© 2007 Pixiedust-Travel - All Rights Reserved
Disney artwork, logos, attraction descriptions, and properties: ©Disney
Disney Cruise Line® - Ship Registry: The Bahamas CST# 1022229-50
Disney artwork, logos, attraction descriptions, and properties: ©Disney
Disney Cruise Line® - Ship Registry: The Bahamas CST# 1022229-50
Have a Budget
Right off the bat, let us warn you that Disney stuff is very expensive. Give yourselves (and the kids
too) a budget on how much you want to spend each day on food, snacks, and souvenirs. Months
before we leave home, I give my son the option of having a portion of his weekly allowance held
back and put into his "Disney Souvenir Stash". When we get to Disney he has his savings to spend
and Dad & I buy him ONE souvenir (within OUR budget of course) of his choice.
Plan a Daily Itinerary
Disney World is huge… so huge that you can either just roam around or you can create a fairly lax
itinerary.
We recommend that you stick to the four main parks-one each day of your trip. If you have more
than 4 days to spend at the Parks, on extra days you can go back and catch the rides and shows
that you missed or enjoy some of the other fun stuff Outside the Main 4 Theme Parks. While it's
pretty tough to know what you'd enjoy most in advance, you should get an overview of the four
Disney Theme Parks so that you have a general idea of what to do. Park overviews
Wake up early. When you check in to your Disney Resort, find out each of the Parks early
entrance days and plan to arrive each day at least fifteen minutes before opening (guests staying
within the resort are allowed in an hour earlier than everyone else). The crowd is thinner earlier in
the morning, so you'll be able to knock out a few of the best attractions before the park fills up.
Or Plan to Stay Late with Evening Extra Magic Hours! Each day one of the theme parks will
open one hour early OR stay open three hours later so Disney Resort hotel guests can enjoy select
attractions. (A valid theme park ticket and Resort ID are required.)
Check out the Tip Board at each theme park first thing in the morning. Each of the theme
parks has a "tip board" close to the entrance (ask as soon as you walk in). Here, you can plan your
day by finding out 1) the waiting times for popular attractions, 2) which attractions are closed, and
3) the times of the day's parades and shows.
Utilize the new Disney Fast Pass. Believe it or not, the best attractions in each park now offer
two ways of "waiting" for the attraction/ride.
Option 1: You can take a Fast Pass ticket, do something else for about an hour, return to the ride
during the hour-long time frame printed on the ticket, and walk right onto the ride.
Option 2: You can just wait in the stand-by line, which will be substantially shorter because of all
the people taking Fast Pass tickets.
The catch: If you get one FastPass®, you can't get another FastPass® until the start of the "return
time" on the FastPass® that you are holding. After that time window opens up, you can pick a new
FastPass® up for a different ride. Also, get Fastpasses® for the most popular rides first. They tend
to get longer lines as well as return times much later in the day. If the Parks are really busy, they
can end up running out of Fastpasses® for the day too!!
Don't eat junk food the whole trip. Although the hotel bathrooms in Disney are spotless and
beautiful, you don't want to spend your days locked up in there. It's tempting to eat cheeseburgers
and fries the entire trip to save time and money, but make sure you get some nutrition in there too.
Take lots of pictures. Remember that years from now, the best pictures will be the ones with you
and your friends/family in them. So don't waste your time taking pictures of the bushes shaped like
animals unless your friends and family are standing in front of them.
~ Pixiedust-Travel
Right off the bat, let us warn you that Disney stuff is very expensive. Give yourselves (and the kids
too) a budget on how much you want to spend each day on food, snacks, and souvenirs. Months
before we leave home, I give my son the option of having a portion of his weekly allowance held
back and put into his "Disney Souvenir Stash". When we get to Disney he has his savings to spend
and Dad & I buy him ONE souvenir (within OUR budget of course) of his choice.
Plan a Daily Itinerary
Disney World is huge… so huge that you can either just roam around or you can create a fairly lax
itinerary.
We recommend that you stick to the four main parks-one each day of your trip. If you have more
than 4 days to spend at the Parks, on extra days you can go back and catch the rides and shows
that you missed or enjoy some of the other fun stuff Outside the Main 4 Theme Parks. While it's
pretty tough to know what you'd enjoy most in advance, you should get an overview of the four
Disney Theme Parks so that you have a general idea of what to do. Park overviews
Wake up early. When you check in to your Disney Resort, find out each of the Parks early
entrance days and plan to arrive each day at least fifteen minutes before opening (guests staying
within the resort are allowed in an hour earlier than everyone else). The crowd is thinner earlier in
the morning, so you'll be able to knock out a few of the best attractions before the park fills up.
