- 2 days ago
Planning a Disney World vacation? Condé Nast Traveler's Erin Florio sits down with Disney travel specialist Michelle Allen of Travel Magic to answer every question families have. From the best time to visit and where to stay to budgeting, dining, accessibility, and creating the perfect Disney World itinerary for parents traveling with young kids, this is your ultimate Disney vacation guide.
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00:00So if I want to take my family to Disney, when do I need to start planning?
00:04Where do we stay? Are my kids the right age? What time of year is best? How expensive is this
00:08going to be?
00:08Do I need to take out alone? Are my kids going to fight all day? What's the difference between Disney
00:11World and Disneyland?
00:13Why are there so many parks?
00:15I am a travel expert, and even I am overwhelmed at the idea of planning a trip to Disney.
00:21And as a parent, I know that it's inevitable. I know I'm going to take my kids there.
00:25You know what I think I'm going to do? I am going to call in an actual proper Disney travel
00:30expert to help me navigate this whole thing.
00:39I've brought in a trusted travel specialist from our Condé Nast Traveler Specialist list, Michelle Allen, who is the owner
00:46of Travel Magic.
00:47Michelle, thank you so much for being here.
00:49Thanks for having me. I'm so excited to talk to you about Disney World.
00:52I have to say, I travel for a living. Planning, thinking of travel, going on travel, doing travel is literally
01:00my job.
01:01And when it comes to Disney, I am so intimidated by planning this trip, I don't even know where to
01:06start, and I don't think I'm alone in that.
01:08You know, I hear that all the time. It is overwhelming, but that's where I come in.
01:13I will ease all of your stresses, I will make the planning easy, and you'll show up and just have
01:17a good time with your family.
01:18I love to hear it. Before we get started, let's, let's do it.
01:34Okay. I feel ready. Okay, let's do it.
01:37Tell me what Disney destination you want to visit. Disney World is in Orlando, Florida.
01:42Hmm. Disneyland is in Anaheim, California. There's also Disney Cruises.
01:47There's a Disney Resort in Hawaii called Aulani. There are Adventures by Disney, which are group guided tours around the
01:54world.
01:54We're going to do Disney World. Perfect. Yeah, we'll start there.
01:57Perfect. It's a great place to start. Tell me, how old are your kids?
01:59So my daughter's three, and my son is five.
02:03Oh, those are the best ages. What are they into? Do they like characters?
02:07Here's one of the things that I'm actually concerned about. I feel like within Disney, they have different interests,
02:11and that one's going to want one thing, one's going to want another.
02:14My daughter is very into Frozen. She's going to like all the princess things. They both do like Bluey.
02:19For your daughter, obviously the princesses is a big appeal. There's Cinderella's Royal Table is a character meal in Magic
02:25Kingdom.
02:26There's a boutique where she can get made up like a princess, also in the Magic Kingdom. Frozen is over
02:31in Epcot.
02:32There's four different parks at Disney World. Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, and Epcot.
02:37The kind of issue is that you can't, it's hard to get to each one.
02:43You can get a park hopper ticket, which gives you the flexibility to move between parks.
02:47That's kind of a lot for little kids. You know, three and five, that's a lot of dragging around.
02:51I almost feel like we want to focus more on just one park per day.
02:55Magic Kingdom has a lot of rides. You can spend one if not two full days there with your kids
03:00being their ages.
03:01Epcot, the Frozen ride, the meet and greet with Anna and Elsa is going to be a huge hit.
03:05There's a meet and greet with Anna and Elsa? Yes.
03:06Yeah, no, she would love that.
03:14What is really the best time to go?
03:16May is a fantastic time to be in Disney World. April is also a good time as long as you
03:21avoid Easter.
03:22Early December is typically a really nice time and the parks are all decorated for the holidays.
03:27I'm guessing we don't want to be there during the peak times, which would be school breaks.
03:32Pretty much all school breaks.
03:33Yeah, you definitely want to avoid summer. You know, all the kids are out of school and it's hot.
03:39You want to try to avoid that as much as possible.
03:41There are pockets of time on the calendar that are good to travel.
03:44If you're okay with pulling up the kids out of school at this age, that's even better.
03:48So it sounds to me like if I had the luxury of doing this, I would want to go when
03:52the kids are not out of school.
03:53Maybe May because I feel like the weather is probably going to be good and during the week is better
03:58than over the weekend.
03:59Weekdays are great to travel. Weekends are always busier.
04:02Friday and Saturday nights are more expensive at the hotels, too.
04:05So if we can avoid staying a Friday or Saturday, that's even better.
04:08I typically like to suggest a vacation being anywhere from five to seven nights.
04:12There are four theme parks, right?
