Disney After Hours

Imagine an evening at a Disney park with low crowds, super short wait times, no unbearable heat from the sun bearing down on you, and all you can eat ice cream.  If this sounds like your dream come true, you might want to try Disney After Hours!

What is it?

Disney After Hours is a separate, hard-ticketed event that allows guests to experience EXTREMELY low crowd levels.  I was there on Valentine’s Day and the event was sold out.  Through top secret cast member information, I was able to find out that the sold out number of attendees was 3,200.  The park was EMPTY.   

This special event is available on select dates at Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios.  This event does NOT require separate theme park admission for that day and you can purchase the tickets through your travel agent.

What is included?

Besides theme park entry, you also get unlimited snacks!  The snacks available were boxes of popcorn, any bottled drink served at a drink cart, and any ice cream product available at a Disney cart.  If you were hungry for a meal, you could also purchase snacks and beverages at Casey’s Corner and the Main Street Bakery.

Each park has a list of attractions that are available.  Pretty much every big ticket ride and a number of other rides and character experiences, as well.  There were also PhotoPass photographers available with fun picture opportunities throughout the evening. 

Is it worth it?

YES! On every level, yes.  It is SO worth it!  We did not start counting attractions we did until 9pm when the event began and we hit 13 attractions and took 3 ice cream breaks.  At the beginning of the evening, some of the more popular attraction lines were still long, so we started with some of the shorter lines.  We showed our wrist bands as we entered the line and most of the line times were 5 minutes.  The exceptions were 7 Dwarfs, Peter Pan, and Astro Orbiter – those were as high as 25 minutes (which is about 60-100 minutes shorter than they were that day).  By the end of the evening, even those rides only had about a 10 minute wait.

To give you a frame of reference, we spent that day at Epcot and accomplished 7 attractions in 7 hours there.  So I felt like 13 in 3 hours was fantastic!

Since the event takes place “after hours,” the sun has gone down and it is NOT oppressively hot any longer.  And since the ticketed event admission is so limited, we were never in crowds and waited in almost NO lines.  I don’t mind crowds, but my husband can’t stand them, so this is a fantastic way to work around that!

When is it?

For Magic Kingdom, this special event takes place on select Monday and Thursday evenings.  The event officially begins when the park closes (either 9pm or 10pm depending on the date).  But your ticket will allow you to enter the park as early as 7pm.

For Hollywood Studios, this event is available on select Saturdays.  If you have tickets for this event you can enter Hollywood Studios at 7pm and the ticketed event goes from 8:30pm to 11:30 pm or 9pm to midnight depending on the specific date. 

For Animal Kingdom, this event is offered on select Tuesdays and Wednesdays.  Guests with Disney After Hours tickets can enter the park at 7:00 PM every event night.  The event takes place from 8:30 PM to 11:30 PM or 9pm to midnight depending on the date.

In Summary

I highly recommend you consider this special ticketed event.  It was worth every penny and I loved the uncrowded, almost-no-wait Disney experience.  And I would say that the all-you-can-eat ice cream added another layer of fun to the evening!  If you find this event is available during your trip, I recommend you call your Wishdrawals Travel Agent and book it as soon as possible!

Remy’s Hide and Squeak Challenge

This year's map folds to
 make storage easier!

For those of you who are new to the Hide and Squeak game, it features Remy from Ratatouille.  The tiny rat has hidden ingredients that correspond with a map and as you spot each ingredient, you must match the sticker with the spot on the map.  It takes place during the Food and Wine Festival throughout Epcot.

Those who wish to help Remy gather his ingredients by matching them up on his map can purchase the maps at one of these locations: Disney Traders, the Festival Center, Pin Central, or World Central.  The 2018 map cost is $6.99+tax.

This year’s Hide and Squeak maps were bigger than in years past!  All 11 pavilions in Epcot have a hidden ingredient, and now 4 ingredients are hidden in the Future World side of the park.  These maps are a fabulous way to engage your kids as you sample food around the Food and Wine Festival. 

The Stickers

As we made our way through the park, my kids had fun looking for the ingredients with me while my husband grabbed the various food and beverage items we wanted to sample.  Of course, the kids sampled quite a few delicious bites, as well!

When you’ve found the ingredients and filled your maps with stickers, you can head to the Port of Entry shop in the front of the World Showcase and collect your prize!  If you get tired or have to leave before your map is complete, you can still go and collect your prize.   They’ll just stamp your map and you can finish it later or just put the stickers wherever you want to.

What is the 2018 Prize? It’s a lenticular cup! You can choose one of four different designs: Mickey, Minnie, Figment, or Remy.

I highly recommend you give the Hide and Squeak a try!  Personally I think it would be best for ages 5+ and would enjoy splitting up into two teams and seeing who can complete their map first!

Here is what it looks like when you find Remy with an ingredient!

