Don't Cry, Princess!

BOOM!!!  The deafening clap of thunder rattled the bus stop at the Beach Club where we waited to board a bus that would take us to the Magic Kingdom.  Almost instantaneously, I felt my daughter attempting to climb up my body like a baby kangaroo.  Before I knew it, she was cowering in my arms.  Then, after a brief moment of terrified silence, the sobbing ensued.

My daughter Sadie is not scared of much.  Monsters, water slides, the vault at her gymnastics class, large growling dogs...none of it phases her.  She does, however, have two mortal fears: bugs and thunderstorms.  And unfortunately for us, this storm was a biggie.  Mercifully, however, summertime storms in Orlando tend to be short-lived.  Almost every afternoon, storm clouds roll in and it rains like crazy.  Then, the rain stops...usually. 

Tip Time: On most days, we retreat to our resort hotel in the afternoons for a midday break, so we are rarely caught in the rain.  When we do find ourselves in the middle of an Orlando downpour, however, we just don our heavy-duty ponchos and continue touring.  Many of the attractions at Disney World are indoors and keep operating in the rain.  

By the time we boarded the bus, the rain was bearing down hard.  And it just got worse.  Our bus pulled into the Magic Kingdom in the middle of a veritable deluge.  The wind howled, whipping the rain sideways.  We pulled our ponchos on in a futile attempt to stay dry, but within thirty seconds of disembarking from the bus, we realized that our rain gear was useless against the powerful wind.  Meanwhile, Sadie was virtually frozen in fear; she literally refused to move.  Unlike her legs, her lungs were apparently unaffected by terror, as she unleashed a high-pitched scream that stopped passerby in their tracks.  I scooped Sadie up and hurried toward the gates, feeling her legs pulling up my poncho in the back, exposing my entire body to the driving rain.  To make matters worse, Sadie was howling directly into my ear, making it impossible to concentrate.  Just when I thought that I was going to lose my mind, a Cast Member stepped forward and came to my rescue.

"Don't cry, Princess," she said to my daughter, as she gestured for my permission to take Sadie from my arms.  The Cast Member held my daughter's hand, led her to a sheltered overhang, and crouched down to her level.  For the next ten minutes, the Cast Member engaged my daughter by telling her jokes, handing out stickers, and commiserating with her about the storm.  Before I knew it, Sadie was actually laughing; it was as if she'd completely forgotten about her mortal fear! 

Tip Time: Experiences like this are not uncommon at Disney World.  Cast Members routinely go out of their way to make your vacation memorable.  It's part of what makes Disney World so magical!

After a few minutes under the overhang with the Cast Member, Sadie had calmed down completely, and my son (who is unaffected by thunderstorms) was becoming impatient.  He began gesturing toward the gates in an attempt to convince me that it was time to get this evening started.  We thanked the Cast Member for her kindness, took a deep breath, and charged back out into the rain.  Sadie's mood had greatly improved; she was even able to walk on her own.  Nevertheless, the wind and rain was persistent, finding its way into every exposed crevice of our ponchos.  Just keep going, I kept telling myself, as we sloshed through the puddles.  The storm will be over soon.

Tip Time: Check the forecast before you leave your hotel room after your midday break.  If there is even a chance of rain, wear Crocs (or some other type of waterproof shoe).  At the very least, bring them with you and store them in a locker.  There is nothing worse than wet shoes and socks when you have to walk a long distance. 

Sixty minutes later, as we sat in a crowded restaurant with hordes of drenched people who were also trying to escape the rain, we began to realize that this storm broke the typical pattern of afternoon showers in Orlando.  The rain was definitely not stopping any time soon.  Although we were all soaked from the waist down, our wet hair dripping onto our cheeseburgers, that Cast Member had effectively warded off the potential for any darkening moods.  We huddled together in a corner of that packed restaurant, laughing and joking about the crazy storm, Jack and Sadie inspecting the stickers they'd received.  

A silly moment of spontaneity

After we enjoyed a leisurely meal together, we decided to throw ourselves back into the fray and make the best of our evening.  Much to our delight, when we emerged from the restaurant, we were greeted by...SUN!!  Best of all, the storm had left behind impressively-sized puddles, perfect for splashing.  As Jack and Sadie jumped from puddle to puddle, laughing hysterically, I paused to appreciate this moment of spontaneity.  Our evening had definitely been altered due to the storm, and we didn't get to experience as many attractions as we'd planned, but I will never forget the memories that we made that night.

Tip Time: While a good touring plan is essential to a successful Disney vacation, it is also important to recognize that there are times when these plans should be thrown out the window.  Of course, you want to experience as many attractions as you can while you are at Disney World, but the memories that you will cherish most are likely to be made in moments of true spontaneity.  

