31 Days:: Dining at Epcot

{Dining Series}

Welcome to today's topic: Dining at Epcot! There are a myriad of delicious restaurants at Epcot! The countries in the World Showcase are home to authentic cuisine from their respective countries. So let's just jump right in with where we like to eat for breakfast...

sushi at Tokyo Dining 

Breakfast at Epcot
We haven't eaten breakfast at Epcot before, but we've eaten near Epcot, hehe! As you enter into Epcot, right after you get through the security lines, hang a left and hop the monorail line that goes to the resorts. We take that to the Polynesian Resort and eat at Kona Cafe. It's slightly Polynesian themed food (go figure!) and super amazing! DH loves their french press Kona coffee and I love the pineapple macadamia nut pancakes! Another place we like to grab breakfast is at Kouzinna on the Boardwalk. To get there, you head into the World Showcase to the International Gateway. From there you can walk or catch a water taxi over to the Boardwalk. Kouzinna is Cat Cora's restaurant, the Iron Chef from Food Network! It's Greek/Mediterranean themed food with beautiful atmosphere. Wether you're in your Sunday best or coming in flip flops and shorts from the park, you'll be welcomed and find yourself amidst some fabulous food!


Lunch at Epcot
Keeping things light at lunch, we like to hit up Sunshine Seasons, located in The Land pavilion in Future World. There are a wide range of food offered here at this quick service location- from mongolian grill to fresh soups and salads, from sandwiches to stir fry! Try to hit an early or late lunch here as the foot traffic can get pretty hectic at prime eating hours.

Dinner at Epcot
We are really looking forward to eating at the Coral Reef Restaurant in The Seas pavilion in Future World. One wall is a beautiful salt water reef tank with tropical fish! No surprise, it specializes in seafood :) Another neat eatery is The Garden Grill in The Land pavilion in Future World. It is a rotating restaurant that overlooks part of Living with the Land ride! It's a flat rate buffet featuring a Thanksgiving dinner meal served family style at your table. Much of the food is grown right there in The Land pavilion!
Heading over to the World Showcase, there are a number of great places to eat as well! Tokyo Dining was a favorite before I went gluten-free. They have wonderful sushi, tempura, and hibachi. A current favorite is the Rose & Crown Pub & Dining Room located in the UK pavilion. You can only make reservations for the dining room there the day of, and it is usually only open for dinner. You can make reservations around opening time in the evening by going to the booth located to the left of the pub. The dining room has indoor and outdoor seating, but they do not take requests at the time of booking. If you're lucky enough to be eating when the evening Illuminations show is occurring, they usually hold your food so you can watch the show (if you're indoors) or you have a front row seat if you're seated outdoors! Truly one of the best places to view the show in all the park! Tutto Italia Ristorante was another amazing eatery, located in the Italy pavilion. True fine dining, you'll get the white glove treatment regardless if you come in your Sunday best or flip flop and shorts. Fabulous food from appetizers through dessert and coffee!

Werther's Karamell-Kuche treats

Snacks and Dessert at Epcot
Stop by Tangierine Cafe in Morocco for some quick service snacks or coffee. In Germany, you can grab a bratwurst to-go at Sommerfest. Our two favorite places to grab a pastry are Boulangerie Patisserie in the France pavilion and Werther's Karamell-Kuche inside Germany's shops!

So those are my top picks for eating at Epcot! Tomorrow I'll be back to talk about food at Hollywood Studios, so I hope to see you then!

31 Days:: Dining at the Magic Kingdom

{Dining Series}

Welcome to today's topic: Dining at the Magic Kingdom! Our family's two favorite restaurants are in the Magic Kingdom- The Crystal Palace and Liberty Tree Tavern. Yum yum yum! So with that said, let's start with where we like to eat for breakfast...

full plate at Liberty Tree Tavern

Breakfast at Magic
The Crystal Palace! This is a flat rate, all you can eat buffet, complete with characters- Winnie the Pooh and crew :) They come around to each table and you can take photos and interact with them, and I believe there was even a "conga line" with them last time we visited!

Lunch at Magic
We usually hit up a quick serve place for a light lunch. We liked Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Cafe- just your standard burgers, wraps, and salads- but they have a top notch fixin's bar.

Dinner at Magic
Liberty Tree Tavern! Oh. My. Word. Delish! It's a flat fee, all you can eat "Thanksgiving-ish" dinner. It's served family style at your table, so you can help yourself to however much you'd like of each dish. You start off with rolls and amazing honey butter, followed by a salad with the most amazing berry vinaigrette. During one visit, I actually had a whole meal of just the salad and gluten-free rolls with honey butter! The main meal is turkey, beef, pork, veggies, mac n cheese- yum! The traditional dessert is a craisin/apple pie a'la mode.

Snacks and Dessert at Magic
Ah! There's two great places here that come to mind! Main Street Bakery has a whole buffet line of treats to choose from, including the piled-high-with-icing cupcakes that you'll find all over WDW. Also there's Plaza Ice Cream Parlor which has fabulous ice cream. You'll find both of these places nestled in along Main Street. And if you want to experience a signature Disney treat, hit up Aloha Isle in Adventureland for some Dole Whips!

So those are my top picks for eating at the Magic Kingdom! Tomorrow I'll be back to talk about food at Epcot- one of the best places for dining!

