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Overcoming the fear of Disney World in the Summer

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We promise, you won’t melt!

Disney World in the summer. When I say those words what is the first thing you think of? Heat, humidity, sweat, the scorching sun, am I right? What if I told you that you were thinking about Disney in the summer all wrong? When I think of summer at Disney World I think low crowds, not missing school and a chance to save some money. I know people have a fear of the heat when traveling to Disney World in the summer, but I have some reasons that might cure that fear of Florida summers permanently.

Reason Number 1 Smaller Crowds: 
There are so many reasons to travel to Disney World in the summer, but the most important of these is that there is a significantly lower crowd. Most people are afraid of Disney World in two situations- the heat and the rain. This is what makes it the perfect time to go. You can walk through the park without having to bump into people. Go shopping or get food without having to push through crowded stores. You can even sit with your family to watch a show or a parade without people sitting on top of you. Most importantly though you can go from attraction to attraction with little to no wait! Just think you can go on your favorite attractions over and over again with little to no wait! Not having to spend hours in lines also means that you have the time and the freedom to truly enjoy all of the amenities that Disney World has to offer. This allows you to come and go between your resort and the parks so you get a better chance to enjoy both. You can do an early morning in the park, head back to your resort for an afternoon dip or nap and then head back to the park in the evenings. You are truly able to go with the flow and live your best life.

Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party starts mid- August. Look how low those crowds are on a summer day!

Reason Number 2, School and Cost:
The second major reason to travel to Disney World in the summer is to not miss school. There are many parents that take their children out of school during the school year for a trip, you are my people. However, there are many people who can not take their children out of school. Perhaps your child is older and is not in a grade where they can easily miss a lot of school work. A member of the family might be a teacher and is unable to miss work to spend time on a vacation. For these families there is only one option, to go when school is off. The problem with going to Disney World or really any travel destination when school is not in session is that is when everyone goes. This means crowds and usually a higher total trip cost. However, summer in Disney World does not follow this rule. Since people are afraid of the heat in Florida this is the perfect time to travel for the folks that can not miss school. The crowds are light, and the prices are typically lower. It is a win-win situation. You get to go to Disney World for less money and do not have to deal with the crowds that are typically there for spring or winter break. Yes, it is hot, but what is a little heat when you get to have a better-quality vacation for less money?

Ice Cream makes a hot day much more magical, especially if it is Mickey shaped!

Reason Number 3, The Heat:
So, let’s talk about the heat. Yes, it is hot in Florida and it is humid, but where is it not? Most of the US deals with either extreme heat, humidity or both during the summer months. The question is where do you want to deal with that heat? Do you want to be sitting on a field watching your kid play soccer or baseball or watching a Disney World parade? Do you want to be in an air-conditioned office or in an air-conditioned attraction? A hot and humid day at Disney World beats a day anywhere else. At least at Disney World there are Mickey ice cream bars!

So, let’s overcome that fear of Florida summer together. Yes, you will be hot, but that wont change if you stay home. At least if you go to Disney World you and your family get to make amazing, magical memories with low crowds while you get to save some money. So, no more fear instead lets say Disney World this summer for sure!

Tips for beating the summer heat in Disney World
No More Fear!
• Get to parks at opening, take a mid afternoon break and then return to the parks at night.
• Take advantage of your resort pool!
• Upgrade to a water park ticket! There are two water parks with so much to do!
• Take water misters that you can carry with you.
• Use hand held fans that are battery powered or that you can charge the night before! Amazon has some great options.
• Use cooling rags! The Frogg Togg cooling towels on Amazon are awesome.
• Order FREE ice water at any quick service locations.
• Use those snack credits for Ice Cream or Frozen Drinks.
• Take advantage of indoor waiting and lounging areas with air conditioning.
• Ride water rides like Splash Mountain or Kali River Rapids.
• Be sure to stay hydrated and take breaks from the sun.
• Escape to a bathroom or a store for a blast of air conditioning.
• Make afternoon full service dining plans to sit inside and escape the heat in the worst part of the day.
• Run through the park in the afternoon rain storms. The park will empty out even more and the rain will cool you down.
• Make sure you use plenty of water proof sunscreen and reapply often. The summer sun can be      brutal to your skin if you do not protect it.

