Welcome to the Williams Family Blog!

Now that you have found us, we invite you to return often for more adventures!


We Came To Play!

We Came To Play!

Opening Magic Kingdom

Opening Magic Kingdom

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Saving O' The Green at Disney

I took a phone call this evening from Adam at Disney Vacation Club. He wanted to mail me some information about Disney Vacation Club and I explained that while he was certainly welcome to mail us the information we weren't ready for Disney Vacation Club ownership. We have some friends who are DVC members and we often travel to Disney at the same time they do--it's just not the right time for us.

Adam and I visited about whether or not an Annual Pass is worth it, whether Coronado Springs or Port Orleans--Riverside was the better moderate resort (just add queen size beds to Port Orleans--Riverside and they would win hands down), and how free dining offers seem to be the special that DVC members can't get their hands on. I told Adam that I was happy to visit about Disney with him and wished him a good evening. Our phone call got me thinking. . . specifically about ways we save the green (money) when traveling to Disney or traveling in general.

Here are some ways:
  • Plan ahead--especially if we are flying. If we are flying to Orlando, Air Tran is our favorite airline as they have non-stop flights daily from Moline and Kansas City. They now offer non-stop flights on the week-ends from Des Moines. Air Tran has their best fares come on-line 6-9 months ahead. If we are flying to Houston, Continental is our preferred airline as they have a reasonably priced non-stop flight daily from Kansas City. That same non-stop flight from Des Moines is typically double or more in price.

  • Take advantage of special offers either directly with a resort hotel or on-line. The last time we were at Disney 3 different special offers were being advertised. With the help of our travel agent, Shauna, we were able to compare all 3 deals and get the best one. We ended up saving 42% on our resort stay, theme park tickets, and dining. That is a significant savings. Once Disney or other vacation destinations have your e-mail, it is quite likely that you will receive special offers via e-mail. We were able to save 40% on a Great Wolf Lodge stay due to an e-mail special offer.

  • Budget for souvenirs and extra expenses. Rather than charging purchases to the room and ultimately a credit card, we pre-pay Visa gift cards--both the husband and I had one--and use those for the "I just have to have that" purchases.


  • A big vacation expense can be food, so at Disney we take advantage of the Dining Plan. We have had the Dining Plan on all of our trips to Disney and have been lucky enough to have free dining 3 out of 6 visits. Disney now has 3 different dining plans--Quick Service, Basic, and Deluxe. We stick with the Basic which offers a counter service meal, table service meal, and snack per person per night of your stay. We then pack individual cereal boxes, granola bars, and juice boxes for a get us up and get us going bite to eat in our room in the morning. This means that the only food expense we have while traveling would be getting to/from the resort and tips as the table service meals. If you are traveling to Universal, know that your AAA membership card can save you 10% when purchasing food in the theme parks.


  • This tip actually falls into the plan ahead category but it is if you can buy it and bring it, it will probably be less expensive. For example, we purchase "glow" necklaces/bracelets at our local dollar store and take them with. For around $2 total, each of us sported a glowing necklace at an evening function at Disney. This saved us loads off the come buy this lighted toy selection. We also buy 88 cent one time use ponchos in the camping section of our local Wal-Mart store and take with us. We have also purchased reusable ponchos for each of us for under $4 each and take those, too. A typical poncho at Disney is around $8-$12. If you want an inexpensive mat for the ground to watch a parade, spring for a colorful, disposable table cloth at the local discount shop. These are just some of the examples that buying ahead and taking with can lead to savings.
  • OK, you've purchased some souvenirs and now there is no room in the luggage, what do you do? There are multiple options here and we use the last one. First, you could opt to have either your new purchases or your extra luggage items shipped home for a fee. Second, you could buy another suitcase and pay the extra baggage fee for the trip home. Third, you could buy new larger suitcase and hope you are under the baggage limits so you don't have to pay the extra fee on the way home. Fourth, you could pack a small suitcase--carry on size--inside your larger bag and use it to bring items home (OK, we do this one, too, on occassion). Fifth, you could pack items you are willing to leave behind to make room for new items. Yes, we do this. If we are traveling in the spring, last year's summer clothes go with us as the boy is about to outgrow them and I know they won't fit by summer--so we just leave them there--and make room in our bags for new purchases.