Pandora with Kids!

I love Disney with my kids, but Disney without my kids is also incredibly fun!  I was lucky enough to sneak away with some friends last year for the opening month of the land of Pandora.  We had a great time... The last night of our trip we rode Flight of Passage four times! It's worth the crazy long waits.  My dear daughters were not as happy about my little escape as I was, so I promised I would bring them there, too.

We finally got to the Animal Kingdom in February and my girls (7, 8, and 9 at the time) were all incredibly impressed with the landscape.  They had not seen the movie before the trip, so there was no frame of reference, but they were all very enamored with the plants and the Hallelujah Mountains (the floating islands).

Na'vi River
I highly recommend you ride the Na'vi River ride before you hop on Flight of Passage.  If you ride Flight of Passage and then go straight over to the Na'vi River, you'll be underwhelmed.  BUT if you ride it first, you'll appreciate the glowing, peaceful, and overwhelming beauty of the attraction.  This ride is family friendly, so long as your kids are comfortable with dark levels similar to Peter Pan.  There are no drops or anything that pops out at you, so I'd even bring my 11-month-old nephew along on it.  My girls were absolutely enthralled with the creatures they saw and the gorgeous river scenery.  They didn't want it to end!

Flight of Passage
I first heard it described as similar to Soarin', and I'll say that the viewing screen is somewhat similar to that, but this ride is so much more intense than anything else at Disney.  The ride requires 3D goggles (which do stay on, even though the ride moves quite a lot).  You sit in a row of people and all face the same direction.  Though you may not notice it, there are 3 levels of people in 3 V-shaped rows.  The ride is more of an experience or a journey than just a ride and it does have some intense moments and movement to it, so I recommend being sure they can handle it before you force them into it.  Before you get onto the attraction, a scientist explains the linking process between humans and Avatars.  Once we stowed our belongings in the lockers behind the seats, we all got situated and settled into our seats.  They did have a momentary panic when the back support closed against them, but they were so excited that they did not care after a bout 5 seconds.  When I rode the ride on my own, I was totally mesmerized by it, but watching the girls' responses was even more thrilling!  Not only does it feel like you're truly flying, totally enchanted by the beautiful world of Pandora.  The girls were so overwhelmed by the attraction that they wanted to get back onto it as soon as it ended, even with the line length at 180 minutes!!  My kids don't stand in line for anything, so this is a HUGE endorsement.

Pongu Pongu
Once we were done shopping in the gift shop at the end of Flight of Passage (and about $150 poorer), we headed over to Pongu Pongu to use some snack credits on Night Blossoms.  These are delicious, frozen drinks that are layered with apple, pear, and passion fruit flavors and topped with delicious Boba balls.  It's a great way to keep cool while you explore Pandora.

After we finished exploring and drinking our Night Blossoms, we left Pandora and rode a few rides outside in the rest of Animal Kingdom.  We watched Rivers of Light - new to the girls, as well.  They were thrilled by it!  Then, once it was dark, we headed back to Pandora to explore it in the dark and have dinner at the Satu'li Canteen.




Satu'li Canteen was one of the first Disney locations to test mobile ordering, which saves a lot of time during peak times.  It wasn't busy when we were there, so we just ordered at the kiosk and then seated ourselves.  Everyone liked the food - even my picky, middle child!  All of the bowls can be customized and the desserts are beautiful and delicious, as well!

Check out this video of the girls after they rode Flight of Passage!

Contact me if you'd like help planning a visit to Pandora of your own at info@Wishdrawals.com !

Disney Cruise Line - Above and Beyond

I recently had a friend ask me why Disney cruises were SO expensive... and all I could tell him was that he clearly had not been on one.  First of all, there are times of year and good deals to be found if you know what you're looking for (hint hint, call me - I can help you find one in your budget). Secondly, where some cruise lines end up doubling their fees, port expenses, and other miscellaneous charges, Disney is very upfront about your price.  Once you book, all you pay is your gratuity which is $12/person/day.  Last, but NOT least, there is a long list of features that set the Disney Cruise Line apart from other lines...

1. Kids Clubs - where some cruise lines have a nice, comfy room where kids can hang out, Disney's kids clubs are actual CLUBS.  My kids spent an entire day exploring and playing in the Oceaneer Club with their friends before they even realized that there was a tunnel that led to another whole play area called the Oceaneer Lab! They enjoyed character experiences (which I didn't waste time standing in line for), played games, heard stories, participated in science experiments, and had a great time! In all honesty, I had to bribe them with free ice cream to get them to come out and play with me!
   
