Diving

Under the Sea 

You might think this is going to be about Disney and if you kept reading to here, you will find out you are dead wrong.  This has nothing to do with the Little Mermaid.  I became a certified scuba diver in 2018 and it has been one of the most exciting, terrifying, and expensive things I've ever done.   

Simply getting the certification wasn't too taxing.  I chose Diver Supply Indy.  They assisted with equipping me with fins, a mask, and snorkel and ensured I had all of the necessary equipment when it was time to complete my dives.  My dive instructor was great and took plenty of time to ensure I had the knowledge and skills required for diving.  If you are in the market for a dive center, I highly recommend Jimi Mayes and his crew.  Now, back to the task at hand.  

There are a couple of ways you can dive while on vacation and they include staying at a dive resort, on a dive boat, or at a resort that either offers diving or who can assist with your diving.  The first two are for your more seasoned diver and the main focus of these resorts and boats is to immerse you (no pun intended) into a diving experience.  I don't know first hand, but I suspect that the quality of the other amenities that our clients ask about will likely be less spectacular when you chose this type of trip.  We book the third sort of trip - so let's look more closely at resorts that offer or assist with diving.

Sandals and Beaches resorts, hands down, have provided a majority of my vacation dive experiences.  Why, do you ask? Well, since they offer every certified diver at least two one-tank or one two-tanks dives every day, absolutely free, it's hard to go wrong.  You mean "free" but you have to pay for the equipment, air, gratuities, boat, etc?  No, I mean completely free.  It's all included.  

The resort normally has it's own dock, boats, 5-Star PADI dive center (where for a fee you can get certified if you aren't or take additional classes if you are).  During our last trip to the Bahamas, I was able to complete 11 dives and I completed my Advanced Open Water certification.  I will point out that a Sandals or Beaches vacation is more expensive than most other all-inclusive brands but you get what you pay for and this is no exception.

If you decide this resort brand is more than you want to spend, not all is lost.  Palace Resorts have dive centers operated by independent companies at some of their resorts.  I've had the opportunity to dive twice from these centers and had average experiences.  I have also stayed at Palace and booked with other dive centers in Mexico including Aqua World for a cenote dive, Scuba Caribe, and Dressel Divers.  The last two dive centers were located at RIU Yucatan and Iberostar Tucan/Quetzal, respectively.  Dani (SC) and Sam and Matteo (DD) were excellent guides.  All three did a fantastic job and did a superb job discussing their expectations and our dive plan. 

Staying at the same resort you dive from allows you some added benefits such as the ability to leave you gear at the dive center instead of lugging it back and forth, saving on the cost of transfers off property (I spent $60 for taxis on my last trip to Mexico), and time-savings which means either more dives or extra time with the family. 

If you have any questions about diving or booking an all-inclusive resort package, don't hesitate to contact us.  For more tips and fun, follow us @instagram disney.dillon or Facebook.  Remember we are paid by our vendors like Sandals, Beaches, RIU, Palace and Iberostar (and many more) so our services are 100% free to you!

Safety

 "But is it safe to go there?"  

It is a fairly common and worthwhile question for people when preparing to travel outside the United States.  Let's take a bit of time to delve into the topic and since I'm enjoying my last night in Playa del Carmen, Mexico I wanted to focus on this area of that country.  A quick search of the internet will offer up dozens of horrible stories about murders in and around Cancun.  WHAT? DOZENS!  I'll just go to Miami then.  

Hold on a minute, before you abort your dream vacation, let's look more closely.  For starters, many of these stories are covering the same couple of deaths.  If you read closely, you'll see these were actually just "near" the resort, not at a resort.  Further, if you follow the story past the headline, you'll discover the victims were not tourists but, if you can believe it, members of drug gangs engaged in illegal activities.  With that said, what can you expect when you visit this cuello de los bosques …that's "neck of the woods" for you gueros.  There are military and police in Mexico.  They are here to keep you safe. This photo was taken of some Navy soldiers standing outside the ferry terminal to Cozumel.   Here are a few suggestions to keep you safe while on and off of the resort property.  

