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Walt Disney World's Memory Maker

1/27/2015

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Memory Maker can be added to any Walt Disney World Vacation Package. We have done Disney both with and without Memory Maker and my vote is... IT IS TOTALLY WORTH IT! Walt Disney World is truly the most magical place on Earth and catching all the magical memories on camera is so important! For only $169, Memory Maker can completely enhance your trip!

Understanding Memory Maker:
People are very confused between the terms Memory Maker and PhotoPass. PhotoPass is the system in which Disney takes all the pictures at the parks and character meals. Anybody has access to PhotoPass…even if staying off site. People can purchase prints individually off PhotoPass.

Memory Maker is a digital download of all your pictures taken at the parks, on rides and at character meals. When you buy this package you have the rights to all the pictures taken and can do whatever you wish with them..including printing them at your local Walgreens, etc. You also have the opportunity to edit, add borders, etc. prior to downloading the pictures. In addition, those with Memory Maker get on-ride videos and animated Magic Shots. More about Magic Shots Later:)

Using Memory Maker:

I will help you purchase Memory Maker prior to travel as it will save you $50! This must be added to your package at least 3 days prior to your vacation to get the discount.

When you are in the parks, you will approach as MANY photographers as you like and have your picture taken. You are paying for this so stop as often as you like!

The photographer will then scan your MagicBand so the photos are linked with your MyDisneyExperience Account. When you are on rides, the pictures will automatically go on your account because your Magic Band is detected when you are on the ride. However, this can sometimes be missed so to be safe, on your way out you may want to write down the picture number associated with your picture on the screen. That way if it never shows up, you can have Disney add the picture. 

Anyone linked with your My Disney Experience Account (Family and Friends) will have their pictures show up in your account. So if you are traveling with multiple families, you only need to purchase one Memory Maker but everyone can use it!

When You Get Home:

Your photos will expire within 45 days of your trip so make sure to download them sooner than later! Log into your Memory Maker account from your computer. First make sure all your pictures are present and if not, report them to PhotoPass support. Edit pictures any way you'd like. I would always make a copy first and then edit the pictures so you have the original. Once you are down editing, you can download all the pictures. The download is a zip file so I would recommend doing this from your computer. These photos are now yours!

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Using RIDER SWITCH at Walt Disney World

1/27/2015

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Rider Switch other wise known as Child Swap at Walt Disney World can make a WORLD OF A DIFFERENCE for a family traveling with small children! We went to Walt Disney world twice with 4 very young children one aging from 3 months-6 years old. Because many rides have height restrictions (while MANY others are for the entire family!) it can make it difficult on mom and dad to take turn standing in line! 

Disney has made this SO much easier with RIDER SWAP. Not all rides have this.(see list below) but most of the popular rides with height restrictions do!


How it works:

When getting on a ride that allows for rider swap, your entire group needs to go up to the first cast member present (so they know there really are other riders) and let him or her know that you'd like a Rider Swap pass. The people who are riding first will continue on and then the others will get the pass that works like a Fast Pass to use later. This pass does not have a specific time window like a Fast Pass, which is REALLY NICE! This pass can be used for up to 3 people.

Tip:
I recommend having the first set of riders use a Fast Pass for the ride and then getting a rider swap for the rest of the group. 

For example, if you were to go on the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and are a family of 5...2 adults, a 9 year old, 5 year old and infant

1. Only the mother and 9 year old set up a  Fast Pass for the ride

2. Have the entire family go up to ride and as for a Rider Switch Pass so the father can go on with with 5 year old after the first group.

3. The mother and 9 year old continue on while father hangs out with 5 year old and infant.

4. The father can then go on with the 5 year old and 9 year old using the Rider Swap (good for up to 3 people)


This way you maximize your Fast Pass options! This basically doubles your fast passes!


