Tuesday, August 20, 2013

WE'RE IN DISNEY!!

We are here!!  Arriving in Orlando Airport always brings me such joy.  My kids still race to the front of the mini-monorail for the best view of this very short but very exciting ride to the main terminal.  It is tradition that someone mentions how this is the best part when our whole vacation is in front of us.
For the first leg of our trip, we are staying at Kidani Village, the Disney Vacation Club section of the Animal Kingdom Lodge.  I had thought we would head right to Animal Kingdom Park so I had made reservations for Yak & Yeti, but the kids were exhausted after a sleepless night filled with anticipation and an early flight to catch this morning.  The general consensus became let’s spend a lazy afternoon at the pool.  By 5 o’clock, everyone was starving and we thought it would be great to go to Sanaa for dinner even though our reservations for this restaurant weren’t until tomorrow.  A quick look online showed there was nothing available before 8:25pm but we were starving now.  We thought we’d just stop by and see what happened and as luck would have it, we were seated right away and enjoyed a fabulous meal.  Now admittedly, we had a couple of factors in our favor as Sanaa is rather off the beaten path and we were there early.  But this whole day highlighted two opportunities to practice what I preach.  First is to plan, plan, plan and then remember when you get here that you’re on vacation.  You should never find yourself sacrificing what you feel like doing for the sake of sticking to an itinerary or reservation.  The second is to always ask.  If I had let my initial search for a dining reservation stop us from asking, we never would have tried and we would have missed out on a fantastic meal.  Disney is in the service industry and if they can make the magic happen, they will.  The worst they can say is no.
I hope you will follow the rest of my family’s vacation on my facebook page where I will be posting several times throughout the day.  I’ve also given my kids an assignment for this trip to help me taste test snack foods we’ve never had.  It’s a tough job but they assure me they are up for the challenge.  I will be blogging about our findings in the weeks to come.  It’s a good thing there are no bad calories in Disney!!  So through the magic of technology, join me as we spend 10 wonderful days in Disney!!  https://www.facebook.com/DebbieMooreMagic

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Been There, Done That, Going Back!!


Just one week from today my family and I will be on our way to the happiest place on earth!  After countless trips (at least 2 to 3 times a year in the past 18 years) I still get giggly excited about going.  Sometimes I get the question “Don’t you get bored going to Disney World year after year?”   And after I take a moment to keep from screaming my unfiltered response of “What are you crazy?” I smile and say no.  I live in northern New Jersey and “going down the shore” is a given for many families in my area.  I often ask if they ever get tired of going to the same beach house year after year, swimming in the same ocean, walking the same boardwalk, visiting the same raw bars and ice cream shops?  That’s when they usually chuckle and say they get it.  I also throw in that not only is Disney World truly dynamic, but as your kids grow, their interests change so it’s never the same vacation twice.  Plus, I let them know I am confident I could plan a completely magical Disney World vacation for their family that would cost no more than what they pay for a week’s stay at the shore.  That’s usually when their eye’s grow wide!  Disney has the reputation of a hefty price tag and I totally agree that yes, it’s very possible to quickly spend a King’s ransom in a short amount of time, but I also know that Disney has options for every budget, all of which deliver a healthy dose of Disney magic.  It just takes a little Disney know-how and a little planning.  That’s of course where I come in!!
So even if you have the slightest thought of making your next family vacation a Disney vacation, give me a call and with no obligation or pressure, let’s explore the possibilities together and see if we can come up with a plan that fits your budget while being big on magic!

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

LET THE MAGIC COME TO YOU!!


This week’s message is short and sweet and the #1 rule I share with families.  LET THE MAGIC COME TO YOU!!  I am a strong believer in planning and this couldn’t be truer than when you are visiting Disney World or Disneyland.  It’s a huge part of the services I offer my families and I would never suggest to even the most seasoned Disney family to just go and wing it.  However, having said that, I also say plan, plan, plan and then in the words of Captain Barbosa, “[let them be] more what you’d call guidelines than actual rules.”    Every family should have their handful of top must-dos for the day but it’s important to remember it’s the journey, not the destination.  There is magic all around you but if you are racing from ride to ride, you will certainly miss it.  Some of my favorite family moments have been the surprise around the corner whether it’s a troupe of street performers or saxophone bands.  Sometimes it’s taking a closer look at cement walkways that sparkle with fiber optics… oops, I mean pixie magic, when the sun goes down.  Resist the urge to drag the kids away from something that has peaked their interest in an attempt to get to that popular ride while the wait time is low.  Or it could very well be the reverse of that where you want to stop and watch the fountains while your kids are clamoring to grab fastpasses to Soarin’.   Now I completely admit that between things like dining reservations, scheduled character meet and greets, and Disney moving in the direction of fastpasses being pre-scheduled, it is getting harder and harder to let go of your phone or watch and just let your vacation unfold.  No longer can you simply walk up to a restaurant expecting to get in and when you do have reservations, they are getting stricter with the window of time they will hold your reservation.  Vacation is supposed to be rejuvenating by releasing you from the grinds of your everyday life and all these “signs of progress” are making it more challenging to leave your iphone behind and disengage from the outside world.   This makes it even more important to stop and smell the roses - such as when you are leaving the World Showcase making your way through the rose garden path to Future World in Epcot.   Disney is truly a magical place but the real magic is what happens when you slow down and let it reveal itself usually when you least expect it.  It is not the rides and attractions but the time spent with family and the people you love most that is the cornerstone of a Disney vacation.  Make that your priority, let your days unfold together, and the magic will fall in place.