04:14So if you want to visit each each park one time and maybe plan for a down day, that's five
04:18days right off the bat.
04:19I like to do like a Sunday to a Friday. Perfect. Weekdays, you know, less expensive and it kind of
04:25hits all the marks.
04:32A big deciding factor about how this vacation is going to play out is where you decide to stay.
04:37So we need to factor that in. Let's talk about the different neighborhoods.
04:41That's how I like to look at it. There's the Magic Kingdom neighborhood.
04:44There is the Epcot Hollywood Studios neighborhood.
04:46And then there's the Animal Kingdom neighborhood.
04:48So not one of those hotels is going to put you close to all four theme parks, which is why
04:53I think about them as neighborhoods.
04:54OK, so before we even get into it, from what I understand, you can either choose to stay in the
05:00park or you can stay outside the park.
05:03Yeah. And what would be the benefit of one or the other?
05:05The Disney owned properties are considered to be on campus and you do get perks when you stay on campus.
05:11You can get into the parks a half an hour early, which puts you basically at the front of the
05:15line, which is always where you want to be.
05:17You get to add a dining plan to your package, which you can't do if you're staying off campus.
05:21I think the biggest perk these days is being able to make your lightning lane reservations, which you make seven
05:27days prior to your arrival, starting at 7 a.m.
05:30And you do it through your My Disney Experience app.
05:33Lightning lanes is basically giving you a reservation to ride a ride at a certain time.
05:37When you're staying off campus, you can only do that three days ahead of time.
05:41If I am in a lightning lane, does that mean I'm jumping the line?
05:45Does that mean that I'm just getting a bit of a head start?
05:48No, you're basically jumping the line.
05:49When you get to a ride, there's going to be two queues, the standby queue and the lightning lane queue.
05:54Because you've made a lightning lane reservation, you can go through the lightning lane queue.
05:57So you might wait 10 minutes while the standby line queue might be waiting a half an hour or more.
06:01Great. So I have greater access to that by staying on the park.
06:04And if I'm staying outside of the park, I don't have priority access.
06:08Well, you get to make those lightning lane reservations three days before.
06:12But the catch is that some of the more popular rides, they're going to be sold out already.
06:15They only give a certain amount of lightning lanes out.
06:17So what is the benefit of staying outside of the park?
06:20It's really budget.
06:21You know, I have clients that stay at grandma's house down the road because it's free.
06:26Or an Airbnb because they're bringing, you know, cousins and aunts and uncles and grandmas and grandpas.
06:30Makes sense, but you have to understand what you're losing.
06:32So what's important to you?
06:34That's what I want to know.
06:35All things considered, I think I want to say on property.
06:38It feels like it's going to be more convenient for me, considering my kids are three years old, five years
06:42old.
06:42I think it's key to be able to get that early access.
06:45And I kind of like the proximity factor.
06:46I agree with you.
06:48I would probably suggest staying in the Magic Kingdom area, given the ages of your kids and what you told
06:53me their interests were.
06:54So budget obviously plays a part in everybody's vacation.
06:56And I want to realize that and work with you.
06:59There's deluxe properties.
07:00The major goal when you stay at a deluxe property is easy access to the parks.
07:05The Polynesian, the Grand Floridian, the Contemporary are very close to the Magic Kingdom.
07:09A little bit further away, but still close to the Magic Kingdom is going to be the Wilderness Lodge.
07:14You would take a boat from the Wilderness Lodge to get to Magic Kingdom.
07:17A little bit of an inconvenience, not huge, but you're going to save a little bit of money by staying
07:21there.
07:21And what do you mean by boat?
07:22To me, in my mind, the boat is sounding like a ride that my kids get to take.
07:25It kind of is.
07:26A lot of kids consider it part of the attraction.
07:28You can turn it into a bit of fun if you choose to stay there and save some money.
07:31And the Wilderness Lodge has a great theme to it.
07:33It's like you're staying at a village in the Pacific Northwest.
07:37You know, that sort of lodge-y feel.
07:38A great pool, too, because we want to plan some downtime.
07:41So those are the four resorts that I consider near the Magic Kingdom if that's where we want to stay.
07:46I think the Magic Kingdom sounds good.
07:47And to be honest with you, I like the idea of once I get into that park, if I feel
07:52my kids are about to lose it and we want to break up the day,
07:55it's easy enough for me to exit the park, go have an hour or whatever it might be at the
08:00pool, chill, and then come back again later.
08:02I like to call it a rest and refresh.
08:04We all need it, even the parents.
08:12So I've heard you now mention the four parks quite a few times.
08:16Can you just quickly tell me the difference between each of the four of them, why you would go to
08:22each of them, who they're really for and what they offer?
08:24Absolutely.
