Category: Uncategorized

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train – A Few Thoughts and Predictions For the Future

by Guide4WDW

by: guide4wdw – Collin
In 2014, Disney unveiled the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. At that point, the ride system was one of the most creative in the industry and and even to this day, it remains an incredibly forward thinking ride vehicle that truly immerses guests in a theming element that many of us have desired to experience for many years, a true swinging mine car experience. While the project took many years to fully develop into what it is today, the current attraction shuttles guests through a roller coaster style platform at a brisk 30+ mph while retaining a height requirement that can accompany guests of nearly all ages at just 38 inches.

medianet_width = “728”; medianet_height = “90”; medianet_crid = “840150033”; medianet_versionId = “3111299”; //contextual.media.net/nmedianet.js?cid=8CUD9LO5TBelieve it or not, up until that debut, Fantasyland never truly had a height requirement for any attractions. It was a piece of Magic Kingdom designed to be the pinnacle of places where kids and adults could have fun together. There was nothing to worry about and truly no disappointment on the faces of young guests who couldn’t “measure up.” Of course, that practice had to come to an end due to obvious safety reasons, but nonetheless the attraction requirement remains rather short at just over 3 foot.

In the realm of theming there’s nothing that truly compares to the mine train experience. The level of detail in the rock work, greenery, and even down to the wood grain is near perfect and sets the stage for a picture perfect icon of New Fantasyland. With all of that being said, the attraction set a precedent in many other ways and aspects as well, so we’ll dive right into that with today’s post!      


A New Standard for Attraction Queues
As you arrive at the attraction you’ll notice two things that stick out. First, the theming is incredibly diverse, but additionally you’ll almost immediately notice the interactive elements of the queue. As you make your way through the line, a touch screen game, hands on water elements, and a sets of projections occupy your time as you slowly make your way to the attraction itself to board your mine train and head off with the Seven Dwarfs on a short but memorable experience.

The steps taken here in the realm of theming have truly set the pace for interactive queues in each and every new attraction coming to the parks. Of course, it wasn’t the first interactive queue developed, especially considering it was predated by Soarin’s simple original interaction and The Many Adventure’s of Winnie the Pooh’s queue redesign, but it also led the way for fully integrated lines to create a way for guests to be entertained as they journey through the queue. In doing so, Disney achieves a few things. First and foremost, it’s a guest satisfier. It turns a two hour wait into one that seems far less tedious if your mind is occupied and you’re entertained along the way. Second, it allows Disney the opportunity to test new ideas in the realm of wait times. In the future, I wouldn’t be surprised if we see continued tests to expand the use of technologies similar to what is currently offered at Dumbo the Flying Elephant. It may not be that exact utilization or design concept, but inevitably Disney is going to have to find new ways to manage wait times as crowds continue to build. If you’re looking to overcome crowds this spring/summer, check out our How To Beat the Walt Disney World Spring and Summer Crowds in 2018 article. 

Join the Event
A Continuing Piece of History
As many of you may know or may have even witnessed first hand, up until 1994 a portion of the space currently occupied by Seven Dwarfs Mine Train was home to 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. While the original attraction was quite simple, it’s most loyal riders have developed a highly attached following that attempts in every way to keep its legacy alive. As a result, Imagineering mad e special effort to “hide in plain site” a small tribute to the departed attraction inside the tree included in the pooh attraction queue. For a few brief years, the tree was a part of an interactive children’s play area which set right where Seven Dwarfs Mine Train is today. On the inside of the tree’s little walkthrough home reminiscent of the iconic franchise, you’ll find a small Nautilus carved into the inside of the door frame along the top of the entrance. It’s a subtle nod to the past but a hidden gem of Imagineering you wont want to miss. This fun fact even made it into our Top 5 Things We Enjoy About Fantasyland at Walt Disney World!

An Unexpected Nighttime Opportunity 
In a rather strange way, the surrounding area of the mine train lends itself to being one of the most unique fireworks viewing areas of the Magic Kingdom. As you exit the attraction, head around to the right towards the viewable downhill aspect of the attraction. If you stand on that bridge with the min train behind you, you’ll catch a unique glimpse of the fireworks coming from the rear launch site while simultaneously catching the fireworks elements being sent into the air near the castle. It’s not the ideal viewing location if you’ve never seen the Happily Ever After performance from the hub area, but a unique option nonetheless.
In a similar way, if you manage to be on the attraction and time it just right, there’s nothing quite like catching a glimpse of the fireworks as your ride vehicle heads down the hill from within the attraction itself. It’s a fleeting glance but a memorable moment that rivals one of my very favorite on-ride fireworks views over at Splash Mountain as you slowly traverse the top of the mountain before entering the internal portion.      

From A Motion Sickness Perspective 

If you’ve read the site for a while you may be aware of another article I shared detailing Flight of Passage From A Motion Sickness Perspective. In that particular post I shared a few thoughts of the experience as someone who gets horribly motion sick. I have to drive most places to avoid carsickness, and avoid most simulator style attractions at all costs. With that being said, I do ride Space Mountain from time to time, enjoy Thunder Mountain, and have ridden Expedition Everest, but draw the line at Rock N Roller Coaster and Mission Space. Without a doubt, basically anyone in good health should be able to enjoy this attraction. It’s short and the ride system is incredibly smooth. If you have hesitations, try it once and you’ll probably love it!   

How to Avoid the Long Line
Avoiding a long line at the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train is quite difficult. Even today, nearly 4 years after it’s original debut, the attraction welcomes lines of guests easily reaching well over 2 hour wait times on a regular basis. Of course, that sounds terrible, and to be quite honest it isn’t the best way to spend your time in the parks, but it is an attraction where the posted wait time tends to be a bit over exaggerated. There is a way to avoid the long lines though. The first is the most obvious and that is to book a fastpass+ selection for this experience in order to guarantee yourself a ride without risking the extreme wait times. Additionally, you can avoid the lines by riding the attraction during morning extra magic hours. Head to the mine train as soon as the gates open and you’ll get there before the line starts to truly back up for the day. The posted wait time will likely start at near an hour, but rarely actually takes that long early in the morning. Our “go-to” plan for touring Fantasyland quickly and affectively can be found in a portion of our How to Ride 6 or More Attractions in 90 Minutes or Less: With Only 1 Fastpass+! post, but believe it or not, Seven Dwarf Mine Train is part of that plan. 

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The Subtle Details
As you leave the attraction experience, be sure to catch a glimpse to your right as you walk out for a little hidden gem that many guests look right past. There’s the full front side of the cottage you see on the attraction tucked back in the trees decked out in little details to build authenticity. So many guests are so excited about their journey that they never quite catch the unique photo opportunity.

Additionally, Disney put a certain level of time and effort into making the on-ride experience so incredibly realistic that you’ll likely never notice the wood grain on the buildings, the vast shrubbery and foliage throughout the ride, or even the dense man made elevation variations that allow the ride vehicle to whip around objects and in and out of small valley’s as you go about you journey into the mine and beyond. It’s the little things that often go largely unnoticed but set the tone for the experience and are integrated so incredibly well that it just feels right and truly authentic to the intended representation.  

These little details are what set Disney apart (in my humble opinion) and give a certain level of appreciation and depth to the parks that is beyond what you’d ever expect from a theme park destinations. Disney is set apart in so many ways and the details you can find hidden in plain site are truly hard to put into words at times. Here’s a closer look at a few of our favorites that help create that iconic “Disney Magic”: 

Your Thoughts

As always, if you have thoughts, concerns, questions, or even some tips of your own to share, don’t hesitate to reach out to us on Facebook or your favorite social media platform. Give us a follow while you’re there, and we’ll keep the conversation going in the future. We’re not the largest Disney community, but we’re one that’s there and one that listens. Thanks for reading and have a wonderful day wherever you are! 

