356...Our Plans

Today I just wanted to give some updates on the planning for our WDW trip 2012.

*We have moved the departure date up by about a week.  So we are now just 356 days away from once again seeing the house that Mickey built.

*I contacted a travel agent at MEI and Mouse Fan Travel.  Still not sure if I want to work with a travel agent but I am interested in seeing what the no obligation quote looks like.  She did tell me that they will not have the 2012 resort rates available until August

*The hotels I am currently interested in are the Port Orleans Riverside...

the Dolphin ...

364...Disney Dining Plan

To do, or not to do the Disney Dining Plan: that is the question.  I've heard it said that dining at WDW is like an attraction in and of itself.  From the Mickey Mouse ice cream bars to the steaks at Le Cellier, food is to be experienced there.  BUT does the dining plan offer the best ROI (Return on Investment) for my family?  I've never done the Dining Plan but for this next trip I am weighing the pros and cons.

There are so many restaurants I would like to try but I just don't know if I can justify the money.  The cost of the Basic Dining Plan during the summer would be $47.99 for adult and $12.99 per child.  For my family that would be $134.95 per day.  At that price you get a snack, one quick-service dining option and one table-service dining option per person.  The meals include entree, dessert and beverage.  That is a lot of food.

If you would like to see the official information from Disney click HERE.

Here are the articles I have been looking at about the Disney Dining Plan...

365...Disney Depression

I have several friends who are on the road after their Disney vacation.  How can the same road that brought you to Walt Disney World feel so different a week later?  On the trip down we are playing Disney music, watching classic Disney films and discussing our plans for the Magic Kingdom.  The trip home seems so, so quiet and melancholy.  I use to not even want to talk about WDW for several weeks after a trip.  I would give up reading the Unofficial Guide and stop listening to my favorite Disney podcasts.  It felt like when Christmas was over and I was just waiting for Spring.  So how do I handle the Disney Depression now?

One solution is for everyone on your trip to become violently ill!  That is what we did on our last trip to the World.  Honestly, I was glad to get home.  That is not probably the greatest advice but I did learn from that trip.  As I got home and returned to normal I began to realize that I could block out the negative things that happened on that trip by planning our next trip.  Sure our next trip was two years away but I needed to plan.  (Little did I know that our next trip to WDW would actually be four years away)  I replaced the void by constantly being in Disney planning mode.  It worked.  I don't know if it is healthy and it may drive my wife nuts, but I seem happier.

How do you handle the Disney Depression?

366...Random Pictures from Around the World

I'm not a photographer.  I wish I had a great eye for composition, lighting and all that good stuff but I don't.  So please don't view these pictures with a critic's eye.  Just enjoy them as pictures from the World.  Thanks.

After a 16 hour car ride this sign looks SO good.

367...First Question

So when is the perfect time to go to Walt Disney World?  Well, that kind of depends on your situation.  My wife and I are both in education so we are pretty much locked into going during school holidays and summer vacation.  Since we are also pretty cheap and prefer to drive, that really only leaves the summer.  If you have a flexible schedule then the World is wide open to you.

The WDW resort hotels recognize several different "seasons."  There is the value, regular, summer, fall, peak and holiday season.  Although the theme park ticket prices do not fluctuate, the resort hotel prices move a great deal.  Here are two good sources to look at to see room rates and season dates.  MouseSavers and AllEars.net.  (The MouseSavers page will give you a good breakdown on the rates and seasons.  The AllEars page will give you a fact sheet about the hotel and all the rate information)  As you can see, deciding when to go will have a direct impact on your budget.

367...It Was All Started By A Mouse

"I only hope that we don't lose sight of one thing - that it was all started by a mouse."
                                                                   -Walt Disney

I recently read the book Walt Disney: An American Original.  One of the things that I enjoyed doing after reading about a certain animated short or film was to look it up on YouTube.  It was very interesting to read about the hardships, ideas and process that the animators went through and then to watch the end product.  So I wanted to take a short break from my usual blogging to simply show you the classic, Steamboat Willie.  Unfortunately, trying to embed the link into this page didn't work.  So if you just click on the title below I will redirect you to YouTube.  Sorry.

Steamboat Willie

The Age-Old Question

One question I forgot to list in the previous post was, "What's a good age to take your kids to Disney?"  There is a theory out there that says you should wait until your kids can remember the trip.  To which I say, you aren't going to remember half the trip when you get back either!  That is why you take pictures.  Also, they aren't paying for the trip so why does it matter if they remember it?  It's what you remember that counts. (and the pictures you take)

I think that three is a great age to begin taking your kids.  The magic is very real to them at three.  They believe that is Cinderella's castle.  They believe they are meeting the actual characters of their favorite shows.  There is something powerful about being in the presence of believers at the Magic Kingdom.

Below are a few pictures of my daughter at the age of three getting ready to meet the characters.  Can you see the joy on her face?

Meeting the characters from Little Einsteins.