How to Navigate Disney World's Mobile Ordering

For a few years now, Disney World guests have had the ability to skip the line at select quick service restaurants by placing a mobile order. And with the parks' current focus on social distancing, this little known gem has become the standard procedure at most of the casual dining locations throughout the parks and resorts. So here's some easy steps to follow on how to navigate Disney World's Mobile Ordering
 

Start by deciding which restaurant you would like to order from. You can do this by locating the open quick service restaurants on the map in the My Disney Experience app. Those that are requiring a mobile order have an icon that looks like a phone with a fork and knife bubble in front of it. Once you have found the one you want on the map, click that icon and it will give you the option to click on “Order Food”. Or you can scan the QR code found on signs at the entrance to these restaurants.

Now it's time to start building your order. First select your arrival window from the times available. Next you can browse the menu and click on the item that you are interested in. Then you'll select any side or beverage options available for that item and will click the blue “+Add” button at the top to add the item to your bag. Continue to select, modify and add items to your bag until you have your party's entire order added. Then click on “View My Order” to make sure it's all there and correct. If you need to make changes you'll click “Modify Order” but if it's ready to go, you'll select “Review Order Summary”.
 

Here is where you will provide payment information. If you have a card saved to your MyDisneyExperience account, it should automatically pop up as an option under the “Credit or Debit Card” section. But if you want to use a Disney gift card to pay for your order, you now have the option to select that payment method. Unfortunately, gift cards can not be saved to your MDE account, so you'll need to have the gift card on you to enter the card number or you can use my trick of saving the gift card numbers in a Note on your phone so you can then copy and paste the number into the app! Once you have entered your payment method, you are ready to hit “Purchase”.

Now your app should have a screen showing your order number with a button that says “I'm Here, Prepare My Order” if you are within your selected arrival window. Once you are close to the restaurant, hit that button and wait outside the restaurant. When your order is ready, the screen will change from a white background with the words “We're Preparing Your Order” to a dark background with the words “Order is Ready for Pickup!” Make sure to keep this new darker screen up on your phone because you'll need it to get your food.

Keeping your party together, show this screen to the Cast Member at the entrance of the restaurant who will let you inside. Then another Cast Member inside the restaurant will use this screen to direct you to the correct pickup window. And the Cast Member at the pickup window will need this screen to verify your order number and hand you your food. Once you have your food, you and the rest of your party may look for an open table in the restaurant to enjoy your meal.
 

But what happens if you close the app during this process? As long as you have purchased the order and you have allowed the app to send your phone notifications, you'll get alerts at the top of your phone when your food is ready for pickup. Or if you go to the profile section of your app (the 3 horizontal lines in the bottom menu), you can click on “Mobile Food Orders” to find your recent orders and see their status there.

Mobile Ordering is just one of the things that my family enjoyed on our recent trip to Disney World. So when you are ready to experience that Disney magic again, I'd love to help you plan your trip and share more of my firsthand knowledge with you!  Sheena@RopeDropTravel.com

 

Disney Park Tickets vs Disney Park Pass Reservation System

 

Since the start of this global pandemic, many things in our everyday lives have changed. Social distancing, face coverings and contactless payments are becoming the norm, so it only makes sense that vacation destinations since as Disney World and Disneyland would roll out policy changes as well. When the parks open later this July, one of the biggest changes will be the introduction of a new Disney Park Pass Reservation system, but it's also seems to be the change causing the most confusion so let's break it down.
 

A Disney Park Ticket is your purchase of entry into a Disney theme park, while your Disney Park Pass Reservation is your RSVP, letting Disney know which of their 4 Orlando or 2 Anaheim parks that your family plans to visit on each day of your vacation. Think of it like attending a semester of college. Your Park Ticket is your tuition, your payment to attend that college. While your Park Pass is registering for your classes, letting the college know which ones you want to take. This means that to enter a Disney park for the rest of 2020 and into 2021, you will need BOTH a park ticket and a park pass.