Ready to Plan?
Need help planning your vacation? Let our friends over at Destinations to Travel (FREE – no obligation quote request form below) help you out at no additional cost to you! Their services are free and a great way for you to help out the site at no extra cost to you! Here’s a closer look at why I recommend an Authorized Disney Travel Planner! 
Last but certainly not least, if you’re starting the planning process, a great place to start are with some of our top planning articles! Looking for dining? Check out Disney World Dining Tips For 2018. Want to start with some more tips? 44 Excellent Disney World Tips for 2018 or Disney World Planning Guide and Tips For 2018 are a great place to begin! Looking to save money on tickets? Check out our friends over at The Official Ticket Center for great deals that even made it into our 2018 Discount Disney World Ticket selections!

How To Beat the Walt Disney World Spring and Summer Crowds in 2018

by Guide4WDW

by: guide4wdw – Collin

How To Beat the Walt Disney World Spring and Summer Crowds in 2018   

With the opening date of Toy Story Land officially being debuted yesterday for June 30th, we can all but guarantee higher than usual crowd levels this summer. While Toy Story Land isn’t necessarily the most anticipated addition to the parks by many (even though I think it should be and shared my feelings on that a short while ago), it will still inevitably draw large crowds looking to catch a first glimpse of the expansion. On top of that big debut, I wouldn’t be surprised if we continue to see incredibly long wait times for Flight of Passage on into the summer and the foreseeable future. With the combination of both high volume generating experiences, in addition to the new offerings coming to Disney Springs this year, it will inevitably be another incredibly crowded summer in the parks. 

However, when I say that, I don’t want it to be a deterrent for those looking to plan a vacation. The spring and summer are a few of my favorite times to visit the parks. The spring, in particular, is one of the very best times to visit (followed closely by Christmas time in the parks) as a result of one of my favorite events Disney puts on year after year over at Epcot, The Flower and Garden Festival. On top of that, the Florida spring weather typically fluctuates between 60 and 85 degrees, which is ideal, in my opinion. It’s warm enough to be enjoyable, yet not too overwhelming hot to make the most of your entire day. Summer, while much warmer at 90+ degrees nearly every day, is still a bearable level of heat if you make the right precautions and learn to take breaks throughout the day. You may have to alter your plans and accept that you might not get quite as much accomplished in the heat of the summer, but its can be a great time to visit nonetheless. Unfortunately, increased crowd levels come with the nice weather and breaks from school for many guests, but you can overcome that barrier in many ways! A select few of you may remember a post we shared a few months ago on a very similar topic (How To Manage The Crowds During Walt Disney World Peak Attendance Dates), but today we’re expanding upon what we shared there with a few tips specifically for the upcoming peak seasons.  

Go Early and Stay Late 

Arriving at the parks early on in the day, or even before the gates officially open for the day, can make a huge difference in how much you get accomplished during peak crowd levels. Throughout the first two to three hours of any parks opening, you’re likely to achieve more than you will the rest of the day. It’s a tried and proven philosophy and a huge part of our How to Ride 6 or More Attractions in 90 Minutes or Less: With Only 1 Fastpass+! Of course, our strategy for touring the parks isn’t what works for everyone and may or may not work for your vacation strategy. Your goal may be to take your time and relax your way through the parks, and if that’s the case, this may not be the best option for your situation. But, with that being said, I can assure you that it is a great way to avoid the peak crowds of the day. 
If getting up early isn’t your style or if you just want to catch up on some extra sleep from staying out the night before, another great option is to stay out late. As the night slowly draws to a close in all four parks, wait times will fall, and some guests will start filtering out of the parks. It’s not going to be quite as productive as early mornings, but staying late (especially on extra magic hour nights in the summer) can be a great way to squeeze in a few extra attractions or experiences into your day.    

Head to the Resorts

As many of you know, I love Disney resorts. Not only because of their elaborate theming and ever present story elements, but also because they’re largely accessible from any point on property, even you’re not staying at that particular resort. Resorts are the ultimate escape from the parks. You get the chance to enjoy a few moments of air conditioning, a relaxing seat in the lobby, or even a quick meal at one of the wonderful quick service or table service dining locations.  

As the afternoon approaches, the crowds at all Disney parks will reach a peak at around 2:00 on an average day. As that time frame rolls around, we like to catch a monorail to a nearby resort or a bus back to our home resort and take a few minutes to recharge. If you leave right after the afternoon parade, you can avoid the heat of the day, the peak crowds, and miss out on very little due to avoiding the longest wait times of the day. After you spend a few hours away, head back to the parks that night recharged and ready to finish the day in a spectacular way! 
      

Explore the Less Popular Attractions

To me, this is one of the many joys of traveling at peak times. Two members of my family are school teachers so, often times, we are forced to travel during peak seasons. But, the results aren’t always a bad thing. When you travel to the parks when it’s crowded, you tend to find new things to take part in and enjoy what you may otherwise overlook. For example, a short time ago, we went to Epcot on the Fourth of July. The crowds were brutal and just kept growing as the nighttime spectacular drew closer. In all reality, we expected elevated crowds, and it wasn’t all that bad in comparison to New Years Eve in Magic Kingdom. Nonetheless, we wanted to take a break from the crowds in the middle of the afternoon, and decided to hop on the Seas with Nemo and friends. It did have a fairly decent wait of 30 minutes, but considering the holiday, it wasn’t a bad wait time at all. At the end of the attraction, you exit into Sea Base Alpha. For years, we had casually looked through the area (even dating back to its earlier attraction days as The Living Seas with the Hydrolators), but never really spent the time to dive a little deeper into all that is offered there and to take the time to interact with the incredibly knowledgeable cast members on hand. It was a great experience and just goes to show that even the less popular attractions can be a great part of any day in the parks. Sure, they may not be quite as thrilling as flying on the back of a banshee on Flight of Passage in Pandora, but still make for an outstanding and memorable moment of any vacation.           


Take a Break and Head to the Pool 

Particularly in the summer, taking a short break form the parks for even just a few hours to head back to your resort can make all the different. Rest and recharge poolside, and return later at night as the sun start to dip below the horizon. It’s a great break from the heat, can prep you for a night at Disney Springs or back at the parks, and tends to be a highlight of guests that are young and young at heart. It seems so simple, but heading back to the pool and escaping the hoards of crowds shuffling through the parks in the middle of the afternoon in 90+ degree heat is an excellent option. Step away from it all, and enjoy a few minutes of quiet or a quick cool off in the wonderful pools at any number of the resorts. 

Head to the Dolphin for an Ice Cream

This may be the simplest item on our list but, grabbing an ice cream is never more memorable than doing so at Walt Disney World. There’s something about that family atmosphere, the joy on the peoples faces around you, and the simple pleasure of the experience that makes all the difference. What may come to mind when you think ice cream at Disney could be a classic ice cream from the Plaza Ice Cream Parlor (try the ice cream cookie sandwich… it’s amazing!), but perhaps a more trivial location is at the top of our list. That simple location is the Walt Disney World Dolphin’s Fountain Ice Cream walk up window. It’s a cheap treat, a short boat ride away from Epcot, and one of the more memorable desserts on property in regards to both atmosphere and taste. After you grab your dessert of choice (they have more than just soft serve, but the soft serve is outstanding), head over to the Boardwalk or Yacht and Beach Club for a little live entertainment or snore around a campfire by the water. Either way, it’s a great way to spend the night and escape a vast majority of the crowds of Epcot, which is just a few steps away via the back entrance to the park.          

Book Fastpasses in the Afternoon 

This particular tip may sound a bit contradictory to our “head to the resorts” tip. But, if you’re concerned about making the most of a very limited amount of time in each of the parks, your best bet to ride the most attractions possible on peak days is to book your fastpasses in the afternoon. In doing so, you’ll guarantee yourself a few attractions with no wait times, and you can really make the most of the high crowd levels of the afternoon without spending an unnecessary amount of time waiting in line. 

