31 Days: Disney Family Movie Nights

Hey all! 

So! You've booked your resort and your dining reservations. You've got a while to wait until you can book your FastPasses. What do you do in the meantime? Disney Family Movie Nights!! We LOVE to do these in our home. We theme dinner and decorations to the movie that we're watching :) It's just a fun way to keep the Disney magic alive while you're waiting for your trip to arrive. We generally do one once a month or so- two if we're really ambitious. You can even skip the decorations if you're not crafty-inclined or if you just don't have enough time. I even do a themed craft for our 3 yro- usually nothing fancy, just decorating a paper crown or coloring a page with crayons and stickers. That's usually all I have time to whip together :P 

Here's a look at some that we've done in the past! Click on each movie title to see the full post with more details and inspiration. Here we go...

"Emperor's New Groove" Disney Family Movie Night

"Brave" Disney Family Movie Night

"Lilo & Stitch" Disney Family Movie Night  

If you want even more inspiration, feel free to stop by my Pinterest board all about Family Movie Nights done Disney style!!

Follow Shauna's board Disney: family movie night on Pinterest.

31 Days: Making a Disney Itinerary

Hi all!

Today is all about making an itinerary. This is something that I feel is an absolute MUST, but I know there are plenty who would disagree. So hear me out ;) I am a planner- I love lists and the like, it makes me feel more at ease to have at least a starting game plan. Now equally important, especially when vacationing someplace like Disney where there's soooo much to see and do, you also MUST be flexible. So, while I definitely advise planning out your days, be ready to change your schedule. Whether it's just flip flopping the plan for two days, perhaps because one day gets rained out, or just being prepared to cancel all the afternoon plans because the kids just need a day to decompress and relax at the resort pool. Be ready to roll with the punches :) 

SO! Here is how I go about planning....

(1) Finalize your dates... more or less

Better to make plans and then have to tweak them a bit later, as opposed to waiting and missing out on getting dining reservations or FastPasses! You should have your hotel(s) reserved, and if you're resort-hopping, plug that info into your itinerary (you'll see in the second row, I noted we were staying at Bay Lake Tower and Animal Kingdom Lodge for part of our stay!). 

(2) Decide on parks

The starting point for me is always figuring out which park to visit on which day. My secret weapon is using EasyWDW's crowd calendars, but take it with a grain of salt. We've always had a fabulous vacation, and I've gone to their "Not Recommended" parks on a few days. It generally won't make or break your vacation, but it's a great starting point and they really have great advice! If you want to maximize your visit, especially if you won't be visiting again any time soon, I highly recommend tailoring your schedule to what they recommend. You'll see in the light yellow row of my itinerary, I plug in the park hours for wherever I'm going that day. If I'm park hopping, I'll note the hours the first park opens, and the hours the second park closes. 

(3) Advanced Dining Reservations

My next task, make your dining reservations! I plug this info into the grey rows- for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Since you know what park you'll be at, you can go search for eateries in that park and go from there. While you're there, fill in where you might want to eat for other meals. Whether it'll be instant oatmeal for breakfast in your room, stopping in a "quick service" restaurant for lunches, or preparing sandwiches to bring with you to the parks- it's great to have a plan in place for all meals!

(4) Entertainment

Check out Disney's website and see what parades, fireworks, stage shows, or special events might be going on during your stay! There's truly a ton to do and see, so plug in your favorites into your itinerary! Even if it's just noting that you want to hit up the pool one night because there's a pool party, if you don't jot this down, you're likely to forget it. 

(5) FastPass your rides

Make them! Add them into your itinerary! You'll be assigned an hour-long time window during which you can head to your rides, so you don't want to miss those! You'll see I wrote down all of ours in purple on my itinerary. 

31 Days: Disney's Advanced Dining Reservations

Hi all!

Today I'll be discussing Disney's Advanced Dining Reservations (ADRs)- aka. how to book a meal at Disney World! If you're planning on eating at a table service (or traditional sit down) restaurant, it's pretty straight forward, but below are some useful tips! Check out the {Dining} Series, from my previous Disney 31 Days series to see my personal favorite places to dine!

180 (or 190!) Days

If you're staying in a Disney resort, you can make your ADRs 180 days in advance, as well as up to 10 days of your trip. So you can make all of your reservations starting 180 days out from the FIRST day of your trip. If you're staying off property, you can make your reservations 180 days in advance as well, but need to come back each day to make reservations for subsequent days of your trips. This is REALLY important, as some restaurants will book up very very quickly.

