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Palo is a fine-dining, adult only (18+) restaurant on all four Disney Cruise ships that serves brunch and dinner.  There is a nominal fee (currently $30 per person), for each meal.  Reservations can be made (and should be!) when you are able to check in for your cruise (75 days for first-time cruisers), and brunch is definitely the more popular option, therefore harder to get a reservation for. Palo brunch reservations are sometimes sold out the first day check-in opens for first-time cruisers! There is a dress code for Palo brunch and dinner.  Men are recommended to wear dress pants, slacks and collared shirts and women a dress, skirt or pants and blouse.  Jeans may be worn if in good condition (no holes).  Shorts or hats for men are absolutely not allowed. I have been to both Palo brunch and dinner on the Disney Dream, and my preference is brunch.  Not only did I enjoy the food better at brunch, I do not like to miss out on the fun rotational dining options in the main dining rooms.  We did enjoy the dinner as well though, and the atmosphere is perfect for a romantic date night. The Palo Brunch includes a complimentary glass of champagne or a mimosa, as well as a buffet and an a la carte menu, and as with all things on a cruise – it’s all you can eat. The buffet consist of a variety of pastries, seafood and cheeses: These were our plates: The Palo Brunch a la carte menu: We started first with some soups: Tomato and Basil Soup Celery Soup On to our entrees….. I tried the Chicken Parmesan (heavenly!) So delicious! Eddie ordered the lasagna: After all of that, there is still the delectable dessert bar!  I love the sizes of each dessert as it gives you the opportunity to try many things – which as you can see – we did! Our plates: Please note gratuity is not included in the $30 per person fee.  I also try to tip based on what the prices would be, as this is a five-star worthy restaurant, as opposed to basing it on the cost of $30 per person. Have you tried the Palo brunch?  Check out my post on my must-do’s for a Disney Cruise!

