There are many things I believe are worth buying and worth skipping on your vacation; however, there are some purchases that I think benefit almost any type of traveler. Let’s jump in and break down these 5 things I think are worth spending money on to improve your vacation experience.

1. Memory Maker

Think about when you take family portraits with your favorite local photographer. How much does that typically cost? How long do you spend with that photographer? How much do you pay for the rights for printing and downloading images?

Now considering having 100’s of professional photographers available during your vacation to take your photo and immediately have them downloaded into your personal account within a a matter of minutes. Also, imagine getting images with special photo filters and special “magic” shots, 360 panoramas and super zoom videos.

This is what you get with your Memory Maker purchase. Your purchase is available during the entire length of your stay and you have approximately 30 days after your trip to download your images before they expire from your account. Downloads are free and available for you to print and share as you wish! Currently, pricing is $169 if purchased within 72 hours prior to your arrival, or $199 within 3 days or during/after your travel dates. You can activate your Memory Maker purchase any time during your trip and all watermarks disappear and you can start downloading images immediately!

This service is valuable especially with multiple generation trips when you want to capture all the family as well as individuals. Your Memory Maker package includes your on-ride photos as well. As of right now, Memory Maker can be shared amongst those traveling together who are linked “Friends and Family;” however, only the My Disney Experience (MDE) account holder who purchased Memory Maker will have accessed to download non-watermarked images. Everyone else in the planning party (who are linked Friends and Family) will only be able to see the images as watermarked in their MDE accounts.

2. Park Hopper Tickets

Walt Disney World has grown significantly over the decades since it’s inception. That means there are more and more options for how to spend your day. One trip to Walt Disney World will never be enough to do EVERYTHING there is to do. BUT, you can maximize your trip experience by making some key planning decisions early on and building in some flexibility in your plans and your mindset!

One way to provide flexibility is to upgrade your ticket to a Park Hopper ticket. What is a Park Hopper ticket? A Park Hopper allows you the freedom to start your day in one park early in the day and then “hop” to other Walt Disney World theme parks after 2pm. At Walt Disney World, it is required to make Park Pass Reservation for your first park. After 2pm, you can leave your reserved park and go to any of the three other parks. Technically, you can go to all four theme parks in one day! (People do this all the time!)

I find this valuable because it gives you the freedom to change your mind or go do something on repeat that you may otherwise miss out being able to do again. Let’s say your child really loved two rides in one park but you only had a one park per day, having Park Hopper tickets allows you the opportunity to go back and attempt to ride those rides again without an extra day of tickets. It also allows you to leave and enjoy another park if your family didn’t love their experience at the park you started your day in, etc. The possibilities and options are much more flexible when you add-on this ticket option.

The pricing is a flat rate (date based) for the entire length of stay/regardless of number of days you have tickets for. You cannot have a park hopper for only one day of your trip on a Walt Disney World Travel Company Package. Ticket type has to be the same for everyday of your trip but that is a GOOD thing because it’s the same price whether you hop one day or 5 days!

3. Grocery Delivery

Picky eaters? Snackers? Light breakfast eaters?

Make your family’s vacation experience fun and exciting while also providing them some creature comforts from home without packing them all in your checked bag (or trunk). Our modern times provide us with many services that provide us opportunities for saving us time a money. Ordering groceries to your resort is one of those opportunities you should consider leveraging.

Instacart, Amazon Prime Now and many local delivery services, provide delivery options to the Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando Resorts. Key in your resort’s address to the the delivery services website or app, build your cart, designate a delivery time and BOOM! In most cases, you don’t even need to be present to accept the groceries. The resort will charge a small handling fee and will hold your items until you are ready to have them brought to your room or you go pick them up from Bell Services. It’s that simple. Instead of paying $5 for one Powerade, you just spent $5 on a 8 pack! Savings of time and money– starting your vacation note on the right foot and preventing Hanger= PRICELESS!

Keep in mind the room type and storage space you have available to you. The size of your refrigerator, access to a microwave, stove, etc., all vary by room type.

4. Pre-Arranged Transportation

As our economy returns to our new “normal,” rideshare options can be hit or miss. Add-in surge pricing and availability of the type or transportation you may need (car seats, boosters, room for the clubs?) you are rolling the dice without pre-arranging your transportation.

As a vacation planner, this is something I cannot stress enough with my clients and work hard to make sure we have setup the best transportation option for their family’s needs AND budget before they even leave home. In most cases, it can be slightly more than winging it, but wouldn’t you rather know what you are going to have waiting for you than the element of surprise (especially when you are standing in the hot humid Florida sun waiting on an Uber with your kids in tow)?

5. Snacks, Dining, Special Experiences

This one sounds like I lumped a lot of things into one bullet point but hear me out:

Pick that one meal, special experience or those couple of snack items that you were really thinking of splurging on (but weren’t sure if they were worth it) and experience them. You never know until you try. What’s the point of a vacation if you aren’t doing things you enjoy and/or interested in?

Maybe you are a foodie but the menus seems a bit pricey and not within your budget: instead of reserving all the pricey meals or ZERO, book one of the ones you wanted to experience most. Maybe you were contemplating doing something special for your kids but you didn’t think it was going to be worth is (hint: come back BBB!!), go for it! Pick a few things you were really on the fence about and do those things. You might surprise yourself with what you learn about yourself and it may end up as one of the highlights of a vacation!

So, eat that Mickey Pretzel on Main Street USA, take the photo in front of Cinderella Castle and hop over to Pandora at night. I promise you won’t regret it.