Book review - 501 Ways to Make the Most of your Walt Disney World Vacation

Today, I'm excited to bring you a book review! I was given a copy of Kristi Frederick's book 501 Ways to Make the Most of Your Walt Disney World Vacation. 501 ways, you say? I'm in!

Kristi is a frequent traveler to Walt Disney World, and according to her author bio, "she is thrilled to share her passion for the Disney parks and feels that there is nothing better than enjoying a Disney vacation with the ones you love." I couldn't agree more!

In addition to 501 Ways, Kristi is the author of A Tale of Two Resorts: Comparing Disneyland and Walt Disney World: A Traveler's Reference. She's also a blogger for TouringPlans.com, operates her website www.DisneyWorldEnthusiast.com, and lives in Colorado with her husband and two sons.

Kristi asked if I'd like to read her book, and share my review with all of you. Even though I've been to Walt Disney World somewhere between 25-30 times (I lost count a while ago!), I'm always game to read about ways to enhance my vacations. To me, you can always learn something from another WDW fan and I was excited to read her tips.

She divides the book into 6 sections; Before You Arrive, Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom, and Mousecellaneous. I loved this way to format the book, because although you can read tips 1-501 in order, you don't have to - it's super easy to go to the section you're most interested in, and start there. As you can see in my picture, I used sticky notes to tag all the tips I was most interested in, so I could reference them for later.

Some of my favorite tips of the 501 were:

 - If you like to wear hats and plan to ride lots of wild rides, buy an inexpensive carabineer at your local sporting goods store to clip your hat onto your belt loop so that you won't lose it while experience rough attractions. (page 112, Mousecellaneous) Raise your hand if you've lost a hat (or multiple hats) at WDW. Yep, I see you!

 - If you would like to get some incredible photos of the Tree of Life, don't snap them as soon as you get into the park. Instead, take one of the Discovery Islands Trails near the tree itself. These tranquil paths will take you up close to the park icon for a spectacular photo opportunity. (pages 81-82, Animal Kingdom)

 - Believe it or not, gum is not sold anywhere on Disney property. If you're a fan, you'll need to bring your own, (page 11, Before You Arrive) - this is a tip I knew about, but it bears repeating and most guests don't realize it. No gum is sold at WDW!

Kristi's book is a great resource for Walt Disney World novices, as well as experienced travelers. Those of us who've been to Walt Disney World can attest - you can NEVER know everything about the parks, touring, planning, etc and having a resource like 501 Ways is a great way to learn more about Walt Disney World, and also get yourself excited for your upcoming trip! And I have to say, Kristi's final tip in the book is my absolute favorite; you'll have to get a copy yourself to see what that is!

You can purchase Kristi's book on Amazon (link HERE). It comes in both softcover AND an ebook format (the ebook format would be GREAT for taking on vacation - just link to your smartphone and you can have the tips on the go!) Please make sure you check it out, and let her know you read about the book on The Most Delightful Place!



In addition to www.DisneyWorldEnthusiast.com, you can also find Kristi at Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Disneyworldenthusiast?fref=ts and on Twitter @DWEnthusiast.

Thank you Kristi, for sending me a copy of your book!

If you're a writer who'd like me to review your Disney-centric book, please email me at katie@mouseworldtravel.com.

Have a magical day!

I was provided with a complimentary copy of Kristi's book for the review. All opinions are my own.

What Can Be Learned from Free Dining 2015

Yesterday, Free Dining was released to the public. We'd heard rumors about it over the last week or so, but nothing was confirmed until the early morning hours of April 27th. I'll spare you all the details, but essentially, there was far fewer availability of Free Dining rooms than there has been in the past and people were NOT happy.

Do I understand the frustration? Sure. But a lot of this could have been avoided. Most of it could have been, in fact. So what can we learn from the rollout of Free Dining 2015?

 - Nothing is guaranteed. NOTHING.

