On The Road Travel

TOMORROW is the day! Toy Story Land at Disney's Hollywood Studios will officially open JUNE 30! In anticipation of this much awaited expansion, here is everything we know so far: As guests enter into Toy Story Land, they will shrink to the size of a toy and join in the fun that Woody, Jessie, Buzz and other toys are having in Andy's backyard. There are two new attractions in Toy Story Land that join the beloved Toy Story Mania which has been in place since 2008. Slinky Dog Dash is a family friendly roller coaster fun for all ages. From what we have gathered, the intensity seems to be about the same as Thunder Mountain Railroad. The height requirement for Slinky Dog Dash will be 38" and it is a Tier 1 attraction for fast passes. Disney describes this as, "Andy's assembled his awesome coaster kit...and Slinky Dog is ready to take you for a wild ride on a crazy coaster - one that gives you a glimpse of all that Toy Story Land has to offer. Come along as Slinky D...

One of my favorite things to do at Disney is to trade pins. On our first trip to Walt Disney World, I saw that a lot of the cast members were wearing lanyards with fun character pins, and every gift shop had a ton of themed pins. So I asked a cast member a few questions about the process. The basics idea of pin trading is that if you have a Disney pin, you can ask a cast member if they will trade with you for one of their pins. I think they have to say yes, so it’s a win win for you. You can also trade with guests but they often don’t want to give up any of the pins that they have. Each cast member is allowed to trade two pins with each guest and the pin can’t be one that they already have on their lanyard. We bought a couple of mystery pins in a box to try it out, and my boys traded a couple of pins on our first trip. It was like a scavenger hunt for them to find a pin of their favorite character! It also helped them to learn manners and become more comfortable speaking to adu...

Can I tell you how happy I am that summer is here?! I am so excited to have my kids out of school and we are ready to enjoy our long, summer days! When thinking about my summer plans, I can’t help but start to think about my next trip to Walt Disney World – and I bet you feel the same! One of the first decisions to be made when planning a trip to Walt Disney World is to decide how many days to stay. Whether planning a long weekend or a once in a lifetime trip, determining the number of days you are staying is top of the to do list. When I help clients plan their Disney vacation, if time allows, I always recommend an extra day or two that is designated for non-park fun. When visiting the Walt Disney World Resort, there is so much to do outside of the parks that it makes sense to add another day of fun and/or relaxation! Many clients don’t realize that sometimes the cost to add one more day on to your park tickets may not be much more. You can always have the best of both worlds...

When planning a trip to Walt Disney World, you may have speculated on how to spend your day at the massive park known as Epcot. The park is divided into two sections: Future World (made up of eight pavilions) and the World Showcase (themed to 11 nations). There is plenty to do during the day, but there are also great attractions at night! Below are some highlights to make the most out of your time at Epcot.   Arrive early to maximize your time at Epcot Epcot takes up a lot of real estate at Disney World (it is almost three times bigger Magic Kingdom). World Showcase opens a bit later than Future World, so it is a good idea to hit as many attractions as possible in Future World before heading over to World Showcase. Arriving at rope drop (or earlier if the park has Extra Magic Hours) will allow you to experience Future World's most popular rides (Soarin' & Test Track) and attractions without having to wait in much of a line. If anyone in the group suffers from motion s...

Planning every detail of your Disney World vacation can be overwhelming if not left to your On the Road Travel agent; however, your travel agent can’t pack for you. There are a few important items you may want to consider purchasing before your vacation: Trip insurance--Travelers have differing opinions on this one. If you are planning to travel to Orlando during hurricane season, you may want to consider purchasing insurance. Just last year, Hurricane Irma closed Disney World for a day and canceled many commercial flights. Good walking shoes--You will walk 5-7 miles on an average day at Disney. Flip flops will not cut it. It is absolutely necessary that everyone in your travel party has good walking shoes and possibly band-aids for potential blisters. Gum -- If you are a gum chewer, you will need to bring this item in with you. It is not sold anywhere in the parks. Sunscreen -- No matter what time of year you visit the parks, you will be in the sun. It’s better to prevent the...