It's time for another installment in the differences between Disney World, Dollywood, and Hershey Park. If you've been following along, and need a reminder of what's already been covered, or if you are just joining, here's the links to get caught up! 

Part 1 An overview of each park. 
Part 2  Entry methods, fast passes, staff and maps
Part 3 The Rides, games, and app (you are here!)
Part 4 (Coming soon) The Food
Part 5 (Coming soon) A Comparison between the three for an overall opinion

Though these are theme parks and share some similarities, each is different. 

The Rides

When you go to Disney, you are going to get more rides than you might be able to do in a day, especially if you go to Magic Kingdom, which is the park we are using for comparison in this series. You'll have a wide variety of rides. Some will be indoors, some outdoors. There's a great mix and so many that just about everyone can go on. In fact, when you are little, there isn't much you can't go on! If you are Pooh sized, there are some seat styles that fit better, but again, not too much is off limits. As I said, there's a fantastic mix of rides. 

Dollywood was similar. There were many for the small ones, thrill rides for the big ones, and a good family mix in between. I admit, it was a little strange at first, to see all of these rides among all the trees and natural setting, a stark contrast to Magic Kingdom's themed worlds and concrete, but it was a relaxing atmosphere, and in our party, there were rides everyone enjoyed. Additionally, while there were country style fair rides, there were also rides on par with Disney, rides where time, effort, and thought were put into them. Wait times at Disney World are usually longer.

At Hershey Park, the rides are done based on what size you are. Additionally, it is at the ride operator's discretion if you can ride. My 8 year old, who doesn't like thrill rides was heartbroken when on our first day there, the operator refused him a ride on the kiddie swings. It happened several times, though other children taller than him got to ride. The following day, guess what? He was allowed on those rides by a different operator! It was frustrating and upsetting, and other parents and children had the same complaint. Wait times were not too bad, except for the roller coasters. 

Rides at Hershey Park were primarily country fair style rides or roller coasters. There was no in between. The one and only Disney-esque ride was Cupfusion, it was a very short track, and the switchback warned it was two hours wait once it was filled. For the most part, other than the roller coasters there was no wait time, however, the lack of in between rides meant that I went on a grand total of three rides at Hershey Park, the merry go round, the small cars you drive, and the scrambler, because the rest of the time I was either waiting for someone at a ride everyone else was too big to ride, or else waiting with my youngest at a ride he was too small to ride. 

Games

Magic Kingdom doesn't really have games, but Dollywood had several midway games. If there was an arcade, we never found it, and usually we can sniff those out! The games were a bit pricey, but there was one that for $5, one turn per day, it's play til you win. MY youngest was able to get a nice plush, which made him happy. 

Hershey Park goes over the top with games! There were two arcades, one quite massive and filled with vintage arcade games. Most of them started at a quarter to play, and we spent quite a while in those arcades. The midway games got some attention too, and while you got a fair number of tries, the only games we had success at were those that were play to win. There were a few, and I was glad the prizes were fairly good. 

The App

The app is sorely needed at any of the parks. At Hershey Park, they have NO paper maps! Prepare to get lost and miss part of the park without a map to navigate by. It's hard to find your way around with a small screen and people running through the park. Hershey Park's app is quite strange, almost our entire trip there, it shows that all the rides were closed, which wasn't true, but made seeing wait times impossible. 

From an allergy standpoint, I did apprecate being able to see the menus and ingredients for everything before ordering.

Dollywood's app is just fine. It's nothing special, it's factual, and gets you around and shows wait times. 

Disney's app is standard, the wait times, where things are, very similar to Dollywood. I do with that I could see ingredients on Disney's app. Hershey Park's app was amazing, and is my favorite of the three. 

Over all, who won this round? For rides, I'm a Disney girl. Dollywood would be second place. Hershey, yes, little wait times, but it's hard to navigate and most of the rides aren't ones we liked. The games? Hershey Park was a winner there! We'd go back just to spend a day in their arcade. The app winner is a tie. Each had good aspects and bad. 

