Free Dining. Well, kinda.

From my good friends at MouseMisers ... Disney has released the Free Dining package to the Disney Visa cardholders.  It'll be available to the general public next week (May 2).  Here's this year's offer, valid for stays from August 28 - September 24:

• You must book at least a three night stay, and your stay cannot be longer than 14 nights
• You must include at least a two day Magic Your Way base ticket
• You must pay your $200 per room deposit at time of booking, you cannot “hold” a reservation

Values get the Quick Service plan (all counter service places), and Moderates / Deluxes / Deluxe Villas get the regular Dining Plan.  No suites are included in this (except the All-Star Family Suites).  You also must pre-purchase a PhotoPass CD to get this price ($100).

Ordinarily, I would just zip my lips and be happy with what I'm offered.  But this time, I don't have to.  Why, you ask? Because this doesn't apply to us.  We arrive on September 28.

I'm not a big fan of this offering.  I know that Disney has said that they're going to "wean the public off of discounts".  Well, that's all fine and dandy, except for the fact that air prices have went up considerably.  And I don't know about you ... but gas is $4.16 here in Columbus, Ohio (which means I pay $4.36 or higher since I have to put premium in my car).  Not exactly a good time to start eliminating discounts.

 Not to mention that, for a family of four like mine (three Disney adults and one Disney kid), the addition of the PhotoPass CD reduces the savings from $900 to $800.  Actually, for my family, it adds about $75 to our tab because I always participate (usually lead) a PhotoPass share.  Our own CD isn't something we'd have bought, so that's an added expense.  And all this whining is for absolute NAUGHT, since the dates don't include ours anyhow.  :)


I'll be interested to see how this one pans out for Disney.  I don't know that it'll be as big of a deal as it historically has been, and I think requiring the PhotoPass purchase is an interesting twist on the "value added" concept.

It's The Little Things.

Recently, I read a fabulous post over at WDW Fan Zone. I commented about it a little bit on a previous post, but wanted to delve more deeply into its contents now that I have time.  It outlined some of the great things that you can do to add some "pixie dust" (also known as "that Disney magic") to your vacation.  Lynn gave some fabulous advice - go check out the article HERE.

Adding to Lynn's list, I'd like to add a few of my own.  Some are at no additional cost, and some are a bit extra.  All, in my opinion, are worth the effort.  And now, I'll share my ideas ... in no particular order.

That pre-rope-drop breakfast.  This is one of my daughter's FAVORITE things.  There's nothing quite like waltzing past the growing crowds at the gate to the Magic Kingdom, scanning through the turnstile, and dancing like idiots on an an empty Main Street USA.  If you're there early enough, you'll even meet the Mayor!

The Wishes Dessert Party.  Held on the Tomorrowland Terrace, the location is king (or queen) here.  The desserts are good, and they are plentiful.  But if you can spare the $25ish for adults and $15ish for the kiddies ... do this.  It's an exhilarating feeling, just watching Tink fly right over your head.  Plus, not having to waste valuable touring time to stake out a fireworks viewing spot?  Worth every penny.

Resort Hopping.  Very few people really truly appreciate the resorts around The Walt Disney World complex.  Take some time out of your trip to walk through some of the other resorts.  Now, don't go using their pool ... that's not allowed.  I'm talking about walking around the grounds at the Grand Floridian to see the landscaping.  Tour the beautiful French Quarter area of Port Orleans.  Go over to Pop Century and have a meal in their food court ... it's the best one, I think. 

Don't Just Ride ... Crawl.  One of the best bits of advice I've gotten is to try a "crawl".  Get on the monorail, and stop at every resort (Contemporary, Polynesian, Grand Floridian).  Check out their bars, and try the signature drink at each.  Just make sure that you have a safe way to get back to your room ... I can give you first-hand advice that the Lapu-Lapu is Hawaiian for "knocks you on your arse".

Until next time ... enjoy your day!

Wordless Wednesday - I love the Dumbo ride.

A great new resource

You know, I'm totally a TGM devotee.  However, Mike seems to be slipping a bit lately.  His wisdom is great, and his knowledge is vast.  And I've made some really great friends from the forums.  But one of the main reasons I subscribe is because of his Least Crowded Park Charts (LCPCs).  Mike's been pretty slow with getting them out, and this has caused some folks to miss their ADR day ... or worse, they've made bad decisions while waiting for the charts to be released.

Although I'm a pro now and I can pretty much figure out what's what on my own, I still subscribe to TGM for the forums.  The peeps are nice and hey ... Finchy's coming on Friday!  Everyone loves Finchmas.

Anyhow, I found a new resource to help with the park planning, as a way to fill the gap left by Mike's tardiness.  Check out EasyWDW.  I've been nosing around there for a bit, and even compared their suggestions to the plan I've already laid out.  And you know what?  Their calendar was right on with my assessment.  Again, I've got a pretty good handle on the whole "what park, what day" thing, based upon experience and understanding of crowd levels during my chosen travel time.  However, I like to have an independent source give me the OK too ... sort of a Stuart Smalley Affirmation, if you will.  Because I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggone it ... people like me.

At any rate, check out EasyWDW.  I'm LuvsTheMouse on their forums (shocker, right?).  So far, I've lurked around a good bit and like what I see. The park calendars seem to be right on - not as detailed as Mike's, but in my opinion they're very very good.

