How to Keep Busy at Disney During Shorter Park Hours

As per usual in the world right now, nothing is usual. One thing that is very unusual is that you may find yourself on a Disney World vacation with time on your hands and no park to go to. Parks have limited operating hours currently depending on the day you are there.

If you are a normal, sane person, you may think, “Sweet! Now I can relax a bit on my trip!” We know I am not that normal, sane person, so my mind says, “But I paid all this money and came all this way - entertain me until I drop dead of exhaustion!”

So for those you of that think like me, here are some options to entertain you until you drop…

Early/Late Table Service Dining

I typically don’t suggest a lot of Table Service dining because once again, I’m looking to fit in as much as I can in the way of attractions. But if a park has late opening hours (Epcot usually), use that morning to have a fun breakfast! There are a couple of modified character breakfasts you can do also and more open up as we go, so by the time you read this you may have more options. The good thing about a breakfast before you go to the parks is that you can really fill up and if you time it right, you could even skip lunch which saves more time for those rides!

The same idea can be done with a late dinner. Looking at the calendar today, Animal Kingdom is closing at 5pm. I tend to eat dinner early, but that’s early even for me. So you could easily find a great dinner spot after your day and not have to eat dinner at 10pm. One option is to get an Advanced Dining Reservation for a few minutes before the park closes and have the park to yourself as you walk out. Or you could try a restaurant at one of the resorts you’ve been wanting to visit. Disney Springs has a lot to offer too! And since you’re not in a hurry to make it to your next attraction, you can actually linger over your meal for once at Disney.

Miniature Golf

My boys love mini-golf and I do too. But I never feel like it’s going to be more fun to play mini-golf than the fun I’ll have in the parks so we never do it. But when you don’t have the option of a park, what’s stopping you? We had a great time at Fantasia Gardens on our trip. They are currently closed for the season, but don’t worry… the other course - Winter Summerland - is now open! I’ll do a longer blog post on how Disney does mini-golf (spoiler alert - they get it right) in an upcoming blog post.

Resort Activities and Swimming

Here’s one that most kids love and often miss out on. Pools! The resort pools are awesome - and heated for you colder people (like myself). If you stay deluxe or moderate, you’ll even have a water slide. The pools aren’t open super late (currently closing at 9pm) but if you’re leaving a park at 5, that gives you a lot of time. Most have some sort of bar/restaurant near the pool area so you can really relax. Keep in mind that Disney doesn’t allow park hopping, so you can only use the pool at your resort.

Resorts also have a lot of activities that go unnoticed. There are Movies under the Stars, bike rentals, fishing… Often there will be a scavenger hunt or craft for the kids. Be sure and check with the resort front desk for the schedule of what’s happening while you are there.

Disney Springs

I mentioned Disney Springs in the dining section, but just know there is a lot to do there! Of course, there’s a lot of dining and shopping. But you can also see a movie or go bowling! The NBA Experience isn’t back open yet, but that may be an option soon. Since there is no admission fee or ticket needed to enter Disney Springs, it can get crowded and may close due to capacity. Just have a back up plan in mind if that’s the case while you are there.

Soaking in Your Surroundings

One of my favorite things to do at Magic Kingdom is just to find a bench on Main Street and soak up the atmosphere. If the park is closed, though, you can still do something similar. One evening, we took the Skyliner over to the International Gateway at Epcot but instead of going to the park, we headed over to the boardwalk for pizza and ate by the water. We ended the evening at Beaches and Cream where we made ourselves sick on ice cream. It was the perfect end to our day!

Just remember, it’s fun to be spontaneous and have a few “extra” hours that you don’t normally have on a Disney vacation. I, for one, can’t wait until I can Park Hop and spend every waking hour in a park, but I know that’s not for everyone. But keep in mind that you do need to plan a bit if you want Table Service dining as it’s currently limited and you will need an Advanced Dining Reservation. I can help you with that of course!! Contact me - it won’t cost you a penny!!





















Tips for Distance Learning/Remote Working while at Disney World!

