Disney Planning Tips

Are you wanting to plan a Disney vacation but think you can’t afford it? Think again! There are many ways to save money and still have the most magical vacation ever. People ask me all the time how I afford to go to Disney so much. The truth is I just plan well and pinch pennies where I can. 

Here are some saving tips:

1. PLAN AHEAD.

I always plan my vacation as soon as packages become available for the dates I am wanting to visit. Dates open up 500 days in advance. By doing this, I can make a $200 deposit and make payments up until a month before my trip. There is no minimum payment or evenly monthly payment required. This gives me the flexibility to pay whenever I want so I do not feel stressed about any payments coming up. 

*For cruises, you must put down a 20% deposit and due dates are a little different, but payments are still accepted whenever as long as it is paid by the due date!

2. DISNEY GIFT CARDS!

You can use gift cards to pay for your entire vacation! I typically buy Disney gift cards anytime I go shopping. When I’m at the checkout, I just grab a $25 card. If I don’t spend as much on groceries, I may buy a larger amount. Also, many stores have discounts on gift cards! For example, if you have a Target Red Card (debit or credit) you receive 5% off on purchases, and yes that includes gift cards! Sam’s Club and BJ’s also have deals. You can also combine all balances onto one card so you don’t have to keep up with several different ones. 

If you are a stay-at-home mom or just have some extra time on your hands, there are a lot of good apps where you can make some extra money or redeem points for gift cards. My favorite apps are Fetch and Dabbl. With Fetch, there is literally zero skill. All you do it scan receipts from ANY purchase you make. Did you get gas? Scan your receipt. Groceries? Yep, that too. Literally, any receipt can be scanned for points. You can redeem these points for Visa gift cards to buy Disney ones with as well as tons of other options. Dabbl is another good app to use if you are patient and do not mind taking surveys. A good thing about this app is that you can redeem points directly for Disney gift cards. They offer double and triple points A LOT so it is really easy to get a gift card in a reasonable amount of time. I have personally made over $400 for a trip with these two methods. If you want more information, email me and I can send you a referral code! 

3. Get a Side Job

Things like Instacart and DoorDash are great for a little side hustle. You can use the side money to go strictly to your vacation fund! You also get to work when you want and for however long you want! 

A dream vacation may seem expensive or out of reach, but it is definitely doable no matter what your budget is! Just stick to a plan and you can pay off your trip in a reasonable amount of time!

If you would like more information on any of the tips above, feel free to email me and I will be happy to help! 

[email protected]

The most popular ride in Disney parks right now is Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance located in Galaxy’s Edge. On your journey into the galaxy, you will fight off the First Order by helping out the Resistance on a secret mission to take down Kylo Ren! This is an experience like no other in Disney parks, which explains why it is really hard to get a Boarding Group. Spots fill up within SECONDS! Currently there is no FastPass+ and no standby line so there is a chance you may not even get to ride! The ONLY way to experience this ride is to get a Boarding Group.

What is a Boarding Group?

This is something you must have in order to even get in the line for the ride. This holds your spot in a virtual queue and is only available through the My Disney Experience App. A Boarding Group is REQUIRED if you are wanting to ride Rise of the Resistance. 

Requirements for getting a Boarding Group

• You must have the My Disney Experience App
• You must have valid park admission for that day
• You need a park reservation for Hollywood Studios for that day
• Make sure that your Family and Friends list is updated with your travel party on the app 

How do I get a Boarding Group?

There are two times a day that you can try to get a Boarding Group. The first time is 7:00 a.m. and the second time is at 1:00 p.m. 

As long as you have a valid park admission and reservation to Hollywood Studios, you can be ANYWHERE to try for the pass at the 7:00 a.m. time slot. This means you can literally do it from your bed! In order to try for the 1:00 p.m. slot, you MUST be inside Hollywood Studios. 

