Tips for Making the Most out of the Disney Dining Plan

I am often asked questions by family and friends about the Disney Dining Plans. My family has used the Disney Dining Plan (DDP) for a couple of trips. We enjoy it, but have learned several tips and tricks along the way. I thought I would share them with you all as the fun summer vacation season is almost upon us!

Meals: Basics on how they work, and how to make it work for your budget

-          First and foremost gratuities are NOT included except as noted in the dining plan brochure. These generally include In-room dining, pizza delivery, the dinner shows and Cinderella’s Royal Table.  Make sure to budget for the anticipated gratuities. We forgot about this point the first time we used the dining plan in 2012 and did not budget for it. So now that you all know, you don’t have to ask the uncomfortable question to your fabulous server.

-          It sounds silly but make sure to check the listing of participating restaurants, as sometimes restaurants are added or dropped from the list. Use this link, which takes you directly to the Disney Dining Plan page for the most up to date information.

-          Some special menus (like prix fixe) and menu add-ons (like adding on a lobster tail) will not be included in the dining plans. The menu will note an up charge and you will be required to pay that additional fee.

-          Each of the meals includes a non-alcoholic beverage. If you don’t want your drink, order a bottle of water and take it to go!

-          Looking for quick service but want something more “exotic” than the frequently menued chicken fingers and burgers? Several resort food courts – Landscape of Flavors (Art of Animation), Everything Pop (Pop Century), Pepper Market (Coronado Springs), Mara (Animal Kingdom Lodge), Contempo Café (Contemporary Resort) – offer ethnic or more exotic food options.  I LOVE the tie dyed cheesecake at Pop Century and the Beignets at French Quarter. (Desserts – I know, but still – so delicious!)

Snacks: Mickey Ice Cream? Dole Whip? Food & Wine Festival? Oh Boy!

-          Leftover snack credits? Don’t let them go to waste! Disney offers several opportunities for you to spend those unused snack credits to bring some of the Parks home with you. Most of the resort food courts offer “packable food” for any quick service credits that are left over. These meals make for great meals on the go when you have to travel home. I like to think of it as my last little piece of Disney meal magic. Also – did you forget to buy your best friend or sibling a souvenir? Use your unused snack credits to get them a Mickey themed snack like a rice krispy treat or coconut ears.  

-          If you are vacation during either the Epcot Food & Wine Festival or the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival, your snack credits can be used for most “tasting portions” offered in the kiosks around the World Showcase. You can get the most bang for your credits doing this. For example, during the Epcot Food & Wine Festival, in previous years the Maine Lobster Roll could be redeemed using a snack credit, saving you $9.75! That is like having a meal but only using a snack credit – SCORE!

Other Tips & Tricks to get the most out of your plan

-          You can use the meal credits whenever you want during your Walt Disney vacation. For example, if you’re on the regular dining plan and you want to eat two table service meals one day and three quick service meals the next day, no problem. Or if you want to use up all of your snack credits in one day, that is okay too.

-          The dining plan includes dessert with both lunch and dinner. Keep in mind this level of heavy eating could make it difficult to walk around the parks. An alternative to heavy desserts like cake, pie and other Disney delicacies is to order fresh fruit instead. Most restaurants and quick service will offer fresh fruit that you can take to go as your dessert. Then you can snack on an apple or banana later in the day when you may get hungry.  Meal and snack all in one! You guys know me and how I love deals.

-          If you are on the regular meal plan, you may want to consider sharing a quick service meal. Last trip Christopher and I split a half chicken dinner at Cosmic Ray’s and it was more than enough food for the two of us. The chicken was generous and it came with a potato and vegetable sides. Other places that offer larger meals are Flame Tree Barbecue in Animal Kingdom (1/2 chicken & ribs combo – for the meat lovers) and Sunshine Seasons at Epcot (Asian combo that allows you to pick two entrees and two sides – oh boy!)

