A new theme park is opening at Universal Orlando!

Have you heard of Epic Universe? It’s a brand new park opening at Universal Orlando May 22, 2025! I have been watching them build this park for the last two years and I am super excited that it will be opening this year.

The park promises to be a highly immersive theme park experience with multiple themed lands based on popular franchises. This park is going to be totally unique in that you will enter each area through a portal which will open up to each land. Guests will be fully immersed in the worlds of some of their favorite tales from The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Nintendo, How to Train Your Dragon, and Universal Monsters franchises.

Epic Universe is located close to Universal Orlando’s three other gates. It is on a plot of land near the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando. The park will also have three new hotels including Universal’s Helios Grand hotel which is located at the edge of the park.

If just reading about a this park doesn’t get you excited, check out these videos from Universal Orlando resort.

To visit Epic Universe, guests will need to purchase a multi-day ticket, as single-day tickets for the park will not be available at this time, except for Annual Passholders. The multi-day ticket includes one day of access to Epic Universe and entry to Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure on the other days. This park is going to have something for everyone!

Please reach out if you would like to visit this brand new park. My travel planning services are always free to you. Let me help take the stress out of the planning and let’s get you to this new park!

The best gift to give a Disney World Cast Member

If you are like me you like to give back to the cast members. After all they will really make or break your trip. A good interaction can make a day even more special or make a bad day better. But what is really the best gift to give a cast member who goes out of their way to make your day special?

Our last family trip was in April 2024. It was my son, my sister and I and we had had a bit of a roller coaster of a trip. Undoubtedly my son will get sick on a Disney trip. It always happens and I always plan for it. However this time I got sick. It only lasted one day but I was down the entire day. I don’t even have one picture from that day, that’s how bad I felt. I was celebrating my birthday on this trip and that day my sister had to be aunt and mom. On the very last day of that trip we spent the morning at Hollywood Studios. I was finally feeling back to normal and we stopped at Hollywood Scoops for the blueberry mickey waffles (only available until 10!). We were sitting at the nice shaded picnic tables in front of Catalina Eddie’s when a cast member started yelling “who is celebrating something special?” I raised my hand and said we were celebrating my birthday. “OK, hold on” he replied and he ran away…

He was gone for a few minutes and when he returned he was holding three celebration buttons. Two “I’m celebrating” and one Birthday button. On the I’m celebrating button he wrote “Amanda turning 22”. This was of course a nice gesture because it’s been a few decades since I celebrated 22. This made our whole day.

And this brings me back to the best gift to give a cast member and that is a Cast Compliment! You can find this in your My Disney Experience App and it’s really easy to do. Here’s how:

First open up your My Disney Experience App

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Click the hamburger (the three lines) on the bottom right.

Scroll all the way to the bottom and click on Cast Compliments.

First you will choose why you are complimenting them.

Next is the location of where you were at the time of your interaction with that cast member.

When you are interacting with this cast member take a peak at their name tag.

The name tag will give you their first name and hometown. If you can remember these things it will help you have a more accurate cast compliment!

We had a ton of great cast interactions that trip. I tried to pay more attention to the people we came in contact with and give at least one cast compliment a day. It’s a great way to give back to those who help make every Disney trip magical! Have you had any great cast member interactions? Let me know in the comments!

Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party 2023

It’s Spooky Season at Walt Disney World and my favorite extra ticketed event at Walt Disney World is Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. It is held a Magic Kingdom on select dates August-November. I took a quick solo trip this year for the party. Here are some of my tips if you plan on attending.

The party hours are 7:00PM to Midnight but you can enter Magic Kingdom at 4:00. The line to get into the party will be very, very long at 4:00. It will go fast but it is intimidating to see. If you have a park ticket for the day (say you were at Hollywood studios earlier in the day) you can go to the left and head into the park with your regular park ticket. This line will be much shorter. There are places inside to grab your wristband but I would suggest to not go there as soon as you enter the park because that line may also be long at 4:00. Once you grab your party wristband you will also receive a party park map and a trick or treat bag.

The party festivities don’t begin until 7:00 but they will begin to “push” the day park visitors out at 6:00 so grab your wristband before then. Between 6:00 and 7:00 cast members will be checking to see if you have a wristband in the front of all the lands.

At 7:00 all of the party fun begins. I suggest discussing with your group before the party begins what your objective is. Are you looking to meet characters, ride the rides, get all the candy, see the shows? You will not be able to do it all.

The trick or treat lines will be long at 7:00. If you have night owls I would suggest waiting to trick or treat until later or during the first parade. This year the cast members are using big scoops to hand out the candy so you will get plenty even if you only go to a handful of stops. You can also go back though the same line over and over if you want to.

This is my candy haul from this year’s party. I only went through a few trick-or-treat lines

Something fun they are doing this year in tomorrowland is the Zom-Beatz bash. If you love the Zombies movies you will love this. They sing all the catchy songs and teach the dance moves. The littles love this and they were all so adorable dancing. I have to admit I also loved this one.

If you are looking to meet characters be prepared for extended queues. My tip for this one is to go later in the party. Like after 11:00, Are you noticing a pattern in my tips? The queues for Jack and Sally or The Seven Dwarfs was close to or above 120 minutes for most of the night but that should go down as the night gets later. I opted to skip the characters in favor of riding some rides like Seven Dwarfs Mine train that usually have longer waits during the regular park hours.

Speaking of rides. If you want to ride Haunted Mansion also be prepared for an extended queue. Some of the happy haunts will be outside the mansion and will be putting on a show for you. You can only see them if you wait in the queue. It’s worth it to wait. They can be very entertaining.

One thing that I didn’t experienced last year was the Cadaver Dans. It’s the Dapper Dans style quartet performing haunted melodies. They are very entertaining. I like to sit in Frontier Land to watch the Boo To You parade and that is where the Cadaver Dans perform. Get there early and snag a spot for the parade and you can be entertained before the parade begins!

So let’s talk the Boo to You parade. This is my favorite thing of the night! The music for this parade is very catchy. Everyone in the crowd will start to dance and sing. That’s why I love this parade and this party. It’s a whole mood. Everyone is having a great time and it shows! The parade starts with the headless horseman. The cast members will instruct you to turn off any flashing lights and no flash photography. This is for the safety of the rider as the horse could get spooked. Shortly after the headless horseman you will hear the Boo to You music and the parade will start. There are two parades. One at 9:15 and one at 11:15. The 9:15 parade will be packed. This is when most of the families with children watch the parade. Since I was alone this year I waited until the later parade and there were a lot fewer people watching.

The first parade is usually at 9:15 and once that is over most people will head over to the castle to grab a spot for the Not So Spooky Spectacular which is at 10:15. These fireworks are also not to be missed. There will be projections on the castle and Jack Skellington will be on stage. I like to watch these fireworks standing near the partners statue. This is the statue of Walt and Mickey and is right in the middle of the hub. From here you can see everything well. People do not sit for hours for these firework so it is pretty easy to get a good spot even if you show up around 10:00.

One thing I didn’t talk about is costumes. This is the one time that adults are allowed to dress up in Disney World. There are a few rules but they are mostly for safety, no long capes, no weapons… I dressed as Joy from Inside Out this year. Last year I went with my son and my mom and we were Toy Story Characters. I love walking around and seeing everyone in costume or matching Halloween shirts.

This is just a few of the things you can do at the party. There are also spooky (Disney Spooky) overlays for a few of the rides, a Hocus Pocus Stage show, Disney Jr Jam, party exclusive snacks, Halloween photo spots and more.

If you have been to the party before let me know what your costume was and your favorite things in the comments. I’d love to hear your opinions!

