What do I do for Valentine's Day?  The question is hard enough when you're home, but what if you're away on a Disney World vacation?  In this instance, I think the better question may be what can't I do for Valentine's Day at Disney World?!!  Here are just a few Valentine's Day ideas for you and your sweetheart while visiting Disney World.  Feel free to add your own to the comments!

• Breakfast on your Disney Resort balcony. Start your Valentine's Day off right with a romantic "breakfast in bed" on your balcony.  Order room service, stay in for the morning and enjoy the views from your balcony.  My favorites: Contemporary (best steak and eggs, anywhere!), Polynesian, or Animal Kingdom Lodge.

• Couples massage at the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa. Enjoy some quiet, romantic time with your Valentine at Disney's premier resort.  Legendary elegance with impeccable service to pamper every whim at this resort.
• A Disney Proposal! Find that special location and propose to your sweetie!  What better place than the Happiest Place on Earth to celebrate your engagement and on Valentine's Day, no less!
• Go on a Carriage Ride. Our favorites include the Port Orleans and Fort Wilderness carriage rides.  Tour some of the more beautiful parts of the Walt Disney World Resort in style.
• Take a romantic ride at one of Disney's parks. Hop on the Haunted Mansion and get cozy when the haunts appear, enjoy the dark romanticism of the Pirates of the Caribbean, enjoy a whole new world on the Magic Carpets of Alladin, treat your Valentine to a Disney musical like Beauty and the Beast or Finding Nemo, or a romantic boat ride through Mexico on the Gran Fiesta tour.
• Enjoy a romantic dinner in France or Mexico. There are many romantic places to have a Valentine's dinner at Disney World.  Our favorites include France and Mexico in the World Showcase at Epcot.  Le Chefs de France and San Angel Inn represent two of the most romantic dining locations in Disney World.
• Finish off the night watching Magic Kingdom fireworks from a hammock. This is one of my favorite activities at Disney World.  Just kick back, cuddle up to your sweetheart in a hammock at Disney's Polynesian and watch the Magic Kingdom fireworks!  What could be better?

So, what are your best Disney Valentine's Day ideas?  Let us know!

Don't forget, Amazon has a Disney Store, too!

As you'll see in the video below, one of my favorite features of the Disney Cruise ships is the aft overlook!  It's a public deck (in the aft of the ship, obviously) that very few people know about, including many of the crew!  I go out to relax, enjoy the view, and find a nicely secluded area.  You feel like you've booked the top of the line suite on the ship and this is your private deck!

You can find the aft overlook on Deck 7 of the Disney Wonder and Magic.  I'm sure the new Disney Dream will have one also, I'm just not sure which deck.  I'll let you know after my tour of the Dream on Monday!

It's the end of your day at Disney World.  You're ready to just get back to your resort and crash.  It's been about 12 hours since you parked, you were in a rush to make it to the park and paid zero attention to the tram driver's reminders that you were in the Minnie parking lot.  Now, you're wandering around one of the world's largest parking lots looking for your white rental car that looks exactly like the thousands of other white rental cars in the Disney lot.

Did you know, Disney Cast Members keep track of how they fill the parking lot?  You can ask any tram driver or navigator, a security guard, or any Disney Cast Member for help finding your car.  If you can even roughly estimate what time you arrived at the park, they can put you in the right lot and likely the right aisle of your car's location!  Disney notes what time they fill each and every row of the parking lot, so they'll get you to your car.

So the next time you're exhausted and searching for your car in a Disney lot, just stop and find a Cast Member to help and you'll be snuggling in your resort bed in no time!

Want to get into the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey faster?  Want to take your time and see the castle in all it's glory?  Maybe you just want to avoid standing in the Florida heat for 45 minutes.  Regardless, this post will teach you how to most effectively navigate the crazy lines for the new Harry Potter ride at the Wizarding World park.

The title's no exaggeration, either.  This past summer, shortly after the park opened and the ride experienced lines of over 2 hours, I was into the park, through the castle and done with the ride in under 10 minutes, even though the "time from here" said 90 minutes and the line extended into Jurassic Park even beyond the "90 minutes from here" sign!...and no, I did not know anyone on the inside.  Anyone can do it and here's my tips for you to do the same.

