Tuesday Tips: Is There An App For That?
If you watch TV as much as we do I am sure you have seen the commercials for the Verizon Disney Parks Mobile Magic app. D23Magic would like to help you understand what options and features these app’s have. Bellow we break down some of the most used Disney app’s you can use on your next trip to a Walt Disney Park. The app’s are sorted least to most expensive.
Tuesdays Tips: What Is Your Best Tip?
Walt Disney World Vacation Tips. With four major theme parks – Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom – a Walt Disney World vacation can be complex and costly: all the more reason to plan carefully to make sure you have the best possible time. D23Magic wants to help by providing you with the most information possible. Below we break our tips into two categories, The Planning Stage and Inside The Park.
10 ways to save money on a Walt Disney World Vacation
Save Money Now
Here at D23Magic we want to help you make the most of your Disney experience. We have come up with 10 great ways to help you save money on your next trip.
So here are 10 ways to save money on a Walt Disney World Vacation now.
1. Airfare – There are two services we would like to suggest when purchasing your airfare with two special features. The first is Bing located here: Bing.com. Bing offers a great tool that predicts the price if its time to buy or wait. The next is Orbitz Flights and their Price Assurance, If another Orbitz
customer books your itinerary for less, Orbitz
issue a cash refund for the difference. Amounts range from $5 to $250 per airline ticket or $5 to $500 per hotel booking. Read more
Tuesdays Tips: Tom Sawyer Island
Thought you knew every inch of the Magic Kingdom?
If there was ever an undiscovered treasure in Walt Disney World, it’s Tom Sawyer Island and Ft. Langhorn, located in the Magic Kingdom.
Tom Sawyer Island is a lushly-landscaped outdoor playground in Frontierland at Magic Kingdom theme park where children of all ages can relive the rustic 19th-century adventures depicted in the novels of Mark Twain.
The wooded island is surrounded by the pastoral Rivers of America, and the only way to reach the island is aboard a raft that docks at Tom’s Landing near Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.
Sail across the river to romp through dense forests, forge rugged trails, cross swinging suspension bridges, explore mysterious caves, take shelter in a frontier fort built from unfinished timber and embark on mischievous, playful adventures—just like Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn.
Discover hidden treasures for those who care to do a little exploring; highlights include the mysterious jewels hidden deep in the dark caves, the creaky waterwheel at Harper’s Mill, the bouncy barrel bridge and Fort Langhorn with its twisting escape tunnel.
How do you get there?
To get to Tom Sawyer island, you’ll take one of four small rafts from Tom’s Landing located across from Big Thunder Rail Road. The rafts are all named for characters in the book: Injun Joe, Huck Finn, Becky Thatcher and Tom Sawyer. Each raft carries about 55 people and contrary to popular belief, they do not run on rails or tracks but are free floating vessels.
Early in the morning, cast members hide several paintbrushes for guests to find. If you find one, let a cast member know and you’ll be rewarded with a small prize, such as a soft drink or a pass to get to the front of the line of an attraction, for your entire group. The island is a great place for kids to stretch their legs and for parents to relax and since it’s Disney, it’s all very safe. Kids will love climbing up and down the stairs at Fort Langhorn and exploring all the rooms. From the lookout towers, they can fire popguns at imaginary targets.
Tom Sawyer Island usually opens at 10:00 a.m. and closes at Dusk. Be sure to check the daily schedule for the exact closing time. If you want to get a snack, Aunt Polly’s Place sells sandwiches and refreshments. It’s open seasonally. Even when it’s closed, Aunt Polly’s makes a great place to sit and relax; consider bringing a sack lunch and eating it there.
Foldable strollers are allow on the Island, but must be folded before boarding the raft. Most people will find strollers hard to use on the island as the paths are not made for them and there are a lot of steps. Still for some it is the only way to get around the large island.
Location:
Magic Kingdom Theme Park Frontierland
Height Requirement:
Any Height
Category:
Fun for Everyone Outdoor
Pictures:
Short planning guide to Walt Disney World
Finding the perfect time to plan a Disney Vacation can be tricky, as many people have the same ideas…
Here are some easy steps to ensure good weather and less crowds on your magical vacation to Disney World!
Decide what kind of weather you would like.
If you want to get a tan and spend part of the day by the pool, avoid November through beginning of February.
If you want to stay warm but dread 100% humidity and unbearably hot days, avoid July and August.
Next, is it important to you to be apart of Holiday festivities? Even though it is gorgeous at Christmas, as the parks decorate to the max and parades and events are countless, expect heavy crowds and colder weather. My favorite time of the year.
