Part I (Tips Number 1 – 8) reviewed some basic recommendation such as time of year, extra magic hours and some web sources such as TouringPlans.Com. Part II (Tips Number 9-17) reviewed strategies for saving time during meals and the use of FastPass. This is the final post in this three-part series on "saving time" during your Walt Disney World vacation.
Tip Number 18: First, let’s talk about “Lines”, a product of TouringPlans.Com. Touring Plans is actually providing estimates of the times based on 10 years of historical data and the statistics they have compiled for touring plans and park attendance calendars. They state that their estimates could be different than the posted times that are actually outside the attractions, but believe their work, combining user information (people at the park), official data and history provide the best information .“Lines” originally was developed for I-Phones but you can use the product with Android, Palm Pre/Pixi phones and BlackBerry. I’ve included the sample picture of an I-Phone with “Lines” from the Touring Plans blog website.
Lines provide FastPass return time and Single Rider Line times, wait times for every attraction for today and tomorrow. They also include the next 10 days of their Crowd Calendar. One of the features that make the data more accurate is park guests (like you!) who update the models in real time. You can subscribe to one year access to Lines, but you also receive the web access to the crowd calendar, Touring Plans and more. The current price is $10.95 for one year. Interestingly, it also includes a 45-day money-back guarantee. That is amazing. PLUS, you get a big discount if you own one of their book products like The Unofficial Guide Walt Disney World 2010
Tip Number 19: The Verizon Mobile Magic Application is a similar product with a direct connection to Disney Parks. Developed by Disney, this mobile application is used at both WDW and Disneyland and includes access to a variety of park features right from selected models of Verizon Wireless phones. Here is a summary list of features:
Weather, park hours, today’s events
Character appearances, GPS location, search feature
Locate restaurants, suggestion feature, and phone for reservations
Search for attractions and find restrooms
Highlight favorite things, event times, wait times
Store your parking location
Trivia and games
The cost for download and purchase for a period of 180-days is $9.99 but as previously indicated, it’s exclusive to Verizon customers. Any special download and message charges you normally incur will also apply; as well as airtime and megabyte data charges.
The Disney Parks Blog provides a wide variety of screen shots that give you an idea of how it looks. One of the nice features is you can have reminders for yourself of upcoming shows you want to attend. When I’m in the park, having someone “buzz you” (I keep my phone on vibrate) is a good thing. A few more details are on this Disney page including a demo download and compatibility listing and FAQ.
Tip Number 20: There are some other “apps” out there which provide some level of convenience and information, and often costing only a small amount.
Disney World Dining by VersaEdge ($1.99): Ever find yourself in Walt Disney World trying to decide where to eat? With Disney World Dining, you can look up over 150 restaurants in Walt Disney World including descriptions, full menus, disney dining plan, tables in wonderland discount, restaurant photograph, location information, and more.
At Notescast you will find a number of Disney-related apps for your IPod or Nano which essentially provides you e-reader resources. The Walt Disney World Guide ($3.99) is an online guidebook. The Secrets Gold Notescast ($1.99) looks pretty interesting as it points out interesting sights, sounds or things you might have missed running in and out of every attraction. Also photos, other facts and hidden mickeys. There is also an app about the Magic Kingdom Main Street Windows ($0.99) including photos and descriptions.
WORLD SHOWCASE -- Architectural elements of Venice stand at the entrance of the Italy pavilion in World Showcase at Epcot, including the Doge's Palace with elegant decoration, and a scaled-down version of the Campanile (bell tower) of St. Mark's Square. Complementing these buildings are Venetian bridges, gondolas, colorful barber poles and a sculpture of the Lion of St. Mark atop a column. The promenade paving is patterned after St. Mark's. © Disney
Tip Number 21: Disney Information at the Parks. When you enter each park pick up a copy of the Guide Map and Times Guides. It is amazing to me how many people fail to secure one or both of these items, and then start asking everyone around them questions. The Times Guides are particularly important for shows and events, character greeting times or special hours that day. Also, in each of the theme parks are centrally-located tip boards that include the wait times for attractions. Best of all, these are free.
Tip Number 22: Stay longer. I don’t mean this to sound like an advertisement, but there are many reasons to lengthen your trip to Walt Disney World. It is a gigantic place to be sure, and although you will never see everything in a single trip [the physical space is twice the size of Manhattan] a five day trip is more productive than a three-day; and a 7-8 day trip is better than a 5-day. And more than anything, if it’s your first visit to WDW, never go for only one or two days. You will likely be more disappointed than happy. One advantage of staying longer is the ticket prices, which have a much lower daily rate the more days you visit.
