Fastpass + Revisited

            Recently, paper fastpasses have become extinct in all of the Walt Disney World theme parks.  After experiencing this change, I have made a few observations worth mentioning.  First, it is important to make your reservations early because now everyone has to use the FP+ system.  The My Disney Experience App is still having difficulties keeping up with the demand.  I find that at busy times during the day, the app takes quite a while to load.  However, in the parks now, there are many kiosks that are staffed with knowledgeable castmembers who can help you make reservations if the app is giving you trouble.  Once the app loads, I find that it is fairly easy to use, especially since you will be using it over and over again during your trip.  A negative aspect of the app is that I find I spend too much time staring at my phone screen to plan our touring agenda through the parks.  Perhaps, if I used the kiosks, I would spend less time staring at the phone.  Also, in order to make sure that I always have my times handy, I have started taking a picture of the times that I have scheduled so that I do not have to open up the app.  This saves a huge amount of time, and it has been helpful when the Magicband reader was not registering our times for Journey of the Little Mermaid.  I just pulled up the picture and showed the castmember that we indeed had reserved times to ride the attraction.

            Overall, I like FP+; I think it makes touring a lot easier.  I don’t have to run back and forth across the park over and over again to get fastpasses for later in the day.  I have more control over my ride times by making reservations.  However, there are still some issues.  For example, I used some of my reservations in Animal Kingdom, but then I couldn’t make any more reservations for the rest of the day.  Essentially, I cannot park hop and effectively use FP+.  Also, we used to get seven or eight fastpasses on a good day in the Magic Kingdom, but we are limited to three a day now in only one park.  I think that this will change when the system becomes more familiar to guests, and Disney will figure out how to use the system to its fullest potential. 

            Since we go to the parks so much, I have learned which attractions really need a FP+ reservation.  We will start with the attractions that definitely need a FP+:  Peter Pan, Space Mountain, Splash Mountain (when it is warm outside), Enchanted Tales with Belle, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Toy Story Midway Mania, Soarin’, Test Track, and Kilimanjaro Safaris.  In my experience, these are the attractions that have really needed a FP+ in order to avoid very long lines.  Omnimover type rides like Haunted Mansion tend to move very quickly, so they really don’t have too long of a wait anyway.  I will never wait in the very long Peter Pan line.  It is always at least thirty minutes long, and it is just not a fun line in which to wait.  I am also not a fan of the Soarin’ line; whereas the Test Track queue is more entertaining.  I mention these types of issues because Epcot and Hollywood Studios have a tiered system from which you must pick your attractions.  You cannot have a FP+ for both Test Track and Soarin’ on the same day.  You must make the decision on which line is less of a chore for you and your family. You don’t really need a FP+ for anything else in Epcot other than these two attractions, so you will have to choose wisely.  For Magic Kingdom, the tiered system has not been enacted yet, so you could still pick all of the mountains for your FP+.  It just depends on what your family enjoys.  We have also used FP+ for meeting Mickey Mouse, but it was not necessary to have reservations; there really wasn’t much of a wait to meet the Big Cheese.

            Now, when you are making your reservations, you will see nighttime spectaculars on the lists.  Do not spend your FP+ on Wishes, Illuminations, or Fantasmic. This is not a good use of one of your reservations.  I absolutely love Wishes.  I watch it several nights a week; it is one of my favorite things at WDW, but I would not use a FP+ for it.  For this show with a FP+, you are allowed to sit in the grass near the Rose Garden that is next to the Mickey and Minnie topiaries in front of Cinderella Castle.  This sounds great, but they only let you sit there if it hasn’t rained that day, and the grass is dry.  The problem with this is that is rains pretty much every day in Orlando, so the grass is very rarely dry.  It is a safety hazard to have people on the wet grass, so I understand why the decision is made, but the alternative to the grass is actually not that great of a view.  Therefore, do not spend you FP+ on this.  Next, Fantasmic is a wonderful show, and I watch it at least once a week.  However, do not waste a FP+ on it because your FP+ does not reserve you a certain seat or section.  With a FP+, you are allowed to enter the Hollywood Hills Amphitheater in a different entrance, and if the show fills up, you will get into the Amphitheater for standing room only.  This is not a reserved seat, so if the show is full, you will not get in, even with a FP+.  In order to see Fantasmic, your best bet is to arrive early and snag a seat.  Bring some snacks and just wait until show time.  Finally, Illuminations is a beautiful show with wonderful music, and it should not be missed.  Again, I would not use a FP+ on it.  It is in the same tier as Test Track and Soarin’, so I would definitely pick one of those attractions over Illuminations.  Unlike Wishes and Fantasmic, FP+ actually does get you into a reserved area to watch the show.  This area is right behind Port of Entry store, which is on the pathway that leads to Canada in the World Showcase.  This is a very nice viewing spot, and if you have no plans of going on attractions, then you could use one of your FP+ reservations on this show.

