It's a bit too early to talk about dining plans- BUT something awesome did pop up during our trip. So I'll spend today talking about that.

AFTER HOURS
Literally the best experience offered at Disney along with the now no longer available,  Early Morning Magic. Both are paid entries to the parks- one After Closing, and the other Before Opening. After Hours has returned, but Early Morning Magic has not come back since the world shut down. Hopefully it too shall make a come back. (Follow this link for my review of Early Morning Magic) If this event ever returns- I HIGHLY recommend it.

What is After Hours?
Basically, it is when the theme parks stay open for 3 extra hours after the park closes for Guests with special event tickets to attend Disney After Hours. 
With a ticket to Disney After Hours, you can explore one of the theme parks with lower wait times for attractions AND with ice cream novelties, popcorn and select beverages—included with the cost of admission.

During our stay, we are VERY excited that BOTH Hollywood Studios AND Epcot are offering After Hours. I'll keep my fingers crossed that they add Magic Kingdom too, but not likely since Magic Kingdom will be ending their current schedule for After Hours today, actually. But Hollywood Studios is scheduled through June 28, 2023 and Epcot is scheduled through August 24, 2023.

The last time I did an After Hours event was during my on-site agent training January of 2019. It was at Magic Kingdom and the only thing I would change is to have had my family there. See my review HERE.

I was SO excited to see that this event has returned and is being offered at 2 parks during our stay. My husband & daughter REALLY wanted the Hollywood Studios(HS) event so they can ride Rockin Roller Coaster (if it is finished with refurbishment) AND Tower of Terror. I want to finally ride all the new Star Wars rides. I am most looking forward to Epcot After Hours because  of the 2 new rides- Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind and  Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, and my most loved- Soarin’ Around the World.

This will take SO MUCH pressure off me feeling like I have to be on top of *Genie+ to book all the rides at both of those parks. Now, I can focus on using it well while at Magic Kingdom.   We will return to BOTH HS & Epcot parks later in the week for After Hours, with much smaller crowds and be able to ride everything without the long waits or the need for Genie+ or Individual Lightning Lanes purchases . To me that makes the additional cost so worth it.

I plan to write a detailed review upon return.  Until then, our plan is to spend 4 days in the parks. Tentative plans below.

Day 1- Arrival Day (VERY EARLY FLIGHT) Magic Kingdom

• Check in to The Contemporary- Hopefully make it to Magic Kingdom at or close to rope drop.  I will pay for Genie+ & Individual Lightning Lane(ILL) in advance & will have booked my first ride & ILL at 7AM during travel.  No plans for park hoping, but we'll see.

Day 2- Hollywood Studios(HS)/ Park Hop to ?? 

• Plan to keep this a leisurely day. Maybe head to Disney Springs for a little bit.
• This might be a good Epcot park hop day
• Haven't decided if I will purchase Genie+ or not for this day.
• May consider changing this to our Animal Kingdom(AK) day??

Day 3- Animal Kingdom/After Hours- HS

• Maybe Pre-purchase Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lane so we can ride Everest, Safari, & Flight of Passage for sure- fairly quickly- then head out.
• After Hours Hollywood Studios- ride EVERYTHING. 
• If we do AK on Day 2 this day is kind of up in the air- except for After Hours

Day 4- Magic Kingdom/After Hours- Epcot

• ​Likely another Genie+ and ILL day. 

​That is all for now. 

I have booked Disney's Contemporary Resort- Theme Park View.  This will be our first time staying here. As much as I love Magic Kingdom- it's kind of surprising we never stayed here- but we fell in love with The Yacht Club and Beach Club and stay at either any chance we had. BUT for this trip- we decided to stay at the very FIRST resort at Walt Disney World. It is an icon and will put us right beside- within walking distance of- Magic Kingdom and on the monorail.

After our 2020 trip- we were each comped a 1 day park hopper ticket & I purchased 3 additional days of park hopper tickets. This is a shorter than usual trip- but we are just testing the water.  We will spend a total of 4 days in the parks.

As you may know, I like to add bling to our trips so in addition to our park tickets- and thanks to Disney bringing back my most beloved experience- we will wallow in the magic of AFTER HOURS.  The first time I did this was at my Travel Agent training in January of 2019 at Magic Kingdom. It was THE BEST!!   (Link here)  Sadly, my husband and daughter were not with me so they have yet to experience this. 

