Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party 2013 Tips

The schedule and ticket prices for the 2013 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Parties at Walt Disney World is now available, with the party occurring September 10, 13, 17, 20, 24, 27, & 29, and October 3, 4, 6, 10, 11, 14, 17, 18, 20, 22, 24, 25, 27, 29, & 31, plus November 1. On these nights, the Magic Kingdom closes at 7 p.m. to guests who haven’t not purchased tickets for the Halloween Party.

So you can prepare for the Halloween Party, we thought it would be a good time to look back at our experiences at past parties to help you determine whether this expensive hard ticket event is worth it to you, and if so, what your “Plan of Attack” should be to efficiently conquer the various offerings.

Should I Attend?

So at over $50 a pop for tickets to the 2013 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, you might be trying to determine, “is it worth it?” If you’re asking this, you’ve probably never been, otherwise you’d know the answer to this question. Our opinion, as Disney-biased tourists, is that it most definitely is worth the price: at least once. Once you’ve experienced the party once (it doesn’t change much year-to-year), you might determine that it’s simply too expensive to experience again. For a one time event, though, it’s definitely worth it for everyone except those on traveling on thin budgets. Personally, we prefer Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, but I think it’s fair to say that the two are about equally popular with guests (the guest costumes at Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party are pretty awesome to see).

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Photography Reviews

Looking for the best camera (point and shoot or DSLR), lens, or other photography gear and equipment to buy? This photography buying guide offers helpful “real world” ratings and reviews on photography equipment from a professional photographer (me). Although my specialty is landscape and travel photography at Disneyland and Walt Disney World, the gear reviewed can be used in a whole range of photographic scenarios. (Note: this guide was most recently updated in April 2013 to cover new products.)

Before considering any camera and photography equipment upgrades, it is a great idea to learn a little about photography. Use online resources (Google can find a tutorial on anything!), but if you want to learn the basics or read something more thorough, we recommend a book (read our book reviews). The book we always recommend starting with is Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson. Seriously, get it. All of the expensive equipment in the world won’t help you if you haven’t learned the basics, and that book is the best way to learn the basics. A book is a lot cheaper than a new lens, and if you’re a beginner, that book will improve your photography more than a new lens.

No camera on earth “takes good pictures.” Some cameras can help an adept photographer more than others, but if the person taking the photos doesn’t do things right, photos taken with a $2,000 camera can look worse than photos taken with a camera phone. Likewise, many experienced photographers can take better photos with an iPhone than inexperienced photographers can with expensive DSLRs on Auto Mode.

The point being, it’s important to learn the fundamentals of photography in addition to buying shiny, new toys. (more…)

Disney Packing List

When we pack for Walt Disney World or Disneyland, we make a check-list of what we need to bring for the trip. We’re sure most of you also have similar lists, and probably don’t need a reminder to bring toothpaste and deodorant. Instead, here’s our list of less obvious items that we bring with us to Disney, which you may want to consider adding to your own checklists!

We change our packing list regularly based upon feedback and suggestions we receive in the comments on this list (thanks!), as we like to try new and useful travel products that will improve our trips. Our 2013 updates include a few products we’ve yet to try and one we wouldn’t be caught dead using–but we note the few things that we have not actually tested ourselves.

For the food and consumables, to avoid adding weight to our luggage that might cause us to have to pay baggage fees, we often place an order with Amazon.com prior to our trip, and have the items shipped to our Disney resort. (In Address Line 2, specify your arrival date.) Shipping on orders over $25 is free with Amazon.com. One tip for this is that you need to specify when ordering that you want your order in “as few shipments as possible.” A few Disney resort-hotels charge a small “package fee” when you pick up the package. This $2 or so fee isn’t much for one package, but could really add up if Amazon ships each little toiletry separately!

