WDW Prep To Go - a Disney World planning podcast

November 2014
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Thu, 20 November 2014

Now that we're officially into the holiday season, it's time for some music to get us all in the mood for decorating the tree, baking cookies, and wrapping gifts. I have lots of songs for you that are played in the parks during various shows that should help get you in the spirit.

I also have a quick tip that should be helpful if you're looking for some creative holiday ideas this year.

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

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MUSIC PLAYLIST

Holiday Wishes (Link to purchase)
Down the Stairway of Stars by Liberty Voices (Link to purchase)
Christmas/Sarajevo 12/24 by TSO (Link to purchase - Amazon Prime customers can stream for free)
Jingle Bells by Barbra Streisand (Link to purchase)
A Mad Russian's Christmas by TSO (Link to purchase - Amazon Prime customers can stream for free)
Felix Navidad by Jose Feliciano (Link to purchase)
Here Comes Santa Claus by Elvis Presley (Link to purchase)
Pops Christmas Party - Parade of the Wooden Soldiers (Link to purchase)
Nuttin' for Christmas by Plain White T's (Link to purchase)
Christmas is Starting Now by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy (Link to purchase)
Winter Wonderland (Link to purchase)
Frozen Medley (Watch the video here)

QUICK TIP OF THE DAY

Get holiday ideas from WDW Prep Pinterest boards.

SUBSCRIBE TO GET NEW EPISODES

There are a few ways to get new episodes of WDW Prep To Go (if you're used to listening on the website, subscribe so you can take new episodes with you on your phone)

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

Direct download: episode67.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:00pm PDT

Tue, 18 November 2014

PACKING IDEAS FOR DISNEY WORLD TRIPS – PREP066

There are a lot of things to remember on Disney World trips and today I have several packing ideas to hopefully make it a bit easier.

I also have a quick tip that will help you keep your phone battery from draining as much during your trip.

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

FROM THIS EPISODE

Ideas mentioned

Consider packing 2 outfits per day when traveling during times with hot weather
When traveling during a time when your local stores don't have clothes and items for hot weather, consider shopping online on sites like eBay or stores like T.J. Maxx may have a small selection of off-season items
Even when traveling when it's hot in Orlando, consider packing a light sweater since indoor spaces are often so cold
Over-the-door shoe organizers can help keep your hotel room organized
Packing kids' outfits in Ziplocs can make it easy for them to get dressed during your trip. Rolling clothes within the bags can help keep the clothes from getting wrinkly.
If checking multiple bags for multiple people, I'd suggest spreading items evenly amongst the bags. That way if a bag gets lost, 1 person doesn't end up without all of their stuff.
When traveling domestically, packing food is possible and often more convenient than making a grocery store stop.

Links mentioned

QUICK TIP OF THE DAY

Take a screenshot of your My Disney Experience plans so that you're not relying on the app to connect to get the info you need.

SUBSCRIBE TO GET NEW EPISODES

There are a few ways to get new episodes of WDW Prep To Go (if you're used to listening on the website, subscribe so you can take new episodes with you on your phone)

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

Direct download: episode66.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:00pm PDT

Sun, 16 November 2014

HOW TO PREPARE FOR DINING AND FASTPASS+ RESERVATIONS – PREP065

I know how stressful it can be to try to get ready to make dining and FastPass+ reservations, so I've got some tips today on how to prepare.

I also have a quick tip about a site that makes it easy to look for current dining reservation openings.

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

PREPARING FOR RESERVATIONS

Before making any reservations, make sure you do these things:

Set up your My Disney Experience account
Make sure everybody you want to make reservations for is either listed in your MDE account or you're linked to them as friends
Use your computer and not the mobile app
Log out and back in a few minutes before it's time to make your reservations

For Advance Dining Reservations:

For on-site guests, these can be made online at 6 a.m. eastern time, 180 days before their trip begins. For off-site guests, these can be made online at 6 a.m. eastern time, 180 days before the day they want to eat there.
The phone lines open up at 7 a.m. eastern time and you may want to have the number handy in case there are website issues - 407-WDW-DINE
Have your credit card stored in the "Payment Methods" section of your profile page
The reservations that will require payment at the time of booking are: Cinderella’s Royal Table, Hoop-Dee-Doo Revue, Spirit of Aloha, and Mickey's Backyard BBQ
Feel free to practice ahead of time by making dining reservations and then canceling them
Put your dining reservations in order of difficulty, not chronological order
You can use more than 1 computer at a time to make reservations so do that if you have multiple hard-to-get restaurants on your list

For FastPass+ reservations:

On-site guests can make these at 7 a.m. eastern time, 60 days before their trip begins. Off-site guests can make these at 7 a.m. eastern, 30 days before the day they want to use the FastPass+ reservations.
Make sure your park tickets are linked beforehand. If you booked a package, they'll already be linked. If you bought tickets separately, you can link them through the app or website.
Make FastPass+ reservations in order of difficulty (mostly by just putting Anna/Elsa and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train at the top and everything else after that)
People with room-only reservations can practice making FastPass+ reservations ahead of time (people with packages can't)
~~Use this site to monitor FastPass+ availability~~ (Update: this tool is no longer available.)

