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Maximize Your Time with the Mouse

When planning a Disney vacation, we all want to get the most out of our vacation time. No one wants to get there and waste the day standing in line. If you want to make sure that you and your family or friends spend more time on the rides or seeing shows rather than waiting for them, here are a couple tips to ensure just that.

I will be the first to say that I’m nowhere near a morning person. I love sleep! But who doesn’t? However, when it comes to Disney, the best thing you can do is get to the park before it even opens, in order to secure a spot in one of many lines that already fill up quick. Getting to the park before, or during park opening is great, because that is when it’s going to be the least busy. Many of the families also visiting have children who either don’t get up early or take a while to get ready, so they don’t show up until almost noon. You will be able to get all the major rides in before lunchtime, if you get there early.

Another great tip is to avoid watching the big parades or live performances scattered throughout the park. During this time, there are tons of people sitting around watching the show, which means there are less people going on rides. This makes a perfect opportunity for you to hit up some of your favorites and not have to wait as long.

If you have a smart phone, I highly recommend downloading a Disney wait-time app. This app gives you all the park’s wait-times in the palm of your hand, so you can avoid the rides that may take forever to get on. While there are many apps that will do this service for you, I suggest downloading the Diseyland app when going to Disneyland, or the My Disney Experience app if visiting Disney World, both of which are official apps created by Disney.

We all like to eat, and that’s just fine, because Disney has some pretty mouth-watering food to choose from. When deciding when to eat, I would suggest not waiting until peak meal hours, such as 12 or between 5 and 7. If you can deal with eating at a bit more random hours of the day, you’ll avoid the lunch and dinner rush hours. Instead of standing in line to buy food like everyone else, or waiting for a table to open which is even worse, you’ll be zipping down Splash Mountain, flying with Dumbo, or going on a pirate adventure with Captain Jack Sparrow.

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In a Galaxy Not So Far Away

If you have a pulse, you’ve probably heard of Star Wars. I mean, it’s only one of the biggest movie franchises in Hollywood’s history, and a few years ago, Disney decided to buy up George Lucas’s syfy goldmine. Already we’ve been graced with a prequel and sequel to the saga, and now we’re patiently waiting for the next adventure due this Christmas. However, one of Disney’s biggest ventures yet with the franchise will be a whole new land added into both Disneyland and Disney World parks. 

Guests will now get the chance to step into the world of our favorite lightsaber-wielding heroes (and villains), and experience the movies like never before. Two new rides have been announced, one of which allows guests to drive the Millennium Falcon. There’s also been talk of the Mos Eisley Cantina being recreated for visitors to stop by and enjoy a glass of blue milk. Disney World will even offer a completely Star Wars themed hotel, where every single window has a view of space. Fingers crossed we get to sleep in TaunTaun-shaped bedding, like Luke was shoved in, in The Empire Strikes Back. Since this is a massive build for both parks, the lands won’t be set to open until 2019.

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To Go or Not To Go?

Let’s face it, Disneyland and Disney World will both forever be busy. Along with being called The Happiest Places on Earth, they should also be referred to as two of the Most Visited Places on Earth. Fortunately, if you time your vacation right, it is possible to visit the parks with less of a crowd. If you’d like to spend more time on rides and less time in line, here’s the golden rule: don’t go during the peak seasons.

Some of the most popular times to go are during the summer, Thanksgiving break, and Christmas break. Now, I know this isn’t possible for all families due to work and school, but if you can avoid those times of year, I highly recommend it. Crowds have been known to get so large, that the park actually has to close their gates and refuse entry to any more guests. If you decide to go during Christmas break, go at least a whole week before Christmas. The actual week of Christmas will be absolutely insane.

Now, if you have the opportunity to avoid peak seasons, the best months to the visit the parks are February and September. Most people will avoid February because of the weather, so if you can tolerate potential rain and cloudy days, that’s a good time for you. September is great because most kids will be back in school. It has also been said that the two least busiest days of the week are Tuesdays and Thursdays.

At the end of the day, it is totally up to you on when you visit the parks. However, if you follow these tips, you have a better chance spending your vacation time wisely, rather than wasting it standing in line all day. And nobody likes standing in line all day.

