Enchanted Tales with Belle

Today we got a sneak peek into this new attraction!
We waited in a queue outside Maurice's cottage. Once inside we admired the little details that proved this was Belle's childhood home. I especially liked the French book of Sleeping Beauty that was out.

Then we moved into Maurice's workshop. The room was filled with miscellaneous inventions and plans. Not fitting with the theme of the room was a large mirror with a beautiful golden frame. The guide explains that the Beast gave this mirror to Maurice so he could visit Belle at the castle whenever he wanted.

The group activated the mirror and magically we entered the castle....more to come....

Dreams really do come true! (FastPass+)

OK, full disclosure, we didn't actually dream about FastPass+ specifically, per se. That being said, we were pretty darn giddy to discover we had been invited to beta test the new FastPass+ technology for our upcoming trip.

What is Fastpass?
Per The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World, Fastpass is a ride reservation system designed by Disney to moderate the high wait times at some of its most popular attractions. The current Fastpass system is available at select popular attractions that are prone to long wait times. You show up to the attraction, if the posted wait time is too long for you (for us, we usually won't wait more than 20-25 minutes), check to see if a Fastpass is available. You put your park ticket in a machine and it spits out a ticket to come back during a designated window of time and you skip waiting in lines. Unlike other theme parks that use this system, Disney Fastpasses are free. 

Fastpass+
I had heard rumors about the future of Fastpass in Disney World. Instead of traipsing across a park to get a Fastpass to be used at a future time that may or may not be convenient to you, you could schedule your ride before you even left for the airport! But here is our first-hand account so far.

1. Be part of a special test during your upcoming Disney World visit!
We got this email from Disney on Sept 4, 2012 (Bill insisted we note this date so we can tell our grandchildren about how technology changed the way we book our trips.) From what I can tell, this invitation was sent to a random selection of guests who will be in the World between 9/18 and 9/24 and who are using Disney transportation. 

Click on any photo to enlarge

2. Log into fastpassplus.disney.go.com with your reservation #. It appears that Disney provided us with a separate reservation # than our trip # for the purposes of this pilot. 

3. Pick the date.

4. Select up to 4 experiences. 

There are 2 groupings of rides, shows and experiences and I was invited to select 2 from each group. I haven't seen a pattern as to why they grouped these attractions the way they did but they break down as follows:

• Group 1 - Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, Main Street Electrical Parade, Peter Pan's Flight, Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, Town Square Theatre: Meet the Disney Princesses, Wishes Nighttime Spectacular
• Group 2 - Celebrate a Dream Come True Parade, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, Haunted Mansion, Jungle Cruise, Mickey's PhilharMagic, The Barnstormer, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Town Square Theatre: Meet Mickey & Minnie

There was even a button at the bottom called Fast Picks, which I assume randomly selects 4 attractions for you. Being a control freak, ahem, planner, I can't understand why anyone would use this option, but maybe some people like the option of the site planning for them.

5. Select from 4 options

The site then presents you 4 Options for using these passes. 

At this point we got a little nervous because we had a dinner reservation that overlapped with the times offered. Prepared to cancel the dinner reservation, we accepted the option that best fit the times we would be in the park. Fortunately, the next screen appeared!

6. Get more options around specific attraction times.

Although it gives you a final line up, you can select "Make Changes" for individual attractions and it gives you about half a dozen options for other available times for that specific attraction. Luckily, we were able to select a new time for the attraction that coincided with our dinner. (You see? We CAN do it all, dear!)

Final Thoughts

We look forward to receiving an RFID card to bring to the park to skip waiting in line. Anytime Disney stuff comes in the mail, it's a good day. I can't wait to see how this technology enhances the guest experience. I will be sure to report back the pros and cons.

Just think...years ago we used to just wander around and wait in line. Then we went to the attraction for a Fastpass, walked around some more and back tracked. Soon we'll just show up at the park and walk right onto attractions. Now that's progress! 

Sing with me now...

Planning for Disney

For me, planning a trip to Disney is half the fun! There are many different tools available to plan a Disney Vacation, but here is how I do it.

1. Figure out when I can take a vacation and check out crowd levels.

Typically, the slowest time of the year is in September when kids go back to school. Since we don't have kids yet, we use this to our advantage and reference this site's crowd calendar to pick the least crowded week in Sept. 

2. Look at special offers.

The most obvious thing to do is check the Disney Special Offers site to see if there are discounted rooms or free dining. As a Disney VISA cardholder, we are lucky to receive email offers with discounts or free dining which haven't been released to the public yet. The offers are eventually released, but this advance notice gives us an edge to book the resort we want before it fills up. 

3. Book the trip!

Book online or call in person. (I like to call just to hear the cast member wish me a magical day!) If you book a package, there is a $200 deposit due upon booking, with the remaining balance owed 45 days prior to check in. Another advantage of the Disney VISA is there is no interest on booking packages for 6 months. If you book far enough in advance, you can effectively spread out the payments across more than that, provided you pay in installments. 

For example, let's say I book a $2,200 vacation in January for an October arrival. For the sake of this example, let's say I can afford to pay off $200 per month. 

     1. I pay off the deposit right away in January. The remaining balance is $2,000.

     2. In February, I decide to charge half the remaining balance ($1000) to my Disney Visa. It takes me 5 months to pay this off.

     3. In August, the 45 day mark will arrive, and I can charge the remaining $1000 and pay if off     over the next 5 months - ALL INTEREST FREE*

Keep in mind that you may not need/want a park ticket for each day of your trip. Although park tickets become remarkably cheaper per day the more days you spend, it's worth it to make sure you will actually use them all. We never have time for parks on arrival and departure day, so we shave off a few dollars by not paying for tickets for those days.

4. Pick park days based on crowd levels, special events, EMH.

Now that I know how many days we will be there, I return to Touring Plans to look at the individual dates and related information. Based on our touring style (arrive at the parks before opening, mid-day break, stay at the parks late), I look for parks that have Extra Magic Hours. I also look for any special events that might cause a park to get crowded or close to the general public early. 

5. Make ADRs (Advanced Dining Reservations)

Once I know which parks I am visiting on each day, I think about which sit-down restaurants I'd like to visit. Reservations can be made 180 days prior to your arrival, and I recommend calling on the 180 day mark to ensure you get the times and restaurants you really want. Some of the restaurants fill up fast!

6. Book special experiences

Some experiences cannot be booked 180 days in advance, such as tours or hard-ticket events. I research when these tickets can be purchased and call to order the day they are available.

7. (optional) Pick a Touring Plan for each park visit

We have gotten the hang of how to maximize our touring in the past few years, so we don't follow these religiously. That being said, we usually get to the parks at least 30-45 minutes before opening each morning and use the Lines app to help plan out the first 3-6 attractions we want to make sure we do that day.

8. Count down, obsess, rearrange plans to heart's content.

Lastly, the OCD Project Manager in me tracks all the details in a spreadsheet. I love to make notes of special things to do or taste, questions to ask characters, and special experiences. I make lists of Disney movies I want to watch before I go, what to pack, and use a countdown app on my phone. I also help the countdown go faster by staying up to date with tips, news, podcasts, and opinions from other Disney-lovers. Of course, I research and learn as much as humanly possible.

To me, life is always better with a countdown!

**I am not advocating for or against using credit cards. In our household, we pay any interest-accruing balance off each month. This is merely an example of how we stretch out our vacation payments to manage paying for trips without using interest.