A second strategy you may want to attempt, if you’re really limited on time, is to book your fastpass+ selections as early in the day as you possibly can. Then, once you’ve completed those attractions, you get access to your fourth “revolving fastpass” that can be used time and time again for any attractions that have not distributed all of their fastpasses for the day.     

Your Thoughts
As always, if you have thoughts, concerns, questions, or even some tips of your own to share, don’t hesitate to reach out to us on Facebook or your favorite social media platform. Give us a follow while you’re there, and we’ll keep the conversation going in the future. We’re not the largest Disney community, but we’re one that’s there and one that listens. Thanks for reading and have a wonderful day wherever you are! 

Ready to Plan?
Need help planning your vacation? Let our friends over at Destinations to Travel (FREE – no obligation quote request form below) help you out at no additional cost to you! Their services are free and a great way for you to help out the site at no extra cost to you! Here’s a closer look at why I recommend an Authorized Disney Travel Planner! 
Last but certainly not least, if you’re starting the planning process, a great place to start are with some of our top planning articles! Looking for dining? Check out Disney World Dining Tips For 2018. Want to start with some more tips? 44 Excellent Disney World Tips for 2018 or Disney World Planning Guide and Tips For 2018 are a great place to begin! Looking to save money on tickets? Check out our friends over at The Official Ticket Center for great deals that even made it into our 2018 Discount Disney World Ticket selections!

My Disney Experience – Tips and Tricks

by Guide4WDW

by: guide4wdw – Collin

My Disney Experience – Tips and Tricks 

As we say time and time again here on the site, planning a Disney vacation can be a stressful experience. However, it doesn’t really have to be if you have the right help and take the time to learn and carefully set up your vacation experience. As always, we’re here to help in any way we can and that’s been the goal of Guide4WDW.com since the very beginning. I enjoy helping people find a way to experience the best possible Walt Disney World vacation they possibly can and finding new ways to improve your planning experience. I’m not perfect and I do miss a few things along the way because the parks are always changing and developing from day to day. While taking that into consideration, we have found a few things along the way that may be helpful to you. So today we’re taking a closer look at the My Disney Experience site.  
As one of the newer aspects of the Disney planning process, MyDisneyExperience.com has revolutionized the way we plan our Disney vacations across the board. For those of you who may not know, the site (owned and operated by Disney themselves) is an offshoot of the main disneyworld.disney.go.com hub of official Disney reservations, dining, and information of all types. However, My Disney Experience takes things a step farther and integrates an all in one planning resource for guests that allows you to avoid calling, or moving from page to page to book certain aspects of your vacation and compiles everything into an all in one section of the main Disney site. As you buy tickets, integrate a package stay, book accommodations, or plan dining reservations, Disney’s platform updates a running itinerary for your stay with down to the minute information and a few suggestions along the way. 
Unfortunately, in the creation of the system, Disney failed to create a truly step by step process and left a lot of the system and utilizing it up to guests to simply figure out. Truth be told, it’s not an overly complicated process if all goes well, but not everything always goes well. We’ll get to more on that later, but beyond linking your reservation to your account and ordering your magic bands and making fastpass+ selections Disney doesn’t entirely walk you through all that the system can actually do leading up to your vacation. As a result, we share this article to share a few tips of using the My Disney Experience site and how a few simple tips could better your experience overall. As always, if you have any questions along the way, feel free to reach out to us on social media or email me directly at Guide4WDW@gmail.com. The account is devoted to questions and we’re more than happy to answer them or take article suggestions there as well! 
If you’re booking your first vacation, when you get done with this article, or even before you begin it, be sure to take a quick look at our 2018 Disney World Vacation Planning Tips, Disney World Dining Tips For 2018, and 44 Excellent Disney World Tips for 2018. They’re a great place to start if you’re planning a vacation and may help you as you step into the realm of “My Disney Experience.” 
There’s a lot to cover today, so we’ll jump right into it with one of the simplest but most useful features of the site.  

Split Payments For Disney Resorts 

If you’re traveling in a group or attempting to split payments among individuals, we’ve all been there and know how frustrating that can be to get perfectly right. As a bit of a lesser known feature of the program, My Disney Experience offers guests the option to pay for their vacation in parts or sections rather than in one big lump sum payment. Additionally  you can pay with more than one form of payment. So, instead of attempting to collect money from various parties involved in the vacation or multiple families or group members, each person can use login information to submit their own card and dollar amount they want to pay on that card without having to transfer money to other guest in the party or anything of the sort. All of the transactions are secure and can be spread out over time at your convenience if you book far enough in advance.         


Paying Through Travel Agents

As touched on above, the online system is great for slitting payments your own way, but an interesting thing to note is that if you book through a travel agent (depending on your agency), sometimes the online payment option will disappear. However, you can still pay at your convenience through your agent. It’s not the easiest situation, but it’s good to know that the option is still available despite the somewhat unexpected hiccup in the booking process if you’re not entirely expecting it. As always, I suggest a travel agent, especially for first time guests and here’s a closer look at why. No matter who you use or how they book your stay, it’s something you may want to be aware of before your payment timeframe rolls around.    

Book Fastpasses With A Second Browser Window

This particular tip I’ve been utilizing for years and actually tried it once just to see if it would work and it resulted in a flawless fastpass+ booking experience. As many of you know, Disney’s new(ish) fastpass system is now all online and called fastpass+. Fastpass+ integrates the My Disney Experience site with a physical Magic Band you wear to the parks and allows guests to select up to 3 fastpass+ selections for one park on each day of their vacation. For on-site guests, this passes can be booked 60 days in advance and for off-site guests they can be booked 30 days in advance. 
As mentioned, the booking process for these passes is all online. While for many that’s great, what you don’t necessarily expect is that you have to book your selections around any dining reservations or other special events you have booked throughout your Disney vacation. It sounds rather simple, but remembering all that while you frantically (which you don’t necessarily have to if you use our top reservation/fastpass securing tips) try to make your ideal fastpass+ selections isn’t always easy. To overcome that mental block, I started using two browser windows when booking fastpass selections. I use one window for the actual selection making process and on the other window I pull up the itinerary Disney automatically creates for each day of your stay after linking your resort reservation and other plans. As you book a pass, refresh your itinerary window and you’ll see it pop up moments later revealing how it fits in with the rest of your plans. If you need or want some fastpass+ tips, be sure to take a glance at our 5 Simple Fastpass+ Tips That Could Better Your Vacation Experience.

Expect An Issue Along The Way

Even a few years after the systems major debut (which was not received all that well) the system itself still has a lot of bugs to work out. Disney phone support for the site is very good at what they do at this point and tend to be aware of the quirks of the system and how to resolve them, but inevitably you’ll run into some type of issue as you use the online site. Personally, I’ve seen extra guests pop up on my account, fastpasses randomly disappear and reappear, and even guests from previous trips pop up on our account even after Disney support went in and manually removed them. Expect something strange to happen, but also be aware that Disney is willing to help and just a phone call away at (407) 939-4357.      

Look For Special One Time Offers

This particular tip or rather simply an offering is rather rare based on my experience. During our last fastpass+ booking experience for our July 2017 trip, a unique offer popped up on our account asking if we wanted to take part in a DVC tour or receive an informational packet in exchange for an extra fastpass+ selection (s). For some reason I opted out of taking the offer, but nonetheless it struck me as odd. I’m not entirely sure how frequent this is, but in the past Disney has offered very little incentive to learn more about Disney Vacation Club. They don’t like to be overly pushy with their marketing for that option (and I’m glad they aren’t), but if you have time to take advantage of this offer, it’s something you may want to look out for!      


