Category: Uncategorized

My Disney Parks Rumor "Predictions" for 2019 – A Few Thoughts

by Guide4WDW

by: guide4wdw – Collin

My Disney Parks Rumor “Predictions” for 2019 – A Few Thoughts  

By this point in my article sharing most of of you have likely noticed that I rarely share rumors that roll out of the Disney parks rumor mill. However, I do tend to comment on a fair amount of the speculation and essentially that’s my plan for today. 

Inevitably, Disney changes drastically from year to year so instead of looking back at what has happened over the last year, I want to take a look at what could be next in the coming year with hopeful optimism of what could be just around the corner. With some of the greatest expansion in Disney history on the horizon and the grand debut of Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge looming for summer (in California) and fall (for Orlando) of 2019, it will certainly be big year for the Disney parks and resorts once again. It’s almost mind blowing to think that Star Wars Galaxies Edge is so close to a debut! It seems like just a short time ago the official announcement was made. Star Wars is just one of the many changes that have been made official, and certainly others have been announced that I’m sure you’re already aware of if you’re reading this.   

However, rather than looking back and waxing poetically about the impressive feats of both engineering and all other facets of the changes, I wanted to look today at what hasn’t been officially announced and what possibly may never become a reality. So many things roll out of the rumor mill of Disney entertainment so I figured why not share a few of my own thoughts today. 

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First and foremost, I want to reiterate that none of what I’m sharing is official and these are simply my thoughts with no “insider” information. I won’t claim “leaked” news or anything of the sort and I don’t intend to create rumors with this. Instead, these are simply my thoughts on the future of Disney Parks and potentially what we could see or what is already floating around the internet. I hope to share my input on the validity of some claims, but also share a few of my own general thoughts along the way. So, without further rambling, let’s get right into it. 

Epcot Changes: 

Perhaps the biggest announcements throughout the next year will revolve around Epcot and it’s great reimagining. Of course, we do have many announced changes well under way including the Guardians of the Galaxy coaster, the space themed restaurant, the new Innoventions area, proposed redesigned “hub” area, the new show replacing Illuminations, and many others. At the same time, we still have rumors surfacing of new pavilions in the world showcase, potential new attractions, and even speculation of something happening with the Wonders of Life Pavilion. 

A United Kingdom Attraction

Call me skeptical, but when the rumor rolled out that a Mary Poppins themed spinning style attraction like Dumbo rolled out and started to circulate I didn’t believe it in the slightest. Truthfully, I still doubt that it will happen, but from a deeper thought process I can see why it could be a viable rumor. First, it would be a crowd eater. It’s not a big expensive attraction and it’s not an E-ticket debut, but it would be something for guests to do to occupy their time in the park while announcing something new and minimizing costs. The “budget” is the key to all of Epcot and these rumors overall. Disney will be pumping a lot of money into the project over the next few years and I highly doubt they’ll add any big ticket, costly, attractions to the construction lineup until some of the current projects finish up. Walt Disney World may be more expensive than ever to visit, but just like any company they do have budget constraints.


Epcot Pavilions    

The rumors of new Epcot pavilions in the World Showcase and beyond have been around since the Equatorial Africa Pavilion was scrapped soon after Epcot’s opening day. Today, the latest rumors focus on a Brazil pavilion or an India Pavilion. Both possibilities do have a certain level of merit, but I personally believe neither will even be announced this year. If they are it will almost certainly be at D23. If you asked me about this rumor a year or two ago, I would have guessed that construction would have already been well on its way by this point in 2018. Obviously that didn’t happen but the validity of a new pavilion coming in the future still holds plenty of potential but I do doubt it will begin construction this year. 

Again, it all comes back to resource allocation. As a company, you can only take on so many projects at one time. 



Tying into the pavilion speculations, let’s talk about Wonders of Life. If you are an old school Disney fan chances are you’re well aware of the virtually abandoned Wonders of Life pavilion. Over the last year, Disney has been slowly yet surely making changes and updates to the pavilion which almost immediately put it firmly into a piece of the Epcot of the future. What its roll in the redesign may be is largely unknown. It could still be used as event space, but it was even featured in the new Epcot concept renderings.

If I had one guess as to what this pavilion may hold in the future, I would assume Disney could bring some type of character IP into this location. My thoughts immediately go to a reboot of Cranium Command (especially with the odd Buzzy rumors that came out of nowhere), but while integrating Inside Out or even quite possibly rebooting the classic experience to appease the nostalgic Disney fans. 

In a round about way that brings me to perhaps my greatest piece of personal speculation in this article. If I had one guess for the future of Epcot, it would be that either this year or next year we start to see a nostalgic phase of Epcot. With the interim Illuminations replacement “Epcot Forever” debuting and featuring classic Epcot music, I can’t help but think this will be a collaborative theme of the park as a whole, even if for a very limited time. 

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As Epcot changes, there will be a lot of push back from nostalgic Disney fans. It’s inevitable when a classic part of the magic changes. I personally think Disney will make a certain effort to ease into a “new Epcot” by harkening back to the days of the early Epcot experience so guests can relive even a small piece of that experience all over again. 

In a similar way, I wouldn’t be surprised if we see an update announced for the Imagination pavilion this year at some point. The attraction may not change (as much as I wish it would go back to a more original iteration), but I do believe an ImageWorks overhaul is well overdue. It would theoretically be a budget friendly redesign, and if a sponsor for the project was brought onboard, costs may not be a huge factor when compared to the speculation of entirely new attractions/pavilions at Epcot.

Making a long list of rumors a bit more concise, Epcot is going to be changing and the extent of those changes will likely be the biggest series of announcements in the coming year. 

Magic Kingdom Changes:  

Magic Kingdom may not see anything overly exciting announced for it this year. However, there are a few things in progress that may “change” for lack of a better word. 


The Tron Project

As you probably know by now, the Tron coaster is coming to Magic Kingdom by 2021. Construction is well under way but I do believe there may be more to this project than meets the eye. I’ve spectacled for years that changes will be coming to Tomorrowland and this would be the perfect time to do something new and entirely unique. Tomorrowland is well overdue for a table service dinging location and the space is there and accessible for such a thing to come to fruition. Will it be announced this year? Maybe not. Will a Tomorrowland “refresh” begin this year? Without a doubt. 

If you walk into Tomorrowland today, you can already start to see theming changes taking place. From new paint to attraction closings (Goodbye Stitch’s Great Escape…), changes are already happening and I do believe this is only the beginning and there may be more to Tron than meets the eye. 

A New Nighttime Parade 

A new nighttime parade is long overdo at Magic Kingdom. I thought we’d already have some kind of parade announcement for 2019, but I genuinely believe we’ll have a new nighttime parade in Magic Kingdom by the end of 2019. I have absolutely no idea if it will be a new parade or a borrowed parade from another park internationally, but it simply feels strange for the park to be without an ongoing nighttime parade. 

I still believe Paint the Night could be modified just enough to function in the Magic Kingdom, but I doubt it will actually happen. 

Hollywood Studios Changes

Outside of Star Wars and the Runaway Railway, I would not be surprised if we see some more changes unveiled for Hollywood Studios this year. The theming is all over the place and something is going to have to change and change quickly to control the crowds after Galaxy’s Edge debuts. The sheer nature and design of the park could make near capacity crowd levels brutal if new areas aren’t expanded or better utilized to occupy guests. 


Hollywood Studios rumors are surprisingly quiet right now but I don’t see that trend sticking around for very long. Look for something to be announced this year to further that park in more than one way. 

Animal Kingdom Changes

As much as I hate to say it, I don’t think we’ll see much announced or new in 2019 for Animal Kingdom. All rumors circulating currently seem too far fetched in my opinion. Pandora is still doing quite well and continues to exceed most guests expectations. The crowds appear higher than in previous years and truthfully this is the best version of Animal Kingdom I’ve experienced first hand. The nighttime entertainment is great and I’m not entirely sure what they could improve to better the park.  
  

DinoLand Re-Imagining (not likely) 

There has been a recent push surfacing a rumor of an Indiana Jones overlay to Dinosaur. If you change Dinosaur you basically have to change or re-theme all of DinoLand. Ironically, and what many people don’t know about DinoLand, is that it’s designed to be a down home parody of the Dino Institute housing Dinosaur. So, if you change Dinosaur, you likely have to change all of DinoLand and I doubt that will happen.  

Pandora Expansion (not likely)

Another rumor that’s floating around is that Disney plans to expand Pandora. In my opinion this is the most far fetched rumor and, at the very least, far too soon for speculation if a project is evening the minds of the folks at Disney making those calls. I could be completely wrong but I doubt this will happen at all or at least anytime soon.   
              
                                         

Disney Resorts 

Disney resorts are certainly an area where Disney is allocating major resources in order to prepare for both Star Wars and other expansions coming in the future. Crowds are higher than they’ve ever been from a guest perspective and keeping those guests on property will inevitably be a focus of Disney’s intentions in the coming years. At the same time, with the exception of resorts that have already been announced or that are nearing completion, I doubt we’ll see any more lodging expansions rolled out this year. Disney has added a ton of rooms this year and are working to add more so my best guess is that they’ll be putting future resorts on hold until they really see how Star Wars draws crowds and how the accommodations situation unfolds over time. 
  

New DVC Villas 

The one exception to my “no-new resorts” mindset is the fact that I do believe Disney will continue to add DVC accommodations to moderate tier resorts and even potentially Port Orleans in particular in the not so distant future. Is it likely to happen this year, probably not with the expansions in place for Caribbean Beach and Coronado Springs already nearing completion, but I do believe updates are inevitable for Port Orleans at some point.

Another fitting DVC expansion in my opinion would be waterfront cabins at Fort Wilderness. Not only does it fit the theming but after seeing how well they were done at Wilderness Lodge I could see it being a huge hit with guests. 

So that about wraps it up. I’m sure I’ve missed something along the way, but that should cover just about everything I expect in 2019 going forward. Will it all happen? I certainly doubt it, but at the moment this is everything that makes sense to me. Either way, be sure to share your thoughts for the new year with us in the comments on your favorite social media platform. As always, hope you all have a great new year and we can’t wait to share some new content with you in entirely new ways going forward!   

