The Countdown For Our Magical Walt Disney World Vacation Continues!

You know that part of your Disney vacation countdown when you can start to check the long term weather forecast for Orlando as it now contains the days that you will be there?  Well, we are now at that point for our next magical Walt Disney World vacation!

Come on—you know you’ve done it—checked the long term weather that is.  Maybe for packing reasons, especially during those “iffy” seasons when it can be chilly at night and warm during the day or to see if umbrellas and ponchos will be needed.  Go head, admit it!  We will definitely need the umbrellas and ponchos for the afternoon showers and they are already packed in a carry-on bag.

Speaking of packing, we are well underway.  The boy is the easiest one to pack for and he is mostly done.  As for the husband and me, the shirts are packed, just need bottoms and all the rest.  Since we have an overnight stay prior to flying, our clothes for the next day and items needed for that night are in a separate suitcase.  Once that suitcase is empty, our dirty clothes will go in it and the suitcase will stay in our car while we are away.  That way, we don’t have to open all of our other bags during our overnight prior to flying.

The flights seem to be in good order.  I still need to call 24 hours prior to our flight to inquire about the upgrade that we have based on our frequent flier points.  After hearing about some flight delays and unplanned overnight stays that our friends just experienced, I am even more grateful for our direct flights.

A tip that we use is to have all of the important numbers such as hotels, airlines, travel agents, etc. programmed into our phone.  I even have Walt Disney World’s switchboard number programmed which came in handy the day the boy left his DS at Cape May Café at the Beach Club and we discovered it while on the bus to Magic Kingdom.  I called the switchboard and was patched through to the podium at Cape May Café.  After a bus ride back to the Beach Club, we recovered the DS and all was well.  I have our Disney resort number programmed, our airline, and the number for our hotel that we are staying at prior to flying.  Since we will be leaving our car at the hotel and relying on the airport shuttle, having the number handy helps when we call for the hotel shuttle when returning from our trip.

The last needed items on our shopping list have been purchased.  Tide sticks was the last item and they were acquired yesterday—with coupons!  These will get packed in our Quart size bag for liquids.

Each morning the number of days left before our trip is announced in the house.  Sometimes the boy will ask or double check.  All of us seem to be Disney dreaming!

Disney Phone a Friend--Who Is Yours?

The first text message read “Sunny and 77.”  There was another text message later “I’ve got you on speed dial!”,  followed by a phone call at 9:07 pm.  “Where are our tickets to the parks?” was the question on the other end of the line.  Good question from a first time Walt Disney World visitor.

You see, a friend and her family are traveling to Walt Disney World for the very first time.  They used a travel agent to book their travel, but needed more detailed information than a travel agent might provide.  I was happy to help and offered the Williams Family Blog as a resource along with my cell phone number.

“Your tickets were given to you when you checked in at your resort.  They look like a credit card and are the same as your room key.” was my answer on the phone.

A lightbulb sigh followed by an update about their flights, their resort, getting their refillable mugs, and their plans for tomorrow followed.

I just couldn’t leave it at that, so I sent a text message. . . “Be sure to set a wake-up call for the morning.  You never know who will call!  Push the speaker button on the phone when you answer so everyone in the room can hear.”

A reply text message—“Thank you!”  and something about having a call from Mickey waiting for them when they arrived in their room.  Only at Disney!

When the call came in, I was already snuggled in bed watching Glee recorded on the DVR.  My cell was in the kitchen, charging, and the husband answered and brought me the phone.  I pushed “pause” on the remote and took the call.  When I got off the phone, I told the husband about it and explained that this is a level of service travel agents don’t, can’t, or won’t offer. 

Don’t get me wrong, I love our travel agent and spoke to her earlier in the week and even mentioned that I knew she was helping this family with a trip and that I had offered my cell phone number if they needed anything.  I explained that I receive several text messages and phone calls from folks traveling to Disney with either updates or questions and that I am happy to help and I enjoy getting text messages from the most magical place on earth.  Sometimes, I am the one sending the messages!

This whole thing got me thinking. . . even the game show “Who wants to be a Millionaire?” had phone a friend as a lifeline.  I’m thinking that every Disney traveler needs a phone a friend; someone with Disney knowledge or experience, or someone who can be excited for you as you experience Disney magic.  A travel agent’s hours of work limit this type of service making access to an experienced Disney traveler even more important. 

Not sure how to find a Disney phone a friend?  Just listen to conversations at work, at the gym, even the grocery store.  People who love Disney find a way to weave it into almost any conversation and then take the opportunity to introduce yourself.  Us Disney fans love talking about Disney and we love hearing your travel plans, too.  Not an eavesdropper?  Ask around.  Ask your friends, neighbors, and co-workers who they might know of that has Disney experience.  Your travel agent might be able to recommend someone as well. 

Speaking of our travel agent, when I was talking to her on the phone earlier this week, I wondered out loud about teaching a class on how to plan your Disney vacation.  Hmmm. . . who knows where that little wish may end up?  In the meantime, I will continue to help prospective travelers with the Williams Family Blog and all of my phone a friends traveling to Disney.

Who is your Disney phone a friend?

Will Disney's Technological Advances Propel Me To A New Mobile Device and Service?

Disney just announced that free Wi-Fi service is now available for guests at the Magic Kingdom.  This comes after free Wi-Fi service became available at all of the Walt Disney World Resorts.  The other parks and Downtown Disney will be offering free Wi-Fi in the near future.  All of this is, reportedly, is to help launch Disney’s Next Gen initiatives for tickets, Fastpass, etc. 

We did use the free Wi-Fi at our Disney resort in March with the iPad.  It worked fairly well and I was able to check e-mails.  The only downside was that you had to re-log-in daily and agree to the terms of the service.  Speed and availability were just fine.

Are Disney’s technological advancements enough to propel me to a Smartphone and data plan?  I’m certainly wavering.

Yes, I know there are opportunities to check wait times, Fastpass return times, and make ADR’s with mobile devices.  I know that soon these mobile devices will be able to do even more when it comes to Disney.  Not to mention the everyday uses, etc.

So what is holding me back?  Well, cost for one.  I got a new phone yesterday and inquired about the cost of adding a data plan.  $25 a month with no other discounts available like I have on my cell account right now.

E-mails.  I have two e-mail accounts—one for work and one at home.  I do not want to read and/or respond to emails when I am walking, standing, driving, or talking to someone else. 

And, speaking of walking, I don’t want to be one of those Disney guests that stops in the middle of traffic to check my mobile device for various information.  Ugh!

When I got the phone yesterday, the great salesperson indicated I had 15 days in which to return the phone if I didn’t like it—it has no data plan and is not a Smartphone.  I think I’m going to need more than 15 days to decide.  I just started texting a year and a half ago.  Don’t rush me!  But the husband is due for a phone upgrade in about six months.  Hmmm. . . we could upgrade his phone to a Smartphone, change it to my line, and he could have my old phone which was new yesterday. Yeah, I should be able to make a decision by then.

Mobile blogging?  That might get me to add a data plan!

In the meantime, I will download my Disney ringtones from the microSD card to my new phone and enjoy hearing “Under the Sea” and “Pirates Life for Me” when people call.