Author: Brenda

Adrift With Disney: Disney Cruise or Disney World?

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Editor’s Note: Welcome to a new series about planning an affordable Disney Cruise: “Adrift With Disney”, courtesy of our friend Brenda. 🙂 Brenda is starting to plan a Disney Dream Cruise because….well….I’ll let her tell you!

photo via http://www.flickr.com/photos/sierraandi/5425751383/in/photostream/

Disney Cruise or Disney World?

That is the question…my answer? How about a little of both?

As my life continues its metamorphosis, so do the plans for our annual Disney family vacation. As you may have read in my previous post, our annual Thanksgiving trip has changed to December this year as my youngest will be graduating from high school and so we will be planning around a college vacation schedule. The latest development in my family is that my oldest son will be marrying his sweetheart this year and, since they will use their vacation days for a honeymoon, they will not be joining us this December.

So, the question is what to do this year. We had planned on a family of 6 at Walt Disney World for 10 days/9 nights and now there will be only 4 of us. Is this an opportunity to try something new? Well, yes it is…and what is newer and grander to try than the brand new Disney Dream? My family has never been on a Disney cruise, so we were excited by the prospect. But, to give up our fun time in the parks was holding us back.

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Thrifty Thursday: Mickey’s PhilharMagic

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Mickey's PhilharMagicPhoto courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/clydeorama

One of my family’s favorite attractions at the Magic Kingdom is Mickey’s PhilharMagic. This indoor show is all about Disney; a fantastic example of Disney 4-D at its best!

During our recent trip, we were within a large crowd in Fantasyland, waiting for the cast members to drop the ropes following the Wishes fireworks show. We decided to head to Mickey’s PhilharMagic as it only had a 5-minute wait at the time. We noticed a man struggling to keep his daughter (approximately 4 yo) and his son (approximately 2 yo) entertained while trying to struggle with more patience himself. We suggested that they head to the PhilharMagic, too. He said he had not been inside asked what it was, so we told him it was a great show and that we thought the kids would love it. When we left the theater, we found him at the exit and asked him how they liked it. He said they loved it and thanked us for suggesting it. I thought I would take a few minutes today to share some information about this great FREE show as well.

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Tuesday Disney Tips: Tools for Getting Around at Walt Disney World

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Last week in Tuesday Disney Tips, Brenda shared some great information on the different types of transportation at Disney World, and how to use each. This week, she is back to provide some helpful tools and tips to make the most of your time getting around the Disney parks.

There are two valuable tools I use that have helped me out when planning my transportation at Walt Disney World: a copy of the WDW Resort Area map and a PDF file I created of WDW Travel Times.

The WDW Resort Area map is a great tool to use when planning the best routes to get you where you are going. As you can see, each resort is labeled as being located in a certain area (MK resort, Epcot resort, AK resort, or DHS resort).

Used in combination with the WDW Travel Times, a listing I made of the approximate time it takes to get from each resort to the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom Park, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Downtown Disney, Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon, you should be able to figure out the approximate time to get from your starting point to your destination. In my times list, I have listed the quickest method to travel, whether bus, monorail or boat. Using the map and the list of travel times, let’s check out some scenarios:

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Thrifty Thursday: Travel on the Walt Disney World Ferry Boat

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Photo courtesy of www.disneyshawn.blogspot.com

Disney’s ferry boat system is one of the great, FREE ways to travel during your visit to Walt Disney World. The ferries are similar to any you would find in any city in America; with an upper and a lower deck connected by two interior stairways. There are three different ferryboats that run from the Transportation & Ticket Center to the Magic Kingdom park and back. Although not as much a part of the Disney transportation system that they once were, but I am hoping to encourage you to try this treasure as part of your next WDW trip.

One of the special things I really enjoy during our annual trip is riding the ferry on the way to the Magic Kingdom on our first day in the park. While many people flood to the front of the boat, I like to head upstairs to grab a great spot from which to see the beautiful scenery. The ride reminds me of when I was a little girl growing up in Galveston, Texas. My grandfather was a Ferryboat Captain with the Galveston Island-Port Bolivar Ferry and I spent many hours through the years on journeys across Galveston Bay. My grandpa used to let me into the wheelhouse to sit upon his lap and “drive” the ferry. As the Disney Ferryboat glides through the water toward our most anticipated destination, I reminisce of many special memories and revel in every second of it. For those of you who don’t have special childhood memories of ferry rides, I would like to try to convince you to give the ferry system a try.

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Thrifty Thursday: Cast Your Vote at the American Idol Experience

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As avid followers of the ABC talent show, American Idol, my family has really enjoyed participating in The American Idol Experience at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. We have had lots of fun being part of the audience and have been lucky enough to see some very talented contestants as well. We love having the opportunity to vote for that talented someone who could actually end up with a dream ticket to try out at a real American Idol audition.

The show is put together just like a real American Idol taping. While you are waiting in line, they fire up the audience and do some preliminary taping of the crowd. Once the doors open, you enter the auditorium and take your seat in the audience. Since this is an indoor attraction, it is especially appealing during the hottest part of a Summer day or on the coldest Winter day.

During the 25-minute show, three park guests who have auditioned for judges earlier in the day, take to the stage and sing their hearts out. Then, you vote for your favorite and once the audience scores are tallied, they announce the winner for that show.

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