Magical Mondays!

Hey there!

How was everyones weekend?  Mine was nice and relaxing for the most part.  I headed to our nearest Disney Store and got the kids a couple of special things in celebration of our trip being booked!  Sadly the Disney Store closest to us closed over a year ago, so now it really is a special treat to go visit one!  I also have been busily partying at the Ultimate Blog Party.  This is an awesome way that I have been interacting with other bloggers and spreading the word about Be Our Guest Vacations.  I have also joined up with two local networking groups - On Tap Network and Philly Social Media Moms.  I told you all that happened made me more serious!  :-)

I am working on some more special editions for the blog as well and considering getting some guest bloggers to write about experiences I have not yet had in Walt Disney World - yes it is true I have not done it all!  Currently I am featuring rides once a week - my first ride featured was non other than the classic - It's A Small World.  Also you will find the next edition of Disney on a Budget.  We also are going to be doing a feature on how to keep the magic alive at home and of course we have our Tuesday Tip coming up tomorrow!

So if you are new here be sure to look back and some old posts.  I have been linking to some of them in new posts, but you can find them listed along the sidebar in the blog archives.  If you are here and like what you see please follow the blog with Google Friends Connect and the Networked Blog Feature as well as like us on Facebook and follow on Twitter - all of these can be found in the sidebar.  A giveaway is planned when we hit 300 likes on facebook and I already have some great items to give to you, so be sure to like us if you haven't already!  Hard to believe that less than two weeks ago we were at around 130 likes and now we have over 200!!  So be sure to share with your friends!

And as always - Have a Magical Day!!

Disney on a Budget - Part 2

Hello there!!

So you think Disney is too expensive?  You just know that you won't be able to afford to go.  Well I am here to show you how Disney can be affordable to everyone!!

Last week we covered - using a vacation planner (hopefully since you are here that will be me!), meal plans and planning your meals well.  If you didn't read it check it out here - Disney on a Budget - Part 1

Here we are going to cover - resort categories, the different seasons of Disney, age of your kids.

1.) Age of your kids.  I am starting here since well, for some of you this might not even really be an option.  Your kids are what they are age wise and if you are just now considering a Disney trip and they are all 10 and above then this tip will do nothing for you!  However, if you have younger kids, especially a child under 3 consider getting there asap!  Children UNDER 3 are FREE.  That means that if they are 2 years 51 weeks and 6 days old the day you get to Disney they are considered under 3 for the whole trip.  Being under 3 is huge in so many ways - not only is the park pass free, but they eat free at the buffets!  This September will be the first trip that I have to pay for both kids...yikes!  Luckily I got in on a great promo - Kids Stay and Play for free (it's over) and I am at least getting free basic park passes.  I hear parents all the time say that under a certain age is too young to go to Disney.  Rather than rehash my opinions on that I will link you to this post...How Young is Too Young???  For me I don't think there is a too young, but read for yourself and know that it is always great to get that first trip in to make your memories before your little prince or princess turns 3, trust me it is truly MAGICAL!

2.) Resort Options.  There are so many different levels of price at Disney.  I know many people that stay off site because they think this is money saving and they get more space.  Me I will never stay off site, so if you are looking for info on that, well I am not the one with those answers.  (Some of the reasons I love Staying on site are covered here.)  But back to how to make the categories work to your budget.  Disney has something for every budget.  For instance - my parents are paying $69 a night to stay at the Pop Century!  Not a bad price at all when you think of all the benefits you get by staying on property.  Now this is with a discount that was previously offered, but there are almost always discounts, which is why I recommend booking with me!  :-)  So for those that think the lodging is out of control expensive I am here to tell you - it doesn't have to be!  Is the Grand Floridian beautiful and well...Grand?  Yes, but is it insanely expensive - yes!  I have stayed at some deluxes, but this is one I haven't because I just cannot bring myself to spend that kind of money!

