By Binnie Betten During my recent trip to the West Coast and Disneyland, I had the opportunity to go on a magical adventure, literally! At 5:45 am on the morning of June 24, my 55th birthday, I was preparing to take my first hot air balloon ride, hosted by Magical Adventures. Prior to this flight,…
A Disneyland Trip Report
As the co-owner of a rather large and well-known, unofficial, Disney informational website, TheMouseForLess.com, I couldn’t just make a trip to Disneyland in Anaheim, California, and have it be a simple vacation. Oh no! I had responsibilities. The Mouse For Less ImaginEAR (volunteer website helper) in charge of photos, though I should bring back as…
Around LA
So you are planning a trip to Disneyland? Or maybe a trip to Southern California and Disney is one stop? What else is there is do in the area? The Los Angeles area and Southern California is a wealth of vacation activity. One particularly convenient way to purchase admission to many popular Southern California attractions…
Is the Disney Vacation Club right for you?
From Our Magically Speaking Newsletter Archive – subscribe today! Published On June 20, 2005, By Jane Jones You can’t miss the kiosks at Walt Disney World for “the best kept Disney secret,” your ticket to owning “a piece of the Magic.” What is this secret? It’s the Disney Vacation Club (DVC), Disney’s version of a timeshare….
Going to the World, But Not the Parks
When most people think of Walt Disney World, they imagine Cinderella’s Castle at the Magic Kingdom. Or they think of the Spaceship Earth globe at Epcot, the Tree of Life at Animal Kingdom, and the Tower of Terror at Disney-MGM Studios. But there’s a World of activities outside of the parks. You can visit the…
Surviving Hurricane Charlie at Walt Disney World
Editor’s note: The following article is written by Ric Flack, one of The Mouse for Less ImaginEARs, about his experience riding out a hurricane while at Disney World. I would like to convey that caution should always be used when making a decision on whether to weather a hurricane or not. While Disney World Resort…
Travel Insurance
Hurricane season started on June 1st and will continue through November. You may well remember that last season produced three hurricanes that impacted Orlando. Due to the severity of some of the storms, many people had their travel plans changed or canceled. Airlines stopped flying, people were stranded in their hotels and the parks closed…
Magic Your Way Dining
By Erica Colmenares It was driving me crazy. Absolutely crazy. These friends of mine were planning a trip to Walt Disney World. Wait. Did I say planning? They were going, but they weren’t planning. How could that be? I love to plan trips to Disney World. It may even be true that I enjoy the…
This Isn’t Disney – A Look at Non-Disney Roller Coasters
By Jud “This isn’t Disney”. That is my advice to anyone doing a roller coaster in any other park for the first time. The roller coaster is the key to fame in the theme park business if your name doesn’t start with D- and bigger, taller, faster, steeper, and lately, twistier, is the key. Universal…
Magical Express – Does this new service mean “Hakuna Matata” for guests?
Disney’s Magical Express is the newest amenity offered to Disney World Guests staying at most on-property Disney World Resorts. The aim of this new service is to make your transition from the Everyday World to Walt Disney World easier and less expensive. Launched and available for reservations on or after May 5, 2005, the service…
Planning Your Time
By Carol Garcia How long are you staying? That is a common question when talking about your Disney vacation. But how long is long enough? Is it possible to stay too long? How do I sort it all out? Read on to find some answers to these common planning questions. The best way to look…
A Day Away from Disney: Universal Orlando
By Ric Flack Spending a day away from Walt Disney World can be exciting, especially if you plan on spending it at Universal Orlando. Universal Orlando is comprised of two Theme Parks, an Entertainment district and three On-site Hotels. The Theme Parks are Universal Studios (US) and Islands of Adventure (IOA). The hotels are: the…