Animal Kingdom

My Plans for Touring Disney

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Considering that crowd levels are consistently higher at Walt Disney World, The Mature Mouse™ believes in researching and planning park touring before every trip. As I stated in my previous post, Planning My Solo Trip to Disney World, I rely on TouringPlans.com for the best way for dealing with crowd levels. I purchased a subscription, which currently cost 12.95 a year, and renew it each year. I do not work for, nor do I profit from, TouringPlans.com. I believe in the value of this site and just wanted to share my thoughts with you.

UntitledDuring the planning process for my recent solo trip, TouringPlans.com made a reevaluation of the crowd levels and sent me an email informing me of these changes. This allowed me the opportunity to make changes to my daily plans before my trip, including making any alterations of in my FastPass+ reservations. Expectations for crowd levels increased, but I did not make any changes. I believed that my personal plans created by TouringPlans.com would still work given the different expectations.plan

My touring plans are generally very orderly and structured. However, for The Mature Mouse™, a well-planned touring of the parks allows for flexibility once in the parks. The image to the right is a visual I created to outline my touring plans for my recent trip. I took images from my files created in TouringPlans.com. The X in the upper section indicates the FastPass+ reservations, based on the TP suggestions, for morning at Magic Kingdom.

The graphic below indicates how close their expectations were to the actual crowd levels in the parks during the week of my vacation, along with an analysis of the results. The outcome is very impressive, which is the reason why I rely on this site in planning my Disney World trip.

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One of the common complaints I hear from non-Disney fans is that the parks are crowded, and they do not wish to deal with all those people while on vacation. The Mature Mouse™ is not a fan of crowds, either, but I am a fan of the Disney Parks. As I have expressed in many of my posts, I revel in the storytelling, the theming, and detailing Imagineers have created. Erin Foster, an original member of the Walt Disney World Moms Panel, is a guest writer on various Disney oriented blogs. Her article, An Introvert’s Guide to Disney World, offers an interesting look at dealing with the crowds in the Disney parks.

A travel agent who specializes in booking Disney Vacations is a valuable free resource when planning your next trip. I started planning my recent Disney World Vacation by calling Jennie Nowers. When Cool Summer Savings was released, Jennie was up early applying these savings to my trip, which saved me 15% on the price of my resort stay. I did not have to do a thing. IMG_1869Tell Jennie that The Mature Mouse™ sent you and receive a special gift with your next booking.

Please visit The Mature Mouse™ store for merchandise. Many of the items would make outstanding additions to your vacation gear and attire. This baseball hat is just one of the featured items available through the store. If you are a mature fan of Disney, consider getting an item. I am a Mature Mouse™, are you?

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Planning My Solo Trip to Disney World

~ mm57me ~ 2 Comments

IMG_7405Now that I have returned from my solo trip to Walt Disney World, we should review the planning for this trip. This will allow us to discuss in my future posts whether these plans worked and if any rescheduling was needed during my time in the parks. The planning steps i mention here will work for any type of Disney World vacation.

As with any trip to Disney World, planning for The Mature Mouse™ always begins with a call Jennie Nowers. I had a fixed budget and a short span of time for traveling, so Jennie helped me figure out my choices of resort, park tickets, dining plan, and plane flights.

IMG_1838Pop Century is the resort I chose for this trip. This is a value resort with rates ranging from $95 to $186 per night, varying according to the season in which you stay. The resort is themed after the pop culture of the 1950s, ‘60s, ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s. These last two decades are reflected in the same unit within the resort. As a middle-aged vacationer, The Mature Mouse™ can certainly relate to the theme of this resort. Pop Century is just one of the few resorts to feature dedicated buses that travel directly to and from the various parks, without any additional stops at other resorts. Here is a link to a previous post about Disney’s Pop Century Resort.