Or Plan to Stay Late with Evening Extra Magic Hours! Each day one of the theme parks will
open one hour early OR stay open three hours later so Disney Resort hotel guests can enjoy select
attractions. (A valid theme park ticket and Resort ID are required.)
Check out the Tip Board at each theme park first thing in the morning. Each of the theme
parks has a "tip board" close to the entrance (ask as soon as you walk in). Here, you can plan your
day by finding out 1) the waiting times for popular attractions, 2) which attractions are closed, and
3) the times of the day's parades and shows.
Utilize the new Disney Fast Pass. Believe it or not, the best attractions in each park now offer
two ways of "waiting" for the attraction/ride.
Option 1: You can take a Fast Pass ticket, do something else for about an hour, return to the ride
during the hour-long time frame printed on the ticket, and walk right onto the ride.
Option 2: You can just wait in the stand-by line, which will be substantially shorter because of all
the people taking Fast Pass tickets.
The catch: If you get one FastPass®, you can't get another FastPass® until the start of the "return
time" on the FastPass® that you are holding. After that time window opens up, you can pick a new
FastPass® up for a different ride. Also, get Fastpasses® for the most popular rides first. They tend
to get longer lines as well as return times much later in the day. If the Parks are really busy, they
can end up running out of Fastpasses® for the day too!!
Don't eat junk food the whole trip. Although the hotel bathrooms in Disney are spotless and
beautiful, you don't want to spend your days locked up in there. It's tempting to eat cheeseburgers
and fries the entire trip to save time and money, but make sure you get some nutrition in there too.
Take lots of pictures. Remember that years from now, the best pictures will be the ones with you
and your friends/family in them. So don't waste your time taking pictures of the bushes shaped like
animals unless your friends and family are standing in front of them.
~ Pixiedust-Travel
One expense that can add up quickly is the cost of food and beverages in the parks. Here are a few
tips that have saved my family money on our many trips to Disney.
First of all, a good thing to purchase is a waist pack (A.K.A Fanny pack) for each person in your
group.( Yes, I know , these are not very attractive and they do look kinda tacky, but hey, so do
mouse ear hats!) Before you leave for the park each day, pack your waist pack with some snacks.
A few suggestions:
Granola bars, cereal bars, Power/Energy bars, beef sticks(or beef jerky), trail mix, bags of peanuts,
cookies, dried fruit, packages of peanut butter crackers or maybe even a peanut butter & jelly
sandwich.
This way, you really only need a light lunch while you're at the parks and you can save your money
for an early dinner at a nice sit down restaurant.
Don't forget your water bottles!! This is one thing we never leave home without. Bring water bottles
from home, then throw a couple into the hotel room's ice bucket with some ice for the next day. When
you get to the park, you can purchase a water bottle strap to carry it around for about $3.00. Then
just refill your bottle during the day
at the water fountains.
If you don't want to bring water from home, (or can't) most of the counter service restaurants in the
Theme Parks will give you free ice water if you ask for it.
Of course, if you would like to enjoy the many wonderful dining experiences that Disney has to offer
while you are on your vacation, then we highly suggest adding Disney's Dining Plan to your vacation
package.
Breakfast and Lunch
If your kids are like mine, they are much more interested in getting to the parks than they are in sitting
down to eat breakfast. So, save the money and avoid crowds by eating breakfast in your hotel room.
That way you're able to get to the parks earlier than most of the guests that do sit down at a
restaurant to eat breakfast.
Disney's Moderate Resorts, Disney's Deluxe Resorts and Disney's Home Away from Home Resorts
now all include a small refrigerator in their rooms. This allows you to bring things from home to keep in
your room for breakfast, lunch or snacks.
A Few Suggestions: Milk, juice, yogurt, (my kids like portable Go-Gurt) cottage cheese, cubed/sliced
ham, sliced cheese and cheese sticks.
If you are staying at one of Disney's Value Resorts (All Star Resorts or Pop Century) I suggest
purchasing a portable electric refrigerator / cooler that plugs into your car lighter or into the wall.
(available at most Wal-marts)
Or you can rent a mini-refrigerator for $10.00(plus tax)per night at Disney Resort Hotels.
Other ideas for breakfast: Cereal, muffins, donuts, peanut butter on a slice of bread or sweet rolls
Taking a break at lunchtime, when the parks are at their busiest and the heat can be almost
unbearable, is really a wonderful idea. That way, if you do have a cooler in the room with things like
Ham, cheese, chicken salad, roast beef, and sandwich bread, you can easily enjoy a great lunch and
save your money for dinner.
