In my hypothetical family example, I have two parents, one junior (age 11) and one child (age 6).  They are looking to stay at Walt Disney World from September 2nd – 8th, 2013, and they are looking to stay at Disney’s Pop Century Resort, which would result in them being eligible for the free Quick-Service dining plan.  In addition, they are looking at 6 days of park tickets without the Park Hopper or Water Park Fun and More add-ons.

For this example, the cost of their vacation would be $1,893.91 — and if you calculate the price per person per day, it works out to a great Disney vacation for just $78.91 per person, per day!  If you decided that you wanted to upgrade from the Quick Service dining plan to the “Plus” dining plan, your cost would rise to $2,235.13 for the total package, but the cost per person per day is only $93.13!  I don’t know about you, but that cost seems incredible to me!  If you were to book the same package and pay for the Quick-Service dining plan, you would pay $2,653.07 — which is $110.54 per person per night.  As a result, the savings for this hypothetical family works out to a staggering $759.16!  That is a huge deal!

If you have any interest in getting a specific quote for a Disney trip, please feel free to submit a quote request via our quote request form!  To start the process, just click on the image below to go to the form.  Thanks, and let me help you create some Disney Magic for you and your family!

Thanks for stopping by, I’m looking forward to helping you plan your perfect Disney vacation!  Keep in mind that Disney also released special room rate discounts of up to 30% which are in effect from August 15 – September 28, 2013, so feel free to ask about that as well!

Related articles

• Free Disney Dining Released to the General Public! (mydreamsofdisney.com)
• What would Free Disney Dining Plan mean to you? (mydreamsofdisney.com)

Read this article on the My Dreams of Disney website: How Free Disney Dining Can Save you money! For more great Disney content, visit My Dreams of Disney today! If you are looking for a travel agent, visit our Pixie Vacations page!

Image ©Disney Parks

Today for Day 26 in our countdown to Disneyland series, we are taking a look at the Storytellers Cafe, which is located inside of the Grand Californian Resort.  This dining location serves for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  The breakfast is a character breakfast called the “Chip ‘n Dale Critter Breakfast”, and has among other features, the ability to order off the menu or to select the buffet for your meal.  With made to order omelets, great Disney breakfast fare, and an excellent venue for your meal, the Storytellers Cafe is one of the top dining locations on property — at least, I think it is!

We will be eating there for breakfast the morning of June 24th, so look for an in depth review of the restaurant when we get back from Disneyland!

In the meantime, tell me what you think of the Storytellers Cafe!  Have you ever eaten here before?  If so, did you eat at breakfast, lunch, or dinner, and what did you think of your dining experience?  Was the price good for the food you got, or was it overpriced?  Let me know in the comments, please, and thanks for stopping by!

Related articles

• 29 Days til Disneyland – Grand Californian Pools! (mydreamsofdisney.com)
• 34 Days til Disneyland – Ariel’s Grotto! (mydreamsofdisney.com)
• 32 Days til Disneyland – Carthay Circle Restaurant! (mydreamsofdisney.com)

Read this article on the My Dreams of Disney website: 26 Days til Disneyland – Storytellers Cafe! For more great Disney content, visit My Dreams of Disney today! If you are looking for a travel agent, visit our Pixie Vacations page!

Image ©Disney Parks

Located in Tomorrowland at Disneyland Park, the Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters attraction is similar to the attraction at Walt Disney World that I looked at for our 30 things to do series!

The obvious difference is that the name is different — Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters versus Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin.  Also, though, and this may be the biggest difference, is that the ride vehicle you are in at Disneyland has removable guns, so you can shoot over your shoulder, to the left or right of your vehicle, whatever you want to within reason.  I think this fact may make for higher scores — and makes me wonder if the rankings at the end have higher score expectations as a result.  But that’s my analytical side coming out, so we’ll ignore it.

Do you and your family like Buzz Lightyear at Disneyland?  If so, please let me know in the comments, and if not, please let me know what you don’t like about it.  Thanks for stopping by, now go get Zurg!

Read this article on the My Dreams of Disney website: 27 Days til Disneyland – Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters! For more great Disney content, visit My Dreams of Disney today! If you are looking for a travel agent, visit our Pixie Vacations page!

By Mike West.