Type, Tap, or Telephone

There's three easy ways to make a dining reservation- the Disney website, the My Disney Experience app, or by telephone. No way is necessarily easier than another, but the best way is probably the website. Certain restaurants can only be reserved on the website or telephone. By phone is pretty easy too, but it can often be a bit of a wait to talk to a customer service rep.

Large Groups

I'm currently planning a family reunion for 19 people. I've learned that if you can't get reservations online or on the app, just give a call to the restaurant directly! Check out some of the lesser-demand restaurants too. 

Think Outside the Park

Restaurants in the parks are typically always in high-demand, some more than others. Don't forget about all of the fabulous restaurants located within easy access of the parks! If you're in the Magic Kingdom or Epcot, check out restaurants that are in the hotels on the monorail line- The Grand Floridian, Polynesian Village Resort, and The Contemporary. If you're in Epcot or Hollywood Studios, check out The Boardwalk- just a boat ride or 5-10 minute walk away! Even if you don't have a park-hopper ticket, you can leave the park and return to the same park as much as you need on any given day! If you have a down day, or feel like driving yourself over, definitely check out Disney Springs for a ton of fabulous restaurants!!! There is no Disney transportation directly between Disney Springs and the parks (in an effort to prevent people from parking at DS, which is currently free, and popping over to the parks where parking is currently $20 a day!). 

Kid-Friendly

Which restaurants are kid-friendly, you ask? Well, it's Disney. So pretty much all of them. Take a peek at the Disney website, as there are a handful that have dress codes. Those might be the restaurants to avoid if you have a rowdy gang! Beyond that, if you're really concerned, try dining outside of the busiest meal times, which are between 11:30-2:00 for lunch and 6:00-8:00 for dinner. Beyond that, just relax and enjoy! 

31 Days: Budgeting for Disney

Welcome! Today we will be diving into how I budget for Disney! It's not too complicated (I don't think... maybe I over plan a bit!), but I'll mention a few things that are important to include in your budget. You can make your budget as big or small as you want, but hopefully this will give you a good starting place. For a few more budgeting tips, feel free to check out my posts in the {Booking} Series from my previous 31 Days to Disney series, including a free printable!

So above is what my personal budget looks like- this particular one was from two years ago. We've got your basic categories. I track what credit card I use to pay for each item (in Pay column), and plug in what I Actually (Act) spent vs. Estimated (Est) costs. And then I also like to track how much I'm over or under (O / U) in each category. Notes is self explanatory- you can see here I used it to keep track of confirmation numbers. The "Budget Totals" is where I like to sit down each evening and tally up how much I've spent each day (in the Act column, for "Actually" spent) and again how much I'm over/under. It just gives me a good idea if we need to maybe bring our lunch the next day, if we're a bit over budget, or if we just need to reign in spending a bit to stay on track. 

Some expenses to keep in mind, depending on your transportation, lodging, etc...

Transportation

• gas money 
• parking (at the parks, airport, hotel, etc)
• airfare (including any baggage fees, tips, etc)
• toys (we like to purchase a few small toys for plane rides or road trips!)
• shuttles (to the airport, to non-Disney parks if you're on-property)
• rental car + associated fees

Lodging

• room fees (don't forget tax!)
• any parking fees (not common, but double check)
• housekeeping tips

Tickets

• Disney tickets
• non-Disney attraction tickets
• special events (Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party,  Night of Joy, etc)
• behind the scene tours
• if you're road tripping and stopping at sights along the way, don't forget to budget for those! You'll see we planned to stop at the Zoo along the way during this road trip :)

Food

• meals eaten in the park
• groceries (if you plan to bring some meals to the park, or eat meals in your room)
• snacks for the road/plane
• Tables in Wonderland (a discount card available to Disney Vacation Club members, Annual Passholders, and Florida residents. Really worth the money if you go on a long trip and/or you go multiple times a year and enjoy eating at the sit down table service restaurants!)

Extras

• souvenirs
• gifts for family/friends (we always do a bit of Christmas shopping!)
• miscellaneous (random expenses, extra bottle of water purchased at the parks, box of band aids, etc)
• toys (if you plan to purchase items ahead of time to give to the kiddos, like glow sticks for during night time parades, "Tinkerbell gifts" waiting in the room, etc. I'll discuss these ideas more later in the series!!)
• gift cards: you'll note that this is actually a "negative" number in our budget! I purchase gift cards at Target ahead of time, with my RedCard which gets me 5% off. So when purchasing a $100 gift card, it only costs me $95! SUPER easy savings when figuring that your trip will cost many hundreds of dollars, the savings can REALLY add up! Discounted gift cards can also be found at Sam's Club, and likely other big box stores. 

