Over the past year, I saw a number of the lovely folks on the PassPorter.com forums celebrating the arrival of "Mickey Mail." I finally asked, "Just what is 'Mickey Mail?'" The short answer is that "Mickey Mail" is the travel documents sent to you by the Walt Disney Travel Company. If you book a package, or part of a package, through Disney, you receive Mickey Mail. According to my wonderful travel planner, Mindy, it's usually sent about 30 days before the start of your vacation.
I knew mine was on its way, and I confess I was a little antsy in the days leading up to its arrival. I wanted that magical little packet in my grubby hands already! Well, it arrived this week, on Wednesday, August 14th! I'd asked that the travel agency (Mouse World Travel ) mail the package to my work address. Unfortunately for my co-workers, this meant subjecting them to my happy dance. Yes, I actually did a Mickey Mail happy dance!
It's REAL, folks! I'm going to Walt Disney World!!!! In 25 days, to be specific. ;-)
Friday, August 16, 2013
Friday, July 19, 2013
The Paid in Full Dance!!!
WOOOOOOOOOOOOT!
That's what my brain gleefully squealed yesterday when my wonderful travel planner, Mindy, e-mailed to say that my Disney World trip is PAID! IN! FULL! I checked my bank account online, just to be 100% certain, and the payment was there, with the other pending transactions.
It's all paid: my room at Pop Century, park-hopper tickets, deluxe dining plan, Photo Pass+, Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween party... Not to mention my airfare and my Super Shuttle rides to and from the airport on my end. I still owe my traveling companions for our Keys to the Kingdom tour at Magic Kingdom and our Spirit of Aloha dinner show, but from now on, every penny I save is gravy! I can use all my savings now for tips, an occasional taxi, souvenirs, and other incidentals.
How do I spell "relief?" "PIF," that's how!
Pardon me while I do my PIF dance... If you're wondering, it looks a lot my double-digit dance (danced when my countdown moved from 100 to 99 days) and my ADR dance (danced 180 days from arrival, the day I was able to begin scheduling dining reservations). What can I say? I'm not a dancer by nature, and my repertoire is somewhat limited. And okay, I'm not graceful. But I'm enthusiastic! That counts for something. Right? ;-)
That's what my brain gleefully squealed yesterday when my wonderful travel planner, Mindy, e-mailed to say that my Disney World trip is PAID! IN! FULL! I checked my bank account online, just to be 100% certain, and the payment was there, with the other pending transactions.
It's all paid: my room at Pop Century, park-hopper tickets, deluxe dining plan, Photo Pass+, Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween party... Not to mention my airfare and my Super Shuttle rides to and from the airport on my end. I still owe my traveling companions for our Keys to the Kingdom tour at Magic Kingdom and our Spirit of Aloha dinner show, but from now on, every penny I save is gravy! I can use all my savings now for tips, an occasional taxi, souvenirs, and other incidentals.
How do I spell "relief?" "PIF," that's how!
Pardon me while I do my PIF dance... If you're wondering, it looks a lot my double-digit dance (danced when my countdown moved from 100 to 99 days) and my ADR dance (danced 180 days from arrival, the day I was able to begin scheduling dining reservations). What can I say? I'm not a dancer by nature, and my repertoire is somewhat limited. And okay, I'm not graceful. But I'm enthusiastic! That counts for something. Right? ;-)
Thursday, July 11, 2013
Resources: The Web
Updated August 6, 2013
I love books. I mean, I LOVE books. Just look at the post on the books I've read in my search for Disney knowledge!
But I have a confession: I have a touch of adult Attention Deficit Disorder, and I'm a big fan of instant gratification. And researching the Web for All Things Disney is so very gratifying! Here's a list of some of the sites I've trolled in my quest for information. Expect it to be updated a time or twelve before I actually leave in September...
If you notice any broken links, please leave a comment for me. (In addition to adult ADD, I have the rare spurt of dyslexia.) And feel free to share your favorite Disney sites! Thank you!
I love books. I mean, I LOVE books. Just look at the post on the books I've read in my search for Disney knowledge!
But I have a confession: I have a touch of adult Attention Deficit Disorder, and I'm a big fan of instant gratification. And researching the Web for All Things Disney is so very gratifying! Here's a list of some of the sites I've trolled in my quest for information. Expect it to be updated a time or twelve before I actually leave in September...
If you notice any broken links, please leave a comment for me. (In addition to adult ADD, I have the rare spurt of dyslexia.) And feel free to share your favorite Disney sites! Thank you!
- All Ears
- Build A Better Mouse Trip
- Chip and Company
- Couponing to Disney
- The Disney Driven Life
- Disney Food Blog
- Disney Park History Links
- Disney World Moms Panel
- Disneyways
- Easy WDW
- Imaginerding
- Inside the Magic
- It's a Disney World After All
- Kenny the Pirate's Disney World Guide
- Magic, Memories, Mayhem
- Mickey Path offers countdown tickers, name tags, banners
- Mouse on the Mind
- Mouse Savers Listen to music from the parks while you're planning your next trip!
- MouseWorld Radio
- Mouse World Travel If you're looking for a great travel planner for your own magical vacation, I highly recommend contacting Mindy at Mouse World Travel! She's been such a tremendous help!
- PassPorter I love their forums and all of the planning worksheets they offer!