1. Skip the locker line!

I did not have a bag -- not even so much as a camera bag.  Even if I did bring one to the park, I would have put it in a locker at the front of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter park, near the Hogwart's Express train.

What does this matter?  Well, most people walk up to the Hogwart's Castle for the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey ride and see this really long line coming out from the front entrance.  They see the sign that says, "90 minutes from this point" and walk to the end of the line to wait for the ride standing out in the Florida heat and sun.  Here's a video showing you what I mean:

What do "most people" miss?  You don't have to wait in that line if you don't have a bag! Sure, you're unfamiliar, don't know much about the park, and so on.  So this point gets missed!  The line is for stowing your bags in lockers located just inside the castle entrance.  The secret: You can access those lockers from inside Filch's Emporium of Confiscated Goods, stow your bags and walk into the "actual" line for the ride, inside the cool, air-conditioned castle walls!

Now, we're not done, yet.  You could conceivably wait another 50 minutes (of the 90 minutes shown when I went through) inside Hogwart's Castle.  So, how do you avoid this slow down?

• Use the single rider line!

Yes, the single rider line.  Even if you have a party of 10, use the single rider line.  I guarantee you will not ride together in a single ride vehicle, even if you're just a party of two, but it doesn't matter!  The ride experience does not involve the other people in your ride vehicle.  It's very much an individual experience.  So, what does it matter if you ride now and meet your family at the exit a few minutes apart?  I know, with smaller children this could be an issue, but I wouldn't let smaller children ride this ride, anyway.

Finally, what if you just want to see the castle and could care less about the ride, itself?

• Take the Hogwart's Castle tour.

That's fine!  See Hogwart's Castle.  Just don't do it while you're waiting in line for the ride.  Come back and speak to a cast member about doing a free tour of the Castle without the ride.  It's much more enjoyable.  You don't have to stand in the hot, Florida sun.  You don't have to hurry through a room just because the line's moving and you can stop and take some photos, too!

Also, there are lots of videos of the inside of Hogwart's Castle, too.  If this will satisfy your need to see the inside of the Castle, you can just check out YouTube for your favorite tour of Hogwart's.  Here's ours:

Finally, one last tip for actually riding the ride.

• Wait for late in the day.

Another way to avoid a good deal of the line for the Forbidden Journey ride is to wait until later in the day.  All the crowds and lines die down significantly around 5-6PM.  I did not employ this tactic when I rode in under 10 minutes -- in fact, I rode during the absolute busiest time of the day.  I wanted to get a real idea of how much time my tactics saved.

One other thing to note on skipping the "bag" line.  If you think there's any chance that you won't fit into the ride vehicle, be sure to stop by the test vehicle just below that time estimate sign, attached to one of the Hogwart's entrance pillars.  You will miss this opportunity if you enter the ride through Filch's.  There will be another test vehicle inside the Castle, but you don't want to get that far in just to find out you can't ride.

Using one or all of these suggestions can significantly reduce your time in the Forbidden Journey line.  Do you have any secrets of your own to share?

With all the theme parks, dining, and recreation available at Disney World, guests seldom slow down enough to just relax.  Disney offers lots of options when it comes to relaxing.

You could hang out in the hammocks at the beach at Disney's Polynesian or Grand Floridian, lay out at any of the pools, or visit the butterfly garden at Disney's Contemporary Resort (bet you didn't even know Disney had a butterfly garden).

We like to just ride the monorail.  You can hop on at the Ticket & Transportation Center, ride around the Seven Seas Lagoon and then transfer over to the Epcot loop and ride that one, too!  It's like an adventure ride for kids while mom and dad get to relax and enjoy the views.

If going for a boat ride is your idea of relaxing, you could hop on a water taxi at Disney's Fort Wilderness and ride the whole resort loop as it takes you to the Wilderness Lodge, Contemporary Resort, and back to Fort Wilderness.  Since you're already at Fort Wilderness, you could wet a line with a fishing pole and enjoy a beautiful Florida afternoon.