This year we will attend After Hours at Hollywood Studios AND Epcot. I think that adding these experiences will enhance our shorter than usual trip and allow us to relax a bit regarding riding the most coveted rides at both HS & Epcot.

I like the idea of trying out Disney's new Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lanes*- but with the addition of After Hours- I won't feel so pressured to stay as on top of it as I would have otherwise. As Genie was not available during our last trip and Disney has since removed the Fastpasses and added this new pay 'fastpass' system, this will be a new for us.

What rides are included in After Hours-
Hollywood Studios:

• Alien Swirling Saucers
• Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
• Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run
• Slinky Dog Dash
• Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
• Toy Story Mania!
• and others

Epcot:

• Frozen Ever After
• Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros
• Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
• Living with the Land Presented by Chiquita®
• Mission: SPACE
• Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
• The Seas with Nemo & Friends
• Soarin’ Around the World
• Spaceship Earth
• Test Track Presented by Chevrolet®
• and others

​​
That is all for now- Coming up next is booking dining- which happens mid- April.  

​*I will detail my experience with the new Genie+ and Lightning Lanes upon return

Upon arrival- we got settled and headed to the Club Level Lounge for a quick snack. We then walked down to the boat transportation area and caught a quick ride to City Walk.  Spent evening shopping and returned to our room fairly early because we had an early start for the parks the next day.

Because we were only here for the 1 night- before checking out and heading to the parks- we had to get our bags together and leave our room. A bit much to do so early, I must say.  We grabbed a quick breakfast at the club lounge and headed out.

We had a lovely 15 or so minute walk to Island of Adventure. We got there before rope drop and waited with the masses for park opening- and then bee-lined to Hagrid's (along with the masses). Some people ran- we did not. We got there when we got there, taking advantage of our resort early park admission- and got in line. We literally waited 90 solid minutes just to ride Hagrid's. 

After Hagrid's, husband and daughter went quickly to the VelociCoaster. It and Hagrid's are the 2 rides that we couldn't use our express pass to avoid the long lines.  They decided to do single rider- to ease the LONG wait- and lucked out. Walked right on the ride AND got to ride it together. That was just luck- because with single rider, your are quite likely to be split up and have to ride with a stranger. 

We hit up all the sights in and around Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley. It was fairly crowded so I was so happy to have the unlimited express pass. It is a MUST to be able to experience the best rides with the shortest lines, over and over again. Be aware- there will still be lines- but the express pass line is certainly shorter than the stand-by lines.  On the other hand, the regular express pass is also good to have, but you only get to ride each ride once. Staying at particular resorts adds the express unlimited pass to your reservation automatically- certainly a great perk that I wish Disney would consider.

We grabbed a quick lunch and my daughter & husband went to rid Hulk and other rides that my queasy-self won't even consider. My last ride was the Minions ride- which is always cute and fun- but the line is fairly long and SLOW- so be aware of that, regardless of express pass.

I spent the rest of our time shopping at City Walk while they got their thrill ride on.  It was a busy- yet short day- but we had plans to head to St. Petersburg- so we did our favorite things and headed out.

I wouldn't recommend a 1 day trip for your first visit to Universal, but if you are a repeater- and know what you like and don't- you can easily hit all your favorites using the express pass or unlimited pass and by getting there early. Be sure to purchase 2 Park-to-Park tickets so that you can enjoy the Hogwarts Express Train- as that is such a great experience and you can't ride it if you do not have park to park tickets. (yes- they check)

​We will be making a quick overnight stay at Universal Orlando as we visit family in Florida very soon. We are staying at Loews Royal Pacific Resort for the first time, for just 1 night and 1 day at the parks. To make the most of our little bit of time, the unlimited express pass is included with our deluxe resort stay, and I purchase 1 day park to park tickets so we can seamlessly go between the 2 parks, and we get early entry for booking travel with Make Believe Vacations.

We will arrive late afternoon to check in, and spend time arrival day checking out the resort and likely heading to City Walk for dinner. On check out day, we will spend the day at both parks getting in as much as possible, before heading out.

I am not planning on anything in particular for our park day. We will ride what we want as we see fit and stay as long as we want. The idea of not micromanaging the day seems like a good idea. 

