Em – Em’s Walt Disney World Planning Blog

Travel Essentials Part 2

March 12, 2021April 7, 2021 Em

Welcome back to my travel essentials list! I’m going straight in, no faffing!

CHUB RUB PREVENTION! This is a big one for me. This is for EVERYONE because I know women are not the only ones afflicted. Also I actually hate the name chub rub. That sounds…. quite derogatory to me because not everyone who gets the rub has the chub 😂

So let’s call it what it is, it’s thigh chafing. And it hurts like hell. And when you’re thighs are sweaty from the humidity and your body is swelling in the heat and you’re walking a LOT it is somehow 1000 times worse. I know some people swear by putting deodorants or talc on their legs, or that special anti chafing gel, all of which I have tried but they all also seem to wear off and that doesn’t work for me. I am someone who doesn’t like to reapply and I want my prevention to really do it’s job 😂 so I don’t take chances! I wear cycling shorts or similar to avoid the chafing altogether.

I watched a video with Molly from AllEars.net and she explained how, even with skirts and dresses, she wears long skin-tight shorts underneath. She recommended these Jockey Skimmies and I have bought some in the mid length as the top half my legs is long! but they also come in a shorter length. I would personally definitely recommend this type of thing over creams or gels or powders, purely for longevity and work fine under loose trousers and shorts too.

Jockey – at least the UK site – don’t appear to make something like this for men, but something similar like this is what I would recommend. Just keep away from something like cotton right next to your skin!

Here is a little more information on thigh chafing and how to prevent and treat it.

BAGS! I know there are some people who are lucky enough to be able to get around Disney without carrying anything. To them I tip my hat! I am 100% NOT that type of person! I have to carry all my stuff at all times haha!!

However, I also like my hands free so I prefer a backpack. I collect Loungefly bags and they do also make bumbags (or fanny-packs as the Americans call them) and smaller cross-body bags which I think are great for travelling lighter! The Loungefly backpacks are quite sturdy and can also be used as packing cubes in your luggage too.

Choose a bag that suits you or no bag at all!

PONCHOS! If you think you’re not going to get caught in a sudden downpour when you’re in Florida, then think again! The weather in Orlando is nothing if not unpredictable and it can change as quickly as dragging the bar across the photos below!

These two pictures were taken just a few minutes apart while we went in and out of World of Disney at Disney Springs. Bright sunshine to absolute pouring rain! That evening we were not prepared at all, despite usually having ponchos with us!

These ponchos are perhaps not the best quality and not really brilliant for the environment, but they’re cheap and good enough to outlast a rain shower and/or a trip on Splash Mountain or Kali River Rapids. (You would think you’d dry really fast in the heat, but it’s very humid so you just… well you just don’t!) They are available in bulk packs on Amazon too. You can also get ponchos easily in Disney merchandise stores but they are EXPENSIVE.

Ideally, if you have a packable light raincoat that folds up really small, bring it! And just something to put it in when it’s wet so you don’t make everything in your bag wet too.

ZIPLOCK BAGS! These are great for everything. Bring a few in your bag for the day. First and foremost, put anything you think you’ll need to take out of your bag at bag check, IN a ziplock bag. Then you or the security guard can just take it all out in one go without having to rifle through your stuff.

Also, have you seen the size of the snacks in Disney and Universal? It’s unlikely, unless you’re sharing, that you’ll get through one of those huge cinnamon buns in one go, especially at the moment where you have to be staying still to eat. So pop your uneaten half in a ziplock and bring it along for later or back to your room! Sorted!

FEET! There is always a question on the Facebook groups about what are the best shoes to wear to Disney World. There is no definitive answer to this. The fact is that no matter when you go to Disney, there will be hot weather and sometimes wet weather and you will walk MILES and your feet will have to bear your weight standing in lines for hours a day.

So, really the correct shoes are ones that you find comfortable and can wear for long periods of time. That might be a certain pair of trainers or flip flops or crocs, but it is definitely a personal choice.

My favourites are Nike Tanjun I have two pairs. But I also have a few different styles of trainer too that I like.

I would recommend two things though: if you have something very comfortable, make sure you have two pairs! And make sure they are well worn in. Don’t go in brand new shoes.