While on property, the most likely crime you might become a victim of is theft.  While resorts do their best to hire honest employees, no screening is fool-proof.  Utilizing the safe in your room is the best recommendation.  Don't leave valuables laying in public places. If you do leave things at the pool, at least cover them up.  Out of sight is out of mind.  Leaving things on the beach is a different beast.  Most beaches in the Caribbean are public so you might have locals mingling with tourists and in my opinion, more prone to sticky fingers.  Each resort is unique so you must evaluate your situation.

While I have never experienced having anything stolen from my room, last year I did leave a pair of Old Navy flip flips laying outside my resort room door one evening. These things were busted, nearly two decades old, and probably cost me $15 brand new.  But, they did fit my feet remarkable well.  The next morning they were no where to be found.  Is it possible they were stolen? Quite.  Is it possible some 13 year old jack-wagon heathen wandering around the resort tossed them into a trash can or over a fence?  Just as likely.  A full-scale search failed to yield any clues and since continuing the investigation would unnecessarily prolong the trip, it was suspended pending leads.  The worst parts were 1). I had to shop for more flip flops at the resort and 2). The ones I found were sort of fancy and cost too much and 3). didn't fit my feet.  

There are only a couple of reasons you'll be off of the resort property, namely excursions and shopping.  Booking with a reliable company for your excursions is a no-brainer.  We work with and have used for our own trips several outfits that offer cultural, historical, diving, and adventure tours that will take you outside the gates of your resort.  Let us suggest and plan those events for you, it won't cost you a dime extra.  These companies have a vested interest in showing you their country, offering you one-of-a-kind experiences, and keeping you safe.   

You can get t-shirts and magnets at the resort but you can't get $5 t-shirts or $2 magnets there.  In order to find this cheap…ok, sometimes it's decent stuff, you'll have to leave the comforts of  all-you-can drink cerveza and head to town.  Should we don our flashiest jewelry and stagger alone from the resort at 11:30 pm after a day filled with consuming copious amounts of liquor?  Ah, hell naw!  Sounds like a recipe for disaster to me.  Ask at the resort desk if there are places they recommend you do or don't visit.  Travel with a companion, check out the place during the day, leave your designer bags in the room, don't have wads of cash, stay off of your phones and be aware of your surroundings.  Is someone following you?  Are those people lingering in a shadowy spot up to no good?  Trust that sixth-sense.  Think "What do I do if..." and answer that question in your head.  In the unlikely event of a situation, you've formulated a plan on what to do and will act.  

Here's what you'll likely experience - a gauntlet of salesmen standing on the sidewalk trying to convince you to buy from them.  Hard to believe they can all have the best deal.  These guys will try to hand you something.  Don't take it.  They will pretend they know you from your resort or that you dropped something.  They don't and you didn't.  People in costume or with animals will try to get you to take a photo with them.  Expect to pay a small fee.  Everyone has a hustle and while super annoying and maybe a bit nerve-wracking, they aren't up to no good, just trying to a make a few bucks.  The best stateside comparison I can make is to imagine walking down the midway at your local county fair.  You've probably had a beer or two, it's hotter than asphalt on the sun, and people with accents are trying to        coax you to pick their booth.  "Hey boss, win your lady a prize."  

Earlier today, Michelle and I were approached by a fella selling waterproof phone cases.  "They good price, " he told me.  I answered with a phrase you should learn, "No thank you."  I kept walking but he countered, "Something stronger? Smoke, blow?"  I explained in my perfect Spanish, "Soy policia."  I believe he misunderstood me because he circled around to ask again.  After making it perfectly clear I was actually in the business of making sure no one purchased his illicit goods, he let me know, "I hate police."  Good one, like I've never heard that one before.  Guess I'll have a beer to drown my sorrows once I get back to the resort.  With that said, drugs including marijuana, are illegal in all Caribbean countries.  If you go looking for them, you run a chance you'll get robbed or worse.  

While I focused on the Mexican Caribbean, this is easily applied to locales across the Caribbean and cruise ports, too.  You can visit the US State Department's travel advisory page which has info about the goings-on in each country.  I do view the warnings but take them with a grain of salt based on where and what they say is happening.  If I was concerned these places were unsafe, I wouldn't travel with my family here.  With some self-awareness and common sense, you'll have a great AND safe vacation.~Joe

For more tips and fun, follow us @instagram disney.dillon or Facebook  and feel free to email for a quote dillontravels@gmail.com Remember we are paid by our vendors like Disney, Sandals, Virgin Voyages, Palace, and Royal Caribbean (and many more) so our services are 100% free to you!