Rides with Rider Swap:

Magic Kingdom
-Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Must be 38 inches to ride
-Splash Mountain, Must be 40 inches to ride
-Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Must be 40 inches to ride
-The Barnstormer, Must be 35 inches to ride
-Space Mountain, Must be 44 inches to ride
-Stitch's Great Escape, Must be 40 inches to ride
-Tomorrowland Speedway, Must be 52 inches to drive ALONE,

Epcot
-Test Track, Must be 40 inches to ride
-Soarin', Must be 40 inches to ride
-Mission Space, Must be 44 inches to ride

Hollywood Studios
-Star Tours, Must be 40 inches to ride
-Tower of Terror, Must be 40 inches to ride
-Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, Must be 48 inches to ride

Animal Kingdom 
-Expedition Everest, 44 inches to ride
-Kali River Rapid, 38 inches to ride
-Dinosaur, 40 inches to ride
-Primeval Whirl, 48 inches to ride


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Why Cancun?

11/6/2014

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Cancun = Spring Break Party Town...FALSE! 

OK, well not totally false. While Cancun does have some lower cost resorts that attract guests looking for that Spring Break atmosphere, those are just a fraction of resorts to choose from.

With miles of gorgeous beaches, plentiful 5-star hotels, numerous excursion and tour options, water activities and close proximity to the United States, Cancun is a great value for a luxury vacation experience!

Beaches
Cancun has over 14 miles of pristine beaches! The beaches in the north have calmer waters while those on the eastern coast have larger waves. Either way, the soft white sand and gorgeous turquoise blue sea is the perfect scenario for a relaxing beach vacation!

Luxury Resorts
Whether you're looking for a resort catering specifically to families, or an "adults-only" experience, there is a myriad of 4 and 5-star resorts to choose from, where you can expect superior oceanfront accommodations, excellent food and exceptional service!  In addition, most of the resorts are all-inclusive, offering all meals, drinks, snacks, activities and entertainment!

Excursions 
​Cancun has MANY types of excursions and activities to offer!  Water activities are abundant including para-sailing, jet-skiing and windsurfing.  In addition, Cancun boasts one of the largest barrier reefs in the world which makes for great snorkeling and scuba diving!  Experience the Mayan culture and artifacts, indulge in adventure activities, shop til you drop, enjoy world class golf!

Location to the United States
The United States is LUCKY to have Cancun in such close proximity! Direct flights from many U.S. gateways make Cancun a convenient way to get away for a few days, as well as those traveling with children.  Often, an early morning departure has you sitting on the beach by noon!

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Majestic Colonial

7/27/2014

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Another great set of clients just returned from Punta Cana! They nothing but wonderful things to say about The Majestic Colonial.

"The room was beautiful! We liked the fact that there was a quick welcome meeting the following day. He gave some useful information on what to do and what not to do. All staff were so friendly. The club side was great! We had our own pool with a swim up bar. We also had our own place where we could grab food/drink and they also had computers if you needed to access the internet. Everything was great! We loved that the resort offered snorkling and kyaking at no charge. We also went para sailing...first for both of us as well. The beach was beautiful. We walked down the beach in both directions and seemed our beach was always most populated. Thank you for all your help! We plan on going on lots more trips and will definately use you in the future."
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Sandals Whitehouse…Absolute Perfection

7/21/2014

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Sandals Whitehouse has been and always will be one of my all time favorite resorts. It encompasses romance in every detail. I recently had the pleasure of booking Patricia and Jim's 25th Wedding Anniversary Celebration at this lovely resort! If you are searching for the ultimate location for a honeymoon, anniversary or destination wedding…this IS IT!


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Sandals offers a FREE photo shoot…here is one of the images captured!

Here are pictures from their romantic dinner.  They had a personalized menu and white glove butler service…VERY romantic!

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The food at Sandals Whitehouse is outstanding…here are just a few examples of how well it is displayed and prepared!

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No trip to Jamaica is complete without a trip to world famous Rick's Cafe to watch the cliff divers!

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Just a few of the many FREE inclusions available…scuba diving, knee-boarding, hobie cats!

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Tip Tuesday!

5/13/2014

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Disney Promotion!

5/8/2014

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Free Dining is back! Get a FREE Dining Plan when you buy a non-discounted 6n/7d room & ticket package at select Walt Disney World Resort hotels. See the flyer below for more information! 
 
When you book your Walt Disney World Vacation with Play Your Way Travel you do not pay more but you GET MUCH MORE! We remove all the stress of a Disney vacation!
 