My first Disney cruise (before I became a travel agent) I walked around wondering what all the cute organizers hanging from the hooks outside the cabin were?  Well, they are called Fish Extenders.  Every stateroom has some sort of fish hanging on the wall outside the door.  A Fish Extender is a type of pocket organizer hanging from the fish hook with compartments for each family member.  There are usually groups of 10 cabins in each Fish Extender Group.  The best way to find your cruise group is to type your cruise date and ship name in the Facebook search bar (ex. “Disney Wonder March 22, 2018.”  Once you find your cruise group, you will need to request to join the group and then you can sign up for Fish Extender.  This is a gift exchange with the other cabins in your group, giving a small gift for each person in the group – averaging around $15 spent per cabin, although some people do give a “cabin gift” that would serve everyone in the cabin. See the “fish” the organizer is hanging from? Hence the name… 🙂 I’m not going to lie – Fish Extenders are a lot of work – but a whole lot of fun.  It took me until my 4th cruise to decide to participate.  I’m glad I did because it was so much fun for the kids.  They loved coming back to the room to find little gifts left for them, and they also enjoyed delivering our gifts to other cabins.  It could get tricky if you are flying, because you likely will need a separate piece of luggage just to hold the gifts you give and bring back the ones you receive! You can make your own Fish Extender if you are somewhat crafty, or you can purchase pre-made from sites such as Etsy or eBay.   Although I am not the craftiest person around, I didn’t want to spend $50 on a Fish Extender, so I decided to make my own.  I bought this organizer from amazon.com for around $10: Clicking on the photo will take you straight to Amazon! Comes in Navy and Red. Can’t be beat for the price. Crafts from Michael’s….around $5 I was pretty happy with the end result.  I then added our names using vinyl from my cricut machine. LOVE my Cricut machine! It has saved me tons of money being able to make my own Disney shirts, fish extender gifts, etc.! Just click on the photo to take you to check it out on Amazon. We had one for the girls and one for the boys! Once all 10 cabins have been assigned to your group, you will be given a list of the name of each person, their cabin number and the children’s ages, along with helpful information such as each person’s favorite character, favorite Disney souvenir, if you are celebrating anything, etc.  This is usually done months in advance to give you time to decide what kind of gifts you want to give those in your group. I decided to give everyone the same gift (all the women received the same gift, same gift for men, etc).  I wanted to give them something useful but also something a little personal and of course something “Disney-fied.” These are the gifts I ended up giving: For the women, a small makeup organizer with a Disney cruise vinyl logo from my cricut machine, with a sample of Advil and a shout wipe: For the men: Star Wars socks and an anchor bottle opener.  For the socks, I bought a set of 3 from JCPenney  and broke them up.  The anchor bottle openers were purchased from eBay for only about $1.50 each. For the girls: I made Pirate mickey ears.  I  had bought these headbands from amazon: (insert pic/link) to give away at a travel booth I had at a vendor event, and had some left over.  So after googling how to make a bow without sewing, I decided to go with this.  I was happy with how they turned out, and even made some for the girls and I which we wore on Pirate Night. For the boys: I had a really hard time trying to decide what to get boys of all different ages that could be the same gift.  So I probably took the easy way out, but I think it’s something they all probably enjoyed – a candy movie kit for the theater on-board in a Star Wars Gift Bag: After I got everything made it was time to figure out how to package.  I bought clear cellophane bags from amazon.com for the headbands, Frozen Ziploc bags for the women’s gifts, Star Wars Ziploc bags for the mens gifts, and then the Star Wars gift bags for the boys movie kits.   Everything was pretty compact when I finished so I was able to pack it in a smaller suitcase: Each gift does need to be labeled with the name and cabin number and I also put which cabin the gift was from along with our last name.  If your gift is too big for the Fish Extender pocket, you can set it in front of the door.  It’s up to you when you want to deliver the gifts.  We spaced ours out each day and delivered to rooms at the Aft of the ship one day, Mid-ship one day and then Forward.  This helps not walking all over the ship.  Make sure you take a look at the layout so you’ll have a plan in place. The best advice I can give is to not stress out about it, it’s supposed to be fun!  Don’t feel like you have to break the bank to give a nice gift, we all know the cruise is already expensive.  Homemade gifts are appreciated or you can find some cute but useful items in the Target dollar spot, Etsy or at www.aliexpress.com (if you are ordering from Ali Express, you need to do it a few months in advance, as most items are shipping from China and can take a while to arrive – but they have some great prices. These are some of the gifts we received from our Fish Extender (not all!) I definitely recommend trying Fish Extender on your next cruise if you are able, this was one of our kids fondest memories from our last cruise! Have you ever participated in Fish Extenders?  Do you have any questions or comments?  Pictures to share?  I’d love to hear from you!