Later that evening, my mom and I staked out a spot for the Main Street Electrical Parade while my husband took the kids on a few rides.  It was the first time that she and I had spent any time alone together for the entire trip.  As we chatted about the day's adventures, I noticed the gleam in her eyes, and I realized how much this vacation meant to her.  Soon, my husband and kids joined us, bringing Mickey Mouse sundaes from the Plaza Ice Cream Parlour (one of our favorite ways to pass the time while we're waiting for the parade to begin).  Within minutes, the lights dimmed, the familiar music of the Main Street Electrical Parade filled the air, and the luminescent floats suddenly became visible in the distance.

Tip Time: The Main Street Electrical Parade is not-to-be-missed.  Our favorite place to watch the parade is on the curb of Main Street.  This provides the closest proximity to the floats and the characters.  To score a spot on Main Street, however, you need to send an adult (or two) to camp out on the curb 60-90 minutes before the parade begins.  Send the kids with another adult to enjoy a few more attractions (and maybe get some ice cream), then meet up about 20-30 minutes prior to start time.  

Mesmerized by the Main Street Electrical Parade

About an hour later, we collapsed into our beds at the Beach Club resort.  Despite the prolonged thunderstorm, we'd enjoyed one of the most memorable nights of our entire trip.  And the best news...our vacation was only half over!!

Meredith McCutcheon
Personalized Disney Itineraries and Touring Plans
Disney Specialist at Ginger's Getaways
Find me on Facebook or on The Patch

"It's Go-Time, Grandma!"

"Come on, Grandma!" yelled my 7-year-old son Jack, as we rushed to our first attraction at Hollywood Studios.  "It's go-time!"

Although I normally would not allow my child to shame my 65-year-old mother into quickening her pace, I made an exception this time.  If we didn't keep up with other competitors in the "post-rope drop" speed-walking contest that occurs daily at Hollywood Studios, we would lose a ton of time.

Fortunately for my son, my mother is in great physical shape, so we arrived at our first attraction quickly, and we walked right on to the popular ride.  While we were strolling through an empty queue to board the attraction, I thought back fondly to the beginning of the morning.

About 45 minutes earlier, we'd arrived at the gates of Disney's Hollywood Studios with an arsenal of activities to keep the kids occupied.  Although some people balk at arriving early to Disney's theme parks, it is an extremely important element to a successful day, and it can actually be quite fun!  On this particular morning, we packed up some breakfast food and a few games, and we staked out a little spot in line where we could spread out on the ground and enjoy some time together.  Within a few minutes, my daughter had invited a little girl over to play a game with her, and my mom had struck up a conversation with another grandmother in line.  Everyone was excited and happy; it was truly a magical atmosphere, and the park hadn't even opened yet!

Tip Time: Although I recommend arriving before "rope drop" (Disney-speak for "park opening") at every Disney theme park, an early start is especially crucial at Hollywood Studios.  Hollywood Studios is smaller than the other Disney theme parks.  Because it has fewer attractions, crowds are more concentrated and therefore build more rapidly throughout the day.

No waiting in line...again!!

Guests are usually allowed into Hollywood Studios about fifteen minutes prior to the official opening time, so we began packing up at around 8:40am in anticipation of the daily speed-walking race that is unique to the Studios.  While visitors tend to spread out in the other parks, the vast majority of guests initially head to one of only two locations in Hollywood Studios.  This creates a bit of a traffic jam, and since Cast Members prevent guests from running to an attraction, visitors walk as fast as they can to their first ride, causing a fairly humorous speed-walking exhibition down Hollywood Boulevard every morning. 

Before we knew it, the gates were opening, and we were on our first ride!  We knew that we wanted to ride this particular attraction a second time that day, so we picked up a FASTPASS for later (while we were on the ride, the wait time had already become prohibitively long).


Tip Time: The key to a successful Disney World vacation is to follow a good touring plan.  And the key to a good touring plan is to visit the right attractions first.  Start by experiencing attractions that typically build long waits quickly, and learn how to use the FASTPASS system.  If you become overwhelmed, you can always turn to a Disney travel specialist, like me, who would be happy to handcraft personalized touring plans for you.

Hollywood Studios at midday.  No crowds!!

After grabbing our FASTPASSES, we headed off to the next attraction on our list, working in Hollywood Studios' stellar live stage shows according to performance times.  By mid-afternoon, we'd once again experienced everything on our "wish list", and we never waited in line for more than five minutes.  We always seemed to be where the crowds weren't!