08:25So Magic Kingdom is the iconic, right?
08:28It's everybody thinks about Big Thunder Mountain, Splash Mountain.
08:33Those are where the iconic rides are going to be.
08:35Cinderella's castle is there.
08:36That's where the fireworks are.
08:38The Main Street USA.
08:39That is Disney World when they think of Disney World.
08:42So it's kind of like, it's like the primary.
08:44It feels like it's the primary.
08:45It is the primary.
08:46The other parks have so much to offer too.
08:48Epcot is going to be where the Frozen is.
08:50So a lot of times parents with little girls will say, I don't need to go to Epcot.
08:53And then I'll say, well, what are your kids interested in?
08:55And I'll get the Frozen thing.
08:57And they're like, oh, I have to go to Epcot, right?
08:58You have to see Frozen with little girls.
09:00That's where the world showcases with all of the countries.
09:03For parents, it's a nice kind of reprieve from the craziness of the ride.
09:07So you can have champagne in France or a beer in Germany and a pretzel.
09:11So that's where you're walking around the country.
09:13I feel like I've heard about that famous sort of like global bar crawl.
09:18Drink around.
09:18Drink around the world.
09:19Exactly.
09:20So that's there at Epcot.
09:21And they also have some great rides.
09:22Animal Kingdom.
09:23It's more than just a zoo.
09:24People are like, I have a great zoo here in New York City or Boston.
09:27It's more than that.
09:28And my favorite ride of all time there, Flight of Passage.
09:31It's the best ride ever.
09:33And it's as if you are flying on the back of a Banshee.
09:36It's just incredible.
09:36And then we have Hollywood Studios.
09:38So a little bit of cars feel there.
09:41Hollywood Studios is more based on the TV shows and the movies.
09:44So that's what you'll find there.
09:45So we really need to draw down to what would be most important for your kids.
09:50Even though it's unofficial, are there kind of, you know, different ages sort of prefer different before?
09:55Yeah.
09:56So from three and five, I'm guessing Magic Kingdom.
09:58Magic Kingdom for sure.
09:59I think Hollywood Studios also because they also have Star Wars Land and Toy Story Land, which is huge at
10:05Hollywood Studios.
10:06So I'm thinking Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios and Epcot.
10:09You're going to have to do Epcot for Frozen.
10:19Assuming that the time that we plan to go, the crowd calendar looks to be good for all the days
10:25that you're going to be in the parks.
10:28Crowd calendar, what is that exactly?
10:29So I have access to a crowd calendar that tells me how busy the parks are going to be each
10:33day when you're there.
10:34Useful.
10:35Yeah, very useful.
10:36Yeah, absolutely.
10:36So I would base your itinerary on that information.
10:39So I'm going to assume that all the parks look to be good.
10:42There's nothing special going on that would deter us from going to one park on any specific day.
10:47I would say let's start with Magic Kingdom.
10:49Given the kids' interests, given the proximity to the park, it's an easy way to kind of slide into it.
10:53I think hitting Tiana's Bayou is great.
10:56I think the princess castle for your daughter is going to be good.
10:59And I think we should also book a reservation at the castle for a meal where she can see multiple
11:04princesses.
11:05You mentioned the princess castle.
11:07Yes.
11:07Lunch with princesses.
11:08Yes.
11:09That's a great idea.
11:10My daughter will love that.
11:11So it kind of checks two boxes.
11:12You're going to have to eat.
11:13So we're going to have lunch and you're going to meet the princesses.
11:16Okay.
11:16So boxes checked.
11:17That's probably going to last like an hour and a half.
11:19After lunch, I'm going to say we're going to leave and you're going to go back to the hotel and
11:22take a break.
11:23A rest and a refresh, I like to call it.
11:25Do the kids like fireworks?
11:27Parades?
11:28I think they probably would.
11:30Yeah.
11:30Yeah, yeah.
11:30So I think we need to plan for the nighttime parade and the fireworks show so it'll be a later
11:35night.
11:35Usually fireworks are 9, 10 p.m. depending on time of the year.
11:39Okay.
11:39And then you're going back to the hotel, which will be easy because you're close to the Magic Kingdom and
11:43you're going to sleep.
11:45Much needed sleep.
11:46It sounds like a good first day.
11:47It also sounds, you know, I'm almost worried like we might peak too soon.
11:50Is there some sort of strategy in making us end on the highest note or should we start with the
11:54highest note?
11:55Yeah, I think start with it just because the kids are going to be so excited and it is their
11:58first visit.
11:59Yeah.
11:59Another cool thing that Disney does for first visits is they'll give them a pin.
12:04Every cast member that they see will be like, welcome, it's your first time here.
12:08It's exciting.
12:09They love a celebration.
