BackPacks and Park days!

Hi there! When traveling to a Disney park for the day, you want to make sure that you pack the essentials to last you throughout the day. By doing so, you can save yourself both time and money! I've come up with a list of a few essentials I think are key for a day in the park.

My first piece of advice and probably my most important piece of advice, is to buy a backpack with two straps to distribute weight evenly. By doing so, you will save yourself from a sore neck/back after walking all day in the parks. Another thing I suggest, is getting a gender friendly bag. Although ladies, don't get me wrong..although I absolutely love the Kate Spade Minnie Book bag, I highly doubt my Fiancé Andrew will wear it for a couple hours if I get too tired! 

    One of my personal favorites is this denim mickey backpack off amazon.

Click to shop Amazon Disney denim backpack

Now lets get to that list shall we! 

1) Mouse Ears. If you're anything like me, then you cant do a day in the park without your ears on.. and right now, my personal favorite are the rose gold ones! For the longest time, it was almost impossible to find them in the Disney Parks because they are the hottest thing right now! But, like everything else I buy, you can find them on amazon! So be sure to order your ears ahead of time and pack them to save yourself from buying another pair. (Unless you want to add to your collection of course!)

Below I attached the link straight to the Rose Gold Minnie Ears!

Shop Rose Gold Minnie ears

2) Sanitize, Sanitize, Sanitize!!! I literally can not stress this one enough! Think of all the people that visit each Disney park A DAY!! Now imagine all the people that touch the very same things that you do. Rides, railings, merchandise, benches, etc. The last thing you want to do is pick up a nasty bug while on vacation. I usually bring wipes as well as the pocket size bottle. You can get the key chain ones to attach to your strap so you don't have to open your bag each time.

3) Rain Poncho. This is another important one to pack, and I suggest you purchase ahead of time. I don't think there has been a Disney Vacation I have been on where it hasn't rained once or twice. The first time it happened (when I was an adult and my mom wasn't there with her Mary Poppins purse) I purchased a poncho in the park, and surprise surprise it cost me a fortune! It also ended up tearing by the end of the night, so I paid a fortune for a poncho that ripped. 👎 

You can purchase ones for the whole family right on Amazon and save yourself some money!

Shop Disney rain ponchos

4) Number 4 on my list is of course an external battery for your smart phone! Through out the day at the parks you will find yourself logging in to My Disney experience App, and it can be draining on your phone battery. An external battery is sleek and light weight and will re-charge your smart phone in no time!

Like everything else, I tend to shop amazon, and Anker Power core is a battery bank that supports both Androids & IPhone! 

Shop Anker portable charger

5) For the Moms and Dads traveling with children, along with your little ones autograph book, I suggest a Click able Sharpie marker for autographs! Markers show up the best in the books and instead of fidgeting with a marker cap, click and sign!

6) Number 6 on my list is something that someone I'm close with, learned the hard way! CHANGE OF CLOTHES FOR YOUR LITTLE ONE! Lets face it, with all the excitement of the characters, rides, and snacks.. your little prince or princess may not always be upfront with having to go to the bathroom, which may result in a little unpleasant accident. And trust me, its almost impossible to find replacement undies in the parks! 

7) Sunscreen & lip balm with SPF.  Nobody wants to be uncomfortable and sunburned on vacation!

8) First aid essentials, because accidents, scrapes and cuts DO HAPPEN, even in the Happiest Place On Earth.

9) Sunglasses/Hat

10)Refillable Water Bottle 

Shop Disney water bottles

11) Last but not least! GLOW STICKS! If you or your children are anything like me, when the sun goes down and the light up necklaces & bubble wands look even more tempting, save yourself some money with glow stick necklaces and bracelets! Simply take out of your backpack, snap and enjoy! 

Shop glow sticks

And that concludes my park day backpack! I hope you find this list helpful when packing for your next adventure!

Worth the extra penny!