Some of the things we will think about so you don't have to... 
~Packing Lists
~Strollers/carseats
~Getting your children through the flight
~Transportation
~The right resort for your family
~Park passes
~Dining Plans
~Restaurant Choices
~Fast Passes
~Tips
~Finding Characters
~Tackling the Parks
~AND MORE!...ALL AT NO ADDITIONAL COST TO YOU! 
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Two of the MANY reasons to call Play Your Way Travel for your next trip!

2/26/2014

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There are a MANY benefits to using Play Your Way Travel to book your next trip! They include...our expertise, the comfort knowing we will advocate for you if any problems should arise, and the time you will be saved researching all aspects of your trip. In addition, there are two ways that you may not even know we can help you!

1. You Can Pay in Installments
When you book your own vacation online, you are responsible for paying the full amount at the time of booking. When you use PYWT, you can book by putting a deposit down...sometimes as low as $50 per person. That means your spot and airfare are on hold and the price is locked in!

It’s nice to be able to reserve your seats/room, even when you don’t have all the money.  You can get early bird perks – plenty of room availability, the choicest of flights to pick from, and you can cash in on the early booking incentives from vendors – while still having months to budget and save for your vacation.  Best of both worlds.

Do Orbitz, Expedia.com, Priceline, etc. have the option for payment plans?  Nope.  That’s only something you can get when you book with PYWT.


2. Lock-in the Price and Space on Your Vacation for 24 Hours

When you book a vacation online yourself, your space/price isn't confirmed until you've paid in full. You could lose your seat during the checkout process or prices can change between the time you have sent the information to your friend! When you use PYWT, we can put your reservation on hold, without you having to worry things will sell out or prices will change.

Next time you are planning to take a trip, consider letting us help book it...getting you the best price, saving you time and money...ALL at not cost to you!

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Disney Dining Plan...

1/24/2014

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Disney Dining Plan...To Do or Not to Do?

DO IT!

I was VERY skeptical about the dining plan. While we all love Disney World, we also know they are in the business of making money! This is in NO WAY a scam. In every way it is a DEAL!

To make it worth it and to maximize my cost savings, I did a TON of research. I had our meals planned out and our table service reservations made prior to going to Disney World. If you book with Play Your Way Travel, I'll do this for you!

One character dinner alone will cost a family of 4 over $160! A typical snack runs anywhere from $4.50-$6.00 and a quick meal at the parks...no less than $9 an entree and that doesn't include a drink!

Matt and I chose the Mid-Level Dining plan.  This will give you one table service (sit down with waiter), 1 quick service (order at a counter...Panera like), a refillable drink mug for your trip and 1 snack per person per day. Children who are under 3 do not have to pay for a dining plan, they can just eat off your plate...or if you do a buffet like we did, they can just eat from there! 

When we traveled, we paid for 4 dining plans...me, Matt and the two kids. The total for us was $774.50. I added up what we would have spent, had we paid cash for the exact meals. It would have been about $1,100, which is about a 30% savings!

For $774.50 we had every meal and snack covered for the 5 days we were there. (I brought breakfast to eat in the room so we did not spend any additional money). My kids got to have 4 character meals...which they LOVED! They met Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Daisy, Pluto, Donald, Tiger, Winnie the Pooh, Tiger, Rabbit, Owl, Handy Manny, Special Agent Oso, Jake and the Neverland Pirates and we never stood in line!

AND here is the best part...the food was DELICIOUS! We have some favorite restaurants and snacks that I'd love to share!

While we were there we never thought about money and food. We just used our Magic Bands to pay and BAM...DONE!

We will never travel to Disney World without the dining plan! 

If you are ready to book your Disney World Vacation with Play Your Way Travel, please contact Kristin, our College of Disney Graduate and Authorized Disney Vacation Planner at (847) 804-0333 or kristin@playyourwaytravel.com

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Zackary EATS FOR FREE! All meals on the plan come with a drink too!
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The characters even come sit at your table! Chef Mickeys for breakfast is as good as dinner! Mickey Mouse even brought Zackary a cupcake for his birthday!
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Handy Manny was with us a TON! He ate, danced and ran around with the boys!
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We love our Safari Mickey!
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NFAD-NO FIGHTING AT DISNEY

1/6/2014

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