{Editor’s Note: Today we are joined by Mike West, a good friend of mine and a noted Disney expert.  Today, Mike is sharing some of his memories of Walt Disney World.  Enjoy, and please give Mike a warm welcome!}

You know you’ve done it.  You’ve been standing in line for an attraction like Splash Mountain at the Magic Kingdom for 45 minutes and you’ve thought to yourself, “Wouldn’t it be great if I had the entire ride all to myself?  I could walk right through this line, hop onto the first ride vehicle and be the only person on the ride.”  We’ve all done it!

Would you believe it if I told you I’ve experienced that actual rare Disney moment?  I’m surely not the only one, but I was fortunate to have numerous occasions in which I had the theme parks all to myself.  Well, it seemed like it.  Here’s my story…

Years ago, I had the good fortune to work with the folks at Walt Disney World Merchandise doing photography for the screen savers they sold in the parks and on the Disney Cruise Line.  In fact, if you bought any of these Disney screen savers, I was the person who took the photos found in each one.

As part of the photography process, Walt Disney World Merchandise would arrange for me to have access to the parks first thing in the morning, well before the parks opened to guests.  While there were no guests about, a small number of maintenance personnel were busy finishing a night of cleaning the parks and making sure everything was in working order and ready to create another day of magical memories.  As a result, I spent much of my time moving about the parks taking photos while music was playing, train whistles sounded and the smell of baked goods filled the air…but nobody was around.  To be able to experience them all to myself while I was “working” was a truly unique and enjoyable experience.

I thought I’d share some a few of my favorite memories…

The feeling of walking through the Magic Kingdom and having it all to yourself in the cool air and morning light is simply magical.  Everything is sparkling clean and each path before you is unobstructed to any destination.  I always enjoyed how most everyplace I went was open, yet vacant, as Cast Members were busy behind the scenes getting things ready.  Imagine every store you walk into is welcoming, yet nobody is there, restaurants are perfectly still and you can see all the way across Frontierland and not see a single person.  I always wanted to sit down and take it all in, but I had to keep moving and taking photos, as I had only a couple of hours with which to work.

One of my favorite memories was walking through the entire queue at Splash Mountain with not a soul around.  I stepped into the queue and continued without slowing my pace and approached the loading area where I found a couple of Cast Members preparing the log vehicles for the day.  I explained that I was “working” and asked if I could sit in the front seat of one of the logs and ride the attraction to take some photos.  They replied in true Disney fashion with a genuine “Sure!”, and with that I boarded the first log of the day and had the entire attraction to myself!

Walking into the Magic Kingdom mid-day is always a special experience, but before-hours is something else.  By early morning, the hard working maintenance staff has all of the Magic Kingdom sparkling clean and ready for guests.  As a result, I found myself on more than one occasion walking down the middle of Main Street, U.S.A. towards Cinderella Castle all by myself with not a soul in sight while all the lights on the building facades were still aglow from the evening before and one of my favorite Disney songs, “Flitterin’”, filled the air.  The task before me?  Make sure I photograph the Partners statue with Cinderella Castle in the background in the early morning light before moving on to other areas in the park.  It was a tough job, but someone had to do it.

Epcot at 6:00 a.m. is an altogether different experience from that of 11:00 a.m. when it opens to guests.  The air is cool, the shadows are soft in the early morning light and the lifting fog slowly reveals the pavilions on distant shores.  However, with a circumference of 1.25 miles, it can be a lot of ground to cover when photographing all 11 pavilions before they open to guests.  To photograph as much as I could, I had to move very quickly from shot to shot and pavilion to pavilion, but two pavilions tempted me to stay longer than I should; China and Japan.

One of my favorite moments photographing Epcot was stepping from the clearly defined technology, music and hard edges of Future World East into the calm and serene landscape of China.  Unlike Japan, which uses moving water in its landscaping, China uses still water, and in the early morning light, China presents radiant colors, ancient architecture and serene pools filled with blooming white water lilies.  Since I had it to myself, I always made sure to linger a moment at the China pavilion to enjoy the beauty and art of this ancient culture.

Later, while photographing Japan on a foggy morning, I was struck by how the morning fog brings an entirely different experience to the pavilion.  With the torri gate in the lagoon at your back and all the other pavilions obscured by the fog, it really feels as if you’re in Japan.  With nobody else around, there aren’t any elements which break that sense.  Even seeing a single Cast Member with a name tag can make it clear you’re at Epcot, so having the pavilion all to myself allowed me to transport to Japan in the way Disney Imagineers intended.