Are you still working from home and are your kids doing distance learning school? Well, then you just might be the luckiest family on earth!

If you don’t have to physically be on campus for school or in your office, then who’s to say where you get your work/school done? Why not get your assignments done during the day and then instead of hanging out at your house for the millionth night in a row, you just pop over to a Disney park for the afternoon and evening? Talk about a reason to whistle while you work!

So if you are smart enough to decide to do this, you might be looking for a few tips to help it go smoothly. I’ve got a few ideas…

Wouldn’t this make a great office view?!?

Wouldn’t this make a great office view?!?

Get Your Work Done Early

This is no time to dilly dally. Unless you have specific hours that you have to be logged in, why not get your work done early? The faster you can get your stuff done (and still do it well…), the more time you’ll have to play. Even better - if you can do your assignments anytime, do them in the late afternoon/evening and rope drop the parks each morning! You’ll beat the crowds and depending on the time of year, beat the heat.

Pick your Resort Wisely

If you have multiple family members that will be working and schooling, it might be worth paying a bit extra and staying in a villa with separate rooms. That way you’ll have a little privacy and quiet, especially if you have to be on video chats.

We were really lucky once and were able to stay in a villa at Animal Kingdom Lodge. With the separate bedroom and living area, there is plenty of room to work. Oh, and if it were me, I’d work out on the amazing balcony!!

Bring Plenty of Juice

No, I’m not worried about you staying hydrated - although you do have to keep an eye on that in the summer! I’m talking about battery power. Don’t forget to bring your power cord for any devices you’ll be using in the room. And you for sure want to have a portable charger if you’ll be on call or need to do anything in the parks. Using the Disney app takes a lot of battery power and add to that any work you have to do and you just might have your battery die on you if you’re not careful.

Also, if there is anything major that you MUST do at a specific time, be sure to log on a bit early to make sure you have a good connection. Disney wi-fi isn’t up to par with the rest of Disney’s services so you might need to try a different location or call the Help Desk if you can’t connect. Don’t wait until the last minute to do this.

Don’t be Sneaky

Be sure and let your work/school know that you’ll be traveling. It’s great to have a backup person that you can call if you get caught up in the magic of the parks and end up being a little late to work. And most teachers would rather know that you are out of town and might be a little late on assignments. Easier to let them know ahead of time then have to explain it when you’re already stressed about missing a deadline.

MOST IMPORTANT PART OF ALL…

Sorry for yelling, but please hear this part!! Make sure you have a travel agent that can help with all Disney specific issues so you don’t have to worry about anything. Luckily you know just the person that can help - ME!

There are some great specials right now - take advantage of it and enjoy remote work/school more than you can imagine! Also, read here if you have safety concerns about traveling right now… http://www.tripsbymouse.com/blog/2020/9/9/yes-i-took-my-kids-to-disney-world-during-a-pandemic-heres-why-id-do-it-again-in-a-heartbeat

Call me!



Yes, I took my kids to Disney World during a Pandemic… here's why I’d do it again in a heartbeat!

Last year I went to Disney World alone to be there for opening day for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Hollywood Studios.  Although I had an amazing time, it was truly a work trip as I wanted to be able to give first-hand knowledge to my clients.  As you can imagine, it ruffled my kids’ feathers as they were disappointed to not go.  They understood why (I was able to go VERY cheaply and without a guarantee of us getting the new land, I didn’t want to risk the money to take them), and I promised them I would take them back the next year.

Who knew that 2020 would be the year of canceled dreams.

But when Disney opened back up, I knew I still wanted to take them.  To be quite honest, I haven’t been overly worried about us getting the virus.  We are all healthy with no reason to be terrified.  We take the normal precautions of hand-washing and avoiding others the best we can and I knew from past experiences with Disney that they take cleanliness seriously.

I have a ridiculously short time to spend with my boys before they head off to college and their lives without me.  A week with them away from all of the daily grind was something I was not willing to give up.  I didn’t want to look back 10 years from now and realize I missed out on something priceless due to fear.  