The Disney Skyliner

Did you know that there is a super fun way to get around the Disney World Resort? Have you heard of the Skyliner? The Skyliner is a series of gondolas that fly you through the air to your destinations. The Skyliner can fly you between a few of the resort hotels and also to Hollywood Studios and Epcot. Let’s talk about the Skyliner route first.

Disney’s Art of Animation and Disney’s Pop Century share a Skyliner stop. From there you fly over to the stop at Disney’s Caribbean Beach resort. Here you will need to get off to transfer to either Epcot or Hollywood Studios. The line to Hollywood Studios is direct from here and will drop you off right outside the entrance to the park. The line to Epcot makes one more stop at Disney’s Riviera Resort but if you are going to Epcot you do not need to get off. The Skyliner will drop you off at Epcot at the back of Epcot at the International Gateway which is between France and the United Kingdom.

Here are some of the many reason why I love Disney’s Skyliner:

• You don’t need to fold your stroller! Game changer when you have a very tired or sleeping child. This is for single strollers or double front to back strollers. If you have a double side by side you will still need to fold it. But if you have the other two options you just push it straight in.

• You can also just roll your scooter or wheelchair right in. There will be a separate entrance for this and they will pull a gondola off to the side and it will be stationary so you can drive in and out safely.

• Your party will have their own gondola unless it is a very busy time of the day.

• The breeze through the gondola is lovely on a hot day!

• You get to see the resorts and Epcot from above. Its a great way to see some parts of the park and hotels that you would never see.

• It’s quick! This and the fact that I don’t have to fold my stroller is why it is one of my favorite ways to get around Disney World.

• The gondolas are always moving which greatly decreases your wait times to get to where you are going!

• It’s a ride all in itself. My son will sometimes say it is his favorite ride!

Riding an ECV onto the Skyliner

A view of the Skyliner at Hollywood Studios

View of the Skyliner as you exit the station at Epcot

There are only a few cons:

• If there is a storm or high winds they will stop running the gondolas. It’s not safe to be up in them at this time and believe me you don’t want to be up there when it is windy!

• The gondolas do stop occasionally and it is possible for you to be at the highest point when they stop so some people with issues with heights may not like this. However, the likelihood of this happening is fairly low!

So how can you ride the Skyliner if you aren’t staying on property? The easiest way is to park at Hollywood Studios. You can hop right on from the parking lot. You could also take a bus from any of the parks to Disney’s Art of Animation, Pop Century, Caribbean Beach or Riviera Resort and get on it at their stops. If you are at Epcot you can walk to the back of World Showcase and go out the International Gateway and get on there. You will need to leave the park to get on this way.

One of my favorite things to do on a rest day or when the parks get busy is to skyliner hop. Hollywood Studios tends to get very busy mid day. That’s when I like to head out to the Skyliner and fly over to the Riviera for lunch or ride all the way over to Art of Animation to check out their theming! You really could spend all day riding the Skyliner and checking out all the different Disney resort hotels.

Have you been on the Skyliner? Let me know in the comments!

Let me tell you why Minnie Vans are awesome!

I’m talking about those red and white polka dot SUVs that you have probably seen around Disney World property. They are run by Lyft and to get one all you need to do is open the Lyft app. More on the how later.

Let’s have a little story time. Last week my son and I were at Disney World. About 4 days before our trip he came down with the stomach bug. It lasted two days and I contemplated cancelling our trip. The trip was only going to be three quick days and the day before our trip he seemed to be feeling much better. The morning of our trip we had to be at the airport at 5 AM. I think this was just too much for his little body to handle and he was a mess at the airport. He powered through the plane ride with the help of Disney+ and once we installed the car seat into our Uber he immediately fell asleep.

We dropped our bags and the car seat at Disney’s All Star Music resort and headed to the parks. We spent the morning at Hollywood Studios doing all the fun Toy Story stuff that he has been talking about since his last trip in September of 2022. However, he still had not eaten anything. I tried but he just didn’t want to eat. So we decided to hop on Disney’s Skyliner (the best transportation at Disney World) and head over to Disney’s Riviera Resort. This is my favorite thing to do when the crowds begin to be too much. Hollywood Studios gets really crowded mid morning/ early afternoon. My son LOVES the skyliner so he was more than happy to do this.

In my opinion the Riviera resort has some of the best quick service restaurant food on Disney property and anyone can go over there to eat. Also, they have an amazing coffee shop and the scent in the resort can’t be beat. I mobile ordered our food and we sat down and wait. When our food was ready I got excited! I was able to eat two bites of my delicious cheesy sandwich and he throws up all over his seat…. Now thankfully he hasn’t eaten anything so it was mostly water but I packed us up to head to the resort for a nap. Now is when the Minnie Vans come in to the story. To get back to our resort we would have had to get back to the skyliner, ride it back to Hollywood studios and then take a bus back to our resort. That could have easily taken an hour and he really needed to rest if we wanted to head back to the parks later.

So I opened up the Lyft App. This was our first time using Minnie Vans and I was incredibly impressed. It is a bit more expensive than a regular Lyft or Uber however it comes with two car seats and the cast members are trained to put them in. My son got buckled and the driver turned on cartoons for my son and he was instantly happy. Also there is a universal phone charger for me to charge my phone on the ride. It was just under $40 and took 20 minutes for the cast member to drive us back to All Star Music.

Cartoons!

Car Seats!

The universal charger

The cast member dropped us off at our section of the resort. If you have ever stayed at an All Stars resort you will know they are huge! Our room was in the section farthest from the bus drop off so being dropped off so close to our room was amazing. This would be especially helpful after a long park day!

Have you ever taken an Uber? The drivers never speak to you and it can be a very awkward drive. The cast members that drive the Minnie Vans are very personable and if you are feeling chatty (like say if you are on a trip with a grumpy 5 year old who won’t talk to you) they will be happy to carry on a conversation with you. We got back to our resort much faster this way and my son was able to get some much needed rest.

The next morning we were headed to Magic Kingdom and he asked if we could take the “polka dot car” again. We did. And this ride was just as nice as the day before. The cast member was even more helpful and chatty than the day before and we had a great start to our day. Normally when you use a ride share to get to Magic Kingdom they have to drop you off at the transportation and ticket center (the parking lot) and you ride the monorail or ferry boat over to the parks, but Minnie Vans drop you off right in front of the park where the buses would drop you off!

This information is directly from Disney World:

Minnie Van service provides service to and from select locations within Walt Disney World Resort, including:

• Any hotel in the Disney Resorts Collection

• Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World Resort

• Shades of Green

• Walt Disney World Swan Hotel

• Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel

• Walt Disney World Swan Reserve

What to Expect – The Vehicle
Minnie Van vehicles are roomy, comfortable and playfully themed with a style inspired by Minnie Mouse. Each vehicle accommodates up to 6 Guests.

What to Expect – The Experience
Minnie Van drivers are friendly Disney Cast Members who are trained to whisk you off to where you need to be—with a smile. Each vehicle is equipped with 2 child safety seats that our Disney Cast Members can install for you. Lyft will also provide a fare estimate once you select a destination, so you know what to expect. Your payment will be processed directly through the app.

Pricing

Prices vary based on distance traveled from pick-up location to requested destination within Walt Disney World Resort.

Hours of Operation
Minnie Van service operates from 6:30 AM to 12:30 AM daily. Hours of operation are subject to change.

To request a ride:

1. Open the Lyft app within Walt Disney World Resort and enter your destination.

2. Confirm your pickup location. Lyft will provide a fare estimate, and your payment will be processed directly through the app.