  • Take a power strip. Yes, I said power strip. It is amazing how many electronic devices even a family of 3 can take/need on a short trip--camera battery charger, phone chargers, DS charger, DVD player charger, etc.--and often outlets in a hotel room are scarce or hard to get to outside of the bathroom. With a power strip, you can find one outlet and then charge all of your electronic items in an easy to reach/find location. Being able to charge your electronic items will save you from buying batteries or even worse, a new item altogether. We knew of a family who forgot to bring the camera battery charger and ended up buying several disposable cameras as they weren't able to purchase a new camera battery and didn't want to buy a whole new digital camera.

Once you have your plans and your bags packed, make room for fun, memories, and magic. Afterall, those are the most important items to bring home in your luggage!



Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Have We Ever Not Done Disney?

Yes, we have vacationed and not done Disney. Whoa, it hurt to write that sentence as we are huge Disney fans. But we have only become huge Disney fans because we have tried "other" vacation destinations for the experience and as a source of comparison.

So, in March of 2008 (Spring Break) we made our way to Orlando for a non-Disney vacation. There were a couple of reasons for our decision to venture away from Disney. One, Spring Break coincided with Easter this particular year, so traveling to Disney during Easter was incredibly expensive and incredibly crowded. The second reason was we wanted to be sure our longing for all things Disney was because we were true fans, rather than us lacking the experience of other destinations. With all of that in mind, we booked a hotel stay in a reasonably priced all suite hotel just of International Drive that had free transportation to Universal and Sea World, a free breakfast, and a free manager's reception in the evening with beverages and snacks. We booked a town car to take us to/from the airport and the ride included a 30 minute grocery store stop on the way to the hotel--again, just what we needed.

We enjoyed 3 days at Universal--one day at Islands of Adventure, one day at Universal Studios, and one day doing both. We also spent a day at Sea World, a day at Aquatica, and a day exploring International Drive--Trainland International, a helicopter ride over Orlando, Pirate Adventure Golf, and riding the I-Ride Trolley.

We got to meet many characters. . . the Simpsons as seen in the photo above, Captain America, Barney, Shrek, and others.


Barney had his own show and "backyard" at Universal Studios.



Here we are with Shrek!

Did we like our non-Disney adventure? Yes and No.
Yes--it was great to have the experiences as a family and try new things, but we do that at Disney, too. The husband was jonsing for the Hulk coaster and he got to ride it twice. We appreciated the convenience of not renting a car and relying on others forms of transportation, and again, we do that at Disney. We took in a Blue Man Group performance. It was very convenient to walk between the two parks--Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. They are just a stroll along a sidewalk apart.
No--the theming and magic are just not the same. At Universal, their version of Fastpass called Universal Express costs extra unless you are staying on site at their resorts. Other than one table service restaurant that we were aware of at the parks, the meals were all counter service. Level of entertainment is below the Disney standard, but entertaining none the less. Only one character meal is available at the parks.
Our bus driver drove the route between the hotels, Disney parks, and Universal. So, she would pick us up and drop us off at Universal and then go back and pick up another group and take them to Disney and then reverse in the evening. She reported to us that since it was Easter, Disney was incredibly crowded and that some guests were not being let in the Magic Kingdom unless they were on-site resort guests. At that moment, we were appreciative of our non-Disney vacation.
Would we do it again? Quite possibly. Since our Spring Break is now going to coincide with Easter until further notice, it may be that we stay away from the Disney crowds and visit Universal. And, Harry Potter's Island is ready for us to visit at Islands of Adventure. Who knows what April 2011 will bring?!?

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Baseball--Opening Day!

Last Saturday was Opening Day for the Little League baseball players. The Williams family was at the field around 9:30 for pictures, a game at 10:45 and Opening Day Ceremonies at Noon. The game wasn't quite over when it was time for Opening Ceremonies, so we resumed and finished the game when the Ceremonies were complete.

Players took the Little League Oath, which included being a good sport and citizen, while the rainy weather stayed at bay until many of the games could be played.

The boy is at bat and ready to swing!

Playing near second base. . . In Super Pee Wee all players play the field
and bat each inning.

