time you visit Disney World, make sure you check out this cool little place for a special, personal encounter your family won't soon forget!

Welcome!

Welcome to Pixie Planning!  Whether you are planning your first Disney Vacation or are a seasoned pro, this is the place to find the best secrets and tips to make your vacation the best it can be.  This blog is affiliated with the Travel Agency Take Time to Travel located in Cartersville, Georgia.  If you'd like information on booking a Disney vacation, just give us a call or e-mail.  We'd love to help you save money!