Greetings Mouse Fans!

Sorry for my absence! A tornado blew through my Connecticut town on Friday and ran right through my backyard. We were without power for over 51 hours and are still in the process of cleaning up and re-building. We were lucky - we only lost one very large tree and sustained minor damage. Others in our town were not as lucky but no one was killed and there was only one minor injury. Thank goodness!! So this week the Snippets may be interrupted. 

Tomorrow’s FAQ is inspired by this weekend. Coming up: Why do I need trip insurance?

Be well and make magic wherever you go!

Sara Varney
Travel Planner

Greetings Mouse Fans!

Sorry for my absence! A tornado blew through my Connecticut town on Friday and ran right through my backyard. We were without power for over 51 hours and are still in the process of cleaning up and re-building. We were lucky - we only lost one very large tree and sustained minor damage. < more... >

Greetings Mouse Fans!

Ok, let’s wrap up this Dining Plan FAQ, shall we?  Last but not least - FREE DINING! Now through July 26, 2009, you can book a Magic Your Way Package for travel from August 22 through October 3, 2009 and receive the basic dining plan for FREE! This is by far one of Disney’s most popular promotions. But is it a great deal?

For most families, the answer is yes. But as with everything in life, there are exceptions! Are you an annual passholder or do you have unused tickets from a previous trip? Than you may get a better deal with the current room only deals that are available now for dates in the same time period as Free Dining. Annual Passholders do have the option to purchase the dining plan and the savings on your hotel room may offset the cost of the dining plan!

A good travel planner can help you figure out what is the best deal for your family. A little number crunching can go a long way to ensuring that you get the most bang for your vacation buck! So contact your favorite MEI & Mouse Fan Travel Planner today to plan your fall Walt Disney World vacation today.

Be well and make magic wherever you go!

Sara Varney
Travel Planner

Greetings Mouse Fans!

Ok, let’s wrap up this Dining Plan FAQ, shall we?  Last but not least - FREE DINING! Now through July 26, 2009, you can book a Magic Your Way Package for travel from August 22 through October 3, 2009 and receive the basic dining plan for FREE! This is by far one of Disney’s most popular promotions. < more... >

Greetings Mouse Fans!

So we continue on with our Dining Plan 101 series. Next up - The Quick Service plan!

This year Disney introduced the Quick Service Dining Plan for those of you who prefer a lighter meal or simply can’t bear to take time out of your commando park touring to sit down for a meal. (Hey - I get it! There are times it is hard to drag me away from Expedition Everest!) The Quick Service Dining Plan includes 2 quick service meals (aka counter service meals), and 2 snacks per person, per night’s stay. It also includes one resort refillable mug per person (ages 3+). It costs $29.99 per night per adult and $8.99 per child. Let’s take a look at a quick service meal to see what kind of cost we are looking at. Take Cosmic Ray’s at the Magic Kingdom:

BBQ Rib Meal: $10.49

Chocolate Cake: $3.59

Soft Drink: $2.49

Total: $16.57

 For our second meal, let’s look at Pecos Bill:

1/4 lb Cheeseburger with fries: $6.59

Carrot Cake: $3.59

Soft Drink: $2.49

Total: $12.67

So between these two meals, the Quick Service Dining Plan has already paid for itself and you haven’t even gotten snacks yet!

Back to those light eaters…If this sounds like more food than your family would ever eat, then the dining plans may not be for you. A la carte can be the way to go! Many quick service meals lend themselves well to being split to make your money go even further.

Tomorrow: A Dining Plan wrap up!

Be well and make magic wherever you go!

Sara Varney
Travel Planner

Greetings Mouse Fans!

So we continue on with our Dining Plan 101 series. Next up - The Quick Service plan!

This year Disney introduced the Quick Service Dining Plan for those of you who prefer a lighter meal or simply can’t bear to take time out of your commando park touring to sit down for a meal. (Hey - I get it! < more... >

Greetings Mouse Fans!

Ok, so now you know where you might eat and what you might eat. Let’s look at how much that might cost. Take, for example, a meal (dinner) at Tutto Italia in the World Showcase. The Dining Plan’s table service meal includes an entree, dessert and soft drink but not gratuities.

Entree: Lasagna al Forno $24

Dessert: Cinnamon Ricotta Cheesecake $9

Soft Drink: Soda $3

Total: $36 plus tax

The Dining Plan costs about $39.99 per adult, per day so in this scenario, the Dining Plan has basically paid for itself as I haven’t included the cost of a counter service meal or snack yet. However, there are situations in which the Dining Plan may not work for your family. Next up - light eaters?

Be well and make magic wherver you go!

Sara Varney
Travel Planner

Greetings Mouse Fans!

Ok, so now you know where you might eat and what you might eat. Let’s look at how much that might cost. Take, for example, a meal (dinner) at Tutto Italia in the World Showcase. The Dining Plan’s table service meal includes an entree, dessert and soft drink but not gratuities. < more... >

Greetings Mouse Fans!

 Ok now, did everyone check out the menus at AllEars.net? Good! Now think about how your family normally eats. The basic Dining Plan includes one table service meal per person, per night’s stay. Now for my family, that is perfect as I want the opportunity to relax and eat a leisurely meal once a day. But for some families, especially with older kids, that may just be too much time away from the rides!  If this sounds like your family, the Quick Service Dining Plan may be for you. 

 Keep in mind that your table service credits can also be used for character dining experiences. The pace of these meals is dependent on how badly you want to see every possible character, but if you don’t mind missing a couple, a buffet character meal can be a great compromise between a leisurely sit down meal and a rushed counter service meal.

Tomorrow - computing the cost…

Be well and make magic wherever you go!

Sara Varney
Travel Planner

Greetings Mouse Fans!

