Oh no…I don’t have dining reservations!

If you read my previous post about the importance of dining reservations and are now freaking out, don’t worry! There are wonderful restaurants throughout WDW that will have open tables for walk up customers. I would not recommend going without dining reservations, but I am anal retentive and like to have my schedule planned out! Do not expect to get into character meals, these are always booked and impossible to get in unless you have lucked out with a cancellation! Epcot is always a good choice because there are so many restaurants. Yacht Club & Boardwalk are walking distance from Epcot & a long walk or boating distance from Hollywood. Contemporary, Grand Floridan & Polynesian are on the monorail line, so you can head there from Magic Kingdom and Epcot very easily! You can always call the reservation line – (407) WDW- DINE or use your smart phone and book through the internet!

Restaurants where you can get a table with little or no wait: Continue reading

Fun For Adults

Who says Walt Disney World is for kids?! I would love to go without mine just once…doubtful but maybe someday! Part of the fun of a Disney vacation is to see you child’s face when they see Mickey and ride the tea cups. But, we adults would like to have a little fun too. I did a day at Epcot in college with some friends and I have to say it was a blast!

There are so many adult oriented things to do at Disney this post could go on forever, so I will give you a sampling of some. Continue reading

Traveling around the Resort

Disney has a wonderful system for transporting guests easily and efficiently between the parks and resorts. This is one of the perks of staying on property. The transportation system makes it very convenient to park hop and go back to the hotel for a break during the day. Continue reading

Hidden Benefit of Rider Swap

The rider swap (also known as baby swap) is a feature offered by Walt Disney World to allow both parents enjoy a ride that is not appropriate for young children. This can be because a child doesn’t meet the height requirements or they are too young for the ride. The parents receive a rider swap pass that will allow the other parent to ride without waiting in line again. Continue reading

What is a Fastpass?!

UPDATE: The old Fastpass system is gone the way of the dinosaurs…Extinct! See my updated post on the new Fastpass + system here!

I have so many people ask me…what is a Fastpass?

Fastpass is a system used by Walt Disney World to help guests avoid long lines on the most popular rides. This is open to everyone in the park, not just resort guests.

Here is how it works: Continue reading

Ways to Cool Off in the Florida Heat

The heat can be unbearable and the best way to combat this is to plan for cooling off. Plan to find some shade or take a mid day break to swim at the resort pool. If you do this, you will have a better trip and be able to enjoy the cool evenings. I would also recommend going to the parks as early as possible to enjoy the parks before the sun and heat are full blast! Continue reading

Yes, your kids can ride almost everything at Disney!

People ask me all the time if there is a good age to take the kids to Walt Disney World. My answer is always the same…Any age is a good age! Every kid I know that has gone to Disney has had fun, no matter what age. My god-daughter is not yet 2 and talks about Mickey & Goofy living at Disney World. My girls went on their first trips at the age of 20 months and 16 months!

There are always rides, attractions, and shows that little guys can enjoy.

Continue reading

Star Wars Weekend

I will admit…I am a huge nerd. On top of being a Disney nut, I LOVE Star Wars. It isn’t just me, my husband and girls are equally crazy!

Star Wars Weekends is an event at Hollywood Studios that consists of 4 weekends (Friday, Saturday & Sunday) in late May & early June. This isn’t a special ticket event like Magic Kingdom’s Halloween Party and Christmas Party. Basically, Hollywood is taken over by Star Wars characters, scenery, parades, etc but all the rides and shows operate normally. There are different Star Wars celebrities each weekend, speakers and Q&A sessions. Fastpasses are distributed for celebrity autographs and all the Jedi Training Academy shows are filled in the early morning. A specialty store near Rock N Roller Coaster is full of the normal Star Wars merchandise, specialty items & only found at Star Wars Weekend things. There is a stage set up for a Jedi Quiz Show for kids in the afternoon and the Hyperspace Hoopla to cap off the night. Continue reading

Update: Disney’s Photopass Service

I love Disney’s Photopass Service. I think that it is totally worth the money if you utilize it correctly and plan ahead. Our first few trips, we didn’t use photopass and I regret that because we have so few pictures of our whole family. The photographers will take pictures with your camera, but their photos will be better!

To get the most bang for your buck, stop at every photographer you see in all the parks. Let’s be honest, you can’t have too many pictures of your family in front of the castle! There are photgraphers in every park. Here is a map and some tips of all the photopass photographers. Disney Photopass Map Continue reading

Strollers

Renting strollers in the parks can be very expensive. It is $15/day for a single stroller and $31/day for a double. You cannot take these out of the park which can make a long walk back the hotel transportation.

I have traveled with 2 umbrella strollers and had success but my kids are getting too big for these now:(

I have also used outside sources for stroller rental. You sign up and pay online, they drop the jogging stroller off at bell services and you have it for the entirety of your trip. I loved this but you do have to drag them onto buses and boats. When you have a full bus at closing, standing with a folded double jogging stroller is a little tiresome (especially for my hubby). Continue reading