Hi there! I hope everyone has been enjoying my posts and tips on Disney! In my last post I wrote about how to save money on a Disney Vacation, and in this post I am going to share my opinions on what I feel is worth the EXTRA money!

1) Number one is by far the highest on my list of importance. The Memory Maker.

It is by far the best money you will spend all vacation (in my opinion.) For those of you who are in the beginning stages of planning your Disney trip and are not familiar with what the Memory Maker is, it is an incredible way to enjoy and capture picture worthy moments by professional photographers throughout the parks. It's almost like having a professional photographer at the snap of your fingers for the best shots! With photo locations throughout the parks, in select dining locations and on various rides, you can enjoy and share professional photos without having to ask a stranger to take the photo or having your arm in the "Selfie". Photos are conveniently connected to your online Disney account with the touch of your magic band or card. You can purchase it at any time but to save yourself $30 you should pre-purchase it at the price of $169. Ask your photographer if they have any Disney magic, and see cool effects added to your family photos!

2) Number 2 on my list is staying on Disney Property. Of course, now a days with airbnb and all the different hotel websites you can find accommodations for less money than what you'll spend on a Disney Resort, but staying on property is totally worth the extra money for many reasons! A few of them are:

 -When staying on property you get to take advantage of the "Extra magic hours" which is when the park is closed to the public but open to Disney resort guests. Some days may be you get into a specific park earlier than the public and other nights the park stay open later for guests staying on property.

-Your magic band is complimentary!

-Free shuttle services to all Disney parks, resorts, and Disney Springs.

-Early access to booking your fast passes! (60 days before vs. 30 days)

-You can have your souvenirs sent directly to your room so you don't have to worry about lugging them around the park all day.

-Each resort will offer unique experiences/memories for you and your family! (Such as a giraffe right outside your window!)

3) Epcot  International Food and Wine Festival!

 For all the adults who love food and wine as much as they love Disney, then you wont want to miss this annual Food and Wine Festival that starts at the end of August and goes through November!

It is a spectacular celebration of Global foods, music, (that can be enjoyed by the whole family) and wine (that can be enjoyed by Mom & Dad). Cheese seminars, beverage seminars, cooking demonstrations & shows, it really is an event you wont want to miss! The festival its self is free, anyone can walk through the countries and enjoy the various cultures, but the food and beverages you can purchase throughout at different stands! Wear your stretchy pants ladies, cause I promise you, your hands will be full and so will your bellies! 

  

4) Lastly on my list which can also be enjoyed in the Fall time, is tickets to Mickeys Not So Scary Halloween party. In Disney, it is against the rules for adults to dress up in costumes, EXECPT when you go to Mickeys Halloween party! Not only do you get to dress up, but you get to relive your childhood and trick or treat throughout the park and believe me.. they definitely don't give out the cheap candy! The event ticket costs $85.00 and is held in Magic Kingdom. For those traveling with children don't worry, the reason its called "Mickeys Not so Scary Halloween party" is because it is appropriate for all ages to enjoy! Trust me, I get scared very easily and I had a blast! The park is open later and you can't enter until 4pm, so you can spend your day relaxing by the pool or at another park. Enjoy the Halloween dance party, the Happy Hallo-wishes fireworks show and enjoy the Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular hosted by the Sanderson Sisters from Hocus Pocus.

 

This completes my list of the top things I believe are truly worth the extra money in Disney World! I hope you get to experience and enjoy a few things on this list as much as I have.

How to save, budget and plan a Disney vacation

"The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing."