31 Days: Disney's MyMagic+

Hi all! 

So today we'll be discussing MyMagic+ which is your key to everything Disney, more or less!

This is an all-encompassing term. It includes your MagicBands (seen below), your FastPass+ reservations for rides, and your account on the Disney app or website! Let's dive into this...

MagicBands

If you stay on Disney property, you will receive a MagicBand in the mail before your arrival. This will be the "key" to your room. It will also allow you access onto the rides for which you make a FastPass+ reservation. As long as you have a credit card linked to your room, you can also use it to make purchases throughout Walt Disney World resort! It's your key to the World while at Disney! If you're staying off property, you may purchase a MagicBand to enjoy many of these same features. For really young kids, I like putting the MagicBands on the ankles. Less chance of them getting ripped off- but you know your kids best! Make sure you remove the outer grey part of the band- this sizes it down to kid (or petite adult!) size!!

FastPass+

Before your arrival to Disney, you'll be able to make reservations for rides! This allows you to bypass the regular "stand by" lines and send you right to the front of the line! Now in reality you still will have to wait in line, but generally a much shorter one. Not every ride has a FastPass+ available, it tends to be just the larger ones with long lines. Also available for FastPasses includes some shows and character meet & greets!

My Disney Experience

This is the name of the smartphone app that you can download to view all your reservation goodies, wait times, and more! Super useful to have during your vacation and at the parks. Highly recommended! Your MagicBands and FastPass+ reservations will be on there, and you can also access all your information online, under the section also marked "My Disney Experience."

PhotoPass/Memory Maker

At the parks, there are tons of Disney photographers that will take your photo if you ask! These photos will be linked to your account, via your MagicBand or park ticket, and you can later purchase them and/or download them on Memory Maker. You can add fun borders or Disney characters to your photos on Memory Maker too! Some ride photos can even be linked to your PhotoPass account! You can view the photos on My Disney Experience. 

These are the basic areas that cumulatively are referred to as "MyMagic+" Any questions? :)

31 Days: Deciding Where to Stay at Disney World

So today's topic is pretty straight forward- do you stay in a Walt Disney World resort hotel (on property) or stay off property? They each have perks and drawbacks. I've had experience in both staying on-property and staying off-property at our family's 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 @ a WDW resort hotel

Perks

• All Disney all the time!! Truly a magical experience :) Each resort has unique theming that makes the stay really special!
• Complementary shuttle from Orlando (MCO) airport
• Complementary shuttles throughout the parks
• Complementary parking at the parks (if you prefer to drive yourself)
• Concierge desk can arrange non-Disney shuttles to other local attractions (Sea World, Universal Studios, etc) which are usually a reasonable fee
• MagicBand (which will be discussed further later): your room key and you can charge anything in the parks to your room using the MagicBand (except a few free-standing drink/ice cream carts that only accept cash or card)
• In-park purchases can be sent back to your resort (so no lugging them around the parks!)
• Extended Theme Park Hours: one park is open late or early each day for On Property guests only
• Complimentary baggage check & boarding pass printing at your resort for participating airlines
• Disney Dining Plan: a pre-paid dining plan (your choice of a few different options/levels) that is only available to on-property guests
• Gift or Flower baskets can be delivered straight to your room. Find out more {here}.
• Priority tee times for Disney's golf courses
• WDW TV, with exclusive insider Disney info being shown all day and night
• Disney has their timeshares (Disney Vacation Club) which allow you to have a kitchen right in your room! Great for keeping costs lower by preparing food in your room.

Drawbacks

• Fees for shuttles to visit any non-Disney attractions (if you didn't rent a vehicle)
• Using the complementary Disney transportation only, you are at the mercy of their schedule, which doesn't always coincide with your toddler's nap time!
• Generally higher priced rooms 

our favorite off property timeshare

Off Property

Perks

• 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. 
• Some hotels may even offer free breakfast 
• Convenience of having a car allows you the flexibility to leave whenever you need 
• Check out {AllEars here} before you book- their readers can get special discounts for some hotels and resorts!
• Cheaper than staying on-property
• Often times you can get larger accommodations off-property for the same or lower prices.

