#BEDM Day 13: Top Tips for visiting Disney World

I’ve been a Disney World regular since I was 2 years old in 1990, visiting pretty much every other year since. I know the Disney and universal parks like the back of my hand and as I’ve grown older, I’ve been learning to navigate the roads of Kissimmee, International Drive and beyond. Disney is in my blood. Literally, get a microscope and you’ll see my Mickey shaped blood cells. Ok, maybe not literally.

Flights, Accommodation & Transport - shop around!

• Make sure to check flights on private browser or incognito mode. Travel websites have cookies (not the yummy kind) that see how many times you’re checking flight prices and pushes the price up. The best thing to do to monitor prices is to sign up for email alerts from places like Skyscanner for when prices suddenly drop.
• If you're adults with no kids and are on a budget then go in direct. Most of the time it's much cheaper. 
• When it comes to accommodation, it really depends on your circumstances. Big group? Go for a villa as you can spread the cost between you and get a big house with a pool. There's also the big offsite/onsite Disney property debate. My family have always stayed offsite as we're the kind of people who just see a hotel as a place to sleep. Plus it's much cheaper. If you have money to spend and want a whole themed resort experience then you would probably prefer onsite. They get lots of perks too. It's all up to you. 
• Driving in the USA for the first time can be a daunting experience. But if I can do it, then believe me, so can you. The majority of the rental cars will be automatic and its unbelievable how much easier they are to drive than manual. The majority of us Brits are taught how to drive a manual so after that, automatic is a piece of cake. My only thing was how much wider the car was since I’m used to a Renault Clio. You get used to it quickly though.

Saving time in the parks 

• Set your alarms people. In order to maximize your time in the parks and to wait in as few queues as possible, rope drop (park opening time) is a must. Rope drop is Disney speak for the time the park opens. I'll be honest and say it's been awhile since we've made it to one but we always arrive half an hour after at the latest. This still gets you on a few rides quickly before the masses start pouring in. 
• Fast pass is free (and always has been). This is where you get to go in a considerably shorter ride queue than the main one. So you get on a lot quicker. The latest system which has now incorporated technology annoyingly means that you need to schedule your fast passes 60 days (if you're staying on Disney Property) or 30 days (offsite) in advance. If you're going at a busy time like Christmas or high summer then please use this for your own sake! We went at Christmas and got our tickets at the gate so had to pick fasts that morning. Slim pickings is all I can say. 
• Build up your walking stamina before you go. In the parks there will be a lot of walking involved so make sure you can walk further than a mile. Trust me. 
•  If you’re not interested in parades, watch where you are when they are on. Check the parade route in the map. We once wasted a load of time at Animal Kingdom getting trapped in an area of the park with no rides because we didn’t realise that the parade was on. You can’t cross the parade route until it has passed. This can also happen when you’re in Adventureland in Magic Kingdom.
• After the fireworks in Magic Kingdom where you’re trying to leave the park, you will undoubtedly get stuck in what I like to call the “zombie shuffle” It will take you a ridiculous amount of time to get down main street so take this shortcut: On the right hand side (facing the exit), go into the second shop along and skip to your hearts content past all the crowds. The shops are ALL CONNECTED!
• To avoid the bulk of crowds either have an early or late lunch. Avoid the 12-2pm rush.

Saving money in the parks

• We always bring our own bottled water that we fill up at water fountains throughout the day. It keeps us hydrated in the Florida heat and saves on all the Cokes we'd probably end up buying. If you don't want to carry around a bottle then I'm told you can get free ice water at all the restaurants. 
• If you insist on having a table service meal - go at lunch time. It's pretty much the same menu but cheaper. 
• The My Disney Experience app has all the menus with prices so you can both decide based on price and also taking everyones preference into account on where to eat. This means that you're not trekking around the park with hungry people in tow until you find somewhere everyone likes. 
• If you're a first timer then don't bother with the "hopper" tickets. These are for if you want to go to more than one park a day and are more expensive. We've never bought them as there's plenty to do for a day in each park and it's a waste of time getting from park to park. They aren't exactly next to each other!

