>Very Cold Drinks

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In two of my posts a while back, I talked about when you should plan on going to Disney World. The one was titled We have to Wait until the Kids are Out of School. In that article I talked about travelling to Florida in the summertime. Of course there are drawbacks to being there in 95 degrees and 95% humidity, but if there is a Thirsty Thursday way to make this time of year bearable, it would be a trip to Aloha Isle.

Aloha Isle is the little refreshment stand across from the entrance to The Swiss Family Robinson’s Tree House. This stand isn’t very big and doesn’t offer a

whole lot of refreshments, but it is the place that you want to visit (you’ll find that many people agree with me, when you get there and see the line) especially when it is hot outside.

The Menu features, Coco-Cola products, some hot drinks (coffee and tea or cocoa) cut pineapple, chocolate or vanilla soft serve ice cream and chips. But

this isn’t what the people wait in the line for; no they wait in the line for the other two items on the menu; the Pineapple Float and the Dole Whip. The Dole Whip is Soft Serve Pineapple ice cream (you can also get a Pineapple Vanilla Swirl Dole Whip). The Pineapple Float is a Pineapple Dole Whip with pineapple juice. These two pineapple concoctions are unbelievable!

Another great drink for a hot day in the Walt Disney Resort is the Frozen Lemonade. This drink can be found at different places throughout the parks. I think we had our first one at the snack stand in Frontierland in the Magic Kingdom, but we also had it in Epcot and Animal Kingdom. The Only problem I have with the Frozen Lemonade is that it disappears way too quickly!

Both the Dole Whip and the Frozen Lemonade are on the Disney Dining Plan as a snack credit, making it easy to get one when you are thirsty on a hot summer’s day, or any other time for that matter. So when you need a cool drink, head for Aloha Isle for a Dole Whip or look for the refreshment stands that sell the Frozen Lemonade and Enjoy!

>Here’s the Plan…

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When we’re here at home, my wife will ask what I want for breakfast, what I feel like doing, on a nice fall Saturday (like we’re having today) and I’ll think about it and say, “I think I want to go over to France and get a pasty at Boulangerie Patisserie and then wonder around the World Showcase.” She’ll usually say one of two things, either “Okay, “or “ya, I know.” And today, this is exactly what I feel like doing, but we’ll end up going to Dunkin Donuts instead (they have their bagel twists on sale) and then head over to the mall, my son needs some things. But it does make me think about something that can create Magical Experiences when you are in Walt Disney World it is the Unknown Magic of Planning out your Day.

When we used to go, we used to do what a lot of first time Disney visitors do. We used to sit in our room after a long day in the parks and look at our guide maps to plan out the next day. I still recommend this if you are new to the Walt Disney Resort, but with some thoughts to keep in mind. Before I go any further, I want to reiterate, here for the new people to the site, we are not Disney Commandos. We do not believe in going all day long until you drop. Our philosophy is, if anyone is cranky it is time to stop; Walt Disney World is called the Happiest Place on Earth, and we are not going to be the ones to change the name by being unhappy. So, with that in mind, these planning tips are not aimed at telling you how to complete as many attractions as you can in a day, or the best ways to dodge the lines. These tips will be more in the way of how to go about setting up your day and what things to keep in mind when you start to plan it out.

The first thing to remember is that Disney has been offering the Disney Dining Plan free to people who book for so many days in a row. You may even be one of these people. It may be being offered while you are in Disney.  What this means is that if during your trip you want to try and eat at a specific place, you need to have planned it out in advance. This may help you figure out your plans for the day. For example if you have a lunch scheduled for the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater at 12:30, you really should plan on spending your morning in Disney Hollywood Studios. Another way that the free dining plan offer will affect you is that you probably won’t be able to just walk into a table serve restaurant and be able to get a seat. We had this problem last year when we went and couldn’t even find a seat in a lot of the resort restaurants. So, keep this in mind when planning your day.

Another thing to keep in mind when planning your day is who you are with. If you have little ones with you, please keep in mind that they will need a break during the day. Don’t schedule this break when you think you will need it, think about your kids. How long will they be able to stay with the plan? How long will they be able to go for before they get cranky and start to whine and cry? When you figure this out, stop 20 minutes to ½ hour before that. This will make it so you get them before any tears fall, and will also be nicer for those people who are not in your group. I hate seeing little ones crying and frustrated parents arguing with each other, when it could have been avoided, by stopping a little sooner. Just because you are stopping, this does not mean you have to leave the parks. There are plenty of quiet places to take a break or a rest in all of the parks, which will help recharge little ones batteries. (I have written about these places in the past.) Recharged little ones help make everyone’s visit a little more Magical.

Sometimes your planning will be set around a specific attraction. If you have plans for a specific attraction, try to schedule your visit there during the extra magic morning hour for the park that the attraction is in. For example, we like to ride Toy Story Mid-way Mania. We make sure we go to Disney Hollywood Studios, on Saturday, when they normally have their Extra Magic Hour. If you don’t take advantage of the extra magic hour, but want to do a specific attraction, you can always plan on being at a rope drop (which everyone should do at least once during a trip to Disney Anyway).When they drop the rope make your way to that attraction and either get a Fast Pass or ride the attraction and then go to another. I recommend not running to the attraction, (I’m thinking Soaring and Test Track) as the first wave of people that get through the ride are the runners, but the second wave is usually a smaller group of people and the queue lines will not be that bad even if you get there 10 minutes after the park opening.