12:10Disney's all about storytelling, which makes it magical.
12:13It's a good thing to start there.
12:15Okay.
12:15Day one sounds great.
12:17Day two.
12:17Day one was a little more about your daughter with the princess kind of heavy day.
12:22Probably true.
12:22So maybe we go to Hollywood Studios and see if we can entice your son there.
12:26Star Wars Land is as if you're on set for the Star Wars movie.
12:29There's a cool cantina there called Oga's Cantina.
12:32Yeah.
12:32It's like the bar from the very first Star Wars movie.
12:35So we can schedule you guys and they have alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.
12:39Yeah.
12:39Go in for a quick drink.
12:41Maximum time in there is a half an hour.
12:42So it's like in and out quickly.
12:44They want to rotate you through.
12:45Yeah.
12:46That's fun to do in Star Wars Land and just walk around and you're in awe of it.
12:49The rides there are a little bit too much for the kids at their ages, but super cool even just
12:55to walk around and see it.
12:56But I think Toy Story Land has some great rides.
13:00There's a roller coaster there called Slinky Dog Dash.
13:02Okay.
13:03That they call a family roller coaster.
13:05It is up and down like this when I'm like this is more than a family roller coaster.
13:09But it's a lot of fun.
13:10But I think Hollywood Studios might be day two for your son.
13:13Hollywood Studios day two for my son.
13:15Quick question two.
13:15Obviously we're a family of four and we're going into these different parks.
13:19We have to pay for four different entrance tickets into every park every time we go.
13:25That's a great question.
13:26So this is going to be part of your package.
13:28Okay.
13:28So when I build your package, I'm booking the hotel and your tickets.
13:32I can add a photo package to it.
13:34I can add a dining plan to it.
13:36And then we're paying that package amount.
13:38If you buy one individual ticket for each day that you're going to go, it's more expensive.
13:42Looping the tickets in with the room reservation is the best way to go.
13:45Okay.
13:46So day two sounds pretty covered.
13:49I feel like day three we might want to do another, I don't know.
13:53Is it smart to do the walking distance one on day three?
13:55Or should the day three be the one where you also have to get on the bus and go for
14:00it?
14:00So I'm thinking Animal Kingdom because I think day three you're going to be tired.
14:03Yeah.
14:04Right?
14:04You're maybe looking for a break.
14:05Animal Kingdom has some great rides and attractions.
14:08Love it.
14:09But it might not be a full day park, which might be good for day three.
14:12Yeah.
14:13Because now we can plan a little break.
14:14We can assume we're going to spend less time inside Animal Kingdom out of all of them.
14:18Yeah.
14:18And with something like Animal Kingdom, are my kids going to walk in and still see the characters
14:22that they know and love?
14:24Yeah.
14:24Oh, sure.
14:24Yeah.
14:25So the huge appeal with Animal Kingdom right now is this is where Bluey and Bingo are.
14:31That is huge.
14:31Yeah.
14:32That is huge.
14:32So they're at Conservation Station in Animal Kingdom.
14:35Okay.
14:36And then day four, it means you're going to Epcot.
14:37Day four is going to Epcot.
14:38It means I can do my big drink around the world.
14:40Yeah, drink around the world.
14:40By day four, I'll probably need it.
14:42Epcot also has nighttime fireworks.
14:44From your hotel close to the Magic Kingdom, you are going to bus to Epcot or take the monorail.
14:51Okay.
14:51So the monorail will take you to Epcot.
14:53You have to change lines at the Ticket and Transportation Center.
14:56It's similar to like the subway here.
14:58It's like a whole city.
14:59It is.
14:59It really is.
15:00I think I didn't realize this.
15:01It really is.
15:01Like it really is Disney World.
15:03Do you know that Disney World is actually, there's a ground, like a whole other city underneath
15:08Disney World where all the cast members come and go.
15:11I did not know this, but I really want to unpack that.
15:13Yes.
15:13It's very, very cool.
15:14That sounds really cool.
15:15This could potentially be a day where you're going a little bit later again.
15:19Because, well, I think Animal Kingdom, you're going to go early to the park.
15:23And then you're going to maybe take a chill afternoon.
15:26Yeah.
15:26Rest and refresh.
15:27Cool time.
15:27Then the next day we're going to go to Epcot later in the day so that you can lash through
15:31the fireworks.
15:32Yeah.
15:32So maybe you show up 10, 11 o'clock.
15:35Okay.
15:35We do a nice lunch.
15:36If you like to sit down and have a nice lunch or a nice dinner.
15:39I think in one of the countries for me, they've got a great restaurant in Italy called Via
15:43Napoli.
15:44Very authentic, thin pressed pizza and a glass red wine.