Has Disney World rolled out a Free Dining promotion in the last for years for the fall season? Yes, but never do they say or guarantee that it's going to continue every year, until the end of time, for all eternity. To be honest, I'm surprised they still offered it, for a myriad of reasons.

 - Fan sites need to be more careful about "scoops" or posting rumors.

I know that most fan sites come from a good place; they love Disney and when they hear rumors of something like Free Dining, they want to share it with their readers. But folks, you're doing more harm than good.

When you post about Free Dining coming, and it's going to be open to Disney Visa holders one day, and then the general public another, and here are all the details about dates and resorts......and it turns out not to be true? You have lots of upset Disney fans. And that's on YOU, not on Disney.

 - Disney fans should not count their Free Dining (or any discount) chickens before they're hatched.

Hearing a rumor about a discount, or Free Dining, or whatever is just that - a rumor, until Disney confirms the details. Don't let yourself get psyched up for something that very well might turn out to be false. It's perfectly OK to ask your travel agent, "Hey, I heard such and such might come up, can you let me know if it does?" so he/she can be ready to quote you a vacation package if/when a discount becomes available. Just don't set your hopes on every rumor and innuendo you've heard.

This is why I personally am always VERY cautious about talking Free Dining with clients when the details haven't been announced. The last thing I want is for someone to feel like they were promised a deal or discount that doesn't come to pass.

- Disney phone numbers being busy for hours and websites that are jammed is not something new. 

Fellow travel agents can attest - days like Free Dining rollouts are notorious for phone lines that ring busy for hours and websites that don't work or work part of the time. It's not unheard of for travel agents to wait for HOURS on hold during these promos. Disney recently rolled out a modification for our travel agent site that allows us to make some changes to a booking without calling in (and that's awesome) but it doesn't allow online modification in all instances and so many people still needed to call for quotes and to make changes. The site also experiences VERY high traffic on days like Monday, and so sometimes we're not even able to log into the website to change reservations or make new ones.

While I understand the public's frustration with the phone number and website, this was nothing new. Does Disney have some room for improvement here? I believe they do, but that's a separate issue.

 - Travel agents found out about the Free Dining promo exactly when everyone else did - Monday morning.

Part of our job as travel agents is to monitor new information and let you know if/when your vacation is available for any discounts or promos. We are looking out for you, and rest assured we're on the phone and on the Disney websites for hours, sometimes all day and all night, helping you book the best vacation for your family (whether that's Free Dining, or not).

I think one misconception about travel agents is that we get details from Disney days or even hours before the promos are launched. Nope! We hear the same time you do. So when you found out on Monday morning that there was very limited availability for Free Dining, we found out the same thing at the same time. We were working in the wee morning hours once the details were confirmed, but we found out when you did. We'll always keep you in the loop if/when promos or discounts are announced, but we don't have any special insight or confirmation as to when those are going to be released.

So, in short, folks - - let Monday, April 27th be a lesson to us all. If you get your hopes up for something that has not been verified, you very well might be disappointed. PLEASE do not count on or expect a promotion from Disney (or any other vacation vendor, for that matter), even though historically they might have released one. And finally, be very wary of what you read online before promos are released. Let your travel agent know you're interested IF something comes out, and rest assured they will stay in touch with you and let you know specifics when they become available.

Stay tuned later this week, I have an awesome book review coming up on Thursday! In the meantime, have a wonderful rest of your week!

Free Dining Details!!

Hi folks ~ today we got definite information about the Free Dining promotion at Walt Disney World for this fall, and I wanted to share that information with you!

(Edit as of 9:15AM central time - Availability is already VERY limited - not as many room choices as in the past. The websites are giving us issues, as are the phone lines. I will continue to try and reach Disney, and keep you posted.)

To get a no-obligation quote, please email me at katie@mouseworldtravel.com, and let's start planning your Walt Disney World vacation!

This promo is available for booking starting today, April 27th.

The offer is valid for trips booked by July 10th, 2015. Availability is limited!

Free dining is available by booking a room and ticket package (minimum number of nights and number of ticket days required) that includes a room at select Walt Disney World resorts, and a ticket with Park Hopper or Water Park Fun and More option.