   Let me take a brief mom time out and explain that I'm a **bit** of a control freak and I don't like the idea of my kids not being able to reach me or not being safe.  Not only did I feel 100% comfortable leaving my kids in the clubs with all of the cast members who got to know each kid, but I also witnessed a child who came up to the desk and asked a cast member to call her mom.  There was no hesitation - the cast member immediately grabbed a phone and dialed the girl's mother.  That made the overprotective mama bear inside of me very happy.
   
   Bonus points for being able to check the kids into the club and go enjoy the adult only hot tub AND relax together with a couples massage AND we got to do a beer tasting... there's no way we would have been able to enjoy those special things if our kids were in a comfy room on another cruise line... The kids club created the perfect balance between time for my husband and I to relax and enjoy each other and our family to enjoy lots of time together.
   
2. Dining Experiences - Cabanas (the buffet) has lots of amazing food, including all you can eat crab and peel and eat shrimp when you board the ship.  Each evening, you'll be on a dining rotation to try each of the 3 main restaurants and you'll have the option for a sit-down meal for breakfast and lunch on a rotation, as well.  Many people like to grab food quickly at Cabanas or one of the kiosks, but some people like to sit down and enjoy a fancy breakfast.  It's nice to have options. 
   
   What makes Disney truly stand out are the servers.  Every evening, you'll have the same two servers - one main server and one beverage server.  They'll get to know you and try to have your favorite drinks waiting for you when you arrive.  Of course, you can add or change your drinks to suit your fancy, but our kids loved to have chocolate milk waiting for them when we arrived at each restaurant.  The servers will also cut your child's food for them so that you don't have to let your food get cold while you do it.  Our servers even did magic tricks and puzzles and kept our kids busy when we adults had indulged in too many desserts.  There simply isn't anything like the level of dining service on a Disney Cruise and the food is AMAZING!! We especially liked the fact that most room service items were also free, so that we could order french fries and cake of the day while the kids napped or in the evening while we enjoyed a glass of wine in our cabin.
   
3. Room Attendants - when we arrived at our cabin, we were surprised to find that our room was ready early.  We were also surprised to meet a very friendly woman who introduced herself as our room attendant.  Her job was to come into our room in the morning and make the beds, fold the fold-down beds up and tidy the room.  In the evening, when we went to dinner, she came back into the room and cleaned again.  This time, she did a turn-down service and prepped our room for bedtime so that all we had to do was change our sleepy kiddos into their pajamas.  If you've ever traveled to a sandy, wet place with kids, you can probably guess how much we enjoyed the twice-a-day room servicing.  
   
   
   
4. Castaway Cay - I'll write an entire post about Castaway Cay soon, but for now suffice to say that the experience was truly unique.  The water is gorgeous, the island is gorgeous, the food was delicious, and we never ran out of fun things to do.  We were crazy enough to go out on a paddle boat, but my youngest daughter was terrified half the time, so it was rather short-lived.  There is an adult only beach called Serenity Bay and we found a huge starfish out there!  My only recommendation here is that kids (and adults) with sensitive feet may want to invest in water shoes, since the beach is both sandy and rocky.  We saw lots of fish in the water, but those with shark concerns will be glad to hear that the bay is blocked from large waves and that prevents sharks from entering the swimming areas.
   
   
5. Entertainment - evening shows are great, but Disney cruise line offers so many other entertainment venues... our most recent cruise was a Disney World/Disney Cruise combo, so we only cruised for 3 nights.  During that cruise we enjoyed the main evening shows, the sail away party, the pirate night show and fireworks, crazy fun bingo (I think it was $40 for the 9 of us to play), live music entertainment, super insane 80s music trivia fun, movies by the pool, and current/recent movies in the FREE movie theater on board.  There were also character meet and greets, various family activities, movies by the pool, and all kinds of adult beverage tastings.
   
6. Adult Only sidebar... if you've got adults in your traveling party who don't have kids, have no fear! There are so many amazing things to do on board even if you don't have kids of your own or your kids are grown.  Plus, the adult only areas are truly kept as adult only.  No kids will splash you in the beautiful swim up bar areas or Serenity Bay (the adult only beach).  And traveling groups where some families have kids and some don't can check their kids into the kids club and spend time with their adult companions doing adult things without feeling guilty or paying for extra childcare!

Contact me for a FREE, no-obligation Disney Cruise quote: Emily@Wishdrawals.com

I'll help you find the perfect cruise within your budget!

10 Things I wish I knew before I went to Disney’s Pandora

I was lucky enough to head down to Disney in June and check out the new Pandora land and attractions in Disney’s Animal Kingdom.  We had a great time and got a lot out of our visit (spoiler alert: we loved it)! But there were a few things I would have liked to have known before we went.  

Hopefully this will help all of you with your planning!

