Countdown to Disney....souvenirs

 Souvenirs are a big deal in Walt Disney World. So many options to choice from and so many places to purchase and so many high prices! Do we pick ears, Loungeflys, shirts, pins!? Which parks? Which Stores? All of them!? 

Each child usually gets a couple of souvenirs of their choosing. Pretty wide open, as long as it isn't too pricey. No Light Sabers that cost $300 over here !Typically, we use leftover Dining Credits at the end of our trip and get snacks that double as souvenirs. I love that we are able to do so. It let's the magic take use home, to school, wherever we go for a little while longer. The kids love a Mickey shaped snack from the trip to pop up in their lunchbox at school! So again, I really miss Disney Dining Plans! 

Another new adventure for this trip leaves me thinking about what to do on the last day before we leave the parks. Our tradition of trading in snack credits isn't an option. How do we cap off the trip and make sure we bring a little magic home? For one thing, I have decided to pick souvenirs very carefully. 

When I think back on my favorite souvenir, it is from our second family trip to disney. Our youngest was 4 years old and fell in love with "Chip & Dip"  while we were there. She would get so excited every time that we saw them. She had never so much as mentioned them before that trip. We searched and searched and finally found a Mickey hat with a little Chip & Dale plush set. It documented the year on the ears and had Chip & Dip to help us remember those moments. It was a little tough to find but was the perfect represenation of that memory. Every time we clean the playroom and I see it, it makes my heart happy. I can see her sweet little 4 year old smile and her that cute litte voice, "It's Chip  & Dip!" 

I can't wait to see what we experience this year that becomes our favorite memory. And, I look forward to searching stores for that 'just right' souvenir to help us remember that moment for years to come. This is what Disney Magic is all about. 

I also have done a lot of thinking about ways to keep the magic flowing. I love the idea of a Disney puzzle to put together as a family after we return home. Maybe a Disney cookbook so we can recreate some of our favorite meals and snacks. I have also considered stopping by one of the local antique malls and bringing home a legitiate piece of Disney! I really hope that time allows for that option. A pillow from the Grand Floridian or a Lamp from the Polynesian. Wouldn't that just be the coolest!?

What's your favorite Disney Souvenir?

Countdown to Disney....Dining

 Disney Dining Plans! One of my favorite things about planning a Disney World vacation is the Disney Dining Plan. I have never planned a trip without one. I love that I can prepay for everything, I don't have to worry about keeping up with purchases in the park. I don't have to manage a budget for each meal. I don't have to worry about a kid ordering the most expensive item on the menu, like I have one that has a tendency to do. I don't even have to think about any of that. It is the best! 

But wait... 'rona. No Disney Dining Plans.😭😭 I keep hoping that they will bring them back before our trip. I literally wake up every single day and search for Disney Dining Plans news. As we get closer to our check-in date, I am losing faith that we will be adding Disney Dining to our vacation plan. So...on to planning our dining budget. 

We arrive on Monday and will probably eat something quick on the way from Atlanta. I am budgeting $60 for this one. Here we come Chick-Fil-A! We have ordered lots of snacks, small foods and breakfast items from Amazon to save some money and really only plan one big meal per day. We have a sit down reservation each day of our trip. 

Tuesday is Olivia's Cafe . This is actually a free day for us to hang out at the resort and rest up from the drive and the first part of our vacation in Atlanta. So, we took a peak at opening at different resort restaurants. We have stayed at Old Key West on a previous trip but have not actually eaten at Olivia's. I looked over the menu and built out a meal based on what I think everyone will order. I added drinks, desserts and a 20% tip. Based on that, I will budget $200 for this meal. I rounded everything up and added desserts which we will not be getting at every meal. However, I felt that I would rather OVER budget for the meals and be able to let the kids get whatever they want rather than have to be strict about sticking to lower cost and not geting special treats. 

Wednesday is Magic Kingdom Day. We were able to get reservations at The Crystal Palace.  Again, based on the menu, I have budgeted $300 for this meal. 

Thursday is Animal Kingdom and we have Tusker House reservations. Tusker House has been closed and as of this moment, is still closed but will be reopening before our trip. It is one of our favorite character dining experiences.  Character Dining so this is a big one at $400. 

Friday is our Disney Springs day with reservations at Splitsville. I landed on a $250 budget for this meal. 

Saturday, we are headed to lunch at Coral Reef in Epcot. I have decided to budget $250 for this meal as well. 

Sunday is Holywood Studios with lunch at Mama Melrose's. I budgeted $300 for this meal. 

We will be leaving on Monday and I am planning a breakfast meal for the way out but have decided against making a reservation. We will wait to see if we can snag something last minute. If not, we will just eat a quick breakfast in the room and grab lunch on the way home. We are going to budget $200 for this, just in case. 

I have also set a $60 per day budget for an evening snack in the parks. 

This is definitely a big food budget. It doesn't have to cost this much to eat in Disney.  We will pay with our Disney Visa to get the cash back! Then we will use that to go towards paying the card. 

To be honest, I am not overly happy with this budget. I feel like given more time and planning I could get this down a bit. However, we are on a timecrunch at this point so I am going with this plan. All the while, I will continue to cross my fingers for Dining Plans to return! If time and my patience allow, I will revisit Dining planning and budgeting after I nail down all of our other plans. 

Up Next: Park Plans