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When it comes to planning a
That’s why I’ve put together this list of
Planning Hacks
If you’ve never visited a
1. Talk to a Travel Agent
Whether or not you want to actually use a travel agent, they have a lot if information to share. How could they not, it’s their job! If you want to, using a travel agent can save you a lot of time, headaches, and money. But even if you don’t have them book your trip, you can ask them questions!
Reach out to a
Every client that I work with receives a personalized itinerary complete with reservations, rides, and bucket-lists. Not everybody follows that plan to a T, but it’s been a great help to everyone as it provides information about what to do when.
2. Get Your Hands on a Planning Workbook
The interest is one of the best resources for, well – basically anything now a days. You can plan the whole trip by yourself and be sure that it’s perfect. But, having the right tools will certainly make it a LOT easier.
One of the absolute best tools to snag when you’re planning out your trip is a planning workbook. There are many options out there, including my very own Pixie Dusted Planner which you can get here (Use promo PDP20 for 20% off this item). It is filled with every worksheet you could need to make some magic, and it is the exact planner I use for my very own trips!
3. Put Important Dates in Your Calendar
There are 3 important dates to remember when you are planning a
The best way to keep track of these dates is to plug them into the calendar app on your phone and set a reminder. You’ll want to be up and ready to book the second these reservations become available for your trip, to ensure you get to book everything you want!
4. Use YouTube to Decide if a Ride is Too Intense
One of the most popular questions I see is “do you think (ride x) is too scary for (child’s age)?” It’s a difficult question to answer, because not all kids are the same. I swore my niece was going to be terrified of the big rides once she was finally tall enough to ride. Boy oh boy was I wrong! She LOVED them.
It really depends on your child’s preferences. The best way to tell is by testing the waters. Thankfully there are tons of YouTube channels dedicated exclusively to documenting rides at various parks. So, you can “ride” virtually anything before you even arrive.
If there’s something you’re not sure about, check out the video and even show it to your child. That way there are no surprises when you get to the loading dock.
5. Pinterest is Your Friend
If you’re not on Pinterest, you absolutely want to be. It’s one of the absolute best sources for all the
You can also sign-up for the Pixie Dusted Newsletter, here, to make sure you’re in the loop on all the latest news.
Money Saving Hacks
Who doesn’t want to save a few dollars where they can? Sure, you expect to pay a certain price for a trip to
6. SwagBucks it Up!
I swore of SwagBucks long ago, it was just too much work to be worth the while for me. But I recently spent some time on the site again and found it has changed…ALOT.
It used to be that you had to spend hours trying to take survey after survey just to earn a few bucks. But now there are SO many ways to earn! It’s not a program that’s going to pay your rent, and maybe not for your entire vacation.
However, there are several no hassle ways to earn SwagBucks with what you already do online – searching, shopping, and watching videos.
These SwagBucks can be converted to real cold hard cash and used to pay for part of your trip!
7. Don’t be Afraid to Stay off Site
There are some great benefits to staying onsite at a
At
*If you simply can’t bring yourself to stay off-site (I’m right there with you!), renting DVC points is a GREAT way to save a TON. You can usually book a deluxe resort for the same price as a value resort. Find out more about renting points here*
8. Get Gift Cards
Many people don’t know that you can pay for your
Disney gift cards are often sold for less than face value at bulk stores like Costco, where you can find them for 2-7% less. You can also save 5% at Target by using your RedCard to purchase
This may not seem like a huge savings, but when you consider the average price of a
9. Get Grocery Delivery
This is probably my favorite money saving hack, because it also improves your trip. You can order groceries to be delivered directly to your hotel or resort for your stay. Why would you do this? Well, because you can skip those pricey
If you have any dietary restrictions, this hack is especially great for you.
10. Check out this post for 18 ways to Save!
These are some of my top hacks to save money on a
Dining Plan Hacks
The dining plan is available only at
11. Do the Math
The
For some, it’s incredibly convenient to have everything paid for and done before even arriving. It saves some stress and keeps you from constantly racking up the numbers in your head.