1. Both rides are worth the stand-by wait time – even if it’s long.  The Navi River Journey is gorgeous.  It’s NOT a thrill ride, so it’s safe and should be pleasant even for the tiniest voyagers.  It was somewhat dark, but there were so many luminescent plants and creatures that it never felt dark enough to scare anyone.
2. Flights of Passage is awesome! If you’re only there one day, the line tends to be longer than the Navi River Journey, so I would give Fastpass+ priority to Flights of Passage.

   

   Slow-Roasted Sliced Grilled Beef Bowl

3. If you have time, ride each of them twice – you’ll see all kinds of new things the second time.  The second time I rode the rides I noticed all kinds of moving creatures, bugs, and details on the River Journey.  Flights of Passage… well let’s just say that it was so great that people were getting off the ride and heading straight back into the line even though it had 140 minute wait time.
4. The food and drinks were awesome! Everything we ate in the Satuli Canteen was delicious.  I was lucky enough to travel with several other adults who shared tastes and photos of their food.  At Pongu Pongu, the drinks were out of this world! I highly recommend splurging on one – especially if it’s hot outside!
5. The entire land of Pandora was extremely dark after dark.  I was on an adult-only trip when I went in June, but when I go with my kiddos you can bet they will either hold my hand or sit in the stroller.  There are so many glowing, beautiful things that it’s easy to get separated and lost.  I also saw several people walk into trash cans or strollers in the dark because they were looking up or down. HA!
   
6. The entire land needs to be seen during the daylight AND after dark.  The size and glory of the land, the beautiful waterfalls, and the unique plant-life are amazing during the daytime hours. The plants interact and can spit on you.  One even has a heartbeat you can feel if you press your hand up against it!  But I thought it was even more gorgeous after the sun went down and all of those plants started glowing… even the ground was beautiful! Insider Tip: Rumor has it there's a hidden banshee in the land formation in Pandora, but it's hard to spot!
7. The unique Memory Maker Magic Shots were also worth stopping to do.  There’s even a really cool video you can do after dark! Definitely make time to stop for a Photopass Photographer and take some high-quality pictures.
8. I’m sure this will change at some point, but currently the Banshees were selling out within an hour of when a new batch arrived at the Rookery.  Based on the interactions and how cool the Banshees are, I totally get it.  They retail for about $50 and are totally worth it.
9. You absolutely don’t need to watch the movie to enjoy the land and attractions.  The only things that are relevant to both the movie and the rides are explained in the brief video before you board your Banshee. 
10. Grab an ACE team member and ask some questions!  If you don’t know much about the world of Pandora (or especially if you do), grab a Disney castmember in an ACE uniform and strike up a conversation.  They are chalk full of cool facts and information about the land formations, plants, etc. 

I highly recommend you head to Disney’s Animal Kingdom and check out this land!  I experienced it without my family and started planning a trip to take them there as soon as I saw it.  It’s hard to put into words just how gorgeous and fun this part of the park was.,.. you simply have to see it to believe it!

Disney Dining Plans

Let’s start with a few basic facts…

1. The dining plan is allotted based on the number of nights of your Disney resort stay.
2. Only guests staying in a Disney resort can purchase the dining plan. 
3. And the dining plan must be purchased for every person in the room.  If you have two families in two separate rooms, they can select different dining plans, but within one room everyone must have the same one. 
4. Children under the age of 3 do not get the dining plan, but are welcome to eat off of an adult’s plate.

There are 3 Disney Dining Plan (DDP) options:

1.    Quick Service – this plan is the least expensive.
It gives each person ages 3+ a resort refillable mug for unlimited coffee, tea, soda, and hot chocolate at your Disney resort.  It also gives each person 2 snacks and 2 quick service meal credits per night of your stay.

2.    Disney Dining Plan – this is the moderate and most popular selection.

This plan gives each person the resort refillable mug.  It also gives each person 2 snacks, 1 quick-service meal, and 1 table service credit per night.

3.    Deluxe Dining Plan – this plan provides a LOT of food!
You still get the resort refillable mug along with 2 snack credits.  In addition to that, you receive 3 table service credits per night of your stay.  They can be used at any quick-service or table service location.  This plan is best for people who want to eat at multiple signature restaurants or dinner shows (which require 2 credits).  An additional bonus is that an appetizer is included with this dining plan.

Snack Symbol

What’s included in each meal type?

A snack is anything single service that has the purple and white “Snack” symbol

A quick service meal consists of a non-alcoholic beverage and an entrée.

A table service credit consists of a non-alcoholic drink and a buffet OR an entrée, a dessert and a beverage.  This includes character meals and restaurants where a waitress takes your order from the table and buffets.  **At the end of your table service credit meals, you must pay gratuity.

Disney’s dining plan prices are seasonal, so they vary slightly depending on when you travel.  The moment when my husband realized that he could never travel to Disney again without the dining plan was when we ate dinner at Chef Mickey’s.  The bill for 2 adults and 3 children was about $175 – or 5 table service credits… Here’s why he thought it was such a GREAT deal!  Our dining plan cost about $25/night for the kids.  Their meals at Chef Mickey’s were about $27 each.  This means that not only did we save $2 per kid on that meal, but their 2 snack credits and quick service meal were FREE! 