13c6c85e-9045-4a2a-9bf7-bda95f33a902.jpg

So off we went!

Disclaimer...  it was just Andrew and Luke that came with me.  Don and Ryan aren’t huge Disney fans (where did I go wrong) and had decided the year before that we should go without them.  I think after hearing our stories of the week they really regretted that decision! 

From the moment we got to the airport, we wore our masks THE ENTIRE TIME.  Masks were on in the airport, on the plane, on the Magical Express, in the parks, on the attractions…  The only time we were allowed to take them off was when we were in our hotel room, in the pool or stationary and actively eating/drinking.  I really thought this would be worse than it was.  I hadn’t worn a mask a ton as I work from home and don’t have a lot of commitments outside of home.  And it was August in Florida so you know it was HOT and HUMID.  But it wasn’t too bad.  When we really needed a break we just were forced to get a snack (translation: Dole Whip) and sit in the shade.  That’s what we would normally do on a trip so nothing new there! 

Wearing the mask did frustrate me when it came time for pictures.  I love PhotoPass photos and I hate that you can’t see me smiling from ear to ear at my Happy Place, but I know underneath that mask is my dopey smile.  I just wish there was at least one “mask off” photo they could do since at that moment we weren’t within 10 feet of anyone including the photographer.

Speaking of having no one around…  like I said, I’m not overly worried about getting sick.  At the grocery store, if someone gets within my 6 foot bubble, I don’t think much about it.  I try to stay out of other people’s bubbles but know I’ve accidentally walked up on someone.  But at Disney World, there were so few people that I truly never noticed anyone close to us!  Every single line for every attraction had markings for social distancing.  Every attraction seated people in a way that they weren’t close to each other.  Sadly, this meant no stretching room in the Haunted Mansion and no pre-shows on other attractions. If I were a first time guest, I might not even notice the difference.  I hate that some people miss out on those experiences but having such small crowds definitely made up for it. In lines where social distancing is difficult, Disney has added barriers between areas where guests might get a little too close.  

Waits were short or non-existent.  Park hours were short and park hopping isn’t allowed, but we did every attraction we wanted to do multiple times.  Other than the After Hours party I did once, I don’t think I’ve ever ridden so may rides in such a short time.  

I missed the Character Meet and Greets but Luke and Andrew were relieved to not have to do that part.  Apparently I’m really weird for being over 4 years old and still wanting to do that.  I did enjoy the new way they have of sending the characters out for quick glimpses but am still sad that the only time I saw Mickey was for 5 seconds as we were leaving and it was only the back of his head!

As far as cleanliness, I think we used over a gallon of hand sanitizer each.  It was at the entrance and exit of every ride, shop, restaurant and randomly throughout the park.  There were also hand washing stations. The longest lines we waited in were due to the fact that Disney would shut down the ride periodically to clean the vehicles.  You could also see Cast Members throughout the parks and throughout the day wiping down high-touch surfaces.  Honestly we would have had to actively try to catch the virus if we wanted it and I doubt we would have been successful.  

Ironically, we sit in quarantine right now due to Ryan testing positive for covid.  So the three of us were able to travel to Florida, have a week in the parks and travel home with no issues.  Ryan most likely contracted it from a friend at school. 

Imagine if I had canceled our trip and missed out on memories that I will never forget to avoid a virus that ended up in our house anyway.  Time is SO short.  I will never regret taking this trip with 2 of my favorite people in the world and I am so thankful for this time as I know how fast it flies. (Excuse me while I go cry over my boys growing up for the 100th time this week).

Obviously now is not the time to travel if you are at-risk or would worry the entire trip.  But if you feel comfortable going to the grocery store, trust me when I tell you that you’ll be even more comfortable at Disney World.  Call me and let’s talk about getting your trip planned!


