Dinning at Disney making a plan

I have become a Disney Dinning Manic

I just spent the entire day refreshing my pages on my laptop in hopes of getting ADR’s for our Disney world trip for the days and times I want. I have called and stocked forums in hopes of seeing a cancellation but so far I am just refreshing. I think this may be the job in planning that no one wants I never understood people waiting all day continually checking to see if there is an opening, until I started planning out trip.

So what are these magical reservations I just have to have; Well the must see Be our guest for dinner because I really want a photo with Beast , a 1900 Park dinner so I can see the step mother and sister, and finally a breakfast at Cinderella’s table because what is Disney without princesses. Now I know I should have been up at 180 days out trying to get these, and I was the fool who waited thinking I am sure I will get the reservation I want, this is my Disney dream vacation how could I not.

Here is one of the issues; I have OCD that really comes out when planning and this trip is a lot of planning things need to go the way I want and have pre planned. The thing about vacation planning is that it not always happens how you plan and so the stress begins. I find that I am getting what reservations I can for the days I still need, while checking nonstop to see if there is any chance of a cancellation. I have become one of those people that I use to think was nuts. Maybe it is Disney, maybe it is just hoping to make the perfect vacation for my family, but I have become less go with the flow and enjoy and more if I do not get this I am going to lose it.

Now here is the guilty confession my children could care less they do not care about the princesses not even my daughter, my son just wants food and the rest of my party just plans on going with what I plan. There is no real need outside my desire to plan what I see as the perfect trip for me to be continually be trying and hoping. I know there will be other vacations in time but this vacation has me wanting to make it perfect. Perhaps because we have already spent so  much more than our budgets by thousands, or because I know my children are getting older, or that my in-laws will not vacation WDW with us again, whatever it is I have gone over the bend and I realize and accept that I have become a Disney manic.

So if you find yourself doing the same things as I am understand you are not alone. The continually looking and hoping, the stress that no one in your vacation party understands well there are people who understand so take a deep breath and keep refreshing the worse that can happen is you end up with something you did not fully plan on. You and your family will still have a magical vacation regardless if you get to eat in the castle or meet the step sisters. 

The Dining Basic Low Down

      Disney is pretty much the only vacation destination that you need to be up at midnight 180 days before your trip to booking restaurants. Call it crazy; call it the extra Disney magic, it is stressful. I had someone tell me once that she checked every day from up to 10 times a day to get reservations she wanted that filled up in minute’s yes minutes this is all a part of Disney planning for most. I call ADR’s (Advance Dining Reservations) the black Fridays of Disney Trips.

      Here are a few tips to make your Disney dream vacation dining, not becomes your Disney nightmare. Make a plan for character dining I know you are thinking, well duh we want a character meal every meal, and I know someone who did this it took hours of reservation phone and web, time some begging, and a lot of luck and in the end she said it was not worth it half the character meals they went to where ones that her children did not care about.  

·         Ask children what character they really want to eat with they may want Lilo and stitch and not care about Cinderella like my daughter. After you know who they really want to see starts looking and see what dining has the characters you want? You do not need to eat with every character every meal this will lessen the specialness of the activity.

·         When you know your restaurants see when you can start booking, some places you can book 180 days out some are 90 days out. Research and find yours you days have a list of what you want handy so you can go right to it. Get use to the site so you will be able to understand the process make sure you have a sign in user name and password for my Disney already set up for reservation time.

·         Make sure you link any reservations at Disney Resorts to your online account so you are able to access the ADR.

·         When you know your reservation day, be ready these can fill up in under 5 minutes for some of the must have places. It’s the black Friday of dining be ready and start online booking at 6 am EST this is an hour before the phones open and the best option.

·         Make sure you have your credit card ready; I had one linked before ADR opened. They do not charge you unless you do not make your reservation in most cases, there are a few that I listed at the end that do take payment at the time of reservation. be sure to call and cancel if you will not be able to make a reservation, to avoid any fees

·         When you get your reservation print out the confirmation numbers just in case something happens with the system, write them in your travel notebook also.

·         If you tried and failed to get your desired reservation keep looking check in each day and see if a spot opens up, also call and see if there is a spot on the reservation phone often. Sometimes family cancel and this leaves the reservation open for you to get.

·         It can be stressful but the most important thing is to realize if you do not get the dining you want you will still have a once in a lifetime trip, the real magic is spending the time with your family and I promise your kids will still have a blast even if they do not drink tea with Cinderella.