Playacar Palace Resort in Mexico

Playacar Palace is a small to medium sized ALL INCLUSIVE resort right on the water. I planned to make a pros and cons list but it is difficult to do because things some would rate a pro others would clearly see as a con. So, instead I will list details and you decide where they fit for your style of vacationing.

Pros for all:

• Clean, all common areas, the room and bathroom. I am picky (some call me crazy) and I had no concerns.
• Service is excellent from checking in to housekeeping, servers, bartenders and pool staff.

Like it or not...you may love these, you may not

• small-medium sized: There is one pool, one buffet and 4 restaurants, a pool bar and lounge bar, one snack and coffee stand. The amount of guests at peak season is appropriate for the amenities. There are no areas that seem overwhelmed. Plenty of space has been available at the pool, restaurants, bars, and entertainment.
• A ferry to Cozumel is THE next structure, like it is right here. My husband chose to do a dive at Cozumel so we set it up in the lobby of our hotel and purchased a roundtrip ticket for $20 each. This allowed us to and from Cozumel during any of their boardings. The trip is about 45 minutes and the ferry runs on the hour, every other hour.
• In the same area of this ferry are shops. There are local shops with typical calls for you to come shop ¨pretty lady¨ and since Palace resorts have you wear a permanent bracelet that allows access to facilities and your room, salespeople like to suggest they work at Palace and saw you there...nope!
• The first shopping area you come to when walking to the shopping district are major brands you find in the United States, like Old Navy, Starbucks, Haagen-Dazs, Zara and Tumi
• If you get sick at all, there are pharmacies throughout this district. Prices were reasonable and a lot of options were available for various common needs and some interesting ones as well...no prescription needed but goodluck with reentering the US through customs with some items :-) These places seemed safe and reasonable. This would work for any normal needs that might come up.
• Unlike the MEGA sized Moon Palace resort this resort has far less children and very few baby-toddlers, mainly teens and tweens so it is pretty calm for a family resort. 
• 
  Beach volleyball and pool volleyball are happening daily.
• The beach is a public beach beside a public area. On the weekends there are a few local families enjoying the beach but there were not many during the week.
• Throughout one 5 day period this area of the ocean has been both murky and filled with seaweed then crystal clear and competing with Emerald Bay, Bahamas. It is hit or miss but it is gorgeous when it is clear.
• Meals have been incredible and it does require a reservation. All restaurants are open to all adult guests, and the food has been fresh and hot. One restaurant Lahne is adult only and will take a few hours, it was too much for me after a day in the sun, I nearly napped on the table. All the food was excellent and Prix Fix. 
• I love me some Palace dessert! 
• You can go to excursions from here with transfers included. We did both Chichen Itza and Xel Ha (all inclusive water park) Both were great and affordable but LONG days with shared transfers. You need to know that it will be an exhausting day and you will be at the will of the tour group. You don´t leave because you have seen it all or a storm is brewing. Bring lots of water, sunscreen and bug spray.

For more tips and fun, follow us @instagram disney.dillon or Facebook   and feel free to email for a quote dillontravels@gmail.com Remember we are paid by our vendors like Disney, Sandals, Virgin Voyages Palace, and Royal Caribbean (and many more) so our services are 100% free to you!

Tipping Advice at All Inclusive Resorts

 We get asked about tipping while traveling a lot. This can be a difficult question to answer because we all tip differently at home. We see tipping as a way to give back to the countries we visit and their people who take care of us while we enjoy their beautiful country. So, perspective plays a role in how you tip.

Airport Transfers and Taxi services

• We generally tip $2 per bag when transferring from the airport in a group transfer with a little more added in for a driver that does more in giving information about the country throughout transfer. Some transfers are also much longer, we tip more when a transfer is more than the customary 20-30 minutes because the driver is being kept from a higher turnover to get more guests and tips.  .
• Private transfers are another time we would tip a few more dollars because the driver is delivering a more personal service. 
• You will also feel obliged to tip with excursions that have long rides and tour guides that accompany them. They often have a tip jar upon your exit and it is shared with the driver, guide and any other assistants.
• Typically, we'll spend $10-20 each way

