Well, it’s been an interesting few weeks. The hubs and I had planned on going to Hawaii next year for our tenth anniversary (has it really been ten years?) and we decided that to go was going to put us way, way over what we have saved for said trip.
We don’t like going over budget. Going over budget is bad.
This left me somewhat sad. Circumstantially depressed, if you will. So I started looking into trip alternatives.
There were spreadsheets.
In the end, thanks to the Hubs, we decided on one of my bucket list trips, an Alaska Cruise.
So I started looking up trips for next year, as one does. Long story short, we are going next month!!!
So yeah, we (meaning me) have been frantically planning. That includes reading all the packing blogs, watching all the YouTube videos, and pestering a co-worker who just went on an Alaskan Cruise.
By the way, there are now planning spreadsheets. I like spreadsheets. So helpful.
There are still a lot of things to plan, like excursions and dining, but we got the items that were missing from our respective wardrobes yesterday. Thank you, Amazon for carrying out-of-season items like fleece jackets.
I did spend a few hours yesterday perusing Libby and the Kindle store for books to take with me. Do I know if I’ll have lots of time to read? No. But am I taking any chances? Also no.
Do you have any suggestions? I’ll take your romance, fantasy, fantasy romance recs! I love some diversity in my reading too!
Well that’s fun isn’t it. A nice, random phone call with turned into a trip.
Where is this trip going to be going?
I’ll give you a hint.
The guest list has been finalized.
And we know just about when.
Suffice it to say, I’ve gone full research mode, because that’s what I do. And yes, I am having fun with the research. I always have fun with the research these days.
I thought I would share with you some of my most helpful informative places and tips to help you plan a trip to Walt Disney World!
All these tips apply to Covid-19 Times, but the resources I used are there and were very helpful.
So, let’s dive right in!
Smart Moms Planning Disney Facebook Group
This Facebook group was recommended to me by a friend and it was full of helpful info. Some of which I already knew (cause I like my trip research), some of which I didn’t. Including things you don’t think about, like what shoes to wear. This group is mostly aimed towards traveling families, but I still found the info helpful. Fair warning, if you join this group, your Facebook feed will fill up with the posts. I stayed in it because the info was helpful, but it was a little annoying at first.
Disney Food Blog-Blog, You Tube Channel, Instagram
This was by far the most helpful resource. AJ (who runs the site) has people at Walt Disney World every day. They are always trying new menu items and reporting on park news as soon as it’s released, which is great. But the You Tube Channel. Oh the You Tube Channel. Also known as DFBGuide, it’s almost daily videos are filled with tips and tricks and news and where to eat and how to do things. I watched those videos every time they popped up, and I don’t regret it for a second. The tips I learned there help make our trip a dream. They have also reviewed every WDW restaurant on their blog, so check them out.
Disney Vloggers-Pick Some, They Are Legion
Disney vloggers are a great resource for your trip. I really like The Tim Tracker. He and his wife (and now son, so cute) go to all the Orlando parks, not just Disney, and they try and give you as much info as possible, even asking Disney Cast Members questions while they are in the parks. One of the things they did that I found really helpful was a series of tours of all the Disney World resorts. I watched each one to help pick our original hotel! Anyway, Disney vloggers are great because you can find videos of rides, food, line times, parking info, hotel info. They do it all.
Small World Vacations-Disney Authorized Travel Agencies
Small World Vacations was the travel agency I used to book my vacation. They are Disney authorized, which is great. You don’t pay them, Disney does! Michelle, our agent, was helpful and knowledgeable. She was able to answer any questions I had that the previous resources weren’t able to.
On to the tips!
Plan in Far in Advance!
When I started planning I had a year and two months to plan for our original date. We booked our hotel a year out from our original trip date. Don’t wait! We got lucky with our trip this time. In fact, after we booked for April, the flood gates opened and the parks started filling up fast because of the new reservation system. Also, right now you have to book your restaurants 60 days in advance instead of 180. Still isn’t any easier to get into those places you want to eat at.
Do Your Research!
Y’all, I took 24 pages of notes. 24! That’s after I watched The Tim Tracker’s videos on the hotels and “all” the DFBGuide videos. I read blogs on all the hotels and included pros and cons from those blog posts in my notes. I did price comparisons, including how much it would be with memory maker (photo pass) and the Disney Dining Plan (not available now due to Covid). All this info, btw, is available on Disney World’s website. I also made lists of the rides we would go on for the Fast Pass system (also not available due to Covid).
