2016 WDW Free Dining Promotion Announced

The dates for the 2016 Free Dining Promotion have been announced. The dates being offered for this promotion are:

August 23 through October 1, 2016

November 15 through November 21, 2016

November 26 through November 28, 2016

December 10 through December 21, 2016

**Disney Visa Cardholders can book this offer for dates beginning August 14, 2016. Get details here.

• Offer excludes the following room types: 3-bedroom villas, campsites, Disney’s Art of Animation Resort – Little Mermaid Standard Rooms and Bungalows at Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows

Resorts that are EXCLUDED from this offer are:

• All Stars Movies
• Art of Animation - Little Mermaid standard rooms only
• Port Orleans French Quarter
• Port Orleans Riverside (dates AFTER October 1, only)
• Fort Wilderness campsites and 3 - bedroom villas
• Bay Lake Tower at Disney's Contemporary Resort
• Disney's Polynesian Villas and Bungalows (available for Studios only)
• The Villas at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort and Spa

The Disney Dining Plan will be offered free to those staying at a Moderate, Deluxe or Deluxe Villa Resort. Those staying at a Value Resort will receive the Quick Service Dining Plan free. In the past, value resort guests were able to upgrade to the Disney Dining Plan just by paying the price difference between the two plans. Speak with your booking agent for more information and price.

To qualify for this promotion, you must book a minimum 3-night package and add either the Park Hopper or Water Parks and More option to your tickets. As in the past, your check-in date must fall on one of the qualified dates to receive free dining. You will receive free dining for every night of your stay, even if the entire trip is not within the qualified dates.

You must book by: July 8, 2016

Get full details on their website HERE

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Summer 2017 Update - New Fastpass+ System! Everything you need to know.

Effective April 10, 2016, Walt Disney World's Fastpass+ system is receiving some great new updates. Here is an overview of the whole system for those who haven't used it yet, including changes for those who have.

What is Fastpass+?

Fastpass Plus now allows you to schedule access to your favorite Walt Disney World attractions before you even leave home. For the first time ever, you can now schedule Fastpass times for all your favorite attractions.

How much does it cost?

Fastpass+ is included with the cost of your ticket, package or Annual Pass free of charge.

How do I schedule my Fastpass+ selections?

You can schedule your Fastpass times through the My Disney Experience webpage or mobile app. Link your park admission to your account and add people you are traveling with to your "Friends and Family" list to schedule times for your whole party.
Select the date and park you plan to visit. Then, select up to 3 attractions you would like to reserve. MDE will show you any attractions that are not available. You can choose anywhere between 1 and 3 attractions to schedule. You will be able to select the attraction and the time slot simultaneously. After you select these, individual times and attractions can be changed at any time through the app.

How far in advance can I schedule Fastpass+ selections?:

Disney resort guests can schedule times up to 60 days in advance of check-in date for the entire length of their stay. Off-site guests can schedule times up to 30 days in advance.

What about Annual Passholders?

Annual Passholders may schedule 7 days of selections in a 30 day period. You may schedule these selections up to 30 days in advance of your visit. If you will be a Disney Resort guest, you may schedule up to 60 days in advance. 

What if my plans change while I'm in the park?

You can change your selections at any time through the My Disney Experience mobile app or by visiting your Disney Resort Hotel lobby concierge or by visiting any of the Fastpass+ kiosks located throughout the 4 Disney parks. You will also now be able to remove an individual person from the FP+ reservation without cancelling the reservation for the whole party.

What attractions are available for Fastpass+?

Use the photo in this article to see what attractions are available for this service. Note that certain parks have attractions broken into different "tiers". For these attractions, you may only choose 1 Tier 1 selection and 2 Tier 2 selections. Attractions and Tiers are subject to change as attractions close and new ones are added.

How many Fastpass+ selections can I make?

At this time, you may make up to 3 selections per day in advance using the app or website. Once you have used your advance selections, you can make another, one at a time, through the MDE app or by visiting any of the Fastpass+ kiosks located throughout the 4 Disney parks. These additional selections can be made on day of visit only. 