      This is only the basics to dining at Disney I will be doing a full post along with list of dinning and information, however this is a good starter for people who are just interested in one or two dining options.

Dining reservations Website and Phone:

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/

Disney Reservation Center (407) 939-3463

Restaurants requiring full payment at reservation time:

Cinderella’s Royal Table

Hoop Dee Doo Revue

Spirit of Aloha Luau

Mickey’s Backyard BBQ

The Unofficial Guide Walt Disney World 2013 Book Review

     I have never been to Disney World, Disneyland many times; our first trip is this December.  I wanted to get all the extra information I could. I have read all the message boards, listened to podcast one of  my favorites is  mighty men of mouse love their pod cast. I have a pretty good handle on my vacation, so I did not think the unofficial guide would offer more how wrong I was. The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2013 is by Bob Sehlinger, Seth Kubersky, and Len Testa along with information gathered by many sources and research. The guide is not in any way affiliated with Disney so they are willing to be honest about what they liked and do not like about the parks this was a high point of the book.

     This is only one book of many by the same authors they have many guides that are highly recommended by many, be sure to look into any that may apply to you, the best tool in planning a vacation is being prepared and planning. This book is big and bulky in the print version it is 848 pages from title to last page, this is the War and Peace of Disney guide books and worth every page they do have a kindle format also. I do know the next guide for 2014 is in Kindle format.  I did not read each and every page I read the chapters that applied to myself and my family’s upcoming trip.

     The handy index is highly useful as the same thing could be in multiple chapters so while you may want to look up illumination there is a page for it but it is also talked about in other areas of the book by looking at the index you can see where other information on it can be.  The index can also be daunting because there is so much in one book the index is large and can be difficult if you kind of know, but are not sure of what you are looking for.

     The section on hotels is nice if you are still deciding where to stay we have already booked our rooms but it still was nice to see what they said about our hotel and that it had a good star rating. If you are just starting you trip planning I suggest looking though this portion and see what they have to say about the hotels. A lot of family’s try to go on a budget and this book may help in that area, the cheapest hotel is not always the cheapest in the long run, so it never hurts to study before you spend your money.

     The restaurant guide came in handy I think any advice should also be held lightly, you may love the pizza at mama’s that the review was not a fan of, by all means fallow the advice and try the places with the mist stares but also try a few of the others as well you just may surprise yourself and find a gem at the parks. The nice thing about the restaurant portion is that every eatery in each park and the hotels is listed. I used this portion to plan ARD’s for the days we are there. They also include tidbits about the eateries also a nice touch, but as I said never take anyone’s words as gold if it looks good and sounds good to you try it.

     Something that I was not overly impressed with is the Disney offered tours, we have a large group going on our December trip so I have decided to bite the bullet and do the Premium VIP Disney tour. Finding information on this tour is nearly impossible, I have resigned myself to just having to wait until I get home and do a review myself to find one. I will be writing a full review of every little thing included with the tour when we return from our trip. Besides the costly VIP tour there are many other tours offered by Disney I was disappointed that there was not more information and depth of these.

     The park to park guides where nice and I ready each of them in full. Each park is described in detail of what each park offers such as; restaurants, rides, shows, and any information you could want on the park and its entertainment was included. I found some things in the guide to do I was not aware of beforehand, I have done a lot of research and I did not think there was anything I had not heard of I was pleasantly surprised. If you have not been to the park before of have only been once or twice this will be valuable you will know where to go, what to do, and the best places to rest.  

     In the guide to the parks is where you will find the rides for each park along with the rates by stars for each age group this is an awesome for someone who has never been to the park. Disney world is not Disneyland they have some same rides but many different ones as well .It was nice to see what rides are the most popular and has the most stars. The rating by ages rocks on our trip we will have my Grandmother and the senior star rates may come in handy while working out what ride she may not enjoy. Please don’t get me wrong she is an active senior but she is not into loop’s and crazy turns, this guide helps insure each age group has an general idea what will work best for them. I liked that it covered all the rides it gives each of them stars and full reviews of what it does along with past readers inputs. I found this helped me decided what we were going to do first, on this note their option may not be your option so take any advice with a grain of salt, just because they gave it two stars it may be a four star for you, I always think you should get the best and top must ride done first, but don’t forget the others as well. With so many things in Disney World and the other parks you may miss something you really enjoy because you heard it was a bad ride.

