What to Do at Disney World

Affordable Disney Vacation Souvenirs: Making Photo Memories

Nancy Disney Vacation Planning, Saving Money on Souvenirs, What to Do at Disney World , , 4 Comments

Continuing our discussion of affordable Disney vacation souvenirs, today I want to talk about pictures. Because the photos OrlandoJan08and9 227that you take at Walt Disney World can form the basis for the most special souvenirs that you have. Photos capture memories…and those are truly priceless.

Anyone who visits my home knows within the first 90 seconds that I am picture obsessed. We have photos everywhere….and a significant majority chronicle our Disney vacations. (So that would probably be the second thing that a visitor to my house would learn quickly….that I am Disney obsessed too. 🙂  )

So if you are like me, and love the idea of having your Disney photos be a big part of your souvenirs, then read on for some tips on how to keep those photo memories affordable.

Basically, there are 3 types of photos you will probably be involved with at Disney World: the ones you take, the ones the Photopass photographers take, and the ones that are taken when you go on certain rides.

Tips for Taking Your Own Pictures Affordably

Let’s start with your own pictures. Most people arrive at Disney World, especially on their first visit, with the plan to take lots of pictures. And if you are the way we were on our first trip, we did just that….hundreds in fact. Taking your own pictures is very affordable….provided you do a little planning. The single most important thing you can do here is to be sure to have enough storage chips, and/or a way to download your pictures if you use up your camera’s memory…which you will. And the second thing is to make sure you have extra batteries or rechargeable batteries and a battery charger….and then remember to use the battery charger!

(Trust me on all of these, because I speak from experience. I once missed a picture of my daughter being invited to join the Tapestry of Nations parade by one of the castmembers….because my camera battery chose to die right then and there.)

The thing is, if you want to keep your costs down, you do not want to buy these items at Disney World…because they are a lot more expensive there than at home.

And for making special photo memories, watch for the “Kodak spots” throughout the parks. These are places that are set up for the perfect picture background: be sure to use them! 🙂

Use Photopass for Great Pictures

Now let’s talk about the Photopass photographers. These are the Disney photographers that are around all the parks, ready and waiting to take your picture. They are wonderful folks who specialize in preserving those Disney memories. There is no charge for having your picture taken by a Photopass photographer: you don’t pay until you order prints or a CD with all of your pictures on them. The friendly Photopass folks will also typically be at character appearances, and some restaurants and resorts as well.

I recommend using Photopass as much as possible, because these professionals will take great pictures for you! When you go to the Photopass website later, where you will input your Photopass card number, you will see all of your pictures…and that there are all kinds of great souvenirs that you can have made with your pictures. Just make sure you don’t get carried away with ordering!

It is so nice to have these special pictures done because they become the “formal” pictures I have framed… plus they usually are the only ones with me in them, because I am busy taking all the others. 🙂

Now keep in mind, if you see a great photo opportunity (especially if you are seeing a character) and you want a family photo with everyone, but you DON’T want a Photopass picture…simply give your camera to the photographer, and they will happily take your picture with your camera. No cost there to you at all!

Be Sure to Smile Going Down Splash Mountain

As to ride pictures? These will be taken on most of the “thrill” rides and are always fun to see afterwards. We have gotten a few over the years, but be forewarned…they are not cheap. However, it is kind of fun to see what you look like going down Splash Mountain…so it just might be worth it to you to splurge a little to preserve THAT memory! 🙂

Affordable Disney Vacation Souvenirs: Discover Pin Collecting!

Nancy Saving Money on Souvenirs, What to Do at Disney World , , 7 Comments

This post is part of the 10th Edition of the Disney Blog Carnival. Be sure to stop by there for more great Disney blog posts!

When it comes to planning an affordable Disney vacation, saving money as many ways as possible is important. So I thought 506625that I would take the next few blog posts to discuss ways to keep your souvenir budget under control. I did a blog post about this in a general way a few months ago, but I thought it might be helpful to look at several ideas in more detail. So today, we’re going to discuss my very favorite Disney vacation souvenir, pins.