The travel dates are:

August 28 - October 2, 2015
October 25 - 31, 2015
November 8 - 19, 2015
December 15 - 21, 2015

When you stay at a Moderate, Deluxe, or Deluxe villa resort, you get the Disney Dining plan; for stays at Value resorts, the Quick Service Dining Plan is available!

Please note: Offer excludes The Villas at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, Disney's Polynesian Villas and Bungalows, Bay Lake Tower at Disney's Contemporary Resort, Disney's Art of Animation Resort – The Little Mermaid Standard View Rooms, campsites, 3-bedroom villas, Disney's All-Star Movies Resort, Disney's Port Orleans French Quarter Resort and Disney's Port Orleans Riverside Resort (for select dates).

If you're a current client of mine, I'm already working to get Free Dining applied to your reservation!

For a no-obligation quote, please email me at katie@mouseworldtravel.com, and let's get started planning your Walt Disney World vacation!

Dining Review - 1900 Park Fare

Good morning and a Happy Sunday to you! You might be saying "Hey! Where's Sunday with Friends?!" I promise, that feature will be back soon. But in the meantime, I wanted to share my recent experience at 1900 Park Fare.

On my most recent jaunt to Walt Disney World, my friend Ellen and I headed over to the Grand Floridian for breakfast at 1900 Park Fare. Ellen had never been, and my last trip there was YEARS ago, so on Thursday morning we took the short walk from the Polynesian to the Grand Floridian.

(In a future post, I'll share with you about staying at the Polynesian. Thank you, Ellen, for letting me bunk with you!)

Our reservation was at 9:15AM and when we arrived, the restaurant was about 1/2 full. You check in, and then cast member photographers take your pictures against a pretty backdrop / feature wall at the entrance area. They scanned the picture onto Ellen's Magic Band and we were on our way.

They seated us and then our waitress took our drink orders, and said to go enjoy the buffet. There were quite a few choices, and varied! There was an omelet station, with omelets made to order. There was also lots of fruit and cereals, breads and rolls, and of course breakfast staples like eggs, bacon, sausage and the like. They also had a kid's buffet (at their height!) with Mickey waffles, eggs and bacon. A entree option I hadn't seen before was the Lobster Eggs Benedict, which I chose. It was quite good! Not as good as the Eggs Benedict on Disney Cruise Line, but it was still delicious.

1900 Park Fare is a character meal, and at this breakfast we had Tigger, Pooh, the Mad Hatter, Mary Poppins and Alice. (At dinner, you have Cinderella, Lady Tremaine, the Prince and the Step Sisters.) I like character meals because if you like character pictures and autographs, it's a great way to get them without having to stand in lines. We still ended up waiting quite a bit for the characters (we must have caught them just before they went on a break) and so we were done with our meal by the time they were making their way around to us. This was a slight disappointment but ended up working out just fine. The characters came around in quick succession, and we took pictures and video. If you follow me on Periscope, you saw some of those videos a few weeks ago!

(In the picture below, the flower lei is from the Polynesian, not the breakfast at Park Fare. Just so you're not confused!)

The price was $26.99 each, but Ellen had the Tables in Wonderland dining card (more on that later!) so it saved us 20%.

I would give the breakfast food at 1900 Park Fare a grade of B to a B+. It was good, but nothing spectacular. However, I feel that at these character meals, you're paying more for the experience vs the food. That being said, the food was good, and the service from the cast members was good, as well. 

It was a very good breakfast, and a nice way to start our day. Other than the blip with the timing of the characters, we had a nice meal and a good time together.

I hope you all have a great Sunday! Have a magical day!

Travel Agent FAQs - Answered!

I'm only about 15 months into being a travel agent, and by no means do I have it all "figured out". I'm learning new things every day about destinations, vendors, the business side of things, etc. 90% of it was brand-new to me when I started, and I've gotten a lot of insight into how things are done as well as some misconceptions I had when I was a traveler/vacationer.