 

2019 Walt Disney World Resort Packages

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We want to keep you up to date on the latest information about the 2019 Walt Disney World Resort packages. Prices and packages for the following year usually come out in the summer months but we know many of our friends are watching and ready to book ASAP! To make sure we get in touch with you as soon as possible, please complete this simple 2 question form. EASY PEASY!

**And we promise we will not bombard you with spam. We don’t have time that! 😉

What is the Best Age to Visit Disney World?

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We often hear “I want to wait until she/he will remember it” or “I want to go while they still believe in the magic”. The truth is, every age is a perfect time to visit the Walt Disney World Resort.

Babies and toddlers can be easy to take because they will often sleep in their stroller. Pre-schoolers are of course much more aware of all that is going on. Elementary school age children still love the characters and aren’t too cool for Mickey yet. Middle and high school age children are great because they can stay out late and don’t need you to ride their favorite roller coaster. And going as an adult turns you into a small child again.

As for remembering the trip, you never know what they will remember. I first stepped foot in the Magic Kingdom when I was about 16 years old. I remember very little other than how amazing it all was. My second trip was right after I married my prince charming (about 14 years ago).  We talk about that trip and frankly, there’s a lot we don’t remember. Of course from both of those trips there are key moments, or magical moments, that stand out but those are primarily of things that we have pictures of.

In addition, the trip is not just about the child(ren). You as the parent or grandparent will be making your own memories. The 2 year old may not remember the first time she hugged Minnie Mouse, but YOU will never forget that magical moment when she squealed and ran to Minnie for the first time. You will never forget the crazy afternoon rain shower when you and your 4 year old got drenched and went puddle jumping while everyone else ran for cover. You will never forget that little boy being tall enough (and brave enough) to hop on Tower of Terror for the first time. The memories belong to each one of you…not just the baby, toddler, preschooler, or big kid.

The important thing is take the time to make those moments happen before it’s too late. As specialist in planning family vacations, the team at DWB Vacations wants to help you plan those moments. Our services are personalized to fit your family and your needs…not just generic advice for anyone that happens to pick up a book. And when you book through us, our services are no cost to you. In fact, we usually are able to save our clients money over booking it themselves.

The Kiss That Saved a Trip

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Lauren M., a friend and client of DWB Vacations shares her story of Disney magic and how a royal kiss saved their trip…

We arrived for our Disney trip, with my 6yr old son and 3yr old daughter. It was Christmas and the park was beautiful. My daughter who is painfully shy only had one thing on her mind…seeing Snow White. She would not meet or touch or talk to any other Disney character, in fact, they all sent her to tears if they even looked her way. But not snow white; she is my daughter’s favorite. So my mission that trip was to find Snow White.

Our first day was spent at Magic Kingdom, riding every ride there, well everyone except my daughter, she was too scared. We saw Cinderella, Belle, and Aurora, none of which my daughter cared about.  I asked about Snow White and was told the best place to find her was Epcot. So, the following day we set out for Epcot…after an 8 hour day still no Snow White (we evidently ate breakfast at Akershaus on the only day Snow White wasn’t there). Our next day was spent at Downtown Disney and our hotel, promising our princess that we would find Snow White.

The next and last day of our trip we headed back to Magic Kingdom, and our search began….then, finally near the front of the park right beside Tony’s Town Square, there she was…Snow White.  It was 2:30pm. There were only about 10 children in line so we claimed our spot, autograph books ready…we got closer and closer, we were next..my daughter had the biggest grin on her face, finally something for her. Then bam! A cast member stepped in front of us and said “Sorry, Snow White has to go” Wait! What?! I begged, please just one more, we have searched all week. “No, sorry ma’am, Snow White has to go she’ll be back tomorrow” I looked at my daughter and her eyes were full of tears, heck, my eyes were full of tears. I carried her away, crying and broken hearted. Walking up mainstreet back towards the castle a cast member in a  suit approached my daughter and said “Oh please don’t cry. Here is some pixie dust” and sprinkled her head. My daughter could not stop crying. I explained that we had been searching for Snow White for 3 days and it was our last night in Disney and we got cut off as we were next in line. The cast member told me to meet her at the building by the entrance at 6pm and she was going to see what she could do. I agreed.

