WDW Trekker

So, you’re all ready to hit the parks. That means you’ll need to purchase theme park tickets. As simple as this may sound, there are many options to ponder when purchasing your tickets. Disney has made their tickets modular rather than the old traditional set options.  So, here’s how they work.

1. Purchase a multi-day ticket. The more days you purchase the cheaper the daily admission fee becomes.
2. Choose your options. Once you have your basic ticket, you may choose to have several options added such as “No-Expiration”, “Park Hopper”, and “Water Park Fun & More”.

You’re probably asking yourself what are all these additional options? Here they are explained.

Multi-Day Ticket

Theme park tickets are available from single to mul ti-day. Whichever park validates the ticket for the day is where you will be allowed to enter and exit from for that day. You will not be able to access any other park for that day.

The benefit of purchasing a multi-day ticket is that the more days you purchase upfront, the cheaper the admission is per day. Therefore, if you’re going for a total of 5 days, purchase that many days on your ticket. You may always add extra days to your ticket within 14 days of activation of the ticket.

Park Hopper
The Park Hopper option allows you to visit more than one theme park in one day. A standard ticket only allows admission to a specific park. This option allows you to divide your day between parks. So, let’s say you go to the Magic Kingdom in the morning and then decide that you want to visit Disney’s Hollywood Studios in the afternoon and then Epcot that evening. With this option you can do that.

Water Park Fun and More
This one is pretty self explanatory. This option allows you to visit the two water parks throughout your stay and visit both in one day if you wish, visit Disney Quest (Disney’s indoor interactive themepark located at Downtown Disney on the Westside). If experiencing the water parks is not critical, leave this one off. Admission tickets can always be purchased.

No-Expiration
This option, although it comes with a $50 price tag, allows you to take advantage of buying the most days possible and then being able to utilize those extra days whenever. It could be later in in the year or in a few year. I personally purchase the most days I can and then add this option as it is cheaper to purchase multiple days at once than buying separate tickets each trip. (I usually make two trips a year to Disney World.) Without this option added, you could possibly buy a 7 day pass, use 4 and then loose the rest at the end of your stay.

The advantage to this modular system is that at any time you may add days or options. Why should there be limits to making your visit magical.

For those who want to  learn something while visiting the Walt Disney World Resort, consider taking a tour in one or more of the theme parks. Tours run daily and leave from the Guest Relations areas of each of the parks. The length of the tours vary from 1 hour to 7 hours long depending on the itinerary. Just note that whatever tour you take WILL require park entrance, so don’t forget your admission ticket the day of the tour.

Some tours are open to all ages while others have a minimum age. Some tours require that children be at least 16 years old and others allow those at age 5. It all depends on what you will be experiencing on the tour.

I have personally experienced every tour that is currently offered at Walt Disney World and have learned a great deal about the property and development of the Resort. There have been some tours that I enjoy retaking because each guide gives a new viewpoint. Some tours, such as Yuletide Fantasy, are only offered at certain times of the year like the holidays when the parks are all decorated.

Tours typically start out by the Guest Relations desk at each of the theme parks. It is recommended that you arrive at least 10 to 15 minutes before the departure time to check in and get settled. Some tours such as the new Wild Africa Trek, start out at al ternate locations in the park. So, be sure to ask the cast member where the tour will be originating if they don’t tell you.

Tours definitely break up the monotony of visiting the parks and going on rides. They take up a good part of the day and will definitely expose you to things that most likely have been invisible to you in the past.

One of the great ways to eat at while at Disney World is to take advantage of their various dining plan options. There is an option for just about every type of appetite and wallet that could exist. Plans are available for children (over age 3) and adults at respective prices

Here are the plans available.

Disney Dining Plan (Traditional)

This plan includes the following:

• 1 Table Service (You sit down and are served.)
• 1 Counter/Quick Service (Fast food style restaurants)
• 1 Snack (Popcorn, pretzel, ice cream, etc.)

