Relaxing at Disney

I've been recently talking to some friends about their Disney vacations and one thing I commonly hear is.  'We are so tired and always on the go.  My kids have melt downs and I come home exhausted.' 

Yes...this is true for most of us.  Vacationing itself can be tiring from all the planning, packing and traveling.  Kids can have melt downs anywhere and many times it's because they are tired.

However, your Disney vacation doesn't have to be go - go - go experience!  There are ways to stop and relax and enjoy what's around you without rushing to the next attraction. 

Here are some ideas.  When you are at the Parks and you notice your group is getting tired, or cranky try taking a snack break.

When we are at The Magic Kingdom, we like to stop in Tomorrowland and hop on the People Mover.  We've even asked to ride again and if it's not busy, many times the Cast Member will let us.  Sometimes we'll grab a Mickey Ice Cream bar and just eat something yummy.

If we are at Hollywood Studios, we head over to the Honey I Shrunk the Kids play set area and let them run around.  Again, we'll get a snack, and just let our kids play till they are done. 

At Epcot, we'll head over the squirting water fountain area and let them get their feet wet. 

And while we are at Animal Kingdom we'll head over to The Boneyard and let them play. 

Of course it's not always about the kids taking a break.  It's good for us too, and Disney offers many other ways to relax while on vacation. 

There are many jogging trails at the hotels.  If you are a jogger, bring your running shoes if you don't want to miss your workout.  Yes, you walk a ton at the parks, but for most joggers, it's their way of escaping and they don't want to miss 'the run.' 

You could consider the Spa at Saratoga Springs.  The white sandy beaches at The Contemporary.  Bike rentals at The Boardwalk or even fishing at Fort Wilderness.  Of course don't forget about all the amazing pools!

If you find your group is overwhelmed, try to take advantage of other ways to spend your time while visiting Walt Disney World. 

Your time will be magical!
  

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My New Job?

I probably should have blogged about this sooner.  But it just dawned on me that I really should announce on my blog that I am now a Travel Agent. 
I'm so excited to be a part of Destinations To Explore.  I have received some wonderful support and I can't believe I will be able to do something so awesome as a career!  Eventually I hope to have my own website that people can visit to get lots of questions answered.  I will have my blog on that website.  But until that happens I will continue to tweet and connect on Facebook.

I have struggled with this issue for awhile.  What do I do when my youngest is in school all day?  I had tossed around so many ideas.  I was trying to help people with their Disney Vacations, by giving them great information to help make their trip more memorable.  But this is an opportunity to actually plan and book their vacation.  I get to be a part of something so wonderful.  Making their trips magical!
That's why I can hardly believe I have a job.  Should I even call it that?  Doesn't seem like doing something you love should be called a job. 

But no matter what you call it, I've been extremely blessed to be a part of other peoples lives and still be home when my children are home.  I pray I will be successful and give others all they need to make their vacation, no matter where it may be, their best vacation ever!

So...if you have any travel questions.  Please contact me!  I'll be more than happy to help you. 

And remember...quotes are always free.  There is NO cost to you!

Oh and thanks to my daughter for showing me a typo on my last blog about the Muppets.  I did get the song lyric wrong.  But you all probably figured that out too.  ;)

Bringing Back The Muppets

Ok, we are not all too old to remember the Muppet Show when it was on TV.  I watched it religiously.  I thought the 2 older guys sitting in the balcony were hilarious.  Remember their names?  I won't keep it a secret.  It's Waldorf and Statler.  For some reason listening to their insults cracked me up.
Anyway, it's hard to pick a favorite, but they are on the top of my list. 

Of course Miss Piggy was someone I think almost every woman wanted to act like at some point.  Let's face it, she's aggressive and arrogant.  And she really gets away with it.  I guess that's what we love about her. 

Leave it to Disney to bring back these cute characters.  There have been various appearances over the years, but I think this latest Muppet Movie will be very fun!

If you've been fortunate to see the 3D movie at Hollywood Studios, than you probably already love them and can't wait to see this movie. 
Even the nail polish company OPI has launched a line of Muppet nail colors.  Names include 'Fresh Frog of Bel Air' and 'Gettin' Miss Piggy With It.'  The colors are great and full of sparkle!

The Muppet Movie is showing in theaters starting November 23. 

It's time to light the music,
It's time to light the lights,
It's time to meet the Muppets on the Muppet Show tonight!

Go With What Ya Know or Something New?

