Brian ET Family Travel

08/29/2026

08/26/2026

🏰 Disney gives you a FREE resort upgrade… but there’s a catch.

You can only choose ONE:

🌺 Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
🦒 Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
🚝 Disney’s Contemporary Resort
🌴 Disney’s Riviera Resort

No splitting the money. No changing your answer. 😂

I think this one could get tough depending on what kind of trip you’re planning.

👇 Which one are YOU taking — 1, 2, 3 or 4?

And tell me why. I want to see which resort wins!

08/26/2026

👻 If I only had ONE night at Halloween Horror Nights, I wouldn’t wing it.

HHN nights go FAST, and if you spend the first couple of hours wandering around deciding what to do next, you can lose some of the best touring time of the entire night.

Here’s how I’d attack it:

⏰ Get in as early as possible
🏚️ Knock out my 3 must-do houses first
🗺️ Have a plan instead of wandering
🍕 Use the busiest hours for food, scare zones & shows
🔄 Circle back to lower-priority houses later
🌙 Stay as late as I reasonably can

One night can absolutely be enough to have an incredible HHN experience — but having a strategy makes a HUGE difference.

Save this one for your HHN night. 🎃

And HHN veterans… what would YOU add to the strategy? 👇

08/25/2026

💰 Disney just gave you an EXTRA $1,000 for your vacation...

But there’s a catch.

You can only spend it on ONE thing:

🏨 Resort upgrade
🍽️ Dining & special experiences
🎟️ Ticket upgrades
🛍️ Souvenirs

I’m curious where everyone lands on this one, because there really isn’t a wrong answer.

For me, it probably comes down to whether that resort upgrade meaningfully changes the trip... but I know some of you are heading straight for the dining reservations. 😂

👇 Where is YOUR extra $1,000 going?

08/25/2026

🎃 3 DAYS TO HHN!

If you’re heading to Halloween Horror Nights this week, this is your quick last-minute checklist before the fear begins. 👀

A few things I’d make sure are locked in before you go:

🎟️ Tickets loaded and ready
⚡ Express Pass ready if you have it
🏚️ Your top 3 must-do houses picked
🕒 Arrival plan figured out
👟 Comfortable shoes
🔋 Portable charger
🌧️ Weather check
🚌 Transportation home

The biggest mistake is showing up without a plan and spending the first hour figuring everything out while wait times climb.

Save this post before your HHN night so you can check everything off before you head out. 👻

08/25/2026

🏰 Disneyland 2027 is about to open for booking!

If Disneyland has been on your family’s vacation wish list, this is the time to start thinking ahead. ✨

2027 is already shaping up to be an exciting year at Disneyland Resort, with returning entertainment including Remember… Dreams Come True and the Magic Happens parade.

And planning early isn’t just about getting something booked — it gives you more time to choose the dates, resort, ticket options, and vacation style that make the most sense for your family.

Thinking about Disneyland in 2027?

✈️ I can help you put the pieces together and make the planning process easy from the very beginning.

Send me a message and let’s start planning your Disneyland vacation! 🏰✨

08/24/2026

🎃 HHN TIP: WHAT EXACTLY IS SCREAM EARLY?

If you’re going to Halloween Horror Nights but DON’T have a regular daytime Universal Studios Florida ticket, Scream Early can be one of the most useful add-ons to understand.

Here’s how it works:

⏰ Scream Early allows you to enter Universal Studios Florida after 2 PM on the same day as your Halloween Horror Nights ticket.

🎟️ You still need a valid HHN ticket for that same night. Scream Early does NOT replace your event admission.

👻 Once you’re inside the park, you can take advantage of Stay & Scream rather than leaving with the regular daytime guests and waiting outside for HHN to officially open.

🏚️ Stay & Scream can give you access to select haunted houses before the main event crowd enters the park.

Translation?

You could already be making your way through your first houses while thousands of other guests are still waiting outside the front gates. 😈

One important distinction:

Scream Early = the add-on that gets you into Universal Studios Florida after 2 PM without needing regular daytime park admission.

Stay & Scream = the process that allows eligible guests who are already inside the park to remain in designated holding areas as Universal transitions from daytime operations to HHN.

Already have valid daytime admission to Universal Studios Florida AND an HHN ticket for that night?

You may not need to purchase Scream Early at all.

For anyone trying to maximize a single night at HHN, understanding this little strategy can make a BIG difference.

📌 Save this one for your HHN planning.

And if you’re going for the first time this year, drop your questions below. 🎃

08/24/2026

🚢👀 Disney Cruise Line is teasing BIG news for tomorrow… and one of the clues appears to point to NEW YORK! 🗽

Disney Cruise Line dropped a mysterious teaser featuring six latitude coordinates and promised a “big announcement” coming August 25.

The coordinates appear to point toward:

📍 New York City
📍 San Juan
📍 Galveston
📍 San Diego
📍 Fort Lauderdale
📍 Port Canaveral

That certainly makes it look like we could be getting new itinerary or homeport news, but Disney has not officially confirmed what the announcement is yet.

And yes… New York showing up in the clues definitely has my attention. 👀

🚢 Could Disney Cruise Line be returning with more sailings from New York?
🌴 New Caribbean itineraries?
🗺️ A bigger deployment announcement?

We’ll find out tomorrow.

👇 What do YOU think Disney Cruise Line is announcing?

Let's coordinate to meet back up tomorrow for a big announcement...

08/24/2026

🏰 5 DECISIONS I’D MAKE BEFORE BOOKING WALT DISNEY WORLD

Before I ever hit the “Book” button on a Walt Disney World vacation, there are five things I’d want figured out first.

Because these decisions can completely change the price, pace and experience of the trip.

1️⃣ WHEN ARE WE GOING?

I’d look at more than just when everyone is available.

Park hours, seasonal events, special-ticket events and even shifting your trip by a couple of days can affect how I’d build the vacation.

2️⃣ WHERE SHOULD WE STAY?

Value, Moderate or Deluxe?

I wouldn’t automatically choose the cheapest resort or the most expensive one.

I’d think about transportation, location, resort amenities and how much time we’ll actually spend there.

For some families, paying more for location is absolutely worth it.

For others? I’d save the money.

3️⃣ HOW MANY PARK DAYS DO WE REALLY NEED?

Four parks doesn’t necessarily mean four back-to-back park days.

Sometimes adding a resort or rest day makes the entire vacation better.

Disney is supposed to be fun.

If everybody needs a vacation from the vacation when they get home, we may have gone a little too hard. 😂

4️⃣ BASE TICKETS OR PARK HOPPER?

Do we want to dedicate one full day to each park?

Or do we want the flexibility to start the morning in one park and finish the night somewhere else?

Neither answer is automatically better.

It depends on how YOUR family likes to travel.

5️⃣ WHERE DO WE WANT TO SPLURGE?

This might be the biggest one.

Instead of upgrading everything, I’d decide what matters most to us.

🏨 A better resort?
🎟️ More park days?
🍽️ Special dining?
⚡ Line-skipping options?
🎃 A special-ticket event?
🌴 More time relaxing?

Your vacation budget should go toward the things that will actually make YOUR vacation better.

That’s one of the biggest reasons I believe good Disney planning starts before anything gets booked.

There isn’t one perfect Walt Disney World vacation.

There’s the right Walt Disney World vacation for you.

👇 Which of these would be the hardest decision for your family?