The options are literally endless.  Relaxation needs to play a key role in your vacation planning.  We frequently advise guests to take an afternoon break from the parks.  This refreshes you for the evening and prevents your vacation from becoming a recovery period due to overdoing it the first day.

Our friends at Destinations In Florida Travel did a quick little video of one of our favorite locations to relax that we have yet to mention.  Take a look and enjoy.  Maybe it will be your next Disney "hidden gem" on your next Disney World vacation.

Anytime a tropical weather system moves close to Disney, we get several people asking about how Disney World handles tropical storms and hurricanes.  Should we cancel our vacation?  Will Disney close the parks?  What do we do?  With Tropical Storm Nicole making it's way across Florida, today, we thought this would be a great topic to tackle.

The short and simple answer is to come prepared for rain and go to the parks!

On very rare occasion, Disney World has closed the theme parks for a hurricane.  It's less than 10 times!  In fact, Disney may be one of the safer places to be located during one of these tropical systems.  The cast members ensure that anything that's not tied down is moved, so that there's little chance of flying weapons like you will likely have in any other location.  The landscaping is meticulously maintained, so the likelihood of a falling tree or branch would be extremely rare.  The buildings are strong, solid, and often concrete, so you're safe inside Disney buildings.  I'd rather be there than at home.

Additionally, unless the storm is passing right over Disney World, all you'll notice is a lot more rain and some wind.  This is a perfect opportunity, if you're prepared, to visit the parks!  Grab your raincoats or ponchos, hop on a bus, and head to the park.  There will be very few crowds and no lines!  It makes for a very fun day, especially if you have kids like mine that like to play in puddles.

Here's a video we took a few years ago when Tropical Storm Fay passed almost over the top of Disney World.  It actually passed a bit south of the parks, but it gives you a good idea of what the conditions are like when tropical storms come through.

You can see that the rain was pretty normal for Florida and the wind had picked up a little bit.  We went to the parks for almost the whole day and enjoyed the short lines for everything.  Also, the wind and rain actually cooled it down a bit so we weren't suffering through the hot and humid Florida weather.

Hurricanes and tropical storms occur most often in August and September, so you're more likely to deal with this issue in those months.  Also, hurricane season runs all the way to the end of November, so be sure to keep that in mind when planning your vacation.  Although most storms happen in August and September, many guests have been caught off-guard when a random storm hits in late November.

Would a hurricane or tropical storm stop you from visiting Disney World?  Will Tropical Storm Nicole keep you away?  Let us know your thoughts in the comments, below.

That's right, you can pre-order your tickets for the Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween party, now!  This is an annual favorite with guests to the Walt Disney World Resort.  The event attendance is capped, so you need to get your tickets before the night you want to visit sells out!

During Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, guests of all ages are encouraged to dress up in their favorite Halloween costumes.

In addition to many favorite Disney attractions, Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party is filled with special entertainment, including:

• Mickey's "Boo-to-You" Halloween Parade—including Disney Characters and the stars of the Haunted Mansion attraction. The parade begins with a ride by the Headless Horseman.
• Happy HalloWishes—a spectacular fireworks show where the Disney Villains go trick-or-treating in the sky.
• Many favorite Disney Characters and Disney Villians in special Halloween costumes.
• Special lighting, music and theming effects transforms special areas of Magic Kingdom theme park into happy haunted hollows.

The tone of the event is, well, "Not-So-Scary", and is appropriate for children of all ages.

Tickets for this event are valid for the evenings of Sept. 4th, 11th, 15th, 18th, 22nd, 25th and 29th. Oct. 8th, 12th, 15th, and the 20th.

Quick Disney Tip!

Although the party doesn't actually start until a little after 7PM, you can actually get in the park around 4PM in the evening with this special event ticket!!  Since the party continues until midnight, you can get a full 8 hours in the Magic Kingdom for much less than a standard daily ticket!

