All tagged Disney Planning

Disney World March 2023 Planning

It has been over a month since our return from Disney, but I am finally getting to posting all about our fun trip! Brad does not entirely agree, but I must say that this was one of my least tiring trips to Disney World in quite some time. I did get to sleep in one day while he got up early to take Melody to Magic Kingdom (more on that soon), but the trip overall went so smooth.

Traveling to Disney World - October 2021

Not much fun is involved on travel days to Disney World. Especially when you are driving 10-12 hours. We got up as early as we could and headed down. We had to make the trip in one day, and we needed to get down to Orlando early enough that we could go to Shades of Green to get our park tickets before the ticket office closed.

Disney October 2021 Planning

Months ago, we found out both our in laws (brother/sister/nieces) and best friends were both going to Disney World during Fall Break. While it sounded fun to plan and tag along, several things kept us from booking a trip: money, 50th anniversary, Brad’s travel, crowds, etc. We also didn’t want to invade on their vacations. Well about two weeks before fall break, we still were not sure if Brad would be home or not. So I started looking at several options for Melody and me, including Disney. A few days before fall break, Brad found out he would be home, and we started floating around the idea. We kept going back to not going due to money and just the exhaustion of driving and a short trip. Melody was clueless about our family and friends going. But that changed the Friday before fall break. Her best friend, Lydia, found out she was going, and Melody started asking to go to Disney too. After a lot of talking, negotiating, and even some arguing, we decided Saturday morning we would head to Disney on Sunday. THE NEXT DAY! Thankfully I am a seasoned Disney goer, so this wasn’t impossible.

Disney World Park Pass System

Something new to Disney World since COVID is their park pass system. It was originally put in place to truly manage park capacity in the early days of reopening after COVID. You could not park hop, so this kept Disney World in complete control of where everyone would be. Then park hopping started. They still require that you book a park pass for your first park, then after 2 pm, you can park hop to any park with availability. It looks like the park pass system is here to stay until at least January 2023. So I wanted to do a post about booking said passes. Check it out below.

Disney 2021 Planning

So we had a Disney trip planned with my parents back in August 2020, but then COVID happened and wrecked havoc on all of the plans. We postponed it many times, and we eventually stopped planning it. But we finally found a week that did work for everyone in May. The problem we encountered is that we literally decided about 3 weeks out. In the COVID world, it is ideal to wait until closer to your trip now just because you never know, but I am a planner. When we finally decided we would go, there was not any park passes available for the parks except EPCOT. And while that is our favorite park, with the late start every day, it just did not seem ideal. So we backed out. But then Disney fixed a glitch in their system and many passes were released, so we booked our trip!

Disney Fastpass+

I remember a day when planning for Disney World trips were minimal. Today they take a lot of time and effort. I find it fun for the most part, but if you are not a planner, it can be really overwhelming. You have to know where you want to eat each day while on your Disney trip over 6 months in advance to get some of those coveted dining reservations. Then you have to know what rides you want to ride each day of your trip and approximately at what time 60+ days in advance! I really do not love this way of doing things, but it is what it is. So I wanted to share all about the later…planning for your rides 60+ days in advance and how to book them.

March 2019 Disney Planning

Mom and I make an annual trip to Disney World nearly every year for my birthday. We started this when I got out of college. It usually would just be a day or two at Disney and we would tack on a cruise. But since I had Melody, I haven’t wanted to do a cruise yet. So we just do Disney. This year, January was just not ideal. So we postponed until March.

February 2019 Disney World Planning

Well we just got back from a trip to Disney World. Imagine that? Or at least I feel like that is what most people say, ha! I will say, this was our last family trip we have planned to Disney for awhile. Melody turns 3 in May, and she will have to pay after that. And we want to take a few bigger trips to other places. Now in a year, we will see if that statement holds true, ha. This trip is just the three of us. And it is the first trip we aren’t having to make time to visit with anyone else, so our break day was actually a break day at our resort. It was weird. Anyhow, check out all the planning that went into our trip below!

September 2018 Disney World Planning and Packing

So I am not going to make this post quite like my Disney World planning post from the past. This trip was completely different than all of my previous trips. We traveled with my mom on a business trip, so we didn’t do as much planning ahead of time. So instead of going through our dining reservations (we only made one or two prior) or our Fastpasses (we made very few of these too), I am going to go through some of the other things we had to plan and pack.

January 2018 Disney Planning

It is that time of year again when mom and I go on our annual girls' trip.  We bought a Disney World Annual Pass last year, so it only made sense to do Disney again.  All of the cold weather at home almost makes me wish we did a cruise, but it really didn't make much sense.  Plus, I am not sure I can be away from Melody quite that long yet.  Below is all of the planning that went into this year's trip!

Disney Packing

Packing for Disney can be quite a challenge.  The challenge becomes even more difficult when a baby/toddler is involved.  I had to make quite a few lists in addition to my usual travel checklist.  I wanted to share some of the packing tips/tricks/advice I have.  I am certain my advice isn't perfect, but I know every little bit helps!

December 2017 Disney Planning

So we just got back from a trip to Disney World.  We have been planning this trip for almost a year.  Not only was it Brad, Melody, and me, but we also went with Justin, Emily (my best friend), and Lydia.  Quite a lot of planning went into this trip...a lot more than our trip back in February.  February was a much smaller trip, and there wasn't as many people to plan for!  Check out all of the details below!

January 2017 Disney World Trip Planning

So my mom and I just got back from our annual Disney World trip.  This year was going to be a little different because it would be my first time away from Melody.  We decided to only go for 3 nights so that I could get home sooner to see Melody (oh and Brad!).  I wanted to share all of the planning that I did for this trip!