Need to take a break from my WDW Trip report series to make a special announcement. I am changing the name of this blog to "Goofy Guy 909 Blog". There are a couple of reasons for this.
First and foremost I want it to be unique but at the same time memorable. I will be writing and publishing posts more often and I want the blog to be easy to find online. The name change shortens the characters in the web address by half .
Also, even though the subject of this blog has to do with all things Disney, I have been advised by some other bloggers to take the word "Disney" out of the title. I won't go into the specific reasons why. Let me just say I think it's a good idea for the blog going forward. It gives me a little more freedom in expressing my opinions.
Speaking of "going forward" soon this will be one of a trio of blogs devoted to specific subjects that, up until now, I have only been writing about on my "RH Factors" blog.
As far as the RH Factors is concerned, watch Facebook and Twitter for an announcement about a post that gives the details of the direction it will be taking. Or you can just keep checking back to the blog page.
The final piece of my personal "blogosphere" will be a brand new blog that complements the other two. Keep watching for it's debut soon as well.
Thank you for checking out this special announcement. Goofy Guy 909 blog will be the go to place from now on when I've got something to say about the Wonderful World of Disney. See you again, next time. Have a magical day.
UP NEXT: WDW Trip 2016-Part 3: A Day @ The Magic Kingdom
Wednesday, March 30, 2016
Tuesday, March 29, 2016
WDW Trip 2016-Part 2: Planning Our Disney Experience
I had the experience of already planning 3 WDW trips, so
I took the lead in making our plans. My trip planning skills and in-park experience were some other reasons Brandi & James wanted us to go along with them.
The day after we found out that we were able to go we spent an evening at our house to do our initial planning.
My first task was to convince them not to stay in the small hotel room on Disney property and get a much roomier vacation home only a few more minutes away. We could split the cost, while getting more room and better amenities. It wasn't very difficult to do that when I showed them the comparison.
The couple of "extra magic" hours offered during our stay (which with our trip so close, was the only real advantage of an "on property") did not compare to the comfort and convenience of a vacation home.
We decided to stay in a 3 bedroom unit in Kissimmee just down the street from where Paula and I stayed last December. It had it's own private pool and a bedroom for Aria decorated with a Mickey Mouse theme.
Our next important decision was what type of park tickets we were going to purchase. Again, my knowledge of trip planning came into play. Instead of buying our 4 day park passes directly from Disney, I used a very popular discount ticket broker: Undercover Tourist.
We got a great deal. Paid for a 4-day park ticket and got a 5th day free. It was about $20 less each than buying from Disney as well. This made a big difference in our vacation. It meant we could visit all 4 WDW parks for a day and then go to Magic Kingdom a second time.
The next step was the logistics of our travel. We decided that we would leave very early on Saturday morning (4AM on March 5) so we could get there in time get enough sleep to be able to get up early and to go to the Magic Kingdom on Sunday.
Our "what we want to do" list included meeting all the characters that Aria liked, go to a character breakfast, see the fireworks and night time shows. There was more including a lunch at the "Be Our Guest" restaurant in the MK and taking a day to go to Cocoa Beach and enjoy the ocean.
When our evening of planning was over I had a list of the things I needed to make sure was did while we were in "The World".
The one major factor that made this trip to Walt Disney World different was the way a guest now has to make plans with Disney itself. It's done through a section of the Disney World website and on a smartphone using an app. Both are called "My Disney Experience."
Through "MDE" I was able to register our park tickets which allowed me to do a lot of planning. I made Fast Pass Plus and dinning reservations for each of our days in the park.
All of these plans were gathered together in my MDE online itinerary. Although the plans were on my account, once the others created their accounts I linked them so they could see them too.
Among other resources I used to set up our trip plans were online websites, All Ears.net, Touring Plans.com, Accuweather.com, wdwinfo.com, Trip Advisor.com/Cocoa Beach and about half a dozen WDW trip planning podcasts.
I also used digital copies of books on my Kindle, The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World and a "how to" guide that helped me learn the best way to use Fast Pass.
I put my "proven" trip planning tool into action, an Excel workbook with several spreadsheets. One with a overview of our trip day by day and 5 others, each dedicated to a day of the trip. All of them had lists of what we wanted to do each day in the order we needed to do them.
They weren't set-in-stone minute-by-minute marching orders but rather guidelines to help us do what we wanted to do. We could take our time and enjoy our day but my guide would keep us on track.
The guide sheets were works in progress right up until the night before we left. Although I printed them out so everyone could have a copy; I kept a digital copy on my phone so I could make changes as needed throughout the week.
By 9 o'clock on Friday night, March 4, all the planning and packing had been done. After a few hours of sleep we would pull out of our driveway, meet up with James & Brandi in Bowling Green and then head south.
Friday, March 25, 2016
WDW Trip 2016-Part 1: The Decision To Go
Blogger's Note: Thank you for visiting my blog focusing on my fandom of all things Disney. I am reviving it after nearly 2 years for a couple of reasons. I have memories from trips to Walt Disney World I want to share with you. I also want to discuss the almost constant stream of news and events in the world of Disney and share my opninons. Again, welcome back. I hope these new posts help me make a connection with you, my readers, and together we can share our common interest in the "Wonderful World Of Disney".
