Money saving tips for your next Disney vacation

Doing a Disney trip is always at the top of my list for vacations, especially now that we've got a young child and another on the way. Because Disney caters to families, there really is no easier vacation. Throw in the bonus for us that Disneyland is only 2.5 hours away by plane and it trumps all other holiday locations.

Disneyland is also a fairly affordable vacation. Because it's so close, we can choose the amount of days we want to visit (as little as a long weekend) and the hotel options surrounding the park vary greatly according to your budget. In fact, Disneyland was my families first ever big trip and we stayed in a very low budget hotel.

For the past 12 years or so, we have upgraded our accommodations until we found a hotel we loved (See my review on the Staybridge.) We have also learned a few other tricks to help keep our cost as low as possible. As we begin to plan and budget for our next trip in (hopefully) 2014, I thought I'd share a few of our money saving tips.

We travel off season. This keeps our hotel and flight rates at their lowest and usually Disney offers some kind of buy 3 days get 2 free deal on their passes.
It's also wise to plan far in advance if possible, as you'll have your best pick of dates and some flexibility. If you can't do this because of work or what not, you can often find really good deals at a month or less. However, if you want to go during a peak holiday this is unlikely to happen.

As against it as some are (probably because they've never tried...) we've tried to get a few trips in before our kids turn three. Why you ask? A couple of reasons. First is that all kids under three get in the parks for free. That's a savings of $250 per child. And when you have more then one child it makes a BIG difference. Second, if you can fly with that child before they turn two you always get lap child airfare for free. Another perk? Younger children eat a whole lot less so you won't be paying so much for food.

Speaking of food, this is an area that can make or break the bank on your trip. We always always always stay at a hotel that has a kitchen. We do a grocery run on our first day of arrival and buy tons of snacks, drinks and various basic meal items. We plan to eat in the parks for only one meal a day and usually try to make it a light lunch (aka counter service only.) So far we have never, ever paid for a sit down waiter served meal at Disney because it will double the price. I'd like to one day, but it has to be factored into your budget.
Often for us, breakfast and supper ends up being made in the kitchen of our hotel room. Or, of you choose well, your accommodations may offer a complimentary breakfast and or appetizers.
Snacks in the park are also outrageously expensive. $2.00 for one banana? No thank you. Each morning we pack our backpack full of snacks and drinks to last us how long we will be in the park. Usually it ends up being a few pieces of fruit, a couple granola bars, small packaged cookies or chips and some water bottles. Yes it's slightly annoying to carry around a backpack, but we usually want one with us for camera or whatever else anyways.
Disney claims to not allow you to bring food into the park, and maybe they'd have a problem with it if you were trying to come in with a cooler full of sandwiches or a bucket of chicken, but we've never had a problem.

As far as souvenirs go, try to wait until your final day or two to make your purchases. This was a family rule for me growing up because as kids we'd change our minds so often. Now it just makes sense because it gives you time to see all the store selections and decide what you really want without over spending.
If you are interested in the photo pass CD and are traveling with a group, collect everyone's photo cards and put them all onto one CD. Its passworded, so you can all have access to it and get what you want without spending the money on individual CDs.

It is really easy to go over budget on a Disney trip. Lets face it, they are a business and are exceptionally good at sucking the money from your wallet. But if you plan accordingly and are prepared, it'll be a lot easier to say 'no' to those expensive add ons that you may come across.

Disney rides that adults love (and are sometimes a little scared of)

As mentioned in a previous post, a lot of people think Disneyland is a place that only has rides for kids. As someone who pretty much goes on any roller coaster and isn't really afraid of heights, I would have to disagree. I know folks who go on a lot and have felt sick coming off a Disney park ride. So I thought I'd share a few of these more stomach turning, adventurous or thrilling rides.

1. Space Mountain (Disneyland CA & Magic Kingdom FL)
One of my personal favourites, though there are many folks who can't handle it since it is completely in the dark. You don't get launched or go upside down, but you don't really have a great idea of what direction you are going. It should be noted that the tracks at Disneyland and Magic Kingdom are slightly different.

2. Aerosmiths Rockin RollerCoaster (Disney Hollywood Studios FL)
Both hubby and I came off this one feeling nauseated. That being said, I did have the flu at the time. This coaster takes a rollercoaster in the dark to another level as it launches you from 0-57 miles an hour in about 3 seconds and takes you upside down and through corkscrews a few times. I find it a benefit that the ride is very very short, so you won't feel queasy for long.