Tip Number 23: Take a break. The best park strategists will tell you that taking a break mid-day and enjoying your resort or resting, will help make the entire day easier to bear. Visiting the resort hotels is an experience in itself, enjoying special activities like back-stage tours or evening activities, take your vacation to the next level. But if you travel to Disney just to “commando” your way from one place to the text, not only will it exhaust you but you won’t get the most value from your vacation dollars. Pacing yourself is really important.
Tip Number 24: Disney Guest Services, available at every theme park, provides resources that will help make your visit more productive and comfortable. You can get guides pointing out things your kids will enjoy, there are Baby Care Centers for feeding and changing, guide maps in six languages and a special guide just for people with disabilities. And one of those really good services for those staying on property is both good and bad… package pickup. If you buy something at the park, you can have it delivered free to the front of the park for pick-up before you leave (that’s for everyone); or you can have it delivered to your on-site resort. Both are good things, but by not carrying all your purchases, you will buy more (human nature abhors a vacuum).
SPEAKING MY LANGUAGE -- International visitors to Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., will feel more welcome, thanks in part to a new cutting-edge wireless device that translates narration at more than 25 popular theme park attractions across the Vacation Kingdom. Wireless signals throughout key attractions at the four Walt Disney World theme parks trigger digital audio inside lightweight headsets to provide real-time translation in French, German, Japanese, Portuguese or Spanish. Available to all guests with a refundable deposit, the translation units allow guests with limited English fluency to more thoroughly enjoy memorable Disney attractions with a strong storytelling element. © Disney
Tip Number 25: Carry a backpack. It’s a great way to carry water bottles, snacks, cameras, change of clothes (evening covers), a small towel (water rides), rain slicker, pharmaceuticals, first aid stuff and more. And it’s easier to carrying a hand or shoulder bag and has quick access for anyone in your party.
Tip Number 26: Use a pre-trip checklist when planning your trip to WDW so you didn’t forget anything. Here is Mouse Savers Ultimate Packing List http://www.mousesavers.com/timeismoney.html#packing that I’ve used in the past: And here are some other planning tools: http://brucewdw.blogspot.com/p/trip-planning-tools.html.
Tip Number 27: For my last tip, I wanted to review some of my trip planning activities that have helped make our vacations more relaxing and worry-free. First, start calling or booking online for your restaurant and special activity ADRs on the first day you can (i.e. 180 days in advance) at just before 7:00 am. Next, if you plan on visiting resorts or do other things outside of the park and your hotel, rent a car. Third, use a great Disney guidebook to help plan your vacation, months before you make your first ADR. Yes, when we can, planning in our house starts the week after we return from our last Disney vacation. And I know I push The Unofficial Guide Walt Disney World 2010, but it’s the best one out there.
, but it’s the best one out there. We make a list of what we absolutely want to do and see, and we create a spreadsheet as a planning document to help keep our schedule at our fingertips. As we get older, we do like to sleep in, but nothing beats arriving a half-hour before rope-drop for getting an early start in the day. And we do take a break mid-day to recharge the batteries, drop-off and pick-up what’s needed, nap, swim and re-orient ourselves to what’s coming up next. We will review the tips included in this three article series, to make sure we’re prepared.
THE MAGIC IS REAL -- Walt Disney World caters to families with preschoolers with captivating entertainment and timeless attractions. The new Magical Beginnings program was created in response to guests’ desire to make traveling to Disney parks with little ones more hassle-free. New planning tools, park maps, kid-friendly dining experiences and seasonal travel packages are available thru Magical Beginnings. © Disney
Tip Number 28: Look for more tips. One of the best ways to plan for a Walt Disney World vacation is to talk with others who have been there several times. A lot of this great experience is located on the various web sites you will find in the right-hand column of A WORLD VIEW (http://brucewdw.blogspot.com). And check out the various “boards” and forums with guest feedback, for example: DisBoards http://www.disboards.com/, AllEars http://land.allears.net/reviewpost/ and WDW Magic http://forums.wdwmagic.com/. And of course, the Disney Moms Panel http://disneyworldforum.disney.go.com/.
Saving Time (A LOT OF TIME) while on your Walt Disney World Vacation
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If you are planning a trip to Disney World at anytime, a superb investment would be The Ultimate Disney World Savings Guide. It doesn't just tell you how to save lots of money in the park, it gives loads of tips about making the best of your vacation. There is a good review of the book at www.theultimatedisneyworldsavingsguide.com . It is definitely worth a look.
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