The next step in my planning process involves researching expected crowd levels in the 4 theme parks during my stay. I rely on TouringPlans.com Screen Shot 2015-07-06 at 11.54.10 AMfor this information. The site is simple to use, and it offers subscribers the ability to create personal touring plans for each day of their trip. You pick a park and attractions you wish to experience, then add the start and end times for your time in the park, along with lunch and rest breaks, and the site creates an optimized plan to avoid long lines. As you can see from this example, the plan even includes a map of the park. They have an excellent track record.

Supported by suggestions from Touring Plans, I made the choice to include the Park Hopper onto my ticket purchase. By adding the Park Hopper option I would have the possibility to visit any or all of the four major Walt Disney World theme parks (Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom) during each day of my trip. Here is more information on the value of the Park Hopper option. The various prices listed on this site may have changed since it was last update; please see Disney’s website on ticket pricing.

My final decision in planning was to determine whether to include a dining plan. I enjoy having an all-inclusive trip so as not to worry about added expenses. Of dining plans offered at Disney World, the Quick Service plan appeared to make the most sense. This would allow me two Quick Service meals and one snack. There are numerous QS restaurants throughout the parks, offering me numerous choices. Breakfast on the QS plan includes 1 entrée or a combo meal and a beverage. A QS lunch includes 1 entrée, 1 desert, and 1 non-alcoholic beverage. This dining plan would allow me to focus on touring the parks, not spending time sitting at a Table Service restaurant. Please do not misunderstand, Walt Disney World offers incredible fine-dining experiences. Please see my various posts about adult dining at WDW.

Chapter 7: Disney Magic and Romance at the California Grill

Top 10 Places to Dine Without Kids at Walt Disney World

My final step in planning was to book my FastPass+ choices 60 days prior to my trip, which was made based on the plans I created through the Touring Plans website. Making these reservations early insured I would have FP+ selections during my vacation, knowing that I would have the flexibility to alter these choices before and during my trip.

There was a period of time when a visit to Walt Disney World could be done on a whim, with little or no planning. However, times have changed. Planning is important and allows for flexibility. The process of planning your trip serves another purpose, educating you about the ins and outs of the resort. Think of it this way: Would you plan to travel to a city you have never been to before? The entire Walt Disney World Resort covers 40 Square miles, which is the equivalent in size of San Francisco. Would you research and plan your first trip to San Francisco?

IMG_1869Please visit The Mature Mouse™ store for merchandise. Many of the items would make outstanding additions to your vacation gear and attire. This baseball hat is just one of the featured items available through the store. If you are a mature fan of Disney, consider getting an item. I am a Mature Mouse™, are you?

A Disney World Vacation is the best

~ mm57me ~ 2 Comments

With so much to do and see at Walt Disney World, The Mature Mouse™ cannot understand why people choose to go anywhere else. This sentiment does not only apply to families; a Disney World vacation is a great choice for the more mature empty-nester. One does not need to have children in tow to enjoy all that Disney World has to offer.

Yes, Walt Disney World has attractions, rides, appropriate for all ages. However, as I have pointed out in numerous post, the resort also offers much more. There are fine-dining restaurants, and first-class hotels. There are first-class golf courses, and miniature golf courses. There are educational experiences, and cultural influences. There is a lot for vacationers, guests, to be thankful for at Walt Disney World.

Disney Questions has created a list of the top 10 things to be thankful for at Disney World. This list is not all inclusive, but it offers the non-Disney fan clear reasons why they should consider a vacation at the resort. I especially agree with number 7 on the list: The Cast Members. I make an effort to acknowledge those cast members who go above and beyond their role by handing them a thank you card during my visit.

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A travel agent who specializes in booking Disney Vacations is a valuable free resource when planning your next trip. I started planning my next Disney World Vacation by calling Jennie Nowers. When the Cool Summer Savings were released, Jennie was up early applying these savings to my trip, which saved me 15% on the price of my resort stay. I did not need to do a thing. Tell her that The Mature Mouse™ sent you and receive a special gift from Jennie with your next booking.

