WDW Prep To Go - a Disney World planning podcast

October 2013
S	M	T	W	T	F	S

		1	2	3	4	5
6	7	8	9	10	11	12
13	14	15	16	17	18	19
20	21	22	23	24	25	26
27	28	29	30	31

Sat, 26 October 2013

A CHAT WITH A WDW FIRST-TIMER BEFORE AND AFTER HER TRIP – PREP014

After a reader named Misty left a comment on the Facebook Page about being so excited for her family's first trip to Disney World that they might actually pee their pants, I wanted to chat with her to see what her plans were.

After she got back, I chatted with her again to see how it all went.

You can hear all about that and I have a quick tip of the day about when I suggest booking flights for your trip in relation to when discounts are announced.

These are notes from this episode. There's much more info included in the audio so be sure to listen to the episode for a better explanation.

In this article

BECOME A WDW PREP TO GO PATRON

WDW Prep To Go Patrons pay a little to unlock even more content than what’s on the main podcast feed, such as a private FB Group and exclusive audio that’s released on a private podcast feed.

Become a Patron Now

MISTY'S TRIP

In this episode, a reader named Misty talks about why they decided to go to Disney World when they did, why they chose to stay at The Contemporary, some of the meals and special events they planned and why she was surprising her kids at 4:30 a.m. the day of the trip.

You'll also hear what Misty thought after her trip including frustrations with My Disney Experience functionality, the things that ended up being their favorite, things she wished she had done and a lot more.

QUICK TIP OF THE DAY

When booking your trip, I recommend waiting to book flights (if possible) until after discounts for your trip dates have been announced. Sometimes when discounts are released, they don't cover your exact trip dates but would work if you could modify your trip dates slightly.

If you already have flights booked, this isn't always possible since flights are usually nonrefundable and unchangeable. If it makes sense for your trip, try to wait to book flights to allow for maximum flexibility (don't wait too long though - I recommend booking flights around 2 months or more before your trip).

SUBSCRIBE TO GET NEW EPISODES

There are a few ways to get new episodes of WDW Prep To Go.

Subscribe in iTunes (and please leave a review!)
Subscribe to the feed
Listen on Stitcher

*************************

Did you learn anything from Misty's experience? Or did you learn some things after your first trip? I'd love to hear about it in the comments.

Direct download: episode14.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:00pm PDT

Thu, 17 October 2013

HOW TO ADD EXTRA MAGIC TO YOUR DISNEY WORLD TRIP – PREP013

The last step in my 6 step planning process is to add extra magic to your trip.

Today, I have some ideas for how to add extra magic to make your trip even more fun. Although it is definitely optional, it can often help create memories that your family will never forget.

I also have a quick tip on avoiding some crowds at Magic Kingdom as you walk down Main St.

These are notes from this episode. There's much more info included in the audio so be sure to listen to the episode for a better explanation.

In this article

BECOME A WDW PREP TO GO PATRON

EXTRA MAGIC IDEAS

There are lots of ways to add extra magic to your trip but here are a few of my ideas:

Give stuff to other people
Bring some glow sticks to Disney World with you and hand them out to kids along the parade route. Or bring little party-sized bottles of bubbles and hand those out (or just blow bubbles in the direction of some kids who might be having a hard time waiting and would be entertained by it).

Or anything else you can think of that would be fun to hand out and make somebody's day better.

Play Tinker Bell
Playing Tinker Bell is sort of like being Santa Claus during your trip.

The idea is to have gifts arrive each day from Tinker Bell which may or may not be tied to a few rules you set beforehand.

Some ideas for gifts include water toys for a water park day, glow toys for a day when you'll be out at night, Disney shirts that you bought before your trip, new pajamas (Target often has Disney PJs), Disney gift cards so kids can buy their own souvenirs or a pressed coin book to collect all of the pressed coins that you get throughout your trip.

Not only can this encourage good behavior but it can save money on souvenirs since you're buying things before you get to Disney World.

Try to get picked for special events
There are lots of things at Disney World that you can be chosen to be part of like parades, park openings and shows. It takes some luck but you can increase your odds by arriving early, having a good attitude and wearing matching shirts.

Read the Williams family blog for stories about things they've been chosen for and tips on how they did it.

Be or use a Fairy Godmailer
Fairy Godmailers are people who mail postcards from Disney World to people who will be going at a future date. You can be a Fairy Godmailer and/or receive a postcard from one.

This thread on DISboards.com is where you can go to volunteer to be a Fairy Godmailer and ask to receive a postcard. If that thread gets closed for being too long, there will be another opened to continue.

QUICK TIP OF THE DAY

My quick tip of the day is that if you're walking down Main St. at Magic Kingdom and the streets seem really crowded, look at the sidewalks to see if they are less crowded. People often stick to the street so the sidewalks can be a great way to get down Main St. with less people around you.

SUBSCRIBE TO GET NEW EPISODES

There are a few ways to get new episodes of WDW Prep To Go.

Subscribe in iTunes (and please leave a review!)
Subscribe to the feed
Listen on Stitcher

*************************

Do you have other ideas you could add to my list? I'd love to hear them in the comments.