Just like college classes, the Disney theme parks are going to have a set capacity limit each day and reserving a Park Pass saves your place in that park. But it also means that Park Passes are limited and you will want to reserve them early to have the best chance at snagging the park schedule you want. And much like your class schedule, you can not double book your time, which in the case of Disney means that you may only reserve ONE park per day. So when you or your travel agent purchase your tickets, you will want to immediately connect them to your My Disney Experience account so that you can reserve your Park Passes right away. This does mean you will need to do a bit more planning at the start of your booking so that you know which park you are looking to visit each day, but please note that you will also have the ability later on to modify your Park Pass and reserve a different park as long as that new park choice is still available.

To summarize, Park Tickets and Park Passes are not the same thing but you will need both to enjoy the magic of your favorite Disney theme park. So when your family is ready to travel again, I hope you will reach out to me so I can help you navigate this new Disney planning process.

DIY Butterbeer at Home!

Walking into the Wizarding World at Universal is a dream come true for Harry Potter fans, as the streets of Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade transport you into the pages of the beloved books. And one of the things that makes the experience complete for many people is the famous Butterbeer. This buttery sweet drink is one of the most popular snacks on Universal property and since we can't currently be in the parks, I wanted a way to bring the magic of it home and this DIY Butterbeer recipe was born!
 

This recipe is easy to whip up in your own potion classroom (aka your kitchen) and wizards both young and young at heart are sure to love it! All you need are a few common dessert items and a hand or stand mixer. The drink base is made by combining cream soda, caramel flavor and butter extract. And the delicious, cloud-like topping is a mixture of heavy whipping cream, butterscotch, marshmallow and powdered sugar. Together they create a tasty Butterbeer fit for the magical world!

Ingredients:

2 liters of cream soda (chilled)

1 tsp of caramel flavor

1 tsp of butter extract

1 cup of heavy whipping cream

1/4 cup of powdered sugar

1/8 cup of butterscotch topping

1/8 cup of marshmallow topping

Directions:

1. Pour heavy whipping cream into a bowl and use a hand or stand mixer to whip until it becomes fluffy and creates stiff peaks.

2. Gently fold the powdered sugar, butterscotch and marshmallow into the heavy whipping cream, then whip once more until it once again creates those stiff peaks.

3. Very carefully add the caramel flavor and butter extract to your 2 liter of cream soda and stir.

4. Pour some of the soda mixture into a clear glass or mason jar and top with the cream mixture.

5. Enjoy!

If you'd like to see a video of the first time I whipped up this potion (along with a blooper of why you should be careful when mixing the soda ingredients), you can find it on my Facebook page and after you have tried out this DIY version and are ready to compare it to the real stuff at the Wizarding World, I would love to help you plan your perfect Universal vacation! You can email me at sheena@ropedroptravel.com for your free personalized quote today.

 

Your Guide to All Things TapuTapu at Universal's Volcano Bay

 

If you haven't taken a Universal Orlando vacation in a few years, you may not know that they currently have 3 parks for you to enjoy! There are the classic theme parks Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure, but did you know that Universal Orlando also has it's own water theme park called Volcano Bay? It has a beautiful Polynesian style theme with the Krakatau Volcano at it's center surrounded by 19 attractions and over 30 experiences, but what makes Volcano Bay really special is the TapuTapu wearables! I took my own trip this past summer to see what the fuss was all about and here is what I learned that these waterproof devices can do.

1. Virtual Line

All of the Volcano Bay water slides and raft rides utilize a Virtual Line system. That means that while you are waiting your turn you can float the Lazy River, grab a bite to eat or check out other areas of the water theme park. To get your spot in the Virtual Line, look for the kiosk labeled with the attraction's name close to the ride and tap your TapuTapu device on the symbol below the screen. This will start a countdown and when it's your turn, your TapuTapu will vibrate telling you it's time to return to that ride.

2. Interactive Experiences

All around the park, you'll find TapuTapu symbol pads that activate some unique surprises. They can light up caves, spray water or cause the Tikis around the park to do silly things like burp and squirt water. The kids especially love looking for these play experiences, so if your little one is iffy about the wearable I suggest pointing them out when you first enter the park, giving them a great reason to leave their TapuTapu on!