Bartenders

• At the bar: This really depends on how needy your drink orders are, do you need them to go find a specialty liquor, do you ask for a 14 step drink? You can tip small amounts each time you order or a larger tip once a day. Since you are going to them, the tipping does not seem quite as high as if you have them delivering.
• 
  Poolside Server: I prefer to stay in the water and depending on the swim up scene, I sometimes prefer to find a sweet poolside server and stay in her section all week. I often find, these are my favorite people I meet...maybe because they bring me alcohol...but usually because they seem to like their jobs and tell you drinks they think you should try. Sometimes, they remember you and see you coming then meet you with a favorite. I see people not tipping, giving $1´s every drink or I prefer to stick with the same server and give them a $5 for a few hours so I don´t get in and out of my bag with cash and get in and out of the pool. 
• Pictured is Sylvia was a tray of drinks after handing me a ¨surprise, I think you like it, pretty lady¨ Oh, Sylvia how I will miss you in Indiana.

Servers at Buffets

• Servers grab you a drink while you serve yourself, then take your plates. $1-2 at the end of the meal.

Servers at Full Service Meals

• I would be prepared for $3-5/meal. The issue here is how much work you ask of them. Some places are several course meals and they go above and beyond. I hate when I show up with three $1´s and really wish I had brought more. Likewise, I wouldn´t want to come with one $10 bill then have poor service. Just like eating at a restaurant in America, I prefer to award great service. What isn't expected is a 20% tip on "the bill."  First, there isn't a bill and even if you were to estimate what you might have spent on a similar feast in the US, they aren't looking for 15-20%.

Housekeepers

• Are you and your family a disaster? Do you get cleaning and turn down service at the location? Why are the tiny ¨turn down chocolates¨ so exciting...we generally leave $4-5 a day

Sweets and Coffee shops

• Some of these shops look like a fast paced factory so I sometimes don´t tip because I have had 4 people talk to me. However, if you find yourself ordering an $8 Starbucks-style drink...$1 seems fair.

Excursions

• This is a little tricky because this will vary greatly based on your activity
• Keep in mind, you'll have a transfers/taxi to the location.  Most excursions include transfers or the resort bellman can help with a taxi.  
• Will you be on a boat (snorkeling or scuba)?  I pay the crew 10% of the cost of the tour.  A $200 family snorkeling trip?  Consider $20 for the crew.
• Will you have a guide?  Depending on how involved they are, be prepared to give them a little bit, too.  Maybe another $5-10.

Summary to calculate your tips:

Figure how many nights your staying and how many excursions you might take, then multiply your nights by:

• $4 /night housekeeping
• $5 /night evening meal
  
• $8 /night ($4 each for breakfast and lunch)
• $8 /day for bartenders
• $20 for airport transfers
• $20 for an excursion

So, for a 6 night trip, you can figure around $200.  Again, this really depends on your attitude toward tipping in general. Bring lots of $1´s and $5´s. You don´t need any bills larger than a $10.  I've seen where some travel industry workers enjoy $2 bills and collect them as a sign of good luck.   

For more tips and fun, follow us @instagram disney.dillon or Facebook and feel free to email for a quote dillontravels@gmail.com  Remember we are paid by our vendors like Disney, Sandals, Virgin Voyages, Palace, and Royal Caribbean (and many more) so our services are 100% free to you!

Dining at Disney on a Budget

 Top Tips for Saving on food at Disney World

1. Plan ahead...seems obvious, right...

2. Order from Amazon, Shipt, or local grocery delivery in Orlando directly to your resort. We talked to the staff working in that department while on property in May 2023. They receive deliveries every day and the companies scan in and take it into the holding area where luggage is stored when you arrive and on the day of your departure. As we asked questions for 15 minutes, three different outside vendors made deliveries. There are not fees imposed by Disney as long as you choose to pick it up yourself. If you ask them to bring it to your room there is a small fee. I would suggest you bring $5 to tip them as you would with retrieving your luggage on check out day. They cautioned me that guests need to ensure they use the specific and accurate address of the resort that can easily be found by going to www.disneyworld.com then clicking hotels, choosing yours and scrolling down on the right hand side. They suggest the name on your reservation and check in date be on the label. 

3. WATER, depending on your family´s pickiness level, this might mean bringing your own refillable mugs that you will fill at many of the available drink stations throughout all parks or in the food court using the water option on the fountain. Water at Magic Kingdom is AWFUL, it has a very strong sulfer smell. We brought 3 $5 cases from home but once I saw everything being seamlessly delivered that seems worth trying.