When planning a Disney World vacation, a lot of people ask “should I stay on Disney property or somewhere close by to save money?”  For me personally, it is a definite stay on property.  While sometimes off property may work better for large families who want to stay in a house together, in almost all cases, staying on property has too many conveniences and perks to pass up. What is the “Disney Bubble?” When you stay on Disney property, once you get to your resort, you are in the Disney Bubble.  There is no need to go anywhere outside of Disney, and Disney provides free transportation to all four parks, their two waterparks and Disney Springs.  The magic of Disney is just not the same when you have to pack up and head outside Disney property. Disney’s Art of Animation Resort (Cars Family Suite Section) Here are my top reasons to stay on Disney Property. Magic Bands. When you stay on Disney property, you will get personalized Magic Bands for everyone in your party.  These magic bands work as your room key, park tickets, dining credits (if you opt for the dining plan), and the magic band can be linked to your credit card, so you don’t have to carry cards or cash around at the parks.  Everything can be charged to your band.  You will receive your magic bands in the mail about 3 weeks prior to your trip, so it’s also fun to receive something in the mail to get you even more excited about your trip!  While you can buy magic bands and link your tickets if you are staying off property, the bands cost at least $12.95 each, and you will not have charging privileges staying off Disney property. Extra Magic Hours. Disney resort guests have access to extra magic hours at the parks.  There are either early morning hours (7am-8am) or late hours (anywhere from 9pm – 1am) that only resort guests have access to. Dining Plan. Staying on Disney property is the only way you will be able to purchase the Disney Dining Plan.  While the dining plan is not for all people, it is a definite convenience loved by many.  Should you get the dining plan?  You can read my post on that here. Disney transportation. While it’s not always fun (especially at park closing when you and thousands of other people are exiting the parks), the Disney transportation is a definite perk to staying on property.  Who wants to hop in their car, drive through traffic, and pay to park (if staying off-site – $20 per day).   Not only that….if you are wanting to leave the park for some pool time or an afternoon nap – it’s so much easier to hop on a Disney bus and head back to your resort. Mid-day breaks are a must for this family!  While some off-site hotels do have shuttles that go back and forth to the parks, they are not as frequent as Disney transportation, and it will be a longer trip. Access to book FastPasses at 60 days instead of 30 days for off-site guests. This may not seem like a big deal – but it can be for the popular rides such as the new Avatar Flight of Passage or Seven Dwarfs Mine Train.   For these rides, if you don’t book at the 60 day mark – more than likely you won’t be getting a fastpass.  In some cases, if you don’t book at 7am at 60 days you may not get one.  (Another great reason to use me as your travel agent who will get up at 7am to book them for you). 6.  Charging Privileges.  When you stay on Disney property, you can use your Magic Band to purchase souvenirs while in the parks so that you do not have to carry around cash or credit cards.  Not only that, but whatever you buy can be delivered to your resort gift shop so that you do not have to carry it around with you all day! 7.  Disney’s Magical Express.  When staying on Disney property, if you are flying into Orlando International Airport, Disney provides free transportation to and from the airport to your Disney resort.  Luggage tags will also be sent with your Magic Bands that you can put on your luggage, and Disney will pick your bags up from baggage claim and deliver to your resort!  They will also deliver your bags to the airport on your way home! As you can see, there are many reasons to stay on Disney property.  If cost is your main reason for wanting to stay off property, be sure to ask about the Disney value resorts.  You may be surprised at how cost efficient they can be.  When you add up the additional costs that can add up when staying off property (parking fees, magic bands if you want to purchase, etc.) it may not be that different!

These items are a must on my Disney World Packing List! Portable Power Bank. I learned this lesson when traveling to Disneyland for my Travel Agent Education Program and couldn’t get back to the room to charge my phone until late at night.  I was struggling to hang on to 10% power to be able to call my family AND trying to use the Disneyland App to check out wait times and get my next MaxPass.  Lesson learned – I ordered one as soon as I got home for my next Disney trip! This is the charger I have – fast charging, lightweight and a great price! Click here to check it out on Amazon:  ZMI 2-Way Fast-Charging Power Bank Mickey Crossbody. Seriously I don’t know what I’d do without this thing!  It’s small, but has so many compartments to hold everything I need to take to the parks.  My phone, my portable phone bank (above), my compact camera, lipstick (yes, I NEED my lipstick!), Disney gift cards, Photo ID, sunglasses, etc.  I love the size because it’s easy to store on rides (most of the time I just leave it on –that way I don’t have to worry about leaving it behind). Ponchos! I usually buy about 2 per person to take with us so that we can just throw away after use, so this multi-pack works out great.   If you are going during the summer, 3 or 4 per person may work best.   I also like to use one on Kali River Rapids (WDW – Animal Kingdom) and Grizzly River Run (Disneyland – Disney’s California Adventure) to prevent getting soaked because I don’t want to walk around the parks wet. Click here to purchase a 5 pack on Amazon:  5-Pack Colored Ponchos Minnie Ears / Hats.  What other opportunity do you get to be a kid?  When I’m at Disney I am all in!  I bought the interchangeable ears that Disney started selling, and I make my own bows to interchange. You can find these in parks or at www.shopdisney.com! Matching Family Disney Shirts!   I bought my own cricut machine  for the sole purpose to make Disney shirts.   My family (even the teenage boys) go along with it – they know that’s part of the deal, lol. Check out the Cricut Explore Air 2!  It saves me tons of money by making my own shirts! Good walking shoes – 2 pair. This is a MUST.  My favorites are Skechers Go Walks.  Whatever shoes you take – make sure they are broke in.  Do not buy a new pair to take to the parks – you will regret it!  Some people swear by their flip flops (nicer ones such as Teva or Sanuk), but I just can’t do it.  Too scared about getting toes stepped on / ran over by strollers or trying to run out of a rainstorm and losing a shoe, lol.  They come in several different colors also.  Click here to check them out:  Skechers Go Walk 3. Dramamine or Sea Bands. I personally don’t need this, but my husband gets motion sickness, so this is a must to be able to do rides such as Soarin’ or Avatar Flight of Passage.  Check them out here:  Sea Band Wrist-band. Advil!  Just in case….and if not for your head – for your sore feet!  Trust me, at some point during your trip, you will have sore feet. Lanyards/Disney Pins. My family is pin-obsessed.  I’m ashamed to tell you how much of our money is spent on Disney pins, lol.  The adults don’t trade, but the kids love it.  I bought a “lot” off eBay for trading purposes, because the ones you get trading aren’t the greatest – they are pretty basic.  We display our nice pins at home. Glow Sticks/Necklaces. Kids love these for late night parades.  Makes it easy to keep up with your kids too in case they get lost in the masses after the fireworks are over. Find a multipack here at Amazon:  Glow Stick Bracelets HONORABLE MENTION (and for those with smaller children:  Disney Autograph Book! What are your must-haves while you are at the parks?  I’d love to hear from you! This post contains affiliate links.  If you click on the links and purchase the items, I will receive a small commission.  Your support of my site is greatly appreciated!

