Trip Update - Less than a month to go!

Travel was booked, reservations were made, tickets were purchased, and FastPasses were secured. This trip is finally happening. My approach to planning a vacation is much like my job - I don't just clock in every day, I immerse myself in the experience and it's part of my routine. I wake up in the morning, check for Disney and Universal news, browse forums and group pages on social media, then log into my own Disney account to review my trip plans (as well as the countless spreadsheets I've made to keep my itinerary in order). And now all of that hard work is finally about to come to fruition and it's bittersweet. I enjoy the planning and waiting almost as much as the trip itself!

I know that some vacations can witness last-minute changes but I've done everything in my power to eliminate any obstacles. This is where we stand:

• Dates: Sep 16-26, Disney Sep 16-23/Universal Sep 23-26
• Airfare: Allegiant, flying SGF to SFB
• Accommodations: Disney, Contemporary Resort Deluxe Garden/Universal, Cabana Bay Beach Resort Courtyard Family Suite Poolside
• Car Rental: Dollar Rent a Car (mid-size rental)
• Special Events: Disney, Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party & Food and Wine Festival/Universal, Halloween Horror Nights

I've created an itinerary that I'll share here if you're interested. I would consider this more of a 'touring plan' because I learned long ago that nailing things down to a specific time is very difficult to do while on vacation and especially at Disney.

Dining was probably the most difficult part of planning because there are so many options out there and we also have Food and Wine Festival to consider. Here is the final list:

Fri 9/16: 4:40pm Skipper Canteen

Sat 9/17: 10:30am Kona Cafe, 5:45pm California Grill

Sun 9/18: 8:20am Be Our Guest**, 6:00pm Be Our Guest

Mon 9/19: 11:30am Via Napoli, 4:45pm Le Cellier

Tue 9/20: No reservations - hoping for PizzeRizzo and Hollywood Brown Derby Lounge

Wed 9/21: No reservations - F&W Festival + Tokyo Dining and Tangierine Cafe

Thur 9/22: 12:30pm Yak and Yeti, No reservation for dinner (Flametree BBQ)

Fri 9/23: No reservations, planning on Blaze Pizza for lunch and Hash House a Go Go for dinner

Sat 9/24: Mythos lunch, Cowfish dinner

Sun 9/25: Leaky Cauldron lunch, snacks for dinner (have to line up by 4:45 for Halloween Horror Nights)

** 8:20am is a pre-park opening reservation

We've also got our FastPasses (FPs) and our strategy was to book all FPs early so we can utilize the option to keep adding FPs throughout the day. This is how our Disney plan looks:

Fri 9/16: 3:20-4:20 7DMT, 4:20-5:20 Space Mountain, 5:25-6:25 Haunted Mansion

Sat 9/17: Resort Day, No FPs

Sun 9/18: 9:25-10:25 7DMT, 10:25-11:25 Space Mountain, 11:25-12:25 Haunted Mansion

Mon 9/19: 9:10-10:10 Mission Space, 10:15-11:15 Soarin', 11:20-12:20 Journey Into Imagination

Tue 9/20: 9:20-10:20 Rock'n'Roller Coaster, 10:35-11:35 Tower of Terror, 11:50-12:50 Star Tours

Wed 9/21: 9:00-10:00 Mission Space, 10:35-11:35 Living with the Land, 11:40-12:40 Frozen Ever After

Thur 9/22: 1:25-2:25 Kali River Rapids, 2:25-3:25 Expedition Everest, 7:00-8:00 Kilimanjaro Safaris

(We booked the FPs for Animal Kingdom later in the day because we wanted to keep an evening FP for Kilimanjaro Safaris since this is the first year that AK will be staying open later.)

MagicBands and luggage tags arrived 25 days before trip begins

MagicBands after adding decals from myfantasybands.com (Pocahontas and Tron themes)

We've been busy with buying necessities and cleaning out our suitcase for early packing, but the planning is mostly easy from here. I'm still waiting on a few Universal dining reservations to open (usually only 2-3 weeks in advance of the trip). We've decided that we will be checking one large piece of luggage and utilizing free personal bags on the plane. My vacation wardrobe this year will consist of light garments that can be rolled up in the suitcase for more space. We are going to try to keep our personal bags empty so we can bring souvenirs back in them. Wish me luck as I try to make one suitcase work for two people :)

Next up: Be Our Guest Order-Ahead service and Packing Lists/Strategies!