Order Your Magic Bands Early 

I know that picking out the perfect Magic Band color for your stay may not be the first thing that comes to mind as soon as you book your trip, but it should be one of the first things you do. If you put it off or wait to choose your custom bands on the online site, it’s extremely easy to forget and then when you get within a few weeks of your arrival, your magic bands will no longer be personalized and you’ll end up with the stock, single colored, bands available at resort check in. Once again, it’s not a vacation destroyer or anything like that but rather something that can easily slip your mind if you don’t do it as soon as possible. 

Extra tip: If you want a nickname or other name than your actual given name put on the band, be sure to alter the custom name option on the magic band order. Also, every once in a while the system will capitalize every letter of your name for some unknown reason so you may want to verify that as well before your bands ship.         

Linking Families in My Disney Experience

One of the most unique features of the online site is that when you book with groups or two separate families, you can invite other guests to view and take part in your planning process by linking the two accounts. It’s not all that easy to get to work correctly on the first try, but once the two accounts are linked it works incredibly well. Again, if you can’t get it to work on your own, give Disney’s support team a call and they should get it fixed within minutes! I’ve had nothing but good luck from their team.    

These tips just scratch the surface of what you can do with mydisneyexperience.com and with the site continually growing and changing from month to month, there’s no telling what’s next. Last but defiantly not least, if you want to take advantage of the online capabilities but don’t necessarily need all of the features or need a majority of the features in a more convent option, be sure to download the My Disney Experience App. The app had a ton of issues at first but is now an incredible tool when booking and during your Disney Vacation. 

Your Thoughts
As always, if you have thoughts, concerns, questions, or even some tips of your own to share, don’t hesitate to reach out to us on Facebook or your favorite social media platform. Give us a follow while you’re there and we’ll keep the conversation going in the future. We’re not the largest Disney community, but we’re one that’s there and one that listens. Thanks for reading and have a wonderful day wherever you are! 

Ready to Plan?
Need help planning your vacation? Let our friends over at Destinations to Travel (FREE – no obligation quote request form below) help you out at no additional cost to you! Their services are free and a great way for you to help out the site at no extra cost to you! Here’s a closer look at why I recommend an Authorized Disney Travel Planner! 
Last but certainly not least, if you’re starting the planning process, a great place to start are with some of our top planning articles! Looking for dining? Check out Disney World Dining Tips For 2018. Want to start with some more tips, 44 Excellent Disney World Tips for 2018 or Disney World Planning Guide and Tips For 2018 are a great place to begin! Looking to save money on tickets, check out our friends over at The Official Ticket Center for great deals that even made it into our 2018 Discount Disney World Ticket selections!



Disney Ticket Prices Have Officially Increased!

by Guide4WDW

by: guide4wdw – Collin

Yesterday, we shared our expectations of how Disney World tickets prices could jump up today. Our predictions were very close to what has actually happened. These increases aren’t the end of the world, but annual passes, and other ticket types have also jumped up as expected. Here’s the official info: (jump to the bottom to find a way to beat the price increase for about 10 days) 
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Annual Passes: 

-Platinum Plus Pass increases from $869 to $949 (pushing the after tax cost to over $1,000)
-Disney Platinum Pass increases from $779 to $849

Single Day Tickets:

-Value “Season” increases from $99 to $102 
-Regular increases from $107 to $114
-Peak increases from $119 to $122

Magic Kingdom Ticket Prices (single day):

Value: $109
Regular: $119
Peak: $129 

Park Hopper for a One Day Pass Jumps to: 

Value: $164
Regular: $174
Peak: $184

The good news is that multi-day tickets did not increase as much as we originally anticipated with the following occurring: 

3-day tickets increase from $289 to $305 
4-day tickets increase from $350 to $380
5-day tickets increase from $370 to $395 

Despite the changes, multi-day tickets are still an incredibly attractive deal and what I will continue to recommend for a vast majority of guests. 

If you’re wondering how to beat this price increase, we do have one solution for you. If you are not booking a packaged stay and just need tickets, you can still buy at the previous prices for about 10 days from our friends over at The Official Ticket Center. We’ve talked with them this morning and can tell you that this is in fact legitimate information. If you want to save money, this is the best and only way to do it that I am aware of at this point. Just be aware of long term ticket expiration dates.  


If you’re buying annual passes, try ticket bridging. We talked about it in our Disney Annual Pass: When Is It Worth The Money? post a few short days ago. Unfortunately I cannot comment on local annual pass ticket prices and there increases because I am not local, but you may want to look into that on Disney’s site. 

(We’ll try and update this post as any additional details appear over time.) 

Update: We now have confirmation that the Minnie Van ride service prices will go to $25 in addition to the ticket increases. 


Your Thoughts

As always, if you have thoughts, concerns, questions, or even some tips of your own to share, don’t hesitate to reach out to us on Facebook or your favorite social media platform. Give us a follow while you’re there and we’ll keep the conversation going in the future. We’re not the largest Disney community, but we’re one that’s there and one that listens. Thanks for reading and have a wonderful day wherever you are! 


Ready to Plan?
Need help planning your vacation? Let our friends over at Destinations to Travel (FREE – no obligation quote request form below) help you out at no additional cost to you! Their services are free and a great way for you to help out the site at no extra cost to you! Here’s a closer look at why I recommend an Authorized Disney Travel Planner! 
Last but certainly not least, if you’re starting the planning process, a great place to start are with some of our top planning articles! Looking for dining? Check out Disney World Dining Tips For 2018. Want to start with some more tips, 44 Excellent Disney World Tips for 2018 or Disney World Planning Guide and Tips For 2018 are a great place to begin! Looking to save money on tickets, check out our friends over at The Official Ticket Center for great deals that even made it into our 2018 Discount Disney World Ticket selections!

(Source: Disney)   

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What to Expect From The Disney Ticket Price Increases

by Guide4WDW

by: guide4wdw – Collin

As we start today’s article, I know this topic can be fairly controversial, but it is largely inevitable in the realm of the Disney parks. Tomorrow, February 11th, we’ll likely see fairly substantial jumps in ticket prices for both Walt Disney World and Disneyland out in California. I won’t touch on California because honestly it’s not my realm of “expertise.” While currently any numbers you see online are technically unofficial, some leaked and shared information has been all but confirmed regarding the pricing. Of course, as the official prices roll out, we’ll share that information with you as it becomes available, but for now, here’s what you can expect and there’s only one truly good way to avoid it (as we mentioned briefly in our last article). 

Overnight or early tomorrow morning we’ll likely see ticket prices jump across the board by a fairly decent percentage. Single day tickets are expected to face the smallest jump of $2-$5 depending on the seasonal price structure, but the part that isn’t entirely typical of recent years is that multi-day tickets will be increasing a substantial amount if the speculation comes true. As many of you know, I tend to avoid anything that is simply rumor, so this article is a pretty good indication that I honestly believe this is a very likely increase. 
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In regards to longer length tickets, based on the amount of days, a typical week long ticket of four or five days will increase nearly $50, if not more. On shorter ticket options, we expect to see a smaller increase of $10 or so. For a larger family these are the most significant increases we’ve seen historically. However, when looking at these increases you also have to look at what’s being done around Walt Disney World. They’re building hotels, creating huge expansions with both Star Wars and Toy Story at Hollywood Studios, Epcot is getting a massive facelift in the near future, and Pandora is really just starting to calm down after its big summer debut. 

Crowds are at peak levels like we’ve never seen before on both coasts and it’s fairly obvious that guests aren’t shying away from Disney vacations due to price increases. Disney knows their price ceiling and will stay as close to it as they can and still retain and entice guests to return time and time again. In the realm of business I can’t entirely fault them for that. 

On the other hand, none of us want to pay more for our Disney vacations, but unfortunately it’s the cost of high quality and family friendly entertainment that is the best in the world. Despite the yearly price increases, we typically all find a way to go back. As Disney fans, it’s in our DNA and inevitably we’ll find a way back. 