3. Twilight Zone Tower of Terror (California Adventure CA & Hollywood Studios FL)
Oh boy... this is one I'm not sure I will ever do again. You are riding a broken elevator that drops you over and over in the dark. Its unpredictable as it changes every time. I was informed after a terrifying ride that there are indeed handles, somewhere. That may have made my experience a little less frightful. Seriously, I shook for 10 minutes after.

4. Expedition Everest (Animal Kingdom FL)
This is another personal favourite for me. I rode it three times in a row when we were there. It's just plain fun. You are exploring Everest when you realize that the track in front of you is no more, because it has been broken up by a Yeti. Then you are basically trying to get away from the creature that keeps showing up everywhere. It has some great drops and you go both forwards and backwards.

5.  California Screamin (California Adventure CA)
So good! This is Disneys lengthiest coaster and another where you are launched from 0 to FAST in no time. Lots of ups, downs and you even go upside down all while enjoying a beautiful view of Paradise Pier. I don't know any coaster enthusiast who doesn't enjoy this one.

6. Splash Mountain (Disneyland CA & Magic Kingdom FL)
Bring your ponchos, cause you are gonna get wet! A fantastic log ride with a series of drops (or waterfalls) ending with one really big drop. I don't consider this one scary and considered leaving it out of this post, but I do know people who go on this ride simply because they enjoy the scenery inside the mountain and 'deal with' the drops. So I guess some find it intimidating.

7. Indiana Jones Temple of Doom (Disneyland CA)
My absolute favourite ride out of any of the Disney parks - and fairly tame. This is not a roller coaster, but it is a rather aggressive dark ride that throws you from side to side in your jeep. I'd explain what you see, but I don't want to ruin it. I actually convinced my brothers and mother to go on it once, telling them it's not a coaster so they'd be fine. I was so wrong... and they were not happy with me. So apparently it's a bad one for motion sickness and over stimulation of the senses.

8. Big Thunder Mountain (Disneyland CA & Magic Kingdom FL)
You are a passenger on a train gone wild! It has got some great tight turns and quick drops and I highly suggest not eating lunch before going on it. Again, wouldn't call this one all that scary but it is fun. It was my first coaster in Disneyland and I felt it was a good break in for me.

So there you have it; the most popular rides with the adult crowd. Please remember to get fast passes for these attractions because they tend to have the longest lines. If you don't know what a fast pass is or how to get them, read my blog on them here. Oh, and there are height and health restrictions for all of them.

An afternoon at Aulani

First of all, apologies for taking two months to write this post. We are expecting our second child and I have been far too exhausted and nauseated to blog much. But I am now into my second trimester and have been feeling significantly better this past week.

You may remember that I had high hopes of taking our toddler son to Auntys character breakfast at Aulani resort and was told I couldn't reserve until the day before as a non resort guest. So, very early the day before (like 7:00am!) I called eager to get our name down. Keep in mind we were in Hawaii very much off season. Much to our dismay, we were told it was totally full and that we basically had no hope of getting in. What a bummer. It was the one thing I was really hoping to do during our trip.
My mother and I still wanted to check out the resort as it is a place we can use our timeshare points at if we so desire (a lot of points may I just add, but do able.)

Aulani is located in the resort town of Ko'Olina and it is a gorgeous area. I am not a fan of the island of Oahu and I can honestly say the only way I would have interest of returning to it is if I was staying in this area, far away from the craziness of Waikiki. Still a ways away we could see the towering resort looking grand and beautiful and oh so welcoming. Upon pulling up to the valet we were instantly greeted with the wonderful and well known Disney friendliness. They pointed us to the parking lot and explained where everything was.

After parking we walked through the main entrance where we were greeted with friendly smiles from a staff member and a glass of refreshing lemon cucumber water. I talked to a few employees about what we could see and do as visiting guests and then we began to wander. Again, I have to comment on the quality and friendliness of the staff members here. It really did remind me of being in Disneyland in that people were so helpful and happy everywhere we went. Absolutely wonderful.

The decor of the resort was beautiful. We have never seen a resort that looked more 'Hawaiian' which I know is exactly the feel they were going for. It was elegant yet comfortable, and all the art work and designs on the walls were interesting and fun to look at. Great job by Disney!

We checked out the pools, including the long lazy river and kids play area. I can't even explain how badly we wanted to dive in there! Something else we noticed were the lifeguards located literally every 10 feet. Safety is obviously top priority at Aulani. There were plenty of chairs to lounge in around the pools, and they weren't those cheap plastic ones. They were thick, padded and had pillows on them. No joke. There were water filters with cups located everywhere, as well as ice cream stands, burger joints and full restaurants.

They also had a private beach with a sheltered lagoon for calm waters and more chairs scattered everywhere.