3. Tap “Select Minnie Van”; if Minnie Van service is not the default vehicle type displayed, you will need to scroll through your vehicle options until Minnie Van service is displayed.

4. The app will display a map tracking the vehicle en route—along with an identifying vehicle number to help you spot your car.

I would definitely recommend using a Minnie Van. It was especially helpful to get back to the hotel quickly. I would also recommend it for Magic Kingdom days to be dropped off right at the front of the park. If we could afford it I would probably use it all day everyday but that could get a bit pricey.

Have you ever used a Minnie Van? What are your thoughts? Let me know in the comments!

Let me help you with your next Disney trip! I go often and I stay up to date with all the new discounts and would love to help you navigate your next trip and make it as stress free as possible. My services are always free to you! Thank you for your support!

- Amanda

Let’s talk PhotoPass

Have you ever been on vacation and then looked back at your pictures and realized you aren’t in any of them? If you purchase Disney’s memory maker and utilize it often throughout the parks this won’t happen on your Disney vacation. I almost always purchase the memory maker for all the fun pictures but it may not be for everyone. First let’s talk about what memory maker and photopass is and how it works.

PhotoPass is the name of the photo service found at the Disney parks. Memory maker is something you can add to your vacation for a day or the entire vacation to download all those pictures. If you have ever been to a Disney park I’m sure you have noticed a photographer or two taking pictures. Other amusement parks have photographers who take your picture and it is similar at Disney only at they take it up a notch and make it much more user friendly. Photographers are all over the parks. Just look around wherever you are in the parks and you are pretty sure to notice one. They now wear bright green shirts and carry big cameras so you can’t miss them. If you want a picture all you have to do is go up and ask them or just hop in the line that has probably formed behind them. This is especially true if you are trying to get a picture with any of the Disney parks icons (Cinderella’s Castle, Tree of Life, Spaceship Earth or Tower of Terror)

This is one of my favorite Memory Maker photos

I think Disney makes it so much easier to access your photos as well. When you go up to the photographer they will scan your magicband or ticket which is how the pictures link to your account. The pictures that you take will all show up on your My Disney Experience App pretty soon after the pictures have been taken. If you have prepurchased memory maker for your trip you will see your pictures without a Disney photopass watermark but if you haven’t you can still view your photos with the watermark in your app. Then you can decide later if you want to purchase memory maker. I would suggest doing it before your trip if you think you will utilize it as it is a little bit cheaper as an advance purchase.

Another favorite PhotoPass moment in Disney’s California Adventure

Memory maker may not be for everyone. If you have just come to Disney for the rides and you don’t plan on stopping to take the time to get pictures taken then you will probably want to skip it. You will need to make time for the pictures. We have gotten so many memorable pictures from Disney so personally I suggest getting the memory maker. The photographers get such sweet shots of you with the sights around the parks and also great pictures when meeting the characters. Also make sure you ask the photographer for magic shots. These are where you get special things added to your pictures.

Magic shot with Tinkerbell

These are the current Memory Maker prices:

• Memory Maker One Day ($69) —includes all of your photos and videos from one day of your choosing. May be used upon purchase.

• Memory Maker Advance Purchase ($169) — includes all of your photos and videos from your vacation. You must wait at least three days after purchase to activate. Once activated, it lasts for 30 days.

• Memory Maker ($199) — includes all of your photos and videos from your vacation. May be used upon purchase. Once activated, it lasts for 30 days.

Memory maker also includes ride photo downloads. However right now Genie+ includes your ride photo downloads so if you are just wanting all your fun ride pictures just purchase Genie+ for the day.

Here’s a tip: Even if you never purchase a single photo from Disney, you can still have PhotoPass photographers snap pictures with your phone or camera.

Have you ever had PhotoPass photos taken? Do you love it? Let me know in the comments. Also if you have any questions or are looking for someone to help book your next Disney trip send me an email or check out my Instagram page. My services are free and I’d love to help!

Solo Trip Day 2

I was up bright and early the next day at 6:30 AM and ready for the day. I headed to Hollywood Studios for the morning. I arrived during early park hours and went right to Tower of Terror. It was a 13 minute wait which of course meant it was a walk on. Most people run back to Toy Story Land or over to Star Wars so I knew I would be able to walk on Tower of Terror. I rode it once and then decided to ride it again since the park was just opening and it was still a walk on. Maybe two times in a row is a little too much for my stomach, but I still enjoyed it! After Tower I got some coffee and a snack and headed back to Toy Story Land.

Love my Joffrey’s coffee!

Here’s a little tip if you are a coffee drinker. There is a Joffrey’s stand right outside the ride exit for Tower of Terror. The line at this Joffrey’s is always shorter because it is tucked back out of view. If you try to get coffee at park opening I would go to this cart. The other cart back by Toy Story Land or the Starbucks will have a huge line in the morning.

This Joffrey’s coffee cart is the place to be in the mornings at Hollywood Studios! No Line!

The weather was beautiful and I enjoyed walking along Sunset Boulevard sipping my coffee. On the way to Toy Story Land I ran into Daisy as she was watering her flowers. I love this location to see characters interacting with guests at a distance!

I made a rookie mistake the morning of this trip. On the bus on the way to Hollywood Studios I purchased Genie + and an individual lightening lane for Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind. I booked Slinky Dog for (what I thought was) 8:55AM. I went straight to Slinky Dog to use my lightening lane and the cast member told me I was 12 hours early. Ugh. I didn’t even look at the time of day. I booked it for 8:55PM. Make sure you look at the AM/PM! I definitely wasn’t planning to be there that late since I was flying home so I cancelled it. I should have known since Slinky Dog Dash is one of the first lightening lanes that will sell out at Hollywood Studios.

I was able to ride: Alien Swirling Saucers, Rise of the Resistance and finally Slinky Dog Dash by the time the morning was over. It was a good morning! These weeks are full of Spring breakers so the parks are packed! By mid day Hollywood Studios gets too busy for me. So for lunch I did my favorite Disney thing. I rode the Skyliner over to Disney’s Riviera Resort and ate lunch at their quick service restaurant. I would recommend this to everyone. Primo Piatto’s (Riviera’s quick service restaurant) food is wonderful. I had the Croque Monsieur which is a ham and cheese sandwich with so much cheese you will be in heaven. The coffee shop in the lobby is also wonderful so I picked up a coffee to have with my lunch.

A relaxing Skyliner ride to Disney’s Riviera Resort

Cinnamon Cold Brew from Le Petit Cafe in the lobby of Disney’s Riviera Resort

The Croque Monsieur sandwich from Primo Piatto at Disney’s Riviera Resort

Currently park hopping is not allowed until 2:00 at Disney World so I took my time and enjoyed my lunch and then took the Skyliner over to Epcot to see some more of the topiaries and to ride Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind one more time. The second hiccup of the day happened at Guardians. The ride was down. I don’t usually plan days when I go the Disney because these are the kinds of things that happen and if you have your day really planned out it can get you very frustrated. I sat at Guardians for about a half an hour before I had to leave to get to Magic Kingdom. I went to a blue umbrella which is where the guest services is and got my ILL refunded since I wouldn’t be able to ride. And as my luck would have it about as soon as they refunded my lightening lane the ride opened back up! I did a little souvenir shopping for me and my son and then took the monorail over to Magic Kingdom.

