Disney World on $50 or Less

I've been to Disney World twice, but I've never finished World Showcase at Epcot. It's been on my bucket list for years. At 87, I don't feel I should travel alone any longer. I don't think I'm going to be mugged or worse; but what if I drop dead, and there's no one there to pick up the pieces?

Problem solved - Nephew Will has agreed to go with me. We're shooting for November, 2026. Disney World has changed a lot since I was there. They've added two parks - Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios - and Disney Springs was just a tiny little shopping area for buying Disney products, but is now almost another park.

It's all very confusing now with 20+ hotels, lightning lanes to bypass long lines, apps on your phone for reserving rides or meals, meal plans for a one-time price, four festivals a year, after hours parties, early entry, extended hours, parades, free shuttle from the airport eliminated. A visit definitely needs time to plan, AND I need to lose twenty pounds, get on a walking plan to build stamina, and find just the right shoes.

Will came over to take a look at Ancestry and where I've worked on the family tree, as he plans to take over and work on his mom's branch. While he was here, we started looking at YouTube videos by searching "Disney World." This is when I knew we had a lot to learn. I called DW to see if they would mail me the brochures they hand out at each park. No. Well, duh! If you can't plan ahead, it's practically worthless at this point. I asked if I could buy them. No. I called Auto Club as I knew they specialize in Disney packages. No brochures. Then I found them on ebay. I bought us each a pack - all four parks plus Disney Springs for $2.12 each, including postage. They turned out to be 2024, but we'll need new ones in 2026 anyway. Disney World is constantly changing. 

Each brochure has a map of that park.

Then you can choose areas in that park.

And each has an explanation of the area, all color coded.

Plus a legend to answer even more questions.

Now I could finally get organized. I knew I wanted to eat the authentic Cobb salad at The Brown Derby in Hollywood Studios. I wanted to taste the dressing so I could see if the copycat recipes were authentic, and I wanted to see if they actually served it in DW. I went to YouTube and searched "Brown Derby."

Here's what I discovered by watching vlogs on YouTube:

The Cobb salad was originated by Bob Cobb (one of the owners) when a patron came in after going to the dentist and couldn't chew well. The salad is chopped iceberg, bacon, turkey, bleu cheese, hardboiled eggs, and tomatoes. This is my version I've been using.

TRUE COBB SALAD

Lettuce
Turkey (or chicken)
Bacon
Hard-boiled eggs
Tomatoes
Bleu Cheese (or Monterey Jack if you don’t care for Bleu cheese)
 
Salad dressing: (Makes a lot, but good on other salads)
1 cup water
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 tsp sugar
1 Tbs salt
1-1/2 tsps pepper
1-1/2 tsps Worcestershire sauce
1-1/2 tsps dry mustard
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup olive oil
1-1/2 cups salad oil

Finely chop all ingredients except vinaigrette.
 
Arrange in a circle of wedges, or in a circle of stripes.
 
Serve with the salad dressing on the side.
 
When served, dress the salad and mix it on the plate, or transfer the chopped ingredients to a salad bowl, dress, toss, and serve.
 

Nope. It was chopped much finer, and when tossed, looked like something that had already been eaten once. Then in one video it was described as having a French vinaigrette. Then I saw one before it was tossed, and the dressing looked like a creamy vinaigrette.

I also learned from a video that a movie star came in and complained that she was on a diet and couldn't have dessert, and why couldn't they come up with a diet dessert. It was during the time when the Grapefruit Diet was all the rage, so the Grapefruit Cake was born as a joke. The video showed it, and I immediately wanted a piece. Today I discovered this because I subscribed to a blog called DisneyFoodBlog.com Click Here I can make my own. I no longer need to eat at The Brown Derby. 

As you know, I was once a bookkeeper, so I have to be balanced and organized. I started with Epcot Center. I started with a spiral-bound notebook and started by listing the first item in the brochure by number (there are 87) and name. Over to the far right I made columns for Yes and No, and if I really want to see it, it gets a double X. Then I would search for it on YouTube. 