The only pre-trip prep I'm doing is looking over menus so we can narrow down some dining options. Other than that- the only must do for me is taking in all the Harry Potter which includes our first ride on Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure.

We are treating ourselves to the Royal Club Level - 2 queen room, mostly to check out the concierge service and lounge. I'll post photos and reviews upon return after holidays.
​

That is all for now!

Have a Merry Christmas and a Healthy and Happy New Year!!

​Make Believe Vacations, LLC

It has been a very LONG time since I have posted. Much has happened since 2019. Right? In a nutshell- we did NOT make it to Disneyland. We went to Walt Disney World instead, Dec. 2020. Not a good experience. And since then we've gone on beach vacations in Marco Island, St. Pete Beach, and Panama City, Florida. We've made some great memories and Florida is our favorite destination. With all the dreadful restrictions finally being lifted, especially on cruises, we are ready to get back to traveling.

I still have a LOT to share from our Disney Cruise this summer, but I am currently SO excited to share that we have decided to go to DISNEYLAND in 2020, that it is all I can think about. I promise I will add more details about the cruise, but for now, I am all about the place it all began . . . 

So, true confession time.  I really have never had the desire to go to Disneyland. Honestly, no interest in flying across the country when we can be in Disney World in 2 hours.  Plus you know flights have to be outrageous, right?

Well, once I started considering it for my (cough cough) 50th (cough cough) birthday, I took a look at flights, and found they were NOT as bad as I thought. In fact, some were less expensive than flights to Orlando. So, that put California on our radar.

Now that we are leaning in that direction, we had to pick dates, which was easy because my birthday is December 8th, so our dates will be 7 nights around that date.

Next, we have to choose a resort. Now, keep in mind, Disneyland is MUCH more condensed than Disney World. I mean MUCH MORE CONDENSED. There are only 3 onsite resorts to choose from:  The Grand Californian (a California craftsman-style elegant resort), The Disneyland Hotel (a luxuriously themed resort paying homage to the original lands of Disney, with an ultra-modern design), and Paradise Pier (seaside-inspired theming that reflects beachfront pavilion hotels of the 1920s).  

When I say condensed, I mean it. Walt Disney didn't take into account that hotels outside his beautiful park would spring up and surround it the way they did. He corrected that mistake and purchased enormous amounts of land in Florida, so that is NOT and issue in Walt Disney World. Since it is the case at Disneyland, Disney has partnered with select high standard hotels off-property, called Good Neighbor Hotels. Many are within walking distance and can save you a lot of money as far as accommodations go.  

Disney World has spoiled us and we are now resort snobs. LOL  We have decided to go big or stay home. The Grand Californian is the place we want to be.  Not only that, but my husband has become a club level snob, so we have to add that to our requirements.

What sold us on The Grand Californian (GC) Resort & Spa:
(FYI the SPA part is closed for now . . . maybe it will return by December 2020??)

• The Location - It is literally located IN Disney's California Adventure Park. Guests staying here have their own entrance to the park. It is also steps away from Downtown Disney.  I just can't even wrap my head around being IN A PARK at my resort. My feet will thank me for this.
• ​The Theme - Look, I absolutely LOVE Disney's Wilderness Lodge in Disney World. It is beautiful. I mean I could sit in that lobby all day long.  The interior of The GC is so very similar. It is gigantic and detailed and just rustically perfect. Craftsman intricate designs are around every corner. I literally can't wait!

I will definitely go over to the Disneyland Hotel (DH) while we are there because I hear the theming there is not to be missed. The resort is divided into 'lands' and there is also memorabilia to check out. We may also want to dine at Steakhouse 55, located inside DH, which is a fine dining experience that looks delicious.  

I will discuss dining in another blog, but I will say, what I have learned about Disneyland is that it is very different from Disney World in the dining department.  Not only are there less option in all areas, not just character dining experiences, but also, there is not a dining plan like you find at Disney World.  

​This is another reason we are opting for club level. We can grab a delicious breakfast on our way to the park and since we are SO CLOSE, hop in and out during the day for snacks and such, then end the night with yummy sweets that we can take back to our room and enjoy on our premium view balcony.

Next on the list of considerations is the number of days in the parks. Keep in mind that there are only 2 parks, California Adventure and Disneyland.  Both parks have many of the rides you would find at Disney World (DW), but also you will find the classics not available at DW.  I will discuss that at a later date, as well.

