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Category Archives: Disney in Pictures

When is the Best Time to Visit Walt Disney World?

Monday, March 19, 2012 guest blogging 2 Comments

Looking for the perfect time to visit Walt Disney World? The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World, who also run the popular touringplans.com, offer specific times to make your trek to see the Mouse.

The LEAST busy time to visit WDW is the week after Thanksgiving until the week before Christmas. Things start to get a little crazy at this point, so don’t over-extend your stay.

The next slowest weeks are

the second full week of November through the weekend preceding Thanksgiving
September, as in after Labor Day
October
January 4 through the first week of February. (Except Martin Luther King holiday weekend)
The last week of April through early June.

The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World points out that late February, March, and early April are “dicey.” Crowds will come and go because of spring break and Presidents Day weekend.

Disney has done promotions aimed at the local residents and the international markets, so crowds have grown in September and October. But as far as touring the MK, AK, and HS, they suggest you go during the week and save your weekend visits for Epcot.

If you need additional planning tips, be sure to use all our resources at Chip & Co., including our planning section, the ask us a question section, and the Parks and Resort section.

Love Disney World photography? Join Mouze Kateerz on Facebook, mouzekateerz.com, and Mouze Kateerz on Pinterest. for a virtual Disney vacation in photos. If you have some fabulous Disney photographs you’d like to share, send an email of your favorite Disney location to mouzekateerz@chipandco.com.

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When is the Best Time to Visit Walt Disney World?

Disney Planning & Photos: Is Christmas a Good Time to Go to Disney World?

Tuesday, February 28, 2012 guest blogging No comments

Disney Christmas decorations are amazingly beautiful, and it’s a magical time to be in Orlando. But is Christmas really the best time of year for you to visit Walt Disney World?

From Christmas Day to New Years is the absolute busiest time of year at WDW. I’ve been multiple times during this week, and crowd levels can feel absolutely insane, most especially mid-afternoon. But if you can only take off time from work during this week, and thousands do, should you brave the holiday crowds? If you just need to be in the Disney parks after Christmas, get ready to stand in long lines and be surrounded by huge crowds everywhere you go.

Disney Planning & Photos: Is Christmas a Good Time to Go to Disney World?

Main Street, U.S.A., on Christmas Eve, with thousands of your closest friends.

Last year after Christmas, three of four Disney parks reached capacity. If you can calmly imagine standing shoulder to shoulder with up to 92,000 people in the Magic Kingdom at one time, then you must really want to be vacationing at Disney World. I found our best option was to leave the parks around 1 p.m. and go back in around 6 or 7. It’s still busy- crazy busy- but people start to leave after the fireworks, and lines are more manageable, especially if they offer Extra Magic Hours and you stay in a Disney Resort. But make no mistake, it’s still packed-out and really only a last resort vacationing choice if you just can’t schedule a visit any other time of year. Thanksgiving weekend is also very busy, but there are other options.

Books like The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World, which also runs touring plans.com, suggest two alternate times. This way you can still see the holiday decorations without waiting 2 hours to ride Space Mountain.

Thanksgiving to the week before Christmas.
The second full week of November through the weekend before Thanksgiving.

Now of course, anyone reading up on the best time to go to WDW that can, will try to schedule vacations during this time of year, and it will be more crowded then as well. But it can’t get any more crowded than right after Christmas.

The beauty of a Magic Kingdom Christmas.

I’ve stood on Main Street as the clock struck midnight on Christmas Eve, ushering in a fantastic Christmas Day. The Disney snow was falling, the holiday lights were twinkling, Christmas carols were playing, and thousands of people were waiting to descend upon the Disney parks. Do I recommend people go right at Christmas like we did? No. Would I go again at that time? Yes. It all depends on how bad you want to feel that Disney magic.

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Disney Planning & Photos: Do You Have What it Takes to Walk Through The World?

Monday, February 27, 2012 guest blogging 2 Comments

What’s the number one planning tip I would give to anyone anticipating or planning a Disney trip? You need to start walking way before your feet ever hit Main Street, U.S.A, to run and grab a Fastpass at Space Mountain.

Walt Disney World is comprised of 92 miles of theme parks, resorts, restaurants, shopping, water parks, and mini-golf. Everything is spread out so that even when you take your own car, you’re still going to do a lot of walking. You’ll walk from the Disney bus to the restaurant to your room. You’ll walk from the monorail to the gate. You’ll walk mile after mile just to get to the rides. And on…and on…and on you walk, propelled sometimes only by Pixie Dust and cupcake sugar. If you go in the summer, the Florida heat and humidity can make each step feel like two, especially in direct sun, so you had better start training like you’re going to walk a marathon.

