More Tips

Our last set of tips was on Spaving, shopping now to save at Disney. Stuff to do before you travel. It is time to move on to trip tactics.

Magical Caveat

Magical Express is great. They pick up your bags at the airport and take them to your room. No baggage claim. If you aren’t signed up you should be.

There is one down side to this skipping Orlando International Baggage Claim Bypass deal.  You will get to your resort before your luggage. The pool will be ready for you so you need to be ready for the pool. Carry on you suits.

Once you check in, even if your room isn’t ready you will get a resort ID. This works at the bar at the pool. Ready Set Go. You may not care when the room is ready. This is a good thing.

Zen and the Pool
It is a vacation – plan to relax a little every day. You can’t see the entire place in one trip, we have made at least six billion trips and there is still stuff we haven't done. So don’t kill yourselves trying to see it all it can't be done. Well OK John King may have done it all but the rest of us are human.

Focus on having a good time. When in doubt do less. Do a little planning and see and do the things that interest you. 

Get up early, do the parks as they open, leave when they get crowded. You can see and do more from opening to 10 am than the rest of the day. Take a break – take a mid-day break go back to the hotel and rest. Your kids may not need a nap but you may. This is much easier since you are staying on property. The resorts are very nice, enjoy them have a nap at the pool or a Nip (see below.)

Zen and the art of FASTPASS

FASTPASS is a virtual line. You get a ticket. It has a return time. You come back then and get in an express line to ride a ride. Disney figured out they make more money if you wait with access to a gift shop than in a line without one. The ticket also has a time when you can get another FASTPASS. Always be holding a FASTPASS get a new one before riding on the old one. Get one as soon ay you can.

Some stuff is so popular that by 10:00 am the fast passes will be later afternoon or gone; Soaring, Everest, Test Track so you can’t count on FASTPASS as an alternative to getting up. Soaring is very cool. Maybe the coolest thing in any Disney park, but that may be just my love of flying talking.

The basics of FASTPASS are here: http://allearsnet.com/tp/fastpass.htm

Zen and the art of PHOTOPASS

There are photographers all over the place. They take digital photos and you get a little credit card sized id. Once you have a card they can link more pictures to it. You can see the pictures when you get home or at stations around the parks. Get a bunch taken. There is no charge unless you get one you like and if you like it great. I don’t think ride photos don’t go on the photo pass so if you want a picture of Dad screaming like a little girl on Tower of Terror buy it then.

Kim is looking into some other photo scam and when she figures it out we’ll let you know.

Beyond the Rides

The rides get all the press. Come to think of it the rides at Magic Kingdom get all the press. There are great shows. Festival of the Lion King and Nemo at Animal Kingdom are outstanding. Nemo gets a fair line.

The Car stunt show and Fantasmic are cool. If you want to do Fantasmic call and see if you can get the dinner show combo deal. http://allearsnet.com/din/fantdin1.htm

No Way Jose

All you Yacht and Beach Club types need to know about Beaches and Cream. It is a Malt Shop. Good burger based food (dogs, fries, onion rings, burgers and great ice cream.) The No Way Jose is my personal favorite a hot fudge and peanut butter (Sorry not for you Ryan*) extravaganza. It is right next to the pool. It is always crowded. It uses a sit down meal off your dining plan so I suggest paying cash. It is good but not worth a diner credit. http://allearsnet.com/menu/menu_bc.htm

*Get It on Your Reservation

Ryan and anyone else with allergies or health issues should have it noted on your reservation and your diner PS. They do try to be accommodating. However there are still issues to look out for like I hear the popcorn is cooked in Peanut Oil. (I learned that one on one from the US House of Representative’s Majority Leader last week. I have high placed sources.)

The Double Burger Gambit

Lunches at many places are fairly big. Consider splitting them. Half a personal pizza is all most of us eat. Here is the Ultimate Cheap Bastards trick, (our endocrinologist loved this one) order a double burger and an extra roll, two burgers for up charge for a second roll. So split and you can use that counter service credit save a lunch for a serious late night snack Yeah!

A Little Nip

The only place you can’t but a drink is Magic Kingdom. All the other parks, pools, etc sell drinks. The “Countries” part of Epcot is practically a bar with wine bars and wine bottles for sale at almost every stop. In fact Drinks Around the World is a popular evening activity there.

Rehab

Disney stars like the rest of Hollywood sometimes have to get some time alone. Apparently my favorite celebrity Peter Pan must have had a DWI incident or punched a paparazzi. He is in rehab. Here is a link to what else will be closed for rehab.

http://allearsnet.com/tp/rehabs.htm#march