Deluxe Dining Plan

• 3 Meals a day, either quick service or table
• 2 Snacks
• 1 Refillable Resort Mug

Quick Service Dining Plan

• 2 Quick Service meals per day
• 2 Snacks
• 1 Refillable Resort Mug

The way that the dining plans work is that for the number of nights you stay at one of the Disney Resorts, you are allotted a number of meals and snacks. How you use up this allotment is up to you; it’s flexible. However, if you do not use everything by the time you leave Disney, you loose it.

How you you pick which one works best for you? Consider the way you typically eat at home and when you go on vacation. The traditional plan assumes that you will have a counter service meal each day in one of the parks, followed by a snack somewhere in the day, and a traditional sit down meal at one of the many restaurants on property. The Deluxe Plan is for those who are more akin to sitting down for each meal and the Quick Service plan figures that you’ll have counter service for at least two meals a day with 2 snacks along the line. No matter which one you choose, you will be well fed considering it’s Disney.

Some restaurants require 2 sit down allowances rather than the one. In other words, you may need to surrender 2 days allowance for sit down table service in order to dine at certain upscale restaurants. So, when making your reservations, be aware of how many credits are required. Two of my favorite restaurants, “The Yachtsman Steakhouse at Disney’s Yacht Club Resort and Le Celier at the Canada pavilion in Epcot require two table service credits.

After countless trips to Disney World at various times of the year, learning how to dress for the parks is crucial. In the course of a day, the temperatures (and humidity) will fluctuate. Generally it will be cooler in the morning, get warmer, and then possibly get cooler again towards evening.

In the late spring, summer, and early fall months, dressing for one type of weather is fairly straight forward. However, the thinking for the winter and early spring can be tricky as you may start with shorts in the morning and end up in pants by the evening with a sweatshirt. Packing for this time of the year is also nerve racking as one cannot really guess what to bring to Florida. Even following the weather forecast may not help you very much as Florida weather can be so unpredictable. So, my best suggestion is to bring a little of both just to be prepared. You can always rent a locker to store your extras.

During the warmer months, try to refrain from dark and heavy fabrics as they will attract the heat and make you miserable. Whites and cool colors will keep you most comfortable during the day. Also, be mindful of the possibility of your legs chafing due to perspiration and humidity. I will discuss surviving the heat in a future article.

The Winter months are the most challenging. The weather in central Florida is not predictable. The weather can change drastically from the morning to the evening and from day to day. The best advice is to pack 50/50, that is take clothes for warmer weather and cool weather. I know I have been victim to the weather and ended up wearing the same clothes day after day when I was only prepared for warm weather. We’ve also had to spend our share of money buying sweatshirts. When going into the park, dress in layers. In the morning you’ll need the sweatshirt and jeans and then later have the option to go to shorts and a t-shirt.  Hence, the lockers at the park can be a great option as you only pay once a day for locker rental. Rentals at the other parks are gratis after the first as long as you keep your receipt.

Another major key factor is your footwear. There is a lot of walking on a daily basis in Disney, so you want to have comfortable shoes. Personally, I like a good walking shoe with socks although there are also sandals and flip-flops with decent support on the market.

Of course, we would NOT want to forget the hat. There are thousands of different hats being worn throughout Disney Parks around the world. So, sport one of your own. Just make sure that it covers the parts of your head that get burned. If you forget to pack one, finding one is surely not a problem in Disney.

What is the right age to bring young kids to Disney World for the first time? This is a question which can be discussed over and over, but if we consider developmental psychology, there is a proper time. Just because you have kids, doesn’t mean they should go immediately within the first year of their life.

Kids begin to develop a sense of time and memory just after the age of 3. Therefore, anything the child experiences before that age, may or may not be remembered. Therefore, if you’re hoping to begin to create memories for them, think about bringing them after age 4 when there is a sense of memory.

