Booking your Fastpass+ Selections

So exciting! You have reached the 60 day mark on your countdown to your Walt Disney World vacation!! So, now what? You will be able to reserve your FastPass+ selections for your stay. But, if you follow my advice and plan in advance, this will be a fun and worth while planning step! I suggest starting your FastPass+ research early! I like to have mine all written down in the order I would like to secure them, in my preferred time spots. This way, when you get to that 60 day mark, you will have picked out which FastPass+ selections you want and for what times. This makes it so much easier for you. You will be able to secure 3 FastPass+ selections per person per day. Now, if you have a Park Hopper ticket....you can only reserve an extra 3 FastPass+ selections AFTER you have used the first 3 at your first park. You can do this by using the mobile app or at the FastPass+ Kiosk at your second park. You CANNOT book your second park's FastPass+ selections on your 60 day mark. So, it is time to get out some paper and a pen!!!

• Choose which park you will visit on each day of your vacation. 
• Write down under each day approximately what time you will eat lunch and dinner. Make sure you definitely write down the time of each of your Table Service reservations. That way, you make sure not to overlap you dining times with your FastPass+ selections.
• Never been to Disney World before? Take the time to look over which attractions yourself and your family will really want to experience. Narrow that list down to the 3 you will be allowed, do that for each day and park you will be visiting. 
• Remember, if your family has older and younger kids, they might want to experience different attractions. Sometimes, you may need to split up. Although, I do not prefer this. We go on a family vacation to stick together and make memories....but if you have little ones and Daddy and older sibling want to ride Tower of Terror....take the little one to see the Disney Junior show:)
• Remember that the parks are big...especially when you are visiting the Magic Kingdom that has a lot of attractions that accept FastPass+. So, you need to plan your FastPass+ selections carefully and strategically, so you are not bouncing from one side of the park to the other. 
• I recommend making your FastPass+ selections after lunchtime. Why, you ask? If you plan properly and get to the park when it opens, you will be able to ride multiple attractions before the park gets to busy. Then, in the afternoon when the parks are busier, you can ride your FastPass+ selections. 
• ALWAYS try to make your FastPass+ selection for Kilimanjaro Safari at Animal Kingdom for as early in the morning as possible. The animals are likely to be more active and more easily viewed.
• If possible, plan 2 days to visit the Magic Kingdom. Here is why I say that: On day one, right after the park opens, you can head straight over to Fantasy Land. Get on as many attractions as possible before it gets to busy or until lunchtime. Then, after lunch, you can head over and use your FastPasses for... lets say Big Thunder RailRoad, Splash Mountain and The Haunted Mansion. All three of those rides are all in relative distance to one another. On the second day you visit The Magic Kingdom, you can head straight over to AdventureLand/FrontierLand and get on those same rides(that you gor FastPasses for on day one) before it gets to busy or lunchtime. Then you can head over to TommorowLand or FantasyLand and visit the attractions you have secured your FastPasses for. This way...everyone gets to ride what they want and not waste time. You will also be able to ride those great attractions that get very long lines more than once during your vacation.
• Next, figure out the times you may want to try to secure those FastPasses for. You will have about an hour time window. So, you can book a FastPass for 12:30-1:30. You can visit that attraction anytime within that window. Your FastPasses cannot overlap. So, you can book a 12:30-1:30 FastPass, but cannot also book a 1:00-2:00 FastPass. Make sure to account for that. Write down the times you would like to get next to each of the three rides you have choosen for each day of your visit. Make sure to download and look at the attraction layouts on the park Maps. You do not want a FastPass in FantasyLand and then have to high tail it to FrontierLand to make the next one. Especially with little kids and/or strollers (or big crowds to get through).