-WALT DISNEY

As mentioned in a previous post I am a hair stylist, but in between that I am also a Disney travel agent. One of the things I hear most from clients when talking about Disney is "I want to go but i cant afford it" or "Disney is too expensive." The truth is, yes a Disney vacation can be very expensive, but there ARE ways to visit Disney within a reasonable budget and still have a great time! Have you ever heard of "balling on a budget?" Well, if you're in your early to mid twenties I'm sure you have, and I am going to give you a few tips to be "Disney-ing on a budget." 😜
 When a client approaches me about booking a Disney vacation it usually is about 6 months-1 year in advance. Usually within that time frame is either a holiday or a birthday, right? Well if your family is anything like mine, the number one question before a birthday or a major holiday is "what do you want?" or "what does your little one want?" Well...Tell them Disney gift cards! Disney gift cards can be used towards payment of your trip, souvenirs, and snacks or meals in the park. If you have a Sams Club near you, you can purchase Disney gift cards there, $45 for a $50 value.  Believe me, the $5.00 savings will add up! You can link multiple gift cards to one card or you can charge everything to your magic band, and periodically throughout the trip, you can visit guest services and use your gift cards to pay your band charges.

  Staying on property is a must! Not only will you save with not having to rent a car but the experience all Disney resorts have to offer is just amazing. Walt Disney World currently has over 25 different hotels to choose from. From budget- conscious and value resorts to glitz and more luxurious resorts, this means you have many options to fit different budgets!  Now don't think Disney's value resorts wont be as good as their deluxe resorts, I explain to my clients that everything Disney does is magic, so you're more budget friendly resorts will still be just as magical for you and your family as all the rest. I also try to remind them, only very little time will really be spent in your room. With all of the parks expansions Disney has been recently renovating a lot of their value resorts, one of the most recent being Disneys Pop Century resort. It is one of the first value resorts to now offer queen size beds, one of which is hidden inside the Murphy style pull down which doubles as a table. If you are traveling as a couple and will only need one bed, then the room will feel much larger!  The bed is not hard to pull down and can be left down once pulled out. Rooms at Pop Century start out at $116 a night, which to me, is worth every penny, especially with all the new upgrades and refurbishments! 
  Another perk about staying on Disney property is you will save on parking. Each resort has complimentary shuttle busses that go to every park and also Disney Springs. They come about every 15 minutes. By staying on property and using the shuttles, it will save you anywhere from $17-$40 a day just in parking! Not to mention what you will save by not renting a car! Walt Disney world also has partnered up with the driving company Lyft, which for those of you who don't know, its similar to Uber. Lyft offers "Minnie Vans" which are driven by a trained Walt Disney World employee. Similar to uber you order your van in an app, when you check in at guest services at your resort they will give you a coupon code which will give you a special rate just for guests staying on property! The vans only go to Disney Properties, such as any parks, all Disney resorts and Disney Springs. It is a red and white polka dot van and they offer car seats for little ones! During your ride you can expect to hear classic Disney music, and my favorite part was talking with the driver. Each time I've been in a Minnie Van, our driver has told us some awesome behind the scenes info about the parks and even about Mr. Disney himself!
  Another way to save on Disney Vacations is try to travel during off-peak seasons. Not only will you be able to save on your airfare but typically the hotel rates are lower as well. My advice for finding airline tickets is download the app "HOPPER" and type in your dates. You can then choose to "watch this flight" which will set up alerts to be sent to you when the price drops or is expected to rise. The app will tell you when they think the best time to buy is. Now of course a major way you can save on airline tickets would be to drive. Depending on where you live, that may be an option for you. A girl from upstate N.Y.  like me, may choose the 3 hour flight option over the 15 hour car ride, but those of you who don't mind long car rides and look at it as a "road trip adventure" then this is a great way for you to save HUNDREDS! 
   One Question Im asked often when planning a Disney Vacation for a client is, "Is the Dining plan worth it?" Well, that is a hard one to answer.. I feel it is based more on opinion rather than facts. My personal opinion is.. No. If you are interested in the dining plan i suggest you plan your trip in fall time when Disney often offers a free dining plan package. The 2018 Disney Dining Plan costs: Adults - $75.49 & Children (3-9) $25.80.  The Dining Plan includes 1 Table Service meal credit, 1 Quick Service meal credit, and 2 Snack credits per person per night of your stay. Also each guest gets a refillable mug.  My personal experience is that you will not spend $75.49 a day on food. Also for young kids you may be able to get away with them possibly splitting a meal.
 When suggesting restaurants to clients on a budget I explain to them that the Beauty and the Beast castle is a must! It is a little more on the pricier side and is a full sit down meal, but You and your family can go for lunch rather than dinner. The Lunch menu is cheaper than the dinner menu but in my opinion the dinner options are not unreasonable. Again, really the only way I truly think the Disney dining plan is worth it, is if you plan on eating at the expensive restaurants every night and ordering expensive meals, but you can save money by planning ahead and checking out all the restaurants the parks and Disney springs has to offer before traveling. And plan on only doing one to two character dining experiences! Research where in the park you can see who and see them there!
  Make the most of your stay and cut your costs by adjusting the length of your stay. There are four parks, try planning a trip for 5 nights, 4 days. You may not get to do everything, but lets be realistic..even in a 7 day trip you still wont do everything, but if you plan correctly and ahead of time you can make the most of 4 days and save on food and hotel costs!If traveling with younger children, save money and skip the hopper ticket! Going to one park a day will be exhausting, but doing multiple parks in a day will be  too much for most young children, so save the money and maximize your day with one park per day. For a family of four, thats about a $220-$270 savings! One of my most important tips would be, price it out before you rule it out. A lot of times when a family is wishing they could go to Disney but is scared of the cost, they are just going based off what others have told them. 9 times out of 10 when I end up pricing a vacation out for a family, their response is "oh my goodness I thought it would be way more!" Price it out and set a reasonable budget in a comfortable time frame for you and your family. Give your children budgets for souvenirs! Don't max out your credit cards for the same toys you can get year round online or during Disney's online sales! Buy kids costumes before you go & use etsy for family shirts! (I will be writing a blog about where I get all my park gear soon!) No vacation is worth getting in the hole over and your vacation will be ruined if the whole time you're worrying about the credit card bills you'll have from Disney Parks once returning home, so plan ahead, budget and set boundaries!I hope some of these tips will help you guys plan your magical vacation within a comfortable budget!