If you are lucky enough to snag a Boarding Group at the 7:00 a.m. time you are not able to try again at 1:00 p.m. This allows more people to be able to experience the ride. 

*If you are park hopping, you will need to have your actual Park Reservation for Hollywood Studios and go there first. You are not able to hop over from a different park in hopes of trying for the pass since park hopping isn’t allowed until 2:00 p.m.

Step-by-Step Guide

• Open the My Disney ExperienceApp around 6:50 a.m. 
• Scroll down until you see Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance – Request Access with Virtual Queue
• Click on Join
• Start and keep refreshing this page starting around 6:58 a.m. (just pull down on the screen and it will refresh).
• At 7:00 a.m. you will see another Join button pop up on the screen. Click it as fast as you can.
• The next screen will be a list of your friends and family. The ones you are traveling with will be automatically selected, therefore there is no sense in wasting time on this page. KEEP SCROLLING TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE and click Join as quickly as possible!
• CONGRATULATIONS! You got a Boarding Group! This page will let you know what group you are in and an estimated time to return to the ride. 
• Once your group is called, you have one hour to make it to the entrance to the ride and scan in. They will scan your phone or your MagicBand for entry to verify your Boarding Group. 

*If you did not get a Boarding Group for the 7:00 a.m. slot, definitely try again at the 1:00 p.m. time. I have been unsuccessful a few times the first try, but have gotten it at the later time every try. This may be because the parks empty out a little later in the day.

My Tips and Tricks

• I recommend NOT using a public Wi-Fi (like the Disney Wi-Fi or your hotel Wi-Fi). If your Wi-Fi at home is reliable and fast, I think it is okay to use. There are not as many people using it, therefore your chances are better. 
• Close out all of your apps and only have the My Disney ExperienceApp open. 
• Have someone in your group pull up the world clock on Google. This counts down the seconds until 7:00 a.m. At 6:59 a.m. get mentally prepared for the Join button to appear.
• Clean up your friends and family list on the actual Disney website. It lessens the chance of the party you are travelling with not being selected to your Boarding Group. 
• I personally recommend only one person in your group trying to get the Boarding Group. This is optional. Technically everyone in your group can try, but I just feel like this causes confusion and actually bogs down the system. This may not be true at all, it’s just my method. 
• Like I mentioned before, DO NOT waste time on the page where you select the group you are with. They will be selected for you. I think a lot of people get stumped on this page and every second counts. 
• If you are trying for the 1:00 p.m. time, I recommend taking a break around 12:30 p.m. I try to find a quiet area that is away from large crowds. I’m not sure if this helps in actually getting a group, but it does make you calmer which makes you think and function better.
• I also recommend setting an alarm on your phone at 12:30 p.m. so you remember to try for the pass. There will be an announcement in the park, but you may not hear it if you are riding another ride.

Have you had the chance to ride Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance yet? If so, what tricks worked for you? Let me know in the comments!

If you are not snacking at Disney, are you even doing it right?!

From pretzels and churros to turkey legs and pizza spring rolls, there is truly something for everyone to enjoy. On top of that, many snacks are Mickey-shaped so that automatically makes them taste 10 times better.. am I right??

Although there are tons of snacks in each park, at the resorts, and at Disney Springs™, I personally do not think you can have a successful Disney vacation without indulging in a Dole Whip! 

This creamy, dreamy snack is super refreshing on those hot park days and there’s something nostalgic about enjoying one strolling in the Adventureland® Area. A Dole Whip is pineapple soft-serve and the best part is it is dairy free, so anyone can enjoy it! You can also get it as a float with pineapple juice as well, which is equally as delicious. 

This classic snack is most commonly found at Aloha Isle in Magic Kingdom® Park right next to the Enchanted Tiki Room; however, there are other places on property to snag one as well. Some places even offer different flavors and some are served with alcohol for the 21 and up crowd!