3. Walletless Purchasing

Using the Universal Orlando Resort app, you can attach a credit/debit card to your Volcano Bay tickets and TapuTapu, then use it to purchase food, drinks and souvenirs throughout the park. And you can also create spending limits for each guest in your party and keep tabs on their spending throughout the day! That way your wallet can be hidden safely away in the hotel room or a Volcano Bay locker.

4. Lockers

Speaking of lockers, Volcano Bay offers 4 different locker areas around the park. And when you rent a locker, your TapuTapu becomes the key! Just look for the kiosk to choose your locker size, tap your TapuTapu on the symbol and your locker will magically open for you. And you can assign up to 4 TapuTapus to the locker so multiple people in your party can access it throughout the day.

5. Snap Photos

Everyone loves a good selfie and with the beautiful setting of Volcano Bay, who wouldn't want to capture a pic or two? But there is no need to pull out your phone when you have your TapuTapu! Just look for one of the TapTu Snap Photo Spots, tap your TapuTapu and let the kiosk take the picture for you. It will then be uploaded to your user account on the app (the same one you used to set up your credit card) and from there you can view, purchase and share your photos. Any photos taken in Volcano Bay will also connect to your My Universal Photos pass!

So now that you know what a TapuTapu can do, how do you go about getting one? It's actually very easy! Everyone who goes to Volcano Bay will receive one free of charge when they scan their park ticket at entry. Then when you leave for the day, just deposit them in the drop boxes on your way out.
 

Want to experience the fun of TapuTapu for yourself? I would be happy to help you plan your own Universal Orlando vacation! Email me at sheena@ropedroptravel.com for more details.

Understanding Universal Orlando's Ticket Options

Have you thought about taking a trip to Universal Orlando to see the Wizarding World but got overwhelmed by some of the lingo? Then this is definitely the blog post for you because we are going to break down Universal's ticket options into easy to undertand bites.

The first thing you need to understand about Universal Orlando is that it's actually made up of 3 different parks. You have Universal Studios where you will find blockbuster themed rides like Despicable Me Minion Mayhem, Fast & Furious Supercharger, The Simpsons Ride and Harry Potter's Wizarding World Diagon Alley. Then you have Islands of Adventure, Universal Orlando's second theme park where you will find attractions like Jurassic Park River Adventure, Caro-Seuss-el, The Incredible Hulk Coaster and Harry Potter's Wizarding World Hogsmeade. And last but not least, Universal Orlando has an amazing water theme park called Volcano Bay where you will find the aqua coaster Krakatau, Maku Puihi raft rides and way more splashy fun!

This means that when you are looking at multiple day tickets, the first part of the ticket will say either “2 Park” or “3 Park”. If you not interested in checking out the water theme park, then you want your tickets to say 2 Park as these are only good at the theme parks, Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. But if you want to see all three, then you want to make sure to choose the 3 Park tickets.

The next piece is all about the parks' location. Unlike other places, the theme parks at Universal Orlando are side-by-side. The entrances to both Universal Studios and Island of Adventure are within walking distance of each other with only a strip of nature separating the sides of the theme parks. And then at the back of the parks, they are connected by the Hogwarts Express train which connects both sides of the Wizarding World and acts as your transportation from one theme park to the other. Then the water theme park, Volcano Bay, is across the highway from Islands of Adventure and is over by Universal's Prime Value resorts.

This makes it very easy to park hop and check out parts of both theme parks in one day! Or you could hit up the water theme park in the morning before going to the Wizarding World for the afternoon. And this is where the Park-to-Park portion comes in. If you choose a ticket that says “Base Ticket”, then you will only have access to one of the parks per day. But if you go with the “Park-to-Park Ticket” option, then you can visit multiple parks in the same day. This Park-to-Park Ticket is also the only way you will be allowed to ride the Hogwarts Express, so if that is on your bucket list for your trip, make sure to upgrade your tickets to this option.

