You can still use tickets that were issued when the Magic Kingdom was new!

The Walt Disney World admissions system is highly complex. Besides making a brand-new purchase, you can also upgrade your current tickets or even exchange older passes for new RFID-enabled plastic cards. These transactions are complicated and, depending on the type of ticket you have, you might be unable to verify how many days of admission are left without visiting Guest Relations. If you are willing to put in the legwork, however, upgrades and exchanges can result in significant savings.

Upgrades
You can upgrade your ticket at any Guest Relations location within 14 days of your first use. If the ticket is completely unused, you can upgrade it at any time. In addition, official Walt Disney World resort hotels can handle upgrades that do not involve annual or seasonal passes. However, a number of special rules apply.

You will receive the full value that you paid as a credit toward the price of the new ticket, but if you bought your original ticket through a wholesaler or other discount program, you will effectively lose the discount. For example, if you bought a 5 day Park Hopper at the 4 day Park Hopper price, you will not receive credit for the extra day you received but did not pay for. A program called price bridging, which brought the ticket value up to full current gate price, is no longer in effect.

All tickets must be converted to RFID for admission.

Unless you are a Florida resident, your ticket must have at least one entitlement remaining in order to upgrade it, even if you are within the 14-day window. You may upgrade on the last day of validity as long as you do so before leaving the parks that day. Florida resident Magic Your Way tickets do not have to have entitlements remaining, but must be within the 14-day window. Some special Florida resident tickets are eligible for upgrades for up to six months after first use.

When upgrading, you must choose a similar ticket type. For example, if the original ticket had the Park Hopper option, the new ticket must have that option. If the original ticket had Water Parks Fun & More, so must the new ticket. This gets particularly sticky if you want to upgrade to an annual pass. If you have the Water Parks Fun & More option, but have NOT used any of those admissions, you may upgrade to a regular annual pass. If you have used even a single WPF&M option, you are only eligible to upgrade to a premium annual pass. The difference in price between a regular annual pass and a premium is more than $125 as of 2014, a sizeable amount to pay for one day at Blizzard Beach or a round of mini-golf!

Note that prices are not prorated. If you add Park Hopping or WPF&M, you will pay the full price based on the length of the ticket, even if you have already used some days. Likewise, if you upgrade from an annual pass to a premium annual pass, you will pay the entire difference between the two, but your expiration date will remain the same.

Exchanging Old Tickets

If you prefer, you can move your park tickets to the all-in-one MagicBands.

Before Magic Your Way tickets were introduced in 2005, all Walt Disney World tickets were automatically non-expiring. Disney continues to honor those tickets, as well as older Magic Your Way tickets with the No Expiration option, but not in their original form. In 2013, Disney switched to RFID-equipped plastic tickets, and changed the turnstiles accordingly. To use an older ticket, you must first visit a ticket booth, Guest Relations location or Disney hotel concierge desk to convert it to the new format.

All older tickets will be exchanged to exactly what they were before. For example, if your old ticket had two park days and three WPF&M options (previously under other names, such as Plus options), that is exactly what your new ticket will have. You cannot upgrade old tickets.

Disney’s policy has always been not to punish children for growing up. If you have an old child’s ticket, your child can still use it for admission, even if he or she is now an adult. The only rules are that the child must be present, and his or her current age must make sense with the date on the ticket. For example, in 2014, a child’s ticket from 1984 should be accompanied by someone who is now in his or her 30s. The ticket will be exchanged for an RFID adult ticket with exactly the same entitlements as those remaining on the original ticket.

Buying tickets to Walt Disney World requires a great deal of research and planning.

In 2005, Disney completely dismantled its previous ticket structure in favor of a new program called Magic Your Way. Although a few things have changed since then, the essence of the program remains the same. The more days you buy, the cheaper your per-day price. Special add-ons allow you to further customize your vacation. Decoding the system and figuring out the best option for your family requires a great deal of planning and research.

Magic Your Way Tickets and Options
Everyone starts with a Base Ticket, which is available in increments from 1 day to 10 days. This allows you to enter any one of the four major theme parks per day. If you want to visit, say, Epcot and the Magic Kingdom on the same day, you need to add the Park Hopper option.

The Water Park Fun & More option adds admission to Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach, as well as the Wide World of Sports, DisneyQuest, the two miniature golf courses and one championship golf course. However, you only get the same number of entries as you have days on your ticket. While theme park visits are counted in days, WPF&M visits are counted in entries. If you go to Typhoon Lagoon and DisneyQuest on the same day, you will use two WPF&M entries. If you have a Park Hopper ticket, and visit the Magic Kingdom and Epcot on the same day, you will only use one park day.

You can buy Magic Your Way tickets online and pick them up at a vending machine at any of the four parks. Thanks to Michael Gray for the photo!

Magic Your Way tickets expire 14 days after the first use unless you pay for No Expiration. Many people buy more days than they need, with No Expiration, in anticipation of a future trip. If you know that you will visit again in the future, this can be a cost-effective way to lock in your next trip at today’s prices.

You can upgrade your tickets at any time within 14 days of the first use, but Disney typically does not give refunds for downgrades. Start by buying the lowest-tier ticket you know you will you use, and go to Guest Relations to upgrade it if needed.

Annual Passes
The factors that go into deciding whether to purchase an annual pass are highly subjective, but one thing is certain. Unless you are buying your tickets in another country, you cannot purchase a Magic Your Way ticket that is valid for more than 10 days. An annual pass is roughly the same price as two 10-day tickets, or a little less if you qualify for discounts. If you know you will visit again within a year, an annual pass is generally the way to go.

Additionally, if you will drive to the parks from a non-Disney hotel, an annual pass saves you the parking fee, which is $15 per day as of 2014. Annual passes also provide a variety of discounts throughout Walt Disney World. Some people buy one member of their party an annual pass specifically to take advantage of the savings.

Discounts

If someone in your family is military or DoD, active or retired, you can buy discount tickets at Shades of Green.

Discounted tickets for those who qualify are available at military installations including Shades of Green, an official military retreat on Disney property, as well as at AAA offices around the country. If you are a Disney Vacation Club owner or Florida resident, you are eligible for special ticket offers. If you know an annual passholder or cast member, that person might be able to get you a small discount.