For annual passholders we expect another fairly substantial jump in pass prices that could easily exceed $100 over previous years. Again, there is no official word on the increases quite yet, but we share all of this not to terrify you of price increases, but rather to offer you one way to avoid it. Book your vacation today through Disney, our recommended travel agency, or any third party ticket seller. It’s the only good way to avoid any additional costs and lock in the current rates before the overnight jump occurs. If you want to go with a third party seller to have a ticket “on reserve” (for lack of a better word), we recommend the Official Ticket Center  or buying directly from Disney themselves tonight. 

Last but certainly not least, check back here tomorrow for the official prices as they are unveiled for a full update from our affiliates over at Destinations to Travel and the Official Ticket Center as they share the official information with us whenever Disney decides to share it with them. Again, don’t panic at these numbers because they are not official but consider this a considerable indication of what is to come.
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Unfortunately, I’m purely guessing this will be a mild increase compared to what is to come as many of these new expansion projects near completion over the next few years. These increases are not new and have occurred every February for as long as I can remember. 

Your Thoughts

As always, if you have thoughts, concerns, questions, or even some tips of your own to share, don’t hesitate to reach out to us on Facebook or you favorite social media platform. Give us a follow while you’re there and we’ll keep the conversation going in the future. We’re not the largest Disney community, but we’re one that’s there and one that listens. Thanks for reading and have a wonderful day wherever you are! 

Ready to Plan?
If you’re starting the planning process, a great place to start are with some of our top planning articles! Looking for dining? Check out Disney World Dining Tips For 2018. Want to start with some more tips, 44 Excellent Disney World Tips for 2018 or Disney World Planning Guide and Tips For 2018 are a great place to begin! Looking to save money on tickets, check out our friends over at The Official Ticket Center for great deals that even made it into our 2018 Discount Disney World Ticket selections!

Our Top 5 Things To See (and Do) At Epcot’s Flower and Garden Festival

by Guide4WDW

by: guide4wdw – Collin

With spring quickly approaching and the near perfect Florida weather starting to show itself for our local friends down south, that can only mean one thing, Flower and Garden Festival is almost here! In just 20 days, the Festival will be unveiled to guests of all ages to enjoy an array of colors, foods, and unique experiences. To me, it’s the best time of year at Walt Disney World and one of the many reasons we’re making the journey down to the parks for a short stay March 14th – 18th at none other than Disney’s Boardwalk Villas (Where else would you stay? …. You’ve got to stay close to the food! lol). So, if you want to meet up and say hello, feel free to reach out to us or say hello if you see us in the parks!  


Over the years, the Festival has grown into my favorite time of year at Epcot for so many reasons. The weather is typically near perfect (in my opinion) and the Florida climate is a welcomed changed from the cold we’re experiencing further north. We typically tend to do  Epcot a little differently than some guests as we shared in our Our Tried and True “Epcot in a Day” Touring Plan and the festival simply enhances those plans and offers an incredible array of opportunities that aren’t available throughout the rest of the year. 
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This years Flower and Garden Festival will take place beginning in just 20 days (February 28th) and will run through May 28th. Of course, Disney will unveil a few new surprises this year in the realm of culinary offerings and topiary displays, but will also bring back many classics of the event which many guests have developed into a tradition. We’ve developed a bit of a tradition among our family to take part in a few particular staples of the event which is a large part of what we’re sharing with you today.  

But before we get started, here’s a quick hint if you’re traveling this Spring/Summer. If you’re looking to buy third party tickets (or any tickets for that matter), do so before February 11th. There’s is a strong trend and expected increase in ticket prices coming on that day. If you buy your tickets before that day, if the historical trends hold true, you will escape the price hike. If you need tickets that are discounted even beyond the current prices from Disney, we recommend the Official Ticket Center. Personally, we’ve already locked our tickets into a package rate but if you’re not traveling in that way, this is probably your best option before the prices increase.  

So, with that little tip for the weekend out of the way (we’ll update you when the new price structure is unveiled) we’ll jump right into our list.    

1. The Outdoor Kitchens
Outdoor kitchens are inevitably a highlight of our time at the festival. Personally I’m a huge proponent of the America Pavilion’s Smokehouse outdoor kitchen. The food is excellent and the prices are fairly reasonable for what you get. I always order the pulled pork slider. It’s simple, tastes great, and is one of the very best snacks I’ve found that can easily be stretched to a small meal out of all the pavilion offerings. Of course, that is simply my opinion and with the vast array of little walk up kitchens covering the entire realm of pavilions exhibited throughout the World Showcase there really is a little something for everyone. If you want to make a day of it, you can go on a culinary adventure around the promenade and with a few hours and a little bit of extra money you can taste the flavors of so many places that you may never have the opportunity to travel to. It’s a sensory experience and one that should be a grand part of any day at the Flower and Garden Festival. As a bit of a side note, if you’re looking for a fun surprise for your family, buy gift cards for each member of your party to dine around the showcase. Not only are the gift cards a fun treat but also are incredibly convenient and oftentimes sold on little lanyards so that you don’t have to dig for a wallet to pay.       
2. The Butterfly House 
The butterfly house is one of the more unique aspects of the festival. As you enter a fairly sizable garden, through a series of drapes, you’re instantly surrounded but butterflies of all colors and sizes, many of which completed their metamorphosis right in that very garden. Of course, this isn’t an open air experience but rather occurs in a large vaulted tent, but the experience is excellent and one of those things that only Disney could pull off on such a grand scale for a non-permanent event. It’s a simple addition to the magic of Epcot, but an experience you’ll want to take a few minutes to enjoy nonetheless.  



3. The Bonsai Collection 
This intricate display takes place in certain portions of the Japan Pavilion and tends to amaze guests on a day to day basis. Bonsai trees are interesting miniature trees which many recognize best from the Karate Kid films. While the trees themselves remain rather small, they age in a similar way to full scale trees and at a smilier rate. Just as the full size iterations, vines grow and the trees branch out as they age. However, a well taken care of bonsai tree can be carefully and intricately shaped into some truly magnificent displays and Epcot’s yearly showcase unveils some of the most intricate in the World. It seems like a quite rudimentary and simple concept but the level of devotion it takes to grow one of these trees into its prime and elder years is something you have to see in person to truly appreciate and there’s no better place to do that than at the Flower and Garden Festival. 
   


4. Exploring the Topiaries

The topiary displays are perhaps the most recognizable and iconic element of the festival. Ranging from well known characters to intricately designed welcome setups for pictures as guests arrive, the yearly debut is an interesting process. Behind the scenes, cast members spend countless hours picking designs and the perfect arrangement of plant types to gradually grow and develop into the grand designs that unfold for guests during the festival. It’s a truly painstaking process but one that yields yearly results that exceed expectations and always offer guests a new experience and a new picture to add to their vacation experience.   

5. Taking a Morning Stroll Around the Showcase
As the simplest item on our list, this is perhaps the one things most guests overlook. Take some time and make a quick walk around the World Showcase in the morning (before the crowds build) and wander through the pavilions. I understand it’s hard to leave the hustle and bustle of your morning vacation plans to do this but its worth the time and effort. As you walk the promenade when the crowds are lower, you can pick up on so many subtle details that tend to get overlooked in the more crowded portions of the day. Look left, look right, look up, and look down and you may be surprised at what you stumble into that isn’t always a portion of the Epcot experience. As you end your stroll, pick up a time guide for the day and a free “passport” for the festival to track what you’ve done and then head back around to capture a whole new aspect of the journey with the passport in hand and a list of events and special offerings to go to and enjoy on your second (or third, or fourth …. yeah, we know we have a problem lol) trip around. 
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Your Thoughts

As always, if you have thoughts, concerns, questions, or even some tips of your own to share, don’t hesitate to reach out to us on Facebook or your favorite social media platform. Give us a follow while you’re there and we’ll keep the conversation going in the future. We’re not the largest Disney community, but we’re one that’s there and one that listens. Thanks for reading and have a wonderful day wherever you are! 

