What's the deal with the PeopleMover?

The Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover - aka TTA, aka PeopleMover is one of the most underrated attractions at Disney World. Officially, it’s a 10-minute tour of Tomorrowland aboard a mass transit system of the future.

Unofficially, it’s a wonderful spot to rest your feet, relax and take in the awesomeness of Tomorrowland.

The TTA is an elevated tram that hits top speeds of 7 mph so it’s not a thrill ride at all. It’s an omni-mover that you board from a rotating platform. Once you board and your tram moves out of the loading area, it speeds up to 7, which does sound slow but feels surprisingly quick when it takes off!

Get your camera ready as you’ll enjoy amazing up-close views of the park from a unique vantage point.

Having been closed since before the park shut down last spring, it has finally reopened!! I can’t wait to ride it again - I have some great memories from my TTA travels. Check out all of the photos below and please contact me when you’re ready to take a ride on the Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover!!!



Should You Still Purchase Memory Maker while Disney World Requires Masks?

When I took the boys to Disney World in August, 2020, we spent the entire trip in our masks. You had to wear them at all times unless in your resort room or actively eating/drinking while stationary (and as of now, it’s still this way).

So when I was thinking about whether or not to buy Memory Maker, I wasn’t sure it would be worth the cost. For those that don’t know, Memory Maker is Disney’s photo package. You pay one price and you get all of the in-ride photos and all of the photos taken by the Photopass photographers. It’s normally a no-brainer as I look at our past trip photos OFTEN and love them.

But I found myself thinking I wouldn’t want to see a bunch of pictures with us masked up. Besides it being a reminder of a difficult time, what would be the point of not seeing our goofy grins? However, my trips to Disney World are one part fun and one part work (yes, I’m aware I have an awesome job!). I use the photos in marketing and research if my memory fails and I decided to go ahead and pay for it.

I’m so glad I made that choice!

Although the masks aren’t always the cutest (Andrew insisted on his boring paper one), I really do think I can see our smiles. And when the boys were sick of me making them stop for pictures and were frowning, you can’t really tell! :)

The in-ride photos are still great - Andrew LOVES the one of Luke looking terrified on Splash Mountain and he pulls it up on his phone once a week to torture Luke. The “magic” shots and videos are so fun, too!

One other reason to get Memory Maker is that you can have pics with you in them. Due to social distancing and not wanting to pass objects back and forth, the photographers will no longer take a picture for you with your camera.

To me the pics are priceless. Take a look at a few (or maybe a lot) from our trip below and maybe that will help you decide! And as always, if you are thinking of heading to Disney, PLEASE give me a shout. My planning services are FREE when you book through me and it never costs a penny more than if you were to do it yourself.

Some (Most Likely Unintentional) Creepy Things at Disney World

Being the Happiest Place on Earth, you might think there’s nothing creepy about it. But there are a few things!!

Obviously, attractions like The Haunted Mansion and Tower of Terror are intentionally creepy. But even within those rides, there are extra creepy items. I can give myself nightmares if I hear “Hurry Back” at the end of the Haunted Mansion too late at night. After exiting the Tower of Terror, you just might notice this ventriloquist’s dummy.

Disney’s Boardwalk resort has a couple of creepy things that aren’t supposed to be creepy at all. These chairs sit on either side of the Boardwalk lobby’s fireplace. Referred to as “Nanny Chairs,” they were historically found on carousels and gave adults a place to sit while the children rode the horses. I’ll just stand, thanks.

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The other fun but creepy touch at the Boardwalk is the huge clown slide at the pool. I don’t have a clown phobia but this guy looks a bit too much like the clown from It to me. At least it spits you out - if you had to enter the slide through his head, there would probably be a lot fewer kids enjoying this slide!

Here’s something that should give you the creeps. While it is COMPLETELY AGAINST THE RULES, some guests still think it’s okay to sprinkle their deceased relative’s ashes at Disney World. The most common attempts are to sprinkle them outside of their Doom Buggy on the Haunted Mansion or outside of their boat on Pirates of the Caribbean. If caught, the ride must be stopped and cleaned. Don’t ruin it for the rest of us! *Side note - I’d want to be sprinkled in the water surrounding the Castle, but that’s just me…

Speaking of Pirates, it’s not necessarily a creepy ride. With the song that makes me bob my head and sing along, it actually seems pretty cheerful to me. But did you know that one of the skulls is an actual human skull? Yikes!

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And lastly, not many people think of “it’s a small world” in a creepy way. Some find the song annoying but that’s about it. Well, if you’d like to keep it that way, don’t read the novel Kingdom Keepers! It’s a fun book, but the dolls come to life and attack some kids. Think about that the next time you have a delay in the ride and your boat floats in one room for a while…

Want to see all of these things? Of course you do! CONTACT ME! It’s always free to use my services…

Food! Food! Food! (From the Stomach of a Picky Eater)...