At bat. . .


Here's the team waiting to run across the field during Opening Day Ceremonies.
The team has games 1-2 times per week. The boy went to baseball camp a couple of week-ends ago and enjoyed interacting with the high school players. Let's just say all of this is a big step from T-ball last summer. We are ready for the adventure!





Monday, April 26, 2010

Oliver Twist! It's a Wrap

OCCP's production of Oliver Twist! finished its final performance on Sunday. Cast, crew, and families celebrated with a cast party complete with food, dancing, and prizes.


Above you can see an entire list of cast and crew for the production.

Grandma Carol and Ann came to see the show on Sunday.


The three directors. . .
Very similar to the three amigos, Marc, Pam, and Becky.
OCCP's next production will be Wizard of Oz set to be on stage in September, 2010.






Sunday, April 25, 2010

Grand Marshals of the Family Fun Day Parade at the Magic Kingdom

During our third visit to the Walt Disney World Resort, our family was selected to the be the Grand Marshals of the Family Fun Day Parade at the Magic Kingdom. Here's how it happened. . .

In September, 2008, Disney was in the middle of the Year of a Million Dreams celebration. We were visiting for a week and were on our second day to the Magic Kingdom. We were just about to leave the park having started with Adventureland and made our way around the park. We had just visited Stitch and Buzz Lightyear in Tomorrowland and were making our way to the hub when the husband eye-spied a character handler hovering in the hub. He approached curious about what character might be showing up next. The handler indicated that he was on the look-out for a family for the Fun Day Parade and asked if we would be interested. "Sure," was our reply.

We were asked to wait in the hub for a few minutes. Soon, the antique fire truck came along with some characters. Pluto spent a lot of time with us. There were a handful of guys in the "suits" (which at Disney means long sleeve button oxford shirts rather than uniforms), character handlers, and our own PHOTOPASS photographer, James. Click here to read more about Disney's PHOTOPASS service. James took our photos throughout the parade down Main Street.

Interestingly enough, James asked where we were from and when we told him he said he had photographed another family from our hometown. We told James it must have been in July and that the family had opened Magic Kingdom. James could not believe that we knew the other family he had photographed in July, but we did! It is a small world after all!

Pluto spent a lot of time in the fire truck with us before the parade. We were given flags to wave.

Here we are making our way down Main Street, USA.


What a magical moment!



When the parade was over, the boy found Pluto and skipped through Town Square at the Magic Kingdom. Only at Disney!
These along with many more magical, memorable moments keep us coming back!




The Most Magical Day of Our 4th Visit to Walt Disney World

The most magical day of our 4th trip to Walt Disney World happened almost one year ago. It was Todd's birthday, the actual day of the big day, and our last day of vacation. Again, maybe we were more relaxed, more into vacation mode, more open to magic. Anyway, the day started at Disney's Hollywood Studios. We had two things going for us. . . one was extra magic hours in the am, so we arrived before the 8:00 am rope drop, and the other was it was Todd's birthday and we were cashing in on the Birthday Fastpasses. Remember Disney's free admission on your birthday offer? Well, if you already had admission, then your choices were a gift card worth the same as a day's admission or 5 birthday Fastpasses for the birthday person and up to 5 members of your party. We went to Guest Services, presented the birthday certificate and each of us were given a card--similar to our Key to the World Cards, which could be used at Fastpass distribution at any time. (there were some stipulations as to how many you could get from the two categories of attractions, etc.) Anyway, we were set!
First stop, Toy Story Mania! We went through the stand-by queue and captured the famed photo with Mr. Potato Head as shown in the photo above. Click here to read more about Toy Story Mania!
We ended up using both Birthday Fastpasses and regular Fastpasses to ride Toy Story Mania 5 times that day. We were in the queue for our 6th ride when the attraction went down and the queue had to be emptied. We knew we were headed out of the park by then, so we gave our Fastpasses to another family. Click here to read more about Fastpass.
After lunch, we used the Birthday Fastpasses for Lights, Motors, Action and got one big surprise. Since we had the special Fastpasses, we were escorted to the left of the regular queue and passed hundreds of people already in line. We were then escorted into the stadium, taken to an elevator, and given a ride to the level for the reserved section which was right in the middle. OK, here we were ahead of the crowd, sitting in the best seats in the house, and ready for a cool show. We captured the awesome photo below. Disney magic at work!