There are many moments at Disney that will want to be remembered by your kids for the rest of their lives. So, make it worth their while and expose them to their favorite characters and movies when they can associate them. Some things may need to be delayed just because of where they are in their lives.

The best time of the day for kids to experience the parks is during the day when they are at their best. I would not push them to stay up until the park closes. There’s nothing like a cranky child at the end of the day and if their is crankiness neither you nor them is having a good time. So, even though you may have done that marathon in the past, for the next few years I would tailor your plans to your kids’ schedule. After all, they will eventually see everything at some point anyway. It doesn’t all have to be in one trip at the very beginning.

I remember personally going to the Magic Kingdom when I was 5. It was a great time. But, once we left the park to go back to the Contemporary Resort for dinner, that was it until the next day. If we did anything after dinner it was play a game or something in the arcade and then went to bed. Later on as I got older I got to stay up to see the night time parades and fireworks. Would I do the same thing again? Absolutely!

Over the years that I have been going to Disney World, people have asked, “Don’t you get tired of going?” I say never as something is always changing and your perspective changes as you visit at different points in your life. I will be writing individual articles on how each period in your life creates a unique Disney experience, so stay tuned. In the meantime, I will summarize why it is good to experience Disney World at various ages.

Some who have never visited say that they will wait till they have kids as they, like many, have the misconception that Disney World is just for kids. That is just not the case. I feel that it is important in one’s life to see Disney at each stage of one’s life as it allows you to experience the parks and the whole vacation kingdom in different lights.

If you’ve never been and you are an adult, I say go before you have children. Experience for yourself what you’ve missed either by yourself with with a significant other. Like being a teenager, you can partake in activities that you will not be able to indulge in once you’ve entered into parenthood. Not to  menti0n that kids will take away from seeing things in a young adult way.

Now….the moment you’ve been waiting for, Disney World with kids. This time will be most unique as you will experience things through the eyes of your kids as they grow. The way they will see Disney and the Characters at age 5 or six will be different at age 10 just as it will be completely different for them as teenagers. Of course, as parents, you will also be transcending ways of experiencing the parks yourself. You’ll be somewhere between the experience of with kids and the days of without kids.

Finally, there are the days of being Disney vacationers as empty nesters and seniors. Although you’ll still feel like a kid yourself, your abilities to be able to see and do everything may and will change. So this point in your life could be looked at as a celebration, more alone time, and then coming with your grown kids and their young children.

So, is Disney just for kids? The question is “At what stage of “kid” are you?” and how you approach it.

A day at one of Disney’s Theme parks can be lots of fun. But in the course of that day, you will most likely need various things. Depending on who is traveling with you and their needs, the contents of that day bag which for most usually consists of a tote bag, waist pack, and/or backpack should contain some or all of the following items:

• Water park tickets
• Drivers license/ID for each adult
• Cash/credit card
• Waterproof camera
• Cell phones
• Walkie talkies
• Neck lanyard for room key/tickets
• Sunglasses w/straps
• Water bottle w/strap
• Collapsible cooler
• Snacks
• Bathing suits
• Beach towels
• Earplugs
• Plastic pool cups w/top & straw
• Beach bag
• Books/magazines
• Mister fan & extra batteries
• Pain medicine
• Sunscreen
• Lip balm w/sunscreen
• Insect repellant
• Kleenex
• Antibacterial hand gel
• Wet wipes
• Hats/visors/sweatbands/bandannas
• Swim diapers
• Waterproof watch
• Waterproof case
• Water shoes/flip flops
• Large zip-top bags for wet clothes
• Dry change of clothes for kids
• Kids ID tags

I highly recommend that you rent a large locker at the entrance of the water parks to store your items as it will be inconvenient for you to go on rides with your day bag. You have access to your locker the entire time while at the park. Also, if you keep the receipt for your locker rental, you may go to another park (water or theme) that day and get a locker there free of charge.