How We Discovered Pin Collecting

Disney has been actively promoting pin collecting as a popular hobby for 10 years now. They started it during the Millennium Celebration, and oddly enough, that is when my family started collecting pins! And I have to say, the way we got started was almost accidental…

We traveled to Disney World in the year 2000, and during this trip at the end of June, we experienced the rainiest vacation we have ever spent. Florida is, of course, prone to sudden thunderstorms every day in the summer, but this was different: it didn’t come up quickly, rain quickly and leave….it came up quickly, rained, and stayed. So a lot of the fun parades and outdoor shows were cancelled every night. What to do with all this extra time?

We discovered that all the castmembers were wearing lanyards with these really cool pins on them….and that if you had a pin and you liked one of theirs more…..well, they had to trade with you. How cool is that? Especially if you are 9, as our daughter was at the time.

Pin Collecting and Trading Strategy

But you needed to have some pins first, so we bought a few…and then a few more. There were SO many kinds of pins it was mind boggling and we literally spent hours looking at all of them, trying to decide which ones we liked the most, bought them….and then stupidly traded them away. DOH! (We were kind of slow learners….) Eventually we figured out the trick about this: buy cheap ones that you don’t like as much, and trade them for more “valuable” ones. (Of course everyone defines “value” here differently. For some, it is ones that are literally worth more. For others, it is merely ones that they like better.)

Now the thing is, pin collecting doesn’t have to involve trading, and now ten years later for us, we still collect them, but are not concerned about trading. Pin trading is most popular with children, and I must say it is a lot of fun to see kids bravely ask castmembers to trade a pin with them….and then be delighted when they do!

Set a Pin Budget and Stick to It!

At this point, with hundreds of pins, we limit ourselves to 2-3 pins per trip. Because yes, this CAN be an expensive hobby if you are not careful! While the cost of pins can start as low as maybe $6-8 each, they can go up to $20+ for some very elaborate limited editions. And Disney sells pin sets too, so if you like that idea, you can spend even more.

Keeping Pin Collecting Fun AND Affordable

Which is why this can be a great souvenir and hobby, but you have to set limits and be careful to keep it affordable. With that in mind, and to still have fun with this, I suggest the following.

  1. If you have kids, arrive at Disney with a dozen or so cheap pins for your kids to trade with. You can find some on eBay, on sale at DisneyStore.com, and even Amazon. The idea here is to trade these for others your kids will like more.
  2. Set a limit of so many per day, or per trip, or a cost limit…and then stick to it. It is easy once you start looking at them, to get carried away!
  3. It is easier, in my opinion, to do this if you are collecting with a theme in mind…..which can be just about anything. Maybe the resorts, or characters, or villains, or princesses. You name it Disney’s got a pin for it. Seriously. We now pretty much buy our pins around dated events, as they are a great reminder of when we went and when we got the pin: for example New Years Eve 2005.
  4. Make a conscious decision: collect for fun, collect to trade, or collect seriously. If you have kids who are going to trade everything away, you won’t spend a lot on them, or especially care about what they look like. But if you want to make this a serious collection, you can purchase only Limited Editions, for example, to increase the value of your collection. If this appeals to you, there are some great books that can give you more information and help you make informed decisions.
  5. Think about how you are going to keep them when you get home! Don’t go to all this trouble to buy all these pins and just keep them in a shoebox! Some people frame the lanyards and pins. Some put their pins in a shadow box. Some keep them in a display portfolio or binder.

Pin collecting can be a fantastic hobby and a relatively inexpensive one if you are careful. Even better, it is an affordable way to collect Disney vacation souvenirs…and have a blast doing it! And if you are like us, you will love looking back at them years later and relive the fun we had collecting them!