  

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 and another great way to help us create more content through your contributions at no additional cost to you! You’ll probably even save money along the way.

   

   

Mary Poppins Returns – A Film Walt Would Be Proud Of

by Guide4WDW

by: guide4wdw – Collin

Mary Poppins Returns – A Film Walt Would Be Proud Of

In life there are so many things searching for our attention and often times the world around us tends to dictate what we do with each day and each pursuit in our lives. It’s an ever present struggle that our society often gets so wrapped up in that we forget to take the time to enjoy a bit of creativity and time to think outside of the box in all the right ways. 

You see, I’ve always been a proponent of trying new things and taking that first step in the right direction today that could change your life tomorrow. Nothing happens overnight, but with effort and a desire to pursue what you love doing more than anything else, virtually anything you wish to do in life is achievable more often than not. Mary Poppins Returns is the perfect story that encompasses that imaginative journey. It’s all about believing in the seemingly impossible and in many ways, both literal and figuratively, it’s something I know Walt would have been vastly proud of if he could have seen this film today. 



When Walt built Disneyland, he had a dream, and that dream wasn’t one of financial gains but rather one that many expected to fail. The idea seemed impossible on paper and at the very least was something that had never been done before. His creativity was the root of Disneyland’s success and Mary Poppins Returns encourages thoughts of creativity and thinking outside of the box and invites a whole new perspective for viewers while being reminiscent of the classic film so many appreciate.

Tucked deep in the details of the film you are taken back to subtle hints of the original soundtrack while a welcomed array of similar, yet different, songs arise in the most unique of ways. The story helps you appreciate the little things in life while being a larger than life story and uniquely different in all the right ways. 

If you’re a Disney history nut, you’ll appreciate a few particular scenes, but only one features a subtle few notes of a time honored classic Walt Disney was known to love. I won’t ruin the plot by spilling that little detail, but if you’re in the know, you’re in the know, and if not go watch Saving Mr. Banks or start reading up on the Sherman brothers to understand the heart behind one of the film’s finest moments. 


In regards to the plot itself, my only complaint would be a very brief one in that the film takes a bit longer than expected to “set the stage” and unveil the true context of the experience. In many ways, Mary Poppins Returns isn’t quite what you expect it to be (or at least it wasn’t what I expected it to be), but it still captures the essence of the original in a way that is quite difficult to explain in words. 

At it’s very core, this very well could be the “feel good” movie of the year for Disney fans and a story so many people will connect with on a personal level. There’s a piece of the story that everyone can relate to and it’s best described in the simplest of quotes, “Nothing’s gone forever, only out of place.”

Upon leaving the theater you can’t help but feel as if life is all just a matter of perspective and changing your perspective often reveals the most peculiar of results. 

In the end, Mary Poppins Returns is the holiday movie you should see. It’s “whimsical” in all the right ways, makes you reevaluate your perspectives, and the whole story is accompanied by one of the best casts they could have developed. It’s full of surprises, and a visit to the movie theater to see this should be on your “Christmas list” this year. 

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As an added disclaimer, we weren’t at any media event for this film and we weren’t paid to give this review. As always, these are simply my honest thoughts and I have to say this film genuinely exceeded my expectations. 
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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! 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 and another great way to help us create more content through your contributions at no additional cost to you! You’ll probably even save money along the way.

Homecomin’ Kitchen: Our New "Must-Do" Disney Dining Location!

by Guide4WDW

by: guide4wdw – Collin
Just last Friday (when this article was originally written: Mid July 2017 – Updated December 2018), we had the opportunity to dine at Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’ Kitchen. To be quite honest, I had heard outstanding reviews of the location, but really didn’t expect an amazing dining experience. I’m happy to say I was blown away by the level of service and incredible food the dining location encompasses. 

First off, we did have a reservation for dinner on July 7th at 6:00pm. We chose to spend that day of our trip at the resort just relaxing and taking in a few final minutes of Disney before flying home on Saturday. However, we wrapped up our time at the resort a little early and decided to head over to Disney Springs. Once we arrived, we decided to try to check in early for our reserved time (nearly 2 hours early), and the staff was more than helpful getting us a table much earlier than expected. After what was likely less than 10 minutes, we were at our table! 
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When you walk in the door at Homecomin’ you’re greeted by the smell of classic southern food and a friendly staff. At the check-in counter there’s a bowl of taffy to eat while you wait or take with you after your meal. While that is simply a little detail, it’s one of those things that sets a dining location apart from many others. (In a similar way, The Crazy Crab in Hilton Head Island, which many of you may have likely visited, has a characteristic key lime flavored candy at the welcome counter.) 

Once we were seated, our server arrived and really helped build the experience from the very beginning. As we pondered the menu, and attempted to narrow down our choices (which was extremely difficult because everything sounds good), our server made suggestions and helpful comments that were outstanding  Considering we were first time guests at the location, she made a special effort to share the location’s story and how a majority of the items are actually “Florida fresh,” and locally sourced. For me, that was a big selling point from the very beginning. Personally, if I can support the people around me in any way possible I’d much rather do that than an industry hundreds or even thousands of miles away. However, long story short, our server (Brooke – if you want to ask for her by name) was outstanding and really helped better our overall Homecomin’ experience. She gave truly honest opinion of what was served and really helped build an outstanding customer service experience!


After ordering, the food arrived fairly quickly and everything was brought to us hot and fresh.  All in all, we ordered four meals: Art’s Famous Fried Chicken, Fried Chicken and Donuts, The Chopped Pork Barbecue Plate, and another Famous Fried Chicken. We were fair warned that the portion size was huge by our server (we didn’t head the warning unfortunately), and she wasn’t kidding. The meals are huge and I wouldn’t have it any other way!  

Art’s Famous Fried Chicken was the crowd pleaser for sure! Honestly, it is the best fried chicken I have eaten in my life. Each piece is breaded and fried to a crispy texture, but the best part is, a majority of the bones have been removed prior to frying (with the exception of the chicken leg), so you can essentially eat everything that is brought to you. Even the larger sections of chicken were cut around the bone making it extremely easy to eat. this particular meal is served with mashed potatoes and cheddar drop biscuits, but the side can be traded out for others on the menu. The macaroni and cheese is a $2 up charge and we’ll share more on that later.   


The other fried chicken dish we ordered came with donuts opposed to the biscuits and was also outstanding. While in that particular meal you do get fewer pieces of chicken (see pictures), the meal is a simple variation of what is the Chicken and Waffles concept. The donuts aren’t incredibly overbearing with sugar, and the sauce that comes with them is equally as tasty! It really offers up that sweet and savory combination that just goes great together. 
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The chicken itself is amazing, it is a heavy meal, but a very juicy chicken with a ton of flavor. The sides are just as wonderful. The mashed potatoes are smooth and rich with an abundance of flavor paired with an equally creamy gravy. The Macaroni was outstanding, extremely filling, and is quite a large portion (hence the up charge). Another side we ordered, sweet potatoes, we’re supposedly outstanding as well, but personally I never could stand the taste of that type of potato. I had to pass on that one.

Last, but certainly not least, the chopped pork meal was really surprising. The sauce was quite sweet and the pork was extremely tender. Also worth noting is that Macaroni is included in the original pairing for this item on the menu, so there is no upcharge to order it with this meal.   

No one in our group ordered alcoholic drinks, but I will comment and say that this is one of the few places on Disney property where you can get “real” sweet tea. I’m from the city portion of Kentucky, so going a week without sweet tea is a challenge (lol). If you’re like us, enjoy it while you’re at this dining location and it won’t likely disappoint. 


All in all, this was one of the best meals, if not the best meal, we had during our vacation and I know I’ll be returning at some point in the future (hopefully sooner rather than later!). I understand this sounds like another over-positive review, but once again we paid for all of this out of pocket and I have very few complaints. Yes, as with everything on property it was a little pricey, but that’s to be expected. However, if I could change one thing, the only gripe I could come up with is that the drink prices are really high even by Disney standards. Everything considered, the staff was outstanding, very friendly, and the food was really hard to put into words. It’s true southern cooking at it’s finest! If you go, ask for Brooke if she’s there, and don’t forget to try the chicken! If you want to check out a full menu here’s a quick link -> Menu and Prices

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 and another great way to help us create more content through your contributions at no additional cost to you! You’ll probably even save money along the way.


Thanks for reading, and be sure to SHARE our new Disney dining “must do” with friends! If you’re booking a vacation and plan on spending some time at Disney Springs, be sure to check this place out!

Honestly, I don’t quite know how affiliated this property is with Disney, but they do take the dining plan and other Disney related discounts if you’re interested! Thanks again! 

Our Ideal Disney World "Resort Hopping" Day! 9 Resort Visits in One Day!

by Guide4WDW

by: guide4wdw – Collin

Our Ideal Disney World Resort Hopping Day! 9 Resort Visits in One Day! 

If you’re a Disney parks fan or even simply a casual traveler to Walt Disney World, you’ve likely heard of the term “resort hopping.” In essence, resort hopping is = going to resorts other than your home resort to visit, shop, dine, and ultimately explore a little piece of Disney that each resort offers in new and unique ways. It’s a great way to expand your horizons at WDW and an even better way to find resorts to stay at during your next trip or new places to dine that you never would have considered. 


However, at this point in the article, I feel somewhat obligated to mention that this is not a list of ways to work the system and visit other resort pools and the many other practices that Disney heavily frowns upon. Instead, this is a list of ways to explore the unique dining, hidden gems, gift shops, and unique theming of resorts, and it’s actually something Disney tends to encourage rather than the alternative. Leave the pools, guest rooms, and guest exclusive areas of the resorts to the guests staying at the resorts, but be sure to explore the theming and intricate details of these expertly designed resort common areas. 

Rather than repeating much of what we’ve shared in other articles, today we’re sharing what a typical resort hopping day looks like for us and how it is extremely possible and quite stress free to visit 9 resorts or more in one day outside of the parks. 