After wandering a bit we stopped by the resort gift shop to pick up a few souvenirs. This is the only point in which I was disappointed as the shop was way tiny then I would have expected. They really weren't offering much. Lots of t-shirts, towels and bags, a few magnets and shelf displays, but not a whole lot else. I actually found myself not buying anything, which was shocking (even for my husband.) We settled on a Squirt stuffy (from Nemo) for Noah as we figured that was kind of Hawaiian like.

We took one last glance at the balcony overlooking the resort and talked about whether we'd like to stay there in the future. The general consensus of our group of seven people was yes, if we were to return to Oahu we'd probably stay there. But we weren't sure if we'd prefer that or heading back to our nice quiet city of Kona on the Big Island. Were small town Hawaii people.

No one does entertainment like Disney

There is a misconception that Disneyland is a place with just 'a bunch of kids rides.' Of course anyone who has actually been to a Disney park knows this is completely untrue. There is so much more to do then simply go from ride to ride.

Take my mother and brothers for instance. They don't do rides, except for the occasional slow moving dark ride, but they still love visiting Disney. Why? Because of the constant entertainment! Sit down shows, parades, street performers, there is pretty much something going on all the time at the parks. So I thought I would give you a brief run down of some of the things you can do at Disney if you aren't into rides or meeting characters.

1. Billy Hill & the Hillbillies.
I've talked about these guys before, and they are a do not miss in our books! In Disneyland Park at the Golden Horseshoe this hilarious group of fiddlers will entertain you with music and jokes while you enjoy your lunch. The highlight? One of the performers wears over the top false teeth. You'll just have to see it to understand why it's so funny.

2. Fantasmic!
Certain evenings of the week, the rivers of America transforms into a full stage/water show complete with water screens, boats, characters and special effects. This show is our personal favourite of any of the evening shows the parks have to offer. Be sure stake out a spot early as the ground seating is first come first serve.

3. World of Colour
Showing select nights at Disney's California Adventure, this show is all water screen based and full of spectacular colours and classic Disney music. There is a special viewing area on the lagoon and you will need to get a fast pass to go in (fast passes can be obtained by the Grizzly River ride first thing in the morning.) You can view this show from other areas, but you will have angled views of the water screens.

4. Parades
These change yearly and seasonally but they are always well done. The two best locations (in my humble opinion) to view the parades are over by Its a Small World or else at the end of Main street so you get the full view with the castle.

5. Aladdin
Disney California Adventure has its own theater just for Aladdin, which is basically a full scale Broadway show compacted to 45 minutes long. This is another do not miss show in my books! The Genie is always played by a comedian who is very up on the latest pop culture references and jokes and hands down steals the show. We honestly go just to see what he comes up with, because it changes all the time.

This is only the tip of the iceberg for entertainment. To find out more about what is going on when you are visiting, be sure to grab the parks daily schedule with times and locations.

The Fast Pass system

I must apologize. I have several friends who recently visited the Disney parks and asked me what those fast pass tickets were and how much they cost. I felt so bad for not having filled them in before hand! I think fast passes are such a common topic that I assumed I already blogged about them; apparently not.
So here you go...

What is a fast pass?
A fast pass is a free ticket available to anyone in the park to bypass a large portion of a popular rides line.

Which rides offer them?
Rides such as Indiana Jones, Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, Splash Mountain at Disneyland have these, as do Radiator Springs Racers, Soarin, Grizzly River Run and Tower of Terror at California Adventure. There are more, but I don't think I need to list them all...
It is easy to see if they are available for a ride, because next to the current walk on wait time you will see a fast pass return time posted.

Where can I get one?
You can get a fast pass for a ride at a ticket machine usually near the rides main entrance, or else close by the ride itself. If you can't seem to locate it, simply as a cast member and they will point you in the right direction.
You will need your park ticket to get the pass. Simply walk up to an available machine and put your card in. It will be scanned and out of the bottom of the machine will pop a fast pass ticket with a time of return listed on it. Do not lose this (of your park ticket for that matter...)

How do they work?
When the time listed on your fast pass arrives, simply return to your ride and enter the 'fast pass' line. A cast member will ask to see your ticket and let you through. The fast pass line usually runs right along side the main line but will be relatively empty. On a busy day you may still end up waiting 10 minutes or so to get on your ride, but it is nothing compared to the poor folks who have been waiting for 45. At the end of the line a cast member will take your fast pass ticket from you and you can then proceed onto the ride.