These are but a few of my favorite Walt Disney World before-hour memories…which I can share.  There are certainly others.  Backstage was always interesting, and being questioned by Disney Security on a regular basis always made me feel like I was some kid in trouble.  (That incident on the Disneyland Skyway when I was 12 didn’t help.)  I was also in the right place at the right time to shoot an image on the fly of a comical scene in Disneyland unlike any I’ve ever seen.  I’d include it with this article, but Walt Disney wouldn’t have wanted it published, so it will remain right where it is.

Lastly, thank you to Mickey Mouse for allowing me to take your first photo of the day…before the gates opened.

Mike West is the author of numerous trip-planning and in-park apps for Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resort, including the popular Disney World Mobile Guide.  In addition, he’s regarded as an expert on the secrets of both Walt Disney World and Disneyland having published two best-selling apps, titled “Walt Disney World Secrets Gold!” and “Disneyland Secrets Gold!”, both available on the iTunes App Store, Google Play and Amazon AppStore.  Learn more at www.TimeStream-Software.com – Contact:  Media@TimeStream-Software.com

Read this article on the My Dreams of Disney website: Walt Disney World All to Myself For more great Disney content, visit My Dreams of Disney today! If you are looking for a travel agent, visit our Pixie Vacations page!

Image ©Disney Vacation Club

At the Grand Californian Resort and Spa, there is a resort activity that is just up our alley, and is something that I think we will check out one day.  I am referring to the Grand Quest Scavenger Hunt.

Starting at Guest Services, where you check-in and receive your instructions, the Grand Quest takes you around the resort, looking for clues and secret answers in this scavenger hunt.  Designed for resort guests with children aged three to twelve, the Grand Quest is something that I think we are going to find the time to do during one of our non-park days.  At the end of your quest, your young adventurer will receive a special treat.  I will let you know what we thought of the Grand Quest — and what the treat was — when we complete the quest!

For now, though, please let me know if you have done the quest, and if so, what did you think of it?  Let me know in the comments, please, and thanks for stopping by!

Related articles

• 29 Days til Disneyland – Grand Californian Pools! (mydreamsofdisney.com)

Read this article on the My Dreams of Disney website: 28 Days: The Grand Quest at the Grand Californian Resort! For more great Disney content, visit My Dreams of Disney today! If you are looking for a travel agent, visit our Pixie Vacations page!

Image ©Disney Parks

The pools at the Grand Californian are something that I truly intend to enjoy.  Normally for me, when we visit Walt Disney World, every day is spent at the parks, and I almost never take in the resort amenities.  However, this trip to Disneyland will have 5 days of park tickets, so that leaves two other days to do what we want, and some of that time will be spent at the pool!  For this reason, I have made day 29 our look at the Grand Californian Pools!

Looking at the section of the website for the Grand Californian resort that is focused on the pool, the whole area looks really great!  Maybe it’s just like any other pool, maybe not…but looking at the picture at the top, what you may not see is that the slide curves around and around before getting to this landing into the water.  That sounds great to me, and I can’t wait to try it out!

When you go to Disney parks, how often do you take in the resort amenities?  Do you budget some time for that, or do you go die-hard at the parks every day?  Please let me know in the comments below, and thanks for stopping by!

Related articles

• 30 Days til Disneyland – King Arthur Carrousel! (mydreamsofdisney.com)

Read this article on the My Dreams of Disney website: 29 Days til Disneyland – Grand Californian Pools! For more great Disney content, visit My Dreams of Disney today! If you are looking for a travel agent, visit our Pixie Vacations page!

Starting with the original Face Character Star — Snow White!

By Mike Ellis.  Hello everyone, and welcome to this week’s Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop post! Like last week, today I’m filling in for Deb as she enjoys her time off and visits Walt Disney World!

This week we are taking a look Character Movie Stars — and there are a ton to choose from, so you almost can’t go wrong with your selections! Take a look at some of the ones I’ve run across in my days, and share with us your choices also!

Gotta Love Belle! Such a classic star!

Cinderella with Stephanie and Sophie, such a great picture!

Mickey & Minnie taking a 40th Birthday Stroll!

I’ve only shared this about a million times — Sophie and Princess Jasmine!

Pocahontas with Sophie at Rafiki’s Planet Watch!

Pinocchio and Geppetto greeting Sophie!

The Goofy Statue with Sophie!

Clarabelle Cow and Horace Horsecollar with Sophie!

This last picture you might think is a bit of a stretch, but Clarabelle Cow and Horace Horsecollar have been in Disney shorts together.  Check them out in the Disney Cartoon “The Band Concert”!