Tip Time: Some of Disney's attractions and shows tend to appeal more to certain age brackets and genders.  I find this to be especially true at Hollywood Studios, where shows run the gamut from Disney Jr. Live  to Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage to the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular.  If you have multiple children who have wildly different interests, don't be afraid to "divide and conquer" for a little while at the Studios.  Meet back up for meals and attractions that appeal to everyone.  

We'd had such a pleasant day, in fact, that my kids did not want to leave! Our plan was to hop over to Magic Kingdom in the evening to see the Main Street Electrical Parade, though, and I knew from experience that we would need some serious downtime if we were going to make that happen. Consequently, at about 2:30pm, we departed Hollywood Studios and retreated back to our resort for a rest.

Next Up: The Main Street Electrical Parade


Meredith McCutcheon
Personalized Disney Itineraries and Touring Plans
Disney Specialist at Ginger's Getaways
Find me on Facebook or on The Patch

Here Comes Isaac!

Illuminated only by the dim light of our bathroom at the Beach Club Resort, I feverishly scoured the Internet on my cell phone in a desperate attempt to obtain any solid information about the trajectory of Hurricane Isaac.  After a brutally early (but successful) morning at the Magic Kingdom, we'd returned to our hotel for a refreshing midday break.  Then, we'd hopped over to Epcot's World Showcase for another relaxing evening of street performers, character meets, Agent P Missions, delicious cuisine in the Italy Pavilion, and a Grand Marnier slushie (or two) in the France Pavilion.

Slurping spaghetti in the Italy Pavilion

After dinner and some requisite face painting, we staked out our spots along the World Showcase lagoon and waited for IllumiNations, Epcot's spectacular nightly fireworks show, to begin.  Just as we were breaking open the popcorn, I overheard a disturbing conversation behind me.

"I'm glad we're leaving tomorrow," a woman commented to her husband. 

"Yeah, no kidding," he replied.  "Looks like the Florida coast is going to take a direct hit from Isaac this weekend."

I felt my stomach drop to my knees.  When we booked our Disney trip for late August, we were fully aware that we were taking our chances, as the height of the Florida hurricane season runs from mid-August to October.  Nevertheless, the odds of a hurricane actually hitting Florida while we were in Disney World were relatively slim, so we decided to risk it.  Now, I was beginning to regret our decision.  Although Disney World is far enough inland that it rarely takes a direct hit from a hurricane, if a tropical storm even grazes the Atlantic Florida coast, Orlando can still be inundated with torrential downpours and high winds...for days.  We'd barely begun our trip (it was still only the first full day); we weren't schedule to depart Orlando until Monday.  Even worse, we'd planned to spend the last two days of our trip at Disney's Vero Beach Resort...on the ocean!

The streetlights of Epcot's World Showcase dimmed, and the narrator's voice filled the air:  Good evening. On behalf of Walt Disney World, the place where dreams come true, we welcome all of you to Epcot and World Showcase.  Normally, an electric atmosphere of excitement accompanies these words, but I just could not shake the feeling of dread that was consuming me.

At least the kids enjoyed IllumiNations!

After IllumiNations was over, we strolled through the International Gateway and began the short walk back to our room at Disney's Beach Club Resort.  The kids were tired but happy, chattering away with my mom.  My husband was aware of the impending storm, but he is able to compartmentalize much better than I am; he'd decided that, since we had no control over the hurricane's path, he was simply not going to worry about it.  Unfortunately, the nature of my personality prevents me from adopting such a carefree attitude; consequently, as soon as I tucked the kids into bed for the night, I whipped out my cell phone and began researching.

So that I wouldn't disturb my sleeping family, I moved "Operation Isaac" to the bathroom.  I read weather article upon weather article and viewed multiple projected paths of the storm.  I learned that Tropical Storm Isaac (although it was projected to become a hurricane, it wasn't one yet) was most likely going to hit the Atlantic Florida coast sometime during the weekend.  It would then decrease in intensity as it moved across Central Florida, bringing high winds and extremely rainy conditions in its wake.  So, I refreshed myself on Disney's hurricane policy, and I decided upon Plan B (and C and D) in case we were stranded.   

At about 3:00am, my phone battery reached a critically low stage, and I decided to call it a night.  As I stood up and glanced in the mirror, I suddenly became fully cognizant of my temporary insanity.  While it's prudent to have a backup plan in case of inclement weather (and to always understand the policies of the resort at which you are staying), I knew in my heart that my husband was right: what was going to happen was going to happen, and we had no control over it.  In that moment, I made a crucial decision.  I'd spent months planning this vacation, and I was going to enjoy it.  I was going to treasure every sunny moment for the next few days, and when the storm hit, I was going to make the best of that, too.