Port Orleans Riverside Port Orleans French Quarter Caribbean Beach Resort Coronado Springs Resort

Prime Value On-Site Resort Hotels Value hotels included the following benefits:  Early admission to Wizarding World of Harry Potter one hour before park opening, Complimentary shuttle buses and walking paths to both theme parks and CityWalk, Resort-wide charging privileges with room key and Complimentary delivery of merchandise purchased to your hotel Universal’s Aventura Hotel Fact Sheet *Opening Summer 2018* Cabana Bay Beach Resort Fact Sheet Preferred On-Site Resort Hotels Loews Sapphire Falls Resort Fact Sheet  *Includes all benefits above Loews Royal Pacific Resort Fact Sheet  *Includes all the benefits above, in addition to:  Free Universal Express Pass (value of up to $89 per person), Complimentary water taxis, Priority seating at select restaurants Premier On-Site Resort Hotels Hard Rock Hotel Fact Sheet  *Includes all the benefits above, in addition to:  Free Universal Express Pass (value of up to $89 per person), Complimentary water taxis, Priority seating at select restaurants Minion Kid Suites! Loews Portofino Bay Hotel Fact Sheet *Includes all the benefits above, in addition to:  Free Universal Express Pass (value of up to $89 per person), Complimentary water taxis, Priority seating at select restaurants

Animal Kingdom Lodge & Villas Beach Club Resort & Villas BoardWalk Inn & Villas Contemporary Resort Bay Lake Tower Grand Floridian Resort & Spa Grand Floridian Villas Polynesian Resort & Villas Wilderness Lodge Resort & Villas Yacht Club Old Key West Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa

All Star Resorts Pop Century Resort Art of Animation Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground

As a Travel Agent specializing in Disney destinations, I often get asked “How far in advance should I book a Disney World vacation?”  My answer – as soon as possible.  Disney World requires a LOT of planning if you want to make the most out of your time there and really needs to be booked more than six months in advance.  Why, you ask?  Here are just a few reasons below: Availability. The earlier you book, the more options you will have as far as resorts and room choices.  Disney gets more popular every single day, and resorts can get booked up quickly, especially during peak times. Dining. Did you know that dining reservations can be made 180 days in advance?  For popular restaurants (especially character meals), if you aren’t booking at 180 days – you may very well not get the reservation you want.  In some cases (such as when free dining has been offered), it is even difficult to get the popular reservations at the 180 day mark.  Don’t miss out on that special  meal with Mickey & friends because you waited too late to book your vacation! Discounts. When you book ahead six months or more, you are booking without any discounts.  However, once a discount is released, your travel agent will automatically apply the discount for you if applicable to your dates – or will let you know if modifying your dates or resort will give you a better discount.  Discounts such as Free Dining are becoming harder and harder to come by, and your best chance is to already have a reservation booked. Why Not Put Your Vacation on Lay-a-way? How many other vacation options allow you to put a small deposit ($200 per room) with final payment not due until 30 days prior to your trip?  Cancellation up to that point is completely refundable.  Even renting a condo at the beach usually requires 50% up front.  This is a great way to save up for a vacation you’ll always remember!   Payments can be made as often as you want in increments of at least $20. Bottom line – you have nothing to lose planning ahead and booking your vacation in advance.  Only $200 down reserves your package and gets you on track to have the best vacation ever!

Book Early. If you want the best price on a Disney cruise, the earlier you book, the better.  Disney cruises are based on “on-demand pricing.”  As rooms sell out, the price goes up.  There are occasionally some last minute special rates for cruises that aren’t selling out, but you can never count on these.  Plus the earlier you book, the longer you have to make payments. Use a Travel Agent. Yes, I am a travel agent – but hear me out.  You like free money, right?  Well, when you book with me, I give you free money (on-board credits) to use on your cruise.  I also provide a 5 page tip sheet with everything you need to know before you cruise.  You still have access to book all your activities (or I will happily do this for you).  Do you remember Hurricane Irma and all the chaos?  I’m sure a lot of people wished they had used a travel agent then instead of being on hold for hours trying to get a customer service rep….I’m just sayin’!!  🙂 If you are flying, plan to fly in a day early. You would be surprised at how many people have missed their cruise due to flight delays.  The cruise ship will NOT wait on you to arrive!  As your travel agent, I can recommend some great hotels at the port that will provide shuttle service. Learn about the extra fees involved when you cruise. Gratuities, any alcoholic or specialty drinks, port excursions, etc.  Check out my post on Disney Cruise Extra Cost. Learn about different stateroom options to determine if an interior room, Oceanview or Verandah room is right for you and your family.

Art of Animation Resort is one of Disney’s Value Resorts.  However, it is usually priced more like a Moderate resort, as they are one of the few resorts that can sleep up to 6 people in their Family Suites.  The Family Suites are approximately 565 square feet (which is larger than 2 Standard Rooms at Pop Century Resort – 260 square feet each).  The Family Suites have a living room with a pullout sofa bed, a table that also pulls down into a bed, and a separate bedroom with bath.  There are also standard rooms at Art of Animation in the Little Mermaid Section.  However, the Little  Mermaid rooms are never included in Disney discount releases and have a further walk to the bus stops and food courts than the Family Suites do. There are three types of Family Suites – Cars, Lion King and Finding Nemo.  Cars and Lion King are always priced the same, with Finding Nemo being slightly higher in price.  They are all themed amazingly and there are 3 pools (Cars Cozy Cone pool, Little Mermaid pool and Finding Nemo – being the largest pool with a splash pad and underwater music.  My family of 6 absolutely loved staying here!  Here are some pics of the resort: Art of Animation Lobby Arcade off the Lobby We stayed in the Cars Section in a Family Suite.  We loved it! Hallway to our Room Living Room with pull out bed Picture with bed pulled out Bathroom off the living room View from the Living Room.  The Table is also a Pull Down Bed. Table Bed Pulled Down Master Bedroom. Aren’t the traffic cone lamps cute?? TV in Master Bedroom The master bath Cozy Cone Pool Cone Cabanas at the Cars Pool Finding Nemo Pool with Underwater Music! This is the walking path from Art of Animation to Pop Century Cute little signs as you walk along the resort

