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Disney World Quick Tips…Someone You Can Always Count On
When you are far from home and you are having a problem or you have an issue that requires some assistance, trying to find help can be difficult at best. Fortunately, at Walt Disney World, that is absolutely not the case. There is always someone that you, a lost child, a confused senior (as I occasionally get) , or anybody in need can count on. That person is and always has been the closest Walt Disney World Cast Member. They are there for you and always ready to help no matter the problem.
One of the most frightening things a parent can face is to become separated from a child, a senior, or anyone else while in a place with which one or both of you may be unfamiliar. Another situation that can pop up is a medical issue that requires assistance. Cast Members are trained and equipped to get the appropriate help or provide it themselves depending on the issue. They can help, they want to help, and most important of all they will help.
The things that you as a visitor can do to make sure you can get the help you need is to make sure that everyone in your party knows that if they get lost, become separated, or need help with anything while at Walt Disney World seek out a Cast Member. Also make sure that everyone has each others contact information (cell# etc.) on their person. This is particularly important for children and my fellow seniors, particularly on a first visit. There is also another thing you can do which may or may not seem silly – make sure everyone knows what Cast Members look like, especially while in the parks where issues are most likely to occur. As you enter each park, ask your children to point out one or two Cast Members so you are confident in their ability to recognize them. Just one more, have a meeting place set up that everyone is aware of and can relate to a Cast Member. That will just make it easier on everyone.
Remember, at Walt Disney World, the Cast Members are the best group of friends you could ever have. You can rely on them. Enjoy your Walt Disney World visit and remember those Cast Members!!!
Ken
Making a Disney Vacation Magical
I never thought I would be doing this, but I love Disney so much so the thought of writing about my experiences in Disney just makes my heart happy!
I have lived in New England for 32 years and have enjoyed Disney World 14 times! My husband and I began our first week as Husband and wife in Disney in 1999. As all of you know, it is such a magical place. We can’t deny them that one!
I would like to talk a little bit about the extras that they have in Disney. When we went this past August, it was my 3 year olds first time in Disney. Of course he watches Handy Manny and the rest of the Playhouse Disney gang, but this was totally different! He was going to be there! How exciting!!
We decided that this trip was going to be the trip that we stayed in the park. The Pop Century Resort was the winner. We went the last week in August so we were able to get the dining plan for free! (Well, we upgraded so it was a little bit more expensive but completely worth it)
I wanted this trip to be perfect for him. My 10 year old (who has been 4 times himself) and I started having Disney Mondays (while Daddy was at Fire Training) On Disney Mondays, we would make something that we love for supper and we would watch a Disney movie. The kids loved it so much. After the movie was over, we would go online and see all the fun stuff they had at the parks. While we were doing our “research” as he called it, we stumbled across so many really neat things!
The first thing that we came across was the Customized Disney maps. Disney will create a map specifically for your family. We picked all of the attractions that we would be interested in and in another 2 weeks, we got the maps and they were so nice! There were additional suggestions on the map as well as stickers to mark the map up with. We used them the whole trip!
The other thing I did was order my 10 year old some pins for Pin Trading. He read up on the rules it really was a lot of fun!! My little one had no interest what so ever in it, he was way too young to understand it. It was just such a great thing to come up with though. Imagine being a kid in Disney and wanting to trade something and you are never told “no” by the employees. That’s just another great Disney addition!
I called Disney and asked them what I could do to make my trip even more Magical. I knew the dining plan was going to be fantastic, as we were able to go to a table service meal every day and see the characters, but I wanted to do more. I was able to book the boys for the Pirates League which was a huge hit! What an amazing face painting job! You really get a lot for $29.95 (which is the base package) and the experience of it all was amazing for the whole family.
Our trip was amazing. From Space Mountain to Playhouse Disney Live, Disney is a one of a kind family vacation!
Author : Robin Turilli
Robin is now a member of the Chip Panel an elite group of Disney Guest Bloggers featured on the Chip and Company site. If you love Disney and enjoy writing you should apply to the Chip Panel..Along with being immortalized on Chip and Company Website you will be entered in a drawing for a free $25 Disney Store Giveaway!
The Best Things I Like about Disney – Doing Nothing.
I know that Disney vacations are go go go, but the best part of my vacation is often when I’m doing absolutely nothing. I’ve had some great conversations with grandparents sneaking a break on the benches in Frontierland; you can learn a lot from a couple who’s been married for 50 years. Sometimes I’ll spend a couple of cool hours sitting in the lobby of the Grand Floridian doing absolutely nothing but people watching and enjoying the free air conditioning (and no, I’m not always staying there when I do it). And there’s also nothing I like better than finding a bench and watching the castle change colors at closing time when everyone else is running out of the Magic Kingdom. Those are some of my best memories. They didn’t cost extra and they weren’t dependent on anyone but me and my companions to make it happen.