Dining with kids? Here is the scoop to maximize your credits

-          Most quick service locations have a set kids menu and options are pretty limited. A few restaurants do not have a separate kid’s menu, which means they can order any combo or entrée on the menu with a child credit. These include: Casey’s Corner (Magic Kingdom), Catalina Eddies and Toluca Legs Turkey Company (Hollywood Studios), Sommerfest and Yorkshire County Fish Shop (Epcot). BAAAM – getting more for your buck never felt so good!

-          Kids’ selections at some sit-down restaurants can be limited. A couple things to keep in mind:

o   Ask for alternatives. If your kids don’t like anything on the kids menu, ask the server if they can have a child-sized portion of something from the adult menu. Not every time, but often this can be accommodated.

o   Ask to see the chef if your child has allergies or a dietary issue where eating off the regular menu might be tricky. A better option is to contact Disney before your trip to alert them of the dietary issue (407-939-3463). Disney is very good at accommodating these issues.  You may have also heard some buzz about Disney’s special allergy menus. Remember – it never hurts to ask!

o   You may find that buffet locations, where the selection is broader, can accommodate the pickiest of eaters and everyone in your party can be satisfied. And some buffet locations also offer character dining! BONUS. Our favorite? Tusker House in Magic Kingdom. This is one of the few locations guests can meet Daisy Duck!

But I saved the best tip for last…the #1 tip I have for using the Disney Dining Plan is to prepare your dining game plan BEFORE you arrive at Disney. Seriously, if you don’t want to be disappointed at the end of your trip or upset because you did not use all of your credits for dining and snacks, put together a plan ahead of time to make sure you will use all of your credits. To help you with my #1 tip, use the Ellegant Décor Disney Collection Dining Planner. This way, you can get an idea of how many meal and snack credits your family will have and where you can use them prior to your trip. At the end of our first trip using the dining plan, we did not use 2 of our dining credits – doh! We were disappointed in ourselves for wasting the meals and the money! So learn from our mistakes.

And since Disney vacation season is upon us and many of you are day dreaming and planning your next trip, Ellegant Décor is offering 10% off ALL of their Disney Planners (from the VALUE to WALT and the Dining Planner) now through April 30^th! Just use the code “APRILSHOWERS” at checkout! And for a limited time, the WALT planner will include the Dining Planner for FREE. Gosh I LOVE deals.

Now I am hungry thinking about all of the delicious Disney food! Happy Planning!

Travelling to Disney - Pre-Arrival Tips

With our Disney trip almost two months away, I thought I would post some planning tips prior arriving at Disney. I suppose anyone can relate these tips to a vacation anywhere too!

1. Reserve or Confirm your Magical Express Airport Transfer. Disney's Magical Express is a service available to guests who stay on Walt Disney World property at the resorts. This service will pick your family up at the airport to your resort and take you from the resort to the airport for your departure. You can make a reservation either when you book your trip directly through Disney or by submitting a request via an online reservation form up to 10 days before your arrival date. 

Once your request has been confirmed, Disney will send information and luggage tags prior to your arrival. We LOVE using the provided luggage tags as Disney will wait in baggage claim to take your bags for you to your Disney Resort room! Just make sure you do not need anything from inside them as you will not have access to your bags until they are delivered to your room. 

2. Online Check-In Service. Pre-registering online will simplify your arrival at the Disney World Resorts. You can check in online 60 days prior to your arrival. Then, when you arrive at your hotel, simply head to the Online Check-In Desk where your packet/folder will be waiting. You will need to show valid photo ID and you are on your way! Some resorts even have cast members waiting outside the Disney Magical Express stop to speed up your check in process even more!

3. Make Dining Reservations. Popular restaurants fill up quickly, so be sure to make reservations in advance of your arrival. Dining reservations are accepted up to 180 days prior to check-in (6 months). You can book reservations several ways - through your My Disney Experience app or website account, or over the phone directly with Disney (407-939-3463). 

In addition, if you are celebrating a special occasion, call ahead if you would like to have a cake or special arrangement delivered. Most of these special requests require a minimum of 48 hours notice. Call 407-827-2253 to place an order. 

