Above photo taken from disney.com Now that I'm starting to hear birds chirping in the morning (though I know it's just a false spring, and too early for that yet!) two things are on my mind! Gardening and YARD SALES! There is nothing quite so much fun and treasure hunting on a Saturday morning, which is why I try to stop in at least once every other week to my favorite Goodwill store. Why? And what does that have to do with the best prices on authentic Disney merchandise? I'm going to answer that question, with another question! How many times have you gone on vacation and bought a shirt, or a mug, or some other thing that you or your kid wanted, and when you returned home, you didn't really want it anymore? Fast forward a year or so, and it's been sitting unloved, so you donate it, or set it out for a yard sale. Haven't you ever seen that? I know I have! All sorts of beach mementos, and, as crazy as some of those people are, Disney ones too! Even though by car we are about 13 hours away from Disney World, In the last year I have found brand new with the tags on Disney Parks shirts in my size and my kids, brand new Disney Parks light up toys with the tags still on (okay, though one of them did start smoking in my hand and soon thereafter go thrown out!) and at least once a month I see Disney refillable mugs, coffee mugs and toys galore! I'm not a Tower of Terror kind of girl, but two weeks back at Goodwill I saw a brand new ToT mug, very classy looking that I'm sure made someone very happy! Every month it seems I run across some Disney Parks, or Disney store toys, clothes, or other neat collectibles. While I will always, always buy my things in the park that catch my eye, sometimes I forget to buy something, (the 3 back of mini Disney Buses we each thought the other bought, which thankfully, we found at a yard sale a few months later and are still played with) or maybe I hesitate on buying something because I am not sure I want to spend that much. For example, those awesome looking Disney fans/misters just about everyone seems to have. Ahhh!! Just what you need on a hot day, right? On our first visit, though I thought it might be nice to have one, I wasn't wanting to carry it. Our second visit, I thought again, it might be nice to have, but at $17 each, and having two kids so I'd have to buy two, that was an awful lot to both spend, and carry because I wasn't convinced they were really wanted, and we all know mom turns into the pack mule). Our last trip, it was cloudy and with the exception of the last day, (in June!) it never got above 90, so we were all okay and didn't even think of needing them! But guess what we will have next time, at a fraction of the price? I just love to shop around and see what others don't want anymore to add something new to my Disney collection! Keeping your eyes open can find you some awesome deals! Here are my favorite finds from this past month! An almost new Disney Store Lightning McQueen suitcase ($5) 2 Yellow Rapid Refill Mugs (we had every color from 2014/2015 but yellow, they were out last visit) ($1 each) 2 Disney Parks fans/misters ($2 each) and the popcorn bucket, was actually a gift, but it was a $1 yard sale find! If you look in the photo of the Rapid Refill mugs, between two green mugs, you'll see a regular mug in there too. It was a 25th anniversary mug, (I think! Downstairs is sooo far away and I'm too lazy to look!) that I got last summer, still brand new in it's Disney Parks Box for a quarter. I'm hoping those people have a few more Disney things I can get this summer! If you don't regularly look at yard sales or thrift stores you might be surprised as to what you can find! If you do already look, I'll bet you've run across some treasures, too! What did you find recently?
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There has been a lot of talk in the last few weeks over the new Disney Resort policy. Disney staff have removed the "Do Not Disturb" door hangers and instead, are replacing them with signs that say "occupied" and even if a guest has refused room cleaning, Disney will be doing a quick room check once a day. As you can imagine, this has raised a lot of questions, and many potential guests are concerned. Everyone is wondering, am I going to be walked in on when I'm changing clothes? When my child is sleeping? Why do they even have to come in? What if I'm in the bathroom?! I don't want them stealing my medicine/stuff/seeing what I have! Before you start to panic, we want to point out that there are some positives to this new change, and I'd like to point those out, as well as ease concerns over Disney staff barging in. So why is Disney doing this? Guest safety (and enjoyment) is the number one priority of Disney. Tragic events in Las Vegas in 2017 in part led to this decision I am sure, but as Disney is always changing they way they do things to provide a magical of an experience for their guests, I don't really see this as a bad change. Have you ever been in a hotel room and someone's alarm clock has been going off for an hour, or three, and the hotel staff won't do anything about it? The room might be unoccupied, but the person in the room also might be hurt, or sick and a quick welfare check could possibly save their life, as well as your headache from that awful BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP that's been driving you crazy for hours. Let's also bring up another point. Trash. Disney World is in Florida, and the bugs there are big and plenty, because of the humid conditions. They do the best they can to keep Jimminy Cricket in the parks where he belongs, and not in your room, but the people who are dashing from one park to the next, leaving bottles and food scattered in their room, or overflowing the trash cans are just encouraging the little