by MagicalAdmin | Jul 10, 2018 | Disney Dining, Disney Magical Moments, Disney Tips, Disney World, My Disney Experience, Walt Disney World, Why Use a Disney Travel Planner, Why Use Magical Tripcations
Written by Erica V. Ellis – Magical Tripcations Travel Planner Disney vacations are special and magical, no matter when you take them. Add a birthday to the mix and it becomes even more magical! Here are our Top 5 ways to celebrate your birthday while at Walt Disney World! Let your Magical Tripcations Travel Planner know that you’ll be celebrating a birthday while on vacation! Your planner will add that tidbit of information on to your reservation. When you scan your Magic Bands at park entrances, for fast passes, etc., the cast members will be alerted to this. You’ll probably get lots of extra “happy birthdays” during your stay. If you aren’t given a birthday button at check-in, make sure you ask for one at your Disney Resort’s front desk or at any of the guest service locations at the parks. Once you have it, wear it proudly! It’s always fun to hear “happy birthday” from cast members and park goers. Who knows, maybe you’ll get some extra pixie dust because of it! Talk to your Magical Tripcations Travel Planner about a special gift package or room celebration through Disney Floral & Gifts. It can be as simple as a small cake in your room, or a full-on room makeover to help you celebrate the special day. Prices vary and can satisfy pretty much any budget. For my daughter’s third birthday we ordered her a special Princess Gift Basket and a small chocolate cake that was delivered to our room the evening of her birthday. When we arrived back to our room, the surprise was waiting for her and...
by MagicalAdmin | Dec 13, 2016 | Disney Dining, Disney Tips, Disney World, Walt Disney World
Written by Erica V. Ellis – Magical Tripcations Travel Planner Have you heard that Walt Disney World has started the “Highway In The Sky Dine-Around” which, according to the Walt Disney World website, allows you to climb “aboard the Walt Disney World Resort Monorail for a culinary journey where each destination offers a distinctively delicious experience.” We at Magical Tripcations are excited to see this new Disney Dining experience being offered to guests! For now, it is only being offered a few nights a week, so what if you can’t make your itinerary work for one of those nights but you still want to eat and drink your way around the “Monorail Loop”? Well, don’t you worry, we have your back! In September, during a “research” trip to Walt Disney World during the first weekend of the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival four travel planners from the Magical Tripcations team took a spin on the Monorail and here we offer our findings from the evening filled with delectable foods, yummy drinks, plenty of laughs and fireworks to cap off the evening! This journey is also sometimes referred to as the “Monorail Crawl.” **Disclaimer, we recommend this be done with a 21 & over crowd.** We were coming from Epcot so we disembarked the Epcot Monorail and loaded onto the Resort Monorail at the Ticket and Transportation Center. From there we hit up our first stop, Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort. We arrived at Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto around 4:45pm on a Thursday afternoon and found there to be available space. We hopped up on some bar...
by MagicalAdmin | Sep 8, 2016 | Disney World, Walt Disney World, Why Use a Disney Travel Planner
Written by Erica Ellis – Magical Tripcations Travel Planner; Photos provided by Magical Tripcations Travel Planner Team Are you contemplating a trip to Walt Disney World with a toddler? Has the idea of taking someone under the age of 3 also made you question your sanity? Fear not, there are some great reasons why taking your toddler to Walt Disney World before they turn 3 is an awesome idea. We have polled our Magical Tripcations Travel Team and come up with tips that will help you not only stay sane but have a very memorable and magical time! FREE TICKET – Did you know that children under the age of 3 do not require a park ticket? That’s right, they are considered an infant until they turn 3 and are free of charge to enter any of the Disney Parks. Please note, if you work with one of our Magical Tripcations Travel Planners to create a vacation package that includes a dining plan, they will NOT be included in that plan, so your child would either eat off of your plate or you would need to pay out of pocket for them during meal time. 5 Can Stay for the Price of 4 – Did you know that a portion of Disney’s Resorts have a maximum occupancy of 4 in a room? If you are a Party of 5, in which one is under the age of 3, you still have the option of staying in resort room with a maximum occupancy of 4. Your toddler (under the age of 3) does not count towards the...