Some ticket wholesalers are legitimate, but always do your due diligence. Steer clear of anyone holding a sign on the side of the road or who approaches you in an odd location. Scams are rampant, and there is no way to find out if a particular ticket is valid until you arrive at the park and try to use it for admission. By the time you find out your ticket is no good, the person who sold it to you might be long gone.

Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party is well-known for its parade.

Walt Disney World offers a seemingly endless array of separately priced special events and packages, from Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party to the Feel the Force package during Star Wars Weekends. Events are held after-hours, while packages offer preferential treatment during regular park hours. If you are on a limited budget, you might wonder whether it is worthwhile to direct some of your funds toward these options.

Special Events
Most Walt Disney World special events are included with park admission, from the spring Flower and Garden Festival through the holiday Candlelight Processional, both at Epcot. However, some events are known as hard ticket events, which means that you must buy a special ticket to attend. Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party are wildly popular annual hard ticket events. A Villains Party is being tested this year as a hard ticket at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and other hard ticket events have been available at various times.

These events are advertised as featuring holiday-themed parades, stage shows and fireworks displays that are not shown to the general public. While this is basically true for the Halloween party, keep in mind that you can see the Magic Kingdom fireworks from numerous locations around Walt Disney World. There is nothing stopping you from finding out the schedule and watching the special fireworks from a publicly accessible location.

For Christmas, the parade and stage shows move to daytime performance schedules as soon as the Christmas parties are over for the year (typically a few days before Christmas) and run through New Year’s. If you are willing to battle the crowds during Christmas week, you can see the same entertainment during the day without paying for a party ticket.

In general, Dad and I no longer find the hard ticket events to be worth the money. At one time, the Christmas party included numerous extras such as a free family photograph and some shows we enjoyed that are no longer offered. As the inclusions gradually decreased and the prices increased, we reached the point that the hard ticket events no longer made sense for us. Clearly others disagree, as the hard tickets frequently sell out.

Packages

The Feel the Force package provides premium viewing for the Star Wars Weekends celebrity motorcade.

Packages provide a premium experience, such as reserved viewing locations for parades or fireworks and often some food and/or alcohol. For example, the Star Wars Weekends Feel the Force package includes VIP viewing for both the parade and the fireworks, as well as soft drinks and snacks during the parade and a dessert buffet during the fireworks. For 2014, the price was $54 per adult and $32 per child aged 3 to 9. Similar packages are offered with different focuses throughout the year at all four Walt Disney World theme parks, allowing you to sign up for the package that best suits your family’s interests.

Dad and I have never chosen to participate in a package, but we are not opposed to the idea. We simply find that we are usually too busy with all of the activities that are included with the regular price of admission! If you are doing Disney on a shoestring, rest assured that buying a package is entirely unnecessary to having a good time. We always find good places to watch the shows, parades and fireworks, and probably could not actually consume $54 worth of dessert per person.

Backstage Tours

Backstage tours take you behind the scenes at your favorite Walt Disney World theme parks.

As the name suggests, backstage tours allow you to go behind the scenes of many of your favorite Walt Disney World attractions. Dad and I have participated in backstage tours, and would happily do so again. These tours are guided by experts who share a seemingly endless amount of trivia and fun facts, as well as providing a perspective that most guests never get to see.

These tours run the gamut from the one-hour, $20 (as of 2014) Behind the Seeds tour at the Land pavilion through the all-day Backstage Magic tour (nearly $245 as of 2014). If your kids are young, note that some tours have minimum age requirements, which vary by tour from 8 to 16. Depending on the tour, kids under age 16 or 18 might need to be accompanied by an adult. Check the specifics, including any discounts for which you might qualify, before booking a tour.

While the backstage tours are a lot of fun for Disney aficionados, I do not recommend them for first- or second-time visitors. There is so much to take in that you are likely to be overwhelmed as a new guest. If you are traveling on a shoestring, no matter how many times you have visited, the tours are definitely not necessary for a good time. In all the years we have been annual passholders, Dad and I have only done a couple of tours. Think of them as a fun way to spend a little disposable cash rather than something that could make or break your vacation.

Epcot Food & Wine Festival
photo by Ricky Brigante

Walt Disney World is a fantastic family vacation destination all year long. Yet the resort particularly shines during holidays and special events. Outside of the Christmas season, one of the most beloved events of the year is the annual Food and Wine Festival at Epcot.

About Food and Wine
Established in 1995 as a small local event with some food booths and music, the Food and Wine Festival has grown exponentially every year. For 2014, the festival runs for 53 days, from mid-September through mid-November.

Greece is just one the many additional countries that set up booths for Food and Wine.

The main attraction, as you might have guessed, is a culinary world tour. More than 25 countries set up booths around the World Showcase lagoon that highlight the cuisine and adult beverages of that country. The portions are tasting-sized small plates, and are priced accordingly, allowing you to sample numerous items throughout the day.

The Eat to the Beat concert series features a mix of classic and modern performing artists playing throughout each weekend day in the American pavilion’s America Gardens Amphitheatre. If you do not want to stand in the often-long line for seating, you can see fairly well by just walking up and standing behind the back row of seats.

The Eat to the Beat concerts are included with regular Epcot admission.

Admission to Food and Wine, including the concert series, is included with regular Epcot admission. New for 2014, a Back to Basics cooking series provides tips and techniques at no additional charge. The Back to Basics series is presented in the Festival Center, located in the former Wonders of Life pavilion in Future World. The Festival Center also features a vast shopping marketplace.

For guests who want to delve more deeply into the culinary experience, an array of celebrity chef demonstrations, tastings, cooking schools and signature dinners are also available for additional charges. If you only have one day to spend, however, simply enjoying the free activities and sampling the various tasting menus will fill your time.

Tips for Parents
In some circles, Food and Wine is colloquially known as “Drink Around the World.” Small groups, typically consisting of young adults, sometimes make it a mission to have one alcoholic beverage from each country. This can lead to some drunk and disorderly behavior, especially on Saturday nights. As you might imagine, Disney security is quite tight, and we have never seen anything frankly inappropriate. If you have concerns about exposing your kids to possible drunkenness, however, you might plan to visit on a weekday or to leave the park by early evening.

The separately-priced tasting events are an opportunity to expand your culinary horizons.

Otherwise, there is no reason at all to keep your kids away. The small, reasonably priced tasting portions are a terrific way to help your children expand their palates. Get one portion of an unfamiliar food to split between two or three family members, and allow them to take a “No Thank You” bite. They might just discover a taste for something new.