Must Sees at Epcot: Future World Favorites

Nancy What to Do at Disney World , , , , 1 Comment

In my discussion of the rides/attractions that my family HAS to see on every visit to Walt Disney World, I left Epcot for last. On 100_0009purpose.

This is because this is the park that we love the most, and is the one that we probably spend the most time at. On my last post about Animal Kingdom, I noted that we did not visit that park on each visit, partly because we preferred to spend time doing so many other things. Epcot is the main reason for this, as we visit this park several times at least on each visit.

What’s to Love About Epcot?

Epcot stands for the Experimental Prototype Community Of Tomorrow, and I often think that this must have been what Walt Disney was the most excited about when he planned Walt Disney World for Florida. Always enthusiastic about what possibilities the future holds, Epcot was intended to bring some of the vision that he had to reality.

In a fun yet….dare we say it….educational way.  And this, Epcot does very well.

We find this place fascinating, and fun. In fact, my 3 favorite rides/attractions in all of Disney World are in this park. But the really cool thing is that, while experiencing some pretty darn cool things, you learn a little too. In spite of yourself!

Two Parks in One

So as you may, or may not know, Epcot is actually two, quite distinct parks: Future World and World Showcase. And while they each have their own purpose, theme, and for lack of a better word “flavor”, when they are put together, they do share a common idea:

This “World” that we live in is one pretty great place. 🙂

Future World Favorites

The main focus of Future World is, loosely, to celebrate mankind’s accomplishments, learn where we’ve been, where we’re going, and figure out the best way to get there.

(Disclaimer: this is NOT the official Walt Disney World description, merely my opinion after visiting here a whole lotta times. You may have a different take on it, and that’s ok too!🙂 )

We really enjoy pretty much everything here. But we definitely have our favorites….

100_0234Favorite Number 3: Spaceship Earth

Also known as “that giant golfball thing”, Spaceship Earth is the “icon” of Epcot, and houses a ride that celebrates man’s progress in communication.

Guests board moving vehicles at the base of the sphere, and slowly ride to the top. Along the way, you see depictions of the many stages of man’s attempts at communication, starting with cavemen, all the way to the present day’s mobile/internet/computing capabilities. As you move along, there is a great narration, providing information for how we got to where we are now.

I really love this ride for so many reasons. It is relaxing. It is fascinating to look for details in each scene: I still see something new each time! It is beautiful and really inspirational. And I really learned some stuff!

A “rehab” made some much-needed changes a few years ago, in an attempt to bring the attraction up-to-date…or as up-to-date as anything can be that is trying to depict something that changes constantly. Many folks do not like the “new” Spaceship Earth, but we really do, and this ride continues to make our Must-See list each visit.

Favorite Number 2: Test Track

OK, if you read my previous thoughts on Big Thunder Mountain, you know that I am a sucker for really fast rides. 🙂 This is pics from Melissa 809 171one of Disney’s fastest and is just really a lot of fun!

But before you get to “drive” on Test Track, you first have to get in line for a car. This ride is one of Epcot’s most popular, so it consistently has long lines, and if you want to ride it, FastPass is highly recommended. Still, Test Track has one of the most interesting queues in Disney World. So, while you wait, you learn how vehicles are tested as they are developed, in order to be safe and efficient. It’s pretty interesting, so it’s not always a bad thing to have to wait in line for this.

But once you get in your car, then YOU are the one testing the vehicle, and you will go through a series of tests that will make sure your car is worthy of being on the road. If you have not been on this ride, I won’t give anything away, other than to say…..don’t worry about styling your hair before the ride, because it won’t matter much afterwards. 🙂

Oh, and be sure to check out the ride photo at the end.

Favorite Number 1 (and Grand Prize Winner): Soarin’

I sure do love this ride.

And so do a lot of other people! In fact, this ride is typically THE most popular one at Epcot, so if you want to ride it, be sure to plan ahead.