When we went to purchase ice cream bars before the parade, it was so much easier for my husband (a penny pincher) to tap his Magic Band to pay “3 snack credits” than for him to pay $15!   The quick service credits are great, too!  At Animal Kingdom, we got $19.99 plates with chicken, ribs, pulled pork, coleslaw, and baked beans and a drink for 1 quick service credit!

It’s not for everyone, but our family loves the Disney dining plans!

5 Fastpass+ Mistakes You DON'T Want to Make

5 Fastpass+ Mistakes you DON’T want to make!

1. Not making Fastpass reservations as early as you can
   You should make your Fastpasses AS SOON as your 60 or 30 day window opens.  Disney resort guests can make them 60 days out and non-Disney-resort guests can make them 30 days out.  In order to get the best times, you should be making these reservations the day they become available.  You can always change them later – and it’s easy to do!
   
2. Making your Fastpasses too early
   If you arrive at the park when it opens, you should be able to ride a few of the rides that typically have longer lines before the park fills up and the lines get long.  I typically recommend 10:30 as the earliest time to make a Fastpass reservation. For Epcot and Hollywood Studios (because they have tiers) I like to make Fastpasses for 1pm-5pm when the park is busiest.  Because of the tiered system, it can be difficult to obtain a 4^th Fastpass for an attraction you would truly need another pass for.
   
3. Not making your Fastpasses early enough
   Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom don’t have tiers, so I like to make my Fastpasses for 10:30, 11:30, and 12:30 there.  Since these two parks do NOT have tiers, it can be more beneficial to make them earlier.
   
4. Not trying to make more Fastpasses after you’ve used the 3 you made in advance
   Once you get in line and activate your 3^rd Fastpass of the day, you can get on to the My Disney Experience app and see what’s available for a 4^th Fastpass.  And each one you use after that, you should be doing the same thing.  Even if you only save 10-20 minutes, that’s time that you can enjoy on something OTHER than standing in line!
   
5. Not using a travel agent
   I know, I know – this is a shameless plug.  But truly – if you haven’t been to Disney recently, you may not know how far apart or close one attraction is to another and that’s useful info if you’re maximizing your time and minimizing the amount of walking you’ll have to do in a single day! Even if you’ve been to Disney many times, it’s nice to let someone else do the work of checking crowd calendars, knowing which attractions tend to be busier each day of the week, and what the park hours are to maximize your time.  When I travel – EVEN I use a travel agent!

Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort

Disney's Hilton Head island is a dream beach retreat.  The location and room types make it perfect for a family or even a family reunion!

The rooms come in three sizes:

1. Deluxe Studio Villa - a queen bed and a full-size sleeper sofa.  These villas sleep up to 4 people in one area.
2. 1-Bedroom Villa - a king bed, a full size sleeper sofa, and a twin sleeper chair.  These villas sleep up to 5 people in 2 areas.
3. 2-Bedroom Villa - a king bed, 2 queen beds, a full size sleeper sofa, and a twin sleeper chair.  These villas sleep up to 9 people in three areas.

The deluxe studio villa has a kitchenette, but the 1 and 2-bedroom villas have full kitchens! Adjacent to the resort is a huge shopping complex that contains a (really awesome) Kroger and several wonderful restaurants.  The shopping center has shops, restaurants, and is easy biking distance from the resort.

But the real beauty of this resort is the fact that you can enjoy it with your family as a beach vacation that has enough extra activities to keep you busy - even if you encounter a rainy day!

While we were there, our children enjoyed:

• pool-side activities
• arts and crafts
• evening s'mores and songs
• pool-side movies
• fishing
• biking
• playgrounds
• and walking along the nature trails

That's to say nothing of the amazing pool which is heated when the weather is cool and is very near the (very large) hot tub!  They could have stayed in the pool and enjoyed the waterslide for days!

Over at the Beach House which is about a 10-12 minute bike ride or a 5-minute shuttle trip from the main heart of the resort, they have many of the same amenities as the marsh side of the resort in addition to pool volley ball and of course the BEACH!

All of those activities are great, but Disney did not leave out the teens! There are plenty of activities for them, as well!

The teens particularly enjoyed

• shuffleboard
• pool/billiards
• kayaking
• volley ball in and out of the pool

We only had four nights at the resort and there were so many activities there, so we only planned one excursion off the resort property.  I found a great deal for a private crabbing boat for two hours and it was the BEST thing we could have done.  Just as we set off from the dock, we spotted a mother dolphin with her tiny baby! The captain caught the girls' interest and followed them until the girls had their dolphin fix.  Then came the real work! Catching crabs!! 