Do I have to use my fast pass during the listed time?
That's a tricky question. I have never been let on a ride earlier then my fast pass time, however I have heard of many people using their fast passes long after their time has expired. Disney World has recently stated that they will be enforcing their ticket times, where as Disneyland has not said anything about it. I think this is one of those times where it just depends on the cast member you get. That being said, we always just use our fast passes when it is the right time as we have a system.

Are the fast passes ride specific?
Yes! You can not use the same fast pass ticket for Indiana Jones as you would on Space Mountain. They will each require a separate fast pass.

How many fast passes can I hold at a time?
You cannot simply run all over the past grabbing fast passes for every ride first thing in the morning. There is an actual time limit on your ticket. You can get a new one every few hours or once your current ticket expires.

Does each ride have an unending supply of fast passes?
No! When you go to get a fast pass at a ride you will see a current 'return time' listed above. For popular rides at popular times of travel, fast passes can be gone for the whole day within an hour or two of park opening. So if you are travelling during a peak season and have a ride that makes the top of your list, I suggest heading there straight away and securing your pass.

Our system is to get a fast pass for one ride and then head to another close by while we wait. For example, we will get a fast pass first thing in the morning for Indiana Jones and then go on Pirates of the Caribbean and Tarzans Tree House. Or we will get a pass for Space Mountain and then proceed to ride Buzz Light Year and Astro Blasters in the meantime.

I will add that fast passes are not worth your time unless the ride you desire to go on has more then a 20 minutes wait. Our general rule is that if the rides line is under 20 minutes we will simply do walk on, but if it's 25 minutes or more, we get the pass for it.
And may I just add what a wonderful feeling it is to join the fast pass line and walk past all the other guests who have been not so patiently waiting forever... Sorry, was that a little mean?

Hope I've helped! If you have any more questions please feel free to send them my way!

Aulani visit?

The family and I are taking off for a Hawaiian vacation in a few shorts weeks. We are greatly looking forward to soaking up some sun on the shores of the pacific and spending time splashing around in a few gorgeous swimming pools at our resort.

Sadly, we wont be staying Disneys Aulani resort - which is fully my fault. When my parents decided to book a trip to Hawaii we thought there was no way we'd be able to join them. And I just may have said I would be heartbroken if they chose to go to the Disney resort without us... So they went with the Hilton Hawaiian Village instead. Yet here we are, tagging along after all and hoping to get the chance to visit one of the newest resorts on Oahu.

Hubby is planning a few excursions to keep himself entertained. Jet skiing, surf lessons and possibly renting a scooter. The only thing I want to do besides relax is take a day trip over to Aulani and do a character breakfast. And I'm not just thinking of me here - honest! I know Noah would love another hug from Mickey Mouse and the chance to visit with a few of his other Disney pals. Rumor has it, the elusive Stitch even makes an appearance! There is also the added 'cool' factor of seeing our favourite characters dressed up Hawaiian style. Where else can we see that?

The trouble is getting in. Non resort guests have to wait until the day before to make reservations. Hoping that most kids will be busy in school and not travelling to Hawaii when we are so that there will be enough space for myself, my son, hubby and my mother to get it.

Besides the character breakfast itself, I'd like to walk the grounds and see if this is really a place we'd like to stay in the future. Oh, and visit the store of course. Disney Hawaiian themed merchandise? Yes please!

Anyone ever stayed there or visited for a day? Would love to hear your thoughts!

No more Disney Cruises to Alaska?

Oh rumor, please do not be true!

Over the past week or so I have been hearing talk about Disney pulling out of their Alaska cruise sailing for good. As you can guess based on my last post, this would make me very sad.

Our tentative plan was to book our first Disney cruise in May/June 2014 for this exact itinerary. We loved the idea of getting a family vacation that wouldn't require us to fly anywhere, hence the Alaska trip from Vancouver. If they no longer offer this, we probably wont be cruising that year as we aren't enthusiastic about flying all the way to Florida to do a Disney cruise and aren't really into the idea of doing a non Disney cruise to Alaska.

I sent an email to a Disney travel specialist asking him about this and he told me that so far he had no information one way or the other. He did mention however that there had been alot of talk about moving the Wonder (currently the Alaska ship) elsewhere, and that whether or not another boat would take over had not been mentioned.
That doesn't sound too positive to me.

I wonder (ha, no pun intended...) if Disney is struggling to do business up their in Alaska. That is a sailing that tends to attract an older more mature crowd. And because they are the 'new kids on the block' they haven't been given high priority for things like port times and sailing routes. Perhaps Disney does not like being second (or fourth, fifth) in line for things. They certainly aren't use to it.

So, what would we do if they pulled out of Alaska? Oh you know, probably go to Disneyland. And that my friends, is never a bad thing.