3.) Know the Seasons. No I am not talking about Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall.  Although those do slightly coordinate with Disney's seasons.  With Disney you get - value, regular, peak, and holiday season - in that order.  Value of course being the least expensive and Holiday being the most expensive.  Recently the implemented even increasing pricing on dining during holiday and extremely high peak seasons.  The seasons for the resorts are also dictated by the level resort you are in.  Here is the 2011 Breakdown on the Resort Seasons!

• Disney Value Resorts & Disney Moderate Resorts 
• Value Season:      Jan 2-5; Jan 9 - Jan 13; Jan 17 - Feb 16; Aug 14 - Sept 29
  
• Marathon Rate:     Jan 6 -8
  
• Regular Season:   Feb 27 - March 10;  May 1 - June 2;  Sept 30 - Oct 6;  Oct 10 - Nov 18; Nov 26 - Dec 22
  
• Summer Season:   June 3 - June 30,  July 4 - Aug 13
  
• Peak Season:        Feb 17;  Feb 21 - 26;  March 11 - April 16
  
• Holiday Season:    Jan 1;  Jan 14-16;  Feb 18-20;  April 17 - April 30; July 1-3;  Oct 7-9;   Nov 19-25; Dec 23 -31   
  

• Disney Deluxe Resorts: 
• Value Season:      Jan 2-5; Jan 9 - Jan 13; Jan 17 - Feb 16; July 17 - Sept 29 
• Marathon Rate:     Jan 6 -8 
• Regular Season:   Feb 27 - March 10;  May 1 - June 30;  July 4-16; Sept 30 - Oct 6;  Oct 10 - Nov 21; Nov 26 - Dec 22
  
• Peak Season:        Feb 17;  Feb 21 - 26;  March 11 - April 16
  
• Holiday Season:    Jan 1;  Jan 14-16;  Feb 18-20;  April 17-30;  July 1-3;  Oct 7-9;  Nov 22-25; Dec 23 -31   
  

• Disney Deluxe Villa Resorts: 
• Value Season:      Jan 2-5; Jan 9 - Feb 16; July 17 - Sept 29
  
• Marathon Rate:     Jan 6 -8
  
• Regular Season:   Feb 27 - March 10;  May 1 - June 30;  July 4-16; Sept 30 - Nov 21;    Nov 26 - Dec 22
  
• Peak Season:        Feb 17-26;  March 11 - April 30
  
• Holiday Season:    Jan 1;  July 1-3;  Nov 22-25;  Dec 23 -31  
  

• Disney Campsites for Fort Wilderness: 
• Value Season:      Jan 2-5; Jan 9 - Jan 13; Jan 17 - Feb 17; Aug 7 - Oct 6; Oct 10 - Nov 17 
• Marathon Rate:     Jan 6 -8 
• Regular Season:   May 1 - June 30;  July 4 - Aug 6 
• Peak Season:       Feb 21 - April 16 
• Pre-Holiday:          Nov 18;  Nov 26 - Dec 15 
• Holiday Season:    Jan 1;  Jan 14-16;  Feb 18-20;  April 17 - April 30; July 1-3;  Oct 7-9;  Nov 19-25; Dec 16 -31   
  

• Disney Cabins for Fort Wilderness 
• Value Season:      Jan 2-5; Jan 9 - Jan 13; Jan 17 - Feb 16; July 17 - Sept 29 
• Marathon Rate:     Jan 6 -8 
• Regular Season:   Feb 27 - March 10;  May 1 - June 30;  July 4-16; Sept 30 - Oct 6;  Oct 23 - Nov 21;  Nov 26 - Dec 22
  
• Peak Season:        Feb 17;  Feb 21 - 26;  March 11 - April 16
  
• Holiday Season:    Jan 1;  Jan 14-16;  Feb 18-20;  April 17 - April 30; July 1-3;  Oct 7-9;   Nov 22-25; Dec 23 -31

Overwhelming I know!!  That is what I am for though!  :-)  Now go look at those dates and figure out when you want to go for the least amount of money!  This is why we are going the last week of September and not the first week of October!!