by MagicalAdmin | Aug 1, 2016 | Disneyland
Written by Jennifer Jamieson – Magical Tripcations Travel Planner Disneyland Character Dining: A How to Guide to Magical Meals For some, enjoying a meal while hobnobbing with Disney Characters ranks pretty high on the list of must-do experiences when heading to Disneyland! Not only do you get to enjoy a tasty meal, you get to hug and playfully interact with some of the most beloved Disney Characters. Many magical moments await you in each of the Disneyland Character Dining opportunities but there is a bit of necessary planning involved so that you maximize your time and ensure you get a reservation. So, let’s take a look at Disneyland Character Dining in our how to guide to magical meals! 5 Magical Meal Options There are currently five Disneyland Character Dining meals offered at the Disneyland Resort. One in Disneyland Park, one in Disney California Adventure Park and three located in Resort Hotels. Let’s take a look at each one to help you find the right one for you and your travel party. Disneyland Character Dining: Disneyland Park Minnie & Friends – Breakfast in the Park Location: The Plaza Inn Restaurant Character Meal Option: Breakfast Buffet – all-you-care-to enjoy breakfast buffet featuring Mickey waffles, made to order omelets, French toast, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, biscuits and gravy, pastries and a variety of hot and cold cereals and more! Featured Characters: Characters vary but you can count on Minnie being there since it’s her party (and her name is in the name of the meal). Rare and classic Disney Characters pop-in to meet you during your meal and...
by MagicalAdmin | Jul 16, 2016 | Disney World, Disney World Prep, Walt Disney World
Written by Jennifer Jamieson – Magical Tripcations Travel Planner Your first trip to Disney World can be a truly magical and memorable one but take it from us, planning is a must! Even if you’ve been before but it’s been a few years, read on as so much has changed that you might find yourself bewildered and late for a very important date! Disney World is huge and spans 40 square miles (roughly the size of San Francisco) and has 4 theme parks (6 if you count the 2 water parks). And navigating through the transportation, parks, FastPass+, My Disney Experience App, restaurants, fireworks and shows can be a little daunting and a big waste of time if you’re not prepared! Good news is there are lots of tools that can help you along the way and we hope that our tips and tricks can help you get started. Having the honor of planning countless trips for our Magical Tripcations clients has given our team an edge when it comes to the ins and outs of heading to the most magical place on earth. Check out our top 10 tips for your first trip to Disney World. 10. Stay at a Disney World Resort With more that 25 unique Resort hotels, there is likely one that will fit your needs and budget. Staying on property is well worth it and not as expensive as you may think. Our team of travel planners have stayed at hotels both on and off property and hands down recommend staying on the resort property. Disney has various resort levels ranging in price from...
by MagicalAdmin | Jun 30, 2016 | Disney Tips
Written by – Jennifer Jamieson – Magical Tripcations Travel Planner When it comes to saving for your Disney dream vacation, every penny counts! When we’re working with our Magical Tripcations clients, we provide as many tips and tricks for saving time AND money as we can. Of course we are dedicated discount hunters and we work hard to find the perfect Disney deal for our clients; however, once we land on the perfect package, we don’t stop there. Did you know that you can use Disney gift cards to pay for your Disney Destination vacation? Did you know that you can purchase Disney gift cards at a DISCOUNT? No?? Well, there’s magical savings to be found for savvy shoppers so, read on! Here are our 5 tips for using Disney gift cards to save on your next Disney vacation! #1 Purchase Disney Gift Cards Using your Target REDcard If you are a regular Target customer, then you are probably familiar with the Target REDcard (debit or credit) that saves you 5% on your purchases when you use it. This 5% savings is applicable for Disney gift card purchases because Target considers these gift cards as “entertainment” gift cards so the discount is applicable. You can purchase gift cards in the store and online (as a REDcard holder, you also get free shipping). $50 Disney Gift Card – $47.50 $100 Disney Gift Card – $95.00 Tips for Purchasing Disney gift cards with your REDcard: If you are planning to make a large gift card purchase ($800 or more), you might check with your bank if using the Target debit REDcard...
by MagicalAdmin | May 30, 2016 | Disney Tips, Disney World, Disney World Prep, Walt Disney World
Coming up with a list of top tips & tricks to assist you on your first or next magical Disney World vacation is no small order. You know it’s a tough job, but somebody’s got to do it and the team at Magical Tripcations is thrilled to offer up a few of our tried-and-true tips to make your park experience a little easier and a lot more magical. Let’s dig in with our top 12 Disney World tips & tricks! 1. Go Left! When faced with a fork in the road or standing in the hub of the park, take the road less traveled and go left! It’s human nature to go right for whatever reason and same is true at Disney Parks. Even when there’s a choice in a queue to go right or left, go left, and you’ll find yourself saving a little time waiting in line. 2. Free Water! Did you know that you can request a cup of ice water at any counter service restaurant or snack location that serves fountain drinks in any Disney Park? It’s so important to stay hydrated while touring the parks and ice water really helps you cool down. We’ve even carried flavored drink packets in our park bags to mix with the FREE ice water. Truly FREE and you don’t have to be ordering a meal and it’s ok to ask for a large cup! 3. The Early Bird Catches the Worm! Want to beat the crowds? Arrive 30 minutes to an hour (in peak season) prior to official park opening or ‘rope drop’ and you’ll be well on your...
