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About Me
I’m Tony! A full time girl dad of two spirited ladies, ages and , who both love Disney! Together with my wife, we have been Disney Adults (2017, 2018, 2019, 2024) and Disney Parents with both a single kid trip (2022) and a two toddler trip (2024), with a fall 2025 trip currently in the works!
I like to think of myself as a rogue economist (I have a master’s degree in economics) turned stay-at-home dad who is focused on the one truly nonrenewable and most important resource each of us has: Time!
And let’s be real, if you are on this site, you are spending your life trading time for money, then taking both time and money to go to Disney. That is what makes a Disney vacation feel inherently stressful, but it doesn’t have to! My dream for this website it to help people avoid the high pressure Disney planning hype, maximization drama, and seemingly endless anxiety that can ruin any phase of your trip and cause regret and instead help you create a magical mindset that empower you to have the Disney vacation that is best for you.
My wife and I have made both great and terrible choices when going to Disney from the perspective of “maximizing” a Disney vacation and, by and large, have still come away from each trip with amazing memories and about 6-7 months before the Disney bug bites us again. Here are some highlights:
- On our first trip as Disney Adults, we got the Disney Dining Plan and ended up with a backpack full of snacks to bring home because we had so many unused credits on our last day (the Dining Plan is a bit different now).
- On our second kid-less trip, we didn’t pay attention to park hours and Magic Kingdom’s early closure for “Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party” and ended up revamping our whole schedule and (at the time) Fast Pass (the precursor to Lightning Lane) plans on the fly for our whole vacation.
- Our first trip as Disney Parents with a toddler (and a surprise second kid on the way!) was an eye opener in so many ways. This was our first time trying a Disney Vacation Club rental service!
- Then, we couldn’t resist a return to the parks with two toddlers, one of which loved sucking her fingers… Hello, Norovirus!
- We Disney Parents needed a redemptive trip, which ended up being a spontaneous 3-day sprint at the parks WITHOUT our kids. We rope-dropped to park close, but we left the parks with more energy than we arrived with.
Now, I no longer worry about a “maximized” Disney trip. What I do worry about is ensuring I’m prepared enough to ensure I have my Magical Mindset when I arrive on property. I do my best to ensure I don’t break the bank (especially since we like going as regularly as possible and are not local to Florida), don’t get “held back” by the physical limitations of my body, and can lightly hold on to all my planning and pivot with ease while there.
While I have been going to Disney my entire life, each trip feels special and like it is a huge deal. When planning a Disney trip, my business/economic/consulting background kicks in and I am always opening a spreadsheet for tracking cost, breaking it down by nights, hourly wage, etc. I’m just weird like that, and then think about different “bad” scenarios (a stoic practice) and how to let go of the outcomes so I can best enjoy just being there (a la Buddhism).
My eclectic interests and passion for collecting practical “tools” for moving through life has served me well in my Disney adventures, and I’m hoping they’ll help you plan a Disney trip where you spend your time and money on what actually brings your family joy.
And let’s be real, if you are on this site, you are spending your life trading time for money, then taking both time and money to go to Disney. That is what makes a Disney vacation feel inherently stressful, but it doesn’t have to! My goal for this website is to help people avoid the high-pressure Disney planning hype, maximization drama, and seemingly endless anxiety that can ruin any phase of your trip and cause regret, and instead help you create a magical mindset that empowers you to have the Disney vacation that is best for you.
My Disney Favorites
Overall Park: Animal Kingdom: the theming here, even before Pandora opened, is incredible. Many people consider this a half-day park due to the limited rides, but I just love it here. If I had to just sit somewhere and do nothing but walk for a day, this would be the place. They also have a lot of really good food tucked everywhere.
Ride: Spaceship Earth (Epcot). I think my record rides in a single day is 9 (special thanks to my wife for indulging me). So calm, relaxing, and cool. A Spaceship Earth candle sits on my desk for when I need a quick Disney magic recharge.
Ride Worth Paying Extra For: Guardians of the Galaxy (Epcot), no contest. Honestly, I don’t really care for the “enhanced line” experience or the Guardians story line for the ride. The actual ride itself, though, is basically a pain-free and perfectly smooth update to Space Mountain, and it is beautiful!
Sweet Snack: Cheshire Cat Tail (Magic Kingdom)… a puff pastry with chocolate inside and extra icing. This is my favorite way to start a day at Magic Kingdom. Bonus: the bathroom next to the Cheshire Cafe is usually fairly empty if you are there any time but rope drop.
Savory Snack: Refillable Popcorn Bucket (All Parks)! Spend $15 the first day of your trip and enjoy a salty, buttery popcorn fill-up as often as you want for $2.25 for the rest of your trip. I like to think that the extra salt also helps with my electrolyte balance when constantly drinking water in the Florida heat.
Quick Service: Fish and Chips (Epcot). This is a substantial amount of food, and there is a nice spot on the waterway down to the left that can be nice and quiet depending on when you are there.
Table Service: Sanaa ($$, Animal Kingdom Lodge – Kidani Village) or Tiffins ($$$, Animal Kingdom). It may shock you, but African flavors aren’t super abundant up in Maine, so when I can, I love going to either of these restaurants. They also have a lot of fusion flavors going on, and both are delightful if you like that sort of thing. Tiffins also has a lounge where you can walk up and order a drink and/or gluten-free churros and be on your way (though the wait can be longer than one would expect).
Resort: Port Orleans – French Quarter for me is low-key the best of Disney Resorts. Not too expensive, it is small, quick to get back to your room, has a boat ride to Disney Springs, and you can end your night with Mickey beignets (and still have some left over for breakfast).
My Disney Dreams
My overarching Disney Dream is to visit all 12 theme parks! I also want to try out a Disney Cruise and see how it compares to other cruising companies I have tried. Stay tuned, I’ll keep you up to date if I manage to make any of these dreams a reality!