- Solo Friendly
- Stitch Kingdom
- Touring Plans
- Wikitravel: Walt Disney World
Sunday, June 16, 2013
ADRs and Other Reservations
Edited September 2, 2013
It can be a real challenge to get a table in many of the sit-down restaurants at the Walt Disney World Resort (also known as "table service" in Disney lingo) unless you make an Advance Dining Reservation (aka "ADR"). You can make ADRs up to 180 days in advance, adding up to an additional 10 days if you're staying at one of the Disney resorts. Trying to decide where I might want to eat six months before I even get to Florida was a little challenging. (And when I say "little," I mean "huge, massive, seemingly insurmountable.") Fortunately for me, I'll be eating most of my meals with longtime Disney-vacationing veterans. Thank you, Mel and Michael, for making this process easier!
We made our list, and I got up before 6am at the 180-day mark, which was March 14, 2013. I tried booking our ADRs on the WDW website, but due to a known-at-that-time glitch, was only able to schedule our first day. A phone call to Disney's dining line at 7am took care of all but one of our choices.
There are other events you can book ahead of time, such as special dinner shows, tours, parties, etc. With Mel's help, we've been able to schedule a lot of great restaurants and events. Here's how the schedule looks so far...
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
It can be a real challenge to get a table in many of the sit-down restaurants at the Walt Disney World Resort (also known as "table service" in Disney lingo) unless you make an Advance Dining Reservation (aka "ADR"). You can make ADRs up to 180 days in advance, adding up to an additional 10 days if you're staying at one of the Disney resorts. Trying to decide where I might want to eat six months before I even get to Florida was a little challenging. (And when I say "little," I mean "huge, massive, seemingly insurmountable.") Fortunately for me, I'll be eating most of my meals with longtime Disney-vacationing veterans. Thank you, Mel and Michael, for making this process easier!
We made our list, and I got up before 6am at the 180-day mark, which was March 14, 2013. I tried booking our ADRs on the WDW website, but due to a known-at-that-time glitch, was only able to schedule our first day. A phone call to Disney's dining line at 7am took care of all but one of our choices.
There are other events you can book ahead of time, such as special dinner shows, tours, parties, etc. With Mel's help, we've been able to schedule a lot of great restaurants and events. Here's how the schedule looks so far...
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
- I fly to Orlando
- 1:30pm lunch reservation for Tony's Town Square in the Magic Kingdom (MK)
- 8pm seating for the Spirit of Aloha dinner show at Disney's Polynesian Resort
- 12 noon lunch at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall in Norway, Epcot's World Showcase
- 7pm dinner at the Coral Reef in Epcot's Future World
- 9am character breakfast at the Crystal Palace, MK
- 8:10pm dinner at Cinderella's Royal Table, MK
- 12:05pm lunch at 50s Prime Time Café in Disney's Hollywood Studios (DHS)
- 5:05pm dinner at Mama Melrose's Ristorante in DHS--Fantasmic! dinner package
- 8:30pm Fantasmic! showing
- 11am brunch at Kona Café at the Polynesian Resort
- 5pm dinner at Sanaa at Disney's Animal Kingdom Resort
- 9:30am Keys to the Kingdom Tour in the MK, which includes lunch at the Columbia Harbor House
- 6:30pm dinner at Restaurant Marrakesh in Morocco in Epcot's World Showcase
- 8pm dinner at Raglan Road in Downtown Disney (Yes, I'm going to the one Irish pub on Disney property. This should surprise no one. lol)
- 12 noon lunch at the San Angel Inn in Mexico, Epcot's World Showcase
- 5:30pm dinner at Be Our Guest in the MK
- 7pm Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party (This is a "hard-ticket" event, meaning a separate admission fee on top of your regular park admission. They offer a special parade, special fireworks show, trick-or-treating throughout the MK, and special appearances by Disney villains. I already have my costume planned: I'm going as a hippie chick. Love beads and peace signs, man!)
- 9:30am character breakfast at 'Ohana at the Polynesian
- Much wailing and gnashing of teeth as I leave WDW and fly back to Washington.
Saturday, June 15, 2013
Resources: Magazines
Updated August 16, 2013
I love magazines. Okay, I love the written word in general...books, magazines, fliers, pamphlets... But I do enjoy magazines, to the point where my mother suggested many times that I try to not buy quite so many. Imagine my delight, then, to discover two magazines that focus on Walt Disney World and/or other Orlando-area attractions! These magazines are lovely, full-color glossy publications, full of information and beautiful photos. I highly recommend them.
Here's a list of the magazines I've collected and consulted while planning my 2013 Walt Disney World vacation:
Celebrations Magazine
Orlando Attractions Magazine
I love magazines. Okay, I love the written word in general...books, magazines, fliers, pamphlets... But I do enjoy magazines, to the point where my mother suggested many times that I try to not buy quite so many. Imagine my delight, then, to discover two magazines that focus on Walt Disney World and/or other Orlando-area attractions! These magazines are lovely, full-color glossy publications, full of information and beautiful photos. I highly recommend them.
Here's a list of the magazines I've collected and consulted while planning my 2013 Walt Disney World vacation:
Celebrations Magazine
- Volume 1, #2: November/December 2008
- #24: July/August 2012
- #25: September/October 2012
- #26: November/December 2012
- #27: January/February 2013
- #28: March/April 2013
- #29: May/June 2013
- #30: July/August 2013
Orlando Attractions Magazine
- Volume 5, Issue 3: Summer 2012
- Volume 5, Issue 4: Fall 2012
- Volume 6, Issue 1: Winter 2012/2013
- Volume 6, Issue 2: Spring 2013
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