Fast Passes and the Dining Plan

Now, I have mentioned the fast passes and the dining plan quite a bit throughout my blog posts, but I don't believe that I've ever actually told you what they are. Well, now I'm going to.

When you go to Walt Disney World, you definitely want to make sure that you have some fast passes because let me tell you, if the regular line is long, it will not get any shorter, so booking a fast pass for that ride lets you be in a different line where you can get on the ride before a majority of the people in the regular line. It makes the waiting time shorter for you, and it lets you experience the joy of the ride without the annoyance of the line-up.

Now, if you see a ride that doesn't have a long wait time for the regular line, I wouldn't recommend you booking a fast past for that ride. Instead, use it for one of the more popular rides that always has a long line up, and this way, you will get more value out of your fast passes.

With the fast passes, you can book three a day to start, and then once you have gone on those three rides, you can book more at a fast pass kiosk that they have located around the park.

The sensor that will scan the Magic Band

At your arrival to your resort in Walt Disney World, they will give you your magic band at the time you check in, and you can choose the colour you would like your magic band to be, when you plan your trip online. How is this relevant to the fast passes, you ask? Well these magic bands are your key to everything. They're the key to your hotel room, you can use to get your snack credits and meals from your dining plan, and they are also your fast pass ticket. All you have to do is hold the front part of the band up to the glowing Mickey Mouse sensor that will be on the posts just before the ride, the light will turn green, which means that you're good to go!

When I went to Walt Disney World, I got a blue magic band, and then the next year I got a pink one. It is definitely neat to be able to choose your magic band colour. The colours you can get for them are yellow, grey (boring), orange, green, blue, red, and pink. Quite a few options am I right?

But back to the fast passes.

Booking fast passes is surely a must for people who dislike long lines (which, let's be honest, is all of us no matter how patient we think we are), and they allows you to go on more rides in less time because you don't have to wait so long to enjoy the ride. It's a win, win. You get to go on more rides, and you have a snazzy band the lets you do pretty much everything.

Moving Onto the  Long-Waited Dining Plan

If you have read any of previous blog posts, you know that I have mentioned the dining plan quite frequently, but let me just explain what it actually is.

The dining plan is a great way to save some money on food while you are on vacation in the magical land of Disney. While the food is delicious in all of the parks, that doesn't mean that it won't get pricey, and even though it costs some money to get a dining plan, it is an easy way to save money on food. Now, you're probably thinking, "Save money? But you just said that we have to spend money on the dining plan, and now you're saying that we will save money by spending more?"

Walt Disney World's Dining Plan

Valid questions, and my explanation may not have

 been so precise, so let me enlighten you some more. At the time that you are booking your trip to Walt Disney World, you can select whether you would like a dining plan or not. Yes, it does cost a bit of extra money, but it allows you to go to certain restaurants and eat there without having to pay any extra money. See where I'm going with this? There are many dining plans to choose from, that allow to you eat at the cheapest restaurants, or you can upgrade your plan to be able to eat at more fancy places like the Grand Floridian hotel. The dining plan may cost money, but in return, it is cheaper to have a dining plan that to not have one and spend even more money on the food that you would eat anyways. I hope that makes sense. When going to Walt Disney World, it's normal to be budget-cautious when it comes to food, but the dining plan really helps take the pressure off of eating out.

The Grand Floridian Restaurant

The picture below to the left, is a picture of the Grand Floridian café. The Grand Floridian is a hotel right by the Magic Kingdom, and to stay there for one night can cost over $1,000, which is pretty crazy but just look at where you get to eat. My Aunt had just recently gone to Disney World and she upgraded her dining plan to where she could eat her without having to pay at the table. She is very lucky because I don't imagine that it would be cheap to eat there, even for one person. My Grandma was jealous because she loves the Grand Floridian (even though she knows it's expensive) and she would have loved to have seen the hotel even if she didn't eat anything. So guess what my Aunt brought back from her dinner at the Grand Floridian hotel? A mint. She brought my Grandma an after-dinner mint from the Grand Floridian hotel. Well, at least she can say that she has something from the fanciest hotel in Walt Disney World, right?

Another thing that I almost forgot, the dining plan allows you to eat in your hotel's cafeteria. I know right, the hotels have their own cafeteria's, and they can be pretty big. Your hotel will have a cafeteria that your dining plan allows you to eat at, so if you don't feel like eating in one of the parks and you just want to relax and eat in your hotel, you can do that. The dining plan lets you eat wherever you want with no hassle, and of course their food is delicious, just like all of Disney World's food is.