An amazing number of people have vlogs on YouTube, and most amazing of all, they have the complete rides videoed. In my wildest dreams I would not have believed that Disney would allow this, but there they are. Some are even overkill by showing you how to get there by starting at the Epcot entrance. There are even videos about the snack stands, the coffee stands, etc. 

So here's the scoop: If you have voice-activated search on your TV or viewing device, you only need the guides. You can even order 2025 right now for $2.47. Click Here 

If you don't have a voice-activated method for viewing YouTube, I'd suggest purchasing a Roku at Walmart which will cost about $45 with tax; too much trouble searching by typing. So there you go - $50 or less. It's not the same, but if you choose not to go in person but would love to check it out, this is a wonderful substitute.

You can also use an online map with clickable numbers, but I find it too cumbersome. This is located on the Disney World website. For such a professional company, I find their website very user unfriendly.

If you're a foodie, you'll love searching the YouTube restaurant vlogs. They tell all, including the prices and seeing the food is great entertainment so far as I'm concerned. 

After I finish the brochures, I'll start working on searching the hotels (also fun just to see them, as they're themed), and then explore the transportation systems: bus, monorail, skyliner (those modules hanging from an overhead cable,) and watercraft (boats and ferries.) There are also two waterparks which Will might like. Then we need airline searches and transfers to and from the park. I also need to figure out how to program everything on my phone or wristband (cheaper if you buy them from Amazon instead of Disney.) Your phone or wristband will store your room key, park tickets, lightning lane reservations, restaurant reservations, etc. 

A personal observation: If Walt could visit his World today, I think he would be sorely disappointed. He wanted it to be The Happiest Place on Earth; not The Most Profitable Place on Earth. Everything has an upcharge. The only free things I've found are the brochures when you enter (one to a customer,) water, and transporatation between parks and Disney hotels. There are places to fill your water bottle, or you can go to most fast food stands or restaurants and request a cup of water. I haven't found the answer yet, but probably the restrooms are still free. The room, food, and drink prices are about double what you'd pay anywhere else. The park tickets have always been expensive, but worth the price in the past.

Most distressing though would be the emphasis on food and drink. And alcoholic drinks?! Walt would not be happy. Disney is supposed to be a family place. I know people have to eat, but food seems to be more important than the rides now. 

I lived in California for years and spent many happy hours at Disneyland. The Magic Kingdom at DW is almost identical - just more spread out because they had the land where they could. Nothing much has changed in all these years. 

The added Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios parks seem to be getting big makeovers, which tells me they've not been very successful. Thrill rides seem to be taking the place of animatronics rides. Imagination and technical innovation have been replaced by Michelin stars, celebrity chefs, and character meet and greets.

Oh, well. I'm showing my age. Times change. There's still some magic at DW. I hope you'll try a virtual tour. You might be surprised.

I've spent the week playing DW, and haven't accomplished a thing. I made two recipes which were not worth saving:

Jambalaya

And Frozen Fruit Salad

Then I made "Canned" Soup which I might keep, as it makes a lot if you need to feed a crowd.

“CANNED” SOUP

1 lb. ground beef, browned and drained OR 1 lb. hot dogs, sliced
1 cup chopped onion
1 can Hormel chili without beans
1 can pinto beans
1 can great northern beans
1 can black beans
1 can corn
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can Rotel
 
Brown the meat and onions in a large pot. Drain if using ground beef.
 
Drain the can of corn and add it to the pot.
 
Do NOT drain all the other cans. Add all to the pot.
 
Mix well and simmer 25-30 minutes.
 
Serve with tortilla chips and shredded Monterey Jack cheese.
 

And if you're wondering why I'm showing you photos of food from recipes I'm discarding, I just wanted to show you I did SOMETHING last week. I also went to lunch twice. Will took me to the NLA Cafe when he came by to check out Ancestry, and I took him to lunch at Cedars to give him the brochures when they arrived so he can start his own research.

So back to work, and I probably will take a blogging break for awhile to catch up.

My perpetual calendar today:

And I've added, "And your dreams could be your future."

FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS

TAKE A VACATION, REAL OR VIRTUAL

KEEP COOL DURING THESE HOT DAYS

LOTS OF SALADS

AND WATERMELON

AND ICED TEA

THANK YOU FOR SHARING MY LIFE