Drawbacks

• Requires a rental car and parking fees at the parks or a daily shuttle service
• 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 

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. 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!

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

31 Days: Disney Planning Timeline

Hey all! 

Thanks for joining me here- today will be a short post. It's all about timelines so you don't miss anything important when planning your Disney vacation! So print out a calendar, bust out your planner, and get ready to jot down a few dates here :) 

ASAP

Book your resort! As soon as you know for sure what dates you'll be traveling, get that resort booked. Some fill up quicker than others, especially if there's any events going on during your trip dates. You can always adjust the days if you find yourself flying out a day sooner or later than originally thought. 

6 Months Out (180-190 Days)

Dining Reservations! Make them. Use them. Some restaurants will literally fill up 180 days out (or sooner!). If you're staying at a Disney resort, you can make your reservations starting 180 days out, plus up to 10 days of your trip. So you can make reservations for actually 190 days out! 

1-2 Months Out

FastPass+ Reservations! Make them. Use them. We'll discuss how later in this series. These are the rides that you really want to get AND you want to skip the long lines. Check out the Disney website to see which rides have FastPass+, it tends to be the big demand rides. If you're staying at a Disney resort, you can make these reservations 2 months out. Everyone else can reserve these 30 days out. 

10 Days Out

Magicbands customization! Make sure it's done by this time, as this is when they'll ship to your house! Don't fret if you miss this deadline- you can customize them up to 6 days prior to your arrival, and you'll just pick them up at the front desk at check in. We'll discuss this more later! 

31 Days: Walt Disney World Overview

Welcome, friends, to the first post of the series! I'll be kicking things off today with a brief overview of each park and area in Disney World. There's SO much to do and see, so be sure to check out the official Walt Disney World site for tons of great info. Also, check out the {About} Series from my previous 31 Disney Days series for a bit more in-depth info about each park!!

Magic Kingdom
Quintessential Disney! If you only have one day, this is the park to hit, especially with wee ones! Take a step back in time as you stroll down Main Street USA (the main entrance way), stop by the ice cream parlor, get a hair cut at the Barber Shop (perfect for first hair cuts!!), browse through the shops, and of course stop to get a photo in front of Cinderella's Castle (there's many Disney photographers lining the street to help you out!). A mix of different themed "lands"- Tomorrowland, Adventureland, Frontierland... truly a magical place!

Epcot
Take a step into the future- EPCOT actually stands for "Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow!" As an adult, this is our favorite park. Admittedly, there's not an overwhelming amount for young kids here. Mid-2016, the new Frozen ride will be opening here, which will be a huge draw though. I wouldn't say skip this park altogether, but it could certainly be done in a half day for the kids. If the kids take a nap in the stroller, take a tour around the World Showcase- a recreation of 11 authentic villages from around the world, including Germany, Mexico, Norway, and more!

Hollywood Studios
A throwback to Old Hollywood (and some new Hollywood magic too!) This park is currently undergoing many changes in 2015-2016 (and possibly beyond), as it's being expanded to include a Toy Story world and a Star Wars world! At the moment, again, there's not a ton for young children. I'd even say you could skip it, if you're tight on time. Even for adults, it's a half day park at the moment.

Animal Kingdom
If your wee ones are animal lovers, this is a fantastic park! It's one of my favorites, and has a great mix of kid and adult-friendly rides. There's a few bigger thrill rides geared towards adults. There's a dinosaur-themed "carnival" area with games and rides for little ones. There's a live-show all about birds, a Finding Nemo musical (in an air-conditioned theatre!), and a Lion King mini-broadway style show (also air-conditioned!). And, of course, there's animals everywhere you go! From a safari ride, to long walkways with animal-viewing areas, to a large petting zoo area! The theming at the park is truly lovely.

(photos from disneyworld.disney.go.com)

Disney Springs
Formerly known as "Downtown Disney," you'll find the best shopping around here! A store for everything, pretty much. And we can't forget the incredible restaurants here! Some of our favorite places (like Raglan Road!) can be found here. Make a day of it, to be sure. Not as crowded as the parks, so let the kids run around. If they fall asleep in the stroller, take the time to peruse the racks- most, if not all, of the stores are stroller-friendly. Or just take a stroll- Disney Springs is a big place, and some very pretty water views. Relax with a Starbucks or an adult beverage and take in the sights!

