Planning A Walt Disney World Trip - Part 2: Establishing a Budget

Hi y'all!

Walt Disney World is such an exciting and magical place, sometimes I believe it runs on pixie dust. It is very easy to forget that the Walt Disney Travel company is a business. And business runs on money.

My goal today is to show you what your options are to get the most bang for your buck while making good financial decisions for your family.

Families come in all different shapes, sizes, and budgets. What is right for one family will not be right for another. AND THAT IS OKAY. You will not experience any less magic on your trip because of your budget.

The big components of establishing a budget are choosing a hotel, how your family will eat, what type of park tickets are needed, and transportation.

1. Choosing a hotel

You can choose to stay at a Deluxe, Moderate, Value, or off site hotel.

Deluxe is the most expensive option for a hotel on Disney World property. They boast many hotel amenities, nicer room quality, and the option to travel to the parks in more than one way (bus, monorail, or boat). Some parks are even within walking distance. These resorts have table service restaurants. Expect rates to easily run $400+ a night.

Moderate is the mid level option and the one I have the most experience with. The rooms are nice, but have doors that lead outside (motel style). Some of these resorts can be quite large, so expect to walk a bit of a distance to your room. The transportation is usually limited to buses (Port Orleans resorts have a boat to Disney Springs). The dining is limited to food courts with the exception of Boatright's in Port Orleans Riverside. Expect rates to run $220+ a night.

Value Resorts are the least expensive resorts on Disney property. These are usually very theme heavy (kids LOVE them). The rooms have all the essentials; they aren't fancy. The beds are usually full size instead of queen. The resorts are very large so expect a walk. The resort transportation is buses only. Expect roughy $120+ a night.

There are places to stay both on and off Disney property that are hotels that are not run by Disney and therefore are cheaper options. However, this comes with a tradeoff. You are not eligible for the Dining plan and can make Fastpass+ reservations 30 days in advance, while onsite get 60 days in advance.

2. How will your family eat?

There are multiple ways to feed your family at Walt Disney World. Disney pushes their dining plan. There are 3 options for that: Least Expensive - Quick Service dining plan (two counter service meals, no sit down with a waiter restaurants with snacks thrown in per day), Mid expense - the Disney dining plan (one sit down with a waiter, one counter service meal with snacks thrown in per day), or the most expensive - Disney Deluxe dining plan (two sit down meals with a waiter with some snacks thrown in per day). While these are convenient, you have to decide if convenience is worth it as it might not be the same value for your dollar.

There are many alternative ways to feed your family rather than the dining plan. Disney allows food that is not in glass containers in the parks. They allow soft sided coolers in.

Another way to save money is to ship groceries to the hotel with Amazon or something like Garden Grocer. That way you can eat breakfast in your room.

3. What type of park tickets do you need?

There are 3 types of park tickets that Disney sells:

1. Least Expensive - Base ticket
2. Mid Expense - Park Hopper
3. Most Expensive - Water Parks and More

Keep in mind what you really plan to do on your trip. Park hopping can be time consuming. Please remember that tickets become cheaper per day you are there.

4. Transportation:

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles!

Choosing how your family will get to Disney World can make or break the bank for a lot of families. Driving will definitely be cheaper, but what value do you place on your time? I live in Texas; it would take two days to drive to Orlando. For me personally, flying makes more sense because that is what I value, but that would DEFINITELY be different if it were possible for us to drive to Orlando in one day.

Example Trip:

To give an idea of how much a Disney trip might actually cost, I ran some numbers.

I chose to price out a trip from July 29 - August 5 of 2017 (7 nights) at Caribbean Beach Resort (a moderate) for a family of four with 6 days in the theme parks. Two adults, two kids. The kids are aged 11 and 7 (a child 10 or over is considered a Disney adult and gets an adult ticket).

Moderate Resort (7 nights) with base tickets for everyone (one park per day): $3,3134.62
Moderate Resort (7 nights) with park hopper tickets for everyone: $3,428.54

For this example, I have chosen park hopper tickets (what I would normally purchase).

With no dining plan, the cost is $3,428.54.
With Quick Service dining plan: $4,542.92
With Disney Dining Plan: $5,011.99
With Deluxe Dining Plan: $5,866.63

These numbers do not include transportation.