Likewise, the Eat to the Beat concerts are family-friendly, and can be a great way to expose your kids to some of your own favorite bands. You can pick up a passport at any of several World Showcase locations, and have the kids get it stamped at each location. In addition, all of the regular Epcot rides, shows and attractions are open, allowing your family to spend as much or as little time participating in Festival events as you desire.

Disney’s vendor carts are fun and relatively inexpensive.

After tickets and lodging, dining is arguably the most expensive element of a Walt Disney World vacation. Shoestring travelers are generally good at avoiding the priciest souvenirs, but even smaller items can be extremely costly. Fortunately, savvy budgeters can find a plethora of deals on both dining and shopping by following a few simple tips.

Dining Options
Like any theme park, Walt Disney World charges a lot of money for food. However, there are also great deals to be found. When traveling on a shoestring, stick to counter service restaurants and vendor carts. For example, the Liberty Square farmers market at the Magic Kingdom offers excellent baked potatoes that are surprisingly inexpensive. Table service meals in Epcot’s World Showcase are pricey, but most countries have a reasonably-priced counter service alternative. We have found China and Morocco to be particular favorites. If you enjoy vegetarian meals, the Backlot Express at Disney’s Hollywood Studios has a hearty yet inexpensive Portobello mushroom sandwich that is frankly gourmet. At Downtown Disney, the Earl of Sandwich offers artisan sandwiches for not much more than fast food prices.

Unless your family has particularly large appetites, plan to share meals as much as possible. Portions are usually surprisingly large, and it is easy to fill in with a la carte side dishes to ensure that everyone is satisfied. If you prefer not to share, kids’ meals are available to all, and contain enough food for an adult-sized light lunch.

If you plan to eat table-service meals, schedule them at breakfast or lunch rather than dinner. The lunch menu is generally similar to the dinner menu, but at significantly lower prices. The breakfasts are extremely filling, and a late breakfast, coupled with an afternoon snack, could easily hold you until dinner time.

Snacks and beverages are arguably the most overpriced items at Walt Disney World. Plan to carry in your own chips, cookies, granola and other nonperishable snack items, as well as a water bottle for each person. Cups of ice and/or water are free at counter service restaurants, even if you are not buying food. Dump some ice into your water bottle before refilling it at a water fountain, as many of the fountains are lukewarm during the hot summer months.

If you want to supplement with snacks that you buy in the park, stick to things you can’t get at the corner store. For example, the Dole Whip, a pineapple float with pineapple nondairy ice cream, is legendary. Pick up one to share at Aloha Isle, located in Adventureland at the Magic Kingdom. Another inexpensive but delicious snack item is the cream cheese pretzel, available with or without jalapenos at various vending carts throughout the theme parks.

Disney Dining Plan

The Sci-Fi Dine-In is a fun table service meal that is much less pricey at lunch than at dinner.

The Disney Dining Plan is a prepaid food plan that is extraordinarily popular, but not necessarily cost-effective for shoestring travelers. It is available in three forms: Quick Service, traditional, and Deluxe. As of 2014, the Quick Service plan costs $41.99 per night per “adult” age 10 or over, and $16.03 per night per child age 3 to 9. The traditional plan costs $60.04 per adult per night and $19.23 per child per night. The Deluxe plan costs $109.53 per adult per night and $29.86 per child per night.

The differences between the three plans have to do with how many counter service meals versus table service meals you receive. All the plans also include snacks (1 per person per night for Quick Service and traditional, and 2 per person per night for Deluxe) and a refillable mug. Everyone in your hotel room must purchase the plan or else no one can, and you must be staying in an official Walt Disney World hotel. Gratuities for table service meals are not covered by the dining plans.

Disney sometimes offers “free dining,” in which your hotel package also includes the traditional dining plan. However, this offer requires paying rack rate for the hotel room, making it less appealing than it first appears. Shoestring travelers are almost always better off staying somewhere else, or on site with a discount, and paying out of pocket for meals.

Money Saving Tips

If anyone in your group is current or retired military or DoD, Shades of Green has great budget choices for both shopping and dining.

As you might expect, groceries and souvenirs are extremely pricey at Walt Disney World. Fortunately, even if you do not have a car, other options are available nearby. Do not try to save money by going to Gooding’s at the Crossroads plaza near Downtown Disney. Their prices are nearly as high as those at the Disney hotels. If you have a car, Publix and Winn-Dixie are on the same road, with much more reasonable prices. If not, the Hess gas stations across from Downtown Disney and next to the Boardwalk have expanded grocery sections and relatively low prices.

The Hess stations are also relatively cheap for alcohol and cigarettes if you are so inclined, and they have among the lowest gas prices in the area. Never stop for gas at the stations just before you turn for Downtown Disney from the main roads. Those are significantly more expensive than the stations on Disney property or anywhere else in the area.

If you have a car, visit the outlets for Disney merchandise at significantly lower prices. If anyone in your family is current or retired military or a Department of Defense civilian, the shop at Shades of Green sells a limited selection of the same merchandise sold in the parks at an average of one-third the cost! The local Wal-Marts also carry an extensive supply of Disney-branded products.

Incidentally, the handheld misting fans are extraordinarily popular during the hot summer season. They sell for $17 (as of 2014) in the parks. If you can forego the Disney characters, you can buy practically the same fan for $7 at Wal-Mart.

Disney on a shoestring does not have to be any less fun than blowing thousands of dollars. It just requires a different mindset and a willingness to do some advance planning. Carefully research your options, funnel your money into the activities that are the most meaningful to your family, and trim the fat by cutting out things that your family will not truly miss.

MagicBands serve as your link to all that Walt Disney World has to offer.

If you haven’t been to Walt Disney World for a while, you might be somewhat confused by the new alphabet soup. Replacing the hugely popular 15-year-old FastPass system, FastPass+ allows you to book rides in advance, before you ever set foot in the park. My Disney Experience embeds the FastPass + experience into an entire planning app and website that let you make changes on the fly, and MagicBands are an optional replacement for park tickets and room keys. Let’s break each piece down so you know what to expect on your next Disney trip. Note that as of April 2014, these changes only affect Walt Disney World in Florida, not Disneyland in California or any other Disney parks worldwide.