I hear people all of the time talk about the amazing food at Disney World. I agree with them - it is amazing! But my idea of amazing is pretty much what a kid would want to eat - I’m super picky. Are you a foodie? Apparently you’ll be even happier with the food selection. While I’m no expert on the gourmet options, take a look at the yummy food I had on my last trip.

Want more info on any of this food or any other options? Call me!! I LOVE to chat Disney and my planning/booking services are always FREE!

The Kiss Goodnight - A Magic Kingdom Magical Moment

If you’re any kind of Disney World fan, you’ve probably seen or at least heard of the Kiss Goodnight. If you haven’t, then enjoy today’s blog post about one of the most Magical moments you can experience at the Magic Kingdom.

Being my favorite park by far, I can find tons of Magical moments in the Kingdom. But the Kiss Goodnight is the top of the list. It’s Disney’s way of saying goodnight to the guests that remain in the park after closing. It’s around 2 minutes long and usually happens every half hour starting 30 minutes after the park officially closes. I saw it twice one night but have heard others that saw it 3 times so if you miss it, try to hang around another half hour and catch the next one. Sadly, they will eventually kick you out (in a very kind Disney way), so try to make a point to catch the first one.

You’ll know it’s starting when Cinderella Castle starts to twinkle as the music from When You Wish Upon a Star begins to play.

It may surprise you to find out that this trip was my first time to see the Kiss Goodnight in person. Since you can get in line for any ride you’d like mere minutes before closing, I usually try to get one last ride on Seven Dwarfs Mine Train or Peter Pan’s Flight. That’s great but timing has never worked out and it’s usually more than 30 minutes before I get back over to the Castle.

This time I made a point of getting back over there and sacrificed my last ride (it helps that it wasn’t my last night in the parks). There’s something about being there after the park closes. There are also very few people who stay to watch this (someone explain that to me) and it feels like you have the Castle to yourself.

Just in case you’ve never seen it, take a look at my video here! Just don’t blame me if you get tears in your eyes…

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Let’s get you to Magic Kingdom as it’s SO much better in person! Give me a call! Remember there are no fees for my services and I can’t wait to help you upgrade the Magic!

That Time I Went To Disney World by Myself... AGAIN...

Here we are again. I know you’ve heard my stories of going to Disney by myself but those times involved a training class so I really couldn’t take my family. This one’s a bit different. I wanted to be at Walt Disney World on the Opening Day of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. I was able to score some great deals on hotel and tickets and had points for my flight. So for a solo trip it was super cheap. Once I started pricing adding the boys in, the price skyrocketed (most of my travel agent perks can’t be used for family).

So I made them a promise to take them back in a year or so once the newness of Galaxy’s Edge wore off a bit. Back when I booked this, the talk was pretty much that the lines would be so ridiculous that I may not get on the attraction or even into the land. Knowing that waiting in a line for an entire day would be torture to all but me, I decided to book my trip alone.

I know I could have just gone for that one day, but really, who are we kidding? If I’m going all the way to Florida, I’m making it worth my while. I got there 3 days prior to the opening and spent every possible moment in the parks. I did shows and rides that we typically don’t do as a family. In fact, I probably spent over a third of my time doing things that the boys wouldn’t have been interested in. That helped ease the guilt a bit!

Although I truly did miss them all, I’m thankful to have had the time to explore on my own. I learned even more about my favorite place on Earth and made the most of my trip. There are a few downsides to traveling alone - mainly having no one to ride with and visit with! But there are a lot of upsides to it also. Today I’ll list those for you!

I know a normal person probably won’t schedule a solo vacation to Disney World, but you never know when you may have a conference or a reason to be there alone. Do me a favor and if that happens, call me to talk about how to have a great trip by yourself! Check out my pics of the fun I had alone and then keep reading below those for the reasons you’ll want to do just that…

Your Schedule

When you go with family or friends, you can’t do whatever you want whenever you want to. Unless you’re a bit of a bully. Everyone should have input on what to do. And if you’re the type like me to want to go from open to close (and beyond), going alone makes that easy. I got 3 hours sleep one night, up for 23.5 hours the next day and then 4 hours sleep the next night. I can handle that at least for a few days at Disney. My kids would have melted down along the way.

Price

Obviously one person is cheaper than a family when you’re talking hotel, flight and tickets. But the food costs are much less also. And I skipped a few meals and had snacks instead. Much easier on your own. Since I was alone, I also decided to do an After Hours Party. At $125 a ticket per person, that adds up to A LOT for a family. While it’s still a lot for just me, I felt like it was totally worth it. I’ll devote an entire blog post to this miracle of a party coming up!

Work

If you have a job that requires you to check-in while you’re gone or do some remote work, you have the freedom to do that without worrying others are waiting for you. I had some sweet clients that were in the midst of dealing with the incoming hurricane and I was able to sit on a curb in Toy Story Land and work on that for them. I would have felt awful if my boys were waiting on that curb the whole time with me.

Less “Stuff”

By less stuff, I mean there is less to carry around. But also, less to buy (I can sometimes stop myself from wanting souvenirs). When a rainstorm hit, I only had to worry about one poncho. And security was a breeze due to the little amount I carried with me.