The last thing to note with Universal Orlando tickets is the differences between purchasing multiple day tickets and single day tickets. Many times families decide to add a day at Universal to their already planned Orlando vacation, so there are single day tickets available in both 1 Park Base Ticket form and in 2 Park Park-to-Park Ticket form. However, because Volcano Bay is not one of the main parks at Universal Orlando, access to it is only available with the purchase of a 3 Day Base Ticket or a 2 Day Park-to-Park Ticket. So if the water theme park is on your wishlist, this is something to keep in mind while you are planning your trip.

And as always, if you would like some help understanding the ins and outs of planning your dream Orlando vacation, I invite you to send me an email at sheena@ropedroptravel.com. I would be more than happy to help you make it the most magical vacation ever!

 

Understanding Universal Orlando's Dining Plans

 

Whether you are a Harry Potter fan or are just looking for a Florida park with more thrills, Universal Orlando could be a great option for your family. But they do things a little differently from other Orlando parks you may have visited, and one of those examples is their Dining Plans.

Universal Orlando's Dining Plans are all about flexibility! If you are visiting Universal Orlando as a day guest, you'll have the option of adding on one of two dining plans, the Universal Dining Plan – Quick Service or the Universal Dining Plan – Quick Service + Coca-Cola freestyle® Souvenir Cup. Or if you are spending multiple days at Universal and staying at one of their onsite resorts, then you also have the option of adding on the Universal Dining Plan. So let's break down what each plan means.

On the Universal Dining Plan, you will receive 1 full-service meal (1 entree, 1 non-alcoholic beverage and 1 dining plan dessert), 1 quick service meal (1 entree and 1 non-alcoholic beverage), 1 snack and 1 non-alcoholic beverage per day you purchase of the plan. With the Universal Dining Plan – Quick Service, you will receive 1 quick service meal (1 entree and 1 non-alcoholic beverage), 1 snack and 1 non-alcoholic beverage per day you purchase of the plan. And then the Universal Dining Plan - Quick Service + Coca-Cola freestyle® Souvenir Cup is similar to the Quick Service plan, but instead of the 1 non-alcoholic beverage, you will receive a souvenir cup that you can refill for the whole day.

But that's not where you options end! At Universal Orlando, you can further customize your dining plan by choosing the exact number of days you want to use the plan. So say you are planning a 4 day trip to Universal. You could go all out and purchase 4 days worth of the Universal Dining Plan for each of you, or you could get a bit more flexibility by purchasing only 2 days worth of the plan per person and splitting it up over you trip. You could use 1 of your full-service meals and 1 snack on the first day, then use 1 quick service and 1 snack on the second day, do your second full-service and 1 of your non-alcoholic beverages on your third day and finish up your trip with your last quick service and final non-alcoholic beverage on the fourth day. The possibilities are endless with the exception of one item, the Souvenir Cup. If you only purchase 1 day of the Universal Dining Plan - Quick Service + Coca-Cola freestyle® Souvenir Cup, then your cup will only be good on that first day that you use it, so if you pick it up from one of the Coca-Cola freestyle® locations on Day 1 of your trip, you will not be able to use it on Day 2 and so on.

All in all, while the Universal Orlando Dining Plans may sound a bit more complicated, they are actually set up to give you more control over your vacation. So the next time you are thinking about exploring Orlando and possibly diving into the Wizarding World, shoot me an email because I would love to help you get the most out of your Universal Orlando vacation!

Living in the Moment with WDW's Memory Maker

 

 As moms we all know the struggle, you are either stuck behind the camera all day or there are no pictures. That's why Disney World's Memory Maker option is so perfect. Not only will you get photos that capture all the magic of your vacation, but you'll actually get to be in them too! Plus there are fun extras that you can't get any other way.

Disney Photographers are located throughout the parks, catching everything from iconic moments like your family in front of Cinderella's Castle to candid shots during character meet and greets or Jedi Training. When you see one decked out in their blue shorts and khaki vest with a camera around their neck, all you have to do is jump in line, let them snap your photos and then scan your Magic Band and they will be connected to your MyDisneyExperience account waiting for you to download.