31 Days:: Eating at the Parks

{Dining Series}

Welcome to today's topic: Eating at the Parks! There's so many wonderful restaurants, you could easily eat every meal there for a month without ever repeating a restaurant! For Florida residents, Disney Vacation Club members, and Season/Annual Passholders, there's even a program called "Tables in Wonderland" where you can get complimentary parking and discounted meals! You can check out more about that program {here}.

gluten-free Alfredo from Wolfgang Puck Cafe in the West Side

Quick Service and Table Service
There are two types of restaurants at the park- quick service and table service. Quick Service is pretty much like a take-out place- cheaper, basic menus, you walk up to the counter and order, take your food with you on a tray, and find a table in the dining area. Table Service is like a standard restaurant- a bit more pricey, extensive menu, you're seated, and there's a waiter who orders and brings your food. Each resort and park has a mix of both types of restaurants to best suit your needs and budget.


Disney Dining Plan
If you're staying at a Disney resort, you can purchase a Disney Dining Plan (DDP). We did this one year that we stayed on-property, and it was really convenient- just hand your server your "Key to the World" {aka. your room key} and tell them you're on the DDP. Then all you do is sign the check and leave a tip. There are different types of plans- Quick Service only meals, combination of Quick Service and Table Service meals, Meals and Drinks, etc. The different meal plans are {here on the Disney website}- there you can view which restaurants participate in the DDP. This may help you decide whether it is worth it for your family to purchase. We did not do a great job of keeping track of our meals, and so we actually didn't use all of our snacks or Quick Service meals, thus we lost money- so make sure you use them all up!! :)

I actually saved my receipts to see if it was worth it- if you pick some of the priciest sit down table service restaurants, it can definitely save you money. We are actually holding off eating at some of the upper end restaurants this trip, waiting until we stay on property again to take advantage of the DDP. I will admit though, it does add to the Disney experience :)

Be sure to check out what (if any) promotions are running when you book your stay at a Disney resort- often they're offering a free Disney Dining Plan on non-discounted resort stays, in which case- definitely do it!! I know I would :)

Coffee and ice cream at Ghirardelli's in DD

Advanced Dining Reservations (ADR)
For most any Table Service restaurant, you really want to make reservations- especially if you're visiting when the parks are more crowded. Reservations can be made starting 180 days in advance of your dining date, and if you're staying at a Disney resort, you can make them 190 days in advance. There are a few dining experiences that you generally have to call exactly 180 days in advance, as they fill up very quickly (ie. Cinderella's Royal Table or Chef's Table at Victoria's & Albert's). Some restaurants do require a credit card to hold a reservation, and you will be charged if you do not show up or do not cancel within a required time frame.

To make a reservation via the phone...

• call (407) WDW-DINE
• NOTE: have your credit card handy if need be 

To make a reservation online...

• create an account on the Disney website, then 
• go to any restaurant's page on the Disney website and click on "Make a Reservation"
• OR go to the {Reservations webpage} and search for a restaurant

To make a reservation on your iPhone app...

• select your park of choice
• click on "Dining"
• then click on "Make a Reservation" 
• OR click on "Browse Restaurants in the Park," then select a restaurant and click "Make a Reservation"
• NOTE: reservations that require a credit card must be made online or via the phone

AllEars has an excellent FAQ page all about Advanced Reservations, so please feel free to check it out {here online}. Another great FAQ page can be found {here on WDWInfo}.

Disney's cupcakes with mile-high-frosting!

Meal Times

When booking meal times, if you're able, I'd strongly recommend either eating early or late lunches and dinners- that's what we do. If you eat lunch before 12:00 noon or after 2:00 PM, you'll find the restaurants less crowded. This means you're more likely to get seated without a reservation, have shorter wait times for your table and for your food, and of course a less crowded eating atmosphere! If you eat dinner before 6:00 PM or after 8:00 PM, it will be less crowded as well. We very often eat lunch around 11 AM and dinner around 4:30 PM, and it has worked out beautifully! This is a useful tip also if you're worried about younger children disturbing other eating patrons- just try and avoid the peak eating times if you can. I've made our reservations for non-peak times whenever possible, just in case our then 9 month old gets a little fussy :)


Food Allergies
For many with food allergies, Disney World is a safe haven for vacation like no other! They practically bend over backwards to accommodate food allergies and lifestyle diets (kosher, vegetarian, no sugar, etc). They do not have separate kitchens, so people with very severe allergies may not be able to be adequately accommodated, but they often have separate friers (for gluten-free french fries) or separate waffle irons to avoid allergens as best as possible. On Disney's website {here}, they share more about dietary requests and needs. 

I'll be talking a little more later in the month about how I decide when and where to eat! Tomorrow we'll be talking about restaurants in the Magic Kingdom, so stay tuned :)

31 Days:: Bringing your Meals

{Dining Series}

Welcome to today's topic: Bringing your Meals! When bringing your meals to the parks, take a look first {here on the Disney website} at their official policy on food brought with you. Let's start off with a free shopping list printable, decked out just for Disney!

{printable list here}

There's a few ideas for bringing food with you down to Disney...

• driving: bring cooler of your own food
• plane/train/shuttles: bring pre-made non-refridgerator foods in your luggage
• drive/car rental: head to the supermarket once you arrive (and meal plan ahead of time!) 

We like to bring food in our checked bags, and this trip we'll have a rental car and there's a supermarket right next to our resort, so we'll meal plan before we head down and purchase foods there. If you buy food there, I'd strongly recommend meal planning ahead of time- we winged it our first trip and ended up throwing away a lot of food.

If you bring your meals to the park, there are locker rentals located near the entrance to each park where you could leave your cooler until meal time. One less thing to lug around the parks all day, but factor in enough time to head to the front of the park to grab your meals (not ideal if you're tight on time because you want to catch the afternoon parade!).

What to Eat? 

Where you'll be staying and what type of kitchen facilities (or lack thereof) that you'll have access to, that will mostly determine what foods you might bring with you to Disney. Here are some ideas for different types of foods that could travel well...

