Affordable Disney Vacations | The Memorable Journey ~ The Affordable Mouse

Minnie Minus Mickey: A Single Mom Plans for Walt Disney World

Guest Affordable Disney Vacations, Disney Vacation Planning, Minnie Minus Mickey February 25, 2011February 25, 2011affordable disney vacations, Disney Vacation Planning, disney vacation tips, single parents and disney world 7 Comments

Editor’s note: Please welcome our newest writer, Jolie, to The Affordable Mouse writing staff. Jolie is planning a Disney vacation as a single mom, and will be sharing her planning experiences here in a new monthly column. She has some great stories to tell and…well…I think I’ll let her tell you herself. 🙂 Take it away Jolie!

Happy Friday, my Disney friends…or friends-to-be, I should say. Hi, I’m Jolie, the newest writer for The Affordable Mouse, and I am just thrilled to be here, sharing what I know and what I’m learning!

I’ve had a lifelong love of Disney. I was fortunate enough to go as a child, and again as a teen with a musical theatre group. I grew up with the dream of becoming a character at Walt Disney World, and my parents, being the wonderful, amazing people they are, gave me that opportunity when I was barely 20. I flew down (my super-supportive Dad came along, of course!), auditioned, even made it to the costume fittings (I was JUST the right size for Tweedle-Dum and Dee, go figure), and in my final dance, wearing the costume…FELL. FELL! On my Tweedle-Dum bum. Not only did I FALL, but I fell right on top of a giant Mickey-ears hat, and of course…it broke. Thank goodness my faithful father was there to support the mass of tears that came out of the audition room! I was offered a wonderful position at the Boardwalk’s ESPN Club, and I just loved it there.

Disney’s All Star Movies: Lights, Camera, Action!

Debbie Affordable Disney Vacations, Disney Vacation Planning, Saving Money at Disney World, Saving Money on Accommodations February 18, 2011February 15, 2011affordable disney vacations, disney all star movies, disney value resorts, disney world resorts, planning a disney vacation, walt disney world 2 Comments

Traveling down West Buena Vista Drive, past the giant basketball hoops and the larger than life musical instruments, you will find a collection of favorite Disney film icons at the All-Star Movies. Typical of the other All-Star hotels there are five sets of buildings; 101 Dalmatians, Mighty Ducks, Fantasia, Love Bug and Toy Story. Each building has 2-story, larger than imaginable, characters that distinguish the theme of the building. The four 101 Dalmatian and Toy Story buildings are in prime proximity to the main building and the bus stops.

As with all the All-Star hotels, the bus stops are in front of the main building. This tends to be the most common issue with the All-Stars, but I have not had too many delays in getting a bus to our destination. Anytime the line has seemed impossibly long, along comes another bus. I know some people will differ with me, but I guess luck has been on my side.

Disney World Free Fun: Saving the World with Kim Possible

Nancy Affordable Disney Vacations, What to Do at Disney World February 14, 2011February 10, 2011disneys kim possible adventure, epcot, things to do at disney world, walt disney world, world showcase 1 Comment

Photo courtesy of www.savekimpossible.com

One of the things we especially enjoyed on our recent Disney World vacation, was the chance to experience food, resorts, and attractions that were new to us. It may seem odd to say, but one of the benefits of visiting Disney during the busy Christmas/New Years week, is that it is the perfect time to discover things that you are usually too busy to see or do.

And that is precisely how we discovered, on New Years Eve afternoon, the Kim Possible Adventure in Epcot’s World Showcase, and learned how we could “save the world”. It’s free fun, and educational too (but don’t tell your kids that). In fact, on an afternoon when the wait for many attractions numbered in the hours, we found that spending the time with Kim Possible was the perfect way to enjoy the day in a way that we had never tried before. Very cool stuff, this saving the world thing….who knew?

So if you too would like to save the world (or at least a small portion of it), here is what you need to know.

Start off by registering with a Kim Possible agent at one of the designated locations in World Showcase. There, they will scan your park ticket and give you a special Fast Pass to report to a specific location at a specific time. When you are there, you will receive your mission….and your “Kimmunicator” which is a GPS cell phone you use to receive your instructions throughout the mission.

It was my daughter, at age 20, who decided to give this a try and we went along with her for “fun”. And fun it was! The area we had to report to was Germany, so we followed the instructions given on the Kimmunicator to start at a certain spot and listen for what to do next. Throughout the mission then, we were given more clues and instructions, about looking for different objects, going to specific locations, and figuring out information that was needed to move forward to the next stop…so that we could thwart those nasty evil-doers from achieving their dastardly plans.

And this is, in my opinion, the true beauty of this experience. You are LEARNING things as you go along! You have to actually read some of the signs, and look for the details that are all over World Showcase that nobody ever stops to see because everyone is so busy trying to get on Soarin’. Here we stopped, we read, we did what Kim Possible told us to do, and we were rewarded with some cool special effects (not giving them away though, you’ll have to find out yourself!), and a lot of fun. And yup, we learned a few things along the way. 🙂

Oh, and did I mention that it’s FREE?? 🙂

Now the thing is, many probably think this is an activity for little kids, but honestly, we were 3 adults and we had a blast. In fact, it is probably most suited to older kids who have the patience to go through all the clues and get to the end. And it would be fun for groups or individuals to do.