Very Busy: (reminder the parks will close down if they are overfilled)
June – School’s out, it’s the middle of the year and vacation time begins being used
August – The last of the summer months… Again, kids are still off and people want to get in their last minute vacations
December – Tons of time off for both students and employees. Lots of attractions draw crowds and families are together for holidays.
Avoid Holiday Weekends:
January – New Years Eve/New Years Day
February – Presidents Day Weekend
May – Memorial Day Weekend
July – 4th of July
Sept – Labor Day Weekend
October – Columbus Day Weekend
November – Thanksgiving/Black Friday
Avoid Summer months if possible:
Disney Resorts have MANY specials going on August-September. To get more people in the parks, they offer discounted hotel stay and free meal plans to guest staying in their resorts. As it may look desirable to anyone on a budget, the lines are extremely long and the weather is extremely hot!
The Best Times to go:
January – 1 week AFTER New Years until the end of the month
February – Until week 3
April – Every week but the week of Easter (if it falls in April)
May – Until week 2
September – Last week
October/November – Until Thanksgiving
Calendar Guide:
| Temperature (average) high low |
Rainfall (average) inches |
Average hours of sun | Best time to go | ||
| January | 71ºf / 22ºc | 49ºf / 9.5ºc | 2.3 | 7 | A very quiet time of year. |
| February | 73ºf / 23ºc | 50ºf / 10ºc | 3.0 | 8 | Crowds still quite small, until mid-Feb. |
| March | 78ºf / 26ºc | 55ºf / 13ºc | 3.2 | 8 | Crowds high during Spring Break. |
| April | 83ºf / 28.5ºc | 59ºf / 15ºc | 1.8 | 9 | Crowds high during Spring Break & Easter, which is very busy. |
| May | 88ºf / 31ºc | 66ºf / 19ºc | 3.6 | 10 | Crowds are moderate, but towards the end of the month, there are more school groups visiting. |
| June | 91ºf / 33ºc | 72ºf / 22.5ºc | 7.3 | 9 | Starts to get very busy as schools break up for the summer. |
| July | 92ºf / 33.5ºc | 73ºf / 23ºc | 7.2 | 8 | One of the busiest times of year. July 4th is traditionally one of the busiest days at WDW. |
| August | 92ºf / 33.5ºc | 73ºf / 23ºc | 6.8 | 8 | The early part of the month is still very busy, but starts to quiet down towards the end of the month. |
| September | 90ºf / 32.5ºc | 72ºf / 22ºc | 6.0 | 8 | One of the quietest times of year to go. |
| October | 85ºf / 29.5ºc | 66ºf / 18.5ºc | 2.4 | 8 | Another quiet month |
| November | 79ºf / 26.5ºc | 58ºf / 14.5ºc | 2.3 | 8 | Still quiet, up until Thanksgiving week, when the parks can be quite busy. |
| December | 73ºf / 23ºc | 51ºf / 11ºc | 2.2 | 7 | Early December is a very quiet & beautiful time, the Christmas decorations are up & there are events such as Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. Things start to get busy as Christmas approaches, with Christmas week through to New Year being one of the busiest periods at WDW. |
Tuesdays Tips: Celebration
Celebration
Just a ten-minute drive from Disney World you can travel back in time to find the town of Celebration, a planned community developed by the Walt Disney Company. This is a pedestrian-friendly, wonderful small town (think Mayberry!) You can have a great time exploring the old-fashioned downtown area called Market Street. Here are some ideas to take advantage of during your tour, that will cost you little or nothing (as well as a couple of splurges to consider)!
Tour the model homes.
Window-shop on Market Street, which has wonderful specialty stores, boutiques and galleries.
Explore the Lakeside Promenade or the miles of walking paths and nature trails.
Tour the Celebration Hotel. Sit in one of the oversized wicker chairs, people-watch, and have a drink or coffee at the lobby bar.
Market Street often has different events scheduled each month, such as craft festivals, antique car shows, etc. During the winter holidays, Market Street hosts an event called “Now Snowing Nightly” — it “snows” on Celebration’s main street four times a night and the town provides entertainment and a visit to Santa in his lakeside chalet, all for FREE!
Have an appetizer or dessert at one of the varied restaurants including award-winning Spanish and Cuban cuisine!
Pick up some picnic items and head over to the Interactive Fountain to let the kids (or you) have a splash!
Treat yourself to an ice-cream or lemonade from Herman’s Ice Cream and then enjoy it relaxing in one of the rocking chairs by the lake.
Scenic tour Carriage Rides are offered every weekend, September – June, Friday and Saturday evenings from 6 – 10 pm. Call (407) 414-1981 for information. Depending on the size of your party, this can work out to less than $10 per person.
Links to rental car companies in the Walt Disney World area:
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