Easy To Prepare In A Standard Hotel Room

• granola
• trail mix or GORP
• oatmeal packets
• grits packets
• dry cereals
• apples, oranges, and other non-refrigerator-necessary fruits
• PB&J fixins
• bread (just surround it with clothes or put it in a box to cushion it during travels)
• nutella
• tomatoes, bananas, and some other softer fruits (I'd put them in a container to protect them from bruising and contain any juice leakage!)

If You Have A Kitchenette

• rice
• quinoa
• canned veggies, fruits, soups, etc
• beans (canned or dry)

Supermarket Shopping Upon Arrival
Again, I'd recommend menu planning ahead of time so that you don't over buy food like we did! Some items you could pre-package and bring with you to avoid buying a large container at the supermarket and throw away much of it at the end of your trip! Here are some ideas...

• spice packets- put together all of the spices you'll need for each meal in a baggie, this way you're not buying a bunch of spice containers there just to use for a week, and you also don't have to skip adding spices to your meals and have bland meals all week!
• bring half, buy half- for example, if you're making rice & beans, bring the pre-measured rice in a baggie with you, but save space in your suitcase by buying the beans at the supermarket
• condiments- sugar, salt, and any other items that you use in smaller quantities
• water bottle- if you don't like tap water, bring a reusable water bottle and buy jugs of water at the supermarket to refill your bottle, cheaper than buying a flat of disposable water bottles
• extra water bottles- leave the ice packs at home, instead fill up a spare water bottle or two and pop it in the freezer overnight, when you head to the parks the following day use the frozen water bottle for an ice pack, it will keep your meal cold but be melted enough to provide a nice cold beverage with lunch!
• tea & coffee- bring a few tea bags, pre-measure loose leaf tea into a baggie and toss in a measuring spoon along with some loose leaf tea bags, pre-grind your coffee and toss in a baggie with a measuring spoon, and bring your own coffee filters! 

Where to Eat? 
Below, I'll suggest some options for each meal. You can, of course, bring every meal to the parks or eat every meal back at the resort. In our opinion, we like to mix and match- bring some meals and buy some meals! That's just us, so here are some other options we'd recommend for each meal!

BREAKFAST suggestions....

• at the resort before you leave for the parks
• at a park restaurant, many of the breakfasts are buffet-style and feature characters!

LUNCH suggestions...

• brought with you and enjoyed in one of the Quiet Places I'll share later in the month, if you eat at non-peak lunch time, you could always grab a free table at any of the quick service eateries too
• enjoyed back at your resort for a mid-day break from the parks
• "on-the-go" as some light snacks or snacking throughout the day
• park restaurant (often the same menu as dinner, but cheaper)
• grab a seat for the afternoon parade about 30-45 minutes early, you'll have a prime viewing location and finish up eating just in time to enjoy the entertainment!

DINNER suggestions...

• park restaurant (if you don't mind the cost), we like to take a break after a long day on our feet and have dinner as a sit down meal. Especially if this is the only meal we eat at the parks that day, we think it's worth the slightly higher cost.
• at the resort after you leave the parks, and you can always return to the parks for the evening shows or parades
• brought with you and enjoyed in one of the Quiet Places I'll share later in the month, if you eat at non-peak dinner time, you could always grab a free table at any of the quick service eateries too

I hope these suggestions and ideas help you consider what to do if you plan to bring your own food either to Florida and/or to the parks! Check back in tomorrow when I talk about our favorite meal places at Magic Kingdom! Hope to see you then :)

31 Days:: Meal Planning Trackers

{Dining Series}

Welcome to today's topic: Meal Planning Trackers! Today I'll be sharing two printable trackers that I find are very useful for planning out your meals. These trackers will be most useful once you've decided whether you'll be bringing your meals, eating at the parks, or a mix of both. Over the next week or so, I'll be sharing about my favorite meal spots at the parks, as well as sharing some of the perks of bringing your meals. I'll wrap up the mini "Dining Series" with how I use these trackers to actually meal plan before heading on vacation!

Tracker 1:: Bring/Buy
Most useful if you'll be mostly bringing your meals to the parks or a combination of bringing/eating out.

{download tracker 1 here}

In the Meals column, I write down what we're having or where we're going for that meal... ie. rice and beans or Be Our Guest Restaurant. If we're eating in or bringing that meal, I put an "x" through the Time and Confirm# columns. If we're eating out that meal, I fill in our reservation time and confirmation number in those columns! The Notes column I may use to jot down what park we'll be at that day or order# if we have to pick up tickets in the park (ie. Dining With Shamu tickets at Sea World) or maybe write down the Quiet Place where we want to eat our meal that we brought with us to the parks that day. Here's a sneak peek of how I'm using this tracker for our upcoming trip...

Tracker 2:: In Park Eating

Most useful if you're going to be eating mostly at the parks. This tracker has room for your reservation numbers. It also has an area to track what type of meal you're using (Quick Service or Table Service), which will be useful to have if you're on the Disney Dining Plan (more info about that on the 19th!).

{download tracker 2 here}

In the yellow column, I write down which day of the trip it is, the date, and perhaps what park we'll be going to that day. Then I fill in our restaurant names and confirmation numbers for each meal. In the grey column, I fill in what time our meal reservation is, and if we're on the Disney Dining Plan, I plug in a "Q" or "T" to keep track of our Quick Service meals and Table Service meals. If there was an evening show we were hoping to catch (and make sure we planned our meals with enough time to stake out a good seat for said show!), I filled that in in the last columns along with the showtime(s). Here's an example of how I used this meal tracker on our last trip...

