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.

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Leave me a message

Want to be considered for a trip report? Please leave me a SpeakPipe message with your name, trip dates, resort, and who is in your group.

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Links/notes mentioned in this episode

PICKING DATES

• crowd calendar
• fave times are in January and February, September good for low crowds

HOTEL

• Choose onsite or offsite w/onsite perks
• Faves onsite: Pop Century, Art of Animation suite, like all moderates almost equally except for bus stops, fave deluxe are Contemporary and Beach Club
• Faves offsite: Swan/Dolphin, Four Seasons, Disney Springs hotels

DAILY PLAN

• choose where you’re going to be each day
• use our monthly calendars to help determine best parks

DINING

• choose dining based on where you’ll be

TOURING

• plan park time to avoid lines and minimize waits
• Touring plans grouped by hour for the first 3 hours
• • Magic Kingdom touring plans
  • Epcot touring plans
  • Hollywood Studios touring plans
  • Animal Kingdom touring plans
• have had to pick and choose a lot the last few years - too many attractions and nighttime shows + FastPass tiering

EXTRAS

• scavenger hunts at hotels
• pressed coins
• Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique
• Early Morning Magic, After Hours
• Tours

Quick tip of the day

Quick tip from Kathy S.:

“Make sure you update/renter your credit card on file in your My Disney Experience account. Especially if you haven’t been to the parks in a while to know your card is still active in your account.

My brother and I were ready at 6am this morning to make our ADRs. We followed the advice for getting hard-to-get ADRs on WDWPrepSchool.com and thought we had everything ready.

I was able to work through my list easily with no problems. The tab idea on the website worked wonderfully. My brother was not having the same luck as he was asked to renter his credit card info on his first reservation.

While trying it do that, the page froze and wouldn’t reload. He tried again and it froze again. He had to log in using a different browser then re-enter his credit card into his account.

From there he was able to start over with trying to make reservations. By this point, I had made all 4 of the ADRs on my list and 2 of them from his list.

His credit card was still in his account from his last trip 2.5 years ago, but clearly Disney felt it needed verified.

My last trip was 4 months ago so my card must have still been active in the system. This one little hiccup could mean the difference in getting those high priority ADRs.

Planning ahead and working together allowed us to get every ADR we wanted.”

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 in Google Play
• Subscribe to the feed
• Listen on Stitcher

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.

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

Leave me a message

Want to be considered for a trip report? Please leave me a SpeakPipe message with your name, trip dates, resort, and who is in your group.

You can do that using your computer or phone at https://www.speakpipe.com/WDWPrepToGo.

Links/notes mentioned in this episode

WHEN TO GO

• used to working around school schedules? Go during the school year. Want to attend an event? Go then.

WHERE TO STAY

• smaller rooms w/1 bed - Pop Century, All-Star Movies
• DVC studios w/1 bed and pullout couch - Beach Club and Bay Lake are faves
• Convention hotels - Coronado Springs, Swan/Dolphin

DINING

• practice dining alone at home if scared
• could do quick service for flexibility and to minimize awkwardness
• any table service will work but TS that have a bar or lounge can make it easier - 50s Prime Time Cafe, Jiko, California Grill, 
• avoid family style restaurants like Ohana and Garden Grill
• Character dining – choose buffets

TOURING

• much easier to get FastPasses including bonus FastPasses
• official and unofficial single rider lines available
  
  

EXTRAS

• paying for 1 special ticket is so much easier than paying for several - tours, after hours parties, etc.

Quick tip of the day

Quick tip from Ingrid V.:

“Here’s my quick tip for people staying at BLT or the Contemporary. There is not a bus option home from Epcot to the Contemporary. At the end of the night after Illuminations the line for the monorail is nuts, and that will still require a transfer at the TTC (also nuts). To avoid that mess, you can take a bus to the Wilderness Lodge and then wait just a moment and get on one of the busses dropping off from Hollywood studios or Animal Kingdom. They are shared with the Contemporary, which is the next stop. If staying at Bay Lake Tower, the bus stop is much closer than the monorail stop, too!”

You might also consider exiting Epcot via the International Gateway, taking a bus from Beach Club to Magic Kingdom, and walking to Bay Lake Tower.

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 in Google Play
• Subscribe to the feed
• Listen on Stitcher

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.

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

Leave me a message

Want to be considered for a trip report? Please leave me a SpeakPipe message with your name, trip dates, resort, and who is in your group.

You can do that using your computer or phone at https://www.speakpipe.com/WDWPrepToGo.

Links/notes mentioned in this episode

• Early Morning Magic – Toy Story Land
• Star Wars Dessert Party
• Family Magic Tour
• Villains After Hours

Quick tip of the day

From Christine:

Ever since my husband spilled hot coffee on himself while folding a stroller to get onto a Disney bus one morning, we always bring our 12oz thermoses with us on our Disney trips. They allow us to sip hot coffee at our leisure through the morning (which allows the coffee to stay both and hot easily sealed up and thrown into a backpack to get on and off a ride or bus) and at lunch we rinse them out and use them to keep water cold through the afternoon as a refillable insulated water bottle. We then use your tip from a few months ago of having paper towel with dish soap on them to wash the bottles every evening.

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 in Google Play
• Subscribe to the feed
• Listen on Stitcher

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.

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

Leave me a message

Want to be considered for a trip report? Please leave me a SpeakPipe message with your name, trip dates, resort, and who is in your group.

You can do that using your computer or phone at https://www.speakpipe.com/WDWPrepToGo.

Links/notes mentioned in this episode

• Pop Century Resort
• Wingz Rideshare
• Magic Kingdom Dessert Party
• Spending July 4 at Disney World
• New Tekumi-Tei Restaurant at Epcot

Quick tip of the day

Consider taking an umbrella for summer trips to protect from both sun and rain. Ponchos can be hot, take up space, and can't help with the sun, so umbrellas might be a better choice.

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 in Google Play
• Subscribe to the feed
• Listen on Stitcher

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.

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

Leave me a message

Want to be considered for a trip report? Please leave me a SpeakPipe message with your name, trip dates, resort, and who is in your group.

You can do that using your computer or phone at https://www.speakpipe.com/WDWPrepToGo.

Links/notes mentioned in this episode

• All-Star Movies Resort
• Minnie Vans
• Using Lyft at Disney World
• Early Morning Magic – Magic Kingdom

Quick tip of the day

From Tami B...

Just as Shannon recommends choosing your dining based on what park you'll be in, you should choose your FastPasses based on where you'll be in the park! Obviously, availability plays a role for popular attractions, but if you can help it, check out a map and select your FastPass times based on where/when you'll be in the park. This will save you a LOT of trekking back and forth.

For example, if you have a reservation at Tusker House, schedule a FastPass for the Safari or Festival of the Lion King right before your meal. Eating lunch at Be Our Guest? Head to Enchanted Tales with Belle right after! Planning to watch the parade from Frontierland? Book a FastPass for Splash Mountain at 3:30 so you can hop on as soon as the floats clear. I did my best to follow this strategy for our last trip, and my family was thoroughly impressed - and grateful for less walking!

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 in Google Play
• Subscribe to the feed
• Listen on Stitcher