How many parks can I schedule in one day?

At this time, you must make your advance selections all for the SAME park. If you plan on park-hopping, schedule your advance passes for the first park you will be visiting. Once they are used, you can use your MDE app to schedule additional FPs either in the park you are in OR in another park that you plan to hop to.
Important note: If you schedule just ONE fastpass in advance and use it, you will immediately be able to schedule your second FP for another park. Also, you will be able to schedule your third FP for a third park if you choose! So it seems if you don't use your initial 3 at once, you can still schedule 2 additional after using the first. After this, you will need to schedule them one-at-a-time as they are used.

We will keep you updated as new information becomes available with any updates to the Fastpass+ system.

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Early Morning Magic Fantasyland dates revealed!

The webpage for Disney Early Morning Magic - Fantasyland went live today. This early morning premium ticket will give you access to Fantasyland on select Tuesdays and Saturdays mornings beginning at 7:45 am.

As of now, tickets seem to be available through June. The cost is $69 per adult and $59 per child.

Three attractions will be open during this period: The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Peter Pan's Flight and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. Guests will also enjoy breakfast at Pinocchio Village Haus.

For all the details and tickets, visit the WDW website HERE.

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Disney "Magic" is something you can feel, not something you can steal!

It's being called the "entitlement generation". You see it more and more every day. People that are incapable of taking 'no' for an answer. People that don't just want to be treated fairly, but demand to be treated specially. Those that believe their very presence entitles them to something more than everyone else has. 

People have said that one of the best things about Walt Disney World is the escape from reality. The ability to leave the real world at the gates and step into a childhood fantasy. However, that bubble is being popped more and more frequently and perhaps the social media age is helping to kill the "magic".
The amount of information available to Disney guests is larger than ever before. Websites, forums, blogs and Facebook groups discuss every subject possible. While some of this information is invaluable to people trying to plan the perfect vacation, I sometimes wonder if there really can be "too much of a good thing". 

Of course, people are thrilled to share the good news when they get an extra sprinkle of magic whether it's a surprise upgrade, some extra fastpasses, free merchandise or even a towel animal. Yes, no matter who you are, a washcloth twisted into a bunny on your bed will make you smile! However, sharing these special stories have led to a growing number of people wanting to know "why them and not me?". It's becoming common on social groups to see questions such as "what complaints have you used to get a room upgrade?" or "who can I contact to get a refund because they cancelled the parade due to rain?" or "how can I get a free replacement for my coffee mug because I dropped mine and broke it?". People have lost sight of the fact that magical moments are magical because of their spontaneity, their randomness. If everyone receives special pixie dust, it's not special anymore. You can't possibly feel good about receiving something you had to ask for or demand. That is NOT a magical moment.

But, probably the most disturbing of all the discussions I've seen have to be the ones about "cheating the system". People proudly sharing advice on how to get around the rules, how to get something for nothing, or how to get what you want without considering the effect it has on everyone else. The most common justification for these actions is simple: the Disney company makes billions of dollars every year, they can afford it. Well, let's think about that for a minute. Yes, it's true that Walt Disney World sees upwards of 19 MILLION visitors every year, so how likely do you think it is that you are the only one doing these things? People have become so focused on themselves that they really believe nobody will notice when they skirt the rules. They can't comprehend that when thousands of people are doing things to beat the system, it affects EVERY single guest in the long run, including themselves. Disney is a business. It's the purpose of a business to make a profit. As guests, we have come to expect a certain standard of service. We demand new attractions and upgrades. If the parks remained the same year after year, we would all be disappointed. Well, those things cost money. So when the abuse of privileges becomes too overwhelming, the company is obligated to do something about it. Everyone hates when they increase prices. We hate when they cut back on offerings. We complain that the promos offered aren't as "good" as they used to be and there has been plenty of grumbling about the high price tags attached to all the new offerings. But the plain truth is that some of us, as guests, brought a lot of this on ourselves.