Here are a couple more foot-related tips though!

GOOD SOCKS! I was recommended Rockay socks by a member of a Disney World Facebook group and I’ve been testing them out on my daily walks. Proper trainer socks that DON’T slip under my feet. They never slip! I love them! These are expensive socks, they are, but honestly I can’t say enough good things about them. They’re worth every penny:

They are made from recycled materials.
They take plastic from the ocean every time someone places an order 💚
They are treated with Polygiene, their stay-fresh technology which means you don’t have to wash them every time you wear them. Meaning better for the environment AND they last longer so better for your wallet!
They have a 40 day satisfaction guarantee, a manufacturing guarantee AND a blister-free guarantee. I mean… what?!?
They have a clearance section where you can get products up to 50% off – ALL THE TIME.

MOLESKIN! Here is why I use moleskin (and how to use it.) Even if you have great socks that don’t rub and shoes you are positive will not give you blisters, you still just can never be sure. If you DO get a blister or your shoes are rubbing, that can make walking miles a day around Disney World go from a whole heap of fun to just… one of the most painful things ever.

One last big tip.
TRAINING! If you are going to Disney World, even if you think you are ready and planned, you might want to prepare your body! It can be totally exhausting and the last thing you want is to get half way through your trip and collapse and not want to get up to do anything you’ve got planned or be able to actually walk the next day. Here is one of my favourite articles that gives you a bit of training plan to prepare for Disney! It sounds like crazy talk, training for Disney, but honestly, your feet will thank you!

Right, enough of feet!

STRAWS! Disney have been eco-conscious and moved away from single-use plastic straws which is great! Except that you know as well as me that the paper straws can collapse really quickly, especially if it’s a large drink.

We’ve invested in these fab metal straws with silicone tips (to protect the ol’ gnashers!) and they come in a little box with a cleaning brush too. Shlurple also has reusable cutlery if that’s something you’d prefer to use too. AND they donate a portion of their profits to turtle sanctuaries too ❤

WATER! Keeping hydrated in the heat is very important of course, and one of the biggest tips you’ll probably hear on Disney vlogs is that the bottled water is very expensive and (when the Disney dining plan is available) is not worth your snack credits. They will also tell you that free cups of water is available at every quick service location which is true so definitely take advantage of that!

You can also top up a water bottle at water refill stations around the parks too. You might hear that the water tastes different to what you are accustomed to. If this is a thing that you’re concerned about, this is one thing you could do if you wanted: a water bottle with a Brita water filter disc in it that you can fill at the free fountains.

By the way, I have realised at this point that these tips are not in any kind of order 🤦‍♀️ but hopefully they will still be useful anyway! Maybe at some point I’ll re-order them!

Okay so, going back to plane travel (actually this first one is great for any travel, unless you are the car driver!)

TRTL! This is an alternative to the traditional neck pillow and I love it! I got it for Christmas a couple of years ago and it is brilliant! I am a sleepy traveller except when I’m uncomfortable but this lets me rest my head even when I’m sat bolt upright. There are three versions now – you can even get one for your kids! It’s truly great!

FOOT REST/SLING! The second item I recommend for air travel is this. It’s a hanging foot rest that hangs over the tray table in front and allows you to rest your feet suspended, which should give more leg room.

I will admit I haven’t had the opportunity to test this yet, but I have seen many positive reviews about it so far. This isn’t the exact one I have but it’s a very similar one and a similar price too.

There are many different types of these available, but please be aware that some contain parts that need to be inflated and this isn’t allowed on some airlines, so choose carefully if this is an item you want.

TRAVEL COSMETICS BOTTLES! You’ll want to make as much space in your suitcase for all your Disney souvenirs as possible so the good news is, all Disney resort properties have shampoo/conditioner/body wash available for you. But we all still might need to bring other things so depending on the length of your trip, use smaller bottles if you can!

COOLING TOWELS! As has been previously mentioned a few times, it can be HOT in Florida! 😂 Therefore, these cooling towels can be a godsend. Douse them with cold water, wring them out and give them a shake to snap them and they will keep you cool for a good while! I got these ones below quite cheaply on Amazon or another good company is Dock & Bay although theirs are quite large towels.