But that's not all! The Disney Photographers have some of the best spots in the park and a little magic up their sleeves. Some Photographers can do “Magic Shots”, photos that with the help of a little pixie dust, show your little ones holding Tinkerbell, Dad being carried off by a bunch of balloons or Mom releasing a lantern in front of Rapunzel's tower. These are photos that you wouldn't be able to get with your own camera and are sure to wow your kiddos when they see that the Photographer was able to capture something that wasn't there.

Another perk to the Memory Maker is the ride photos and videos that are included. It's so much fun to see the looks on your family's faces while they are escaping the Yeti on Expedition Everest or heading home from a visit to the mines on Seven Dwarves Mine Train. Once you've seen the first of these photo gems, you'll be scoping out your MyDisneyExperience app just hoping for more hilarious moments!

So save your phone battery, leave your good camera safely at home and live in the moment, because with Memory Maker Disney's got your memories covered! Have your travel agent add it to your package before you leave to save $30 and get all of your photos with unlimited digital downloads for just $169. Or if you get to the park and realize you should have sprung for this add-on earlier, you can add it in Disney World for $199 and still receive those unlimited downloads.

4 Ways to Save Money with Disney Gift Cards

Disney vacations are full of special moments, unforgettable memories and tons of magic, but they do come with a large price tag. So to get my frugal husband on board with our first family trip years ago, I went hunting for the best way to maximize our vacation budget and found a trick that we still use...Disney gift cards. Did you know that you can use gift cards to pay for your entire vacation including your resort stay, park tickets, souvenirs and so much more? It's a great option for extended family who want to gift you part of your trip for birthdays or holidays, but it also gives you a way to stack the savings by pairing discounted gift cards with the package deal your travel agent finds for you. So here are a few of my tricks for scoring these gift cards at a discount:

1) Target RedCard

My favorite way to purchase Disney gift cards is also the simplest since it's a one-step process. If you sign up for a Target RedCard (either the credit or debit option), you will receive 5% off of every purchase that you make with the card both in store and online, and this includes gift cards! This means you can grab a $100 Disney card in the store, but only pay $95 for it. It may not seem like much, but when you add them up to pay for your entire trip, it's a big savings! And FYI, they carry gift cards for some airlines as well!

2) Sam's Club or BJ's Wholesale Club

If you are a Sam's Club or BJ's Club member, you have another option to snag discounted gift cards. Both of these warehouse chains carry packs of Disney gift cards that you can purchase both in-store and online. The discount can fluctuate, but on average it will save you about 4%. You do have to purchase a yearly membership to buy these gift card packs, so I only recommend this option if you are shopping one of these warehouse clubs already or you can snag an online only membership at BJ's for just $10 a year.

3) Cash-back rewards credit cards

There are many options out there when it comes to credit cards that give you rewards for your purchases, including Chase, Bank of America and American Express. This option isn't a direct way to purchase a discounted Disney gift card, but it is a way to further stack your savings. If you use one of these cash-back rewards cards to purchase those discounted gift cards at a warehouse club, not only will get you the 4% off that the club offers, but on average you'll also get 2% back from the credit card, making your savings roughly 5.9%.

4) Fuel rewards at Kroger stores

If you live near a Kroger grocery store or one of it's affiliates, then this deal is for you! Every so often, Kroger will offer 4X fuel rewards on gift card purchases when you add the coupon to your free Kroger membership card. This means that for every $1 you spend on gift cards, you will earn 4 fuel points. So if you purchased $250 worth of Disney gift cards during this deal, you would earn 1,000 fuel reward points which equals $1 off each gallon of gas for one fill-up (up to 35 gallons). With this option, the gift cards themselves are not discounted but you are still seeing a savings elsewhere and it's also stackable with your cash-back credit card as well.

