Mouse Dad

  Planning a Disney Trip - 2022 Why is Disney so Expensive Over the last few weeks all we have seen are articles about Disney prices.  Its ironic that they started to really come out after their earnings release.  Personally I am a bit torn over this because a part of me gets it however another part of me it does strike a nerve.  So lets take a look: Disney earnings were released February 8th 2022 and here are some highlights that may have sparked these articles: Park revenue for the quarter $7.2 billion up over 100% year over year Domestic park revenue increased to $4.8 billion in Q1 2022 compared to $1.5 billion in the same period last year (Yes we are aware of COVID) Christine McCarthy  --  Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer: "Per capita spending at our domestic parks was up more than 40% versus fiscal first quarter 2019 driven by a more favorable guest and ticket mix, higher food, beverage and merchandise spending and contributi...

    Planning a Disney Trip - Rides and Park Exploring ***Highly Recommend Getting the "My Disney Experience" App*** Click Mobile App Store Links to Get I work in IT and I can honestly say Disney is doing a pretty decent job with connecting their customer to the park experience via the app.  As a Dad, I have to plan ahead so that I can ensure my family has a great time.  Here is why I really like the app and it will help with ride and park experience planning: The app can provide you with a map of the park you are currently visiting The map can be filter to show things like ride wait times, restaurant locations, and other categories of park experiences Within each filtered location, you can in most case perform actions like: Check and book a dining reservation View menus for the restaurant Check ride queues Make Lightning Lane selections if they are available (This is an add on $$ I don't always get) Check average wait times by the hour Get directions to park experie...

  Planning a Disney Trip - Restaurants and Dining Be Our Guest - Magic Kingdom Dining can be a bit tough, but if you plan in advance it can be a breeze ***You can book dining 60 days in advance so make sure you make a note of the first date you can book*** Use the Disney app or their website to check for reservations Basically food is broken down at Disney into 3 categories, Snacks, Quick Service, Table Service Snacks - Apples, Popcorn, Ice Cream, etc Quick Service - Hamburgers & Fries, Chicken Tenders, etc Table Service - Sit Down Meals with appetizers, entree's and desserts Specialty restaurants such as Be Our Guest and Cinderella's Royal Table book ASAP Don't skimp on food - You are on vacation and deserve to treat yourself and family I do get the refillable mugs for $20 as I drink a lot of ice tea and soft drinks at the resort hotel I prefer their Italian restaurants and haven't been disappointed by them yet I split the day as follows:  Breakfast - At resort ho...

 Planning a Disney Trip - Where to start? Where to Start - 8-14 Months in Advance Typically I use Disney's " Magic Your Way " booking tool to plan my trips and here is why: Resort and tickets are booked and packaged together You only need base tickets - Hopper and other passes not worth it in my opinion Allows you to put a deposit down of only $200 to plan your trip You can cancel up to 30 days prior to your visit date for a full refund Promotions are provided during certain times of the year when booking Resorts include free shuttles to and from parks all throughout the day  Pick a value resort and here is why: Value resorts in the summer range from $140 to $170 per night which is reasonable for the experience. You don't need fancy resort to get the Disney experience as you are hardly in your room except to sleep and shower What you save in rooms you can spend on experiences and food/beverages Walmart's and Publix are nearby so if you want to have some groceries...

What is Mouse Dad? Blog Info This is a blog dedicated to all the dad's working on planning a family vacation for their families This blog covers Disney topics for planning the experience: when to spend money and when to save This blog seeks to cut through any kind of garbage and cut straight to the point No 15 - 30 minute videos of a Go Pro's strapped to my head No 10 page articles around 1 small event No videos of me talking about myself in the camera for 20 minutes only showing 2 minutes of actual Disney footage.   Just some facts and tips About Me I am a young dad from a small town in Pennsylvania. I have experiences visiting the park when I had barely any money to now; when I would say I have hit the middle class (Government just gets a bit more now) I don't make a living off this BLOG - this is simply to share quick opinions and experiences I have had while traveling to Disney World.   I used to dread the trips, but now I look forward to them (Trust me I us...