critters. There's only so much magical "treatment" for pests they can do, and it won't work as well if the person next door isn't doing their part to keep their food trash disposed of. Here's an example. On our 2015 trip, a woman was upset, and complained to us there had been a dead bug in her resort room and she was never staying there again. My husband and I just kind of shrugged, "better dead, than alive!" I said, but she wasn't amused. Meantime, she was pushing a stroller so filled with empty bottles and food wrappers, I had to kind of wonder if she had let them in to change her trash, or had bothered to throw any of it away herself. Let's be honest here...if you aren't letting them in to empty those teeny little trash cans at least every other day, there's going to be an overflowing, and possibly smelly, bug invitation situation. Since Disney is also going to be allowing dogs on some of the resorts, wouldn't it be nice to have someone check on why the dog next door has been barking so you can enjoy your own room, without the noise? But what about your concerns? Privacy? Naptime? First off, there won't be any barging in. If you have requested no housekeeping, you can still have the sign on the outside of your door, stating that you are in the room Disney won't come into your room without knocking first. Let's let common sense prevail here... if you ARE in the room, have the added security latch on. No one can come in if the latch is on. If you do get a knock and the staff doesn't get a reply, because you are in the shower, or napping then I'm sure they will open the door, but if you have it latched, they can't come in, and will try again later. (Unless of course, you've let them in so they can ask if you need anything.) What about your personal belongings? Disney Staff don't have the time to riffle through your suitcase or drawers, really, they don't care what your underwear looks like. They've a ton of rooms to clean and check on, and only so much time to do it in. If you ARE worried about electronics, jewelry, money or medicine, then a simple solution would be to lock them in your suitcase, or the room safe. You might prefer to just leave everything out, but even if in the past you had requested no one come in your room, there's no guarantee that was honored. I personally have never checked into a hotel where the fine print didn't say that the staff had the right to enter my room at any time. I've had people walk in (at non Disney hotels) while I was sleeping. I've had things stolen, that I didn't think needed to be locked in my suitcase for security, like food items, and that's just how it goes. When you are on someone else's property, you are there under their rules. Sure, the staff shouldn't steal, and most of them don't, but it only takes one, or perhaps a person walking past your room, and slipping in to steal something while the housecleaning is tidying up. Use your common sense, put anything important to you out of sight! Disney isn't the only hotel changing their policy, but others have been doing it longer. An article I read recently had a quote from the chief executive of another hotel chain, who mentioned that if there was a do not disturb sign at one of their hotels for more than 12 hours, security would be investigating. It's a pretty interesting article, and you can click here to read it if you like. While it's easy for people to get worried about changes they might not like, I honestly feel that this change is for the better, it gives a little more transparity to somthing that Disney had the right to do all along, and for the average person, it's not going to effect them at all on their vacatiopn. I honestl.y think the biggest problem will be that everyone wants to take home those adorable little signs. I'm betting by the time we get there again, they will have changed them to boring old plain ones, because everyone keeps swiping them! They are awfully cute! Whew, with the holidays and everyone taking turns being sick, Spotlight Sundays have been missing for a while! Today's spotlight is on the soaps and shampoos. Kind of weird, maybe, but like everything else Disney likes to evolve, so too, do their complimentary hygiene items. From the cute, Mickey topped bottles in 2014, and 2015, to the spa like items in 2016 and 2017, to the now refillable, locked up tight items. I'm not sure how I feel about that! You spend so much on a hotel room, it's nice to take those adorable extra little Disney soaps home. I'm sure it will save Disney a lot in the long run, but I'm kind of hoping they'll reverse this change. I've not heard yet what they will be doing for hand soap so I'm curious as to if they keep the bars, or have another, lockable dispenser. How do you feel? There is so much at the Magic Kingdom for kids of all ages, but if you are especially wanting to focus on the older ones who like to go on rides that are a little faster, have the ability to sit on longer rides, or offer the chance to explore for a little while, we've got a plan for you! It doesn't even use fastpasses, which could cut your time more, or, use them on the rides that get busier later in the day. Magic Kingdom is HUGE and if you don't have an idea of where you want to go and what you want to ride, the lines are going to get long, and you'll get frustrated. That's why we are here! This plan starts at 9am (meaning, you've gotten through the parking lot, security, and are ready to ride at 9am) and goes to 12:30pm. You'll ride 11 rides all through out Magic Kingdom, explore Tom Sawyer's Island (can you find the treasure without getting lost in the cave?) and end just in time for a late lunch! Need a touring plan for your younger kids? Just click here! Need touring plans for the whole family? Click here 9 Attractions in 3 hours at Epcot Click here for 10 Attractions in 3 hours at Animal Kingdom Click here for 10 Attractions in 3 hours at Hollywood Studios Click here for 10 Attractions in 3 hours at Magic Kingdom Ready? Grab your sunscreen, and be sure to do all of the rides in this order, to make the touring plan work for you! 1. Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin -- Aim for the Z's! Help the Space ranger Corps defeat evil Emperor Zurg! This is an awesome black light ride. 2. Pirates of the Caribbean -- This classic ride has gotten an update but is just as exciting as ever 3. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad -- A good beginning coaster, with really fun old west theming. 4. Splash Mountain -- Did you know this ride is 18 minutes long? It also offers a great way to cool off at the end! 5. Seven Dwarves Mine Train -- another great beginner coaster and the newest at Magic Kingdom. It slows at points to let you see scenes from Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, including the inside of the mine glittering with gems. 6. Mickey's Philharmagic- is a fantastic theatre style 4D short film. You'll experience wind guesting you, water misting you, and...what was that smell?! It's an awesome show that will have you humming long after. 7. Haunted Mansion-- Older kids will appreciate the humor and the visual effects in this not really scary 10 minute ride in a Doombuggy 8. Tom Sawyer Island-- We've got 30 minute's planned for this stop. That's enough to explore the island, visit the old buildings, get lost in the cave and hopefully find the treasure. If you're lucky, you'll get to play an old fashioned game of checkers while waiting for the raft to ferry you back over to Frontierland. 9. Astro Orbiter-- This ride is more fun for the older kids because while it's basically spaceship, ala Dumbo ride, the fact it's much, ,much higher really adds to the thrill. 11. Peoplemover-- This one is fun, you'll get to ride high above Tomorrowland and even get to see a little bit of Space Mountain Finish all of that by just after 1:30pm! After lunch you've got your whole afternoon, AND you still have your fast passes open to go back on favorite rides, or get to others you didn't have a chance for! Adventureland might be beckoning with the pirate treasure hunt, or maybe the hotel for a nap and a swim! Don't forget to pick up your map at your Resort, or at the entrance to the park! There is so much at the Magic Kingdom for kids of all ages, but if you are especially wanting to focus on the younger ones, we've got a plan for you! It doesn't even use fastpasses, which could cut your time more, or, use them on the rides that get busier later in the day. Magic Kingdom is HUGE and if you don't have an idea of where you want to go and what you want to ride, the lines are going to get long, and you'll get frustrated. That's why we are here! This plan starts at 9am (meaning, you've gotten through the parking lot, security, and are ready to ride at 9am) and goes to 12:30pm. You'll ride 11 rides all through out Magic Kingdom, meet Mickey and end just in time for a late lunch! Need a touring plan for your older kids? Just click here! Need touring plans for the whole family? Click here 9 Attractions in 3 hours at Epcot Click here for 10 Attractions in 3 hours at Animal Kingdom Click here for 10 Attractions in 3 hours at Hollywood Studios Click here for 10 Attractions in 3 hours at Magic Kingdom Ready? Grab your sunscreen, and be sure to do all of the rides in this order, to make the touring plan work for you! 1. Meet Mickey Mouse at Town Square Theatre -- Mickey has a short break between magic shows to meet his guests! He sings, dances and talks with you, too! 2. Magic Carpets of Alladin -- Watching out for the spitting camels! 3. Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin -- Aim for the Z's! Help the Space ranger Corps defeat evil Emperor Zurg! This is an awesome black light ride. 4. Mad Tea Party -- such a fun ride, even though it's so short! Climb aboard your favorite teacup, and watch for the Dormouse! 5. Dumbo the flying Elephant-- This touring plan doesn't account for any time your child might want to play in the circus themed play area, but it's a fun air conditioned stop if you need one! 6. Under the Sea- Journey of the Little Mermaid-- This has such amazing animatronics! You'll ride in a giant clamshell throughout Ariel's story. 7. Prince Charming Regal Carousal -- A huge carousel with different sized horses that you never have to wait long to ride! 8. Peter Pan's Flight-- It's worth going through the interactive queue, there are some amazing surprises there, before Tinkerbell sprinkles you with Pixie Dust and you fly over Neverland 9. It's a Small World-- a charming little boat ride through brightly colored areas representing every country 10. The Many Advenures of Winnie The Pooh -- It's hard to get me off this ride. Ride along in a honey pot on a blustery day! The interactive queue is fun for all ages! 11. Peoplemover-- This one is fun, you'll get to ride high above Tomorrowland and even get to see a little bit of Space Mountain 12. Disney Railroad, Main Street Station -- Every single time we try and go on this it rains, or has lightning, so we have never gotten to ride, but this is a fun little 20 minute (if you do the full loop) ride all around the Magic Kingdom on a real narrow gauge steam engine! Finish all of that by just after 12pm! After lunch you've got your whole afternoon, AND you still have your fast passes open to go back on favorite rides, or get to others you didn't have a chance for! Adventureland might be beckoning with the pirate treasure hunt, or maybe the hotel for a nap and a swim! Don't forget to pick up your map at your Resort, or at the entrance to the park! |
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