4. Make the Most out of your MyMagic+. Make sure you have an account through My Disney Experience and download the My Disney Experience App. This will allow you to modify any of your Disney reservations, including Dining and FastPass+ experiences. 

Make sure to pre-order your MagicBands. MagicBands are fantastic because you will be able to travel the parks much lighter! MagicBands will act as your room key, theme park & water park pass, your check in for FastPass+, connect all of your families PhotoPass pictures and your room charge so you can charge your meals and merchandise directly to your room. We LOVE the MagicBands and the freedom they offer. 

And you cannot forgot Disney FastPass+ Service. FastPass+ lets you reserve access to select attractions, entertainment, character meet and greets and special viewing areas for parades and fireworks. These reservations can be made up to 60 days prior to your arrival. This way, you can select your family's favorite attractions, times you will be in the park, in order to ensure you will get on the attraction. Up to three attractions maybe selected for one park each day. See the Disney website for choices and attraction tiers. 

5. If you are staying for an extended period or require a lot of hard goods, but do not want to pay airline baggage fees, order groceries and goods ahead of time! Although we have never paid for this service, we have heard excellent feedback, especially for families with babies that require diapers  and wipes. There are several grocery providers that are approved to deliver goods to Walt Disney World Properties. Consult directly with Disney regarding your needs and an approved provider. 

6. Make any equipment reservations necessary for your party. This could include strollers, wagons, oxygen tanks, electric scooters, etc. Similar to the grocery service, there are several service providers that are approved by Disney and will drop off the equipment directly to your resort. This is highly recommended as the Disney rentals are first come, first serve AND cannot be used outside of the location rented. For example, if you rent a scooter from Magic Kingdom Guest Services, you cannot leave the park with it. 

I hope leaving you with these tips will help make your Disney trip planning less stressful! In addition to the above tips, an Ellegant Decor Disney World Vacation planner can also help track all of your reservations, rentals and park planning in one place! Newly released is a special Microsoft Excel file to assist in planning out your Disney Dining Plan credits! Check out all of the planners here!

Making way for Updated WDW Parks Cards!!

I have ONE full deck of Disney Parks Cards in stock and would like to make room for the updated sets I have been working on! To help clear out the last set, I am offering FREE SHIPPING to the customer who purchases the last set.

Have a Disney World vacation coming up? These decks are perfect for your family to use on your vacation and learn more about all of the magic that surrounds you on your trip.

2015 Epcot Flower & Garden Festival

I am so excited that we will be in Florida for the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival. I love seeing all of the pretty topiaries, gardens and my favorite – the food marketplaces!!! The festival kicked off this week and I am loving all the posts about it. So, as my favorite part is the food, I thought I would highlight all of the fun choices (and many new items!) and what I am hoping to taste and drink.

Oh and before I forget, if anyone else is going, you can get a FREE (yes – FREE) passport book similar to the FREE one handed out at Food & Wine that lists each marketplace with the food & beverage offered and you can get it stamped too! The passports can be picked up at the festival center.

The brand new marketplace is Botanas Botanico, located between France and Morocco Pavilions and this kiosk will feature: Cachapas (sweet corn cake) served with Farmers Cheese, Seafood Ceviche, White Corn Arepa, La Tizana (fruit punch), Coconut Tres Leches, Polar Beer, Monte Paschoal Reserve Tannat and Monte Paschoal Natural Brut White Sparkling Wine.

Items to try: Cachapas con Queso, White Corn Arepa, and Monte Paschoal Natural Brut White Sparkling Wine

Urban Farm Eats is featuring: Kale Salad, Quinoa Vegetable “Naanwich”, Ghost pepper-dusted tilapia, Urban Bloody Mary, Cucumber Lemon Water, Hess Shirttail Creek Vineyard Chardonnay, King Estate Acrobat Pinot Noir and Crispin Blackberry Pear Cider.