     There is also a lot of maps that will help you in your planning, I did not know where our hotel was compared to the parks before looking at them, it also has a handy guide to the transit system of Disney parks along with estimated times from parks to hotels .The Disney transit from Disney resort hotels to parks can be a pain from what I read, this is one thing I am not looking forward to but at least with the book I will have a handle on it before we head to the parks on our first day.

      I also enjoyed the shopping guide I am a fan of shopping on vacation at Disney for things that I just cannot find in other places. This guide was nice but I would have liked a full shopping guide, there are so many shops in the parks I would like to know what ones sell what so I can work out a plan from that. Things like the store in star tours,  is where you will find star wars items, this may seem obvious but if you have young children that could no ride it you may skip the area totally. This also helps you to know where to avoid if your child is princesses happy you may want to know what stores sell exclusively princess stuff.

     All in all I think this book is amazing and useful the 2014 guide is out as of four days ago, I will be getting this book and reviewing it. After glancing though other Unofficial Guides from previous years I am assuming that this will be the same so you will not miss much by getting the 2013 guide. I hope to start on the 2014 in the next few days just to get an idea of any differences. I found the 2013 guide is ready available at library’s so it may be your best bet if you are looking to just glance though  it for a few ideas and save money, I am including the link to amazon for anyone who is interested in finding this book. 

http://www.amazon.com/Unofficial-Guide-Disney-World-Guides/dp/1118277562/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1377455124&sr=8-1&keywords=the+unofficial+guide+to+walt+disney+world+2013

Top 22 things To Take In The Park

We all know what it is like to be on vacation out and about and realize you need something and to buy it where you are is going to be twice the price, I cannot tell you how much money this has cost me we go to the park and can find we need something we forgot. I now use a check list I keep it in my vacation notebook (you can see my vacation notebook in previous post) this is my list of 22 things that must come in the park with us.

This is the minimum list, I hate having to lug around more stuff then I can carry without falling over. At parks I always see people who pack so much they do not get to enjoy the parks or areas because they are over weighted by items. You may find after your first day in the park there is something you need, as I said this is just my always in the pack list.

Advil- Advil, Aspirin, Excedrin  whatever you use for head and body pains. You will need it and you will use it.

Back Pack- The top must buy item for traveling family is a nice back pack, one with nice padded arm straps or cross body strap. These can be costly but worth it in the end after spending hours at parks you don’t want back and shoulder aches. Also be sure there is more than one compartment this way you can section your areas also bottle holders are nice also. The photos below are the one I will be using.

Camera- Don’t forget this cast members will use your camera to take photos with the characters

 Cell phone- Always keep you cell phone on you never know when you may need it.

Extra Memory Card- I took so many photos our last trip I had to delete some for space keep a extra one in your bag and you will never miss a memory.

Gum- I do not chew gum but if you do they do not sell it anywhere on Disney properties.

Hand and Face Wipes- Always keep a travel pack in your back pack the candy ice cream and pizza make a mess and the napkins may not always handle the job.

Hand Sanitizer- Bring a travel size bottle to use after rides and when garbing quick snacks, kids touch everything then touch the rides so it always pays to use this handy stuff after a ride.

Hair Ties- those rides can be killer and if your hair is everywhere you will miss the fun so keep a couple simple hair ties with you.

Hats/Visors- Lots of sun and these can come in handy just be sure to pack the away on some of the rides, to save money you can buy Disney hats on amazon eBay and many other options and save a lot more than what you would spend in the park best of all order them and surprise your children the say they go to the park believe me they will know or care that they came from amazon for a fraction of the cost.

Light Jacket- Never hurts to have one on hand

Kleenex- Stop by Waymart for a few dollars you can get some travel Kleenex the dust people and smells at the parks will make theses come in handy.

Kids Distractors- IPods, Handheld games bring them along to help with line wait times.

Light Snacks- Some fruit snacks or granola bars something light and easy to keep you don’t want to bring along snacks that will spoil in heat. On a side note leave the peanut butter sandwich at the hotels I hate when I see a little kid on the train eating a pb&j and touching all the poles and sitting areas and not for the reason you would think, but because there are many people with peanut allergy’s it is one of the most common allergy’s and while your toddler is eating away and touching everything the next person may get very sick. 

Personal fan/mist- Bring one of these along if you are going during hot days but it outside the park you can get them for $ 5 to 8 dollars at Wal-Mart the same thing is $18.00 at the parks.