Speaking of towels: we got a set of different sized MICROFIBRE TOWELS! (from Tesco I believe) which proved very useful when we went on some of the wetter rides and when we got stuck in an unexpected downpour!

CHARGING! You WILL need your phone in DisneyWorld. From trying to get on Rise of the Resistance, mobile ordering your food, checking fast pass reservations (if/when they come back) and taking photos… you’ll be on your phone a LOT and your battery will go down fast. The same at the other theme parks too with virtual queues being very popular! So it’s a very good idea to have something with you to charge your phone on the go.

If you have your own mobile charger, ideally have it be about 10,000MaH. These can be found for not very much on Amazon. You could even get two and have one always charging while the other is with you so you never run out. These are my favourites because they are small but pack a good punch.

The other alternative is FuelRod. The advantage of the FuelRod is, you buy the charger kit in the first instance – it comes with several adapters to fit whatever phone you have – and then whenever it runs out you simply take it to a FuelRod kiosk which are all over DisneyWorld AND Universal and swap it for a fresh, fully charged unit ready to go.

The convenience of this is you never have to wait for your own charger to recharge or worry about forgetting it. The downside is that there is a cost to it. ($30 to purchase the Charger and then $3 each time you swap) and each fuel rod is only probably between 2,000-5,000MaH each so depending on how many are in your party you may need to purchase more than one or have to swap quite frequently.
Here’s more info from the DisneyWorld website.

Phew! Okay! I think that’s all my essentials for now! Don’t forget to check out Part 1 and please feel free to add your own in the comments. What’s your best travel essential?

Travel Essentials Part 1

March 8, 2021April 7, 2021 Em

I finally feel like trips might ACTUALLY be going ahead from the U.K. at some point – so much so, we’ve actually started booking again! – so with that in mind, I want to share with you some of the essentials that I’ve been gathering for trips.

Some of these I’ve had for many different trips over the years and some I’ve picked up since my Disney World trip in 2018 after watching many videos and getting lots of tips from bloggers. I’m sure there are others and I’d love for you to add any you have in the comments but here are mine! These are primarily for Florida related trips, but some can be used for ANY trip.

ADAPTERS! If you’re not travelling from the US, you will most likely need some kind of plug adapter. It seems like most rooms, even in the Value resorts at Disney have a TON of USB ports now which is great except that not all of your stuff – say hair straighteners and the ever expanding array of different cords that Apple are making for their devices – will fit in a USB port, so adapters it is! I got these Wenger ones from Swiss Store and they came in a European and US set and have lasted really well so I highly recommend.

LUGGAGE STRAPS! No matter how hard you try, it’s always possible you’ve got the same luggage as someone else. You think you’ve chosen the cutest, most unique suitcase and then you’re standing at the carousel and see someone else’s case is the same! I imagine this happens even more with Disney luggage. So if this has happened to you, grab a luggage strap that stands out! My parents bought these ones for us when we went on our first family cruise, but I know there are more modern ones with TSA approved locks on them.

SUN BLOCK! This should be first on the list once you arrive always! It’s going to be hot out there. No matter what time of year you go it is hot. It will sometimes be really rainy, there may be clouds, you might get a hurricane or two, but there is always hot sun. I mean, this is the weather forecast for this week. FEBRUARY! Look at those temperatures!

I’m quite fair-skinned so I like factor 50. I also HATE applying sun cream but there’s no way I would go without. So a reliable “once a day” is what I use.
P20 factor 50 is the best for me. It lasts up to 10 hours (including dips in a pool) from one application. It only has 2 disadvantages:

You have to put it on at least 15 minutes before sun exposure and it can take a while to dry, so it might mean setting that Disney alarm a little earlier
It can stain lighter clothes. Be prepared for this or wear darker clothes!

Both of these pale in comparison to all the added benefits. It has high UVA/UVB protection and you can put it on once and have an entire day at Disney without stopping to worry about reapplying.

My family and I would get up in the morning, cover ourselves in P20 before we did anything else at all and then wait for it to dry. Then we would get dressed and head out for breakfast. It became the routine. And in 2 weeks, none of us even got a slight sunburn, just a nice tan.