The Best thing I can recommend during your planning is to not over plan. If you over plan, you have less of a chance at finding an Unknown Magic, that can create Magical Experiences. When you over plan you lose the excitement of “What should we do next?” after coming off of an attraction. Everyone in our family loves the “What’s Next” factor. For example; when you come out of Pirates of the Caribbean and you end up in the pirate gift shop, you make your way through, and now you have the option of going into Adventureland, Frontierland toward Liberty Square or back into Frontierland toward Big Thunder Railroad and Splash Mountain. What I recommend on how to not over plan is to decide what park you are going to go to; decide which attractions you really want to see, and then let the rest of the day take care of its self.

The other thing about planning is to not forget the rest of the Walt Disney World Resort. Walt Disney World is not just the four Theme Parks. There is Downtown Disney, the Water Parks, Disney Quest, the Resorts, the Miniature and full size Golf Courses, and all of the recreational activities that Disney offers, that will lead to Magical Experiences if you try them out.

So, now you know, when you are planning your day in Walt Disney World, try to keep in mind where, and when you’re going to eat; your kids and how long they can go, and the attractions you want to ride. Then don’t over plan your day, but take the time to enjoy all that Disney World has to offer. This way you can have as many Magical Experiences as possible.

>"In Disney"

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One of the greatest things about Walt Disney World is staying on property. To be able to get out of bed, leave your room, and go to one of Disney’s Themes parks, without driving down I-4 or International Drive is a wonderful thing. For those of you who are looking to go to Disney World and are thinking it will be cheaper to stay off property, it may be, but remember to get to any of the parks you will need to drive to Disney property, which in the morning around the Orlando area is not an easy thing to do. But Staying “In Disney” isn’t just about the ride. No, there are other things about staying “In Disney” that can make Magical Experiences. So, I offer for you the Unknown Magic of staying “In Disney”.

When you stay “In Disney”, you get to stay at one of the Disney Resorts. There are 17 wonderful Resort Hotels, as well as a Campground with campsites and cabins. Each one of the Resorts is very different from the next and they offer different size and styles of rooms to go along with any budget. Each one is secure in a gated Resort and you are close enough to the Disney Theme parks that you could be in any of them in less than 15 minutes and you don’t even realize it most of the time.

Not only are the Resorts unbelievable, the Perks you get for staying “In Disney” are Magical too. The Perks start before you even get to Walt Disney World. Disney offers what they call their Magical Express. This is Free transportation from the Orlando International Airport to your Disney Resort. All you have to do to take advantage of this service is to tell them you want it when you make your reservations. They will be waiting for you when you get off your plane and will also get your luggage for you, so you don’t have to wait at baggage claim. (They will have your bags in your room within three hours of your plane arriving in Florida.) Then they will take you right to your Resort’s Lobby so that you can check-in. And when you check-out, they will deliver you and your luggage back to the airport for your trip home. Another great Perk, is the Walt Disney World Transportation. I’ve written about the Monorail, Buses and Boats many times, but it bears saying again, they are all wonderful. All of these modes of transportation are also free and Unknown Magics in their own ways.

Staying “In Disney” you also get other opportunities that you don’t get if you stay off property. Things like the Extra Magic Hours. Every evening and every morning one park is open late and another open early for Disney Resort Guests. This is really nice as you can get in the park an hour before the Public, and stay three hours later at night, than people not staying on property. Another Perk you can only get staying “In Disney” is the opportunity for the Disney Dining Plan. The Disney Dinning Plan is great. It helps save you money on meals and allows you to eat at restaurants you probably wouldn’t get a chance to visit.

There are also little Perks that are Unknown Magics that some people that have stayed in Disney before don’t know about. When you stay on Disney Property, you can have anything you buy in any of the parks sent back to your Resort, so you don’t have to carry it around the park with you are get a locker to put it in. This is a wonderful Perk. It means you can shop at anytime during the day and not have to worry about your package. This means you don’t have to be in the crowds at the end of the day, you can shop whenever you want, like when you first get to the Park, and no one else is in any of the stores.

Another Magical Experience making Perk is the In-room Character Call. You can get a wake-up call anywhere, but only in a Disney Resort can you get a Wake-up Call from Mickey Mouse! Disney also offers special occasion phone calls. You can get a Character call for birthdays, romantic celebrations, or any other special event. There is a limit of one occasion per call. To set this up, just mention that you are celebrating a special occasion when you are setting your reservation, when you arrive or when using Online Check-In. During your stay, you’ll receive a Disney Character voicemail on your in-room phone. You can’t get a Magical Experience like this unless you are staying “In Disney”.

So, now you know, there are many reasons to stay in a Disney Resort, from the themes to the Perks that can create Magical Experiences. So when you go, stay “In Disney” and enjoy your trip that much more.