Author: Nancy

Travel Tuesday Tales: Flying to Disney World but Wishing We Were Driving

Nancy Travel Tuesday Tales , , , 8 Comments

I booked our flights for our Disney Christmas/New Years trip last week and was not happy with the many American dollars that it cost. Not that I was especially surprised, since this is not only the busiest week of the year, but also one of the most expensive. So while I gritted my teeth while booking, I kept thinking “Why not drive? Why not drive? Why not drive?”

Well?

So why NOT drive? Lord knows it would be a lot cheaper during this week, even taking into consideration the cost of gas, meals, and even a place to stay overnight on the way down….but…..

We fly, dear Disney friends, because while I LOVE road trips, for my family…not so much. And they have good reason for feeling that way….

When growing up, my family took a road trip every summer, and I just loved the sense of adventure, the chances to stop and explore new places and things, and the fact that the journey itself was part of the vacation. So for our first several trips to Disney World, we either drove or combined a driving/Autotrain trip…and I loved being able to take our time getting to Florida, checking out some of the pretty neat places between Maryland and Florida, and just making our vacation a little longer, and even a little more relaxing.

But as we started trying to visit Walt Disney World more often, this frankly became a problem: when you are making more, shorter trips, adding a couple of days or so, on either end just for travel wasn’t generally possible. After all, there are only so many vacation days to go around each year…

So one year we decided that we would do the drive in one day down and one day back: 14 hours of compressed family time, no significant stopping, exploring or extra fun. Just get in the car well before dawn, drive like no other, and arrive at Disney that evening.

This was our first visit to Disney World during Christmas week and we were to leave the morning after Christmas. We packed the car the night before, and I was sure to include lots of food, car games, audio books, dvds, you-name-it.

I am a planner, and I was prepared. 🙂

Up the next morning at 4 a.m. I quickly turned on the Weather Channel to check the weather report for I-95 and heard that there was this “tiny little area of precipitation” in North Carolina that wouldn’t amount to much, but travelers should be aware…….Hmmmm…..precipitation on December 26?

Well, we made it to North Carolina and found out that this little area of precipitation had pretty much shut down I-95 in North and most of South Carolina, since apparently the south doesn’t get any winter weather, so they don’t seem to have salt or snow plows. A light dusting of snow and ice paralyzed this major north-south highway….and there we sat. For hours. Not moving. Anywhere.

And the longer we sat, the more I listened to my family ask…over and over and over……”Why didn’t we fly? Why didn’t we fly? Why didn’t we fly?”

Sigh…..That was the last time we drove to Florida.

Every trip since then, as I start to plan, I am reminded (like I could forget) that flying is sooo much quicker, and more efficient, and that we can get there in just 2 ½ hours……yada yada yada

I know I know. And they are right: we don’t want to waste valuable Disney parks time sitting on I-95 in an ice storm, we want to get there and get going! So this year, we will still be getting up at 4 a.m., but with a 6:30 flight, we’ll be at the parks by 10 enjoying Pirates of the Caribbean and having a Dole Whip.

And my dear family will remind me yet again: “Gee Mom, isn’t this better than sitting on I-95 in an ice storm?”

Yes, it certainly is. 🙂

Disney Fun From Around the World: Week of Sept. 27, 2010

Nancy Disney Fun From Around the "World" , , 1 Comment

Grab your coffee and put your feet up, it’s time to see what the Disney Blog-World had for us this past week. I loved all these posts and I am sure you will too! 🙂

To start off, in case you missed my profile earlier this week, Bob at Disney Dispatch has a fantastic series on all of the food at the Food and Wine Festival: Country Cuisine Confidential 2010: All You Need to Know About All There Is to Eat and Drink at the Food & Wine Festival. If you have never been to Food and Wine Festival, do yourself a favor and read this before you go!

Bruce from A WORLD VIEW… Enjoying Walt Disney World discusses how Back Stage Tours provide a deeper, more meaningful experience at Walt Disney World – and it’s fun too.

Always sharing great information related to Disney dining, AJ over at the Disney Food Blog offers some important Tips for Picky Eaters in Disney Parks

Disney 4 Dads has a very touching article this week: Everything I Wanted to Know about Life, I Learned at Disney World

Growing Up Disney has lots of great Disney info if you have little ones to plan for. This is part 2 of  a series on *cranky* kids: Minnie Moms: Cranky Kids Part 2

If you haven’t yet seen the great new video series that Chip and Co.and Imaginerding.com have teamed up together on, make sure you find out What’s a Deek? and watch the first installment. Number two will be ready soon!