So these are just a few of the tips I have for Disney World. Really holding back as I don't want to write an essay. If you have any questions though, feel free to ask away as I'll toot my horn and say I know my stuff. My family and friends say I'm a Disney Expert *blushes*

Have you ever been to Disney World?

Meadowhall trip

Last weekend I took the train to Meadowhall to meet with my family. Due to it being a Sunday, train times weren't regular so I ended up waiting an hour in Starbucks for them to arrive. No bother for me. I enjoyed a hot chocolate and a pastry while reading blogs on my iPad. Prepared. I forgot how nice it is to just sit and read in a coffee shop. I'm usually rushing about so it's a rare occurrence for me. 

When it came to the time when the shops started opening, I decided to have a wander while I waited. First stop, Dorothy Perkins. Destination, the sale section. I got quite lucky considering how small the section is (the sale is pretty much over). I managed to find a pair of purple jeggings in a size 12 for just a tenner. They were a petite but fit my short legs just fine. And even better, when I got to the till I remembered that I had about £16 left on a gift card from my birthday last year. Score!

Finally my family arrived and it was off to look around some more shops. We were stuck in Holister for awhile thanks to my brother and my auntie but I kept myself amused taking snaps for instagram with my new Paperchase postcards. Though it's still pretty dark in there I have to admire their floor. Pretty! The main reason for my Paperchase visit was to pick up a couple of things to top off the parcel for my #springtimesurpriseproject partner. Post to come later on that. But of course it being me, I had to get a few postcards myself. Only 60p each though so not enough to break the bank. 

Next stop was lunch. TGI Fridays as chosen by my cousin. The less said about this place the better. I never thought I'd see the day where I'd be disappointed by a quesadilla. On the bright side, I really liked the decor of the place.

After that it was followed by more wandering around the centre. It's been such a long time since I last visited which is funny since I practically used to live here as a teen. A couple of weekends a month, my mum and I would drive the hour journey over to shop, have some lunch then go and visit my grandparents. I was a bit of a lonely teen so I used to enjoy these visits immensely. How times have changed. 

Before heading to Primark, we stopped in Topshop and Debenhams. The latter where I bought a dress reduced to £10 in the sale and the former where I was surprised at how bored I was. What has happened to the clothes in Topshop? I've never seen so much black, white and beige in my life. Where's the colour? I hope it's just this store - Topshop is the majority of the time too expensive for me but I usually love walking around for inspiration. 

When it came to Primark, I really reigned myself in and just got things that I needed and things that were a complete bargain like the leather jacket below. Only £10! That'll be ideal for when Spring finally makes an appearance.

The toiletries bag that I've had for around 10 years finally died on our Florida trip so it was time to pick up a new one. I love the nautical style of this and it's a decent size to fit all my bits. 

For those who love Disney and Harry Potter, I would get yourself down to Primark soon as there is a massive choice at the moment for t-shirts. I couldn't help myself when I found this Hufflepuff t-shirt for £6. This type of thing would set you back double or triple the price in the Wizarding World in Florida. This will be saved for October when we visit next. 

And of course in true February on the high street style, all the sandals and summer clothes are beginning to make an appearance. By the time you actually get the warm weather or go on holiday they're all gone so I took this opportunity to get a couple of basics. This vest will be ideal for work as I'm told it's like a furnace in the office during the summer months. And these shoes will go with everything. They remind me of a pair I saw in Accessorize last year, only these are about a quarter of the price. Sold. 

Pickles approves.

What have you bought recently?

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - The Extension

The final Florida post. One of the things I was most looking forward to while in Florida was visiting the new extension of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Universal Studios. I'm happy to say it was amazing and it was so much bigger than I thought it would be. 

So it's time to photobomb you now!

Riding the Hogwarts Express was awesome! In case you don't know, you need a park to park ticket to ride the train. This is because the London/Diagon Alley side is in Universal Studios and the Hogsmeade/Hogwarts side is in the park next door, Islands of Adventure. So yes it costs extra to ride the train, very clever Universal!