Let’s be real.  Disney cruises are expensive.  Are they worth it?  Absolutely.  But I am a bargain hunter, and I want the best deal possible.  These are ways that I save money on my Disney cruise: Book EARLY. Disney cruises can be booked up to a year and a half in advance.  When rates are first released, this is the best pricing you’ll get.  As rooms sell out, the price goes up.  Not to mention, it gives you plenty of time to make payments. Book with a travel agent specializing in Disney vacations. Disney specialists often earn higher commission from Disney (since they sell mostly Disney) and therefore can offer better incentives than other travel agents.  (Shameless plug and Full Disclaimer – I am a travel agent and I offer generous on-board credits to my clients for booking a cruise with me, as well as a five page tip sheet with everything you need to know before you cruise).  Keep in mind, this is based on each individual agent, and not all Disney specific agents will offer incentives.  It is free to use a travel agent, and you are still able to do your own online check-in, book excursions and activities if you want.  The only requirement is that payments be made through the agent, as well as any changes/cancellations (but who wants to sit on hold with Disney anyway when someone will do that for you!).  Check out Why You Should Use a Travel Agent. Disney Visa. When you use your Disney visa card, you get 0% financing for six months and also some discounts on merchandise, photo packages, excursions and spa services, not to mention the rewards you earn from everyday purchases that can be used to make payments on your cruise. *Discounts only on specific packages – check your card member benefits before sailing. Discounted Gift Cards. There are several ways to obtain discounted gift cards that can be used to make payments on your cruise.  I buy my gift cards from Sam’s Club ($500 for $485).   BJ’s wholesale club also offers discounted gift cards ($100 for $95) and you can buy these online with no membership.  Also if you have a Target RedCard you can buy Disney gift cards in store for 5% off.  This may seem small, but it definitely adds up! Book your cruise in the off-season. Summers and holidays are very expensive on a Disney cruise, so if you can pull your kids out of school, that’s definitely when you’ll get the best pricing on a Disney cruise. Book your next cruise while on-board. This is basically the only time you are guaranteed to get a discount on a Disney cruise.  When you book a cruise (or just book a placeholder) on-board, you will get 10% off your next cruise, as well as an on-board credit ($100 for up to 6 nights, or $200 for 7+nights).  This is in addition to any on-board credits you receive from your travel agent.   When you book a placeholder, you do not have to have a set date, you just pay $250 to reserve your discount, and then must book a cruise within the next two years.  If you do not book a cruise, then your money is refunded. Money Saving Apps.  Use money-saving apps on your phone to save money for your Disney cruise such as Ebates and Ibotta. Last Minute Deals For Florida Residents & Military. Disney occasionally offers special rates for cruises that aren’t selling out.  There is never a guarantee and you must be able to get vacation time off at the “last minute.”  If you are not a planner and can go on vacation with a few weeks notice, this may be the route for you.  Usually only certain room types are available for these rates and only a certain amount of rooms are allocated, but the discount is generally pretty good.  Proof of residency/military status is required within 48 hours of booking or will be cancelled. Book an Interior Room. Oceanview and Verandah rooms can be right much more expensive than an Interior room.  Any room on a Disney ship is a great thing, so if the budget is tight – going with an interior room is a great way to save some money.  Interior rooms on the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy also have a “magic porthole” window which offers real time views, not to mention cute characters swimming by to say hello. The Magic Portholes are only on the Dream and Fantasy 10.  Book 2 Connecting Rooms. As mentioned in my “Disney Cruise for Large Families” post, families of 5 or more can sometimes save money by booking two connecting rooms (interior or oceanview) instead of a higher category Deluxe Family room that sleeps 5.  To me this is a win-win as you are not only getting a lower price – but also much more space! This photo is with doors propped open taken from one room looking into the other As an Independent Travel Agent with Mouse Counselors, an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner, I offer concierge travel planning for Walt Disney World® Resort, Disney Cruise Line, Disneyland® Resort, Adventures by Disney®, Aulani and all other destinations at no cost to you.  Message me today if I can help book a magical vacation for you.