Once you finish (it takes about 30-40 minutes), if you liked saving the world once, you can do it again….in fact, 7 different countries in World Showcase offer this activity, and each one is different. Our daughter saved the world 4 times that day. 🙂

Want more information? Check out the Kim Possible Adventure page on Disneyworld.com. And then be sure to see if you can save the world on your next Disney World vacation!

Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort: Yo Ho, Yo Ho, a Quiet Time For Me!

DeAnna Affordable Disney Vacations, Saving Money on Accommodations February 11, 2011February 10, 2011disney moderate resort, disneys caribbean resort, planning a disney world vacation, walt disney world, where to stay at disney world 3 Comments

Ahhh, the lazy days of summer – I WISH THEY WOULD GET HERE ALREADY!! It’s been unusually cold here in southern Mississippi…….I wonder how warm and nice the weather is in the Caribbean this time of year?

Speaking of the Caribbean, when you place that word in the same sentence as “Disney”, you have just gained my full attention. There’s just something about those 2 words spoken together that gets me all giddy. First, there’s a chance you’re referring to my FAVE ride of all time, Pirates of the Caribbean. Love the ride, can’t wait for the 4th movie to come out with the talented Mr. Depp.

Yo Ho, Yo Ho….well, you know the rest.

Then there’s the possibility you are referring to Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort (CB) – my favorite place in all the “World” to stay. It is a vacation inside of a vacation. The rooms are nice – the property….even nicer. At 200 sprawling acres, with a 45 acre lake, it is the largest resort in all of Walt Disney World. It is so spread out, you will, at times, feel you are there all alone, and who doesn’t want that?!!?!?!?

The shops are fantastic, the food court is wonderful, the rooms are great, and some have recently been upgraded to feature a “pirates theme”, including pirate ship beds. Behind the shops/food court is a large patio, complete with umbrella tables and chairs, overlooking the lake. There are also various spots around the lake complete with sand and hammock for some quiet relaxation time, or water craft rentals for some time out on the water.

Now what makes Caribbean Beach (CB) better than a value resort (VR)? Well, I’ve stayed in both, so I will give you the MOST VALUABLE differences, in my humble opinion…..

1) BUS STOPS:

VR – stand in a central herding stall rope line out in the Florida heat, waiting on your bus to arrive. At the parks, you will walk allllll the way to the very end of the bus stations to catch your particular bus, doesn’t sound like a big deal, but on Day 2, when your calves are screaming for mercy at the end of the day – BIG DEAL, trust me.

CB – covered pavilion with benches to sit on, ceiling fans & drink machines while you wait. Each section of the resort has it’s own bus stop, so no walking forever to one centralized locale. At the parks, you’re closer to the front of the bus stations, which equals less walking, which equals less of a chance that you will snap and someone will be seriously injured after they’ve complained they didn’t get to ride Space Mountain that 5th time that you promised them.

2) ROOMS:

VR – The basics. Two beds, a bathroom, a small table & chairs, smaller room, and Mickey soap. And it can be a long walk to the front of the resort to get to the pools, food courts, and to catch the bus.

CB – Stretch out roomy. Two beds, a bathroom with TWO sinks (what guy traveling with chicks isn’t happy about that?) a decent sized table with chairs, a refrigerator, a TV armoire with additional storage underneath, lush tropical landscapes, and again, closely located bus stops just a stone’s throw from your front door. You can stop trying to pronouce “armoire” now.

3) POOLS:

VR – Usually two of them, often full to capacity (thanks to all those “special rates”) & often loud.

CB – Big & roomy with water slides. Beautifully built and much quieter than VR. At your request, you can be far enough away that you can’t hear the noise from the pool.

This is, by far, the quietest resort in which we’ve ever stayed. Even the lobby is better in CB. Everything’s better there. We decided to “venture out” and stay at Coronado Springs last time. We realized quickly we were spoiled to CB, spent most of the time comparing and feeling that, for us, CS could not stand up to CB…..

If you can spring for the upgrade from value (usually around $30 per night extra), this resort is worth it’s weight in gold – or should I say, golden silence. There’s not too much relaxing to be had inside the parks. Isn’t it worth it to have that quiet tropical feel in the evening? Yo Ho, Yo Ho……a quiet time for me!

DeAnna, along with her husband and teen-age son, lives in Wiggins, Mississippi, and has a passion for all things Disney. She is always eager to share the knowledge she has gained from her many trips to Walt Disney World, and has helped numerous people in their vacation planning to realize it’s not an unattainable dream. Her must-dos on every trip are Pirates of the Caribbean, Rockin’ Roller Coaster & a stolen moment of quiet with her “Boyz” (as she affectionately calls them) having a pastry from Boulangerie in Epcot World Showcase’s France. Disney is so much a part of her life, that she & her husband were married in front of Cinderella’s Castle, and she says it doesn’t get any more magical than that………

Thrifty Thursday: Pleasantly Surprised at Epcot

Brenda Affordable Disney Vacations, Saving Money at Disney World, Thrifty Thursday, What to Do at Disney World February 10, 2011February 7, 2011epcot, epcot land pavilion, future world, living with the land, thrifty thursday, walt 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.