Overall, you really need to sit down with your traveling party and decide what you want to see and when you want to see it.  I know that many people say that this type of planning takes away spontaneity from a Disney trip, but the planning is a lot of the fun.  Disney trips are always smoother and more enjoyable when they are planned at least to some extent.  Fastpass + still has issues that need to be dealt with, but I think overall, it makes park touring less of a hassle.  You don’t have to send someone to run across the park, and I can leave home already knowing my reservation for attractions.  We even had FP+ times for New Year’s Eve; this made our evening far more enjoyable than in previous years because we arrived at the Magic Kingdom late in the day, and we just walked right on to our three attractions.  I am a fan of FP+, and I actually like wearing the Magicband.  It’s a fun addition to all of my other Disney odds and ends.  So, give the FP+ system a try on your next trip, but remember to be patient and ask castmembers for help if anything is confusing.  Eventually, this system will seem old hat just like paper fastpasses have become.  Until next time, have a magical day, and keep moving forward!

New Year's Eve at the World

                  This year marks the 14^th year that I have spend New Year’s Eve at Walt Disney World!  I can’t believe that I have been going to WDW for New Year’s for that many years.  I know that many people avoid the parks on this holiday because of the intense crowds and the possibility that the parks will reach a capacity closing, but for me, I could not imagine spending New Year’s Eve anywhere else in the world. 

                  This year, since we live in Orlando, we didn’t feel like we had to arrive at Magic Kingdom at 7:00am and just stay until midnight.  We took a lower key approach this year, and I would not have changed a thing about our evening.  First, we planned to go to the luau at the Polynesian Resort for the 5:15 show on New Year’s Eve.  This was also a strategic decision so that we could park at the Polynesian and avoid the crowds at the TTC.  Parking restrictions are always enforced during busy times, so we wanted to make sure that we did not have any issues parking.  After arriving at the Polynesian, we made our way to luau cove where we enjoyed an excellent luau performance.  The menu has changed recently, and the new additions and changes are definitely for the better.  The dessert has changed, and they have also added pulled pork to the entrée portion of the evening.  I miss the Hawaiian rice that used to be served, but the pork was delicious.  The dessert was head and shoulders better than what they used to serve in the past. 

                  After the luau, we took a deep breath and prepared to enter the fray that is the Magic Kingdom.  We were prepared for chaos and disorganized crowds, but I have to say that this is not what we found.  The castmembers at Magic Kingdom did an excellent job of moving people from one side of the park to another.  Backstage bypass routes were open, and we did not experience the usual misery that is typically involved with Magic Kingdom on New Year’s Eve.  Our plan was to ride the train to Fantasyland as soon as we entered the park so that we could make our Fastpass + reservations for Peter Pan.  We had no trouble making it to Fantasyland, and we continued on our journey after Peter Pan.  We even viewed Holiday Wishes from Fantasyland.  After Peter Pan, we snuck into Philharmagic, which was almost empty.  After a welcome rest, we ventured over to Big Thunder Mountain, which again, was not painful.  Normally, the crowds are unmanageable as you walk though Frontierland, but this year, we did not have any trouble finding our way.  After riding Big Thunder, we hung out in Frontierland for a while, and then we boarded the train again to make our Fastpasses for Buzz Lightyear and then a quick spin on the Peoplemover.  Finally, we scouted out a spot for the midnight fireworks on Main Street.

                  Overall, we had a magical evening that could not happen anywhere other than WDW.  In order to enjoy our evening, a few key things were important.  First, we knew that Magic Kingdom would be crowded, so we went into the park with the expectation that we would hang out and avoid really popular attractions.  Also, having Fastpass + reservations was a huge help.  We were able to ride attractions that had 2-3 hour waits.  We just scanned our bracelets, and we were on the attraction with no waiting.  The system worked just like it should.  We also had ADRs for dinner, which really took the hassle out of attempting to make it into a quick service location.  Finally, I think that the mid-week holiday really caused the crowds to be less crushing this year than if the holiday would have fallen on a weekend.