Who am I?

WHO AM I?

I'm a girl who loves Disney,

Im the girl who loves the Mouse

It calls me.

I hope all of you sang that in your head (or out loud) to "I AM MOANA" 😊 Hello Disney fans! My name is Ree, and I really do love all things Disney and Mouse related. I am 26 years young, and I live in N.Y. I currently am planning my Disney themed wedding, which I will write all about in another post!

Being an adult and loving Disney is the only way I know HOW to adult, but sadly on a daily basis I get asked "Why do you love Disney so much?" and my reply is always "Why don't you?" I do hair for a living so I interact with people daily and I've heard the question so much that I finally decided to really break it down to why I truly love Disney. Besides all the catchy songs in the movies and the handsome princes giving a young girl hope for true love, I feel that in 2018 our world is really in a scary place. Walt Disney has created a "world" for all adults and children to enter and even if its for a split second, they've managed to help our minds and hearts be at ease and experience true bliss. Yeah, I know what you're probably thinking, "Have you ever been in Disney World in the middle of a school break with all the over tired, over heated screaming children?" The answer is yes I have, but if you really take a moment to soak in everything around you.. for that moment you will forget about all the bad and ugly in the world today. You feel completely safe, and innocent like a child. My first time back to Disney as an adult brought tears to my eyes and butterflies in my stomach. Every bench, every ride, every character offered me a memory from my childhood that I couldn't wait to recreate! Whether its a Disney movie, a park day, or even matching family shirts, I can't help but smile and think to myself "maybe magic really does exist"! I hope you all will enjoy reading my tips, stories, and opinions that I will be sharing with you! Please feel free to leave any comments, especially ones with ideas for my next post!