15:47You'll be ready for it.
15:48My partner is from Italy.
15:50So we have pretty standards.
15:52But I know your mother is also from Italy.
15:55So if it's good for you, I'm sure we'll enjoy it too.
15:57Yeah, it is very good.
15:57And then stay for the fireworks there.
15:59One more fireworks show before you leave the next day, I think is amazing.
16:02Kind of sounds like a nice ending note too, doesn't it?
16:04It is.
16:04Yeah, to end on fireworks.
16:05I started with fireworks at Magic Kingdom, end at fireworks at Epcot.
16:16I've heard you talk a few times about lightning lanes.
16:19I feel like that's something we really need to unpack and we need to understand it better.
16:22So what are the lightning lanes and why do I need them?
16:25Lightning lanes are going to get you onto a ride quicker, basically.
16:29You book them in advance because you're staying on campus.
16:33You get to do that seven days prior to your arrival date at 7 a.m. Eastern Time.
16:38And you do it through an app on your phone.
16:40It's the My Disney Experience app that you're going to want because you reference it a lot while you're there
16:45for multiple reasons.
16:46Lightning Lane being one of them.
16:47When we have your planning call, we'll touch more on the different rides.
16:52We'll send you an email with a chart that shows you which rides fall under which category.
16:57Yeah.
16:58The most popular rides in each park with height requirements.
17:01My kids would like this one.
17:02This is one we can't miss.
17:04We definitely need to get a lightning lane for this one.
17:06And not every ride.
17:07I'm guessing you like need the lightning lane, but the popular ones you do.
17:10Absolutely.
17:11So there's three different kind of categories within the lightning lane system.
17:16The single pass rides, multi-pass rides, and then there's a premier pass.
17:21The single pass is going to be the most popular ride in each park.
17:25When you purchase it, you get to choose which of the most popular.
17:29Some parks have two.
17:30Some parks just have one.
17:32Single pass rides.
17:33That's really the most popular ride in the park, which probably is not going to be for
17:37your kids because it's usually the bigger roller coasters.
17:39Yeah.
17:40The multi-pass is the one I think will fit you guys the best.
17:43And that's basically all the other rides in the parks.
17:46Okay.
17:46And then the premier pass, which is the most expensive under the lightning lane umbrella,
17:50is going to allow you to ride each ride one time only, one park per day.
17:55Okay.
17:56And you go through the lightning lane queue.
17:57And there's no time associated with it, which is the beauty of that.
18:00Okay.
18:01Because with the single pass and the multi-pass, you're tied to a specific time to go through
18:05the lightning lane system.
18:06Okay.
18:06That flexibility is probably the greatest advantage for that more expensive option.
18:12Because I think, again, it's like we've talked about this.
18:14With a three-year-old and a five-year-old, yeah, I can schedule and assume it's going
18:18to work out, but things change all the time and you kind of need that flexibility.
18:21Absolutely.
18:21I don't want it to be too rigid.
18:23Absolutely.
18:24The only problem is the price.
18:25It is pretty expensive.
18:26Erin, I know it sounds like a lot, but I promise you, you are in good hands.
18:30I actually have a video that I've recorded myself on my phone showing you how to go to
18:36the My Disney Experience app, where to find the lightning lane box to press, where the
18:41list of rides are, how to actually book it, and what it will look like to you on that morning
18:45at 7 a.m.
18:46Okay.
18:47You know, parents are also overwhelmed with 7 a.m.
18:49We will call you the day before as well.
18:51We'll also send you this email again the day before, and we'll say, have your phone out
18:56right now.
18:56Let's talk about it.
18:57Let's do it together as we're on the phone.
18:59Because you can actually see up until the point where you have to book and pay for, you
19:03can see what it's going to look like.
19:04So we'll do that together on the phone, and then the next morning you're fully prepared
19:07to go ahead and book them.
19:14So I want to talk about a topic which is extremely important.
19:19I want to get it right.
19:20Food.
19:21Yes.
19:22Where am I eating?
19:23How much am I eating?
19:24How am I arranging my meals?
19:26Can I wing it?
19:27Is it going to cost me a fortune?
19:28Are snacks going to be readily available?
19:30They'll tell me everything.
19:31Yeah.
19:31There's food everywhere from a Mickey ice cream to a Mickey shaped pretzel to a hot dog,
19:38chicken nuggets.
19:38I like to at least plan for one sit down meal a day, and we could include a character meal.
19:43Doing a character meal, I think, kind of checks two boxes.
19:46You're having a good meal and you're meeting the characters.
19:48Yeah.
19:49Versus having to find the characters in the park and wait online.
19:51It's really based on how you like to eat as a family.