Personally, I’d rather save the difference in cost and spend it on souvenirs. If that sounds like a plan for you, then you’ll love this handy too. The Disney Dining Plan Calculator lets you plug-in all the meals you’d like to have while in the parks and tells you if the DDP is worth your while.
12. Check The Menus
Even before you use the DDP Calculator, your’ll want to check that the options in the dining plan suit your style. There are 3 different tiers, and each offers a different price point and meal credit type.
You can see a complete list of all participating restaurants here and make sure it includes all your favorites. It’s even worth your while to go as far as looking at some menus, to verify that the meals are something you and your family will enjoy.
13. Keep Track
If you do opt for the Dining Plan on your vacation, you’ll want to find a system to keep track of all those credits. You know how it’s SO much easier to spend money with a debit or credit card than it is with cash? Ya, dining plan credits are the same. If you’re not paying attention, you’ll be blinded by all the delicious snacks.
Next thing you know, it’s day 3 and you have no dining credits left with 3 more days to go.
You can track your credits easily inside the My
14. Sharing is Caring
One of my chief complaints about
Most of the meals are big enough that you can share with someone else.
Sharing a dining plan meal is an especially good move if you are planning a 2-credit meal, such as Cinderella’s table or the Hoop-de-Doo dinner show.
15. Free Starbucks!
With the dining plan, each person will receive a certain number of snack credits per day. You can also ask to exchange 1 meal credit for 3 snack credits.
You can use Dining Plan Snack Credits to get ANY SIZE Starbucks drink your heart desires. Come day 3 of your trip, you’ll be ecstatic to caffinate.
FastPass Hacks
Disney World vacation planning has, at least, one big benefit over Disneyland – you can book your FastPasses ahead of time. Why is this great? Well, because otherwise you would have to wait in line to get FastPasses and there’s already enough lines at
Unfortunately, everybody is eager to book their FastPasses. With that in mind you’ll want to use these 5 hacks to ensure you get to pick-up all your favorites.
16. Change Your Party Size
If you are in a group of 4 or more, you might have a hard time snagging FastPasses for some of the most popular rides. But don’t be discouraged! Each FastPass has a 1-hour window during which you can ride, and the windows only increase in 5 minute increments. What does that mean?
Get overlapping FastPasses for your group.
Check for groups of 2 for FastPasses. You can normally snag 2, or more, sets that overlap. For instance your first group might have a FastPass for Space Mountain between 1:00pm and 2:00pm. Your second group should be able to find FastPasses for Space Mountain between 1:15pm and 2:15pm or similar. That way everyone can still ride together!
17. Pick Your Dates Carefully
If you stay on site at
This gives you a HUGE advantage if you are staying onsite, because you could book some dates more than 60 days in advance.
Schedule the most popular rides for the end of of your trip, rather than the first day. Less people will have access to schedule those dates, and you’ll have a better chance of securing those hard to get rides.
18. Keep Checking
Sometimes people cancel their FastPasses. It could be because their trip was canceled, or they rescheduled certain rides, or they opted to not ride those at all. If you can’t get the FastPasses you want on your first day they are available, just keep checking back.
1-2 days before the date you’d like, or even on that date, is an especially good window to check.
Many people underestimate the energy it takes to get around the parks all day. After a few days, they may cancel some FastPasses to take a day off. Then you can swoop in and pick them up.
19. Don’t Book Them All
Full disclosure: I haven’t tried this one, personally. However, I’ve heard from other frequent park goers that it has worked from them.
Most of the parks operate on a 2-tier system now, where you can book 1 FastPass from tier 1 and 2 from tier 2. After you’ve gone through all 3 you can book FastPasses for anything you’d like, including at a different park.
Some people, however, have reported that if you book just 1 FastPass ahead of time you will get a clean slate immediately after it is scanned for you to get in line. Supposedly, you can then book another tier 1 FastPass or even book for another park.
Again, I haven’t tried it – yet. If you do try this or have done it before, let me know in the comments!