Thank you for stopping by! Hopefully our link issues this week will not hinder us, but at the least, you can check out Deb’s post! Just click on the button, and thanks!

Read this article on the My Dreams of Disney website: Wordless Wednesday – Character Movie Stars For more great Disney content, visit My Dreams of Disney today! If you are looking for a travel agent, visit our Pixie Vacations page!

Image ©Disney Parks

The King Arthur Carrousel is located in Fantasyland at Disneyland Park, and is the subject of day 30 in our countdown to Disneyland series.  This carrousel, which is similar to the Prince Charming Regal Carrousel in the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World, was handcrafted by the Dentzel company in Philadelphia in 1922.  When Walt Disney purchased it, he purchased it from the Sunnyside Beach Park in Toronto, where it had many other types of animals besides horses.  Walt wanted everyone to ride a horse just like King Arthur, so he located other carrousel horses — and the giraffes, deer, and other animals were relocated — many of them to the Casey, Jr. Circus Train!

My wife loves to ride a good carrousel, so I’m sure we will stop to ride this one.  What do you think about it?  Please let me know in the comments, and thanks!

Related articles

• 33 Days til Disneyland – Goofy’s Sky School! (mydreamsofdisney.com)
• 34 Days til Disneyland – Ariel’s Grotto! (mydreamsofdisney.com)
• 36 Days til Disneyland – “it’s a small world”! (mydreamsofdisney.com)

Read this article on the My Dreams of Disney website: 30 Days til Disneyland – King Arthur Carrousel! For more great Disney content, visit My Dreams of Disney today! If you are looking for a travel agent, visit our Pixie Vacations page!

Harper’s Mill at Tom Sawyer Island

Hello everyone, and welcome to this week’s edition of Tiggerific Tuesday Trivia!  Along with Jodi from Magical Mouse Schoolhouse, Jenn from Disney Babies Blog, and Heidi from Heidi’s Head, I’m Mike here to bring you a little tidbit of Disney Trivia to brighten your day!

Today’s trivia comes from the This Day in Disney History site.

 Tom Sawyer Island…

Did you know on this day in 1973, Tom Sawyer Island opened up at the Magic Kingdom?  That makes today the 40th anniversary of the great outdoor playground for kids!

A huge outdoor playground, Tom Sawyer Island (located in the middle of the Rivers of America) is inspired by the famous works of author Mark Twain. It features Injun Joe’s Cave, Magnetic Mystery Mine and old Fort Sam Clemens. The Tom Sawyer Rafts in Frontierland take guests to and from Tom Sawyer Island. The opening-day festivities include Tom Sawyer and Becky Thatcher portrayed by teenagers Steve Pierceall and Becky Bleigh. They were chosen during the annual Mark Twain observance in their hometown of Hannibal, Missouri (the boyhood home of Twain).

Thank you for joining in today as we explore Disney Trivia!  Please take a look at the rest of the entries below, and thanks for stopping by!

Related articles

• Tiggerific Tuesday Trivia – Modesty! (mydreamsofdisney.com)
• 71 Days til Disneyland – Pirate’s Lair on Tom Sawyer Island! (mydreamsofdisney.com)

Read this article on the My Dreams of Disney website: Tiggerific Tuesday Trivia – Tom Sawyer Island! For more great Disney content, visit My Dreams of Disney today! If you are looking for a travel agent, visit our Pixie Vacations page!

Image ©Disney Parks

Wow, are the days flying by!  We are down to 31 days til our Disneyland trip!  Today, we are looking at an “attraction” that you won’t find me anywhere near!  The Mandara Spa!

Since we are looking at all that Disneyland has to offer, the Mandara Spa is one of those things that we need to examine for those of you that are of a mind to experience the spa!  Located inside the Grand California Resort & Spa, our home resort, the offerings of the spa are quite elaborate (I think!) and something that many of the readers of My Dreams of Disney would probably really enjoy!  Click the link to go to the Mandara Spa site for a list of all of the services that they provide.

Are you going to take in the spa for a well deserved relaxation day?  If so, let us know what your favorite treatment will be in the comments below, and thanks!

Related articles

• 33 Days til Disneyland – Goofy’s Sky School! (mydreamsofdisney.com)

Read this article on the My Dreams of Disney website: 31 Days til Disneyland – Mandara Spa Mani-Pedi! For more great Disney content, visit My Dreams of Disney today! If you are looking for a travel agent, visit our Pixie Vacations page!