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I've got a possibly unpopular thought about Disney prices. And before anybody comes after me, let me get this out of the way: Walt Disney World is expensive. Taking a family to Disney can cost a lot of money. I completely understand why someone looks at the price of a resort room, park tickets, Lightning Lanes, food and everything else and thinks, "You've got to be kidding me." I'm not going to try to convince you otherwise. But I also hear people say Disney just keeps raisin

I saw this picture on social media today with the caption: “You bring the magic with you.” I stopped on it for a minute, because my first thought was, there’s actually a lot of truth to that. If you walk into your Disney vacation ready to fight, expecting things to go wrong or already looking for things to complain about, there’s a pretty good chance you're going to find them. Because things ARE going to go wrong. A ride is going to be down. A line is going to be longer than

Home page of MDE App If you're planning your first Walt Disney World vacation, there's an app you're going to want to get familiar with before you go — the My Disney Experience app. Once you're actually at Disney World, it becomes almost indispensable. You'll use it to check wait times, manage Lightning Lanes, look at park maps, check showtimes, make or change dining reservations, Mobile Order food and probably a dozen other things I'm forgetting. But here's something you ma

If you've been following along this week, you've probably noticed a little theme in what I've been sharing. I've been looking back at some of my favorite Disney memories—one park at a time. And honestly, it started me thinking. I've been going to Walt Disney World for a long time. Long enough to remember attractions that are gone, places that don't look the same anymore, and a Disney World that would probably feel pretty unfamiliar to someone visiting for the first time today

There are a lot of Lightning Lane strategies out there, but here's one I use when I'm helping families plan their Disney day. If you're staying at a Disney Resort hotel, you can make your Lightning Lane selections 7 days in advance, and the attractions are divided into tiers when you make those advance selections you can select one Tier 1 attraction and two from tier 2. Here's the strategy. Use one of your lower-tier selections as a "burner" Lightning Lane early in the mornin

I've always been a Disney and beach kind of guy when it comes to vacations. I love the beach because you can set up your chair, listen to the waves, enjoy the ocean, and your whole day is pretty much set. And Disney? Well... it's Disney. There's just something about being in the Disney Bubble. The Imagineering, the rides, the food, the music, walking down Main Street... it's just one of my favorite places to be. That's just the kind of vacations we took. Then we took a cruise

One of the questions I get asked a lot is whether it's worth paying more to stay at a Disney Resort instead of a hotel or condo nearby. The honest answer is...it depends on your budget. There are plenty of really nice hotels and vacation rentals just outside Disney that can save you quite a bit of money. But before you make that decision, it's worth understanding what you're getting when you stay on property. Disney Resort guests get some great benefits, including: Early Them

When people think about Walt Disney World, they usually think about iconic attractions, fireworks, or meeting their favorite characters. Those things are certainly magical. But after our recent trip to Magic Kingdom, I found myself thinking about something else entirely. It all started with this picture. My Granddaughter meeting Rapunzel for the first time My granddaughter had just spotted Rapunzel. You can't even see my granddaughter's face, but you don't need to. Her little

When people hear "Disney vacation," they often think about the rides, the characters, the fireworks, and the excitement of walking into a Disney park. And yes, those things are part of the magic. But for me, Disney has always been about something much deeper: family, memories, and the moments that bring generations together. My Disney story started when I was a kid. I still remember going to Walt Disney World with my mom back when there was only one theme park and just three