Disney's Boardwalk
You'll feel like you're on a real boardwalk by the ocean! Such great theming here, and some great eateries and small shops. Home to two of Disney's hotels and Disney Vacation Club resorts (timeshares), it's a great place to have a "down day" away from the hustle and bustle of the parks. It's nestled in-between Hollywood Studios and Epcot, and we always make time to pop in here! You can take a boat or walk here from either park, too!

Water Parks & Mini Golf
Disney has two water parks- Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach. I've been going to Disney since I was knee-high to a grasshopper, and we've only been to the water parks once. They each have a "preschooler" geared area of play slides and activities, but I don't feel like my 3 yro has been quite ready for them yet. If you have a fish in your family though, it could definitely be worth a day!! Honestly, we've found the resort hotels to have great family-friendly pools too.
There are also two miniature golf courses, which could be great fun! I have yet to be to either of them, but largely only because there's SO much to do at Disney that I haven't wanted to sacrifice a day at the parks, hehe. There's Winter Summerland and Fantasia Gardens and Fairways, the latter of which also has a miniature scale 18-hole golf course too!

31 Days: Walt Disney World with Young Kids

Hey all!
So I'm doing the Write 31 Days challenge again this year! This year, I'll be writing specifically about going to Disney World with young children. Our oldest as been to Disney at 8 months old, 17 months old, 20 months, 2.5 yrs old. I'll be bringing you along on my journey as I plan a trip with both our kiddos- for my youngest's first trip, they'll be 11 months & 3.5 yrs old, and then again shortly thereafter at 13 months & almost 4 yrs old!

Some of these trips have been sans their Daddy, since his Army schedule doesn't always allow it. Those trips I tag along with my parents while they're visiting Disney! So some of my posts will center around flying solo with wee ones- tips that can be useful no matter the location of your final destination! We've also road tripped to Disney, 12 hours one way, when our oldest was 2.5 yrs old- so I'll also have some road trip tips, great for no matter where you're headed!

Some posts will be quick tips, and some posts will delve a bit deeper into topics. Some posts will even be great for going to Disneyland too! Below is an outline of what you can expect to see throughout the month- I hope I'll see you here :)

PLANNING
Walt Disney World Overview
Planning Timeline
Budgeting
Deciding Where to Stay
Dining Reservations
MyMagic+: your ticket to the 'World
Itinerary
Disney Planner
Holiday Events at Disney
Disney with Kids Websites


FUN & GAMES
Family Movie Nights
Disney Planner
Disney Crafting
Disney Countdown

PACKING
Dollar Spot Your Way to Disney
Disneybounding: character-inspired outfits
Packing List
Packing Tips: Solo Edition (flying solo with wee ones)

TRAVELING
Flying Solo: Snacks, Toys, and more!
Road Trip! Planning
Road Trip! Packing
Road Trip! Eating
Road Trip! Playing

AT THE PARKS
To Nap or Not to Nap
Get Out & Play (where wee ones can burn off some steam in the parks)
Baby Care Centers
Park-friendly Snacks & Meals
Celebrations
Meeting the Characters
Tinkerbell Gifts
Capture the Memories

GF "Spaghetti" with tomato sauce

Hey all!

So we found a dinner that our whole family, even the toddler, enjoys! So of course I wanted to share. It's also gluten free and fairly low effort, so it's great for a busy night!

Ingredients: 

2 spaghetti squash

2 large cans crushed tomatoes

1 green pepper

1 large onion

EVOO (or other cooking oil)

Butter 

Spices to taste (I used sage, garlic powder, cracked black pepper, kosher salt, fresh parsley, fresh basil)

Instructions:

- Slice spaghetti squash in half the long way and scoop out seeds (you can prepare these just like pumpkin seeds!)

- Spread butter liberally along the insides of squash and sprinkle with pepper and salt. 

- Place squash facedown on a large cookie sheet (or any oven-safe dish) and bake for 50 mins at 425 degrees Fahrenheit. You want the inner flesh fork tender so you can easily scrape the spaghetti-like innards easily with a fork. Baking times may vary slightly, so start checking for doneness around 30-40 mins. 

- When done, scrape squash innards out with a fork and place in large serving bowl. Alternately, you can add in innards right into your sauté pan (after you've made the sauce!). 

- In a large sauté pan, sauté diced green peppers and diced onion. Add in spices and tomatoes and simmer for 10 mins. 

- As a side, I popped some Udi's GF bread in the toaster, then buttered and sprinkled with garlic powder for an easy Garlic Bread. 

- Top squash with sauce and enjoy!