So in the spirit of passing along some of my knowledge to hopefully help you all understand the travel business a bit better, here are some FAQs (Frequency Asked Questions) that myself and many other TAs answer on a weekly basis. This is all in the spirit of passing along information that might be helpful to you as you evaluate working with a travel agent, if you haven't before.

Since my primary TA business is Disney, I'm answering these questions from that perspective, although many answers could be the same for all travel agents.

* How are you paid? Are you employed by the destination [in my case, Disney]?

I personally get this question more often than any others. Disney does NOT employ us (and as TAs we have to be very careful about how we represent ourselves, so there is not confusion that we are Disney employees). We are not on salary, nor do we earn an hourly wage.  Disney pays us commission after the completion of the client's vacation, so even though we might work with you for over a year (or more!) before your trip, we get paid when your vacation is complete.

* Do you get a lot of free vacations and perks from being a travel agent?

There's no doubt that being a travel agent has its perks. I love that I not only get to help people plan their vacations but I also get to chat Disney and share my love of the parks and cruise line, especially with those who've never been to Disney. I've also met some of my best friends in the world via my travel work and from the Disney fan community, and that connection is invaluable to me.

Each destination handles agent perks and bonuses differently and again, as I'm familiar with Disney I'll answer from that point of view. We have access to training events; there are often a few each year per destination (Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line and Disney World) and each agency is able to have a certain number of agents attend. Who attends is decided a different way at each agency. 

In addition, if you are a licensed IATA or CLIA travel agent (and getting licensed by IATA/CLIA has its own set of requirements - you don't get your card just by being a TA), you are often eligible for discounts at various destinations.

That being said - being a travel agent doesn't mean that you get free vacations, or crazy discounts. There are MANY fun and exciting things about being a travel agent - - but it doesn't mean that we're able to go around the world for no cost.

* I see that XYZ Travel Company is offering onboard cruise credits for up to $xxx. Why aren't you able to offer the same credit?

Often, this is an issue of agencies having different policies. Each business runs things a little differently when it comes to extras such as onboard credit for a cruise booking.

For my agency (and for the majority of agencies), we pay the onboard credits ourselves out of our commission. Some are paid as perks by the agency itself, and thus they can sometimes offer a higher credit or bonus. I personally have a percentage system when I am figuring out the onboard credit for a client, based on the dollar amount of your booking, but everyone does it differently (and some choose not to offer onboard credit at all, which is completely fine).

For clients who are traveling to Disney World or Disneyland, I like to put a little something extra in their client packet as my way to say Thank You for booking with me. Again, not every agent does this (nor should they be expected to) and for many it's something we do ourselves, not as agency policy.

(As an aside - - please evaluate a travel agent by more than just what they're able to offer you for booking. In my personal travel experience, before I was a TA, there is MUCH more to a good travel agent than what perks or extras they might be able to offer you.)

* Can you just answer questions for me, (and/or book my dining, FastPass+, etc) without me booking a vacation through you?

This is a tricky one to answer. I certainly don't want someone to think they can't approach me with questions if they are thinking about going to Disney, as my friends and family (and extended friends and family!) all know what I do, and frequently come to me with little questions here and there. I am also 100% happy to do a no-obligation quote at any time, if you're trying to decide if a trip's right for you. I don't have any problem "chatting Disney", and talking to you about whether or not you want to book your Disney vacation. 

I do have some clients who are members of the Disney Vacation Club and although I don't book their rooms, I do help them purchase their tickets and other items, so I offer my services to them at no cost. (If you're curious about the situations where I might charge a planning fee, please see the About Me page on this blog.) 

However, what I am unable to do is be your travel planner / travel planning resource without your booking the vacation through me or paying an a la carte planning fee. 

Hopefully this posts helps and answers some questions you might have had about travel agents, and what we do.

I hope you have fun weekend plans ahead - have a great day!