Aloha Isle usually has a unique (or seasonal) version of the Dole Whip in addition to the regular pineapple soft-serve and pineapple float. Storybook Treats, located in the Fantasyland® Area in Magic Kingdom® Park, is currently offering the Peter Pan Float. This one is lime flavored Dole Whip on top of Sprite and topped with a red chocolate feather. It is the perfect snack for when you want to take a break from the heat. It is also one of my favorite flavors!

Be sure to see if they are offering any fun flavors on your next trip and let me know which flavor is your favorite!

It is almost here! You are starting to pack for your dream vacation to one of the Disney parks, but wait.. What do you actually need to put in your park bag? I got you covered!

The very first thing you should do is check the weather! You really don’t think about rain when your think about California or Orlando, but I promise it happens. Even if there is a small chance of rain (or maybe even no rain at all) forecasted, I would still be prepared with a cheap poncho. These are lifesavers when a downpour comes out of nowhere. It is also smart to pack extra socks if you are wearing tennis shoes. There’s nothing worse than walking around in wet socks!

Another important thing to have with you is sunscreen and chapstick. Even if you are visiting during one of the few cooler months, you can still get a pretty bad sunburn and not even realize it. I have made this mistake before and it was not a fun time. Chapstick is just always a good idea!

One (REQUIRED) thing you need that you may not be used to is face masks. I would make sure that you have several options so you can decide which one is the easiest to breathe in and which is the coolest. On my last trip I wore THESE the entire time and had no complaints. They were super breathable and did not get itchy. The custom ones from Etsy are cute, but beware, mine were extremely thick and I couldn’t wear it for very long. Disposable masks are a good option as well. If they get sweaty or wet from a ride you can just toss it and put on another.

PERSONAL FAN!!!!!! If I could put a million exclamation points on this, I would. Heat and walking around for miles a day is already pretty miserable. Adding a mask on top of it? Yea, it’s bad. I promise if you do not pack one thing from this list, PLEASE pack this one. I got this one from Amazon and it works great. Also, if you have a little one in a stroller, I highly recommend a clip on fan for them as well. Misting fans are a good option too!

Next up, BANDAIDS! It never fails that I get a blister on my heel every single time I visit. It doesn’t matter how comfortable my shoes are or how many times I have worn them.

I also always make sure I have some type of pain reliever. You can always go to first aid in the parks and they will gladly give you some for free. This is a little inconvenient sometimes if you are at the opposite end of the park.

Ziploc bags are a good idea to pack for your phone on water rides! The last thing you want is for your cell phone to get wet and stop working. It’s also good to have one to stick your wallet in.

Lastly, I always make sure to have a fuel rod or portable charger for my phone. You don’t realize how fast your phone dies when you are trying to capture all the memories with photos. Also, you need it charged for things like mobile ordering too! Disney actually has these around the park that you can buy. When it runs out of power, you simply return it and it gives you another one that is fully charged. I choose to bring my own, but this is a great option if you forget or if you only need it for your trip. The ones I have are linked here!

Oh yea, one more thing .. MONEY!

My park MUST haves

• Poncho
• Socks
• Sunscreen and Chapstick
• Face masks
• Personal fan
• Bandaids
• Medicine
• Ziploc bags
• Portable phone charger
• Money

Nice to have but not necessary

• Water bottle (takes up space and you can get FREE ice water at any quick service location!)
• Portable straws (Disney only has paper straws, if you aren’t a fan bring a reusable straw.)
• Sunglasses (These fog up for me with my mask so I can live without them for now.)
• Hand sanitizer (There are stations set up EVERYWHERE, but incase it’s empty.)
• Anti chafe balm (If your thighs get irritated from walking a lot!)
• Chapstick (If you can’t live without this you should put it in your must have list!)

A few more things that are personal choices that you may want to include in your bag are:

• Hair ties
• A jacket (layering is always a good idea in my opinion.)
• A small towel

Contact me if you need help making your Disney park bag or planning your next vacation!