One of my families favorite activities to do at Walt Disney World is to trade pins with cast members. Pin trading has opened up a lot of conversations with cast members around the property and with other guests as well!
My children, ages 5 and 6, have been trading pins since they were very little. When they were younger I would stroll them up to a cast member and they would say “pins please”. The cast members have always been wonderful to trade with for the kids. There are cast members that wear special green lanyards that only kids can trade off of. My kids now have pages of pins that they love to look through and talk about when they got them. My son’s favorite pin is a Mickey pin that he received on his first trip and my daughter’s is the set of baby princess’ that took her a few trips to complete.
I will warn you that pin trading can be addicting! There are pin carts and stores all over the Walt Disney World property. There are pins for everyone from sports, to characters, to villains. There are lanyards of all colors and characters to hold the pins as well. I usually buy our pins from online sites before we leave home but it is still hard to pass up the pin carts.
When Disney initiated their Disney Dining Plans it was a stroke of genius in my opinion. As we all know, meals and snacks can be quite expensive and hard on the wallet while vacationing at Walt Disney World. However, when you are running around and thirsty, or your kids are begging for their 2nd Mickey Mouse Ice Cream Bar of the day, you are more than likely to succumb to the idea that you have no choice but to get that bottled water or ice cream novelty. Then you see the price and think to yourself that you could buy an entire case of water at home for the same price you would pay for a single bottle of water at Disney. What are you going to do? We have all been there. The solution…..the Disney Dining Plans that have made a huge impact on our comfort in getting such items and the ease it has made on our wallets.
Disney created Dining Plans that allow their guests to save between 30 and 40% on all of their meals and snacks versus paying out-of-pocket for these same items during their visit. While you are saving money on your food at WDW, you are still enjoying all of the same menu items of those guests who are paying out-of-pocket. There are no special menus for those on a Disney Dining Plan. Best of all, Disney has created different levels of Dining Plans to suit every family and enhance their vacation package.
There is the Quick Service Dining Plan that allows each guest participating to have 2 quick-service meals and snack/night of stay. The cost is $34.99/adult (10 years and older) and $11.99/child (ages 3-9). Children under 3 do not participate with any Dining Plan and can simply share with their families. The second Dining Plan is the Basic Dining Plan which allows each guest to have 1 table service meal, 1 quick-service meal and 1 snack/night of stay. The cost is $51.54-$53.54/adult and $15.02-$16.02/child. The third is the Deluxe Dining Plan which allows each guest 3 table and/or counter service meals and 2 snacks/night of stay. In addition, each guest is allowed an appetizer with their table-service meals. The cost for this Dining Plan is $85.54-$89.55/adult and $23.79-$25.79/child. The savings versus not being on a Disney Dining Plan is remarkable.
We have all heard the stories before….”We waited 2 hours to get on to Soarin’, and there were no fastpasses left at Toy Story Mania when I arrived at noon!!!” Blah, Blah, Blah,….. If I have gotten a certain question over and over again it is always, “can’t I pay for a fastpass? I do not want to wait in line at Disney!” The one thing I love about Disney is that you CANNOT pay for a fastpass ticket. Yes, for a hefty price you can book a VIP Official Disney Tour Guide, but for most Disney guests this is not an option. One of the things I love about Disney is that no one is treated different from anyone else. Whether I stay at a Deluxe Resort or a Value Resort, I have the exact same access to all attractions as anyone else who is a Disney Resort guest. Therefore, I pose the question…How can I easily and effectively use the Fastpass to maximize my time in the parks and NOT wait in 2 hour lines for the most popular attractions?
Here is the answer….there is a science to this!!! The first key is to arrive in the parks as early as you possibly can! This may not be easy for some people, but research shows that the average Disney Park Visitor arrives around 10:30am. Therefore, if a park opens at 9am or even 8am, you will have plenty of time to hit the major highlights BEFORE the crowds appear.
How Fastpass Works 101 – Specific attractions that are very popular in each park have what is called a Fastpass Option. It is basically an advance reservation system which gives you a ticket to ride an attraction at a specific time. For example, you show up at Peter Pan’s Flight and obtain a paper Fastpass ticket to come back during a one hour window later that day. The time of your ride “window” is printed on the Fastpass itself and may begin 10 minutes to several hours after you obtained the Fastpass, depending on the crowds of the specific day you visit. When you return at the specified time and present your Fastpass ticket to the Disney Cast Member staffing the attraction, you will be allowed to enter a special line reserved for Fastpass holders which allows you to board the attraction with minimal waiting. You or someone in your travel party must walk to the attraction you wish to ride and insert your park ticket and any family member’s park ticket into the machine. It will then issue you a paper ticket that will list the attraction, your riding “window” time for you to return, and will also tell you when you can obtain your next Fastpass.
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