Chip and Co.also provided some great information in How to prepare your Kids for their First Disney World Vacation as well as some very valuable advice for those of you who may be new to this whole Disney thing: A Disney FastPass Rundown

Lastly, if you missed it earlier this week, take a peek at my post at Chip and Co: Disney + Creativity + Saving Money = Autograph Book Magic

Alrighty everyone: Have a magical weekend!

Disney Savings Round-Up for October 1, 2010

Nancy Uncategorized , 1 Comment

Looking for some great deals to help you have an affordable Disney vacation? Keep reading to see how to save some money on your next trip to Walt Disney World:

Disney has a NEW FREE Dining promotion for much of 2011. See below for details!

You can get some great savings from using Restaurant.com at selected Disney property restaurants! Plus, start your Halloween and Holiday shopping with the promotions at Disneystore.com. In addition, be sure to also note the great sales at Hotels.com, and Travelocity for more ways to save money. 

Restaurant.com Promotions

Did you know that you can use Restaurant.com Gift Certificates to save up to 60% off on some meals at Walt Disney World? When you go to the Restaurant.com site and enter “Lake Buena Vista, FL” into the search field, you will find the following Disney property restaurants participating: Todd English’s bluezoo, House of Blues,  Garden Grove,   Kimonos,  Shula’s Steak House , and Il Mulino New York Trattoria.

This week’s promotion: 

You can also use Restaurant.com Gift Certificates for local restaurants or any place you happen to be traveling. We have used the certificates on a number of occasions: it’s easy and it is a great way to save money! This is a great chance to stock up for gifts, and get a few for yourself,  in addition to using some for your Disney vacation.

DisneyStore.com Savings and Promotions

Halloween is a month away! (I know, I can’t believe it either!) If your little ones (or you) plan to be a favorite princess, fairy, pirate…or Mouse, you can save some money: Get $10 off select costumes at Disney Store. Expires 10/5!

To find the right Disney costumes: Dress Up In Dreams – Find Exclusive Disney Costumes in the Halloween Shop

PLUS: Start that Holiday Shopping early while you’re at it. Check out the Disney Store Sale. Save up to 50% on your favorite Disney Items!

Don’t forget: Buying Disney items at home BEFORE your Disney trip is a great way to save money. :)

And remember that you can save $50 when you become a Disney Rewards Visa Cardmember at DisneyStore.com

Travelocity Special Promotions:

Be sure to check this out to see if any might be a savings for you: Top Hotel Deals in Orlando

Hotels.com Special Promotions

Fall Sale: Save 30% on Major Hotels This Fall! – Expires 10/11/10

Walt Disney World Savings and Promotions:

  • Book a Disney Vacation Package and Get FREE Dining!  NEW DATES ADDED Through 2011!!: Book a full price 3-night or longer vacation package for stays most nights 10/1/10 – 10/7/10, 10/22/10 – 10/28/10, 11/12/10 – 11/18/10, 11/27/10 -12/2/10, 12/10/10 – 12/21/10, 1/1/11 – 1/5/11, 1/9/11 – 1/13/11, 1/21/11 – 2/3/11, 2/11/11 – 2/17/11, 2/25/11 – 3/3/11, 5/27/11 – 6/2/11 and 8/19/11 – 9/29/11. Stay at a Value Resort and receive Free Quick Service Dining Plan. Receive Free Basic Dining when you stay at a Moderate or Deluxe Resort. Minimum 3 night stay, with 2 day ticket.  You must book by December 20, 2010. For more information, visit www.disneyworld.com and click on “Special Offers”.

