Don't Try This At Home

Disney Mommy Bloggers Cruise: Good Morning, Segway!

The first morning on the Disney Wonder, I awoke to a beautiful, blue, breezy morning. I ate my breakfast at the table on my balcony and eased into my day. In fact, that may have been the most relaxed I was on that particular day. As you'll see, I was introduced to off-road Segway, my friend Amy showed off a little too much, and I tried conch for the first (and last) time.

Good Morning, Nassau!

Segway Adventures

As you watch these videos, you'll notice that any time I became too involved in filming and less involved with paying attention to my Segway and those around me, I had a tendency to shout "Woo!" then hit something.

Don't Mean a Thing If You Ain't Got That Bling

When I get dressed for an off-road Segway adventure, I reach for my denim capris, a t-shirt, and a ball cap. Makeup and jewelry do not enter the equation. Not so if you're Katja or Arianne. It's all about lookin' good in the 'hood. Fashion and bling, baby.

Selfish Mom Bites It

Amy is one of those women who lives life. If there's a new opportunity, she's the first in line. She took off on her Segway like she'd been riding one for years. She slalomed all morning, turned without using her hands, and basically shamed the rest of us into trying things we might not otherwise have done. Then I came along and tried to tape it. Jinx. (Can you see her shoe fly off?)

Conch Fritters (or Bahamian Comfort Food)

This particular video shows my knack for forgetting I have the zoom feature on and taking a picture of my nose hairs. Between that and the description of the conch, you may want to read this after you have your meal.

Disney Mommy Bloggers Cruise: The Arrival

I could try to tell you all about the Disney Mommy Bloggers Cruise, but I don't know if I can do it justice. Thankfully, I took many videos of my experiences and I will be posting them here for you to laugh at and learn from. You'll be able to see right away that I have trouble gauging where my face is in the viewfinder. There are more than a few Blair Witch Project shots. Just ignore the extreme close-ups and focus on the information I'm sharing, OK?

In this video I take you on a tour of my stateroom. The staterooms, by the way, are a very nice size. They are all the same size, but some have a balcony (like mine), some have a porthole, and some just have a wall with no window. The pricing is scaled according to those ammenities, so you can decide how important a porthole or balcony is for your family.

I want to thank Maria Bailey of MomSelect and Jonathan, Laura, and Leanne from Disney for inviting me to participate in this opportunity. It was truly a magical experience. Thank you to Jonathan for being such a gentleman and putting up with our antics. Thank you to Laura for your energy and for bailing us out of the karaoke pit (video to come). Thank you to Maria for choosing such a perfect group of women that clicked immediately. Leanne, I thank you for helping put this all together. I wish I could have had more time to talk with you! I guess you'll just have to invite me back.

I also want to give a quick shout-out to Posh Mama. They gave me a Flip camera last September so I could interview various bloggers on camera. Without the Flip, I wouldn't have been able to vlog so much of the Disney trip! Thanks Posh Mama!

Home Again, Home Again

I'm back from the Disney Mommy Bloggers Cruise. I have much video and many stories to share with you. I'll be getting my thoughts straight and writing everything up. It's going to take weeks to share it all with you!

In the mean time, I cannot stress how much I loved my travel companions. I know you will too. Please check out their blogs and follow them on Twitter. You will NOT regret it! They are some smart, savvy ladies.

• My Brown Baby - Denene (Twitter: @MyBrownBaby)
  
• Selfish Mom - Amy (Twitter: @selfishmom)
• Skimbaco Lifestyle - Katja (Twitter: @KatjaPresnal)
• Traveling Mom  - Kim (Twitter: @KimOrlando)
• To Think Is To Create - Arianne (Twitter: @ToThink)
• My Teen, The Alien - Maria (Twitter: @MomTalkRadio)

At the Beach

Hey! Didn't you get the memo? I'm not here. I'm on my way to the Disney Mommy Blogger Cruise. This trip will be fun, but make no mistake: this is a working trip. I am scheduled for all sorts of behind-the-scenes tours instead of relaxing naps on the deck. I promise to bring you the details just as soon as I get back!

The Mommy Blogger Disney Cruise

Have I mentioned that I am going on a little trip next week? No? Well! I am!