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It’s been a growing trend among our family to take the time out of each vacation to set aside one day (on week long trips) to step away from the parks to explore the resorts in more and more depth. Not only does it save a few dollars in the overall budget, but it also tends to be one of our most enjoyable days of the trip time and time again. 

Characteristically, a resort hopping day for us will begin at Wilderness Lodge’s Whispering Canyon for breakfast. It’s not unusual for us to be staying at the resort or its accompanying Boulder Ridge Villas, but even if you choose another resort, Wilderness Lodge is typically only a few minute Uber ride away (we shared a few tips on that service here). The breakfast is great and we even did a full review of it after the fact due to our multiple visits and even went as far as to call it a “hidden gem” breakfast on Disney property. If you know us, you know that is about as high of a rating as we could give any Disney dining location. It truly is one of the best values on property. 

Circling back to Uber, the service does play a role in our resort hopping plans but only a very slight role. In the past, I’ve been a critic of the service for various reasons but with the ever changing nature of the parking situation at Disney parks and resorts, it’s often easier to use Uber/Lyft/Minnie Vans and provided Disney transportation than trying to drive from place to place. It’s quick, it’s convenient, and ultimately is worth the money, especially if you use one of the referral codes both Uber and Lyft provided us with which will get you and us a discount on your ride(s). 

(Works anywhere in the country.) 

However, while Lyft and Uber are always quite convenient, don’t overlook Disney transportation and that’s ultimately how we get from place to place during the day as we move from resort to resort. Getting to the first resort of the day tends to be the problem when resort hopping. If you go to a resort for breakfast, it can be quite tricky to get to your destination without an Uber or Lyft. Typically we would catch a bus to the closest park from our home resort for the week and then catch a bus at the parks bus stop to the resort destination of our choice. Breakfast tends to be a tough timeframe for doing this because the parks aren’t always open early enough to get to your breakfast reservation by that particular route. As a result, ride sharing services due come into play. 

Wilderness Lodge

Once breakfast is over, consider taking a walk around Wilderness Lodge. The resort offers some of the most picturesque views on property. From the main lobby to the tucked away fireplaces, quiet overlooks, and tucked away spots, every where you turn there’s something unique to see and uncover in the vast details of the resort’s story. Additionally, the resort’s gift shop ‘Mercantile” is home to some of the more unique resort specific merchandise. If you really want to uncover some of the more overlooked details, make the short walk outside and down the covered path to the Boulder Ridge Villa lobby. It’s a tucked away spot but one of the greatest tributes to Walt Disney’s past you’ll find at Walt Disney World hiding in plain site. Look for the Carolwood Room sign and you know you’re in the right place. If you’re into Disney history, it will likely exceed your expectations. 



Once you wrap up your visit to Wilderness Lodge, head out to the boat dock to make your way to the next destination that always makes it on our list, the Contemporary.

To get to the Contemporary you’ll want to catch the resort loop boat. It’s a short trip, completely free, and gets you there in about 10-15 minutes (sometimes less). Simply use the signs at the dock and ask your captain to verify they are headed to your desired destination. The views from the boat are spectacular, and while the photo below was taken at sunset, picturesque views can be found throughout the year nearly every day! 


The Contemporary Resort    

The Contemporary is rather unique in that most of your entertainment and dining is no where near the lobby. Instead, as you arrive at the fourth floor, by means of elevators, staircases, and escalators, the atrium unfolds and showcases one of the more impressive buildings that can be found on Disney property. The wow factor for the contemporary isn’t in the lobby like Wilderness Lodge, but rather this grand atrium that constantly wows guests at first sight. 


In the main grand concourse itself you’ll find unique shopping and dining including Chef Mickey’s (a decent buffet offering – somewhat overpriced), The Contempo Cafe, the Fantasia gift shop, and Bayview Gifts. Each offer something unique and around the holidays you’ll find festive displays all around. As a partially unique part of the experience, consider stepping out onto the large balcony overlooking Magic Kingdom in the distance. It’s a spectacular view and perhaps one of the little overlooked “hidden gems” of the experience that many resort guests and visitors miss entirely.

Once you’ve had your fix of the Contemporary, hop on the monorail and ride two stops over to the Polynesian Village resort. 
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The Polynesian Village 

The Polynesian is always a guest favorite resort that makes you feel like you’ve stepped into a tropical hideaway perched on the sand with Cinderellas Castle off in the distance. The views are stunning, the smells put you in the story, and the sounds of the tropical music and subtle chatter of guests drifting in and out of the lobby make for an excellent multi-sensory experience. 

Inside the resort you’ll find four incredible dining options. The pinnacle of all the dining is the Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show which brings a Polynesian Luau to the heart of central Florida. The experience is pricey ($66-$78 for adults) and only offered on select dates and select times. However, it is perhaps the most unique dining option for a day outside of the parks. 

Other dining options include Ohana (the family favorite meal for most guests), Kona, and Captain Cooks. Each have their strengths and weaknesses but each are well worth experiencing at least once and the vast array of options accommodate many different price points. 

The Polynesian also offers two uniquely themed gift shops with resort specific merchandise that is well worth checking out. Last but certainly not least, grab a Dole Whip at Pineapple Lanai and walk down to the beaches for a stroll in the sand to complete the Polynesian experience. 

The Grand Floridian 



When it’s all said and done, make your way back up to the monorail, ride one stop and explore all the Grand Floridian has to offer. Without repeating what’s already been mentioned above, the Grand Floridian offer it’s own array of wonderful dining and gift shops, but also has an array of high end merchandise in select stores ranging from Vineyard Vines to Lilly Pulitzer apparel and many others. 

The Grand Floridian is particularly wonderful around the holidays with Christmas music being played by a live band or piano and decor that looks like something out of a Hallmark movie complete with a larger than life gingerbread house that is always a pleasure to see in person. 

Port Orleans

As perhaps the greatest benefit of this resort hopping strategy, you can jump on the monorail one last time and head to Magic Kingdom. Without entering the park you can leave the monorail, head to the bus stop, and board a bus to your desired destination. One of my personal favorite spots to go at this point on our resort hopping days is Port Orleans French Quarter. The bus ride is only about 10 minutes long and once you arrive, having completed the other resorts on our list, it typically turns out to be around lunch time and Floatworks at French Quarter is a near perfect quick service lunch option. Once again, French Quarter offers a unique shopping experience and the theming really is one of the best resort themes anywhere on property regardless of resort tier. 


Disney Springs or Crescent Lake 

From that point, you have two great options. First, you could continue your day by heading over to Disney Springs for the night via a boat provided by the resort just steps from the lobby, or you can continue on your way to other resorts! Our next resort pick tends to be the  Crescent Lake resorts and Epcot resort area including the Yacht and Beach Club, Swan and Dolphin, and Boardwalk resorts. It is fairly difficult to get to these resorts from French Quarter but, as mentioned before, you can always hail an Uber or head to a park using the resorts busses and then switch busses to get to your end destination. 

In my opinion there is no better first stop than the Yacht Club. The little intricate details of the lobby and external resort grounds are wonderful to explore. As an added bonus, the spacious and comfortable lobby is a great place to relax and escape from the hustle and bustle of your Disney vacation. If you have a bit of extra time, a quick 10-15 minute walk along the lakes edge and through the Swan and Dolphin will lead you right over to Fantasia miniature golf. It’s a great way to spend some time with family, it’s fairly budget friendly, and it is truly unlike any miniature golf you’ve played before. When you’re finished, consider stopping by the Fountain’s walk up window on the bottom floor of the Dolphin for some of the best ice cream on property!


If it’s late enough in the day at this point, consider eating at Cape May Cafe. The tucked away seafood buffet dinner is one that we failed to eat at for years on end. It does require a reservation most of the time but reservations tend to be plentiful. The meal is incredible and is housed in Disney’s Beach Club Resort. It’s not necessarily the most budget friendly offering (more on that in our Cape May Cafe informational post), but it is truly one of my favorite meals anywhere on property and is one of the best kept WDW dining secrets.

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At the end of the night, after your meal, consider making the short walk over to Disney’s Boardwalk resort to enjoy the glistening lights of the real boardwalk experience on the edge of Crescent Lake, potentially a movie on the village green, or even some live entertainment by incredibly talented street performers. The sights, the sounds, and the overall environment is well worth your time. As day turns into night and the nightly performance of Illuminations takes to the sky at Epcot nearby, the view from the boardwalk (while partially obstructed) is one of the most picturesque views you’ll find anywhere on property. The reflections off of the water create a show stopping experience for guests and it’s something you won’t want to miss. 

At the end of the night hail an Uber and head back to your home resort for the week and you may very well have experienced a fun filled day with very little expense and uncovered hundreds of things you never would have gotten the chance to explore on a typical Disney vacation! Enjoy every moment, try something new, and you’ll never be disappointed with resort hopping! Use our plan or create your own plan with resorts you’ve always wanted to visit. This post only scratches the surface of all there is to see and do, but we hope that this at least gives you the motivation to try this vastly important part of our Disney vacations.   

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 and another great way to help us create more content through your contributions at no additional cost to you! You’ll probably even save money along the way.
                   

The One Thing So Many First Time Guests Overlook About Disney

by Guide4WDW

by: guide4wdw – Collin

The One Thing So Many First Time Guests Overlook About Disney 

When you think of Disney World, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? It’s interesting to me to hear answers to this very question because the answers vary depending on who you ask but in particular, there’s one main separating factor among all the answers… if you’ve been to Walt Disney World or not. So many prospective guests have this fixated expectation of what they are going to get out of a Disney experience and more often than not, the experience they receive vastly outpaces their expectations. Perhaps the best example of this is simply the answers to the aforementioned question.

Pose that initial question to a friend of yours that’s never stepped in a Disney park or hasn’t done so in the last 10-15 years and you’ll likely get the answer… “attractions, fireworks, characters, hotels,” and the list goes on.