Please visit The Mature Mouse™ store for logo merchandise. Many of the items would make outstanding additions to your vacation gear and attire. Below are just a few of the items featured with my logo. If you are a mature fan of Disney, consider getting an item to let others know. I am a Mature Mouse™, are you?

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Is It Time to Retire Free Dining

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freedineDo you agree with dadfordisney? Should Disney World discontinue the offer of Free Dining? Have you booked a trip simply because of this offer? The Mature Mouse™ would like to know what you think. I booked my next trip for June, hoping for summer savings, but not budgeting for this offer. Has an offer, like Free Dining, tempted you to book a trip?

I started planning my next Disney World Vacation by calling Jennie Nowers. When the Cool Summer Savings were released, Jennie was up early applying these savings to my trip, which saved me 15% on the price of my resort stay. I did not need to do a thing. Tell her that The Mature Mouse™ sent you and receive a special gift from Jennie with your next booking.

Please visit The Mature Mouse™ store for logo merchandise. Many of the items would make outstanding additions to your vacation gear and attire.

dadfordisney

For the last several years, Disney has offered a free dining promotion during what are “slower traffic months” for Walt Disney World.  Free Dining started in the early 2000’s when people were travelling a lot.  Free Dining was designed as way to get people to the parks.  My family took Disney up on the Free Dining offer in 2009 and we’ve made eight more trips since that first trip.  As years have gone on and more and more people have come to expect free dining in the fall, Disney has made the dates more restrictive, resort availability more restrictive, and increased the number of days or type of ticket that you need to qualify for free dining.

I have spent many years as avid Disney follower, one year as independent Disney blogger, nine months as an independent travel agent specializing in Disney vacations, and will be soon coming out with…

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3 Reasons Why Disney World Is The Most Magical Place On Earth

~ mm57me ~ 2 Comments

A Walt Disney World vacation can be expensive, stressful, and often crowded with other vacationers. Yet, there are those of us who return to the resort as often as possible. As I have stated many times in this blog, The Mature Mouse™ appreciates all the details the Imagineers have included in the Disney Parks. It is this immersion in the storytelling that, as a teacher of literature, inspires me to experience and research the resort. And, it explains why I have chosen to share my observations with other mature fans of Walt Disney World. 

DisneyFanactic.com summarized their 3 major reasons Disney World is the favorite vacation spot for so many people. Do you agree? Are there components of a Disney World vacation that keep you coming back not mentioned in this article? Please share your thoughts below.

It has been some time since I last posted a chapter from our June vacation to Walt Disney World. I appreciate your patience, and hope these informational tidbits have been helpful. A major announcement is coming, so please check back often.

How to avoid following big Walt Disney World crowds

~ mm57me ~ 2 Comments

recently posted their suggestions for avoiding the crowds while in the parks at Walt Disney World. Do you agree with their suggestions? Besides staying out of the parks, and away from WDW during peak seasons, what are your strategies for avoiding the crowds?

As a teacher, my trips to Disney World are limited to school vacations and summer break. Most of these times of the year will bring a horde of guests to the parks. I go when I can, regardless of the crowds. I do check various crowd calendars, especially those at Touring Plans. Here is a calendar for several days at the end of June 2015. Besides the data from Touring Plans, you will see recommendations from EasyWDW and WDW Prep School. Screen Shot 2015-03-15 at 3.51.57 PM

Touring Plans takes data collected over many years, inputs into a specific algorithm, and determines a forecast of crowd levels for months in advance. Their track record is excellent.

I also refer to EasyWDW for their suggestions for dealing with the crowds, how to plan for various parks, and their interpretation of events that can impact crowds in the parks each day.

If you are indeed a mature fan of Disney, a mature mouse, please use the link to visit The Mature Mouse™ store for logo merchandise. And, do not forget to consult Jennie Nowers about your next Disney vacation. Tell her that The Mature Mouse™ sent you and receive a special gift from Jennie with your next booking.