If you have any questions about these trackers, would like a customized version, or would even like an Excel spreadsheet version to fill in on your own computer, please leave a comment or send me an email!! Check back in tomorrow when I'll be sharing some tips about bringing your meals to the parks! 

31 Days:: Transportation Part 1- Getting There

{Booking Series}

Welcome to today's topic: Transportation: Part 1- Getting There! Now we all know there's a few options on how to get to Disney- plane, train, car, bus... we all know how to book those, of course. I'll just mention a few ideas that I toss around when getting there and how they factor into the budget. I'll also link you to some of my favorite transportation services!

Disney's Magical Express servicing MCO airport to and from all Disney resorts

Flying

• Consider the extra time to get to and from the airport as well as checking in, this could be time spent at the parks instead, usually the first and last days of the trip are a wash or really hectic
• Factor in the high costs of tickets and baggage fees into your budget
• Consider the convenience of no driving to the World, you'll instead be able to spend that time interacting with your family
• Consider the potential inconvenience of small children and large airports! I'll admit, it's a bit daunting that we'll be flying with an infant...
• Consider that airplanes are germ central... recirculated air, possibly sick passengers, etc. If anyone in your family has a compromised immune system, this may be a factor to seriously consider. In either case, you may consider bolstering your immune systems before flying (at least that's what we do, take some zinc starting about a week before hand through a week after the trip!). I'm also a bit germaphobic, so take that as you will ;)
• Unless you'll be using solely Disney's transportation and/or shuttles upon your arrival in Florida, consider the additional cost of additional transportation 
• My personal recommendation for finding the best price for flights is Kayak.com
• Our favorite airline is definitely JetBlue!! They are often the cheapest. They have more legroom than most airlines. They have free satellite radio and 36 channels of television in the back of the headrest in front of you. Your first checked bag is free! They're service is second to none, too.

Personal Vehicle

• One year, my family drove to Disney from NJ with a stop overnight about halfway through the 20+ hour drive. Although it was a LONG time in the car, I still remember that trip! We actually brought our babysitter with us (family friend) so my parents could have a night or two out by themselves. 
• Bring plenty of activities for kids to play with in the car. On the way there, they're likely to be antsy with excitement of getting to Disney! On the way home, they may just sleep the whole time, tuckered out from a fun-filled trip :)
• Consider gas costs and parking fees into your budget
• Consider the possible inconvenience of having to do a lot of driving all yourself
• Additionally, consider that you'll have to be doing the driving in an unfamiliar area
• Consider the additional mileage, wear, and tear that you'll be adding to your car

Train or Auto Train

• One year our family took the overnight auto train to Florida. Another trip I remember fondly!! Honestly, if you have the time, I'd highly recommend it! You have the convenience of having your own car while at Disney, as well as not having to do the drive down there yourself (save your car the mileage and yourself the time behind the wheel!). 
• Convenience of being able to stretch your legs during the trip to Disney and not be behind the wheel the whole time, and you'll be able to spend more time interacting with the family!
• Convenience of letting someone else do the driving to Florida!
• Possible inconvenience of sleeping in a cramped reclining seat if it's an overnight trip (we had a sleeping compartment with fold down beds on the trip there and economy seats on the way home)
• Save on costs- train will frequently be cheaper than planes
• Inconvenience of potential train delays and various stops along the trip to refuel and/or acquire additional passengers
• Convenience of saving money by bringing your own food on board, you can also pack your kids favorite foods in case the dining car doesn't have what your wee ones like
• If you do not take the auto train, you will have to arrange additional transportation upon your arrival in Florida to get to your hotel. Depending on the station you go into, some have rental car services onsite.
• Check out MouseSaver's article {here} for additional tips regarding train travel to the World

Rental Cars

• If you're staying on-property, parking at the 4 main theme parks is complementary
• Factor in extra time at the airport or other location to pick up and drop off your car
• Consider rental costs, gas costs and parking fees into your budget
• No time constraints- you'll be free to drive whenever where ever
• No break from driving- you'll have to do all the driving
• Research various locations where you can rent from and compare costs (at the airport, near the airport, on Disney property...)
• No additional mileage, wear, or tear on your own car!
• Remember proof of auto insurance if you choose to rent a car, if you're covered in a rental
• Consider that you'll have to be doing the driving in an unfamiliar area
• My personal recommendation for finding the best rental car price is Kayak.com

Shuttles

• Consider the inconvenience of waiting on their pick-up/drop-off schedule
• Consider cost as well as the generally accepted tipping costs for the driver at $1+ per bag and/or per person per ride
• Mears is Disney's favorite shuttle service, as well as ours. In our experience, they were flexible about changing pick-up/drop-off time as long as you gave them a 2 hour heads up- this would be convenient in the event that your flight time changed. Check out check out their website {here} to see further details about which airports and hotels/resorts they service.  
• Disney offers a complementary shuttle, "Disney's Magical Express," to and from the airport for persons staying on-property
• Convenience of letting someone else do the driving! We loved not having to worry about driving in an unfamiliar area.

I hope this helps you better evaluate how you may get to Disney. There are definitely perks and drawbacks no matter how you arrive. That said, no matter how you get there, be prepared to have a magical time once you do arrive!! Come on back tomorrow when we start our Dining Mini-Series and I share with you my Meal Planner printables! 

NOTE:: The above recommended websites and services are solely my own personal recommendations. I have not received any compensation in exchange for recommending them!

31 Days:: Packing List

{Booking Series}

Welcome to today's topic: Packing List! Today's post I'll just be sharing a few tips about things that I've found most useful to pack when heading to Disney as well as sharing my free Disney-themed Packing List printable! So let's start off with that printable!