This activity was kid and teen approved! The whole family had a great time and worked together to catch quite a few crabs!  The best part?  We got to take them back to the villa for dinner!

The entire trip was amazing! It was the best beach vacation our family has ever had (and I'm from MIAMI) and have in-laws who live ON the beach in Gulf Shores.  There was just such a great variety of great family activities combined with a gorgeous pool and lots of fun on the beach.  All of that combined with being able to purchase Mickey ice cream bars and a Dole Whip just made the trip perfect! We can't wait to head back and enjoy Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort again soon!

Helpful tips for Jedi Training Academy

Disney's Jedi Training Academy is located in the Hollywood Studios park.  In order to participate, valid theme park admission is required.  The attraction is only for young padawans ages 4-12 and you can not make advance reservations for it.

Here are a few helpful tips:

1. The Indiana Jones Adventure Outpost is where the sign-ups are located. If you are there when the park opens, there will likely be a cast member with a sign held up and she will guide the group to that location. If you arrive once the park has already opened, it is to your left behind the giant dinosaur, near the Indiana Jones show.
2. Children must be present at the time they sign up and they will have to verbally tell the cast members that they want to participate in the academy.
3. The show lasts about 25 minutes, but you need to return to the location where you signed up 30 minutes before your show time, so make sure that you allot enough time with your Fastpass and dining plans.
4. Sign-ups start approximately 15 minutes before the park opens, so we suggest you arrive at the park entrance about 30 minutes before the opening time.  On the mornings that Hollywood Studios has Extra Magic Hours, sign-ups start during the extra magic hours.  If you are staying on property, you may want to take advantage of the reduced crowds, but if you are not staying in a Disney resort, you will probably want to plan to participate in this activity on a different day of your trip.
5. Disney provides training lightsabers and plain brown Jedi robes, but they do not close, so I recommend letting your child wear their favorite Star Wars t-shirt or something that has their name on it.
6. If you have not yet purchased Memory Maker, call your Wishdrawals travel agent right now and have that added! The pictures taken by the photo pass photographers at the show are phenomenal and you can relax and enjoy the actual show if you know you'll get to download all of their pictures.
7. Be prepared for a little Star Wars trivia and some extremely corny jokes.  Laughter is greatly appreciated by the Jedi trainers.

The Jedi Training Academy is one of Disney's
 most fun activities offered and it's FREE!

 So head to Hollywood Studios and may the Force be with you!

Memory Maker

Disney PhotoPass is a program that takes pictures on rides and provides photographers throughout the parks (and at some character meals) to take pictures of your family.  Memory Maker is a package that will allow you to download all of the high-resolution that Disney takes during your trip.

What are the perks?

• Magically enhanced pictures – you didn’t see Tinkerbell posing with you, but she’s there!
• Get everyone in the shot! Now the world will know Dad was on vacation with you, too!
• High-quality photographs without having to carry around your heavy, expensive camera!
• All of the photos can be downloaded to your computer at the end of your trip with a limited license release so that you can print them anywhere you want as many times as you’d like! Just be sure to download them within 45 days of the date they were taken.
• Travelling with a large family or a group of friends? You can share one Memory Maker package by linking your accounts as “family and friends” to save money.

Attraction photos and videos

Animal Kingdom: Dinosaur and Expedition Everest

Epcot: Test Track and Frozen Ever After

Hollywood Studios: Rock’n Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror

Magic Kingdom: Buzz Lightyear, Space Mountain, and Splash Mountain

The Jedi Training Academy at Hollywood Studios also has PhotoPass photographers.  I think this one event alone would make the Memory Maker photo package worth it for many families.  My three daughters were in the show, but with the PhotoPass photographers taking pictures, I was able to enjoy the show.

Disney has some stationary photographers planted at specific locations throughout the parks, but you should also use the My Disney Experience app to locate them if you want to make the most of the package. Scroll across the sidebar and look for the “PhotoPass” tab. You can narrow down to just one park by tapping the funnel-shaped icon in the bottom right-hand corner of the screen.  When you are on an attraction that takes a photo, you will have to scan your band to claim the photo immediately when you get off the ride.

Helpful tip: Be sure to buy Memory Maker more than 3 days before your trip so that you can save money!  Memory Maker costs $169 within 3 days of your trip, during your trip, or afterwards.  If you purchase it at least 3 days before your trip, you can save $20 and purchase it for just $149.  Memory Maker does not include a burned copy of your pictures on a CD, but you can order that for about $35 if you want it.

Tips for saving time, money, and battery life at Disney World!