There has been plenty of evidence to support the fact that Disney DOES notice behavior that is harmful to their operations and they WILL do what they can to stop it. Don't believe me? Here are just a few examples:
Remember how up-in-arms people became when they made changes to the Guest Assistance Cards? People were so outraged, they filed lawsuits against Disney. Now do you remember who we had to thank for those changes? The guests who were "faking it" to abuse the system. 
Are you annoyed that money is being spent to gate the resort pools? Well, you can thank all the people who insisted on making use of the pools without paying for the rooms they belong to.
Are you thirsty? Well, you have to wait for the timer to allow that RFID chip to fill your resort mug and hope the machine is working properly that day. Know why? That's right, all the guests brought every cup, bottle or container they ever owned to fill up all day, every day.
Currently, there are two widespread "schemes" being shared freely on the internet that really bug me. They bug me because I don't like seeing people take an unfair advantage over other people. They bug me because I don't like seeing people piggyback off Disney to make a profit for themselves. And they bug me, most of all, because I can foresee changes coming that none of us will like and I don't like being punished for someone else's wrongdoing like with all the examples listed above.

The first of these schemes is the Memory Maker "share". I love the Memory Maker with all the special videos and enhancements. I love the professional look of the photos. Yes, they are expensive, but worth it to me. Being able to "share" this service with family and friends is a really great perk, and yes, it is a perk! I definitely took advantage of it on my last trip I took with my sister's family. We were able to connect our reservations as Family and Friends and have all our photos on one account. Naturally, between the two of us, we split the cost. That is really helpful to a lot of people, especially for extended families traveling together. However, it didn't take long for the schemers to find a way to exploit that perk. They flocked to the internet finding people who happened to be traveling in the same time frame to share the cost. Actual groups are set up for this. They will share between 6, 8, even 10 or more families just to pay as little as possible! And don't think for a minute that the people coordinating these shares aren't getting theirs for free or even making money! These people are strangers. They aren't traveling "together". Most have never and will never meet. Of course, Disney soon found out about it and contacted them to stop. But, all they did was "go underground" and continue about their business. You don't think this is cheating the system? Well, it is. Don't believe me? Here it is in black and white.

It is against the terms of the Memory Maker to accept any consideration or remuneration (they mean money) from other people for access to the downloads and can result in the loss of everyone's photos. 
So, do you honestly think Disney doesn't notice this is happening? A dozen families, traveling at different times over a month, not appearing in ANY photos together but they are supposed to be "friends and family"? Really? Like all other abuses, they will be forced to step in and do something about it. I fear that this will be the first one on the chopping block because it's the easiest to deal with. The solution is obvious. It would be very simple for Disney to remove the "friends and family" option from Memory Maker. Then it will only take photos from the magic bands of people listed on your reservation. Every reservation will have to purchase their own Memory Maker. Is this really not obvious to anyone but me? I doubt it. So once again, we will all have to pay the penalty because of a few bad apples. My advice: if you don't want to pay for the Memory Maker, DON'T GET IT. It's not necessary. People have tons of devices these days to take photos, so use them. You are free to take as many pictures as you want with your own camera. Heck, Photopass photographers will even do it for you! But don't ruin a good thing for people that really like it.