On my last Disney trip, I did walk a marathon. In fact, I walked the mileage equivalent of over 3 marathons: 110 miles in 11 days. Will you walk that much? Certainly not, but you can average upwards of five to seven miles a day. Are you really ready for that much physical activity on vacation?

About 2 months before you leave, start walking every day. You need to get your kids walking with you if they won’t have the privilege of riding in a stroller. Most children are not accustomed to walking 3-7 miles a day, and while they will not suffer as much as older adults, at least in my experience, all these miles can add up to tired, cranky kids.

Buy some socks with Wicking so you don’t develop blisters.

Drink lots of water if you’re there in the summer, because all that walking and the heat really take it right out of you.

Disney can be an absolute blast, and you’ll create memories that will last a lifetime. But you will enjoy your trip more if you starting some conditioning now. You can rest when you get back home and unpack, right after the depression sets in.

Love Disney World photography? Join Mouze Kateerz on Facebook, mouzekateerz.com, and Mouze Kateerz on Pinterest. If you have some fabulous Disney photographs you’d like to share, send an email of your favorite Disney location to mouzekateerz@chipandco.com.

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Disney Planning & Photos: Do You Have What it Takes to Walk Through The World?

Capturing Disney in Pictures: A Fan’s Trip to Animal Kingdom

Wednesday, February 1, 2012 guest blogging No comments

Animal Kingdom; tiger nap time.

Every photo has a story.

Chip & Company fan Maleah Moskoff, the owner of www.chachatea.net, made a recent trip to Walt Disney World’s Animal Kingdom last September. Maleah said of their theme park visit, “We always arrive at the opening hour of Animal Kingdom and head straight to the safari. After the safari, we walk through Asia and hope to catch tiger feeding time.” On this particular trip, Maleah snapped the above photo when they came across the tiger’s nap time.

Animal Kingdom: No butts about it...

Picture this…Right after their opening hour arrival at Animal Kingdom, Maleah took this shot of three rhinos. ”The lighting is great early in the morning, and the animals are just waking up. Plus, it’s not too hot yet. I love the picture of the three rhinos, and I may even have that framed. Our friends think we went to Africa when they see our Disney safari photos.”

Thanks, Maleah, for sending in your photo and your story, and thank you Chip & Company fans for coming along for a photographical ride!

Do you have any fabulous Disney vacation pictures you’d like to share? Remember, Chip & Company is looking for great Disney vacation photos without family members, preferably of Disney characters, landscapes, architecture, or funny photos for our “Caption This Contest.” Please send in pictures (one at a time please) with a brief description of your photo. Be sure to tell us what is in the picture and any important details. Just use the 5 W’s: Who, What, Where, Why and When, because that way we have enough information to share the Disney Magic. Every photo has a story, so be sure to include yours.

Drop by and share your photos on Facebook at Mouze Kateerz. Take a virtual Disney vacation twice a day in photographs. Visit my photo blog at mouzekateerz.com, check out my photos on Pinterest at Pin Mouze Kateerz, or shoot me an email of your favorite Disney location at mouzekateerz@chipandco.com.

Capturing Disney in Pictures: A Fan’s Character Encounter (chipandco.com)
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Capturing Disney in Pictures: A Fan’s Rainy Day View of Cinderella Castle

Sunday, January 29, 2012 guest blogging No comments

Rain drops keep fallin' on my Mickey hat.

Every Photo has a story…

Chip & Company fan Sandra Rudolph spent three days at the beginning of last October at Walt Disney World. Sandra described her trip as “learning how to do Disney monsoon style. Even cast members were saying they had never experienced so much rain.”

Picture this…Sandra said that while their Disney trip wasn’t ruined by ponchos and sloshy tennis shoes, the bad weather did put a bit of a damper on the vacation. Sandra snapped this beautiful Cinderella Castle photo from Tomorowland early one morning after a fun breakfast at the Crystal Palace. ”We stepped out to see the clouds lifting and the promise of a beautiful day.”

Thanks, Sandra, for sending in your photo and your story, and thank you Chip & Company fans for coming along for a photographical ride!

Do you have any fabulous Disney vacation pictures you’d like to share? Remember, Chip & Company is looking for great Disney vacation photos without family members, preferably of Disney characters, landscapes, architecture, or funny photos for our “Caption This Contest.” Please send in pictures (one at a time please) with a brief description of your photo. Be sure to tell us what is in the picture and any important details. Just use the 5 W’s: Who, What, Where, Why and When, because that way we have enough information to share the Disney Magic. Every photo has a story, so be sure to include yours.

Drop by and share your photos on Facebook at Mouze Kateerz. Take a virtual Disney vacation each day in photographs. Visit my photo blog at mouzekateerz.com, check out my photos on Pinterest at Pin Mouze Kateerz, or shoot me an email of your favorite Disney location at mouzekateerz@chipandco.com.