 4. Don´t allow family to order drinks at meals, we do this at all locations we eat at throughout the year because we have 7 kids. By the time you add the cost of a soda ($4-6) plus tip, plus tax on that amount a family of 4 has easily added $20 to their meal. I prefer to spend my drink money at the Dole whip stand!

5. If flying Southwest, pack snacks, protein bars, oatmeal packets, water flavor packets, cereal, dried fruit in your luggage since you get two free pieces of luggage with each ticket. Then on the way home you have space for all the extra Mickey Ears you bought!

6. Plan the meals you will eat each day in advance by looking at the menus and pricing on the app. Maybe you are a super planner and you will do this prior to leaving home. I do this for two reasons. ¨where does everyone want to eat¨ might be the most annoying phrase in the world of Mom. While on a trip, I don´t need additional decisions or confusion. Once my kids alert me that they are hungry they are actually on the pentacle of a breakdown and no great decision making will happen. I like to compare reviews, pricing and the likes of my kids. Then I make note of it and you can also note things on your app. My 21 year old daughter and I prefer to share so we are not stuffed and nauseated while hopping on rides. We also eat a meal to survive but want to grab snacks and treats. Some table service meals do not allow sharing if it is all you care to eat or a buffet. This is often the case with favorites like Ohana and character dining. If you will be doing these meals and/or have kids between 3-9 the dining plan would likely save money. You can read my article: Dining Plan for 2024

7. If you are staying at a Disney Resort, value or moderate resort you can usually by an XL whole pizza for $22. This is an excellent price and decent pizza.

8. Via Napoli in EPCOT requires reservations and can be affordable if you choose to buy two large pizzas and water. We did this with 6 adults (4 were starving guys) with tax and tip we paid about $120 for dinner for 6. That is a great ¨in park¨ price an brick oven pizza with toppings. Most families of 4 could do with 1/2 this.

9. Plan one serious meal a day around 2-3pm. This will be less crowded at meals but the most crowded time in the parks making it a great (HOT) time to stop and eat. This will require everyone to get up and eat in the room with the food you delivered, or bought and bringing snacks for the morning. Then snack from your backpack and grab a large pizza at the end of the night to share in the food court. Pizza pictured below is a food court meal!

10. Breakfast in the room is not only a cost saver but a time saver and smoother start to your day. Our adult daughter, went down and asked for a free cup and spoon, got Hot water from the machines for tea at the drink fountain and made oatmeal most days. I like cereal but NOT milk, so I bring baggies and miniwheats and eat them on transportation to the park. For those that prefer milk it is sold in the foodcourt. Our boys grabbed protein bars but we did have to feed them in lines throughout the day or they would have wilted.

11. Drinks are such an enormous waste of money! If you or someone in your party is not going to survive without a truly fountain soda, you can get a refillable mug for use at resort for $22. You could take this to the park but only refill with water (and a flavor packet) there. I would bring a carabiner clip to avoid carrying on the backpack once it is empty. You can bring single serve instant coffee (Starbucks has an excellent one) and make your own coffee in the morning in the food court with creamer and sweetener for free. You could also bring tea and make your own then add their ice if you prefer it iced. 

12. Check out all the options for meals at Disney Springs, Earl of Sandwich is an 14incredible bargain and excellent food. It is easily packaged in foil to bring back to the hotel refrigerator.

13. Finally, if you want the convenience of the dining plan but can´t make sense of the cost, we chose to buy a Disney Gift card this last trip for our 17 year old. I figured out how many table service meals I would buy, and brought breakfast. So, I added up how many quick services he would buy. I figured on average they are about $15 without drinks plus tax and a snack for about $6-7 a day. I did the math for number of meals a snack a day and a resort mug then explained this and he did his own budget. If he overspent, that was on him which doubled as a great life lesson. It also made it so much less stressful because he never asked me if he could have a drink or snack. He could have whatever he wanted it as long as he paid for it!

14. We also did a lunch table service at Wilderness Canyon cafe for all you care to eat BBQ for about $30 a person with tax. This was a very filling meal and one of the boys favorites. If I was only traveling with my daughter, this would not have been a top pick but my boys can EAT!