19:54In your Magic Kingdom day, we're going to do Cinderella's Royal Table as your sit down
19:57meal for that day.
19:58So in the afternoon or the morning and the evening, you might do a quick service location.
20:03What I love about the quick service locations is it's not as formal.
20:06Yeah.
20:06Because the kids also don't want to sit for hours and hours.
20:08When we attempt to go out for dinner on just a normal day, that could be a disaster at
20:13the table because they're so tired.
20:14And if we've had a long day of like lining up and doing these rides and so much stimulation,
20:18I don't know that they're going to, it's going to be pleasant to sit down.
20:22Sure.
20:22Using the quick service locations and the mobile order feature, which is in your My Disney
20:27Experience app, you can order food in advance from one of these quick service locations.
20:32You walk up to the line, mobile order pickup, your food's ready.
20:35You go sit down at a picnic table, you eat and you're done.
20:44We've established a pretty good framework here.
20:46Four days.
20:47Yes.
20:47We're staying in the park.
20:48Yes.
20:49We're going to do one park every day.
20:52Level with me.
20:53How much is this going to cost my family of four?
20:55It all comes down to this.
20:56It all comes down to money.
20:57Yeah.
20:57For your family of four, staying on campus in a deluxe property with four day base tickets,
21:04meaning you're going to one park per day.
21:06You haven't upgraded to the hopper, which gives you the flexibility.
21:09One park per day.
21:10Perfect.
21:10I think that's perfect for you guys.
21:12Stick to that for now.
21:13Absolutely.
21:14Estimating between $5,000 to $6,000 for the hotel and the tickets.
21:18Now you've picked a deluxe property.
21:20Okay.
21:21We could make modifications if that's too much, of course.
21:25Okay.
21:25Moderate category resorts, typically you're spending more like $3,000 to $3,500.
21:32Okay.
21:32For the four days.
21:33For the four days.
21:33Yep.
21:34And if you want to do a value category, you know, maybe you're talking $2,500 to $3,000.
21:39Okay.
21:40Yeah.
21:40You want it to be closer to the action and you're paying for that, right?
21:43We pay for location no matter what we're looking at, whether it's a vacation or real estate.
21:48Transportation within the parks from park to park from your hotels is included, whether
21:52it's the monorail, the Skyliner.
21:55Okay.
21:55And my service to you is free of charge.
21:58I don't think I mentioned that yet.
22:00Well, now that we're talking about budget, it's a good time to mention it.
22:03Yeah.
22:03There's no extra fee for me.
22:04I get paid directly by Disney for my work.
22:06Wow.
22:13I have this fear that Disney is going to be one of those places where you can't bring
22:16anything into the park with you.
22:18Is that the case?
22:19And what is it that I should be bringing?
22:21I will need strollers.
22:22Yeah.
22:22For my five year old.
22:23It's going to be an exhausting day.
22:24Absolutely.
22:24But Disney, I can rent all that stuff there.
22:27So I don't suggest that because those are the hard plastic uncomfortable ones.
22:31Okay.
22:32And they are first come first serve.
22:33Yeah.
22:33So by the time you get there, they might be sold out.
22:35I use a company.
22:36I've been partnering with them for years that will deliver right to the resort.
22:41Okay.
22:41They leave the stroller at Bell Services.
22:43Okay.
22:43And you pick it up when you get there and you drop it off at Bell Services when you leave.
22:47I would suggest a double stroller for the duration.
22:50Yeah.
22:50It's easy.
22:50Why not?
22:51Okay.
22:51And if your five year old doesn't get in or your three year old doesn't get in, you have
22:54room for bags or stuff.
22:56Right.
22:56Yeah.
22:56And they can take a nap in the stroller.
22:58100%.
22:58It's like so valuable.
22:59Yeah.
23:00Mom's going to have a backpack with her, right?
23:01The things that I would love to see you bring with you.
23:04Yeah.
23:04A water bottle.
23:06Sure.
23:06We all need to be hydrated.
23:07Okay.
23:08So at every quick service location, you can bring your water bottle, ask them to fill it up
23:12for you.
23:13They do have hydration stations.
23:15Great.
23:15You need to stay hydrated.
23:16Yep.
23:16Very important.
23:17Okay.
23:17You need to shield yourself from the sun.
23:19Ooh.
23:20Right?
23:20Always bring a hat.
23:22You're going to want to do a little.
23:23Perfect.
23:24Try it on now.
23:25Oh, it's adorable.
23:26I like it.
23:27Perfect.
23:27Okay.
23:27Very cute.
23:28Very, very cute.
23:29Sunglasses.
23:30Don't forget the sunglasses.
23:31Let's protect your eyes.
23:32Yep.
23:32A charger.
23:33They have charging stations everywhere.