We had an ADR for Hoop Dee Doo at Fort Wilderness, so we left Studios and hopped a bus to Fort Wilderness. We actually ended up at Wilderness Lodge and then switched to another bus to take us to Fort Wilderness. Since we weren't sure how long it would take, we had given ourselves plenty of time and arrived with time to spare. Walking up to Pioneer Hall, home of the Hoop Dee Doo Review, we discovered pony rides and met Snickers the pony. The boy enjoyed the ride, and you get to see the back of Todd's shirt in the photo below, just in case folks didn't know we were celebrating.


Dinner at Hoop Dee Doo was wonderful and so was the show. Todd was picked out of the crowd to join the show as a dancing angel. The first photo at the beginning of this post is
Todd at the end of the show. Click here to read more about our adventure at Hoop Dee Doo.
Once again, Disney had exceeded our expectations for a magic day and Todd had a great birthday!










Thursday, April 22, 2010

Oliver Twist!

This week-end the boy will be in his 5th OCCP production, Oliver Twist! The all children cast will be performing at Bridge View Center, our 900 + seat Auditorium, on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

The boy plays an orphan and one of Fagan's Boys, as shown in the photo above. The cast and crew have worked hard to make the story come to life on stage!

On my way to the stage!

Our thoughtful director, Marc.


A few encouraging words before going on stage from our other director, Becky.


Hangin' out in the "green room" with a buddy.

OCCP is our local children's theater group which provides three children's productions each year, including one musical. OCCP works closely with OCP, the adults (well, mostly) theater group, which produces three shows annually, as well. Both organizations make Bridge View Center their home.



Wednesday, April 21, 2010

More. . . at the Character Explosion!

If you read the previous post, you know that what our family calls the Character Explosion at the Magic of Disney Animation at Disney's Hollywood Studios, is a great place to meet and greet Disney characters. Click here if you would like to read the first installment of the Character Explosion.

On non-Fantasmic nights, shortly before 5:00 pm, the exit to the Magic of Disney Animation is brimming with characters for about two hours. The characters change every 20-25 minutes. Since not many people know of this non-published event, the lines are short and you can visit with each character or set of characters in the 20-25 minutes before a new set arrives.

Pinocchio and Gepetto
Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum

Captain Hook and Mr. Smee

STITCH
He grabbed the boy upon arriving to the scene, spun him around, and carried him this spot for the photo. The boy loved every minute and STITCH has been his favorite ever since.


Chip and Dale
We were able to see the characters in the photos above plus a few of the "regulars" of the Magic of Disney Animation--the Incredibles and Sorcerer Mickey--within an hour. We think it worth every minute!





Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Character Explosion

Would you like a chance to meet some unusual Disney characters? Would you like them to all be in one place with short lines? If so, I have a secret. Shh. . . you can't tell anyone else. Promise?

OK, the secret is what our family calls the character explosion at the Magic of Disney Animation "attraction" at Disney's Hollywood Studios. On non-Fantasmic nights--Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday--shortly before 5:00 pm in the large, multi-leveled room that you exit into after viewing the animation show with Mushu, you will find characters in abundance. And, mostly unusual or not easily found characters. The characters rotate about every 20-25 minutes and new ones appear.

Jafar from Aladdin
Meeko and Pocahantas

The Queen of Hearts

The Queen

A Penguin from Mary Poppins
On our last visit to Walt Disney World, we made a special trip on a Wednesday evening to Hollywood Studios just for the character explosion. This Williams family titled event is not published or posted anywhere, yet you can find out more by visiting with most character handlers. And, as you can see from the photos above, you can meet some interesting characters for photos and autographs.
OK, here comes another secret. . . shh. . . again, promise not to tell? OK, here it is. You don't have to sit through the Mushu show to get to the "room." Just go the the Animation Courtyard and look for the entrance to the Magic of Disney Animation. Just left of the entrance to the attraction is an entrance to a store. . . a store that sells Disney art and animation. There are often animators on hand practicing their work at the two artist's desks in the shop and that is really neat to see. Oh, I digressed. OK, so if you find the shop/store, just walk in and keep walking to the frosted, sliding glass doors at the back of the store. Usually the doors are open, but if not, they will open when you walk up to them. Veer to the right and in front of you will be some of the many OSCARS that Mr. Disney has won. Keep walking until you come to the entrance of a large room. You're here! There are computer stations and animation stations throughout the room and some character meet and greets are here permanently, like the Incredibles, most recently the characters from UP, and Sorcerer Mickey. If you want to see the characters from UP you'd better hurry. As of early May, they will be replaced by a large, purple, hugging bear, Lot'so from Toy Story 3.
May the magic be with you as you hunt for and find Disney characters. The husband is still on the look-out for the Big Bad Wolf.