Favorite Rides

Helllllooooo Disney Lovers!  :-)

So I asked a friend for advice on some things to blog about and she mentioned talking about my favorite rides.  So why not.  Although this should last me a long time to write about since I don't think I have a Disney ride that I don't like.  I may even take the chance to discuss a favorite that I miss.  Be sure to check out the Live 365 link on my sidebar too because I gotta tell you listening to this has really helped keep me in the Disney posting spirit!!

Ok so my featured favorite ride today.....lets go classic and talk about the ride that we start our trip off with.  Just mentioning the name will probably get a certain song stuck in your head for the rest of the day!  (Hey I warned ya!)

It's A Small World

Yup that is the one.  I gotta say I LOVE this ride.  Does it get slightly old after the 100th time we have rode it on a trip because it is also one of my kids favorites?  Ummmmm I guess so.  But no not really...LOL  And I don't even mind having that classic song stuck in my head either.  It's A Small World first premiered at the World's Fair in NYC in 1964.  You can now find this classic ride in every Disney Resort Worldwide in Fantasyland.

What I love about this ride?  It is the perfect ride for the entire family.  There is nothing scary about it, it isn't too fast, you can all sit in the same vehicle and enjoy it together and for us it puts us in the Disney spirit.  I have been traveling to my happy place - that would be WDW for those that haven't figured that out yet! - since 1982.  When I was a kid we went every other year, as an adult we go more often and this is always our first ride.  The line moves very quickly!  I can always tell when the park is really crowded when there is a super long line at It's A Small World!

What is the ride all about?  Really...do I even need to tell you?  I think even those that have NEVER been to Disney know about It's A Small World, but ok lets pretend you don't!  Well it is a boat ride through several rooms with different themes of around the world.  It ends with a room combining all the rooms and then lastly you are wished goodbye in every language you can think of!  All the way through you are seranaded by the wonderful It's A Small World Song!  Lyrics and Music

The ride in Magic Kingdom (WDW) has gone under a few refurbishments over the years, the biggest being in May of 2004 until March of 2005.  During this time it got a new state of the art sound system, new lighting effects and a new loading area similar to Disneyland. 

All in all this is a MUST do!  I can't wait to ride it on our next trip!  The kids are already saying - we are doing It's A Small World first...and then well there is where there is differing opinions.  :-)

Free Fun in Disney

Ok here is another edition of Free Fun in Disney!!

There are many places in WDW to visit besides the parks themselves and these places are basically free or have darn cheap activities.  (by Disney standards!)

So are you looking for something fun and free to do in Disney?  How about checking out Disney's Boardwalk?  Yes it is one of the nicest resorts (in my opinion) on Disney property, but did you know that it is so much more than that?

My husband and I stayed at Disney's Boardwalk Resort for our honeymoon.  It remains his favorite, and one of my favorite resorts til this day.  One of the things we noticed while staying there is just how much fun it was to be there.  The best time to visit the Boardwalk is after sunset.  This is when all the lights come on and it is really neat looking!

Disney's Boardwalk area all lit up from across the lake

Now what is there to do there?

• Many nights you can find street like performers putting on shows on the Boardwalk.  There is a piano player, juggler, etc.  My husband and I would sit up at night on one of the benches and just watch it all.
• For a small charge there are carnival type games set up.
• For a charge there are surrey bikes you can rent to ride around the Boardwalk area.
• There is a cover charge to get in, but if you can go (21 and over) JellyRolls is a great Dueling Piano bar!  Yes there is money to pay for drinks, but the entertainment is enough for me!
• Check out the ESPN Club - you can sit at the bar and watch a game or grab a table and a bite to eat!
• Atlantic Dance Studio is fun for a night of dancing (21 and over).
• Just sit and people watch while the kids dance and play in the large yard area. 
• There at Halloween?  We have gone for the Halloween Dance Party - it's a blast and completely FREE!  They also have a small amount of trick or treating for the kids to do!

So there you have it.  Not all FREE per se, but inexpensive for the most part and definitely a place to see!!

25% off Dining during non-peak times

One of Disney's busiest times of year is quickly approaching - Spring Break's Easter Week.  While this time of year is generally busy the week leading up to Easter is the busiest!  Hence the hours being extended as I detailed in the post - This Month In Disney - April.  To help with the craziness Disney is offering you a voucher to print to get 25% off your dining if eating at non peak times.  The voucher is good from April 17 - 23, 2011.

