There is a lot to know before you visit the park – correction – parks. The Walt Disney World Resort includes Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios. Plus all the shopping, eating, entertainment and water parks.

Here are top 5 tips on how to survive all of that and enjoy the visit:

Top 5 Tips on Doing Disney Right:

1. Deal Hunt: It used to be that you couldn’t really save much on Disney packages, but now, mainly due to the economy, they are bundling all kinds of deals. Check out www.MouseSavers.com – you will find official Disney offers and be able to get to other great discount deals like codes for saving on rental cars.

2. Be Realistic: Chances are that you will be excited about the pending vacation and buying your package ahead of time, you may be tempted to buy the package that includes too much, thinking you can do more than you actually can. Understand that you will not be able to do it all, so rank your priorities and check out TouringPlans.com. Answer some questions and you will get an advice on what package will best suit your needs. There is also a crowd tracker that will show you continuously updated prediction on waiting times for rides.

3. Think Timing: Give the off-season (late fall, early spring) serious thought – you will be able to get lower rates on just about anything. Apparently the best weeks to go are are in early November – crowd-wise and weather-wise. And when you get there, go early. It is a good idea to show up 30 minutes before the park opens – you will be one of the first in and you will have a free rein.

4. Plan it Out: Once you are in the park, head to the rides and attractions that you have put on your “must see” list. The beauty of an early start is that you can take a midday siesta or go back to your hotel for a refreshing swim and return to the park when the temperatures cool down a bit. It is estimated that you will walk 7 to 11 miles a day so be ready for it!

5. If You Have a Toddler, Get the 411: The official Disney site, Disneyworld.disney.go.com, has a planning guide for the little ones. You will know things like – if you are going to rent a stroller, bring a coloured ribbon to tie on yours not to mix it up with all identical others you will see parked at attractions., All the theme parks also have a ride swap program, in which one parent waits with a child who is too young to ride, then gets to hop right on after handing the baby off to the parent who just rode. There are also Baby Care Centres – and they are not for emergencies only. You can think of them as “cool down” rooms, where a family can take a break. You can sit down in a comfortable chair watch Disney movie and relax. Make sure you pick up a “Magical Beginnings” map at any theme park for clearly marked locations of these centres and other targeted information.

Hope you will enjoy your trip to Disney – it is truly an experience to be remembered  and  doing it the easiest way possible will make your memories last forever!

So – do you want to shed pesticide and sprinkler dependency? Here are five little tips that will give you a good start and are actually kind of fun too!

1.Water with a Frisbee:

The image of lazy evening sprinklers working overtime  is, frankly pretty old. Grass and plants actually do much better when they are watered less often – it teaches the roots to grow down, away from predators and heat. To figure out how much water you need to give them, put an upside-down Frisbee on your lawn and turn the prinklers on. When the Frisbee is full, your garden or lawn should be satisfied for a week – or longer if it rains. And please – water early in the morning or after sundown – you will minimize evaporation and your green gems will love it !

2.Get into the mulch mantra:

Mulch is the kind of word that almost makes you smile – no? And for sure – avid gardeners swear by it! It is simply a natural material that will hold moisture in the soil and protect plant roots against elements. You can take all those leaves you rake off your lawn in the fall, toss them into dark coloured garbage bag with a shovelful of dirt and leave them over the winter. When you open the bags in the spring, you will find a mucky (and free!) load of glorious mulch. You then easily spread it around the flower beds and around the base of trees. You can also visit your local garden centre and pay for the mulch of your choice if you need it right now – either way – it is a gardener’s must!

3.Put Mother Nature to work:

Ladybugs are friendly bugs – they are like your natural pest control agents. can you believe that some gardeners actually order ladybugs in bulk? Apparently there are websites that will provide this unusual item – I didn’t go searching for it, because I have natural and fairly large groups of these little cute bugs in my garden naturally. But whatever you do – don’t kill them please, they are good for your garden! And keep watching this website – I am working on adding information about all the garden friendly insects that you are most likely chasing way now! (or worse!)

4. Turn your garbage into gold:

Compose everyday kitchen scraps in an outdoor covered bin kept in a sunny spot. They will turn into “Gardener’s Gold”for you! That mean – rich compost loaded with nutrients. Mix this into your garden beds – it’s like sneaking vitamin pills into your child’s breakfast cereal – it will boost the overall health and it will keep pesky pets at bay.

5. Throw and dance party on the lawn

Did I not promise that some of these basic tips will be fun? So here is the fun one – throw a party to celebrate your newly greened horticultural habits and tell invitees that they will be kicking up their heels – on your lawn. This of course will mostly apply to the ladies – but i bet you can find some guys who will have a few refreshments and participate in dancing on your lawn – wearing high heels! (take pictures, please!) So – dancing on your lawn, wearing high heels – those spikes will be doing some serious aeration for your lawn. The morning after? Follow with spreading some of your Gardener’s gold over your lawn – and watch! Beautiful green healthy lawn will be your reward!

I do hope you liked this – please let me know and you are more than welcomed to comment and add your experiences as always!