I didn’t get to spend much time at the Magic Kingdom this trip. My goal there was to ride all the rides with taller height requirements because when my son is with me I don’t get to ride those rides. As it turns out my body doesn’t actually like those rides too much. I rode Space Mountain first and felt like I was getting a chiropractic adjustment! And not in a good way. That ride really whips you around! I had rode Big Thunder Mountain on the first day of my trip and didn’t love how that whipped me around either. After Space Mountain I rode the Little Mermaid ride and then headed over to Haunted Mansion where the third hiccup of the day happened. While waiting in line the ride broke, however they didn’t tell us this and we just stood there for a good half and hour. Rides break at Disney, a lot. There are a lot of moving parts to the rides and sometimes things stop working. This is another reason why I say not to plan your day too much.

After I was finally able to get on the Haunted Mansion it was almost 6:00 PM. I wanted to get on a few more rides but I still needed to eat dinner and get back to the hotel. My Uber was to pick me up at 7:30 to take me to the airport. Between grabbing dinner, riding the monorail and walking back to the hotel it was 7:15. I still needed to repack my bag and change into pants for the airplane ride. And of course my Uber driver was going to get there early… argh! I was rushing around like crazy only to get to the airport super early. TSA at the Orlando airport can be a nightmare and that’s what I planned for but it was empty.

See you next time Orlando!

I flew Frontier for this trip. They are a budget airline and are super strict about bag sizes. I had a regular sized backpack which is allowed as a personal item and you are allowed one personal item per person. When I flew out of RDU no one checked mine or any of the people around me bag size. At Orlando when we arrived at the gate to board the plane the women working there made every single person shove their bag into the bag sizer. I get it they have rules but that was nuts. It took us forever to board the plane because of that. So make sure your bags aren’t over the size limit because you never know if they will check it!

Overall it was a nice trip! I enjoyed being able to go at my own pace. When I do this again I will definetly take a later flight on the morning I leave. Getting up at 3AM just wasn’t nice to my body and I was too tired to stay up and take full advantage of the parks that day. I hope you learned a few things from my mistakes on day two! As always thank you for your support and if you know anyone looking to book a trip to Disney World please send them over to me! I’d love to help!

My First Solo Trip

Have you ever visited Disney World and thought “this would be way more fun without all these other people with me?” Last week I had the opportunity to go to Disney World alone for two days. I was excited do all the things that I wanted to do. I had a long list of things that I wanted to photograph and a long list of big rides that I wanted to ride.

The day started incredibly early. I woke up at 3:00 in the morning for a 5:30 flight to Orlando. The flight was on time and I arrived in Orlando at 7:30. As soon as I could take my phone out of airplane mode I opened the My Disney Experience app and booked an Individual Lightening lane for Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind. I booked it for early in the afternoon. I also purchased Genie+ for the day and booked my first lightening lane. Then I set a timer for 2 hours after park opening so I could then book another lightening lane. I deplaned and headed to the exit booking an Uber along the way. This was my first time using Uber and it was quick and easy and I got to my hotel fast.

I stayed at Shades of Green this trip. Shades of Green is a military resort and qualifies as a deluxe resort for Disney. It isn’t my favorite resort but it is centrally located to both Magic Kingdom and Epcot and I am able to take the monorail to both of those resorts. I arrived at Shades of Green and checked in and they said they would call me when my room is ready. I dropped my backpack with bell services and then headed to Epcot.

I don’t love the buses from Shades of Green. They are not as efficient as the busses from Disney resorts and they don’t come as often. So I choose to walk from the resort down to the Polynesian resort. From there I can go through their security and ride the monorail to Epcot or the Magic Kingdom. The walk down to the Poly is about 10 minutes but that depends on how fast of a walker you are.

I arrived at Epcot around 9:00. I have military park tickets and before I went into the park I needed to go over to guest services to validate my tickets. While I was there I was able to also get a disability pass attached to my account. I’ll discuss DAS in another post but if you have a disability that makes it difficult to wait in long lines DAS is a great addition to your day. It cuts down on standing in longer lines which my legs have a real problem with.

The Epcot International Flower and Garden festival started this month so I spent the morning walking around World Showcase looking at the topiaries and drinking my Joffrey’s coffee. I’m a sucker for their Shakin Jamaican cold brew with a splash of milk. I always have to stop in the Norway pavilion to eat a school bread which I actually had for breakfast this trip.

Enjoying my Shakin Jamaican cold brew

My breakfast school bread. Sweet bread filled with custard.

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The festival booths around world showcase have many food offerings and I walked past many of them. Almost all of the festival booths open at 11 which is a problem if you are hungry and it is 9 or 10:00. After my school bread I went over to Mexico and rode the Gran Fiesta Tour. I got a boat all to my self which was lovely as I was really starting to feel tired from the early start to the morning. Afterwards I bought myself a Mickey pretzel and two drinks from a festival booth and waited for my lightening lane time to come for Guardians of the Galaxy.

Mickey Pretzel, Violet Lemonade and a small beer tasting.

In my opinion Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind is the best ride in Disney World. It is so immersive and the ride is so smooth. The songs that play during the ride are just such fun songs. I start smiling as soon as I get in the line and am still smiling when the ride is over. It’s such a fun experience and I look forward to it every trip I take to Disney.

Walking into Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind

The queue inside Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind

After I rode Guardians and a few other rides the exhaustion from getting up so early and all the walking (I had over 15,000 steps by lunchtime) was beginning to take a toll on me. I decided it was time to head to the resort for a little rest break and a shower so that I was able to continue my day over at Magic Kingdom.

I stayed at a Deluxe resort so that I could take advantage of the extended evening hours for deluxe resort guests. And that night they were happening at Magic Kingdom. It was the last week of the 50th anniversary celebration so I wanted to see Enchantment for the first and last time before the celebration was over as well.

I got back to my room around 3:30. The nap didn’t really happen but at least I rested and took a shower so I felt ready to head back out. I was headed out to Magic Kingdom by 6:00. My goal for the evening was to ride the mountains and watch Enchantment fireworks. I was able to hop on Big Thunder Mountain and then I hopped over to Pecos Bill’s for some dinner tacos. I also saved room for an orange swirl dole whip. yum!

I spent about two hours at Magic Kingdom before I was too tired and irritable to even enjoy myself anymore. And thinking about the masses of people that were starting to form to watch the fireworks didn’t seem the least bit enjoyable. So I decided to head back to my hotel. On the way back I caught some of Enchantment from the beaches of the Polynesian.

So what did I learn from this first day of my solo trip? I learned that I don’t do well when I get up super early. When I do this again I will take a little bit later of a flight to Orlando. I am a person who really needs their sleep at night. So only having about 4 hours of sleep the night before my trip really messed with the entire day.

I hope you enjoyed my recap of Day 1 of my solo trip. It was really refreshing to be able to do what I wanted when I wanted. However I missed having my little guy with me and it made me think I needed to book a trip for the both of us really soon! Stay tuned for Day 2 in the next blog post!

The Castle at night

Let’s stop being strangers!

I’ve been at this for a little bit now so I figured it was probably time to introduce myself a little bit more. I am a stay at home mom to my beautiful baby boy who is now five. He is getting ready to go off to Kindergarten in the fall. This child amazes me everyday. He is so smart and brave and kind. We are very proud of him. He is my little Disney buddy. He loves everything Disney just as much as I do. I’m sure that is all because of me. Here are a few of our favorite Disney things.

What are some of your Disney favorites? Tell me about it in the comments!

Pop Century Love

There’s just something magical about arriving at Epcot on a gondola. And there are so few Disney resorts that will get you to Epcot or Hollywood Studios on a gondola. One of those resorts and the most affordable is Disney’s Pop Century resort.