  • Summer/Early Fall Room Discounts: Stay August 15, 2010 through Oct. 2, 2010. Get a 30%-40% discount off regular room rates. You should know that some blackout dates do apply and that not all rates are available at all resorts. You must book by 10/2. For more information, visit www.disneyworld.com and click on “Special Offers”.
  • Fall/Winter Room Discounts: NEW DATES ADDED Through 2011!! Stay October 3, 2010 through November 23, 2010, November 27, 2010 through December 25, 2010, and January 1, 2011  through February 16, 2011. Get a 25%-40% discount off regular room rates. You should know that some blackout dates do apply and that not all rates are available at all resorts. You must book  by November 21, 2010. For more information, visit www.disneyworld.com and click on “Special Offers”.
  • Get a FREE Disney Gift Card for up to $500 when you book a full price vacation package, including hotel room and theme park tickets. Stay October 3, 2010 through November 23, 2010, November 27, 2010 through December 25, 2010, and January 1, 2011  through February 16, 2011. You must stay at least 5 consecutive hotel nights with at least a 2-day Base Ticket. Value resorts receive a $200 Disney Gift Card. Moderate resorts receive a $300 Disney Gift Card. Deluxe/Deluxe Villa resorts receive a $500 Disney Gift Card. You must book  by November 21, 2010. For more information, visit www.disneyworld.com and click on “Special Offers”.

Be Our Guest: Disney Dispatch Serves Up Food and Wine Festival Series

Nancy Food and Wine Festival , , , , 0 Comment

One of my favorite bloggers, Bob from the Disney Dispatch has been writing a series on the Food and Wine Festival that I wish I had read last year as a Food and Wine newbie: Country Cuisine Confidential, where he is literally reviewing each country participating in the festival, and offering descriptions of the food and drink available at each country.

Yes, an explanation of “What IS it” for each country’s food. 🙂

As Bob himself describes the series:

The three most common words spoken by guests at Epcot’s annual Food & Wine Festival aren’t “that’s so good!” but “what is this?”. Unless you’re a serious foodie, you’re going to be flummoxed by flavors untasted and dishes undreamed. Luckily, it isn’t a big deal since the folks serving the food love to talk about it and will answer all your questions.

But wouldn’t it be nice knowing a bit about each cuisine before you belly up to the booth?

….. I’m offering a crash course in demystifying the dishes served. Country by country, we’ll look together at the menu items and do some detective work to discover how each dish fits into the national cuisine, which ingredients are used in its preparation, and what it (should) taste like.

Nothing, of course, beats actually tasting the food, but on the assumption that your mind gets it before your stomach, let’s bib up the brain and see what’s on the menu.

Here is an excerpt for his entry on Mexico:

Mexico made its first appearance at the Food & Wine Festival in 1996, the same year that the Festival itself began. This year, the Mexican booth is in front of the Mexico Pavilion, where it belongs.

Let’s look at our menu:

Tamal de Pollo

Mexico is serving simple dishes with exotic names. A tamal de pollo is a chicken tamale. To make a tamale, meat- or vegetable-filled masa is wrapped in corn husks and then boiled or steamed. You unwrap it from the husk to eat it. Unlike a taco or a burrito, which you can eat by hand, a tamale is typically a plated dish that you eat with a fork.

Masa (Spanish for ‘dough’) is made from whole corn, not wheat. At the Festival, the masa will be filled with seasoned chicken, probably not too spicy, and not slathered with sauce, either. Tamales lack the universal appeal of easily eaten tacos and aren’t available at chains like Taco Bell. They’re also time-consuming to cook at home and require special ingredients like corn husks. That’s your cue to eat lots of them here!

You can read the rest of this post here: Country Cuisine Confidential 2010, Part 14: Mexico

And find a link to descriptions to all of the countries right here: Country Cuisine Confidential 2010: All You Need to Know About All There Is to Eat and Drink at the Food & Wine Festival

Bon Apetit!

Affordable Disney Dining: Tables in Wonderland and Other Discounts

Nancy Saving Money on Food , , , , , 3 Comments

The past several blog posts have been devoted to explaining the variations of the Disney Dining Plan. For many folks, free or not, the Dining Plan is the best way to save money on their meal budget. But what if you have determined that none of the Disney Dining Plans are right for your family: are there any other ways to save money on meals at Disney World?

The short answer is, yes. The long answer (as often happens when discussing saving money at Disney World) is that it depends. *What* it all depends on, is the subject of today’s post. 🙂 Let’s take a look at the other discount options.