Making the most of your technology is a fundamental part of getting the most out of your vacation.
Here are a couple of steps to help you optimize your time, money, and technology on your next Disney trip:

1. Download the My Disney Experience app before you leave home and practice using it to check wait times and adjust/make fastpasses.
2. I LOVE Disney's Memory Maker package that allows you to download unlimited digital copies of your Disney photos and print them at your convenience.  It is great to have high-quality pictures without having to carry your camera around (and worry about it getting lost or wet).
3. Put your phone on 'low battery' mode and reduce the brightness of your screen (when you can).
4. Bring a portable phone charger like this great Duracell one I use!  It will be much cheaper to buy one at the local store or Amazon than to purchase one of these at Disney! Don't forget to grab your USB cable when you head to the parks so that you can charge your phone!
5. Have a backup... make sure you have a written/printed list of your fastpass times and dining reservations just in case your phone does die or get lost. 
6. Have a plan just in case that worst-case scenario comes true and your phone really does get lost. This article had some helpful information.
7. Bring a sandwich-sized ziploc bag for any electronics you may want to protect in case it rains. If you get caught in a storm without one, you can ask a cast member at a gift shop for a free bag and they'll give you one.

Disney provides complimentary wi-fi in the resorts and parks.  If you have unlimited data, I recommend turning your wi-fi off, since it will use your battery if your phone is constantly looking for the next wi-fi signal to join.  If you don't have unlimited data, then I recommend you join the network and monitor if it seems to be cutting in and out and causing your battery to drain.  Hopefully Disney will continue to improve this service and it will not be an issue in the near future.

Food and Wine Festival

The Food and Wine Festival is a Disney event that is not to be missed.  If you can escape for an adults-only weekend, this is a perfect time to visit Disney.  But even if you bring the whole family, you'll have fun and enjoy trying new dishes from around the world.

Here was is our game plan for Food and Wine Festival:

Rope drop!
Arrive in Epcot as soon as the park opens and ride rides from 9am-11am.  We started with Test Track, then rode Mission Space several times (none of us struggle with motion sickness during that ride, but we did not want to push it for after we started eating and drinking). Baymax and Joy and Sadness are now in the character meet'n greet areas at Epcot, as well.

Perfect combo?
Buy a Tasting Sampler card and use it for drinks.  Use snack credits for food.  Yes, it is a perfect plan. The tasting sampler card is a lanyard-hanging credential that has 8 tabs on it. As you come up on the kiosks, you can use it for food or drinks (there are a few obvious exclusions such as tasting flights with multiple drinks and one or two pricey champagnes). The price was $59+tax in 2015, so in order to get your money's worth, don't use your tabs for anything that is less than $7.  There were more than 150 menu options in 2015. The tabs can be used over multiple days and can be purchased at one of several locations while you are there.  More information about the Tasting Sampler card. Or you can order it buy calling (939)WDW-FEST.

My friend Samantha with the cute
ears she made and her tasting sampler card.

Get your kids involved!
Last year the Ratatouille Recipe Search was a TON of fun.  It helped get my kids all the way around the World Showcase for the first time. At 4, 6, and 7, they were completely into finding the missing ingredient that was hidden in each country.  

For older kids, Agent P's World Showcase Adventure is a great way for them to enjoy the countries. The $10 passport kits are also fun for older kiddos.  They can have them autographed in each country and make a fun souvenir.  You can buy the passports in the kiosks or gift shops as you enter the World Showcase, but the Agent P challenge is free.

Pace Yourself
Rather than trying to do all of our eating and drinking at once, we started with Mexico at eleven and toured Mexico, Norway, the outpost, Germany, and Italy.  We shared most of our snacks and drinks so that we could try more things.  One or two of us would stand in line and order the food and/or drinks that we wanted from a kiosk while the other parents helped the kids on find their clues, then we would all partake in the sampling.  After we made it through that half of the World Showcase we headed back to Germany and rode the boat back to the Future World side of Epcot.

We headed to our 2pm fastpass for Soarin' and then watched the new Pixar Short Films (super adorable) and rode Figment. We had a 3pm fastpass for Nemo and then enjoyed Turtle Talk with Crush before heading to our 4pm fastpass for Spaceship Earth.  This little break for rides was a nice 

After a relaxing ride on Spaceship Earth, we headed back to the boats and rode over to Germany.  We bypassed Italy since we had toured it earlier and started back up with the American Adventure and slowly toured our way through the rest of the World Showcase through Japan, Morocco, France, United Kingdom, and Canada.  We stopped to meet Belle in France and Mary Poppins in the UK and ended near the Epcot dessert party area.  We stayed near that area and enjoyed Illuminations! 

So what were a few of our favorite snacks?
The lobster roll in the American Adventure Pavilion
Belgian Waffle with chocolate ganache
Canadian cheese soup
Kalua Pork Slider from Hawaii
Chicken gyro from Greece 
Beef bourguignon in France
Escargot in France
Beef skewers with chimichuri sauce from Argentina 
Grilled swet and spicy shrimp from Australia (you can smell it before you even get to it)
Spicy Hand Roll from Japan
Korean BBQ Beef with steamed rice and kimchi

Feel free to chime in with some of your favorite foods and beverages from the Festival!