A Lunch at Beaches and Cream

Hello, all! I'm back from another fun trip to Orlando. As with the cruise I took in February, I'll be doing a different sort of "trip report". Instead of giving the information in date order, I'm just going to pull out some fun experiences and tell you about them over the next few months!

On Saturday the 18th, my cousins and I met for lunch at Beaches and Cream, the diner-esque restaurant at the Beach Club Resort. Sam and his girlfriend Skylar picked me up at the Wilderness Lodge, and we met Jacob there at the restaurant.

We've eaten here quite a few times; the food is consistently good, the service fun, and the prices are right. We had a reservation at 11:05AM so the restaurant wasn't busy; however, as we sat and had our meal, the tables filled up.

Beaches and Cream has a traditional diner menu, including burgers, onion rings, shakes and malts, and delicious ice cream treats. We all got different sandwiches and burgers; I added onion rings to my order. YUM! They are SO good and really hit the spot.

I am not a shake/malt fan BUT many people around us were ordering them and they looked delicious. Our waitress said her favorite is the Frozen Sunshine; it's rainbow sherbet, vanilla ice cream and seltzer blended together and topped with whipped cream and a candied orange slice. Someone at a table near us ordered one - and I have to admit, it did look tasty!

Of course, we couldn't go to Beaches and Cream and NOT get dessert! :) There's a smaller walk-up line in the restaurant where you can get sundaes and cones, but we ordered desserts off the menu.

We asked our server if Mickey Bars were available to order, as we didn't see them on the menu. She said yes (score!) so that's what Jacob ordered. Sam just wanted chocolate ice cream in a dish, and Skylar and I split the Banana Split.

Oh MERCY was this good!! So yummy and just what you want a banana split to be. Most of their ice cream treats are large enough to be shared by 3-4 people; this was a great size for the two of us to split.

I'll be returning to Beaches and Cream again; it's a great place to get a burger, onion rings and some killer ice cream.

Have you ever eaten at Beaches and Cream? What's your favorite thing to order?

Have a magical day!

Orlando bound!

Hi, all! Today I'm headed to Orlando, staying at the Polynesian Villas and then at the Wilderness Lodge. Be sure and keep an eye on Facebook and Twitter for pictures and fun stuff - AND make sure and download Periscope if you haven't already. It's super easy, free, and links up through your Twitter account. You can view LIVE VIDEOS I'll be doing from Walt Disney World! I'll post in advance on Facebook and Twitter when I'll be doing a video, but the app also saves them for viewing later.

Have a great Wednesday - have a magical day!

Pennies for Neverland - Making your own laundry soap

Hi, everyone! Hope you're all having a good Monday. Sorry there wasn't a Sunday with Friends post yesterday; I'll have another one for you next week!

Today I wanted to bring you a post in the Pennies for Neverland section, where I like to share ways to save money that you can apply towards Disney (or any other vacation you're taking)!

This post is all about laundry detergent, and how you can make yours at home for PENNIES a load. Super cheap and super easy!

I just made another batch this afternoon, so I thought I'd share it with all of you.

To get started, you'll want to get Fels Naptha soap, Boax and Washing Soda. I bought the Fels Naptha at my local store for $1.99/bar, and in looking at Amazon today the Borax is about $7-8, and the Washing Soda is running about $10.00. The boxes of Borax and Washing Soda are HUGE; they lasted me almost a year.

Here's the "recipe" I use. I typically make a double or triple batch at a time, because I figure I might as well make a lot if I already have the matierals out. I use, per batch:

1 bar Fels Naptha Soap

1 cup Borax

1 cup Washing Soda

First, you'll want to take the soap, and grate it. I just used my food processor but you could use a cheese grater if that's what you have. I do highly recommend the food processor, because it makes it SUPER fast to grind up the soap.

The soap smells good but be sure you put a towel or your hand over the top of the food processor, as soap dust will be flying! :)

When it's ground up, it resembles cornmeal. Be sure to have a large bowl to mix it in. Then add your Borax and Washing Soda, mix together and bam! Easy peasy.

I also usually add some essential oil to my soap; today I used an orange scent that makes it smell super awesome.

