About Us

About Us

Rochelle G and Melanie of Polka Dots and Pixie Dust

Welcome to our Disney Travel Blog! By Polka Dots and Pixie Dust

Hi There! We are Rochelle and Melanie, sisters with a passion for all things Disney, Travel, Holidays, and Food! We are Annual Passholders for Walt Disney World and Disneyland, closing in on the Gold Level for Disney Cruise Vacations, D23 Gold Family members, and recent D23 Expo attendees. We’ve recently added Disney Aulani to our list of vacations and know more about every Epcot festival and Disney holiday than is actually necessary. We are both college grads, have day jobs, run this blog, and design apparel, accessories, and decor for our shop at Polka Dot Pixie Shop. You can check out the articles we’ve written, partnerships, and sponsorships we’ve had on our Polka Dots and Pixie Dust Press and Partners Page

We are writers, photographers, and designers. And determined to be on vacation permanently! Always in search of a perfect cup of coffee, we’re so glad you chose to stop by!  Here’s where to find things we create. 

How it Started. 

Living in Ohio, we never went to Disney World or Disneyland as kids. But as slightly grown-up people, who had jobs, we figured it was about to make time for it! So in 2013 when we decided to just start traveling more we chose to add a Disney Vacation to our plans. Easy Decision. Not necessarily easy to implement. We had to get really crafty and resourceful to make this work financially. We both have jobs and Melanie has a daughter, little G, who comes everywhere with us. We’re also part of a ginormous family so have loads of birthdays and family obligations that also take up time.  Melanie and I have six brothers and sisters ( 8 kids in all) and were raised by a single mom. Being Italian, we still do family dinners on Sundays, make a huge deal out of big and small holidays and play board games, test recipes, talk loud, and actually like being with family. So our lives are really really full. Picking the time of year to visit alone was a nightmare! And then figuring out how to afford a Disney Vacation was even worse! 

But we knew that travel was something we needed to start making time for because life shouldn’t just be lots of work and some weekends, so we made the decision to travel more, rearranged some priorities and what ended up happening was we somehow made it work! We’d take a little vacation here, a weekend there, and Disney when we could. Because we’re thrifty, resourceful and want to pack as much awesome as possible into these mini-vacations, we’d research A LOT! We’d know where the best coffee was, how to get to the prettiest waterfalls and the hours of the best shops in town.

Why we decided to start Polka Dots and Pixie Dust

But reading a happy post about Yosemite and actually doing Yosemite are two different things. In Blog Land people rarely talk about the horrible parts of the vacation or that you should definitely just spring for the more expensive room without bugs. This isn’t specific to just travel. Seeing the cute DIY post on Mickey Ears written by someone who has sewn all their life is terribly unhelpful when you’re still trying to figure out the glue gun.

This is why we started this blog! With the hopes that some of our lessons could be passed on to you! And since some of you out there actually plan on trying that DIY project, recipe, or vacation we’re talking about we want you to know the good and the bad so you’re ready to tackle it on your own. While there will definitely be some bumps and bruises along the way we will do our best to show you what worked and what didn’t. Sign up for our newsletter to read the full story about what made us determined to start this blog, and got us through our first Disney trip. We share the details of our story there. 

pongu pongu night blossom drink at pandora

Starting a Disney Vacation of Your Own? Start Here. 

Whether you’re getting ready for your First Disney Vacation or just one of the many Disney Vacations you and your family take. Here’s our Quick List of the things you should check out during your planning or daydreaming process.

1. Join our Disney Vacation Blog and Shop newsletter.

Sign up here for a Friday newsletter.

We’ll share quotes, our latest posts, our latest designs, and any fun news we see about Disney on the horizon. We’ll only send a newsletter once a week so if you’re hungry for more, just follow us on our socials- all lined up in the sidebar and at the top of this page.

 

2. Follow our Disney Travel Instagram

Disney Vacation Instagram @ polkadots_and_pixiedust

Need a little happiness in your feed? We’ll share Disney pics from our vacations and beautiful photography, so you can pick your favorites to visit next time you vacation.

 

3. Follow our Disney Shop Instagram

Disney Shop Instagram @polkadotpixieshop

Need Disney gear for your next Disney vacation? We release new designs all the time, so keep an eye on new stuff on our Shop Instagram. Follow for giveaways, insider info, and more.

 

4. Follow us on Pinterest

Find us on Pinterest @polkadotpixies

Start pinning all your favorite restaurants, resorts, attractions, events, and Disney outfits. We pin it all on our Pinterest page.

 

disney outfits, disney vacation shirts,

 

5. Check out our Disney Apparel and Accessories

Find us on Polka Dot Pixie Shop or visit us on Etsy. We love designing stuff. Designs are switched out regularly and sometimes limited. We can also do light customization if you’re searching for family shirts with a year and family name just let us know.

 

6. Planning a Trip to Walt Disney World?

Check out our 12 step guide to Planning a Disney Vacation. You can also check all our sections on the blog for resorts, festivals, and restaurants.  If you have questions, just send us an email.

 

7. Planning a Trip to Disneyland?

Peruse our Disneyland Vacation Page for Anaheim Hotel reviews, Disneyland Park Tips, California Adventure news, restaurant reviews, and all you know about Disneyland during the holidays! 

 

8. Going on a Disney Cruise?

Check out our posts on Disney Cruising so far. We’ve gathered information on the Disney Caribbean Cruise to Nassau, Bahamas, Halloween on the High Seas, a Very Merrytime Christmas Cruise, and Alaska. Plus tips for your first Disney Cruise, how to stay on budget, and extra ways to make it special! 

 

9. Heading to Disney Aulani in Oahu Hawaii?

We’ve got budget tips, planning tips, and how to make the most of it with teens! Plus a 5 Stop Road Trip so you can explore the island. Check out all our Disney Aulani Vacation Tips

 

10. Want to Visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter During Your Vacation?

Skip a day at Disney and head to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios! We’ll show you how to do it on a budget and smash it in one day so you can save money and time! 

 

11. Shop Disney Gifts on Amazon

Whether you’re heading on a Disney Vacation or buying gifts for Disney Birthday Party, we’re sharing our favorite Disney things on Amazon. Check out our Disney Amazon Shop for all things Disney and Harry Potter. 

 

Thanks for stopping by! Interested in Working with Us? You can Read More about what we do on the blog here. And Have and Magical Day.  Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust! XOXO- Rochelle and Melanie

grand floridian resort at walt disney world