trip planning Archives - Page 2 of 5 - Buster and the Banshee

Potential Lightning Lane Multi Pass Strategies

Archivelightning lane multi pass, trip planning, walt disney world

We previously reported on the upcoming changes to WDW's "skip the line system". Goodbye, Genie+. Hello Lightning Lane Multi Pass! Starting this week (July 24th specifically), you can forget everything that I've taught you about Genie+ strategies. You'll have to learn some the new strategies for maximizing Lightning Lane Multi Pass. While it is hard to develop a good strategy until we have more data and experience with the new system, I wanted to provide some initial thoughts on possible strategies that one might be able to exploit in order to get your money's worth. What is Lightning Lane Multi…

FIVE TIPS For First Time Visitors to Walt Disney World

Archiveparks, trip planning, walt disney world

Walt Disney World can be both exciting and overwhelming for a first time visitor. It isn't just a theme park... it's FOUR theme parks, TWO water parks, dozens of hotel resorts, a shopping district, and more. No wonder some people feel a sense of anxiety when planning their WDW vacation. There are just so many decisions to make! When do I go? How long do I go for? Where do I stay? What parks/rides/attractions do I need to experience? Where am I going to eat? Where do I even start?! To help those people get situated, we've put together a…

BUSTER THE MYTHBUSTER: Are Mondays Really the Worst Day To Visit the Magic Kingdom?

Archivetrip planning, walt disney world

We're back with another edition of "Buster the MythBUSTER"! In today's episode, we're looking at whether Mondays are really the busiest day at the Magic Kingdom. In many Facebook groups, blogs, Disney information sites, it is a pretty commonly held belief that one should avoid the Magic Kingdom on Mondays. The general thinking is that Mondays are usually the first park day for many visitors, and most people want to make the Magic Kingdom the first park that they visit. They want to start their WDW vacation by seeing the castle, riding the classic rides, seeing the parades, the fireworks,…

CHANGES COMING to EPCOT’s Festival Schedule

Archiveepcot, flower and garden fesitval, food and wine festival, trip planning, walt disney world

In recent years, EPCOT has been the "park of festivals". Since 2017 it has hosted four seasonal festivals for guests to enjoy: International Festival of the Arts: a celebration of the arts in all of its many forms International Flower and Garden Festival: a celebration of horticulture - perfect for spring! International Food and Wine Festival: a celebration of the culinary arts from around the world International Festival of the Holidays: an exploration of the winter holidays and how they are celebrated by different cultures Each of these festivals gives guests the opportunity to enjoy limited time food & drink…

Four Reasons Why the Polynesian is the BEST Walt Disney World Resort

Trip Planningpolynesian, trip planning, walt disney world

Disney operates over 20 separate resorts at Walt Disney World. With so many to choose from, there is bound to be something that appeals to everyone. The resorts runs the gamut from Disney animation themed, to classic beach resort themed, to elegant Victorian resort themed... and everything in between. However, there is one resort that stands out from the rest. We consider this one to be the best resort of them all... Disney's Polynesian Village Resort Now we understand that this is considered a Deluxe resort, which puts it in a higher price category. However, if you can fit it…

Ranking the Perks of Staying at a Walt Disney World Hotel

Trip Planningparks, trip planning, walt disney world

While we personally are fans of staying off-site, we agree that there are plenty of perks of staying at a Walt Disney World hotel. Disney offers several exclusive benefits to entice guests to stay at an "on property" resort, and they are constantly tweaking them. Case in point... Disney recently announced a new perk for 2025: free admission to a Disney water park on your check-in day. In honor of this newly added extra, we thought it would be fun to rank the various perks that Disney guests receive when they stay on property! We even included the new water…

Free Dining Offer is a GREAT Deal (Maybe)

Archivedining, disney dining plan, trip planning, walt disney world

If you have read my previous article on the Disney Dining Plan, you know that I am not a huge fan. From a pure financial standpoint, most people are better off paying for meals out of pocket. You really have to work to come out ahead. Despite that, the Disney Dining Plan remains a popular option. What is even more popular is Disney's Free Dining offer. Pre-COVID, Disney offered a deal where, if you paid full price for a WDW vacation package (resort + tickets), Disney would give you either the Quick Service Dining Plan or the Disney Dining Plan…

Best Genie+ Ride Selections For Each Park

Archivegenie+, rides, trip planning, walt disney world

Throughout its history, Walt Disney World has had a number of different "skip the line" schemes. First it was "FastPass", where you had to retrieve a paper pass at the ride entrance to get a return time. Then, the next iteration was "FastPass Plus", where you could reserve your return times in advance online. Now we have Genie+. Each scheme brought with it its own strategies for maximizing their benefit. I still remember how people "rope dropped" the Toy Story Mania FastPass ticket machines at Hollywood Studios, since they ran out of return times so quickly. If you were to…

Get Ready for Park Reservation, Park Hopper Changes Starting January 9, 2024

Archivepark hopping, park reservations, trip planning, walt disney world

Earlier this year, Disney announced that they were doing away with park reservations at Walt Disney World for most guests, starting on January 9, 2024. They followed this announcement up with news that the 2pm restriction on park hopping was also going away. As you can imagine, the elimination of both park reservations and the 2pm park hopping restriction were met with much rejoicing in the WDW fan community, as both of these policies were about as popular as The Black Cauldron. Since January 9, 2024 is almost upon us, I thought it would be useful to review these two…

DISNEY 101: Walt Disney World Theme Parks

Disney 101parks, trip planning, walt disney world

DISNEY 101 is our ongoing series where we talk about the basics of some aspect of a Walt Disney World vacation. You can read more of our previous DISNEY 101 articles here. In this installment, we will provide an overview of the main reason why people come to Walt Disney World: the theme parks! Walt Disney World is pretty unique among theme parks. It isn't just one park. it is an entire entertainment complex. There are four theme parks, two water parks, and a dedicated dining and shopping district (which some people might consider to be a theme park in…