For the face, I recommend The Body Shop Skin Defence. Again, factor 50 (if you prefer or can handle lighter protection, the Vitamin E range has factor 30.) This is much lighter and better for your facial skin and better if you want to wear make-up on top.

MASKS! Of course next up is masks. We don’t know when these will NOT be needed so get some! A lot of research tells me to get different types so that your face/ears etc don’t get uncomfortable. And be sure to find ones that YOU find comfy. For Disney currently they need to be at least 2 layers and need to fasten securely round your face and ears (ie no gaters.)

I prefer the cloth style masks, ideally with the nose grip, but not necessarily essential. I am, however, going to take a few disposable ones just for if I’m riding on any super fast or wet rides because a wet cloth mask is just not doing its job and I don’t want to lose any cloth mask that I’ve paid for when it flies off on a fast ride!

My favourite place to look for masks is on Etsy. There are some amazing ones available, well made and very cute Disney designs and by purchasing them, you’re helping out a small business too! The ones pictured above are from an American based Etsy seller called Boston Baked Tees and there are lots of UK based sellers too. However, Disney do sell their own in the parks so that’s always an option. The recommendations I’ve seen are to ideally take 2 masks per day. If you’re only there for a couple of days you probably already have this many. If you’re going for longer, maybe take some and wash them, which is my plan.

The other item I’ve seen highly recommended is a mask chain. Essentially it’s what you might see someone hanging on to their glasses, but this way you hopefully won’t lose your mask when you take it off or accidentally put it down in something gross. Again, Etsy did me a service with these!

If you’re staying on property and you DON’T want to take a 3 masks for every single day of your stay, you will want to be able to wash your masks on a night and reuse them which brings me to my next item.

LAUNDRY! Travel wash for your room to wash your masks and any other items and Tide To Go instant stain remover pens to take with you into the parks in case of any food incidents on your favourite Minnie top or the Disney Bound you’ve been working on for months! You can get a pack of three Tide pens for a very reasonable price on Amazon and the Travel Wash is less than £2 at the moment! Stock up!

Okay, this is enough for part one! I’ll add some more into my travel essentials part 2 in another post! Do you agree with the items on my list? Are they on your essentials list too?

Lockdown Shopping Syndrome

October 28, 2020October 28, 2020 Em

I’ve no idea if that’s an official term, but if it’s not, I’m coining it now. And I’ve been suffering from it. I know I’m definitely not the only one either! My best friend and I also call it #AddToBasket. It’s definitely an issue!

In the absence of other things to do / places to go, my poor bank accounts have taken a massive hit with perhaps some of the most random items I have ever purchased in my lifetime! (At the start of lockdown I bought a cello… A CELLO! I still intend to learn it properly, I just haven’t had the motivation)

A lot of the items I’ve bought though have been Disney related. Some have been just fun things, some have been for planning purposes and some have been little things that I think will be useful on a trip! So i thought I’d share a few here.

1. Loungefly Bags and Minnie Ears

I started my Loungefly backpack collection a little while ago, and keep adding the odd one. Some really cute ones have come out since lockdown began such as this Mulan one

this Cinderella anniversary one

and this fab light-up Tangled bag.

As for Minnie ears, I totally blame Molly from All Ears for my obsession! I used to have two pairs. Now I have MANY. From Disney store, from Etsy…. I just keep seeing cute ones! Agh! Help!

2. Minnie Mouse Main Attraction Mugs

The Minnie Mouse Main Attraction mugs (try saying that five times fast!) are part of a bigger collection of Loungefly Bag/Ears/Pin set/Mug/Minnie Plush, one of which has been released each month since January each based on a different Walt Disney World attraction.

After attempting to get an occasional backpack or set of ears (and I 100% mean attempt because these items going on sale at 8am and are typically sold out by 8.03am!) I decided on the mugs. They are stackable, but I decided to keep them in their boxes because they look really nice.

Minnie Mouse Main Attraction Mugs (and in front, wax melts with scents from the Magic Kingdom from SeillanMórShop on Etsy)

3. Walt Disney World Transportation Planner

I spotted this on Etsy and thought it would be really helpful when planning how to get between the parks or to different restaurants.