Ready to Plan?
Need help planning your vacation? Let our friends over at Destinations to Travel (FREE – no obligation quote request form below) help you out at no additional cost to you! Their services are free and a great way for you to help out the site at no extra cost to you! 
Last but certainly not least, if you’re starting the planning process, a great place to start are with some of our top planning articles! Looking for dining? Check out Disney World Dining Tips For 2018. Want to start with some more tips, 44 Excellent Disney World Tips for 2018 or Disney World Planning Guide and Tips For 2018 are a great place to begin! Looking to save money on tickets, check out our friends over at The Official Ticket Center for great deals that even made it into our 2018 Discount Disney World Ticket selections!
    

Off-Property At Disney World: What to Consider and Why

by Guide4WDW

by: guide4wdw – Collin

When you go to plan a Disney vacation, there’s a few questions that immediately pop into mind. First and foremost, you think about resort accommodations or tickets. Tickets, and the best deals on tickets we’ve found we recently covered in our Disney World Tickets 2018 article, but one topic we haven’t devoted a full article to quite yet is staying off property and what to consider in that process. 

Personally, many of you know that I don’t recommend staying off property if you can avoid it and there’s a few good reasons why. The first and biggest reason is hidden costs, but we’ll get to that farther into the article. For me, the loss in experience isn’t worth the tradeoff. Many will say that isn’t necessarily the case, but if you ask a majority of guests who have stayed both ways, the preference is vastly “on property” accommodations. While I can always simply state that up front, it’s easier to understand why if I break it down and share a few things you’ll want to consider before making the leap to stay off property for various reasons. 


If you’re looking for on property information, which is our typical strong points int he real of information, you may want to take a look at our Three Vastly Underrated Walt Disney World Resorts You May Want to Consider for Your Next Vacation – A Few Thoughts or Our Top Disney World Resorts For Adults (and kids). 

Hidden Costs
When you book off property, it’s easy to be drawn in by low costs and impressive accommodations for the money, but what many do not realize are the hidden costs of their stay. For example, if you stay at the Double Tree near Disney Springs, the cost is pretty comparable to a value resort at face price but once you add in a $10 parking fee per night at your resort and the additional set back of transportation to and from the airport if you are not driving or renting a car, you get fairly close to the equivalent cost of a Disney moderate tier resort. Additionally, at many of the more “resort style” accommodations like the Waldorf Astoria or JW Marriott, you incur a second nightly “resort fee” that many chains will hide or keep in fine print during the booking process. Sometimes the cost of this non-optional add-on alone can be near $40 per night and can be a huge shock at check in or at the final step of the booking process. I wont say that all resorts in the area feature these hidden costs but many do so it’s something you’ll want to be aware of when looking into the various costs of a vacation.     

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Theming Loss
As a somewhat non-measurable difference, when you stay off property you lose a little bit of that Disney magic that comes with a well themed and vastly impressive attention to detail that each of the on property resorts bring to the table. I’m obviously a sucker for the little details of an experience, but it truly makes a big difference in the overall stay and true Disney experience. Staying off property is a great option if you’re looking to try Seaworld, Discovery Cove, or even Universal, but you can always stay at Disney resorts and take advantage of the Disney theming while still venturing over to those parks. I understand theming sounds like a vague difference but give Disney property resorts a chance and book at discounted rates and you’ll be surprised at how different the experience can be. I’ve tired both many times and short of staying for a very long duration of time, staying on property is really the way to go in order to achieve that “Disney Bubble” feel that everyone talks about upon returning home.         


Transportation and Parking
As touched on above, transportation from the airport to your resort, or even transportation from your resort to the parks can be very expensive and easily overlooked. On property, Disney provides free airport transportation via the Magical Express service and free transportation to the parks for all guests at resorts. It’s free, it’s worry free (most of the time) and you don’t have to deal with the ridiculously expensive parking fees at the Disney parks each day of your stay. Even if you do want to drive to the parks on your own, resort guests are given free parking! In that regard, you can save $100+ over a week long stay and even more for longer stays. 

Many off-site hotels offer a free shuttle service to Disney but what many of them don’t tell you is that the shuttle does not run all day and that when it does run it will be stopping at  a whole series of resorts along the way. Additionally, if you’re headed to Magic Kingdom, you’ll get dropped off at the Transportation and Ticket Center and then sent to a monorail or ferry (with many other guests driving to the parks) to arrive at the gates of Magic Kingdom. It’s not the end of the world but isn’t the most convenient option, especially if you can utilize Disney transportation and stay on property at about the same overall cost.            


There’s never an ideal resort accommodation for everyone and finding what works best for you is one of the joys of a Walt Disney World vacation. Additionally, your situations isn’t going to be the same as everyone else so what ever gets you to the parks is always a win in my book. 

Your Thoughts

As always, if you have thoughts, concerns, questions, or even some tips of your own to share, don’t hesitate to reach out to us on Facebook or you favorite social media platform. Give us a follow while you’re there and we’ll keep the conversation going in the future. We’re not the largest Disney community, but we’re one that’s there and one that listens. Thanks for reading and have a wonderful day wherever you are! 

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Ready to Plan?
Need help planning your vacation? Let our friends over at Destinations to Travel (FREE – no obligation quote request form below) help you out at no additional cost to you! Their services are free and a great way for you to help out the site at no extra cost to you! 
Last but certainly not least, if you’re starting the planning process, a great place to start are with some of our top planning articles! Looking for dining? Check out Disney World Dining Tips For 2018. Want to start with some more tips, 44 Excellent Disney World Tips for 2018 or Disney World Planning Guide and Tips For 2018 are a great place to begin! Looking to save money on tickets, check out our friends over at The Official Ticket Center for great deals that even made it into our 2018 Discount Disney World Ticket selections!


Disney Annual Pass: When Is It Worth The Money?

by Guide4WDW

by: guide4wdw – Collin

Disney Annual Pass: When Is It Worth The Money? 

The annual pass debate has been one that’s changed drastically over the years. For quite a while, the annual pass option was a bit of a hidden gem for Disney guests traveling for even average length stays. Unfortunately, with price hikes and changes along the way, it’s no longer the best option for the majority of guests. However, there are some rare cases that buying an Disney World annual pass can prove vastly beneficial. Personally, I am not currently an annual passholder but I have been on a few separate occasions in the past (more on that later). 
With that being said, if you are considering it or wondering if it’s even worth it in the first place or what the perks of the option really are, we’re taking a closer look at an honest breakdown of the options today. An annual pass isn’t something a majority of Disney parks guests will purchase so it tends to take a back seat to multi day tickets and other package options pushed in marketing campaigns and booking scenarios. An annual pass can save you a lot of money in the long run, but it’s all going to be based on your given scenario, travel patterns, and how you take advantage of the ways to save money with an annual pass. It isn’t for everyone, but if you want to learn more, look no further!
   

Upgrading At The End of Your Stay

If you’re booking a Disney trip in a package format, this is something you’ll want to consider during your vacation (particularly the last day or the first day). When purchasing a package, your ticket cancellation is somewhat “grandfathered in” to your overall package. So, instead of buying a non refundable stand alone ticket, if for any case you have to cancel your vacation your ticket remains refundable due to the overall package. However, in regard to annual passes, you can upgrade any ticket in a package to an annual pass if you do so before your stay ends. So, you have two best case scenario options. First, upgrade to an annual pass on the last day and decide throughout the week if it’s your best option. Second, upgrade your ticket on the first day of your stay and take full advantage of the discounts the annual pass offers on dining and shopping at select locations throughout your stay. For some, this could save you hundreds of dollars on a souvenir (or 20 souvenirs)  that return home with you. It’s not a massive discount but it is 10-20% at a fairly broad amount of locations across property. Something else that should be mentioned briefly is that there are tiers to annual passes so make sure you’re buying the correct one if you plan on upgrading. Here’s a closer look at the options currently listed on Disney’s site.      


