Great Activity and Collection to do at Disney!

For the biggest Disney nerds out there, here’s a great collection for you to get collecting!

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Shockingly, I haven’t gotten into this myself.  I do have 3 pins that I got from my aunt when Disney gave them out during the inconvenience of construction at Caribbean Beach.  So I’ve got the start of a collection which makes me want to stop typing this blog post right now and get on eBay to look for pins to buy.  Someone stop me!

Collecting and trading pins is something I know I’d love but it can be expensive to get started.  So for now, I’ll just look at my 3 pins and enjoy those.

But for those of you that lack my self-control (translation - I’m cheap), here’s how to get into this fun activity…

First, you’ll want some pins to get started.  You can buy these directly from Disney, eBay, Amazon…  just be aware that unless you are buying from Disney, you could run into fake pins or worn/damaged ones.  Be sure to check the pictures and read reviews of the sellers.  To trade them at Disney with Cast Members, you’ll need to be sure they are the official Disney pins with the Disney copy-write mark on it.

When you’re at Disney, you can trade with both Cast Members and Guests.  Typically, you can tell that someone interested in trading because they’ll be wearing a lanyard with pins attached.  Cast Members will also sometimes have a board displayed at their location with pins attached.  Don’t be shy about asking if someone wants to trade - most are willing!  Rumor is that Cast Members aren’t allowed to say no, but they can only trade up to 2 pins at a time. 

There are a couple of strategies to pin trading - some people are trying to build a collection based on value of the pins.  This takes some time on your part to study the pins (lots of info on the old internet) and know by glancing if you are trading your pin for another one of greater value.  

The other strategy is to ignore the value but just look for pins that are your favorites as far as characters or attractions or movies or whatever.  This would be my strategy which is another reason for me to never get into this as I would totally be losing money with each trade.

This is a really fun activity for kids and can be a great way to get them to learn how to talk to strangers (with your permission of course!) and an intro to negotiating.  

Do you trade pins at Disney?  If so, let me know!  I’d love to get talked into doing this…

Be sure to call me when you’re thinking of planning a trip - my services are FREE!!

Behind-the-scenes Tour at Disney World Shows Holiday Transformation!

Want to see how Walt Disney World Resort is transformed for the holidays? Now you can during this behind-the-scenes tour!

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Explore this winter wonderland—brimming with dazzling displays, delectable treats and pure Disney magic!

During this festive and fun-filled 3-hour tour, you'll see firsthand the incredible artistry and logistics that make Walt Disney World Resort even merrier and brighter at this time of year.

You’ll:

• Discover how the Holiday Services Designers use themes to fashion the distinctive decorations that “deck the halls” throughout the Resort.
• Visit the Floral Department for an up-close look at the special displays created just for the season.
• Join a Disney Springs culinary artist to whip up a mouthwatering seasonal treat of your own.

In addition, each Guest will receive an exclusive holiday keepsake!

This tour is $149 per person. Theme Park admission isn’t required or included. If you are interested, let me know and I’ll get it booked for you!

Disney Acronyms - The List is Here!

Have you ever heard a couple of true Disney nerds have a conversation? It’s filled with plenty of acronyms that the casual guest may not understand. Here’s a list to help you get in on the conversation!

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Some of these vary depending on the nerd of course, but if you’re talking to this nerd in particular, you’ll know the lingo…

ADR – Advance Dining Reservation

AK (or DAK) – Disney’s Animal Kingdom

AKL – Animal Kingdom Lodge

AoA – Disney’s Art of Animation Resort

AP – Annual Pass or Annual Passholder (I WISH THIS WERE ME!!!!)