This was, of course, before park hopping ended, but I still just love it, especially as my husband has a fond love for London Underground style maps.

4. Disney Dinner Plates!

This dinner set from George caught my eye and now it’s our main dinner set! Even my husband likes it and I thought I’d have to talk him into having Mickey on his plates! (Note the hidden Mickey I made for my Instagram pic 😂)

Disney dinner service from George at Asda. Photo from my Instagram @gibsonsdodisney

These are just a few of the things we’ve bought! Have you found yourself shopping more? Found any lovely Disney things? Share your purchases!

Shout out to my Travel Agent

October 27, 2020 Em

I want to give a MASSIVE shout out to my travel agent, Peridot Harrison.

Actually first of all, let me give a shout out to ALL travel agents. I can’t imagine the hassle they must have been getting since the start of the lockdown in March. I know Peridot has had some really crappy people essentially blaming agents for things that could not be any less their fault.

Unprecedented is a big buzz word at the moment, but it’s certainly a correct one. Nobody could have predicted this, and the effect it would have on global travel. Everyone I know has had trips cancelled or postponed, but just about everyone I know has also been very gracious about it with the people who have helped book those trips.

Peridot has been on the receiving end of so many emails from me as I rescheduled our family trip so many times, or worried about whether we should move it again. And every time I apologised for bothering her, I was met with her reply saying that I wasn’t. She has done her absolute best for me and the family for several years now and is brilliant.

Peridot is a Travel Counsellor. If you have one, hooray! If you don’t, I highly recommend ours. She works from home and you don’t have to be close by, as she works over the phone and by email, so you could literally live at the other end of the country from her and still be her client.

As with all travel agents, you pay her nothing, but she gets commission from the places you book with when you book through her.

Check her out. She is (with the help of her business partner and best friend Claire who specialises in cruises) exceptional.

https://www.facebook.com/PeridotHarrisonTC/

New Trips on the Horizon!

October 26, 2020 Em

As a result of all the rescheduling, I now have three trips in pretty quick succession!

I have a solo trip – my first at WDW – booked for September 2021. I’m very excited about this! I have some stuff that I really want to do, but nearer the time, I’m going to be asking people for some ideas of what they want to see me do and post videos! Should be fun!

The second trip is going to be booked for January 2022. This has been on the cards for a while now, my BFF trip with my best friend Claire. She has been to Disneyland Paris a few times and we have been together and had so much fun, but she has never been to Florida and we are making the trip together. We cannot WAIT!

And then, of course, trip number three is the oft rescheduled family trip, which we are hoping to go for Easter 2022.

As I result, I’ll be making good use of the Platinum Plus annual pass that I bought but luckily never had chance to activate! I’m going to be getting myself a Universal annual pass too for those three trips alone will save me money!

My first trip is now less than a year away. I’ve saved up for a nice flight too. Fingers crossed they’ve opened up to let us in to the country by then!

Long time no blog!

October 26, 2020 Em

It’s been a while! I need to be more organised – not like I haven’t got time on my hands!

The last time I talked about our family holiday to Walt Disney World, we had had to reschedule it from July 2020 to October 2020.

In the midst of the coronavirus crisis, and to use a phrase much repeated, with an abundance of caution, we decided to move it even further ahead to February 2021 and as it happened we were glad we did because then the US closed its borders to the UK to all but non-essential travel, without basically two weeks quarantine on either side.

So, we moved it back to February 2021, not knowing how things would be then, and because we weren’t sure whether we would really get our money’s worth, with character greets and all that stuff being off the table, we downgraded from the Beach Club to a suite at the Art of Animation, a resort we know we love.

But it wasn’t long after that that we all had a family discussion and decided that we had rather save the money for the trip we had originally planned for and hopefully we will be able to make that in 2022, so we cancelled it. Ready to rebook for two years’ time.

I have to admit to you – I cried after I let my travel agent know. I’ve been looking forward to going back ever since I left. It was less than two years and now it will be almost four, but each time we move it, the countdown is a little less.

And we are not alone in having to do this, we know that. So sending solidarity hugs to everyone in the same boat.

Keeping Busy with Disney+

April 28, 2020 Em

While holiday planning is on hold (to be honest, most of it was already done! We were just waiting for our fast pass + window to come around, but now that obviously is further away now!) I have decided to have a look at watching all the Disney films in release order.