The big Mickey phone. Located in the 70s section of the resort

My son calls it the Mickey phone hotel. Not everyone can afford the Riviera and Caribbean Beach and Art of Animation can sometimes be pricey. When choosing a hotel I try my best to choose a hotel on the skyliner route and most often it has been Disney’s Pop Century hotel. We have stayed at a few Disney resorts and the other transportation is not bad but for me staying on the skyliner line is just superior to using a bus.

The skyliner also allows you to quickly get to the Carribean beach resort or continue to the Riviera. Both of those hotels have table service restaurants as well as quick service. I love flying over to the Riviera for a coffee or pastry from their coffee shop. Their quick service Primo Piatto has some yummy offerings for all the meals. The blueberry-lemon pancakes at breakfast and the croque monsieur sandwich are two of my favorites!

Pop Century is my favorite value hotel but it is great for other reasons besides just the skyliner. One of those things is being located across hourglass lake from Art of Animation. On a non park day or just for a break from the crowds you can easily walk over to enjoy their theming. It’s great to walk over to the Cars section and feel like you are in Cars land.

Cars Land at Disney’s Art of Animation

Pop Century has three pools. We love visiting the pools. The bowling pin and computer pool are more quiet and less busy than the hippy dippy pool. If you are looking for an area to stay and you want to head to bed early I would caution against a room near the Hippy Dippy pool. The music runs while the pool is open and is fairly loud.

Spending some time at the bowling pool

A totally awesome Goofy statue

We love getting a room in the 70s section. There’s no pool there so it is usually quiet. It is also a short walk to classic hall to visit all things Pop store and the quick service dining. I really like that you can mobile order breakfast and that they have Joffreys cold brew available.

A tip about staying at a value resort at Disney. All the room doors are open to the outside like a motel. Sometimes the rooms can be loud. I always bring a fan or a sound machine with us to help drown out the noise.

If you have Facebook search for a pop century group. These groups always have great ideas for decorating your room windows and doors. Also people frequently leave things behind at the end of their trips and will leave it out for you to take (ie. extra drinks and snacks). Some Pop Century guests like to pin trade at the resorts and this will also be posted in those groups. It’s a great place to see what’s going on around the resort.

What is your favorite Disney value resort? Let me know in the comments!

Bibbidi Bobbidi Boohoo…I didn’t get my dining reservations…

Let’s face it. Getting the dining reservations that you want at Disney is hard. Currently you can book your dining reservations 60 days out from the start of your trip. If you are staying on property you have an advantage. You can book your dining reservations for the entirety of your trip at 60 days. If you are off property you have to book every day at 60 days out.

If you want a popular reservation you need to be logged into MyDisney Experience before 6:00 AM and be ready at 6:00 AM to book what you want. This is especially true if you are looking to get a character dining experience or a very popular restaurant like Space 220 or Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’. Reservations will be gone in seconds or they will not be available at all. This is because someone else may have started their booking earlier for the same time you need. For example: you need reservations for Monday thru Friday but someone that has a Disney resort reservation for Sunday to Wednesday could start to make reservations for that same time period on Sunday whereas you had to wait until Monday. I hope that makes sense.

All of the above is also true for enchanting extras like Fireworks desert parties, Harmony barbershop and Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique.

There are a few apps and websites that you can set alerts for. Some of them you have to pay and some are free. I have had good luck with the touring plans website and also the Stakeout app. If you search the web you will find a few more apps that will help to get you the reservations you want.

I have found the best luck with waiting to look one or two nights before the day that you want a reservation. This is because a lot of people will hold onto a reservation until much closer to the 24 hour cancellation window and then they cancel which makes it available for you to snag. However if you know what table service restaurant you want and you won’t be satisfied with anywhere else I’d definitely recommend either get on there early or pay for an alert app. I’ll list a few of the alert applications at the bottom of this article.

Now once you have your reservations you need to remember that if you can’t make the reservation you need to cancel before 24 hrs or they will charge you. However if you forget to cancel and it is within 24hrs you can modify the reservation for a different day in the future and then cancel it. This way you won’t be charged. I have done this a few times when I needed to leave the park early or we just didn’t feel like taking the time that day for a sit down meal.

We love table service restaurants when we go to Disney World in the summer. It’s so hot and it’s just nice to sit down at some point of the day in the air conditioning. Also it’s great to know for sure that you will have a seat to sit on and a table to eat on. I also love quick service restaurants but sometimes I don’t want to eat standing at a trashcan.

Disney Dining Alert Apps:

Touring Plans Dining Reservation Finder

Mouse Dining

Stakeout App

MouseWatcher

Take the solo trip with your kids!

Let’s talk about solo trips with your kids. I took my son on our first solo trip when he was 2 to Disneyland. We lived close at the time. I took him again when he was 3. These are my favorite trips!

This trip was shortly after his second Birthday and my favorite memories of Disneyland

My son was 3 the first I took him to Disney World. It was June of 2021 and almost a year after they reopened from the pandemic shut down. Disney World still had a policy that everyone over 2 had to wear a mask at all times. That was rough at first but he did well leaving his mask on the whole time. The second time was at the end of August in 2021. They had decreased the mask requirement to only when in lines and on transportation and we had a blast on this visit. I love going at the end of August because most kids are just starting school for the year. Yes it is blazing hot but it was a ghost town. We definitely got spoiled.

Riding the monorail

Waiting for a parade

A few tips on taking a solo trip with your kids:

• Just go with the flow. Your kids are going to get tired and they are going to have some sort of meltdown. The fewer actual set in stone plans the better. That way if they get tired and you need to leave for naps or even leave for the day you aren’t missing anything that you prepaid for.

• Bring the stroller. Your child will walk way way more at Disney than they are prepared for. Even if you think your child can walk a lot and not get tired they will get tired at Disney. The last thing you will feel up to is carrying them back to the hotel or car.

• Take snacks. Take snacks you know they will eat otherwise you may spend money on snacks and meals that they won’t even touch.

• Take the rain cover for the stroller and ponchos for everyone if you are going to Disney World. It will rain and no one is happy once they get wet. Also buying those things AT the parks will cost you mega money.

• If you have little kids take extra clothes, diapers, wipes. You never know what might happen once you are far from your hotel/ car.

• Bring a baby carrier if you little one is used to being worn. Your arms will thank you.

• On the topic of lines, if you child is not good at waiting make sure you stash little toys in your park bag for them to play with while they wait in line. New toys are even better!

• Last tip. Decorate your stroller. I always decorate for whatever holiday we are going close to as well as put a small string of battery operated lights on the handle. This does two things. It makes it much easier to find the stroller in a sea of strollers but also the lights help with safety. It can get really dark in the parks as well as when you are walking back to your resort. When its crowded and dark the lights help people see the stroller.

  The biggest takeaway from this should be just do it. Just go. The memories will last a lifetime. Maybe not for them but for you! They are only little once.

  Do you have any tips that I missed? Let me know in the comments!

2022 Has Come to an End

Ok confession time. I have not been on here in a long time. A really long time. When I started this blog I was intending to write something every week. As you can tell that did not happen. Life happened instead and other things came first. I hate that, but it’s the truth.

I can’t believe 2022 is coming to an end today. The year went so fast. My family has done so much this year. Not just Disney. We had three trips to Disney and the first 2 definitely didn’t go as planned at all. The third one was just a one day surprise (more on that in another post) trip to Epcot at the end of a Universal/ Legoland trip. That made up for the other trips and was a great book end to the year. My husband was with us, and he isn’t a theme park guy, and we had a great time.

This year my little guy has had Covid, RSV (on the second Disney trip) and the flu (twice). He has had countless other illnesses and man this year was a doozy for getting sick. I’m sure most of you have experienced the same things.