Pocket Chargers –Travel or not everyone should keep one of these babies on them always. Powerocks Portable Electronics and Phone Charger with USB Cable and Car Charger can be bought at HSN or QVC this thing has saved me so many times I always make sure I have two on me in any vacation pack.

Rain Poncho’s- These are good no matter when you are going you can use them on water rides and save your clothing, or use when a sudden downpour happens. I suggest going to a local store such as Wal-Mart and buying them they are about a dollar at Wal-Mart compared to $4.00-6.00 dollars at the parks. They are also light weight.

Sunscreen- you do not need a big old bottle to bring with you a lot of the mist sprays are light weight and compact always make sure you have some on hand. I do not know how many times we have come home hurting because I forgot it

Sunglasses- Be sure each family member has a pair for those who tend to lose things easily get around the nick straps they have these at Wal-Mart for about a dollar compared to $8.00 dollars at the park.

Vacation NoteBook- If you read my other post you will know I love this and it makes life on vacation so much easier I take it every where.

Water bottles- Bring one or two water bottles into the park with you.  At the service counters in Disney you can usually get a free cup of water ,use this to refill them though out the day. Water bottles at the park are around $3.50 to 5.00 dollars on a warm day you can spend a lot just keeping the kids hydrated at the park price

Wallet- you do not need your check book in the Disney parks they do not take checks so leave the bulky wallet at home and get a compact one you can keep just what you need in what do you need you ask :

Credit Card, Cash, Medical cards, Photo ID, Park/room key, Transit pass, Photo pass that is all you need your store club card or espresso punch card are going to be of little use to you in Disney so pack light and leave the other items in your hotel safe.

Vacation Notebook A Must For Any Vacation

      Something about me I love itineraries, planning, and scheduling and this is a blog if tips and tricks so I am sharing one of my top tricks, a handy dandy trip planning book. I love this for vacationing and not just the Disney ones but any vacation it is one easy way to keep all your notes, ideas, prices, and dates almost anything and everything. The best type is a small to medium size one that you can pack easily but still has room. As the photo below shows this is my current vacation book for our December vacation. I picked this up at a Fred Myers for about eight dollars.

     So you have your note book now what? This is about keeping you in order and making sure you can easily access the information you need so be sure to divide it up in the best way for you. I understand everyone prioritized differently but a few of the ways I divide are pretty standard. I have just started a new notebook so it is not very filled yet but will still give you the idea I will post photos of it filled closer to our vacation.

   

  1.  My first page is important dates when the final payment for trip is due , what dates I have reservations for, tour guides days any dates you need to get to quickly

2.       I usually do what I call the cost page this is the trip cost broken down such as how much the deposit is, reservations cost, tour cost, what every you need to keep track of money wise!!

3.       Must do pages I do one for each member of the family/ people traveling. On our trip in December I have 10 people going and want to be sure everyone sees their must haves. Depending on the amount of people you have traveling with you have each person pick three to six things they feel they must do during the vacation. Being there are so many of us I am having everyone pick three must do's.

4.       I do a page for shows also I list what show by each park, what time they start, and how long they run.

5.       To pack list this is different for ever family but I like to do it by person so each person gets a list in the note book so I can check it before we leave insuring we have everything needed. I add to the list as I think of it since it is all in one nice note book that is easy to reach for when an idea pops in my head.

6.       A what to take to the park list is also a must this is a short list of the must takes items that will go in the park with you, I will post my must have list.

7.       A note pages is where I make you guessed it notes if I want to check out a review on a show or see the best place to get food in the park I note it down so that I can look up the review or information when I have the time.

8.       Important numbers email addresses and website I know we all have cell phone but it always pays to write it down also, battery dead at the end of a day at WDW if you have your notebook you will have the number to the hotel if you need it and any other numbers that may be of use such as the local taxi service.

9.       Attraction list this may seem odd but I like to take the time and write down each ride in the park that there is a chance we will want to go yes there is maps and cell phones but it never hurts you can peek from time to time and see something you may have forgotten with all the excitement of tower of terror.

10.   Note down dining plan restrictions and rules each plan is different and confusing write it down and you will be able to reference if what you want is an option or not sometimes the cast members and wait staff try but can be unhelpful if you write down what is included you will not have to worry.