We met our angel at 6pm thinking we were going to see Snow White, but the cast member instead handed my daughter Snow White’s headband signed by Snow White and told her to wear it to the 9pm Parade and gave us instructions to sit in VIP. My daughter was devastated, she didn’t want the headband, or care about the parade, she just wanted to meet Snow White. There isn’t much that makes my daughter smile.  She is a very timid child, but Snow White could make her smile. Nine pm arrived and we had our spots in VIP for the parade (beside Trace Adkins and his family by the way).  The parade began and my daughter had on her headband as instructed. Then we saw her… Snow White! The cast member in the VIP section mentioned, “Wow! Snow White always rides on a float.  That is strange she is walking.”  Then it happened..Snow White came out of the parade, walked over to our section, picked up my daughter and gave her the biggest hug and a huge lipstick filled kiss on her forehead. And I almost died. My daughter was smiling so big and didn’t wash that kiss off for 2 days. I cried like a baby and I will never ever forget the look on my daughter’s face for the rest of my life.

Princess Kisses

“I Want to go to Disney to See Harry Potter”

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Since the Wizarding World of Harry Potter made its debut in central Florida a few years ago, we hear that sentence a lot. But there’s a problem…Harry Potter isn’t at Disney World. Wizarding World of Harry Potter can be found at Universal Florida’s Islands of Adventures.

A lot of people just assume that “Disney” is all of central Florida and that all of the theme parks and water parks belong to Disney. Unfortunately for Disney fans, that’s not the case. Central Florida has the Walt Disney World Resort, the Universal Orlando Resort, Sea World Parks & Entertainment, Legoland and more! There’s so much to see and do and there’s no way you can do it all in one trip.

Let’s look at the major entertainment destinations…

*Walt Disney World Resort-

People often mistakenly call Magic Kingdom “Disney” and don’t realize that “Disney” is more than “the park with the castle”.  The Walt Disney World Resort features 4 theme parks, 2 water parks, mini golf, 18 hold professional golf courses, shopping, fine dining, and the EPSN Wide World of Sports. Disney World’s 4 theme parks are Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom.

*Universal Orlando Resort-

Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure along with Citywalk Wizarding World of Harry Potterand 3 fantastic hotels make up the Universal Orlando Resort.  Universal Studios is all about the movies with tributes to many movie greats like E.T., Twister and Terminator. Islands of Adventures allows you to step into Harry Potter’s world when you ride Flight of the Hippogriff or dine at the Three Broomsticks. And coming soon there will be even more Harry Potter themed fun…stay tuned!

*Sea World Parks and Entertainment-

Sea World Orlando is so much more than dolphins and Shamu doing tricks. First, Sea World  has expanded and now includes exciting rides like Feeding the dolphinsthe Manta along with the many animal attractions like penguins and manatees. Check out the Penguin web cam. There’s also Aquatica, Sea World’s Waterpark Orlando, where you can ride a water slide that takes you underwater to find black and white Commerson’s Dolphins or raft through Loggerhead Lane to see beautiful exotic fish. And you can spend a day at Discovery Cove, an all inclusive park day that allows you to swim with dolphins, snorkel and meet a marmoset. Discovery Cove limits the number of tickets sold each day and when you you purchase your ticket to Discovery Cove, you also get unlimited admission to Sea World and Aquatica for 14 days.

*Legoland Florida-

150 acres full of Lego fun is designed for children ages 2 to 12 and their families. Legoland Florida now also boasts a Legoland water park. Legoland Florida is in Winter Haven, about 45 minutes from the other Orlando area theme parks.

 

In addition to the theme parks, guests in Central Florida can head to Cape Canaveral to

Kennedy Space Centerexplore the Kennedy Space Center and see the Space Shuttle Atlantis  or eat lunch with an astronaut.  A quick trip to Clearwater, near Tampa, will take you to visit Winter the Dolphin from the hit movie “A Dolphin’s Tale”.

As you can see, a trip to Central Florida  can mean so much more than just Disney or Harry Potter. Trying to sort through all of the options can be a pretty massive project. We would be happy to help you plan your vacation to Central Florida and decide which of these many fun adventures would be best for your family. Our planning services are free when you book through us!

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