FastPass +
The heart of the entire system is FastPass+. Rather than going to individual attractions to collect FastPasses, you can book your return times in advance of your visit. How far in advance depends on your vacation package. Guests staying at an official Walt Disney World resort can book FastPass+ 60 days in advance. Guests staying offsite, including those who live in the area, can book FastPass+ 30 days in advance. However, you must have already purchased admission tickets in order to book FastPass+. If you wait to purchase tickets when you arrive at the park, then you can only book FastPass+ at that time.

As of April 2014, you can book 3 FastPass+ per day, and all 3 must be in the same park. If you park hop, or travel from one park to another in the same day, you cannot spread out your FastPass+ reservations among the parks. Disney has announced that they will add the ability to book more FastPass+ after the first three are used, and will allow those to be used at multiple parks. It is unknown at this time exactly when that feature will be added, and whether you can use My Disney Experience to make those changes, or whether you will have to visit a FastPass+ kiosk inside a theme park.

Note that FastPass+ sometimes uses a tiered system. Depending on the park you choose and expected crowd levels, you might be able to book FastPass+ for only one of the major headliner attractions. For example, at Epcot, you could book Soarin’ OR Test Track, but not both. This is dynamic and subject to change. You can also book FastPass+ for priority viewing for parades and evening shows, although the viewing areas are not always the best, and for character meet and greets. Each FastPass+ provides a one-hour ride time window. You can arrive at any time during that window, but may not arrive earlier or later.

My Disney Experience
My Disney Experience is the website and app that allows you to book all aspects of your Walt Disney World vacation. The first step is to create an account and link your park tickets to it. If you are staying in an official Walt Disney World resort, link that reservation as well. If you are traveling in a group, with multiple parties paying their own way, there is a place to send a link invitation by email. Link to everyone in your group so that you can make FastPass+ and dining reservations together. Don’t worry if not everyone wants to do the same things all the time. When making reservations or booking FastPass+, you will have the option to select which people will participate in any given experience.

To book dining reservations, click on “Make Dining Reservations.” Choose the date, time and number of people to search all available restaurants, or narrow your search by location. Note that most table service restaurants require a $10 credit card guarantee.

To reserve FastPass+, click on “Make Selections.” Choose the date and park, and then select three attractions. Note that if you choose less than three, the computerized system will assign additional attractions to you. After you make your selections, the system will generate three combinations of FastPass+ times. Choose the one that most closely matches your desired ride times. Confirm your selections and then, if desired, click individually on each ride time to modify it. You cannot have overlapping ride time windows, so modify your times in order according to the overall changes you want.

For example, when Dad and I went to Magic Kingdom to see the new Festival of Fantasy parade, we wanted to ride Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean and Jungle Cruise as close as possible to the parade time. The parade started at 3:00 and ended around 3:15. The system assigned us a Haunted Mansion ride time of 1:50 to 2:50, a Jungle Cruise ride time of 3:25 to 4:25, and a Pirates ride time of 4:30 to 5:30. The Haunted Mansion ride time worked perfectly, but we did not want to sit around and wait for Jungle Cruise and Pirates. I modified the Jungle Cruise ride time first, backing it up to 2:55 to 3:55. Then I backed up Pirates to a new ride time of 4:00 to 5:00.

We entered the Haunted Mansion FastPass+ queue at approximately 2:15. After the ride, we had plenty of time to secure a good viewing area for the parade. After the parade, we headed directly to Jungle Cruise, arriving at around 3:40. That left us 20 minutes until our Pirates ride time, which we filled by having a Dole Whip float at Aloha Isle. We entered Pirates just after 4:00 and were on our way to Epcot shortly after.

Note that the My Disney Experience app is available for both iPhones and Android phones. The app provides all the functionality of the website, as well as such helpful information as constantly updated wait times and even GPS tracking through the park. The Here and Now section of the app uses the GPS to tell you exactly where the nearest restroom, character greeting spot and other important places are compared to where you are currently standing.

The app also allows you to change your FastPass+ reservations on the fly. For example, if you have a ride time that is about to expire, but you are stuck on the other side of the park, you can log into the app to change your reservation. You might keep the same ride, but rebook it for an hour later, or change to a ride that is closer to where you are.

If you don’t have a smartphone, or if you do not purchase park admission until you arrive, you can still use FastPass+ without My Disney Experience. FastPass+ kiosks are conveniently located throughout the four Walt Disney World theme parks, and can be used to make new FastPlass+ plans or modify existing ones.

MagicBands
MagicBands are an optional tool to streamline your experience. A lightweight rubber wristband with an RFID chip inside, the MagicBand replaces your park ticket. It can also replace Photo Pass cards and your Walt Disney World resort room key. It can store Dining Plan credits and even credit card information. For Dining Plan and credit card purchases, you must establish a PIN number either online or at your resort during check-in. For park admission, you must scan your finger as well as your MagicBand. These precautions ensure that you are the only one who can access your entitlements.

To scan your MagicBand, just hold it up to the Mickey head located at the park entrance gate, FastPass + attraction entrance, or anywhere else you want to use the band. Scan your finger or enter your PIN number as prompted. Mickey’s head will turn green, and you are all set. Don’t hesitate to ask a nearby cast member (employee) if you have any trouble at all.

Disney resort guests and annual pass holders can order one customized MagicBand per person at no charge. The bands are available in your choice of seven colors, and you can have your name printed inside. Offsite guests who do not have passes can purchase MagicBands for a nominal fee. If you prefer not to use a MagicBand, you may use your RFID-enabled park tickets as normal. If you have older tickets without RFID technology, you will need to exchange them at Guest Relations before entering the parks.

Advantages and Disadvantages
All the new technology makes planning a Walt Disney World vacation simpler in some respects and more complicated in others. For example, if you ever used the old FastPass system, you know that it could be a real pain to try to get FastPasses with reasonable return times for such headliner attractions as Soarin’ and Toy Story Midway Mania. Arriving at park opening was practically a necessity each day, as was staying late into the night when crowds thin.

FastPass+ allows you to tour the parks on your own schedule, by booking advanced reservations on high-demand rides. However, until Disney rolls out the capacity to book additional same-day FastPass+ reservations, particularly in multiple parks, the technology also limits your options. You must try to anticipate which park and attractions will have the longest waits, and therefore make the best use of your three reservations.

A key advantage to FastPass+ is that you can choose a specific ride time. Under the old system, whenever you pulled a FastPass, you were stuck with whatever ride time the machine assigned you. If it happened to be in the middle of a dinner reservation, or conflicted with a show you wanted to see, your only option was to come back later and hope for a better time. Now you can select the time that works best for you, and change it on the fly as your day progresses.