Chase Disney Rewards Visa Cards

As promised, this post is all about the Chase Disney Visa cards and perks. If you plan on making Disney (any U.S.-based park) a major part of your routine then you'll want to know about these options!

Let me start by saying that the Disney credit card was a major "adult" goal for me. I racked up a lot of debt from my college years and had what most would consider average credit but I wanted to make sure my score was pristine before I applied because I had heard horror stories about how difficult the approval process could be. I finally felt ready enough to apply last year and I'm so glad I did! I've since heard that the approvals have grown more relaxed so give it a try if you're interested!

Types of Cards

There are two types of Chase Disney Visa cards: the Disney Rewards Visa and the Disney Premier Visa. The quick summary is that the Disney Premier Visa require an annual fee but it accumulates rewards more quickly and allows you to use Dream Dollars (the rewards currency) on any airfare purchase in addition to the standard Disney Rewards redemption card. I know I just unloaded a lot of information on you so we'll take this step-by-step.

• Annual Fees: Disney Premier is $49, Disney Rewards is $0

• Accumulating Rewards: Disney Premier earns 2% at gas stations, grocery stores and most Disney locations and 1% everywhere else. Disney Rewards earns 1% on all purchases.

• Cashing In: Disney Premier allows you to use Disney Dream Dollars (1-for-$1) toward a credit on your balance when you purchase airfare or transfer to a Disney Rewards redemption card to be used at most Disney locations. Disney Rewards does not have the airfare credit option.

Now, you may be skeptical of putting so much time and effort into accumulating points on a credit card - I know I sure was! - but I told myself I would try it for a year and if it didn't help me reach my savings goals for this Disney World trip then I would re-evaluate for next year. But I have to say, I'm very impressed with the amount of Disney Dream Dollars I've earned and it's going to allow me to enjoy an extra signature dining experience on my next trip! I had originally decided I would just use this card for my weekly grocery and gas purchases so that I could pay it off with every paycheck and reap the rewards. After seeing the points add up, I realized that this could be used more efficiently with my every day needs. I currently accumulate about $25/month in Dream Dollars but that was a goal I had set for myself and I encourage everyone to monitor their spending habits and see if this would work for you, too. So let's do a little math to see if this could work for you -

You can always go to the Disney Rewards site to input your information without doing the math yourself but I'll put an example here.

Let's say you use $50 in gas per month and $600 for groceries. That's $650 at 2% cash back, which will earn $13 per month or $156 per year with the Premier card! I don't know about you, but that's easily a meal or two at Disney for just using the card for something you buy already. But there's more...

Chase Disney Visa cardholders have access to extra perks. Here's a list:

• 10% discount on Disney Store and DisneyStore.com purchases of $50 or more, plus special cardmember access to events year-round
• 0% financing for 6 months on Disney vacations
• Special financing for Disney Vacation Club 
• $50 onboard credit for Disney Cruises
• Special hotel and resort discounts throughout the year
• Private meet-and-greet lines for characters in the parks 
• 10% off park merchandise purchases of $50 or more
• 15% off guided park tours
• 10% discount on recreation experiences (Disney World)
• 15% discount on spa and salon services (Disney World)
• Dining discounts on Disney property
• Deals on Disney Broadway, Disney on Ice, and other Disney-related entertainment
• Special cardmember-only pins
• Access to the Chase Lounge in Epcot at the Food and Wine Festival, with special opportunity to receive a wristband for reserved viewing of Illuminations!

There are limited-time offers, as well, but those change frequently and you can always visit the site to see what is currently being offered. In addition to the Dream Dollars, the other perks can really add to the value of the Disney Visa cards and even provide more savings depending on how it's used.

I'll wrap this up by saying I am in no way affiliated with Chase or Disney and this is just my honest review of the card program, but I think it's a wonderful opportunity Disney for fans and it can be an asset to your vacation plans if you make a strategy for using it to benefit your savings goals. Also, who can turn down these cute card designs?!

photo courtesy of disneyrewards.com

Post your questions below or tell me about your experience! I would love to hear how everyone else uses the Disney Visa card to maximize their vacation!