My Favorite Disney Bathrooms - Yes, I Do Mean Bathrooms

I am REALLY missing the Disney parks being open. Even though I didn’t have a trip scheduled during the closure, I’ve had to cancel a lot of amazing trips for my clients and it’s so sad. Plus, you know I’m a bit strange and often open the app just to check wait times. Knowing there is NO ONE there is really depressing.

So today I’ll dig a little deeper into the lesser appreciated areas of the parks - the restrooms! Maybe weird, but what else have you got to do today other than read this? Here are the restrooms to be sure to visit on your next trip. Keep in mind, I’m more interested in highly themed and unique spots - I’m sure there are some options that are great because they’re less visited and more private. That’s for a future post…

My very favorite - Rapunzel’s restrooms in the Magic Kingdom. Also known as the Tangled Toilets, these are my favorite due to the amazing theming. The interior of the restrooms is perfect. The men’s room has frying pans and wanted posters:

The women’s room has a beautiful mural:

tangled 1.jpeg

The exterior of the restroom is one of my favorite areas in all of Walt Disney World. I LOVE the detail so much!

508349577.jpeg

Next on the list are the restrooms in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. Just like every area of that land, you are completely immersed in the story. These restrooms keep you from feeling like you left Batuu and made a rest stop on Earth. My only complaint is that there isn’t really a good counter top here. When I visited this restroom, I had arrived at the park at 3:30 am (Opening Day!) and had worn my glasses. Once the sun came up, I went in to put in my contacts. Tough to balance my case and eyedrops on the ledge of that sink. But I’ll deal with a little inconvenience for such a cool area.

star wars.jpg

A bathroom that kids will especially love is in Toy Story Land. The funny part of this one is that it’s called the Cooties restroom due to a Cooties box and a Cootie built on the roof. Kids won’t have a clue what that game is I imagine, but it’s fun for the adults to remember. The bright colors and attention to detail sets this one apart.

I have to cheat a bit on this last one because it’s not at Disney - it’s over at Universal. It’s a part of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Hogsmeade. The “public conveniences” as the restrooms are called there, have a bit of a surprise. Remember Moaning Myrtle? She doesn’t just haunt the restrooms in Hogwarts, she also hangs out in the Hogsmeade restrooms. Of course, as the rest of the Harry Potter areas at Universal, you’ll feel fully immersed in the story, even in the restrooms.

potter1.jpg

Now that you know the best places to “go”, let’s get your trip scheduled!! Give me a shout - it’s always FREE to book with me!!


FREE Disney Fun - The Animation Experience

Looking for an awesome FREE experience and souvenir for your next Walt Disney World trip? Then you’ve got to check out The Animation Experience at Conservation Station inside Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

You’ll uncover the secret of how Disney animators bring your favorite characters to life - often using real life animals as inspiration! When I was there, we drew Pumba but the live animal on display as we entered was a chicken. Didn’t actually help me draw Pumba but being a former chicken-mom, I did enjoy seeing it! :)

Each 25-minute class will offer something different. The characters being drawn change periodically so you can do this every trip and add to your very own art collection each time!

FastPasses are available for this experience although if it’s not a busy day in the park, you won’t need it. There is a lot of seating for this experience. There are specific “show” times for this though, so make plans as to which one you’ll attend - check the daily times guide. Keep in mind that you’ll need to ride the Wildlife Express Train to Rafiki’s Planet Watch. The train ride itself is around 6 minutes one-way, but you may get there right as the train has departed. Disney suggests being at the train station 40 minutes prior to the experience start time. You can probably make it in less time if you’re lucky with the train. All in all, I would plan on the entire experience to take close to an hour and a half if you consider the ride there, the experience itself and the ride back.

I wanted to keep my drawing as a souvenir and knew that if I lugged it around in my backpack all day, it would get ruined. To avoid this, you can purchase a tube at the shop outside of the building and put your artwork in it. They will then send it to your resort if you are staying on site (as long as it’s not your check out day). Just be sure to pick it up from your resort’s gift shop before you leave! The tube was $5 at that time which I thought wasn’t too terrible for a cool souvenir. Good thing I did this as there were torrential downpours that evening and everything in my bag was soaked!