My plan for this blog was to help people be prepared for their trips and in turn learn a little about myself and Disney in the process. I was also going to try to become a travel agent to continue to assist people with their trips. The travel agent thing has happened yet and I don’t even know if I want to do that anymore but I know I still love Disney and I love helping people.

I especially love Disney with my son. Seeing how much joy he has when we go on our trips is priceless. He talks just about every day about the trips we have taken this year to Disney. He will randomly bring up a ride or a show we went to or that time we met Mickey.

If you hung in this long thank you. Please enjoy a few of my favorite moments from Disney and check out my Instagram for more fun content!

We were walking by a photo pass photographer and he wasn’t busy so we had him take a few pictures and they are my favorite!

I got to celebrate my birthday at Epcot with my parents and son. (peep my Dad in the reflection behind my mom)

Our first Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party

A quick trip to Epcot for my first Festival of the Holidays. It did not disappoint.

Here’s to a great 2023. Happy New Year everyone!

Those Big Beautiful Cookies

I watch a lot of Disney vlogs on Youtube. I have followed them for a few years now. It started with Disneyland and then I started to follow more Disney World vloggers once we moved back to the East coast. I was watching Mr. Cheezy Pop and I saw him eat Gideon’s coffee cake cookie and I decided I needed to get my hands on those.

Depending on what time of the year or even what time of the day you go to Disney Springs Gideon’s will probably have a line or be doing the virtual cue. The virtual cue is nice if they have a long wait because you give them your name and then go about your business shopping and such until you can go back and get your cookies. or cake. or coffee… I have never personally experienced the virtual cue and have usually waited in about an hour or so line to get cookies and coffee.

These cookies are HUGE. The cookies are almost half a pound! I recently read an interview with the owner and creator of Gideon’s cookies. He said that it took him 15 years to perfect the chocolate chip cookie recipe. That’s AMazing and it shows in the taste!

When you are waiting in line for the cookies you will be given a little light reading. A Gideon’s employee clad in all black will hand you the current months menu. It’s a cute little card with an illustration on one side and the menu on the other. They are great to collect.

A few of the Gideon’s Bakehouse Menus that they give you while you wait in line

They also have a monthly nitro cold brew flavor along with the regular nitro cold brew flavors. In that same interview he said that it took him years to perfect the cold brew recipe. It shows. The interview is very interesting and worth the read. I’ll link it at the end of the blog.

During our last trip the monthly flavor was French toast and it was delicious. It’s probably a good thing that I don’t live closer or way too much of my money would be spent on Gideon’s Nitro cold brew (and cookies).

Its a very funky vibe inside and it is tiny. It’s pretty much Halloween all year long at Gideon’s.

Some of the pictures hanging inside Gideon’s

Now let’s drool over some of the cookies….

Ok…We ate half of these. LOL

It’s HUGE! (I had already taken a bite!)

A picture of my cold brew and that bag holds all the deliciousness!

Here is the link for the interview with Steve Lewis. The cookie genius!

Mickey’s not so Scary Halloween Party

Today is October 13 and I can not believe that it has been a month since we went to Mickey’s not so scary Halloween party for the first time. I was really excited and so was my 4 year old son. He talked about it for months a head of time. He couldn’t wait to go to the Halloween Party. He talked about it constantly.

Our party day was September 9 which was towards the end of our Disney trip and both him and I got sick during the trip. This put a slight damper on the trip but wasn’t going to get us down. Here are some of my favorite things about the party.

• You can get in before the party starts. On the day of your party you are able to get in to the park at 4:00. The party starts at 7 but all park guests without party tickets start to get escorted out at 6:00. People start to line up to get in to the party at 3:00 or sooner. I’ve heard it can be a mess trying to get in to Magic Kingdom right at 4:00. I know you want to get as much time in the park as you can but my tip is to show up around 4:30. The big crowds are gone and you can get in much faster. We also took that day as a rest day so we didn’t use up a park ticket. 4:00- midnight is a pretty good chunk of time in the park and we wanted to save a park ticket for another day.

The months that the Halloween party run are right in the middle of hurricane season in Florida. It rained right before the party’s time to start but didn’t rain during our party. Many of the parties before us got heavy rain during the party so we were lucky.

• Prepare ahead of time for the things you must see. There is so much that you can experience you will not have enough time to do it all. Especially if you have little ones who are going to fall sleep early on in the evening. I have heard that ride lines are significantly less during the parties. This is not something we encountered but we were not able to stay until the end so maybe later in the night the lines went down.

• You get to trick or Treat! Trick or treat is for everyone at the party. Doesn’t matter your age since we are all kids at Disney. The lines were pretty long but moved fast. I’m sure these lines were much shorter closer to midnight and I hear they give out bigger handfuls of candy later on in the party.

At the first trick or treat stop they give you a big bag of M&Ms

• Adults (and kids) get to wear costumes. I found one of the most fun things to be that most people dressed up in some way. Some just Disney bounded and others went full blown costume. I felt like this made everyone a little more invested in the evening. We went as Woody, Jesse and Bo Peep from Toy Story. My mom was with us and she went all out on her costume. She even made boot covers for over her sneakers.

Bo Peep

Woody and Jesse

• The parade is awesome. The “Boo-To-You” Halloween parade is filled with characters that are rarely seen. When the parade started everyone started to dance and sing the Boo to You song. This was so much fun for me. It was that feeling that you get when you are front row at a concert and you know all the words to the songs. The parade was definitely my favorite part of the night.

The parade starts with the headless horseman. Everyone has to be silent and all blinking lights turned off for the safety of the rider and so the horse doesn’t get spooked.

The grave diggers

• The fireworks were spectacular. Jack Skellington is the host of Disney’s Not so Spooky Spectacular. And it was spectacular. The projections and the music were so fun and the fireworks were awesome too.

My son fell asleep right before the parade started. He was able to trick or treat a few times and we rode some rides before he passed out for the night. I was able to wake him for a few minutes during the fireworks but that kid can sleep through anything.

My mom stayed to watch the Hocus Pocus Villain Spectacular which is a stage show with all the Disney villains. I had to head back to the hotel with my son, but I stopped at one more trick or treat spot on the way out.

During the party we rode the Haunted Mansion which had some of the characters out in the cue interacting with the park guests which was fun. We didn’t get to ride Pirates of the Caribbean which had real people dressed as pirates and we didn’t get to do any of the meet and greets but that just means that we have to go back next year to do all the things that we missed. All in all I believe its a good bang for your buck and an whole lot of fun!

Spooky Haunted Mansion

When bad things happen to you at Disney…

This one might be a little sensitive for some of you. I want to talk about a thing that happened to me two Disney trips ago. But first I want to take a little time and talk about my most favorite person in the whole wide world. The bravest, smartest and most resilient little person that I have ever known…My son.

My son was born at 25 weeks 5 days. My waters broke on Halloween night in 2017 and I was 21 weeks pregnant. I then spent almost 5 of the worst weeks of my life on bed rest in and out of a hospital. In those weeks I experienced the most stress and most fear that I had ever experienced in my life up until then . I never knew when he was going to come. I was back and forth to labor and delivery, on and off medications and checked constantly. They eventually had to do a c-section when it was no longer safe for him to stay inside me. (Bed rest Mom’s can we talk about recovery from that c-section…the most pain I have ever been in in my life)

My beautiful baby boy spent 129 days in the NICU. Within the first two weeks the neurologist (while talking over my son) told me to stop fighting for him. That he would have no quality of life. So many ups and downs. I was there EVERY SINGLE DAY. I saw everything that that little life went through and thankfully he will not remember any of those things.