Overall Thoughts:

You decide what is important for you and your family. If the dining plan is a perk you're willing to save for, do it. If you want to stay at a Deluxe resort because it is convenient to ride the monorail to Magic Kingdom, don't get the dining plan. There are a lot of ways to make sure you get what you need. Your Disney vacation will be magical no matter what.

Have a Zippity Doo Dah Day!

Planning A Walt Disney World Trip - Part 1: Who's Coming?

Hi y'all!

I am so excited to go to Walt Disney World and experience my first Disney Cruise in March!

That is coming REALLY REALLY soon. 

If you have seen my other posts, you know that planning a Disney World vacation is a lot of work. I am a planner by nature and thoroughly enjoy this part of the process. In fact, I love the planning aspect of Disney World so much that it is almost just as enjoyable as the parks themselves to me!

I am going to show you today how I planned my upcoming trip. Note that these plans are tailored to my family and our preferences. The steps will stay the same but please personalize them to fit your tastes!

I am going to break down each of the steps that I think are important into chunks to make them easier to read.

The steps will come as follows:

1. Who's Coming?

2. Establishing a budget

3. When is the best time for the trip?

4. Where should we stay? 

5. Make a plan for your time

6. What are we going to eat?

7. Fastpass+

Today we will cover step one.

1. Who's Coming?

For this trip, it will be my husband and I.

Noah:

• Mid Twenties
• Never been to a Disney park
• NOT a Disney nerd
• Enjoys animation
• Wants to eat good while we are at Disney
• Suffers from motion sickness
• Mostly going on this trip to appease me - also because he didn't have to pay for it

Tori:

• Early Twenties
• Over 5 Disney Trips including Disney World and Disneyland
• THE Disney nerd of all Disney nerds
• Could happily spend ten days in the theme parks and never bore
• Doesn't particularly care where she sleeps as long as there is a shower and a bed
• Could eat chicken nuggets for the entire trip and be totally happy
• Enjoys the thrill rides, although she suffers from mild motion sickness

The point of the descriptions of my husband and I are to show that I need to tailor this trip to both of our preferences to make it enjoyable for both of us.

This will be true on your trip too! You can ask questions such as these for your family:

• How old is everyone going on this trip?
• Age is a big factor at Disney World. Many people travel with multiple generations. This may mean that you need to cater to toddlers, teenagers, adults and senior citizens at the same time.

• How tall is everyone?
• There are height requirements for some of the more intense attractions. It can be devastating for a child to find out that they are not tall enough to ride Space Mountain or Test Track. Manage expectations before you go and make Fastpass+ selections accordingly.

• Does anyone have motion sickness or other conditions that will prevent them from going on certain attractions?
• Noah suffers from severe motion sickness which will prevent us from making very many Fastpass+ selections that will adversely affect him. Some guests with heart or back conditions will be advised not to board thrill rides. Pregnancy may also prevent going on certain attractions.

• How does my family eat?
• If your family is used to eating three meals a day at a certain time, try not to change up your routine very much. Many people claim that the dining plan gives you too much food. Others say it is not enough. Decide how much your family really eats and plan accordingly. Families with small children may have picky eaters that won't enjoy trying French food in Epcot. Some families don't eat food purchased from the parks at all and instead pack lunches. Disney allows soft side coolers to come into the parks. Very typically, my family would make sandwiches in the park for lunch in order to save for a nice dinner. You may need to inform restaurants that you have food allergies.

• Mind your family's schedule.
• If you've got a two year old that naps after lunch daily, you can make plans to accommodate this. Maybe consider staying at a hotel on the monorail loop so you can quickly leave and reenter Magic Kingdom as needed. Kids and adults alike thrive on routine so try to maintain it if you can.

• Do we have any special needs to attend to?
• Some families have member that require wheelchairs or ECVs. Others need visual or audio devices to enjoy the parks. Some need special passes to help manage the parks for conditions such as autism or Down's syndrome. Even food allergies can be catered to. Fortunately, Disney is fantastic at making sure that guest needs are met. 