11.   Make sure you take notes during the trip at night or when you have an extra minute note down a memory you enjoyed or a tip trick you learned, anything you want to remember for next time note it down. With all the hustle and rushing you can forget things after you are home if you write them in your book it is there forever, even if your next visit is a few years away you can look back and say oh ya we really enjoyed that.

These are just a few things you can put any and everything in your book that you want .A Disney trip is all about fun and family memories, I find this book helps me with the stress and planning and keeping track of memories for future visits. It and or may not be the right thing for you and your family but it never hurts to try. I will post more photos as my book fill's I just started this one yesterday!! 

Universal Studio Hollwood VIP Tour Review

Universal Hollywood Tour Review

Holly's Rating: 3.5 out of 5

 In June I took my son along with my grandmother to a week and half vacation to Disneyland and universal studios. We had already done five days at Disneyland and we were all tired of lines and people so my grandmother decided we were doing VIP tour. I never knew about this option at universal I had heard of the front of the line pass that allows you to go to the head of the line once. Also as a note this is a group tour not a private one like offered in Orlando there is not an option for that tour at the California park.

   

  The thing was we showed up for the park with our regular tickets ready to go deal with lines and crowds, at the entrance there where universal studio employees doing a hard sell. We asked the price and found that for the three of us it was going to be 299.00 dollars per person, and that price was only because we already had park tickets after taxes what we had already spent on tickets and then the VIP package it was around 400.00 per person, I was in the middle of saying no thanks we are only at this park one day and remember we already spent five days at Disney by this point my wallet was crying when my grandmother said sign us up and then I knew it was a lost battle we were doing the Tour.

   

We were ushered into a VIP area where we were served a continental breakfast, being we had missed breakfast that morning this was nice. This VIP lounge is where we meet our tour guide. I was not aware that the tour we signed up for included another family and not just us, I felt that my son was not able to get the attention of the guide as the child with the other family consistently talked and interrupted anyone who was talking this diminished our experience, my son has a issue with speech and this was a issue as it takes more time for him to get his words out and when he was consistently interrupted he would just give up. If this was a run of the mill 50 dollar tour this would not have been an issue for us but for the amount we paid to have this unique experience, I was unhappy they do not inform you until you are heading out that you will have to share the attention of your guide with others.

   

  Our guide Jon began showing us around the park we stopped off at the major rides we rode the mummy, transformers, Jurassic park were we got complimentary ponchos, the Simpsons ride after the try at the rides we were able to see the sound stages where they make many of the shows we love, and then we walked the back lot we saw where the voice was taped. After the back lot tour that really was not what I was most looking forward to in the first place, we were lead back to the park area to a special VIP only restaurant Lunch is included and they did have good food they serve the food buffet style and have a wide range of drinks this was our break from the other family and our tour guides break also.

   

 After lunch it was back to meet up with Jon and then we were off to the tour bus for the rest of the tour while some was fun and kids exciting there is a lot of looking at buildings include in this tour be prepared, we were able to go to the prop warehouse this was interesting as we could see props from all kinds of movies and it was fun to see the same items you have seen in your favorite movie.

   

  We also saw many costumes and the little extras the public is not able to see. We were allowed to go on a real set  of the TV show Parenthood this was exciting we were not able to touch anything but photos where allowed this was fun and something to talk about.

   
 The tour itself was fun however children may get tired of looking at buildings, sound stages, and so many things they are not able to touch, they really just want the rides and let’s face it so do I this was the thing that made the tour worth the cost being able to ride all the rides as much as we wanted with no waiting. The sad thing was the mummy ride broke down after the first go this was the ride I wanted to ride over and over. We did transformers seven times, Jurassic park three times, and the Simpson ride five times after the tour was over I am a ride junkie I love to go on ride after ride and this pass really allowed that. My sons loved the fact he did not have wait hours for one ride so this does take some of the stress out of the day.

   

  We really did enjoy this Tour, but if you have younger children or teenagers who are not really into the sound stage or buildings you are better off letting them go nuts with their VIP Pass and go on ride after ride while you take the tour. There are many photo opportunity’s so be sure to have an extra battery pack or charger, you don’t want to miss something due to low battery.

 

   There were some things that I was not happy about the fact that we were not told we would have to share our guide with another family at the time we were signing up and handing over a credit card. I was under the impression that with the tour we also would get photo opportunities with the characters around the park this was not the case, we had to go back around after our tour to get photos by that point most of the characters where already done for the night.