You may have heard about the Disney Mommy Blogger trips over the past 18 months. I think there have been at least three groups of women invited to spend the weekend at Walt Disney World where they are wined and dined and given backstage passes. So far, I had not been part of any of those groups. I was disgruntled and dismayed as you may well guess--especially since my love of Disney is deep. I held it together, though, and was happy for those other moms who scored the trips. After all, I've been to Walt Disney World and who am I to begrudge anyone that retreat? Every one of the ladies chosen deserved the trip and all the fun that came with it.

Then, a few weeks ago, I was contacted and asked if I would like to be part of the next Disney Mommy Blogger excursion. I was thrilled, of course, but wary because I've been to WDW without my family and I'm here to tell you it's no fun no matter how many other mommies are there without kids. No, no, no! they said. This time we are taking bloggers on a Disney cruise! And that my friends, is a whole different ball of wax.

You see, Husband and I have been debating whether to make our next WDW vacation part of a cruise. Now I can find out first-hand if this is something we should do. Somehow, for me, being on a cruise without my family isn't nearly as dastardly as riding the Tea Cups or Big Thunder Mountain Railroad without them. Sitting on a beach reading a book in peace? That I can do.

I'm going with these fine ladies:

• My Brown Baby - Denene
  
• Selfish Mom - Amy
• Skimbaco Lifestyle - Katja
• Traveling Mom  - Kim
  
• To Think Is To Create - Arianne
• My Teen, The Alien - Maria
  

I'm starting to feel the funk fade away.

Your Disney Questions: Disney World, Sea World, and Universal Studios?

When you have gone in the past do you just strictly do Disney World or do you do Sea World, Universal Studios, and the other parks?

I love Sea World, but I've only been to the one in San Diego. I have never been to Universal Studios. When my family travels to Orlando, we only do Disney World. We have discussed trying to visit those other parks, but when it comes down to it, we don't want to take time away from Disney World.

If you have the good fortune of being able to visit Orlando for two weeks, you may want to try to visit Sea World and Universal Studios the first week, then spend the rest of the time at Disney World. My family doesn't have that kind of time or money so we stick with Disney.

Disney World has so many attractions you can't fit them in to one trip. There is never a shortage of things to do or see. For an idea of what you might be missing, read my article about 'Secret' Disney World Attractions.

Your Disney Questions: What are the "Must Do" Attractions?

What are the absolute MUST SEE and MUST DO things in the parks?

This will really depend on what your family likes to do. Are you thrill seekers or would rather watch a show? Are you more interested in interacting with characters or is it OK if you don't get that special autograph?

My daughter and I are definitely thrill seekers. Our Must Do items at Magic Kingdom are Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Space Mountain. My husband and son are big on video games so they love to do Buzz Lightyear (which I think has been refurbished into a new Toy Story ride--still video-game themed).

I polled my family and here are the things we consider Must-Do Attractions at WDW:

Magic Kingdom

• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
• Space Mountain
• Buzz Lightyear/Toy Story
• Spectromagic Parade: This is a night-time parade. You'll need to check the calendar to see if it will show while you're there. It's really an amazing parade. Everything--the props, the characters--are covered in tiny white lights. It's quite a spectacle!
• Fireworks. We've actually left other parks to come see the Magic Kingdom fireworks. They are spectacular. You can see them very well if you stand between Mickey's PhilharMagic and the Carousel. Of course, they are also great if you can stand in front of Cinderella's Castle.
• The Classic Rides: Tea Cups, Peter Pan, and Small World
• Crystal Palace is a sit-down restaurant that has a great breakfast buffet and offers an opportunity to meet the Pooh gang. Though my kids have outgrown Pooh and friends, they always ask for this breakfast. If you can make your ADRs for before the park opens, you can have some great photo ops of the castle without the crowds.

EPCOT

This is our second-favorite park. Magic Kingdom is a no-brainer, but my kids absolutely L-O-V-E love EPCOT as well.

• Soarin'
• Test Track
• Spaceship Earth (not my favorite, but my kids love it for some reason; I don't mind the nap time)
• World Showcase: This is by far my kids' most favorite thing to do at EPCOT. They love to buy a passport (available at every gift shop on Disney property--just ask) and go to each country in the Showcase. Each country employs people from that country (e.g., Norway employees are from Norway, France employees are from France, the snozberries taste like snozberries, etc.). Those employees sign the passport and talk to the kids about their native country. My children are fascinated with learning about their cultures--how they are different from ours and how they are the same. World Showcase can take at least two hours (maybe more) so plan accordingly. The Mouse For Less has several pages of educational downloads for EPCOT. My kids loved finding the answers to these worksheets.
• The fireworks at EPCOT are fine. My husband likes them, but I prefer the Magic Kingdom's fireworks display.
• If you are visiting in October, definitely plan to eat and drink your way around the World Showcase--it's the Food & Wine Festival! There are so many extra activities. You can read about the Food & Wine Festival activities at AllEars.net.