For now, we have decided on 5 park days, which is more than necessary, but allows us to go at a leisurely pace and return to the rides we find we love.  This will give us 1 down day to perhaps do sight seeing around California, but I haven't decided firmly upon that as of yet.

We will include Maxpass, which is similar to Disney's fastpass system, except it cost $15 per person per day, but also includes the photo package. DL does have a 'free' fastpass system without Maxpass, but you have to go to kiosks and get a paper ticket. With Maxpass, you can book them on your smart phone using the Disneyland App. No booking 60 days in advance, but you can book a fastpass upon entering the park, and every 90 minutes thereafter, or as you use the Fastpass.

​We will also include park hopper because well, we like to park hop. This will allow us to go to both parks every day as much as we want.

I hope this BLOG has planted the Disneyland seed in you. Does it make you consider going to Disneyland? Have you thought about it before?  Comment here or on Facebook your Disneyland experiences, questions, or comments.  I'd LOVE to start sending more Disney World die-hards to Disneyland. I think we will be pleasantly surprised at the similarities and the differences. Who knows, maybe we will decide we are Land-people instead of World-people, or perhaps in addition to. 

Thanks for reading and as always, please share us with your friends and family. Our business is growing because of YOU.

I am just getting back into the swing of things after our 8-night Disney Cruise just over a week ago.  It's been rough readjusting to regular life again. ;)

Just a short Blog today about our 2 stays at The Hyatt Regency at the Orlando International Airport.  We stayed here before our cruise and also on the debarkation day.  I found that flights were quite expensive to fly home that day, so we stayed the night and flew home the next day.

We had a fairly early flight from home to Orlando. We arrived before 1PM and immediately grabbed our bags from baggage claim, then headed back up to check-in at the Hyatt.  Technically all we were doing was grabbing our key and room location, as I did online check-in before we arrived.

To my surprise and delight, our room was ready.  They gave us a DCL envelope with instructions for our checked bags for the cruise and were told to bring that paperwork with us the next morning when we checked-in with Disney Cruise Line.  

​We dropped our bags and headed to eat at McCoy's down beside the hotel lobby. The food was good, but a bit pricey, no surprise there. 

It was nice to relax and visit the pool and know that we are where we need to be to be taken on our cruise the next day. The convenience factor was BIG.

Upon returning after our cruise, I also did online check-in and again, our room was ready when we got here and we were quite early. Like around 10AM early. I was ready to go home at this point and SO tired.  The return stay wasn't as fun, for this reason.  Still was convenient and all the other nice things, I was just not interested in being a traveler anymore. 

Pictures of the room and rooftop pool are below.

There were pros and cons to staying here for us:

Pros:

• Convenience
• DCL Checked-Luggage Pick Up Service For Disney Transportation to Port
• Relaxing
• Surprisingly NOT as noisy as I thought it would be AT ALL (occasional loud speaker muffled announcements)
• Clean
• Freshly Refurbished Rooms
• Lots of SHOPPING at airport
• Food Court
• Nice Pool

Cons:

• Can be pricey
• No easy way to get to rooms on opposite side of atrium. Fairly long walk around. (Suggest getting help with baggage)
• Upon leaving to return home:  had to take bags all the way down to Southwest gate to check our bags, then go back up to go through security. Kind of a pain in the butt. Wished they had luggage service for flights too.  And FYI- mornings, even 5AM mornings are BUSY at security at Orlando airport. Plan accordingly.

Have YOU stayed here before? What were your pros/cons? Feel free to comment here or on Facebook. Extra points if I booked it for you!

Below are photos of all our checked bags waiting to be picked up starting at 8:30 AM on the day of embarkation.  We simply took what we were carrying on the ship, headed down and grabbed a quick breakfast, then checked-in down at the Disney Cruise Bus Terminal. 

Once checked-in we were given a character photo stapled to our booklet to be used to sort people into loading groups. We were on the first bus out, literally pulling our by 9:26AM.  They did ask to see our paperwork given to us upon check-in at the Hyatt. This was to make sure our luggage was gathered and loaded onto the ship. (and it was).

Overall, I'd say staying at the Hyatt was a GREAT idea and I would and will do it again. I enjoyed the ease of it all and it was a great way to begin and end our trip.

​I'd be happy to book this or ANY other Hyatt reservation for you.  (yes, I do that too)