 Ok now, did everyone check out the menus at AllEars.net? Good! Now think about how your family normally eats. The basic Dining Plan includes one table service meal per person, per night’s stay. < more... >

Greetings Mouse Fans!

This week’s FAQ: Is the Dining Plan worth it? (That’s right - I said this week’s FAQ. It’s a big topic!)

This has to be the single most asked question I get. And it may be the toughest to answer! Because the answer is, "It depends." Depends on what? Your family, your eating habits, etc.

So this week I’ll be attempting to break down the Disney Dining Plan for you. First off, here is the first place I recommend everyone check out: www.allears.net Specifically - the Menus. The first thing I recommend any family do is think about where they would ideally like to eat while at Walt Disney World, check out the menus and look at what they would likely order. How much would dinner cost for your family?

I’ll be back with more tomorrow!

Be well and make magic wherever you go!

Sara Varney
Travel Planner

Greetings Mouse Fans!

This week’s FAQ: Is the Dining Plan worth it? (That’s right - I said this week’s FAQ. It’s a big topic!)

This has to be the single most asked question I get. And it may be the toughest to answer! Because the answer is, "It depends." Depends on what? < more... >

Greetings Mouse Fans!

Today’s FAQ: Are there non-smoking rooms available at Walt Disney World Resorts?

Answer: Good news! (Well, for the non-smokers anyway…) All Disney Resort rooms are now non-smoking. This includes the balcony! The good news for smokers is that there are designated, conveniently located, outdoor smoking areas in all the resorts. Check your resort map for locations.

Have a great weekend and to all the Fathers and Father Figures out there - Happy Father’s Day!

Be well and make magic wherever you go!

Sara Varney
Travel Planner

Greetings Mouse Fans!

Today’s FAQ: Are there non-smoking rooms available at Walt Disney World Resorts?

Answer: Good news! (Well, for the non-smokers anyway…) All Disney Resort rooms are now non-smoking. This includes the balcony! < more... >

Greetings Mouse Fans!

No FAQ today - sorry! It’s raining here today as it has been for most of June so I began thinking about rainy days at Walt Disney World.

To paraphrase Longfellow, Into each vacation, a little rain must fall. What to do when this happens? Turns out there are plenty of options! My personal favorite? Ignore it! Layer a bathing suit under your clothes, grab a poncho and some flip flops and hit the parks! You’re going to get wet on so many rides anyway (Kali River Rapids anyone?) what’s a little more water? Animal Kingdom is a completely different park on rainy days as different animals prefer the cool, wet weather.

For those of you who prefer to stay dry, a rainy day is a perfect opportunity to thoroughly explore your own resort as well as others! Hop the resort monorail at the Ticket & Transportation Center and resort hop your way around the Seven Seas Lagoon. Have tea at the Grand Floridian, grab some Kona Coffee at the Polynesian and then when you are fully caffeinated, hit the arcade at the Contemporary!

Last but not least is my other favorite - shopping!! A rainy day usually means a trip to Downtown Disney for me. Check out a movie, grab some lunch and check out World of Disney.

Whatever you do, don’t let it spoil your fun. Be well and make magic wherever you go!

Sara Varney
Travel Planner

Greetings Mouse Fans!

No FAQ today - sorry! It’s raining here today as it has been for most of June so I began thinking about rainy days at Walt Disney World.

To paraphrase Longfellow, Into each vacation, a little rain must fall. What to do when this happens? Turns out there are plenty of options! My personal favorite? < more... >

Greetings Mouse Fans!

(I wrote today’s blog on Monday but the internet gremlins got it and it never appeared. Sorry about that!)

Today’s FAQ: Why should I use a travel agent?

Answer: For so many reasons! To save time, to save money (and remember - your time is money!) but maybe most importantly, to take advantage of their expertise. A good travel agent does far more than simply make your travel arrangements. A travel planner can and should make recommendations based on their experience that helps make your vcation not only perfect, but perfect for your family. From resort and dining help to service provider recommendations, a travel planner should be your go to source with any questions!

One of my clients recently returned from Walt Disney World and had a fabulous time but what really made my day was this story. They were on the Disney’s Magical Express bus home when they struck up a conversation with a nearby family. The family lamented their lack of planning, problems with the strollers, etc. My clients showed off their PassPorter, told them about the stroller rental company, andin general sounded like the knowledgeable guests they now are. When the other family asked, "But how did you know about all of these things?!" They proudly replied, "Our travel agent told us!" Music to my Mickey ears!!

Mouse Fan Travel Agents make more than travel arrangements, we make magic!

Be well and make magic where you go!

Sara Varney
Travel Planner

Greetings Mouse Fans!

(I wrote today’s blog on Monday but the internet gremlins got it and it never appeared. Sorry about that!)

Today’s FAQ: Why should I use a travel agent?

Answer: For so many reasons! To save time, to save money (and remember - your time is money! < more... >

Greetings Mouse Fans!

 Today’s FAQ: How do the Dining Plan Credits work? Can I only have one table service meal per day?

Answer: When you check in to your resort, you will receive your Key To The World Card. Your dining plan credits are already loaded on this card and you can begin using them right away and can use them until 11:59pm on the day you check out. You can use the credits any way you like! You could choose three counter service meals one day and choose three table service meals the next day. You could use your snack credits all on the first day and stock your room fridge for the entire trip! You are only restricted by the number of credits you have (determined by the number of people in your party and the length of your trip).

Be well and make magic wherever you go!

Sara Varney
Travel Planner

Greetings Mouse Fans!

 Today’s FAQ: How do the Dining Plan Credits work? Can I only have one table service meal per day?

Answer: When you check in to your resort, you will receive your Key To The World Card. < more... >