                  So, have a wonderful New Year, and try to make it out to WDW for at least one New Year’s Eve.  We are so blessed to be celebrating 2014 as Floridians living out our Disney dreams!  Until next time, have a magical day, and keep moving forward!

Limited Time Magic: On the Hunt for Disney Characters

           A few weeks ago, on a trip to the Magic Kingdom, my husband and I did something we have never done; we did not run to get in line for a ride when we arrived at rope drop.  Instead, we queued up to meet characters.  It was hard to fight the urge to run to Tomorrowland and secure our spot on Space Mountain, but we succeeded, and we had a great time! Now, we did not just randomly decide to meet and greet characters, we had a tangible goal, to collect Limited Time Magic Christmas cards from all of the characters in the Magic Kingdom.  As part of this particular Limited Time Magic promotion, there were 29 Christmas cards in total to collect.  The story goes that Duffy had organized these cards as part of a Secret Santa type of prize swap for all of his guests at WDW.  Of course, I cannot pass up free Disney paper ephemera, so we had our quarry, and we gave ourselves the entire day to achieve our goal.

            Since we are not professionals at character Meet and Greets, we really had to come up of with a plan of attack for getting all of the cards.  Before we even started, we knew that two of the cards were impossible to get because the Fairy Godmother had already run out of cards, and Mary Poppins was not doing her usual meetings that morning.  So, we knew that we could only get 27 cards out of the possible 29.  With this in mind, we referred to both the Times Guide as well as the My Disney Experience App in order to make our plan.  In order to get all of the cards from the characters, we had to start at the flagpole in the front of Magic Kingdom.  Since many of those characters are only available until 1:00 or 2:00, we knew that we had to go through those lines first. I had no idea that the lines to meet the characters would be so long!  After waiting an eternity for Minnie Mouse and Duffy, we decided that we had to split up in order to get all of the characters before they retired from their locations. 

            So, I headed to Tomorrowland, while my husband (who is wonderful to do this with me!), waited in line for Marie near the flagpole.  Some castmembers would just hand you the Christmas card and not make you wait in line for a photo, but some characters were running out of cards, so you had to wait in the line in order to get the card.  My husband had to wait in the extremely long line for Marie, while I was able to get Alice, the White Rabbit, Stitch, and Buzz Lightyear.  Luckily, I only had to wait for Buzz, which was an awesome meet and greet opportunity anyway!  Eventually, we made it around the Magic Kingdom on a whirlwind tour in order to meet all 27 of the characters that had cards.  We also met the Fairy Godmother even though she had already run out of cards; I mean she is the Fairy Godmother! 

            One of our favorite experiences of the day was Enchanted Tales with Belle.  I was picked to be Mrs. Potts during the story, and we just had a great time with all of the secret surprises that took place during that character encounter.  I highly recommend making time to have this experience, even if you don’t have children.  In addition to this attraction, we really enjoyed meeting Mickey Mouse.  He talked to us and interacted with us, and it is always just so cool to meet the Big Cheese! Finally, when we were walking through Fantasyland, the two stepsisters were strolling around just throwing the Christmas cards at people.  It was so funny, and they were just so entertaining.  I always love to see them out and about!

            Overall, we had a great day meeting characters and stepping out of our comfort zone when it comes to park touring.  We were able to get Christmas cards from Minnie, Pluto, Duffy, Chip & Dale, Woody & Jessie, Alice & the White Rabbit, the Step Sisters & Lady Tremaine, Wendy & Peter Pan, Buzz Lightyear, Stitch, Belle, Cinderella, Aurora, Snow White, Rapunzel, Merida, Marie, Goofy, Donald, Daisy, Mickey, Ariel, Aladdin & Jasmine, Winnie the Pooh & Tigger, Tinkerbell & Periwinkle, Princess Tiana & Naveen, and Gaston.  It was a very long day, but we took it as a challenge!  So, if you have the opportunity, take the time to meet the characters and interact with them.  They are a huge part of the magic in the Magic Kingdom! 

Living the Frugal Disney Dream

Sometimes Disney makes it far too easy for me to part with my hard earned cash!  There is so much merchandise and so many wonderful places to dine that it is very difficult to keep the money from parting ways with my wallet.  Since we now live so close to Disney World, we really have to control our spending with regard to eating out at restaurants and purchasing merchandise.  Some of the tips that we have learned since we moved here can also help you to save some much needed cash even if you are vacationing at Walt Disney World.

