Category — p. News and Changes

11/30 update: The contest is over, and Jan and Erin won!

I’m giving away two copies of The easy Guide to Your First Walt Disney World Visit, each signed by both me and Josh, for Black Friday.

That’s his scribble at the top, and my chicken-scratch below.

To enter the contest, simply scroll down add a comment in the gray comment form below.

While a paragraph expressing your undying admiration for this site and all the people it’s helped (nearing ten million) would be appropriate, you could simply enter the words “Me!  Me!”  Anything counts…

The contest will close Sunday at midnight Eastern time, and I’ll randomly pick two winners and announce them Monday.

Want to learn more about The easy Guide?  Then see the detailed review on Military Disney Tips that came out earlier this week.

Meanwhile, if you can’t wait for the contest results, Josh has a post here on how to get 30% off The easy Guide.  And The easy Guide is now available as a PDF, too!

And there’s another way to get The easy Guide free–if you book a qualifying trip through Kelly, she’ll give you a copy for free!

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My co-author Josh has a post here on how to get 30% off the best reviewed Disney World guide book!

For the last month–while you thought I was just goofing off–I’ve been updating my lower-crowd itineraries.

I published the core new eight night itinerary in mid-October, and over the past week published the three shorter variants

• A seven night version with a Sunday arrival
• A seven night version with a Saturday arrival, and
• A six night version

The reasons behind the new variants are detailed here, but they boil down to a new pattern for Extra Magic Hours (and thus for crowding), the closure of Soarin, and the openings of Rivers of Light and Frozen Ever After.

Any questions?  Leave me a note in the comment form below.

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NOTE: THIS ITINERARY IS OUT OF DATE.  A REVISED VERSION FOR 2017 WILL BE OUT SHORTLY

Below is a seven night, Saturday arrival variant of my updated FastPass+ based Disney World itinerary for lower crowd weeks.

It does not work all dates, and some dates that it mostly works it may need some little adjustments.

Check your week here. If the eight night lower crowd itinerary works unchanged, then so will this. If I indicate on the linked page required changes to the eight night itinerary, then use the comment form below to ask about your week.

There’s also a seven night Sunday arrival variant.  If you could do either, the Sunday version is much better.

The recommended FastPass+ that make it work are in the To-Do List, so you can book them at the 60 day window for FastPass+ sign-ups. Daily agendas are in the links:

• Saturday
• Sunday
• Monday
• Tuesday
• Wednesday
• Thursday
• Friday
• Saturday

Follow yourfirstvisit.net on Facebook or Google+ or Twitter or Pinterest!!

NOTE: THIS ITINERARY IS OUT OF DATE.  A REVISED VERSION FOR 2017 WILL BE OUT SHORTLY

Below is a seven night, Sunday arrival variant of my updated FastPass+ based Disney World itinerary for lower crowd weeks.

It does not work all dates, and some dates that it mostly works it may need some little adjustments.

Check your week here. If the lower crowd eight night itinerary works unchanged, then so will this. If I indicate on the linked page required changes to the eight night itinerary, then use the comment form below to ask about your week.

There’s also a seven night option with a Saturday arrival. If you could do either 7 night arrival date, this Sunday arrival version is much better.

The recommended FastPass+ that make it work are in the To-Do List, so you can book them at the 60 day window for FastPass+ sign-ups. Daily agendas are in the links:

• Sunday
• Monday
• Tuesday
• Wednesday
• Thursday
• Friday
• Saturday
• Sunday

Follow yourfirstvisit.net on Facebook or Google+ or Twitter or Pinterest!!

On this Veterans Day, just a note to thank all of those who have put their lives at risk so that the rest of us can be free.

My favorite veteran is my dad, career Navy–that’s him above during the Korean War. He sponsored us at Shades of Green earlier this year, and is doing the same in December.

Next favorite is my wife’s dad–that’s him above, on the right, during World War II. That hand was wounded on Tarawa.

After him, my next favorite is my sister’s husband, who served with the riverine Navy in Vietnam.

And another favorite is Steve (above) from MilitaryDisneyTips.com, a retired Air Force First Shirt who does a great job keeping military families up to date on great Disney World deals and other important info. Steve is also the Military Moderator on this site.

There’s a number of great offers available at Disney World for service members, their families, and their friends. Most apply to active duty and reserves, and career retired folk, but some are also available to other classes of vets.  The best way to understand these is through Steve’s site, or his new book.

With entire chapters devoted to the 2016 Armed Forces Salute, to Shades of Green, and to other deals and perks available to military families, I can’t recommend it enough!!

It’s available as a PDF–probably the most convenient format–here, and on Amazon.com here.

And all the millions of the rest of you are my favorites too!  Thank you for your service, and God bless! Wherever you are, and whatever you do, my gratitude goes with you.

LINKS FOR MILITARY FAMILIES AT WALT DISNEY WORLD

• Military Families at Walt Disney World
• Deals and Discounts
  • Military Discounts and Deals
  • Other Walt Disney World Discounts and Deals
• Shades of Green
  • Review of Shades of Green
  • Splitting Your Stay Between Shades of Green and Another Resort
  • Overflow Rates at Shades of Green
  • Shades of Green website

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