Now, on your 60 day mark, you will have it all laid out. Make all of your FastPass+ selections one park at a time, using the rides and times you have already picked out. It takes a while to plan, but it is fun planning it. You will be so happy when your vacation runs smoothly and everyone gets to ride as many rides as possible!!:) 

Budgeting for every single expense

Okay, so you have booked your Disney World vacation. You have your package which includes your hotel, park tickets, dining and Memory Maker. If you still have to purchase your plane tickets...that is okay, you have budgeted for that. But, many people overlook the little expenses that add up when they are planning their vacation. When you break down every single aspect of your vacation, you can be smart with your money, set a budget for everything and really make sure that you are making every dollar accountable.

• Budget for your long term Airport parking. Go online and price out how much it will cost you to park your car for the duration of your trip. 
• Airline baggage fees...so dreaded! If you book on Southwest, they still give you 2 free checked bags. Go onto your Airline's website to see how much they are currently charging for checked bags. Click on the Airline to go directly to their page: JetBlue, Delta, American, Alaska, Allegiant, United.
• Make sure you budget in for your airport food. If you have an early morning flight, budget for a quick breakfast for the family at Dunkin Donuts inside the terminal. Do the same if you have a lunch time flight or dinner time flight.
• Make a shopping list for snacks you will pack in your bags. Granola bars, fruit snacks, trail mix, Goldfish, crackers, etc. You can work this budget into your regular weekly grocery budget the week before you leave. 
• You will need to purchase sundries such as: Shampoo, conditioner (if you have kids, sometimes the little bottles they give you just are not enough. If you stay in a Villa make sure to pack your own!) toothpaste, lotion, SUNBLOCK!!!!, hand sanitizer, sanitizing wipes...for the plane :),  pack pain relievers for both the kids and for you, pack some gas/tummy medicine also.  So, set aside and account for these purchases.
• Budget in to have some groceries delivered to your hotel for you. Even if you are not staying in a Villa, your room will have a mini fridge. Have them deliver a couple cases of bottled water, juice boxes, a half gallon of milk, orange juice, maybe a box of cereal, oatmeal (hot water from the coffee maker) etc. You will be happy to bring along those juice boxes and bottles of water to the parks with you....unless you want to pay $3-$4 per bottle! I have used The Garden Grocer and would highly recommend their service. They deliver right to the Bell Services of your resort. 
• Set a daily budget for your children's souvenirs!!! It is very easy to get carried away and pull out that credit card to buy everything they want. It is also not a good feeling to go and not be able to buy them what they want. Set strict daily budgets for them...we set a $25/day per child. This is for them to buy a stuffed animal, tee shirt, Mickey ears etc. Explain to them that it is up to them how they spend it. If they see something they want that is $50...don't cave in and give them extra money. They can choose to not get anything the next day and use tomorrow's money to make that $50 purchase. This is a great way for them to be smart with their money and make a responsible decision on what they really want.
• Set a souvenir budget for yourself! The only thing I HAVE to get every time we go to Disney, is a Christmas ornament. So, I usually set aside $25, just for that.
• If you drink alcohol.......try to set a budget for your drinks. If you are traveling with your kids, chances are you are not going to be spending an arm and leg on alcohol...but keep that in mind. 
• Restaurant tips are NOT included with your dining plan. Make sure you set aside money for every time you will be dining at a table service restaurant. Remember, that parties of 6 or more, will have an 18% gratuity added to the bill. If your family is of 5 people or under at a buffet...probably $25 would be good.
• If you have the Dining Plan: You will get lunch, dinner, a snack per person per day. You will also receive a refillable mug to use for drinks at YOUR resort. So, you will have to get breakfast on your own. There are a couple of ways to do this...You can eat a light breakfast in your room with the things you brought in your suitcase or had delivered. You can pay out of pocket for your breakfast and eat at your resort's quick service eatery (you can grab waffles,egg sandwiches, pancakes,eggs etc ). You can get an idea of the menu pricing by searching for your resort's quick service restaurant's breakfast menu. Get a sense of the prices and budget how much it will cost you to buy the whole family breakfast...multiply that by how many days you will do so. My favorite thing to do is to use our snack credits for breakfast!! Seeing as you had waters and juice boxes delivered to your room and how you get dessert with both lunch AND dinner, this is a great use for your snack credits. You can get a huge cinnamon roll, muffins, pastries, etc using your snack credits. You can switch it up and only use them some days and then save those snack credits for a yummy cupcake or sweet treat at one of the park's confectionery stores!
• Make sure to budget for some fun things your resort may have to offer. For example....if you are staying at The Port Orlean's Riverside, budget in to take the family on a horse drawn carriage ride. Or, to fish at the fishing hole, rent a boat or to rent a Surrey Bike! Visit your resort's homepage to learn more about what your resort has to offer and if you want to enjoy any of those extras!
• Budget in for tips, if you are planning on using Bell Services.
• If you have a pet that you will be boarding...budget in for that as well!