Get In “Shape” Before You Go
No, I don’t mean work out to loose weight, you’ll look good in those pictures no matter what. What I do mean is that you’ll want to get used to walking before you go. A person can walk ten miles at Magic Kingdom and not realize it. That doesn’t count the time you spend just standing in line!
Don’t Over Plan
This is a real danger, and one I almost did myself. It’s real easy to want to go and plan out where you are going to be almost every second of every day you are there, but that sucks the magic out of it. Also, what happens to those plans if it rains or a ride goes down? That doesn’t mean don’t have a plan for the must do’s while you are there, just remember to take it easy.
Use the My Disney Experience App, But Don’t Neglect The Map!
The hubs and I made the mistake of not getting a map when we got to Hollywood Studios or Magic Kingdom. And we wish we had. The MDE app doesn’t show you everything, and you’ll need that map. Right now it shows rest areas where you can sit in some air conditioning. I don’t know if those are still available, but in that Florida heat, a break is nice. Those places didn’t show up on the app, by the way. You can find a map near the entrance to the park.
Bike Shorts!
Now this one is a little weird, but dang was it good. I wore bike shorts nearly every day on our trip. The one day I didn’t I regretted it. Not cause I didn’t look cute, cause I did, but because of that darned Florida heat and humidity. To be fair, I had ordered bike shorts to be worn on that day, that’s just a long story as to why I didn’t have them. Anyway! If you are like me and are a plus sized lady or just someone whose thighs rub together, bike shorts are amazing. They are light weight, take up very little room in your suitcase, and can go with a variety of outfits. I’m a convert. In fact, I’m wearing Micky bike shorts right now!
Say Yes to the Sunscreen!
You think you won’t need it. Lies! We reapplied several times and I still got a sunburn. To be fair, I missed a spot during a re-application period. It happens.
There you have it, some of my useful tools and tips for planning a successful Disney World vacation. We had such a great time and I’m not gonna lie, I kind of want to go to Disneyland next!
Unfortunately, I can’t show you a lot of photos of it, because the hubs and I are in almost everyone of them, and the hubs has asked not to have his face plastered all over the internet. So, in conclusion, because I love my husband, you get very few photos.
But still. We went!
We arrived on a Sunday and had planned on dropping of our stuff at the hotel and going to Disney Springs right away, but thanks to a storm delay in getting our bags from the airport (almost two hours), we got to the hotel later than expected and we were starving. So we just grabbed a quick bite there.
We stayed at Disney’s Yacht Club Resort, which was a great resort. We never would have stayed there if it hadn’t have been for the special on rooms Disney was running when we booked. It ended up being cheaper than the original resort we had booked for our trip back when we were going to go last year!
This view of the tress may not look like a parking lot view from our balcony (we had a balcony!!) but it is! I wish I had taken pics of the room, but I was too excited and we began unpacking our stuff right away. It really was a wonderful room. The staff was great too!
We went to Disney Springs that evening for dinner and ate at Everglazed, the donut shop. I got a grilled cheese on a donut, because why not. It was…interesting.
The first thing we did at a Disney park? We built lightsabers at Savvi’s Workshop of course!
It was an epic experience and, I kid you not, I almost cried. It was absolutely worth doing if you’re a Star Wars fan. We spent all day on Monday at Hollywood Studios and loved it. We even managed to get on a boarding group for Rise of the Resistance first thing! It was great! I gotta say, Slinky Dog Dash was our favorite roller coaster of the whole trip!
Magic Kingdom was day two and we had a great time. My favorite ride is the Haunted Mansion, and unfortunately (fortunately?), due to Covid, they have it as a walk on ride. The stretching room isn’t being used, nor is the interactive queue. But, the wait time was only a few minutes, so that was nice.
Of course, we did see the princesses! Twice. They are running cavalcades right now instead of parades, so you never know when the characters are going to pop up!
Day three was a day at Disney Springs! And it was great because we met up with the hubs’ parents! They live very close to Disney so they were able to meet us for two days. We ate at the Boathouse for lunch, I highly recommend the Lobster roll, and at Wine Bar George for dinner, the Iberico pork and the buratta were great. We had a nice, relaxing day exploring the Springs. And the company was amazing!
Epcot was next, and the Flower and Garden Festival was going on! We were once again joined by the hubs’ parents, and we had a great time. We rode Soarin’ and Living with the Land and ate. Oh did we eat! The food was great! And the topiaries were so pretty.
