Welcome to Pin Trading 101!

If you have made any trips to Walt Disney World since around 2000, you have likely noticed Cast Members and guests wearing lanyards containing pins, pin boards placed around the parks and stores, or kiosks set up with hundreds of pins available to purchase. Welcome to the world of Disney pins and pin trading!  I started collecting Disney pins in 2000 when I was 17 years old.  I was at the age where I was too old for toys or stuffed animals, and I THOUGHT I was too old for Disney clothes (17 year old Brianna should take a look at 39 year old Brianna’s Disney wardrobe!).  That was the trip when I first noticed a few kiosks of pins.  I thought these would make good souvenirs, so I bought my first pins: Maleficent, Sleeping Beauty, Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather.  Can you guess my favorite Disney movie?!  Since that trip in 2000, I have collected over 400 pins, and they are proudly displayed in shadow boxes that I look at...

Spring is alive at the EPCOT® International Flower & Garden Festival at Walt Disney World Resort!  See all that’s “growing on,” March 2–July 4.

Let the travel professionals with Destinations to Travel help plan your next visit!
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Save Up to $500 on a 5-Night Stay at Select Disney Resort Hotels in Spring and Early Summer 2022!

Save up to $100 per night on rooms at select Disney Resort hotels for stays most nights March 6, 2022 through July 7, 2022.

There's so much to celebrate when you stay at a Disney Resort hotel—especially during the 50th Anniversary Celebration! As a Guest of a Disney Resort hotel, you can enjoy early entry to the theme parks 30 minutes before opening to experience select attractions (with valid park admission and a park reservation). Plus, as a Disney Resort hotel Guest, you'll get early access to purchase individual Lightning Lane entry for up to 2 attractions each day.

This offer is valid for select Disney Resort hotels and availability is LIMITED. Get the ball rolling on snagging this deal for your Spring/Summer vacation by completing the simple Quote Request Form. One of the incredible agents from Destinations to Travel will be in touch with you!

Want to see what it's REALLY like at the Walt Disney World Resort now that it's back open after the lengthy covid-19 closure? During this previously recorded live video, I go over my entire visit from departing my home airport to hopping aboard the Magical Express four days later and everything in between!

Maybe you don't need convincing to book your trip, but perhaps someone you know does? Please feel free to share, there is some really helpful information inside!

During this hour-long video, I show viewers:

• The Check-In Process
• Resort Rooms
• Resort common areas
• Transportation
• Crowd levels
• Mobile ordering
• Mobile check-in
• Shopping
• Entertainment
• Character Experiences
• Safety Protocols
• and so much more!

If you are thinking of planning a visit for this year or next, my travel partners at Destinations to Travel are ready and so excited to be your Disney planning besties! There is ZERO cost to you for their expert planning services when you book your vacation with Destinations to Travel....

I have five reasons...

The recent news of the drastic operational changes made and measures the Walt Disney World Resort has taken to adhere to CDC guidelines in response to the Covid-19 global pandemic, dropped like a lead weight to the Disney travel community yesterday.

Earlier this week, we learned that when the Walt Disney World Resort reopens in mid July, it will be without fireworks, parades or character meet and greets. Many could forgive the loss of these experiences under the circumstances and still were willing to go forward with their vacations as planned. The collective sigh of relief from fans that they were reopening could almost be heard.

Then the bomb dropped. Disney announced they would be canceling all Disney Dining Plans, dining reservations and FastPass+ selections guests had previously booked, through the end of this year. Though not without feeling or regret, and the promise of priority re-booking opportunities or discounts, but the announcement came with...

Bust These 5 Animal Kingdom Myths to Boost Your Disney Vacation Experience

Also, try these challenges to enhance your experience!

by Suzanne Burmeister

If you’re excited about—or trying to convince someone else to be excited about—Animal Kingdom, then you need to confront these five common Animal Kingdom myths. You’ll find all the reasons you need to visit this extraordinary park and have the best time while you’re there!

Myth #1: Animal Kingdom is the Largest Park, so Get Ready to Walk A LOT! Reality: Although Animal Kingdom is the largest park at Walt Disney World (and the whole world!) at 530 acres, that doesn’t mean you’ll need to wear your best walking shoes. The walking distance around the park for the visitor is only 2.27 miles.

If you’re interested: Check out the other walking distances at the following URL (spoiler: Epcot has the longest walking path at 2.78 miles): http://knowdw.com/theme-parks/walking-distance-disney-world/...

We're living in strange times, friends. Disney parks have been closed for nearly two months and we don't yet have an opening date for nearly all of them. So many of our trips have been canceled and we are incredibly anxious to get back "HOME".

For most, that means a trip next year. Either because we just can't fit a trip into our schedules this year or we want to wait until the effects of covid-19 disburse enough so that social distancing is a choice, not mandated. But what can we do now to plan for next year? BOOK A BASIC PACKAGE FOR 2021!

Historically, packages for the following year aren't available to be booked until sometime in June. THIS year, the Walt Disney Travel Company is mixing things up! Knowing that 2021 was already going to be a banner year for park visits with it being the 50th Anniversary of the Walt Disney World Resort and now with leagues of people rescheduling their trips from this year to next, something had to be done.

Let me introduce you to the Basic Package....

It will come as no surprise that I receive a LOT of questions. From guests, from travel agents, students and from those who follow me on social media. Typically, those questions cover a wide variety of subjects, but lately they seem to be focused on one topic. No, not whether or not you should order ice cream from the take-out window at Beaches and Cream, but rather...should we plan to go to Walt Disney World as soon as they reopen?

Whether you have a previously scheduled trip for this Summer or had to re-book a canceled reservation due to closure, it's likely this question and concern has entered your mind. Of course, we don't yet have a reopening date, but what if we did? (This type of hypothetical is often the scenario I'm questioned about.)

What if the Walt Disney World Resort opened back up on June 1st, would I go? The answer to that questions is YES, without a doubt I would go. But would I advise YOU to go? That is not as easy an answer.

I'm going to give it to you straight,...

Like most of you, I too have been struggling a bit emotionally due to the abrupt and uncertain changes we're living through right now. Naturally, from a business point of view, it's troubling. Literally all of my eggs are in the Disney basket and the closures have been quite a hit financially. But loss of income isn't what has been bothering me the most.

For all of my life, Walt Disney World has been a constant. Ever operational, enchanting hundreds of thousands of people every single day. Even when not personally visiting, I've lived vicariously through my travel clients. Whether they are experiencing their Disney vacation dreams or pouring over the planning phase and getting over-the-top excited for what's to come, my Disney motor is always running.

The closure of the Walt Disney World Resort brought on by the global covid-19 pandemic has taught me a few things about myself. I've learned that the mere existence of a captivating destination in which the primary function is to...