Tips for Parents
MagicBands consist of a piece of rubber in your chosen color encased in a larger piece of dark grey rubber. To make the band more comfortable for a child or an adult with small wrists, simply push the colored piece out of the dark grey casing and discard the grey piece. Test the fit first, by closing the band with both tabs in the colored strip, to ensure the band will be large enough to fit comfortably.

Disney sells a vast array of MagicBand add-ons that attach to the bands. These range from simple charms depicting characters to full printed sleeves that cover the entire band. Although some of them are adorable, it is easy to lose track of how much you are spending on customization, especially if you are paying with your MagicBand rather than cash or a credit card. If budget is a concern, consider setting a maximum dollar limit for customization and helping your kids lay out a cohesive design that fits your budget.

You can make FastPass+ reservations person by person, even though your family is all on the same account. For example, if you have a child too small to ride Space Mountain, one parent could schedule FastPass+ for Space Mountain with the older kids, while the other schedules It’s a Small World with the youngest. Alternately, if everyone wants to ride Space Mountain, the Child Swap system works as it always has. Book Space Mountain FastPass+ for everyone, and then approach a cast member outside the attraction for a Child Swap pass. If someone in your group is simply not into rides, there is nothing wrong with allowing someone else to use that person’s MagicBand for an extra trip through a favorite attraction. Just be sure to book the FastPass+ for the non-rider, and then loan the rider the band at the appropriate time.

The Ultimate Orlando Challenge crammed a full day of MouseAdventure into 3 hours!

Dad and I, along with my best friend Angela, began competing in MouseAdventure’s annual Walt Disney World events in 2012. Part scavenger hunt, part trivia competition, part endurance test, the events are exciting but exhausting. They’re also addictive. When we learned the Walt Disney World MouseAdventure was cancelled for 2014, we were devastated.

Enter Kevin Yee. A well-known Disney blogger, he was also Angela’s teacher for an online course on Disney princesses in spring 2014. He was part of the original MouseAdventure design and production team, but left the California-based group when he moved to Florida. Unbeknownst to us, he began running similar events, but with a shorter timeframe and at no charge, in 2005.

Our Experience
Angela emailed me in a fit of excitement on a random weekday. She had just heard that Kevin was running one of his events, known as “The Ultimate Orlando Challenge,” at Epcot that Sunday. Dad and I were just recovering from major head colds, but we knew we couldn’t pass up the opportunity. I gave her the go-ahead, and the “Gate Crashers” (our MouseAdventure team name) were back in business.

The instructions told us to meet in the hallway behind Epcot’s Club Cool, a pavilion featuring Coca-Cola products from around the world, at 1 p.m. The game would be over at 5. We knew Kevin would build a jam-packed, exciting event, but with only four hours, we imagined an extremely scaled down mini-MouseAdventure.

Club Cool was the meetup location for the Ultimate Orlando Challenge.

We arrived at the meetup location shortly before 1:00. Kevin went over the rules, which were wildly different than those of MouseAdventure. While that game prohibits the use of cell phones, the compressed time frame and heavy focus on trivia in the Ultimate Orlando Challenge made them essential. Yet Kevin warned us that many of the questions would be unanswerable based solely on Google searching.

Promptly at 1:30 p.m., the 22 teams dispersed based on a scatter quest. Designed to prevent teams from bunching up in one location, the quest sent us to different parts of Epcot’s World Showcase. As team captain, Angela randomly selected and popped a balloon to learn our first destination. We were unlucky, as we had to travel to Italy, at the far side of the World Showcase, to write down some information from a sign in front of the restaurant. When we returned to Club Cool with the correct answer, we received our first main quest, known as a Secret Mission.

Huffing and puffing from the mile-plus run to Italy and back, Angela laughingly told Kevin the scatter quest was “evil.” He smiled as he handed us the Secret Mission, saying, “You’re going to think this is a joke, but it’s completely serious.” The Secret Mission required us to leave Epcot and make our way to the Wilderness Lodge, a Disney resort hotel located near the Magic Kingdom, not Epcot! After finishing that quest, we would turn our answer sheets back in at Club Cool before receiving our next mission.

We opted to take the bus, which allowed all three of us to work on the lengthy trivia sheet along the way. As promised, many of the trivia answers were not readily available online. Along with other teams, we spent the ride to Wilderness Lodge watching grainy ride-through YouTube videos of different attractions and trying to figure out exactly what we were looking for.

At Wilderness Lodge, we were required to search the lobby for specific items and then solve problems or questions based on those things. For example, we had to locate a replica train engine and write down the number engraved on the train. It took us a few extra minutes to locate the last item, and we left the lobby shortly after the people with whom we had shared a bus. Fortunately, we caught up with them at the bus stop outside, waiting for a ride back to Epcot.

The Photo Quest asked us to photograph a camel wearing a Fez. Where else could it be except Morocco?

We solved almost all of the trivia, and turned everything in at Club Cool. The next portion of the game consisted of three separate quests that took us to different countries in the World Showcase. We were required to solve one quest at a time, returning the answer sheet to Club Cool to collect the next quest. We also received a Photo Quest sheet with a list of clues to signs located throughout the World Showcase. We were allowed to work on the Photo Quest throughout the day, turning it in with our final quest. The end of the game was promptly at 4:30, and all teams were warned that we would lose 5 points per minute for tardiness.

We ended up completing two of the three World Showcase quests along with the Wilderness Lodge Secret Mission, most of the trivia and the majority of the Photo Quest. Dashing back to Club Cool from the other side of the World Showcase, we managed to turn in our materials at 4:30 on the dot. Overheated and exhausted, we collapsed in the Club Cool hallway alongside the other teams to wait for the 5 p.m. results.

As it turned out, we placed 7th out of 22 teams. We would have done better had we not overthought one clue, and misidentified a caribou as an elk in another challenge. Still, we learned a lot from our previous MouseAdventure competitions, and we were proud of ourselves.

Tips for Parents

This one was way off the beaten path, on a side wall in the Italy pavilion.

The Ultimate Orlando Challenge is shorter than a traditional MouseAdventure, and is free to join (other than park admission, of course), but it is in no way simpler or easier. We genuinely felt that the game packed a full day of MouseAdventure into a three-hour endurance run. Nonetheless, we had a wonderful time and would not hesitate to do it again.

