Hi there! Happy Wednesday!
If you watch my families Daily Vlog Channel then it is no surprise that we LOVE Disney and are over-the-top excited to be heading there in a couple of months. No matter what your plans are for a Disney vacation, it’s Disney so it’s going to be magical, but today I want to share 5 things that I’ve learned about while planning for our big trip that are HUGELY helpful! These tips will give your trip an extra magical edge, a step up from just the basic, easy to come across information.
*Photo credit to InsideTheMagic.net
In my post called 5 Things To Do BEFORE You Book Your Disney Vacation, I mentioned that dining needs to happen 180 days prior to your trip, which seems intense but even then some reservations are nearly impossible to get! I desperately wanted the Be Our Guest dinner reservation, but finding that for a party of 9 was just not possible even at 6a.m on our 180 day mark. Luckily, I had done my research and found out about “sniper services” that you pay not to book your reservation but to text and/or email alert you if the reservation you want becomes available. The cost is $8/reservation, and while it doesn’t promise that you’ll get an alert, it scans constantly and saves you from spending precious time on the website or the app. Time is money, people ; ) I have a few requests out that I haven’t booked yet, so I can keep you posted, but I got the most coveted Be Our Guest dinner, and couldn’t be more excited! *Note: There are other “sniper services” out there, but I’ve put a lot of time into checking them out, and this one seems to be the fastest for alerts and has the highest success rate.
*EDIT: Disney Dining Buddy has shut down! You can try Disney Dining Scout.
2. Facebook Planning Groups
No matter when your trip is, I am sure there is a Facebook group waiting for you to join! Most groups are by month, so for example you could search “Walt Disney World March 2016 Planning Group” and find something. They have these for cruises, too. This group is like my lifeline lately, any question I have? BAM! Someone, or several people, have an answer or idea. Plus, it’s a fun way to get excited for your trip!
I’ve been to Disney world before, but not in years, and never with 3 little loves of my own, so even though I had a million drafts of each days itinerary I was lost. Then came Touring Plans and the app to go along with it, Lines. You can use some features of the site for free or pay $12 for customized touring plans that optimize your schedule, you can schedule in breaks, change your plans and update, get real wait times, manage your reservations, and more. Yes, you get MyDisneyExperiecne for free, but this helps you make a plan with a map that is realistic, in an order of the park that makes sense, and in a way that fits your needs.
This is an awesome way to familiarize yourself with all of the dining options in all 4 of the parks, at the resorts, at Disney Springs (formerly Downtown Disney), both water parks, and all the resorts. This lists where the restaurant is located, average price range, type of food, a little about the resturant, and if they are quick service (walk-up) or table service (sit-down). And honestly I love to just get excited about all the delish food that we can enjoy!
This is the perfect guide for telling you where the characters are located and what times. This is awesome for planning your character interactions and knowing where to look for your kids (or your!) favorites. It has great information such as tips for when to line up for the shortest wait, and what characters don’t sign autographs. I would totally get photos with the characters even if I didn’t have kids : )
If you’re a Disney lover like me, please share your tips! If you found this post helpful, fun, interesting, or amazing, please share! All of my social media share buttons are at the bottom of every post to make it super easy : )
