Recently I’ve heard several people talking about how their Travel Agent charged extra to book their dining, and book fast passes. The agent in one case, didn’t book in the parks their client was going to for lunch and dinner, and another said the agent booked fast passes for roller coasters, and other rides her children were too short for. They were very upset, and understandably so. When you have a travel agent, it’s their job to help you with what you want, but I’m also here with a warning.


No travel agent selling you a Disney vacation should EVER charge you more than Disney does. They shouldn’t add on fees for booking for dining, or booking for fast passes. Now, yes, a few do, because let’s be honest, a travel agent puts a ton of work into making your trip go the way that it should, but IF, and only IF they are going to charge a fee for that, make sure you ask BEFORE you book, and then decide if that’s a fee you want to pay.


Be up front with your agent as to what your expectations are. If you want them to book your dining reservations, or fast passes, then have a list, and be specific, but give a range. Something like, I want to eat at this place, party of 5, between 8 and 10am. We all want a fast pass for this ride, in the afternoon sometime between 2 and 4pm. Doing that is going to make it easier for you to plan your day, and it’s going to make it much easier for your agent to meet your expectations, and you’ll both be happy.


Curious as to if you even need a Disney Vacation Planner? Go here, and read our article.


A good Disney Vacation planner is worth their weight in gold, but always be careful before just booking your reservation with someone you know nothing about. Research them online, use someone that’s recommended, and never be afraid to question charges. Lastly, if your agent DOES do something you don’t like, speak up, and before it’s too late. It’s much easier to ask them to change something 90 days before you go, than 10.  

Disney has always made sure that ALL of their guests, no matter what challange faces them, can still have a mgaical experience. A holiday at a Disney Park is no different. Once again, Disney is offering guests with food allergies a chance to enjoy trick or treating at the Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party, a chance to enjoy treats, with no tricks. 

If you are attending this event, you can ask for a treat bag that's for allergy treats. You'll get a special bag, with a teal pumpkin, and as you go from stop to stop, you'll be able to collect a token to be redeemed for different allergy free treats! There's all kinds of great stuff to pick from, AND you can read the label information on the food products to make sure that the treat is safe for you, or your child. 

Not sure what the Teal Pumpkin Project is? You can click here to read about it! 

Our house has always had treats and trinkets that any child of any age or any allergy can enjoy, but this year, the Teal Pumpkin Project has taken on new meaning for us, since our youngest now has a severe nut allergy. It makes me so happy that Disney is so inclusive of all guests, and we are proud to be connected even in a small way, by proudly displaying our own teal pumpkins this year! 

Even without a teal pumpkin, it's easy to be part of this. Just have some treats that are safe for anyone, in addition to your usual treats you love to pass out. Dum dums, Smarties, and Tootsie Rolls are just a few that don't contain any of the top 8 allergens. You can also hit the dollar store for stickers, slinkies, mini notepads and other fun things! You might be the reason that a child who has had to say "No, thank you, I can't" all night long, or collected candy, knowing it will be given to a sibling because it's not safe for them, will get to have a few treats for themselves that are safe, and they can enjoy! 

On our last trip, we finally remembered to do something we had been curious about-- count our steps! It was to our absolute amazement that we walked 10-12 miles a day in each park. Another thing that surprised us was that our feet didn’t really hurt, and our kids managed, with only a few breaks, to do that walking with us.


Today, if you were to ask me to walk that much, there’s no way I could. I’m not in shape for it,
but I do know that when we book out next trip this winter, in order to be ready for those long days of walking, we are going to be training!


How do we train? We do these four things!


Walk
Practice staying hydrated
Wear the right shoes
Take breaks BEFORE we need them


Those four simple things are how we manage to go go go on our trips! Here’s how you can go go go, too, when you apply these four tricks for Disney!




Walk


Start your walking training a few months before you go. Aim for at least a mile, and slowly work up to two. If you can do more, great, but I’ve found for us just that length is enough, because you’ll be stopping at Disney, you don’t walk every second of the day. You’ll be standing in lines, going on rides, having lunch, etc and the walking doesn’t seem to bad because it’s broken up like that. The worst walk for us without a doubt, is leaving the park or Disney Springs to the bus stop. I swear it gets further away each time for us Value Resort people!




Practice Staying Hydrated


The number one way to ruin summer fun is to get dehydrated! It’s so easy to do, you put that drink off for just a few minutes, and then a few more and before you know it, you’re cranky, and light headed, or maybe you’ve got a killer headache and feel sick. Drink, drink, drink! Make sure it’s something that hydrates, like water, juice, sports drinks or tea. Take a sip standing in line, before you walk away from your parked stroller, or while you are staring at your map because you’ve gotten turned around. Every time you stand still, take a sip, and you’ll stay hydrated and have the energy to keep going.