The Lunching Pad - First Time Disney Guest Tips
If you ask a Disney guest who’s been to the parks time and time again that same question the answer typically varies drastically. Their answer is rarely about the attractions or the shows or even the world class dining but rather some story about their kids, a memory they shared with friends, or even perhaps a hidden piece of the history of the parks they found hiding in plain site. You see, the overlooked thing about Disney is that it’s not just another amusement park. Sure, there’s attractions, world class dining, incredible fireworks shows, and the list goes on and on, but one thing sets it all apart and much of it circles back to story and the vastly important influence story has on the “Disney Experience.”

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No matter if it’s story in a literal sense of the stories attractions help portray, stories in the sense of the real life history of the parks themselves, or even quite possibly your story that develops from those deeply rooted experiences with friends or family in the parks year after year. The secret that sets Disney apart from all the others isn’t in the attractions but rather in the stories developed that exceed your wildest expectations. 

Wilderness Lodge - First Time Disney Guest Tips
Boulder Ridge - First Time Disney Guest Tips
It’s not every day that you get to walk down Main Street with your family no matter how young, old, or young at heart they may be. It’s one of those simple pleasure in life that often gets lost in our daily lives. Disney, and in particular Walt Disney World, has a way of slowing things down and offering a true escape from reality. It’s something that every repeat and life long Disney guest understands and more importantly the one thing every prospective guest should make a cognitive effort not to overlook by mistake. 

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It’s so easy to get caught up in technology, our jobs, and invariably our increasingly busy lives, but the ability to disconnect and consciously take in that moment and escape from reality with friends and family with no fear of judgement is something that only Disney has been able to provide so many of us over the years. Walt said it best years ago when he said that essentially Disney World may not hold all the answers but happiness will be at the forefront of the project. Of course, in classic Walt fashion, his description was exorbitantly more polished than my iteration of the concept, but I feel that it’s still a near perfect representation of what Walt Disney World does for guests. It’s not your standard amusement park but rather an experience that is so incredibly hard to put into words. I keep saying it’s more than the attractions but that ultimately downplays the experiential nature of the vacation destination. The Disney parks are a vastly transformative experience that surround you and transport you to different places and different stories, but the key to it all is in the opportunity the place creates for you to create your own Disney story. That’s what it’s all about and in the simplest of explanations, that’s the main thing so many prospective guests rarely expect and ultimately overlook. 

Pandora - First Time Disney Guest Tips
Disney at face value may not be your idea of a dream vacation, but when you dig a little deeper, the Walt Disney World resort truly is a World of different varieties of entertainment. There really is something for everyone to enjoy. Sometimes it just takes a few minutes to look beyond the obvious to uncover the one thing Disney offers that will help you create your ideal story. If you’re new to the parks, or simply looking for something new to try on your next WDW vacation be sure to check out some of our favorite posts and recommendations below:

     

Magic Kingdom - First Time Disney Guest Tips
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 and another great way to help us create more content through your contributions at no additional cost to you! You’ll probably even save money along the way.

Disney World Ticket Buying Tips for 2018 and 2019

by Guide4WDW

by: guide4wdw – Collin

Disney World Ticket Buying Tips for 2018 and 2019 


Everyone visiting Walt Disney World will at some point typically need a ticket in order to enter the parks. Of course, there are many guests that simply enjoy the resorts and never set foot in the parks, but that’s a scenario and story (which I’ve experienced first hand at Disney’s Port Orleans French Quarter resort.) for another day. Disney World park tickets are not cheap by any stretch of the imagination, but we’ve thankfully found a few workarounds and best case scenarios that will minimize ticket costs and create a more budget friendly Disney ticket buying situation. As always, your mileage may vary utilizing these recommendations, but you can save money on Walt Disney World tickets in 2018 and 2019 utilizing these helpful hints and special offers.    

Is a “Magic Your Way” Vacation Package Your Best Option?

The answer to this question regarding Disney World tickets is going to vary vastly from case to case. Sometimes Disney themselves will offer unique theme park ticket and resort accommodation combination offers that are worth their weight in gold. However, when they do create these specific combination deals, you almost always have to book your vacation as a package. By doing so, Disney largely guarantees that you will purchase everything from them and eliminate the “middle man.” However, something you may want to consider is that these deals can sometimes be beneficial monetarily, but other times may end up costing you more money than alternative options. 

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The first thing I recommend every individual looking to book a WDW vacation ask themselves is, “Can I get this cheaper elsewhere?” While these combination offers are great in a majority of circumstances, take a few minutes to look at other options before jumping on Disney’s package offer. Head over to Disney’s site and see what the best combination price you can find may be, no matter if it is discounted or not, and then head to a third party site like the Official Ticket Center, or even consult a travel agency, and compare your overall costs of each portion of the vacation expenses. Look into stand alone tickets, look at dining plan vs no dining plan, and compare each portion of the costs individually to develop the most cost effective vacation experience you can piece together. 

Disney’s vacation packages are definitely an easy and convenient avenue, but in some instances it may not be the most cost effective option. Reach out to those in the industry with experience (Travel Agencies, Bloggers, Me, Friends, and Family) and see what saved them money. You may be surprised with some of the answers they come up with.   

  


What About A Disney World Annual Pass?

Annual passes are really an animal all of their own. For most guests they’re a bit overkill when booking a family vacation, if I’m being completely straight forward with you. At one point I was a Walt Disney World Annual Passholder, and likely will be again in the near future, but we live in Kentucky. We do have the opportunity to travel to the parks quite frequently, which is wonderful, but certain years make the annual pass a better opportunity for us than other years. For example, last year we went to Walt Disney World in December and then returned for the Fourth of July. Unfortunately, we had not planned our July trip until after we had returned from our December trip. As a result, we did not buy annual passes. However, in hind site we certainly should have bought AP’s because we gave away some money in not doing so.

As a rule of thumb, an annual pass will save you money if you intend to spend at least 4 days in the parks within one calendar year on two separate occasions. A 4 day park hopper ticket will typically cost you around $480 and a platinum annual pass will cost you $894. If you do the math, you’ll realize you could potentially save a lot of money just by going ahead and buying the full annual pass. 

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Of course, there is one main caveat to that great plan (isn’t there always a catch?) and that is the initial cost of the annual passes. They are not cheap in any way shape or form and most guests will not have the means necessary to buy 4 or more annual passes for a typical family on top of the costs associated with the resort accommodations. However, there is one solution to the issue this presents. If you plan far enough in advance and book a vacation package through Disney, you have the option to upgrade your packaged tickets to an annual pass before you leave your resort and all it costs you is the difference in price. By doing this, you not only save yourself the financial burden of throwing a large sum on a credit card or other payment form all at once, but also allow yourself to take advantage of the package cancellation policy (explained below) that does not apply to stand alone tickets. There’s also a discount on Disney annual pass renewals when yours inevitably expires the following year.    
Money Saving Disney Tips

Is it Cheaper to Buy From Official Disney Resellers?

Personally, I’ve heard this question time after time. To be quite honest with you, when you compare across the board one day tickets, the benefits of booking from a reseller aren’t that pronounced. The benefits really reveal themselves when you either book multi-day tickets or if you are buying tickets for larger groups and the small savings really starts to build exponentially due to the number of guests. You receive the same discount, but a $2 saving for four guests amounts to $8 total, where as a $2 savings for 50 people accounts for $100 saved. 

If you’re booking a longer stay, you’ll want to consider Disney authorized ticket sellers. For example, occasionally The Official Ticket Center offers a 5th day free when purchasing a 4 day park hopper or base ticket. Disney rarely makes that same offer on their own, but it will save you money if it works for your vacation strategy and length of stay. 

As always, there are many other authorized ticket resellers (Undercover Tourist, etc.) and many will push out comparable offers to help create sales. You will be purchasing the same ticket you would have bought from Disney, but simply at a discounted price. 

Which WDW Tickets to Buy?

The reality of the entire ticket buying situation is that your needs may or may not align with certain offers and ticket buying scenarios. Personally that is why I recommend a good travel agency. Notice how I said a “good” travel agency. No travel agent should ever ask you to pay them for their services in my opinion. A vast majority of the time, agents work with Disney and other organizations to drive revenue through commissions. If an agent asks for money up front, you should take your business elsewhere or really consider doing so unless you have a special reaction to that individual. I mean no disrespect to anyone who offers such a paid service, but it’s not in the guests best interest to book with a paid for travel agency booking when they could go elsewhere for no additional cost at all. A quote request form for my personally recommended agency is below this article, but I would feel comfortable booking with any authorized Disney vacation planner. They go through this ticket buying process daily and know the ins and outs of the best situation available for your vacation timeframe and can typically figure out exactly what works best for you.

In regards to length of stay and ticket length, I recommend first time and returning resort guests purchase a Disney 5 day park hopper ticket at a minimum. The Walt Disney World Theme Parks are vast and to be quite honest, there is no way to see and do it all. I haven’t seen it all and I’ve been touring the parks for 19+ years. A five day ticket gives you the opportunity to see each park for at least one full day, plus it gives you the opportunity to return to any park on your last day to revisit favorite attractions or dining locations. Some of our top plans for touring the parks can be found here on the site and may be able to help you out (Each of these touch on different resort lengths of stay and even a few ways to save money along the way.)  

Additionally, a park hopper is a must-do add-on in my humble opinion. With the park hopper option, you can start your day at Animal Kingdom for Pandora, then when you wrap that up, you can head over to Magic Kingdom to view Happily Ever After that night. It truly frees up a world of opportunities during your vacation and creates an unrestricted park touring experience. Personally, this plays into our dining process more than anything. We love eating at Epcot and Magic Kingdom (especially during Flower and Garden Festival) so we start our day early at one park then head to a second park for a meal or a few attractions. The combinations are endless. If you’re new to Walt Disney World, trust me on this one, it’s worth the extra money, especially during longer stays for a majority of guests.        
      

Beware of Fraudulent Disney World Ticket Scams!