Items to try: Quinoa vegetable “naanwich” with arugula pesto and oven dried tomatoes and the Crispin Blackberry Pear Cider (sounds delish and different)

Pineapple Promenade is featuring: a spicy hot dog with pineapple chutney, pineapple soft-serve (DOLE WHIP), spiked pineapple soft-serve with macadamia nut flavored rum OR Parrot Bay coconut rum, frozen desert violet lemonade, Ace pineapple hard cider, sparking pineapple wine, berry tea cocktail with Twining’s cold-brewed mixed berry tea.

Items to try: Spicy hot dog with pineapple chutney and I am torn between the Ace Pineapple hard cider and sparkling pineapple wine. Maybe both? Hehe. Last year I tried the pineapple soft serve with the coconut rum and it was okay, but I like the non-alcoholic version better.

Fleur de Lys is featuring: Gnocchi dumplings with vegetables and mushrooms, duck confit & potatoes, strawberry marshmallow macaroon, ice pop of iced tea, Grand Marnier, Peach raspberry liqueur and vodka, La Vie en Rose frozen slush, Kir Imperial and Kronenbourg Blanc.

Items to try: I am still dreaming about the duck confit with garlic and parsley potatoes. Even Christopher liked it last year. Looking forward to it. I have never tried a macaroon, and the strawberry marshmallow one sounds delicious. The Ice Pop sounds interesting, but I am not sure I can cheat on my Grand Marnier Grey Goose martini.

Taste of Marrakesh is featuring: falafel pocket, harissa chicken kebob, pistachio baklava, mint iced tea, white sangria, guerrouane red wine and desert rose cocktail.

Items to try: honestly, I tried the chicken kebob last year and it was nothing too spectacular and the baklava from Food & Wine in 2013 has scarred me from trying it again. Soooo if you can’t eat, drink? The desert rose cocktail sounds good - sparkling wine and pomegranate liqueur.

Hanami is featuring: curry bun, salmon sushi, frushi (fruit sushi), Kirin draft beer, Yuzu plum white slush, strawberry nigori and Karatamba sake.

Items to try: I am excited to try the new curry bun and I figured I should give plum wine another shot.

The Smokehouse: Barbecues and Brews is featuring: pulled pork slider, beef brisket hash, smoke Debreziner sausage, bacon cupcake, beer flight (& individual tastings) – Billy’s Chillies, Floridian Hefeweizen, Category 3 IPA and Maple Bacon stout, The Original Rib Shack red wine, frozen lemonade and R.C. Sweet Tea

Items to try: the pictures of the beef brisket burnt ends hash with white cheddar fondue and pickled jalapenos looks delicious. Well – minus the jalapenos, you all know I am baby when it comes to spice.  Last year I tried the bacon cupcake and it was alright, but I think it would be better as a cornbread with bacon in it. It is more like a yellow cake with bacon bits in it. The maple frosting is good though.

Primavera Kitchen is featuring: pinwheel of mozzarella, prosciutto and ciabatta bread, three cheese manicotti, limoncello panna cotta, Placido Pinot Grigio, Placido Chianti, Bosco Del Merlo Prosecco, Corbinello, and a white peach Bellini

Items to try: As I am a cheesy chick, I definitely want to try the pinwheel. The limoncello panna cotta sounds good too, as does the white peach Bellini. I have tried the Placido Chianti and it is really good, but I would like to try something else. It is also featured regularly at Food & Wine in Italy.

Lotus House is featuring: Candied strawberries, Kung Pao chicken bun, vegetable spring roll, oolong peach bubble tea, Kung Fu punch, South Sea Storm cocktail, plum white, Tsing-Tao beer and honey mango wine cooler.

Items to try: I think it would be fun to order a Kung Pao with a Kung Fu lol. So those would be my choices.  

Jardin de Fiestas is featuring: tacos al pastor, vegetable quesadilla, flan de chocolate, Tecate with Patron Citronge, white Mexican sangria, Blueberry pomegranate margarita and a tequila liqueur flight.

Items to try: I did not get a chance to try the tacos al pastor, which is a corn tortilla filled with achiote-marinated pork, garnished with grilled diced pineapple, onions and cilantro. Sounds yummy. The blueberry pomegranate margarita sounds delicious too. I can’t remember off the top of my head, but last year’s featured margarita did not sound good – I think it had a pepper flavor? Anyone remember?