Going Public.

Some of my nearest and dearest friends have weathered this journey with me, but I'm finally ready to "go public". 

I am pleased to announce that I will be joining Mouseketrips as an Independent Travel Consultant.  I begin my training in mid-May, and will be up and running by the first of June.  I chose Mouseketrips because they are a family-friendly company with an amazing reputation.  Further, they have a very similar customer service ideal as I ... responsive service, and "substance over pixie dust".  They subscribe to the same concept as I ... the best trips to Disney are not merely magic occurrences.  The best trips are carefully planned to ensure the best experience for the travelers.


I take great pleasure in helping plan trips for my friends and family - my love for Disney is amazing, and my OCD is legendary amongst my inner circle.  I'm excited to "make" magic for everyone by helping them plan their trip ... and making their dreams into reality.

For now - make sure that you're following me on Twitter, and that you "friend" me on Facebook. 

"C" ya real soon!

Adding Pixie Dust To Your Trip

Not that Disney isn't a magical place in and of itself, but our friends at WDW Fan Zone have some fabulous tips about making the best, even better.

Check out the post at http://www.wdwfanzone.com/2011/03/ways-to-add-extra-pixie-dust/

Also, I will be making a fabulous announcement here on the blog (and on Facebook) within the next few weeks. Stay tuned ... I am really excited!

I'm in full-on stalker mode.

For those uninitiated types, Disney opens up the dining reservation (aka "ADR") window a full 180 days prior to your arrival.  One of the perks of staying on-site is that you get to book at the 180+10 mark.  This means that, 180 days prior to your arrival, you can book for up to 10 full days of your trip.  Essentially, I need April 1 to arrive so that I can book our ADRs for the whole trip.

With me so far?  Good.  Because this can be a bit confusing, if you've never been Disney-crazy before.  After all, what moron plans out what they're going to have for dinner, six months in advance?  As my Maddie says ... "Who has two thumbs and has issues?  THIS GIRL, RIGHT HERE!"

So, today is March 16.  My ADR date is April 1.  I have approximately two weeks to get this trip planned (what park what day, then what dining what day).  

And Disney, in their infinite wisdom, has not published the October park hours yet.

Doesn't the Mouse know that a girl's got NEEDS?  And by that I mean "an OCD-like propensity to plan out her trip, a full six months in advance"?  I mean, I need to know what nights MNSSHP will be (hint: if Magic Kingdom closes at 7 PM, that's a party night).  I need to know when Extra Magic Hours will be, so that I can avoid that park.  And most importantly, I need to know what night I'm going to plan my DATE NIGHT.  

Come on, Mickey.  Give a momma a little love here, please.

What the French, toast?

I have been posting at least one entry a week via the Monarch app. And clearly, the posts have been lost in the ether.

Not. Happy.

Anyhow, I have a really great opportunity on the horizon. If you could give me a little pixie dust, dancin', or whatever "achieving the desired results" action you traditionally do ... I would appreciate the gesture.

Gracias.

Technology FTW.

So, after many weeks (months?) making fun of those folks that owned iPads, I finally bit the bullet. I am now the proud owner of a 32GB wi-fi model.

And the only thing I have to say about it is ... What took me so long to buy this?

Over the next few weeks, I'm going to attempt a few different blogging apps. I really like the iPad interface, and I really do miss writing about my favorite place on earth.

I wrote this post with an app called Monarch. So far, the only complaint i have is that the keyboard on the screen covers the bottom of the post Entry area, and there no scrolling mechanism. Fail.

If you have any suggestions for an iPad friendly blogger app, let me know.

I'm the (wo)man with the plan.

So, here we are.  Nearly February.  My NCAA Football season is over (blah Auburn blah ... it'll be vacated in 5 years anyhow).  I'm filling the void with basketball until draft time.  I'm a football girl, but just can't get into the NFL.  Bunch of whiny crybabies. 

Anyhow, I'm occupying my time with working on a few new ventures, MBA work, and the usual ESPN rotation (save for tennis - that sucks).

Oh.  And planning our next Disney trip.

I think that we're going to go back the same week as last year (September 28 - October 4).  This is Wednesday - Tuesday, and for good reason.  Airfare.  Look at what Southwest charges, and when.  The cheapest days to fly with them are Tuesday and Wednesday every week.  If I stalk the sales, I can likely hit airfare for $59 each way, per person.  Plus, leveraging the "off days" for Magical Express is perfect.

Another reason to choose that week - we can catch the Food and Wine Festival soft opening on September 30th.  The booths are all open, and are serving the same food ... but with 100% less crowds.  And of course, who can forget MNSSHP?  It's quite possibly the perfect week.

Of course, I plan to go "home" to the Polynesian.  My husband has always dreamt of staying at the Contemporary though ... I need to talk it over with him and see where he wants to stay.  Both are similarly priced (we'd do Theme Park View Tower at the Contemporary versus Garden View at the Polynesian), but the reality is that I just love the Polynesian.  Maybe a little aggressive negotiation is in the works?

Next time I write, I need to talk through a few things ... my thoughts on the water parks, Halloween costumes, and my stepdaughter's pending diagnosis.