With all of that said, let’s get to the lists, grouped by category. (more…)

Disney World 2013 Trip Planning Guide

Planning your 2013 trip to Walt Disney World can be intimidating, especially for first-time visitors. There are four theme parks, dozens of hotels, hundreds of restaurants, and a variety of additional entertainment activities and options that can really complicate planning. Plus, Walt Disney World is a busy place, so determining when to visit and how to tour the parks to avoid crowds is a critical step in the process, especially for first-time or infrequent guests who want to plan a memorable trip.

If you’re feeling yourself being sucked into the rabbit hole that is Walt Disney World vacation planning, you’re in luck, as this guide will assist you. Think of it as Walt Disney World Trip Planning 101. As complicated as the process might seem right now, it’s really not that bad, and the ultimate payoff will be huge. You’re also a bit fortunate that you’re being sucked into the rabbit hole, as many first-time visitors don’t realize Walt Disney World planning can be so complicated! (After all, the commercials make it look like a carefree world where everyone runs around holding hands with Mickey Mouse while laughing and riding all of their favorite attractions without any problems!)

Even after dozens of trips to Walt Disney World, we still don’t know everything there is to know about the place, but this post contains most of what we do know (the relevant stuff, at least…we’ll spare you random trivia and our geeky useless knowledge). Obviously, we wouldn’t visit so much if we didn’t like it, so our opinions are colored by the fact that we are Disney fans. That said, we don’t see the world through rose colored glasses, and we think there’s plenty Disney does do wrong. We try to stay as objective as possible here, so in addition to cut-and-dry facts, expect to read both critical and positive opinions on the aspects of Walt Disney World being discussed. If that’s not for you, there are plenty of other planning sites that offer only positive or only negative spins on Disney.

This page is designed as a jumping off point to give you some general background information on each aspect of your trip, with links to some of our posts that offer much more detailed information. (more…)

Where To Stay At Disneyland

When trip planning, guests must ask where to stay at Disneyland. Off-site or on-site? In the Disneyland Hotel, Paradise Pier Hotel, Grand Californian Hotel, or one of the cheaper hotels on Harbor Boulevard? The reasons to stay on or off-site at Disneyland are quite different than the reasons for choosing a hotel at Walt Disney World, but much like the Florida Disney resort, there are compelling reasons for staying in Disney-owned hotels and for staying in off-site hotels.

First, the benefits of staying in the Disney-owned hotels, Disneyland Hotel, Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel, and Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel and Spa.

Reasons to Stay On-Site:

Perks – Most of the perks offered to Disneyland guests are not dependent upon staying in a Disney-owned hotel, but instead are dependent upon booking a package with the Walt Disney Travel Company. These packages can be booked for either a Disney-owned hotel or a third-party “Good Neighbor” Hotel.

However, there is one very big exception to this. As of Summer 2012, guests staying in a Disney-owned hotel can enter Disneyland or Disney California Adventure one-hour early for each day of their stay to enjoy the Extra Magic Hour. This is important, because even in 2013, Radiator Springs Racers (photos) still has quite long lines (often exceeding two hours) and FastPasses for it run out within an hour of official park opening. The Extra Magic Hour really makes experiencing Radiator Springs Racers multiple times much easier. If there is one perk that tips the scale in favor of staying in a Disney-owned hotel, this should probably be it. (more…)

Star Wars Weekends 2013 Tips

Star Wars Weekends 2013 are the first time Star Wars is a Disney franchise, so we’re expecting this special event at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Walt Disney World to be bigger and better than ever this year! Star Wars Weekends are geared towards all things Star Wars (including the animated TV show, Star Wars: The Clone Wars). Celebrities are in attendance, there’s a special parade, shows, and every day ends with some Hyperspace Hoopla! It’s a lot of fun whether you’re a hardcore Star Wars fan or just a fan of fun (we fall into the latter camp).

If you’ve been to Walt Disney World countless times (and it’s probably not a bad assumption that you have if you’re reading this blog), you might be looking for ways to see the place a-new. One way to to find new experiences is to visit during a seasonal festival or weekend event. One such weekend event is Star Wars Weekends, held in May and June at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The Star Wars Weekends 2013 dates are May 17, 2013 through June 9, 2013 on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday each weekend.  (more…)