Print voucher here!!



Good before 11:30am and between 3:00 and 4:30pm.  You must present the voucher to get the deal, so be sure to click the link and print the voucher!  Take advantage of lower crowds while you eat and a discount to boot!!  :-)

Summer Room Discount Offer!!

Are you heading to Disney this summer or were you thinking about it?  Be sure to check out this great offer!!!

Here are the details:

Save Up To 30% On Select Deluxe Resorts This Summer


You can beat the heat this summer by staying at select Walt Disney World® Resort hotels. Save up to 30%* for stays most nights June 15 – Aug. 13, 2011, at select Disney Deluxe Resorts and Disney Deluxe Villa Resorts.

Just add Theme Park tickets and youcan take advantage of all the summer fun.

Offer Details:

For stays most nights June 15 – Aug. 13, 2011:

•Save 25% at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge, Disney's Wilderness Lodge and Disney's Polynesian Resort

•Save 30% at other select Disney Deluxe Resorts

•Save 30% at select Disney Deluxe Villa Resorts

Book by May 28, 2011.

Ask about other great rates for stays most nights May 1 – June 14, 2011. For example, weekday rates starting at*:

•Disney's Wilderness Lodge - $233

•Disney's Old Key West Resort - $238

Ask about rates for other resorts and rates for travel 4/22 – 4/30/11.

Book by 4/30 for stays most nights 4/22 – 5/28/11.

Book by 5/28 for stays most nights 5/29 - 6/14/11.



It seems to me that they are focusing on some certain dates to get these resorts filled up!  I am still anxiously awaiting more deals for the fall!  Stay tuned!  :-)

This Month in Disney - April

April is going to be busy in Disney this month!!  Easter falls on the 24th, so ecpect LARGE crowds the week leading up to Easter and the week after, but pretty much the entire month may be a bit crazy.

Park Hours in April -

• Magic Kingdom
• Average opening time is 8am, except on morning extra magic hour (on site guests only)when it opens at 9am and the week before Easter when the park opens at 7am for extra magic hours daily!
• Closing time is Midnight - every night except the 29th and 30th when it closes at 7pm.  There are also evening extra magic hours until 3AM several nights throughout the month!!!
• Magic Kingdom Official Park Calendar
• Epcot
• Epcot never really strays from their 9am to 9pm operating hours.  There are some extra magic hours here and there in the morning (8am to 9am) and evenings (9pm to midnight).
• Note: The World Showcase does not open until 11am
• Epcot Official Calendar
• Disney's Hollywood Studios
• Average opening time is 9am.  With a few early morning extra magic hours in there.
• The exception - the week leading up to Easter the park opens at 8am daily.
• Average closing time is between 7pm and 10pm.  It varies due to whether or not Fantasmic will be playing that night.  There are some evening extra magic hours as well.
• Hollywood Studios hours this month vary greatly depending on the day so definitely go to Hollywood Studios Offical Park Calendar to check for your exact dates.
• Disney's Animal Kingdom park
• For the most part the park will open at 9am, with 2 morning extra magic hours per week.
• The exception - the week leading up to Easter the park opens at 8am daily.
• Like Hollywood Studios the closing times vary, closing any time between 6pm and 9pm.
• Note: When I have stayed for extra magic hours here before the safari stops operating by a certain time regardless of the closing time.  There will be signage in the front of the park and near the ride to alert you of the last departure time.
• Animal Kingdom Official Calendar

Current rides closed for refurbishment

• Magic Kingdom
• The Enchanted Tiki Room – Under New Management (Tuesday, March 1 - Thursday, June 30)
• Epcot
• No reported closures
• Hollywood Studios
• Star Tours – The Adventures Continue (Wednesday, February 2 - Thursday, May 19)
• Animal Kingdom
• Primeval Whirl® (Wednesday, February 2 - Saturday, April 16)

Be sure to check back here for updates throughout the month!! 

Have a Magical Trip!!