{free printable here}

You can print out one packing list per person, one for you and DH and one for the kids, or whatever your heart desires!! If you'd like me to make a customized list for ya, feel free to leave a comment or send me an email ;) So, I'll explain how I like to use my printable to help keep me organized...

• Need- So first I sit down and guesstimate how many of each item I need
• Packed- When I actually go to pack my bag, in this column, I tally up everything as I pack it
• Re-packed- When we are leaving the hotel to head home again, I again tally up everything as I pack it back into our suitcases
• Unpacked- I tally everything as I unpack it (I swear I've lost things in transit before...) I'll be honest though, I don't always do this step... and when I don't, those are the times that I forget to unzip every suitcase pocket, then when our next trip rolls around, I find the forgotten items that I thought we had lost! hehe

Also, here are a few additional items that could be useful to pack when headed to Disney!

• Poncho (or umbrella)- late afternoon thunderstorms are common in Florida, especially in the summer and hurricane seasons. Packing your own weather gear can save you time and money! They sell ponchos in the parks (they cost roughly an arm and a leg and your right kidney...) and the lines can get long to purchase one! A poncho will likely be lighter to carry around the parks and can also be put down on top of a wet park bench if you want to watch a show!
• Waterproof footwear- this is, again, especially useful in the summer and hurricane seasons. The saying goes in Florida, if you don't like the weather, wait 10 minutes! But instead of heading home or hiding in the shops at the sight of rain, having waterproof shoes (ie. flip flops, crocs, etc) can have you enjoying the parks (and lighter crowds since everyone else is hiding from the rain!) These could also be useful to wear in the pool and water parks.
• Extra sneakers, socks, undies- if you don't own/want to use waterproof footwear, you may then want to bring extra sneakers so you don't have to wear damp ones the next day! And if you get caught in a downpour, it's nice to have dry undies and socks with you at the parks to change into later in the day, especially when it can get cool at night!
• Antibacterial hand gel- this can be useful if you don't want to have to find a bathroom to wash your hands before each meal or snack, especially useful for snacking, many food establishments do have a bathroom nearby (granted the lines to get into said bathroom may be long!)
• Battery operated personal fan- we never brought one in the past, but there were plenty of times I wish we had had one! Perfect for fanning yourself while watching the parades or shows. The ones with spray bottles attached can be great too- if we visit with small kids or babies during the hotter months, this will be a must have! Can't have the wee ones getting over heated! You can purchase these at some of the shops around the parks, but of course, they'll cost ya a lot more than if you bring your own.
• Non-glass water bottle- this is a MUST have!! The water fountains around the parks are decent water to refill your bottle, and much cheaper than buying water throughout each day at the parks! Disney does not allow glass bottles though.
• Cooler- if you're bringing your own snacks or drinks, a soft-sided collapsable cooler would be a great thing to bring to keep everything cold!
• Ear plugs- if you or the kiddos are sensitive to loud noises, and you're planning to see some of the shows or fireworks, these can be very useful! We'll be bringing ear protection for the baby on this trip.
• Small empty suitcase or duffle- unless your suitcase had plenty of extra room in it on your trip down to Disney (or you brought your own food that will have been eaten during the trip!) you might want to bring an extra bag to bring back all of your souvenirs!! We actually had to buy an entire full-size suitcase during our honeymoon, just to bring back everything, hehe. A suitcase is a useful souvenir to have bought, but definitely would have saved us money if we'd thought ahead and brought our own down with us ;) Factor into your budget in any additional baggage fees for checked bags.
• Hat, sunglasses, etc- even during the winter months, the Florida sun is strong! Make sure you bring sun protection, especially for the wee ones' sensitive skin :)
• Laundry detergent & quarters- if you're planning on doing laundry (or even if you're not, but you have wee ones that might go through all their clothes quickly!), you can either bring some baggies from home with laundry detergent (in your checked bag!) or in travel size bottles, or buy pre-packaged travel sized ones before you leave for Disney. Much cheaper than buying detergent there!! And don't forget your quarters if your resort/hotel does not have complementary laundry!
• Night light- if the wee ones are used to sleeping with a night light, this could be useful to make them more comfortable while sleeping away from their own bed :)
• Proof of auto insurance- if your auto insurance covers rental car accidents, this would be useful to have so you can waive the damage collision fee (and in the off chance you'll need to use your insurance!)
• Proof of health insurance- again, in the off chance that you'll need to use your health insurance
• Waterproof tote bag (or Ziploc bag)- this can serve a few purposes... keeping your stuff dry on Kali River Rapids at Animal Kingdom, keeping your phone and camera dry during a rain storm, and keeping all of your other stuff dry from your wet poncho post-storm or from soiled clothes from the wee ones!
• Zinc- we like to bolster our immune systems with some zinc, echinacea, and/or vitamin C before, during, and after our trips. Figure it certainly can't hurt knowing we'll be in contact with so many other guests throughout our trip and some may be sick! I'm a bit of a germaphobe too...
• Glow sticks and necklaces- during many of the evening entertainments, the glowing carts go up and down the street selling nicknacks. If you bring your own for the kids, they'll still get to have fun, but at a fraction of the cost for mom and dad's wallet!

Here's a bonus printable that I just made up for our wee one (she needed extra categories! hehe)...

{Wee One's printable here}

Now I know some of those items seem like common sense, but they're things that I know I've forgotten myself sometimes! Oh! Oh! And I just recently found these two AMAZING tutorials via Pinterest on how to pack a week or more's worth of clothing in your carry on- check them out {NY Times slideshow here} and {The Feminist Breeder article here}. Check back here tomorrow when I'll be talking about the pros and cons and tips and tricks for getting to the World!