Take a look at the pics below and be amazed at my talent… (I actually have ZERO artistic talent which just proves how great the instructor was!)

And please contact me if you’re thinking of a Disney (or Universal!) trip! I don’t charge any fees when you book through me!!

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!

IMG_3005.jpg

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!!

Yes, I'm Dopey. Are you?

I’m just putting this out there now - I WILL run the Dopey Challenge at Disney World. Don’t worry about the fact that I’m planning a bit ahead. With all that we have going on raising our boys, I know it won’t happen right away. So my plan is to do this the year after Luke graduates - in January of 2027. Yeah, yeah, I know I’ll be a bit older then. So if you see me out running now, give me some encouragement - I’ll be in training for the next 7 years!

So for you non runDisney peeps, you may be asking what on earth is the Dopey Challenge?

Glad you asked - it’s running 48.6 Miles in 4 consecutive days! Day one is the 5k, day two is the 10k, day three is the half marathon and day four is the full marathon!

rundisney2020-dopey-challange.jpg

Complete all 4 Walt Disney World Weekend races and earn not only the 4 individual event medals, but both Goofy's Race and a Half Challenge Medal and Dopey Challenge Medal—for a grand total of 6!

You also will receive 6 participant shirts!

I don’t know about you, but 6 medals and 6 shirts is quite a bit of incentive for me to be in a little bit of pain for 4 days.

Look at all that bling!!

Look at all that bling!!

So who’s with me? Start running now!

When the time comes, you'll need to register for the Dopey Challenge, which includes all 4 races, in order to be eligible for the Challenge Medal. And shockingly there are a lot of weirdos like me that think this sounds like a good idea so it does sell out.

Are you interested in a runDisney event? Let me know and I’ll add you to my list to keep informed of the deadlines. And of course, I’ll plan and book your trip for you for free!!

The Disney Bubble - a Very Real Phenomenon!

One of the best parts of a Disney vacation is the “Disney Bubble.” Haven’t heard of it? Well, read on!!

disney bubble-001.jpg

The Disney Bubble is basically a complete immersion in the Magical world that is Disney. When you stay at a Disney resort, you rarely encounter anything “non-Disney.” The music on the buses, the gift shops, the Cast Members… They are all purposely geared towards Disney.

And if you’re a Disney nut like me - you never want to leave it! Here are some tips to help make sure you stay in the Bubble if you’re completely normal like I am and don’t want to leave…

  • When you get to your hotel room, don’t be tempted to turn on the TV to your regular shows. There are several channels that are Disney-related - watch those! For one, you’ll be informed of that day’s Park Hours and Entertainment Times. And there’s a channel to show you some new things in the Parks you may not have found yet! I like to turn it on Disney music and hit the sleep button when I’m back in the room for the night. So fun to fall asleep to the music from the day.

  • Don’t be tempted to go off property. I mean where are you going anyway? Target? As much as I love Target, you’re on vacation. Stay at Disney and get the most out of the money you’ve spent there. I seriously can’t think of anything to pull me away - Disney obviously has you covered for entertainment and the food is outstanding also. OK, so you’re thinking about checking out Universal. I’ll let you do that. You’ll just have to hop back in that Bubble as soon as you get back!

  • Use Disney transportation. From the beginning of your trip, make use of the Magical Express! Once you’re at the resort, you’ll have a bus, boat, monorail, or Skyliner to get you to the Parks. It really is Magical just hopping on one of those and being whisked away. You don’t need to worry about directions or parking or trekking from the parking lot!

  • Scan your MagicBand or use Disney gift cards for purchases. In the end, you’ll be paying the same amount obviously, but there’s something about not handing over your cash or normal credit card. And if you have the Dining Plan, it’s even better since it’s already paid for!

There are plenty of scoffers out there that don’t believe in the Bubble. But in all honesty, I can go an entire vacation without thinking of my normal day-to-day worries. That really only happens to me at Disney.

Let’s get you into your own Bubble! Call me!!