Location, Location, Location: Where to Stay at Disney World Based on Your Favorite Park

If you've read any of my previous posts, you know that the Magic Kingdom is far and away my favorite Disney World park (also my favorite place anywhere).  But some of you probably have a different favorite and you're wondering where to stay if you plan to spend most of your time at your favorite spot.

You're in luck - you'll find the answer here today!  Below are the resorts I would stay in for each park.  It's mostly based on location but in the case there's more than one resort to choose from, I picked the one I like best.  I've also included a runner-up to stay in if you prefer something different due to cost or decor or whatever floats your boat.

Magic Kingdom

The Contemporary is the perfect location to stay if you are spending a lot of your time at Magic Kingdom.  Also, we should be friends if that's the case...  You have 2 great options to get to the park - you can walk or ride the monorail.  The Polynesian is beautiful and has the monorail, but you can't walk to MK from there.  Bonus though - they have Dole Whip on site!

Animal Kingdom

It only makes sense that the Animal Kingdom Lodge would be a great place to stay if Animal Kingdom is your favorite park.  It's close to the park PLUS if you love animals, you'll see a bunch at your resort!!  Both of these locations use bus transportation to get to the park, but it's not a long drive.

Epcot

You can walk to Epcot from both the Beach Club and the Yacht Club.  They also share an amazing pool area.  I would choose the Beach Club mainly because the Yacht Club seems more like a "conference" hotel and less Disney.  But both are in a great location for Epcot!

Hollywood Studios

The Boardwalk Inn is in a perfect location - you can actually walk to both Hollywood Studios and Epcot from here.  They also have boats or buses if you'd rather.  I love the Boardwalk because they have a fun boardwalk area with lots of restaurants and entertainment.  Pop Century is a really fun resort for kids - tons of great photo ops.  

Future Stays

If you're planning to stay after mid-2019 I would add into this list Art of Animation and Caribbean Beach for enjoying Epcot or Hollywood Studios.  Disney is currently in the process of the construction of the Skyliner.  This will be a gondola system that will connect those 2 resorts (along with Pop Century) to those 2 parks.  Construction is rumored to be done sometime before Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge opens in the Fall of 2019 at Hollywood Studios.

PLEASE give me a call if you'd like more info on any of these resorts - or any others!  I love finding the perfect fit for each guest's situation.  And my services are FREE!!

runDisney 2019 Race Registrations Coming Up

Remember that one time that I lived out my dream of running a race at Disney World?  Best.  Day.  Ever!  Well it's your turn now!  

Race registrations for 2019 events have been on hold while runDisney implemented a new race registration system. But they are scheduled now!  Under the new system guests will be able to register for races using their Disney account. Guests will also be able to register multiple participants at the same time and use payment options such as Disney gift cards. Registration dates are as follows:

-- 2019 Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend - January 9-13.
Registration begins at 11am CST on July 19, 2018.

-- 2019 Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend - February 21-24.
Registration begins at 11am CST on August 7, 2018.

-- 2019 Star Wars Rival Run Weekend - April 4-7.
Registration begins at 11am CST on August 28, 2018.

Take a look at my previous blog post about my experiences at a runDisney event by clicking here!  Remember that my planning services are completely FREE if you book your trip through me.  And having done a race here myself, I have lots of tips to help you.

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Keep in mind that on my previous blog post, I mention to sign up for an active.com account to make registration day smoother - that's no longer the process.  Just use your Disney sign on!!  If you're thinking of registering and want to chat before you do or want me to be available if you need help that day, just give me a shout.  It's non-refundable so make sure you want to do it before signing up!

Let me help you make a bunch of wonderful memories with very few blisters...  Call me today and let's get you an awesome medal!!

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How to Save Money and Time at Disney with Grocery Delivery

When we go to Disney, we always order groceries ahead of time and have them waiting for us at our resort.  This is a super simple and convenient way to save money and time at Disney World.  First of all, we can eat breakfast in our room before we head out (except for the day we do Tusker House breakfast which is a must!).  

We also buy snacks and bottled water to take into the parks with us.  Disney will allow food and drink to be brought in and it's way cheaper to take in your own water than it is to buy drinks at the parks.  I have a slight caffeine addiction so I buy flavor drink packets that include caffeine.  My family appreciates that as they don't want to be around me when I get a caffeine headache!!  I also bring non-caffeinated ones for the kids since they haven't become addicted yet.  :)

I also pack a sharpie to bring with us and each morning, I put the boys' initials on a bottle.  That way we're not all sharing germs.  Don't forget your backpack to carry the water and snacks!!