Disney's Hollywood Studios (formerly MGM)

This particular park is a half-day excursion for us. Our family prefers the Magic Kingdom and EPCOT to this park or Animal Kingdom. However, both of those parks also have a few things we consider "must-do" attractions.

• Rockin' Roller Coaster. Warning: This coaster goes upside down. It also has a rocket launcher and you go 0-60 in about 3 seconds to begin the ride. My 8yo daugher LOVES it (and so do I).
• The Muppets in 3-D
• Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show
• Fantasmic! This is DHS' version of fireworks. They incorporate characters, fire, water, and everything in between. The use of water as a movie screen is particularly cool. No matter where you sit, you'll be able to see.
• Don't forget to eat at Sci-Fi Drive-In. This is by far the best dining experience, in my family's opinion. We love to sit in the cars and watch the old sci-fi clips on the drive-in screen. You will definitely need to make ADRs if you want to ensure you have a chance to eat here. It's usually full.

Animal Kingdom

This particular park is a half-day excursion for us. Our family prefers the Magic Kingdom and EPCOT to this park or DHS. However, both of those parks also have a few things we consider "must-do" attractions.

• Mt. Everest Roller Coaster. Wow, Wow, Wow! This is a fairly new attraction and I was really amazed and thrilled when I rode it. You go forward, backward, and change tracks. You should love coasters if you're going to ride this one. My husband got disoriented and was not a happy camper. I, on the other hand, rode twice in a row.
• Lion King Show. This is a Cirque du Soleil-type show and won't disappoint.
• Primeval Whirl. This is a roller coaster in Dino Land USA (a part of the park that is themed like a carnival). This coaster is like a tilt-a-whirl on rails. If you have any issues with spinning, stay away. But, if you're like me, and spinning is awesome and only adds to your experience, try it out!
• My husband and my son love to do Kali River Rapids. I do not. I am not a fan of cold and wet. If you're visiting when it's hot, though, this is the ride for you.

Your Disney World Questions: How do you plan your WDW travel?

We have looked on sites like Expedia and Travelocity at their package deals -- airfare, hotels, rental car but they don't offer park passes, etc.  How do you book your trips? 

I'm not a travel agent, but I do love to plan travel. With the accessibility of information on the Web, I'm a force to be reckoned with when I set my mind to planning a vacation.

I admit that, in the past, I've been lucky with airfare because my husband travels enough that we have free tickets from his Frequent Flyer miles on Southwest. Finding low airfare is not my strong suit. If you have a large family, I would suggest driving if it's not more than 2 days away. My bet is that you'll spend less, even with high gas prices, than you would flying.

I have never used an Expedia or Travelocity Disney deal (or any site's Disney deal, for that matter). I tend to think I have more control over prices if I can book everything myself. Having said that, here is how I book our WDW vacations.

Overview of How I Plan Our Travel

I visit Mousesavers.com and Allears.net to look at discounts and current pricing of hotel rooms/park passes, etc. I formulate an idea of what I want, then I call Disney. I ask them if they have any specials going on or coming up. They are usually mum about this. If I haven't been able to find any discounts at MouseSavers, I ask the Cast Member (Disney employee) if AAA or any other clubs have discounts I can apply. If so, I make sure to sign up with that club and take advantage of the discount. Then I call Tiffany Town Car and book our transportation to and from the airport.

Please note, though, that I recommend you do the Disney Dining Plan. To do this you need to be staying on-property. The package WDW can sell you (ask for the Magic Your Way+Dining Plan) will include park passes and the Disney Dining Plan. You'll find that adding an extra day at the parks only costs a couple of dollars.

MouseSavers.com

This site offers a monthly newsletter with room codes (if available), Florida resident and Annual Passholder codes, and any other discounts they are aware of. In addition, MouseSavers usually has a discounted Park Pass deal with a reputable dealer. I have bought from these third-parties before (on recommendation from MouseSavers) and was not disappointed. The gal who runs MouseSavers.com prides herself on only dealing with reputable companies and providing accurate information.