     

 I also had to wait almost two hours in line to get our ride photos from the photos shop, in fact I called the VIP service and got a unhelpful lady who told me she didn't think that there was anything they could do but she really was not sure, I would have thought the person answering the VIP Service phone would be able to answer questions. I found out after the fact that doing the tour also gave a slight discount at some of the shops, we love to shop and I would have liked to know this before we already had gotten back to our hotel.

 
 I know it seems like there was a lot I did not like but we really did like the VIP tour, the front of the line was amazing most families at the park got to ride the rides maybe once or twice each we were able to ride so many times it was worth the cost. The cost was high but if you can afford the additional cost I would go for it.One thing I would like is a private tour option like they have in Orlando.

    

 This is the link to the page for the tours, I suggest deciding beforehand then calling and ensuring you get all the details of what you get for the price, as prices and inclusions can change.

http://www.universalstudioshollywood.com/attractions/studio-tour/

Our Next Trip

     In less than four months we leave for our big family Disney vacation. Usually family vacations are myself, my husband, our two kids, and usually my grandmother, and brother. This time however we are going big. We decided to do a vacation though Christmas; we will be doing a five night Bahamas cruise on the Disney Dream, fallowed by three days at Disney World theme parks, then two days at Universal Studio. Coming along on this trip will be our normal six travelers along with my in-law, our niece, and my mother added up that is 10 people. So for anyone who has never planned a trip for so many people believe me it not stress free or cheap.

All the stress and planning can make anyone’s head hurt however to make life a little easier there are some tips for three people or 10, when we originally planned this trip we were planning for six and we were not adding a lot of the extras we have now added.

Add On- VIP Tour Guides

• With so many people and so few days at the park I want to try the VIP tour guides for the three days we are there along with the two day tour of Universal Studio. These tours do not come cheap and they make my heart flutter at the cost so be sure that you can budget this before booking.
• Disney at 355 dollars per hour with a minim of six ours it adds up quickly.
• Universal Studios has a two day two park VIP Tour that cost around 4050.00 dollars for up to 10 people. We have done the daily Universal tour at California this one will be a bit different from what I understand.

Research Plan and Budget:

• Do all the numbers and research yourself find all the deals and discounts you can before booking, then visit a travel agent and see what cost they come up with.  We use the AAA travel and I love our agent she is the best and we use her for more than Disney trips.
• Sometimes your travel agent will find the same trip you did for less because they have special rates and deals with Disney. However if your cost is less than what the agent can find then you have lost nothing by having them look, you are not locked into buying though an agent just by having them look a trip up.
• Never spend more than you can budget all the extras sound fun and exciting but before you know it the cost has outweighed the fun.

Cruise Discounts:

• This is not our first Disney Cruise so we received a 10% discount per stateroom that had sailed before with Disney. Please note that the discount will only apply to people who have sailed before, this trip we have three stateroom but only two where discounted. You will also receive in stateroom gift for sailing with Disney again.

Make a list and check it twice:

• Cost, time, and cranky children means you need a must see list this is a list of what you have to see while on your vacation have each person in your family pick three to five things depending on how many days you will be at Disney of their must do on the trip and then if nothing more make sure you do these items for me it is Tower of Terror This is always on my list and anything with Stitch is on my daughters. This way you know that you and your family will see what they want the most and the rest can be done another visit.

Timing really is everything

• We chose to go to Disney world  during the most busy time of the year the week of Christmas, when I first planned my trip I did not know this, I was thinking like any rational person that Disney world would be the busiest during summer and I was wrong another reason we chose the VIP Tour. Usually mid-September and mid-January are the best times to visit the parks the summer and holiday rushes are over and the spring rush is not yet in full swing.  The days before and after Christmas are usually the most costly to fly also something to keep in mind if you cannot drive to your vacation.

Bundle just like cable:

• We booked everything this trip though Disney well everything besides Universal Studios. We have traveled on a Disney cruise by booking our own air fare, transportation, and hotel before and while it is doable the stress and the worry can make the bundling worth the cost. This time we let Disney take care of it all the price was within reason. However while bundling can save money always be sure to check out all other options.
• If you plan on going to other parks such as Universal Studio see about moving hotels you may be able to save money by staying at a Disney hotel while going to Disney parks then moving to a Universal Studio hotel for the days you are at that park.