ASMusic – Disney’s All-Star Music Resort

ASMovies – Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort

ASSports – Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort

BBB – Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique

BCR – Beach Club Resort

BLT– Bay Lake Towers at the Contemporary

BOG – Be Our Guest Restaurant

BTMR – Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

BWI – Disney’s BoardWalk Inn

CBJ – Country Bear Jamboree

CBR – Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort

CM – Cast Member

Cont – Disney’s Contemporary Resort

CoP – Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress

CRT – Cinderella’s Royal Table

CSR– Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort 

DAK (or AK) – Disney’s Animal Kingdom

DCA – Disney California Adventure

DCL – Disney Cruise Line

DDP – Disney Dining Plan

DHS – Disney’s Hollywood Studios

DL – Disneyland

DLH – Disneyland Hotel

DLR– Disneyland Resort

DME – Disney Magical Express

DS – Disney Springs

EC – Epcot

EMH – Extra Magic Hours

F&G – Epcot Flower and Garden Festival

F&W – Epcot Food & Wine Festival

FEA – Frozen Ever After

FoP – Avatar Flight of Passage

FP – FastPass

FtW – Fort Wilderness

GF – Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa

GS – Guest Services

HEA – Happily Ever After Fireworks Show

HoP – The Hall of Presidents

iasw – “it’s a small world”

JC – Jungle Cruise

KJS – Kilimanjaro Safari

LBV – Lake Buena Vista

LWTL – Living with the Land

M&G – Character Meet and Greet

MB – Magic Bands

MDE – My Disney Experience

MK – Magic Kingdom

MNSSHP – Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party

MVMCP – Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party

OKW – Disney’s Old Key West

PH – Park Hopper 

PoC – Pirates of the Caribbean

POFQ – Port Orleans French Quarter

Poly – Disney’s Polynesian Resort

POP – Pop Century Resort

PORS – Port Orleans Riverside

PotC – Pirates of the Caribbean

PP - Peter Pan

QS – Quick Service (dining)

RnR – Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster

RoL – Rivers of Light

SDD – Slinky Dog Dash

SDMT (or 7DMT) – Seven Dwarfs Mine Train

SoG – Shades of Green Resort

SSE – Spaceship Earth

SSR – Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort

SWGE – Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge

ToT – “The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror”

TS – Table Service (dining)

TSI – Tom Sawyer Island

TSL – Toy Story Land

TSM – Toy Story Mania

TT – Test Track

TTA – Tomorrowland Transit Authority Peoplemover

TTC – Transportation and Ticket Center

WDTC – Walt Disney Travel Company

WDW – Walt Disney World Resort

WL – Disney’s Wilderness Lodge Resort

WoD – Disney’s World of Disney

WWoS – Disney’s Wide World of Sports

YCR – Disney’s Yacht Club Resort

Anything I’ve left off?? Comment and let me know!

When you’re ready to have your “let’s go to Disney” conversation with me, give me a call!! There are never any fees - you pay the same if you book with me or book on your own. Why wouldn’t you get free help?!

How I Got This Sweatshirt at Disney World for FREE!!

On my last trip to Disney, I planned to not buy any souvenirs as this was a work trip and I already felt a little guilty for not taking my kids. But I still came home with this super cute sweatshirt! And it didn’t even cost me anything. How did I do it?

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First of all, even though you can do online checkin weeks in advance at your Disney resort, always go by the front desk when you arrive. It’s never guaranteed but you might get a Cast Member looking for the next awesome family to upgrade. And I always go and reset my PIN for my MagicBand so that I can charge on it.

But even better, you can ask about forgoing Mousekeeping (Disney-speak for housekeeping) while you’re there. I did just that and got a $30 Disney gift card for opting out! (This isn’t a guaranteed perk, but so far everyone that I know that has asked about it has received it)!

Before you go telling me you can’t stay in a dirty hotel room for a week, I bet you can! As much as I try, I don’t get around to cleaning our bathrooms at home more than every 2 weeks so a few days isn’t anything new for us.

Plus you can call the front desk at any time and ask for more towels or linens. They will happily take your dirty ones away also.

The other reason I used to love Mousekeeping is that they brought fresh toiletries and the little bottles of Disney shampoo/conditioner/soap were the best. But now, in an effort to reduce plastic waste, the resorts don’t have the individual bottles anymore. Most of the resorts (if not all at this point) have bottles attached to the wall that you just pump out. At first I was sad to see those little bottles go, but then I remembered my stash of them at home that’s at least 5 years old and I never use them. I’m either a hoarder or just so nostalgic that I can’t stand the thought of not having them, that has caused me not to use them up. (Let’s go with nostalgic).