Tables in Wonderland

Probably the most popular dining discount program that Disney offers, after the Dining Plan, is the Tables in Wonderland program. Offered only to Florida residents and Annual Passholders, it provides guests with a 20% discount on food, beverages, and alcohol at most table-service restaurants throughout the Disney World parks and resort hotels. So if you do not have a Florida resident pass or Annual pass, you are not eligible. But if this DOES apply to you, then you may want to consider this program. Here is an overview of the specifics of this program:

  • Cost for a Tables in Wonderland membership is $100 per year for Florida residents and $75 for Annual and Seasonal Passholders.
  • The benefit is valid for a party of up to 10 people. Only one discount card can be used per table. The member must be present and must present the card when ordering.
  • The membership card is not accepted on holidays, including Mothers Day, Easter Sunday, Independence Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.
  • In addition to the 20% discount on food and beverages, membership includes benefits such as complimentary resort/hotel parking (including valet parking) and reimbursement for theme park parking when dining in a theme park restaurant, invitations to special member-only events, free admission to Atlantic Dance Hall on the BoardWalk  and more.
  • An 18% gratuity will be added to all transactions at table service restaurants and lounges, regardless of party size. 20% gratuity will be added at Victoria & Albert’s.
  • Purchasing a Tables in Wonderland membership is easy: simply call (407) 566-5858, Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. EST, or visit any of the Disney World Guest Services locations or call. Proof of eligibility is required.

So, if you are eligible, will the Tables in Wonderland program be a savings for you? And will it be MORE of a savings than the Disney Dining Plan? To answer this, you are going to have to get your calculator out and do a little math. Sorry.

First, consider the cost of membership to see if you will use it enough to save more than the cost of the membership. Second, look at the restaurants that accept the Tables in Wonderland program: you can find a full list of all of the current restaurants over at the Disney Food Blog. While there are a lot of restaurants that participate, are the ones that you are interested in on the list? Third, are you traveling on any of the excluded holidays? If so, then consider carefully, because there is no savings on those days. Lastly, if it were me, I would do some sample estimates of meal costs, using the 20% Tables in Wonderland discount PLUS the cost of the membership, and compare to the cost per day that the Dining Plan will cost me. Which is cheaper? The answer won’t be the same for everyone!

I do want to say we have not used this program, so I asked for some thoughts over on our Facebook page. Here are a couple of the responses I received:

From Rebecca: I used to have one, but not any longer. The cost of the card exceeds the savings for a single person. It may be beneficial to a family who dines on table service frequently

From Angela: I have had the tables in Wonderland card in the past. A few years ago you had to spend around $300 a year in food to pay for the card. So anything over that is cost effective. Drawbacks are that any sitdown you get an automatic 18% tip added to the bill and it is only good at hotel CS if there is no sit down restaurant at that hotel.

My thoughts about this program are that it probably benefits local and/or frequent guests the most: those for whom the Dining Plan is not available. It also may be worth a look for a family who is interested in one or two table service meals per trip, but not the full table service/day offering of the Dining Plan. Do the math though to make sure your savings will be greater than the cost of the membership for you.

Annual Pass, DVC, and Other Discounts

Additionally, there are a few other ways to get *some* discounts on Disney World dining….if you are eligible. Annual Passholders, Disney Vacation Club members, and AAA members all receive discounts to some Walt Disney World restaurants, typically 10% although a few restaurants do offer 20% discounts. The thing to keep in mind is that the list of restaurants offering discounts for these promotions is quite a bit smaller than the Tables in Wonderland list, so you really need to check the websites or promotion list that you received to see what is available, and if it will really be a savings for your circumstances.

Other potential discounts on Disney restaurants may be available through the Entertainment Book, coupons found in Birnbaum’s Walt Disney World 2010 guidebook, and Restaurant.com which offers gift certificates for up to 60% off for the following Disney World restaurants: Todd English’s bluezoo, House of Blues,  Garden Grove,   Kimonos,  Shula’s Steak House, and Il Mulino New York Trattoria. (When you go to the Restaurant.com site and enter “Lake Buena Vista, FL” into the search field, you will find the Disney property restaurants that participate.) I do want to say that I have personally used Restaurant.com locally on a number of occasions and am becoming a huge fan: often gift certificates can be purchased for up to 80% off which is a HUGE savings if you are interested in eating at any of the above restaurants.

So there you have it: how you *may* be able to receive discounts on your Disney dining, without the Dining Plan. Now, I would love to hear your experiences with some of these Disney discount dining programs. What has worked for you? What tips can you share? Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments below!