Schedule:

• I am a list nut I like everything in order and a schedule ready and vacationing is no different. That list I said earlier schedule it. List out each day and mark by day what you want to do, where you want to eat, and what you want to see, this way you have an idea of what you days will be like.

These are only a few tips I plan on doing a tip of all tip list that will have all the tips for the best trip in one nice area .Above all make sure you and your family enjoy yourself these are so many deals and ideas out in the world that it can be overwhelming, just take a deep breath have a glass of wine and research.

Disney Magic Cruise a Magical Memory Review of Disney Magic Cruise Ship

Disney Magic Review

Holly's Rating of Disney Magic: 4.5 out of 5

In March 2012 my family and I took our first ever Disney cruise, we were thinking this is going to be for the kid’s turns out this is the perfect vacation for all ages. We took myself, my husband, our son, and daughter, my grandmother, and my brother to this trip to remember. We took the Disney Magic Seven day Caribbean cruise and I can tell you it was one of the best experiences in traveling we have had.

From the time you step on the ship you are instantly at peace, while waiting for our staterooms to be ready we enjoyed a lovely brunch at parrot clay, they had everything that any of us could desire. We got staterooms with verandas, my grandmother and husband both need to get fresh air often so we need a room with a veranda. A TIP if you have no real need for a veranda save yourself some money and stay in a noon veranda room there was plenty of space for our family of four in our stateroom, there is a pull down bunk hidden way in the ceiling and the couch pulls into a twin bed this sleeps four easily and comfortably. The best part of the Disney staterooms is the split bathrooms while I was in the shower or doing my hair the other bathroom was open for potty times, or when four people are trying to get ready for dinner or a show two people can change and primp at once as anyone with a teenager can tell you this is a valuable commodity. At night the housing staff leaves something special for the family.

The shows where different each night we were not at port and they were Broadway caliber shows with all the effect and wonder. We love Villains Tonight show; it was and is our top show we have seen. The Disney Magic Walt Disney theater had plenty of space and they serve drinks during the show just be careful that you don’t drop you mojito all over yourself and your son as I did. They do have cup holders in the seats but they do not always accommodate the drinks. We saw Twice charmed, Villains Tonight, and Disney dreams.

The children’s clubs also must be highlighted they allow the children to have their independent time in a safe environment. My daughter was in the Edge club pretty much our entire cruise we hardly saw her it seemed. I know you are thinking what kind of vacation is that you don’t see you kid, but she had so much fun with activities and spending time with kids her age. As our children grow they do not want to spend each minute with their parents.

My son was 8 at the time of our trip so he was able to go to and from his club Disney’s Oceaneer Lab and Disney’s Oceaneer Club as he wanted this is something that you can veto, I and my husband chose to let our son go from his club as he wanted with the mandate that he went to our state room. And we always saw our children at dinner and for shows or additional activities we want to do as a family. At the start of the trip my son was given a wrist band that allowed him the ability of entering and leaving the clubs, this also helps if your child is lost on the ship any crew member can scan the band and know what stateroom the child is in.

My son’s favorite thing on this cruise was Bingo it was played in the Rockin Bar D each day it and I will admit we spend a fair amount of cash on cards however we did not win. My son enjoyed trying and we made it a family event with my grandmother. The best part is everyone can play but to win an adult must claim the prize and they have some big ones one was for 10,000 dollars. Stephanie was the crew member who ran these and she was amazing and made it so much fun, I hope she is on our next cruise we even got a photo to remember the fun by.

With so much on the ships to do we did not get to everything but we tried my brothers favorite part was the Buena Vista theater at the time of our cruise the wizard of Oz was still in theaters but was playing on the cruise, this is the best part of Disney they own their movies so even if they are still playing at the movie theaters at home,  Disney is  able to show them for free on the ship. The in state room TV also has movies but they are geared mostly to children and teen, you also get Disney channel in your stateroom, however you are on a trip and are supposed to be out and about, not sitting around watching TV.

With each port they offer excursions you must book early or they will most likely sell out. We did two adventures one in each port and I will say that we do not plan on booking excursions on our next trip. My grandmother and I love to shop we were unable to fit this in with the time of the excursions and we found that there was so much to do when we disembark that we were sad we wasted our entire day on one activity finding we had to rush to get to the ship in time after our activity. We did enjoy out adventures but the travel and time that they took made it so we had not time for other options.