31 Days:: Location Location Location

{Booking Series}

Welcome to today's topic: Location Location Location! Today I'll mention a few things about stay in a Disney property hotel vs. staying off property. I've had experience in both staying on-property and staying off-property at my parents' timeshare. Both have their perks, but I'll admit that I'm a sucker for staying on-property when the budget can afford it!!

Disney's Port Orleans Riverside

On Property
We have had the great fortune to stay on-property three times: a 3-day and 10-day stay at Port Orleans Riverside (our favorite!) and a 14-day trip at Coronado Springs (another great stay!). We truly love staying on-property- you get the full Disney experience that way!! It was so nice to not have to drive or worry about anything really! There are different price categories for staying on-property, one for almost every budget :) Here are some perks and drawbacks to staying on-property...

Perks

• All Disney all the time!! Truly a magical experience :)
• Complementary shuttle from MCO airport- no need for a rental car
• Complementary shuttles throughout the parks- no need for a rental car or parking fees
• Shuttle service to other local non-Disney attractions is very easy- Mears shuttles brought us to Sea World and Universal Studios, picked us up at the front door to our resort! You can also get rental cars for the day (or longer) at various places throughout WDW (I'll discuss that later in the month!).
• Keys to the World! Your room key also can be used for purchasing anything throughout the parks, no need to bring a credit card to the parks (but bring a little cash, the free standing ice cream carts don't take Keys to the World)
• Any of your in park purchases can be sent back to your resort! they're usually delivered by ~1 PM the following day (so don't use this service on your last day!). Pick up is generally at your resorts' gift shop.
• Each resort has unique theming that makes the stay really special!
• Extended Theme Park Hours! Throughout the week, different parks stay open late or open early, and you can only participate if you're staying at a Disney resort or Shades of Green
• complimentary baggage check at your resort for many airlines (we used this, SO convenient!!)
• Disney Dining Plan! You can only purchase a DDP if you're staying at the resorts. Just hand your waiter your Key to the World and tell them you're on the DDP. I'll talk more about this later in the month!
• You can have special gift baskets or flowers pre-delievered to your room, waiting for you upon arrival. Perfect for kids birthdays, first visits, or anniversaries! Pick from pre-arranged assortments or create your own. I created one for DH one year, and we loved it! Filled it with snacks and drinks we could bring to the parks, along with some chips and salsa (best salsa we've ever had!!) for late night snacks in the room :) Find out more {here}.
• They often run discount packages of rooms, park tickets, and dining. Sometimes the dining plan is even free!
• Each resort has a concierge service near the front desk- they can really help you out with anything on or off property that you'd like to do!
• Priority on Disney golf course tee times!
• Quality of staff and service is overall very high!
• WDW TV! With exclusive insider Disney info being shown all day and night

Drawbacks

• All Disney all the time- if you want a break, you won't really get one staying on-property.
• Always surrounded by families and children (can be a small downer if you're looking for a romantic trip... we were kept up once by our small neighbors jumping on the bed until 11 PM)
• If you don't get a rental car, you'll need to pay for a shuttle service to any off-property activities (we used Mears shuttle service and it was not a problem) or get a rental car for the day (again, available at various WDW locations). In general, it will take you longer to get to any off-property attractions.
• Unless you get a family suite or stay at the new Animation resort, you won't have a kitchen of sorts so you'll likely have to eat out all the time, unless you bring snacks with you from home!
• Relying on Disney transportation can sometimes be a hassle. If you forgo the rental car, and you have a fussy child, it may may feel like forever getting back to your resort via Disney buses- you may have to wait to catch a bus and then they may make other stops at other resorts first and a few stops around your own resort, then the walk back to your room. As a couple, DH and I didn't mind (it was worth the trade off to not have to drive anywhere during our trip!)
• During special events, the resorts will also likely be even more packed than usual.
• Your standard size hotel room, sometimes smaller than standard.
• Last minute accommodations can be hard to come by sometimes.
• Generally higher priced rooms and dining on-property.

our favorite off property timeshare

Off Property

I have had many a stay off property at our family's timeshare. If you don't want 24/7 Disney, I'd recommend a resort or hotel off property. If you're renting a car, it can be nice to just get away from it all. Here are a few perks and drawbacks to staying off property....

Perks

• Get a respite from everything Disney
• Timeshares (and some hotels) will have full kitchens or kitchenettes to facilitate cooking meals so you don't have to always eat at the parks. This is the BIG perk about off-property, in my opinion.
• Some hotels may even offer free breakfast (another meal cost you don't have to budget for!)
• Potentially fewer children around (can be nice if you're looking for a romantic trip)
• Convenience of having a car allows you the flexibility to leave whenever you want and go wherever you want whenever you want. All you'll need to do is wait for a tram out to the parking lot (granted those lines can be long at closing time!).
• Check out {AllEars here} before you book- their readers can get special discounts for some hotels and resorts!
• Cheaper, often times. Your basic Holiday Inn is likely going to be cheaper than even the lowest price point Disney resorts. Even kitchenette rooms at off-property hotels can often be cheaper than staying on-property anywhere.
• Often times you can get larger accommodations off-site for the same or lower prices.
• Last minute accommodations can be easier to get off-site.
• One of my favorite sites for booking is Kayak.com

Drawbacks

• Requires a rental car and parking fees at the parks or a daily shuttle service
• It will usually take more time to drive to the parks if you're off-site
• At peak holiday times, sometimes the Disney parking lots will fill up and close
• Not as close to all the Disney action
• No Disney Dining Plan available, so you have to keep tabs on your meal spending
• No Keys to the World, so you'll have to have credit cards, room keys, cash, etc. all with you at the parks
• No complementary package delivery. You'll have to carry them throughout the park or remember to pick them up at the front of the park before you leave (more on that later in the month).
• Hotel/resort staff may or may not be familiar with Disney information
• Varying degrees of staff quality and hotel/resort cleanliness

So I hope this has helped you weigh the pros and cons of staying on or off property. If you hope to save money by bringing your snacks to the park (and there's no DDP discount being offered), staying off property with kitchen facilities can be a major plus. If you're looking for convenience, not having to drive or think about much of anything besides having fun and relaxing, on-property could be the way to go! Check back in with us tomorrow when I'll be sharing with you my packing list and tips!