Florida Fresh is featuring: a watermelon salad, shrimp and stone ground grits, Florida blueberry and lemon curd tart, watermelon passion fruit slush, key line sparkling wine, Blonde ale, Channel Marker Red Ale, Feast of Flowers Farmhouse Ale and Jai Alai beer. Of course, you can get a flight of all four too.

Items to try: the shrimp and stone ground grits sounds interesting and includes Andouille sausage, sweet corn, tomatoes and cilantro. I am really interested in trying the Key lime sparkling wine!

Now I am hungry thinking about all of the food! Pictures of this year's tastings are published on the Disney Food Blog - a comprehensive research I use to keep track of all of the happenings with food at Disney! All the pictures (except the cute one of Lady and the Tramp) are from this blog as cited. 

And of course (shameless plug) - you can purchase an Ellegant Decor Disney Vacation planner on my Etsy site to help keep track of all the marketplaces you would like to experience on your next trip!

Fun Weekend

Last weekend we had the perfect combo of busy, fun and relaxing. Friday night we met Christopher's parents for a fish fry at Papa Jake's. Boy it was packed! At 5:30, we waited about 40 minutes for a table! But that was okay because we had a lot of catch up on and enjoyed some drinks at the bar. The fish fry was incredible and we could all see why there is such a long wait. And...by 7:30 they were all sold out of fish! Definitely Lent in Buffalo!

Saturday morning I worked on updating my etsy site and listing and ran errands, got my oil changed in my car and meal prepped a little for the week. Then we - all four of us - went over to my parent's house for some lunch, a visit and to show Dad how to use his new tablet! I am so proud of my Dad for trying to learn how to use it. He has never used a computer before and did a great job learning to use the tablet. The pups had a blast playing with Buddy and running around.

Saturday night we had a Netflix marathon of House of Cards - to catch up on Season 2. Yep - we are very behind - no spoilers! This week we are going to start on the newly released Season 3.

Sunday we had church, where we saw some friends and caught up with a former teacher of Christopher's - Fr Tom. I worked on some new merchandise for Ellegant Decor and Christopher is finishing up one of his refinishing projects for a friend of ours. It was a very productive weekend.

Then Sunday night, I played around with one of our families favorite and classic recipes - Cheesy Potatoes! I will have to post the recipe I used, but we swapped out the potatoes for zucchini and the sour cream for Greek yogurt and also added chicken. It came out delicious and even Christopher enjoyed it. It is also very similar to a recipe that one of my best friends Reese created too. I am loving making hearty bakes and casseroles - it has been way too cold out.

Updated Walt Disney World Vacation Planners

With all of this cold weather, I most certainly have vacation on the brain. Our next Disney trip is less than 75 days away! With that said, I have been busy completing our Disney Vacation planner with all of our dining reservations, special Star Wars weekend events and of course the Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival (which starts this week!).

I also updated all of the Ellegant Decor Disney Collection Vacation Planners! I want all of my customers to have the most up to date information for their Walt Disney World Vacation.

Updates include:
- Disney Parks Character Guide
- Disney PhotoPass Locations
- FastPass+ Kiosk Locations
- Penny Press locations throughout all of the Walt Disney property

and NEW - Locations of Charging Stations at the parks!

There are various types of planners to fit all of your vacation needs. Included in each are:

Value Planner
- Travel Information Page
- Payment Timetable & Budget
- Advanced Dining Reservations Organizer
- Disney Day Planner
- Notes Page

Moderate Planner
- Everything in the Value Planner PLUS
- Important Numbers Page
- Ultimate Disney Packing List

Deluxe Planner
- Everything in the Moderate Planner PLUS
- Extra Spending Money & Souvenir Page
- Parks Character Guide

Castle Planner
- Everything in the Deluxe Planner PLUS
- Average Attraction Wait Time Listing
- Disney PhotoPass Locations
- FastPass+ Kiosk Locations
- Charging Station Locations

The WALT Planner
- Everything in the Castle Planner PLUS
- Locations to view fireworks
- Penny Press Locations throughout the WDW Property

Head on over to Ellegant Decor's Disney Collection to pick out your planner today!

