Disney Vacation Planning

Tuesday Disney Tips: Princesses with a Plan – Planning a Magical Disney Girlfriend Getaway

Brenda Disney Vacation Planning, Princesses With a Plan, Tuesday Disney Tips , , , , 3 Comments

You may have read previously that my husband surprised me by telling me that I can go on the anniversary trip I wanted with a friend, as he is unable to leave town during that time. As you might be able to relate, I don’t just love Walt Disney World I long for it as though I am obsessed. This year especially, I wanted to be at the Magic Kingdom on October 1 and when my hubby said he definitely could not go I just tried to put it out of my head. Enter my soul sister and equally Disney-crazed friend, Susan, and my dream was coming true.

You have to understand that I have a wonderful Disney life with my husband and three kids. Our annual trips to Walt Disney World mean the world to me, and we have traveled twice with Susan and her family as well. But I am a real family girl. The only time I have traveled away from my family was once for work and a few times with my mom and two sisters. This will be the first time in my life I have traveled with a friend – just a girls getaway. So, I want to encourage you Disney lovers out there – if your family can’t or won’t go with you to Walt Disney World, don’t give up your dream; grab a good friend and make a plan!  Studies show that relationships outside the family circle are crucial to keeping balance and perspective. I am very grateful to have a husband that is supportive of me, my friendship with Susan, and my deep desire to be at ‘the World’ at that time. I am also very grateful to have a friend who understands me so well, and who loves Walt Disney World so much herself, that she offered to take the trip with me.

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Minnie Minus Mickey: A Single Mom Plans for Disney – Booking my Trip!

Guest Affordable Disney Vacations, Disney Vacation Planning, Minnie Minus Mickey, Saving Money at Disney World, Saving Money on Accommodations , , , , , , , , 2 Comments

Happy Friday, Disney-lovin’ friends!  It’s been a whirlwind of planning fun this past month here in South Louisiana, and I am enjoying every minute!

I was so nervous, clicking the “send” button on my payment, until a thought occurred to me; the lightbulb in my head turned on…I have a travel agent.  If there is a better deal (because, come on, we’re all reading this because we want the best deal!), she will be as happy as I am about re-booking me to save some hard-earned cash.  The decision to use an agent was probably the easiest I made in my plans.  Ask her.  I go around and around weighing every option like my life depended on it…dining plan or no, which one, value resort or moderate or splurge on a deluxe, vacation club rental points, park hopper, water parks, Disney Quest, Disney transportation or a car…the options are ENDLESS!  I swear, I could go on a Disney vacation once a month (wow, wouldn’t that be a dream come true!) and not have the same experience twice!  As a single mom, especially, having someone to bounce ideas around with was invaluable.  And it’s not costing me a single extra penny.  In fact, it’s SAVING me money.  Wow.

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Thrifty Thursday: Lost in the (Disney) World

Brenda Disney Vacation Planning, Thrifty Thursday , , , 0 Comment
picture perfectphoto via http://www.flickr.com/photos/jewellshoots/3858698368/

Like so many other parents, I know what it is like to be walking down the sidewalk at a Disney park only to realize that a member of your family is missing. I have felt that utter panic and paralyzing fear that is associated with losing a child at Walt Disney World. During our trip in 2000, when my youngest son was only 6, he got separated from us. Those five minutes was the longest time of my entire life. In fact, that event is when I started to go gray.

Lost children are a very serious matter — not only to us as parents but to the Disney cast members as well. First, I am sure you have heard that at Walt Disney World there is no such thing as a lost child, only lost parents. The cast members are excellent at taking care of your precious little prince or princess until you can be found. I hope that your child is never lost, but we all know it does happen, so I am going to share some tips for hopefully making your reunion a lot quicker.

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Tuesday Disney Tips: To Insure or Not to Insure?

Brenda Disney Vacation Planning, Tuesday Disney Tips , , , , 0 Comment

Choosing whether or not to buy trip insurance is one of the things to consider when planning your Walt Disney World vacation. Here at the Affordable Mouse it is paramount to us that we try to give our readers the best possible advice. We really want everyone to have the most magical experience possible when on your Disney vacation. We also try to heed our own advice when traveling ourselves. To me, affordable means the smartest use of, while requiring the least amount of, my Disney vacation money. So, it is not normally my practice to use money on any extras, like insurance, that would keep me from buying a momento for a family member or a gift for a friend while there. This year is a little different.

In all the years my family and I have been traveling to Walt Disney World, we have never purchased the vacation insurance with our reservation. Maybe we were tempting fate, but we all knew that it would have to be something fierce to keep us from making our annual trip to “The World.” We rested on the assurance of faith, combined with good planning and staying healthy. Plus, we have usually traveled at the end of November and we had been lucky in the past so what should change? Still, there is always a feeling in the pit of my stomach as we are driving from Texas to Florida that IF our van breaks down, we could arrive a day or two late, and the thought of that keeps tugging at me until we arrive there safe and sound.

For the first time, I will be purchasing trip insurance for my upcoming trip to WDW this September. For some travelers, this may seem like a waste of money, but I will spend that extra $59 gladly. What I am buying is peace of mind. I consider it to be a wise investment without any doubt for two simple reasons:

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Thrifty Thursday: Walt Disney World Lost and Found

Brenda Disney Vacation Planning, Saving Money at Disney World, Thrifty Thursday , , , , 5 Comments

Our family always wears lanyards during extra magic hours. It is the easiest way for us to prove that we are guests of the Disney resorts without having to stop at each ride to show our key to the kingdom card. We normally take the type with press closures at the tops of the cardholders but the lanyards themselves are regular rope-type.

This year, we got some beautiful lanyards from a travel agent and so we decided to wear them instead. The tops of the cardholders were not closed on these. We didn’t think anything of it until we got off of Space Mountain and my DH was missing his key to the world and his driver’s license.

We were frantic and went back to Space Mountain and spoke to the cast member at the entrance. She told us that there was nothing they could do right then, but informed us that every evening after the park closes, they do a full sweep of the ride to find any lost articles.  If they found the lost items, they would turn them into the main Lost and Found at the Transportation and Ticket Center. She told us to wait until the next day and call the Lost and Found to find out if they had been found.

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