At most of the Disney Resorts you can also request a coffee maker. I like to bring my own coffee and
condiments from home, that way we have plenty. The coffee maker can also come in handy for
making hot tea, or hot chocolate. I've even heard of people using the hot water to make instant grits
and instant oatmeal!
If your staying at one of Disney's Value Resorts, you can take advantage of the microwave located in
the food court. We enjoy bringing microwavable pop-corn from home to enjoy as a snack after a long
day at the parks
Character Breakfasts
If you are planning a trip to Disney with kids, make sure to budget in a Character Breakfast. Of
course, I must warn you - they can be very expensive!
The least expensive Character Breakfast is at Crystal Palace in the Magic Kingdom® Park where you
can visit with Pooh and his friends. The price is $18.99 for adults and $10.99 for kids. Another favorite
is Chef Mickey's in Disney's Contemporary Resort where for about $18.99 for adults and $10.99 for
kids you can meet Mickey and friends.
To get the most of your Character Breakfast, call for Priority Seating at the latest time possible-
usually about 11:15 a.m. Go to the parks early, enjoy the light crowds at the parks(because most
people are eating breakfast) and then go enjoy your "brunch". Usually the restaurant is pretty empty
since breakfast is about over, which gives you more quality time with the characters.( If you do this,
make sure to eat something light before going to the parks, otherwise you may have a bunch of
"grumpy" characters in your party!)
If you have a sweet tooth, need to save some money and still want to have the character dinning
experience, you Must plan on going to the Garden Grill Restaurant in The Land at Epcot®. There is
an Ice Cream Social every afternoon at 3:00, around the time you'll be looking for a place to get out of
the heat and relax! For a reasonable price (under $10) you get to enjoy a huge ice cream sundae
while Mickey and his Friends visit the tables and interact with the guests. The seating is for only a
select amount (to maximize character interaction with guest) so Priority Seating in highly
recommended.
(407)WDW-Dine (939-3463) *For More on Character Dining Click Here
A Healthy Alternative
If your tired of the hamburgers and fries, the cheapest and healthiest food item in the Parks is fresh
fruit. Each Park has at least one fruit stand where you can find a great variety of fresh fruit. Prices
vary, but are still very inexpensive when compared with other snacks at the Parks.
tips that have saved my family money on our many trips to Disney.
First of all, a good thing to purchase is a waist pack (A.K.A Fanny pack) for each person in your
group.( Yes, I know , these are not very attractive and they do look kinda tacky, but hey, so do
mouse ear hats!) Before you leave for the park each day, pack your waist pack with some snacks.
A few suggestions:
Granola bars, cereal bars, Power/Energy bars, beef sticks(or beef jerky), trail mix, bags of peanuts,
cookies, dried fruit, packages of peanut butter crackers or maybe even a peanut butter & jelly
sandwich.
This way, you really only need a light lunch while you're at the parks and you can save your money
for an early dinner at a nice sit down restaurant.
Don't forget your water bottles!! This is one thing we never leave home without. Bring water bottles
from home, then throw a couple into the hotel room's ice bucket with some ice for the next day. When
you get to the park, you can purchase a water bottle strap to carry it around for about $3.00. Then
just refill your bottle during the day
at the water fountains.
If you don't want to bring water from home, (or can't) most of the counter service restaurants in the
Theme Parks will give you free ice water if you ask for it.
Of course, if you would like to enjoy the many wonderful dining experiences that Disney has to offer
while you are on your vacation, then we highly suggest adding Disney's Dining Plan to your vacation
package.
Breakfast and Lunch
If your kids are like mine, they are much more interested in getting to the parks than they are in sitting
down to eat breakfast. So, save the money and avoid crowds by eating breakfast in your hotel room.
That way you're able to get to the parks earlier than most of the guests that do sit down at a
restaurant to eat breakfast.
Disney's Moderate Resorts, Disney's Deluxe Resorts and Disney's Home Away from Home Resorts
now all include a small refrigerator in their rooms. This allows you to bring things from home to keep in
your room for breakfast, lunch or snacks.
A Few Suggestions: Milk, juice, yogurt, (my kids like portable Go-Gurt) cottage cheese, cubed/sliced
ham, sliced cheese and cheese sticks.
If you are staying at one of Disney's Value Resorts (All Star Resorts or Pop Century) I suggest
purchasing a portable electric refrigerator / cooler that plugs into your car lighter or into the wall.
(available at most Wal-marts)
Or you can rent a mini-refrigerator for $10.00(plus tax)per night at Disney Resort Hotels.