First, we really try to bring lunch and/or breakfast with us when we are in the parks for a long day.  We pack sandwiches and snacks.  Now, I know this is easier for us because we have a refrigerator in our home, but you could stash some snacks and some easy to tote finger food in your hotel refrigerator.  Many people bring snack food and even breakfast items with them on their trips.  You can save so much money if you are willing to trade one expensive meal for a sandwich or some well placed snacking throughout the day. If you are on vacation, you could splurge on a table service for dinner.  However, since we live here, we try to limit our table service meals due to the expense of Disney dining.  We definitely treat ourselves to a nice meal from time to time, but we realize now that there is no need to cram in seven table services in a week. 

Next, we always bring our own water to the parks.  If you purchase water, you will be paying at least $3.00 a bottle.  That is pretty expensive especially since you really need to stay hydrated during all of those hot days in central Florida.  In addition to bringing our own water, we have also gotten creative with what else we bring into the parks.  Since we don’t want to spend money on expensive coffee, I brew coffee before we leave home.  We either bring hot coffee, or we add ice depending on the temperature outside.  Again, we are trying to limit our temptations while we are visiting the parks!

Some of our more interesting cost cutting measures have been made possible by buying an insulated thermos that either keeps food hot or cold.  We really enjoy seeing Fantasmic, and in order to avoid the temptations of all of the tasty desserts that are offered, we have used our thermos to bring ice cream! Yes, we have brought and successfully kept ice cream cold while waiting for Fantasmic!  We have even made Mickey Mouse waffles at home and brought them to eat at Fantasmic, complete with a container of syrup for dipping. 

Not only can you save money on food, but you can also save money by being prepared for the extremes in Florida’s weather.  If you check the weather before you go to the parks, you will avoid buying a poncho or a sweatshirt. We always pack a small poncho or a light jacket depending on the weather forecast.  It might be 80 degrees during the day, but at night, it could go down to 40 degrees.  It definitely pays to plan ahead and be prepared.

It is so tempting to purchase every popcorn bucket, snack, souvenir, and other merchandise that Disney offers.  However, if we did that, we would quickly run out of money to spend.  Moving so close to Disney has definitely been a blessing, but it has also taught us how to avoid giving in to the temptation of buying just one Starbuck’s coffee or just one box of popcorn.  All of those delicious snacks add up over time, and they can definitely make more than a dent in my wallet. So, even if you don’t frequent the parks as much as we do, you can adapt some of these tips to help you save money while you are still enjoying your vacation.  Until next time, have a magical day, and keep moving forward!

It's hard to be frugal when you love Disney merch as much as I do!

Happy New Year from Orlando!

    Well, 2013 is almost over, and it has been a great, yet challenging year for us.  We finally moved to Orlando, and we are living our Disney dreams!  It has been such a difficult path to reach where we are now, but I wouldn't trade our new home or our location for anything.  It really is true that good things happen if you work hard enough to make them happen.  Nothing will ever be handed to you; working hard to achieve a goal is such a life defining experience.  So, 2013 New Year's resolution is a success!  It's been a long time since I could make such a comment and really feel like I am being completely truthful.  Now, we just have to see what 2014 will bring.  For me, I plan on applying at Disney soon.  I can't wait to get a job at my favorite place!  I know it will be difficult at times, and I have heard just about every comment about my desire to work at WDW, but all jobs have their moments.  I know it sounds cliche, but Horizons was right, "if you can dream it, you really can do it!"  Walt was right too; "all of our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them."  We had the courage, and we love this next chapter in our life.  What will you go out and achieve in this new year?  Whatever it is, work hard, and keep moving forward!

These photos are my view of the New Year's fireworks at Magic Kingdom from my neighborhood!

FastPass + and Magic Bands

            On a recent stay at the Pop Century when we first moved to Orlando, we were lucky enough to be selected to participate in a test of the MagicBands that have now become ubiquitous at Walt Disney World.  As a part of this test, were able to make Fastpass+ reservations throughout the World.  After experiencing this test, I can firmly say that I support the Fastpass+ system with some concerns. 

First, let me explain how this works.  When you receive your MagicBand, you are instructed to visit the My Disney Experience App, where you can make dining reservations as well as set up your Fastpass+ reservations.  You can only select one park per day for these reservations, which I hope will be amended.  I like to park hop, and it would be nice to be able to have ride times spread out over the entire resort, instead of being limited to one park.  Once you select your park, you are then prompted to choose three attractions that you would like to experience on that day.  After making your selections, the app gives you several options for planning your day.  There are usually four different times and groupings of your three selections.  You can choose whichever works the best for you, and then you can even alter the times or the attractions that you selected if you decide to change your mind later. 

