Thrifty Thursday: Rainy Days Create Lasting Memories

You are finally in the most magical place on earth. You are awoken by the sweet voice of Mickey Mouse himself on your wake up call. You are up and excited about spending a wonderful day in the park. You open your door to go grab some coffee in your refillable mug and, wouldn’t you know it, it is raining! What will you do now? Will you hang out in your room all day? Will you go to the video arcade and spend even more money when you’ve already paid for your park tickets? The answer is an emphatic NO!

A little rain never hurt anyone, as long as there is no lightning and no sound of thunder. Throw on one of those 50 cent ponchos you bought at the discount store back home and head to the Animal Kingdom! The Kilimanjaro Safari is the very best when it is raining because more animals come out in the early morning and while raining than any other time. And, since you’re there and wet already, ride the Kali River Rapids next.

Did you know that Expedition Everest also operates during rain showers? Well it does. In fact, last year we rode it three times in a row, in our ponchos, in pouring rain and laughed the whole time at the ridiculousness of it all. My kids talk about that memorable ride all the time!

If you’re not crazy about riding in the rain, head to one of the shows like “Festival of the Lion King” or “Finding Nemo, The Musical.” Both of these are excellent, dynamic shows and provide a great pick-me-up on a gloomy day. Even better than that, they are held inside large amphitheaters. Another indoor choice is the 4D show, “It’s Tough To Be A Bug” held inside the Tree of Life (caution: please read warnings before taking very young children into this show as it can be pretty intense for them).

When other people are zigging and you are zagging, it makes for a day of short lines and no waits. You can even rent a locker to store dry socks and shoes in for later; maybe even an extra change of clothes if you plan to stay all day.

Once the weather clears up and the crowds start flooding in it will be a great time to head back to your resort, armed with fun pictures and stories, and wonderful memories of the time you rode in the rain. Above everything else, never let anything get you down when you’re at Disney World – that’s not the way Walt would have wanted it. There is always a great idea for a backup plan!

Find out how the FREE services of a Disney World travel agent can make planning your Disney vacation simple…and for a limited time, get a FREE Disney gift card when you book your trip with me! ($2000 minimum package cost)

Brenda is a native Texan born and raised on the Gulf Coast. She visited Disney World twice as a teenager and always dreamed of growing her family Disney. She took her first-timer husband and their three children to Disney World in 2000 and they now spend every Thanksgiving there. Brenda writes with a comedic twist on various Disney topics. She will be sharing tips she has learned during her travels and also hopes to enlighten people on little-known freebies that Disney has to offer. She wishes she could have met Walt Disney and considers herself to be a student of Walt. In parallel to his dream it is her wish that everyone would take at least one trip to Disney World in order to share in its magic with their families.

Share

Thrifty Thursday: A Disney Castle Wonder

Have you ever spent time inside the corridor of Cinderella Castle  — the one that connects Main Street to Fantasyland?  The marvelously detailed mosaic mural displayed inside is really something to see. Each time I walk through it and look at the ornate artwork on the walls, I feel like I am in a beautiful museum. Read more

Share

Thrifty Thursday: Disney Rewards Visa Character Meet ‘N’ Greet

One of the perks I have always enjoyed about being a Disney Rewards Visa cardholder is the Character Meet ‘N’ Greet opportunity at Epcot. Susan and I will be taking advantage of this FREE opportunity during our trip next week. 🙂

It is very easy to get your free photo with special Disney characters and it is a wonderful memory to treasure for years to come. Even if you plan on making this a “cash only” trip, take your DRV card just for this purpose. You will be glad you did. Here is all you do: Read more

Share

Thrifty Thursday: The Contents of My Disney Post-Trip Suitcase

My next Walt Disney World vacation is in only 13 days and I am already making a list of all the items I plan to have packed into my checked bag on the way home. There are many items I feel I need to grab and, since I do have adult-onset ADD, I even have to make a list for this. I don’t want to call it a “shopping list” because I have an aversion to shopping. So, here is a list of the items which will make up the contents of my post-trip suitcase:

  • Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party merchandise, which can only be purchased during the party.
  • The first of many collectibles for my new grand-princess, Aleyah’s, brand new Disney collection. Thank you for replying to Tuesday’s post with your ideas, and thank you especially to Richard Trethewey. After receiving all your great suggestions, I called my son and asked him his opinion of my final 3 choices (pins, mini-snowglobes, and Precious Moments) and he chose MINI-SNOWGLOBES. He chose these for 2 reasons: I have a large snowglobe collection so hers would be like mine but for her size (how cute) and he said that someday he will build her a cabinet to hold all her special snowglobes from Mimi (the nickname they are calling me) so I will be purchasing her first mini-snowglobe this trip – a Mickey of course.
  • Several varieties of candy from Goofy’s Candy Co. This will be important to a brand new holiday tradition. It will be the authentic Disney items I will include in my new holiday decorating tradition of creating an in-house, old-fashioned candy store.
  • An ornament for my hubby, one for each of my kids, and one for my new grand-princess for this year’s tree.
  • A 2011 pin from Port Orleans Riverside.
  • A 2011 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party pin.
  • A Muppet t-shirt with Animal on the drums that my oldest son, Johnnie, saw several years ago in the parks – hope I can find it.
  • An Ariel travel mug which was available on disneystore.com for a very short period of time. I hope I can find one in the park for Kristen.
  • 40th Anniversary Mickey Ears for my collection.
  • New Grumpy boxers for my hubby, Butch, and something special for my youngest, Josh.
  • Mementos collected during the trip.
  • A photo album for the pics from this trip.
  • A Mickey business card holder for my desk.
  • Giveaway items for upcoming site giveaways on my personal blog, Ideally Disney.
  • Confirmation for reservations made on a bounce-back offer (keeping my fingers crossed).

Anticipating every aspect of the trip just adds to the excitement of going to Walt Disney World. One thing is for sure, the contents of my suitcase on the way back will far outweigh the contents on the way there, literally. What better reason is there to check a bag?

Bringing some Disney home is the best way to hold onto great memories while tiding you over until your next visit. So, what will make up the contents of your post-trip suitcase?

Find out how the FREE services of a Disney World travel agent can make planning your Disney vacation simple…and for a limited time, get a FREE Disney gift card when you book your trip with me! ($2000 minimum package cost)

Brenda is a native Texan born and raised on the Gulf Coast. She visited Disney World twice as a teenager and always dreamed of growing her family Disney. She took her first-timer husband and their three children to Disney World in 2000 and they now spend every Thanksgiving there. Brenda writes with a comedic twist on various Disney topics. She will be sharing tips she has learned during her travels and also hopes to enlighten people on little-known freebies that Disney has to offer. She wishes she could have met Walt Disney and considers herself to be a student of Walt. In parallel to his dream it is her wish that everyone would take at least one trip to Disney World in order to share in its magic with their families.

Share

Thrifty Thursday: Disney Cast Member Thank You Cards

In my previous article about spreading the magic while visiting Disney, I talked about Cast Member Thank You cards. Now that I am only 19 days from being on my way back to the happiest place on earth, I was happy to use part of my weekend to get these joy spreaders ready to go too. I made some regular princess-themed cards as well as these cute ones for our night at Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. Read more

Share