Even small children will get a kick out of looking around for specific items. If your kids are old enough to read, consider using the game as an educational tool, asking them to read the clues and relevant signs. However, the required level of stamina is quite high, and little legs could easily become overtired. If you have young kids on your team, consider using a stroller for the day.

We opted to use the boat across the World Showcase Lagoon a few times. It might have cost us some time, as the boats run every 15 minutes, but with Dad’s bad back, the chance to sit down periodically was invaluable. When racing with kids, taking advantage of Disney transportation can mean the difference between having fun and having a miserable time. Use sunscreen, carry plenty of water and remember to drink every few minutes.

Wearing official MouseAdventure lanyards, the Gate Crashers were ready for action.

If you have been to Disneyland or Walt Disney World in the spring or fall, you might have seen a horde of people in bright yellow lanyards dashing through the parks at top speed. Armed with clipboards, backpacks and every type of writing implement under the sun, they clearly appear to be on a mission. Divided into teams of two to four, MouseAdventure participants take on Disney in a whole new way.

MouseAdventure got its start at Disneyland in the late 1990s, when a group of long-time Disney fans and bloggers got together to design a scavenger hunt and puzzle game inside Disneyland park. Then called ADD-Quest, the name was changed to MouseAdventure in 2000, with games held in the spring and summer each year. In 2009, the wildly popular MouseAdventure expanded to include an annual fall game in Walt Disney World.

Dad and I got involved in 2012, with the World Explorers IV game held in the Magic Kingdom. We joined up with my best friend, Angela, to form the “Gate Crashers” team. We were feeling pretty smug going into our first game, citing ourselves as Disney experts. It didn’t take long to learn that the game would be more humbling than we could ever imagine.

Our 2012 Experience

MouseAdventure 2012 began bright and early at the Transportation and Ticket Center.

Angela and I are not morning people, and we hadn’t seen a park opening in years. But with the assistance of lots of coffee, we managed to make it to the Transportation and Ticket Center (the main parking and transportation hub for the Magic Kingdom) by our assigned sign-in time of 9:00 a.m. We had visited the MouseAdventure website in advance to get tips on what to bring. Loaded down with backpacks full of food (no time to stop and eat!), clipboards, and a laundry list of office supplies, we checked in and received our lanyards and a few game materials. We then learned that everything we were handed was only the beginning. We would have to make our way to the end of Main Street, U.S.A., inside the park, to receive our game packets.

After reciting the MouseAdventure pledge—“I promise to do my best, to be observant and attentive, to follow all the rules and play well with others, to be polite and assist those not of my team, to assume nothing, and to question everything, for the World must be explored!”—the 43 teams were released. After a boat ride to the park, we ran down to the check-in area. The game packet was immense! There were 15 quests, each with an endless list of tasks to complete. For example, the Vexillology (flag study) quest required us to go to Liberty Square, find the signs on the flagpoles that said which year each colony ratified the Constitution, and put them in order. Then we had to follow decoding instructions that required us to take, for example, the first letter of the name of the first ratifier, the second letter of the second ratifier, etc., and use those letters to decode a question: Liberty Tree Latin Name. The answer was on a sign at the tree near the flagpoles.

To solve this fiendish puzzle, we had to identify the tiny portions of signs photographed throughout Fantasyland, use the letters on the signs to decode a question, and then draw a picture of the item that answered the question!

Adding an additional layer of challenge, some tasks were at locations staffed by MouseAdventure team members, and were only open during limited hours. In addition, we were not allowed to ask for or accept help from any Disney employee, nor were we allowed to use cell phones, guide books or any other outside aids. By the time the game ended at 6:30 p.m., we had solved 9 quests in their entirety, and gained partial credit on most of the others.

The results ceremony was held at the Boardwalk entertainment district at 10 p.m. Though we knew we hadn’t done that well, we couldn’t resist showing up. With 440 out of a possible 674, we were exhausted and just happy to not finish in last place. The winning team had 644 points, while the best new team had 604.

The day was challenging, frustrating and humbling, but we were hooked! Feeling that we now had a better understanding of the psychology of the game, we couldn’t wait to play again. At the results ceremony, the MouseAdventure team announced the plan for the following year: a two-day, four-park challenge that would take in most of the 43 square miles of the Walt Disney World Resort. We signed on immediately!

MouseAdventure 2013 was the ultimate challenge: Two days, four parks, 43 square miles of adventure!

Our 2013 Experience Day One
For 2013, we decided to rent a hotel room. Although we live only 30 minutes from Walt Disney World, the idea of driving back and forth under the pressure cooker scenario of an ongoing game did not sound fun. We spent the night before the event started at the Super 8 motel on Highway 192, just five minutes from Walt Disney World. For game night, we switched to the Best Western Lake Buena Vista, along Hotel Plaza Boulevard near Downtown Disney.

Heavy rains were predicted for the first day of the event, but MouseAdventurers never let the weather slow them down! We checked in at the designated meeting spot just outside Disney’s Hollywood Studios at 8 a.m., and the sky opened up while we were waiting for the game to begin! Fortunately, we were well prepared with ponchos, umbrellas, and plastic baggies for all the game materials.

We slogged through downpours and ankle-deep puddles to solve the morning’s quests, Dad holding an umbrella over the answer sheet as I solved a particularly tricky puzzle near the Lights, Motors, Action! stunt show theater. Four quests later, we turned in our answer sheets and were off to Animal Kingdom to complete four more. Thankfully, the rain let up shortly before we arrived at Animal Kingdom, but our clothes and shoes were soaked in spite of the ponchos and umbrellas. Nonetheless, we persevered and did reasonably well with the Animal Kingdom quests.

We departed from Animal Kingdom just before the 3 p.m. parade. Although it had already been a long day, it was not over yet! We were given a dinner break and instructions to meet the MouseAdventure team at Epcot that evening. We took advantage of the break to check into the Best Western and wolf down some fast food before heading back out.

That night at Epcot’s World Showcase was not among our proudest moments. Exhausted and still somewhat wet, we felt like we were behind the power curve all night. One of the cardinal rules of MouseAdventure is to read the clue, several times if necessary, until you are sure you understand exactly what is required. Our entire team had a bit of a meltdown at 8:50 p.m., ten minutes before the end of the game day, when we realized that two of the answers we needed were at a shop that we didn’t have time to get to and still get back to headquarters to turn in our answer sheets.