• Do we require a certain type of hotel or vacation home?
• Different accommodations will fit different needs. Only a few Disney resorts offer rooms that will sleep 5. Perhaps you will need the Ft. Wilderness cabins that sleep 6. I have traveled with 14 people before and we stayed off property at neighboring vacation homes for a fraction of the cost of putting that many people in hotel rooms. 

These are a few of the most important questions but there is always more to ask. Hopefully, these will get your planning started.

Have a Zippity Doo Dah Day!

Weight Watchers Smart Points Values at Disney

Hey y'all!

I don't exactly advertise it everywhere, but I have been on a Weight Watchers adventure for around a year. And it has been really awesome. I've lost thirty-five pounds!

If you don't know much about Weight Watchers, this program really is designed to help you live your life healthier by making good food and exercise choices.

Even on vacation.

Weight Watchers lead me here. My favorite vacation destination is Disney. Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line…I'm not hard to please. If Disney is in the title, I would like to go there because Disney makes me all excited and happy and what not.

But sometimes (read: most of the time), it is really hard to eat on vacation while staying anywhere close to on plan. Sometimes I frankly don't even want to.

So I had a thought. Since I love Disney vacations and evidently most people in the US do too, I should take the time to calculate the points values for some of my favorite Disney snacks.

In no particular order, here we go:

Premium Mickey Ice Cream Bar - 17 Smart Points
Serving Size - 1 Bar
My Thoughts - This is not big enough to spend 17 points on.

Dole Whip - 5 Smart Points
Serving Size - Dole Whip - 1/2 cup
My thoughts - This is already my favorite Disney snack and now it is even better.

Dole Whip Float - 13 Smart Points
Serving Size - Dole Whip Float - 1/2 cup Whip with 8 oz Dole Pineapple Juice
My Thoughts - I can live without pineapple juice.

Churro - 8 Smart Points
Serving Size - 1 Churro, does NOT include dipping sauces
My Thoughts - This is not as horrible as I thought it would be! I'm game.

Caramel Apple - 41 Smart Points
Serving Size - 1 apple
My Thoughts - A moment of silence for a former favorite. The only way I could justify this is splitting it four ways. Just because something has fruit in it does not mean I can count it as good.

Turkey Leg - 16 Smart Points
Serving Size - 1 Drumstick
My Thoughts - This isn't too bad considering these can often replace a meal. They are approximately the size of my head. I can also eat this in line. I am so efficient.

Mickey Pretzel - 6 Smart Points (I calculated this from two different sites. I don't think it's correct. For comparison, an Auntie Annes salted soft pretzel is 14 Smart Points.)
Serving Size: 1 Pretzel
My Thoughts - The points on this can't be right unless Disney has managed to fill the pretzels with magic instead of carbs. I'm not going to trust it.

Disney Popcorn - 20 Smart Points
Serving Size - 8 oz bag
My Thoughts - I probably wouldn't eat this entire bag but share it with family. Not a bad choice. This is Orville Redenbacher Pop Secret popcorn.

Disney Caramel Corn - 48 Smart Points
Serving Size - 8 oz
My Thoughts - 1 oz is 6 points, so a taste would be okay.

Mickey Beignets - 7 Smart Points
Serving Size - 1 Beignet, No dipping sauce
My Thoughts - Could I really just eat one with no sauce? Maybe y'all have better self control!

So there you have it!

I hope this helps while you are in the parks. The research was very eye opening to me (curse you, caramel apple).

However, I do feel like I have the tools to make good decisions while enjoying the parks and all the food they have to offer!

Have a Zippity Doo Dah Day!

Technology and Useful Apps at Disney Parks

Hi friends!

With Spring Break coming up for most of my area, I thought I would talk about some useful apps and pieces of technology to take with you on a Disney trip.

I'm going to preface this with the fact that I am BAD at technology for the most part. I can type and use the Facebook. The only reason I know how to blog is because I had to learn for a class in college (thanks Texas Tech!) so rest assured that all of the apps that I'm showing you today are user friendly.

I have all kinds of Disney apps - some WAY more useful than others. Note here that I am an Apple user, so these apps are all displayed on my iPad.