QUICK TIP OF THE DAY

Try this dining search tool for an easier view of what dining reservations are open for your trip. I don't recommend using it if you're making reservations 180 days beforehand, but I do recommend it if you're under the 180 day mark. (Update: this search tool is no longer available.)

SUBSCRIBE TO GET NEW EPISODES

There are a few ways to get new episodes of WDW Prep To Go (if you're used to listening on the website, subscribe so you can take new episodes with you on your phone)

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

Direct download: episode65.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:00pm PDT

Sat, 8 November 2014

TIPS AND TRICKS FOR PARADES AND NIGHTTIME SHOWS AT DISNEY WORLD – PREP064

There are several parades and nighttime shows that you can see during a a Disney World trip, but are they worth seeing, worth a FastPass+ and where you should watch them? I have answers and tips for you on each of those things.

I also have a quick tip that will help when you want to split charges on your Disney resort room.

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

TIPS AND TRICKS FOR PARADES AND NIGHTTIME SHOWS

Magic Kingdom

Festival of Fantasy parade - afternoon parade at Magic Kingdom that begins at 3:00 daily, has a FastPass+ option (viewing is in The Hub area) but not recommended, definitely worth your time to see, recommend viewing from the train station at the front of Magic Kingdom
Main Street Electrical Parade - nighttime parade, has a FastPass+ available (viewing in The Hub area) but not recommended and often not available until 30 or fewer days beforehand (or not at all), watch from front of the park for easy exit or watch from Frontierland along the parade route
Celebrate the Magic - projection show on the castle held in the evenings, watch from The Hub or near Casey's Corner, does not offer a FastPass+, worth seeing
Wishes - fireworks at Magic Kingdom, has a FastPass+ available (viewing is in grassy area off to the side of The Hub area) but not recommended and often not available until 30 or fewer days beforehand (or not at all), watch from the front of the park for easy exit, Tomorrowland Terrace Dessert Party is an option ($27/adult) which gives you an assigned table to sit and watch fireworks

Epcot

Illuminations - nighttime show on the water in the World Showcase, FastPass+ is available but not recommended (viewing area doesn't provide a good view), Illuminations dessert party is available but I don't recommend it, the Norway side of the World Showcase often offers a less smoky view, see this map for recommended viewing spots

epcotfireworksviewing

Hollywood Studios

Fantasmic - nighttime show held in a large outdoor theater, can attend by waiting in standby line, FastPass+ available (only recommended if you can get it as a 4th FastPass+ option), Fantasmic Dinner Package is an option, recommend sitting further back, there's an exit at the top right part of the theater that allows you to exit to the front of the park more quickly, more tips in my Fantasmic article
Fireworks - only available on special occasions such as Star Wars Weekends, suggest viewing from the front of the park or even outside the park

Animal Kingdom
No nighttime show right now but "Rivers of Light" is speculated to be coming in March 2016 (side note: I said 2015 in the podcast but it's actually 2016).

riversoflight

QUICK TIP OF THE DAY

Although you can only store 1 credit card in your My Disney Experience account online, you can go to the front desk or concierge at your Disney resort and have them assign different cards to different people.

SUBSCRIBE TO GET NEW EPISODES

There are a few ways to get new episodes of WDW Prep To Go (if you're used to listening on the website, subscribe so you can take new episodes with you on your phone)

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

Direct download: episode64.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:00pm PDT

Sat, 1 November 2014

WHAT THE HOLIDAY SEASON IS LIKE AT DISNEY WORLD – PREP063

Disney World goes all out during the holiday season and today I have an overview of everything that happens in the parks and elsewhere on the property from early November through early January.

I also have a quick tip that might help you snag a hard-to-get FastPass+ reservation.

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

DISNEY WORLD HOLIDAY INFO

QUICK TIP OF THE DAY

Use this handy site to see which FastPass+ reservations are currently available for attractions at Disney World.

SUBSCRIBE TO GET NEW EPISODES

There are a few ways to get new episodes of WDW Prep To Go (if you're used to listening on the website, subscribe so you can take new episodes with you on your phone)

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

Direct download: episode63.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:00pm PDT