The best thing in my option of a Disney cruise is the meet and greets when you are in the park there are so many people you can stand in line for hours just to get one photo with Mickey Mouse; however on the ship we never waited more than 15 min. My daughter was able to get a photo with every Disney character on the ship some more than once, this alone made the trip worth it. The staff will take photos with your camera so you can be in the photos. 

A TIP make sure you bring a good camera you will save money if you don’t purchase the photos from Disney, we chose to get ten photos on a disk at the cost of 150.00 dollars because they camera we mostly used was not very good.

There is always the joy of water and the Disney Magic tries to make sure you can enjoy the pool at the time of our trip there was one water slide located at Mickeys Pool, my son enjoyed it; however it never seemed to be open during our trip, we did get one chance at it and my son loved it I wish that they would have had this available more often.  My daughter and her friends spent a lot of time in Goofy’s Pool .The pool areas are filled with kids and this can make it difficult for your children to fully enjoy the pool areas, but it is a family cruise and not everything can be perfect although Disney came close.

Outside the kids pools there is the adult only area called Quiet Cove Pool this is also the smoking part of the ship my husband and I keep meaning to get to this area but we had so much going on we never got to try the hot tub or pool area. With so much there was a lot we did not do the adult only bar, and lounge, some of the family activities such as the sing along and family dance party among other that we hope to get to our next trip. One thing my husband and I made sure to do each night was to go to the adult only  Cove café and get a hot chocolate with liquor and take a walk on the deck, this was one of my top memories of this trip a time for us to enjoy each other and relax.

 A TIP the adult only Cove Cafe on Disney cruises have punch cards be sure to get one even if you do not use it all on the one trip you can take it to the next cruise.

Every Disney cruise has something magical that the other cruise lines just don’t at least one night weather permitting there a firework show and just like the park firework show it does not disappoint, and making this another must have part of the Disney vacation.

 A TIP try and get your spot a bit early if you want to sit this is something the entire ship shows up for and sometimes it can be hard to find a spot that you can sit and enjoy.

Besides the fireworks there was the pirates deck party and it was a blast my daughter’s favorite Disney characters is Stitch and along with Mickey and Jack Sparrow Disney makes this party fun for all ages. There is dancing and music and characters dressed as pirates and many of the guests get into the act, this was a memorable time and we cannot wait for the next one. 

A TIP your children will most likely want to dress up for this pirate party and the outfits on the ship are not cheap so bring your own most family’s know well in advance they will go so try and get a costume before you leave home and save some money.

We ate at all the dinning options besides the reservation and adult only Palo, and we loved all the food there was something for everyone and each night we were able to enjoy something new. Also pizza and all you can eat ice cream is available in the pool areas the pizza was so good that I ate more then I should. The pool side dining areas are what can be called counter service they are burgers fries and all the unhealthy food we should not eat. Goofys Galley offers lots of fruit and veggie options.  There is a 24 hour drink area on the pool deck my issue with this was they do not have juice options it is all soda, coffee, or tea I would have liked to see juice options .

 A TIP when you order a drink from a waiter, even soda you will be charged so if you want a soda go to the self-serve drink bar and get a free one, the cups are have covers and straws and are free.

This trip was worth the cost and we enjoyed each and every moment of it and we look forward to our next cruise with Disney. After our trip we heard that the Disney Magic was being renovated with all new clubs for children and a new waterside among much more we cannot wait until we get a chance to see if the new changes live up to the memories we already have of the Disney Magic. Our weight staff and room staff where amazing and made us feel magical and we cannot wait to board again.

This is the link to Disney Cruise Site:

http://disneycruise.disney.go.com/

Additional notes and money saving tips:

Room service is 24 hours and they will bring you or your children a chocolate chip cookie at midnight we did this for my son each night it made him feel special and the cookies are free. Drinks just like when you order from waiter are not free so go to the pool deck and save some money.

There is a laundry service this is not a cheap option, instead bring your own detergent travel packs are inexpensive and use the self-operation machines.

You are able to bring your own alcohol on the ship be sure to check the amounts before you leave .My husband was able to bring his brandy for his nightcap and this saved on the cost of ordering something at the bar on the ship. They also sold beer mugs that you got a discount on beer if you used.

Every two days be sure to ask guest relation for a copy of stateroom charges things add up quickly all those little drinks and trinkets can add up fast.

There is no cash accepted on the cruise ship everything is done with your stateroom card.

I will be making a must see tip and tricks post for Disney cruise as well as the parks.