​Next time, we talk about...the food!

Stood in the kitchen recently with dinner time fast approaching and too exhausted to cook? Me too! Tempted to order take out? Yep, same! But that money you might spend on enough pizza for the family takes a big chunk away from what you could be depositing into your vacation savings account! What to do? 

Having a dinner back up plan is crucial. Especially when it's a back up plan that doesn't cost a lot, is quick and easy, and is something everyone likes. In this instance, I always have a few frozen pizzas in the freezer. At $5 each, two pizzas and some stray lettuce and carrots to toss into a salad makes for an inexpensive dinner. That $11-12 costs a LOT less than ordering from the local pizza place, it's a crowd pleaser, and practically effortless. I don't have to dip into the budget and risk taking away from our vacation account. 

Okay, you say, but how does that really add up? After all, it's only $30 to buy pizza... True. But lets say that $30 is a once a month habit, on top of your other dining out expenses. That extra $19 spent on take out pizza versus frozen is $228 after 12 months. That's a night at a value resort. That's a lot of refillable mugs! That's a lot of souvenirs! 

What if you do that twice a month? In a year, that's $456! 

Now, I'm not saying never enjoy take out, but chances are, you already do! This would just be extra and on top of what you already spend. And if that's the case, frozen pizza to the rescue might be a great plan! If you aren't a frozen pizza family, look for other great meals that are effortless, like pasta meals in a bag or frozen meatballs cooked in sauce and served on a bun for meatball subs. 

Quick, easy, and more money for the DIsney vacation of your dreams!

While the continuation of our multipart series on Who would win: Disney World, Dollywood, or Hershey Park is on the way, I wanted to stop and share what's been keeping me so busy. 

My book is finally finished, edited, beta read, reedited, formatted, and artwork completed. It's my hope that this book has something for everyone. 

The book is split into two parts. The first half is for those who need dietary considerations at Disney World. Anyone who might need to know ahead of time what to ask, how to order, what to watch out for. 

The second half are those tips and tricks for saving you wish were all in one place along with a lot of practical advice.

This book was designed to be easy to slip into your bag for vacation, or passed around before hand. It's NOT overwhelming! It's actually going to be the thing that lets you enjoy your vacation with a minimum of stress. 

I'd love to hear what you think if you buy my book. Reviews are always appreciated, so that small books like this, have a chance to show up in Amazon's algorithm, to help those who need it to find it. 

Want to buy a copy? Click here or the picture at the top! 

Thank you for your support over the years! There will be a special giveaway coming soon to promote my new book!

I was recently challenged to talk about and VISIT a theme park other than Disney. I'm a Disney girl at heart, but I'm also realistic. I know there are other places out there, and some that supposedly rival Disney World. Everyone talks about Universal, but who ever talks about the "Disney of the Smokies", Dollywood or Hershey Park? I chose those two because they are closer to me but also for another important reason...

Walt Disney, Dolly Parton, and Milton Hershey each came from humble beginnings, followed their dreams, and never, never took no for an answer. 

I accepted the challenge, so get read for a 5 part series on the differences between Disney World's Magic Kingdom, Dollywood, and Hershey Park. 

Part 1 (You are here!) is an overview of each park. 
Part 2  Entry methods, fast passes, staff and maps
Part 3 (Coming soon) The Rides
Part 4 (Coming soon) The Food
Part 5 (Coming soon) A Comparison between the three for an overall opinion

So far, I'm not sure what I think. I've had questions but been unable to get hold of ANYONE by phone or email at Dollywood, and I've been trying for months. Hershey? Uhoh...they are 5 star and about to rival Disney in every way, if not exceed. I'm a little nervous guys! Could they be better than Disney? And their app? Tells this allergy mama EVERY INGREDIENT! in EVERYTHING! Who does that?

Let's start first, with the familiar. 