This child continues to have a few issues but nothing that impacts his quality of life. I wish I could parade him in front of the neurologist so he can see just how wrong he was. He is thriving and learning and is so funny and smart. And HE LOVES DISNEY. He loves everything Disney and I’m sure he has gotten a lot of that from me. I hear all the time from people “You went to Disney AGAIN?” Yes! I took my son to our favorite place and we had so much fun! I’ll take him as often as we can afford it! We always have so much fun. Even when the worst things are happening. This leads me to the whole point of this blog.

We never planned to have more children. We went through so much with our son. More would have been a blessing but I wasn’t prepared to put myself through that mentally or physically. BUT in February of this year I started to feel tired and just a little off. Turns out I was pregnant. I was so scared but after a few weeks I embraced it and decided I was going to be happy and try not to worry the entire pregnancy. I had a Disney trip scheduled for April for my birthday with my son and my parents. I started researching the rides I could and couldn’t go on. I was tired but excited.

On the drive down to Disney in April I started to not feel so great. I started to bleed a little (which happened plenty in the first pregnancy) but I tried to brush it off. We stopped for the night and I asked my mom to take me to the ER. This is where they confirmed the worst was happening. I was showing the signs of a miscarriage and would probably miscarry within the week.

The next morning we got up and headed to Disney. I know that may seem hard for some people to grasp but my Dad hadn’t been to Disney in probably 20 years. I know my parents were looking forward to it and it was going to be extra special for my son being there with Grandma and Grandpa. Usually I prefer to go alone with my son but I’m so glad my parents were there to help with him…and me.

Most of the days I managed ok. I walked 15-20,000 steps like a usual Disney trip but probably a little slower. The rides were fun but I definitely noticed more bumps that I would not have usually felt. I visited the restroom way more times than usual and my son (who shared a stall with me) found out way more about the female anatomy than he was probably ready to learn about. Most of that week I basically just had very very bad menstrual cramps.

Enjoying a margarita on my Birthday at San Angel Inn restaurant in the Mexico Pavilion

The Birthday Squad (my son wasn’t feeling the pictures)

Friday was most definetly the worst day of the week. We went to Magic Kingdom in the morning. It was crowded and I was tired. I sent the rest of the group to Mickey’s PhilharMagic while we waited for our DAS (for my dad) return time for Seven Dwarf’s Mine train. I was going to get some coffee and a snack to help me feel better. While I was alone I started to feel pain. Like pain I have never experienced. They met back up with me and I told them we needed to leave. It was too crowded and I was having problems walking. We took the Monorail over to the Polynesian. I just needed to get away from the crowds and just relax a bit. At this point I needed to lean on my son’s stroller for support to walk. We got on the elevator to ride down to Captain Cooks for lunch and that’s when it happened. I won’t go in to any of the specifics. If you have experienced a miscarriage you probably know.

We went for lunch afterwards and then walked over to the Grand Floridian. You just have to carry on. I could have just gone to my hotel room to be sad and dwell on what just happened but I didn’t. I love Disney and I wanted to continue to love Disney so I just continued on. We made more good memories on that trip and I just tried my best to put what was happening to the back of my mind. There was plenty of time to deal with that when I got home.

I’m still trying to get past that miscarriage. We went to Disney a few weeks ago. We stayed at Shades of Green so I was in the Polynesian daily and I’m thankful that I still see it the way I did before. I’d still love to be able to afford to stay at a bungalow and hope to be able to grab an O’hana reservation now that he characters have returned.

If you have read this far then thank you for hanging in there. I know this one wasn’t the lightest read and it’s hard to think of subjects that are this hard and Disney at the same time. I’m hoping one take away from my experience is that people go through tough stuff everyday. Even when they are visiting Disney. So try to be nice.

Our Stay at Shades of Green

Let me start by saying Shades of Green is a great value. It’s close to the monorail and Magic Kingdom. Disney counts it as a moderate resort so you get the extended evening hours on select days. The hotel rooms and bathrooms are big (two sinks!). But for us these things just didn’t do it for us. Our favorite hotel is Pop Century. Yes the rooms are tiny at POP BUT it has easy transportation to the parks, I can mobile order food from the quick service (ie Mickey waffles) and did I mention it’s on the skyliner route….

But back to our stay at Shades. If you don’t know Shades of Green is a military resort. Only active duty, retirees and some select others can stay there. Check in was easy and painless. Our room wasn’t ready yet so they take your phone number and call you when it’s ready (which for us was around 2:30). Once your room is ready and you need a luggage cart the bellman has to do it for you. So if you have already parked your car (which we had) you have to drive your vehicle back to the front of the hotel to unload all of your stuff. This was a pain and I wish they would have been able to just give us the cart.

The resort is BIG and the walk to our room once we got back to the hotel was LONG. I’m pretty sure our room was about as far from the lobby as you can get. The room was quiet which helped even though I was in a room with a loud snorer. They have a few dining options but for us they weren’t the greatest. My son and I at breakfast one morning at the buffet. It has everything you would expect on a breakfast buffet and was very reasonably priced for being on Disney property. It was $3.50 for my son’s breakfast. That’s amazing. But who really has time to get up and eat at a buffet on their Disney vacation. You want to get up and go go go. Dinner options get a little slimmer. There is a fancier restaurant or you can get pizza, fried rice or made to order pasta down where the buffet is in the morning. Don’t get the pizza…been there, done that and YUCK. There is also a “sports bar” restaurant but we didn’t go there because it was not close to our room. We also did not try the grab and go option which is down by the buses.

Now can we talk about transportation….The buses run every half an hour. This can seem like forever if you just miss a bus. Now on the bright side you can just walk to the Polynesian Resort and catch a Disney bus or the monorail depending on what park you are going to that day. Its about a 10 minute walk and it’s pretty quick. The shades bus that goes to Hollywood Studios also goes to Animal Kingdom first so that takes up a good chunk of time. We walked to the polynesian for all of our transportation. The security to get on the monorail at the Poly is quick and simple and much less than the lines at Epcot or Magic Kingdom. I could go on and on about the transportation. Ask any questions in the comments.

This is the current Shades of Green bus schedule

I’ll sum up the pros and cons. These are just my opinions.

PROS:

• Walk to the Polynesian was fairly short so that you can take Disney buses or the monrail.

• The rooms are huge compared to Disney value resort rooms

• The room price is cheap compared to other Disney properties

CONS

• Parking at Shades is $15/ night. You do not get free parking at the Disney Parks. If you drive to the parks you will have to pay the $25 for parking.

• Transportation take a while. The bus ride to get to Hollywood Studios could easily take 30 minutes. Also you need to pay attention to the bus schedule or you could be waiting for the buses for a while.

• There is 100% ID checking. This even includes when on a shades bus. The security guard will come on the bus on the way back to the hotel and check EVERYONE’S IDs. This goes quick but after a long day at the park can seem like it takes forever.

Best places in Epcot to spend time when it rains

It’s probably going to rain during your Disney trip. It’s Florida. It rains just about every day in Florida. My favorite park for rainy Disney days is an easy one. EPCOT. Epcot is easily our favorite park overall. During our trips most days end in Epcot. Here are my favorite places to hide out during a Disney rainstorm.

1. Epcot has a ton of indoor rides. And not just indoor rides, indoor spaces around those rides. The Land is one of my favorite places to hide out in a rain storm. The Land has two rides (Soarin’ Around the World and Living with the Land), a movie (Awesome Planet) and a place to eat. You could easily spend an hour or two in here and not be bored. Sunshine Seasons is the quick service in the land and has a ton of tasty options.