23:36Okay.
23:36Your phone is going to be your best friend with that My Disney Experience app.
23:40Make sure that you're always charged.
23:41Okay.
23:41And photos.
23:42If you care, if the kids spill something, a tied to go stick could be important.
23:47Some people really care about that kind of thing.
23:49I feel like my kids are going to be a hot mess for me.
23:51And you know that.
23:52You don't care.
23:53A lot of people care, but some don't.
23:54I think one of the most important thing is a poncho.
23:56This thing would cost you like $15 in the parks.
24:00Huh.
24:00Bring one with you.
24:01It's like a dollar at the dollar store.
24:03Have it with you.
24:04Yeah.
24:04Keep it close by.
24:05It's a good tip too, because to be honest, Florida has showers.
24:08Yes.
24:08Always.
24:09Afternoon.
24:09They'll just zip through and you can be drenched and miserable or just pull out your dollar
24:14poncho and you're good to go.
24:16Good.
24:16Autograph books.
24:17Let the kids bring these beforehand because they're going to want to get all the autographs
24:21from their favorite characters.
24:22Oh, so cute.
24:23That's such a good idea.
24:24Yeah.
24:24So they can literally just walk up to the characters and be like, will you sign my book?
24:27Just don't forget the pen.
24:28We got to bring our own pen.
24:30Bring your pen.
24:31Each kid should have a pen and an autograph book for sure.
24:33Because Cinderella's not walking around with a pen.
24:34No.
24:35No.
24:35She's not.
24:35Great.
24:36She's all glammed up.
24:37That makes sense.
24:37Hand sanitizer.
24:39We're all worried about germs.
24:40That's always important to bring along.
24:42Yep.
24:42I always suggest bringing plastic bags.
24:44These little zippy bags come in handy.
24:46Whether you're packing snacks in your hotel room to bring with you into the parks, or the
24:50kids haven't finished a big Mickey pretzel and want to finish later on, put it in here
24:55and you can have it for later.
24:56So I can bring food with me into the parks.
24:58100%.
24:58Yeah, absolutely.
24:59That's really good to know.
25:00Yeah, absolutely.
25:01Honestly, I would have assumed that when you go in, it's no food, you have to buy all
25:05of your snacks.
25:05No.
25:06You can definitely bring food in with you.
25:07A lot of times I recommend ordering groceries ahead of time.
25:11Regular standard rooms will have a mini fridge in them.
25:13Okay.
25:13So maybe getting a delivery of little yogurts or peanut butter and jelly in a loaf of bread
25:19and make a sandwich and bring it into the parks with you.
25:21Okay.
25:21You don't have to spend money on the food in the parks.
25:24Great to know.
25:24It's convenient.
25:25Some hand sanitizer wipes, of course, are very important always.
25:29Some things that you can't bring into the parks, selfie sticks are prohibited.
25:33Really?
25:33No selfie sticks.
25:34I know.
25:35I would have thought like Disney would have been prime selfie stick territory.
25:38You'd think so, right?
25:39But no.
25:39Selfie sticks are prohibited, I think.
25:41Because it gets in the way?
25:42It gets in the way of everything.
25:43Absolutely.
25:44They're too long.
25:44Glass bottles, no glass.
25:46Okay.
25:46Right?
25:47Yep.
25:47No alcoholic beverages can be brought in.
25:49Sure.
25:50Weapons, anything like that, obviously.
25:52Yeah.
25:52But I think really that's it.
25:54There's not too, too many.
25:55Lots that you can bring versus what you can't bring, which is nice.
26:04Michelle, so we let our audience know that you're coming in today.
26:07They have sent in some questions that they would love for you to answer.
26:11Sure.
26:12I would love to.
26:13So, I'm going to play a couple of them.
26:14Ready for the first one?
26:15Yes.
26:16All right.
26:17Traveling to Disney for a wedding, I'm thinking of tacking on just one extra day after the
26:21wedding.
26:22I'll have my eight year old daughter with me.
26:24What would be the perfect one day at Disney?
26:28That's a great question.
26:30One day at Disney is tough, but I think with an eight year old girl, I would recommend
26:34the Magic Kingdom, of course.
26:36It's where she'll see the princesses, Cinderella's castle, Main Street, USA.
26:39There are plenty of attractions at Magic Kingdom to fill up one day.
26:44So, I would say Magic Kingdom would be my choice.
26:45You ready for question number two?
26:46Sure.
26:47All right.
26:47Here we go.
26:48We're thinking about taking our family to Disney during Christmas break, but I hear the
26:52crowds can be pretty bad.
26:53How do you decide if a holiday Disney trip is worth it?
26:56And do you have any tips on doing it right?
26:59A Christmas visit is very hard.