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To be fair, Disney World is HUGE. I mean, there's over 200 places to eat there! So how would it be fair to compare such a large park to two smaller ones? It wouldn't, so I am choosing Magic Kingdom and Magic Kingdom only for comparison's sake. 

Magic Kingdom was opened in 1971, almost 5 years after Walt Disney died. It's true, he never got to see the final product of his amazing imagination, and Disneyland die hards will say their park is the only true on because Walt walked there, but he walked in Orlando, Florida too! Just not when the park was open. 

With themed areas of the park, lots of rides, food and attractions, this is the perfect park to compare with, those it is the largest of the three mentioned. 
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An interesting fact is Dollywood wasn't Dollywood until 1986, when Dolly expressed interesting in buying the theme park. Before that, it was named Silver Dollar City. Before that, it was Goldrush Junction, and before that Rebel Railroad! 

In addition to the standard theme park rides and food, Dollywood also features the music and grafts of the Smokie Mountains. Nestled in Pigeon Forge, TN, this theme park is, just like  Magic Kingdom, split into different themed areas of the park. There are both "quick service" style and "table service" places to eat, and an official resort. 
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One thing that's really amazing, is that Hershey Park was actually created not for the public, but for his employees to enjoy. This is also the oldest of the three parks, Hershey Park opened in 1906! 

Boasting it's own resorts, Hershey Park has one interesting thing the other parks don't offer! A fantastic, and FREE ride showing how chocolate bars are made, from the field to the wrapper. You'll also find them passing out free samples! Hershey also offers Twizzlers for those who cannot have regular candies.

If you are wondering if it's safe to take a nut or dairy allergic child to Hershey Park, the answer might surprise you. They take food allergies incredibly seriously and are a top allergy family destination!
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So how do we pick a winner? Over the next several posts, we'll be comparing the parks, everything from food and fastpass systems to customer service, rides, overall feel of value. Each of these parks is similar in the fact they each own resorts, are popular travel destinations, allow you to learn more about the park creator, have special foods and events, and even share similar rides. 

Get ready...I'm not sure who is going to come out on top...

What If There’s a Problem With Your Food?

Important note here! Mistakes happen and as much as we would like to hope and think that a mistake shouldn't happen or won't happen, it might. It's always important to double-check your food as you're taking it or when it comes to your table at a table service or you are walking away from a quick service.

Sometimes sauces are added that aren't safe for you if you have an allergy even if you requested something plain. Or it could be that your kiddo won't eat ANYTHING that touched a piece of lettuce. Maybe someone grabbed the wrong tray and gave it to you. Lots of people place regular orders and allergy orders and the burger without mayo looks a lot like the burger with mayo, especially if they are sitting together.

Don't be shy about mentioning something. Disney cast members go above and beyond to take care of you but if a mistake does happen the goal is to make sure it is caught before you eat it, or before it's too late to fix the problem.

I think we've all been there, an item missing from your order, or the wrong side given. And far too often it's noticed when we've walked away, gotten home, etc. Disney is no different! If you stand and watch those kitchens, they are practically assembly line because they are working hard to fill orders, especially during peak meal hours. 

The problem comes when you don’t mention that there was a problem with your order or that you didn’t feel comfortable with your server or chef. It’s rare, but it happens. The time to handle that is right then. Ask for the manager. Don’t sit there scared to eat, pay your bill, and leave. It’s much harder to fix a problem once you are no longer at the restraint or with the same staff.

If there’s a problem, ask for the manager. Explain what happened. It’s possible they will ask you how they can fix the situation. Be honest. If you’ve lost confidence that your meal can be made correctly, say so. If you’d like the manager to oversee the meal being made, say so. If you don’t think it’s fair you be charged for a meal you didn’t eat and have no intention of asking to be remade, let them know. They will do their best to make sure you have a good resolution. But it’s so much easier to have a positive outcome when you are there in person, not trying to explain the situation in an email or phone call the next day.

By that same note, what if someone goes above and beyond? It happens! It's time for a cast compliment!