NOTE:: I do not receive any compensation for recommending the above links or locations. These opinions are purely my own!!

31 Days:: Dates and Tickets

{Booking Series}

Welcome to today's topic: Dates & Tickets! Today I'll be mentioning a few tips about choosing dates to go to Disney as well as explaining Disney park ticket pricing. Granted, even if you don't have options for when to go, it might be fun to see if there's anything special happening while you're visiting! That way you could book additional tickets for a special event or know ahead of time that the parks may be a bit crowded. It could help you better plan out what to expect during your trip :)

Tickets
Disney has what's called "Magic Your Way" tickets, because you can customize the tickets that you purchase. You can purchase everything from a one-day park ticket to a 10-day Park-Hopper Water-Park-Fun No-Expiration ticket! I'll explain the various options that you can add onto your ticket. Each option adds a bit to the base price, so keep that in mind. Tickets expire 14-days after initial use (unless they're No Expiration tickets).

• Park-Hopper Option:: allows you to freely hop from park to park throughout the length of your ticketed days. We tend to get this so we can say spend the early half of the day at Animal Kingdom (which closes earlier than the other parks) then finish out the day at Magic Kingdom (usually open the latest out of all the parks). 
• Water Park Fun & More Option:: allows you access to the two water parks, the mini golf courses, DisneyQuest, Disney's Wide World of Sports complex, and Disney's Oak Trail Golf Course
• No Expiration Option:: if you don't use up all of the days on your ticket, this allows you to return anytime and use the remainder of your ticket. 

To price out your tickets, visit Disney's website {Ticket Page here}. You can also purchase Annual Passes, Single-Day Water Park or DisneyQuest tickets, and Premier Passports (which allows annual access to both Disneyland and Disney World). If you have questions regarding tickets, there's an excellent FAQs page {here on AllEars}. Discounted tickets can be hard to come by, but are generally available to Florida residents, Disney Vacation Club members, military personnel, and AAA members.

Cinderella's Castle during the annual Night of Joy event

Dates
Some of you may have a choice as to when to go- ie. President's Day weekend vs. spring break. It might be useful to know what's going on at WDW during different times of the year, in order to choose the best time for you and your family to visit and have the best trip possible! When there's no special events, the crowds are smaller. Weekends during the summer bring bigger crowds, as do the weeks that Florida schools have spring break. Of course, special events will bring the larger crowds, Christmas time having the most crowds the entire year!

The prices of Disney property resorts (and many surrounding hotels and resorts) vary throughout the year based on the events, holidays, and seasons. Here is a short summary of some of the crowd levels throughout the year, as per AllEars...

Peak Crowd Levels

• February's Presidents' Day week 
• Mid-March through Late April (spring break for many schools)
• Memorial Day weekend
• Mid-June through Labor Day
• Thanksgiving Day through the weekend
• Christmas week through New Year's Day

Moderate Crowd Levels

• After February's Presidents' Day week through early March
• Late April through early June (except Memorial Day weekend)
• October's Columbus Day Weekend 
• The early part of Thanksgiving week

Lower Crowd Levels

• January (after New Year's Day) up until February's Presidents' Day week
• The week after Labor Day through the week before to Thanksgiving (we often go the last week in August/first week in September!)
• The week after Thanksgiving through mid-December

Additionally, here is an overview of some events that occur though out the year that will bring varying larger crowd levels. Some special events require an additional ticket that you have to purchase (for an additional cost, of course), and the hosting park may close early to hold the event- Night of Joy, Mickey's Halloween Party, and Mickey's Christmas Party are some examples. To learn more about an individual event, check out Disney's {Special Events Page here}. Additionally, AllEars has various reviews and tips about various events, which you can check out on their {website here}.

January

• WDW Marathon Weekend
• The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights: in Hollywood Studios, an entire street decked out in Christmas lights from sidewalk to rooftops, a light snow all set to music

February

• Disney Princess Half Marathon

Spring Months

• Star Wars Weekends
• Atlanta Braves Spring Training at Disney's Wide World of Sports
• Gay Days- not Disney sponsored but it occurs every year throughout the Orlando park areas, do a quick Google search and you'll find the official website for it so you can find out when it is in the event that your family would prefer not to visit that particular week

March

• Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival

April

• Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival
• Easter- various restaurants will have special menus
• Earth Day- some special events and displays can be found around the World, particularly at Animal Kingdom

May

• Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival

Summer Months

• Sounds Like Summer concert series: in Epcot, various musical artists play on evenings throughout the month, some are cover bands and some are big name artists!