Ron Havens-aka "Goofy Guy"
In December 2015, my wife and I made our 3rd visit in the last 11 years to Walt Disney World. Each of those visits were different and unique in their own way. The first in 2004 was a family vacation with our two sons. In 2010, it was just the two of us celebrating my 50th birthday. And last December, an evening at the "Very Merry Christmas Party" in the Magic Kingdom was a part of an anniversary trip that included our first trip to shores of the Gulf Of Mexico at Clearwater Beach.
Once we got back from that last trip, our plan was to return to Florida, in December 2017, with our adult children and granddaughter to celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary. But sometimes things happen a lot sooner than you expect. In this case, a lot sooner.
One Friday afternoon in the middle of February, I was taking a short afternoon break from my job when I got a phone call. The ringtone told me that it was my son, James.
He called to tell me that he and his wife, Brandi, decided that they were going to take our granddaughter, to Walt Disney World the week of March 6th. He invited us to go with them.
This really took me back. As a Disney fan with above an average knowledge about the theme parks I had a couple of concerns. My first thoughts centered around the fact that they were going during "Spring Break" season. Attendance at the WDW parks during that time is among the highest of the year.
My second thought was that it had only been 3 months since my wife and I took our last trip to Florida. Getting time off of work again so soon, and covering the cost of the trip were uncertain issues. It was frustrating but I couldn't see any way we could go.
After telling them that we couldn't go, Paula and I started talking. Our initial decision was so unsettling.
I did some research with my online Disney trip planning resources and discovered that, although for that week the expected crowds, although expected to be above average, with a little planning were manageable.
Our consternation over the decision we had made was centered around this reality. With or without us, our granddaughter was going to Disney World. How could we miss something that was so important?
Aria is our only granddaughter. Ever since she was an infant she has been a fan of Disney characters; especially Minnie, Mickey. Over the last couple of years she has grown to love Disney movies as well ("Frozen" and "The Aristocats" are her favorites).
The anticipation of being with her as she looks down Main Street USA and sees the castle for the first time, feeling the joy as we watch her meet her Disney friends in person, and witnessing the reflection of the Magic Kingdom fireworks in her eyes were irresistibly compelling. There was only one thing for us to do. By the end of that weekend we had changed our minds.
By Tuesday of the next week, the path was clear of concerns. It was going to happen. We were going with our granddaughter to Walt Disney World!!!
But the decision to go was just the first step in our journey to Orlando. Getting the most out of a Walt Disney World vacation these days requires more than just buying park tickets and making hotel reservations. There was a lot of planning to do.
Coming in Part 2: Planning Our Disney Experience
Ron Havens-aka "Goofy Guy"
In December 2015, my wife and I made our 3rd visit in the last 11 years to Walt Disney World. Each of those visits were different and unique in their own way. The first in 2004 was a family vacation with our two sons. In 2010, it was just the two of us celebrating my 50th birthday. And last December, an evening at the "Very Merry Christmas Party" in the Magic Kingdom was a part of an anniversary trip that included our first trip to shores of the Gulf Of Mexico at Clearwater Beach.
Once we got back from that last trip, our plan was to return to Florida, in December 2017, with our adult children and granddaughter to celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary. But sometimes things happen a lot sooner than you expect. In this case, a lot sooner.
One Friday afternoon in the middle of February, I was taking a short afternoon break from my job when I got a phone call. The ringtone told me that it was my son, James.
He called to tell me that he and his wife, Brandi, decided that they were going to take our granddaughter, to Walt Disney World the week of March 6th. He invited us to go with them.
This really took me back. As a Disney fan with above an average knowledge about the theme parks I had a couple of concerns. My first thoughts centered around the fact that they were going during "Spring Break" season. Attendance at the WDW parks during that time is among the highest of the year.
My second thought was that it had only been 3 months since my wife and I took our last trip to Florida. Getting time off of work again so soon, and covering the cost of the trip were uncertain issues. It was frustrating but I couldn't see any way we could go.
After telling them that we couldn't go, Paula and I started talking. Our initial decision was so unsettling.
I did some research with my online Disney trip planning resources and discovered that, although for that week the expected crowds, although expected to be above average, with a little planning were manageable.
Our consternation over the decision we had made was centered around this reality. With or without us, our granddaughter was going to Disney World. How could we miss something that was so important?
Aria is our only granddaughter. Ever since she was an infant she has been a fan of Disney characters; especially Minnie, Mickey. Over the last couple of years she has grown to love Disney movies as well ("Frozen" and "The Aristocats" are her favorites).
The anticipation of being with her as she looks down Main Street USA and sees the castle for the first time, feeling the joy as we watch her meet her Disney friends in person, and witnessing the reflection of the Magic Kingdom fireworks in her eyes were irresistibly compelling. There was only one thing for us to do. By the end of that weekend we had changed our minds.
By Tuesday of the next week, the path was clear of concerns. It was going to happen. We were going with our granddaughter to Walt Disney World!!!
But the decision to go was just the first step in our journey to Orlando. Getting the most out of a Walt Disney World vacation these days requires more than just buying park tickets and making hotel reservations. There was a lot of planning to do.
Coming in Part 2: Planning Our Disney Experience
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