by MagicalAdmin | May 18, 2016 | Disney Magical Moments, Disney World, Disney World Prep
Written by – Jennifer Jamieson, Magical Tripcations Travel Planner Holidays are celebrated in a big way at Walt Disney World. The parks are decked out with beautifully themed decorations and some holidays even have a special party. One of the most spooktacular and hauntedly rated events is Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party held at Magic Kingdom on select nights in the fall. The party is a special ticketed event and takes place after hours when Magic Kingdom closes to all except those that have a party ticket. Have you ever thought about attending the Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party (MNSSHP)? Or, not even sure what it is? Is it worth the additional cost? Is it scary for kids? What’s included? Let’s dig in and find out what the BOO is all about! Even though park visitors can enjoy the lovely decorations displayed throughout the park in September and October, only Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween party attendees can enjoy and experience the special Halloween themed entertainment and take part in special activities. On select nights, the party starts at 7 p.m. after non-party guests exit the Magic Kingdom park; however, party guests can enter Magic Kingdom as early as 4 p.m. The party ends at midnight giving you plenty of time to take in all the special entertainment, attractions and activities. In true Disney style, the tone of the event is “not-so-scary” which means children of all ages can enjoy all of the party fun! Let’s take a look at some of the special activities that take place at the party: Trick-or-Treating Each attendee upon entering the event will be...
by MagicalAdmin | May 3, 2016 | Disney World, Disney World Prep
Written by Jennifer Jamieson – Magical Tripcations Travel Planner Of course there is always so much to see and do at Disney World; however, this summer or early fall promises to bring some truly amazing new attractions, entertainment and more to all four parks! Disney has been releasing so much information on coming attractions, updates and new offerings that they are keeping our team of travel planners on our toes! So, we decided to highlight the best of what is to be unveiled during Awaken Summer 2016. Here’s our top 16 things you must do this summer at Disney World. The Force is Strong at Disney’s Hollywood Studios There’s so much in store for Star Wars fans this summer at Disney’s Hollywood Studios! The force is definitely strong and will bring new shows and updated experiences to the park. Here’s a breakdown of what’s ahead for Awaken Summer 2016: 1. The new Star Wars Fireworks show – “Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular” is set to debut in June at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. This new nightly show is the next generation of the current Star Wars inspired fireworks show and will be the biggest show ever to light up the skies over Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The show will combine fireworks, pyrotechnics, special effects and video projections that will turn the skies over the Chinese Theater into multiple Star Wars destinations. 2. The Live Stage Show “Star Wars: A Galaxy Far, Far Away” debuted April 4, 2016 and celebrates iconic moments for the Star Wars Saga with live vignettes featuring fan favorites BB-8, Kylo Ren, Chewbacca, Darth Vader and Darth Maul. Be sure to stop by center...
by MagicalAdmin | Apr 10, 2016 | Disney Tips, Disney World Prep, Walt Disney World, Why Use a Disney Travel Planner, Why Use Magical Tripcations
Written by Jennifer Jamieson – Magical Tripcations Travel Planner Congrats, you’re going to Walt Disney World! Or maybe it’s more along the lines of… congrats, you want to think about planning a trip to Walt Disney World but you’re feeling a little overwhelmed from the first website view. MagicBands, My Disney Experience and FastPass+, OH MY! But wait, what? What do these words mean? We’ve said it before that planning a trip to Walt Disney World involves several moving parts. Getting up to speed on Disney Speak can be challenging and confusing but, our team of travel planners are ready and able to walk you through everything you need to know about My Disney Experience, MagicBands, and FastPass+ so you can leave the OH MY behind. Here are some of our tips to tackling the top three Disney terms you need to know before you head to the most magical place on earth. Top Three Disney Terms: My Disney Experience (MDE) When planning your Walt Disney World vacation, you can build your itinerary online at MyDisneyExperience.com and access your plans from the My Disney Experience Mobile App on your smartphone. Once you link your tickets and reservations to your account, your resort and dining reservations appear in your plans. You can build your itinerary from start to finish online including Advanced Dining Reservations and FastPass+ selections and update your reservations on the go from your smartphone. You can also use the mobile app for park maps, current wait times, restroom locations and where to find your favorite Disney Characters. Traveling with a big travel party? You can connect to everyone in your travel group...
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