For more tips and fun, follow us @instagram disney.dillon or Facebook   and feel free to email for a quote dillontravels@gmail.com Remember we are paid by our vendors like Disney, Sandals, Virgin Voyages Palace, and Royal Caribbean (and many more) so our services are 100% free to you!

Dining plan for 2024

We have anxiously awaited the return of the dining plan and now the date is set and the details are released for January 9, 2024.  It is time to look at who should and should not choose the dining plan.  

Before we delve too far into this, let's explain the difference between a quick service and a table service meal.  Quick Service won't require reservations.  You will walk up to a restaurant or kiosk and order from a sign board or menu.  Typical QS meals would be a chicken fingers basket, sandwich with fries, personal pizza with a small salad, or similar.  Think of it like a fast-food restaurant.  

Table service meals are sit down meals where you have a server who comes to your table or it's a buffet.  They DO require reservations.  All character meals are table service although a few require two TS credits per person.  If you purchase the Disney Dining plan with table service meals, we will can assist you with making those reservations.  Now, back to what we think!

While this is similar to the previous Dining plans of three years ago, one big change is the increase in cost of the adult Dining plan. The quick service plan for adults only increased a few dollars and the children´s plan for both quick service and standard dining plan are slightly less than before.

The Disney Dining plan is now $94.28 for adults (10 and up) and $29.69 for those 3-9 years old. The Quick Service plan is now $57.01 per adult  and $23.83 per child.

While I love Disney and sell Disney, I am also a mom of 7 and we vacation a lot. This means making sure to do things on a budget when possible. This new standard dining plan is pretty pricey depending on your length of stay and plans while traveling.

Benefits of the standard dining plan:

• Convenience reigns supreme, it is nice to pretend your trip is free once you arrive on property. Sure you paid a TON for your meals but once you get there and you are going to character and specialty meals and enjoying specialty smoothies, a beer or cocktail as well as a dessert at every table service you can live like a queen and put the price out of your mind!
• When paying for teens or young adults you can´t beat the convenience of teaching them how to use the plan and allowing them some freedom to learn how to budget their meals.
• You can plan the cost of your trip in advance and only spend money on gratuities while on property.

Cons:

• Well, it is expensive. Unfortunately, eating on Disney property without the plan will be pretty expensive as well.
• I find myself overindulging at times to take full advantage of my dining plan. 
• You really need to plan to have a table service meal each day on the standard dining plan to make it a reasonable cost.

Is the dining plan worth the cost?

It really comes down to how your family eats. Are they going to order a steak, enjoy a dessert and order a specialty smoothy, mocktail or cocktail? Then you will be able to break even without worrying about costs throughout the week. But if you are used to splitting meals, prefer to keep moving and not stop to sit down, don´t care for alcohol and won´t do a lot of character meals this might not be a savings.

Typical day that the dining plan works:

Magic Kingdom:

Quick Service at Columbia Harbor House with a Trio Platter for $14.29 or a lobster roll for $16.29 with a lemon slushy for $5.99

Snack: PIneapple Dole Whip float for $6.99 

Dinner at Ohana: $59 including dessert and a cocktail $14.50-16.50

Total is about $102.50 (savings of about $10 plus the resort refillable mug that will be used throughout the stay)

Child:

Ohana alone is $38+$5.50-6.50 for a specialty drink is $43-45 for this meal alone.

snack: dole whip $6.99 (because you have to train them in the way of the whip early)

lunch at Columbia Harbor House: kids meal $8.50

Total is about $59 savings of $30

If you are traveling with kids 3-9 the dining plan is likely worth it. If you are traveling with kids, plan specialty meals/character meals and will drink alcohol the plan will be a savings!

For more tips and fun, follow us @instagram disney.dillon or Facebook   and feel free to email for a quote dillontravels@gmail.com Remember we are paid by our vendors like Disney, Sandals, Virgin Voyages, Palace Resorts, and Royal Caribbean (and many more) so our services are 100% free to you!

Sci Fi dining with Fantasmic priority seating

Disney 2023

 One thing we LOVE about Disney is the constant innovation and every trip is a different experience. One thing I struggle with at Disney is change. Okay, I said it. I love Disney but gosh, these last 3 years have really been a trip on the spinning teacups. 

New Things I LOVE!