St. Patrick's Day & Easter Wreaths are up for sale!

So excited to share that I have posted four different types of wreaths available for purchase on my Ellegant Decor Etsy Page.

St. Patrick's Day - Single ring metal form wreath 

St. Patrick's Day - Triple fringe metal form wreath

Easter - Single ring metal form wreath

Easter - Quadruple fringe metal form wreath (the fullest wreath available - over 16"!)

Please pass along my store link and information to anyone who is looking for a wreath to jazz up their door or home decor for the Spring! All wreaths are reasonable priced and ready to ship!

New Decor going up on Ellegant Decor's Etsy page

I am so excited to tell you all that I finished some St. Patrick's Day and Easter wreaths! I made two different kinds - a simple circle wreath with frayed fabric and then a much more complex wreath with lots of fringing. I love how both turned out! I am just confirming shipping costs and then up on the site they will go!

In Honor of Snowvember....

In Honor of "Snowvember" I am offering an 11% discount on all the Ellegant Decor Disney Planners with coupon code "SNOWVEMBER"

Heading to Disney for Christmas? Surprising your family with a trip as a holiday gift? The Ellegant Decor Disney Planners are perfect to organize your Disney trip. And from now until Thursday, November 20th, get all of the Ellegant Decor Disney Planners 11% off!!!

Snowed in and need to dream about a warm vacation - to Disney we go!

PS - Today is also Mickey Mouse & Minnie Mouse's birthday!!!

I feel so Official - Business Cards & Pads are in!

I feel so official now with my Ellegant Decor business cards, sticky pads, note pad and note cards :) Now when we go to Disney in December, I can pass out my cards to anyone who asks about the park cards. I will be prepared!

Hopefully soon, I will be able to get some decor items up on the site. It has been awhile since I have had a chance to design some wreaths. Maybe this weekend???

Epcot's Drink Around the World Challenge

Christopher and I are almost 100 days away from our December Disney trip. We are so excited to visit Disney World around the holiday time to see it all decorated. Good thing our home will already be decorated for Christmas - I might get carried away after seeing what Disney does!

We were also looking for something fun to do that would be different. We decided we would try a Drink Around the World challenge ("DAWC") at Epcot on one of the days of our trip. We are currently finalizing which days we are doing what in case we need to adjust any of our dining reservations, tickets, etc.

We have read many stories of how people partake in this type of challenge. Here are the guidelines we discussed doing it in (remember - we have never tried this). We are going to start early and pace ourselves making sure we are drinking lots of water and eating through out the day. Each of us is to only have 1 beverage per pavillion. Therefore the HUGE mugs of beer or large martinis are OUT. We are not putting in any time stipulations, as if we need to slow down or speed up (probably not speed up but you never know!) we would like to have that flexibility. And if either of us is feeling ill the challenge stops for both of us right then and there. If one gets sick - that just isn't fun and this is suppose to be a fun challenge. No riding rides or attractions during the challenge. And of course - no driving. But that one is easy as we LOVE Disney transportation and do not plan to rent a car anyways.

So - how are we going to attempt this challenge??? Here is our timeline and game plan:
12:00 PM - Start the Drink Around the World Challenge in Canada
12:40 PM - Lunch reservations at Rose & Crown; have a drink during lunch (side note: we reserved the Candlelight Processional lunch; we thought it would be a nice break)
2:00 PM - Beverage in France
2:45 PM - Beverage in Morocco
3:30 PM - Beverage in Japan
4:15 PM - Beverage in American Adventure & head to theater for Candlelight Processional
6:00 PM - Beverage in Italy; maybe dinner at Tutto Gusto Wine Cellar??
6:45 PM - Beverage in Germany
7:15 PM - Beverage in Refreshment Outpost (not sure they offer it??)
8:00 PM - Beverage in China
8:45 PM - Beverage in Norway
9:30 PM - Beverage in Mexico (maybe shortly before 9:30 as Illuminations starts at 9:30)

Challenge complete! So 10 hours and 12 drinks - I think we can do that! We will just need to play it safe. Although I mentioned above that we are not putting time stipulations, when mapping this out we added a "time" to see if this challenge is doable.