I'm talking specifically about hotels.  I know I've blogged about this before but I got a Disney brochure in the mail today and I started dreaming of our next vacation.  So my first thought was where do we stay? 
This was an interesting question to myself because I usually like to 'go with what I know'.  And that is the specific hotels I've stayed at during our trip to WDW.  But what about all the other amazing hotels?  They offer just as many cool things and I'm sure our trip would be just as memorable. 
But I have a feeling we'd be comparing everything to where we've stayed before.  What if we don't like the pool?  What if we don't like the space in the rooms?  What if...  What if...
We could do that all day.  When we think about our past trips, our memories include the experiences we had at our hotel.  The pool, the time in our hotel rooms and even the long walk down the hallways after a long day to our room.
So what does your family do?  Do you have a favorite place to stay and can't think of going anywhere else?  Or is it your mission to stay in every possible WDW hotel no matter what the distance is from the park, or how much it costs?

Disneys Hilton Head Island Resort

Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort is at the southern most time of South Carolina. 
Originally Longview Island, it was transformed in 1996 to a Disney VC resort located away from the hustle and bustle of the theme parks. 
It was the second Disney Vacation Club (DVC) to be build outside of Florida. 
The island is small but still consists of over 200 restaurants.  There are miles of sandy beaches on one side and an inter coastal waterway on the other.
The rooms are 1-3 bedroom villas to make you feel like you aren't completely in a hotel.  It's always nice to have little kitchen areas to prepare food. 
There are plenty of activities to keep you busy.  Such as bicycling, fishing, swimming, movie nights.  And the list goes on. Or just relax by the pool or beach. 
No matter what you decide, I'm sure you will have an amazing time at the Disney Resort. 

Disney Pin Trading

Lets face it, we all have our favorite souvenirs when we travel.  Our mementos of our trip that we like to bring home are very important.  For some it's a shirt.  Others its a plush animal or a fan hooked up to a water bottle.
For my kids it's Disney Pins.  On our trip about 5 years ago, our daughter quickly picked up on the pin lanyards everyone was wearing. 
She had to know what this was about and after asking the Cast Members a few questions, we jumped on board. 
We bought her a Tinker Bell lanyard that came with 5 Tinker Bell pins to start off. 
The purpose is you can keep your own pins or trade with someone else.  If you see a pin you want on another guest, they may or may not trade with you.  If you see a pin on a Cast Member, they do have to trade with you.  It's much easier to trade with Cast Members. 
Not only did this give our daughter some less expensive souvenirs, it also gave her something to focus on while walking through the park or waiting in lines. 
We did find out that if you see a pin with a small black Mickey face on it, those are more rare and you may want to grab it.  So...this gave her another objective. 
She didn't only love the 'hidden Mickey' pins, but those were ones she did look for the most.
On our second trip we took her lanyard back and our middle son was old enough to be interested and his choice was a Stitch lanyard.  Now it gave them something to do together.  Each of them looked out for the other. 
The pins can be individual or 'family pins'.  Meaning they come in a set.  It's more of a challenge to complete the set. 
They are also different prices.  Some of the pins are quite elaborate.  They move or even have doors that open like the Tower of Terror pin. 
On our last trip our daughter was focused on completing her Disney family wearing the Mickey ears. 
She did a pretty good job of completing this! 
There are pin trading kiosks located everywhere. And a pin trading store at Downtown Disney. 
This has become a hobby for serious collectors.  Some will bring in books with pages filled with pins.
Our kids have their lanyards proudly hanging in their rooms.  I know they will be coming back with us on our next trip.  Our youngest will even develop an interest, I'm sure. 

My 3 Best Money Saving Ideas for WDW

Ok, I'm sure I've talked about this before, but it deserves to be mentioned again since, let's face it, going to WDW can be pricey. 
These 3 tips saved our family lots of money.

1.  Take your own refillable water bottles.  We purchased ones with water filters in them, so we could refill them at the drinking fountains.  You don't need to have filters, but for us, the water tasted a little bit better. 
      Then we brought the individual packets of Kool-Aid or Crystal Light to flavor it.  The Mio liquid drops work well too. 

2.  Take your own food/snacks.  The parks let you bring them in so why wouldn't you?  I know it's some times more 'fun' to eat park food.  It's something you don't get every day.  So, yeah, splurge a little and have a giant (and I mean giant) pretzel every now and then.  But if your kids are like mine, they could eat after every attraction. 
      And, the hotels will even let you mail snacks to your hotel room.  They will hold on to the box of non-perishable foods until you check in.  Just make sure you have your reservation number on the box.  We loaded ours with zip-lock baggies too so they could fill their own bag.  I'm sure I put a quart or two of soy milk in there for our son with food allergies.  ...it doesn't have to be refrigerated until you open it.   
      Mailing can be a bit spendy too, but not nearly as much as buying the snacks each day at the park.

3.  TAKE A PICTURE OF YOUR PARK PASSES on your phone as soon as you get them.  We bought our passes from Undercover Tourist.  They were a bit less than buying them from Disney directly because they don't charge sales tax.  They were made of paper and not the plastic credit card type.  So I used this piece of advice. 
     Good thing I did because on day 2 we were missing one of our kids passes.  WHAT?  I couldn't believe it.  I'm guessing we left it behind in a fast pass machine, but not sure. 
     Anyway, we showed up at Guest Services at Hollywood Studios.  They scanned our passes and saw we bought 5 in our 'lot' and found the missing pass.  They deactivated that bar code, and issued us another pass.  Saved us over $300.00.  I can't tell you how relieved we were!