• Pop Century: the renovations over the past few years that incorporate a fold away bed and upgraded both beds to queen size really makes the resort work so much better for all the adult children we have. Folding the bed away helps me relax and not feel like the room is stuffed full. The bathroom design  with the sliding door that allows one person to shower, another to be changing or getting ready privately, and the rest of the party to be in the main room are very nice for a large family. The skyliner (gondola to EPCOT and Hollywood Studios) seals the deal making this my resort of choice. Pro Tip: There are 5 value resorts but only two have standard rooms on the skyliners path: Pop Century and Art of Animation. These are more expensive than All Stars but well worth the added expense.
• 
  Guardians of the Galaxy amazed us all. I have heard from others that if you struggle with being motion sick this ride will wreck you. It swivels while in motion. I have seen the first movie, and liked it. A Guardians fan would lose their minds. There are a variety of songs that randomly play so each ride is unique. Pro Tip: right now you have to get on the app and try to get in the virtual queue at 7 am, The only way to do 7 am is if you are staying on property and for 2023, have a reservation to the park. These spots are taken in SECONDS. Have several people in your party logged into the app clicking refresh, one person can get it for all once they are ¨in¨. There is a second opportunity at 1 pm if you miss the first one or are not staying on property. You have to be inside the park with the ride you want to join the queue    

• Tron is great, I was impressed until I road Guardians of the Galaxy :-) Still a solid ride and my husband that gets motion sick did fine on the ride other than his anxiety that it might be bad. He would describe it as a faster, smoother Space Mountain with less drops. He preferred it over space mountain. He struggles with slight sickness on Star Tours or Pandora.
• Ratatouille was adorable and I really liked it. We were able to use our early park entry to get their quickly with a reasonable wait. I will continue to ride it and it is much better than the ¨little kids rides"at Magic Kingdom. It is not a thrill rides so older kids may be annoyed with the wait. There are so many things happening quickly that you could ride it a lot to see new things. The motion on this ride is similar to Toy Story Mania. Pro Tip: Place short travelers in the front because I was annoyed with looking at the people (in my own family) in front of me in our cart and I am 5´6¨
• Reservation changes while traveling are very easy on the app if you work to understand it. Pro Tip: We planned our dining very late. Only weird times were left, so we were checking once we arrived and a lot of new times were available. Grab any dining you can get then make changes on the go.
• Parking at the resort is FREE AGAIN!!

Changes that made me look like Eeyore

• Old Fast Pass...oh how I miss you. For those of you Disney diehards that have been around for 25 years of repeated Disney trips we have seen quite the ride wait evolution. In the beginning, there was a race across the park with family theme park tickets for the whole party to grab a fast pass that you would come back for with no wait. This was AMAZING, well it was for those of us that were efficient and felt we were Disney Ninjas. I suspect it was great because most people were not utilizing it. Then the fastpass went online allowing a lot more people to plan, it also allowed people to plan in advance and limited the ¨good passes¨. Then, no passes...now this wild Genie+ option that comes with a fee that limits participation. I feel like my clients are paying enough and it frustrates me that there are added fees. Pro Tip: You need to make your plans on your app before you go, familiarize yourself with it and you will have a lot easier trip making and changing plans as needed throughout your trip.

• I have missed the dining plan. It was a big part of our vacations because Disney has some amazing meals as well as entertainment/character meals that are a set fee that is pricey for many families. The dining plan is returning in 2024 but it will be pricey and with other increases it won´t be affordable for all. Pro Tip: price out your next trip with and without the dining plan to decide if the convenience is worth it to you. If you have teens it will be well worth it to let them loose and not worry about feeding them or being ¨fair¨.
• Magic Bands were free for years and allowed for the convenience of charging privileges, park tickets, dining and resort stay verification for early or late hours. Now you have to purchase one for those conveniences. Otherwise you rely on a phone app that will have limited battery life and or apple wallet for your ticket. It is just inconvenient after experiencing the perks of the band. Pro Tip: you can always use your previous bands on new trips.

As we look ahead to our next Disney Vacation we are reminded of the evolution of all of our Disney favorites. What do you love and what do you miss?

For more tips and fun, follow us @instagram disney.dillon or Facebook   and feel free to email for a quote dillontravels@gmail.com Remember we are paid by our vendors like Disney, Sandals, Virgin Voyages Palace, and Royal Caribbean (and many more) so our services are 100% free to you!