Utilizing “Ticket Bridging”

If you’re not booking a stay at a discounted rate that may require you to buy a package to utilize the offer, there’s a fairly clever way to save a little money on Annual Pass purchases and it’s what’s called “Ticket Bridging.” While the term itself is a little misleading, you’re not necessarily stretching your ticket but rather stretching the value of the ticket purchased. To better explain the process, we have to dive a little deeper. 

To best utilize this practice, you make a valiant effort to find the most budget friendly ticket buying option you can from any third party authorized seller. Personally I recommend the Official Ticket Center not only because they help out the site but because they tend to have the best prices on multi day tickets that I’ve personally seen. Sometimes you may even catch a free upgrade when purchasing through them as well (for the best offers available currently see our Disney World Tickets 2018 article). 

However, the point of buying one of these third party tickets (just be careful who you buy from to guarantee authenticity) is to buy the initial ticket at a discounted rate. Then, in order to turn that ticket into an annual pass, you head to guest services at any park to upgrade the purchased ticket to an annual pass. Here’s the kicker to the whole situation. When you upgrade your ticket, Disney automatically gives you the face price of the ticket (before the discount you received from the third party seller) as a credit towards the annual pass purchase. For example, if you bought a 5 day ticket today on the current 5th day free ticket offer from the third party seller we mentioned, you would pay $443. If you bought that same ticketed amount of days from Disney you’d pay $473. So, when you go to upgrade you get the credit of $473 towards your annual pass upgrade saving you $30 per ticket. For a full family of four annual passes like ours, that’s a considerable $120 savings.

I will say this process is not the easiest one to accomplish because you do have to find a cast member that knows how to do it and the best way to do it to save you the most amount of money, but it is possible to do and one of the only ways to save money when buying an annual pass. Unfortunately I don’t believe this applies to local season tickets but I’m not local so I can’t verify that scenario one way or another.           

At What Point Is It Worth Upgrading?



This part of the puzzle can be a little difficult to determine, depending on how you vacation and what you are taking into consideration. On a solely price based analysis, if plan on spending more than 3 consecutive days in the parks on two separate trips within the same year, you’re better off buying an annual pass if you can afford to purchase it up front for your first vacation. The breakdown is as follows: 

  • Both 3 day trips at current prices (February 1st 2018 – may soon be changed with the yearly price hike) will work out to $371.69 on a non discounted ticket per trip. Add two trips together and you get $743.38 for both 3 day vacations combined if you intend to purchase the park hopper add-on option. 
  • For the sake of our example, we’ll include the park hopper option because the Annual Pass gives you those capabilities as well. 
  • If you move up to a 4 day ticket and plan on making two trips in the same year, the two trip combined ticket price jumps up to $905.26. 
  • When you compare that to an annual pass at $829.64 for the entire year, you save a considerable amount of money without even taking into account the in-park dining and merchandise discounts the annual pass gives you. 

Of course there are some exceptions to this rule and an unbelievable amount of different circumstances that may change the necessity or lack of necessity of an annual pass. If you’re a guest booking a 5 day trip and a 3 day trip in one year, an annual pass may still not be your best option. So, in all reality, the point I’m attempting to make with this analysis is that if you want to make the most of your spending on tickets, head to Disney’s ticket page (which I get nothing out of if you book through them – just to clarify) and make a few comparisons. Plug in your length of ticket considerations and then jump over to the annual pass section and compare prices. Something else to consider is that there is a renewal discount. It isn’t a huge cost savings but if you’re someone like me that tends to travel to the parks multiple times per year, year after year, it may help in making your decision. With all of that being said, I am not an annual passholder currently. Our travel dates for the year haven’t been conducive to the pass this year so I have not purchased one. However, that may change if I upgrade my March trip ticket to an annual pass.  

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Are The Discounts Worth It?

As we touched on above, annual pass holders do in fact receive discounts across property. Is it enough to convince most guests who travel to Disney World once or twice a year to buy a pass, probably not. If you’re one of those guests that shops a lot and takes an entirely extra suitcase to bring purchases back home in, it may be worth it to you in the long run. In all honesty, you’d have to by a lot of food and souvenirs at 10-20% off to make it worth it but there’s another discount that might make it completely worth it, resort discounts. The first year we bought an annual pass, we did so for that reason alone. Annual Passholder resort accommodation discounts can be pretty decent discounts. It may not be the best discount for every situation but its a pretty solid discount nonetheless. 

Your Thoughts and Opinions

As always, if you have thoughts, concerns, questions, or even some tips of your own to share, don’t hesitate to reach out to us on Facebook or you favorite social media platform. Give us a follow while you’re there and we’ll keep the conversation going in the future. We’re not the largest Disney community, but we’re one that’s there and one that listens. Thanks for reading and have a wonderful day wherever you are! 

Ready to Plan?

Need help planning your vacation? Let our friends over at Destinations to Travel (FREE – no obligation quote request form below) help you out at no additional cost to you! Their services are free and a great way for you to help out the site at no extra cost to you! 

Last but certainly not least, if you’re starting the planning process, a great place to start are with some of our top planning articles! Looking for dining? Check out Disney World Dining Tips For 2018. Want to start with some more tips, 44 Excellent Disney World Tips for 2018 or Disney World Planning Guide and Tips For 2018 are a great place to begin! Looking to save money on tickets, check out our friends over at The Official Ticket Center for great deals that even made it into our 2018 Discount Disney World Ticket selections!



The "Little Things" We Do At Disney That Can Make All the Difference

by Guide4WDW

by: guide4wdw – Collin

When you think of Disney as a whole, it’s easy for your mind to run straight to the parks. A simple song we hear on the radio, a faint smell we catch a whiff of in a store, or even a simple Disney TV commercial can take you away from daily life and take you back to a fond vacation memory. It’s a phenomenon that is hard to explain but vastly influential in many of our lives.

If you haven’t been to the parks, I’m almost positive we sound crazy right about now, but we don’t work for Disney (even though I wish I could write for them some day!) and only share our honest experiences in the parks and beyond. Today, we’re taking another look at some of the simpler elements of a Disney vacation that have largely become traditions for our family over the years. Chances are these won’t be what everyone tells you to experience on your first Disney vacation, and a few of them may be things you’ve never even thought about looking into, but nonetheless they’ve held a special place in our travels for years on end.


Before we dive into it, I should first share that we don’t necessarily travel in a “typical manner.” We move around a lot during our Disney vacations, jump from parks to park, and even from resort to resort. It’s part of what we do and what we enjoy, but honestly it’s not a strategy that works for everyone. However, if you want to check out how we do Disney in depth, be sure to check our Our Typical Disney World 7 Day Itinerary, Our Tried and True “Epcot in a Day” Touring Plan, or even our How to Ride 6 or More Attractions in 90 Minutes or Less: With Only 1 Fastpass+! Not only do they share some of our top tips but they’ll also give you an idea of our style of travel. We enjoy a nice relaxing afternoon at the pool, but also like to get adventurous and attempt some of the less typical offerings of Disney property, which we’re sharing today!