This is a key point when buying anything regarding Walt Disney World tickets. Disney parks ticket scams are everywhere! Everyone is trying to make a buck off of the internet now a days and theme park guests are taking a hit from it in a big way. Every year, some type of big scam gets shut down for selling fake Disney tickets to unknowing guests. My greatest recommendations out of this entire article are to never buy a ticket from anyone that does not proudly place the Authorized Disney Ticket Seller Badge on their site or within their retail location, never buy a Disney ticket off of eBay or Craig’s list, and avoid any deal that seems too good to be true (because it is). If you arrive at the gates of the park and your ticket does not work and Disney finds out that it is a fake, they honestly will not care if you knowingly bought a fake ticket or not.         

Stay Longer to Decrease Daily Disney Ticket Costs

Disney created a plan years ago that rewarded guests who stayed longer with variably decreasing daily ticket costs for longer stay lengths. Many believe it was a ploy to keep guests from venturing beyond the “Disney bubble” to other parks in the area, and honestly it has truly worked in their favor.

A one day ticket to Walt Disney World seems increasingly expensive at first glance. However, after you reach a 3+ day ticket, the daily costs start to decline as a result of a longer stay. As a result, the cost of an extra day moving from a 9 day ticket to a 10 day ticket is a tiny (in the grand scheme of things) $10. Of course, while you are talking $540 vs. $550 at that point, which is a large sum of money overall, I’d gladly pay $10 for even a few extra hours in a park. The additional day costs aren’t always that cheap but it is always the case for a 7+ plus day park ticket. 

Long story short, if you want to plan a vacation, consider what it will cost you by comparison to head to Universal or Seaworld (or even Discovery Cove – As much as we loved that experience!) before you miss out on an additional day at Walt Disney World for much less money spent.        


Consider the Cancellation Policy When Buying WDW Tickets

As mentioned above, this is the one key factor to consider when buying any tickets. Tickets bought in a package, booked through Disney or an authorized travel agency, are granted the same cancellation policy as the package itself. By contrast, and likely the most influential point in this article, tickets purchased as stand alone tickets cannot be refunded. Even if you purchase those tickets through Disney, they will not be refunded.   

Final Thoughts on Disney Theme Park Tickets 

Hopefully this comparison of a vast variety of options and the realities of buying tickets at a discounted price has given you a better understanding of what all is available. One big factor to consider here in our parting thoughts for the day, is to buy your tickets as soon as you possibly can (with the exception of an Annual Pass. Wait and upgrade a ticket to one of those to avoid wasting days of the pass.). It doesn’t matter if you buy the tickets in a package or as a stand alone buying option from any source, buy early in order to lock in your best and most budget friendly price. Disney has been known to increase ticket prices once a year, and if you wait too late you will have to pay the extra costs. Some years it changes very little, but it has increased every year for as long as I can remember. The key to buying early is that if you already have your tickets bought, you will be grandfathered into the new rate structure without having to pay any more, no matter when your vacation falls in the calendar year. 

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If you’re considering a water park day, be sure to look into the price of a stand alone water park day ticket price in addition to the Park Hopper Plus option. Depending on your length of stay, purchasing a water park ticket separately, if you know you will spend the entire day at the water park (which you likely will, they’re amazing), can be the cheaper option. Water park tickets cost less than park tickets, so avoid paying for the park portion of the ticket if it is going to cost you more. If you’re staying 5+ days, as we recommend above, it likely will not save you any money. If that’s the case, simply purchase the add on option and use the extra time in the parks to head to another park after the water park closes to view a nighttime spectacular or catch a few extra attractions before the day comes to a close. 


There are a ton of variables in the ticket buying process, but choosing the correct options can vastly change the overall costs of your vacation. It may not be the most convenient option (unless booking through a Travel Agent which can compare them for you) but it is usually most cost effective to weigh the multitude of ticket buying scenarios. Every guest is different and expects a unique experience all of their own when touring Walt Disney World. I can’t tell you what’s best for your family, but hopefully this gets you in the right direction or gives you something to consider before your next trip! Thanks for reading, and have a great rest of the day! Enjoy this article? Be sure to join the Guide4WDW community! 

A few of the links and companies mentioned in this article are affiliates of mine and do help us out with the upkeep costs of the site. Of course, we do not intend for that to affect our opinion of their services and it is simply who we recommend because we have met and appreciate their business philosophies. Thanks for supporting those who support us. My main goal is that they will help you out in any way possible.             

Disney World Mistakes and Terrible Tips To Avoid

by Guide4WDW

by: guide4wdw – Collin

Disney World Mistakes and Terrible Tips To Avoid

It’s no secret that there’s no one set way to do Disney and to plan a Walt Disney World vacation. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, but there is no perfect way to tour the parks and resorts. Every person is different, every vacation style is different, and most importantly what I want out of a vacation and what you want out of a vacation may be two vastly different experiences. With that being said, there are some tips and mistakes that can be made that all guests should try and avoid if at all possible. There’s no all inclusive list but today we just wanted to take a look at some of the more common mistakes many first time and even some returning guests make in addition to a few of the terrible tips we’ve heard shared over the years. 

Don’t have time to read all of these or just want to listen instead?? Why not listen on the drive to work to get that “Disney fix.” Be sure to check out this weeks podcast where we cover this exact topic in greater depth! Thanks for listening and don’t forget to subscribe to Guide4WDW Uncut on iTunes!  

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There’s one thing I don’t want this article to turn into and that is a vastly negative post. This isn’t designed to bash anyone or call anyone out. Those types of posts you’ll never find on this site because no one benefits from them in any way. I’m here to share tips to help you enjoy every minute of your Disney vacation and to hopefully open your eyes to the vast nature of all that Disney has to offer along the way.

I will say though that much of this list correlates to our personal travel style. Typically we travel in a group of four, we’re all adults in the given group and all over the age of 22. We’re not the type of people who focus heavily on attractions, and we’re not the type of guests that travel on a shoe string budget most of the time. We have traveled on very limited budgets, but it’s not out of the ordinary for us to eat a table service meal almost every day of our trip, for us to stay in Deluxe tier resorts, and for us to splurge on a few things throughout the vacation experience. On the other hand, we’re not the guests who stay club level every vacation or the type of guest that regularly hires VIP guides for our time in the park (although that is a great opportunity for many).

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Also worth mentioning is the fact that we are able to visit Walt Disney World multiple times per year so we go at things from a slightly different perspective. If a wait time is extremely long, we simply move on to a different attraction. It’s rare that we wait more than 30 minutes for an attraction and tend to enjoy the simpler elements of the experience beyond the attractions themselves. 

If you appreciate that mindset, travel in a similar manner, or wish to travel in a similar way, I think you’ll really enjoy this list. If not, there’s still quite a few things to consider on the list that I hope you’ll think about before your next vacation either way.               

Mistake: Forgetting the Deposit  

This particular mistake is first on my list for one reason and one reason only, we have made this mistake before and have almost made this mistake on many other occasions as well. If you’re booking a vacation package or any other type of on property resort accommodations there is an option for a courtesy hold without payment. However, if you do not pay the initial fee to hold the reservation within the allotted time frame the reservation ceases to exist. Paying that deposit is easy to forget about so my recommendation is to at least pay the minimum amount required to hold your reservation until payment is required 30 days out from your travel dates. It’s typically a relatively small portion of the total payment and more than worth the peace of mind. 
       

Terrible Tip: The Quick Service Haters

I may ruffle some feathers with this comment but don’t listen to the people who say quick service dining at Disney isn’t worth your time. These people exist and honestly they tend to be food snobs in my opinion. Disney quick service at one point in time was relatively lack luster. However, today’s quick service offerings are outstanding if you simply take the time research and learn about some of the better offerings that may be hiding in plain site. If you’re looking for some of the better options, consider looking at the following articles: 

I’m one of the largest proponents of table service dining you’ll find in the Disney community, but even I absolutely love some of the counter service locations in the parks and more importantly at the resorts. The Polite Pig holds it’s own when compared to table service, Geyser Point at Wilderness Lodge does as well, and I could write an entire article on how much I enjoy Floatworks over at Port Orleans French Quarter! Don’t overlook quick service meals! Even the simplest of meals may exceed your wildest expectations. 


In a similar conversation, don’t eat exclusively at quick service locations if you can avoid it. So many guests are scared away from table service meals due to the price point, but they don’t have to be expensive. One of my favorite articles I’ve ever written was a quest to prove that idea all on it’s own when I shared 10 Excellent Entrees Under $15 at Walt Disney World. Nearly half of the items on that list were from table service locations. A great sit down meal doesn’t have to be pricey and it doesn’t have to time consuming. There are options that meet both needs.   

Terrible Tip: The Fireworks “Camp Out”

Every Disney guest has done this at some option in time. You stake out your fireworks viewing location well over an hour in advance and you sit and you wait… and you wait… and you wait some more. Then, at the last minute, a random 7 foot giant wedges into a tiny space right in front of you. While that may be a bit of an exaggeration (even though I’ve seen it happen first hand), I can’t stress enough how rare it is that you have to spend over an hour of your time in the parks staking out a fireworks viewing location. Magic Kingdom during peak crowds may be the sole exception to this rule, but it’s not unusual to find a good spot 30 minutes before show time in a majority of cases if you know where to look. We even made a list of the better spots in our 5 Magic Kingdom Fireworks Viewing Tips for 2018/2019 article and even shared a few great viewing locations outside of the parks in our 5 Incredible Spots to View Disney Fireworks Without a Park Ticket post.

Epcot is the ultimate example of this. Illuminations, and likely whatever show replaces it in the coming year, is viewable from nearly anywhere on the World Showcase promenade. You can stake out your spot right up against the waters edge or you can enjoy an extra hour of your night grabbing dessert or exploring the pavilions and settling for a near equal view of the show by finding a spot 15-20 minutes before showtime. Hollywood Studios fireworks shows are even more convenient because of the Echo Lake area. If you’re “late” to claiming a spot, simply move over to the lake side of the Chinese Theater and you can see most of the show if you stand near the front of the lake no matter what show it may be. Chances are, you’ll miss a few of the projections, but for the vast majority of the show you’ll be perfectly content with the viewing angle.