Our last day at Disney was spent at Animal Kingdom. Flight of Passage is an amazing ride and you should definitely give it a ride when you are there. I also really loved the safari ride. We went first thing when we got there, so the animals were active and out. It was great. On a side note, I happened to complement a gentleman on his fine Star Wars shirt and found out he and his family live in my old neighborhood in Memphis. What a small world!
Saturday was our day to return home, so nothing exciting there. I will say the Orlando airport is crazy. If you are checking a bag, maybe give yourself an extra hour (or two) for getting that taken care of. We got lucky and our airline opened a new check line right next to us, so it took no time at all. We ended up killing time in a restaurant while we waited for our flight.
We did use Disney’s Magical Express, and I gotta say, I’m sorry that they will no longer be using it after this year. It was easy to use, the driver was friendly, and the ride was nice. RIP Magical Express.
After all is said and done, we will be going back. We really enjoyed our time at Disney World and want to do everything we missed this time. Like all the food and the rides!
We are doing it this time! We are really going to do it!
What are we going to do? Well, once we are done being vaccinated (after our two week waiting period), we’re going to Disney World!!!
Huzzah!!
It only took a moment for us to decide to make the trip. And three and a half ours after that decision, I had contacted our original travel agent at Small World Vacations and we were booked! I even had plane tickets and restaurant reservations done. And parental visits scheduled for our days at Disney Springs and Epcot!
Trip planned!
Now I just have to take care of all the minor details, like planning cute outfits to wear and deciding whether or not to buy those cute mickey ears off of Etsy.
And yes, yes you should clap for me, cause that was 5 in the morning! The sun wasn’t even out yet!
We got The Hollywood Brown Derby in Hollywood Studios for lunch because the burger looks amazing! We also procured a reservation at The Jungle Navigation Co LTD Skipper Canteen (isn’t that a long name) in the Magic Kingdom for dinner. We also got Tiffins in the Animal Kingdom for dinner. For our arrival date we got Whispering Canyon Cafe at Wilderness Lodge for dinner. And last but not least, we got Raglan Road in Disney Springs for lunch with the family!
See, both the hubs and I have family in Florida. They live about an hour and a half away from Orlando on either side of the state, so we get to see them while we are there!
We don’t have ADR for every day we are there because Epcot’s Food and Wine Festival will be going on. We will be eating all the food that day!
I am so excited for our trip! Let’s eat all the things!
So it seems that I have decided to dig deep and research the heck out of both Disney World and Universal Studios Orlando.
I may have a problem. I may just be thorough. It all depends on how you look at it. I’m betting the hubs would say it’s a bit of both at this point.
I don’t have a binder for my research though. I bought a notebook instead. To my credit, this was before I knew we were taking either trip. I just liked the way the notebook looked.
Yes, I bought a notebook for no reason at all other than I thought it was pretty.
You know what it’s also filled with? Well, you did click on the post, so I’m assuming you read the title so I’m assuming you know, but just in case you don’t.
It’s filled with Sticky Notes!!!
They are all over the place!
They make dividers so I know where the meal planning for Disney is, where the fast pass selections are, what hotels we are choosing, all my random notes!
I also just randomly stick them places when I think of things after I fill the page up and I don’t wait to waste another entire sheet of paper on one line of text!
This is getting to go to Universal Studios Orlando with my friend!
Whoo Hoo!
We are meeting today to go over things like trip dates and, you know, budgets.
Now, I just have to focus all my energy on finding a decent job. I’ve been a happy homemaker for the last two years, so I’m ready to enter the job market!
I forgot that traveling with a food allergy is problematic at best. Thankfully we have plenty of time between now and when our reservations actually have to be made for me to check all the menus.
I just figured that it couldn’t hurt to start planning now. It never hurts to start planning early, really. I mean, I actually like the research.
It just makes me so hungry!
What are your favorite places to eat at Walt Disney World?
The hubs and I were going to visit his folks for Thanksgiving this year, so when I threw out the idea of going to the KSC, imagine my surprise when all parties enthusiastically agreed!
A whole family of nerds!
Turns out, my in-laws had been wanting to go for a while. I was overjoyed.
But internally.
Okay, so I was overjoyed all over the place. Can you blame me?
We had a great time. We went on the Sunday after Thanksgiving so the crowds weren’t too large, and the weather was perfect!
Which is great, because there was a whole lot of wandering around going “look at that!”.
It was a great day. If you are at all interested in space or science, this is a must-do.
Lauren Corcur 