We all know about the all-important and coveted Character Meet N Greets at the Disney parks. Volumes have been written, printed and noted about where each character can be found in order to make sure your child has the best opportunity for an autograph or a photo op with his or her favorite character. But there is a new kind of Meet N Greet that is also ultra-important and that can be a wonderful addition to your Disney vacation. Read more
On Tuesday I shared some really fun and FREE things to do at your Disney resort. Today, I am going to talk about killing two birds with one stone by doing a not-so-fun task while you are enjoying your resort. I hate to say the word, but it’s LAUNDRY.
I realize that not everyone does laundry while on vacation, but I can tell you from experience that a lot of us do. There are several reasons I do our laundry in the middle of our trip:
One of my favorite attractions at Disney’s Hollywood Studios is The Voyage of the Little Mermaid. We used to enjoy this show as a family but now my macho big boys have outgrown it for more thrills. So, it has evolved into one of the special mother-daughter activities that Kristen and I share at the parks. This indoor show is Disney at its best!
This 17-minute show is presented every 20 minutes beginning at 9:45am. Located in Animation Courtyard, which is typically a high-traffic area, the crowds start to develop after the first or second showing. So, try to see the show before lunch as the crowds get bigger as the day goes on. VOLM does have Fast Pass service, but you will notice that, unlike most FP attractions that have 1-hour windows, the Voyage of the Little Mermaid has a 10 minute return window. Be sure to look at your FP ticket closely so you will not miss your return time. Read more
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.
I have not yet decided whether I am extremely organized or just uncertain of my ability to remember things but, either way, I compensate by always being prepared. I like to be able to put my hands on whatever I need whenever I need it.
Several years ago, when we first started visiting Walt Disney World, there was so much information about so many different things that I wanted to have a method of keeping track of things specific to our trip at any given time. I decided to create a Disney Trip Cheater book by using a set of colored 3X5 index cards, hole-punched and held together with a loose-leaf clip, like this.