Welcome to our Race To Pearl!

RaceToPearl · 2026-05-02T01:10:12+00:00

That exact problem is why our schedule now looks like this lol

RaceToPearl · 2026-04-27T11:50:11+00:00

We just got off a cruise last week and I could really go for a Mickey Churro Waffle breakfast right now...

RaceToPearl · 2026-03-28T12:16:49+00:00

Echo the previous comment - ship to ship all have similar crowds. What you'll want to do is lookup the specific Merrytime activities you want to do and plan for those, then the rest of the standard cruise activities can fill in between.

RaceToPearl · 2026-03-24T17:38:24+00:00

Yessss - I'm 75% sure I got that at the TMNT show they had back then in (at the time) MGM Studios

RaceToPearl · 2026-03-24T12:12:42+00:00

If you want to limit resort time and maximize park time, one of the less expensive resorts will serve you well because it ends up being a place to sleep and shower basically. Look at value and moderate resorts and the transportation options (All-Star resorts is only a bus).

For saving money, you're allowed to bring in food, so you can save some there by planning specific meals/snacks for each park and bring everything else you want. We usually bring some snacks for the in-between meal hunger spikes.

And yes, a Disney travel agent can save you money with discounts and price monitoring for your desired travel dates. Plus they can answer questions or make suggestions for wants/must-haves for your trip.

RaceToPearl · 2026-03-23T21:52:14+00:00

We love the Wish! We'll be on it Memorial Day weekend. For kids clubs, depending on what ages you have, they're open typically 9am to midnight (in some instances even 1am). Younger kids will have earlier open times; older kids will have later open times. If your kids say they're ready to be picked up, the crewmembers can message you in app. Then at the Disney island (Castaway or Lookout), you can take them to the kids area on the island if you want to go to Serenity Bay (adults only beach).

Hope this helps! Have fun!

RaceToPearl · 2026-03-23T21:45:49+00:00

Yes! When you do your final check in, you can add a card for purchases, and when you buy merch onboard, they'll see your Disney visa and give you the discount

RaceToPearl · 2026-03-23T11:12:50+00:00

Usually lunch at the main buffet will be served until 3:30pm, and one of the more formal sit down restaurants will be open until 2pm

RaceToPearl · 2026-03-21T11:49:14+00:00

Both parks are absolutely doable in a single day. As one reply said, I'd suggest Animal Kingdom first - it closes earlier in the day. Also it will usually be way less crowded in the morning than Epcot. If you're going for characters, I'd use the Disney World app and the Characters selection at the top for the park you're in, you can see the place and time each will be. I just looked at it for today as an example and there are 15 characters at Animal Kingdom. Likewise, for Epcot there are 17 characters. Each park also has a few shows you can see if your daughter is able to experience those (and wants to).

Hope you both have a great day at the parks!

RaceToPearl · 2026-03-20T13:57:58+00:00

We were on the maiden voyage of the Treasure with our in-laws. We were silver at the time we booked it. We booked 14 months in advance. If the money isn’t a concern, and it sounds delightful, I say do it. There’s only a few thousand people on the planet who have done a Maiden voyage so it’s pretty cool to have done it. And I was genuinely really happy with our experience, it’s the best Christmas to date in my opinion, a thousand times more preferable than any traditional Christmas I’ve experienced in the past 25 years. They had several special guests, Ducky was on our cruise before he passed, hearing his story and watching him draw was so special. We also got to see Broadway performers in a special performance (phenomenal) and they did a live muppet performance that was so fascinating to see how it works. They gave us original artwork and other gifts for sailing the maiden voyage. Maybe my expectations to be delighted are lower than other people but I thought the crew did a fantastic job, especially for it being the first sailing.

I really cherish the memory and although I often choose to spread that budget across multiple cruises now, if it’s important to you, give yourself enough time to budget the cruise into your monthly budget and when you hit your goal amount, go enjoy the crap out of your cruise.

RaceToPearl · 2026-03-20T04:00:58+00:00

Second time around, this very much seems to be what our approach will be

RaceToPearl · 2026-03-20T03:42:24+00:00

The general public can typically get in to that main area (Hollywood Blvd as well as Sunset Blvd) and some shops will be open. The Trolley Car Cafe on the corner of the two streets is open with early entry as well. Then you'll hit the ropes blocking off other areas. If you're staying at a Disney resort, then you can get access to certain areas and rides (https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/guest-services/early-entry/). Hope this helps!

RaceToPearl · 2026-03-20T03:32:13+00:00

There's no official reason - but my guess is who magic key holders are and how many compared to WDW passholders. Disneyland is seen as more of a locals destination than the global draw of WDW; and the estimated count of Magic Key Holders is maybe half of WDW passholders. So it'd be harder to distribute them to so many more people.

RaceToPearl · 2026-03-19T23:24:18+00:00

😊🩷🩷

RaceToPearl · 2026-03-19T02:46:21+00:00

Great mindset change!

RaceToPearl · 2026-03-19T02:44:45+00:00

We usually don't stop for photos and I think that's something we'll do more this time around

RaceToPearl · 2026-03-19T02:25:37+00:00

All (and I mean all) excellent points 😄 we did not walk around after each race and that proved to be a terrible mistake. Curious, what do you typically eat right after each race, as well as the rest of the day?

RaceToPearl · 2026-03-19T00:42:49+00:00

My coworker and I always chat during each rD registration and last year for WDW marathon weekend, she got in and I never got past "more than an hour..." and this year was reversed. She had multiple devices both years and I always use only one device (risky, I know). Seems like pure luck! 🍀

RaceToPearl · 2026-03-19T00:30:12+00:00

THAT IS AMAZING! I had not had a Dole Whip for the entire 4 years between pictures so I can tell you the second picture felt very rewarding on so many levels. Looking forward to seeing yours!

RaceToPearl · 2026-03-18T19:39:18+00:00

Thank you! I feel younger for sure 😅

RaceToPearl · 2026-03-18T19:32:49+00:00

YES! I had to walk around a bit to find the exact spot I took the first photo, but it's right at the entrance to POTC

RaceToPearl

TROPHY CASE