Okay, I know it sounds like a lot...but that is why we are planning, well in advance. Having a budget and sticking to it will make your vacation a lot more relaxing and less stressful!

The Disney Visa Card

 The Disney Visa is a great way to earn Disney Dream Dollars to use to pay for or as for spending money while in Disney. This card awards you 1 Disney Dream Dollar for every $100 you spend. I know it does not sound like a lot, but here are some great ways to utilize this card:

• Use this card to pay for your weekly groceries
• Use this card to pay for your gas
• Use this card to pay for any utilities that you can pay by credit card
• Use this card for any large purchase
• Use this card to pay for your flights

Pretty much, use it for everything! Now, I am not a big credit card fan. It is very easy to get in over your head with them. DO NOT put bills/utilities/etc on your credit cards unless you have the cash to pay for them!! I have a budget for groceries/gas/each utility, when we get paid I take my budget for those items and pay that right towards my credit card that way when I use it, I am not racking up debt, instead I am paying it off....immediately.

You will be pleasantly surprised to see how fast you can accrue enough Disney Dream Dollars to put that $200 deposit down on your Disney trip. Or have a nice chunk of change saved for those souvenirs. The Disney dream dollars can be used throughout Disney World.

Aside from the awesome Reward Dollars...there are a few different perks us Disney Visa card holders get!

• Receive 10% off select Star Wars merchandise purchases of $50 or more at select locations at Walt Disney World
• Disney Character Meet 'N' Greet at our private Cardmember locations at Walt Disney World
• Enjoy 0% APR for 6 months on select Disney vacation packages
• Save 10% on select merchandise purchases of $50 or more at Disney Store and DisneyStore.com.
• Star Wars Imperial Meet 'N' Greet at our private Cardmember location at Walt Disney World

Disney Springs

Downtown Disney got a face lift! Now referred to as Disney Springs. They have added several dining options as well as a ton of new shopping! There are a total of 41 Dining Options and 58 Shopping Options!

The Boathouse is a new signature dining restaurant. You will use 2 Table Service Dining Credits here, for both lunch and dinner. If you are willing to eat quick service for both lunch and dinner one day...you can plan on eating here. The menu is full of delicious and EXPENSIVE options. No worries if you have the Dining Plan! Here are a few of the yummy menu options:

-Baked Crab Stuffed Lobster $45

-Filet Mignon Oscar Style (12oz) $62

-Maine Lobster Mac'N'Cheese $34

-New York Strip Steak (14oz) $48

They have a pretty good kid's menu too, which includes (all are $10):

Popcorn Shrimp

Fish or chicken tacos

Pig in a Blanket

Angus Cheeseburger

Mac'N'cheese

Chicken tenders and fish nuggets

 

The Boathouse has great dessert offerings also! Here are just a few:

-Key Lime Pie in a Jar $9

-Florida Sunshine cake for 4 $40

Just remember...this is a signature restaurant that uses 2 Table Service Dining Credits. You will have to alot more money for a tip. For my family it would be about a $40-$45 tip. Groups of 6 or more have a gratuity of 18% automatically added to your bill. 

This is just a highlight of one of the new restaurants! The have added many more and also a few new bars. 

Disney's Boardwalk Villas

Okay, we may have found our official "home away from home"!  We stayed for eight nights in a deluxe studio villa. Remember, we had two adults, an eight year old, a five year old and a baby. This was a sufficient space for us. We will stay in this sized accommodation until the baby is three( and not free anymore).