My sole exception to this rule is Fantasmic and if you’re a photographer and want a particular shot of any of the shows. Fantasmic fills to capacity long before show time nearly every night when crowds are above average. From a photography standpoint, if you plan on using a tripod for long exposure shots and want a particular view of Happily Ever After or the nighttime shows, you will need to claim your spot and hold your ground not only to protect your gear but also to create enough space to avoid guests bumping into your tripod/monopod during the show. A great way to avoid that problem is to try and find a spot near a railing so that no one can stand in front of you and you’re at least guarded on one side from a run away stroller and so that you can try to avoid disturbing anyone else’s viewing experience along the way. 

Mistake: The Over-planned Disaster

If I had to pick just one thing to avoid when planning your Disney vacation, it would be this 1000 times over. I can not stress enough how detrimental this can be to a Disney vacation experience. If I had my choice of planning as much as possible or as little as possible I’d take the little as possible option time and time again and here’s why. If you plan every detail of every day in the parks, you’re inevitably going to spend more time trying to stay on schedule or catching up with your schedule that you’ll miss out on the simple joy of just being there in the moment and enjoying whatever happens, whenever it happens. 

Look around you when you’re in the parks next time. Chances are the group of guests that spontaneously rolls up to a parade or a dance party in the streets and just go with it and have an incredible time living in the moment are the people creating the most memories. Take a note from them and enjoy just being there! Plan what you have to. Plan your fastness selections, plan what day you’ll go to each park, and plan your meals, the rest of it you can get by with going with the flow.    
      

Mistake: The Open to Close Attempt

While quite similar to the over planning disaster, trying to push yourself to the limit and hitting the parks sun up to sundown and well into the night can lead to disastrous results. As you head to the parks day after day it slowly starts to catch up with you and by the time you get to your last day of your trip you need a vacation to recover from your vacation. 

If you really want to make the most of your days, arrive at the parks early, stay until just before the crowds peak in the early afternoon hours and take a break during the middle of the afternoon. Head to a resort in the area and relax in the lobby or do some shopping/dining. Head to your own resort and enjoy to the pool or relax in the room and then as the afternoon starts to turn into early night, return to the parks just before or just after dinner to close out the night. The break may seem like a waste of time but more often than not it’s the needed change of pace you’ll appreciate and need to get through those long hours in the parks (especially in the peak summer/spring season when park hours can be from 8am to well after midnight depending on the day).    

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Terrible Tip: “Don’t Bother With Deluxe Resorts”

I have been and likely always will be a firm proponent of at least trying a deluxe resort if you’ve never done so before. So many guests go by the thought process that is often forced upon them by other guests that staying deluxe “isn’t worth the money.” Honestly, I disagree. The experience of a deluxe resort is simply different than any other resort accommodations and resort experience you’ll find anywhere else around the country. It truly is a transformative experience that immerses you in theme and story that changes how you view all other resorts. Now, I completely understand that many guests simply can not make a deluxe resort economically smart for their given situation but there are a few ways to overcome the typically high costs associated with deluxe accommodations.

First and foremost is booking larger rooms and traveling with larger parties so that you can split costs and overall make the accomodations a bit more budget friendly. Another option is to book at off peak times when possible and to watch for seasonal discounts which tend to be abundant and offer up to 30% off resort accommodations. Lastly, consider booking with DVC points that can be bought through third party points resellers. David’s Vacation Rentals is one particularly popular option but no matter which reseller you go with you can save a vast amount of money when booking far enough in advance. The only downside to the DVC resale route is that cancellation is pretty much non existent without purchasing travel insurance. No matter how you make it work for your situation, at least consider deluxe accommodations, because there genuinely is a difference between moderate, value, and deluxe accommodations. All are great options but deluxe is inevitably a cut above the rest. It’s not just a place to stay but rather a place that engulfs you in story and changes the feel of your vacation.      

Mistake: Overlooking Resort Dining

If you’ve been to the parks multiple times, you’ve likely figured this mistake/tip out. If you’re not eating at your resort or other resort locations, you’re truly missing out on some of the very best dining available on all of Walt Disney World property. From excellent quick service like Floatworks at Port Orleans French Quarter to high end table service like the Yachtsman at the Yacht Club, there is something for every price point and often times food outside of the parks is even better than the food offerings available inside the parks. 
  

Mistake: Booking Last Minute 

I can firmly categorize this as a mistake because I’ve done it time and time again. Booking within the last month before your stay or even last two months before your travel dates is a huge disservice to your planning experience. Back in July we booked a trip roughly four weeks before we would arrive in Orlando. Was it stressful, absolutely. Was it doable, certainly. However, we’re not the average guest. We’ve been doing this for quite some time and it was still one of the tightest turn around times we’ve ever faced. 

Let me reiterate that it is certainly possible to do, but at the same time it is rather difficult to do and do so effectively if you’re a first time guest. You’ll inevitably have to be pretty flexible with fastpass+ selections since availability will likely be very low. Resort accommodations are going to be very few and far between and likely more expensive than usual. Lastly, some select dining reservations will be difficult to secure. It has to be a much more go with the flow planning style and travel style. 

My best recommendation would be to book any Disney vacation at least 3 months in advance of your travel dates. If you are doing things a little more last minute and even if you’re not, I always recommend Destinations to Travel for your booking needs because it’s not only free to you but also helps us out here on the site along the way.  
         

Mistake: Never Leaving the “Bubble” 

I know it is incredibly tempting to arrive at Disney and never want to leave the parks and resorts to enter the “real world” but if you’ve been to the parks many times, consider switching things up and heading off site to enjoy a great meal, a trip to the outlet mall, or even another vacation destination like Discovery Cove. You may even want to make the drive over to Coco Beach for the day! Every once in a while it’s a nice change of pace. For more on Discovery Cove consider checking out our article all about it from a Disney minded perspective -> An Honest Comparison: Discovery Cove From a Disney Perspective

Terrible Tip: “Just Stay Off Property”

It’s no secret that I tend to prefer to stay on property at Walt Disney World. In my opinion the benefits vastly outweigh the occasional (never guaranteed) marginal cost savings of staying off property, even when staying at the more convenient off-property resorts. I somewhat generalized this commonly suggested “terrible tip” but at it’s very core, you very very rarely save money in the long run when staying off site despite how common it is for guests to suggest to other potential visitors to skip on-property accommodations. 

On paper, a $99 – $120 nightly room cost may look better from a savings perspective than WDW resorts, but once you add in the transportation costs from the airport to the hotel (which Disney would provide), transportation to the parks (potentially Uber or rental cars), and parking fees at the resort and the parks, the cost savings become rather small in the grand scheme of things. On top of that, you’re going to lose out on being in that “Disney bubble” and the experiential factors that “bubble” tends to develop for you and your friends/family. 

This is a heavily debated topic but for us, but as guests who have stayed on and off property multiple times, it’s just not worth the trade offs to stay off property. On average it saves you very little money in the long run and you may end up even paying more for you accommodations than if you would have simply considered Pop Century or even select moderate tier resorts on property. 

If you absolutely feel the need to stay off property, consider the Double Tree near Disney Springs. If you’re a Hilton Honors member, occasionally the points booking offer can work in your favor and the location is better than most off-site hotels (recognizing that this is technically “on-property” but to me anything not owned and operated by Disney is off property with the sole exception of the Swan And Dolphin Resorts due to their unique partnership with Disney and Disney transportation).

             

Mistake: Listening to the Self-Proclaimed Disney Expert

Very few things truly bother me when it comes to vacation planning and Walt Disney World (unless you compare that statement to this list… but that’s beside the point), but one thing does more than anything, self-proclaimed experts. If you’re a long time visitor to the Disney parks, you know what I’m talking about. It’s the person you meet at the bus stop, or that colleague from work, or that random town car/Uber driver you started talking to on the way to the airport that thinks they know everything about every little detail of the Disney parks, but they’ve only really been twice… Often times, they’re the same person that believes every rumor that comes out of the Disney parks rumor mill and is still convinced that a monorail line will be coming to the Swan and Dolphin (a widespread rumor that resurfaces every few years due to the pattern on the side of the building – it’s been confirmed for years that it was never an intended “addition” and simply a part of the architectural design). Why does this bother me? 
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The answer to that question really has so many different facets but perhaps the greatest level of concern I have with it is that the “tips and tricks” they share are typically vastly outdated, untrue to begin with, or simply terrible tips to share with prospective WDW guests that will adversely affect their Disney experience. 


I know this all sounds a bit ironic considering I write about Disney almost daily and many might even go as far as to call me an “expert” on the subject matter, but I cannot say that of myself and likely never will. From a literal standpoint, 10,000 hours of experience doing something is the commonly accepted frame of time and effort that needs to be put forth to truly become an expert in a subject matter. Personally, I buy into that theory because it makes sense in practice. If you add up the 21 years of experience I’ve spent traveling to the parks and the time I’ve been writing on this site over the last two years, a conservative hour calculation is around 7,000 hours. There are very few true experts in the Disney online community and even those who are like Lou Mongello, Jim Korkis, and Tom Bricker would never claim to know everything there is to know about the Disney parks. 

Be careful who you take travel advice from and in all honesty, your common sense observations are typically the best judge of how experienced someone truly is.        

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 and another great way to help us create more content through your contributions at no additional cost to you! You’ll probably even save money along the way.

             

"It Was All Started By A Mouse" – The Greatest Lesson We Can Learn From Walt Disney

by Guide4WDW

by: guide4wdw – Collin

“It Was All Started By A Mouse” – The Greatest Lesson We Can Learn From Walt Disney

There’s rarely a day that passes that I don’t think of some type of article to write or content to add to the “future projects radar” to share here at some future date. However, sometimes it’s fun for me to simply share a few thoughts and do what I did in the very beginning. To me, this site has always been about sharing thoughts and providing tips to improve your vacation experience, but it’s also been all about bringing like minded people together to talk about things that others may find ridiculous or irrelevant in the majority of situations. Obviously this is a niche audience, but it’s a niche audience that has exceeded my wildest expectations. 
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Now, before I get overly sentimental and attempt to wax poetically (which is not my strong point lol), I’ll stop myself and say that this may not be the article for everyone. It’s not an array of clever trip planning tips or a story about the next big thing in Walt Disney World entertainment but rather a look back, while also a step forward in sharing a realization I came to a few short days ago. If you like this style of article, do me a huge favor and let me know in the comments on your favorite social media platform or even feel free to email me personally at guide4wdw@gmail.com. These are the articles I enjoy writing the most and I really do appreciate your feedback. 