I'll start with the apps you need at the parks and then cover some general apps I think you should have for your trip.

Walt Disney World:

1. My Disney Experience - Official Walt Disney World App

Available on iTunes and Google Play

Cost: Free

This is the first major app you need. It houses a park map, wait times, your Fastpass+ selections, your dining reservations, and countless other items. You need this to maneuver through a day at the WDW parks. Having this app on your phone enables you to change Fastpass+ selections from right where you are. You've got the "World" (get it?) at your fingertips!

2. Wait Times for Disney World 

Available on iTunes and Google Play

Cost: Free

I like to check my wait times here rather than in My Disney Experience because it's a quicker reference. Just a quick look at a list rather than moving through a map.

3. WDW Lines by Touring Plans

Available on iTunes and Google Play

Cost: The App itself is free but to use all of the features within, there is a subscription fee of $12.95 for a full year of use. 

This is one of my favorite apps by a long shot. I am incredibly type A and I like to have my ducks in a row before I ever leave home on how I'm going to park tour. I love this app because it has options: you can use one of their multiple touring plans, whichever fits the needs of your family, OR you can create your own plan based on only attractions you want to see, how often you need breaks, when and where you'll be eating, and more. It puts the attractions in the best order to save time when you hit "optimize". You'll do some real walking using these plans, but, in my experience (as well as proven by their algorithms), you could save up to 4 hours. You can do a lot more fun stuff (read: get your money's worth) in those 4 hours saved. I think it's worth the subscription fee.

Disneyland Resort:

1. Disneyland Official

Available on iTunes and Google Play

Cost: Free

This app has a map of the parks embedded with wait times. When I visited Disneyland, I bought my ticket from within the app to scan to get into the parks. 

2. Wait Times Disneyland 

Available on iTunes and Google Play

Cost: Free

This is effectively the same app as its WDW counterpart, it just shows wait times for Disneyland and California Adventure in a more convenient list form.

3. DLR Lines by Touring Plans

Available on iTunes and Google Play

Cost: The App itself is free, but in order to use all of its features, you must pay for a subscription fee. I paid $7.95 for full year of use.

This is effectively the same app as the WDW version. Create and use touring plans, and enjoy additional features.

General Apps:

1. Uber

Available on iTunes and Google Play

Cost: Free to get the app. You will enter credit card information into the app and it will automatically charge you when you use a driver. No tipping is required or encouraged.

This app and business operate as a taxi service operated by individual drivers in their personal vehicles. I love using this app! I have only used this app with my husband, but I think this would be useful whether alone or with your family on a trip. All you have to do is request a driver on the app. Using your location, it assigns the nearest available driver to you. Ways to use this app on a Disney trip include using Uber to go to other Orlando or Anaheim area theme parks (Universal Studios, SeaWorld), to make a Dining Reservation, park to park, or just to not use the bus.

2. Photo Grid

I love this app! This is what I use to combine pictures to post on social media. I used this to create the title photo for this post. It makes it easier to share a few photos at a time without spamming all of your internet friends.

3. Your favorite social media platforms

To brag to your family and friends that you're at Disney and allow me to live vicariously through you when I am not at the parks, obviously.

4. The Weather Channel

Because if anyone's weather is more unpredictable than the Texas panhandle's, it's Orlando. Anaheim is gorgeous. Always. Use this to know if you should pack your poncho in your park bag (hint: you probably should).

Tips and tricks

1. Buy and carry an external battery charger in your backpack. While all of these apps are certainly useful, they can drain your phone battery. My external pack saves my life all the time! I didn't get anything fancy - I bought mine from Walmart and it's been a dream.

2. Make sure you have enough space on your phone to use necessary apps and be able to take pictures before you leave home.

3. Screen shot your dining and Fastpass+ reservations just in case the app doesn't want to cooperate.

4. If you drove yourself to the parks, take a photo of your parking spot on your phone.

5. Walt Disney World has free wifi in the parks for you to use. Disneyland Resort does not.

I hope everyone enjoys their Spring Break! Or your kid's spring break. Or a weekend. Whichever hits closest to home.

Let me know of any apps or technology that you use in the parks and I should add!

Have a Zippity Doo Dah Day!