We rented DVC or Disney Vacation Club points from David's DVC Rentals. Using their service was a breeze!! If we were to book that exact room for the exact dates right through Disney, it would have been about $4000! For the room only! Yup, sorry, not frugal! We paid $1800 for those EIGHT nights at the Boardwalk, a deluxe Disney hotel. Now, that is a savings!

So, right off the bat we were super impressed! Right as we exited the Magical Express, they knew we were the Lovely family! A cast member with an I Pad, welcomed us. They escorted us into the unbelievably beautiful lobby. The invited us to sit(on a comfy sofa). After I gave them my driver's license, they set off to fetch our welcome package. Now, I always do the online check in before we arrive. This was seamless and we waited for no more than 10 minutes. Our room was not ready (we always get early flights to maximize our time in Disney!). We checked our carry on bags and anything else we did not need right away with Bell Services. Then we explored the resort and headed to Hollywood Studios, a short Derry ride away!

Seeing as our room had a kitchenette, I ordered bottled water, juice boxes, breakfast items and some fruit from Garden Grocer They delivered the items right to the hotel for us. I found it very reasonably priced for the service. But, silly me, forgot and packed the large pancake syrup in my carry on, so we had to throw it away in the airport!! Not frugal! So, without syrup and being to cheap to pay resort prices for such a thing:) We ended up using most of our snack credits for breakfast down at the Boardwalk Bakery. They had delicious huge cinnamon rolls, muffins, etc all that could be purchased using one snack credit!! Score!

The location of this resort is wonderful! It is a literal five minute walk to the back gates of Epcot. Also, a 10 minute Ferry ride to Hollywood Studios. Anytime you get to avoid the buses with small kids, the better! 

The pool was great here! They had a wonderful  water slide, large hot tub, kiddie splash pool, playground, arcade, club house. The clubhouse was great. On some rainy days or nights, you can rent movies, do a craft, play some video games, air hockey, board games, watch a Disney movie, etc. That was a life saver! 

All in all, this was by far the best Disney hotel we have stayed at! We will be staying here again. 

The midday rest

One of the most important golden rules to a great Disney trip with small kids: THE MIDDAY REST!!! It is so easy to get caught up in the mindset of fitting in every last bit that you can into everyday. Let's face it, you want to get every pennies worth of your vacation. But, trust me, if you start early and end late with small kids, no one will enjoy themselves. So, my advice to you:

• Get up, eat breakfast and get to the park for 9am. 
• Choose 3 or 4 rides or shows to visit before lunch.
• Eat lunch at a quick service at the park, or eat when you get back to your resort.
• Take the bus back to your resort for a nap or a swim break. Stepping away from the hustle and bustle does wonders. This is especially important if you want to stay up for fireworks, parades, or a movie under the stars.
• After everyone is rested up, probably two hours later, take the bus back to the park..

Then enjoy the rest of your day. When you walk by that family with exhausted and crying kids(and parents!)you can just smile and enjoy your drama free day! We have had our kids nap in the stroller, but honestly, if you have little ones you will most likely benefit from a nap as well!

Multi-use extra suitcase....

We give our kids each a $25/day allowance when at Disney for toys or souvenirs. We have learned along the way, that stuffing the shopping bags in overhead bins on the way home, is not convenient. We always try to fly Southwest, two checked bags always fly for free per person. So, we started dedicating one big suitcase(to be checked) for all of the treasures your family has gathered throughout your Disney trip. You can use this suitcase to pack snacks to have in your room.  At the end of your vacation these items are used up and that frees up that checked bag for souvenirs.

When you have small kids, lots of on hand snacks are great. You never know when they will say they are hungry, or when a snack bribe will be needed. Your hotel will have some available for purchase, but this can add up really quickly with resort prices. So, here are some things you may want to pack:

• cereal
• oatmeal
• boxed donuts
• muffins
• chips
• goldfish
• trail mix
• Slim Jims/Jerky
• Fruit snacks
• Pretzels