Before we left, each team was given a blank Vinylmation Mickey Mouse toy and instructions to decorate it however we liked, then bring it with us for the next day’s game. After consuming some much needed food, we were able to sit on our hotel balcony and get the Vinylmation decorated before collapsing into bed.

One of our challenges required us to get a photo of our entire team, including Vinylmation Mickey, eating a cupcake.

Our 2013 Experience Day Two
We awoke refreshed and ready for action, though our bodies were sore and achy. We made it to the Day Two starting line, the Tomorrowland Terrace restaurant in the Magic Kingdom, with seconds to spare before the 9 a.m. start time. The day’s instructions gave teams a choice: two quests were available in the Magic Kingdom, with an ending time of 11 a.m. However, we could forgo one or both in favor of getting a head start on the next task—a photo shoot around Walt Disney World hotels and non-park entertainment areas that would end at Epcot at 3 p.m. As instructed, we dropped off our Vinylmation Mickey with the MouseAdventure team before heading out to see what we could do with the Magic Kingdom quests.

We completed one of the two Magic Kingdom tasks and made a stab at the other before deducing that we would not likely complete it before the deadline. We headed back to Magic Kingdom headquarters to turn in our answer sheets, retrieve our Vinylmation Mickey, and receive our Photo Quest instructions. We were given a sheet with a list of 25 location clues (for example: “In a hammock” or “With a geyser while it’s erupting”) and another list of 9 easier clues, of which we could choose no more than 3 (“On a monorail” or “With the five-legged goat”). We had to take a photo of our entire team, including the Vinylmation Mickey, in as many of the designated locations as possible before time ran out.

The Gate Crashers crashed the Grand Floridian resort hotel for this Photo Quest challenge, which had us pose in front of the giant gingerbread house.

We did extremely well with the Photo Quest, and arrived at Epcot’s Future World with a few minutes to spare. That afternoon brought Epcot redemption to us, as we easily sailed through all three tasks. Angela accidentally gave an assist to several rival teams as we all searched frantically for a specific tiny photo tile among the hundreds mounted on Epcot’s Leave a Legacy walls. She spotted it first, and could not stop herself from crying out, “There it is!” Seven or eight teams were extremely happy with us that day!

As before, the results ceremony was held at the Boardwalk at 10 p.m. After an exhausting weekend, no one had much energy, but most of the teams held out to see how everyone did. With 562 out of 1,244 points, we were once again glad to not be last. The winning team received 1,124 points, while the best new team got 846 points. At the ceremony, teams who wore pedometers announced that we walked nearly 30 miles that weekend. Many of us were barely able to stand throughout the ceremony. Yet when the team announced that they were taking a break, and there would be no MouseAdventure in Walt Disney World for 2014, the wails of disappointment were unmistakable. No matter how tired we were, everyone wanted to do it all over again.

Tips for Parents

The Photo Quest challenge took us all over the 43 square miles of the Walt Disney World resort. Posing on the monorail gave us a rare moment to sit down!

MouseAdventure is the ultimate challenge for Disney aficionados. Part scavenger hunt, part trivia game and part stamina test, MouseAdventure is frankly tough! You will be tested physically, psychologically and emotionally at every turn. Does this mean it isn’t right for kids? Not at all! The Disneyland games typically run both Basic and Advanced divisions, allowing each team to choose its preferred level of challenge. For some games, the Advanced division is limited to teams on which every member is at least 18 years old. If enough families with children sign up, a separate Family division will be created. The game remains the same, but scoring and ranking are only against those in your division.

The Walt Disney World events do not offer separate divisions, which might make it tougher for those with small children to rank highly, as you will compete against veteran teams with a great deal of park knowledge and stamina. Nonetheless, you and your kids can have a great time if you decide in advance to focus on having fun rather than the competitive aspect. Set your own challenge goals and play for the love of the game. Enjoy the chance to learn something new about the parks, use the puzzles to help your kids develop their critical thinking skills, and rest when you need to rest. Some of the top MouseAdventure teams of today feature teenagers who began playing as small kids in the Family division, and are now formidable veterans tearing up the Advanced division.

Practical Information

Not exactly dressed for the Blizzard Beach water park, are we? Thankfully, we didn’t have to jump in a pool!

MouseAdventure games typically cost between $150 and $200 per team, depending on the length and complexity. A team consists of 2 to 4 players. Typically, children under age 5 can join in without being counted as team members, although this varies by event. Cell phones are NOT allowed, and all team members must remain in close proximity to each other. If one person needs a bathroom break, everyone must stop and wait—although this can be a great time to work on puzzles or trivia questions. Read each clue carefully, make sure you understand what is being asked, and decide which of your team members is best suited to that particular task.

If you and your family enjoy a challenge, why not sign up for the next MouseAdventure? Getting to know the parks in a whole new way is worth way more than the price of admission!

Dad’s Amazing Birthday Race took place at Epcot.

For my dad’s birthday in 2009, I arranged for my cousin and her husband to come in from out of town for a family reunion. We planned several days at the theme parks, rented a beautiful condo, and made some terrific dining reservations. Yet I wanted to do something really unforgettable for the actual birthday celebration. While combing various Disney discussion boards, I finally hit on the solution.

Gifts of a Lifetime is a private company made up of Orlando-area Disney lovers. Their “pixies” have been creating magical, highly personalized celebrations at Walt Disney World since 1997. They received excellent reviews, so I decided to give them a shot.

Planning and Preparation
The process begins with a highly detailed pre-event questionnaire, available on the Gifts of a Lifetime website. This questionnaire covers everything from the recipient’s favorite movies and television shows to physical limitations and recent stressful events. It also asks about the recipient’s personality, level of shyness and knowledge of the Disney theme parks. There is a box at the bottom of the form to give more information about the sort of event you envision.

In mid-February, I spent an hour or two filling out the questionnaire very carefully, trying to encapsulate Dad as fully as possible. Within a couple of days, I received an email from Jane, the head of Gifts of a Lifetime, explaining that she would be working on proposals for May (Dad’s birthday) in March.

True to her word, in mid-March, Jane sent me an email proposal with two different ideas: a Survivor themed event complete with an immunity challenge, a reward challenge and a tribal council, or an Amazing Race through Epcot. After consulting with my cousin, I selected the Amazing Race option. The total price was $345, not including park admission or Dad’s present. I paid $100 immediately to reserve the date, with the remaining balance due two weeks before the event.