Get your advance tickets from the Official Ticket Center for $62 per adult including all taxes and fees.  A normal one day, one park Magic Your Way base ticket will run you $89.14 for an adult to enter the Magic Kingdom.  Come to this event early and you save at least $28 per ticket, maybe more!  That's a serious discount on Disney tickets without having to sit through a timeshare sales pitch!

You're always told to carry your expensive electronics -- cameras, computers, DVD players, iPods, iPads, and so on with you on the plane to protect them during the journey.  What happens, though, if the airlines lose your luggage?  Or, what if you use Disney's Magical Express on your Disney vacation?

For the most part, Disney has been successful with their Magical Express service that takes you from the airport to your Disney resort, at no additional charge.  They even pick up your bags from the baggage claim and deliver them to your resort.

However, Disney's own Magical Express paperwork states that it could be several hours before your bags arrive at your room.  You could be checked into your room, watching kids jump on the beds for hours, if you don't plan for this standard delay in bag delivery.  For this reason, we recommend you include some additional items in that carry-on bag, besides those precious electronics.  Without question, throw in swimsuits for everyone.  This way, if you're not planning to go directly to the parks you can use the resort pool to cool-off and get some of those wiggles out before dinner.  Don't forget the sunscreen, too.

You may also want a change of clothes.  I know I never get on a plane in shorts or I end up freezing through the friendly skies.  Once you exit the plane into a balmy 95 degree day with that standard 100% Florida humidity, you'll wish you'd brought along something a bit more tropical to wear.

Here's a short list of some other items to consider:

• Chargers -- Cell chargers, but more importantly camera chargers.  All those electronics you carried along won't don't much good without some "life" in them.
• Batteries
• Autograph books -- This is a big one if you're planning to go into the parks, first thing.  If you buy them before you leave, like we recommend, you'll be ready to grab Mickey's signature as soon as you enter the parks.
• First Aid Kit -- In our family, the reactions to the scrapes and bruises are much worse than the injury, itself.  It's amazing, though, what just a bandage can do to reduce that "pain" and reaction.  You don't need an arm sling, just a few band-aids to heal the hurts.
• Ponchos -- It rains in Florida.  Like, every afternoon.
• Sunglasses
• Travel guides

That should about cover it.  What did I miss?  What do you bring along?

No, not the shoes from Disney World or shoes with pictures of Mickey Mouse.  We mean, "what kind of shoes should I wear to Disney World?"

It can be a more complicated question than you think.  Obviously, they need to be comfortable as you'll be doing a lot of walking.  What does "comfortable" mean, though?

We used to recommend tennis shoes, Chacos, and Crocs as good shoes for visiting Disney World.  With the recent studies that show that going barefoot or nearer to it, however these "high support" shoes may make your vacation more uncomfortable than you might think.

In an effort to test the theories, I recently did a full day (literally, about 7AM to past 10PM) in Disney's Hollywood Studios and the Magic Kingdom wearing only flip-flops.  Although my legs were pretty tired at the end of the day, I was shocked that I had absolutely zero pain the next day like I've always had before, even when wearing a couple of my previously favorite Chacos and Crocs.  It was a nice relief from a normally difficult second and third day in the parks.

The general advice that follows from the recent studies indicates you should try to wear shoes that provide as little support as possible and allow your foot as much space as possible.  This allows your foot to work as it's supposed to, rather than being "cast" inside a supportive shoe that doesn't allow your foot to function while allowing it to weaken and cause knee and hip issues in return.

So, what types of shoes provide these types of solutions?  Here's a small list of some of the options I've tried, used, and am considering.

1. Flip-flops.  I like Reef and Crocs flip-flops, but any flat footbed floppies will work.
2. Sanuks.  These are like a flip-flop sole with a shoe upper.  I have a pair and they're amazingly comfortable, you feel the ground under your feet, and your foot has a lot of room to move around.  Plus, you can literally toss them in the washing machine to clean them up.
3. Converse All-Stars.  Good, old-fashioned Chucks are great for a long day of walking.  Following the recommendations of the barefoot studies, they provide no arch support, minimal sole thickness, and lots of toe room.  Plus, they're popular with your kids....again.
4. Vibram FiveFingers.  If you really want to embark on the barefoot experience, these are the "shoes" for you!  You'll have to get past the looks and jeers from family and friends, but I can tell you from personal experience that I've never put on a more comfortable pair of "shoes."

