From One Mom to Another: Tips on Disney, Races and Kids

In this photo Jake and I both have lanyards with our pins on. Photo: Disney Photopass  What is Disney Pin Trading?  If you have never been to a Disney Park you may not know or you might not understand it even if you have why people are walking around with pins on lanyards and display pouches.  Disney sells pins, most are the size of a quarter that you can wear, display, collect and/or trade. But why? People collect things for different reasons, pins are the same.  Here's a couple reasons you might want to buy some collectible pins. Reason 1.  They are a fun souvenir that doesn't take up a ton of space in you luggage and are easy to display. Reason 2.  If the pins are limited editions or rare they may increase in value just like any other collectible. Reason 3.  Pin trading is fun and can be done anywhere in the park.  It is a great way to pass the time and gives you a chance to interact with Cast Members and other...

This is the first year I have purchased Annual Passes in the many years we have visited Walt Disney World.  When you decide if you want to purchase a standard pass or an annual pass ask yourself a couple questions: 1. Are you a Florida resident?   (there are significantly more options if this is the case, none of which I am going to cover here so go here to see what you qualify for https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/passes/ )   2.  How many days are you planning to visit in a one year period?   This is the most important question, annual passes when first purchased are valid from your activation date (first day in the parks) for one full year.   (Example, I purchased my annual pass in March but don't activate until my vacation on July 10; my pass is good from July 10, 2018-July 9, 2019.) 2018 Pricing for the current Annual Pass (Platinum/Plus) is $849/$949 for ages 3+.  The difference is that the Platinum Plus includes unlimited access to...

I'm not a huge fan of grocery shopping or waiting in line for food of any kind.  I haven't met a person that wants to spend their vacation hours in line shopping for food or waiting for lunch.  Unless this is you, I have a couple options to avoid these distractions! I am not affiliated with any of these services and I am only reviewing ones I have used and like.   I'm going to cover three types of mobile ordering, there are more but these are the three I use and can recommend. I use Amazon Prime/Pantry and Wal-Mart Pickup at home as well as on vacation.  I use Walt Disney World mobile ordering only at Disney (obviously).  Let's start with Amazon and Wal-Mart because you can use these on any vacation. Wal-Mart offers mobile ordering that you can pickup at the store or have delivered.  I haven't used the delivery option because I haven't been in an area where that was available, yet.  Store pickup allows you to choose when you will be picking up ...