So what's the catch? Honestly, the only downside to paying for your Disney vacation with Disney gift cards is that in the rare instance that you would receive a refund from Disney, it would go back on to those gift cards instead of your credit card. But if you are like me and love Disney, this really isn't a deal breaker because you can then use that refund to pay for part of your next trip or you can pick up some magic at home since these gift cards also work at the Disney Stores or ShopDisney website. This is why I also recommend combining the huge stack of gift cards you'll accumulate using this method into one gift card. You can easily transfer the balance online and then by using that one gift card to make the payments on your vacation, not only will it simplify the payment process for both you and your travel agent, but it will also guarantee that you know exactly which card would receive any refunds. 

And now that you know my family's secret to maximizing your Disney vacation budget, let's plan your family's dream vacation and save you some moola in the process!

 

10 Dollar Store Hacks for Your Next Disney Trip!

 

Disney vacations can be expensive, especially when you are taking the whole family. But a quick pre-trip run to the dollar store can help you save some money without missing out on the magic! Here's my list of must-have dollar store hacks for your next vacation.
 

1) Glow sticks – When the sun goes down, Disney becomes all a-glow with light-up toys, necklaces, ears and more, and your budget could quickly go out the window when your tired kiddo sees those carts full of goodies. But by grabbing some glow sticks and wands at the dollar store before hitting the parks, you can provide your kids with that glow-in-the-dark magic at a fraction of the price!

2) Bubbles – Most days the Disney parks are full of floating bubbles since they make for a great way to distract little ones during long wait times. But the bubble wands you can buy in the parks will cost you a pretty penny, so I recommend grabbing some at the dollar store and saving your souvenir dollars for something else.

3) Plastic zipper baggies – These baggies have tons of uses! Everything from packing up meal leftovers for snacking on later to keeping your phone dry on rides like Splash Mountain. You definitely won't regret snagging a box or two to bring with you into the parks.

4) D.I.Y. Stroller Rain Cover – Florida is well-known for it's random bursts of rain on a sunny day, and the quickest way to sour a day in the parks is getting off a ride or coming out of a table-service meal to find your stroller soaking wet. Rain covers made for strollers can be super expensive, but there's a cheaper solution. Grab a plastic shower curtain liner, cover the parked stroller and clamp it on with some clips. You can find both of these at the dollar store and it will waterproof your stroller for pennies!

5) Activities for the plane or car – Keeping your kiddos sitting still on the plane or car ride to Disney can be challenge, but by grabbing some coloring books and stickers at the dollar store you can make the journey to the parks both magical and quieter. Especially if you can find Disney ones that let you discuss all of the characters they will get to see over the next few days.

6) Nightlights – Some of the hotels can be very dark, making it even tougher for some kids to fall asleep in a new place. But by grabbing one of these nightlights, you can give them the comfort of home. Then if you forget to unplug it before you leave, it's not a huge loss because it only cost you a dollar.

7) Autograph journals and pens – Meeting their favorite characters is a magical part of every kid's Disney trip and getting their autographs is a classic souvenir opportunity. But instead of dropping big bucks on the autograph books in the parks, you can pick up a cute Disney themed journal or notebook and a fun character pen at the dollar store.

8) Tissues and wet wipes – No matter where you are traveling with kids, these are always good items to keep on hand, and while you can find them in stores at the parks, you will pay a lot for them. So I recommend stocking up at the dollar store before your trip.

9) Travel toothbrushes – If you are anything like me, you cringe at the thought of using old toothbrushes that have been sitting in your travel bags for months. So by picking up new toothbrushes at the dollar store before your trip, not only do you know that they are clean but you also lose the guilt that comes with tossing them after you are back home. And some of them even come with travel toothpaste...score!

10) Plastic cups – Make sharing on the go quick service meals and snacks like popcorn easier with fun plastic character cups. You can get a different character for each kiddo so they have a cup just for them and you can easily store them in the basket of your stroller to pull out when it's time to divide up those treats. Plus you can use them in the hotel room for a bedtime drink of water.

Now that you know my top 10 dollar store finds, you can be more prepared for your next Disney trip. And if you want to get even more out of your next trip, I would love to discuss more of my money saving tips! Just shoot me an email at sheena@ropedroptravel.com.