Soarin’ was actually born in Disney’s California Adventure park where it is known as Soarin’ Over California. The premise here is pretty simple: you feel as if you are in a glider, flying over the state of California. The ride proved to be so popular there that Disney decided to create a second version for Epcot, where it currently exists in the Land pavilion.

So what on earth is so great about this ride?

Well….you feel like you are flying!

pics from Melissa 809 170Through a mechanism that raises all seats in the auditorium into the air, you then watch an IMAX type movie….up in the air…..feeling as if you are gliding like a bird.

And my words truly do not do it justice at all. You’ll just have to trust me on this one. It’s awesome, it’s amazing, and I really cannot ride this enough. In fact, it’s usually the first ride we do at Epcot every trip as well as the last…and if we can get a FastPass or two, we’re likely to do it a few times more. It does not get old.

Now having said the part about being raised into the air, if you have a fear of heights, you may be wondering if you will like this. Well I am not fond of heights at all, and I love it!! Do yourself a favor and give it a try, you will be glad you did!

OK so those are the Must-Sees for our family at Epcot’s Future World. What are yours?

Must Sees at Disney World: Animal Kingdom

Nancy What to Do at Disney World , , , 1 Comment

I have to admit that Animal Kingdom presents a problem for me to discuss “must-sees”….simply because we don’t really visit Animal Kingdom on every visit. In fact, we probably don’t visit it more than half the time we vacation at Walt Disney World.

It’s just not our favorite park. Not that there is anything wrong with that. 🙂000_0098

Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great park and has some really interesting attractions. And no, in case you are wondering, we don’t hate animals. We actually love animals!

I think that there are just so many things elsewhere that we love more, that Animal Kingdom is usually at the bottom of the list in priorities for us.

And we have also learned….the HARD way….that this is NOT the park to visit if it is hot out. At all. It is enormous, more walking than any other park (the park layout is not conducive to getting anywhere efficiently in my opinion), and not nearly enough shade…although in the 12 years since it opened, this is improving, as vegetation does what it is supposed to do….grow thank heavens. 🙂

So. Having said all that, I will share a few of our favorites for when we DO visit this park, because there are some pretty cool attractions here. I promise!

Simba Rocks. And So Do His Friends.

The Festival of the Lion King is an awesome show, and one that we really try to never miss when we visit Animal Kingdom. Based on the movie this live-action show has all of your favorite characters performing to songs from the Lion King…and the performances, costumes, dancing, singing, and props are amazing. The audience sits on all four sides with the action taking place in the center, and there really is not a bad seat in the house. And you should note that audience participation is STRONGLY encouraged so be prepared to shout out your best animal sounds. 🙂 Just letting you know to be prepared. 🙂

It Seems Like It’s Fun To Be A Bug

Really it does! And after seeing It’s Tough to be a Bug, you may agree with me. Despite all the evidence presented in this show about all the terrible things that happen to bugs (your little ones may never let you squish an ant again, I am warning you now…) this is a fun show. It’s another one of Disney’s 3-D attractions and even though we have been a number of times, I still get surprised at certain…um…things that happen.

And one of the coolest things about this attraction is the way you get into it, as it is held below the Tree of Life…so you will really get to see how amazing this tree is, up close and personal. Which actually brings me to my favorite thing to do in the Animal Kingdom…..

BGI Would Love To Have This Tree In My Yard

If (no, actually when) you visit Animal Kingdom, take the time to really look closely at the Tree of Life. Everyone take the obligatory picture with the Tree in the background, and you will want to do this too. But get up close and reaaallly look at all of the amazing carvings of all different kinds of animals on this thing. We always find new ones on each visit. The workmanship is unbelievable and the detail is not-to-be-believed.

I am an admitted design/art geek, as you probably know if you read last week’s blog post about my favorite thing at Hollywood Studios. But even for those of you who are not as turned on by great art the way I am, you will still truly appreciate the skill and craftsmanship that went into creating the Tree of Life.

And your kids will love seeing how many animals they can identify!