If you're in a villa or Fort Wilderness Cabin, you'll have a full-sized fridge so order all the groceries you'd like!  In standard resort rooms, you'll have a small dorm-sized fridge so think about what you really need to refrigerate.  And I wouldn't do anything that needs to stay frozen as it may or may not have small freezer section in your fridge.  

Each night when we returned from the parks, I would put in the water for the next morning.  Of course, I had a few Diet Cokes in there and some milk for the boys.  So you don't have a ton of room but if you plan ahead a bit, it's great.

Here are the things we ordered for our trip just to give you an idea:

Keep in mind these prices were from last year so probably not still valid.  This is from Garden Grocer - a grocery delivery service that takes the items directly to your hotel at Walt Disney World, leaving them with bell services (which refrigerates perishable items). I highly recommended them and most do as they are the most popular with Walt Disney World guests by far.

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The process is simple:  You go to Gardengrocer.com and click on "Create Your Account" and fill out the form to register your account.  Browse through over 5,000 products and add them to your cart. Shop by brand, category, or use the search toolbar to find the products you want.  Click on the shopping cart at the top of the page to begin the checkout process. Fill out the form with your billing information & let them know what resort you're staying at and what time frame you'd like your groceries to be delivered in.  

So other than the cost of the groceries, are there any delivery fees?  Yes.  Disney charges a flat $5 to recieve the order.  Garden Grocer charges a $14.00 delivery fee but if you spend over $200, the delivery fee is waived.  You need to plan ahead though - if you need same day delivery, the fee is $30 and next day delivery is $20.  Keep in mind that there are limited delivery time slots so if you wait until the last minute to order, there may not be availability for delivery. I tend to order several months in advance - you can add on to your order later if you think of something else you need.   They also usually offer a discount for ordering early - this is the current discount and it was the same when we traveled last year:

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Besides the cost savings of eating breakfast in the room, taking your own water and snacks, having groceries delivered saves time too.  We can eat while getting ready or while on our way to the parks so the minute we get there, we're ready to get on our favorite attractions while the lines are still small.  Even getting a quick service breakfast can take what feels like forever when you want to be on Space Mountain!

Same thing goes for standing in line for drinks and snacks.  Don't get me wrong, an apple won't replace Dole Whip but it does limit the lines to stand in.  (FYI, don't forget about Mobile Ordering to also limit those lines).

A couple of other things to consider - beside bringing along your own sharpie, I pack a bunch of ziploc bags.  It's nice to have those when you want to have individual snacks in your bag or you want to save that last bit of candy.  

Please give me a call if you have any questions!  I would love to help you plan and book your Disney or Universal vacation!  And even better - there's NO fees for my services!!

 

Best Breakfast on the Planet

Ever wondered where you can get the best breakfast on Planet Earth???  Lucky for you, I know!  It's at Tusker House Restaurant in the Animal Kingdom at Disney World.

First of all, unlimited Mickey waffles.  That right there is enough to make this the best place.  But wait, there's more!!  The Jungle Juice is quite literally the best juice I've ever had.  Pretty sure I drank 10 glasses of the stuff last time we were there which is probably 2000 calories.  But don't worry, that's when Ryan and I ran the half marathon so I was short a few calories up to that point!!

Partially delirious from the race, but mostly just excited to see my old pal, Mickey!!

Partially delirious from the race, but mostly just excited to see my old pal, Mickey!!

Besides the delicious food, the breakfast meal is a character meal.  Your table will be visited by Mickey, Daisy, Donald and Goofy (subject to change but we've always seen that same group).  Once there was a PhotoPass photographer out front capturing pics, but haven't seen that in a while.  So be sure to have your camera and autograph books ready as the characters come around to your table.

Also, for the younger crowd, Daisy usually has them join her in a parade around the restaurant.  He's too big now, but Luke used to live for these parades and it was a highlight of the day for him!  Check out the parade in this video...

I'm not a very adventurous eater so mainly stick to the normal American breakfast type foods.  But if you are into trying new things, be sure and check out the African foods also like the Beef Bobotie.  Honestly, I haven't tried it but everyone raves about it!

Have me book your trip for you and I'll hook you up with an early morning reservation.  You might be able to get in before the park opens!  That's great for getting a start on your day, you can get some great pics without a crowd, and you can hop right on the Safari when you're done without needing a FastPass!!  Call me so I can get you there!