A special note for parents with small kids. If you kid doesn’t need to Ride the Rapunzel, then they aren’t getting enough to drink! You might have to remind them, because kids can get distracted easier than adults!




Wear the Right Shoes


I don’t know how many times I've seen people with their feet in the fountains (EW!) or toes covered in blisters from wearing those $1 flip flops, or 4 inch high heels. There’s no way I could do that, and as much as I would love to wear shoes that are cute all day, I’m going to put comfort first. You only have one pair of feet on your trip. When they start hurting, each step is going to feel like ten, and it’s going to wear you out!


If you want new shoes before your trip, make sure you wear them and walk in them plenty to start breaking them in. Bring at least two pairs that you can walk in, so if you get caught in a downpour and can’t completely dry your shoes, you’ve got some the next day to wear while the damp ones finish drying. Some people even like to rotate which shoes they wear each day, so that blisters are less likely to happen.






Take Breaks BEFORE You Need Them


Just like it’s easy to get dehydrated because you are so busy looking at everything, it’s also easy to forget to take breaks for the same reason. Maybe you forget, because you are so excited by everything you see, and want to do it ALL because you don’t have much time, or maybe you just want to fill every second of the day because you paid a lot for this trip, and by golly, doing everything is what you are going to do!


No matter what sort of a Disney goer you are, you’ve GOT to take some breaks! If you give yourself five or ten minutes every hour to just sit, or pop into some air conditioning, you are actually going to be able to do more, than you would if you kept going until your feet were blistered or swollen and you are so tired and crabby it’s not a fun vacation anymore.


Stop and rest a few minutes, plan your meals strategically, and if possible, indoors in the air conditioning, and if you feel like heading back to your resort during the hot part of the day for a rest or swim, you ought to! You’ll be able to enjoy your trip more, and not be falling asleep before the fireworks start over Cinderella Castle!




Try these tricks to make your next Disney trip the best one ever! If you think we left out something important, or maybe you’ve got some tried and true suggestions, let us know! We’d love to hear them!  

Mr. Disney Magic is a wiz at making these awesome printables! If you didn't notice when we snuck this one in the Printables tab, here it is! The perfect, and totally FREE, accessory for your stroller, wheelchair or even scooter! I'd go so far as you say it's absolutly INCREDIBLE! 

You can right click to "save as" and download, or if your computer doesn't like that, you can click on the uploaded file under the picture. 

Print, and for a longer lasting sign, laminate it with a machine, a self sealing pouch, contact paper or even packing tape. punch holes in at the top, and attach to the handles of your transport device with ribbon, zip ties or rubber bands! 

Want some more printables? We've got several up, with more on the way! Just click here to see what we've got! 

​

Now get ready! Set! Go! Time for your Incredible Adventure! 

Now that Season 1 of Ducktakes (Woo-oo!) is over, what I originally thought was a really good show turned into my thinking it is a PHENOMENAL show! Here are the Disney Magic Mommy Family’s Top 10 Favorite Things about Ducktales, season 1.

1. Webby bringing a grappling hook, and pillow traps to a Nerf fight. Awesome.

2. Launchpad! He might be the funniest, most clueless character who somehow always has the right timing, and the worst timing. 

3. Darkwing Duck. Need I say more? But yes...we want more Darkwing Duck!

4. Mr. McDuck’s many treasures! It’s not just the gold and jewels, but what about that “other vault” where he’s got all the mystical, mythical things locked inside? That was awesome!

5. Old favorites like Gladstone (“Hey! Twenty dollars!”) Magika, and Gizmo and the Number One Dime!

6. Hewey, Dewey and Louie each having very different personalities. (Louie might be my favorite!)

7. Della Duck! The Della storyline running throughout season 1 made for some very interesting guesses in our house! Come on season 2!

8. Donald, often in black and white. I got such a laugh out of Donald in black and white. I also couldn’t believe that he had been an adventurer alongside of Scrooge!

9. Mrs. B. I never would have guessed that she was a secret agent. She’s still got her moves, right along side of Scrooge!

10. Scrooge McDuck’s Dad. Oh. My Goodness.

Did you watch Season 1? Did you love it as much as we did?  If you havn't seen this yet, there are free episodes that rotate of Ducktales, and many other Disney shows as well on the Disney Now app!