So the next big question...what am I planning to drink??? Well to be honest - I am going to have whatever I am in the mood for at that moment, but there are some fun drinks that I hope to try:

United Kingdom - I would love to try a hard cider
France - I am a sucker for the Grey Goose Grand Mariner martini - yummy!
Morocco - give mama some sangria
Germany - Riesling
Mexico - Margarita on the rocks - none of that slushy stuff!

Looking forward to trying this out! And you want to know what else we are planning to do while sipping luscious beverages around the world? Running through fun Disney facts using our Parks Cards! While we drink up, we are also going to learn more of the little known facts about the pavilions in Epcot. So fun! December can not come soon enough!

Almost Three Weeks Away!

I can't believe how quickly time has passed between our last trip to Disney and our next one! It seemed like the countdown was three digits and now all of a sudden we are a little more than three weeks away from sunshine and Mickey Mouse.

Our itinerary has changed a bit over the last couple months, especially with the various new experiences Disney has come out with. Here is a summary of how our vacation looks today:

Day 1: Epcot and the International Flower and Garden Festival. Fast Passes at Test Track, Mission: SPACE and Spaceship Earth (which we will probably change). Dinner reservations at Tokyo Dining (a first for us!) and we booked one of the new Epcot experiences - Epcot After Hours Wind Down at the Rose & Crown Pub (England).

The Epcot After Hours Wind Down is a new special experience that requires a separate ticket. The ticket includes the additional park time after Epcot closes, 1 alcoholic beverage or beverage flight (whatever is being offered at the location) and small plates of appetizers. Our fingers are crossed for a whiskey tasting :)

Day 2: Magic Kingdom Day. We were lucky recipients of the Be Our Guest Fast Pass + selection, so we will be having lunch there. Our other Fast Passes include Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Splash Mountain. We are hoping the new Seven Dwarfs Mine Coaster is open by the time of our trip, so we will swap one of our Fast Pass experiences for that.

Day 3: Rest Day. We have breakfast plans at Kona Cafe (can you say Tonga Toast! We are so excited to try it) and then nothing else is planned. Crazy, right? With our premium annual passes, we have the luxury to try out one of the water parks (fingers are crossed we get in) or we can just lounge by the pool at the resort and enjoy the BoardWalk.

Day 4: Day 2 of Epcot. We have Fast Passes for Mission: SPACE, Soarin and Living with the Land (which we will probably change). A nice day to relax and wander the park.

Day 5: Day 2 of Magic Kingdom. Our Fast Passes are currently for Space Mountain, Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin and Peter Pan's Flight. We have dinner reservations at 'Ohana (inside the Polynesian Resort). I am so excited to try 'Ohana - so many people have recommended it.

Day 6: Hollywood Studios. STAR WARS WEEKEND festivities. We are excited to take it all in. Although there are no celebrity autographs or character pictures we have to get, we want to see what this festival is all about! We may or may not have special shirts to wear - you will have to wait and see. Our Fast Passes for this day are for Tower of Terror, Toy Story Midway Mania and Star Tours. We also have dinner reservations at Mama Melroses.

Day 7: Hollywood Studios - Day 2 of Star Wars Weekend. We booked the special event breakfast for Star Wars Weekends at Sci-Fi Diner and Drive in - we are very excited about that! Our Fast Passes for the day are for Rock n Roller Coaster, Tower of Terror and Star Tours.

Day 8: Rest and Relax day! Maybe do some shopping before we head home? We shall see what the day brings!

And of course I cannot forget to pack my Disney Parks Cards! I just love how they turned out. You can get your very own set on my Etsy site. The whole set if $25 - you really can't find a better deal, especially when it comes to Disney.