Tip Time: When visiting Disney World during hurricane season, familiarize yourself with their hurricane policy.  At the same time, keep in mind that hurricanes rarely impact Orlando directly.  Disney World has only closed a handful of times due to a tropical storm, and it always reopens quickly.  If a hurricane does hit the Florida coast while you're in Disney World, it will likely cause extremely rainy conditions in Orlando.  Don't let this deter you from visiting the parks, though!  Many of the attractions at Disney World are indoors.  If you can brave the wind and rain, you will most likely enjoy nonexistent waits in almost-empty parks!  And you'll have a great story to tell!

I finally crawled into bed, exhausted but content with my resolution to place Hurricane Isaac on the back burner..for now.   A mere four hours later, my family started to stir.  And by stir, I mean Jack leaped out of his bed and jumped onto mine, yelling "It's Hollywood Studios day!!!".  Hollywood Studios is my son's favorite park, and his enthusiasm was contagious.  Fueled by adrenaline, I bounded out of bed with him and began the painful process of cajoling my sleep-loving daughter out from under her covers. 

Tip Time: I am a strong proponent of arriving at Disney's theme parks early every day.  You will accomplish more in the first hour of the day than you will in the entire afternoon.  Nevertheless, if you simply cannot get up that early, you can still have a successful trip if you have a solid touring plan.  The one exception to this is Hollywood Studios.  Hollywood Studios is smaller than the other parks and has fewer attractions, so crowds are more concentrated and build more quickly.  To enjoy the attractions at Hollywood Studios without spending hours in line, you must arrive before the park opens (30 minutes early during the regular season and 45-60 minutes early during the peak or holiday seasons).  

After a quick breakfast, we were off to Hollywood Studios!  We arrived at about 8:15am, making us one of the first groups in line at the turnstiles.  I brought a small arsenal of activities to occupy my children until the park opened, so the time passed quickly.  Before we knew it, the turnstiles were opening, and we were making an ecstatic mad dash to our first attraction!   

Excited for a fun day at the Studios..with no waiting in line!

Tip Time: Bring small activities to keep your kids occupied while waiting in line for the parks to open.  This is especially crucial at Hollywood Studios.  Many of the attractions at Hollywood Studios are scheduled shows and require you to arrive 20-30 minutes prior, meaning that you will have a lot of downtime.  One of my favorite activities is Melissa and Doug's Flip-to-Win Memory game.


Next Up: Enjoying the attractions at Hollywood Studios with no wait!.


Meredith McCutcheon
Disney Specialist at Ginger's Getaways
Find me on Facebook or on The Patch

"Magical??" Morning Extra Magic Hours

"But I don't WANT to get up," my daughter Sadie whined as she turned her back to me and snuggled deeper into the covers of her daybed in our room at Disney's Beach Club Resort.  "It's too early.  I'm still tired," she slurred.

I sighed deeply and tried not to become frustrated.  After all, I couldn't completely disagree with her.  It was early--6:00am to be exact.  But we needed to be at the Magic Kingdom by 7:40am to take advantage of Morning Extra Magic Hours.  If we were even 15 minutes late, the benefits of arriving early would be negated by the steady stream of guests pouring into the park.   Besides, we'd rested well the night before.  After a long day of traveling and a quick jaunt over to Epcot's World Showcase, we'd climbed into bed at a very reasonable hour.  Nevertheless, while the other members of our family are early-risers, Sadie places a high value on her rest, and we'd had to wake up exceptionally early two days in a row.  I could tell that this deviation from her normal schedule was beginning to take its toll on her.

Tip Time: Extra Magic Hours are one of the perks granted to guests who are staying at a Disney onsite resort hotel.  Each day, one park opens one hour early (or stays open two hours late) for resort guests only.  Although this seems like a fantastic benefit, I usually recommend that my clients AVOID Extra Magic Hours, especially if they have small children (more on that later in the post). 

Physically lifting my daughter out of bed, I mentally ran through the complicated transportation plan for the morning.  Buses to parks with Morning Extra Magic Hours start running from Disney resorts about 30-45 minutes prior to the commencement of the Extra Magic Hours.  To give us enough time to get through security and pass through the turnstiles, however, I like to leave our resort one hour before park opening, so I'd eliminated the bus system as a transportation option.  That left us with our rental car.  Unfortunately, driving to the Magic Kingdom is a gigantic hassle.  Unlike the other three theme parks at the Walt Disney World Resort, the Magic Kingdom has no onsite parking lot.  Instead, you must park at the Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC) and take a monorail to the Magic Kingdom.  To further complicate matters, monorails do not run from the TTC during Morning Extra Magic Hours.  Our only other option was to park at the TTC and walk about ten minutes to Disney's Polynesian Resort.  The resort monorail system (which starts running at 7:00am daily) stops at both the Polynesian and the Magic Kingdom; if we arrived at the Polynesian by 7:15am, we could get to the Magic Kingdom by 7:30am, giving us plenty of time to get through security and the turnstiles.  For this plan to be successful, however, we needed to leave our hotel room by 6:30am.