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After years of touring the parks, we like to take a step beyond their gates for even just a brief part of the day to explore a little more in depth what there is to offer. Like many of you, we’ve spent years riding the attractions and still do today, but what you may give up in riding Small World for the 100th time, you may uncover an entirely new aspect of the Disney experience you never knew about. There’s so much to see that you’ll never experience it all but if you’re like me you search to uncover one more piece of the magic each and every time you visit.      
Playing Miniature Golf
Over our last 4 or so visits to Disney World, this seemingly simple activity has become a staple for our vacations. To be quite honest with you, I never thought I’d put miniature golf on a “must-do” list of any type but it really is that enjoyable if you take the time to venture over to Fantasia gardens to play a quick round. 
When we first started this traditions, we only did so because we had free passes that came with our package. To our surprise, we loved it and took the whole family back the next trip down and have payed out of pocket to play on more than one occasion. One of the courses is heavily themed, but the other offers a unique challenge that represents an iteration of full scale golf on a scaled down platform. For example, any given whole may offer a sand trap, water hazard, elevation changes, or even require strategic shot placement to make it out with a par for the hole. It’s by far the toughest miniature golf course I’ve ever played and offers a unique challenge. 
Many of you may pass on the opportunity or assume you can’t get there to enjoy the activity without a rental car or other type of transportation, but there’s one simple tip that can get you past that barrier. If you’re at any of the four parks, utilize the free Dinsey transportation to one of three resorts: The Swan and Dolphin (the shortest walk), The Boardwalk (the most picturesque walk), or Yacht and Beach Club. Once you arrive at any of the three resorts walk towards the common area of the Swan and Dolphin which sits between the two buildings, and continue walking towards the main pool of the property which sits on the back side of the small pond (the walkway will lead right towards the main grotto style pool). Right before you get to the pool area, there will be a single path leading off to your left. Follow that path and it will lead straight to the entrance of Fantasia Gardens. In words, it sounds like a long walk but from the main lobby of the Swan, it takes less than 10 minutes to make the journey on foot.        
Playing Real Golf
This tip may not be for everyone but if you’ve ever given thought to picking up a set of clubs and stepping into the realm of golf, there’s no better place to start than at Disney. The full scale courses are incredibly difficult, but each of the courses offer teaching programs, and driving ranges open to the public year round. Take your first golf lesson or simply step out onto the driving range at the Lake Buena Vista Course (attached to Saratoga Springs) and experience a unique take on the driving range concept. The range, which many expected to be a long narrow field, is designed to incorporate a water element and utilizes a large target to challenge guests while creating an element of both frustration and entertainment as you challenge the guests in your group to a closest to the pin challenge. 
The simple joys of the game get really overlooked by many, but can oftentimes provide that one thing that convinces a non-disney fan to embark on a Disney vacation. They may even surprise you and become a Disney fan in the end as a result of the impressive course conditions and creative layouts.     
Going to Get Soft Serve at the Dolphin 
Another tradition of ours, which typically accompanies a night of miniature golf, is soft serve ice cream from The Fountain. The Fountain isn’t Disney owned or operated but lies just inside the doors of the Dolphin hotel. They don’t just offer soft serve and actually offer a variety of excellent hand dipped ice cream as well, but the soft serve is the show stopper. I know I’ve mentioned it here on the site before but the rich flavor and thick consistency of the treat here can never be matched. It’s impressive in a surprising way, because at it’s most basic principle, it is just soft serve ice cream. If you don’t believe me, go try it for yourself and let me know what you think (I recommend the chocolate/vanilla twist in a waffle cone and a seat by the main pool a short walk away! It’s the perfect end to a night at Disney.)
Pro tip: If you’re already at Epcot, don’t worry about catching a bus. Head to the back of the World Showcase and exit through the International Gateway between France and the United Kingdom. If you’re not up for the walk around the lagoon by the Boardwalk and the Yacht and Beach club over to the Dolphin. Hop on a boat just outside the exit and make two stops before arriving at your destination about 15 minutes later leaving a short 2 minute walk to The Fountain walk up ice cream window. If you want to catch a meal too, they do offer a sit down location, where you can order food and ice cream all from your table. The burgers are quite excellent and reservations are not required.    
   

Join the Event

Driving out to Character Warehouse
Unfortunately for this tip you will need a car or an Uber or other form of transportation, but sometimes it’s well worth the hassle. Typically I’m not a fan of leaving the “Disney bubble” (unless you’re headed to Discovery Cove), but this is one of the rare exceptions. The Character Warehouse is something we stumbled into by accident many years ago but has grown to reach a higher level of media attention over the last few years. The shopping location is a part of the Orlando Vineland Premium Outlets which sit about 5 minutes away (driving) from Disney Springs’ main entrance. The outlet mall itself is in no way associated with Disney, but one particular store sells a vast variety of essentially overstock Disney Parks and Cruise Line merchandise. We’re not talking about the boot-leg cheap t-shirts found on parts of International Drive, but rather legitimate parks merchandise at deeply discounted prices. 
If you have a car and about 2 hours of free time, head over to the outlets and take a quick look. The rest of the mall is quite nice as well, but remains incredibly crowded most of the year.        
Catching a Late Night Snack at Goofy’s Candy Company
At any point during a Disney vacation, we’ve been known to leave a park or our resort and head someplace for a late night dessert or snack. Time after time, we’ve found ourselves going to Goofy’s Candy Company for one particularly experience, the create your own option. Tucked away in the back corner of the store, this particular offering allows guests to create the snack of their dreams. At one point, the sky was the limit for the amount of toppings you could add to the famous Mickey rice crispy treats, pretzel sticks, and marshmallows but now the offerings have changed slightly and the toppings can still be piled on but a select few will cost you. Nonetheless, the resulting treat is a masterpiece unrelieved by the depths of your imagination.

There’s an unexpected joy to it all and when you’re finished building your dessert, you can step outside and grab a table (after looking for a few minutes to find one) by the lake and take in the sunset or shimmering lights of Disney Springs reflecting off of the water. It’s the definition of a simple joy and relaxing element of the Disney experience but one that never fails to create smiles and memories that will last a lifetime.        

You see, for us a vacation isn’t always about what the parks hold, but the opportunities elsewhere on Disney property. On your next trip, consider taking that leap of faith and spending some time outside of the parks. You may be surprised at what you uncover and on a grander scale, you may be shocked at the additional memories you get to take away from the new experiences. Until next time, enjoy the magic and we’ll talk with you all again soon! Thanks for reading and have a great rest of the day!

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Ready to Plan?

Need help planning your vacation? Let our friends over at Destinations to Travel (FREE – no obligation quote request form below) help you out at no additional cost to you! Their services are free and a great way for you to help out the site at no extra cost to you!  

Last but certainly not least, if you’re starting the planning process, a great place to start are with some of our top planning articles! Looking for dining? Check out Disney World Dining Tips For 2018. Want to start with some more tips, 44 Excellent Disney World Tips for 2018 or Disney World Planning Guide and Tips For 2018 are a great place to begin! Looking to save money on tickets, check out our friends over at The Official Ticket Center for great deals that even made it into our 2018 Discount Disney World Ticket selections! 

Thanks for reading and if you liked this post, please SHARE it with friends! 

Walt Disney World Club 33 Prices Shared With Golden Oak Residents

by Guide4WDW
by: guide4wdw – Collin

During 2017, Disney officially announced that a rendition of the iconic Club 33 will be coming to Walt Disney World in each of the four parks. For those of you who may not know, Club 33 was originally developed out in Disneyland of California and while it has made it to other international Disney parks (not all of them), up until this point it has not been a part of Walt Disney World. Throughout last year, Disney shared a very small glimpse at what is to come in the form of an email campaign sent out only to those who requested it. In the automated response which you can see here (email response), the details are extremely vague which makes me questions the authenticity of the original email altogether. The project is coming to the parks, but we just don’t know many of the details at this point.  

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After that, nothing overly official was shared by the company until just a short time ago. It is being reported today that members of Disney’s Golden Oak Community received an application offer for the club over the last few days. In the the application, the pricing was listed at $25,000 for registration with annual dues sitting at or around $15,000. Of course, this pricing is simply second hand knowledge being shared online. If you or anyone you know received an application in the Golden Oak Community, we’d love to a catch glimpse of one and verify pricing.   

At this point, that is about all that has been shared. We do not know where these new locations will be located, or when they will open. Many locations have been involved in the mass speculation but the one that struck my interest the most was the former Catwalk Bar. We’ll see if that comes true or not in time, but it’ll be interesting to see the end result (if I can find someone to get me in lol). More details should be made available in the not so distant future.