27:02It's very, very busy.
27:03It is the busiest week to go and the most expensive.
27:06If that's the only time you can go, then we can make it work with the Lightning Lane
27:11Premier Passes or VIP tours, I think are very important.
27:15Booking far enough in advance to be able to secure the hotel that you want is very important
27:20because that week books up.
27:22If you know ahead of time that you have to have this particular week and it is a busy week,
27:26I suggest we jump on it as soon as we can.
27:28Pre-planning is important for a busy, busy week.
27:31Ready for another question?
27:32Go ahead.
27:32All right.
27:33Let's see what they have to say.
27:34Hey, my friend is getting married and I am planning a bachelorette trip for Disney World
27:40in the fall for about six ladies.
27:43We want to stay in a cool resort.
27:46Our number one priority is eating and drinking around the world at Epcot, obviously.
27:52So I wanted to know if you have any advice for what hotel to stay at.
27:56And then my second question, the age old question, is it Mexico or Canada?
28:01And follow up question, or is it neither and it's something else?
28:06Would love to hear your opinion.
28:08Oh, that's a good one.
28:09That's a totally different type of trip.
28:11I love that.
28:11I love planning girl trips.
28:13I love planning adult only trips.
28:15Drinking around the world is a fun thing that everybody seems to know about.
28:18There's also drinking around the monorail, the monorail resorts.
28:22That's also very fun.
28:23Okay.
28:23So resort.
28:24I would say one of the three closest to Epcot, which would be the boardwalk, the yacht club,
28:29or the beach club.
28:30I love the beach and yacht club because of the great pool there.
28:33If it's a girls trip, I'm thinking that being in the parks and doing the rides isn't
28:38as important as spending time together.
28:41So perhaps the beach and yacht club because of the great pool.
28:44The boardwalk in right around the lake from the beach and yacht club is also a great location
28:48walking into Epcot.
28:50Very easy.
28:51The boardwalk to me might be the winner because I feel like it's a little less crazy at the
28:58pool.
28:59You know, the one at the beach and yacht club, a lot of families will go there because they
29:02know how good the pool is.
29:03So maybe a little quieter pool time at the boardwalk.
29:07Drinking around the world, again, it's so, so popular.
29:10I say Canada just because that's where I have always started.
29:13Great beers there in Canada to start with.
29:15And think about splitting your flights.
29:18Buy a flight of champagne, a flight of wines, a flight of beers, and sharing it with your
29:22friends because it's a lot of alcohol that you'll consume when you get around the whole
29:26of the countries.
29:27So split that.
29:28Ready for another one?
29:29Uh huh.
29:29All right.
29:30Go.
29:31My nephew has autism and we're thinking about taking him to Disney for the first time.
29:35How accessible is Disney for guests with sensory sensitivities?
29:41It's a good question.
29:42Yeah, it's a really good question.
29:43Disney has something called the DAS Pass, Disability Access Service.
29:47You can have a video call with a cast member from Disney, explain what your child's issues
29:54might be.
29:55And then you get a DAS Pass issued to you and who, however many people are in your family.
30:00So it's, you know, one of your kids has an issue, the four of you will get a DAS Pass.
30:05This will give you the opportunity to book lightning lanes ahead of everybody else.
30:11Okay.
30:11Kind of front of the line access to the lightning lane system.
30:14You're still going to have to wait in the lightning lanes, but you get to book them.
30:18You don't have to wait till seven days before.
30:20You don't have to wait till 7 a.m.
30:21Okay.
30:21You can book them way far in advance.
30:23What about guests that have mobility issues?
30:25I mean, I think a lot of, there's a lot of multi-gen, you know, trips going to Disney World
30:30and you might have older generations, even younger generations who just can't move as
30:35agilely as they are.
30:36Absolutely.
30:37Yeah.
30:37Disney's very accessible.
30:38They make ramps all over the parks for that reason.
30:41There's always elevators to certain rides.
30:44People with wheelchairs or scooters that can't get in and out of the scooters or wheelchairs
30:48easily can use elevators or ramps.
30:50The company that I partner with for the strollers also rents scooters.
30:54So there are scooters at the parks that you can rent day of.
30:57But again, if you're needing a scooter, I prefer to have it rented ahead of time.
31:01So it's there for you the entire time while you're there to use.
31:05But yeah, Disney's very accessible.
31:07Michelle, I have to say thank you so much for your help today.
31:12And I really feel like right now, this is a trip that not only I can manage,
31:15but I'm actually like, I'm kind of excited about it.
31:18Yeah.
31:18I'm getting excited.
31:19Awesome.
31:20I love to hear it.
31:20It was my pleasure.
31:21Any questions, I'm by your side.
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