Jane offered to work with me to select a birthday present, which I would pay for but she would purchase and hold until the event. However, my cousin found the perfect present—an engineering manual for the now-defunct Horizons ride at Epcot—online. So we split the cost and she had it shipped to her house, where she held it until they arrived. Since the book was heavy, we opted not to carry it to Epcot for the event. Instead, Jane gave Dad a personalized certificate at the end of the race, with a note stating that his present was waiting for him at our condo.

Jane remained in regular contact with me throughout the planning process. She answered questions, envisioned possible snafus and proactively addressed them, and generally helped me through what turned out to be a very trying time. In April, both my dad and his younger brother (the father of the cousin who was coming down to join us) were diagnosed with heart disease and had stents placed. Planning the trip was stressful, especially under the circumstances. It was very reassuring to have Jane on my side, helping me relax and trust that if nothing else, the birthday event would be a total success. She even had me email photos of everyone in our group to her, to ensure that the pixies running our event would recognize us.

Swine Flu Changes Everything
In the category of Murphy’s Law, the trip was only a week away when swine flu arrived in the United States. Of course, as one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, the Orlando area was hit hard. Dad had a follow-up appointment with his doctor on April 29, before the Gifts of a Lifetime event was scheduled on May 3. The doctor placed him under strict orders to avoid the theme parks for at least a month, due to the swine flu epidemic!

Fortunately, my cousin was able to cancel their flights and we received refunds for lodging and other prepaid expenses. I emailed Jane to ask about rescheduling the event, and she could not have been more kind and understanding! She said that Dad’s health comes first, and we could reschedule for anytime within the next year at no additional charge, except during December (it is an extraordinarily busy month for them, and December events incur an upcharge). Normally, rescheduling requires forfeiture of the $100 deposit, and payment of a new deposit for the new dates, but under the circumstances she even waived that additional fee. It was June before my cousin and I were able to coordinate new dates in September, and Jane immediately put us on the schedule for September 29.

Finally, Dad’s Gift of a Lifetime!

The Pin Trading Station is across from the Fountain of Nations. Thanks to Michael Gray for the excellent photo!

Though it was four months after his actual birthday, the Amazing Birthday Race was well worth the wait! I had instructions from Jane to corral everyone in front of the Pin Trading station across from the fountain in Epcot’s Future World at 11 a.m. Dad’s not an easy person to corral, and my cousin’s husband was overawed and overwhelmed by his first trip to Walt Disney World, but I managed to get the job done.

At precisely 11 a.m., a woman stepped out of the crowd. She was dressed like a regular tourist, with nothing unusual about her appearance at all. She walked up to Dad and said, “Are you Andy? I’m Pat. Welcome to your Amazing Birthday Race. You have two hours to complete the race. Here’s your first clue.”

After Dad picked his jaw up off the ground, Pat gave us a few quick rules and pointers. For example, we had to stay together as a team. Additionally, the annual Food and Wine Festival was underway, but Pat told us we would not have enough time to stop and eat. She urged us to keep an eye on the time and keep moving at a rapid pace.

With that, we were off. The first clue sent us to a specific monorail pylon number, where we had to search in a planter for our next clue. Another clue had us searching the shelves behind a pile of troll dolls in Norway. Some clues made us perform specific tasks. For example, in Morocco, I was required to belly dance for two minutes. As soon as the time was up, a different woman holding a large shopping bag appeared from the crowd to hand me the next clue. In the American pavilion, we had to search through coins scattered on the ground beneath some tables to count out Dad’s exact age in change.

We had a bit of a break about halfway through. Pat met us at an outdoor table in Japan. Remembering Dad’s diabetes, she gave Dad a sugar-free Japanese soda and invited him to sit down. She then quizzed him on Disney trivia, including asking him to name all 11 countries of the World Showcase in reverse order.

It was nice to take a short rest in Japan!

One clue had two dollars taped to the back and instructed us to use it to buy a “dolce.” We correctly deduced that the word was Italian, but had no idea what it meant. So we ran into a shop in Italy, and asked the surprised employees what a dolce was. They explained that it was a sweet, and helped us select a piece of candy that was less than two dollars with tax.

The race ended in Canada with good, old-fashioned phone booth stuffing. We had to climb a set of stairs and pile our entire team into a red phone box, and then close the door. After that, Pat appeared from the bushes with Dad’s certificate and explained that his present was waiting at the condo. We finished just seconds before the two-hour deadline! Dad’s grin was a mile wide, and I knew his Amazing Birthday Race was a complete success.

Tips for Parents
As everyone in our group was an adult, and Dad is a Disney aficionado, I specifically requested an interactive adventure with a high level of difficulty. However, Gifts of a Lifetime provides events that are specifically tailored to the recipient. They can deliver surprise gifts, decorate hotel rooms and much more. You are limited only by your budget and imagination.

If you want a Disney character to appear at the event, be aware that beyond the price of the Gifts of a Lifetime event, you must also pay Disney’s fees, which include renting a private location and, often, food and beverage minimums. Character presence can easily push a $400 event up to $3,000. Instead, Gifts of Lifetime recommends implying the involvement of a character, perhaps by convincing the kids that presents were left by their favorite character.

Gifts of a Lifetime can organize events for single people, families or even small groups. Kids of all ages are welcome to participate, but Gifts of a Lifetime does not design events for those under five years old. The organization has found that kids under five generally do not have the attention span to participate in an event that is designed for them, and are often overwhelmed by the sights and sounds of the parks.

A kids’ event might ask the children to play in Image Works, located in the Imagination Pavilion.

The typical event lasts between one and two hours and involves a family group of four or five people. These events are priced between $295 and $375 depending on their complexity. Longer events, especially those involving private dining facilities or that take place over multiple days, are more expensive. Budget events, which last less than 30 minutes, cost $225 to $250.

Don’t be afraid to participate even if your kids are shy. Gifts of a Lifetime never separates children from their parents, and will put clients in the limelight only if this is specifically requested. Your pre-event questionnaire helps you fully describe the recipient to Jane and her team before they make an event proposal, but you are also welcome to communicate further by email even after accepting a proposal. The company’s entire goal is to create magical family memories, so speak up and be clear about your family’s needs and desires!