Setting all of this aforementioned thoughts aside, I want to dive into the History of Walt Disney the man, rather than the parks he helped create in sharing a few thoughts today. 

About a week ago I stumbled across a quote that so many of us have seen time and time again that reads, “It Was All Started By A Mouse.” In my opinion, that simple statement shares with us one of the greatest lessons we can learn from Walt Disney that we can apply not only to the business world, but also to our daily lives.

You see, 90 years ago Walt dreamed up a character that warmed the hearts of audiences and brought joy to kids and adults for generations. Mickey has inevitably become an international household name, but his roots are often entirely overlooked. 

In 1928, Walt devised a cartoon out of pure desperation on a train ride from Manhattan to Hollywood at a time that Walt called he and Roy’s greatest low. Just a short time before this particularly train ride, Walt had faced the inherent theft of his work by the greedy Charles Mintz. While the story of Mintz is one for an entirely different day, the best way to portray the man would be as the ultimate antagonist in early Disney animation. At a time when Walt knew things couldn’t get much worse, he sat down on the train and devised one the greatest characters the “film” world has ever known, Mickey Mouse. The most interesting part of all of this is that in relaying the information of the situation at hand to his brother Roy in a telegram, he simply stated that everything was OK. The telegram made no reference to the potential death of their company or a hatred for the nature of the business, or anything of the sort that you could readily imagine, but rather those simple words of reassurance. 

Years later, Walt shared the famous quote that headlines this article in stating, “I only hope that we never lose sight of one thing, that it was all started by a mouse.” It was and is a statement that so many of us take for granted. We look back and think about how much of a literal statement that is and how in reality it is true in the most basic sense. At the same time though, we miss a portion of the message that I think Walt alway intended to share but would have never outright stated. 

We often tend to overlook Walt’s early life in fond appreciation of what the man created later in life. We often overlook the fact that Walt Disney didn’t have a glamorous life starting out. For years as a young boy he spent time working for his father without pay delivering newspapers at 3:30 in the morning in Kansas City, Missouri. From rain, to snow, to the heat of the summer, Walt knew the struggle of a hard days work and learned that lesson in some of the most unforgiving conditions imaginable at a very young age. When the paper route was completed the day was just beginning and Walt went off to school and returned that afternoon to deliver the evening news. After years of hard work, Walt was later quoted stating that he had never met someone that wasn’t proud of the hard work of delivering papers. 

After facing trials and tribulations throughout his entire life, and after having his ideas and animators stolen by a man full of greed, Walt didn’t mention the unfair nature of the issue but simply worked to reconcile the problem he faced while avoiding sharing his inevitable uncertainty of of the future with his brother. That story, in and of itself is one that exceeds my wildest expectations. However there’s another piece to all of this. As we bring this whole article full circle, it’s impossible for me not to respect Walt’s quote, “it was all started by a mouse.” It’s a quote that shares a far greater meaning and the aforementioned newspaper story is a near perfect example of the thought that came to mind when I read that quote all over again a few short days ago. You see, Walt shared one of the greatest lessons we can ever learn in life in that one simple iteration of words. He shared the importance of being humble in everything you do. Walt knew better than anyone else that it wasn’t “all started by a mouse.” It was all started by him. Sure, the ideas likely snowballed from Mickey to Disneyland with an inordinate amount of steps in between, but at the very begging Mickey was Walt’s idea and Walt’s creation. No matter if his quote was intended to be a literal one or not, it still translates that incredible story of the importance of being humble. 
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Walt certainly had a way with words, and no matter what his original intent for the phrase was, this is a lesson I see that could be vastly influential in many of our own lives. It’s a lesson to encourage being humble in everything we do, a lesson in staying determined in every effort in life, and a lesson in striving to meet our goals no matter what obstacles may arise. One simple idea can change the course of your life and taking that one step today to make your dream come true tomorrow is something that I can never fully express the importance of. In my opinion, a good life isn’t measured by how much money you make or how many things you acquire but rather the joy of waking up each day to do something you love. Life’s too short to hate what you do, and taking the first step is inevitably the best way to turn your life into the daily life of your dreams. 

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 and another great way to help us create more content through your contributions at no additional cost to you! You’ll probably even save money along the way.


Our Top Disney World Planning Tips – Things To Read Before Your WDW Vacation

by Guide4WDW

by: guide4wdw – Collin

Our Top Disney World Planning Tips – Things To Read Before Your WDW Vacation  

Over the last few years writing articles here on the site we’ve shared all kinds of tips and tricks for trips to Walt Disney World in hopes that we can, even in a small way, improve your Disney World vacation experience. This Disney Parks tips have been and always will be work in progress so hopefully we can share something here that will, at the very least, give you something new to think about or even possibly experience on your next trip to Walt Disney World. Of course, this isn’t the “end all be all” list and that is largely a result of the ever changing nature of what Disney World. There’s always something new to enjoy and the parks are always changing on a seemingly daily basis. It’s a blessing and a curse for the prospective guest, but at the same time it creates this ever changing “world” of things to enjoy time and time again. If nothing else, changes keep us coming back. Some changes we may love, and others we may disagree with, but at it’s core Walt Disney World is this seemingly simple place that creates joy in a  way that very few other destinations can match. 

Our Top Disney World Planning Tips - Things To Read Before Your WDW Vacation

Rather than just throwing around our posts and making you search endlessly in the search bar, we’ve designed this page to help you find what you’re looking for from 350+ articles we’ve posted on the site over the last few years! It’s a lot to take in at firs tif you’re a first time guest, and the volume of posts can be overwhelming for even the most experienced parks-goers, but hopefully this helps you find that one tip that changes and perhaps improves your vacation experience. As always, if you find any of these articles helpful, I would really appreciate it if you shared this page with friends! We have grown and only continue to grow thanks to your support and we can’t thank you enough for that. Before eI get to off topic, lets dive right into the first category of posts you’ll find here!     
       

Tips For Before Your Disney Vacation Begins


Getting ready for your trip is inevitably just as important as the trip itself and for many of us it’s one of the many joys of going to Walt Disney World. I love the planning process (I bet you couldn’t have guessed that one lol), but it’s not for everyone and finding a good place to start if you are a first time guest is something that is incredibly difficult to do without the right assistance and tips along the way. Unfortunately, Disney planning strategies are never a “one-size fits all” scenario, so rather than telling you directly what to do, I try to make all of our tips here guiding basic principles that are adaptable and hopefully helpful to all types and styles of travel preferences. What I like to do may not be what you like to do, but the great thing about Disney is that there really is something for everyone and these tips only begin to scratch the surface of all that is out there and available across the internet. 

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While Disney tips abound from all different people, I would be carful who you trust and take advice from. Your neighbor may say one thing, your coworker who’s been to the parks one time may say another, and chances are most people have only been to the parks a few times. When you’re planning, look for those friends that have been to Disney 20+ times, not the ones that have been once or twice. It sounds like common sense but when you do this every day you start to hear some “interesting…” stories. 

Long story made short, don’t take these tips and try to replicate our travel plans to exacting details. Every trip is different and rolling with the new situations that unfold and making the most of every minute is the overlying concept I hope to share more than anything else. Enjoy every minute and find ways to do what works for you. Use these tips as a cushion and as a basis of knowledge to build your trip around and you’ll be a lot better off and well prepared for your dream Disney trip.    
  


Last but certainly not least in this category, if you want a real person (other than me) to walk you through the planning process check out why we recommend a Disney Travel Agent in our post – Disney Travel Agents – Who Do I Recommend? All of this may seem incredibly overwhelming (unless you’ve done it many times), but it really doesn’t have to be. If you know what to expect and get a little help along the way from both Disney themselves and others you may know, it really isn’t a difficult process. After you do it once, it gets far easier for consecutive vacations. If you know the booking timeframes, fastpass+ booking windows, and park hours you’re well ahead of the crowd of first time guests!      

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Tips For During Your Disney Vacation

I think I’m in the minority, but I truly believe tips for during your vacation are just as important, if not more important, than planning tips. Don’t get me wrong, planning is a huge part of the process, but what very few realize is that there’s a lot that can save you time, allow you to experience new things, and let you make the most out of your trip while you’re actually in the parks. If I had to give one tip out of all these articles below it would be one of the simplest tips you’ll ever here… Don’t over-plan! If you have every minute of every hour laid out on a calendar, you’re going to get frustrated during your Disney trip. One unfortunate situation will get you off schedule and typically you’ll get overwhelmed almost instantly. It’s not worth stressing through your entire vacation to try and get every single attraction ridden or every single show watched. You cannot see and do it all and truthfully none of us have. There is an incredible amount of things to do and you just can’t do it all. 

Our Top Disney World Planning Tips - Things To Read Before Your WDW Vacation

If you want to plan out your days, feel free to do so, but don’t time stamp your vacation minute by minute. It may work for a select few but in my opinion its not the best way to travel and certainly not the most “go with the flow” situation. If you have a few key “must-do” items in mind, schedule those out if you want to, but don’t overwhelm yourself. Let things happen spontaneously and you wont regret it. Often times our nights in the parks that are entirely unplanned are some of the nights we remember the most years later.              

Tips to Save Money For and At Walt Disney World 

Disney is expensive and honestly it’s not getting cheaper anytime soon. As a result, this category of posts is growing and growing quickly for so many different reasons. We don’t have an endless supply of money and we aren’t staying at Walt Disney World for free, so we’re always looking for new ways to cut costs and save a little money along the way. As we find new money saving avenues, we’ll be sure to share them with you. 

Costs at WDW come in a variety of different forms, but dining, souvenirs, tickets, and accommodations are really the big four! Hopefully these tips cover all of those bases and help you out in some way or another. As always, if you have questions, feel free to send us a message anytime!    