Monday, April 19, 2010

Pirates and Pals Fireworks Voyage

When we were at the Walt Disney World Resort last November, we tried something new. . . the Pirates and Pals Fireworks Voyage. This offering used to be reserved for Grand Gatherings, but just before we traveled in November, it was opened to any guests.

The event begins on the 2nd or 3rd level of the Contemporary Resort (I know for sure it is not the 1st or 4th floor--somewhere in the middle). A conference like room is decorated in pirate fair and all attendees are given a pirate bandanna that must be worn or showing to indicate that you are part of the party.

Goodies are spread on a table and include snacks and beverages. The neat part was that all of the snacks are in portable containers, so they are excellent to take with you, which you are encouraged to do and we did! (See photo below.)

The pirate music plays and soon Captain Hook and Mr. Smee join the party for photos and autographs. When all the photos are taken, the even morphs from character meet and greet to dance party with Captain Hook and Mr. Smee getting their groove on.



When the music dies down, two children are selected from the crowd by our head pirate, who was Patch, to take the flags to the boat. The boy was selected to carry one of the two flags--the Hook flag, down the escalator and out the back of the Contemporary to the boat dock on Bay Lake. The entire party fits into one boat and we sail away while waving to Captain Hook and Mr. Smee on the dock.
While on board Pirate Patch keeps the group entertained with introductions, stories, jokes, and contests. Here's where the extra magic begins. . . after each family/group introduced themselves and told where they were from, Patch asked specifically for birthdays. The boy was celebrating his 7th birthday and after a birthday wish from Pirate Patch, the water lit up right beside the boat from the Electric Water Pageant. Each of the floats (boats) from the Electric Water Pageant sailed within feet of our boat and was close enough that we could hear the music. This happened as if on cue and was magical!


When the Electric Water Pageant ended, we could see the lights of the Magic Kingdom dim and the music of Holiday Wishes could be heard in the boat as the night sky filled with the sights and sound of the Holiday Wishes fireworks display. Now, I don't know how many of you reading this have actually seen a fireworks display at the Magic Kingdom, but all I can say is that the fireworks do not come from one location, but are actually panoramic. We had the full panoramic view from in front of the Magic Kingdom floating in the Seven Seas Lagoon. I can say one more thing and that is Disney has figured out a way to make the fireworks form 3-D images in the sky. For example, when the Nutcracker song was playing, the fireworks formed boxes/packages in the sky. Disney Magic!
The last flare of the finale faded away and we began our sail back to the Contemporary. Pirate Patch, sensing the let down after the grand display, began a Disney trivia contest with winners getting pirate gifts from his treasure chest. I don't remember the question, but the boy ended up with a pirate Frisbee before the end of the voyage.
Just when we thought the magic was done, we could see a small light glimmering on the end of the dock at the Contemporary. The light was coming from a lantern. Could it be. . .? No, it couldn't be. . . It sure was! Tinkerbell was flashing her light to us from the lantern on the end of the boat dock. She was waiting for us to return. And sure enough, she brought Peter Pan with her. He was waiting for us too. The boy grabbed Peter Pan's hand and walked with him down the boat dock to an area where Peter was taking photos and signing autographs.




What a magical voyage! My expectations for this event were much lower than what was delivered. I envisioned a boat ride to see the fireworks with music of course. Never did I imagine such theming, such hosting, such surprises!
If you want to participate in the Pirates and Pals Fireworks Voyage, contact your travel specialist or call 407-WDW-PLAY.