So as we've seen the Hogsmeade side before, we mainly spent our time in the Diagon Alley section. There's a new ride and lots of new shops.

Fun fact: They now serve hot butterbeer in the new expansion. Finally! As a true fan, I have been saying for years that butterbeer must be hot. Taking my first sip, I knew this was the most amazing drink ever. (Note: You probably won't be a fan if you're not a sweet tooth!) I could drink this all day.

Between browsing the shops we decided to try the new Gringotts ride which I really enjoyed. Those who got a little motion sick on the Forbidden Journey will enjoy this more as you don't get tipped around as much. You're just on a track which is more traditional but there is still a 3D screen in some places. I would recommend it!

I loved walking through the colourful streets. Why is the UK so grey and red? 

We had lunch in the Leaky Cauldron which was cool but I have to admit that I prefer the food in the Three Broomsticks on the Hogsmeade side. Also if you're looking for a diet coke you won't find it in the Leaky Cauldron as my brother discovered. Wizard drinks only - sorry muggles! I personally loved trying all the new drinks but Pumpkin juice still remains my favourite (besides butterbeer of course).

There's lots of sausage dishes (bangers and mash, toad in the hole etc) so maybe that's why I didn't enjoy it as much. I had the lamb stew the first day and fish and chips the second. Both nice but I'm more partial to the rotisserie chicken. 

After lunch the next stop was the ice cream parlour where you could actually get butterbeer ice-cream! I liked the taste but as it was soft scoop and they give you loads, it got a bit sickly after awhile. I really enjoyed the earl grey and lavender hard scoop ice cream (much nicer than it sounds) as it was really light and unusual. Topher enjoyed the sticky toffee pudding and also the salted caramel blondie. 

I never get tired of looking at Hogwarts. Will be back soon I promise!

Christmas at Disney

Final Disney post - promise. At least until we go again in October that is! I was really excited to see the Christmas decorations as I've never seen them in person before and I've only heard good things. 

I can't decide what I prefer more, the bright blue sky of the day against the red and green of the decorations or the magical lights when the sun goes down. How amazing does the frosted castle look at night?

And I know these aren't Christmas decorations, but how cool does the circus area of Magic Kingdom look at night?

Plus I couldn't resist a little holiday themed cupcake, ok, massive - I had to split this Gingerbread cupcake with Topher. Tip: Always split the cupcakes there with someone. They are massive. You think you can do it yourself but trust me you will be defeated!

Have you ever been to Disney at Christmas?

2014 in Review

Where has the year gone? To be honest, I'm not particularly sorry to see 2014 go (so much bad luck!) but there were plenty of good times!

January

Fireworks, Got my stone and a half award at Slimming World, Attended the Pinned it, Made it Lush party, Hung out with my cousin in London

February

Visited Chinatown for Chinese new year, Went on lots of London walks, Won couple of the year in our Slimming World group, Visited Peterborough, Acted like a tourist

 March

Visited Manchester, Got into Breaking Bad, Went to two jewellery making classes, Visited Camden Passage, Work leaving party

April

Visited Amman, Aqaba, Wadi Rum & Petra, Attended my cousin's wedding, Played tour guide for my friends visiting London

May

Moved to Peterborough and walked in Hampstead Heath

June

Did the London to Brighton Trek, Visited the Cat cafe in London, Walked more in Peterborough, Celebrated my 26th birthday, Commuted, Went to Birmingham for Blognix

July

Lots of commuting and started a podcast with Topher

August

Visited Cornwall and Devon with friends. 

September

Slept, ate, went to the Classic Car boot sale and made the worst cheesecake ever. 

October

Commuting, Visited Manchester to house hunt, Had a bit of an accident with my car, ate Halloween treats

November

Moved to Manchester, Made new friends, Said goodbye to old ones, Made mulled wine, Attended the Christmas markets in Manchester

December

Went to Florida, indulged in Christmas activities such as baking, making a gingerbread house, decorating the house and having fun with friends 

Here's to 2014 and now bring on 2015, I'm ready!

How was your year?