There are an amazing amount of films, particularly a bunch sort of in the middle, that I’ve never seen 😱 so I’m going to go about setting that right!

Rescheduled

April 28, 2020 Em

Well, like a lot of people I imagine, we have had to reschedule our trip to Walt Disney World.

Completely understandable in the circumstances. We’ve chosen to move ours from July to October this year and have just passed our 180 days out booking date again, so have rebooked all our dining reservations again.

We also have dates next year in mind just in case the lockdown goes on longer than we are anticipating.

Budgeting / Saving

February 11, 2020February 17, 2020 Em

Obviously everyone has their different way of saving up for a Disney trip. There is no doubt about it, Walt Disney World – and everything once you get there – is a costly endeavour. There are ways to budget, and ways to not spend the earth, but if, like us, you’ve decided that a few extras are on your itinerary or you just want to find a way to save up, I wanted to share the way we’ve been saving up.

Stephen and I opened up a joint Monzo account. If you are not familiar with Monzo, it is an digital bank account (there are others available such as Starling and Revolut) within which you can separate your money from your main balance into pots for your various spending/saving needs.

We have both had individual Monzo accounts for just over a year now and we have been together for 19 years, married for almost 17, and this is the first time in all that time that we have been able to effectively manage our money. Previously we have nearly always used overdrafts, credit cards or just generally been in debt. Now we are OUT of debt and managing our money really well, so I want to just put that out there first things first! (This is not sponsored by Monzo, I just wanted to say why we use it!!)

So we opened up the joint account and all of our spare money each month (WE HAVE SPARE MONEY THAT HAS NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE!) goes into this account. Then I have made pots for each individual thing that we needed to save for on the trip. The great thing about the pots is, once the money is in there, it can’t accidentally be spent. You have to physically move it to the main balance to spend it. Also, you can lock up a pot until a fixed date too so that you can’t even move it for a while.

So, for example, here are the things we are saving for. There were some other items on the list but as we have already saved up and paid for them, we’ve deleted or renamed those particular pots.

We are hoping by doing this, we shouldn’t come unstuck when we arrive. We have put away a little spending money for ourselves and the girls too, but what we love is that the girls have their own little savings accounts which work in a similar way and they have been putting a little of their own money aside too, by saving a bit of their own weekly allowance! They are already doing better than us!

Dining Plan Upgrade

February 2, 2020 Em

During our planning, we have discovered WAY too many restaurants that we want to try, as well as other dining experiences and character dining experiences that are included on the Disney Dining plan, so we have decided to upgrade to the Deluxe Dining plan.

This could have been a bit of a pricy upgrade, but since we booked with free dining* we have only had to pay the difference between the regular and Deluxe plans.

Here are some of the restaurants and shows we have included within our plan:

Ale & Compass
Cinderella’s Royal Table (Character)
Festival of Fantasy Dining Package at Tony’s
Columbia Harbour House
Sanaa
Be Our Guest (Character)
Garden Grill (Character)
Rose & Crown Dining Room Fireworks Package
Tiffins Festival of the Lion King package
Tusker House (Character)
Cape May Cafe (Character)
Ohana (Character)
Crystal Palace (Character)
Toppolino’s Terrace (Character)
Storybook Dining (Character)
Hollywood & Vine (Character)
Restaurantosaurus Burgers & Sundaes
1900 Park Fare (Character)
Beaches & Cream
50’s Prime Time Cafe
Yak & Yeti

The character dining experiences can be a bit costly – although a lot of ours are breakfasts which are great value, even when paying out of pocket – but when you’re short on time or if meeting characters is important to you, a character dine can kill two birds with one stone with meeting them and eating at the same time, not to mention potentially not having to spend time waiting in lines for ages in the Florida heat. Also, some of the meals have some of the rarer characters that you wouldn’t meet out in the parks which is an added bonus!

* With free dining, you get the Quick Service Dining Plan for free if you are staying in a Value or Moderate resort, and the Standard Disney Dining Plan for free if you are staying in a Deluxe Resort or Deluxe Villas. There are some exclusions so be sure to check before booking.