Regardless of your stand on barefoot technologies, be sure to bring along shoes that your comfortable in for your Disney World vacation.  And, bring along more than one pair.

No, this isn't going to be a post about remembering to bring your clean underwear to Disney.....although you should do that, seriously.

This is about all those things that we always forget to bring on our Disney vacations.  Hats, sunglasses, sunscreen, and some other oft left behind items.

1. Hats! Yes, hats.  With the Florida sun shining nearly every day of the year, it's critical to bring along your own "shade."  I like Columbia boonie-type hats, but anything that provides some cover for those beautiful, delicate features of your face will suffice.  It doesn't matter how much sunscreen I put on my daughter's face, she still manages to get a little red under her eyes if I don't put a hat on her noggin.
2. Water! I prefer to bring along a Camelbak on our Disney vacations.  You may prefer some other way to cart around some aqua-relief.  This is one few people think about bringing along, yet makes a huge difference!  I find it's also a convenient way to carry the camera and other odds & ends into the park without carrying a full-size backpack.  You end up getting through security faster and aren't feeling exhausted from being weighted down all day.
3. Sunscreen.  This is not a make or break item.  Disney does sell sunscreen, everywhere.  However, you will pay a bit more for it at the resort, rather than buying it at home and bringing it along.
4. Swimmies. People often forget this one.  We've been stuck in the resort not able to let the kids swim because we have no way to even buy swim diapers, anywhere or travel to a store that sells them.  Imagine, stuck in a resort room, kids REALLY wanting to go swimming, and no swim diapers!  Talk about awful.
5. Medicines.  Children's Tylenol or Motrin, Children's Benedryl, pain reliever for you.  You get the idea.  You don't want to be without these when your kid wakes up with a fever or your legs are killing you from the bataan death march you took through Magic Kingdom.
6. Band-Aids.  You don't need a full first aid kit, just a few Band-Aids for the kids.  I don't know about you, but our kids can be saved by a single Band-Aid.  The crying and fussing over a minor scrape all stop with the application of a strip of plastic with a gauze pad.
7. Shoes.  You'd be surprised how many people bring along only one pair of shoes on their Disney World vacation.  You'll be doing A LOT of walking.  Bring a few pairs of shoes along to assist in adding to your comfort level.  Oh yeah, you may want to bring along a pair that can get wet, too.
8. Clothes that can get wet. Even if you don't plan to go to a Disney water park, the parks include lots of opportunities to get wet.  Rides, water jets, and water features spread throughout the Disney World Resort attract you and your kids with relief from the Florida heat.  Be prepared to get wet and bring some clothes along for the occasion.
9. Batteries. Again, like sunscreen above, you can buy these when you get to Orlando, but you'll pay a premium to get them and they may not have the ones you need.  Last time my batteries died in the park, I needed a 9-volt and couldn't find one, anywhere.
10. Memory cards. This one used to be film, but now, you have to make sure you have enough memory for your pics.  Plus, those little SD cards can break, very easily.  Have a back-up.
11. Plastic bags.  Ziploc bags and garbage bags come in very handy.  Storing that sticky candy for the flight home, separating out your dirty clothes, medicines and colognes that may leak, and on and on.  It's easy to include and uses are endless.
12. An extra suitcase/bag. You're coming home with souvenirs.  Accept it and plan for it.  Bring along an extra duffel bag or something to bring it all home.
13. Sunglasses.  Not so much for you, but we always forget to bring along sunglasses for the kids!  Make sure everyone has their shades before they walk out the door.
14. Kids activities.  A Nintendo DS, your iPhone or iTouch, a Leapster...whatever it takes to keep the little ones busy during the waits in lines.  We're not just talking about the rides -- waiting to check-in, waiting on the bus, food, the never-ending Disne-line that starts at the departure airport.

Hopefully, our short list of often forgotten items will help make your Disney World vacation a little more enjoyable.  Have a magical time!