Direct download: episode13.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:00pm PDT

Sat, 12 October 2013

5 THINGS THAT ARE “WORTH IT” FOR MOST PEOPLE GOING TO WDW – PREP012

I get asked several times a week if various things are "worth it" at Disney World.

That's a hard question to answer without knowing somebody's personality or budget.

Today, I've assembled a list of 5 things that I think are worth doing for nearly everybody visiting Disney World.

I also have a quick tip about a secret entrance into 1 of the parks.

These are notes from this episode. There's much more info included in the audio so be sure to listen to the episode for a better explanation.

In this article

BECOME A WDW PREP TO GO PATRON

THINGS THAT ARE "WORTH IT"

1. Upgrading to a Preferred room at Value and Moderate Resorts
Value and Moderate Resorts are reallllly big (except for Port Orleans French Quarter), and the amount of walking can be decreased by paying a little bit extra for a Preferred room.

At Art of Animation, Preferred rooms aren't an option but you can request rooms that are closer to the main building by looking at the map below.

artofanimationmap

2. PhotoPass+ (now called Memory Maker)
The ability to get all of your PhotoPass pics, ride photos and printed photos at some character dining locations makes PhotoPass+ a great value. You can read more about PhotoPass+ to get details on how it works.

3. Character meals
Being able to multi-task eating a meal while meeting characters makes them a great option for most people. In particular, taking princess-loving children to have breakfast with the princesses at Cinderella's Royal Table or Akershus is usually a big hit.

4. Disney Dining Plan
Having a pre-paid Disney Dining Plan makes a Disney World trip feel all-inclusive and can make it much more fun. For people wanting to maximize their credits and get the best bang-for-the-buck, I recommend reviewing the menus at various restaurants and seeing which ones have the more expensive meals.

For example, Wolfgang Puck Express at Downtown Disney has delicious pizzas that feed 2 people and only cost 1 Quick Service credit.

5. Taxis
For $10 or $12, you can save yourself a lot of time (especially after nighttime entertainment when lines are often the longest) and get where you're going in just a few minutes.

You can use the taxi estimator to get a closer dollar amount for routes you might take.

QUICK TIP OF THE DAY

If you are at the turnstiles at Animal Kingdom and the turnstiles seem really busy before the park opens, you can try a secret-ish entrance by entering Rainforest Cafe and navigating to the gift shop. Just outside of the gift shop, there is a set of turnstiles available to use.

This method doesn't always save time but is worth a look if the main turnstiles seem particularly busy.

SUBSCRIBE TO GET NEW EPISODES

There are a few ways to get new episodes of WDW Prep To Go.

Subscribe in iTunes (and please leave a review!)
Subscribe to the feed
Listen on Stitcher

Direct download: episode12.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:00pm PDT

Fri, 4 October 2013

CONFESSIONS: 6 MISTAKES I’VE MADE PLANNING WDW TRIPS – PREP011

Over the years, I've made some mistakes when planning Disney World trips.

Today, I'm sharing 6 of those with you, including 1 that I made earlier this year.

I'm hoping you'll learn from things I've done wrong and avoid doing the same on your trip.

I've also got a tip for you on where to order Disney gifts that can be shipped to your house.

These are notes from this episode. There's much more info included in the audio so be sure to listen to the episode for a better explanation.

In this article

BECOME A WDW PREP TO GO PATRON

6 MISTAKES I'VE MADE

Over the years, I've made several mistakes when planning Disney World trips. Here are 6 of them.

Mistake #1: Not allowing enough time for transportation
Allow for at least 1 hour to get anywhere. Having your own car or taking a taxi can reduce that but you should still allow 30-45 minutes each way.

Check out my guide on how to navigate with Disney transportation for more info.

Mistake #2: Choosing dining that's not close to where you are
In the 6 step planning process, I advise you to make a daily plan and then choose your dining. The reason I suggest that is so you are making dining choices based on where you'll be and not running around to your dining reservation.

Mistake #3: Planning too much
Be realistic about what's possible, pare down your plans and allow for some unplanned time.

Mistake #4: Not including all family members in pics
Use PhotoPass photographers to take your pics and/or hand your camera to the photographers to take your pics.

Get more info on how PhotoPass works.

Mistake #5: Booking flights based solely on cost
Consider flight schedules and reduce the number of connections if at all possible. Use FlightStats.com to research the reliability of flights before you book.

Read my tips on finding the best flights for your trip.

Mistake #6: Not using resort check-in
You don't have to be taking Magical Express to use resort check-in when flying home from your Disney World trip. Anybody flying home on a participating airline can use resort check-in which will allow you to bypass bag check at the airport.

For more detailed info on Magical Express and Resort Airline Check-in (including which airlines participate), read my guide that covers all of the info.

QUICK TIP OF THE DAY

Disney Florist isn't just available when staying on-site at Disney World; you can also use Disney Florist to ship things to you at home. Get ideas from their Celebrate at Home section.

SUBSCRIBE TO GET NEW EPISODES

There are a few ways to get new episodes of WDW Prep To Go.

Subscribe in iTunes (and please leave a review!)
Subscribe to the feed
Listen on Stitcher

Direct download: episode11.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:00pm PDT