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Disney Snacks Done Right

I don’t know about you, but whenever I go to Disneyland or Disney World, one of the things I’m most excited for is the great snacks you can get around the park. Depending on what time of year you decide to visit, you may get a few different options in flavors or even limited edition-type goodies to try.

If there is one item that everyone has to try when going to a Disney park, it’s the Dole Whip. This magnificent pineapple soft serve ice cream comes in two options: the original Dole Whip or the Dole Whip Float, which is pineapple ice cream served in pineapple juice. Not only is this a must-try, but it’s also one of the most popular treats in the park. If you’re at Disneyland, you can pick one up at the Tiki Juice Bar in Adventureland, or if you’re at Disney World, you can find one at Aloha Isle also in Adventureland.

If you’re in the mood for something deep fried and dowsed in powdered sugar, I highly recommend indulging in the Mickey-shaped Beignets at the Mint Julep Bar in Disneyland’s New Orleans Square. These light and fluffy French-style doughnuts are another park-goer favorite, and come in a paper bag filled with powdered sugar to shake around and coat your Beignets to your fancy. A few seasonal flavors include blackberry, pumpkin, dreamsicle, butterscotch, and gingerbread. If you decide you also need something to wash down your Beignets with, I suggest trying the non-alcoholic Mint Julep; a combination of lemonade and limeade garnished with a few sprigs of mint.

One of my personal favorite goodies to try while vacationing at the Happiest Place on Earth, would have to be the peanut butter sandwich at Pooh’s Corner in Disneyland’s Critter Country, near Splash Mountain. Rich peanut butter sits atop a crispy graham cracker, and covered completely in creamy milk chocolate. I mean, need I say more? It’ll be hard to only have one of these over the entirety of your Disney stay. Unfortunately, Disney World no longer sells these mouth-watering sandwiches, so Disneyland is the only place to go.

If you decide you just want to stick with the more traditional theme park snacks, have no fear, Disneyland and Disney World definitely have those too! Whether it being classic popcorn, a mickey-shaped soft-pretzel, or a warm, sugary churro, they’ve got you covered. However, if you’re in the mood for something a bit less traditional but just as popular, you may want to try a crowd favorite turkey leg, or a tangy pickle.

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The Toys are Alive!

Welp, Disney World is back at again with the new rides! Taking one of the most successful animated movies of the 1990s, Toy Story will come to life in its own section of Disney’s Hollywood Studios park in Florida. Unlike the transition from Tower of Terror to Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout at Disney’s California Adventure, I’m actually excited for the latest addition to the theme park catalog!

Alike to the A Bug’s Life land in California Adventure, guests in Toy Story Land will feel as though they’ve been shrunk down to a toy’s size, and get to explore the area as if they’re one of Andy’s favorites. It’s reported that Slinky Dog will get his own ride in the form of a family-friendly rollercoaster, and the hilarious little green Aliens will have an attraction with an escape-from-The-Claw premise. Toy Story Land is scheduled to hopefully open during the summer of 2018.

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“To All Who Come To This Happy Place, Welcome!” - Walt Disney

For pretty much as long as I can remember, I have been a huge Disney fan. I come from a Disney-enthusiastic family, so if there’s anyone to blame on my slight obsession, it would be my parents. Some of my favorite memories growing up as a child, and as an adult, were my family trips to the parks, having Disney movie marathons with a few of my best friends, and listening to the movie soundtracks while on long road trips.

The overall goal of this blog is to keep up with Disney-related current events. Within that, a possible topic that I hope to include will be focusing on new movie releases and possibly reviewing that movie if I’m able to find the time to go and see it. Another topic that I would like to explore would be about upcoming theme park attractions. There has been a bunch of news lately about new rides and sections of the park coming to both Disneyland and Disney World. Since my family and I are huge fans, we feel like we know how to do Disney when it comes to planning a vacation, so another topic I would like to touch on would be giving my advice on how to get the most out of a Disney vacation, such as what to do, when to do it, and hopefully, how you can save money.

The people who will get the most out of this blog are fellow Mousketeers who share a love for Disney, and would like to keep up to date on what’s happening within the Disney universe, whether they are planning a trip and want get the most out of their time and money, or whether they just want to hear the latest Disney buzz.

While there are many Disney blogs that are worth following, a few that I follow myself and would recommend are:

https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/

https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/news/

http://thedisneyblog.com/