So here ya go.  I hope these ideas will help make your next Disney vacation more magical!

Ever given a surprise trip to WDW?

We did for our three kids about 4 years ago and it was awesome!  My neighbors were in on it.  They new I needed to spend a few hours to pack so they offered to let my 2 oldest come over and play. 
My youngest was only 18 months.  That was one of the reasons we decided to go.  He was FREE!  And still sleeping in a port a crib so we didn't have to worry about an extra bed. 
It was mid December and we'd recently had a lot of snow.  I remember checking the flight status all day hoping our plans wouldn't be interrupted by the snow. 
I got the suitcases packed and loaded in the back of our van.  My husband and I had planned on telling the kids we were going out to dinner.  Our flight was leaving around 7:30 so the timing was perfect for us.  Living near a smaller airport, we don't need to get there 3 hours before our flight. 
They had their Nintendo DS's in the car and were content.  We were on the interstate heading to the airport when a truck decided to pass us on slick roads.  It literally spun around and was driving backwards and we were hood to hood.  I don't think I have ever been so scared on the road before.  Thankfully his truck spun back around and he ended in the ditch while we all were ok.
Anyway, we pulled up the airport.  Our kids looked at us and said, 'Why are we here?'  I said, 'We are going to a new dinner spot.  It's in Florida at Disney World.' 
My daughters jaw dropped.  My son looked very confused and then the screaming began. 

We had a great time.  (of course)  I don't think they will forget that moment and if you have the chance to surprise someone in your family on a trip to WDW...I highly recommend it. 

And, if you would like help planning, I would love to help you! 

Mickeys Very Merry Christmas Party

Have I ever been to this wonderful and beautiful event?  No...but if I get the chance to go back to WDW in the cold months, I will make sure we buy tickets to this. 
I have been to WDW in December, and they spare no expense at decorating for Christmas.  It's almost unexplainable.  The lights, ornaments, wreaths, poinsettia's, not to mention the characters dressed in winter like costumes. 
Well if you have the opportunity to travel to WDW during this time, I recommend checking this party out.  I'm sure you won't be disappointed.  Based on what I've read about and heard from others, it's quite amazing. 
Because you need to buy a separate ticket for this, the crowds will be lower.  So you may get a better spot to watch the parade.  Who might you see?  Santa Claus, of course. 
The special fireworks display is going on called Holiday Wishes. 
There is complimentary cocoa and cookies!  And snow falls on Main Street.  How awesome is that? 
And for someone living in Iowa, I get plenty of cold snow in the winter.  Having snow in Florida, would be a welcomed change. 

Disneyland Paris

I just realized that EuroDisney is now Disneyland Paris.  When did that name change happen?
Did you know it has more visitors each year than the Eiffel Tower in the Paris area?  It had 15 million visit in 2010. 
There are many of the same rides you will find at Walt Disney World.  Such as Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, Tower of Terror and Aerosmiths Rockin Rollercoaster. 
The park offers fast passes and the child switch option.  They offer many restaurants.  All of which are expensive.  There are themed hotels nearby and there are many transportation options.  The park consists of 3 parks.  Disneyland Park, Walt Disney Studios Park and Disney Village. 
If I ever make it Paris, you can be we will be checking out Disneyland Paris.  I'm sure it's amazing and magical.  I may have to brush up on my french...Oui?

The Duffy Story

OK, have you seen Duffy The Bear?  Do you even know what I'm talking about?  Honestly, I didn't pay much attention to him or wondered about him until I recently saw a post about him and thought, I better find out who this mysterious bear is. 

The story is so cute, it's made me think we should have one of these bears or better yet, one of our plush Mickeys should have one of these bears.

He was briefly sold and created for the Once Upon a Toy shop at Disney World in 2002 and became more popular after he was given a 'storyline' and name by the Oriental Land executives.  He became popular at Tokyo DisneySea Park, and now seems to be a continual part of the American Disney Parks. 

The original story is that Mickey was at Disney World holding on to his bear and wishing he could share his experiences with someone.  Tinkerbell flew by sprinkling pixie dust on Duffy.  Mickey gave him a big squeeze and he came to life. 

One of the coolest things that I didn't even realize is that a Mickey shape appeared on Duffy's face and feet.  Yep...another hidden Mickey.  LOVE IT!

I think the current story is that Minnie created Duffy for Mickey so he would have a friend as he made a long voyage out at sea.  Either way, I think it's so cute that Mickey has his friend.  Just as our kids and probably yours too, carry around a plush friend or princess who keeps them company all the time, now Mickey Mouse has a forever friend to share in his experiences at the parks too.