The second one that really infuriates me is the selling and buying of dining reservations, even the notification of dining openings. This is the most frustrating because it's the "chicken and the egg". People insist they need to pay a fee to secure the reservations they want, but they fail to see that is the reason the reservations aren't available in the first place! First, it was the "services" that will notify you the minute a reservation opens up. People thought this was so great, but what they didn't realize is these companies are using unauthorized software to get these notifications. So that BOG reservation you've been checking for 3 times a day? Well, it just opened up. The problem is this software just instantly notified thousands of other people that it's now open. So your chances of getting it? Slim to none, even if you paid to get this notification.. Of course, greed always makes people go one step further and people starting actually booking all the reservations under fake names and accounts. Then, for a fee, they would release them to guests who wanted them. You pay the ransom, you get the reservations. Disney quickly stepped in to put a stop to this activity. However, there is plenty of evidence that it is still happening. It's just kept quiet now. So whose fault is it that even at 180 days out, there is NO availability at any of the restaurants you want? Well, if you are someone who pays for this "service", it's YOURS. It's really very simple. People won't stop doing this if they can make money. So the people that keep paying for reservations and notifications are the ones making it impossible for us to find any. Even though some companies are no longer charging for "notifications", they still offer the service on the same websites and forums where they advertise their paid services. It's simple advertising to draw you in and generate business for their other products. And they are still using the same software that will make it impossible for the average user to find their own reservations using Disney's website. It's business. And if you keep supporting that business, the problem keeps growing. This is the finest example of the Entitlement Generation yet. Trust me, no one has ever died from not eating at Cinderella Castle. No child has ever exploded from being told, "sorry, we can't do it this time". It's OK not to get every single thing you want on every trip. It's OK to leave some new experiences to look forward to next time. Walt Disney World offers more than enough experiences to fill up every day of your trip. When all is said and done, people will remember what they DID do way more than they will remember that they didn't eat at Be Our Guest. Disney has already tried to make changes to the reservation system to stop these third-party people from interfering with our reservation experience, but it clearly hasn't been enough. So it's inevitable that more changes will come and I can almost guarantee, like many of the others, we won't like them.

I'm all for cutting corners and saving money. My budget may be tighter than most, and I definitely don't visit as often as I would like. Every time changes are announced, they are followed by days of complaints by guests, myself included. Every price increase means it's that much longer before I can go back. But, we need to ask ourselves who is to blame. Can we blame corporate greed? Maybe, sometimes. Can we blame Stacey for convincing us that "Must Do Disney" means our trip will be ruined if we don't do everything on the list? Not likely. Or do we finally hold accountable those that feel they should get more at the expense of everyone else? We are not all special snowflakes. We are not the only ones who paid "good money" to be there. Disney doesn't owe us anything, and none of us deserves anything more than what we paid for. If you need to park at resorts to avoid parking fees or slip extra people into your room to sleep on the floor, maybe you need more time to save up for your vacation. You think the few bucks you are shaving off won't be missed? Well, I bet there are thousands of other people who think the same thing. Our actions do have an effect on those around us. We have to start realizing that the "magic" is not disappearing on its own, it's being stolen from us. Then ask yourself if you are part of the problem. Maybe a quote from one of my favorite non-Disney franchises will show us just how "non-Disney" some people are becoming. 

"Soon we must all face the choice between what is right and what is easy."
                                   Albus Dumbledore







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10 Great Programs to earn FREE gift cards for your Disney trip!

Nowadays, the internet is loaded with apps and programs that will reward you with gift cards for doing everyday activities. You can earn them for participating in surveys, browsing the web, shopping and many other activities that you are probably already doing! If you have a lot of time before your next trip, you can spend it earning points to cash in on some pretty sweet rewards.

Even though most of these programs don't offer Disney gift cards, there are other cards you can use while on your trip OR you can use their rewards to get free Disney cards. If you participate in a program that doesn't offer any rewards you can use at Disney or convert to Disney cards, another way to build your trip fund is to get cards for stores where you will normally shop anyway. Use the free cards you earned, but take the cash equivalent from your shopping budget and put it into your trip fund. Or, some programs offer gift cards on airlines or gas that you can use towards your transportation costs.

Here are some great rewards programs we found and we'll tell you how to use them to save big on your next Disney trip! You can click on the names to take you right to their websites!

1. MyPoints
This is one of my favorite programs and the one I use the most. Points can be earned for shopping online, web-browsing, surveys, games, printing coupons and more. There are plenty of point-earning opportunities that take little-to-no time to complete. They also have a really large selections of rewards. They offer: Target, Walmart and KMart cards which can be used to purchase Disney gift cards. Shutterfly which can be used to for trip photo memories. Starbucks and Prepaid Visa cards which can be used in the parks. You can also get cash rewards deposited directly to your Paypal account. And my favorite that I always save for: Landry's and Rainforest Cafe cards. At Disney, these cards can be used at Rainforest Cafe, T-Rex Cafe and Yak and Yeti in Animal Kingdom! I usually always earn a free dinner for my party through them every trip.