Four Parks in One Day

Pick up a free celebration badge to mark your big day!

Doing all four parks in one day is one of Disney's most thrilling challenges! 

We recommend this challenge for the 10+ crowd.  This would not have been fun with a stroller.  

Here are a few suggestions to get you started:

1. You will greatly benefit from using a travel agent's expertise when planning this day.
2. Be flexible, but be sure you have a game plan.  Your plan will likely evolve as you check wait times on the (free) My Disney Experience and deal with unexpected crowds and shorter-than-expected attractions you may pass as the day goes on.
3. Plan to start at the park that opens first and end at the park that closes last - this seems basic, but it's a key part of making the most of your time.  Closing times a tie? If so, pick the park that's closer to your resort - you will be tired by the end of the day!
4. Use your fastpasses for the park that you'll be in during the peak hours of the day (1-5pm) OR Make your fastpasses for the earliest times you can in the first park you visit.  Then add an extra fastpass as you know where (and when) you'll be next.  You can do this at a kiosk or on the My Disney Experience app.
5. Know your maximum wait times.  For our group, we decided not to stand in a line that was over an hour long.  We decided to prioritize our favorite attractions over trying to ride as many rides as possible.  
6. Make sure everyone gets to pick a least one must-do - you may have to be slightly flexible on #4 in order to achieve this, but no one should be disappointed at the end of a big day like this one.
7. Be sure you know how you'll get from one park to the next - Disney transportation is simple, but you'll save time if you know exactly how to get from one park to another. We don't recommend using your own car since you would have to move it from each park to the next or go back for it at the end of the day.  The buses DO run directly from one park to another.
8. Make use of the single rider lines - not sure which attractions offer this feature? Scroll to the bottom for the list...
9. This is a challenge best accepted on a good night's sleep.  You won't want to have to head back to your room for a nap or a pool break on this day. We did our day on less than 4 hours of sleep, but it was tough! 
10. Stay hydrated - yes, this can include adult beverages...but drink plenty of water, too!
11. Have a plan for food - we suggest bringing your own snacks and not trying to stop for any table service meals.  Picking a place to eat while standing in line can be fun, but I recommend picking one quick-service spot at each park that you know everyone would be happy to eat at since you can't be sure of where exactly you'll be at meal time.
12. Have a picture of your family/group taken at every park, then post them together and use the #4parks1day hashtag.

Here are the attractions we enjoyed:

EPCOT

Soarin'

Test Track

Frozen Ever After

Pixar Short Films

Hollywood Studios

Rock'n Roller Coaster

Toy Story Mania

Animal Kingdom

Dinosaur

Everest - we used the single rider line for this attraction, as well.

Magic Kingdom

Haunted Mansion

Wishes

7 Dwarfs Mine Train

Buzz Lightyear

Space Mountain

Which attractions have a single rider line?
Everest
Kali River Rapids (at least for now)
Test Track
Rock'n Roller Coaster

Drinking on a Disney Cruise

One of my favorite spots on the ship: the swim-up bar!

Currently Disney does not offer alcoholic drinking packages with their cruises and they recently updated their alcohol policy.  The new policy allows each adult to bring two bottles of wine OR a six-pack of beer on board with them.  At each port, you are allowed to bring on an additional six-pack or two more bottles of wine. (Side note: I could not find bottles of wine or bottled beer for sale anywhere on Castaway Cay).

You can purchase bottles of liquor in the sundries shop where you can purchase sunscreen, Dramamine, and other medications.  I was very surprised at the prices - and not in a bad way!  You could purchase a standard-sized bottle of vodka or rum to take to your room for $13.95+ tax each. They had a decent selection of full-sized bottles of liquors and wine and cordials.

You could also purchase a fun drink
 in a souvenir glass for about $11.

They offered drinks at breakfast such as a Bloody Mary or Mimosa for $4.  You could also order a glass or bottle of wine with dinner.  And anywhere you wander around, you can get the drink of the day for about $6-7 dollars.  Not bad for mixed drinks.

There is a bar district on the ship, where you can drink in any number of cool environments.  And some of the bars host trivia or fun adult activities.

We went to a Mixology class on our Bahamas day and for $20/person got to make and sample 6 mixed drinks.  That was fun!

We spent our day at Castaway Cay on the adult-only beach since we were travelling without children on this cruise.  Don't worry - the only "adult" thing about it is the lack of children.  Everyone is in a bathing suit and being decent - it's still Disney!  Bartenders did wander around on the beach to ensure anyone who wanted a drink had one. Laying in the sun all day, we were careful not to overdo it.