So you’ve planned down time into your itinerary. Maybe I should take a step back - you DID make an itinerary, right? Planning even just a general outline of which park you plan to visit on which day can go a long ways towards avoiding getting overwhelmed at Walt Disney World and reverting to Park Commando mode. 

There are a variety of ways to plan an itinerary. In fact, if you book a qualifying package with your Mouse Fan Travel planner today, you will receive a free 1-year subscription to TouringPlans.com - one of the best itinerary planning sites out there! But if you prefer to start from scratch, be sure to check www.disneyworld.com for park hours, Extra Magic Hours and show times. This will help you decide which Extra Magic Hours you want to take advantage of and that can be a starting point for a touring plan. (Personal tip - we are early birds and LOVE being in the park for morning EMH. Then if and when the park starts to get crowded, we either park hop or go back to the resort for a break!)

Be well and make magic wherever you go!

Sara Varney
Travel Planner

"I need a vacation after that vacation!" This phrase has been uttered after countless Walt Disney World vacations. Walt Disney World is vast in size and with so much to see and do, it’s difficult to resist the instinct to go from dawn to dark with no rest for the weary. Is it possible to plan a trip to Disney that leaves you feeling satisfied that you saw what you truly needed to and yet didn’t overwhelm? Absolutely!

The word "plan" is key to a relaxing vacation. A little planning goes a long way! You have to plan breaks. Working down time into your itinerary can be the make or break point of a vacation. Even a tried and true park commando can benefit from a rest and a swim in the heat of the day. Especially if it means you will then have the energy to play far into the late night Extra Magic Hours!

Be well and make magic wherever you go!

Sara Varney
Travel Planner

Bad blogger… I know, I know. I really do apologize for disappearing periodically! I keep trying to cram 28 hours into a 24 hour day. But basically what I need to do is listen to my own advice! (Good luck with that one, right?)

I am forever telling clients to avoid trying to do too much on their trips. "There is no way to see or do it all, so don’t even try!" is my constant refrain. You’ll hear me say it often on the podcast and in this blog. So in honor of my resolution to find more balance in my own life, this week I’ll be discussing ways to avoid the dreaded "Commando Tourist" trap.

Be well and make magic wherever you go!

Sara Varney
Travel Planner

Happy March! Spring is so close I can taste it. Enough snow, sleet, rain, etc. Bring on the sun! So why am I already looking forward to next February so much? Oh that’s right…

Because we are going on the Disney Dream!!! Woo-hooo! My little family of three will be celebrating my husband’s birthday onboard the Disney Dream next year. Let the countdown begin! Now all they have to do is finish the ship…

We are booked in an inside stateroom. While I swore up and down that I would never sail in an inside stateroom again after being quarantined on my last cruise, I simply could not resist the chance to check out the new Virtual Porthole! Not to mention the excellent pricing available for this category stateroom. 

Be well and make magic wherever you go!

Sara Varney
Travel Planner

So, on with organzing for your Disney trip. You’ve purchased a system of some sort, you’re printed out all your travel documents - boarding passes, rental car confirmations, etc. Now what? 

If you booked with a Travel Planner, you should have received paperwork from them that you had to sign and send back. Make sure to print out a copy for your records. Then if you booked a package with Disney, about two weeks prior to your trip, you should receive a set of documents with all the details regarding your package, discount coupons, etc. Make sure to hang on to these!

Either you or your Travel Planner has likely made advanced dining reservations (ADRs). Be sure to write down or print out copies of the confirmation numbers for each one. Also be sure to note which have been ore-paid and which have cancellation penalties. If you have made reservations ofr Backstage tours, fireworks cruises, etc. it is also important to have these confirmation numbers in a safe place.

And finally, the last thing you want to be sure to keep is your travel planner’s phone number. While it rarely happens, problems do occur and your travel planner may be able to help smooth the way if the worst case scenario occurs.

Be well and make magic wherever you go!

Sara Varney
Travel Planner

Ok, so you’ve found something to keep all your paperwork in. But what to keep? Let’s start with everything you will need to get there!

Make sure to print out and keep copies of your air itineraries and boarding passes. Print out any rental car confirmations and airport parking confirmations or coupons. If you are taking Disney’s Magical Express, make sure to keep your shuttle vouchers and luggage tags. Other pieces of paper that you may wish to keep include a packing list, directions to and from the airport if you will be driving and any other e-mails you receive from your airline.

Be well and make magic wherever you go!

Sara Varney
Travel Planner

So you book a trip to Walt Disney World with your favorite Mouse Fan Travel Planner. (You did use a Travel Planner, right?) Chances are one of the first things you get is paperwork to sign and to keep for your records. Then you probably book airfare whic requires printing out a confirmation and so on and so forth. Next thing you know you have dining reservations, hotel reservations, etc that you have to keep track of!

You need somehwere to keep it all. If you’ve been reading this blog for a while then you already know my first recommendation - Get Thee A PassPorter! This all in one guide book and travel planner has the perfect solution for all your paperwork. PassPockets are found at the back of the book and there is one for travel, one for your resort, one for each day of your trip, etc.

If the PassPorter isn’t your thing or you just can’t bear to mark up it’s pretty little pages (don’t laugh, I’ve heard this one before!) then you at least need to get yourselves some manila folders. Better yet - get the plastic folder sized envelopes that have some kind of closure. At the very least you’re going to need one central place to keep all of your paperwork. Then as your trip approaches, you can sort through it all.

Be well and make magic wherever you go!

Sara Varney
Travel Planner

Organization. A topic that is near and dear to my heart as I attempt to makeover my home office. The sheer volume of paperwork would make a colony of termites salivate! A trip to Disney brings with it a fair amount of paperwork from boarding passes to confirmations to check out receipts. So this week we will be discussing how to stay organized during the planning process!

In the meantime, I am off to tackle the first pile of paperwork…

Be well and make magic wherever you go!

Sara Varney
Travel Planner

TGIF!!!! Phew, what a week. I need a vacation! Oh wait… I just had a vacation. Hmmmm… Back to the drawing board! Maybe I need a Disney Day!

What’s a Disney Day you ask? It’s a way to take a mental vacation and remind myself of my favorite place on Earth. A Disney Day can consist of a variety of different things - a Disney movie marathon, a trip to my local Disney store, or my all time favorite - meeting up with my "Disney" friends! I’m lucky to be part of the PassPorter Boards (little plug - I’m also co-host of the PassPorter Moms podcast: Disney & Beyond) and have made many close friends.

It always amazes me that my friends will go out of their way to meet up. WAY out of their way! We tend to meet here in Connecticut as it is a central location but they come from Pennsylvania and New Hampshire. We meet for lunch and shopping. It is the perfect meeting of the minds - friends who have so much in common but have bonded over a love of Disney. We have our next meeting set for April and I am already counting the days!!

Everyone needs a break once in a while. And Disney can provide the perfect escape.

Be well and make magic wherever you go!

Sara Varney
Travel Planner

The Main Street Electrical Parade is returning to the Magic Kingdom this summer! A perennial Disney favorite, the parade is relocating from Disneyland to Walt Disney World as part of the Summer Nightastic celerbation Disney has planned. But best of all, my personal fave Tinker Bell will be leading the parade on a brand new float!

Disney has other tricks up their sleeve for this summer - Wishes is being replaced with a new fireworks show (no name announced yet!), Tower of Terror is getting an upgrade and a new drop sequence and much more. Best of all, Walt Disney World has extended the travel dates of the current "Gift Card offer. So book now because this summer is going to be Nightastic!

Be well and make magic wherever you go!

Sara Varney
Travel Planner