2. Swagbucks
Another very popular program that lets your earn points in many of the same ways mentioned above: take surveys, watch videos, shop, search, play. They also offer a large variety of rewards such as: Southwest Airlines, Target, Walmart, Starbucks, Landry's, Paypal and pre-paid Visa.

3. Loot Palace
You can earn points here in many of the same ways mentioned above. They do have a smaller amount of rewards available and they tend to change. Some of the rewards that have been offered include: Club Penguin memberships, Starbucks, Target, and Walmart. You can also cash in for direct Paypal deposits.

4. Verizon MyRewards+
If you have Verizon home phone and internet service, you can enroll in this program. You earn points for using selects apps, getting upgrades, ordering movies, even paying your bill online. Their rewards include Target, Starbucks, and pre-paid Visa cards.



5. Shopkick
This is a shopping app that gives your points (kicks) for walking into stores, scanning items and making purchases. Rewards they offer include Starbucks and Target.

6. Ibotta
Another shopping app where you perform actions on featured items including: taking polls, watching ads, share, review or read the description to unlock the earnings. When you buy the items, scan the receipt and barcode, you redeem the earnings. Earnings are deposited as cash to your Paypal account. You can also choose certain gift cards including Starbucks.

7. ReceiptHog
Download this app to scan your receipts and earn coins. The more you scan, the more ways you can unlock to earn more coins. Coins can be redeemed for cash deposits to your Paypal account.


8. My Coke Rewards
Sign up for free and enter codes found on Coca-Cola products for points. Codes can be used for various sweepstakes entries which can include Disney trips and large Visa pre-paid cards. You can also spend points on gift cards including: Starbucks, Shutterfly, Walmart and AMC Movie theaters which can be used in Disney Springs.

9. Disney Vacation Account Bonus Program
You can open a Disney Vacation Account for free. You are eligible for a free $20 Disney gift card for every $1000 you spend on qualified vacation purchases with your account prior to December 31, 2017. This date is subject to extension. You can choose to have periodic savings transferred from your bank account or make your own one-time deposits as you go. You can also add Disney gift card balances to the account. This is a simple way to put aside money you know you will spend anyway and get some free gift cards doing it. Please note: your account membership has to be active for at least 120 days to qualify for the bonus program, so plan ahead if you want to use this option.

10. Disney Visa Rewards from Chase
Probably the most popular Disney rewards program is the Disney Visa card from Chase. You will earn "Disney Dream Dollars" for all the purchases you make with your card. You can also earn more dollars quicker if you choose to upgrade to the Premiere card. These dollars can be used at nearly all locations on Disney property and on Disneystore.com. You will also enjoy 0% financing on Disney vacations, special offers, discounts on Disney shopping and special perks in the parks. The best way to build dollars fast is to use this card for ALL your everyday purchases and pay it off each month. This way, you are earning rewards without carrying balances or paying interest. From time to time, Chase will offer extra rewards for applying. As you can see in this photo, the current offer is for a free $100 Disney gift card if you are approved and make $500 in purchases within three months. This is super easy to do if using it for your everyday purchases. You must use the referral to get the reward and I have referrals available if anyone is interested in applying. Just message me on Facebook HERE for the info! 

With just a little pre-planning and some extra work, you can save yourself hundreds, even thousands, on your next Disney vacation using these programs. Have you tried any? If not, try signing up today!

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Disney's Hollywood Studios new park name revealed!

During its March 12 annual shareholders meeting, Bob Iger confirmed a name change was coming. He also discussed the revised plans for the park which included halting plans for the Toy Story expansion in favor of added Star Wars attractions. 

The new plans include re-branding the Toy Story Midway Mania attraction to a new Star Wars themed attraction where guests would man the battle guns depicted in the Millennium Falcon to take down Imperial fighters. 

With this new expansion occupying more than 50% of the park, the company has decided the new park name will be.....

          Disney's Galactic Empire

While Star Wars fans are excited for this change expected to be complete by Summer 2017, many true Disney fans realize that this is just an April's Fools joke and will eagerly await the real name-change announcement some time in the future. Lol, I'll be waiting with you. 

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