July

• Independence Day- special festivities are held at Magic Kingdom, Epcot, and Hollywood Studios

September

• Night of Joy- two night Christian music event! We went two years ago and had a great time, just be prepared for lots of screaming tween/teen youth groups on the rides ;)
• Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party
• Epcot International Food & Wine Festival: experience foods and drinks from around the world, big big crowds

October

• Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party
• Epcot International Food & Wine Festival: experience foods and drinks from around the world, big big crowds

November

• Epcot International Food & Wine Festival: experience foods and drinks from around the world, big big crowds
• Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon
• Children's Miracle Network Hospitals Classic golfing tournament
• Festival of the Masters- an open air art festival at Downtown Disney
• Old Spice Classic basketball tournament
• Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party
• The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights: in Hollywood Studios, an entire street decked out in Christmas lights from sidewalk to rooftops, a light snow all set to music
• Holidays Around the World- Candlelight Processional: a high demand ticket, the story of Christmas told by a celebrity narrator accompanied by an orchestra and choir
• Festival of the Seasons- Downtown Disney decked out for the holidays and a photo spot with Santa

December

• Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party
• Holidays Around the World- Candlelight Processional: a high demand ticket, the story of Christmas told by a celebrity narrator accompanied by an orchestra and choir
• Festival of the Seasons- Downtown Disney decked out for the holidays and a photo spot with Santa
• The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights: in Hollywood Studios, an entire street decked out in Christmas lights from sidewalk to rooftops, a light snow all set to music
• New Year's Eve Party at Disney Quest in Downtown Disney

So I hope that helps you plan when you might want to go and/or gives you some ideas of events to participate in whilst you're there!! We're going during a peak season this year- so even though we know that we'll face some huge crowds, we're excited to take advantage of some fun events going on at that time!! Tomorrow we'll be talking about Locations- the ups and downs of staying on Disney property vs. off-property! Hope to see you then ;)

31 Days:: Budgeting During the Trip

{Budget Series}

Welcome to today's topic: During the Trip! Today I'll be talking about how to use yesterday's Budget Worksheet during your actual trip to Disney. I'll start by again posting my sample budget from last year's trip but with some budgeting filled in.

So again, there's a few "actual" costs that are filled in in black- these were costs that were done before we ever left, actually before we even finished our final budget. Check out yesterday's post for more details about that.

You'll also notice that there's some numbers in red, green, purple, and blue, as well as some totals filled in in the yellow TOTAL squares at the bottom. Those are all the things I'll be talking about today!!

During our trip, every night (or every other night- some nights we're just too exhausted from a fun filled day!) I gather our receipts and enter them into our budget. This way I know where we stand- if we're staying in budget, if we need to cut back on buying snacks or souvenirs, or if maybe we need to cancel a table service restaurant reservation and grab a cheaper meal elsewhere in order to get back on track with our budget. So here's how I do that...

Red Numbers

• I tally up our food receipts and fill in how much we spent throughout the day (I round up to whole dollars). Breakfast, lunch, and dinner meals go in their appropriate rows in the Actual column, and any other money we spent on food-related items (milkshakes, popcorn, ice cream bars, coffee, etc) gets added to the "snack" row in the Actual column. 
• I would also tally up any extra Tickets we bought that day, say for mini golf, La Nouba, etc, and add those into their corresponding rows in the Actual column. 
• Any transportation that occurs while we're at Disney (ie. parking at Sea World, a shuttle to the airport, anything I didn't pay for in advance before we left for WDW), I fill in the Actual column as those expenses occur. 

Green Numbers

• Once I've entered in all the food totals for the day, I figure out the difference between the Estimated cost and the Actual costs. If I went over, it's a positive number in the Over/Under column. If I was under, it's a negative number in the Over/Under column. 
• Again, I'd do the same thing for any extra Tickets we bought that day and fill in the Over/Under column.
• And again, I'd so the same for any Transportation expenses for the day and fill in the Over/Under column.

Yellow TOTALs
Once I've done the Actual and Over/Under columns for the day (not including the Extras rows.. I'll get to that next), I tally up all the numbers, and enter that into the day's TOTAL square at the bottom. D0 for Day 0, D1 for Day 1, etc. This helps me, at a glance, see if we're on/under/over budget in general. That way I can plan accordingly for the next day's spendings in order to assure we're on or under budget by the end of the trip!

For example, if you notice on D2's TOTAL, I saw we were a little over budget. So I decided to cancel Day 3's reservation for dinner at Captain's Grill (hence the 0 in the Actual column). We decided to just grab a snack instead, since we were full from the previous two meals anyways, which is why we went a little over in the "snacks" for that day- but it's still cheaper than if we'd gone to Captain's Grill! So as you can see, by the end of Day 3, we were under budget again!


Purple Numbers
In the Extras category rows work a little differently, as I use these as running totals throughout the whole trip. The Actual column is the budget. The Estimated column is the current spendings. The Over/Under column is how much money is left in that budget.

So each night, I gather up all the receipts for things we bought that weren't food, transportation, or tickets. I separate them into their corresponding Miscellaneous or Souvenir categories and enter the total into the Actual column rows- if there's already a total there, I add today's purchases to the current number there. For example, at the end of Day 1, we had spent $15 on Miscellaneous items. So at the end of Day 2 (where we spent $20 on Miscellaneous items) I updated the total in the Actual column to be $35. I think you get the gist... again it's a running total ;)


Blue Numbers
Again, the Extras category works a little differently (see the Purple Numbers explanation). So once I've updated the Actual column for the day, I figure out how much we have left in the budget for the Miscellaneous and Souvenir categories. I enter that into the Over/Under column rows. Again, it's a running total, so if there's already a total in that square, I add the current day's total to that previous total. This allows me, at a quick glance, to know whether we need to reign in those souvenir purchases or if we're looking good.


I hope I explained everything well. If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment or send me an email, and I'd be more than happy to help!! Tune in tomorrow for a chat about Dates and Tickets- learn more about crowd levels during your trip and how to navigate Disney's ticketing types and prices!