Author: Brenda

Tuesday Disney Tips: Voluntouring on Your Next Disney World Vacation

Brenda Tuesday Disney Tips, What to Do at Disney World , , , , 0 Comment

My children have grown up Disney and it has been a wonderful ride. Now that they are grown, I am sometimes slammed with the reality of how my life has changed. As you might guess, there have been many adjustments made when planning our annual trips to Walt Disney World as they have continued to get older. I sometimes get a little melancholy when I think of all the things we used to look forward to that they won’t do again for a while, such as my youngest son’s previous obsession with Tomorrowland Speedway. Somehow when you start driving, the novelty wears off – go figure! There are a lot of things that have changed in the way we visit “The World.”

When I plan our trips now, I look for things to incorporate that we weren’t able to do when they were small. This year I happened upon a gem! One of the things we enjoy doing as a family is volunteering. Volunteering while you are on vacation is called voluntourism. Some people refer to it as “vacationing with a purpose.” Did you know that there are great opportunities for voluntourism while on vacation in Central Florida? Well, there are, and one such opportunity is at Give Kids The World.

Read more

Share

Thrifty Thursday: Pleasantly Surprised at Epcot

Brenda Affordable Disney Vacations, Saving Money at Disney World, Thrifty Thursday, What to Do at Disney World , , , , , 2 Comments

The Land pavilion inside Future World at Epcot is a busy place. At any given time, there is a great deal of activity inside The Land which houses The Garden Grill Restaurant, Sunshine Seasons Food Court, the Circle of Life attraction, character meet n greets, and the wildly popular attraction, Soarin’. In the back, right corner of the first floor of the pavilion, there is a lesser-known, but very impressive, attraction called Living with the Land. Lines are usually of acceptable length and due to the high capacity of this attraction, they usually move quickly.

I am not a studious person, but more of a fun-loving one. I would not forego a fun ride for an intellectual tour. For years, my family and I avoided Living with the Land because we didn’t want to miss out on fun rides in order to watch an agricultural film about growing plants. Several years ago, we went ahead and tried it. We were so pleasantly surprised at how interesting and enjoyable this ride was. It was a very nice surprise that has become a must-do on every trip now. If you have avoided this ride for the same reason, I hope you will give it a try during your next visit.

Read more

Share

Tuesday Disney Tips: Help with Disney Dining Questions

Brenda Disney Vacation Planning, Saving Money at Disney World, Saving Money on Food, Tuesday Disney Tips , , , , 2 Comments

There are few things that brighten my day more than having someone who has never been to Walt Disney World contact me for help with their first ever trip. I get so excited for them and I really appreciate having the pleasure of helping them to plan such an important family trip.

No, I am not a travel agent nor do I have the skills of a travel agent. All I can offer is my advice from my own personal experiences and the first-hand knowledge gained from my travels to WDW this past many years. My children are always telling me I should go back to school and become a Disney travel agent but, as I tell them, I am looking forward to actually being able to stop working one day not start a whole new career from scratch. If I had known 20 years ago what I know now, that is exactly the path I would have taken.

Now, back to the reason for my post today. I was recently contacted by a very sweet lady named Andrea. She had some questions regarding her upcoming first-time Disney trip and I was very happy to help her. I thought that maybe others were having the same questions as she and so I thought I would share the advice I gave to her during our correspondence.

Read more

Share

Thrifty Thursday: A Sentimental Disney Journey on a Beautiful Antique Horse

Brenda Thrifty Thursday, What to Do at Disney World , , , , , , , 3 Comments

People often ask me, “Are you a Disney freak?” Surprisingly, the answer is no. I tell them that I am a Walt Disney and Walt Disney World freak. I am a student of Walt Disney. Like my dad, Walt was a man who loved spending time with his family. It was during one of his traditional Saturday outings with his daughters, in fact, that he first got the idea for Disneyland. He explained it this way:

“Well, it came about when my daughters were very young and Saturday was always Daddy’s day with the two daughters. So we’d start out and try to go someplace, you know, different things. I’d take them to the merry-go-round and I took them different places and I’d sit while they rode the merry-go-round. Sit on a bench, you know, eating peanuts. I felt that there should be something built where the parents and the children could have fun together.”

The merry-go-round Walt referred to was actually a carousel similar to the one found in Fantasyland at the Magic Kingdom (pictured above). No matter how many times I visit WDW, I feel the same gentle tug at my heartstrings as I walk toward Prince Charming Regal Carrousel, formerly Cinderella’s Golden Carrousel. I can’t help but reflect on Walt’s words as I stare at this antique treasure in motion. As all the little princes and princesses go around, I revel in the thought that he would have loved to have seen all that’s been created for families to spend magical moments together.

Read more

Share

Tuesday Disney Tips: Learning to Zig When Others Zag

Brenda Disney Vacation Planning, Tuesday Disney Tips, What to Do at Disney World , , , , , , , 3 Comments

One of the most important things to know when planning your days at Walt Disney World is that you may need to adjust your itinerary based on the habits of the other guests. Learning to zig while others zag is based on experiencing the parks on different days and at different times of the year with varying crowds. There are many books available that speak directly to planning your day in the parks, but what I am referring to is modifying your plan when you are faced with the unexpected. There are many ways to conform to your unique travel circumstances whether at the resort or at any of the four Disney parks.

If you have planned to have breakfast at 7:00 on your first day at the resort and you are greeted with no tables at which to sit, long lines of guests waiting to order and to pay for food, or a loud and chaotic environment, then you might want to rethink your breakfast time on day two. In this scenario, you may wish to plan to sleep in a little while, have breakfast at the resort at 9:30 or 10:00, and then stay at the park later. Conversely, you may want to get up extra early, have breakfast in the room then head out to early extra magic hours. The choice is yours.

Try to be flexible enough in your planning so that you can zig while everyone else zags. In other words, plan your time for less stress and more fun by not going with the flow. Two specific tips I can provide are based on your choice of resort and your choice of park ticket. If you are staying at a Disney resort, taking advantage of extra magic hours is a great idea. But, if you are not staying on Disney property, you will want to avoid the selected EMH parks on those days. Also, having park hopper tickets provides maximum flexibility, so if you can purchase these, I highly recommend it.

Read more

Share