I usually start my planning with MouseSavers.com to see if there are any discounts available for the time my family wants to go to Disney World. If there aren't, there is usually a AAA code. I call WDW and ask. (BTW, the 800 number for Disney is not necessarily easily found, but, since I like you, I'll give it to you: 800-828-0228. At least the call to Disney will be free, right?)

Allears.net

The next site I head to is Allears.net. Deb, the gal who runs this site, has a wealth of information. You can find the answer to any Disney question you might have at her site. She has the latest hotel pricing information and advice on the Disney Dining Plan.

I look visit Allears.net and look at the hotels we haven't stayed at and consider where we want to stay next. My husband is usually very vocal about where we stay so it's a no-brainer for me. We're headed to the Contemporary next, if I'm not mistaken. The Contemporary has two perks right now: 1) It's walking distance to The Magic Kingdom, and 2) The rooms have been refurbished recently. Oh, and it's on the monorail which is big with my kids.

Tiffany Town Car

We do not rent cars when we travel to Orlando for WDW. We know that we only need transportation to and from the airport. I always use Tiffany Town Car (on recommendation of MouseSavers.com). They are really no more expensive than a taxi and it's a little nicer ride.

You can sign up for Disney's Magical Express, but I prefer not to. It is essentially a bus that picks you up at the airport (and everyone else who is at the airport going to WDW) and transports you to your hotel.

The Pros of Disney's Magical Express :

• You check your bags at your hometown airport and bypass luggage claim at Orlando. The Magical Express takes care of everything.
• I believe this is a free service.

The Cons of Disney's Magical Express:

• You must wait for everyone who is signed up for DME to show up, is my understanding. Who knows how long that could take?
• You get to ride to everyone's hotel and drop them off. I don't know the order of drop-off. It may vary.
• I've been told that you should not expect your bags to appear in your room for several hours.

With Tiffany Town Car I am able to call and reserve a car/driver to pick up my family at baggage claim at a specific time. I can also ask that driver to arrive at my hotel to pick us up and return to the airport at a specific time. I'm not waiting on a cab and I have control of my baggage. That's what works for me. You may be more patient and willing to be more communal by doing DME.

Your Disney Questions: What is a Fast Pass?

I am extremely happy my Disney World tips were helpful to so many of you! In fact, some of you wrote to me with specific questions and I will try to answer as many as I can. If you have any questions that you don't see answered, please leave a comment and I'll add your question(s) to my list.

I've heard of some kind of pass that informs you when a ride doesn't have a long line and lets you move to the front of the line.  Is this real and if so, have you used it?

What you speak of is called the Fast Pass. Not only is it real, it's FREE and it will save you a ton of time.

Each of the rides in a Disney World park have a clock showing how long the wait is for that ride. (Trust me, if you see 20 minutes, jump on it. It probably won't be that long, but even if it is, that's about as short as it gets. Although, to be fair, because my family goes at off-peak times--like October or May--we have walked on to many of the rides without a wait.)

Back to my answer. So the rides have the clock that tells you how long the wait is. If the wait is over 45 minutes, you may want to consider getting a Fast Pass for that ride. Almost every ride has a Fast Pass option and the machines are usually located just outside the ride where the line starts.

To use the Fast Pass machine, you put your park ticket into the Fast Pass machine. The Fast Pass machine takes your ticket, spits out a receipt (or Fast Pass) that tells you when to return to the ride for your turn, and gives back your park ticket.

The time stated on your Fast Pass is usually a 20-minute time frame. For example, the Fast Pass may say to come back to the ride at 12:10-12:30. When you return to the ride some time between 12:10 and 12:30, instead of getting in the regular line, you use the Fast Pass line--which is clearly marked. The Fast Pass line is much shorter and faster and you almost always have less than a 5-minute wait for your ride. So instead of waiting in line for 45 minutes, you used that time to ride something else.

You can only have one Fast Pass at a time per park ticket. You couldn't use your park ticket to get Fast Passes for Splash Mountain, Space Mountain, and Peter Pan all at one time. AND you have to wait until your first Fast Pass has expired (the time it told you to return to line) before you can get a new one. So if you got a Fast Pass for Splash Mountain at 9:00am and the Fast Pass return time is 12:10, you can't get a new Fast Pass for any ride until 12:10.