Everyone loves visiting the Disney Theme Parks. A day at the theme parks will most likely conjure up a generic list of items that you will most likely carry into the park. Now that list could be small or large depending on whether you are traveling alone, with a significant other and/or with children.

There are two basic bags that are popular in the parks, the waist (fanny) pack and the backpack. There are the occasional hand tote bags, but they get cumbersome to carry after a few hours. Again, depending on the items you wish to have on your person will determine how big of a bag you will need. Now, just be mindful that the more stuff you take the heavier your gEAR bag will become.

So, what should go into your bag? Depending on whether you are hitting the theme parks or the water parks, there are different items [obviously]. For the various items that are recommended by others, check out the Water Park Day Bag and Theme Park Day bag posts for more details.

For the Minimalist

For those who prefer to take the least amount with them, the better choice is the waist pack. The contents of the waist pack should minimally include:

• Your ID
• Room key
• Cell phone or walkie-talkie

The Adventurer

For those who just have to be ready for anything, the backpack is the best choice and one with pockets work better for the small things needed on and off. But, here is a list of what I would consider important to have with you.

• Your ID and Room key
• Cell phone and/or walkie-talkies
• Camera (still, video, or both)
• Extra film/memory for cameras
• Rain gear (umbrella, poncho or both)
• Sunscreen
• Tissues
• Basic First Aid kit
• Zip top bags (large and sandwich size)
• Water bottle(s)
• Snacks/Sandwiches

Depending on the age of children trailing along with you, you may want to add other items  such as changes of clothes.

With these items in tow, your stay in the parks should be uneventful and in some cases, may even save you a few dollars as well.

Whether you are staying at a regular Disney resort or at one of the Disney Vacation Club resorts, the housekeeping staff can provide various items to make your stay more enjoyable. There are several housekeeping secrets that can benefit the newest and most veteran guests.

Over the last several years, I have learned about some housekeeping secrets. Most of the time, many items available are not published. But, if you ask at the front desk or call housekeeping services, it is possible that they will accommodate your request, large or small.

Some of the things that I have requested from housekeeping in the past include:

• Extra blankets
• Extra pillows
• Tea kettles (electric and stove top)
• Mini Refrigerators

Disney has always prided itself in putting guests first and the housekeeping secrets above are only a select few. Most of the time, the cast member will go out of their way to get you whatever you’d like to a degree. If it’s not available, they will certainly let you know.

A day at one of Disney’s Theme parks can be lots of fun. But in the course of that day, you will most likely need various things. Depending on who is traveling with you and their needs, the contents of that day bag which for most usually consists of a tote bag, waist pack, and/or backpack should contain some or all of the following items:

• Theme park tickets (make copies)
• Drivers license/ID for each adult
• Cash/credit card
• Membership cards (such as AAA, DVC)
• Meal confirmation #s
• Guidebooks
• Park maps
• Camera, film & batteries
• Camcorder, tapes & extra battery
• Disposable camera for kids
• Cell phones
• Walkie talkies
• Neck lanyard for room key/tickets
• Sunglasses w/straps
• Water bottle w/strap
• Collapsible cooler
• Snacks
• Autograph book
• Fat pen for character autographs
• Rain poncho or umbrella
• Mister fan & extra batteries
• Moleskin
• Pain medicine
• Sunscreen
• Lip balm w/sunscreen
• Insect repellent
• Kleenex
• Antibacterial hand gel
• Wet wipes
• Hats/visors/sweatbands/bandannas
• Plastic trash bags or rain ponchos for wet rides
• Large zip-top bags for wet clothes
• Dry change of clothes for kids
• Glow sticks & necklaces
• Pennies for pressing
• Pins for trading
• Playing cards or handheld games to keep kids occupied in line
• Kids ID tags

If you don’t feel like carrying this bag around with you all day, consider renting a locker at the front gate. Once you pay the fee at one park, just present the receipt at another park and the locker will be free of charge. Of course, if you’re traveling with children and have a stroller, that’s a great place to stow this necessary bag of tricks.