No One to Make Fun of Me

Ok, so to balance out the “lonely” times where I wished I had a buddy to sit next to me on a ride, or talk about something amazing I just saw, there were times when the boys would have made fun of me for sure. I love to pose for ALL of the Magic Shots and Character Meetings (they don’t). And I always get teary-eyed and sometimes flat out cry during the fireworks. (That’s some sort of weird trick Disney does because fireworks most definitely don’t normally make me cry).

Less Stress

I’m that weird Mom that is convinced I’m going to lose a kid every time we’re in a large crowd. Yes, they are too old to get lost and all have cell phones but it’s a phobia I can’t shake. No worries about that when you’re by yourself!

No Mousekeeping

Probably the most surprising thing as I normally don’t even consider it, is that I used the option of refusing Mousekeeping (hotel room housekeeping) and instead they gave me a $30 gift card. With 3 boys, we’d be in a filthy pit after a few days. By myself I was able to keep the room clean on my own (as I was rarely there) and brought home a sweet sweatshirt instead.

Please call me when you’re thinking of a trip - solo or with 50 of your closest friends. I truly love helping everyone have a Magical time and I don’t charge a penny for it!!!



Now More than Ever!

The most common question I receive from people considering a Disney World trip is “when is the best time to go to have the best experience?” 

Although I have written in the past about the best/worst times (take a look here), we’re getting to the point where crowd levels are going to be high no matter the time.  With Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge opening, crowds will be flocking to the parks in droves. 

Disney is currently running a marketing campaign called “Now More than Ever!”  and I couldn’t agree more.  I wouldn’t normally recommend visiting in the middle of the summer due to the crowds and heat.  But it will be a while until the crowds slow down after Star Wars opens.

So you’ve got until the end of August to get there and enjoy what is turning out to be a slower summer for the parks.  A lot of people are putting off trips until Star Wars opens and that leaves rooms open this summer.  Disney has even put out a rare summer offer to lower the costs of some rooms.  In fact, in looking at a quote for a family of 4 with 2 adults and 2 kids, for 5 nights with a 4 day park hopper ticket in June, you’re looking at less than $3000.  That’s typically one of the higher priced times to travel to Disney so a great deal at the moment. Costs will most likely just keep going up from here with all of the new attractions/resorts/entertainment options heading to the World.

Need more reasons to travel to Walt Disney World Now More than Ever?   Here you go!

Join Mickey & Minnie’s Surprise Celebration at Magic Kingdom Park!

Join Mickey & Minnie’s Surprise Celebration at Magic Kingdom Park!

Party with Pixar Pals to Celebrate 30 Years of Disney’s  Hollywood Studios

Party with Pixar Pals to Celebrate 30 Years of Disney’s 
Hollywood Studios

Celebrate the Circle of Life at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park

Celebrate the Circle of Life at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park

Satisfy Your Cravings for Food, Entertainment and Fun at Epcot

Satisfy Your Cravings for Food, Entertainment and Fun at Epcot

Other Can’t-Miss Experiences at Walt Disney World Resort

Other Can’t-Miss Experiences at Walt Disney World Resort

Hey! Watch Where You're Walking!!

I’ve mentioned before that one of my favorite things about Disney World (and all things Disney actually…) is their attention to detail. One of the seemingly small things is the ground that you walk on! In today’s post, I’ll focus on the interesting things to see on the ground at the Magic Kingdom, but keep your eyes open at all of the parks - the detail isn’t limited to the Magic Kingdom.

As you may have read in the past, my favorite spot in the Magic Kingdom just happens to be the Tangled restroom area. Don’t worry, I don’t have a medical condition that keeps me near the bathrooms, it’s just that this is the only real Tangled area in the park and that’s my fav Disney movie. Plus, the area is actually really pretty regardless of what’s housed there. One detail I love is that if you look down, you’ll see that my favorite horse, Maximus, has been there!

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Next up is the line queue and surrounding area of Under the Sea - Journey of the Little Mermaid. Scattered throughout the area are tons of colorful sea shells.

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For more colorful sidewalks, head on over to The Magic Carpets of Aladdin. Here you’ll find an assortment of broken tiles, jewelry and stones. Looks like someone may have dropped a bit of their loot from the Cave of Wonders!

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I haven’t had a chance to see the new Dumbo movie but it’s on my list! While you’re visiting the Dumbo area in the park, look down to see the discarded peanut shells. Dumbo and his friends are a messy bunch!

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One of the most interesting (and historically accurate) pavement areas is found in Liberty Square. Notice the brown area of pavement that winds through the middle of the area below. It’s actually there to represent the fact that during Colonial times, there was no indoor plumbing. People pretty much just threw their bathroom waste into the road creating this brown “river.” Yeah, it’s gross but Disney wants to educate you as well as entertain!!

Have you noticed any of these or any other ground-level fun I’ve missed? Let me know in the comments!! Remember, I will book and plan your Disney trip for FREE so you can get there and see what you’ve been missing!