My Disney Experience Tips

As perhaps the greatest change to the Disney planning process in the last 10 years, my Disney Experience kind of changed everything. At times it’s a great system but at other times I tend to miss the free and unplanned way you could previously head to the parks without worry of having to plan your day out in advance. On the other hand, the system has improved greatly over the last two years and I believe we’re just beginning to see the capabilities of this system and what it could hold for the future. You can already use your smart phone as a room key (at select resorts), order food and have it delivered to your table without ever going the counter, and at times attractions even use your name to personalize the experience. I’d be shocked if we don’t see a greater use of this technology in the parks sooner rather than later and I would not be surprised if full Smartphone and AppleWatch integration is approaching in the not so distant future. The system is always improving and it is starting to grow on me over time, but knowing what to expect and how to really use the My Disney Experience platform in depth can make all the difference.   


    Our Top Disney World Planning Tips - Things To Read Before Your WDW Vacation

    Late Night Disney Tips 

    Night time at Walt Disney World is second only to sunset in my opinion. Sunsets in Orlando tend to be spectacular (especially in the summer months) and the picturesque setting of the parks sets the stage for a truly incredible experience. As day slowly transitions to night, Disney tends to take on an entirely different look and feel. Imagineering has spent hours on end perfecting the lighting, sounds, and sights of the nighttime atmosphere. As an added bonus the crowds tend to fade as the days draw to a close and set up some of the most memorable nighttime shows and moments Disney has become known for!         


    Tips For Experiencing Hidden Aspects of the WDW Parks 

    Oftentimes the largest mistake guests make when touring the parks is that they never take the time to “dig a little deeper” (to quote Mama Odie) and discover the less obvious elements of the parks. The hidden backstories and things so many simply walk right past time and time again are what tend to set Disney apart from all the rest. The little details you uncover in the most unexpected places tend to be the things that make you take a step back and say “wow, I never noticed that!” Those moments get lost in the hustle and bustle of the trip far too often and can really add a level to your time in the parks and help uncover a greater story that puts things in perspective in a whole new way.    

    Our Top Disney World Planning Tips - Things To Read Before Your WDW Vacation

    Learning From The Past 

    I’m a firm believer that we can learn from the past and that the past can give us a greater appreciation for the future. The Disney parks are no different. If you take the time to do a few minutes of research and look back at what once was a part of the parks, you can add a new perspective to your theme park experience. If you know “what was” you tend to have a greater appreciation for what’s taken it’s place in today’s parks. Imagineering has even hidden a few tributes to extinct attractions in plain site!     


    Want to work with us here on the site or in the photography realm? Shoot me a message on social media anytime or email me directly at guide4wdw@gmail.com. We’re always looking for sponsors and new opportunities. If you ever have questions during your vacation planning or anything else feel free to message me there as well and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible! 

    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!


    Need a Travel Planner?


    If you want or simply need a little bit of planning help to make your Disney vacation dream a reality, check out the quote request form below this article for our friends over at Destinations to Travel. They’ll let you do as much or as little of the planning as you’d like and may even save you some money along the way! As always, thanks for supporting those who support us.


    Ready to Plan?


    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 and another great way to help us create more content through your contributions at no additional cost to you! You’ll probably even save money along the way.

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    5 Magic Kingdom Fireworks Viewing Tips for 2018/2019

    by Guide4WDW

    by: guide4wdw – Collin

    5 Magic Kingdom Fireworks Viewing Tips for 2018/2019

    When most guests think of Disney’s Magic Kingdom, they typically think of two things: Cinderella’s Castle and Fireworks. Of course, a few other things may also come to mind like the incredible attractions, excellent dining, and world class entertainment, but more than anything, when you ask a guest what their favorite part of their Disney vacation was, it doesn’t take them long to mention fireworks. There is very little more iconic than fireworks on Main Street U.S.A., but at the same time, it may not always be your best option. Additionally, there’s a few things you should know about the fireworks procedures and typical processes before, during, and after the show that many guests may not anticipate on a first visit or perhaps entirely overlooked on previous visits. So, without further ado, that’s what we’ll talk about today! 



    When the Magic Kingdom’s Happily Ever After fireworks show first debuted back in May of 2017, it really changed the fireworks scene and “plan of attack” to secure an excellent viewing location for the show. The show itself centers heavily around projections coupled with the main fireworks bursts high over head. Honestly, the greatest tip I can give a first time guest, which won’t even make our list, is that you want to be able to see the castle for the best possible viewing experience. While that’s not necessarily one of my “go-to” tips on its own, it does lead quite well into number one on our list. 

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    1. Find An “Open” Location

    This tip is incredibly simple, but often highly overlooked. First time guests and often returning guests overlook the fact that trees along the edges of the hub area can vastly impede your view of the show. For the previous “Wishes” fireworks show there was so little happening on the Castle itself that you could really get away with a partially obstructed view. Happily Ever After is a whole different story. 

    If you’re staking out a spot, your best option is on the back side of the partners statue facing the castle. the problem with this location is that it gets incredibly crowded, incredibly early on. Additionally, if you aren’t willing to hold your own you’ll slowly end up moving further and further towards the castle stage which will actually provide a worse viewing opportunity. If you can’t claim that desired partners statue spot, consider moving back to the area between the two grassy sections of the hub. It’s not quite as good of a view but the spot fills in much closer to show time and you wont feel quite as overwhelmed if you don’t care for large crowds.

    Something to note here is that you can only stand in designated areas when waiting for the show. The closer you get to the castle, the more prevalent those viewing areas become. The key to it is to stay within the white taped-off lines on the ground. If you’re out of those designated areas, you will be asked to move eventually in order to accommodate guests trying to move from one area of the park to the next via designated walkways. It’s a pretty simple process, but so many guests get moved from their spots simply because they didn’t know about the guidelines.           

    2. Projections Don’t Have to Be a Priority

    This is going to sound contradictory to what I mentioned in tip number one, but in the grand scheme of things, the show is great even without the projections. I do share this tip with a bit of hesitancy though. Many of you reading this have seen Happily Ever After many times, and have had the blessing of being able to do so time and time again like me. If you know the show, this is where this tip really comes into play. If you’re a first time guest, you have to see Happily Ever After from the hub at least one time. It’s the perfect environment for the show and the perfect multi-sensory experience that you can’t get anywhere else. From the crowds cheering, to the amazed people all around you, to the incredibly detailed projections on the castle, there really is no substitute to seeing it at least once up close and personal. 



    At the same time, it’s not always a bad thing to experience a change of pace and to view the show in an entirely new way and often times with little to no crowds. Head to the external staircase of the Contemporary, or the beaches of the Polynesian, or even quite possibly the Grand Floridian to see the show from an entire new perspective. They’re not “better spots” or “worse spots,” but simply a different feel to the whole atmosphere. It’s a more laid back vibe and one that is far less densely populated with people.       

    3. Avoid the Dessert Parties 

    Chances are, a few of you may disagree with me on this one, but I don’t see the benefits of the fireworks dessert parties as “worth it” at their current price point. I’m typically the first person to recommend food, but the value for your dollar and the time required to partake in the event simply isn’t worth the cost of the experience. At $84 per adult, you’re talking $336 for a family of four (if all guests are over the age of 9). Additionally, it’s recommended you arrive at the party an hour in advance. In my opinion, if I’m going to spend an hour waiting around on the fireworks, I see it as better off to head up to the Main Street Bakery (Starbucks), the Confectionary, or any other food location to grab a snack and then stake out a spot near the partners statue for a better view and likely a better snack. I may be the exception rather than the rule, but it is simply a cost I can’t rationalize. 
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    4. Don’t Overlook Main Street

    One of the most memorable viewings of Happily Ever After I can remember was from one particular night on Main Street U.S.A. I don’t know why but there’s always been something special about that location. With the new show, the crowds have largely shifted closer to the castle, but in all honesty, Main Street is still a pretty stellar viewing location. 



    If you can manage to work your way through the crowds, you’ll likely find a relatively small area of low crowds about half way down Main Street perpendicular to East Center Street and the Crystal Arts Shop. I have no idea why the area tends to be less popular but from my experience, it’s not out of the ordinary to find a fair amount of space available even up to 15-25 minutes before show time. Obviously, the availability will vary widely with daily crowd levels, but it’s well worth looking into if you’re looking for a slightly less crowded area or a last minute viewing location.

    5. Don’t Overlook Behind the Castle Viewing Locations

    Once again, I’m going to contradict tip number one on this list, but if you’re working on a last minute basis or simply want to explore an entirely new and unique viewing location, consider areas behind the castle. You will miss the projections, but at the same time it’s a shockingly different view of the show as it unfolds. In the Fantasyland area, and in particular the space in front of of the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and Be Our Guest, you end up surrounding yourself with fireworks. Due to the two different launch sites (near the castle and behind the park) you literally end up viewing fireworks over Beast’s castle on the hill while having the opportunity to feel and hear the burst on each side of the castle a short distance away. The sound and the encompassing nature of this spot is hard to put into words, but once you witness it in person, it becomes one of those shockingly unique areas that you remember and hope to return to time and time again.

    In the big picture of all of these rather simple tips lies one vast commonality, an experience. In the end, that’s what each viewing location is all about. It’s not about what you’ll be missing or what you’ll have to pay, or how long you’ll have to stake out your location, but rather the experience you’re looking to get out of your fireworks viewing. It’s not a recommendation or choice that I can make for you because we’re all different and we all want something different out of our time in the parks. 

    You may not have an interest in fireworks and that’s completely okay (even though I have no idea why you would have clicked on this article…)! Either way, a trip to Disney isn’t about finding that “perfect spot,” but rather creating memories with friends and family that you’ll never forget. That’s what Disney does better than anyone else. You never know when a simple moment could change your life or create a memory that you’ll share with your family for years on end. A new tradition may unfold, a moment in time may be shared, and a change of pace may become your next favorite aspect of the parks. Enjoy the parks and do what works for YOU and you may be surprised at how much you enjoy the experience. That is what it’s all about!



    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 and another great way to help us create more content through your contributions at no additional cost to you! You’ll probably even save money along the way.