Other ideas for breakfast: Cereal, muffins, donuts, peanut butter on a slice of bread or sweet rolls
Taking a break at lunchtime, when the parks are at their busiest and the heat can be almost
unbearable, is really a wonderful idea. That way, if you do have a cooler in the room with things like
Ham, cheese, chicken salad, roast beef, and sandwich bread, you can easily enjoy a great lunch and
save your money for dinner.
At most of the Disney Resorts you can also request a coffee maker. I like to bring my own coffee and
condiments from home, that way we have plenty. The coffee maker can also come in handy for
making hot tea, or hot chocolate. I've even heard of people using the hot water to make instant grits
and instant oatmeal!
If your staying at one of Disney's Value Resorts, you can take advantage of the microwave located in
the food court. We enjoy bringing microwavable pop-corn from home to enjoy as a snack after a long
day at the parks
Character Breakfasts
If you are planning a trip to Disney with kids, make sure to budget in a Character Breakfast. Of
course, I must warn you - they can be very expensive!
The least expensive Character Breakfast is at Crystal Palace in the Magic Kingdom® Park where you
can visit with Pooh and his friends. The price is $18.99 for adults and $10.99 for kids. Another favorite
is Chef Mickey's in Disney's Contemporary Resort where for about $18.99 for adults and $10.99 for
kids you can meet Mickey and friends.
To get the most of your Character Breakfast, call for Priority Seating at the latest time possible-
usually about 11:15 a.m. Go to the parks early, enjoy the light crowds at the parks(because most
people are eating breakfast) and then go enjoy your "brunch". Usually the restaurant is pretty empty
since breakfast is about over, which gives you more quality time with the characters.( If you do this,
make sure to eat something light before going to the parks, otherwise you may have a bunch of
"grumpy" characters in your party!)
If you have a sweet tooth, need to save some money and still want to have the character dinning
experience, you Must plan on going to the Garden Grill Restaurant in The Land at Epcot®. There is
an Ice Cream Social every afternoon at 3:00, around the time you'll be looking for a place to get out of
the heat and relax! For a reasonable price (under $10) you get to enjoy a huge ice cream sundae
while Mickey and his Friends visit the tables and interact with the guests. The seating is for only a
select amount (to maximize character interaction with guest) so Priority Seating in highly
recommended.
(407)WDW-Dine (939-3463) *For More on Character Dining Click Here
A Healthy Alternative
If your tired of the hamburgers and fries, the cheapest and healthiest food item in the Parks is fresh
fruit. Each Park has at least one fruit stand where you can find a great variety of fresh fruit. Prices
vary, but are still very inexpensive when compared with other snacks at the Parks.
- In the Magic Kingdom there are 3 fruit stands: One on Main Street, in Liberty Square, and
Mickey's Toontown Fair. - At Epcot, fruit is available on the lower level of The Land in Future World and at the Outpost
between China and Germany in World Showcase. - MGM has Anaheim Produce on Sunset Blvd.
- Animal Kingdom offers fresh fruit at Harambe Market in Africa, just outside of Kilimanjaro
Safaris.
Saving on Food
Tips on Saving Money and Time
Pixiedust -Travel TM
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Disney Value Resorts
Disney's All-Star Movies Resort
Disney's All-Star Music Resort
Disney's All Star Sports Resort
Disney's Pop Century Resort
Disney's All-Star Music Resort
Disney's All Star Sports Resort
Disney's Pop Century Resort
Disney Moderate Resorts
Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort
Disney's Coronado Springs Resort
Disney's Port Orleans Resort ~
French Quarter
Disney's Port Orleans Resort ~
Riverside
Disney's Coronado Springs Resort
Disney's Port Orleans Resort ~
French Quarter
Disney's Port Orleans Resort ~
Riverside
Disney Deluxe Resorts
Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge
Disney's Boardwalk Inn
Disney's Contemporary Resort
Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
Disney's Polynesian Resort
Disney's Wilderness Lodge
Disney's Beach & Yacht Club Resorts
Disney's Boardwalk Inn
Disney's Contemporary Resort
Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
Disney's Polynesian Resort
Disney's Wilderness Lodge
Disney's Beach & Yacht Club Resorts
Disney's Old Key West Resort
Disney's BoardWalk Villas
Disney's Beach Club Villas
Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort
The Villas at Disney's Wilderness Lodge
Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort
Campground & Cabins
How about a visit to the beach?
Disney's Vero Beach Resort
Disney's BoardWalk Villas
Disney's Beach Club Villas
Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort
The Villas at Disney's Wilderness Lodge
Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort
Campground & Cabins
How about a visit to the beach?
Disney's Vero Beach Resort
Vacation Planning