OK, not the “typical” list of Animal Kingdom favorites I know, and we do enjoy LOTS of other attractions here (yes the animals are all WAY cool 🙂 ) but these are 3 things that we always enjoy at Animal Kingdom.

Now I would love to know: What are your favorites? And where does this park rank for your family compared to the other three?

Have a magical day!

Must Sees at Disney World: Hollywood Studios Top Picks

Nancy What to Do at Disney World , , 0 Comment

Hollywood StudiosWhen it comes to our family’s favorite rides/attractions at Hollywood Studios, picking a few is kind of challenging. Not because we don’t really like anything here, but because we definitely each have our own taste in what qualifies as a “must-see” here.

And we don’t especially agree. 🙂

And we keep changing our mind. 🙂

So I am picking 3…our current top 3….to highlight today. One from each of us: my favorite, my husband’s favorite, and our daughter’s.

My Personal Favorite: It’s Artistic and It’s Free

We’ll start with mine because, well, it’s my blog lol!

The one favorite that I have to see, every time, no matter what, is not your “typical” Hollywood Studios attraction. It’s not extremely well known, in fact, many folks don’t even know it is there!

My favorite thing to do is the Magic of Disney Animation. Located in the Animation Courtyard, just to the right of the Chinese Theater, this is a great way to learn how animation works….and the reason I love it…..to try your hand at it.

When you enter this building, you have the chance to take a short tour that gives you a very general idea of how the animation process works. It’s pretty interesting.  But my favorite part is at the end of the tour, where you can choose to create your own Disney character art in the Animation Academy.

Here, for the next 15 minutes you will get to watch an animator at work, and follow his/her direction on how to do it yourself. And the best part is, at the end, you get to keep your creation! It’s fun, you don’t really need any particular artistic talent, and you get a personal, free souvenir at the end!

One note: this is great for adults and older kids enjoy it a lot as well. But if you have little ones, I would recommend waiting to do this when they get older. They…and you…will appreciate it more.

Dear Husband and Toy Story Midway Mania

Well this is Hollywood Studio’s newest, latest, and greatest and it is some fun. And if you previously read how much my husband enjoys Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin at the Magic Kingdom, then when I tell you that Toy Story Midway Mania is Buzz Lightyear on steroids, well you will understand why this is his favorite.

Think old carnival midway games….only fast, electronic…and in 3-D.  Set in a Toy Story theme, the goal here, as with Buzz Lightyear, is to score the highest. Your car spins, goes forward, backwards, and periodically stops for you to try out the next game. It is  pretty darn fun, I will say!

In fact, it is so much fun, that this is easily THE most popular ride at Hollywood Studios right now. And if you want to ride it, you must, MUST go there first thing, when the park opens….unless you are willing to wait in line for a very long time, or have a FastPass return that could conceivably be later that night…if there are even any FastPasses left.

Is it worth all that? Yeah, it is. Go first thing, and go straight there. You won’t be sorry.

What’s a College Kid Like? Coasters of Course!

Our daughter has enjoyed a variety of attractions at Hollywood Studios over the years, but her current favorite is probably Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster. Loud, dark, fast, and with lots of twists and turns, coaster enthusiasts love it. At least that’s what DD tells me. 🙂

Not being a coaster enthusiast, I take her word for it. 🙂

But I do know that tons of folks agree with her as this is a ride that typically has one of the longest lines in the park, and it is easy to see why. Incorporating the music (and theme) of Aerosmith, this ride has the distinction of being the first ride on Disney property to include a high-speed launch that goes from 0-60 mph in 2.8 seconds.

Located at the end of Sunset Blvd., to the left of Tower of Terror, you can’t miss the giant guitar that marks the ride’s entrance. Since this ride is so popular, use FastPass if possible to make the most of your time. Because if you are a coaster lover….or have one in your group….then you will not want to miss this.

Well, there you have it. Our family’s eclectic must-sees. And if you have been to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, I would love to hear about yours!

Have a magical day!