20. Shoot for Mid Morning
If you do book all 3 FastPasses for the day in advance, you’ll need to use all 3 before you can book anymore. Booking your FastPasses in the afternoon or at night, will make it difficult to get any more. And booking them for first thing in the morning is a waste, since you can walk on to most attractions within the first 2 hours of park open.
So when should you try and schedule FastPasses for?
The best time to schedule your FastPasses is late morning to early afternoon. This allows you to rope drop several attractions, use your FastPasses, and book additional FastPasses throughout the day.
Packing Hacks
Have you ever gone on a vacation, an arrived to find you forgot your phone charger? We travel at least once a month, but it never fails that someone forgets something. Well, that was at least until we started using these handy hacks.
21. Write it Down
Make a list, and check it twice. (yes, just like Santa). This will help you to make sure you’ve thought of everything you need, gathered it all, and tucked it away inside your suitcase.
If you’re having trouble creating a list of what to pack, or you feel like you’re forgetting something, you can grab my free packing list (no sign-up required) here.
22. Start Early
It is never too early to start stocking up on supplies for your
Keep a cardboard box somewhere convenient to drop in items you purchase for your trip. Whether it’s sunscreeen you found on sale, a cute top you couldn’t pass up, or snacks you know you’ll need. Having a
23. Have Items Shipped To Your Resort
Once you’ve filled your
Need more information how? Check out this helpful guide from MamaCheaps
24. Get Packing Cubes
Another great hack to stay organized while packing and throughout your trip is to use Packing Cubes. You can fit a lot more into your luggage, and separate your clothing from your toiletries and shoes.
I absolutely LOVE these, and use them everywhere we travel. When I get where we’re going, I just pop the cube out of my suitcase and directly into the closet or dresser in our room. It helps me stay sane and feel like I’m right at home.
25. Use Your Carry-on
One very important thing to remember when you are flying to
Disney World offers free transportation with the Magic Express round-trip from the airport to your hotel. It is SO helpful and instantly makes you feel like you are on vacation. They even pick up your checked luggage for you, so you won’t have to worry about lugging it around.
Unfortunately, it can take 4 or more hours for that checked luggage to arrive in your room. You’ll need to keep this in mind while packing your bags and keep anything you’ll need right away in a carry-on. Depending on when your flight lands you may want to include a bathing suit, a change of clothes, or even PJ’s in your carry on to make sure you and your family are comfortable.
Park Hacks
Once you finally get to
26. Pack the Perfect Day Bag
Packing a bag, or back-pack, for a
You’ll want to include some snacks, a small first aid kit, and a few less conventional items. I always pack MadLibs, a deck of cards, and a bottle of Mio. Want to know why or what else you should be bring? Find out here.
27. Skip the Lines
No one likes to stand around in line, but it can definitely happen if you don’t have a plan for
But what do you do in the mean time?
In between FastPasses is the perfect time to check out some of the less popular attractions. They’re just as fun, promise, but the lines are never as long as the thrill rides.
28. Take a Break
Everyone does
Florida gets HOT. And
29. Savor the Flavor
Disney parks might be best known for their rides and attractions, but some of the food is out of this world! Don’t settle for second best and don’t miss out on some fan favorite foods while you’re soaking up the sun.
You can find recommendations all over the internet for where to go and what to get, and we’ve got some suggestions of our own. Check out these guides to our favorite foods at
Best Quick Service at Magic Kingdom
Best Quick Service at Animal Kingdom
Best Quick Service at Hollywood Studios
Best Quick Service at California Adventures
30. Pile on the PhotoPass
If you’ve purchased the Memory Maker add-on for your trip, and you 100% should, you need to make the most of it! It’s not a cheap package, but you can get a lot of bang for your buck. Be sure to always scan your Magic Band for all the ride photos, you may even want to scan two bands just to be safe. More than once I’ve ended up with someone else’s on ride photos, and didn’t get our own.
But there’s more to Memory Maker than ride photos.
All of the parks have photographers that will happily take fun family photos for your album.
Headed to a RunDisney event? Don’t miss My No Guilt Life’s guide to PhotoPass at at Run Disney!
Whew!
I feel like I just came back from a
Have some share worthy tips? Let us know in the comments what your #1
