Photo Plans Save You Time

Money Saver Monday!!

From time to time I share a tip that follows the saying "time is money." This tip comes straight from me to you and it has the potential to save you so much time on your Disney vacation. Keep in mind that successful Disney vacations are well planned. People that have done their research and know what they want to do, feel that they have gotten their money's worth and they will make more repeat trips in the future.

About 95% of Disney travelers will spend time meeting characters or getting their picture taken using Disney's Photopass. Waiting in line is a great time to prepare yourself for the 45 seconds of fame you will have once you have reached the front of the line and get your pictures taken. Here are some tips to get it done efficiently yet still get your photo/video done.

• Have cameras out of camera bags
• Turn the camera on/take the lens cap off
• Have the autograph books out with the page open(characters can't flip through pages)
• Have your pen open and ready to go
• Make sure children are out of the stroller and ready to go before it’s your turn.

One part of planning my Walt Disney World vacation is actually planning how I want pictures to be taken. Now if you are a smaller family you may not need to do this as thoroughly. If you are traveling with a party of 6 or more I recommend having a photo plan.

• Decide what order you want to go up in.
• There may be certain characters that you want the whole family to be in and some that you only want the kiddos in.

Being prepared can save you a ton of time on your vacation and can help you have cherished memories that you will forever love once you get home.

If you have any money saving tips you would like featured on Money Saver Monday, email me at kno2879@gmail.com. Be sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter....we would love to have you as a fan!!

See ya real soon!!

Kelly

Becoming a ‘Disney Diva’…

Welcome to Wacky Wednesday's With New England Disney Diva, Julie!!!

Becoming a ‘Disney Diva’…

What makes WDW so magical for me?  The magic begins way before that exhilarating moment of passing through the WDW gates and knowing that I’m finally ‘home’!  The fun for my family and I starts way before the actual trip gets here!

As crazy as it may sound to some (but not so much to my ‘fellow Disney-manics’ out there…) I will actually start ‘mentally planning’ my next trip while I’m STILL at WDW! This usually happens on our last couple of days of vacation. I know the magic is coming to an end, so this is my ‘coping mechanism’. I immediately begin to make mental notes of what I want to do on the next trip. Things such as, ‘which Disney resort to stay at, Adr’s to make, new things to try, etc’...

Once I return home I am forced to deal with ‘reality’-I’m usually booking my next vacation within a couple weeks! I never used to be this way, until the last couple years or so? I MUST have a WDW trip booked at all times. It doesn’t really matter how far off it is, be it 6 or 12 months. Life is happier with a trip to look forward to plan for. Don’t you all agree? This just helps me get through ‘bad days’ or the ‘daily grind’ when the normal, everyday chores get to be a bit too much! We all have those days…

I love the pre-planning that takes place months before from my scheduled WDW trip. I look forward to running out and buying my shiny, new copy of the ‘Birnbaum Guides, Walt Disney World’ guidebook each year. For me, it’s my ‘Disney bible’; I always have it close by. We always had this book in the house growing up so it’s just another one of those Disney traditions that I’ve kept up with.

                                            Holiday Road

Picture from: 

http://www.thefancarpet.com/uploaded_assets/images/gallery/4499/National_Lampoons_Vacation_41835_Medium.jpg

Having grown up in a Disney household, we were always surrounded my Disney magic!  Whether it was by toys, movies or planning our annual spring vacations to the world, Disney played an intricate part of who I am today. I’ve now passed this torch down to my own family!

We always drove from our home in Northwest Indiana to Florida, so ‘getting there’ was half the fun (picture the Griswold’s family from the ‘Vacation’ movies & that was us!!) It was a 2-day drive so once we finally hit Florida, it was totally magical!

Stopping for fresh O.J. at the Florida Welcome Center and smelling the orange blossoms while driving past the orange groves are some of my favorite memories. This just meant we were getting ‘closer to home’!

My own family now follows these same traditions each year. This year will be our 6^th consecutive trip to WDW and we love it!

We recently moved to Northern New England, so driving may be out of the question. I have a feeling we’ll be making many new memories flying down and enjoying the Magical Express ride to our resort!

Can’t wait for that moment to hear ‘Aloha, Welcome Back’ at the Polynesian. Our next family adventure is taking place in Sept. 2011, can’t wait!!

I’d love to hear who else has any other special family memories that have been passed down. Do you still follow these same traditions now with your own Disney family? Please feel free email me and share your comments/thoughts!!

Thanks for sharing your Wednesday with me...we’ll chat soon!!

Julie can be reached @ nedisneydiva@hotmail.com Be sure to "like" Julie's Facebook Page...New England Disney Diva's!!