And that's IT. SO easy. Foolproof, really!

When it's all mixed, you'll want to find a container to store it in. I just use an old yogurt container but you can use anything you have on hand.

I then use a tablespoon of soap in each load - just put it wherever you add your regular laundry soap in your machine, and you're good to go!

I ended up making a TON today (I bought four bars of Fels Naptha so I just went ahead and made it all). I filled up my large storage container, AND also filled about 1/2 of a gallon sized Ziploc bag. This amount of soap will last me forever - I do about 3-4 loads of laundry a week, and when I make my normal double batch I have laundry soap for about 4-5 months. I am estimating that this quadrulple batch will last between 8-10 months.

Since even the quadruple recipe doesn't use all of the Borax and Washing Soda, I estimate that the soap I made today (again, for 8-10 months worth of laundry), cost me only about $20.00! SCORE!

Try it out, and let me know what you think! Here are some links to Amazon so you can order your ingredients today!









Have a magical day!

Crossin' Off Another Resort...

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter. Here we are, now firmly in April and Spring is upon us! We're been having GORGEOUS weather - - I have to say, Spring is my favorite season.

In just a few weeks, I'm headed to Orlando for a long weekend to see some friends and go to the Flower and Garden Festival. I'm staying at the Wilderness Lodge for the bulk of the trip, but I'm SO FREAKING EXCITED to tell you.....I'll also be crossing off another resort on my "I've never stayed there before" list.

You guys - - I get to stay at one of the brand-spanking-new, hasn't lost that new-resort-smell Polynesian Villas. Yahoo!!

For those who might not know - - they just completed work on adding Disney Vacation Club (DVC) Villa rooms to the Polynesian resort, and they look AMAZING. Just incredible. As you can imagine, being that they're new AND within spitting distance of the Magic Kingdom means these babies are going fast and reservations are hard to come by, even for DVC members.

My lovely friend (and Mouse World Travel co-worker) Ellen was heading down a few days before me, and staying at one of the Studio rooms at the new Villas. When we realized we were going to be there about the same time, she graciously invited me to stay with her in the Studio room. A short flight adjustment later, and BAM! Here I come, Polynesian!

Of course, I'll be taking skillions of pictures and video and posting those while I'm down in Orlando, so be sure to follow me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

What resorts are on your Disney "bucket list"? Where have you always DREAMED of staying? Share here and online!

Have a magical day!

Sunday with Friends - Leslie LaRosee

Happy Easter Sunday, everyone! I hope you have a fun day planned with your family and friends.

Sorry I missed out on last week's Sunday with Friends. Today, I bring you my friend Leslie! I met Leslie via our shared love of Disney; she's a super neat lady and I'm excited to bring you this installment of Sunday with Friends!

Take it away, Leslie!

* Tell us a bit about yourself!

My name is Leslie, I'm married to the wonderful Marc, I'm a stay at home mom to my 3 year old daughter Violet and I also sell Jamberry nails. I've been a Disney fan for as long as I can remember. On my very first trip at the age of 5, the fun was cut short when I came down with the chicken pox half way through the trip. I'm convinced that is what I am such a huge Disney person.

* What is your favorite time of year to visit the Disney parks or sail the Disney Cruise Line?

Hmm, that is a touch question. I love going in January due to low crowds. I also love going in early September with all of the Fall decorations. Most recently I went the first week of March and the weather was close to perfect, it might be my new favorite time of year.

* If you had to pick your favorite attraction at Disney World or Disneyland, what would it be?

These questions aren't easy! Can I have two favorites? I can't possibly pick just one. They are The Enchanted Tiki Room and the Haunted Mansion. Ok, I lied, I have three. I have to include the Little Mermaid ride, too.

* Tell us a story about one of your favorite moments from your Disney vacation.

I just got back from a trip with my daughter and it was such a special trip for us. My husband wasn't able to go due to his job so it was me and Violet. We had a blast and I will never forget the special memories the two of us will have. I have two that stand out. The first is when she met Tiana. Princess Tiana has been her favorite for months so to see her meet her for the first time was magical. Tiana showed her how to make gumbo, it was a special moment for Violet.