There was also something nice about knowing that no one would be coming in the room. I always feel like I have to “pick-up” a bit so Mousekeeping doesn’t know what a slob I truly am.

Of course, I wasn’t lucky enough to find this sweatshirt for $30 (I was at Disney World after all), but I had my Disney Visa reward money to make up the difference. Be sure and take advantage of that program too!!

Want more tips about how to save for Disney or earn perks? Please contact me! I’m happy to share my secrets when I plan and book your trip. And guess what… My services are FREE also!

Click this link to contact me and let’s get started on your trip!!

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!!!



That Time I Flew the MILLENNIUM FALCON!!

It was a whirlwind of a day for sure. But let me back up to the beginning. When Disney announced the opening date of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World, I was excited to say the least. The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to be there. But I really thought that I might not make it into the new land that day (Toy Story Land opening had insane lines just to get in the land). So I decided if I was doing it, I was doing it alone. My boys aren’t big on standing in lines and I hated to pay $$$ for us to go and stand there and complain and not get in.

So thanks to an understanding family, I booked a Solo (get it?) trip. In all the months of planning, I kept saying I was fine if I didn’t get in. But the closer it got to the opening, the more I knew I had to get in. Disney World kept us all in the dark about how they would handle Opening Day right up until the last minute. Like literally the day before, they announced that some of the resort food courts would open at 2:30am and buses would run to Hollywood Studios at 3:30am.

Having stayed up too late the night before (I can’t leave a park before it closes), I made it to bed around midnight with my alarm set for 3am. I was at the bus stop at 3:30. The bus got there around 3:45 and we were off. There were probably 20 people on the bus but I heard at other resorts, the buses were completely full and people had to wait for the next one so I really got lucky.

I was at Hollywood Studios in line for security at 4am. By 5:05, security starting checking bags and letting guests into the park. I was into the park by 4:10. There was a huge crowd standing in the main entrance to Hollywood Studios but I never felt pushed or crowded. People were tired or on their best behavior! It was luckily still dark of course, so not too hot. By 4:30, Cast Members started leading the group towards the new land. There was no running or pushing that I could see. By 4:50, I could see the entrance to the land!

The line for Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run is routed around the edges of the land by Cast Members. When I first saw a wait time display on Disney’s app, it was 105 minutes at 5:05am. By 6:30 it was 300 minutes. Stormtroopers provided entertainment and the time actually went pretty fast since there was so much to look at.

I hit the entrance of the ride at 7:15. By 8:20, I was given my “job” and heading into the Falcon!! I was an Engineer. Disappointed of course to not be a pilot, but I’ll just have to ride it again!

I tend to get motion sickness on Star Tours and most of the virtual rides at Universal. But this one didn’t bother me at all. I don’t know if it’s the ride itself or just because I was focusing on doing my job but it was amazing. SEEMS SO REAL. I would swear we truly took off into hyper space and completed our flight.

Our pilots weren’t the best at their job so we did a lot of damage to the Falcon. Be sure and pay attention to the hallways as you’re leaving the ride as things are different depending on how successful your flight was!

Since it was my last day at Disney World, I didn’t get to stay in the land long enough to ride again. The line was around 3 hours the entire day and I knew I wanted to see the rest of the land. I didn’t get to shop in any of stalls, but I did grab some of the cool Coke bottles (which TSA let me keep!).

I also had a reservation for Oga’s Cantina and had a really yummy blue milk. I hadn’t eaten so decided to get the only snack available there which is the Batuu Bits. Those were not my favorite at all. Next time I’ll head to Ronto Roasters for food!

All in all the land is absolutely amazing. I couldn’t tell you how many times I looked up to see if there was a Tie Fighter flying over based on the sound effects. Disney truly transports guests to another planet here.

Check out the pics from my day on Batuu below!! And I would love to help you get there to experience it for yourself. My services are FREE and the money I can help you save can be spent on a Blue Milk. Give me a call!!