All of this pre-planning can lead to a much less stressful day because now you don’t have to run through the park to grab fastpasses.  If you want to obtain paper fastpasses, you still can, but you can only do this if you have a physical park ticket in the form of a paper ticket, a key to the world card, or an annual pass.  Some resorts are going to begin testing soon that only provides you with a MagicBand, not a key to the world card in addition to the band.  We have continued to use our MagicBands as well as the Fastpass+ system since we have annual passes, and these passes are linked to the bands. 

Since we have been using the Fastpass+ system for about two months now, we have had many enjoyable experiences as well as a few concerns.  First, it is amazing that we can make reservations, leave work and then go to Hollywood Studios and ride Toy Story Midway Mania.  Without Fastpass+, we could have never even gotten on that ride without standing in a three-hour line.  We have also utilized the new system for Wishes and Fantasmic, and both of these experiences have been awesome.  The seating for Fantasmic goes much smoother when we enter the Fastpass + line instead of the standby line.  Also, for Wishes, we were ushered into the Rose Garden near the castle, where we had a prime view of the show.  All of these experiences were definitely magical. 

What hasn’t been too magical is the My Disney Experience App.  There have been several times when neither my husband nor I have been able to get the app to load.  We were unable to look up our Fastpass+ times or amend our choices because the app simply would not work.  The app is also very, very slow, so it is quite difficult to use it.  I have recently started to take a picture of my Fastpass+ selections so that I do not have to open the app.  I am sure that Disney is aware of the app’s issues, and I hope that they are working on a solution, especially with the busy season just around the corner.

            Overall, I really like the new system, and we have not struggled with the transition from fastpasses to Fastpass+.  It will be interesting to see what other experiences are added to this new system as it reaches its full launch.  Until next time, have a magical day, and keep moving forward!

Nighttime Fun at Walt Disney World

Whenever night falls in Walt Disney World, no one ever has to be afraid of the dark because of all of the light-up merchandise that can be purchased throughout the World.  This type of merchandise has been available for years, but lately, Disney has taken lighting up the night to a whole new level.

Glow with the Show Ears recently debuted at Walt Disney World in October, and these Mickey Mouse ears lend a whole new layer of entertainment to both Fantasmic at Hollywood Studios and Wishes at the Magic Kingdom.  These ears are not just festive nighttime accessories; they are actually stunning pieces of technology. Chuck Davis, Disney Entertainment Technology Director, explained how the technology in these hats works in a video that was released in June of 2012 when these ears made their first appearance at World of Color at Disney California Adventure.  Each hat has a unique serial number and works like the infrared that can be found in a television remote.  Because the hats have different serial numbers, Disney can control each hat differently; even each ear can light up differently on each hat.  Because of this technology, Disney can create “geographic spatial effects” that are amazing when an entire amphitheater full of people have the hats. 

Of course, I couldn’t wait to try out my ears at Fantasmic.  The show is enhanced with the Glow with the Show ears because the whole theater is full of color when certain sections of Fantasmic occur.  For example, when Monstro the Whale splashes water, all of the ears turn blue, and the theater emulates the look of water.  Overall, the Glow with the Show ears are a fun addition to Fantasmic, and I can’t wait to see how they will work with the Osborne Spectacle of Dancing Lights in November. 

       Glowing with the Show is not the only option for nighttime fun.  You can also purchase festive light-up necklaces for Halloween and Christmas.  Many restaurants also sell specialty drinks that come with a pirate or Ariel glowing character that can be clipped onto your clothes.  There are characters that spin and light up as well as light sabers and wands. Disney has even begun selling glow-in-the-dark t-shirts and sweatshirts with iconic characters and pictures of Cinderella Castle.  I am a huge fan of glow-in-the-dark merchandise, so I may have to purchase one of these shirts!  Finally, if you want to create your own magic, just stop by your local Dollar Store and pick up some of the bracelets or necklaces that light up when you pop them.  Many stores sell a large number of these accessories for a small amount of money. However you decide to enjoy nighttime fun at Walt Disney World, take the time to experience a nighttime spectacular like Wishes or Fantasmic or Illuminations.  You won’t regret it! Until next time, have a magical day, and keep moving forward!