   If someone in your party has an ECV they will be able to bring it inside and there are a ton of places to plug it in to charge while you roam around the land. Also when it’s raining you are able to bring your stoller up to the front doors. While they are still kept outside they are under a roof and less likely to be completely soaked when you come back outside.

2. The Seas. The Seas is also a great place to spend time when it’s raining. There is no food option here but you have a ride, a show, an aquarium, a place space and a gift shop. This is also a great idea in the afternoons in the heat of the summer. The Seas with Nemo and Friends is great for little kids. There’s also Turtle Talk with Crush which is a super cute show. Again, you could easily spend an hour or two inside here.

3. Mexico in the World Showcase. This is my son’s favorite ride (he’s 4). He calls it the “Donald Ride”. The Gran Fiesta Tour is a slow moving boat ride that rarely has a wait longer than 5 minutes. There is also a restaurant in Mexico. My favorite place inside the Mexico Pavillion is La Cava del Tequila. The blood orange Margarita is my favorite.

Gran Fiesta Tour

Enjoying my Blood Orange Margarita

There are a ton of indoor places in World Showcase at Epcot but the three above have the most indoor things to do in case of a longer rain storm. We have run into Remy or Frozen when it has rained but if you don’t have Lightening Lanes for those rides you are likely to be stuck out in the rain for a few minutes while you wait. You can find plenty of cover in a variety of places in Epcot. Just a warning though. Try not to be between China and Germany if it’s going to rain. I’ve been there as a rain storm has started and there is no place to get cover. I’ve been completely soaked as I have walked the short distance between Germany and China.

What do you think? Where do you hide out when it’s raining?

Hats and Fans and Ponchos, Oh My!

How do you survive a full day in the hot Florida or Southern California sun? You need accessories! I have been to both Disneyland and Disney World in the hot heat of summer (and fall) and if you aren’t prepared you will be miserable. Many of the things I take to survive the heat will easily fit into a small backpack or under a small stroller.

Tip # 1: SUNSCREEN. This may be a no brainer however, I have seen some pink skin and you do not want to have to deal with that while you are trying to have fun on days 3,4,5…. Put the sunscreen on before you even leave your hotel. It’s one less thing that you need to deal with once you get to the parks. Because you will forget!

Tip # 2: COOLING TOWELS. You are probably thinking “but do they really work?” YES! Take that thing out as soon as it starts to get hot, go to a bathroom and get it wet and place it around your neck. Or on your head . Or on your face. Or over your little one’s legs. Seriously put it on! Once the towel starts to get warm take it off and shake it out a little and put it on. It really does cool your skin down. Use it in combination with tip #3 and you are set! Also, bring your own from home. They sell them on Amazon and you will save so much money bringing your own vs buying the ones at the parks.

These are the cooling towels we use. The little pouch is so handy when not in use.

Cooling Towels

Tip #3: PERSONAL FANS. I have tried a bunch of different ones. They have ones that hang around your neck like a necklace or sit on your shoulders. There are ones that you can attach to a stroller or scooter. The ones I prefer are the handheld ones. I also like a good misting fan but they can be somewhat large.

These are the best little fans. The battery will last all day, they recharge and have 3 fan speeds.

Mickey Fans

We also have these but I don’t love them. The fan speeds are nice but they make a lot of noise.

This is the stroller fan we use. The arms bend around the stroller but usually my son is holding it and playing with it’s button. The fan is pretty powerful and the battery lasts a long time.

Stroller Fan

These misting fans are great but they do have some downsides: They are somewhat large and use batteries. However, they are much cheaper than the ones sold at the parks.

Misting Fan

Tip # 4: A HAT. I hear you. Everyone reading this and saying “I’m not wearing a hat”. Well I was that person too. I would have my cooling towel and fan and still be roasting. One year I decided to buy my son and I matching hats. This made me wear my hat and guess what? It helped cool me down. A little bit of shade on your face can do wonders.

Just wear the hat.

Tip# 5: Ponchos. Now if you are visiting Disneyland in the summer and early fall this one doesn’t apply to you. But if you are going to Disney World any time of the year prepare for rain. It’s Florida. It will probably rain once a day. Nothing will ruin your day faster than being soaking wet. I found some great ones at Amazon that are disposable and have elastic at the wrists and a string in the hood. This is a show stopper. Those cheap ponchos that let the rain run up to your armpits are so irritating. Also, the string in the hood actually keeps it on your head. Amazing!

These are awesome.

Ponchos

My last tip is to wear comfortable shoes. I always wear sneakers. I’m a Brooks girl and I never have problems with my feet. Don’t wear new shoes and make sure you break them in well in advance of your park days. Also bring more than one pair on your trip.

I hope all of these tips help you have a fun Disney trip. Just go with the flow and enjoy yourself!

You CAN go and come back

The Bungalows at the Polynesian Resort

If you are at a park and it becomes too busy and you get overwhelmed or your child gets overwhelmed you CAN leave the park and go back later. This happened to me on our last visit. I was having some medical issues (more on that on a later post) and mid day at Magic Kingdom can be a lot. The people just keep coming in and it gets the busiest around mid day. Go to the park for early entry if you are staying on property (more on that later too). I met up with the rest of my party and we all left the park. But we didn’t leave Disney.

When this happens my suggestion is to take Disney transportation to one of the closest resorts. They all have amazing lobbies and shops inside. They also all have a quick service restaurant if you need to grab a meal or a snack. Also clean, quieter bathrooms!

From Magic Kingdom you can easily take the resort monorail to the Contemporary Resort, Polynesian Resort and Grand Floridian Resort. The monorail line is a circle so you just get off, visit the resort, and get back on to Magic Kingdom once everyone is a little more relaxed. There is also a walking loop that connects the Magic Kingdom to the above resorts if you are feeling adventurous.

If you are at Epcot walk to the back of World Showcase. Between the United Kingdom and France is the International Gateway. This gives you a bunch of options. My favorite choice is to hop on the skyliner. This is my son’s favorite thing to do as well. It takes you over to the Riviera Resort and if you continue on it takes you over to Caribbean Beach Resort. Here you will need to get off and transfer if you want to continue to Pop Century Resort and Art of Animation Resort.

You are able to push a single stroller onto the skyliner. No need to fold it. A double side by side would need to be folded.

Your other Epcot option is to go out the International Gateway and just keep walking straight. This will take you over to the Beach Club Resort, Yacht Club Resort and Boardwalk Resort. There are plenty of places to eat, get some coffee and just relax in the A/C for a little while. My Epcot recommendation will always be to take the Skyliner to Riviera. The coffee is delicious at Le Petit Cafe and the scent of the Riviera is so yummy. Did you know each resort has it’s own smell….

From Hollywood Studios there is a walkway to Beach Club, Yacht Club and Boardwalk. But again my suggestion is to hop on the skyliner and head over to the Riviera or maybe Art of Animation if you have small children. The theming on the outside is awesome at Art of Animation.

Taking a ride on the Skyliner

And then there’s Animal Kingdom. The only way to get to another resort from Animal Kingdom is to take a resort bus. There are a lot of places to escape the crowds at Animal Kingdom so I’d suggest just staying at the park.

Of course you can take a resort bus from any of the parks to a resort hotel to check it out. Some people with little kids who are good nappers just go all the way back to their hotels for a break, but that will take up a couple hours of your park day. Resort hopping is a good alternative to going all the way back to your hotel. Especially if you are staying off Disney property. We do this the most around Magic Kingdom because I feel like it is the easiest for us and Magic Kingdom just always feels so crowded.