The other is on our last day, the Little Mermaid ride had been under refurbishment and opened back up just in time for us. It was Extra Magic Hours and we rode and Violet was so excited she asked if we could ride again. The Cast Members just let us keep riding and riding without having to go back in line. Her squeals will stay with me forever, it was so much fun.

* If you had a friend visiting a Disney park or sailing on Disney Cruise Line for the first time, what tip(s) would you give them?

I think Disney planning is so overwhelming that I honestly refer my friends to a Travel Agent. I also always give them some of my favorite Disney websites. I always make sure to mention Kenny the Pirate, he is the best when it comes to character meet and greets.

Thanks, Leslie!

Have a magical day!

To Those who buy 100s of Park Merchandise Items....This Rant is for You

Today I heard and read (from multiple reputable sources) that a man was observed in the new Trader Sam's Grotto at the Polynesian resort, buying every single Tiki shirt they had in stock.  I won't post his picture here but they're out on the Interwebs if you want to take a look.

I have so many problems with this, I don't know where to start.

Now, let me start by saying I am not against someone making a buck for themselves on eBay. If you can sell an item to someone else and make a few dollars in the process, go for it. Knock yourselves out.

I am also OK with (most of) the Disney World shopper services that are out there. These are folks who, for a fee, will buy that magnet or bag of candy or toy you've been eyeing in your friend's vacation pictures and mail it to you at home, if you won't be able to come to Disney and get it for yourself. I'm not mad at that, because in most instances the services are just buying an item or two, here or there, for a specific person who's requested it.

What I DO have a problem with is someone buying EVERY SINGLE new Cinderella popcorn bucket they can get their hands on, thus ensuring that no other park visitor gets to have one. I have a problem with someone going into the newest lounge at the Polynesian and buying EVERY SINGLE tee shirt, and even reportedly asking the cast member if they can buy all the shirts in the back supply closet, as well.

Dear Disney World powers-that-be: it's time to crack down. It's now officially out of control.

Disney can and does limit what numbers of items you can purchase at a time with certain items, so there is some precedence for this. For instance, if you want some of the new Pandora charms, you're limited to 3 of each style. Makes sense. It's probably too hard to pick and choose what items will become popular, so it would be easier to instead restrict the number of any merchandise that you can purchase at a single time. Across the board.

The new Grotto has been a much-anticipated part of the remodel over at the Polynesian, and so it stands to reason that the merchandise would be very popular as well.  We've heard reports of people waiting hours to even to go in and get a drink. So why were purchase limits not enacted on the new merchandise?

It's one thing to legitimately run out of a popular item; that happens from time to time and I don't think Disney wants to order 1000s of units on something that *might* be popular. There's only so much inventory you order at a time and when it's gone, it's gone.

But after the brouhaha that was the Elsa dress, Disney should have enacted purchase rules for merchandise. If you'll remember, you either had to be at the park or on the Disney Store website at the *exact* second they restocked the blue Elsa dress, or pay double, even triple its original purchase price on eBay. Guests who wanted to buy one or two dresses weren't even getting a chance, because these people were buying as much as they could get their hands on. Disney eventually went to a purchase limit for the dress, but by that point the "damage" had already been done.

To the man who bought all those shirts - Shame on you. Buy five, ten - heck, even 20 shirts and sell those. There is ZERO reason to buy every single shirt. It's tacky, gross, greedy and lacks basic manners and decorum. (If I'm being honest, the less charitable part of me hopes that he's not able to sell those 100s of shirts for grossly inflated prices. A girl can dream.)

We'll see if new merchandise purchase rules are enacted, but they need to be, and soon. Or else we'll see this same sordid story, over and over again.

What do you think? What do you think Disney should do about those who'd buy every single unit, with the purpose to re-sell them? Leave you comments here or on Facebook/Twitter.