The next time you’re in the World, I challenge you to sit down and do nothing. It might be difficult. After all, we’ve sort of trained ourselves to want to do everything on every trip. But if you sit back and relax, you’ll see things you won’t normally see. You might even meet some new people. It’s another way of making that Disney magic happen.
Disney’s Off Kilter Band & One Lucky Fan
Off Kilter: unusual in a strange or interesting way.
At least that’s how the dictionary defines it. For me, Off Kilter is one of the most under-rated, memorable and enjoyable acts in all of Walt Disney World.
Located in EPCOT at the Canadian pavilion, Off Kilter is a band that mixes hard rock, country and traditional Celtic melodies with their own twist. The group is made up of five high energy and engaging members. Jamie Holton on bagpipes and lead vocals, Mark Weldon on bass and vocals, Scotty Zymowski on drums, Tony Escapa on keyboards and Randy Holbrook on guitar. And not only are they incredible musicians that deliver foot stomping, hand clapping, “put a smile on your face” entertainment; they are all class act people.
Two years ago, my then five year old son Aiden, could not wait to see Off Kilter on our trip to Epcot. He listened to his CD constantly and searched the web for as many YouTube videos as he could find of Off Kilter performing. When our day at Epcot finally came, Aiden wasn’t feeling well and we ended up with an emergency visit to Florida Hospital before we could see them perform. He was heartbroken! We were scheduled to leave the next day and thought we wouldn’t have another chance to see the show.
My mom and several other family members had stayed in the park and went to the show. Afterwards, my mom spoke with Jamie and told him what had happened with their number one fan. Jamie was very empathetic about the whole situation and he got all the guys to autograph drum sticks for Aiden and even offered to come to the hospital or the hotel if we missed their last show, just to meet Aiden!
Luckily, we did make it for a tiny bit of the last show, and although Aiden still wasn’t feeling 100%, he was clapping and smiling the entire show! Afterwards, we took Aiden up to meet Jamie. Jamie brought him on stage and introduced him to all the guys. The look on his face is something I will never forget!! From then on, Aiden swore he was going to learn to play bagpipes just like Jamie!!
This past summer, we made a return trip to Disney World and Aiden, 2 years older and still in love with Off Kilter and bagpipes, couldn’t wait until we got to Epcot to see Off Kilter. He proudly wore his “When I grow up I want to be a Bagpiper” shirt and clapped and sang along with every song, right in front of the stage. Jamie even commented on his shirt during the show and I thought Aiden would explode with joy! After the show, Jamie came down to meet with Aiden for a while and take pictures. It was Aidens favorite part of our entire trip!
So next time your in Epcot and hear the melodic strains of bagpipes floating on the breeze, head on over towards the Canadian pavilion where Off Kilter will treat you to an amazing show! Whether they are singing and dancing around in their kilts (and boots!), posing for comedic pictures on stage or making a little boys dream come true, Off Kilter delivers every single time and I can guarantee you will walk away with a smile on your face and a song in your heart.
And by the way; Aiden starts bagpipe lesson this month and he can’t wait to get back to Epcot to tell his hero, Jamie Holton ALL about it!!
Author: Jaime Gottfried
Vermilion, OH
Jaime is now a member of the Chip Panel an elite group of Disney Guest Bloggers featured on the Chip and Company site. If you love Disney and enjoy writing you should apply to the Chip Panel..Along with being immortalized on Chip and Company Website you will be entered in a drawing for a free $25 Disney Store Giveaway!
Photo credits Jamie Gottfried & Disney
Disney World Quick Tips…Avoid Schlepping Souvenirs
Disney World Quick Tip…Avoid Schlepping Souvenirs
One thing I love to do at Walt Disney World is shop for souvenirs. Something I hate as much as I love shopping is carrying those things around all day long. There is an alternative, the “package delivery service” available at all Disney merchandise stores. Unfortunately, if you are staying off site, the service is not available to you. It is just one more of the perks for staying in a Disney resort. As you prepare to pay for your purchases just let the cashier know before he/she begins to ring up your items that you would like the items delivered to your resort. You give them the information they need i.e. name, resort, and anything else they require and you walk away from the cash register carrying only the receipt they give you. As if by Magic (yup – it’s Disney) the items will arrive at your resort approximately 24 hours later.
We use this service every visit and have never had an issue. There is one word of caution, you want to avoid using package delivery on the day before you check out because there are no guaranteed delivery times and since check out time at most resorts is 11:00 AM it’s very likely your packages will not arrive at your resort before you check out. You probably wouldn’t have time to pack them even if they got there in the morning because of the check out time. Based on our past experiences you can use the system with confidence. Enjoy your Walt Disney World visit (and the shopping too).
Ken