Beverage stand in the Pop Century resort cafeteria

If you plan on going to Walt Disney World, I would definitely recommend getting fast passes and getting a dining plan. They will help you avoid long lines and get the most out of your culinary appetite.

Thank you for tuning into this week's blog post, and I hope you come back next week for even more info and tips to get the most out of your trip to Walt Disney World!



"It's kind of fun to do the impossible"
                                          - Walt Disney

Hollywood Studios

We all know Hollywood Studios for its Tower of Terror ride, but there is so much more to this park than that. Of course, just like every other park, you have great places to eat and shop, but no other park has the Rock n' Roller Coaster that blasts Aerosmith as you speed down Los Angeles in a limo. No other park has so many Star Wars attractions as Hollywood Studios has (seriously, there is a lot of Star Wars there).

How much Star Wars, you ask? Well let's see, there is the Star Tours - The Adventure Continues, the Star Wars: Path of the Jedi film, there's a Star Wars Launch Bay, they have Star Wars Photo Opportunities (I mean, who wouldn't want to have their photo taken of them holding a lightsaber?), and last but not least, there is a Star Wars Launch Bay Theater, where you can see
the behind-the-scenes of how new filmmakers are creating future Star Wars movies. There are also Star Wars shows called Star Wars: A Galaxy, Far, Far, Away, where iconic scenes from the movies are portrayed.

Star Wars show in Hollywood Studios

Does this sound like a lot of Star Wars? This is only 6 attractions that have to do with Star Wars, and that doesn't include all of the gift shops that exist just for Star Wars. If you are a huge fan of this movie saga, then Hollywood Studios is a great place for you to go spend your day.

Of course Star Wars is not all that Hollywood Studios has to offer, it's just a big part of it.

Let's look at some other great attractions that Hollywood Studios has.

All of the Fun and Games at Hollywood Studios

One of the big things that Hollywood Studios is known for is its Tower of Terror. In this ride, you sit down in rows in front of a wall that has parts open to the rest of the park, and it lurches you up at a very fast speed, then it drops you down. When I was in Hollywood Studios, I definitely heard a lot of screaming coming from this ride, so if you don't like heights or fast rides where they drop you down, I don't recommend that you go on this. Personally, however, I would love to go on this ride at least once.

Front View of the Tower of Terror

Another ride is the Rock n' Roller Coaster. It features music from Aerosmith (I personally have never listened to them) and the ride goes really fast. I'm not sure if it goes upside down or not, but I would love to go on it at least once, even if it does. If you like speed and music, I definitely recommend this ride for you.

There are so many more rides and attractions that Hollywood Studios has to offer besides the Tower of Terror, Rock n' Roller Coaster, and a lot of Star Wars, but these are just some of the most popular attractions.

Where to Get the Most Delicious Food and Best Souvenirs

A great place to satisfy your appetite would have to be the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant, where you sit in these old-fashioned cars from the '50s in front of a drive-in theater. You can get anything from burgers to pastas, and it might be a little bit expensive, but I think that sitting in old cars in a drive-in theater would be pretty cool.

Another good place to eat would be the '50s Prime Time Café (I know, they have a few '50s themed places in Hollywood Studios). There are no old-fashioned cars that you eat in but, the restaurant looks like a home would in the '50s. There are tables that have the old TV's up above them and they're in black and white, so it's really cool to eat there. You just feel like you're living in the 1950's when you go to Hollywood Studios.

Now that you've eaten, you can return to the hot sun outside and then quickly retreat into some cool shops (see what I did there? Cool shops as in the shops are cool, but they're actually air conditioned? Anyways...). I can't say that I've been in too many of the shops in Hollywood Studios but from walking around, I can tell that there are some places that would definitely be worth the look. One great shop would be a store called Beverly Sunset where you can get Disney villain merchandise, because you can never get enough of the villains, and they also sell house-made candy there (yum!).

Mickey's Fantasia Hat in Hollywood Studios

A store that I like to go to would be the Legends of Hollywood shop. It has all you could need for getting apparel for everyone and getting those iconic Mickey ears that you see everyone wearing (not gonna lie, those ears aren't cheap), but they're totally worth getting. You can also get some great gifts for bringing back home to your friends and family who might not have gone with you, but at least you brought back a souvenir for them, right?

Hollywood Studios is such a great place if you love movies and old-fashioned diners like I do. It is just one of the many places that makes Walt Disney World what it is today. I am sad that they took down Mickey's blue wizard hat from Fantasia, which I don't know why they did that, but Hollywood Studios is still a great way to spend your day, with or without the ears.

"That's the real trouble with the world, too many people grow up"
                                         - Walt Disney World