When my family enters any park, we already know what our first Fast Pass is going to be and we bee-line to those rides to get the Fast Passes. The time the Fast Passes give you is usually about an hour out, but the time varies by ride depending on how busy it is.There is a clock over the Fast Pass area for each ride that tells you what time you're getting a Fast Pass for. Some popular rides, like Soarin' in EPCOT, will give you a time that is several hours away because it's so busy. In fact, there are a finite number of Fast Passes for each ride and sometimes you will be too late (though it's only happened once or twice while I've been there). You know there are no more Fast Passes available for a ride if the machines are covered or roped off.

Fast Passes can be very useful if you map out your park route. For instance, on our last day at Disney World on our last vacation, my daughter and I wanted to ride Rockin' Rollercoaster as many times as we could before the ride had a 30 minute wait. As soon as we hit the park, we hustled over to RR to get our Fast Passes. Then we rode without the FPs twice because the lines were so short. Then, as the line was longer by our third ride and it was also our FP time, we got to ride again. That was three rides on Rockin' Rollercoaster in 45 minutes! It was an exciting end to our vacation because we took advantage of the Fast Pass system.

"Secret" Disney World Attractions

These attractions aren't necessarily secret, but people do tend to overlook them in favor of the big parks and attractions. If you're looking for something different these activities will definitely fit the bill. Some are more crowded than others and, like everything at Disney World, it depends on when you go.

1. Water parks. Blizzard Beach is perfect for families and Typhoon Lagoon is more appropriate for teens. I’m not a water park fan, but Blizzard Beach won me over. The themeing is over the top (winter in summer) and it’s just so cool. The kids love it.
2. Miniature golf. Winter Summerland is located at Blizzard Beach and Fantasia Gardens is located behind the Dolphin hotel (on The Boardwalk). All with a Disney flair and totally fun!
3. Monorail. The monorail is just fun to ride! If you can swing it, try to sit up front with the conductor. It's limited to four people and it's first come, first serve. Ask the conductor when you get in line. You can ride it around the loop and stop to look around the different hotels it visits: Polynesian, Grand Floridian, and the Contemporary. This is especially fun around Thanksgiving and Christmas when the hotels are decked out in their holiday finery. As a bonus, try to memorize the Spanish warning. My son and I find this hilarious.
4. DisneyQuest. From the official Disney web page: "Create your own adventures in this one-of-a-kind indoor interactive Theme Park bursting with games that give "state-of-the-art" new meaning. Discover five floors exploding with cutting-edge technology, virtual reality and 3-D experiences — all fueled by Disney innovation and imagination." You must purchase a pass to enter Disney Quest; it's not included in your Park Pass or Park Hopper.
5. Cirque du Soleil: La Nouba. Located in DTD. I have not personally seen this Cirque show, but I have seen many others. I don't think you can go wrong with a Cirque show if you're looking for an adult evening out. I've heard this one may be a bit dark for children under 8, but I can't verify.
6. Fort Wilderness is part of The Wilderness Lodge and offers a plethora of fun activities:
   • campfire movies
   • horse barn
   • petting zoo
   • hay rides (especially fun in October!)
   • playground
   • Fort Wilderness also offers RV parking and cabins
7. Richard Petty Driving Experience. Driving or riding in a real NASCAR race car. My husband and my dad did this and they are still talking about it! Very fun.
8. DownTown Disney (DTD) has many stores, restaurants, and specialty shops.
9. The Board Walk also has great restaurants, performers, and a piano bar. You can rent bicycles built for four (just get everyone to pedal).
10. You can see Wishes (the Magic Kingdom fireworks show) from the Polynesian beach or the Grand Floridian boat dock. You can also view the Electric Water Pageant (a parade of lights in the lagoon) from those places.
11. Attend a party. Disney World offers hard-ticketed parties (meaning you have to have a separate ticket to attend the party) seasonally. We have attended Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party and Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. Both were fantastic, but I really prefer the Halloween party. The Halloween party has trick-or-treating (with the good, name-brand candy), free face painting, and the best parade I’ve ever seen! The best part is the headless horseman racing down the street carrying his pumpkin head. The gravediggers are a close second. You have to see it to believe it.

    The Christmas party is good. You have free hot chocolate and cookies. The parade is OK, but nothing as amazing as what they do for Halloween.

    The biggest reason to attend a hard-ticket party at Disney World is that there are a limited number of tickets to each event. That means very short lines for all the rides. You rarely actually have to wait! Also, Thunder Mountain Railroad seems to go quite a bit faster at these functions. The Cast Members will tell you they don’t and that it’s just that the rails are heated up from going all day, but I’m here to tell you, it’s fast and furious and wonderful!