So, instead of sleeping in a little, strolling down to the lobby of our resort, and hopping on a bus that would have dropped us off right at the entrance of the Magic Kingdom, we dragged ourselves out of bed at the crack of dawn and embarked on my convoluted plan.  Groggy and travel-weary from an 80 minute trip from our resort to the park, we arrived at the Magic Kingdom approximately five whole minutes before the bus from our resort pulled up.      

Tip Time: Take the bus.  Seriously, just take the bus. 

Let the Memories Begin--Again!!

Once we passed through security and walked through the front gates, however, our weariness melted away.  As soon as Jack and Sadie laid eyes on the train station that graces the entrance to the Magic Kingdom, they transformed from half-asleep zombies to little jumping beans, full of unbridled energy.  As the welcome show came to a close, the tune of "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" filling the morning air, the kids were nearly bursting with anticipation!  When the park finally opened, Jack and Sadie rushed through the tunnel under the train station, craning their necks to get their first glimpse of Cinderella Castle again.  We rounded the corner to the front of Main Street, and there it was!  The Castle!

As we strolled toward Fantasyland, ready to put a new set of touring plans into action, it dawned on me that I'd lost track of my mother.  I nervously turned around and was relieved to see her about one hundred feet behind me.  Completely lost in the magical details of Main Street and awed by the beauty of the towering Cinderella Castle, she'd stopped dead in her tracks.  Suddenly, I remembered that she was experiencing all of this for the very first time.  And we needed to slow down and let her enjoy it.    

Tip Time: A good touring plan is crucial to a successful Disney trip.  It's important to remember, however, that touring plans should not be schedules; they are simply a list of "must-see" attractions, arranged in a logical order that will help you "stay ahead of the crowds" on your vacation.  Certain attractions at Disney World quickly build long lines.  Experiencing these attractions first (and effectively utilizing Disney's FastPass system) will allow you to spend less time waiting in line and more time making memories (which is the whole purpose of a Disney vacation).  Some Disney travel professionals (like me) specialize in designing personalized touring plans for their clients.

In line for our first ride at the Magic Kingdom

After stopping for a few moments to take in our surroundings, we continued on to our first attraction.  The first few hours of our morning were absolutely wonderful.  Once again, my touring plans worked beautifully, allowing us to enjoy more attractions in the first hour of our day than we would have been able to experience in an entire afternoon.  By late morning, however, I noticed that the our moods had definitely deflated.  There were two key reasons for this.  First, we were completely exhausted.  To truly take advantage of Morning Extra Magic Hours, we'd had to wake up extraordinarily early.  By noon, we'd already been awake for six hours, and we were starting to crash.  Second, Morning Extra Magic Hours definitely draw crowds.  While the first few hours of any day (extra magic hours or not) are the least crowded, when people see any sort of special event, they are drawn to it.  Therefore, more resort guests tend to visit parks with Extra Magic Hours, even if they do not arrive early enough in the morning (or stay late enough in the evening) to take advantage of the perk.

Tip Time: While it is not always possible, I usually advise my clients to avoid parks with Extra Magic Hours, if they can.  When a park has Morning Extra Magic Hours, crowds will build more rapidly than normal in the mid-to-late morning, negating the benefit of the extra hour.  Furthermore, you'll be so tired from getting up so early that you are less likely to truly enjoy yourself.  When a park has Evening Extra Magic Hours, larger-than-normal crowds start to build in the mid-to-late afternoon.  In addition, most children cannot stay up late enough to take advantage of the additional park hours in the evening.  While Evening Extra Magic Hours can be fun for families with older children (or guests with no children at all), I recommend against them in most cases.  

Soon after lunch, we accepted the fact that we could simply not go on, and we decided to return to our hotel for a rest.  We'd had a truly magical morning.  Even though the park was crowded, we'd been able to "stay ahead of the crowds" with my touring plans, and we'd visited every attraction on our "wish list"!  Besides, we were going to need a solid afternoon rest: we had another exciting evening planned at Epcot's World Showcase!

Meredith McCutcheon
Ginger's Getaways: Rochester Hills, MI
Personalized Disney Itineraries and Touring Plans
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